Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
4 Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him]; again I will say, rejoice!
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning; is now and ever shall be; world without end; Amen, Amen.
Worldly happiness is not the same as godly happiness.
Godly happiness is called joy.
In the Bible, the word joy is a celebration term.
Thus, Paul is calling for everyone’s everlasting unrelenting celebration of God.
Except for the inescapable reality of our sinful humanity is such a goal realistic?
Reality teaches that the difference between joy and secular happiness is that the latter depends on what happens; it’s circumstantially driven forward by human responses which we have learned, incorporated into us, by all life’s experiences.
So, if things are going in an upward direction in life, you raise up from your bed in the morning and feel up, but if things are going down, you feel down and sad.
This life cycle ordered by God keeps you and me on an emotional roller coaster.
Biblical joy, by contrast, has to do with stability and celebration on the inside regardless of circumstances on the outside.
We must choose to rejoice in order to experience the joy God promises us.
Remember, our happiness cannot always be turned on like a tap.
Remember too, our joy does not always come at the flip of a switch.
As Christians, we have highs and lows like anyone else.
Sometimes we feel great; other times we feel stuck.
So, in that case, what are we supposed to do we do with a biblical command that tells us to be joyful continually—or, as the text has it, to “rejoice … always”?
Some people conceive of joy as something that, like the tides of the oceans are responding to the moon, joy ebbs and flows according to our circumstances.
If this were so, the path to joy would be to ensure that all of our circumstances contain as many good things as possible and that we rigorously, vigorously cut out and avoid anything, and anyone, that by its occurrence, will bring us down.
But the apostle Paul offers us a different take.
The Christian joy he describes is intended to be steady and stable.
Paul clues us in to the source of this joy here:
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”
The key is the phrase in between “Rejoice” and “always”—“in the Lord.”
Those three little words make all the difference in the world!
If we let our joy ebb and flow with our circumstances, then we’re inevitably going to find ourselves in trouble.
Hard times always will come, sooner or later.
But, joyful times will always come also, sooner or later – Ecclesiastes 3:1
But if we make it our mission and ministry in life to rejoice in the Lord, who is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8), then our joy is covenanted and anchored in someone unchanging, and so it will be unfading.
Christian joy is a joy which can also coexist with deep sadness.
Our circumstances may bring us diverse degrees and measures of grief, but they need not diminish nor to extinguish our joy if you find it exclusively “in the Lord” alone —in who He is, how He loves us, and what He has promised us.
Today, practice, place your hope in Him and remind yourself of His unchanging nature and you will walk on true path toward rejoicing always, even in hardship.
Today, no matter your circumstances, you can find solace, rest, and, yes, even joy in the glorious truth that God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is with you, beside you, through it all, will one day, set all things aright.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 16 The Message
16 1-2 Keep me safe, O God, I’ve run for dear life to you. I say to God, “Be my Lord!” Without you, nothing makes sense.
3 And these God-chosen lives all around— what splendid friends they make!
4 Don’t just go shopping for a god. Gods are not for sale. I swear I’ll never treat god-names like brand-names.
5-6 My choice is you, God, first and only. And now I find I’m your choice! You set me up with a house and yard. And then you made me your heir!
7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake is confirmed by my sleeping heart. Day and night I’ll stick with God; I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.
9-10 I’m happy from the inside out, and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed. You canceled my ticket to hell— that’s not my destination!
11 Now you’ve got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I’m on the right way.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning; is now and ever shall be; world without end; Amen, Amen.
27 But David said in his heart, “Now I will die one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me inside the borders of Israel, and I will escape from his hand [once and for all].”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning; is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.
Sometimes, Our Thoughts are Our Greatest Enemy
However difficult his circumstance at any given time, David had always placed his confidence in the promises of God – God would deliver him from troubles.
Indeed, in the final conversation that ever took place between King Saul and David, David declared to Saul that although he didn’t know what would happen, he knew that God would deliver him from his troubles (1 Samuel 26:23-24).
23 The Lord will repay each man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the Lord handed you over to me today, but I refused to put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. 24 Now behold, just as your life was precious in my sight this day, so let my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may He rescue me from all distress.”
David had good reason for thinking and verbalizing such a level of confidence: deliverance from his vast array of enemies was a big theme throughout his life.
Throughout his life, whether it was from the lion, the bear, or the Philistine giant (1 Samuel 17:37) Goliath, or, later, from Saul’s murderous pursuit of him, David was always rather quick to attest to the promises of God’s rescues.
It is surprising, then, that having just avowed his commitment to the delivering hand of God, David had then somehow convinced himself in his heart that Saul would not give up his murderous pursuit and would eventually come to kill him.
Rather than continually and continuously reflecting on God’s goodness and faithfulness, as was his habit, he allowed his thoughts to enter into dark places.
His confidence gave way to depression and his faith gave way to fear, and so he sought escape, he went to seek security in the company of the enemy (1 Samuel 27:2)—a decision that would lead to a mess of deceit and difficulty (v 8-11).
The direction of our thoughts really matter; for they give rise to our actions.
An old saying reminds us of this principle: Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.
We may be able to look back on chapters in our own life when, like David, we began to have long two way conversations with ourselves, talk nonsense to ourselves, talk ourselves into foolish choices, and then find ourselves trapped.
We may be in that place right now, where we are struggling mightily to stop our thoughts from spiraling downwards and then leading ourselves into a course of action we know, deep down, in our souls, is 100% irrational, unwise or wrong.
David didn’t just need saving from threats to his life; this time he needed saving from himself—from the direction of his own mind and perhaps so do you and I.
But the good news is that we can’t exhaust what God constantly thinks of each and everyone of us, of God’s kindness and mercy, even if our thoughts have gone in the wrong direction and even if our actions have taken us off course.
As God rescued David then, so He has rescued us through the Cross of Christ.
Each and everyone of us were on His mind when He gave His life’s blood for us.
When we find our own thoughts turning to dark places, then, we can all remind ourselves of God’s goodness, deliverance, and faithfulness, let our thoughts of that Cross at Calvary shape our heart’s response to the difficulties we face, and shape the course of the narrow road we each take as we navigate them with him.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 23 Amplified Bible
The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.
A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want. 2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters. 3 He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the [sunless] [a]valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with [b]oil; My cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning; is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.
3 There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven—
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning; is now and ever shall be, worlds without end, Amen, Amen.
“God allows us to experience both the high and low points of life in order to teach us lessons that we could learn in no other way.” – C.S. Lewis
Contemplating the greatest part of God’s great design to this earth: its seasons.
We experience wet and dry seasons, the typical four seasons of winter, spring, summer, and fall, and there are planting seasons and harvesting seasons.
We see creation moving through seasons each year, and we ourselves live through seasons, as well.
In these seasons we learn to depend on and come to anticipate, expect things.
So, too, we find in the Bible that our lives go through seasons.
Seasons of happiness and sadness, loss and joy, hope, newness, and growth.
Seasons of health and seasons when acute and chronic illness seems to prevail.
All of these life seasons are intentional and God’s influence in them should be acknowledged and counted on.
We find this often quoted verse in the book of Ecclesiastes, which is believed to have been written by Solomon, the son of King David.
When Scripture declares that for everything there is a season, this means that the various circumstances we go through in life are not by incident, but they are orchestrated or allowed by God with His great purpose and His intentionality.
What Does The Bible Mean ‘For Everything There Is a Season’?
Ecclesiastes 3 verse 1 affirms two important reminders.
The things we go through in life are not in vain.
Our situations will not last forever.
If we are in a certain season of life, we can be confident the season will come to an end at some point.
This verse serves as a reminder that our circumstances will change and that is something we can come to reliably anticipate and expect in life.
Whatever God takes us through has a definitive purpose, perhaps that purpose is to deepen our faith or to help us to achieve a breakthrough in an area of life.
We will have our sorrows.
We will get over our sorrows.
We will enter the valley by some means.
We will get out of the valley by another means.
We will go through hardships.
And whatever season of life we find ourselves in, it will always have a beginning and it will always have an end.
We will always leave the old seasons behind.
We will always enter new seasons, too.
Ones that bring relief, hope, or a deeper sense of faith.
I believe it’s helpful to also read other translations of this verse to get a better idea of its meaning:
“Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses”. – Good News Translation
“Everything has its own time, and there is a specific time for every activity under heaven” – God’s Word
“There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth” – The Message
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” – NIV
“There is a right time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time.” Easy to Read Version
What Is the Verses’ Context: ‘For Everything There Is a Season’?
As you read the book of Ecclesiastes, you may get the impression that Solomon had somewhat of a grave, pessimistic outlook on life.
The book begins with Solomon’s declaration that everything is meaningless (see verse 1:1).
He had seen the ups and downs of life, yet could not quite make sense of life.
Why was there so much suffering?
Where was God in the midst of life?
What is the meaning of the mundane days we live?
In this book, Solomon reflected on his understanding of God and how that fits with what he knew and the life he was experiencing.
Perhaps you have found yourself wondering or reflecting like Solomon did.
In the third chapter, we find perhaps some clarity around the mysteries of life.
When nothing in life seems to make sense anymore, if we dare to look, to find God’s presence in life, that’s when real meaning and satisfaction will emerge.
Life without God is hopeless, but a life lived for God and in acknowledgement of his divine presence, sovereignty, is one marked by fruitfulness and significance.
In this third chapter, Solomon affirmed the seasons of joys and the seasons of hardships, the high and low seasons, the valleys of despair and peaks of honor.
This is the natural ebb and flow of life that we can anticipate, and when we keep God at the center, purpose will emerge and refining of our hearts will take place.
Why Is There always a Time for Bad Things?
The basic reality is that life always gets hard.
As we know, bad things happen even to those who follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Sinful nature has left nothing untouched, and this is why we await the second coming of Jesus.
But until then, we know that we will always enter tough seasons, go through tough seasons, leave tough seasons as much as we go through joyful seasons.
Even Jesus reminded us that we will always have troubles, but we can still have peace in him (see John 16:33).
The hope found in this Ecclesiastical passage is that these seasons of suffering, hate, and death will come to us but they will also come to an end. (Psalm 23)
God will bring us through to better days marked by comfort, love, and new life.
Through it all, we can rest in the peace Jesus has given us.
Regardless of what seasons we face, we can fully and completely trust that God always remains in absolute control and is the author of our days.
How Does God Make Everything Beautiful in Its Time?
Ecclesiastes 3:11 Amplified Bible
God Set Eternity in the Heart of Man
11 He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end.
God is our Redeemer.
To redeem something means to offset its negative traits.
In a biblical sense, redemption means that Jesus’ work on the cross has covered our sin.
His sacrificial love has offset and delivered us from sinfulness, death, and guilt.
God’s redemptive work makes us beautiful and it makes all things beautiful.
This concept of redemption that we find in Scripture teaches us that God will redeem us from despair and work all things together for the good of those who love him (see Romans 8:28).
We find this promise written that God will make everything beautiful in its due season.
God will judge right from wrong and bring about justice (Ecclesiastes 3:16-17).
16 Moreover, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness. 17 I said to myself, “God will judge both the righteous and the wicked,” for there is a time [appointed] for every matter and for every deed.
God will make things right.
We may not always know how or when or where he will make things beautiful or when he will do that, but we can 100% count on it, pray for it to happen, and put all of our trust fully in God to redeem even the worst of our circumstances.
What to Learn from Ecclesiastes 3:1 about Change and Timing?
Solomon, author of Ecclesiastes, goes to great lengths to preach that we must put our trust in God’s sovereignty which means he is in control of all things.
God is always with us in the hardest battles.
He guides our steps from one season to the next.
He sees what is coming ahead for us and will provide what we need to get through.
No matter what seasons lay behind us or ahead of us, God is always present and always leading us through each – for the purpose of His glory.
The greatest hope we have in seasons of trouble or change is that God will never leave us nor forsake us (see: Hebrews 13:5).
5 Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!”
We may experience God’s timing as difficult, or late, or hard to understand, or different than what we’d expect or hope for.
But truly, over time, we will learn that all of God’s timing is perfect and always comes to pass in a way that will bring us goodness rather than hopelessness.
How Can We Learn to Apply “For Everything There is a Season” to Everyday Lives?
When we wake up, we can trust that whatever season we are in is not by accident, nor will God allow it to unfold without bringing out a grander purpose and drawing us closer to him.
Every season is purposeful in leading us into a deeper relationship with God and creating unshakeable faith.
We can hope that the Lord will give us seasons of joy, and know that he wants us to enjoy life (see Ecclesiastes 3:12-13).
12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good as long as they live; 13 and also that every man should eat and drink and see and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.
We should savor the goodness of life and the ways God has gifted us with his favor.
Through fellowship, disciplined reading, studying, and praying, apply this verse to your life by trusting that God knows the seasons in your life in which you will relish and endure, and God will be with you every step of the way.
Therefore, we should lean into God regardless of the situation because he loves us and will journey with us each moment, each day, and each season.
Like Solomon, we can go through our seasons, and take the opportunity to pause to reflect on our lives and how we see God’s presence and direction.
God is the author of our time and the seasons we go through.
Though life does not always make sense, or may even feel insignificant at times, rather than getting lost in despair, we can find comfort and hope in God.
God brings us to new seasons, changes our circumstances, and adds fullness to our existence.
God alone creates and sustains and God alone will make all things beautiful in due season and God alone will cause all our lives to be abundant in meaning.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 16 The Message
16 1-2 Keep me safe, O God, I’ve run for dear life to you. I say to God, “Be my Lord!” Without you, nothing makes sense.
3 And these God-chosen lives all around— what splendid friends they make!
4 Don’t just go shopping for a god. Gods are not for sale. I swear I’ll never treat god-names like brand-names.
5-6 My choice is you, God, first and only. And now I find I’m your choice! You set me up with a house and yard. And then you made me your heir!
7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake is confirmed by my sleeping heart. Day and night I’ll stick with God; I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.
9-10 I’m happy from the inside out, and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed. You canceled my ticket to hell— that’s not my destination!
11 Now you’ve got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I’m on the right way.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning; is now and ever shall be, worlds without end, Amen, Amen.
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. Selah
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.
Sometimes in life, things suddenly happen which leaves us feeling dismayed, fearful, and overwhelmed.
Worse than that, these same situations we encounter are out of our control.
Worse than that, these situations which arise can even be life threatening.
Calamity happens before our very eyes, deep within our own bodies and despite how much we protest, all we can do is feel the weakness, wait, watch the clock.
All we can do is experience the true reality of the moment we are locked into.
All we can do is instinctively respond with the coping skills we know best.
This happens when we lose a relationship, a job, or a loved one, through no fault of our own.
Things happen that we don’t understand, and we and our loved ones are left to try to recover and rehabilitate and keep moving forward and pick up the pieces.
When things happen that are out of your control, where do you turn?
I was blindsided recently when my heart nearly reached the point of no return.
That’s far from the first time in my life when I encountered something out of my control, but I was reminded of something important – my life was at stake.
One of my arteries was 99% blocked, five others were in imminent danger.
In an instant, life became a slow and slower and slowed walk as I was admitted to a cardiac telemetry unit floor, hospital for open heart surgery – triple bypass.
Admitted on a Friday for urgent surgery on the following Monday morning.
In a moment frozen in time, my life limited to the confines of a single hospital room because I could not walk any distance without getting short of breath.
The surgeon was going to saw open my sternum, spread my rib cage apart, he was going to quite literally stop my heart for an extended period of time as they harvested veins from my leg, my chest wall to “rework the internal plumbing.”
They would put me on a heart lung machine and a ventilator to support my life.
My life literally hung in the balance of both of those machines working 100%.
Over five hours of surgery,
Something people have always reminded me of throughout all the years and something, with all of my now repaired heart, I want to share with you today.
In matters of life and in matters of death,
When balance is something that seems like something which will never return;
Be still, and know that He is God.
God is the One who is exalted.
Chances are, you can pull from many examples in your own life where things suddenly happened that were very fearful, unfortunate and uncontrollable.
Where we turn when these situations arise says a lot about our character.
We learn more about our faith, where we are strong, and where we are weak.
In the suddenness of the moment, no where else to turn, choices must be made, choices which quite literally physically altering, life altering, life saving choices
We consent, we learn where we place our trust, in whom we place 1000% trust.
If we genuinely surrender our earthly and worldly fears and concerns to God, these bad experiences can be an opportunity to build a greater trust in God.
That’s what I decided to do this week when I had to let go of my friend.
In the past, I would have cried and yelled and questioned God all night long.
Deep down, I would have doubted God could help and blamed Him for all these bad occurrences.
After all, if He loved me, how could He let these things happen to my heart?
This time, however, I decided to be still.
I decided to max trust.
Max trust beyond the skill of the surgeon and his team and the machines keeping me alive even while my heart was literally stopped for 80 minutes.
God had His eyes on my physical heart, His hands around my physical heart.
God went echelons beyond good even when my life was literally in His hands.
There’s still plenty of life in my life to appreciate, even amidst all the bad stuff.
That’s what I fervently pray that you to see in your own life today.
There’s good waiting for you just around the bend, even if you can’t see it yet.
And there’s good that will come out of the bad, even if you don’t believe it yet.
Sometimes we just have to lay ourselves down, be still and know that He is God.
For some practical ways to do that, here are some hard lessons I have learned since July 17, 2023 – the day God had mercy on me and He gave me a new life.
1. Stop Striving
One of my flaws is a desire for exercising too much control over me.
As a doer, there’s a certain way I like to do things and have things done.
I have to practice humility, I have to practice surrender, I have to practice God and remember that my way is not always the best way or even the right way.
That’s especially true when needing to trust God.
Too often have I questioned why He allowed something to happen, what good could come out of a situation only to down the road experience the goodness.
How much evidence do I need to trust?
Sometimes, despite our desire to handle a situation, sometimes God just wants us to lay still, to be still, to rely on Him. In that act of trust, we develop our faith.
2. Pray Without Ceasing
Proverbs 4:23 English Standard Version
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
Naturally, when bad things happen, we think about them.
We question whether situations could have occurred differently, whether bad situations could, can be, undone, and we wonder what to do next for ourselves.
Thinking isn’t bad, but we would be wise not to dwell on the negativity.
Instead, where we ought to dwell is in prayer, talking to God about our angst.
He cares and wants to hear.
Not only that, but prayer helps mold us into the image of Christ.
We invite God to speak to us and protect our hearts and to change our hearts.
3. Be Still and Rest
As we pray and as we stop striving, we should aim for rest.
Losing a friendship, a marriage, a loved one, all of that carries weight.
Losing our spiritual hearts, even worse our physical hearts quite literally carries the full weight and responsibility of our moral and ethical and physical lives.
The more we care, the greater the pain.
We cannot get rid of the pain even if you desire such.
Nor can we so easily dismiss the shortness of breath on physical exertion.
Nor can we undo the situation we are trying to gain control of, balance in.
What you can manage for yourself is resting.
Take time to do something fun and relaxing.
Don’t think over much about the sad stuff, the fearful stuff, the stuff that makes you mad, but set your mind on something distracting and positive.
That includes real physical exercise, reading, and other recreational activities.
4. God’s Ways Will Always Be Greater Than Our Own
Psalm 139:1-6English Standard Version
Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
139 O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. 5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.
There’s no way for us to be still and to trust God if we have no reason to do so.
While we could and should remind ourselves of the good things He has done in our lives, we should also be ever mindful of what God’s Scripture reminds us of.
The issue we face is that when bad things happen, sometimes we all forget the good, we forget the absolute sovereignty God has over all things good and bad.
The solution, then, is to read, study, pray over and know the truth of Scripture because that’s a time honored, time tested, undeniable truth we cannot dispute.
Psalm 46 says that God is in full, complete command over all things in nature.
So, we can steadfastly believe in God’s authority and sovereignty over our life.
5. Keep Trying, Keep Laboring, Keep Living for God
1 Corinthians 15:57-58 English Standard Version
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 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.
If you’re not used to being still, don’t be surprised when you struggle to do just that. What’s instead important is to keep trying. When you fail once, try again.
After the second time, you try again. God is after our hearts, not perfection.
And thankfully, practice makes perfect.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
1. Breathe on me, Breath of God, fill me with life anew, that I may love what thou dost love, and do what thou wouldst do.
2. Breathe on me, Breath of God, until my heart is pure, until with thee I will one will, to do and to endure.
3. Breathe on me, Breath of God, till I am wholly thine, till all this earthly part of me glows with thy fire divine.
4. Breathe on me, Breath of God, so shall I never die, but live with thee the perfect life of thine eternity.
Edwin Hatch, 1835-1889
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning; is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.
Nehemiah had rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, and many Israelites had returned to their homeland following the nation’s 70-year exile in Babylon. It was the first day of their new year (the feast of trumpets), and the apostate nation of Israel stood in the city square and started to listen to Ezra the priest reading the Word of the Lord. He read from the book of the Law that had been given by God to Israel.
As they listened God’s Word being read to them, this errant nation as one man realized how far they had wandered from their God. Oh, at first, they started to rejoice and cried out “AMEN, AMEN,” but as Ezra continued to read the Scriptures, they started to realize how deeply they had fallen into sin and how far they had wandered away from the truth of God’s Word, and both men and women began to mourn and grieve deeply.
The people wept as they heard the Scriptures being read, for they acknowledged their sin, but Nehemiah the governor stood up and reminded the people that this first day of the new year was a special feast day of the Lord. He comforted them, saying, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:5-6 Amplified Bible
5 Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above them; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands; and they knelt down and worshiped the Lord with their faces toward the ground.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen, Amen.
“Will you stand with me?” is a question I asked my congregation each week.
They would rise, open their hymnals to the hymn and the music begins to play.
Our few voices joined together as one voice and one heart to worship our God.
I was a worship leader for several years, and as few or as many as we were, I was always amazed every week at how our God would meet us right where we are at.
Whatever was going on, we might be dealing with frustrating circumstances or excruciating disappointments, or high joy, but God met us in the middle of it all.
When we enter His presence with Word and song, and prayer and through the lifting up of our hands, and our hears two things happen: love and adoration for God stirs in our hearts, and He inhabits our praise, He inhabits our worship.
With platform ministry, however, comes the risk of personal ambitions vying for central focus – the value of “our worship” is more our own entertainment.
We will plan the very best worship based on our own need to hear some much Words of healing our wounds and uplifting us up after a rather long hard week.
Congregations can set those on the stage on a pedestal and forget that worship leaders are just like them bringing their own weeks trials and internal battles.
Bringing ourselves and our seasons into it – we can lose sight of true worship.
It is all about exalting God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
The English word for worship comes from the Old English word “worthship.”
This word describes our actions and attitudes that honor God’s worthiness.
God is absolutely worthy of every single ounce of our praise and adoration.
True worship is God-centered, God-prioritized and not human-centered.
Our exclusive focus needs to be on who God is and his attributes.
Some of those attributes are faithfulness, omnipresent, eternal, unchangeable, compassionate, merciful, unconventional loving and patient.
We worship him when we know and confess that God is the only Lord in our life.
When we engage in God-centered worship through singing songs that remind us of who God is, we become equipped to face our difficulties with robust faith.
God-centered worship helps us grow and mature in our spiritual walk because it prioritizes God, it centers us on God, our hearts upon what is true about God.
This is important because the cares and complexities of life can easily choke out what we know to be true about God because all our cares loom large in our path.
The Book of Nehemiah
Nehemiah 8:1-8 English Standard Version
Ezra Reads the Law
8 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. 4 And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. 6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites,[a] helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. 8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly,[b] and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
The book of Nehemiah chronicles rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls, the worship of God, the return of the Word of God and the exiled people’s hearts to the Lord.
Ezra the scribe stood before the people on a wooden platform and opened the Book of the Law, read it before them for the first time since who knows when.
Revival began with a renewed desire for God’s Word and a serious effort to understand it – and the people responded with lifted hands and bowed heads.
God longs for us to express our deep love to him with regular times of worship.
God longs for us to experience and relate and connect to His very deepest love.
Two very key principles help direct our worship.
John 4:23 tells us that “true worshipers will worship God in spirit and in truth.”
God’s main concern is with our hearts.
True worship comes from within a heart that max agrees with all that God is and a heart which instinctively chooses to live in maximum obedience to Him.
Our heart reflects godly character traits, reveals a deep inner devotion to Him.
We can worship God when we praise Him.
God provides different expressions of how to praise him throughout the ancient Words of both the Old and New Testaments.
It can be lifting of hands, shouting and singing, praying and confession of sin.
When Ezra and Nehemiah realized how the people had neglected God’s Word, they led the entire community in Word and in a passionate prayer of confession.
Prayer is another important aspect of worship.
We can pray publicly, privately, personally, or intercede for others.
Worship also includes the public reading of God’s word and preaching its truth.
Practical Reading, Practical Study, Practical Explanation, Practical Application of God’s Word, disciplining ourselves to live out our lives, is an act of worship.
One of the most beautiful aspects of a spiritually renewed heart of worship is the bringing about the “God” community it creates within a body of believers.
When we gather together in community, for a service, a time of bible study and prayer, we all come from different journeys and levels of personal difficulties.
These can distract us and serve to pull us away from intimacy with God.
One of the ways we can combat this is through worshiping together.
There is indescribable, miraculous power when we collectively lift our voices in God’s Words and God’s songs that remind us of who God is and what he can do.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Nehemiah 8:9-11Amplified Bible
“This Day Is Holy”
9 Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then Ezra said to them, “Go [your way], eat the rich festival food, drink the sweet drink, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be worried, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and your stronghold.” 11 So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be worried.”
Challenges of every complexity can and do fill our lives, chip away at our faith.
Often, we drift away from God through times of doubt, fear, disappointments.
But if we will all desire the challenge to step forward for God, refocus on God’s Word and prioritize and desire to know him better, we renew a heart of worship.
Whatever you find yourself facing today, pause and acknowledge God.
Bend the knee, bow your spirit, lift your hands and your voices to show 100% you fully trust in him and bow your head to prostrate and humble your heart.
He longs to connect with you right exactly where you are. Come to him today.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
God of truth, sometimes I not sure if I’m actually hearing your voice, or if it’s just my own thoughts or even another spirit. Sharpen my spiritual hearing, Lord, so I can recognize your words when you are speaking to me. Help me know it’s really you, with no doubt or second-guessing. When I’m asking for your guidance in important decisions, give me your peace that surpasses understanding with your answer. Help me remember that your words to me will never go against your written word in the Bible. Give me a clear mind and push out all my confusion. Alleluia, Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen, Amen.
As believers, we have been given the Holy Spirit as a Helper, Teacher, Friend, and seal for the promised inheritance of eternal life with God.
His presence, guidance, and wisdom in our lives are our greatest gifts while here on earth. Through him we have access to direct connection with our heavenly Father. Through him we receive spiritual gifts to empower us. And through him we are able to bear the incredible fruit of abundant life.
Open your heart soul and mind to all that the Holy Spirit would give you, would show you, and lead you to and through these most precarious of times, most wayward of seasons.
Psalm 25:14-15 English Standard Version
14 The friendship[a] of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. 15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.
Lord God, Help Me! May I Be Your Friend?
Our psalmist is in trouble and danger.
Enemies are threatening.
In effect, the psalmist cries out, “God, help!”
But this is more than a cry for help; this psalm is also a plea for forgiveness.
Repeatedly the psalmist asks God to forget, to forgive, and to be gracious.
In answer to his prayer for help and forgiveness, the writer seeks guidance, the writer seeks the wise and wiser counsel of a true friend and a true confidant.
Looking to the one who knows everything about him, the psalmist asks God for steady direction and authentic teaching in order to see the path he should take.
The psalmist ends this prayer with a commitment to follow through on this request—the bodyguards of uprightness and integrity will accompany him, will stand by him through everything, as he receives God’s wise counsel and advice.
Uprightness, the straightforward knowing of God’s ways and understanding who God wants him to be, will be on one side.
And integrity, following through on God’s guidance and walking the way God directs him to walk, will be on the other side.
Each day choices need to be made, decisions acted on, life lived.
Psalm 25 invites us to live under the gentle tutoring of God, to humbly submit to the holy wisdom that will help us make faithful decisions, to fully rely on the steadfast One whose best forever friendship will guide us to those right choices.
Are we seeking God’s counsel today?
Are we seeking God’s friendship today?
Friendship with the Holy Spirit
In friendship with the Holy Spirit we begin to experience a sense of wholeness and joy unattainable through any other relationship or aspect of life.
Rapid and wonderful transformation results when you discover the wealth of love that comes with continual, real friendship with the living God.
In friendship with God comes peace, security, honesty, healing, and freedom.
As you and I live our lives in step with the Holy Spirit, we experience what Adam and Eve experienced as they walked with God himself in the Garden of Eden.
We discover the vast reservoir of love, affection, and perfect help that’s always available to us in the Holy Spirit.
In the name of God, the Father, please open your heart today to receive a fresh revelation of God’s truest desire for friendship with you through the Holy Spirit.
Jesus says inJohn 15:15,“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”
God longs for friendship with his people.
And through the Holy Spirit we have a continual connection with God available to us.
The Spirit desires to do life with you.
He wants to guide you, speak to you, and love you, He wants to satisfy your longing for relationship and can do so in greater ways than you can imagine.
John 14:16-17 says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
By God’s grace we have been filled with God himself.
We have dwelling with us and within us the same Spirit who authored Scripture, who raised Christ from the dead, who empowered the disciples, who did hover over the waters at the creation of all things.
And Scripture says that he longs to help you!
And Scripture says that he longs to help me!
Jesus calls him the “Helper.”
How incredible is the grace of our God to offer us relationship with the Holy Spirit!
How great is his love that he would send his Son to die that we might have abundant life for all of eternity, including eternal friendship, right now!
Growing in our Friendship With the Holy Spirit
So, how do we grow in friendship with the Holy Spirit?
How do we allow him to satisfy our desire for relationship?
Psalm 25:14 says, “The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.”
And Ephesians 4:30 says, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
Friendship with the Holy Spirit starts like any other true friendship.
We must respect, love, and make time for him.
We must learn what he likes and dislikes.
And we must apologize when we do something that hurts him.
The Holy Spirit has feelings like any other person.
But he is also full of grace, forgiveness, and unconditional love.
Friendship with him comes about by following his leadership, making time to ask him how he feels about things, and following his guidance away from a lifestyle of sin into the righteousness available to you through Christ Jesus.
The Holy Spirit is waiting right now to guide you into friendship with him.
He’s excited about the idea of pouring out his love and affections on you.
He longs to lead you far, far away from the sins that hurt you and grieve him.
And he longs to guide you toward a life of walking with him in relationship.
In the name of the Father God, spend time in prayer being filled with the Holy Spirit afresh, making room to discover the reality of his presence in your life.
In long-term relationships we have with friends, family, and our spouse, at some point – they know all our stories.
Those are the very best relationships.
Those are the ones we lean on the most, right?
They are the ones we learn the most from, right?
When it comes to our relationship with God, He already knows all our stories.
Even the stories that are yet to come.
Yet, He still wants to hear our thoughts, and moreover, He wants to share of Himself with us.
In Psalm 25:14 ESV, it says, “The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.”
You know what, I absolutely love it when the Bible calls God our friend.
Because He authentically and truly is!
The absolute best friend we’ll ever have!
And when it comes to knowing Him, we can never assume we know everything.
Over our lifetime of friendship, there is always more to know and more to learn.
We have that same opportunity of a lifetime to grow and nurture our friendship with God, the Father and God the Son, our Savior Jesus and God the Holy Spirit.
And unlike our other best forever friend relationships, we never have to wonder if He has time.
He always does.
In John 15:13, Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
Since Jesus already did that for each of us, the least we can do is invest in the best eternal friendship we can ever have, He so clearly wants to have with us.
Today, as we worship, as we study, pray, praise Jesus for being your friend.
Thank Him ever so muchly and absolutely for His selfless love and ask Him to guide you, teach, help you, to never take your friendship with Him for granted.
Ask Him to speak into your heart often and help you grow as a friend to Jesus.
In the name of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Romans 8:26-28 English Standard Version
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because[a] the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[b] for those who are called according to his purpose.
Guided Prayer:
1. Meditate on God’s desire for friendship with you.
“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” >John 15:15
“The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.” Psalm 25:14
2. Ask the Holy Spirit to pour his love out on you.
Ask him to make the reality of his nearness known to you. Be filled with desire to live your life in relationship with this real, tangible God who loves you.
3. Ask the Holy Spirit what he likes and doesn’t like.
Open your life and let him speak to you about whatever is causing you trouble.
Ask him how he genuinely feels about relationships, situations, thoughts, and perspectives you have. The Spirit loves to spend time to speak to us and help us.
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” >John 14:16-17
Often we separate out what we think God cares about and what just seems to be normal, worldly parts of life.
But God wants to be involved in every part of our lives.
He wants to be there for us in everything we do.
He wants to fill us with grace and joy to do all the things set before us, from taking out the trash to washing dishes to leading thousands of people in prayer.
In God’s name, allow the Holy Spirit to come in, work in every area of your life and discover the wealth of knowledge and love your God has to share with you.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.
His Old Testament laws were meant to distinguish the Israelites as his people and preserve them from spiritual and physical harm.
When people rebel, rather than looking forward to punishing them for their sin, God grieves over his rebellious children.
He yearns to bring restoration. When Jesus comes as Immanuel, he teaches and shows that God seriously cares about reaching and redeeming rebellious sinners.
Incredibly, both Jesus and John the Baptizer have more success with those who are in outright rebellion than with those who have been inoculated by their legalistic religiosity.
Jesus came to the lost, the broken, and the least to share fellowship, share a meal or two, to teach them of mercy, save, mend, and make first.
As the Body of Christ, His Church, we too are called to unhesitatingly “Sit With the Sinners” as Jesus modeled.
“Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy. I desire compassion, and not sacrifice.”
Matthew 9:10-13 English Standard Version
10 And as Jesus[a] reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.
One of the most visible character attributes of God, as seen in Scripture, is His mercy, is His compassion.
Both Old Testament and New Testaments testify to the unconditional love and mercy that arises from His compassion, even and especially when it is viewed alongside those passages that describe God’s just and holy wrath towards sin.
God is always completely who He is.
From our human experience, we expect God to be “one or the other,” as we are.
Instead, all His attributes are divinely and perfectly in harmony with Himself – never in competition.
As the Psalmist reminds us, God is not like us: “You thought that I was altogether like you” (Psalm 50:21).
“God’s essence is one indivisible whole, so that each and all of His perfections actively characterize God’s entire being. God’s perfections must be thought of as always actively present together and mutually influencing each other without any hierarchy, even when they are not all mentioned in a given passage of Scripture.” –John MacArthur
What is Compassion?
The dictionary defines compassion as
“a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.”
It differs from empathy or pity, in that while these words indicate an emotional response to the suffering of others, compassion advances, moves one to act.
The Old Testament Hebrew word for compassion is rāḥami and is often translated “mercy.”
In the New Testament, the Greek word is splagchnizomai: to be moved as to one’s inwards.
The root word is splagchnon, from which we get “spleen.”
The bowels or inward parts were seen, were understood to be the seat of inward affection, love, and pity, expressing an intense emotion, a yearning, that deeply moves one inwardly, creating an intense desire and longing to relieve suffering.
Exodus 33:19 English Standard Version
19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
Exodus 34:6-7English Standard Version
6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,7 keeping steadfast love for thousands,[a] forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
God proclaimed His name to Moses in response to his request to see God’s glory.
When we get a glimpse of God’s glory, we are seeing His attributes on display.
How comforting to read God defines Himself as compassionate, His very essence is one of deep compassion, moved to act because of the suffering of humanity.
Psalm 103:8-13 English Standard Version
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
Isaiah 30:18 English Standard Version
The Lord Will Be Gracious
18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
Lamentations 3:22-23 English Standard Version
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;[a] his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
James 5:10-11 English Standard Version
10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
Followers of Jesus Are Commanded to Be Compassionate
Matthew 9:10-13 Amplified Bible
10 Then as Jesus was reclining at the table in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and [a]sinners [including non-observant Jews] came and ate with Him and His disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your Master eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but [only] those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this [Scripture] means: ‘I desire compassion [for those in distress], and not [animal] sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call [to repentance] the [self-proclaimed] righteous [who see no need to change], but sinners [those who recognize their sin and actively seek forgiveness].”
Philippians 2:1-2 Amplified Bible
Be Like Christ
2 Therefore if there is any encouragement and comfort in Christ [as there certainly is in abundance], if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship [that we share] in the Spirit, if [there is] any [great depth of] affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same [a]love [toward one another], knit together in spirit, intent on one purpose [and living a life that reflects your faith and spreads the gospel—the good news regarding salvation through faith in Christ].
If we have truly come to faith in Jesus, we have acknowledged the inescapable fact of our own sinfulness.
We have tasted personally of God’s compassion and mercy and realized that we have no innate righteousness that merits a place in God’s kingdom.
This knowledge should naturally create a humility in us towards others who are suffering both physically and spiritually.
Jesus said that He desires compassion, not sacrifice.
Religious works without a tender heart of mercy does not please God.
Paul admonishes us to imitate and model the same compassion we see in Jesus – compassion that sent Him to the cross.
John 15:13 Amplified Bible
13 No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends.
1 John 3:16 Amplified Bible
16 By this we know [and have come to understand the depth and essence of His precious] love: that He [willingly] laid down His life for us [because He loved us]. And we ought to lay down our lives for the believers.
Here are four practical ways that Jesus taught us to show, model, compassion:
1. Compassion for Those with Physical Needs
Matthew 15:32Amplified Bible
Four Thousand Fed
32 Then Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the crowd, because they have been with Me now three days and have nothing [left] to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, because they might faint [from exhaustion] on the way [home].”
While Jesus’ ultimate work and mission was spiritual, accomplishing eternal salvation for the souls of men, He took much time to address the physical needs of those who came to Him for help.
One of His more familiar parables describes “the good Samaritan” who illustrated what it means to “love your neighbor as yourself.”
The pious religious priest and Levite passed by the man in need, but the Samaritan saw him and felt compassion (Luke 10:33).
Jesus concludes with the moral of the parable:
Luke 10:36-37 Amplified Bible
36 Which of these three do you think proved himself a neighbor to the man who encountered the robbers?” 37 He answered, “The one who showed compassion and mercy to him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and constantly do the same.”
We can model the love of Jesus by meeting needs.
James puts this principle in terms we cannot fail to understand:
James 2:15-17 Amplified Bible
15 If a brother or sister is without [adequate] clothing and lacks [enough] food for each day, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace [with my blessing], [keep] warm and feed yourselves,” but he does not give them the necessities for the body, what good does that do? 17 So too, faith, if it does not have works [to back it up], is by itself dead [inoperative and ineffective].
Physical needs are also often manifested in illness and disease.
While we do not have the power to heal sickness as Jesus did out of compassion (Matthew 14:14), we should do what we can to alleviate the suffering of the sick, including praying diligently for healing (James 5:14-16), visiting to provide encouragement and practical help (Matthew 25:35-40), and bearing with patience the extra burdens of caring for others with illness (Galatians 4:13-15).
Galatians 6:1-4 Amplified Bible
Bear One Another’s Burdens
6 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any sin, you who are spiritual [that is, you who are responsive to the guidance of the Spirit] are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness [not with a sense of superiority or self-righteousness], keeping a watchful eye on yourself, so that you are not tempted as well. 2 Carry one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the requirements of the law of Christ [that is, the law of Christian love]. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something [special] when [in fact] he is nothing [special except in his own eyes], he deceives himself. 4 But each one must carefully scrutinize his own work [examining his actions, attitudes, and behavior], and then he can have the personal satisfaction and inner joy of doing something commendable [a]without comparing himself to another.
2. Compassion for Those Who Mourn
Luke 7:11-15 Amplified Bible
11 Soon afterward Jesus went to a city called Nain [near Nazareth], and His disciples and a large crowd accompanied Him. 12 Now as He approached the city gate, a dead man was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her [in the funeral procession]. 13 When the Lord saw her, He felt [great] compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 And He came up and touched the bier [on which the body rested], and the pallbearers stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise [from death]!” 15 The man who was dead sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother.
A famous quote attributed to Ben Franklin says, “In this life, nothing is certain but death and taxes.”
We all have an appointment with death (Hebrews 9:27).
Some are born into extreme poverty and live their whole lives in need.
Others come into the world surrounded by great riches and have their every want or desire granted.
Yet physical circumstances have no bearing on a man’s ability to escape death; it is the great equalizer.
Jesus came to do away with the fear of death that holds all men captive (Hebrews 2:14-15).
As His followers, we can show the greatest compassion towards those who mourn, giving them hope in the reality that Christ has done away with its sting (1 Corinthians 15:54-55).
During His earthly ministry, Jesus brought back to physical life several who had died, acting out of compassion (Lazarus, the window’s son, etc.).
But all these died a natural death again.
Grieving during a time of death provides one of the greatest opportunities to show the compassion of Christ to those who mourn.
3. Compassion for Those Who Have Made Poor Choices
Luke 15:20-24 Amplified Bible
20 So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe [for the guest of honor] and put it on him; and give him a [a]ring for his hand, and sandals for his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let us [invite everyone and] feast and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was [as good as] dead and is alive again; he was lost and has been found.’ So they began to celebrate.
The story of the prodigal son hits home for all of us.
Sometimes we are the wayward child gone astray from our Father’s love.
But without compassion, we might just find ourselves in the place of the self-righteous, jealous brother who refused to celebrate, resented the outpouring of love and mercy, welcoming his younger brother found in the father’s welcome.
This much beloved parable illustrates the way God responds to each and every one of us, and how we ought to feel deeply and act intentionally to restore those who are suffering because of their own poor judgments and very willful choices.
There’s no better way to show the redemptive love of Christ.
4. Compassion for the Lost
Mark 6:33-40 Amplified Bible
33 Many [people] saw them leaving, and recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the [surrounding] cities, and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd [waiting], and He was moved with compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd [lacking guidance]; and He began to teach them many things. 35 When the day was nearly gone, His disciples came to Him and said, “This is an isolated place, and it is already late; 36 send the crowds away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But He replied, “You give them something to eat!” And they asked Him, “Shall we go and buy 200 [a]denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they said, “Five [loaves], and two fish.” 39 Then Jesus commanded them all to sit down by groups on the green grass. 40 They sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties [so that the crowd resembled an orderly arrangement of colorful garden plots].
Matthew 9:35-37 Amplified Bible
35 Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages [in Galilee], teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news (gospel) of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness [His words and His works reflecting His Messiahship].
36 When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion and pity for them, because they were dispirited and distressed, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is [indeed] plentiful, but the workers are few.
The gospel presents a mission of compassion and mercy.
Separated from our Creator by the wide gulf of sin, we were lost and without hope. God’s heart was moved to act to relieve our suffering, sending His only Son as the sacrificial Lamb of God to atone for the sins of the world.
As followers, imitators of our Savior and Lord Jesus, may all our acts of mercy lead to an invitation to receive the good news of salvation and be reconciled to the Father – Sharing the gospel is an act of compassion with eternal results.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Dear heavenly Father, I praise you for being so kind, gentle, and patient with me. When I consider the difference between how much I know and how well I love, I am compelled to worship you for the truth and riches of the gospel. You don’t love me to the degree I love others; you love me to the degree you have hidden my life in Christ, which is completely. This good news is my peace, hope, and my joy.
It’s also the basis, and rocket fuel, of my repentance. Even as your kindness continues to lead me to repentance, and to more of Jesus, so I repent, Father. I repent of my ill- nourishing lingering resentments. I repent of my holding onto to a few hurts a little tighter than others. I repent of my not being as quick to forgive, heal, and move on as you intend.
I acknowledge what you already know to be true; I’ve enjoyed the role of victim a little more than I’ve relished the thought being a peacemaker. Avoidance has been easier than hoping. But Father, I now crave freedom more than I “need” justice. The only justice I need has been meted out on at the cross, where Jesus died for my sin, and you reconciled me to yourself.
So, Father, as I reach for the garments of grace—compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, I trust you for strength to extend to others the same loving-kindness you have poured on me richly in Jesus. Bring glory to yourself, and I bring my convicted and grateful heart to you. So very Alleluia, So very Amen I do pray.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.
Have you noticed how easy it is to be upset? Maybe something happened to someone you love. Perhaps you’re feeling the stress of school or sports. Before you know it, you’re upset and troubled.
The Bible provides us with a great tip when it comes to stress. It tells us to not let your hearts be troubled. That means you have a choice in every situation whether you’re going to respond in peace or if you’re going to let your heart be troubled.
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. – John 14:1 (NLT)
Every day you have the opportunity to choose. You get to choose whether you’re going to really trust God in every area of your life. If you trust God, then you don’t have to let your heart be troubled. You know that no matter how bad things get around you, God will always see you through.
So today, if you’re faced with that “something too big,” please do not allow your heart to be troubled.
Instead, pray to God, look to Jesus. rest in the Holy Spirit, Trust Him to be your peace in the middle of the storm. You will be glad you did.
Today’s Truth: “Peace Be Still” Do not Let Your Heart Be Troubled. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be; world without end; God was, is, forever shall remain “still God.”
John 14:1-4 New American Standard Bible
Jesus Comforts His Disciples
14 “Do not let your heart be troubled; [a]believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many [b]rooms; if that were not so, [c]I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be. 4 And you know the way where I am going.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen Amen. Amen.
Followers of Christ are not covenanted by God, are not summoned by God to simply be timid or fair-weather believers.
They are realistic believers committed to truth, people who “think in believing and believe in thinking,” as Saint Augustine of Hippo had once expressed it.
They are therefore like experienced pilots who can fly in bad weather as easily as in good, by night as well as by day, and upside down as well as right side up.
Faith’s rainy days will come and go and dark nights of the soul may threaten to overwhelm, but safe flying is possible for those who have at least two things:
First: a solid grasp of the instruments (God’s revealed truth and promises)
Second, is a canny realism about the power of the storm and stresses of doubt.
On that fateful day, in the confines of that Upper Room, as our Lord looked at these men, He already knew what was going on in their minds and their hearts, how deeply disturbed and upset they were, and what was causing their turmoil.
He already knew the remedy for their anxieties as well.
Perhaps there are too many of us right now who are suffering from the same depths of affliction as these disciples–troubled hearts; fearful hearts; upset, disturbed, and agitated hearts because of the measure of our circumstances.
Our Lord already knew that these men were very afraid of what was coming.
They were afraid of death, afraid that they, with Him, were going to be arrested and then brutally executed, crucified by the Jews or by the Romans.
They knew of the opposition which had developed against them in Jerusalem.
They knew they were in the gravest of danger, and so, consequently, their hearts were deeply troubled and fearful as they had gathered here with Him.
But more than that physical danger to themselves, they were aware of Jesus’ words about leaving them.
This had struck a good measure terror into their hearts.
They were afraid that even though they might survive, they would have to go on living without Him, and that was becoming immeasurably unbearable to them.
They could bear to die with Him; they could not bear to live or die without Him.
So in that Upper Room, in those spaces where they just celebrated the Passover, as He gathers with them,
He says these words: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”
Once when I was experiencing a period of this kind of heart trouble myself, I thought of these words, and then one day as I read and I pondered this text they suddenly came home to my troubled heart with tremendously new significance.
I saw something in that simple phrase “Do not let your hearts be troubled” that I had never seen nor noticed before.
What suddenly impressed me were the first three words: “Do Not Let.”
As if in one moment of absolutely perfect harmony, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, looked directly at my heart and my heart looked back.
They meant that those disciples, and Christians and non Christians alike, could each do something direct, definitive and decisive about their “heart” problem.
They held in their hands the “Masters” key to their release from heart trouble.
It was 100% possible for them either to let it 100% happen or 100% not to let it happen.
Our Lord is saying this to all of us.
There is a way out of heart difficulty–this distress and fear concerning both life and death and life–and our Lord goes on to give the only answer to them.
The remedy for heart trouble is contained in the two phrases that follow:
“Trust in God; Trust also in Me.”
Trust in God who is still in control, who knows what He is doing, who is capable of exercising infinite wisdom, infinite power, and infinite love. And trust also in me, Jesus said, who is the means by which all of that wisdom and all resources, and and all of the power of God is made available to you and available to me too.
That is the secret.
All their lives, Jesus’ disciples were taught to trust God.
Their childhoods had been filled with great stories of faithfulness. Jesus’ words from John 14 will stretch the disciples’ understanding past the breaking point.
He will equate himself with God.
They will struggle to understand.
Much of what happens will remain an impenetrable mystery to them until Jesus’ resurrection and the coming of his Spirit on Pentecost Day.
For them, and for us, these words take on great meaning:
“Let not our hearts be troubled.”
“Trust in God, and trust also in me.”
His point?
It’s like he’s saying,
“Peace Be Still.”
“Trust me! I’m God intimately up close and intimately personal for you!”
Jesus is the great reminder of God’s concern and great informer of our and for understanding of our dilemmas.
He is Emmanuel, God With Us!
He is Emmanuel, God Within Us!
He is God our Guide and God the Guardian of our Hearts – Up Close!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Righteous and holy God, my Abba Father, Author and Protector of my Faith, I praise you for your love and grace. Thank you for entering our world and drawing close to us in Jesus. Thank you for giving us Jesus so we can know your love and compassion more clearly. Today, let me put my trust in him as I pray in his mighty name. Amen.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thank you for what you teach us from the Upper Room, thank You for the reassurance of Your Living Words of Truth as we each face the unknown. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. I will come again.” Help us to live and minister on this basis today and to demonstrate the quality of life that He lived.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen Amen. Amen.
How much do we believe we need God and how much do we believe we need each other?
We have long since proven, time and time again, to everyone who is with us, who is around us and against us we cannot make it on our own.
God calls us to “get it together,” to get together regularly to encourage and to motivate each other to live vibrant lives of service and faith.
With the day of Jesus’ return and our ultimate victory on the horizon, we should be motivated even more to help and to encourage each other.
Question is, are we as completely, fully, motivated to be together in community as God is always and forever in Community with Himself?
Hebrews 10:19-25 New American Standard Bible
A New and Living Way
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, through His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let’s approach God with a [a]sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let’s hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let’s consider how to [b]encourage one another in love and good deeds, 25 not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
If We Are the Body of Christ and Seeking God’s Face?
For the Body of Christ, disciplining ourselves, learning to seek the face of God is the very foundation for our experiencing the amazing life Jesus died to give us.
As the Body of Christ, we have available to us through our Savior Jesus Christ all of the opportunities, the wonders, excellencies, and satisfaction we can fathom.
As the Body of Christ, God has granted us grace upon grace, mercy upon mercy, forgiveness after forgiveness, affection upon affection, and love upon all love.
As the Body of Christ, as we pursue him through all the avenues available to us, a door is opened in which we discover all our heavenly Father longs to give us.
Our Savior Jesus Christ did not die and we, the Body of Christ were not created to go about this life apart from a real relationship with fellow children of God.
Without the friendship, without the fellowship of our brothers and sisters, we will never authentically experience the true fullness of life God intends for us.
Together, in community, we inevitably discover our place in the body of Christ.
In community, we learn what it is to actually serve out of love, honor, respect.
And in the fullness of community, we receive the healing and love that can only come from those who gather together in friendship to share in the same Spirit.
And We Are Seeking God Through Our Community?
Acts 2:40-47 Amplified Bible
40 And Peter solemnly testified and continued to admonish and urge them with many more words, saying, “[a]Be saved from this crooked and unjust generation!” 41 So then, those who accepted his message were baptized; and on that day about [b]3,000 souls were added [to the body of believers]. 42 They were continually and faithfully devoting themselves to the instruction of the apostles, and to fellowship, to [c]eating meals together and to prayers.
43 A sense of awe was felt by [d]everyone, and many wonders and signs (attesting miracles) were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed [in Jesus as Savior] [e]were together and had all things in common [considering their possessions to belong to the group as a whole]. 45 And they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing the proceeds with all [the other believers], as anyone had need. 46 Day after day they met in the temple [area] continuing with one mind, and breaking bread in various private homes. They were eating their meals together with joy and generous hearts, 47 praising God continually, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord kept adding to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2 describes the Church community that my soul fully longs for.
We, who are the Church was created by God for honest, vulnerable fellowship.
We were created by God through the life blood of His own Son Jesus to help each other, eat together, celebrate and worship our God, also celebrate, love others.
Through engaging with fellow believers, we become an authentic witness to the world of what happens when our One true God works in the hearts of each of his children – we gather together to celebrate and declare through our love for each other, the life and joy that comes from a relationship with our heavenly Father.
Scripture is clear that true community requires sacrifice and vulnerability.
1 Corinthians 12:25-26 says,“That there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.”
God’s desire is for all his children to humble themselves and live as one body.
Division and Rancor among His Children is Satan’s idea right from the start. (Genesis 3:1-7 The Message)
3 The serpent was clever, more clever than any wild animal God had made. He spoke to the Woman: “Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?”
2-3 The Woman said to the serpent, “Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. It’s only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘Don’t eat from it; don’t even touch it or you’ll die.’”
4-5 The serpent told the Woman, “You won’t die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you’ll see what’s really going on. You’ll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil.”
6 When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she’d know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate.
7 Immediately the two of them did “see what’s really going on”—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves.
When one part of a physical body “sees what is really going on,” they “see themselves as being naked” the rest of the body sees what is going on, sees themselves as being “naked” and start “sewing their own makeshift clothes.”
When one part of a physical body hurts, the rest of the body feels the pain and is supposed to come together, one body, with the goal of working together to heal.
Instead of this ideal situation, in our rush to panic, to cover our hurt and our naked embarrassment we rush to become our own kind of specialized doctors.
We sew together our own fig leaves.
Then when God comes to His Garden for a standard “Wellness Check” we panic further, get embarrassed by our nakedness all the more – and rush to “hide.”
We forget what we know about God, that we are created in His Image, not ours.
For God so loved the world, which would soon include His Children, created by His own hand, that He spoke into the darkness of chaos, the mess of disorder and brought one order – His order, not ours – poured His love into that order.
God desires His order, to be the same One order, One community, as He is in Community with His Son and Holy Spirit, among the spiritual body of believers.
As we stand before the world, in the embarrassment of our nakedness being our mistakes, missteps, misjudgments – “trying to sew all our fig leaves together,”
He desires to fill us with his love and use us to provide healing for one another.
From our embarrassment at being naked, He longs to guide us to a lifestyle of humility and sacrifice in pursuit of being his hands and feet for each other.
To find consolation together, to find the “mind and humility of Christ Jesus” and to work together and together to make it our own, to model it to the world as Savior Christ did. (Philippians Chapter 2:1-16 The Message)
He Took on the Status of a Slave
2 1-4 If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
5-8 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
9-11 Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.
Rejoicing Together
12-13 What I’m getting at, friends, is that you should simply keep on doing what you’ve done from the beginning. When I was living among you, you lived in responsive obedience. Now that I’m separated from you, keep it up. Better yet, redouble your efforts. Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God’s energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure.
14-16 Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I’ll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You’ll be living proof that I didn’t go to all this work for nothing.
It takes receiving the love of God in the same spirit it was given to give love the God in the same spirit God first gave it. (1 John 4:7-21 The Message)
God Is Love
7-10 My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.
11-12 My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!
13-16 This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.
To Love, to Be Loved
17-18 God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.
19 We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.
20-21 If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.
It requires a work of the Spirit to fill us with courage to be vulnerable with our community in order to receive and give the love we’ve been given in Christ.
So, will you be a child filled with the very first love of your Father God today?
Will you allow God to use you to help a brother or sister?
Will you choose the purpose and joy and humility, the “mind of Christ” that comes from carrying the cross of Jesus, living sacrificially and vulnerably?
If so, you will discover a satisfaction second to nothing else, only found in the mercy of God and the edification that comes from believers loving one another.
May you one day, find the fellowship your heart longs for as you courageously celebrate and love your brothers and sisters as God celebrates all His Children.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Guided Prayer:
1. Meditate on the importance of community. Allow Scripture to fill you with a desire to love and be loved by your community.
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” – Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” – Proverbs 27:17
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”-Acts 2:42-47
2. Reflect on your need for community. Where do you need the healing that comes from relationship with others? What people has God placed in your life? How can you in humility reach out to them for help?
3. Take time and pray for an increase in God-filled community in your life. How does he want to use you to help another person today? How can you lead out in being courageously vulnerable? If you lack such a thing, ask God to provide you with this type of community to share life with.
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working . . . . My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” – James 5:13-16, 19-20
God does not ask us to wait forever in our Upper Rooms for others to step out and live in accordance with his Spirit before He calls us too. (Acts 2:1-4)
His will for us doesn’t hinge upon others’ obedience.
God is calling you and me to come away from our “nakedness” to a lifestyle of joyful service, sacrifice, and love regardless of people’s initiatives or responses.
He longs to make garments of praise, fill us with the courage to love others well and help them through their brokenness to a place of honesty and vulnerability.
May you and I one day come together to be the loving hands and feet of Jesus to your brothers and sisters who so desperately need a forgiving touch from God.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
Depending on the Bible translation, we discover that “a man who has friends must himself be friendly,” or that “a man with too many friends will come to ruin,” and both are true in their own right.
In the former, we are instructed that in order to have friends, we need to show friendship towards other people, while in the latter, we are informed that having a lot of ‘fair-weather friends’ can make us vulnerable, because their loyalty towards us may fluctuate with feelings or change with circumstances.
We would be wise to heed the sound advice contained in each of these translations of this text of Scripture, and apply them to our own lives and the friendship choices we make.
But all translations agree that “there is a friend that sticks closer that a brother,” there is a friend who displays such loyalty towards us that no matter what we say or do they will remain loyal to us.
They will support and encourage us, help and counsel us, comfort and warn us, and they will love us no matter what happens.
Proverbs 18:24 Authorized (King James) Version
24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory Be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the Beginning is now and ever shall be. Worlds Without End. Amen, Amen, Amen.
Friendship Arises Out Of Mere Companionship
“Friendship arises out of mere Companionship when two or more of the companions discover that they have in common some insight or interest or even taste which the others do not share and which, till that moment, each believed to be his own unique treasure (or burden). The typical expression of opening Friendship would be something like, ‘What? You too? I thought I was the only one.’” – C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves
It is indeed truly wonderful to find a companion who shares something in common with us which then, over time, builds into a genuine friendship.
However, we must also be very aware that there are times when making and sustaining lasting friendships does not and will not come to us very easily.
For adults, life can get busy with balancing various responsibilities at work, home, hobbies, family life and myriads and myriads of other activities.
Finding time to cultivate friendships can be challenging and there will always be those that we struggle to connect with.
Forging true friendships takes time and commitment.
Are we making it an authentically active or authentically passive priority?
Are there things that we can do, or need to do to start, continue a friendship?
I am a firm believer that God’s truth as found in the Bible can help us in times when finding, making and maintaining, sustaining friendships, can be tough.
What is Friendship?
Proverbs 18:24 Amplified Bible
24 The man of too many friends [chosen indiscriminately] will be broken in pieces and come to ruin, But there is a [true, loving] friend who [is reliable and] sticks closer than a brother.
The union between God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit reveals a closeness and relationship which we all long for, and God invites us to be a part of that.
People were made for companionship as image bearers of the triune God and it was declared that it was not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18 Amplified).
18 Now the Lord God said, “It is not good (beneficial) for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [one who balances him—a counterpart who is] [a] suitable and complementary for him.”
From Adam’s own body, God made Eve as a helper for Adam and walked with them in the Garden of Eden before the fall.
God himself was relational to them and they were relational toward Him and in turn, to and towards one another.
Even after Adam and Eve sinned, it was the Lord who first embraced them and unfolded His plan of redemption against the evil one (Genesis 3:15 Amplified).
15 “And I will put enmity (open hostility) Between you and the woman, And between your seed (offspring) and her [a]Seed; He shall [fatally] bruise your head, And you shall [only] bruise His heel.”
Friendship is most clearly demonstrated in the life and death of Jesus.
He said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:13-15).
Jesus has revealed Himself to us and has not withheld anything, even His life.
When we follow and obey Him, we are called His friends.
He is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature (Hebrews 1:3).
We can come to know God because He became flesh and has made Himself known to us.
He laid down His life for us.
To be known and loved by God and be blessed by God to be called His friends should motivate us in being a friend to others out of our love for and obedience to Jesus – We can love others because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).
1 John 4:19 The Message
19 We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.
Biblical Ways to Forge Friendships
1. Pray for One or Two Close Friends
Have we asked God for close friendships?
He cares very deeply about everyone of us and knows exactly all that we need.
It might never have been something we would think to pray for.
In 1 John 5:14-15 it says,
“this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 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.”
In an expectant faith, we can each ask Him to bring someone into our lives to encourage us, to challenge us, be with us and to continue to point us to Jesus.
If we have asked God to help us cultivate close friendships that can spur us on in our faith and life, we need to anticipate and to believe that He will answer us.
Let’s be expectant that God can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine by His power at work in us (Ephesians 3:20-21 The Message).
20-21 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!
2. Look to the Bible for Wisdom on Friendship
The Bible is filled with wisdom and the book of Proverbs has much to say on friendship, including choosing friends wisely and being a friend.
It speaks of good counsel from a friend: “Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice” (Proverbs 27:9).
Proverbs 27:9 The Message
9 Just as lotions and fragrance give sensual delight, a sweet friendship refreshes the soul.
It also warns about those who can break down friendships:
“A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends” (Proverbs 16:28)
Proverbs 16:28 The Message
28 Troublemakers start fights; gossips break up friendships.
“Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends” (Proverbs 17:9).
Proverbs 17:9 The Message
9 Overlook an offense and bond a friendship; fasten on to a slight and—good-bye, friend!
In the New Testament, Jesus is our greatest example of what it means to be a friend.
He says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).
John 15:13-15 The Message
11-15 “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.
From the first verse of Genesis to the last verse of Revelation we see the story of God’s love and friendship with people.
He has always been Shepherding us.
Will we shepherd others with this same love that Christ had for us?
3. Be a Friend
It is not just about our own edification and what we can get out of a friendship.
Philippians 2:4 says, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others’ and 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
There are many who are feigning, choosing to remain hidden who are lonely and struggling, longing for a friend, to be noticed and for someone to listen.
Who can we bless and encourage?
Is there anyone that we should get to know?
Not every acquaintance or person we help will become a close friend.
Yet, we are called to love our neighbor and even our enemies, and serve those that we meet and love them like Jesus does (Matthew 5:43-48 The Message).
Matthew 5:43-48 The Message
43-47 “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.
48 “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”
As it also says in Romans 12:10, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”
Romans 12:10 The Message
9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
4. Take the Initiative
Taking a step of faith can be really difficult.
Asking someone to meet up for a meal or coffee, inviting someone into our home or doing something that we hope will bless someone can take courage.
There may be all sorts of barriers.
Perhaps it is overcoming shyness or fear.
Maybe there is a cultural or societal wall that needs to be broken, prejudices or biases or stereotypes that needs to be confronted, challenged or we simply need to trust that Jesus will go before us, will 100% be with us in all our interactions.
It may well be daunting and difficult, complex and quite overly complicated.
Following Jesus first, not self, is not easy, yet there is no greater way to live.
We must be intentional and open up our heart and home with those around us, showing hospitality and kindness, and loving them first as Christ first loves us.
It was Jesus who initiated redemption by pouring out His grace on us when we were still enemies and sinners against God (Romans 5:6-10).
Romans 5:6-11 The Message
6-8 Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.
9-11 Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!
If God can first lavish such amazing grace onto us, we can pour out that same measure of “first” amazing grace on others also.
5. Live Sacrificially
Matthew 14:13-21 English Standard Version
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Jesus was always moving from place to place, meeting different people from the crowds and meeting their physical and spiritual needs.
Yet, He continuously made time to spend with His Father in prayer and with His disciples.
Ultimately, Jesus lived a life of complete sacrifice as He obeyed His Father and ultimately laid down His life on the cross for us.
We can now be a friend of God’s because He died for our sin, reconciling us into a right relationship with Him.
We are likewise covenanted to go and do likewise and live a life that is less about us, and significantly more about Jesus and is as self-sacrificing toward others.
Being transformed by the Savior’s sacrificial love, we are able to love others in a radical way and invest in people like Jesus did.
Romans 12:1-3 The Message
Place Your Life Before God
12 1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
3 I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
6. Stand by Friends in Ups and Downs
A true friend is steadfast and immovable and will remain by our sides in times of hardship and sorrow as well as sharing in moments of joy and celebration.
Friends share both trials and accomplishments, are transparent and truthful.
The close friendship shared between David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 18:1 demonstrates this:
“As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”
Jonathan showed kindness to David when his father King Saul pursued David’s life.
David trusted Jonathan to help him persuade his father to relent, but also to alert him if Saul was still after his life (1 Samuel 20).
After Jonathan was killed in battle, David was grieved which showed the depth of their relationship (2 Samuel 1:25-27).
7. Remember that Jesus Is the Ultimate Friend
It can be difficult to forge true, lasting friendships but as we trust the Lord to help us in this, we need to remember that Jesus is our ultimate friend.
He calls believers His friends because He has opened up to them and kept nothing hidden (John 15:15).
He died for us, He loved us first (1 John 4:19), He chose us (John 15:16), and when while we were still his sworn enemies, we were still far off from God He brought us near by His blood, shed for us on the cross (Romans 5:8, Ephesians 2:13).
Ephesians 2:11-13 The Message
11-13 But don’t take any of this for granted. It was only yesterday that you outsiders to God’s ways had no idea of any of this, didn’t know the first thing about the way God works, hadn’t the faintest idea of Christ. You knew nothing of that rich history of God’s covenants and promises in Israel, hadn’t a clue about what God was doing in the world at large. Now because of Christ—dying that death, shedding that blood—you who were once out of it altogether are in on everything.
He is the penultimate friend of sinners and promises never to leave nor forsake those who trust in Him.
Deuteronomy 31:7-8Amplified Bible
7 Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all [the people of] Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you will give it to them as an inheritance. 8 It is the Lord who goes before you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
The foundation of a true and lasting friendship will be one that spurs us on to follow God and Jesus in all of life, willing us to finish the race towards eternity.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Thank you for your great love and blessing over our lives. Thank you that your anger is brief and your favor has no end, but it lasts for our entire lifetime. Forgive us for sometimes forgetting you are intimately acquainted with all of our ways, that you know what concerns us, and you cover us, as with a shield. We ask for your guidance so that we might walk fully in your blessing and goodness today. We ask that your face would shine on us. That you would open the right doors for our lives and for our loved ones, that you would close the wrong doors and protect us from those we need to walk away from. Establish the work of our hands and bring to fulfillment all that you have gifted, given us to do in these days. We pray that you would make our way purposeful and our footsteps firm out of your goodness and love. Give us a heart of wisdom to hear your voice, and make us strong by your huge favor and grace.
Glory Be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the Beginning is now and ever shall be. Worlds Without End. Amen, Amen, Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 