Tag: Belonging to God

“When upon this earth, when my life is all said and done, God, let me have the only true desire of my heart……” My God Honoring Words and my God Honoring Thoughts. – Psalms 19:14

In the beginning of all things, God spoke into the darkness. Underneath those first spoken words which remain beyond our knowledge and comprehension I can imagine is God’s not so subtle prayer the darkness would relent of its efforts to prevent the light of life from shining, from distracting the light away from revealing the absolute glory of God in creation to all created generations.

I can imagine too, God knowing fully what God is going to do in the life of the humanity He Himself formed (Psalm 139:1-18), likewise subtly prayed that humanity would one day come to the same knowledge of God and also believe.

I can imagine David, at any given time and season in his life and turning his yes and his soul deep into the heavens, trying to count all of the stars and praising God for the complete failure in his efforts to do so. The utter majesty of God!

David raised his soul, offered up a psalm of praise to God, then concluded with these words about his words and thoughts. And they are my prayer as well.

Psalm 19:14 Amplified Bible

14 
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight,
O Lord, my [firm, immovable] rock and my Redeemer.

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

So many of the psalms of David rejoice our hearts, as he pours forth a harmony of poetic praise to God for His merciful forgiveness and extraordinary favour.

It does not take very long for one to conclude, perhaps more than any other worship song from Israel’s great psalmist, Psalm 19 reminds us of the never-ending wonders of God’s mighty works and ways, the glories of His creative wisdom, and His most gracious acts towards the rebellious children of Israel.

The heavens above do indeed declare the beauty and splendour of our Heavenly Lord, and His magnificent handiwork is most certainly reflected in the glorious works He has performed by the might of His power.

The diverse language of nature and the spoken and unspoken poetry of the heavens above and the earth beneath, pour forth a never-ending message of unyielding worship and praise, as it proclaims the wonderful works of God.

So many of the sacred words that have been penned by Israel’s shepherd-king are prayers that have been rehearsed on the lips of many saints over centuries of time, who have found comfort, grace in his pleadings to the Lord.

From the very first utterances of those very first Words, God’s truth is revealed and forwarded into eternity for all to come to belief. For the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; and all of the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

David was a man after God’s own heart, for he realized it is not only the outside of a cup that needs to be clean and unsullied, but God desires an inner purity, which stems from a heart of flesh which is cleansed, humbled before the Lord and from whom will stream rivers of living water.

Words of worship flowing from a proud, rebellious, or unrepentant heart, are undoubtedly like an open and festering sewer to the Lord, but worshipful words flowing forth from a heart, soul and life which is pure in thought and in motive, word and deed, ascend unto the Father’s nostrils as a fragrant, sweet perfume.

And so, as David’s exuberant praise for the Lord climbs into an ever-increasing crescendo of worship and exaltation, his heart and his soul are suddenly moved into hushed prayer of submissive surrender and deep devotion, as he recognizes his own human limitations in contrast to the magnificent glory of God and cries out unto the Lord, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer.”

Imagine a heart (how about your heart) that meditates on the glory of the Lord and lifts up the person of the Lord Jesus, is the one that exhibits an inner grace and beauty, for such a one is willingly being transformed into the likeness of the Christ, for out of the mouth come thoughts that are conceived in the heart.

David not only understood the need for an inner cleansing and purity on a day-by-day basis, where God Himself governs and sanctifies the thoughts of the heart and the words of the mouth, but he had come to an understanding that his future promised royal Son- the coming King, the Promised Messiah – the divine days-man of Job – and the coming Seed of the virgin woman, would be the true, everlasting strength of his life, the only true Kinsman-Redeemer for his soul. 

May we, like David, in true humility of heart, sanctify the words of our mouth, the meditation of our heart, the thoughts of our minds, and the motives of our inner most being so that all we say and all we do, will be pleasing and acceptable in the sight of our precious Lord and Savior, our Rock, our Redeemer and friend.

My prayer is that the words that come out of my mouth would be pleasing to God. Not just the words I speak when I am gathered with the church. But also when I am socializing with friends. When I am talking about politics or other social issues. And when I am in debate, or dispute, with another person. May my words be filled with grace and honoring to God.

And may my thoughts also be pleasing to God. Not just when I am meditating on the words of the Bible. But also, when I am fighting traffic. When I am also stewing over some wrong done to me, or someone close to me. I pray that my thoughts always be respectful of mankind’s diversity, God honoring and pure.

The earlier part of the Psalm gives us instruction in how to accomplish this.

Immerse yourself in God’s Word. Let it fill you and root out the sin and error in your life.

The Bible has great value for those who will dwell in it.

Allow it to fill your heart and your soul. And then you will surely and certainly find that your words and thoughts will more and more be pleasing to the Lord.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Loving Father, the heart that meditates on the Lord and lifts up the person of the Lord Jesus, is the one that exhibits an inner grace and beauty, for such a one is willingly being transformed into the likeness of Christ.

I know that out of the mouth come thoughts that are conceived in the heart, and so I pray that, like David, in humility of heart I would sanctify the words of my mouth, the meditation of my heart, the thoughts of my mind, and the motives of my inner being so that I too am pleasing and acceptable in the sight of my precious Lord and Savior, my Rock and Redeemer. In His name I pray, AMEN.

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Belonging! The Good News of Jesus Christ! The Good News of Belonging!

Why does God love people? Many believe He only loves those who do good. This belief stems from the idea that one must first “be good” and “change” and then God will love them. Is His loved based on our fallible human ability to change?

God’s love is not contingent on the person changing, but just the opposite. That change is solely based on God’s love. Christians are not those who are earning love from God, but rather Christians are those who already are loved by God.

God loves His people in the same way He loves His Son. This love is based purely on His grace, and it is a love that has the power to change. Because of His love, Christians are called the beloved; they are called saints. The motivation to change is no longer based upon human hope that God might accept them. The motivation to change now comes from the call: “Be who you are” because you and I belong to God. Christians are indeed the beloved of God, let them display it. If they are indeed saints, let them show that they are saints. Christians are who they are by grace and distinct from the world, that they may glorify God.

Romans 1:1-7 Amplified Bible

The Gospel Exalted

1 Paul, a [a]bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative), set apart for [preaching] the [b]gospel of God [the good news of salvation], 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the sacred Scriptures— 3 [the good news] regarding His Son, who, as to the flesh [His human nature], was born a descendant of David [to fulfill the covenant promises], 4 and [as to His divine nature] according to the Spirit of holiness was openly designated to be the Son of God with power [in a triumphant and miraculous way] by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 It is through Him that we have received grace and [our] apostleship to promote obedience to the faith and make disciples for His name’s sake among all the Gentiles, 6 and you also are among those who are called of Jesus Christ to belong to Him;

7 [I am writing] to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called to be saints (God’s people) and set apart for a sanctified life, [that is, set apart for God and His purpose]: Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen

What does the Word of God have to teach us about “BELONGING?”

In Romans 1:6, Paul greets the church in Rome by saying, “including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.”

The entirety of God’s Holy Scriptures shouts to the world that we belong to God! In the beginning, humanity was created to be in perfect union with God and belong to Him, for we are His creation (Genesis 1:26).

There is an intimacy which has always been a part of His original design for our connection, our marriage relationship with Him. We are His masterpiece and reflect the image of God in this world (Ephesians 2:10).

Savior Christ’s motivation to bring us back to Himself is the very premise of the incarnation. God came down and entered into the muck and mire of this world. Why? Because we are His sheep, we belong to Him. Psalm 95:6-8, Psalm 100:3

Humanity was always created to be in intimate proximity to God. It’s in that relationship that we know how to love one another (1 John 4:19). As the world will know that we are His disciples by our love for one another (John 13:35).

This attitude of love is the essence of true belonging. Jesus desires to make a space at the table for everyone. Men, women and especially children from all walks of life and context have a space to find true belonging in Jesus. John 14:6

Jesus said in Matthew 19, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” From children, which at this point in history, many thought to be the lowest of culture and society, to the adult children of God, the woman at the well (John 4) an outcast, to Nicodemus (John 3) the academic and spiritual elite of his time, and Zacchaeus (Luke 19) a conformist unwanted nobody. Each of them finds their belonging in Christ.

The great biblical account of Jesus’ interaction with Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) provides the essential framework of how Christ did ministry relationally. Jesus was passing through Jericho and there was a tiny, little man hanging out in a sycamore tree. You see Zacchaeus fit the mold of a conformist unwanted nobody. He was a tax collector. Like most tax collectors at the time, he took advantage of his position to profit from adding fees beyond the tax desired to be collected. This didn’t make him anyone’s friend or favorite person. Scripture even captures the consternation of the people. It says, and when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”

We all have a great hope to belong because of Jesus’ interaction with Zacchaeus. Notice what Jesus does in this story. Jesus calls Zacchaeus by name. There’s a deeply, undeniably intimate connection which drives the rest of that story.

Jesus instantly closed the great chasm between Him and Zacchaeus. Jesus says, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” Think for a moment of all the invites and gatherings that Zacchaeus must have missed because of who he was formerly known to be. Finally, Savior Jesus breaks down and smashes through barriers, wants to gain a deeply personal level of entry into Zacchaeus’ daily life. There’s something very personal about our inviting someone, anyone into their home. Everything is on display. The good, bad and ugly. Vulnerability! It’s all there in living color, that’s where Jesus wants to be.

In the life of Zacchaeus following Savior Jesus’ entry into his life or in our own lives, Jesus knows our name. Jesus wants to close the gap between us and Him, and He wants to gain access to our most intimate spaces. And the beauty of this story is that Zacchaeus was forever changed. He was gifted with “BELONGING!”

Consider the connections and relationship depths of “BELONGING” from Dr. Luke’s Parable of the Prodigal Son. (Luke 15:11-32)

Discussion Questions — Parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15: 11-32)

What is this story about? Money? Wild living? Stubbornness? Forgiveness?
Anger, something unspoken, even deeper – his security of “BELONGING?“

• Who wants his share of the family inheritance? Why? Is there some sort of mounting sibling rivalry? A sense that one “belongs more” than the other?
• Are you aware that both boys receive their inheritance at the same time?
• Who received more? (The older usually receives a double portion)
• What does the younger brother do with his money? Why does the younger brother spend his money so wastefully? The exaggerated need to “belong?”

Was the famine in the land representative of the son’s behavior or was it a real famine, like Joseph experienced in Egypt.
• What must it have been like for everyone to desert him?
• Have you ever found that if you have some money, everyone wants to belong to your close circle of friends until the money is gone when suddenly belonging to your circle of friends no longer matters.
• What was this experience telling him about “belonging” and true friendship?
• How do you make friends? Do you make friends? Do you want to make them?
• What is important in a friendship? How important is “BELONGING” to one?

• Did his dad kick him out of the house for asking for his inheritance? That he no longer belonged in the household for challenging the authority of the father?
• How do you think his mother felt about this? (she’s not in the story, but think about her response anyway because a mother’s opinion matters to us 1000%)

Think about the Prodigal’s struggle to belong anywhere, his shattered security which communicates very clearly, “What’s left? I do not belong anywhere!”

• Where did the son go when he was penniless?
• What did he end up doing to earn food and shelter?
• Why was this a repulsive activity? (Jews saw pigs as unclean)
• What did he think about while feeding the swine?
• What did he decide to do?

Do you now notice the not-so-subtle shift in his thought processes? Can you sense there deeply personal, even intimate thoughts of “I got this wrong?” The overarching belief he did not belong anywhere were actually grossly distorted. Can we or do we see or observe there is an agent of change working within him?

• Can you see or feel just how much he disliked belonging in a pig pen, feeding swine, hating it so much he was willing to “do anything to belong somewhere, anywhere but a pig pen,” return home to a situation that caused him to leave?

Do we actually take into account the enormity of the decision the Prodigal made to leave the pig pen far behind, then the enormity of his taking that first step?

What are his thoughts about “BELONGING” as he is walking back to his home? How is he processing the idea of RETURNING to his father’s house? How will he believe or accept BELONGING in a house which he angrily walked away from?

• When he returns, how does his father greet him – with anger? with “I told you
so”? Does he greet his son’s return with conditional or unconditional love?
• What does the father do to make the son feel he still BELONGS in his fathers’ home?
• How might the mother have welcomed him, greeted him? How might she have communicated “BELONGING” to her formerly spin thrifty and wayward son?
• Why does the older brother get angry? Where was his sense of “BELONGING?”

What was the father’s message to the younger son?
What was the father’s message to the older son? Was it the same or was it different? How might it have been different?

• Was this a case of a father’s unconditional love? Why and how so?

• If you were the older brother, what do you think the father/mother should have done to your brother?
• Why did the older brother think the younger brother should be punished?
• Do you want to see people punished before you forgive them?
• What things are happening in the world today that require forgiveness?
• What do you think of the father’s handling of things?
• What makes a good father?
• What qualities would make a good mother in this instance?
• Are these the same qualities you find in God as Mother?
• What qualities would make a good brother?
• What do you learn about judging others from this story?
• Think of a modern-day story that would be like the Prodigal son.

Place yourself in the shoes of the Woman at the well. In the shoes of the tax collector Zacchaeus, inside and outside the home and life of the Prodigal.

What do these stories communicate to you about “BELONGING” to God, the Father, “BELONGING” to God the Son, “BELONGING” to God the Holy Spirit?

In the name of God, the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, let us pray.

Heavenly Father, thank You that I am also the called of Jesus Christ, by grace through faith in Him. Keep me low at the cross and willing to say, thy will be done in my life, in Jesus’ name I pray, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! AMEN.

Heavenly Father, how I thank You for the good news of the gospel of Christ and the truth it has revealed, so that by faith in Christ I have been redeemed by His precious blood and become beloved of God and called to be set apart to Your praise and glory. May Your equipping grace and perfect peace pour through me to others, so that the love of Christ may be shed abroad to the honor of Your name. In Jesus’ name I pray, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! AMEN.

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