THE LORD SPOKE (August 4)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Psalm 1-7

What does God do for me?

1. He answers me (Ps. 3:4)
2. He sustains me (Ps. 3:5)
3. He delivers me (Ps. 3:7)

All that, and more, God does for me. But that’s not really the right question. The greater question is, “What do I do for God?” Yet, even in the asking, we sense the puniness of such a thought. Does God ever need anything from us? No! But He delights in His children. Just as your child’s crayon drawing on the fridge and wilted-weed “flower” bring great joy to you, so does our feeble praise delight our Father in heaven. The King of the Universe takes joy in our childish offerings when they come from the heart.

Did you notice the context of this psalm (Ps. 3:1)? David was at one of the lowest moments of his entire life. As he left Jerusalem on the day of Absalom’s rebellion (II Sam. 15) his head was surely hanging and it must have felt like the glory had all departed. In this psalm he adds one other item to the list of what God does for me:

4. He bestows glory on me and lifts up my head (Ps. 3:3)

When I am down, He lifts me up. In fact, He graces me with glory. What will you do with that glory? If you keep any of it for yourself it quickly turns sour. Like manna in the wilderness, it rots and becomes putrid very soon. It must be properly used immediately and the way to “use” glory is to cast it right back at His feet. After all, He’s the only one who wears it well. With Him it fits and to Him we offer thanksgiving and praise for He blesses His people (Ps. 3:8).


New Testament: Hebrews 12

How can it be all of God and yet we are held so accountable? How can we cast ourselves wholly upon Him and yet be responsible to “work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12)? How is it that we must trust and yet also do something?

It’s God’s way. James tells us that those actions on our part are the proof that our faith is genuine. Faith without deeds isn’t faith at all. Those deeds don’t save us in any way but they are the proof of genuine faith (go read James 2:14-26).

So, that’s why Hebrews 12 gives us several imperatives - things to do with regard to our faith. Make no mistake. It begins with, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus” (Heb. 12:2). That’s faith! In fact, the same verse says that He is “the perfecter of our faith”. He is the beginning, the middle, and the end of this whole question and we are to “consider Him” (Heb. 12:3) first and foremost. But, having done that (and it must be an on-going action), there are several imperatives in this chapter which we are commanded to do:

• endure hardship as discipline (Heb. 12:7) - The hardships we go through are God’s way of correcting us. Our Heavenly Father disciplines us so “that we may share in his holiness”.
• strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees (Heb. 12:12) - The result will be “a harvest of righteousness and peace”
• make level paths for your feet (Heb. 12:13) - This is a direct quote from Proverbs 4:26 which, in context, instructs us to not deviate from God’s path. “Look straight ahead...keep your feet from evil.”
• make every effort to live in peace with all men (Heb. 12:14) - This is our horizontal relationship - how we flesh out our vertical relationship. We inevitably have conflicts with men if we aren’t right with God.
• make every effort...to be holy (Heb. 12:14) - Though, to be genuine, our holiness must spring from God’s very being, yet we are responsible. There is a divine/human cooperative involved. We are expected to “make every effort”.
• see to it that [you don’t miss] the grace of God (Heb. 12:15) - The results of this are described in Hebrews 6:4-8 and they are dreadful. Falling short of or failing to take hold of God’s grace will destroy you. It will happen quickly.
• see to it...that no bitter root grows up (Heb. 12:15) - Bitterness is an ugly weed and it quickly spreads to take over any plot where it’s found. Take care to uproot it quickly.
• see that [you are not] sexually immoral (Heb. 12:16) - At first glance, this seems to be a random appendage. But it’s not. Sexual sin is rampant and frequently the first thing to creep in when it seems everything else is in order. This it true because it enters through the mind gate - it doesn’t need a lot of props or prior set up. An instant can be enough. Take note: it’s related to godlessness!
• see to it that you do not refuse him [God] who speaks (Heb. 12:25) - Stay open and sensitive to the Lord’s voice. This obviously means you must be regularly and systematically reading Scripture. But it also means you must not let it degenerate to a perfunctory or academic habit. Listen with wide open ears and heart!