Month: November 2019

5.d. To the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

Job 9:5   he who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger, who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars; who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea; who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south; who does great things beyond searching out, and marvelous things beyond number. Behold, he passes by me, and I see him not; he moves on, but I do not perceive him. Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’

1 Timothy 6:16   who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

Daniel 4:35    all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

Ephesians 1:11    In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

Romans 9:18-20     So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.  You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?”  But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?

Putting our thoughts to God and His awesome mighty power, strength, and wisdom will always fall short of Him.  We are limited in this knowledge and understanding.  We catch limited glimpses of His, love, grace, mercy, power, and holiness.  We tend to question the course of things in our life rather than focus on things of God.  Paul said it like this “I have learned to be content in both plenty and want.”  When we keep our eyes focused on Jesus Christ rather than the course of things in our life we will continue to grow in both our understanding of Him and that our faith and hope in Him is not in vain.  We will grow in our trust of Him to work all things for the good of those who are called according to His purpose.  We will grow because our seeking and desire are rewarded with confirming assurance in and through the Holy Spirit.  We will grow in our dependence and love for Him.  We will grow in our want to honor and glorify Him.  We will grow in our want to follow and obey Him.

Certainly, things are going to happen in our lives that give us initial worry, fear, and concern.  We can take these thoughts captive and run into the presence of Jesus Christ and never ever worry, fear, or concern ourselves with His perfect love, plan, and purpose.

5.c. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him”

Job 9:1   Then Job answered and said: “Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God? If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times. He is wise in heart and mighty in strength —who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?—

Psalms 130:3    If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

Psalms 143:2    Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.

Romans 3:20    For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Hebrews 11:6   “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

When you read these verses of men of God you can see the depth of their devotion to and seek Him. They had to be deep in thought about life in the present and death in the future.  In their thoughts, they were able to touch the edge of God’s Holiness and Righteousness.  In this touch, they were given a glimpse of their sinfulness and asked questions concerning their ability to live and die in such a way to bring honor and glory to God.  They rightly asked “Who could stand”, “how can a man be right before God?”, and if a person was able to stand before God and speak “one could not answer him once in a thousand times.”  Can you imagine the depth of thought these men were in and coming to a place in this thought where they began to understand it was all in God’s hands and by faith they would try to walk in His ways?  Yet, each day they would see time and time again that they failed in this walk.  Time and time again they were left with the question of how to be right before God and always falling short.

In God’s perfect plan He brought His law to man to show them of their sin.  He showed them the need for forgiveness.  He showed them how to be right in His eyes and how to have their sin cleansed. He showed them that is was not the sacrifice that cleansed them but faith in His acceptance of the sacrifice.  He showed them it was by faith and not by what they did.  Time and time again God did this.

In the fullness of time God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever should believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  A once and for all sacrifice that covers all sin if a person believes in the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ, confessing their sin, repenting of their sin, turning away from walking in sin, and trusting in, clinging to, and relying on Jesus Christ.

Think about this, there was a time when man knew of their sin and carried the weight of their sin until they could come and make an acceptable sacrifice. They would be trying every single day to walk in such a way to not sin but would fall short of this goal having to wait until the next time they made a sacrifice.

We are walking in a time of God’s great awesome grace, mercy, and love.  Our heart, mind, and soul should be humbled, thankful, and ever seeking to walk in such a way to honor, glorify, follow, trust, and obey.

5.b.  “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice.”

Job 8:3  Does God pervert justice?  Or does the Almighty pervert the right?

Deuteronomy 32:4   “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.

Ezekiel 18:25    “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?

Psalms 89:14     Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

Daniel 9:14   Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice.

Ezekiel 33:20    Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways.”

2 Chronicles 19:7    Now then, let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the LORD our God, or partiality or taking bribes.”

How many times do we blame God?  How many times to we question He is doing the right thing for us?  God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all present.  How is it we have doubts and questions about the course of things that comes into our life?  When things happen, God already knows and is aware of them before they happen.  When things happen, God is in control.  When things happen God is present.  So why is it we doubt and question these events in our lives?  Could it be that we don’t believe He is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent?  Is it possible we think He is this active and all-knowing and always present but not necessarily this way in our life?

God is the same yesterday as He is today, all-knowing, all-controlling, all-powerful, and all present in and throughout all of His creation.  He has a perfect plan and purpose that will be done.  We sometimes get blinded to this because we have taken a vacation from desiring, seeking, and wanting Him in our life.  We allow things of this world and worldly desires to blind us from seeing the ever-presence and activity of God.  We get blinded to this when we neglect and become complacent in our walk with Him.  We get blinded when we do not intentionally choose to live to honor, glorify, worship, follow, trust, and obey Him.  We get blinded when we choose to neglect His word and allow it to be active in our thoughts and actions.

God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and ever-present.  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  We can trust His perfect will, plan, and purpose for our life.  We can live victorious no matter what comes our way because we can honor God, by faith, trusting in Him alone for the benefit of His perfect plans and purposes.  Jeremiah 29:11   “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”

5.a. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD—how long?

Job 7:19   How long will you not look away from me, nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?  If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind? Why have you made me your mark? Why have I become a burden to you? Why do you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity?

Psalms 6:3    My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD—how long?

Psalms 13:1-3    How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?  How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?  Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

Deuteronomy 31:17    Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?

Isaiah 59:2     but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Lamentations 5:20   Why do you forget us forever, why do you forsake us for so many days?

My soul is troubled, why do you forget us, how long will you look away, how long will you hide your face, are all questions from man in their time of testing, trial, or discipline from God.  These times seem to make think and feel we are alone and this makes this time all the harder to bear.  They have a way of making us think we are forgotten and are bearing this burden by ourselves. These times can eat at our hearts and mind.  These times can be a breeding ground of Satan temped thoughts of all kinds.

It is easy to say to others that “God will never leave them” and “forsake them” and “He loves them”, but when these trials hit us it seems different and unfair.  The questions and doubts come.

What are we to do in times like these?   Seek God, pray, honor Him, learn reliance and trust in Jesus Christ.  These are all attributes of our ever-growing maturity in our Christian walk.  There is a special type of growth, trust, reliance, and obedience that comes through trials, testing, and discipline from God.  When we are stripped bare of our self-reliant power, strength, and worldly wisdom is when things of God become more real and alive.  This is where earthly things become distant and heavenly things become clearer.  We come out on the other side of these trials, testing, and discipline with more wisdom and understanding.  We come to a place in our hearts and minds where Jesus Christ is our all in all.  I wish each person could find this level of maturity without the testing, trials, and discipline but at the end of the day God’s plans are perfect, His ways are Holy, and His love for us is steadfast.  In this, we can count all of these as blessings and not burdens.

5. “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people

Job 7:17  What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him, visit him every morning and test him every moment?

Psalms 8:4   what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

  Psalms 144:3   O LORD, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him?

Isaiah 40:17     All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

Luke 1:68   “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people

When you stop to think deeply about God these references ask a very important question.  “What is man that You are mindful of him?”  Think about how many things you have given your heart to do and make something.  You may have even gone to school to become educated so that you were able to build out your project or life vocation.  Now think back and try to remember some of the stuff you gave great thought, time, and effort into completion.  More than likely you have forgotten more things that you remembered.  The point is that we can give all of our attention and effort to something and at the moment it is very important but over time we lose interest or have moved on to something else.

God, our Creator, awesome in power created us and has steadfast love toward us.  He has not forgotten or disregarded His creation.  He loves His creation so much that He gave His only Son to redeem us.  If we had created something and it did not turn out as we had hoped we more than likely would scrap it and start over.  God chose to redeem fallen mankind.  “What is man that you are mindful of him?”  This is the God of all there is, who created everything out of the vapor of His breath.  He has chosen to be steadfast toward mankind in holiness, grace, mercy, and love.  He chose to make a way for salvation and being right (without sin) in His eyes.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever might believe in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.”  We only have to look to Jesus Christ and know the love the Heavenly Father has for mankind.  In this redemptive love, we find either salvation or rejection, an eternity in heaven or eternity in hell, forgiveness or judgment.  It is no small thing God has done to redeem mankind.  What is man that you are mindful of him, set Your heart on him, regard him, think about him, care for him, make so much of him”?????