enjoy – Praying Pint

52.g. Wilderness – 16.m. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

Deu 26:11  And you shall rejoice in all the good that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you. “When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, which is the year of tithing, giving it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your towns and be filled, then you shall say before the LORD your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion out of my house, and moreover, I have given it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all your commandment that you have commanded me. I have not transgressed any of your commandments, nor have I forgotten them.  I have not eaten of the tithe while I was mourning, or removed any of it while I was unclean, or offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the LORD my God. I have done according to all that you have commanded me. Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the ground that you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.

Deuteronomy 12:7   And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the LORD your God has blessed you.

Deuteronomy 12:12     And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your sons and your daughters, your male servants and your female servants, and the Levite that is within your town

Deuteronomy 16:11    And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the LORD your God will choose, to make his name dwell there.

Deuteronomy 28:47     Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things,

Psalms 63:3-5    Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.  So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.  My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips

Psalms 100:1-2    Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!  Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

Acts 2:46-47   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.

Philippians 4:4    Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

1 Timothy 6:17-18     As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

When God has made good his promises to us, he expects we should own it to the honour of his faithfulness. And our creature comforts are doubly sweet, when we see them flowing from the fountain of the promise. The comfort we have in our own enjoyments, should lead us to be thankful for our share in public peace and plenty; and with present mercies we should bless the Lord for the former mercies we remember, and the further mercies we expect and hope for. (Henry)

When we receive from the LORD, and give back to Him, it makes us rejoice. It is the proper response of a creature to his Creator, who has supplied him with all good things. The prayer described here shows that the giving was done with the right kind of heart. God not only wants us to give, but to give with the right heart. Right giving is done according to God’s Word Right giving is done within the context of a whole life of obedience. Right giving genuinely sets aside what is to be given unto the LORD. Right giving is not done superstitiously, Right giving is done with the expectation of blessing. (Guzik)

How can we not rejoice? When saved our sins were washed away, we were forgiven, redeemed, born again, and transformed. We were promised eternal life in heaven with God. We were given the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, teach, encourage, convict us of sin, and yield the fruits of joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, love, grace, mercy, generosity, hospitality, humbleness, and patience. Beyond this God blesses us with great and precious promises, godly wisdom, fruits of our labors, and material, financial, and relational blessings. How can we not rejoice?

Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice.

28.x. “For all the nations of the world seek after these things”

Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

2 Samuel 22:7   “In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.

Micah 7:7  But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Deuteronomy 8:3-4   And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Psalms 112:5-9   It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice.  For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.  He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.  His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.  He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor.

Luke 12:30-33  For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.  Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

1 Timothy 6:17   As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

What we want and what we need are two separate thoughts. What we want can turn us toward what we need, or it can keep us away from what we need. If we want (desire, hope for, set one’s heart on, long for, crave, cry out for) redemption, salvation, forgiveness, understanding, wisdom, and knowledge of God’s mercy, grace, and love in Jesus Christ, our want is in line with what we need. It is in this ever-growing and continually growing want that our need is fulfilled. Our lives become a light in the darkness. Our thoughts, words, and actions repeatedly honor and glorify Jesus Christ.

If however, we want (desire, hope for, set one’s heart on, long for, crave, cry out for) things of this world our wants will not give us what we need. These wants will lead us down paths of loneliness, selfishness, self-reliance, self-worth, proud, greedy, fear, anger, coveting, anxiousness, and confusion. We end up chasing after and wanting satisfaction and find neither.

I think we get confused on wants and needs. The world will try to tell us what we need and if we acquire what it offers we will find our needs fulfilled. It is a lie. What this world has to offer will never fill the void in our hearts and minds that only God can fill. Can you imagine what our lives would be like if we would truly wanted to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we think, say, and do?

12.f. “He cannot save himself by his treasure and his prosperity will not endure.”

Habakkuk 2:6 “Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying, “‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must this go on?’ Will not your creditors suddenly arise? Will they not wake up and make you tremble? Then you will become their prey. Because you have plundered many nations, the peoples who are left will plunder you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

Job 20:15-23 He will spit out the riches he swallowed; God will make his stomach vomit them up. He will suck the poison of serpents; the fangs of an adder will kill him. He will not enjoy the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream. What he toiled for he must give back uneaten; he will not enjoy the profit from his trading. For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute; he has seized houses he did not build. “Surely he will have no respite from his craving; he cannot save himself by his treasure. Nothing is left for him to devour; his prosperity will not endure. In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him; the full force of misery will come upon him. When he has filled his belly, God will vent his burning anger against him and rain down his blows on him.

God addressed the greedy man, and told him that he was ripe for judgment. The greedy man did his best to protect himself (set his nest on high), yet all his best defense would come to nothing. The greedy man thinks in terms of nothing but gain, but ends up losing his own soul. Luke 12:16-21– 16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 “And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 “So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, [and] be merry.” ‘ 20 “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 21 “So [is] he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Pride and greed are tempters of all. they equally find home in the rich and in the poor. Pride and greed will never object to where they reside. They are sticky like glue and can attach to the surface of our hearts, minds, and souls with ease.

The Word of God exposes these life sucking leeches within our heart and mind. The Word of God will set us free from the bondage of their grip in our lives. The Word of God in a humble servant will do more good in this world than money from all the richest men combined.

So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits

“man breathes his last, and where is he?”

Psalms 103:15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.

Psalms 90:5-6 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.

Isaiah 40:6-8 A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

James 1:10-11 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

Job 14:1-3 “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not.

Job 20:9 The eye that saw him will see him no more, nor will his place any more behold him.

1 Timothy 6:17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

1 John 2:17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

James 4:14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

What do we strive for? What is it that we are trying to obtain? What is our end game? I imagine: some sort of recognition, enough money to live without worry, health, sound mind, known for some skill or accomplishment, beauty, know for something tangible that we own, know for something we have written or said…etc. When you think about this and the scripture above, how important is it really? All of the time we spend alive in this body is but a flower that blooms and then is gone. We have little wisdom understanding eternity (time without end) and this side of eternity (time with end). Do you think it is possible that our end game is only focused on this side of eternity? What should our end game focus be: honoring, glorifying, serving, following, obeying, proclaiming, believing, trusting, relying on, clinging to, loving, praising, worshiping, listening to, and meditating on, God. Our endgame should include wanting others to pass from death to life rather than death to judgement and damnation. Jesus Christ is our savior, redeemer, and is coming again to gather His own into forever presence with Him. I love the hymn that has a verse: Turn your eyes to Jesus, look full into His wonderful face, and the things of this world will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.

Take heart

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way.”

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,”

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Acts 14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

Hebrews 11:25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

1 Peter 5:9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

2 Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Psalms 85:8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly. Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky.

Ephesians 2:14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 13:20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Note the times reference is made to: “tribulation, hostility, sin, broken down, persecuted, more than conquerors, strengthening, guarding your heart, resisting, peace that passes all understanding and not being afraid”. Why would we think this world give us any hope of peace when God’s world indicates, that this side of eternity, our world is far from peace apart from Him. If we are active in our pursuit of humbly serving Him we will see the world as it is – apart from God. The world we live in is not at peace with God. Man has gone on his own path which does not serve God. If we are at peace with what is going on in the world I think we are blind and deaf. Staying in God’s word, with a bright light, the Holiness of God and the sinfulness of mankind is very clear. We choose paths that give no peace, and when issues and troubles of this life pounce on us our strength to handle them is depleted very quickly. In our own strength we can do very little, and even less things of God. His purpose and plan for us is found in His word. Do not go through life complacent and neglecting Him and His word. There will always be things of this world battling for your time, effort, thoughts, and actions. Give time to His word and the Holy Spirit will lead you in paths of peace and comfort.