New Mercies

 

It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

—Lamentations 3:22-23

I have known the verses at the beginning of this blog post nearly all my life. I’ve been reminded of them each time I sing the old hymn with the words: ¹

“Morning by morning new mercies I see.”

Recently, in need of so many things and thinking I knew how things for which I prayed would end, the Lord reminded me of the verse of that hymn. The Lord particularly drew my attention to the word: “new.”

Now I know the opposite of “new” is “old.” But, “new” can also mean “different,” “unique,” even “surprising!” What if we approached each day looking for the “surprising” new mercies of the Lord?

God rarely answers our needs in just the way we think He might. Take the story of the disciples in Luke 5. They had fished all night and caught nothing. In the morning, Jesus told them to let down their nets in deep water. Even though that was the opposite of what knowledgeable fishermen would normally do. Because they obeyed, they had such a great catch of fish that the nets nearly broke. This showed the surprising mercies of Jesus.

Another somewhat similar story at the end of Jesus’ earthly reign, recorded in John 21, had the disciples coming onto the shore after another whole night of catching nothing. This time, Jesus told them to try the opposite side of the boat. The disciples, who knew Jesus very well by now, didn’t respond in mockery, but obeyed. Again, they had a catch they could hardly haul into their boats.

When you look at stories of healing in the Bible, you will see that God healed people with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation (2 Kings 4). He applied mud and spittle to a blind man’s eyes (John 9), and sent a possessed man’s demons into a herd of swine (Mark 5). Often our Lord demonstrates His power in “new” and “surprising” ways.

As we look to God for answers to our prayers, we should come expecting “new” mercies—not ways in which God worked once before, or for another person. If we watch, He will show up to do marvelous things for which we can praise, exalt, and stand in awe of Him.

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1 Chisolm, Thomas, Great is Thy Faithfulness. Carol Stream, IL: Hope Publishing Co., 1923.

Please note that, in each case, whenever a citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such a citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

 

 

Reflection

 

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

—John 8:12

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

—Matthew 5:14-16

Have you ever considered how differently the brightness of the moon affects what we can see at night? Driving seems so much easier. And, the distance ahead we can see is so much farther. Nights with a full moon allow us to see so much more than we can see when the moonlight is absent or diminished.

Scientists tell us that the phases of the moon, and the amount of light we observe from the moon, results from how much of the moon’s surface faces the sun and reflects the sun’s radiance. The moon produces no light of its own. It serves only to reflect the glory of the sun.

When we meditate on Jesus’ words found in the first Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post, where He told is that He is the Light of the World, we must realize that Jesus has given us the same designation that Creator God gave to the moon. As His devoted followers, Jesus expects us to understand that we give divine light to those around us only to the extent that we reflect Him. The more “face time” we have with Him, the more fully we will reflect His powerful light.

In the second Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post, where Jesus said that we are “lights of the world,” He used the illustration of a lamp. Even if we shine as lamps in this dark world, we must have oil, or power, from some source other than ourselves. The image of oil in the Bible often refers to the power of the Holy Spirit.

We cannot expect to give off the Light of Christ in this world unless we reflect Him, just as the moon reflects the sun, nor can we shine as lamps without the “oil” of the Holy Spirit. The divine light must come from outside our own selves.

This question, then, is worth asking ourselves:

“Is the ‘light’ I give off coming from the dimly lit bulb of my own selfish glory, or do I truly reflect the glory of my blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the glory of God, my Father in Heaven—fueled by the ‘oil’ of the Holy Spirit?”

How we answer that important question makes a difference. And, that difference is like night and day!

 

 

Doing Good

 

You know how … God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

—Acts 10:37-38

Jesus showed His power wherever He went—not for personal aggrandizement, but for the good of everyone He met. We read in the gospels that He never went anywhere but that people with all kinds of problems would come to Him for help.

I find it interesting that the verse at the beginning of this blog post from Acts 10 speaks of power twice. One kind is the power of the devil, and the other that of God. The devil only intends harm with his power. Satan only brings heartbreak and destruction that affects physical, mental, or emotional health. Though we read in Scripture that Satan masquerades as an angel of light (see 2 Corinthians 11:14). Satan cannot be trusted and we should all be wary of Satan’s trickery.

In stark contrast with Satan’s activities, before Jesus left earth for His heavenly home, He told His disciples that this same power from the Holy Spirit that He used in going about doing good would be theirs to use in doing even greater good. In John 14:12, Jesus said:

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

He promised the power of the Holy Spirit to His followers, so that they might tell others about Him and use His means to do good to others. (see Acts 1:8). Clearly, we have been given all we need to continue Jesus’ work in our world.

I know people who travel the world teaching the written Word of God. I know people who befriend friendless people and bless their lives. I know others who constantly seek ways to build people up and supply them with encouragement.

Do you know people of faith who “go around doing good?” Do you see the power of Christ in their works and their words? This same power is available to each one of us, and God expects us, with the unique gifts He has given us, to share His goodness with all people we know for His glory.

What an awesome privilege is ours to go out each day in Christ’s name, and in His power, to obey His last wishes on earth! Let us pray that God will use us in this world, alongside His other children, to bring good to others, and to lift up His name to them.

 

 

Taking Care

 

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

—Matthew 11:28

I played the French horn in college, but the price of a French horn prevented me from having my own instrument. Therefore, in order to play in the orchestra and wind ensembles, I needed to use a school-owned horn. So, my professor assigned me one which played well, though it sported enough dents to reveal that it had been around for a few years.

At my first lesson, the professor said:

“Did you know you could wash this thing in the bathtub?”

He proceeded to tell me how to take it all apart and run water through it in order to get rid of the putrid smell coming from within the French horn. So, I followed his advice, and took it back to my dorm for a serious and thorough “bath.”

Now, the French horn isn’t the only instrument that needs special care. I learned, as a music teacher in the public schools, that oboe reeds crack, dry trumpet valves stick, mouthpieces get stuck in trombones, and flute keypads fall out. All need attention from time to time.

What would happen to the music from these instruments if the players did not maintain them? The music would indeed suffer. A stuck key, or a squealing reed, would obviously influence the sound and the ability of the player to do his or her best job in producing music.

Christians tend to have the same problems as well-used musical instruments. We have a “song to sing,” so to speak, and need to have our spiritual “instruments” in tip-top shape, in order for the “music” to come out. When we live with our bodies tired, or malnourished, or out of shape, we cannot give to God our very best.

However, I know that our schedules often become unbalanced, because other’s expectations of us box us into a corner, or family demands make us feel obligated to sacrifice even healthy patterns of living in order to meet those demands. This lack of balance keeps our bodies ill-maintained and unable to do our best for God, for our families, or for our employers.

During the time of creation, God even rested on the seventh day! He was showing us His pattern for living. You all know the third Commandment found in the first half of Exodus 34:21:

Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest.

But do you remember the rest of it from the second half of Exodus 34:21?

Even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.

Said another way: “We must rest, even when we are the busiest!”

In our society, we tend either to make too much of our bodies, or too little. A balanced approach to living requires us to maintain good habits for healthy bodies, but to also make time for our spiritual selves as well. That is the other side of the coin.

Where do we see ourselves? Too occupied with our physical needs, or careless and dangerously forgetful of them? We must take a good look, and commit ourselves to the balance required for healthy bodies that can readily serve God when He calls. Like my efforts to care for the French Horn, we must learn to take proper care of ourselves, in order that, with our whole beings, we will remain able to play beautiful music for God.

 

 

Arguments!

 

Molly, my sister, and I fell out, And what do you think it was all about? She loved coffee and I loved tea, And that was the reason we couldn’t agree.

—an old Mother Goose rhyme 1

I had a sister close in age, with whom I had plenty of arguments as a child. And, the reasons for the arguments were usually as silly as the Nursery Rhyme above. Much of that arguing promotes a means for a healthy growing up, as siblings learn to negotiate and live with others.

Within the body of Christ, we have been admonished to treat each other as brothers and sisters, and to live in unity. Many a church fight has occurred because Christian-siblings disagree on truly trivial matters. For example: disagreements over the type and color of the carpeting for the church parlor, or whether to hold a full-size brunch after church, or a light reception.

However, not all arguments between brothers- and sisters-in-Christ result from silly juvenile issues. Some come from disagreements over important doctrinal beliefs, or from sinful power plays. These types of problems need genuine spiritual counsel, repentance, or even separation.

However, when matters really don’t require anything but humble submission to one another, confession of prideful selfishness, or a heart-to-heart talk, God expects us to work it out ourselves.

Even in St. Paul’s day, he knew two church women who had locked horns. He wrote in Philippians 4:2-3:

I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel.

Imagine what such a schism between sisters does to the unity and peace of the church. Can either give effective service to Christ with such a rift between them? In so many places in Scripture, God shows us His high regard for unity in the body, even saying to Titus through Paul, as recorded in Titus 3:10:

Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him.

Wow! Christ wants His church to demonstrate the same unity that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit illustrate for us. Through the display of a unity like this—so dissimilar from the world—people will be drawn into the Kingdom.

God help us to not allow the “little foxes to destroy the vines.” (see Song of Solomon 2:15). For indeed, small things have big effect in the Kingdom of God.

 

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1 Wright, Blanche Fisher, Illustrator. The Real Mother Goose. Chicago: Rand, McNally & Company, 1916— Now in the Public Domain. Though this citation is noted to be in the Public Domain, in the case of anyone claiming Copyright protection of this material, please note that in each case, whenever citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

 

 

Hide and Seek

 

“‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord.”

—Jeremiah 29:13-14

The shout rings out across the neighborhood:

“Ready or not, here I come!”

Most anyone who hears those words will remember playing the game “Hide and Seek” as a child. On warm summer evenings, it was fun to play outside where you could find any manner of wonderful places to wiggle into and get out of sight, while the person who was “it” counted to whatever number the group had set.

If you could stump the person looking for you, you felt quite clever. But, if the search went on too long, you could get bored and you began to wish they would hurry up and find you.

God desires to reveal to us His mysterious and wonderous Person by telling us to seek Him. He is not always readily evident. Yet, He wants us to seek Him until we find Him. The more we seek Him, the better we will get to know Him, and the closer we stick to the truth of His written Word, the easier it will become to find Him.

It was no fun as a child to hide and have no one look for you. It was no fun to desire to play the game and have no one want to play the game with you. That never happens in this “seeking God” game of life.

God delights to be found. When we see God in His written Word, when we seek Him in the life of another person, when God answers a prayer for us, or when He brings us a wonderful surprise, we will surely find Him. In every such time of seeking, we know our finding Him could only come from His loving hand. We will surely rejoice, whenever we have found Him.

The Prophet Isaiah writes these words in Isaiah 55:6:

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

God wants us to seek Him. He invites us to do so. He very much wants us to play this amazing “game.” But, we can only find Him when we draw close to Him and search for Him. And, like children, the more we play this special “game,” the more often we will find Him.

Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know You, a heart to seek You, wisdom to find You, conduct pleasing to You, faithful perseverance in waiting for You, and a hope of finally embracing You. 1

—Thomas Aquinas

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1 Aquinas, Thomas. “Prayer for a Holy Life” as cited in Bacon, Hannah, Wendy Dossett, Steve Knowles, Editors. Alternative Salvations. New York: Bloomsbury Academic Press, 2000. P. 435. Please note that, in each case, whenever a citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such a citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

 

 

Unusual Kindness

 

Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us because it was raining and cold.

—Acts 28:1-2

A person doesn’t forget an unusual kindness done for him or her. The missionary Paul, on his way to prison in Rome, spent three months of his journey on the island of Malta because the ship that was taking him to Rome shipwrecked there. Paul either journaled about, or merely remembered, the extraordinary way the strangers on that island greeted this dirty, water-logged group of men. Oh, the kindness!

When Corrie ten Boom recalled the days after her release from the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp ¹ at the end of World War II, she specifically remembered the nurse who led her down gleaming corridors into a room with a steaming bathtub. She stated that nothing ever felt as good as that bath. She also commented on the bed with sheets and how she could not get enough of running her hands over them, as they soothed her swollen feet. Oh, the kindness!

A missionary, Gracia Burnham, had much the same reaction after spending a year running, hiding, sleeping on the ground, and watching her husband die in the wet jungles of the Philippines. ² In her vivid remembrance, she too recalled the spotless sheets and the comfortable mattress. She compared them to the terrifying nights she had spent in the open. Oh, the kindness!

When we imagine this kind of treatment by strangers, especially for those who have lived through horrific circumstances, we realize that the Gift of Kindness comes as a remnant of the image of God in human form. Jesus, too—God incarnate—shows us kindness. His kindness is always beyond our need. His kindness is always beyond our deserving. His kindness always changes us.

Romans 2:4 asks:

Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

Imagine the Apostle Paul, or Corrie ten Boom, or Gracia Burnham turning down the kindness shown to them! God’s purposes through His kindness lead us to repentance for our “old rags.” God’s kindness offers us fresh, new garments in which He invites us to live. Isaiah 61:3 expresses His kindness this way:

… to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

Yes! It is so very true that, in His loving kindness, God has a “garment of praise” for us in exchange for the garment of a faint spirit—that is, a spirit of despair. Oh, the kindness!

First of all then, let us praise God for His kindnesses to us in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. These gifts of kindnesses to us should be remembered and told, when we share our stories with others. Secondly, we need to recall the kindnesses that others have shown us—the kindnesses that have led to effect good outcomes in our lives. Thirdly, as carriers of His image, let us show the same kind of transforming kindnesses to others around us.

Let us continually ask ourselves: “This day, to whom is God asking us to bless with unusual kindness?”

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1 Ten Boom, Corrie with John and Elizabeth Sherrill. The Hiding Place. Old Tappan NJ: Revell Company, 1971. p. 228.

2 Burnham, Gracia with Dean Merrill. In the Presence of My Enemies. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale Book Publishers, Inc., 2010. Amazon Kindle location: 4309.

Please note that, in each case, whenever a citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such a citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.