It Is Show and Tell Time

Where has God been while His world is engaged in this pandemic? He is still in business. He never has to say “Oops” regarding His actions.

There is a parallel between God’s deliverance of Moses, and this hour for us. 

As with us, God had blessed and cared for them up to this point. He had promised to give them a land flowing with milk and honey. However, many past blessings were forgotten in light of one present perplexity.

Pharaoh’s army had them hemmed-up in a narrow plain with mountains on one side, an expansive marsh on the other, and the Red Sea before them. They were bivouacked right where God wanted them. This was their moment.

It was an occasion for them to show they loved the Lord, not just the things He gave them. Those were defining moments.

Moses and the people had been crying out to God. Mixed with their prayers for deliverance were cries of despair and derision. This added to their paralysis of fear.

When the Lord hears our complaints against the backdrop of blessings, He must feel like saying, “Stop your sniveling, you wimps, and trust Me. I will see you through. I have given you this occasion to demonstrate to others the vitality of your faith.”

God is in the business of management, but He is also in the business of mystery. We often have to trust Him without insisting we be given an understanding of what He is doing and why.

We all live by faith. It is our daily norm. Every time you fly on a plane or drive in the rain; every time you go on a date or get married, you do it by faith; every time you buy or sell on credit you exercise faith. You have faith. You may have been given this moment in time to show in what or in whom you have faith.

Candidly our position is little different than theirs. This is our moment to demonstrate our faith.

It is SHOW AND TELL time.

Heaping Coals of Fire on an Enemy

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Romans 12:20

In the Bible era an extremely important matter was the ability to provide fire. Such fires were often started by a single coal. 

In this narrative an enemy has a need for coal. To illustrate the way to respond to an enemy in need, that of a coal is used. The proportionate response was to give the enemy so many coals they had to be carried in a receptacle on his head. Carrying weights in such a way was common.

The story is a metaphor advocating repaying a wrong with a right. Generosity is encouraged by the instruction to give your enemy more than requested, surely more than deserved.

By abundantly giving an adversary more than needed it is equivalent to giving a person in need of a single coal so many he has to carry them on his head.

The writer of Proverbs notes the results of doing so.

“If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
For so you will heap coals of fire on his head,
And the LORD will reward you.”  Proverbs 25:21-22

My Cup Runs Over

The Psalmist said of our Lord, “He leads me beside still water,” and “my cup runs over” (Psalm 23:2 & 5).

The still water spoken of is not that depicted by a slow flowing fresh water stream, nor a pond.

In the Bible Land it rains only parts of three months. The rest of the time the land is barren and dry. The flocks need water. To provide it the good shepherd finds a pocket in the earth and lines it with limestone making it a cistern. He then goes out on the side of the hill and gathers stones he uses to make a large “V” with the tip leading right into the cistern. When it rains the water flows into his cistern. Water kept out of light and open air remains fresh almost indefinitely. This water was called “still water.”

As a good shepherd always has in store what the sheep need long before the sheep need it, so the Good Shepherd has in store for His sheep what they need long before they need it.

The shepherd then finds a boulder and hews it out making it a trough, a cup. He drew the water from the cistern and poured it into the cup for the sheep to drink. They crowd around taking turns. They are so crowded the shepherd can’t see his feet. He continues to pour until his feet feel wet. Then he knows his cup is running over. 

So our Good Shepherd not only has in store for His sheep what they need, but before they need it, He provides abundantly. He is the “Shepherd of the Overflowing Cup.”

The Tipping Point

History reveals every great nation has a tipping point. It was not their end, but a point from which there was no return, and the end was inevitable. For some it was imminent, for others it was more distant.

Once the tipping point is reached the end is inescapable. Let us pray America has not reached her tipping point.

Once reached the end cannot be prevented, but we can so live as to delay it.

When the prophet Isaiah wrote these words was he speaking of his day or ours?

“Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter, So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.” Isaiah 59:14-15

Historically such a time has been reached three times in America. Three times the people prayed earnestly, and revival spared the nation. Let us so pray that this might be the fourth time.

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” II Chronicles 7:14

Aids in Discerning God’s Will

Trying to discern the will of God often is a challenge. I sometimes start with praying Dear God, I am pre-committed to doing your will even before I know it. Please reveal it to me. Be sure you are doing God’s will as you know it before asking Him to reveal His unknown will. If you are not doing His will why should He reveal more of His will for you not to do? As in Algebra, start with the known in order to find the unknown. A submitted will is the first step in finding God’s will.

“Then shall you call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And you shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:12-13)

I use the same principles as Peter which are recorded in Acts 5:1-16. This post will be better understood with your Bible at hand.

Peter was guilty of violating several taboos, things no self-respecting  religious Jew should never do. Two were, he had been in the home of a Gentile, and even eaten with them.

The Jews “contended” with him, which is a nice way of saying they tore into him with accusations and threats. Then in his defense Peter shared principles used in finding God’s will. They were:

* He prayed about it.  (vs. 5)

* He thought the issue through.  He gave study to the issue, he pondered it.  Don’t expect a vision, but don’t ignore circumstances. (vs. 6)

* He considered God’s Word. The equivalent today is there were Scriptural principles to be considered. Even if there is no direct text, just reading God’s Word helps to clear your mind and center your thoughts. (vs. 7)

* He had Spirit guidance. The expression ”the Spirit told me,” today means he had an overwhelming compulsion as to what to do, and it did not contradict  Scripture. Every feeling must be evaluated in light of Scripture. Even though the Jews contended with him, there was no Scripture forbidding what he did. (vs. 12)

* He compared what was happening with other related issues. Employ objective counsel to share with you. (vs. 12)

* He remembered principles found in God’s Word. Search the Scripture for answers. That is why it is expedient to memorize Scripture so you can apply it. 

All of these factors combined to lead him to the conclusion it was OK to go into the house of a Gentile and even eat with them.

As it turned out what he did proved to be correct. It helped open the church to Gentiles, and thus to the world.

After earnestly searching for God’s will and reaching what you understand it to be pray as I: “Dear God as best as I understand it this is your will. That is the only reason I am doing it. If I am wrong, it is out of ignorance not obstinance, please forgive me and redirect my path.”  We can pray: “Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.” (Hebrews 13:20-21)