Is It Time to Renew?

“… THOSE WHO WAIT ON THE LORD SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH…” (Isaiah 40:31)

Let’s focus principally on one word in that text, “renew.”

Through the psalmist, God gave us insight into what causes a lot of our problems: “You thought I was altogether like you.” (Psalms 50:21)

The French atheist Voltaire said, “The Bible says, ‘God created man in His image,’ and now man has returned the favor, and created God in man’s image.”

Fortunately God is not like man. The constant challenge of each of us is trying to personally become more like God. That requires renewal.

The Hebrew word for “renew” means they shall exchange their weakness for His strength. Well might we pray, “God I will provide the weakness, if you will provide the strength.”

Renewal necessitates that we: See Him more clearly. Love Him more dearly. Follow Him more nearly.

Would you really like to live closer to God? There is a simple equation explaining how you can: “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

David identifies the starting point: “Be still and know that I am God.” The Hebrew wording means “stop striving.”

Felon, a voice from yesteryear wrote: “How rare it is to find a soul quiet enough to hear God speak.”

Most want more emotion and sensationalism in their religion today. We need to invest more time in developing the virtue of personal holiness. Yes, holiness.

Solitude is the incubator in which the fertile Word of God has time to develop intimacy with God. Consider designating a time and place where every day you spend time alone with God. 

Years ago while touring South America as a member of a basketball team, a missionary named Rosalee Mills Appleby gave me a book inscribed, “One can not expect to amount to much for God without often spending time alone with God.”

Through the years I have found that to be true. Try it.

Are You a Creature of Habits?

“For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.”
(Romans 7:15)

The Apostle Paul was a new creature in Christ, yet even he struggled with his old habits. In most he was victorious, but initially he was still losing some battles in his spiritual warfare. His struggle was typical. It is hard to break old habits.

To the world you may be one person, to one person you may be the world. Therefore, search the Scripture to find out just what God desires of you. You can’t do it by imitation, but by incarnation. Philippians 2:13 speaks of the “God which works within you.” Our word “energy” comes from the Greek word translated “works.” In other words, God energizes you. Realizing your energizing God lives inside you helps overcome any tendency toward laziness. 

Principally God uses three things to energize us.

• The Bible is a primary source. First, you must appreciate it enough to learn it. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2:15) Not only do you have to appreciate it, you must appropriate it. This means to make it your standard for life. It will help guide you in forming good habits and breaking some old bad ones. Thirdly, you must apply it, that is live by it.

• Prayer can be a marvelous way to engage with God in forming good habits.

• Suffering. Yes, the Bible speaks of the “fellowship of His suffering.” It is an unsurpassed factor in bringing us back to the Bible and prayer.

I had a letter from a young person who had been working with youth all summer. She said what she wanted to do was inspire them to chase after God all of their life. You might phrase it differently, but that is really what we should do. 

“The Greatest Salesman in the World,” authored by Og Mandino makes this statement regarding forming habits. “I will form good habits and become their slave.” He reached this conclusion, ”In truth, the only difference between those who have failed and those who have succeeded lies in the difference of their habits.”

As you unfold an area of life requiring obedience, pause and commit yourself to doing it. Ask the Lord to help you become so familiar with it that it will become an instinctive habit. Consider starting by listing four new habits you know you need to form. Then concentrate on developing only one for a week. Then the second week concentrate on developing the second, and so on.

Now the fun begins by you praying, “Lord help me to be all you can help me become. Please energize me.”

Our All Sufficient God

“GOD WILL GIVE YOU GRACE NECESSARY 
TO ENDURE ALL SUFFERING.”
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my grace is made perfect in weakness.”
II Corinthians 12:9

Can I get a testify? I can give one regarding His all sufficient grace.

Not long ago a spent five weeks in the hospital suffering from the compounding of five fatal diseases at once: sepsis, staph infection, two blood clots in my lungs, pneumonia, and recovering from a heart valve replacement. To top it off there was a major virus which made the bottom third of my face look and feel like one large fever blister. Most of this I was not conscious enough to know of for a few days. One doctor said he left the hospital three nights thinking ‘he will see Jesus tonight.’ There were times I thought I very well might.

Nights were especially torturous. Needs were often unmet.

One doctor told my wife to find a long term care facility for me to go to upon being discharged. She said, “He won’t like that,” and the doctor replied, “He won’t know it.”

Writing this is not an appeal for sympathy, it is a testimony of God’s grace. I am not trying to be sensational, I am just acknowledging His sufficiency. I am not the hero in this story, God is.

He was with me. No, there was no apparition, no phantom vision. There was simply an awareness of His presence. I was strengthened by a knowledge that He who promised He would never leave me had not. I flooded my mind with Scripture and reminded Him of His promises, as though He needed reminding.

He brought me through that hospital stay and a long way on the road to recovery. There still is not a day without pain, but He has not promised to immune me from pain or exempt me from problems, but He has promised to be with me, to bless me, to strengthen me, and He is doing it. Remember we walk by faith, not by sight or feelings.

My dear friend, Jerry Clower, wrote a book the title of which says it all, “Ain’t God good!” The resounding answer, “Yes!”

Forget about my experience, but don’t forget the theme of it:

“God will give you the graces necessary to endure all suffering.” II Corinthians 12:9

The Golden Rule

As early as 1674 there has been an axiom known as the Golden Law, now the Golden Rule. Its existence over many years and in various cultures is supported by the fact there are Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God, it is one.  Many persons not of the faith community advocate Natural Law. It is the source of all value judgments. It predates Christianity and exists in non-Christian societies. Consider this cursory history of the Golden Rule. It has been around in a variety of forms longer than is known.

The Greek, Herodotus, attributed it to Maeandrus: “I will not myself do that which I account blameworthy in my neighbor.”

Another ancient phrase said: “I won’t do what I criticize in you.”

Around 500 B.C Thelese, one of the Seven Wise Men of ancient Greece, when asked how people might live together best replied: “If we never do ourselves what we blame in others.”

Even before that Isocrates wrote: “You should be such in your dealing with others as you expect me to be in my dealing with you.”

Confucius phrased it: “…do not do to others what you would not want others to do to you.” 

A 16th Century source said: “Treat others as thou wouldst be treated thyself.”

Other ancient writings variously state the Golden Rule:

“Judge your neighbors feelings by your own.”

“What you hate do not do to anyone.”

In the first quarter of the 1st Century A.D. the scholar Hellel, when asked to recite the entire Jewish Torah said: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.”

Jesus said: “…whatever you want others to do to you, do also to them…”  One of the best current phrasing is: “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” The Golden Rule does not always pay off as it did in the following story, but it does pay off.

It was a rainy day when a young man working in a store saw a little old lady come in out of the rain looking forlorn. The clerk offered her a chair and spoke kindly to her. When she started to leave she thanked him and asked his name.

A few days later the manager of the store received a letter asking that this young man be sent to Scotland to take an order for the furnishings of a house.

The store manager wrote back explaining the young man was not in furnishings and stated he would be pleased to send an experienced representative.

Back came a letter stating no other person would do. The letter was signed by Andrew Carnegie. The house was Skibo Castle. The elderly lady was Carnegie’s mother.

The young man went and did a splendid job. He later became half owner of the store.  He had simply done for the elderly lady what he would have liked someone do for him.

Are You a “Yes, Butter?”

“THEREFORE, TO HIM WHO KNOWS TO DO GOOD
AND DOES NOT DO IT, TO HIM IT IS SIN.” (JAMES 4:17)

Are you a person who upon hearing a statement often agrees with it, but responds, “Yes, but….”? If so, you are a yes “But ‘er.” If so, read once more the above text. “Yes, but ‘er”is the expression of a hesitant person.

By agreeing with a statement and offering an excuse for not doing it, you are conflicting yourself. If you agree that it is right, offering an excuse for not complying with it does not make the ‘er a legitimate reason for not doing it. “Yes, but… people” are defeatist. Their favorite sport is introducing obstacles. They are good at making up excuses, while concealing their own thoughts.

Excuses for not doing what is right are:

“You just don’t understand.” 

“Someone told me I didn’t have to.”

“That is just too difficult.”

“You don’t always do it.”

“I didn’t think it was important.”

There is never a legitimate excuse for not doing what is right. If you do the right thing and things go wrong, be sure you don’t go with them.

William Penn said, “Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.”

Other sage wisdom is “Never do wrong in order to be able to do right.” Doing a bad thing for a good end just sullies the good.

Doing the right thing even when no one is looking is easy if you remember that you are not in this life alone and that your task is to please God… not people.

You know you have done the right thing when you have peace about doing it.

Don’t be afraid to do the right thing if you value your integrity, but if you do, be prepared to take abuse from those who have no integrity.

We often have the choice between saying “yes, but” or “yes and” it’s your choice.

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
(Colossians 3:17)