Crying Out to God

I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me.--Psalm 57:2

Yesterday, our family traveled to the University Medical Center in Jackson to have our younger children undergo various tests. After seeing a specialist, Charlee, our youngest child, had to have blood drawn. This is always a traumatic experience and was no less uncomfortable yesterday.

Charlee is a beautiful child. Even though she is much older than many folks assume, she is as pretty as a porcelain doll.

When she was forced to enter the lab yesterday, Charlee was terrified. Along with two folks from the clinic, Terri and I had to help hold her down as they inserted needles into her arm. Charlee was crying at the top of her lungs. She called out for Terri. The first attempt at getting the amount of blood needed was unsuccessful. So, we had to move to the other arm and go through the same torture.

Of course, the heart wrenching cries for help broke our hearts. Even though we knew the tests were important, watching our child suffer pain and anguish was not easy.

Many times in our lives we are forced to give up something or journey through a trial that we detest with every fiber of our being. However, the only thing we can do is cry out to God. We must be reminded that God is in control. The problems or pain we feel may not end immediately, but we must remember that through the "tough stuff" God is doing a work within us.

Jesus taught us to pray "Your Kingdom come, you will be done." Do we really want his kingdom, his perfect will to be done in our lives?

Personally, God is working a work in me that is leading me to be more dependent upon Him. Crying out to anyone other than God, really is useless. May I always remember "he performs all things for me."

Confirmed: The Scripture Does Say "Rejoicing"

For whatever reason, I waited way too long to get new glasses. Any of you who know me have certainly noticed that I was due a new pair.

Unfortunately, I have had a difficult time reading from my Bible from the pulpit. Usually, I type the passage in much larger print on a separate piece of paper in order to be able to read the selected verses without difficulty.

This past Saturday, I went for an eye exam and purchased new glasses. My fears were realized. I need bifocals. Now that I am wearing the "progressive" lens prescribed, I wonder why I put off getting them for almost 8 years. I can see!

Sunday, I did not have my new glasses. So, when I read verse 41 of Acts 5, I shared with the congregation that my bad eyesight must have been deceiving me. Because, in verse 41, the scripture reports that, after Peter and John were beaten, they left "rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name." I informed the congregation that I must have been seeing the words incorrectly. While I preached the truth as I seemed to be reading it, I promised to confirm the reading of the passage upon receiving my new glasses.

Consequently, I must report that, via my new spectacles, Luke did write that the disciples were rejoicing after they were beaten. What a sobering verse!

As we have been studying "ACTS" for the last several weeks, I am humbled by the boldness and humility and love and generosity of the early church. I can't help but compare the faith of the modern American Church to the commitment of the early believers. In many aspects, the church in Acts is very dissimilar to what we call church today.

Peter and John were "rejoicing" that they were beaten because they were able to relate in some small way to the sufferings of Jesus.

Compare this to what is seen in many churches. Instead of rejoicing in being abused for speaking the name of Jesus, many complain that the sanctuary is too cold or too hot. Instead of rejoicing that we suffer for taking a stand for Christ, many complain that the song service or sermon or offertory prayer is too long. In this age of padded pews and multimedia excitement, where's the obedience that is characterized by sacrifice.

Paul wrote, For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ (2 Corinthians 1:5 5, New Living Translation).

Unfortunately, the more we value our comfort, the less we receive the comfort of Christ.

As I meditate on His Word, am I hearing God correctly ? Maybe I should get my hearing checked.

Oxymoronic

The English language is filled with word pairs that seem to contradict. We refer to these as oxymorons. A few examples of these are “jumbo shrimp,” “boneless ribs,” and “female intuition (just kidding).” Correspondingly, the Bible pairs many seemingly contradictory truths to illustrate the supernatural nature of the Kingdom of God. Examples of these truths are “The first will be last” and “When we are weak we are strong.” No better illustration of this is seen in Paul’s letter to the Romans (Read Romans 12:1).

Sacrifices were common in the day of Jesus. In Jerusalem, Jews regularly stood in the temple by an altar and watched one of their best animals killed, drained of its blood, and burned as a religious offering. God instructed the people to observe this to provide for the temporary forgiveness of sins.

Similarly, the Romans were familiar with pagan sacrifices which involved killing animals. So, as Paul challenged the Christians at Rome to “present (their) bodies as a living sacrifice,” the word sacrifice carried gruesome and hideous connotations.

Paul used the Greek word for “body,” which implied a person’s entire being, including the spiritual aspect of their existence. Paul challenged his readers, and us, to be completely surrendered to him. Everything that gives us our identity is to be turned over to God. Only in doing this in repentance on a daily basis can we be alive. Only in sacrifice can we truly live (Read Galatians 2:20).

When Jesus was crucified, He died for our sins. Jesus was the “one sacrifice for sins forever (Hebrews 10:12).” Ritual sacrifice is no longer required. In light of what Christ has done for us, Paul asserted it is “reasonable” for us to worship and serve Him.

You cannot grow in your faith without being willing to forfeit pleasure. Obedience requires sacrifice.

Knowing God

Once at a men’s retreat I attended, all of the guys present were asked to take a vow of silence from the time we arrived in our rooms for the evening until Breakfast the next morning. This created a great crisis within me. Since I had only briefly introduced myself to my roommate, I struggled with the fact that I was unable to completely identify myself. My vocation, level of education, favorite sports teams, hometown, marital status, family, and superior sense of humor were all unknown to him. If I couldn't use words, how would he ever know what a blessing it was for him to be rooming with me? This exercise helped me understand, sadly, that my worth tends to be wrapped up in many things that are not important.

Jeremiah, the “weeping prophet,” was devastated by the casual and careless attitude his people displayed toward God. They, too, found their identity in the temporary things instead of in the Eternal God. His people were happy to substitute empty rituals and self-worship for a true relationship with God. They were proud of their wisdom, physical strength and wealth.

With passion, Jeremiah told the people of his day not to treasure anything but their relationship with God (Read Jeremiah 9:23-24). We are to only “glory” in understanding and knowing God. This intimate knowledge of God can only come from the time we spend in prayer and studying the Bible. There are no shortcuts.

For me, this guides me to remember, if I am given the opportunity to talk about what really matters to me, I need to focus on the blessing of relating to the loving, just, and righteous God. Many years after Jeremiah shed tears, Jesus came to earth and put into practice the attributes of God. Ultimately, he demonstrated the love, justice, and righteousness of God by dying on the cross and walking out of the tomb.

Paul had a great understanding of this truth (Read Philippians 3:7-11). The apostle considered all things worthless that did not help him know Jesus “and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”

Does the resurrection power of Jesus define you?