On Eagles' Wings

“Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” Psalm 103:2 & 3

It’s terrible to be sick or injured, isn’t it? The fields of science and medicine continue to make great strides in both prevention and healing. We have specialists for every part of the body and doctors that use both modern medicine and more natural approaches. We only have to determine what part of our body hurts and we’ll be able to find a doctor for it. Is there pain or swelling? Or maybe you have a fever. Are you too tired to make it through the day? Or perhaps your symptoms are coughing or sneezing or some other action to try to rid your body of the illness inside. Of course, once we’ve determined what the problem is, we then need to find a way to pay for the cure because help with healing is not cheap!

What about your spiritual health? How often do we take a moment to determine the health of ourselves spiritually? The problem is that we can’t always recognize that there is something wrong. Let’s see if we can find ways to determine our spiritual health.

It’s easy to tell if we have physical pain because, well, it hurts! To determine spiritual pain, ask yourself how easily you are offended or hurt. When walking closely with our Lord, we are able to much more easily overlook offenses and realize that not only is the offensive action or words more about the other person than about ourselves, but God has already covered over that offense. He’s the One who will take care of it. He will heal you of the pain caused by that action or their words.

Sometimes, we see a part of our body is swollen and know that there must be something wrong, even if it doesn’t hurt. Spiritually, take an honest look at your ego. How swollen is it? How much are your thoughts and actions about yourself instead of others? Are you seeing yourself as better than others in any way? That’s a sure sign of spiritual sickness. God can and will heal you if you let Him. He will show you how much He loves that other individual.

Fever is a great way to know if something is wrong, whether it’s a fever throughout our whole body or only in one spot. Either way, it shows us that our body is fighting off some infection. What about your anger? Is it a “fever” that has more control over your life than you would like to admit? Do you see your anger cropping up over things that wouldn’t usually bother you? Then go running to our Father, asking Him to heal you of whatever is infecting you spiritually.

Oftentimes, when our body is fighting against an injury or infection, we’re more tired than usual since our body is using its energies for the battle. God has called us to reach out to one another. To reach out to other Christians to help and encourage them, as well as reaching out to non-Christians to show them God’s love. If we’ve reached a place where we just can’t do people anymore, we might want to check where we are with God. Is He calling us to a place away for rest? Let’s listen to that and run to Him for His restoration and recuperation.

Consistent coughing and sneezing shows us that something is wrong. Maybe allergies, or perhaps a cold or flu. Our body is trying to expel the germs or foreign matter that have invaded it. Spiritually, what’s coming out of your mouth? Is it words of kindness and love that can only come from the heart of the Father? Or are you hearing yourself spout meanness, snide remarks, nasty gossip or some other non-helpful words? Those aren’t from God. Those show that something foreign has invaded our spiritual life and we need God to clean out the infection.

Whatever symptoms you find of spiritual illness, hurry to God, our Healer. His word has promised us health in Him. The price is unbearably high and there’s no insurance that will cover it. But don’t worry because He’s already paid that price in full! It came out of His own pocket. Or rather, out of His own Son. Those are some pretty amazing benefits!

“He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”  Zephaniah 3:17

            Have you ever felt that someone delighted in you? Has there ever been anyone who was thrilled to just be in your presence? Who smiled when you entered the room? The truth is that we have all been delighted in. We may or may not have experienced that from another human, but God delights in each one of us. He delights in you. In fact, this says He takes great delight in you. He’s pleased with you. He wants to hang out with you. You bring Him joy.

            I just love the middle part of this verse. When’s the last time you’ve been anxious about something? Maybe your thoughts were running around the race track in your mind. Lots of mental activity that doesn’t get you anywhere. Or perhaps you’ve experienced a grief that seemed to have you in a pit so deep you would never again see the light of day. Your body felt as if it would break from the strength of your sobbing. Maybe you started believing the lies about how the situation you’re facing is too overwhelming and there’s no hope, no way out. So your mind runs even faster and you sob even harder. That’s when God steps in with His indescribable love and gently shushes you. He rubs your back or gently rocks you until the tears have stopped and the mind slows. The word translated as “quiet” means altogether silent. Instead of racing thoughts and emotions, we can experience complete peace. Peace beyond comprehension. All because of His great love for us.

            The verse then seems to almost double back to the first part of the sentence. Because He delights in you, he rejoices over you. This is a song of joy, of great celebration. It’s almost as if He is so excited about you that He just has to let out a loud shout. That’s hard to comprehend, isn’t it? But it’s what scripture tells us. So the next time you think you’re a failure, or even a disappointment, read God’s word and revel in the fact that the King of the universe finds great delight and joy in none other than you!

“All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing.” Colossians 1:6

            What movements seem to be growing in our world today? Do you sometimes get discouraged when you see certain ideas growing? It seems as if evil and danger expand daily. We hear more and more of people resorting to gun violence to “resolve” disputes or to release anger. Mass shootings almost seem to have become a regular occurrence. Or maybe you think of the rise in broken families and homes torn apart by those seeking their own selfish desires. Or perhaps those homes were torn apart long before it became public because of abuse that was endured. Incidents of depression leading to suicide, especially in the young, are more and more common.

            Worst of all, the number of people who no longer believe in God, those who no longer follow Him or His word seem to be growing in number daily. I believe that this should be listed as the first example of evil encroaching in our culture. The others – the violence, the anger, the depression, the disillusionment – are growing because faith in God is shrinking.

            Or is it shrinking? According to this passage, the gospel is growing. How do we reconcile this verse with what we seem to be seeing in our world today? First, we need to pay attention to the first four words, all over the world. It is true that evil seems to have gained a real foothold in our culture today but is that true across the whole earth? Or are there places where the gospel is growing, and growing at such a rate to even outpace the growth of evil in our own culture? Is it possible that others are seeing the fruit this verse speaks of even as we see the fruit of faithlessness here?

            Does this mean we should give up on our culture in discouragement or frustration? Not at all! Think about where the gospel is growing. Of course, God can grow His word anywhere but it seems that quite often, the gospel grows in the midst of evil culture and even persecution of Christians. Every time a person chooses to not follow God or every time evil is perpetrated, we know that our enemy rejoices. But that’s because he tends to have a very short viewpoint. He looks at the “now.” But our God looks at the eternal. I’m not saying that God wants bad things to happen. I believe each time we choose to disobey God and follow satan, even for a minute, God is grieved. But that doesn’t mean He can’t use and work through it.

            What, then, should our response be to the evil that is growing in our culture? First, the most important thing we can and should do is cling tightly to God. I picture us as being in a raging river, fighting against the current, hanging onto a tree branch for our very life. That’s how we should be clinging to God in the midst of the raging culture in which we find ourselves. Secondly, we continue to share the hope we have in Christ with those around us. We may be ridiculed or even threatened for our beliefs. Still, we can’t help but share the love of Christ with others. But most of all, we continue to grow in Him. The fruit of the Spirit continues to thrive in our lives, spilling over onto everyone we meet. When we’re living in the love of Christ, we can’t help but spread the gospel, bearing fruit for Him. We can have hope from knowing that the darker our culture becomes, the brighter His light will shine.

‘I will walk in my house with blameless heart. I will set before my eyes no vile thing.” Psalm 101:2, 3

            When first reading these verses, it seems impossible. How can anyone be blameless? We all know that the only blameless person who ever walked the earth was Jesus Christ. So how can we say that we will walk in our houses with blameless hearts? The answer to that is Who I just mentioned: Jesus Christ. Since He is the only One who was ever blameless, it is only through faith in Him that we will be seen as blameless in God’s eyes.

            This isn’t just talking about being blameless in our deeds, although that’s impossible enough. This says with blameless heart. The very inner core of who we are. Our thoughts. Our feelings. Everything about us is to be blameless. This isn’t just a façade we can put on when we go in public, either. This says in our homes. In every moment of every day, our every thought will be completely pure.

            I’m glad you’re still reading and haven’t given up in frustration. Before we go any further, I want to talk about the irony of David talking about walking in his house with a blameless heart. It is true that it needs to start at home. That’s not what David did, though. He brought sin right into his home and he and his descendants paid for that dearly. Before we enjoy pointing fingers at him too much, how often do we do the same thing? How often do we bring sin right into our homes, into our families? In fact, how many of us are paying the price for parents who did that very thing? And yet God continues to forgive and restore. David’s response to his own sin was to run to God in full repentance, begging for His forgiveness and restoration. Praise God that He’s in the business of making beauty out of ashes!

            Just because we’re sure of His forgiveness doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive for blamelessness, though. And the following verse gives us a huge clue of how we can do that. By not setting anything vile before our eyes. What does that mean? Well, there are the obvious things like not watching smut or reading trash. But let’s go a bit further. First, let’s redefine “vile.” What if “vile” means anything that takes our focus off of God? I’m not saying we can never think about anything else. After all, we do have lives to lead. But is God included in every part of our lives? Or is He an afterthought, or only for church and Bible studies? An aspect of the word that is translated “vile” is the idea of being worthless. Maybe our thoughts aren’t evil, but do we spend our time in worthless thoughts? If we work to eliminate all the things, little and big, that take our focus away from God, or tempt us to leave Him out of any part of our lives, we will find that we walk more and more closely with Him, allowing Him to shape and mold us into being a little closer to blameless.  

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42

            The book of Acts gives us a beautiful picture of how the early church operated. Some of the members were the people who walked and talked with Jesus while He was on earth and included those who witnessed His resurrection and saw Him ascend into heaven. But it also included many, many more. In fact, scripture says that more were added to their number daily. Can we say that about our own churches? Do we daily have more people breaking down our doors to join us? Why not? We’re serving the same God. We’re preaching the same gospel. The same Holy Spirit is at work in our midst.

            It’s not God who’s changed in the last 2,000 years. It’s us, His people. So let’s take a look at how the operated. The first aspect of their lives it mentions is the apostles’ teaching. Is that an important part of our lives? Do we strive continually to learn more about God and His word, to spend time under the tutelage of those whom God has gifted to teach us and instruct us? Do we ask God for the discernment of His Spirit to decipher teaching about Him and His word?

            Next we see encouragement to fellowship. To gather together with Christ’s followers. Breaking bread, or eating, together indicates a community that’s more than just a group of people all in the same room. There’s a sharing, a connection between them. The word “fellowship” has an emphasis on the sharing of those things we have in common. It also indicates participation. In other words, we can’t have fellowship if we’re just observers. Both fellowship and eating together indicates a blessed relationship, a sharing of our lives together.

            Added to this is praying together. Prayer in our private lives is essential in our walk with Christ. But God also wants prayer to be a shared and common experience. In fact, communal prayer can be a very powerful weapon against our enemy. But it also draws us closer to one another even as it’s drawing us closer to God.

Going back to the beginning of the verse, we see that they were devoted to these things. The Greek is actually two words, one of which means to join to or adhere to, to spend much time with. Am I so devoted to Christ’s church that I can honestly say I’m adhered to it, that I spend much time with it? For example, do I spend much time with the teachings of God and of His apostles? Am I truly joined with the fellowship of believers? Am I willing to share in the breaking of bread and experience the commonality of fellow believers? Or am I too busy with my schedule, demands on my time? Am I willing to put the church of Christ above earthly concerns? In this age of online church “attendance” and learning from pastors and teachers we’ve never met, may we see that while these may be wonderful blessings, they are not a replacement for the kind of church involvement God is calling us to be a part of. May we strive to be truly devoted to Christ and His church.

“Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.” Joshua 4:9

This may seem like a strange verse to spend our time looking into, but let’s take a moment to get some context. Moses had led the Israelites out of slavery, through the Red Sea on dry ground, and then they wandered in the desert for 40 years because of their disobedience. Now that generation had all died out and the next generation was ready to enter the promised land. So God commanded the priests who were carrying the ark to enter the Jordan River. As soon as they did, the river was stopped so the people could cross on dry ground, just as their parents had done at the Red Sea. After everyone had crossed, God had them take 12 stones from the river to build an altar as a remembrance of what God had done for them.

Why would God ask them to do that? Did He just want to make sure there was an altar built to Him? Maybe He was afraid they would forget to worship Him unless they had an altar they could see. I don’t think that’s it at all. I don’t think His reasons had anything to do with Him. I think it was because He knows how quickly we forget. In fact, I’m often amazed at what a short memory I have! God does something amazing and I think I’m going to remember it forever. But I don’t. Very quickly, I’m right back to doubting and trying to take back control. God knew that the Israelites were going to need this reminder of what He had done for them.

I have two questions for you. First, what has God done for you? We can think of the big stuff, like our salvation, or creating the world. But what about something specific, something He did just for you? Secondly, what have you done so you won’t forget? What is a memorial you’ve established to remind you of God’s faithfulness? Maybe it’s even something in your home so your kids will ask you what it means. In fact, if you read this story in Joshua, you’ll see that one of God’s reasons for the altar was so their children would ask the meaning of it. Memorial Day is a day to remember the sacrifices all those in our military have made for us. But this year, let’s broaden the meaning a little and see if we can also find ways to memorialize all that our God has done for us.

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Philippians 1:27

            What does it mean to be a citizen of a country? Citizens have certain privileges not necessarily shared by non-citizens or by those who live and are citizens of other countries. Our country promises certain freedoms that may not be found in all countries: freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom to seek our own future. We also have the privileges of protection by our police and military, government services such as a postal service and national bank, etc. There may be disagreement on how well these privileges are granted, or on how often our freedoms are slighted because our government is run by human beings. Which brings us to the other side of the coin: our duties as citizens. We have the duty to cast our vote, to pray for our leaders, to obey the laws and to help one another when we can. These are the ways we can show we are worthy of being a citizen of The United States.

            The letter to the Philippians was written by Paul while he was a prisoner in Rome. Rome was the capital of and the center of the Roman Empire. He was writing to the Roman settlement of Philippi. Both Paul and his readers understood what it meant to be a citizen of Rome. They experienced both the privileges and duties of citizenship. In this letter, Paul is urging the Philippians (and us) to remember that we are also citizens of a higher kingdom: the Kingdom of God. What does it mean to be a citizen of this kingdom that is eternal and exists both in heaven and here on earth?

            As citizens, we have certain privileges. We have God’s word to lead and guide us. We also have the Holy Spirit as a constant companion and guide. He is an interpreter of God’s words and is also our protection against the enemy. We have a special communion with God that those who have not chosen Christ as their savior are not able to enjoy. We are part of the Church of Christ, the fellowship of believers here on this earth. We can rely on them to encourage us in our walk with Christ and to provide a special, sweet fellowship.

            As citizens of heaven, we have duties as well. These are what Paul is referring to when he urges us to live in a manner worthy of the gospel, worthy of being citizens of the Kingdom. We have the duty to realize that God’s communion with us isn’t just one way. We need to communicate with Him, too. Having and reading His word isn’t just a privilege, it’s a duty as well, as is obedience to the laws of God. We have a duty to love one another, encourage one another and to build each other up in Christ. As you can see, many of the duties are also privileges, and vice versa.

            How is your lifestyle? How is mine? Are they worthy of the gospel of Christ? Are we living our lives every day of the week in such a way as to honor and glorify God? Or are we taking all the privileges and enjoying the perks while neglecting our duties as citizens of the kingdom? If your answer is that there’s room for improvement, just remember that God doesn’t love you any less. He’s still pouring out His blessings and waiting for sweet communion with you. Come back to Him. Remember Whose child you are and what Kingdom has your ultimate allegiance.

“Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:2

            I was recently reminded that we will always get what we seek. This doesn’t mean that every time we seek something, we’re sure to get it. It just means that if we’re seeking one thing, we’re not likely to get another. For example, if we sacrifice family time in our search for success and money, we’re not likely to have a happy family life, whether we receive earthly success or not. Or if we seek ease and comfort, we’re not likely to find health instead. It can be very sobering to be reminded of this truth.

            What are you seeking? What is first and foremost on your mind and in your heart? According to this scripture, we are to set our minds on things above. The verse before says that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God above. So setting our minds on things above is setting our minds on God. But how do we do that? Do we spend our days with our eyes closed in prayer? Please don’t do that while you’re driving! Or cooking or walking or any number of other daily activities. That’s simply not practical. Nor is it practical to read our Bibles all day, or not listen to anything but Christian podcasts. We have to think about other things once in a while!

            I think one of the ways we set our mind on things above is found in the way we think about all the daily and often mundane things we need to have on our minds every day. For example, when you think about your to-do list for the day, do you approach it with an “I can do this” attitude, or are you asking God for His power and help? If you are thinking of the day ahead with some measure of trepidation or even dread, are you stopping to praise God in the midst of it? Are you thanking Him for all He provides and for His presence in each and every situation? If the mundane tasks are done in an attitude of praise, not only will we have our mind set on things above, those tasks will suddenly cease being mundane and will become a joy!

            Another way we set our mind on things above is our treatment of others. Do we see each and every person we come in contact with as a beloved creation of God, made in His image, deserving of His love and care? I recently heard of someone who asked a sales clerk if they could pray for her and she burst into tears, admitting that her son had just committed suicide. Are we seeing an angry or obnoxious person as someone who is hurting and needs to experience the love of God?

            Of course, the only way we can do any of these things is to continually run to God ourselves. God does answer our little “arrow” prayers we shoot up throughout the day, but if that’s the only time we spend with Him, we’re going to burn ourselves out pretty quickly. We need to have our times of prayer and study of His word to strengthen us and grow us. Those arrow prayers are a little like dialing 911 to God. How much better to have Him already on the line and have the conversation already started! When we do that, the earthly things that make up our days will automatically take a back seat to the truly important matters of eternal significance.

“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them – the Lord, who remains faithful forever. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” Psalm 146:5 & 6, 147:5

Reading my last few posts from over a year ago (!), I’m reminded of that time. A time when I was so overwhelmed for so long that it finally culminated in health issues as well as mental and emotional strain. I realize now that my posts and all my prayers of that time were actually cries for God to help me. And He did! That season was followed by a time of such deep rest and soul repair that I can only praise God for the work He has done in my life! He recently led me to these verses. I was actually looking for a verse to use for a new experiment I’m going to try. I plan to memorize these verses and recite them every morning, hopefully before I even get out of bed. I want something to focus my attention on God, not me or my schedule or my plans or problems. But on Him and who He is.

Why did God lead me to these verses? I have a feeling I’m going to find the answer to that as time goes on. But the question makes me want to take a deeper look at them. The very beginning tells us that we will have problems. Notice it doesn’t say “if” we need help. Oh, we need help all right! And we’re blessed indeed when we rely on God to help us. Not the world, not other people, and not ourselves. All of those things will let us down. Especially ourselves. Not only will we let ourselves down, we will cause real problems for ourselves and for those who love us when we rely too heavily on just us.

Not only is God our help. He’s also our hope. This word is not talking about wishful thinking. It’s not “I hope I have a good day today.” Or “I hope I get to go to Hawaii.” Rather, this kind of hope is a sure thing. When it says our hope is in God, it means that we can rely fully and completely on Him to bring about what He has promised. Did you know that God always keeps His promises? Not sometimes and not half-way. Always. We can rely on that. We can and should put our hope in Him and Him alone. When we put our hope in someone or something else, it truly is wishful thinking. But when our Hope is in God, that’s when it becomes a hope we can lean on.

What do these verses say about God Himself? First, He’s the creator of everything. Did you ever stop to think that not one of us is able to create? We can be creative with elements that already exist. But not one of us can create something out of nothing. Only an amazing God can do that. And just look at what He created! From the diversity of the animal and plant worlds to the complexity of the universe and our bodies, His creation is beyond comprehension. What does that say about the Creator?

Not only is He beyond comprehension, He is mighty and powerful. It takes a lot of power to create that much and keep it operating in exact precision. How many humans do you know of who have power and use it only for their own good? I’m so thankful our God isn’t like that! His power is so much greater than the most powerful human who ever lived, and yet He uses it only for our good. Only He knows completely what is best for us because only He understands us fully. He understands us, the world, our past and even our future. He understands it all. Our understanding is so miniscule compared to His! And yet He loves us unconditionally! What an amazing God and so worth of our praise!

“A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”  John 13:34

There are two parts of this verse that strike me.  One is the word “command.”  Usually, when I think of this word, I think of the Ten Commandments, which were a sign of God’s covenant with the Israelite people.  Now He’s giving us a new command, a sign of the new covenant through Jesus.  Along with the word “command” is the word “must.”  We “must” love one another.  This is so hard to understand in America where we have just one word for love.  The love that Jesus is talking about is agape love, or God’s love.  It’s a choice, not a feeling.  Feelings may accompany it, but that’s not the essence of agape.  Rather, we choose to treat even the “unlovable” as scripture tells us, especially in “the Love Chapter,” 1 Corinthians 13.

We may think that’s a pretty difficult command until we get the second part, which is “as I have loved you”.  How has Jesus loved us?  At the time He spoke these words, He had spent three years with them, teaching, walking, preaching, living with them.  He had dedicated His life on this earth to them.  I’m sure the original hearers of these words had all this in mind and probably wondered how they could possibly give of themselves that completely.  They would soon see that He was willing to sacrifice His very life for them.  What about us?  Do we love others that completely?  More importantly, do we love God enough to show His love to others in that way?  Our God never does things half-way.  His love for us is complete and full, and He expects the same from us.  Did I just hear someone say that it’s impossible?  You’re right!  Praise God that He never expects us to do this on our own.  He will give us this love for others if we just ask