Category Archives: Christian Life

RESTORED

Christian life, ,

PRAISE, MY SOUL, THE KING OF HEAVEN

  1. Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
    to his feet your tribute bring.
    Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
    evermore his praises sing.
    Alleluia, alleluia!
    Praise the everlasting King!
  2. Praise him for his grace and favor
    to his people in distress.
    Praise him, still the same as ever,
    slow to chide, and swift to bless.
    Alleluia, alleluia!
    Glorious in his faithfulness!
  3. Fatherlike he tends and spares us;
    well our feeble frame he knows.
    In his hand he gently bears us,
    rescues us from all our foes.
    Alleluia, alleluia!
    Widely yet his mercy flows!
  4. Angels, help us to adore him;
    you behold him face to face.
    Sun and moon, bow down before him,
    dwellers all in time and space.
    Alleluia, alleluia!
    Praise with us the God of grace!

Author: Henry Francis Lyte (1834)

Song available on My.Hymnary

This grand old hymn, based on Psalm 103, highlights the mercy and grace of God in the way He treats humans.

“Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven…” these are the work of His salvation plan, to get back on track His purpose for creating the earth and the human race to occupy and manage it for Him.

God is the great restorer of everything the devil destroyed in his determination to derail God’s plan. He promises restoration to His people, both in the Old and New Covenants, from whatever has broken, damaged, or destroyed them.

What does it mean that God is a restorer?

“Restoration simply means returning something to its original condition. Our belief that God is a God of restoration is the basis of our hope, and it is fundamental to our faith as Christians. We are reconciled to God, and our relationship with Him is restored forever, by faith in Jesus Christ.”

The Hebrew word for restore means “to go up” or “ascend”. What a beautiful way to understand restoration! There are many experiences in life that weigh us down, piling burden upon burden upon us… loss, pain, broken relationships, unfulfilled dreams, disappointment and disillusionment…

God intervenes in our lives with restoration… of hope, encouragement, new dreams and aspirations that enable us to “go up”, to ascend above the burdens to a new level of understanding and living.

God wants us to live above our circumstances, not under them. We choose to live under our burdens only when we keep looking at our problems and seeing them as bigger than God.

How does God restore us?

“He restores us to a right relationship with him through the gift of forgiveness and justification. He is able to restore earthly relationships. And he can even restore days and years that have been lost to the effects of sin (Joel 2:25). That has to be greatest evidence of the extravagant nature of God’s mercy.”

What is the spiritual meaning of restoration?

Spiritual restoration is that process by which God is restoring the image of Jesus in us. Through the tests He allows into our lives, we learn faith, submission, and obedience to Him and His Word that are the hallmarks of a true son. He works, in and through our “all things”, for our good.

Restoration of our lives to order and peace can only come when we learn to view our circumstances from God’s perspective, and when we come under the authority of His Word. Life on this earth will never be smooth or uneventful but…

… our hope is in God to restore everything Adam lost at the fall.

1 Peter 5:10-11 NLT
[10] “In his kindness, God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. [11] All power to him forever! Amen.”

When we choose to put our hope in Him, no matter what He permits in our lives that weighs down, God will restore us through Jesus. We can be sure, through our faith in Jesus, that He will restore us to His determined purpose… sons of God in His eternal kingdom.

To be continued…

WHAT IS A PEACEMAKER?

Christian Life, ,

Matthew 5:9 NIV
[9] “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Who are the peacemakers? Why are they called “children of God”? Who are the children of God? How can they be peacemakers?

Jesus’ simple statement raises questions. It’s no use reading that God is happy with peacemakers if we don’t know who they are and why and how they are to be pacemakers.

There is only one true “peacemaker” in all of Scripture and, outside of His work to make peace, any affort to bring peace between alienated humans is futile. Without a change of heart, reconciliation between people at war is temporary and only skin deep.

Humanity is at war with God and has been since the moment Adam chose himself over his Creator. This alienation from God is the root of all the forms enmity between humans. Until our rebellion against God is removed out of our hearts, we will always be in conflict with one another. Why…because our hearts are tainted with self-centredess which clashes with everyone else’s self-centredness.

God stepped into time with a risky plan to reconcile Adam’s alienated race with Himself. Through Jesus, He dealt with the root of sin that robbed humans of peace with God, and brought together not only humans and Himself but the two alienated religious groups that split the world, Jews and Gentiles.

Ephesians 2:11-13 NIV
[11] “Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— [12] remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. [13] But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

“Done and dusted!” God and mankind reconciled forever through the death of His Son! Mission one accomplished!

Ephesians 2:14-18 NIV
[14] “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, [15] by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, [16] and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. [17] He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. [18] For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”

“Done and dusted!” Jew and Gentile reconciled! Not only that, but all religious distinctions obliterated by lifting the two groups onto a new level…a new species called “children of God”. Jew and Gentile labels no longer apply.

Mission two complete!

However, with God’s intervention comes a new distinction… believers in Jesus versus unbelievers. The separation between these two groups is far greater and more sinister than the rift between two religious factions because it stretches beyond the grave, two different and eternal destinies depending on one fact. Did you avail yourself of the reconciliation God made possible through faith in Jesus? God’s intervention is a matter of life and death.

Since Jesus is the only true “peacemaker”, His children are under obligation to intervene between God and His alienated humans through His message of peace. Then, and then only, can the “children of God” be real peacemakers.

So, peacemakers are those who, through Jesus, are, at peace with God and with all fellow believers around the world regardless of colour, clan, or country. They are now a new species, called “children of God”. Their role is to spread the message of peace through Jesus, to bring about reconciliation with God and with fellow believers.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called, “children of God”.

COMPARISON AND CONTEMPT

Christian Life, ,

Philippians 2:3-4 NLT
[3] “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. [4] Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”

Have you ever considered how often we either compare ourselves to other believers or we treat others with contempt because they are not like us? These are two subtle attitudes that belong strictly to our old self and have no place in the way we think of one another in God’s kingdom.

What happens to the fellowship if we, as believers in Jesus, allow the remnants of our old self to creep back into our thinking? We begin to erode our unity by allowing barriers of mistrust, pride, or insecurity, to separate our hearts.

Competition is very much a part of some congregations. Positions, office, titles, are big on their agenda. Some even invent an office that does not exist in Scripture, God’s “generals“ i.e., intercessors. Intercession is an integral part of all prayer, not a specific title given to some.

1 Timothy 2:1 NIV
[1]” I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—”

What is the root of comparison or contempt? Once again, it’s the idol of self that imperceptibly replaces our pure worship of Jesus. Comparing ourselves with others means that we either see ourselves as better or worse than our fellow believers. We focus on our/their performance, gifts, or even the notion that we/they are superior in understanding God’s Word or receiving revelation or new insight into some truth of Scripture.

We think that seeing ourselves as less than another is humility. It isn’t! It’s an inverted form of pride. Whether we see ourselves as more or less than another, the focus is still on us! We keep looking at ourselves and want others to look at us too. When we put ourselves down in front of another, we are crying for approval and accolades.

We treat others with contempt to boost our own insecure morale. The more secure we are in God’s love for us, the less we need to elevate ourselves above others. Whether by comparison or contempt, we are constantly parading our need for the affirmation only God can give us. His approval, freely given to us because of Jesus, lays to rest all our need to put ourselves on display.

Ephesians 1:5-8 NLT
[5] “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. [6] So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. [7] He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. [8] He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.”

According to Paul’s adamant assertion, we have left these old attitudes behind and become brand new inside.

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 NLT
[16] “So, we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! [17] This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

How can we overcome this subtle tendency to slide back into the self-awareness that parades itself in front of others? By comparison with the world’s ways, which is to nurture self with all its demands, our obligation in this new life is to put self to death through the Spirit’s power, by focusing our attention, first, on Jesus, and then on the interests and needs of others.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 NLT
[14] “Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. [15] He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.”

God has given us a powerful motivation for putting ourselves to death, not literally but in our attitude towards others. Jesus gave His life for us. He calls us, by His grace, to give our lives for others. We show our love for Him by responding to the needs of others.

No one needs comparison. We are all unique and equally loved. God has no favourites. His love, mercy, and grace are freely available for all people. No one needs contempt. Contempt only degrades us at another’s expense.

Everyone needs to know God’s love by experiencing it through us who represent Him by the way we treat them.

Paul’s solution is twofold…put off and put on. Like the used garments we take off at the end of the day, we deliberately and purposefully “put off” the soiled attitudes of self-awareness and self-absorption.

Putting off means replacing old attitudes with new attitudes, like Jesus’s attitude to us, with loving thoughts and actions towards others.

It’s a slow process. The old nature’s automatic reaction is to think badly of others. We are programmed towards alienation and hostility. The first step is to acknowledge the source of our thoughts. This thought is not of God.

Step two is to choose to think new thoughts of understanding and love. Put Jesus in the mix. What does He think of us, and of the person we downgrade? Do I need to put someone else down to elevate myself?

No, we are both unique and precious to God. We can rest comfortably in who we are in union with Jesus, holy and beloved, and we can allow others to be who they are without judging them, their words, or behaviour. That prerogative belongs to Jesus alone.

What a big step towards the answer to Jesus prayer! We are already one in Him. Let’s live it out for His glory.

THE BRIDAL GOWN

Christian Life, ,

Revelation 19:7-8 NLT
[7] “Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. [8] She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.”

Her wedding day has finally arrived. After many months of planning and preparation, she is ready to don her wedding gown, the centre and focal point of her adornment for that day.

Her hair has been washed and styled, her jewellery in place but, without her wedding gown, she is not yet the perfect bride.

Imagine the anticipation as the bridegroom awaits her arrival! He strains for a glimpse of his beloved, walking slowly, steadily up the aisle towards Him on the arm of her Father.

His first glimpse is a vision of snowy white, signifying her purity as she has guarded her body for Him alone. Slowly, she moves up the aisle towards Him; the vision of her beauty takes shape and form.

On the day of their betrothal, He gave her the bridal gown, a perfect fit, unblemished, a replica of His vision for her. “Adorn it,” He said,
“with the jewels and embroidery that speak of who you are.”

The interval between their betrothal and their wedding day was not to be wasted. It was to be a time of perparation. She was to set herself apart from all other men. She was to close her door to those who once sort her as a prospective bride. She was betrothed to one lover and all her love and attention was to be on Him.

She was to spend the interim preparing her bridal gown. She was to work tirelessly on her garment ofcl righteousness, embroidering her life with the adornments of good works and righteous living in obedience to her Beloved.

“For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.”

Her gown was breathtakingly beautiful. Gold and silver flowers with glittering centres, fruit of a myiad hues, and creatures alight with jewelled eyes, danced around the billowing skirt. Her semi-translucent veil only faintly hid the gleam of passionate love in her eyes. The train of her garment, littered with gems of every colour and hue, flowed out behind her like a gentle stream.

Every stitch of gold and silver spoke of her chaste and purposeful life as she awaited her wedding day. She longed to be worthy of the love her Beloved poured upon her day after day as they prepared for their union.

She spent many hours stitching into her wedding gown the story of her love for to Him. She crafted in gold and silver the fruit of His spiritual gifts she freely gave to others, the evidences of loving service and generosity to the needy, the hours she spent building into others the treasures of His Word.

Her gown was a library of tales of faith, hope, and love. Her heart pounded inside her with anticipation of His joy when He was finally satisfied with the fruit of His love for her.

The many attempts to embroider the perfect flower, to depict the vigour and energy of the creatures replicated in every stitch, the time spent in setting every scene alight with colourful gems, was worth the pain and toil to see His face.

The wedding gown had done its work well. It had told her story of commitment, perseverance, and faithful service. Its beauty had mirrored the beauty of her heart as He read all the details in its adornment. She was truly His and His alone. He knew that, what she had written of her preparation for that day in her wedding gown, would continue forever in her eternal union with Him.

As I have worked on my bridal gown for many years, there have been spots and wrinkles to deal with if I am to be to Him the perfect bride He has made me to be. How can I present myself to Him with the fabric of my gown smudged and blottted by sin and disobedience? How can I cleanse away the dirty spots that spoil the pure unblemished white of the His righteousness He gave me?

No soap or detergent can restore the purity of His gown. My sin needs the only cleansing agent that can restore my gown to perfection.

1 John 1:7, 9 NLT
[7] “But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin….
[9] But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

There is only one way to stay pure and to wash away all unrighteousness…the powerful cleansing blood my Bridegroom Himself, shed for me. His own blood has washed me clean of all the spots and blemishes I inflicted on my gown. It is possible, then by His grace alone, to meet His expectations on that glorious day. We shall come face to face and He will carry me over the threshold into the bridal chamber to become one with Him forever.

SUBMISSION – A BEAUTIFUL PRINCIPLE

Christian Life, ,

There is a requirement in the Christian life that addresses the flaw at the core of our human nature…it’s called submission. How hard it is for us to surrender ourselves with our selfishness, and our self-centred wants and desires, to the will of another.

This flaw already rears its ugly head in a toddler, for example, by a display of uncontrolled frustration when he can’t get his own way.

Selfishness slowly erodes harmony in a family until the home becomes a war zone between siblings, and between parents and children.

Why is submission so often neglected in the rearing of children, so hard to learn, and so strongly resisted on every level of society, from the home to the school and into the workplace and beyond?

When Adam’s love and submission to God were tested, he chose self over his Creator. So, this characteristic of selfishness was cemented into the inner being of every person descended from Adam.

God’s grace implants a new nature in the heart of those who believe in Jesus and… grace enables us to overcome our selfishness but….grace does not remove the self in us. God left the old nature there for a purpose.

Let’s go back to the beginning. Before sin intruded and destroyed the harmony God intended in human society, He gave the first pair His order for marriage and the home.

Genesis 2:18, 21-24 NLT
[18] “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”…
[21] So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. [22] Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. [23] “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” [24] This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”

Since God is a God of order, He requires the order of authority and submission to be applied on every level of society to maintain harmony and functionality. Starting with homes as the building blocks of society, God gave husbands the role of leader in the family. This leadership involves responsibility and accountability. The buck always stops with the person in charge.

To the wife, God gave the role of helper. After the fall, this order was entrenched in the marriage bond.

Genesis 3:16 NLT
[16] Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.”

This means that she was intended both to assist and submit to her husband’s leadership role. Where the husband leads with her help, she follows and accompanies him together with her children in their attitude to his husband/father role.

The role of children is to learn submission and obedience to prepare them for their future roles as husbands and wives.

God’s order is both simple and functional. However, there can be no harmony when one or another refuses to remain within the boundaries of his/her own role.

In God’s church, humble, mutual submission is the cornerstone of unity which God prizes greatly in His family.

Psalms 133:1-3 NLT
[1] “How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! [2] For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe. [3] Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting.”

Ephesians 4:3-6 NLT
[3]”Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. [4] For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. [5] There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, [6] one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.”

When God’s people fail to understand how significant this precious ingredient is in the life of His family, a pastor becomes a firefighter rather than a shepherd of God’s flock.

Why did God leave this old selfish nature in us to coexist with our new godly nature? Did He not realise that our hearts would become war zones and our lives a constant battle between flesh and spirit?

That’s exactly what He planned. Had He not deliberately set up this situation that needs His constant supply of grace to overcome, we would never learn this most important and most beautiful lesson in this life to prepare us for the next. Jesus said, “Without me, you can do nothing! “

Unity is the hallmark of the Trinity. The ancient Isaelites were to learn and proclaim this truth from birth.

Deuteronomy 6:4 NIV
[4] “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

The Hebrew word “echad” implies, not a singular entity but unity (of being and purpose), unity in diversity. Consider this instruction regarding the tabernacle coverings….

Exodus 26:3, 6 NIV
[3] “Join five of the curtains together, and do the same with the other five….
[6] Then make fifty gold clasps and use them to fasten the curtains together so that the tabernacle is a unit.”

The word translated “unit” is the same Hebrew, word “echad”.

God’s oneness is displayed on every level of creation. Despite the presence of sin, the natural world functions as a unit and remains in balance without human interference. Creatures live in harmony with their natural habitat, and even preditors and prey remain in balance within God’s order.

Humans are the only creatures who upset God’s order when they refuse to obey His instructions. We only have to observe the chaos we have created by plundering rather than managing the earth and its resources.

Imagine what our earth and society would be like if we lived in harmony with one another in God’s order of authority and submission.

This intended order does not work in human society outside the church because selfishness inevitably takes control in the world system. Lawlessness increases, people demand their rights, protest with violence, engage in strikes, marches, and protests of one kind or another to get their own way, whether their demands are reasonable or not.

However, in God’s kingdom, the beauty of harmony can only happen through God’s grace and power, helping us to subdue and reign over self for the sake of unity. Unity, Jesus said, is evidence that the Father sent Him….

John 17:21 NLT
[21] “I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.”

… and mutual love tells the world that we are His disciples…

John 13:34-35 NLT
[34] “So now, I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.
[35] Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Mutual submission’s powerful motivation rests in our attitude to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:21 NLT
[21] “And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

Once again, it’s all about Him.