Category Archives: Christian Life

GOD’S HEAVENLY LIBRARY

Christian Life, ,

Did you know that God has a library in heaven? Of course, I am writing figuratively, not literally since all God’s wisdom and knowledge is within Himself. I found this interesting article, written by Ray Pritz, on the Internet. (biblesocietyinisrael.com)

“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done.’ (Revelation 20:12)

God has a library. Unlike a normal library, it is not a place where people come to study. It seems to be more of an archive or official record. What kinds of books does God keep on his bookshelf, and what is written in those books?

The passage in Revelation 20 tells us that some of the books contain a record of the things we have done. I am reminded of the story of Mordechai in the book of Esther. Mordechai had done a good deed for the king, in fact he had saved the king’s life. The king had forgotten about it, but it was all recorded in the official records of the kingdom, and Mordechai was rewarded (Esther 6:1-3). God does not forget our deeds, of course (except our sins when they have been forgiven), and they are all recorded in heaven.

Even the words we say are all preserved in heaven: “I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37). Well, perhaps it is not quite such a comfort to know that everything I have ever said is just waiting in heaven for God to confront me!

It is amazing to consider—indeed, impossible to understand—that God has known all these things long before we did or said them. But that is exactly what scripture says: “You saw me before I was born. The days allotted to me had all been recorded in your book, before any of them ever began” (Psalm 139:16).

What exactly does this include? A beautifully encouraging verse, Psalm 56:8, tells us that God even records every pain we feel, every tear we shed: “You number my wanderings; put my tears into your bottle; are they not in your book?”

God is made especially happy when his people meet together in fellowship. In fact, he seems to have a special book dedicated just to those precious moments: “Then the people who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard what they said. In his presence there was written down in a book a record of those who feared the Lord and respected him.” (Malachi 3:16)

We have seen that God writes down both what we say and what we do. Some of God’s books, seem to be written in pencil, where things that are written can also be erased. This seems to be the meaning of Psalm 130:3-4: “If you kept [a record of] our sins, who could escape being condemned? But you forgive us, so that we should stand in awe of you,” and it is confirmed by passages like Isaiah 43:25 and Micah 7:18-19.

The first verse we looked at, Revelation 20:12 speaks of the book of life. This same book is referred to by different names. Jesus (Luke 10:20) just says “rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Revelation 13:8 and 17:8 tell us that this book was written from the foundation of the world, and that there are some whose names are not written in the book. According to various scriptures, it is possible for a name to be erased from this book. So Moses says (Exodus 32:32-33), “’But now, if You will, forgive their sin — and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!” The LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.” And David prays that his enemies “may be blotted out of the book of life, and may they not be recorded with the righteous” (Psalm 69:28). And in Revelation 3:5 Jesus says to the church in Sardis, “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not erase his name from the book of life.”

It should be a sobering thought that something will be erased from God’s book: either my sins or my name.

God knows us intimately; every word, every thought, every act is recorded in heaven. While this may serve as a warning to us, it should also be a comfort. God knows, remembers, and cares about everything we go through. The “book of life” is “the Lamb’s” (Revelation 21:27); those who belong to the Lamb of God are written in that book and will enjoy eternity in the presence of God.”

Thank you, Ray, for this reminder of God’s intimate knowledge of all people.

I would like to add another sobering note to this enlightening article. God also has a place where He writes the names of those who refuse His grace.

‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17:13‬ ‭NIV‬
[13] “Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.”

On one occasion, when the Pharisees brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus for His judgment, Jesus bent down and wrote in the dust. Since Jesus knew the Scriptures, did His action not mirror Jeremiah’s words? Was He not writing the names of each accuser in the dust?

In a mute but telling action, was Jesus not warning His opponents, “I know you.” He knew their names. By writing them in the dust, He was revealing His judgment on them. “I know each one of you. Just as many footsteps and the wind will obliterate your names I have written in the dust now, so you names will disappear from God’s records in eternity, never to be remembered.”

So, if our names are not indelibly written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, we have no hope that God will ever remember us in eternity. Like writing in the impermanence of dust, our names will be forgotten forever.

One last thought.

‭Isaiah‬ ‭49:15‭-‬16‬ ‭NIV‬
[15] “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! [16] See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;…. “

‭

LIFE LESSONS FROM JACOB

Christian Life, ,

Just as Abraham had learned life lessons from his walk with God, so Jacob, too, learned valuable lessons from his failures and God’s faithfulness that helped him to be a good finisher.

Despite God’s promises to him in his dream at Bethel, Jacob spent many years trying to make things happen by manipulation, trickery, and deception. Only when he was in a jam so tight that there was no way of escape, did he surrender himself to God at Peniel.

How like Jacob we are! Instead of trusting God and allowing Him to work out His will in us we, like Frank Sinatra, say, “I did it my way!” Our way often leads us on detours that waste the weeks, months, or even years we could have been doing God’s will.

Yet, as Jacob learned, God’s patience never runs out. He will wait until we come to the end of ourselves and find out that His way is always best.

As his life drew to a close, Jacob was fully committed to the destiny of his descendants. He was in line with those whom God had chosen to be the builders of His nation. Jacob blessed his grandson, Ephraim, Joseph’s younger son, ahead of Manasseh despite Joseph’s protest. Did he have prophetic insight into the
destiny of Ephraim, as he did when he blessed each of his own sons on his deathbed?

His faith in God’s promises inspired him to request burial in Canaan in the cave his grandfather had bought for the burial of Rebekah and other family members. So, Jacob had learned to trust God’s promises implicitly as did Abraham and Isaac before him.

We would do well to take a leaf from Jacob’s book. God’s promises are His insurance policy for our past, present, and future. Without His promises, we have no guarantee that our destiny in Him is secure. Earthly insurance policies promise to step in when disaster strikes. God’s insurance policy guarantees a past forgiven and blotted out, a present filled with His presence, intervention, favour and blessing, and a future beyond our wildest imagination.

‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭2:9‬ ‭NLT‬
[9] “That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

We must be thankful that God has preserved the record of the lives of these Old Testament saints. Their stories are full of both warnings and encouragement for us to follow as we traverse the road they have already travelled.

BIG DADDY IS WATCHING YOU!

Christian Life, ,

In the six-plus years I have lived as a tenant at 29 Braemar Road, my worst sin has been the many times I have inadvertantly left the electric gate open! Recently, I drove off, leaving the gate open again, (the remote didn’t respond at the first press of the button), blissfully unaware that my landlord was watching at the window.

On my return, my landlady confronted me as usual. “You left the gate open AGAIN!” Oh dear, the worst was that her husband was watching me do it, or not do it! Now, I remind myself, every time I back down the driveway, “Big daddy’s watching you!” It does help, a little!

Several years ago, I wrote a poem based on Psalm139 which, I think, is the most beautiful and inspiring psalm in the whole book of Psalms.

‭Psalms‬ ‭139:1‭-‬18‬, 23-24 ‭NLT‬
[1] O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. [2] You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
[3] You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.
[4] You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.
[5] You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.
[6] Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!
[7] I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!
[8] If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.
[9] If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
[10] even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.
[11] I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—
[12] but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.
[13] You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
[14] Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
[15] You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
[16] You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. [17] How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!
[18] I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!…
[23] Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
[24] Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

As I wrote a few weeks ago, there are many benefits to living in the bubble of God. What happens when we find ourselves, through faith in Jesus, aware that we are encased in God’s presence?

God rakes through our minds, scrutinising every thought, belief, and desire, because these are the sources of our words and behaviour. God’s internal scouring can be unnerving if we do not take control of and discipline our minds to think God’s revealed thoughts and not follow the dictates of the flesh.

God knows what we do with our bodies too; how we use and abuse them, what we put into them through our senses, where we go with them. He made our bodies, watching and supervising every stage of our development in utero, overseeing our birth and growth through all the phases of our lives from infancy to adulthood.

When we try to run from Him because of our rebellious nature—fear, guilt, shame driving us from Him, there is nowhere to hide. We are encased in Him wherever we go. Heaven and hell might try to hide us but He is Jehovah Shamma—God is there! Even deepest darkness is no obstacle to Him. God can see in the dark!

What’s God’s motive for all this observation, supervision, and involvement in our lives? Why is Big Daddy watching us?

David was God’s friend. It makes sense, according to God’s promise as David found out, that God should reveal to him the deep secrets of His covenant.

‭Psalms‬ ‭25:14‬ ‭NLT‬
[14] “The Lord is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant.”

So, what did God teach David through His covenant?

God wasn’t interested in all David’s failures. He wasn’t fazed by David’s mess-ups. He had a perfect solution to deal with those.

Psalms‬ ‭32:1‬, 2 ‭NLT‬
[1] Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!
[2]” Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!”

After all, this was part of God’s covenant!

God’s passion, as David discovered, was to accompany, guide, support, and bless His child. He had already written David’s history before he was born. Every day was accounted for in His book. All David had to do was to live his story written by the divine Author, trusting His love and following His instructions.

Psalms‬ ‭139:5‬, and 9-10 NLT‬
[5] You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head….
[8] “If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. [9] If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, [10] even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me…
[17] How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! [18] I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!”

So, what was David’s response to this revelation of God’s overwhelming goodness, favour, and blessing?

“Here’s my heart, Lord. I throw it wide open and give you permission to scrutinise every part. I want you to lead me in your way without obstacles and hindrance from me. I want you to be my Supreme Authority in every department of my life.”

Where was all this leading? God had a destiny and destination for David and for all of us who follow his direction. Our destiny…

‭Romans‬ ‭8:29‬ ‭NLT‬
[29] “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

Our destination…

Let David tell us in another beloved psalm

‭Psalms‬ ‭23:6‬ ‭NLT‬
[6] “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”

My beloved fellow believers, take heart! Big Daddy is watching you!

LIFE LESSONS FROM ABRAHAM – 3 Concluded

Christian Life, ,

Abraham’s third great lesson, and one that equally applies to all God’s children, is the utter reliability of God’s promises. Once again, this lesson is intimately related to faith in the integrity of God’s character. When God is determined to bless, He is not hindered by human failure. He bases all His dealings with humans on what He has promised to do.

‭Numbers‬ ‭23:19‭-‬20‬ ‭NLT‬
[19] “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? [20] Listen, I received a command to bless; God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it!”

So said Balaam when Balak, king of Moab, called him to curse the Israelites.

God began His dealings with fallen Adam by giving Him a promise, the first recorded promise in human history.

‭Genesis‬ ‭3:15‬ ‭NLT‬
[15] “And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Although it took millennia for God to fulfill that promise, all He did in and throughout the history of His chosen people was in preparation for that momentous event.

So it was with Abraham. Decades passed between the first utterance of God’s promises and the beginning of its fulfilment in the miraculous birth of Isaac. God was honing Abraham’s faith through trial and error so that he would trust God’s faithfulness and His power to deliver on his promise.

I once heard this profound statement which has steadied me through many seasons of doubt and discouragement…

“God will not answer your prayers until He has put all the structures in place to maintain that answer.”

What wisdom!

Regardless of the timespan humans live in, God will do what He is committed to do in His time, because He is painting on a bigger canvas that we can see, and His Word is a manifestation of Himself in another form.
Jesus is the ultimate assurance of the reliability of His promises. He became God’s Word in human form.

‭John‬ ‭1:14‬ ‭NLT‬
[14] So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”

When Jesus spoke, His words were the incarnation of everything God had ever said. He became the guarantor and His words the guarantee of every promise God has ever uttered. So He could affirm to the devil himself,

‭Matthew‬ ‭4:3‭-‬4‬ ‭NLT‬
[3]”During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” [4] But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:19‭-‬20‬ ‭NLT‬
[19] “For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. [20] For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”

The assurance of Jesus’ authority and power to deliver on God’s promises has two major results for God’s people.

  1. Prayer becomes, in the New Covenant, not, “Please do… ” but “Thank you that you have done…” because prayer is the “amen” we speak to God’s promises already fulfilled in Christ.
  2. God’s promises are all directed towards one purpose.

‭2 Peter‬ ‭1:3‭-‬4‬ ‭NLT‬
[3] “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. [4] And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

God’s goal, in all His dealings with us, is to restore the likeness of Jesus in us. So, He is working towards that goal in everything we experience in life.

‭Romans‬ ‭8:28‭-‬29‬ ‭NLT‬
[28]”And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. [29] For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

How then, do we appropriate God’s promises to fulfill His purpose? We have the example and pattern in the lives of God’s ancient people.

‭Hebrews‬ ‭6:12‬ ‭NIV‬
[12]” We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”

So, Abraham’s faith, and the faith of all who follow in his footsteps, comes full circle. Promises… faith… fulfilment… greater faith…intimacy with God… indestructible faith.

Here is a final, practical note that helps us to handle our difficult situations, big or small, so that we stay in line with God’s greater purposes.

A while back, while I was reading the story of Paul and the great storm he was in on his way to Rome, the Holy Spirit showed me a vital detail in the story. While the sailors were desperately trying to save the ship and their lives by lightening the ship, where was Paul? He was down in the hold. What was he doing? Praying!
An angel from God gave him a promise that changed the course of events.

‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭27:18‭-‬26‬ ‭NLT‬
[18] “The next day, as gale-force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard. [19] The following day they even took some of the ship’s gear and threw it overboard. [20] The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone. [21] No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss. [22] But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. [23] For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, [24] and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ [25] So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. [26] But we will be shipwrecked on an island.”

Out of Paul’s experience came a life lesson for me. The Holy Spirit clearly said to me, “Don’t ask for a miracle; ask for a word.” God promised Paul that no one on board the ship would be lost. It was this promise that gave Paul the authority to stop some of the sailors from trying to escape in a lifeboat. God rescued everyone on board the ship because He was faithful to His word to Paul.

Prayer for a miracle in a crisis is open-ended. It might or might not happen, but God’s word is secure. What He says He will do.

There may be many more lessons to learn from Abraham’s walk with God but these three, well learned, will equip us for a confident life in God.

LIFE LESSONS FROM ABRAHAM – 2

Christian Life, ,

Abraham’s first lesson, that faith in God’s promise is the key to a personal and intimate relationship with God, is closely tied to a second and equally important truth. God treats us out of who He is and not who we are. Despite the many lapses in Abraham’s faith and obedience, God never wavered in His plan to make Abraham the father of His chosen nation.

God’s many attributes flow from His “chesed”, translated as “mercy” or “covenant love”, called “that which is heaviest or most important in Him.”

Moses encountered the greatness of God’s “chesed” after Israel’s terrible act of rebellion against Him by worshiping a golden calf at Mount Sinai. At his request, the Lord revealed what was heaviest in Him.

‭Exodus‬ ‭33:18‬ ‭NIV‬
[18] “Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

The Hebrew word “kabod”, translated “glory” has the sense of “weight”, meaning “heavy” or “most important”. So, Moses asked God to show him what was most important in Him.

‭Exodus‬ ‭33:18‭-‬19‬ ‭NLT‬
[18]”Moses responded, “Then show me your glorious presence.” [19] The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.”

‭Exodus‬ ‭34:5‭-‬7‬ ‭NLT‬
[5] “Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh. [6] The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. [7] I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected— even children in the third and fourth generations.”

David discovered and celebrated this aspect of God’s character in Psalm 103.

‭Psalms‬ ‭103:8‭-‬11‬ ‭NLT‬
[8] “The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. [9] He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. [10] He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. [11] For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.”

Jesus’ conflict with the Pharisees produced this scathing rebuke,

‭Matthew‬ ‭23:23‬ ‭NLT‬
[23] “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.”

Since God knows the end from the beginning and since He will always accomplish His purposes, He weaves our failures into the process of fulfilling His promises.

Perhaps Paul’s words most clearly illustrate God’s mercy towards His fickle and failing children.

‭Romans‬ ‭8:28‭-‬29‬ ‭NLT‬
[28] “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. [29] For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

Purposeful in His commitment to transform sinners into sons in the image of His Son, God weaves our responses to Him , good or bad, into the process. He uses our failures to teach us meaningful lessons until our faith in God’s “chesed”, like Abraham’s, becomes unshakeable and immovable.