Fresh Oil Pt. 2

"...for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. " Hebrews 11:6b

Last time we talked about ways not to get a fresh anointing from the Lord*. This time it gets a little more personal.

In order for us to move on from the sunken state we've found ourselves in, we must do one thing. We must settle the matter in our hearts once and for all that the fault is with us, not with God. This is nothing more than unbelief in the character of God and His goodness, and cannot be entertained for a second if we want to be set free. 

This is not to say that "wrestling with God" doesn't have its value (see Genesis 22:24-30). We all have times of doubt, "wrestling" with God, and may even curse God to His face (I can remember doing this many times as a new Christian struggling with depression - His grace is unending!).

However, some of us need to stop wrestling and move on. We have "circled this mountain long enough" (Deuteronomy 1:6). It's time to believe God's promises, and enter His Promised Land.

Some of our hymns and church culture refer to the Promised Land as our heavenly destination, but this is not the case. The Holy Spirit-breathed Word is very careful in its symbology,  and we can see from the fact that there are enemies to overcome in the Promised Land that it is not our final  heavenly resting place.

No, the Promised Land is entered after being delivered from the bondage of punishment of Egypt (sin) by the precious blood of the Lamb (see Exodus 12:1-30). After this most of us "wrestle" with God in the wilderness as we discover what it means to be a Christian. When we (and God) decide we've "been at this mountain long enough", we are ready to cross the Jordan, when we have faith to believe the waters of our sinful nature have been (and will continue to be) cut off at the city of Adam by the work of God (see Joshua 3).

As we discussed in the previous devotion, there is no formula to get "there". But when we look back at our lives, God willing, we will see the stages of the journey of the children of Israel in our lives. May those of us who have been in the wilderness "long enough" be willing to take that step of faith to enter the Promised Land: a land of dynamic faith lived out as well as much-needed rest from laboring in our own strength (see Hebrews 4:1-10).

* Most of you probably know this, but it may be helpful to some to point out that oil is a symbol, or type, of the God's Holy, or "set apart" Spirit (ruach qodesh, Heb.)

Fresh Oil Pt. 1

"But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil." Psalm 92:10

When our faith gets stale and we aren't "feeling the Spirit", one of the traps we can fall into is to try to manufacture the emotions we were having at a time when we enjoyed God's presence. Perhaps we will remember a particular conference or concert we went to when we were touched by the Holy Spirit, and we will pull out tapes or CDs and -voila!- we are right back in that moment and we feel those emotions again.

Although we are encouraged to remember God's past faithfulness in our lives throughout the Bible (cf. Psalm 42:6), when our remembering becomes sentimentality and trying to relive the emotions associated with that experience, we will soon find ourselves in a rut.

We may also deal with spiritual low points by relying upon formulas which have worked for us in the past (which at the time weren't formulas at all). This also may work for a time and succeed in bolstering our emotions, but we will soon find it falls short, producing spiritual staleness. As we become more and more in tune* with God's Holy Spirit (Heb. ruach qodesh, or "set-apart spirit"), we will immediately begin to sense we are on a "dead" path, and need a "fresh" anointing from the Lord.

The lessons the Lord is trying to teach us through these experiences are nothing more than patience and reliance upon Him. Fortunately for us the Word is filled with saints that have experienced the same spiritual darkness:

"You who have shown me many troubles and distresses will revive me again, and will bring me up again from the depths of the earth." Psalm 71:20

   

"Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant, who walks in darkness and has no light, yet trusts in the name of the Lord and relies upon his God" Isaiah 50:10

Brothers and sisters, let us not be satisfied until we have received that fresh anointing from the Lord, not relying on past formulas, but always looking forward (cf. Philippians 3:13-14) 

"...let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth." Hosea 6:3

* see God's Frequency

God's Buffering

"And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night" Exodus 13:21

If you are reading this, chances are you have somewhat of a working knowledge of computers. If you've ever watched a video with bad internet connection (it's improved a lot since the old dial-up modem days), you'll know that your computer will usually "buffer" the downloading video, resulting in delay of the video (and usually frustration). 

If you're even more computer-literate, you may know that buffering is your computer creating a temporary storage space, from which it then plays your audio/video file, rather than downloading direct from the internet. By doing this, there is less of a chance that the audio or video will stall or skip when there is network congestion. On most videos you can see the download progress as a colored bar below the video, compared with another bar which shows your viewing progress. If you get impatient and fast forward beyond the actual download, your video will (as mentioned) stall, skip, or may even cause your computer to crash. 

By now most of you probably see where I'm going with the buffering analogy. Yes, God is the grand "Bufferer" of our lives (speaking reverently). We are the computers with a bad internet (Holy Spirit) connection. God wants to impart (download) to us through the Holy Spirit wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17). When we go ahead of God' s "buffer", or leading (cf. Exodus 13:21) on our own initiative, we experience hiccups, stalls, or even crashes in our lives. 

God desires that we wait patiently before Him (cf. Psalm 37:7). He wants us to assimilate the truths of His Word until they are part of our very being and we are "equipped for every good work" ( 2 Timothy 3:17). 

Let us get "synched up" with the Lord and His timetable for our lives, that we may manifest His glory in all we do.

Perfectionism (Pt. 2)

" In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Those of us who have or have had young children are very familiar with the phrase: "enjoy this time because they grow up so fast", usually offered by a wizened parent of older children at a time when our own children have gone completely bonkers. 

Though initially annoyed by this admonition, I've grown to not only completely embrace this outlook (most of the time), but I've been looking to apply it to other areas of my life where things aren't quite the way I want them to be.

As I wrote in Perfectionism (Pt. 1), I have come to the realization (obvious to most) that perfection will not be realized in my lifetime. But just realizing something is wrong and forsaking the idea is not enough: action needs to be taken. (Often, some of us excel at the "don'ts" of the faith, but forget to apply the "dos") 

In this case, the action that I feel the Lord is asking me (and us) to take is to enjoy and appreciate this ride of life through its ups and downs, and learn to exalt God and maintain the joy of the Lord (cf. Nehemiah 8:10) during even the painful times. As Dan Schaffer writes in his book "Spiritual Fathers", during periods of doubt and trials, merely "staying in the battle" in a victory in itself. 

Let us therefore run this race of life with patience (Hebrews 12:1): patience with ourselves and with those surrounding us, rejoicing in the "ride", knowing that God with eventually perfect not only us (1 Peter 5:10), but all of creation (Romans 8:21).

An Attitude of Gratitude Pt. 2

"Freely you have received, freely give" Matthew 10:8b

I recently asked a group of children at my church whether they had ever received a gift they felt like they didn't deserve. Several raised their hands, all of them older. It's a shame to see this happen as a child grows. Although it is good that our children don't take things for granted, it's heartbreaking as a father to see a child struggling to receive a gift.

My yearly Bible reading plan puts me at this time of year in the book of Revelation. You may recall the second and third chapters of this book, in which the risen Lord Jesus both chastises and encourages seven churches in Asia minor, which also happen to represent Christians at various stages in their walk. The first church Jesus addresses is the Ephesians: those who have "lost their first love" (Revelation 2:4). Does this describe you today?

The Lord placed on my heart today a clear reminder of the feeling I had while I was "being saved" (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:18).  So grateful and joyful, tears streaming down my face... I could remember it like it was yesterday.

What happened?

As the years go by, some of us just tend to get hardened. Whether it be by sin (cf. Hebrews 3:13), cultivating a Pharisaical spirit (cf. Luke 15:25-30), trying to please God through obeying the "law" (cf. Galatians 5:4), or simply the cares of this life (cf. Matthew 13:22), our heart becomes hardened and we no longer receive the gift of our salvation as a little child (cf. Mark 10:15). 

It's not naturally easy to receive an enormous, un-repayable gift, but eternity rests on whether or not we are able to do so. Some of us need to get back to basics. Jesus goes on to tell the church at Ephesus to "remember from where they had fallen, and repent" (Revelation 2:5)

When we humble and stir ourselves to remember the gift within us (cf. 2 Timothy 1:6b), that gift is kindled afresh, and we will soon find that our once cold hearts will burn again with love for our Savior. Once we "freely receive", we are then able to "freely give",  eager to share God's unspeakable Good News with anyone who will listen.

An Attitude of Gratitude Pt. 1

"While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:11-19

Recently on my drive home from work I was convicted by the Lord about how unthankful I am. I've got a great job, wonderful family, health, wealth, a good place to live, beautiful surroundings, friends... all a man could ask for. But recently I'd been focusing on the negative things in my life. It's something very easily fallen into in this life, unfortunately. Ingratitude is part of our fallen human condition.

I was also convicted in that I'd judged others in how "unthankful" they'd been in response to "ministry" I'd provided. How conceited! As we see from our passage today, even in the face of a full blown healing from the Son of God, nine out of ten people were unthankful. Should we expect any less? Rather we should be grateful that we get to share in our Lord's ministry to others. 

Recently my seven year old asked me which things in life are a "privilege" (he likes to ask deep philosophical questions like that). I had to think hard before responding, "well if you look at it one way, everything in our life is a privilege, down to the air we breathe, because life is a gift from God" (my actual response was a little more mumbling and faltering than that). 

This devotion may be a little late for our national holiday of "Thanksgiving", but it's never too late to cultivate an "attitude of gratitude". It may not be easy to be thankful when things aren't going well, but it is God's will for us: "...in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

A Dwelling Place (Pt. 2)

"And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the Lord their God." Exodus 29:44-46

One of the subjects most rich with symbols for the New Covenant in the Old Testament is the Tabernacle (i.e., "dwelling place"). 

God's people, the Israelites, had been rescued from Egypt (i.e., sin), and were on their journey toward the promised land. The Ten Commandments had been given, and now God was going to instruct Moses to set up a way in which sinful people could approach a Holy God. 

The first article of furniture you came across upon entering the fenced-in area was the brazen altar. This is where you gave your offering to the priests to be sacrificed and burned. As a "layperson" back then, that was the extent of your involvement with the process! All you could do was acknowledge yourself a sinner, and bring your animal to atone for your sins. The priests took it from there. 

The second article was the bronze laver - a large vessel filled with water. Here the priests would ceremonially cleanse themselves in order to be fit to enter the Holy Place.The Holy Place was constructed of tent poles overlaid with linen and animal skins, and contained three articles of furniture: the lampstand (i.e., menorah), the table of showbread, and the incense altar. The lampstand had seven branches, and  was to be lit continually - using pure olive oil - to illuminate the Holy Place. The table of showbread was to be freshly stocked weekly with unleavened bread as a reminder of the Israelite's flight from Egypt. The altar of incense was thought to contain the prayers of the people. Behind this was a richly embroidered heavy curtain, beyond which lay the Most Holy Place, where the Ark of the Covenant was positioned, containing the Ten Commandments and Aaron's budded rod. This is where the actual Presence of God dwelt. 

Sometimes I think about how awesome it would have been in Holy Place. Quiet and muffled from the thick animal skins; dimly lit with the menorah as the only light; fragrant with fine incense. And the very presence of God on the other side of the curtain! I can well sympathize with David as he wanted to "dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple" (Psalm 27:4). 

The Bible is clear that Jesus has made a way for us to enter the Most Holy Place by his Body and Blood (see Hebrews 10:19-20), and that there is no longer need for the Tabernacle or the sacrificial system. Yet the Tabernacle setup can still teach us about how to approach God. 

First we come to the brazen altar. Here, being delivered from sin (i.e., Egypt), all we can do is lay down our lives as a living sacrifice (see Romans 12:1). But now there is more! Christ has made us priests to our God! (see Revelation 5:9-10). Having cleansed us with the washing of water with the Word  (i.e., the bronze laver, see Ephesians 5:26), we are now fit to enter the Holy Place. 

To our left stands the menorah, or, the sevenfold Holy Spirit (see Revelation 4:5), constantly and lovingly convicting our consciences , refining us, and lighting our path. To the right stands the Table of showbread, containing Christ's life-imparting body. We offer our now-acceptable prayers at the altar of incense, and have boldness to enter the holiest place. 

As I lamented in A Dwelling Place (Pt. 1), how carelessly we treat God's presence! The unlimited access God grants us should thrill our hearts toward a burning love toward our Savior. 

Let us enter boldly into the most holy place, and never take for granted the grace by which we stand, rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God! (Romans 5:1-2)