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Is God Fair I

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 9, 2020
Is God fair? Part 1
Fairness, as defined in our age of “tolerance,” is that everyone should get the same thing, be given “what we deserve.” In light of this, when we ask the question, “Is God fair?” we have to answer the question, with “No,” “Yes” and “No.” We’ll look at the first answer today.
So, is God fair? “No!” If God were fully fair and gave us what we actually and naturally deserved, all people, as sin-twisted rebels, would immediately be sent to Hell. As the Word says, we are by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3), and in our natural selves there dwells no good thing (Rom 7:18).
Since God is righteous, He must punish sin–if He did not punish it, there would be no justice, with no hope of change for the good, and no solution to the problem of evil. Before a just God, we would naturally all go to Hell right now–if He acted only from fairness.
However, praise God, His character is not limited to the low and simplistic standard of being fair. He is merciful, loving and full of grace. Therefore, in this area, He chooses to not be fair; that is, He does not give us what we deserve, but instead offers the possibility of pardon.
An entry in my worship journal expands on this.
You, Lord Jesus are faithful–faithful to Your righteousness, to your holiness, to your justice, to perfect judgment of evil. And you, Heavenly Father, being love itself, are faithful to your hatred of sin, of evil, of anything contrary to your character.
In your love, you judge sin, rebellion, and all that does not measure up to your perfect righteousness; if you didn’t judge them, you would not be love, for love that is righteous, pure and perfect cannot abide with anything that is tainted by anti-love: selfishness, pride and evil.
I praise you, O Lord God, that you rise far above our ability to comprehend. How could One who hates sin so profoundly, provide–against all logic we know–a pardon for your creatures who are so thoroughly sinful, selfish, evil and rebellious–so contrary to you?
Yet, in your wonderful, rich grace, you refused to be fair and instead opened the way by grace, at great personal expense, to provide reconciliation through crushing your Son without mercy, that mercy might flow to all your enemies, giving us the potential for redemption, reconciliation, transformation, and eternal life with you.

Praise you that you are forcefully faithful to your character—that you are Light, you are Love and you are Life itself. You are altogether lovely. In this, you have not been fair, but merciful and gracious; you have given us the opposite of what we deserve—the very definition of grace–and we praise you for it!

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Significance

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 8, 2020
 
We have been working through a book called Search for Significance by Robert McGee (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003). After establishing that our foundational significance comes from God (being made in His image, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, chosen before the foundation of the world, and adopted as a child of the King), the author asks two questions.
 
First, “What do I have to do in order to feel good about myself?” This points us to where we actually draw our significance. If we are resting in the Truth of our being Sons and Daughters of the King, we don’t need to add anything to “feel good” about ourselves. Our true source of stability, significance and “feeling good” is not what we do, but who we are in Christ.
 
God does want us to have satisfaction in a job well done, pleasure in doing what is right and joy in good relationships, but none of these are the source of the significance and worth that flow through a correct understanding of who we are.
 
As I honestly evaluated this, it became clear that there are a lot of items on my “to do list” which are there so I can feel good about myself; that is, my motive in doing them is wrong. These are things like: get up early, have a good quiet time, pray through my list, don’t eat too much, exercise enough, and be nice to everyone around me.
 
All of these are good things, many of which I am responsible to do, but they are not to be the source of my significance, stability or sense of goodness. I must switch my motive from doing these to feel good, to doing them because I love the Lord and want to obey and please Him.
 
My wrong motives point to the disparity between intellectually grasping a truth and the deep implementation of it in one’s life. The way out of this is to be aware of the tendency to look for significance in the wrong areas and to counter it with Truth. Memorizing verses that give God’s viewpoint, such as, “Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved…” (Col 3:12), and “Chosen before the foundation of the world, accepted in the beloved…” (Eph. 1:4)—the meditating on them, certainly helps to internalize it. When trying to decide what to do, examining my motives and rejecting the wrong ones also helps.
 
The second question is: “Are you a ‘have to’ person or a ‘want to’ person?” If I can grasp my significance in Christ and rest in that, then I will “want to” do those things which are pleasing to Him, not “have to” do them in a legalistic, self-saving way.
 
This is part of the freedom of the abundant life Christ is calling us to: knowing who we are and, as a result, acting in obedience to Him for the right motives rather than just to make ourselves feel good. There are several very important consequences that flow from this.
 
First, instead of being pushed by the inner drive for gaining significance through getting this or that done, we can listen more quietly to what the Lord wants us to do.
 
Second, we can be more willing to do the unpleasant but necessary things that do not bring us any sense of significance.
 
Third, since we do less, (having eliminated the unnecessary “have to” things) there is more time to do well the things God has for us.
 
Fourth, flexibility, grace and kindness can replace the harried, nervous, pressured attitude of the “have to” Christian.
These things I am learning. It reminds me that my walk with Christ is one long and wonderful process of growth, deepening and transformation. And we can constantly praise God for His wonderful, unending patience with us in it.
 
Prayer: “Lord, help me to regularly check my motives before you so I can deepen my rest in the significance you have given. Help me to be a “want to” believer, not a “have to” one. May I love you through obeying your Truth. Amen
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The One!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 7, 2020
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your kind and constant work when I am not faithful, for your unceasing love and goodness in spite of my rebellion and unbelief. I praise you that you never give up on us and will pursue us to the end.
Thank you for your wide, comprehensive and complete plan for our lives: you miss no detail, your timing is perfect and your grace is more than sufficient.
Thank you for the powerful and perceptive work of your Spirit in and for us: teaching, convicting, rebuking and leading. Help us to be more and more wholeheartedly obedient to the Spirit’s leading.
To you belongs all honor and glory, Lord Jesus. Your great and deep love, shared with the Father and Spirit, is now shared with us. It is so good to be in your kingdom, in your family, in your warm embrace.
I praise you for the power of your affection–that you can and do love all those who are your enemies, who seek to bring you harm, who are destructive and dangerous to your cause.
I thank you that you love me, naturally a man of unbelief, of fear, of rebellion, of selfishness and laziness, of pride and criticalness–in spite of what I am, you love me. Your love is beyond comprehension, flowing without regard to the response or lack of it in the objects of your love.
You loved all in the world so much that you took upon yourself every sin of every person from the beginning of creation to the end of history (“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2)—even though you knew that the majority would not choose for you! That is agape love: full, faithful, unlimited, ever flowing, unquenchable and unending.
I praise you, Lord Jesus, for the great privilege of being one whom you love, to live in the warmth and protection, the goodness and grace of your compassion which surpasses understanding. Thank you that we don’t have to understand your love to live in it.
No, we can bask in it, revel in it, rejoice in it and rest in it–while being transformed by it. “As we gaze upon him with unveiled faces, we are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Cor. 3:18)
What a wonder: you call us to your love, you give us joy in it, and as we see more and more of it, we are being changed to be like you—able to love the unlovely, to be wise and useful for you, to bring you more and more honor.
 
I praise you, Lord Jesus, for your great and wonderful grace, your rich and deep character, your persistent and patient working in our lives. You are more wonderful than anyone can adequately express.
 
Truly you are the One “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” (Eph 3:20). To you be honor and glory in my life today, as you shine the light of your love on me.
 
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Major Change

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 6, 2020
Chapter 88 Shifting To a New Era in Life
 
In the Fall of 2011 Barbara spoke often of how tired she was, how discouraged she was because she was unable to care adequately for her mother. For the past year Barbara had slept six nights a week at her mother’s to help her get to bed and get up in the morning. The one night a week off was not enough for her to recover.
 
It was obvious to me that the burden of being a care-taker had become too much. I could see that if we didn’t make a change soon Barbara was headed for an emotional break-down. The question was, what should we do?
 
Her mother had been on the waiting list for a single room at a local nursing home for ten years. It was not easy to find space in an aging society like Germany’s.
 
I went to see the director of the nursing home, who was a member of our church. He suggested I look at other options, including a new facility that had opened recently. Everyone said it was outrageously expensive, so I’d not considered it. But when I checked into it, the cost was literally only about a dollar a month more than the other one!
 
So I went, made application, and miraculoysly within a week a private room opened up and Barbara’s mother was able to move into that large, spacious single room with a great view of pine trees in the back yard. It was God’s provision.
 
Barbara felt guilty because she had been unable to help her mother to the end, but I kept reminding her that I was the one who put Omi into the nursing home, not her.
 
Surprisingly, Omi was happier in there than she had been in her own home. She didn’t realize this, but we saw how after the move she no longer had before her all the things she longed to do but was incapable of: her sewing, cooking, cleaning, yard and garden work. Now she was focused more on the routine of the nursing home. She also now had many more visitors to keep her occupied. Her home had been in an out of the way place, while the nursing home was in the center of town where relatives and friends came to shop and would stop by.
 
The next big task before us was to clear out Omi’s house and put it up for sale. Being in a foreign country, there were a lot of potential pitfalls for me here, but the Lord brought along the aid needed to steer us through the process.
 
One great help was a “Russian-German” church. These folks had been born and raised in the Soviet Union, descendants of Mennonite farmers that Katherine the Great (a German princess who became Queen of Russia) invited to move into the Ukraine to develop farms there. After the advent of Communism, these families had been moved by Stalin to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. Then in the 80s and 90s many were allowed to leave and resettle in Germany.
 
They were fine believers who had a heart for those left behind in the poverty of the former Soviet Union and would send supplies back to them. At our invitation they came and took lots of useful items from Omi’s house to send to those in great need. We were thrilled with the help and with the fact that things weren’t thrown away, but were going to be used again.
 
In the meantime we made plans to move back to the States so Barbara could recover from her debilitated state. That meant closing out our apartment, too, which turned into a bigger job than we’d guessed.
 
As the deadline of our departure drew nearer, Omi’s unsold house hung on us. However, the Lord reminded us of the need to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving, which we did, willfully trusting Him.
 
With only two weeks left before our departure date, the Lord brought along a Russian-German who expressed interest in the house, wanting to buy it for his parents. Although he was ill, he was able to complete the necessary formalities just a couple of days before we left. We were so thankful for God’s provision. He sometimes makes us wait til the last moment so the wonder of His provision is greater!
 
We struggled to get all of our things packed up, stored or given away, but were still at it by 3 AM of the day we left. We were so thankful for the help of friends who made our departure possible, the end of an era, the beginning of a new life in Canterbury.
 
Picture: Omi with Nat as a baby
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Psalm 18:50

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 5, 2020
 
 
Psalm 18:50 “He gives his king great victories;”
[You, Lord, give us opportunity to participate in your victories each day, in every temptation, every stress, every desire to grumble–each an opportunity to take up your grace and glorify you with the sacrifice of thanksgiving.
You help us in each situation, making it possible to deny self and obey Truth, to let go of what is temporary, to hold on to what is eternal and to rise above the frustrations, disappointments and problems of life.
And in so doing you help us fulfill the purpose of our lives: honoring you, revealing you to those around us by our trusting you in every circumstance. You are sufficient, you are powerful and you are loving, fully worthy of our complete obedience.]
“he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,”
[Your faithfulness endures forever, your grace flows endlessly, your goodness never fails. In your kindness you are ever the trustable One, always carrying us through the battle as we rest in you and, as we keep on your armor, you carry us onto the heights and to new victories beyond.]
“to David and his descendants forever.”
[And so, you have proved faithful in protecting the line of David down through the ages, from Abraham to Joseph and Mary. You brought the promised Savior at just the right time, confirming your unfailing kindness to all people, both Jews and Gentiles. You are the Lover of the twisted ones, Redeemer of the rebels, Savior of your evil enemies and Shepherd of the scattered flock.
Praise be to you for your, humanly speaking, unreasonable Love, your illogical grace, your outrageous kindness, your amazing goodness–all poured out upon us day by day when we actually deserve the opposite. Glory be to you, the Great and Good God.
 
Help us to walk in the light of these shining Truths every day.]
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Psalm 18:46-49

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 5, 2020
 
As Psalm 18:46-47 tell us that, in the midst of his battles, David could shout:
“The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me,”
[As far as we know, David was never defeated in battle and never was seriously wounded–because God protected him. “The LORD is my rock…my deliverer… my shield” (Psalm 18:2). And David remembered this, giving God the credit.]
Psalm 18:48 “He is the God…who saves me from my enemies.”
[Yes, O Lord God, it is true that when “I call to you, who are worthy to be praised…I am saved from my enemies…You reach down from on high, you take hold of me, you draw me out of deep waters” (Ps. 18:3,16). You are the faithful One who constantly watches over me, not primarily for my comfort, but for my being able to give you glory before the nations.]
“You exalted me above my foes;”
[Yes, Lord, “You rescue me from my strong enemies, from my foes who are too strong for me.” (Psalm 18:17)]
“from violent men you rescued me.”
[They “confronted me on the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place. He rescued me because he delighted in me” (Ps. 18:18,19).]
Psalm 18:49 “Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name.”
[You are Lord, the God who fights for us, you are worthy of glory and honor and exaltation and praise, for you are the Savior of all, especially of those who believe in you. You are worthy of being lifted up among the nations. You are the Most High, you are Lord, you are Sovereign, you are Good, all the time.
In every circumstance I can trust you, bow before you, follow your Word and know that you will work it all out. To you be glory and honor today as I willingly submit my will to yours.]
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Psalm 18:37-45

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 4, 2020
Day 133
 
As King David wrote Psalm 18, he faced human foes; we more often face the unseen ones of the devil and his troops. However, the reality of the battle is the same and the One who vanquishes the enemy is also the same.
As we follow you, Lord Jesus, our Warrior King, I praise you that in the spiritual battle before us, our true enemies, Satan and His hordes, will be defeated as we submit to and trust in you, joining you in what you are doing. Then we can say with David,
Psalm 18:37 [By keeping on the armor of God] “I pursued my enemies [Satan and his demons] and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed [by praise, prayer and persistence in obedience].
18:38 I crushed them [with the Word of God] so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet” [because I joined God in what He is doing].
[This is possible, Lord Jesus, because]
18:39-41 “You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet. You made my [spiritual] enemies turn their backs in flight, and [in your power] I destroyed my foes [Satan’s servants]. They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—to the LORD, but he did not answer [for they had rejected Him and His ways].
18:42 “I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind; I poured them out like mud in the streets.” [This is your doing, Lord Jesus, for you are my shield and strength].
18:43-45 [David could say in his situation] “You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations; people I did not know are subject to me. As soon as they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cringe before me. They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds.”
[Your power, Lord Jesus, triumphs in the end. Praise be to you, O Triune God, for you are faithful to protect, provide and lead us through our daily battles.
Help us to keep on your armor and use well the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, so that Satan may be defeated and you be honored today.]
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Being Strong in the Lord

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 3, 2020
“Be strong in the Lord and the power of his might.”
Ephesians 6:10
 
It is good to know you, Lord, my High and Holy Shepherd who hears and answers prayers. You are the same One who heard Moses’ prayers and answered with wonders of power. So you hear and answer in my life, too.
Praise be to you, Lord, for your goodness and grace, your wonderful, warm love, your constant presence and protection. What a difference between just knowing truth about you, and thinking/resting in that truth. Lord, today I surrender myself to you, commit myself to obey you and give myself to bring you glory.
 
Help me to be strong in you and the power of your might today, to embrace my weakness and rejoice in your strength. In confessing my sin–basically unbelief and rebellion–I ask for your forgiveness. I ask you to be my Captain and Navigator, agreeing to obey your direction.
 
Fill me with your Spirit, Lord, that I might be useful for you. Fill me to overflowing so that the Spirit spills over onto all those around me, so when people meet me, they may meet you also.
 
Help me to put on the full armor of God so I can stand against the wiles of the devil; may I recognize his wiles before I fall into them and fight them with your full armor on.
 
Help me to remember that I fight not against flesh and blood but against the forces of spiritual wickedness and do so with praise, prayer and persistence in doing what I know to be right.
 
Help me to recognize that people are not my real enemy; they are just pawns in Satan’s hands; help me to fight him with your whole armor on.
 
Prayer: “Praise you, Lord Jesus, for your presence, your power, your provision prepared for this day. May you be glorified, magnified, lifted up, exalted and honored through your working in me today. Amen.”
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Bitterness or Joy

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 2, 2020
“Take up the shield of faith with which you can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Ephesians 6:14
 
The fiery darts, the negatives of life, may come from the hand of the devil, but come with the permission of God and God intends to use them to drive us into the Word and into the arms of Jesus. We get to choose whether to take His hand and cooperate with the Lord, or to let the flesh lead us into the swamp of self-pity, anger and despair.
 
Recently I visited Rick, a fellow I’ve known from his youth, now 40 years old. Humanly speaking he is in bad shape, and has been for years. Having severe genetic diabetes (even though he is not at all overweight), he has had parts of both legs amputated, first below the knees, then above them, as well as some fingers; his kidneys have failed so he is on dialysis 3 times a week; his arms are one mass of scars from infections from plastic inserts to deal with dialysis; he has continual reflux and scaring on his esophagus, partly from severe vomiting when he was poisoned by infections in his legs; in addition, he has experienced heart attacks and insulin attacks and could die at any time.
 
My intent in visiting him was to give him some encouragement and perspective. How wrong I was! I came away so encouraged! Sitting there in his wheelchair, Rick was cheerful, upbeat and positive. He said that he is still alive because God has a purpose for his life. He believes that his job is to pray, so he intercedes about everything: what he sees on the news, what he hears from others, the people he has met in his medical world.
 
He may be handicapped humanly speaking, but he is focused spiritually on what God has for him. He has allowed these difficulties to drive him into the arms of Jesus, not into the swamp of despair and bitterness. I’m sure that he has had his times of discouragement and self-pity, but he has moved out of them into the light of God’s continual presence.
 
I thought to myself, “If I were in Rick’s place, would I think positively like that?” The answer is, humanly speaking, “No!” But if, like Rick, any one of us took up the grace of God and let these difficulties drive us into the Word and into a deeper dependence on God, we, too, could be joyfully useful in His hand.
 
Hebrews 12:15 says, “Take heed lest any man fail of the grace of God [meaning we fail to take up and use the grace that God offers], lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and many thereby be defiled.” Rick is a living example of obeying this verse and principle. He takes up the grace of God every day and rejects the temptation of self-pity and selfish thinking, instead praising God in and for all. Therefore, he is not bitter, and does not spread the poison of discontent to others; instead he is sweet, bringing help and joy to all he meets. May we who have much easier lives, be and do the same.
 
Prayer: “Lord, help me to remember Rick whenever things don’t go the way I would like. Help me to reject the temptation to feel sorry for myself, to be angry, and instead help me to take up your grace, to praise you, remembering that you will use my disappointment and discomfort for good, and to give you glory in the moment and throughout the day. Amen.”
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Marvelous Meaning

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 31, 2020
 
I praise you, Lord God, Creator and Sustainer of all, for the meaning you give us in life, for the possibility of having purpose, which can only flow from you. All else is, from a human perspective, meaningless, random, chaos, and chance.
In contrast, in you there is order, a place in your affections, a part in your great plans, and participation in eternity. We are not caught in a time box with just so many years and then nothing. As we move through the autumn and winter of our lives, we have the definite hope of another spring followed by an endless summer where life will continue with you throughout eternity.
That will be life on a higher, wider, brighter plain, free from brokenness, anguish, disappointment and rebellion. We will walk with you in lightness, fullness, warmth and joy, unhindered by the twistedness of this present, sin-choked existence.
We will be with you, Lord Jesus, in body, soul and spirit, free to obey, worship, work and love without that constant battle with the world, the flesh and the devil.
 
I think, in contrast, of how most people live in a toxic Darwinian, postmodern atmosphere, where meaning is just some chemical reaction we produce in our brains, where might makes right in the survival of the fittest, where everything is natural and therefore acceptable, where morals and ethics are human concepts, changeable at any time, where life ends at death with nothing to follow, and where worth is nonexistent—this is a description of pure purposelessness leading to darkness.
No one, not even the most ardent atheist who espouses this false philosophy, can live that way. Man without meaning equals despair. As philosophers like Camus and Sartre said, in such a situation, the only serious question is whether to commit suicide or not.
 
In contrast, the God of the Bible has rescued us from this dominion of darkness, He has brought us into the Kingdom of Love and Light and Life where we can know where we came from, who we are and where we are going.
We can join Him in His great plans. We can have belonging, worth and competence (Eph. 1:18,19). In Jesus Christ we are embraced, accepted, cleansed, forgiven, valued, commissioned and equipped for special service to the King (Eph. 1:3-10).
We can do things that will last for eternity–sharing with others about our King, Jesus, and the salvation He offers, and doing the good works He’s prepared for us. We can know that we belong to the winning side, we can give exaltation to God and we can earn glory, praise and honor (1 Peter 1:6,7) which we can then submit to Jesus in worship when we enter Heaven.
Praise you, Lord Jesus, that your death and resurrection brought to us all these marvelous gifts and possibilities and more. So, instead of complaining about things we don’t get, help us to focus on these wonderful gifts, on the light, love and life you have granted us. Help us to rejoice in you all through each day, enjoying living in the Truth where there is meaning, purpose and love.
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