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From Edified

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 25, 2017
 
 
“…he leads me beside the still waters., he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Psalm 23:2b
 
Glory be to you, my Good Shepherd, Lord Jesus, for leading me beside the still waters. Every day you call me to your Word to drink deeply from the waters of Truth, to be refreshed with the revelation of your character, to be washed with the water of the Word.
I don’t see a great deal of change on a daily basis, but you are definitely at work, altering my soul, bringing growth, deepening and transformation. You are moving imy soul in the direction of its original, pre-fall condition so your relationship to me can be more profound, more transparent, higher and deeper.
 
Praise be to you, my Great Shepherd, my Heavenly Father, my Heavenly Brother, my Heavenly Spirit, for this faithful, powerful and wonderful work in my life. As I spend time with you in worship each day, you have been giving me strength in my soul, you have been quietly transforming my being into the likeness of Christ, so that when the disappointments of life come, there will be strength in me to pass through them with your endurance.
 
As a result of your work, my soul is no longer weak and flabby, able to be pushed this way and that by circumstances, feelings, and discouragements that come in life. You are making my soul strong, firm, muscular, able to stand in the face of opposition.
 
You are removing my fear of man, empowering me to make tough decisions for the good of the people involved without letting fear of how they will react control me. You are teaching me to think like you, rather than being swayed by my feelings.
 
This is your doing, to your glory, in line with your greatness. I praise you for your faithful, deep work, your gracious goodness in bringing this change as I spend time gazing upon your marvelous Character. You truly are Glorious, Great and Gracious!
 
I praise you, Father, for you have set your Spirit in me to lead. I praise you for your great patience in working with me to help me to quit worrying, to reject complaining, to refuse to feel sorry for myself, to walk away from disappointment and discouragement, choosing instead to walk with praise in the demanding paths of righteousness that you have prepared and where you lead me.
 
I praise and thank you for your wonderful shepherding, for your faithful goodness, for your continued, gracious patience. You are marvelous, merciful and magnificent in your persistent, powerful, positive transforming work in the lives of your children.
 
As the Great Shepherd, you are leading, guiding, disciplining, protecting, providing, commanding—therefore you are worthy of all exaltation, worship, glory, honor and praise. It will require more than eternity to give you what you deserve, and I glorify you for that!
 
Prayer: “Today, may my drinking of the pure waters of your Word and my walking in the path of righteousness you have prepared, bring glory to you, Lord, and transformation to me so that I may give you more and more honor each day. Amen.”
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Psalm 19:1-4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 24, 2017
Psalm 19
 
Praise you, Lord, that you are the God of communication, laying out before all mankind the message of your existence: the Almighty One who is there. As it says in Psalm 19:1,
 
“The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
 
[Even in its fallen and twisted state, creation shouts out that there is a good and wise Creator. Anyone honestly looking at the way things are has to see that they are intentionally designed–made, not the result of chance. The beauty, the complexity, the rhythms of life, the power, the expanse—all speak of a Creator.
 
Psalm 19:2 “Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.”
 
[We are constantly surrounded with the message of the skies and stars, of birds and butterflies, ants and elephants, blooms and babies. Plan and purpose are everywhere, beauty abounds, colors bring joy–the happy yellow of a daffodil, the royal purple of a tulip, the bright blue of the sky all shout, “There is a Creator and He is wise and wonderful, powerful and present!”]
 
Psalm 19:3,4 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”
 
[I think of my 78 year old Eskimo friend who grew up on the Eastern shore of Siberia at the ends of the earth. As a teen, looking at the beauty of the animals, sea and mountains, he came to the conclusion that the demons they worshiped, who did such ugly things, could never have created all this beauty. “There must be a good creator God,” he thought. And, at 18, God brought him into contact with a follower of Jesus, who opened the Bible for him, and he was ready to believe. He had heard the message of creation and understood it, and has now been a follower of Jesus for 60 years!
 
Paul echoes this same truth in the New Testament, “…what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Rom. 1:19,20).
 
You, Lord, have revealed yourself to all through creation, giving all a chance to see and understand that there is a good Creator God. You give them enough light to make them think, and if they want to know more, you will bring further light into their life.
 
Praise be to you for your great love for your rebellious creatures, your marvelous grace and your persistent pursuit of sinners, saving all who are willing. You are the One we can trust, if we will just look around us! Open our eyes so we may delight in your love of beauty, that our faith may deepen every day!]
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Is God Fair Part 3

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 22, 2017
 
Is God Fair? Part 3
 
In answering the question, “Is God fair?” (meaning, in today’s thinking, “Does He give everyone the same things?”), we have looked at the first two parts of the answer: “No” and “Yes.”
 
The third answer to this question is another, “No.” In His dealings with us, in what He gives to His creatures in general and His beloved children in specific, God is , humanly speaking, divinely, magnificently and magnanimously unfair.
 
God loves diversity and we see this in how He works in our lives. He is able to take the negative effects of the Fall, where all creation was twisted, and use them for good in us. In this scheme of things each gets what he or she needs to come to know Him and then to serve Him.
 
–Some people He creates with great intelligence, others with simple minds.
 
–Some are born beautiful, others plain, the rest are somewhere in between.
 
–Some are born healthy , others with birth defects or serious illnesses.
 
–Some grow up strong and live long, some die as babies, others die in between.
 
–Some grow up with many opportunities, some with few, others with none.
 
–Some have wonderful parents, some are totally neglected and abused, most have average ones.
 
–Some live in wealth, some in poverty, some in middle class income.
 
–Some have prominent spiritual gifts, like teaching, or leading, while others have gifts used in the background, like mercy or service.
 
–Some have leading roles, others do not.
 
Humanly speaking God is unfair in this, but divinely speaking, we know that He is wise and has a purpose for each in what He gives and allows; we can trust Him to do and give what is best for each.
 
He knows what challenges each person requires to see his or her need for a Savior, and then to grow spiritually. He does what is best for each, individually tailoring circumstances and events.
 
This is very “unfair” from the politically correct perspective, but very loving and wise from God’s perspective of truth, wisdom, and his ultimate goal to eliminate evil, save all who are willing and bring in a new and perfect heaven and earth.
 
God has distributed roles as He sees fit, much to the consternation of many today. This includes roles in the spiritual (gifts), intellectual, physical and relational realms.
 
Here are some very obvious, yet in our society, often rejected examples of the roles He’s given to men and women.
 
Men are to procreate. Women are to bear and nurse babies.
 
Men are generally physically stronger than women and are to protect them.
 
Men are to teach and lead mixed groups in the Kingdom. Women are to teach and lead women and children in the Kingdom.
 
Men are to voluntarily, wholeheartedly love, be understanding, nurture & encourage their wives. Women are to voluntarily respect and follow their husbands.
 
Men are to lead their families. Wives are to be helpers to their husbands. Men are to listen to women’s perspective and take them into account in making decisions.
 
In this “unfair” distribution of roles, God knows and does what is best. We can trust Him in His wisdom, love, grace and sovereignty to give to each person what that one needs to come to Him, to live a useful and meaningful life, to develop in a healthy and effective way.
 
So is God fair? “No,” “Yes,” and “No.” Does God have the right to be so? Absolutely: He is the Creator of all, the Most High, the Almighty, the Beginner and Ender of time. There is no one who can challenge Him (as Job found in chapters 38-41 of his book), for the Lord God is perfect in every way.
 
No human could think up such a wonderful God whose character is multifacetedly perfect and beyond comprehension in His Wisdom, Power, Grace and Love. He is totally independent from His creation in His triuneness where perfect community, love and completeness have existed forever. This the God who knows what He’s doing and I choose to trust Him! How about you?
 
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Is God Fair Part 2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 21, 2017
Is God fair? Part 2
 
As stated in part one, fairness, as defined in our age of tolerance, is that everyone should to get the same thing. In light of this, we have to answer the question, “Is God fair” with “No,” “Yes” and “No.” We looked at the first “No” in part 1–God is not fair in that He doesn’t give us what we deserve, rather gives us mercy–now we will look at this from another perspective.
 
“Yes, God is fair.” As you know, He has provided a way of salvation , and in this we see His “fairness:” He gives the same potential to everyone. Here are several points of this fairness.
 
–In creating all human beings in His image, God bequeathed to all the same worth (Gen. 1:26,27).
 
–Jesus confirmed this when He died and provided the potential for salvation for all who have ever lived and ever will live. “Christ Jesus…gave himself as a ransom for all people.” (1 Tim 2:6, as well as 1John 2:2, Heb. 2:9, 4:10)
 
–We can only be saved by faith; this is true for everyone, no matter what his or her age, intelligence, education, religion, status, wealth, health, strength, home or family. It’s the same for all. (Eph 2:8, Rom. 1:17)
 
–The Holy Spirit works in the life of every person in the whole world to convince each one of his or her need for Jesus as Savior. The Spirit “will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…” (John 16:7-11).
 
–God watches over each person, is aware of the heart condition of each, and loves each with the same great love. (Psalm 33:13-15, Psalm 145:10-16,)
 
–God has the same desire for everyone: that all be saved, although because of their unbelief, many will refuse His salvation. “God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim 2:4, also 2 Peter 3:9, John 1:7)
 
–God will condemn all sin, and anyone who clings to it rather than accepting His offer of grace and protection, will be condemned along with the sin they chose and loved. (John 3:18)
 
In this non-exhaustive list of Scriptural points, God offers to all the same possibility of having eternal life, of becoming His child, of entering His Kingdom and Family and of receiving the same gifts and privileges–and the way to accept them is the same for all: by faith, a gift He also offers to all.
 
In His mercy God is fair in offering salvation to all, and I am thankful for it! This is the God we can trust wholeheartedly. Help us to do so today, Lord!
 
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Is God Fair Part 1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 20, 2017
 
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 all be sent immediately 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 also 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 unlove: 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, 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 have instead given us the opposite of what we deserve—the very definition of grace–and we praise you for it!
 
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Amazing Love

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 19, 2017

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your kind and constant working 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, 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.

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.

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Psalm 18:50

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 18, 2017
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 keep on your armor as 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. 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 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 July 17, 2017
As Psalm 18:46,47 tell us, 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, Lord, the God who fights for us, 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 July 15, 2017
As King David wrote Psalm 18, he faced human foes, while we more often face unseen ones. 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. 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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The Wonder of Knowing Jesus

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 14, 2017

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 meaningless, randomness,  uncontrollable 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 and an endless summer where life will continue with you through 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-cloaked 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 the 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 life ends at death and where worth is nonexistent—this is a description of pure purposelessness.

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 possibilities and more. 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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