S.M. Wibberley’s Blog

“…I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.”  Revelation 2:4

 

Barbara says it’s easy to tell when I am “in cahoots” with God, because then I am in tune with her. What she is referring to is the condition of my first love for Christ. I can perform all the spiritual disciplines correctly (quiet time, prayer, attendance, giving, being nice) but Barbara can tell when the connection with God is missing, when I have no passion for Him.

As you may remember, when Jesus spoke to the Ephesians in the opening chapters of Revelation, He had a lot of positives to say about them, but ended with rebuking them for losing their first love. They had all the mechanics right, but their hearts had grown cold.

His command to them was, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen. Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” (Rev. 2:5).

So it is with us: we get busy, we give our heart and passion to something else, like our work/ministry/hobby/sport. As a result, our relationship with God grows cold, so slowly that we don’t notice it. But our spouse often does because our marriage relationship reflects the warmth or coolness of our walk with God.

Tomorrow some ways to rekindle our first love for Jesus

Written in 1980

“The Lord is my shepherd…He leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.”

Psalm 23:1-3a

 

“What are you doing now?” asked John as I took a clean sheet of paper from my brief case.

“I’m going to make a list of the new words I learned today,” I replied without looking up. “You said that we may be here a long time and I don’t want to waste the hours!”

John smiled and continued his conversation with the policemen who were holding us under arrest.

This was typical of the need to utilize every opportunity for learning the language of our new country. Since there are only four of us in our group, many tasks fall to us that wouldn’t normally be given to language students. Our goal of 6 hours of study a day is rarely met—personally I felt that 3 hours of book study was enough—but the exposure we got through ministry more than made up for the lack of formal study, for we got to learn new words from the myriad of interesting experiences that came each week.

On this particular day, certain grammatical forms and vocabulary were lodged permanently in my mind. For instance, the passive form of the verb “to apprehend or arrest,” was graphically illustrated as the police led us away. We had come to this remote village in the north of the country to give help to poor families. However, since there are rarely any foreigners in the area, the police assumed we must be doing something wrong and arrested us.

We spent several hours in the police station, drinking lots of tea while they investigated our activities. But finding no evidence of wrongdoing, in the end we were released. At that juncture I learned another word meaning “they were embarrassed,” for the police were forced to admit their mistake.

God has a way of guiding and providing for us that is beyond normal human thought. This was language learning at its best, disguised as trouble, which was uncomfortable and disquieting–and would later to lead to bigger difficulties–but was very effective for both language learning and spiritual growth.

The question we always need to ask ourselves is: “Am I willing to look at things from God’s perfect perspective so I can thank Him and take advantage of the opportunity that is offered in my present problem?” Such times are the opportunity to live the truth that “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

 

Prayer: “Lord, help me to live today in the light of your presence, seeing your gracious working in all that happens. Help me to have a heart that praises without knowing how you are going to work things out. Amen.”

It is wonderful that you know, understand and think far beyond our tiny capabilities. Before the foundation of the world you knew each of us, long before we came to pass, you knew what would transpire in our lives, what our decisions would be, what each person’s response to you would be. You knew that many would reject your offer of grace, pardon and adoption–yet you chose to pay for the purchase of forgiveness for all human beings at great personal expense.

You see into the future, weaving the innumerable strands of human decisions and events into the fabric of your will, bringing about your overall desired end, as well as the just outcome of our choices. You give people power to make real and valid decisions, though these decisions may bring people to the conclusion you abhor: spending eternity without you.

Prayer: “Lord God, help me to praise you throughout this day, to focus on the truth of your presence, your goodness, your constant care for your children. Help me to lift my eyes by faith from the nagging negatives in life to the transcendent truth of your wonderful working out all things for your glory and my good. Amen.”

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble…The Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
Psalm 46:1,7

Praise be to you, Lord God: I awoke and found you there, waiting for me. I give you glory and honor and praise for
–your good and powerful presence,
–your lingering, long-lasting love,
–your wonderfully wise ways,
–and your unending, unrelenting undergirding of life.

Truly you are glorious, you are great, you are good through and through. You are mighty
in love,
in justice,
in wisdom,
in mercy,
in grace.

You are worthy of worship and wonder.

Praise be to you for your working in your children to bring change:
–giving us knowledge, revelation and guidance in your Word;
–bringing us conviction leading us to repentance;
–giving goodness every day so that we might walk with you.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble…The Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
Psalm 46:1,7

Praise be to you, Lord God: I awoke and found you there, waiting for me. I give you glory and honor and praise for
–your good and powerful presence,
–your lingering, long-lasting love,
–your wonderfully wise ways,
–and your unending, unrelenting undergirding of life.

Truly you are glorious, you are great, you are good through and through. You are mighty
in love,
in justice,
in wisdom,
in mercy,
in grace.

You are worthy of worship and wonder.

Praise be to you for your working in your children to bring change:
–giving us knowledge, revelation and guidance in your Word;
–bringing us conviction leading us to repentance;
–giving goodness every day so that we might walk with you.

More on the grace Jesus bestowed on us:

Beyond that, you were willing to endure the greater anguish of actually becoming sin for us and as a result, having your Father turn away from you. As the Father poured out His wrath on you, the fabric of the Trinity was rent and your eternal relationship with the Father and the Spirit was broken. This, I believe, was the most painful part of your great sacrifice.

Then you were willing to endure time in death and the lower earthly regions (Eph. 4:9), while patiently awaiting the right moment to rise up and conquer death and the devil—and all this you did for your enemies!

You, Lord Jesus, are completely, entirely, incredibly good and we glorify you for it. Your marvelous mercy and glorious grace are at the heart of your eternal, rich and powerful love for your foes.

We praise you and honor you for your multiplied grace, your munificent kindness, your majestic faithfulness and your magnificent holiness. We exalt you in all, we praise you in all, we thank you in all, for you are worthy.

Prayer: “Lord, help me to grasp more and more of your mighty love’s length and breadth, to understand more and more how deep and high and wide is your forgiveness, and to live in continual worship of you, honoring your marvelous grace by obeying you, especially in the small things of life. Amen.”

Who is the Lord Jesus?

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High….” Psalm 91:1

I exalt you, O Lord Jesus Christ, for you are
the Most High,
the Final Authority,
the Absolute Measure of right and wrong,
the Perfect Standard of what is correct and what is error.
You are like a perfect, flawless diamond!

“will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1b

You are the Almighty One,
full of power,
endued with strength,
undefeatable,
never threatened,
never in danger,
always in control.

We can rest in your mighty strength,
your multifaceted wisdom
and in your marvelous character.
For You are pure,
and righteous;
you are the antithesis of
evil,
sin
and wickedness.

We rejoice in your purity and give to you the honor due your name for your rich goodness and powerful greatness.

You, Lord Jesus, are
the Author of life,
the Redeemer of rebels,
the Savior of the world,
the Lord of those who believe.

I praise you for your desire to redeem us, your wretched foes. You were willing to
limit yourself to a human body,
to suffer at the hands of sinners,
to expose yourself to attacks by Satan
and to suffer physically,
mentally,
emotionally
and spiritually on the cross to save us stubborn sinners.

You, Lord Jesus, are worthy of our worship, out love and our obedience. Help us to live this day in the light of your glory and goodness, walking with you in the path of God.

I praise and thank you, Lord Jesus, that you are my Shepherd–that I personally belong to you, the Creator and Sustainer of all–because you have chosen me. I am thankful that you, in your wisdom and power, love and goodness, make sure that I lack nothing necessary.

Thank you that in my present painful relational circumstance. Even  with my failures and mistakes, you are making this situation into a green pasture for me. You command me to lie down in it because here I can grow and mature and be more useful for you.

Thank you for Psalm 23 which tells me that while I am in these difficulties you lead me to the refreshing water of your Word, that you are at work transforming my soul, and that you will lead me in paths of righteousness. These truths are certain and sure, for you always do what will bring glory to your name, you will never lead me into anything that will disgrace you.

It is so good to know how trustable you are, Lord Jesus. Your wisdom is wonderful, your faithfulness is fabulous, your love is lavish, and your might is marvelous. Praise be to you continually, O God, for you are worthy!

 

Prayer: “Lord Jesus, help me to live in the truth that you are my Shepherd, that I lack nothing, no matter how it appears to me. Help me to trust you and stay where you put me, painful as it may be. Help me to be thankful for all you’ve given and to reject the tendency to complain about not having all I desire. Amen.”

“He who is full loathes honey, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.” Proverbs 27:7

To read through the Bible continually and consistently is a powerful practice. This gives the Lord opportunity to impress me with a verse, insight or conviction in each morning’s reading. For instance, recently the verse listed above struck me: “He who is full loathes honey, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.”

As I thought on this, the Lord said to me, “What are you full of?” I had to answer, “Plans, schedules, projects, worries and fears.” The Spirit then helped me to see that I need to empty myself of these and allow Him to fill me instead with wisdom, submission, obedience and the fruit of the Spirit.

One way of emptying myself is to list in my journal all my plans, schedules, projects, worries and fears, then put them into the Lord’s hands by confession, prayer and surrender. I must let Him carry these; they are beyond my control anyway!

When I have done that, I can be ready for what the Lord has for me today. Every “bitter” happening can become sweet as I trust the Lord to work it out for good rather than getting upset because “my plans” were disturbed.

As with every other aspect of our walk with Jesus, the practice of putting all in the Lord’s powerful and proficient hands is a growing one. To help the process, I am putting a sign up on our refrigerator: “What are you full of?” This reminds me to put things in the Lord’s hands and be filled with His Spirit instead.

Prayer: “Lord, help me to pour out to you all that occupies my mind, my heart, my soul; then I pray that you will fill me with your Spirit so I can serve you well today, bringing joy to your heart.”

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18

This verse was just what I needed to hear. In the Middle East, where we lived for many years, as well as back in America, I have found myself trying to make the gospel more acceptable, more respectable, more comfortable for people to accept—but to no avail.

To those who do not believe, the pure gospel can never be attractive or easy to accept, for it is foreign, unnatural, even repulsive. To think of themselves as so sinful that they need a Savior, to think of God Himself dying on a cross in their place, to think of surrender to Him and having a total change of life as a result—this is more than they want to hear! And we experienced this directly this week. We went an invited  about 20 of our neighbors to a Discovery Bible study—but no one came!

Facing this truth of man’s natural rejection of the gospel throws me back to dependence on God, on the Holy Spirit’s work, thereby saving me from dependence on myself—I cannot convince anyone to believe, only God can do that. It also frees me to go ahead and share without being controlled by fear of rejection.

As the King’s heralds, we will be rejected by many listeners, but that must not stop our proclamation of Truth, unpalatable as it may be to unbelievers. “God has chosen the foolish things…the weak things…the base…the despised…the things which are counted as nothing…that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1Cor. 1:27-29).

So, we are sharing, sowing seed and looking for those whom God has prepared for the next step in their spiritual journey. What freedom there is in knowing that we are joining Him in His reaching out to the world. To be committed to the Lord of the universe, seeking to cooperate with Him in what He is doing, knowing that He will guide and lead us to those He’s already working in—these are wonderful privileges and fear-killing truths. We can trust the One who said His Spirit is at work convicting all of sin, righteousness and judgment. He will bring forth fruit at the right time as we faithfully follow Him.