Of Provision, Plenty and Prosperity.

When is enough, enough? And where does it all come from? When can adequate provision be called prosperity? What is the priority for gain?
All these questions I asked myself when considering the idea of enough but not too much! I was thinking of my riches, and indeed they are plenty, and considering how generous the Lord is in His provision, while realising how He measures prosperity. We have been prospered in ways I could not have imagined through my own prayerful requests, and not even recognised in some of the initial provisions. The realisation that A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions, Luke 12:15, brought me to an understanding of 4 specific blessings for which I need to acknowledge my indebtedness.
1) LOVE. God is love, and He showers His presence on us with such abundance that sometimes we only see it when it has grown, missing it in its infancy. Love is not some pleasurable emotion that sends shivers down our spine, palpitations to our heart and weakness to our knees. No, Love is hurtful, risky, yet rewarding. Love comes unbidden, and in many forms. Love can swell through the first sight of a new-born baby, through the breaking heart of rebellion, criticisms, accusations, arguments, pain and separation. Love can start with simple attraction, sympathy, empathy, mutual agreement, and progress through disaster, disagreement, differences and disorder. Love grows through persistence, and in spite of, rather than because of, behaviour, reciprocity or similarity. Love cannot be earned; it comes unbidden, and includes hurt, misunderstandings, betrayals, rejections, as well as pleasure, friendship, consideration and comfort. Only when we love, lose, suffer and survive, can we know what real love is.
I may speak in the language of humans and of angels. But if I don’t have love I am a loud gong or clashing cymbal. I may have the gift to speak what God Hs revealed, and I may understand all mysteries and have all knowledge. I may even have enough faith to move mountains. But if I don’t have love, I am nothing. I mayeven give away all I have and give up my body to be burned. But if I don’t have love, none of these things will help me. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn’t jealous. It doesn’t sing its own praises. It isn’t arrogant. It isn’t rude. It doesn’t think about itself. It isn’t irritable. It doesn’t keep track of wrongs. It isn’t happy when injustice is done, but is happy with the truth. Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up … 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 (God’s Word.)
Only when we are broken by the love that consumes us can we know the Father heart of God who says, ... Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you ... Hebrews 13:5 – for we cannot forsake the love He has given us from His own heart, to us and for us, as well as to others and for them.
My family is distant, some more than others, in physical distance as well as emotional, some having come and gone, all having made an imprint on my heart that cannot be erased. Some show no return of love or concern, but love cannot be erased, and is a gift of God. How grateful I am for the abundance of love the Father has given. I am richly blessed.
2) FAITH. In difficult situations despair can creep in and weaken our spirit. Sometimes situations seem interminable with solutions out of reach, but the trick involves keeping on in spite of circumstance. Faith is not built under the circumstances, but above the circumstances of our lives. So many times when things have seemed so low that release seemed a barren hope, survival and going forward has proved possible. When ‘Underneath are the everlasting arms’ is the knowledge to be clung to, then faith is confirmed and built upon. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, 'Destroy him!' Deuteronomy 33:27.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39. (NIV) My faith has grown through the chapters in my life so that it is yet a treasure to be tapped to its full potential, but sufficient always for hope to triumph. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus and His faithfulness. On Christ the solid rock I stand – all other ground is sinking sand …

3) PEACE. How can life be understood without knowledge of God’s promises, and how can peace be found in the turmoil of life around us? The peace of God that passes all understanding is a promise that can only be understood in the light of our experience of God’s ways and. You will hear of wars and rumours of wars. Don’t be alarmed! These things must happen, but they don’t mean that the end has come. Nation will fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All of these are only the beginning pains of the end. Matthew 24:6-8. (God’s Word.) Wars and rumours of wars surround us. Unrest, weather anomalies, earthquakes, lawlessness, violence, immorality, lies – all signs of the times of Noah when God said “Enough is enough! No more!” and sent a flood of gigantic proportions, greater than any tsunami of today’s extent. Afterwards, He said, Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. As longas the earth endures, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease. Genesis 8:21-22. (NIV.)

4) JOY! In all these things I have abundance of JOY! Prosperity is moot. May I share some wisdom gained through years of prayer in petition, praise, and thanksgiving.

a. Do not inflict me with love for money Psalm 119:36b
b. Don’t give me either poverty or riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise I may have too much and disown you and say ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonour the name of my God. Proverbs 30:8,9
c. Honour the Lord with your wealth … Proverbs 3:9
d. When God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work – this is a gift of God. Ecclesiastes 5:19.

Lamentations and Gilad Schalit

Jerusalem cries bitterly at night with tears running down its cheeks. Out of all those who love the city, no one offers it comfort. All of Jerusalem’s friends have betrayed it and become its enemies. Lamentations 1:2 (God’s Word edition)
The world in general turns its back on Israel but the faithful remnant bring hope.
Reading from the Book of Lamentations and following the story on the release of Gilad Schalit in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian terrorists, made me think of the old adage, what goes around comes around.
Coinciding with the Feast of Tabernacles celebrations, there was great jubilation amongst the pilgrims from all over the world, showing solidarity between Jews and Christians. ICEJ (International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem) Executive Director Dr. Juergen Buehler said, "We share the relief and joy of the Schalit family and all Israel that Gilad has come back alive. We also share the pain of so many that the price for his return has meant having to set ruthless murderers free.”
MK David Rotem, chairman of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus, said in a speech at the conclusion of festivities, that all over the world there were people trying to take part of Jerusalem away from Israel, "but your presence here is because you know that the covenant between God and Abraham is real and no one can work against this covenant." (ICEJ News)
How true this is will be seen in future events, as another 4000 terrorists await their release. A lesson still to be learnt is the one the psalmist wrote. "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes." (Psalms 118:8,9)
We need to stand with Israel - the Lord is at work there!

The Significance of Sincerity.

We were at a church camp, years ago, and the visiting preacher gave us a challenge after the opening evening meeting. “Don’t go to sleep,” he said, “until the Lord has given you something you did not know before.”
I can’t remember how it happened, but before I went to sleep, I had memorised Jeremiah 33:3 Call on me and I will tell you great and wonderful things that you have not known. And I know without a doubt that any wisdom of worth must come from Him! Another WOW!
So when our Cell Group suggested they would like to study Malachi as our next theme, I started looking for fresh insights. Who was Malachi, besides being the last link between the Old and New Testaments, with a gap of 4 or 5 hundred years between? He must be another one like those I mentioned when we looked at the story of Ruth. Like Elimelech, Mahlon and Killion, the names were given to show meaning and Malachi means My Messenger! It follows that his message must be extremely important.
The message came to a disgruntled and disillusioned people. They had been restored to their land of Israel after 70 years of exile, living under Babylonian rule. They had resumed temple sacrifices and professed to be again worshipping Yahweh, the one true God. But where was He? Long, long before this time, when God had first brought His people into the Promised Land, Joshua had said to them, Now therefore fear Yahweh, and serve him in sincerity and in truth. Put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, in Egypt; and serve Yahweh. Joshua 24:14
Time and time again, the people had disobeyed, and each time the Lord called them back. Their history was littered with attempts to run things their way! Now, here they were again, having seen God’s provision through the generosity of a Persian king, Artaxerxes, and the God given wisdom of Ezra and Nehemiah to resettle them in their land, taking matters into their own hands. “Where is God?” they asked. Who knows what they expected? Did they look for a new, charismatic prophet, or did they want further evidence of God’s presence and provision? They had begun farming again, and were secure within city walls, in rebuilt homes and with a restored temple in which to offer sacrifices. Did they want miracles? Were they hoping for riches and acclaim? Was their expectation in a moderately worshipful life, trouble free ease and plenty? Whatever they wanted was not received, and gradually they fell back into exploitation of the weak and poor, shortcuts in worship and sacrifice, intermarriage with surrounding pagans, yet complaining and unreasonable in their demands. Why did God not respond to their prayers they wondered? Then God’s Messenger came to them.
It sounds so familiar. How is our world today? How is my worship and praise? Oh, within the right circles all may look well. But how is my heart before God?
Last night we enjoyed an evening celebrating 70 years of service of the Union Bible Institute in our city. More than 2000 alumni have gone out from there into the harvest fields, and the sincerity of those present was tangible. Eyes were shining, dimples were twinkling, mouths were smiling, and hearts were rejoicing, with voices raised in jubilation. Why then, outside and back in ‘the world’ do we have so many pessimistic remarks? Why such dull attitudes and questions bandied about as though cheeks are padded with wads of lemon segments? Why the negativism? Is it because things are not going as we think they should? Is God not doing as we think He should? Do we deserve better?
I was reading Psalm 90 … Return, Lord! How long …? Change your plans about us, your servants. Satisfy us every morning with your mercy so that we may sing joyfully and rejoice all our days. Make us rejoice for as many days as you have made us suffer, for as many years as we have experienced evil. Let us, your servants, see what you can do. Let us your children see your glorious power. Let the kindness of the Lord our God be with us. Make us successful in everything we do. Yes, make us successful in everything we do. Psalm 90:13-17 God’s Word
Do we have the right so to pray with the psalmist?
Malachi challenged the people about their insincerity. He said they were only going through the motions of worship, and sacrificing blemished animals while keeping the best for themselves. He challenges me to be sure that I don’t worship out of habit, or with distractions, or just because I like the tunes!
Malachi said God would visit His people, and they should be prepared. God expected his people to wait patiently. When He next spoke to them it was through Jesus.He came then as a baby.
We are waiting for Jesus to come again? He will come as He has promised in the book of Revelation Are we ready?
Are we sincere in the promises we make to our Lord?

What is a Shiggaion? An impassioned plea!.

When I read Psalm 7 earlier this week, I did not realise that the train of thought begun by the introduction of the psalm would become so meaningful.
The word shiggaion is used at the start of the Psalm, and it intrigued me, but only after a series of events challenging me to prayer, did I again look for the meaning.
The Psalm is described as a Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the slanderous words of Cush, a Benjamite.
In Habbakuk 3:1 we read, A prayer of the prophet Habbakuk; according to Shigionoth. In verse 2, Habbakuk goes on to say, Lord, I have heard the report about you. Lord, I fear your work. In the course of the years, renew it. In the course of the years reveal it. In all this chaos remember to be merciful.
Yes, in the course of the years all will be revealed, and God will emerge triumphant in the lives of all concerned. Meantime, chaos erupted with a phone call from a daughter, “Mom, please pray.” In a foreign country, with language an additional problem, a grandson was being victimised, and slanderous comments were being made. This is doubly depressing when a child is involved, and his faith is being challenged. “I don’t feel like reading my Bible,” he said, “or talking to God. He doesn’t seem to be listening.” This from an 11year old. As adults we know how easily a comment or action can be misunderstood, but a child expects fairness in authority, and is doubly disappointed when such is not given. It makes me think seriously of Matthew 18:6,7!
With David, we can pray a paraphrased version of his words. O Lord my God, we have taken refuge in you. Save me and rescue me from all who are pursuing me. Psalm 7:1. Knowing that we have the victory in Christ we can proclaim I will give thanks to the Lord for His righteousness. I will make music to praise the name of the Lord most high. Psalm 7:17
Our prayers come as a shiggaion, which is an impassioned plea, or a lyrical poem composed under strong mental emotion; a dithyrambic ode. (A usually short poem in an inspired wild irregular strain : a statement or writing in an exalted or enthusiastic vein)
Much writing has gone back and forth within the family and between countries since the original reading of the Psalm, and many questions have been raised about the abilities of teachers who fail to recognise potentially dangerous repercussions from ill-considered perceptions and pronouncements to a child in their care. But our God is faithful, and he brings wisdom to the situation in His perfect ways.

For my child I pray that he will grow in wisdom and that this temporary setback will teach him wisdom and perseverance. May he know the strength of prayer and the shiggionoth (plural) of our impassioned pleas.
Trust the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your path smooth. Proverbs 3:5,6

Running the Race.

It is a matter of self discipline, an area where I have difficulty, and where I battle to sort out priorities. This morning I asked the Lord to direct me, and to rebuke or confront me in those areas where I am failing Him. If I need to be challenged or reminded - a constant necessity - then I wait His guidance. In my book, it is an encouragement even to receive censure for then I know He hears and responds. I want to know I am in His service and that He still has something for me to do, weak and wilful though I am with my own agenda. I reviewed my plans and asked for His leading, then turned to my Daily Light reading. I might have guessed! The lead verse was from Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is …patience.

It was followed by: Everyone who competes in the game goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:25-27.

 If I have that right my responsibility is to get on with the important things in life today – preparation for Writer’s Club meeting, following instructions regarding our Church web-site, preparation for Cell Group meeting, being light and salt to those around me, keeping my house in order, sharing this insight with my Blog readers , getting in touch with family with answers to queries they have laid before me, contacting those friends and family who think I don’t care, oh, and planning meals, shopping, fulfilling an urgent  order for rusks  … I forgot to ask my Lord for order of action! Isn’t life wonderful? Certainly never boring, and the Lord’s sense of humour keeps us on our toes! Running!

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13