BE AWARE!

Posted on June 4, 2013 by suemariericker

After dropping my granddaughter off at daycare, I stopped at a nearby park to enjoy the beauty of nature and refresh my soul in the crisp morning air.  Surrounded by the glories of the natural world—trees, a crisp green in the morning light, small lakes, wet lands, birds singing, turtles swimming, fish surfacing for insect snacks—my heart was filled with rejoicing, accompanied by the music of nature.

Shortly after I started down the path, I saw the sign that greets me every time I walk that way—Be Aware!  There are rattlesnakes living in this park!  Fear grips my heart for a moment until I realize that there is no danger if I am aware of my surroundings and stay on the marked footpaths.

As I reflected on the hidden danger, I could not help but think how analogous this is to life—there is beauty all around us (as well as carelessly discarded trash), and yet there is hidden danger.

Satan first manifested himself to the human race in the form of a serpent, disguising himself as a thing of beauty while undermining Adam and Eve’s faith in their Creator.  The New Testament portrays him as a roaring lion who walks about “seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8), and we are instructed to “be vigilant”!

Just as the enemy sought to undermine the first couple’s faith in God and question His wisdom, he seeks to do the same thing today.  We become vulnerable when we do not hold onto God in faith; for it is by faith that satan is defeated—“this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith” (1 John 5:4). 

I know that we are in a very tender place when we encounter difficulties and situations that challenge our faith; however, we have our Savior’s assurance that, “in the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).  …and the overcoming Christ dwells in our hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:16-19).

Besides our faith, the enemy also attacks our identity—how much more like God can we be when we are created in the image of God?  However, a tactic of satan is to create discontent in who we are and what we have.  …desiring to be something we are not, wanting to know things beyond our capacity to understand, and coveting things that are out of reach—when enough is never quite enough!

Our identity is in Jesus Christ—“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).  We are overcomers because “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).  We are God’s children, for “the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:16, 17).  (I would not want to suffer without Christ!)

I do not believe our most dangerous times in regards to faith are when the storms rage and difficulties threaten to overwhelm us.  No—the most perilous times are when we are having Garden of Eden moments.  We are financially stable, our family is getting along pretty well, the kids are healthy, we are electronically satiated, the pastor isn’t over-challenging us spiritually, our homes are comfortable, and our cars are late models—we are in a safe place with no apparent difficulty or need, and at those times we are prime targets for the subtlety of satan.  He bites with his poisonous fangs in ways that shake our faith, challenging our identity and relationship to God. 

It is at those times when we need a firm foundation in the Word of God.  I’m not sure, but I think I have heard every reason or excuse for not believing the Bible and its inerrancy, infallibility, and relevancy to our lives.  I’m not here to continue that debate, I am just telling you that I believe it—being released from having to determine which parts are true, which parts are cultural, and which parts are relevant opens up my heart to a more complete picture of God.  I do not have to question the good news and the precious promises recorded there because I believe it all, so I don’t have to be concerned about hoping in something that is too good to be true.

Jesus is the Rock of our salvation, the chief Cornerstone of our faith.  It is in Him that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).  He also gave us the Holy Scriptures to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus—Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:15, 16).  What an amazing blessing!  I can understand why demonic forces seek to undermine the Bible!

Let me encourage you today to BE AWARE! …to BE INFORMED—stay on the foot paths marked out by the Word of God; …and BE FILLED with the Holy Spirit—walk by faith, confident that He will complete the good work He began in you.

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The Father’s Heart

Posted on June 1, 2013 by suemariericker

A family tragedy recently started me to thinking about the Father’s heart—our unseen Father’s nature and disposition towards His children.  I have found that even in the best of homes, human fathers are just that – human.  …and humans, even with the best of intentions love imperfectly.  Sadly, society has also produced some much-distorted pictures of fathers.

Our pastor taught recently on the prayer which Jesus taught to His disciples (the one we call the Lord’s Prayer)—it starts with “Our Father…”  The pastor made a statement that jarred me out of my Sunday morning moment of slumber, “Every bondage in our life has a root in father wounds.”  Wow!  I am hard pressed to come up with an argument why that just cannot be true.  (I love the fact that his father was in the service—they are both godly men, but also recognize that they are not perfect.)

When we feel rejection, often it is because of rejection we experienced from our fathers.  When our history included abuse, we fear God’s discipline.  Instability in the home, whether emotional, verbal, physical, or financial often leaves us feeling as though we are controlled by puppet strings, always uncertain how the wind is going to blow.  Twisted religious systems have also perverted our understanding of God and the magnitude of His love.

How in the world can we get a true image in our minds of who God is, and more importantly, who he is to us?  I think we need to understand that, just as God is our Father (if we have received Jesus as our Savior); there is also an imposter father—best recognized because he is the father of lies.

I think most of us can skip merrily through life, putting up with most things and not having our faith shaken by heavy traffic or crazy drivers; but for many people there is much more to life—particularly through hurricanes and terrorist attacks, illness and miscarriage, injury and death—that proves challenging.  It is in those difficult times that we need comfort, we need assurance; we need the tender arms of a Father who loves us and is looking out for His children.

Coincidently, it is in our most vulnerable times that the father of lies likes to step up with words of doubt and fear.  He likes to bring condemnation, though our Father God says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).  Guilt is part of the evil one’s agenda, though our guilt has been removed through the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:22).  He pedals fear, though God has not given us a spirit of fear—instead, he gives us His Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).  Satan breathes disappointment; however, God teaches hope which does not disappoint (Romans 5:5).  Demonic forces promote insecurity; however God’s Word promises we can be confident that He (our Father, God), who began a good work in us, will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6).  Instead of intimidation, our Father invites His children to come boldly before His throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16).

Our Father is good and He does good (Psalm 119:68).  Our Father is the Father of mercies and all comfort; He comforts us in our affliction so that we can comfort others who are afflicted (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4).  When difficulties arise and our enemy intends harm, God’s intention is good—and He is greater! (Genesis 50:20, 1 John 4:4).  “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good!” (Romans 8:28).  Best of all, nothing can separate us from God’s amazing love! (Romans 8:39)  We also have the assurance that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), so, as children are dependent on their earthly fathers for provision, we can be confident that God will take care us (Matthew 6:31-34).

Our God, our Father is like no other—He is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Psalm 86:15).  Today is a good day to trust Him and rest in His love for you!

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Judges 19 – My Prayer

Posted on May 22, 2013 by suemariericker

I wrote this prayer after reading chapter 19 in the book of Judges:

Father, I do not like this chapter—this story makes me sick!  It is difficult even to imagine these types of things happening nowadays, in our “enlightened”, modern society.  Remind me Lord, that wherever the King does not reign, the enemy’s influence and human depravity abound!

Pour out your Spirit into my life and the lives of my children and their families; give all of your people discernment to recognize every demonic spirit of antichrist, of lawlessness, and of depravity at work in the world these days.  Separate, in our hearts and our understanding, the light from the darkness.  Give us wisdom to recognize truth, and courage to stand up against every lie of the enemy.

Keep me from the distractions and diversions the enemy throws my way, the things which keep me from accomplishing your purposes for my life.  I do not want to be delayed!—rather, I choose to listen to you and be led by your Holy Spirit.  Lord, I do not want the cares of this world—what I eat, what I drink, where I live, and the clothes I wear—to so consume my focus that I do not hear you or see the bigger things you have for me.  Awaken me always to seek you early and strengthen my heart in you—for it is faith that overcomes the world, and faith comes through hearing your Word.

Teach me your ways; give me your wisdom.  Train my ears to listen and my heart to discern wise counsel.  Give me an abundance of grace to resist leaning on my own understanding; instead, teach me to wait on you and recognize your voice.

Father, I am incredibly appalled that the men in this story could treat these two young women so cruelly, and with no regard for their lives.  It is so easy to assign those depths of degradation to the paganism and corruption existing in a much earlier time of human history and overlook the same disregard for life, the human trafficking, and demonic activities at work in the world today.  The enemy has not changed, unless it is to become more diverse in his perversions and subtle in his deceptions.  Expose his works of darkness, O God!

Forgive me; forgive your people for indifference and passivity.  Create passion in our hearts for our King and His Kingdom—let our prayer always be, “thy kingdom come, they will be done one earth as it is in heaven.”  Train us always to live in the righteousness, peace, and joy of your Holy Spirit.  Give us courageous hearts to champion righteousness and justice for the broken, disregarded, and rejected people of this world.  Immerse our lives in your grace so that we can extend it to everyone we encounter on our journeys through this life.

I pray these things in the powerful name of Jesus, amen.

 

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Blessing

Posted on May 19, 2013 by suemariericker

I read the book of Ruth recently, and near the end of those few chapters is a blessing, spoken to Naomi:  “Blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel!  And may he be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age….” (Ruth 4:14, 15)

A couple of things impressed my heart as I read this blessing—the first thought that came to me was the phrase “God Bless you” and how totally uncreative, general and unspecific it is.  What did Naomi need?  A restorer of life and a sustainer in her old age, and that is what the blessing addressed.  The other thing, probably most important but sometimes I’m a little slow, is that the Lord is blessed when the people who trust him are blessed.

Here are some blessings you can find in the Bible:

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24, 25).

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John 1:2).

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you” (Romans 16:20).

God blesses us with comfort in tribulation so that we can also bless others with comfort:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted” (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4).

When you read the last few verses of most of Paul’s writings, you will find that he is very good at blessing people.

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14).

“Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity” (Ephesians 6:23, 24).

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way.  The Lord be with you all…The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all” (2 Thessalonians 3:16, 18).

“Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ to who be glory forever and ever” (Hebrews 13:20, 21).

I find it interesting that God honors blessing ourselves, as seen in the prayer of Jabez; however, Jabez’s prayer was more about breaking a curse and calling on God to bless him so that his life would not cause others pain:

“Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez [He will cause pain], saying, ‘Because I bore him in pain.’  And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!’  So God granted him what he requested” (1 Chronicles 4:9, 10).

Something that goes beyond my incredibility scale is the fact that we as mere humans can bless our infinite God!  It is so easy to live with a “one-way” blessing mindset—heaven to earth; that we forget blessing goes both ways, we have the opportunity to bless God by our choices, our attitudes, our praise—our very lives!  The book of Psalms is a very good resource for blessing the Lord…

“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:  Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:1-5).

“Oh, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard” (Psalm 66:8).

“Sing to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day” (Psalm 96:2).

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.  Be thankful to Him and bless His name.  For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations” (Psalm 100:4, 5).

“Behold, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who by night stand in the house of the Lord!  Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord” (Psalm 134:1, 2).

“I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever.  Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever.  Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable….All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your saints shall bless You” (Psalm 145:1-3, 10).

Today I bless you, my friend, with joy and peace in the Holy Spirit—I pray that you will prosper and be in good health even as your soul prospers, that God will be your sufficiency and provision, and you will continue to grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  I bless you, in the Name of Jesus, with wisdom and creativity in speaking God’s blessings to others.

Bless me Lord with creativity, patience, knowledge and favor, so that I can bless others with wisdom and generosity; bless me with grace to honor you in all that I do and say.  Let every word spoken to me and intended as a curse be turned to blessing—let the love of Jesus exude from my words and my actions so that the name of Jesus will be blessed.

I bless you, O God, from the depths of my heart for you are good and your mercies are new every morning.  I praise you for loving and accepting me when others do not find me acceptable.  I bless you because that is the song of eternity—the songs that will endure forever.

“’Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!’  And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:  ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’” (Revelation 5:12, 13).

“Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever.  Amen.”  (Revelation 7:12)

 

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Shake It Off!

Posted on May 13, 2013 by suemariericker

My daughter, two-year old granddaughter and I went to a park recently.  It was a lovely day and little Miss Energy was dashing around eagerly looking at flowers, bugs, and her personal favorite, rocks.  In the midst of her half-running, half-prancing dance through the park, she tripped, fell, and rolled over.  I think she was mostly shocked, definitely covered in dirt and pine needles, and possibly a little hurt.  She reacted as you might expect – with great sobs and the proverbial crocodile tears.

Both the mommy and grandma rushed to her to make sure she was ok, we didn’t see any blood and the outside damage was minimal, confined mostly to the elements which stuck to her clothes after her roll on the ground.  We were there to assess the damage and comfort her—and then encourage her to shake it off and keep going!

I have been thinking about that a bit lately—the concept of “shaking it off and keep going”.  Life is full of “boo-boos” and hurts and it seems like our human nature likes to shelter, cover, protect, exaggerate, nurture our wounds rather than taking the necessary steps to clean them and continue on our frolic through life.  It is so much easier to focus on the scrapes and bruises rather than shaking them off and moving on!

The problem is that life is full of bruises and infractions against our personal boundaries or convenience.  Words spoken, actions taken or not taken, laundry not folded, towels not picked up, changing lanes without signaling, taking my parking place, singing too loudly, forgetting to stop at the store for something—minor offenses or major, life-altering actions that, in our very fragile humanity seem beyond any reasonable hope of “shaking off”.

At the very heart of God’s love is His forgiveness—Jesus’ dying words on the cross were, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).  Just as we get to live in His forgiveness, it is our responsibility to forgive others.  The problem I experience is that my sinful nature is so easily offended by the words or actions of others.  I don’t hold grudges—God has graciously delivered me from doing that by showing me how much energy it takes to do something so pointless.  However, I certainly jump to judgment or criticism when I see people do things differently than the way I do them or if I think they should do them.

My prayer is to be quicker about shaking off the things I tend to criticize, to be more tolerant, and more gracious as I continue to grow in God’s grace.  I want the words my daughter and granddaughter (as well as my sons and their families) hear me speak to be full of love, forgiveness, humor and joy—I know that the seeds of God’s Spirit I sow into them will continue to be a family blessing throughout generations and communities to come.

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Monsters!

Posted on May 6, 2013 by suemariericker

As the days countdown to my son’s pending deployment, I cannot help but be touched by the fact that some people might consider him a monster—and they are not enemy combatants!  There are influential voices, guiding policy makers on religious tolerance within the military, who characterize Christians as “monsters who terrorize their fellow Americans by forcing their weaponized and twisted version of Christianity upon their helpless subordinates in our nation’s armed forces.” (Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation).

Unfortunately, some people consider Christians, serving in the military and who share their faith, to be proselytizing, which would position them for court martial—some are comparing proselytizing (which is a vague, “according to whose definition?” term) to sexual assault.

I have struggled writing this blog—I desire to write a scripture and fact based blog, but in reality this issue goes deep within my heart; I cannot type these things without my emotions being involved, so I will share my heart.

My children, all three of them are committed Christians—their faith defines their morality, their behavior, their identity and everything about the way they live.  They did not come by their Christian faith easily—it was a journey of discovery and overcoming painful life situations, so when they “share their faith”, it comes not only from knowledge, but life and heart experience. …and that is what witnessing consists of – giving a first-hand account of something that has happened in their lives.  Two of my children also happen to be active duty military.

I think it is interesting that Mr. Weinstein uses the word “terrorize” to characterize Christianity—the inference equates Christians with radical jihadists, which evokes the all too fresh pictures of the recent bombings in Massachusetts.  Now, I admit some, who claim to be Christians but do not represent Jesus in the world, have taken some radical actions, but they truly are the exceptions.  I think the same efforts that are going into educating people that not all Muslims are terrorists should go into enlightening those same educators that not all Christians terrorize their subordinates or coworkers just because they share what gives them hope.

…and if you are conscious at all of the news, you realize that active duty military and veterans face some very daunting obstacles like PTSD, depression and suicide, limited resources, delayed benefits, homelessness, broken relationships and broken homes just to name a few.  And who of those people, broken by war and duty does not need hope?  Who does not need compassion and a helping hand?  While people are debating the role and the voice of Christians in the military, there are Christians and Christian organizations reaching out to offer help, support, compassion and understanding.

The Holy Spirit graciously brought to my mind two Biblical points of reference for me.  The first is the story of Esther, a young woman who God put in a position of influence to make a difference for her people.  I believe that, as long as God has had a people of His own, there has been an enemy who desires to quiet their voices and destroy their lives.  Things have not changed!  It is through wisdom and risk taking, borne of the Holy Spirit and prayer, that governments, people, and policies can be changed.  When we settle into fear, the enemy wins, when we take action through faith, prayer, and seeking God for ways to help the ones who serve (or have served) our country, the enemy is defeated.

The other thing that hit me with a sense of poignancy is that my son does not have to leave this continent to go to war—everyone who is a Christian is in a battle, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).

My prayer is that Jesus be exalted, and His people united through the Holy Spirit, that our brave, Christian service men and women will not be intimidated by any enemy—seen or unseen—and that they experience the love and support of other believers.

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Free Indeed!

Posted on May 3, 2013 by suemariericker

I can imagine that most people, in the course of their lives, have experienced negative opinions and disparaging comments about their identity, abilities, appearance, or character.  To some degree we can consider these comments to be curses, particularly if we believe them.  Many children have no other point of reference for truth about themselves than the words spoken by parents or other influential adults in their lives, which makes cutting, hurtful statements all the more devastating—life and death are contained in the words we speak (Proverbs 18:21).

I admit that there were some areas in my life where I seriously doubted my worth as a human being.   Love was conditional on appearance and performance, and always just out of reach.  I accepted the assessment that I was either incapable or just mediocre at doing some things that I really wanted to do.  Unfortunately, I lived like a person in a prison cell, cuffs on my wrists, chains on my ankles, the barred cell door closed—but all were unlocked, I was free to walk out, but I had no clue.

Often, when I don’t think I need anything from God, I forget His sufficiency for everything that I do need.  When I do not have the resources within myself to obtain spiritual and emotional healing, or my day-to-day finances run short and I really need Godly wisdom to survive, it is time to remember that God’s provision is inherent in His promises.

The promise is “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32), and Jesus tells us that He is “the truth” (John 14:6)–so when we know Him, we have freedom from the past, freedom from the damaging words, and freedom from spiritual bondage.  “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!” (John 8:36).  I have freedom, but I haven’t seen total release from some of the wrong attitudes and habits in my life—however, I can rejoice in having God’s promises because it also means I have His provision!

The amazing provision of grace is not entirely the reason I wanted to write this blog.  Truly, the blessing of redemption is enough to cause me to dance for eternity!  However, just as God gives spiritual gifts to build up His body, He also gives us grace so that we can extend that same grace to others.

Friends and family members have expressed to me lately painful situations where Christians have spoken words of condemnation or spiritual curses indicting of sin, wrong-doing, ignorance or foolishness—a condemnation of a young mother for experiencing post-partum depression, a woman having difficulties with pregnancies condemned and judged because it was assumed she had sin in her life, someone told that they were unlovable, or judged not to be marriage material, a Christian woman preferring to work with non-Christians because many Christian employees she had worked with in the past were vicious and cut-throat; whereas, the non-Christians had more decency and respect for others.

I can almost understand people, who do not know better, making hurtful statements, but not Christians; and I have difficulty understanding why those claiming to be followers of Jesus maintain a hostile work environment.  It truly grieves me to know that friends of mine who are not believers really do have a case against “hypocrites”!

I remember a chorus we used to sing when I was younger, “They will know we are Christians by our love….”—not our doctrine, nor our self-righteous opinions and religious attitudes, rather, it is our love that identifies us as followers of Jesus.  “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

“For you were called to freedom, brothers.  Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another” (Galatians 5:13-15).

“With it [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.  From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be so!” (James 3:9, 10)

This is definitely not a “me and them” situation—I know that I have said hurtful and judgmental words to and about others—this is a sin situation and I truly want to step up to a new level of freedom.  I confess that I have not always spoken kindly or lovingly—I truly want the blood of Jesus to cleanse me from unrighteous speech so that the sins of self-righteousness, judgmental words, and critical attitudes will not spill out of my mouth and onto others.

The only way I know of living and speaking at a level of freedom and holiness pleasing to God is through the indwelling Holy Spirit; however, we can find good gauge for our thoughts, and the words we speak in Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

My prayer is that my life and the lives of God’s people would grow to more closely reflect the life of Jesus, and that the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to Him.

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Cursed or Favored?

Posted on April 24, 2013 by suemariericker

I recently finished reading the book of Judges and began to consider curses.  There was a serious moral decline within the nation of Israel and the stories recorded in the last few chapters demonstrate some of the depths to which the people fell (or went running head first, which may be more accurate).  As the historical records come near to the end of that era, there is now conflict between the tribes.  Not a particularly noble attitude but eleven of the tribes of Israel turned against the tribe of Benjamin (honestly, it seemed for good reason, but I think their response was “in kind” which did not accomplish anything good).  These words, recorded in scripture, started me to thinking about curses:  “Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin” (Judges 21:10).

About the same time as I was reading Judges, I was also reading a book called, The Gospel For Real Life by Jerry Bridges, and he writes about the curse of the Law in the chapter called Ransomed!  The reality is that every person has a curse hanging over his or her head and that curse started at the beginning of time, as we know it.  Sadly, many people think that they can break the curse by their own efforts and goodness, but the Bible quickly puts that notion to rest by stating None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one (Romans 3:10-12 – the apostle Paul quoting the Psalmist).

Of course, my self-righteous nature protests that statement, but I also believe the Bible, and God graciously gives me many opportunities to see my true nature!  The reality is that every person is cursed by sin because in ourselves we just cannot be good enough to satisfy a good God!  (Do you remember the story of Moses, when he asked God to show him His glory?  It was necessary for Moses to hide his face when God’s goodness passed before him, otherwise he would have been incinerated!) –we have no concept of “being good” compared to God’s goodness!

In goodness, God made a plan to remove every curse from our lives through the death of Jesus—For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed by everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them”…. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”…  (Galatians 3:13).

I think that is pretty basic Christianity—most everyone agrees, for by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8, 9).  The problem I see is our willingness to come back under the curse, either to “help God out”, or because we think Jesus’ blood was not good enough to get the job done.

Saved by grace, plus…. –keeping these rules, outward adherence to particular laws or Mosaic regulations without the inward working of the Holy Spirit to build the spiritual principles into our lives.  Another curse that hung over my head for years was a teaching on tithe based on Malachi 3:9 – You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.  That curse was nailed to the cross in the person of Jesus!  There are definitely New Covenant principles for giving.  Based on the understanding that everything belongs to God, give, and it will be given to you.  Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap.  For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you (Luke 6:38).  Jesus brings blessing, not curses, however people are very happy to shackle you with a curse!

No human being can tame the tongue (but the Holy Spirit can!).  It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.  From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be so!  (James 3:8-10)

Careless words can curse people, but no curse can stick unless we give it a place in our hearts.  God has a unique way of turning curses into blessings (see the story of Balaam in Numbers 23, 24).  It is good to know that God has a blessing for every disparaging word spoken against us—we just need to remember His goodness!

God promises favor instead of curses!

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.  For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield (Psalm 5:12).

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that with come through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith (Philippians 3:7-9).

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor.  No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.  O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!  (Psalm 84:11, 12)

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.  For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime!  (Psalm 30:4, 5)

Since Jesus lives in us through faith, and the Father loves the Son, then it stands to reason that the Father loves us, and we are all His favorite children!  I just cannot help but rejoice!

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God Works!

Posted on April 22, 2013 by suemariericker

I think one of the favorite scripture clubs that the more self-righteous (and I’m pretty sure everyone of us has self-righteous moments), whether Christian or non-believer, enjoys using on those who do not measure up to their standards or preach their doctrines is recorded in Philippians 2:12:  Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

I have the picture in my mind of someone (not the apostle Paul) taking a deep breath, speaking those words with force and by the time they get to the next verse all that is coming out of their mouth is a breathy whisper, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (v. 12).

To be perfectly honest, I have so focused at times on the working out of my salvation and the “fear and trembling” part that the message of the next verse comes across as subordinate.  The problem of outranking God’s work with our work is that salvation isn’t happening—because He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:5-7).

So what about the “fear and trembling” part?  There is nothing in the Bible that supports adopting a spirit of fear – for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7).  In fact, we are instructed, Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).  Is this another one of those contradictions that many who do not accept the Bible as the inerrant, infallible Word of God like to point to and say, “see there, I told you so”? –or is it one of those points of fine tension that cause us to run towards the Source of the scripture and ask, “What do you mean?”

There is one thought that immediately comes to mind – I, for one, would not consider approaching God apart from the righteousness of Jesus.  There is no shortage of reasons to adopt a posture of fear and trembling if I am coming to God on the basis of my works.  If I think for a minute that, in my sinful nature, there is something good to offer my Creator that could add towards my salvation, then I am living in a deluded state!  …and in those moments when I do not recognize the sinfulness of my humanity—God help me!

And that is the point—it is God, who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure!  It starts with willingness, which He gives us, and then He equips us with everything good that we may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever! (Hebrews 13:21).

Perhaps the tension these scriptures expose is our having a right perspective of who God is when we come before him.  –correct in our understanding of His holiness and our insufficiency apart from Christ.  –correct in our perception of our size in comparison to His.  –correct in our understanding of His power and our powerlessness.  –correct in the balance between His goodness and our feeble attempts at doing good.  It is from a position of rightly discerning who His is and responding to His promises of loving-kindness and faithfulness that we can rejoice always, come before Him confidently with thanksgiving, and respond to the Holy Spirit at work in our hearts.

It is not for us to determine how God is working in our hearts; rather, it is the job of the Holy Spirit, who is like the wind—we can see the effects of Him blowing through our lives but we do not tell Him which pile of leaves to stir up!  Our part is to trust that He, who began the good work in us, will bring it to completion.  This is the work of God, that you believe in Him who He has sent (John 6:29).

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Just The Facts!

Posted on April 15, 2013 by suemariericker

I am not perfect, and I find that information a bit disconcerting.  People who are not Christians like to condemn Christians for their imperfections and inconsistencies and I would prefer not having any evidence in my life to support their case—but I am not to that point yet.  I find that I don’t have answers to all the questions, I get impatient when I would rather give the impression of a kindly, patient grandma, and I will not put Christian bumper stickers on my car for all the obvious reasons—I am not always a totally reasonable driver (though it is more often other people who are the offenders, not me!).

I would like my life to be like a sailboat with colorful sails on a lake with deep blue waters, steady, gentle winds and the sun shining brilliantly.  More often than not, I feel like I am in a rickety rowboat, no land in sight, harsh winds and high waves.

However, life is not about sailing through—perhaps that works for some people, but not most.  The precious fact is that for those of us who are Christians, we have a sleeping Savior in our boats.  Sleeping?  I don’t think so.  Resting, –definitely!  Implicit in the command to go to the other side is the promise that we will get there.  He is not worried about the storms; we do not need to be either!

That being said, I had some moments lately when I hit my “faith wall”.  There has been a “status change” regarding my finances, and things that could go wrong in the apartment were going wrong.  The waves were tossing me and my arms were weak from rowing and getting nowhere!  On top of that, my human nature was getting exposed in some rather annoying ways—it took me back to the days when depression was how I was doing even though “fine” was my answer.

I pouted for about a day and a half, grumping around a bit like my 2-year-old granddaughter.  I am getting smarter nowadays, though.  I’m not spending near as much, if any, time trying to get my emotions rearranged and making false faith confessions that cause my heart and my mind to scream at me “LIAR!”  Rather, I have learned that my best response is to go to the Source, to the One who sees my heart and sees through my hypocrisy and tell him my fears, my “oh ye of little faith” moments, and confess that I just do not have what it takes to be good enough, nor adequate faith to get Him to do what I want or need Him to do for me.

The beauty and simplicity of the gospel touches every area of our lives, though, especially those “I just don’t seem to have enough faith moments”—it is in those very weak times when, if we will let Him, God will be our strength.  It starts with honesty on our part—if we confess our unbelief to Him, He will forgive us and wash away our unbelief.  Abraham is best known for being the father of faith, but it was not instantaneous (which you will notice if you read his story).  It is amazing that his mistakes and failures are not recorded in the New Testament, but God’s final assessment of his life is, no distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised (Romans 4:20, 21).

Faith grows—that’s the bottom line.  The promises of God, recorded in the Bible, are not clouds, puffy and unsubstantial; rather, they are the facts we can build our lives upon, as solid as bedrock—not like sand that shifts with the wind and the waves.  There are so many reasons to give glory to God!  Beginning with salvation, there is no area of our lives where we need to live outside of God’s amazing covering and provision.

The Holy Spirit gently whispered to me, “You are letting these minor things derail your life and relationship to Me?  What will happen when the big tests come, if you stand trial for your faith?”   He also gave me a word for who Jesus wants to be for me in this situation—provision.

The truth about faith is that it is dynamic, not static.  One does not “get saved” and stay there.  Oh, no!  God has much better stuff for us—victories, blessings, emotional restoration, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, all of the goodies wrapped up in the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit, they all belong to us through faith, as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—and give Him glory!

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