Lifting Up Hands

"...As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up - one on one side, one on the other - so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword." (Exodus 17:11-13)

Man, did this portion of God's Word strike me deep in the heart, as well as coming separately to mind to a sister, who echoed and confirmed this thought...

The defeat of the enemy, the Amalekites, was dependent on Moses holding up his hands. But notice, he did not have to do it on his own. In fact, had he been left to do so (so it seems from the message in this Scripture), there would have been no way that he could have continued persevering in his assignment, and the enemy would have overcome Joshua.

There is an obvious lesson in this for anyone - and that is we were not meant to try to do things entirely on our own. Daily, we are dependent on others -those we know and those we don't - for those things that sustain us. In fact, according to this real-life event, not only was it important that Moses had aid, it was essential to both his and the whole group of Israelites' survival.

This "lesson" (or now, we should call it truth) becomes even more imperative - or perhaps I should say it becomes that much more central to those who are members of Christ's eternal body:

".so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." (Romans 12:5)

"From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." (Ephesians 4:16)

There is a gigantic need (and command) for those who have been reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus His Son (2 Corinthians 5:18-19), to not only each do his or her own work but to consistently be attuned to the indwelling Holy Spirit as to when he or she needs to be an "Aaron" or a "Hur" and to hold up a brother's or sister's hand.

And this does not mean simply praying for him or her. Certainly, as Paul states, we should be praying continuously both in general, and specifically for those who share in Christ's body with us - the saints (Ephesians 6:18). But sometimes, instead of clasping our hands in prayer, we should be using them to help carry the load of a brother or sister, which often may be the deciding factor of whether or not he or she is temporarily defeated by the enemy - whether that enemy be the cares of the world, the sinful nature, or demonic entities. A very explicit example of this follows:

"See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." (Hebrews 3:12-13)

Turn this around and it basically says, "There is a very strong potential that you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin unless you encourage one another daily. You will be defeated because unless you give (and receive) help with the holding, your hands will become too heavy to raise up." This speaks to the temptations of the sinful nature; but this principle most likely applies to the heaviness of the cares of this world and to the treachery of Satan's attacks as well. We need to help one another in and through them, or the potential for temporary defeat is quite large. The battlefield of those in the body of Christ is meant to be one of victory; not of tired, weary bodies scattered amok.

This warning from the inspired writer of the book of Hebrews concludes with:

"We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first." (verse 14)

Moses had to basically "hold firmly" till the end - his hands held in the air - until the enemy was defeated. But he did not do it by himself. Nor were his two assistants commissioned to only sit at a distance praying that his strength would not give out. They were there, by his side, ready to set a stone beneath his tired body and willing to support the weight of his weary arms. This is love.

"Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)

.but this is also a command to those who are members of the body of Christ:

"SEE TO IT, brothers."

Amen.

CAUGHT

"'Come,'  he (Jesus) said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him..." (Matthew 14:29-31)

In the Hebrew Greek, the word "caught" means "to take in addition," "to lay hold of," "take possession of," to "overtake," and metaphorically, "to rescue one from peril, to help, to succour" (StudyLight.org).

Often the focus of this event found in the Gospel of Matthew is the fact that the moment we take our eyes off of Jesus and give our heart-mind's focus to anything else, just like Peter on the water, we will sink. No doubt this is absolutely, positively the truth, which is why we are told to fix our eyes on Jesus, "the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:1-2) and that apart from Him, we absolutely, positively cannot do ANYTHING (John 15:5). (Welllll, we can still "do stuff," but boy, does it turn out messed up!).

But what captured my "heart-mind" in this verse was the fact that "immediately (when Peter began to sink), Jesus reached out his hand and caught (laid hold of, took possession of, rescued...) him." Wow, thank you, Lord.

I would say that the entire walk of a believer is about being asked to walk on water, since it is so very contrary to our human (natural) nature (Galatians 5:17). In order to journey through the world in this way, we must fix our spiritual eyes on Jesus (and our minds on things above: Colossians 3:1-2) or else our flesh, the world, and/or satan will find a way into even the tiniest crack in this earthen vessel, hone in on our weak spots, and try to do (and often succeed in doing) damage. And in this life, it is all-too-often far-too-easy to remove our gaze from our True Lover's eyes and place them on something...anything...else. It is almost inevitable that we will have our own "beginning to sink" times...

...and Jesus knows this. For it is also into these jars of clay that God has sent the Spirit of His Son (Galatians 4:6; Colossians 1:27):

"For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us..." (2 Corinthians 4:6-7)

When (not if) we take our spiritual eyes off of Jesus, and start to experience that sinking which means we have somehow strayed off of the right path, HE IS STILL RIGHT THERE TO CATCH US to keep us from "going down" even further: He knows we cannot yet perfectly walk on water (Romans 7:18-24; 1 Corinthians 15:42-54; 2 Corinthians 4:8-10; Galatians 5:17; Philippians 3:12-13). And it is because we have the Holy Spirit...the power of God...inside of us, that we can reach out (or in this case, reach in) our hand, cry out...SCREAM OUT...and be rescued by Jesus; and He says, "immediately." Continue to focus on that "other thing"...or worse, think that IT can prevent a perpetual plunge into sadness, confusion...into sin...and we move closer to those states described by Paul such as being crushed, in despair, feeling forsaken, and leaving ourselves vulnerable to perhaps not spiritual destruction, but certainly major damage (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).

"But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him..."

Our challenge here is to walk on water, when almost everything within and outside of us conspires to drag us under. But we have a Savior who knows this and is always there to keep our feet (hearts, minds...) on that firm - and higher - ground. He won't force us to grab His Hand; but if we cry out, He will always answer:

(From Hinds' Feet on High Places, by Hannah Hurnard. The Good Shepherd, Jesus, talking to the main character, Much Afraid...or any one of us...):

"...you will not at first be able to accompany me or keep up with me...However, you must remember that as soon as you reach the slopes of the mountains there is a wonderful system of communication from end to end of the Kingdom of Love, and I shall be able to hear you whenever you speak to me...

...Whenever you call for help...

...I promise to come to you at once..." (p. 29, Deuteronomy 4:7)

In His Mighty, and Holy, and Everlasting Precious Love,

Terri

She put in All She Had

The widow who put her two small copper coins into the temple treasury was noted by Jesus as one who had “’…put more into the treasury than all the others…’” – those who had put in more money than she had (Mark 12:43). Jesus said that she had given out of her poverty, and that she had in fact put in everything that was hers to live on (v. 44).

I think we have a way of generalizing and even trivializing what this type of giving looks like. Quite often, we still focus on money or other material resources (as was the case here) as being the items of“sacrifice.” Giving people time also has become something that, if given gladly and sacrificially, is seen as precious because sometimes it is this resource in which we feel most impoverished – especially if we are trying to claim it as our own.

Notice how Jesus knew that this widow had put everything into that treasury. He didn’t know this by asking her, nor did he have the biographies of everyone who was giving at that time. Because he was God incarnate – he knew. He could see things that no one else could see. Perhaps others could tell by her clothes or other externals that she was poor, but only Jesus could see the true extent of, in other words, what was being “laid down” in this giving, and what it meant as it related specifically to her.

Jesus gives us the opportunity constantly to “put in our last two copper coins” and only he, at each moment, can see to the core if what is being “put in” is a true act of sacrifice, cutting to the heart of who we are, or if it is just more of a routine, external event. Let me give some examples.

…For someone who indulges and maybe even thrives on self-pity – to resist this temptation by the power of the Holy Spirit and to perhaps focus on another person – this is their “two copper coins.”

…For someone who is holding a grudge against someone, and is seeking to be justified, but instead allows God to work in them and to help them love that person – this is their “two copper coins.”

…For someone who wishes that their circumstances were different, but, instead of becoming bitter towards God or anyone else, offers praise to God and shares His glory with others – this is their “two copper coins.”

And there are even those responses that to many might seem just the opposite of “giving,” but because Jesus knows that person’s heart, he knows that he or she is really giving up something:

…For someone who worries about what people think, he or she may need to begin saying “no” to things that are asked of him or her, knowing that he or she will be doing it grudgingly and/or for the sake of approval –this is their “two copper coins.”

…For someone who seeks too much attention from people, he or she may decide to limit for a time their interactions with others in order to just spend time with the Lord – this is their “two copper coins.”

So why would putting in these things be likened to the depth of what the widow offered? The answer to that lies in the fact that she had put in “everything she had to live on.” Very often it feels like we are “living on” some of the things mentioned above: feeling sorry for ourselves becomes a way of getting attention or feeling protected; holding a grudge gives us a feeling of justification and power; envy or bitterness compensates us in a twisted way for the things we wish we had; and approval/attention-seeking feeds our egos. In fact, these are the very things – among a whole host of others that may be a lot less obvious – on which our old nature (flesh, old self, sinful nature) feeds in order to stay alive. And for each person at any one given moment, any one or more of these things may provide a major temptation to the old, sinful nature.

I believe that it is here, on a daily basis, where the circumcision of the heart takes place (Romans 2:28-29; 1 Corinthians 15:31; Luke 9:23): “In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ…” (Colossians 2:11). Each time the Spirit enables us to lay one or more of these things down – to essentially place ourselves on his altar in order to remove the dross so that some day only silver will remain – we are indeed putting in “all that we have to live on” – in the old nature.

But of course it doesn’t end there. We aren’t enabled to put in those copper coins just to be left impoverished – something happens when those coins hit the bottom of that pan. That sound evokes a celebration in heaven that a saint has stepped even one more millimeter into the kingdom of God; Jesus delights in the fact that that person has just now become even more of his brother and friend; and if that person is aware, he or she can sense a change – a softening – like something has actually just been done to his or her heart and spirit. But it is only Jesus who can make us aware at each moment what our specific copper coins are and when we need to put them in; and it’s only he who can enable us, by the Holy Spirit’s power, to do so. Yet it is wewho seem to reap the greatest rewards through this interaction. What a gracious God we have. Praise the Lord!

Love without Expectations

“On the last day…of the feast (Feast of Tabernacles  Leviticus 23:33-44), Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink (Isaiah 55:1-5).  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”  (John 7:37-38)

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”  (John 8:36)

In both circumstances, Jesus is speaking to His Jewish brethren, those whom he sought with passion to believe that He was (and is) their chosen Messiah (Luke 13:34-35).  His message carries from then until now; for all who will receive Him (John 1:12-13). 

I was talking with a friend the other day, and we spoke of the following, both as it relates to non-believers, but also how it happens within the believing community.  What does one do when it seems that people call basically only when they need something?  Or when a friendly word or smile is met with indifference, or worse, with disdain?  Or when one gives (and gives), but in terms of reciprocation, there is only a dry desert, whether that be in lack of return word or deed? 

The above scenarios surely imply at least a sad shortage of courtesy.  Even the Messiah Himself suggested that there are certain “rules of etiquette” when interacting with one another.  When visiting Simon the Pharisee in his home, and in response to an event that occurred there that did show great courtesy and love (Luke 7:37-38), Jesus counseled the prominent religious leader about how he should have treated Jesus (Luke 7:44-46).  But “should have” and reality do not always correspond.  When this happens, when expectations of a loving response are not met, it can be painful.  How can one avoid this hurt?  Or perhaps a better, and much “higher,” question is, can one actually give love with no expectations? 

“…He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 

If I may borrow an analogy from a brilliant book by Larry Crabb, within a believer there is a “Lower Room” where the dying old creature still dwells (Romans 7:18-19) and an “Upper Room” that has been opened up, aired out, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit (The Safest Place on Earth, pp. 59-71, see bottom p. 64).  This Spirit of Jesus (Galatians 4:6) is Perfect Love, and is the very living water that is meant to be both an endless supply to the person in whom He dwells (John 4:14), and to those surrounding him or her.  It is the hope of the individual (and the desire of the Spirit for him/her – Galatians 5:16-17) to begin spending more and more time residing in this Upper Room, and it is from this place that, although one is still aware of what “should” be, love can be given with no strings attached…no crushed expectations…and in fact with great enthusiasm and elation.  And from where does this joy come?  It gushes forth both from the love being given, but also from the realization that no empty hole results when it is not returned – because the One who sets “free indeed” …Jesus our Savior, brother, friend, and lover (Isaiah 53:4-5, 10; Proverbs 18:24; Luke 8:21; John 1:12-13, 15:15; Song of Solomon 5:16)... is continuously filling up to overflowing the one who has joined with Him.  Forever glory and praise to His Excellency and to His Beautiful Name. Lord, make us free to love without expectations. 

  

In His Love,     

Terri

Our New Home: With Him

"...Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10)

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name..." (Matthew 6:9)

"...on earth as it is in heaven..."

Once becoming children of the Living God (John 1:12-13) ...Christians...Believers...

...residing in His court

  ...protected beneath His solid wings

    ...lying in painful yet hopeful anticipation as we burn on His precious
         altar

                                     ...Emmanuel!...God is WITH us.

Ultimately, our New Home is with God: "...on earth as it is in heaven...".  We no longer live, walking around, in a decaying and crumbling world (Romans 8:20-21; Ephesians 4:21-22), separated from God (Ephesians 4:17-19; Colossians 1:21-22).  No.  Now those who have crossed over from death to life (John 5:24) abide in a supernatural realm that cannot be seen fully yet, not even with spiritual eyes; and with us in that New Home dwells God! 

God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things...and (He) has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us...

...for in Him we live and move and have our being... (Acts 17:24-28)

"...on earth as it is in heaven..."

In our New Home - this spiritual realm - we are princes and princesses, protected warriors, living sacrifices (1 Peter 2:9; Ephesians 6:11; Romans 12:1-2).  But God is not far from each one of us; indeed, He is IN us by His Spirit (John 14:15-17).  And it is in His Loving Spirit, Who guides us into all truth (John 16:13), that we must walk, fight, and live (Galatians 5:16-18, 25).  This is our Real New Home.  Remain here, and we are safe and being sanctified; step outside of it (which we still can) and God has to allow the consequences (John 15:4-5) (even though He is still near, waiting for us to return - Luke 15:17-24)... 

So let us continue to not only remind one another of our New Home, but also to make sure we enjoy it together...in HIS Name...praising and worshiping...singing and dancing...laughing and weeping...until the day Jesus returns, to bring us to the final New Home He has prepared for us, the Reality of any earthly copy or representation, together with Him.  

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know...
 

...Jesus (says)..., “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”    (John 14:1-4, 6-7)
 
Hallelujah and amen! 

  

In His Love,  

Terri

Our New Home: The Altar

...A stately court
....Comforting, protective feathers

This next representation of our New Home with God may not be quite as appealing...to our flesh, that is.

"Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young - even Your altars, O Lord of hosts..." (Psalm 84:3)

     "This is the place," said Much-Afraid quietly.  "This is where I am to make my offering."  She went up to the altar and knelt down.  "My Lord," she said softly through the mist.  "Will you come to me now and help me to make my burnt offering as you have commanded me?"...
...At that the indistinct figure behind the altar stepped forward and said quietly, "I am the priest of this altar - I will take it out of your heart if you wish."...
...He came and stood beside her, his form indistinct and blurred by the mist, and then she continued entreatingly, "I am a very great coward.  I am afraid that the pain may cause me to try to resist you.  Will you bind me to the altar in some way so that I cannot move?  I would not like to be found struggling while the will of my Lord is done."  (Hinds' Feet on High Places, pp. 210, 212)

One of our Homes with God while still here on earth is an altar which He has prepared for each one of us on which we too must present our burnt offering (Romans 12:1).  Laying ourselves atop this "New Home" is usually not pleasant, and quite often can be tremendously painful - sometimes feeling like death itself (1 Corinthians 15:31).  But in order to have crucified our flesh (Galatians 2:20; Philippians 3:8), or old nature, which resists the transforming work of the powerful Holy Spirit in us (Galatians 5:17), we actually need to spend much of our time here living on the altar of God.  We don't have to, though.  Like for any of these New Homes, God gives us the choice whether we will remain in the court...beneath His wings...on the altar; but unless we cooperate with the work that WILL be done in us (Philippians 1:6) while abiding on the altar, our life here will be that much more wrought with anxiety, disorder, and confusion, and we will not be as prepared to enter into His Presence when Jesus comes to take us to our Final New Home (John 14:1-3).  However there will indeed come a time when we'll no longer require this New Home - the altar - for one day we WILL be fully transformed and eternally free!  So for now, let us ask Him for the help we need to secure ourselves on this Home, the altar, until God's preciously painful work in us is done. 

"...in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."  (1 Corinthians 15:52)

"Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.'"  (Revelation 21:5)


In His Love, 
Terri

Our New Home: Surrounded by His Feathers

In the last devotional about Home, "court" or "home" was defined in Hebrew as a safe place.  Another way that we can envision our New Home with God certainly illustrates that sense of deep security:

"He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge..."   (Psalm 91:4)

Our New Home...beneath feathers...covered by wings...

This representation of our New Home reminds me of a short writing from 2005.  This devotional was inspired by the passage from Isaiah 43: "Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you..." (43:4).  To be called precious in the eyes of God evoked the experience of being nestled into a big, warm, fluffy blanket (sometimes called a comforter; similar to being safely surrounded by soft feathers or wings!).  Interestingly, several of the Hebrew definitions for "precious" indicate a process ("to make something precious"), which involves being removed ("withdraw") as well as being different ("rarely") (StudyLight).  So not only is God offering us a place of comfort and safety beneath His wings, He is calling us apart  (Song of Solomon 2:10; 2 Corinthians 6:16-18) to draw ever closer to Him so that His active work of transformation can be accomplished, making us not only precious, but eventually perfect (Matthew 5:48) and beautiful in heart, mind, and spirit in the image of His Son (2 Corinthians 3:17-18; 1 John 3:2) .       

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.'"  (Psalm 91:1-2)

However, unlike the fragility of physical feathers, the wings of God are like a fortified castle...a bastion...where no one can hurt, no one can harm (Psalm 91:5-7), and the sense of comfort and protection is like nothing that can be found in the natural realm.  Here, not only is there a secure sense of comfort within, but the knowledge that God is outside and all around this feathered fortress, tirelessly fighting the battle to fully capture the hearts of His sons and daughters (Deuteronomy 6:5).   

And surrounded by the soft but oh-so-solid covering of our New Home we can know that:

"Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will."  (Matthew 10:29) and

"But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."    (Isaiah 40:31)

In His Love,  
Terri