Luke 9:23-25

“Then He said to them all, ‘If any want to become My followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for My sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?’” (NRSV)

Who are you? What does your life consist of? How do you define yourself? What do you hold important? All of these questions help us to determine what makes up “our life.” Particularly in Western culture, where there is an abundance of wealth, life is more than simply breathing. It is the satisfaction of fulfilling our wishes and desires. It is becoming who we want to be or doing what we want to do. Even if we spend a majority of our time earning money in ways that aren’t fulfilling or fun, we focus on those times when we can “enjoy” ourselves doing . . . whatever. Maybe you are the kind of person who wants to focus on health, on eating right and exercising. Maybe you are the kind of person who wants to experience new things, challenge yourself to new heights. Maybe you have a particular hobby or talent that is your “pride and joy.” It doesn’t matter what it is. That thing (or those things) which make you happy, for which you long, to which you gravitate, those things are at least part (if not the focus) of your life.

The question that the Lord Jesus presents here is this: Are we willing to give that up for the sake of the kingdom? If giving it up meant that someone would get saved, that someone would listen to the gospel message, would we be willing to give it up?

Dr. Sidney and Helen Correll were Foursquare pastors infused with a passion for missions. This same passion they taught their children. Their son, Sidney Robert, took up the passion and prepared as a medical doctor for the mission field in Africa. Imagine the years, dedication, and expense that were incurred to allow him to fulfill his dream. His parents were overjoyed beyond imagination, that one of their children would take up the dream and dedicate their life to bringing the gospel to a continent where many were nonbelievers. Helen Correll, in her book, quotes her husband:

“Can you imagine what it meant to me when my own son finished his long years of training as a doctor and surgeon, and sailed to the African continent as a medical missionary? I felt a tremendous responsibility to this boy, and to all the missionaries of United World Mission. I dreamed dreams of conquest, conquest of this whole western part of Africa. And then, the cruel message from the Western Union operator: ‘Sidney Robert went to be with the Lord October 15th, 4 am.’ In a blind flash of pain, my world caved in, and the awful question rushed in, ‘Why?’ All these years of preparation. The work was just begun, and there was not another missionary doctor in a thousand miles.”

Sidney Robert hadn’t been in Africa more than a few months, perhaps less, when the Lord took him home in a tragic accident. It seemed that Dr. Sidney and Helen had lost everything, but as mature Christians, they were willing to lose their lives, even their dreams if the Lord required it. Imagine their surprise when, because of their son’s death, more than a dozen people responded to the need for missionaries in Africa and answered the call. Father God was certainly aware of the need and had His own plan to provide for it! But it took the Corrells being willing to give up their “lives,” to give up their dream as they had dreamed it in order to allow God’s plan to take hold.

My husband and I are currently facing the possibility of having to give up a dream, a part of our lives that we thought was an important ministry. And as we have struggled with the thought of this loss, the Lord spoke to me yesterday: Are you willing to give this up for the sake of the Kingdom? If this means that people are drawn to me, is the loss of this part of your life worth it? Are you willing?

I believe that the Lord is asking each one of us this question. We need to be examining our lives and asking what thing is there that the Lord would have us give up. What are the things in our lives—even those things which seem so right and good—that are impeding the work that He has planned? In order to gain our lives with Him, we need to be readily willing to give up whatever He asks in order that the Kingdom might be advanced.

Are we willing?

© 2012 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Psalm 34:13-18

“Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against evildoers, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit” (NRSV).

Perspective is everything!

I can remember when I was learning to drive. (And, yes, it was a long time ago.) I would watch the curb and lines very near to the car and often find myself drifting perilously close to the curb or into the oncoming traffic. Only when I looked ahead, into the distance, was I able to correctly steer the car in a straight line.

I think that life for believers is very much like that. When we stare too intensely at the circumstances around us, focusing on them, we lose our perspective and begin to veer into all kinds of sin, including speaking evil and deceit. We forget that ahead—in the distance—is the promise of salvation, is the promise of God to take care of us. That He is working all things for our good, even perhaps the evil things that are currently surrounding us.

When we drive, the curb next to us is rarely our destination. It is simply that which we have to pass by in order to reach the place we are going. It is the same in life. This situation in which we find ourselves enmeshed isn’t our destination; it isn’t our “forever.” It is simply something we need to pass by on our way to our true and eternal home. It’s just a speck in the road.

This passage is clearly about a situation where someone was being persecuted. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. I’m currently in a situation where I am crying out for help, a situation where of trouble. I am very brokenhearted and crushed in spirit, and yet, I know that the Lord is with me and is going ahead of me to make the perfect way.

This passage isn’t alone in its admonition of how we should act when we are in the midst of trials. Throughout scripture—over and over again (probably the repetition is for those like me who are obtuse when it comes to learning how to respond in crises)—we are commanded to respond to evil with good. Paul wrote in Romans:

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (12:17-21 NRSV).

Paul’s passage is more powerful that I could imagine. The word translated “noble” in v. 17 is kalos. From Strong’s G2570 it means:

“1 beautiful, handsome, excellent, eminent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable. 1a beautiful to look at, shapely, magnificent. 1b good, excellent in its nature and characteristics, and therefore well adapted to its ends. 1b1 genuine, approved. 1b2 precious. 1b3 joined to names of men designated by their office, competent, able, such as one ought to be. 1b4 praiseworthy, noble. 1c beautiful by reason of purity of heart and life, and hence praiseworthy. 1c1 morally good, noble. 1d honourable, conferring honour. 1e affecting the mind agreeably, comforting and confirming.”

I know that the definition is long, but I read it again and again. And then I thought about all of this in light of the scripture: Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.

Take thought for what is . . . beautiful, excellent, surpassing, precious, commendable, magnificent, excellent in its nature and characteristics, genuine, praiseworthy, beautiful by reason of purity of heart and life, morally good, honorable, comforting . . . in the sight of all.

So, when I am in a hurtful or harmful situation, I am not to respond in kind, but instead to take thought of God, for what else or who else is beautiful by reason of purity of heart and life? Who else is excellent in nature and characteristics? When I hit a bump in the road, rather than focusing on the bump, I need to focus on the beauty of the Lord and His provision for me.

Paul also makes this passage very practical. He commands us to repay evil with good. Now, it might be easy to think that Paul didn’t know what he was talking about if he had never suffered persecution. But he did! He described his suffering in 2 Corinthians:

“Five times I have received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers and sisters; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked” (11:24-27 NRSV).

And what’s amazing is that earlier, in chapter 4, Paul calls all these things “slight momentary afflictions” (v. 17). How could he do that? I think, perhaps, it’s because he was able to keep his eyes on the destination and not worry about the curbs or the bumps in the road. He understood the purpose of being a Christian: to minister to a world that, by its nature, would create pain and heartache and suffering. This world is filled to the brim with sin. People are out of control trying to hang onto their rights, trying to assuage their pain, and trying to justify their own hurtful actions. They don’t need to have any more pain added to their lives. Instead, they need to be ministered to. They need to be fed with the Bread of Life and satisfied with the Living Water. And, who can do that but the believers around them? Who can do that but me? Even if they are the ones who have harmed me, how can I deny them the opportunity to learn about God’s love and what the Lord Jesus has done for them? And if I make them my enemies, how can I share the gospel with them? The psalmist wrote:

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.

The Lord knows what I need. He sees and knows if evil has been done to me and because of His love, He is angry with the evil doers. But He is also ready and willing to offer them forgiveness and salvation if they will repent. I don’t need to stand up in defense of myself. I don’t need to try to find some kind of recompense. Only God can truly restore what I have lost and He will provide exactly what I need. Meanwhile, I need to keep my eyes on the goal at the end of the road, keep myself focused on what I should be doing, and continue to pray and minister to those around me.

© 2012 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Psalm 89:8

“O Lord God Almighty! Where is there anyone as mighty as You, Lord? Faithfulness is Your very character” (NLT).

I teach in a public school and these days, there’s a lot of talk within educational circles about character education. The word “character” in that context is basically talking about morality, the ability to see the right and wrong in each situation and to choose the right, regardless of one’s initial impulses or desires. Basically, for me, character means that foundational part of a person that motivates his decisions, his behavior, and from which he cannot deviate without conscious choice or the empowering of the Holy Spirit. Character is who we are when no one else is looking.

A. W. Tozer wrote an entire book on God’s character, The Knowledge of the Holy. In an opening chapter, he wrote: “An attribute of God is whatever God has in any way revealed as being true of Himself.” In his Bible Handbook, Pastor Jack Hayford wrote: “God may be described in terms of His attributes, the inherent characteristics of His person or being.” I truly believe that when the translators of the NLT chose to translate Psalm 89:8 using the word “character,” they chose that word deliberately.

Faithfulness is Your very character.

That phrase is so powerful. Think about how it is different from these phrases:

You are a faithful person.
You are always (or usually) faithful.

Faithfulness—the act of being faithful all the time—is not only a way to describe God; it is God. The very essence of faithfulness, its very existence, is dependent upon God Himself existing. There is no faithfulness without God. Galatians 5 tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (v. 22-23). The thing is, these are not simply characteristics or attributes of God; these are God. Without Him, these would not exist. Without God, there is no love, for God is love. Without God, there is no joy, for God is joy. Without God, there is no peace or patience or kindness or generosity or faithfulness or gentleness or self-control. These things do not exist outside of Him and we simply describe Him using them. These things are God!

Faithfulness is Your very character.

It is so very easy to deceive ourselves into thinking that our lives and this world can exist, even for a moment, without God or outside of His influence. It’s easy to “make believe” that we can do something that He won’t see or that we can hide from Him. (It would be easier to hide from the oxygen that surrounds our planet than to hide something from God.) I can’t hide the fear or anger within my heart from Him. I can’t hide my frustration with a certain situation or my desire for vengeance. He sees it and He already knows about it. What He’s waiting for isn’t to discover it, but rather for me to honestly admit that I have sinned and to seek His willing and ready forgiveness. And He is willing and ready to forgive because He is faithful.

© 2012 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Genesis 50:10-20a

“Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good’” (NRSV).

The story of Joseph is always amazing to me. I keep coming back, again and again, during different experiences in my life, to this particular verse and to the reality that was Joseph’s. You see, I’ve heard many preachers extol the honors that Joseph received, how he went from a slave to becoming Prime Minister of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. But that’s not quite the entire story.

Joseph, as a boy, I’m sure was convinced that he was destined by God to live within his family, within that safe known culture, and there to become the family patriarch. That he was destined to grow up and grow old surrounded by all he knew, lauded and respected by his brothers and their families. That he would have a comfortable and secure life.

None of that happened.

We all know the story. Because of his brothers’ jealousy, he was sold as a slave and taken to Egypt. There, he adapted himself to a life of servitude, but was able to prosper under the ownership of Potipher. He became second in power in that household, only his master was greater . . . when a lustful and vindictive wife falsely accused him of rape. He was summarily thrown into prison where he again became successful as the prison scribe (but still in prison). Then, through the interpretation of dreams—given to him by God—he was elevated to the position of Prime Minister of Egypt.

But here’s really where the “untold” story becomes so important. First, he was never vindicated of the rape. So, it’s is highly likely that the Egyptian court still looked upon him as a rapist. There was very likely much gossip and ostracizing. His only “acceptance” into that social circle came from Pharaoh’s power. Thus, outwardly he was accepted and respected, but that was probably all. Second, he came from a tribe that were shepherds, hated in Egypt (that’s why his family was “given” Goshen, a land distanced from Pharaoh’s palace). Pharaoh gave Joseph an Egyptian wife, clothed him in Egyptian clothes, and required him to shed every bit of his previous culture. In other words, Joseph was required outwardly to become an Egyptian. So, here he was, the Prime Minister, bereft of anything familiar and hated by all around him except his boss (who likely didn’t see him a lot). Even though he had the outward trappings of success, his life was certainly very different than what he had wanted or dreamed of.

And here’s where the story becomes so interesting. During his father’s life, Joseph made all appearances of embracing his family. But after Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers became frantic that he would finally take his vengeance upon them. They beg him to be merciful and he responded:

“Do not be afraid! Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good.”

Joseph had lost “everything” that we normally cherish. He had become, in essence, a stranger to his family. He regularly spoke a different language, wore different clothes, lived wholly in a different culture, had a foreign wife. And yet, in all of it, Joseph kept the one thing that mattered: his relationship with God. In that, despite all of his losses, he was able to understand the perspective of all our lives! You see, our lives are simply a dot in all of eternity. What matters is how much we trust God, how we live out His will, how we trust Him in the darkness. The losses don’t matter because He has promised to work all things for our good! Not some things, not only the good things, not just the fair things, but all things! Life wasn’t as Joseph had dreamed or expected. Life certainly wasn’t fair to him and things never evened out. But his life was what God had planned for a far greater purpose. Joseph was able to learn to take the long view of things and to trust God, regardless of what happened to him. Where he lived didn’t matter. His reputation with those around him didn’t matter. Where he ended up in life didn’t matter. All that mattered was doing the Father’s will . . . and Joseph did that.

I have to ask myself if I can be that obedient, that trusting. Everything was taken from Joseph and though there was an outward form of restoration, Joseph truly didn’t receive anything like he expected until he reached heaven. Am I willing to wait until then? Am I willing to live in a world that certainly isn’t fair, trusting God to take care of everything and being willing to wait for things to even out after I go Home?

Hebrews 11 teaches that many of the great saints of the Bible, both those named and those unnamed, didn’t receive the result of God’s promises to them in this life:

“All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them” (v. 13 NRSV).

These understood the great truth taught by our Lord:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21 NRSV).

Am I willing to simply walk the path He had outlined for me, shedding everything that He deems unnecessary and clinging only to Him? Is He my only treasure? I would hope that daily I come closer to that Truth in my life.

© 2012 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Psalm 89:17-18

“You are their glorious strength. Our power is based on Your favor. Yes, our protection comes from the Lord, and He, the Holy One of Israel, has given us our king” (NLT).

How much should we defend ourselves? Perhaps the question should actually be, how much do we allow the Lord to defend us? Is our protection truly the Lord? Do we allow Him to work in situations and to take care of us? Do I?

I often wish that life would just stop for awhile and let me rest, that I could go through a few days without some kind of crisis. I would love to be able to get up, live the day, come home, go to bed, and simply breathe, rather than having to deal with the problems that come from living in a sinful world. I sure that many other believers have the same desire.

Life here—in this earth that is filled with sin—is simply not easy. It’s not uneventful and it’s not painless. Life here consists of my plans and my desires converging with the plans and desires of others and usually converging with a crash, rather than converging seamlessly. Like a gross of pinballs let loose in a pinball game all at the same time, we all tend to bump and bang off each other, creating more problems than we started with and many times leaving pain and heartache in our wake.

So when the pain, when the heartache, when the attacks come, where should I turn? Where do I turn? Do I truly believe that God is working everything out for my good or do I unceasingly spin my wheels looking for a way that I might successfully manipulate the situation around me? (As if that were possible.) This passage states that any power (or influence) that I might have in every situation is based solely on God’s favor. In other words, if He has gone before me, then I will have influence. If I go where He has not gone, I am helplessly left to my own defenses (which I know from experience are very much less than satisfactory).

My protection comes from the Lord. It doesn’t matter what manner of attack comes, God is working everything for my good (Romans 8:28). Not only that, but God Himself is the manner of my protection:

“You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield” (Psalm 115:11 NRSV).

Nothing can come upon me that the Lord Himself doesn’t allow. No “evil” can come to me, only that which He is working for my good.

“Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent” (Psalm 91:9-10 NRSV).

Because of this, there is no need to defend myself, but simply to trust Him. He will guide my steps, guide my words, and make a way for me . . . every time!

© 2012 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Philippians 4:6

“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (NRSV).

I have a wonderful adopted aunt. (My parents were both only children, so I didn’t have any aunts or uncles by blood). She has now gone Home, but while on earth, she was a girlie-girl if ever there was one. I can’t ever remember her wearing pants . . . ever! She was always in a dress, with heels (at least small ones), her hair done up in curls, beautiful jewelry. She was a minister of God, speaking and writing music, traveling all over the world telling others about God. Today, I read something she wrote and saw these words:

“I find myself praying, ‘Oh, God, let me be there when someone needs me!’”

I almost laughed. My wonderful aunt was marvelous at speaking and at music, but she was totally inept at cooking, cleaning, fixing, doing. Almost anything that required more than a piano or a pen. Who could she help? She couldn’t fix a meal, mend a dress, change a tire, even pick up a box to help someone move.

And then I read on.

She wrote: “There were heartaches to be shared . . . counsellings to be offered . . . prayers to be prayed.”

Prayers to be prayed.

I stopped short and thought of a conversation I had yesterday with a friend. His dad died suddenly last week. I saw my friend for the first time yesterday and he was still devastated in mourning and loss. Tears welled up in his eyes the moment I asked how he was. I offered to help (several times), but felt so helpless. What could I do to help in this situation? I told him that we were praying (which we are), but that alone seemed like so little!

Suddenly this morning I realized how backward my thinking has been! Oh, how short-sighted I’ve been, to think that my feeble hands are all that are needed to mend the problems of those around me, and how wrong I’ve been to think that praying for someone isn’t much. Praying for someone is everything! Praying releases the blessings of God into a situation, into someone’s life. And if that person isn’t a Christian, praying may be just what it takes to bring them to Christ.

The apostle Paul taught repeatedly the importance of prayer, insisting that we pray about everything and pray all the time:

“Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication” (Ephesians 6:18 NRSV).

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer” (Romans 12:12 NRSV).

I have shared this before, but I know it needs repeating in my own life. S. D. Gordon, a great saint of the Lord, said, “You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray before you have prayed.” There is no greater gift that I can give to a friend than my prayers, no greater service that I can do, no greater sacrifice that I can make. As a Church, I think we have ignored or forgotten how powerful our prayers can be. Our votes may not change the course of a nation, but our prayers can. Our love may not change the course of a marriage, but our prayers can. Our protests may not change the course of a society, but our prayers can. Why? Because when we pray, we lay the problem at the throne of grace and our God is able to do whatever He wills in the lives and situations around us. We are lost because we haven’t prayed. We become mighty in the Lord when we learn how to, at all times and for all things, pray.

© 2012 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Psalm 89:5

“Let the heavens praise Your wonders, O Lord, Your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones” (NRSV).

I work in a very small, rural community. Often, when my husband and I go to the grocery store, we see students from one of the two school in which we work. The younger students are often amazed that we are there, as if they believe (which I think some do) that we should live our lives only and always at school. That’s where they know us; that’s where we belong. In their eyes, we are simply teachers with no other roles (such as spouse, parent, or friend) and teachers belong at school. I’ve even had very young ones run to the nearest aisle and peer out at me, wonderingly, afraid to talk to me outside of my “regular” sphere of influence.

I think as Christians we often think of God similarly. We box Him into the areas in which our lives revolve. God is here on this earth, within the stars and sky we see, and within our lives. In a sense, within “the heavens” and within “the assembly.” And His doings are limited to the wonders and faithfulness that we know, at least in our minds. Doris Akers used to sing a song entitled “How Big Is God?”

“How big is God? How big and wide is His domain.
To try to tell these lips can only start,
He's big enough to rule His mighty universe,
Yet small enough to live within my heart.”

How big is God? Psalm 95 tells us that He holds everything in His hands:

“For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In His hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for He made it, and the dry land, which His hands have formed” (vs. 3-5 NRSV).

Now, I know that God doesn’t have hands in the sense that I do, but He made the earth. He is obviously much bigger, much more powerful than any force I can see or even imagine! His power goes beyond . . . beyond anything I can know of or learn about:

“He determines the number of the stars; He gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure” (Psalm 147:4-5 NRSV).

According to astronomers and scientists, there are approximately (because they can’t count them all) between 10 sextillion and 1 septillion stars in the universe. Now, to understand that (if you’re not a mathematician; I’m not!), a sextillion is the number 10 with 22 zeroes after it. And a septillion is the number 10 with 24 zeroes after it. There are at least that many stars and God has named every one of them! I have about 60-80 students in each of my two choirs and I can’t keep all their names straight or memorized. I can’t imagine not only remembering, but having the vocabulary possible to name 10 sextillion stars. And yet my God has done this! And the psalmist says that “the heavens” (that is, all these stars as well as their accompanying planets, the comets, the suns, and moons, and anything else out there) praise God’s wonders. They also praise His faithfulness to us who meet together in His assembly, the believers who are called by His name.

This universe is huge, but God’s focus is on earth, on the creation He made in His image (us!), and on the work of salvation that He has done to create a Bride for His Son. In other words, God’s focus is on me. And as His daughter, I have a direct line to Him, anytime, anywhere. He wants to hear from me, to talk with me, and to care for me. He is faithful to me. Oh, that I would learn from His Spirit how to be faithful to Him!

© 2012 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Psalm 89:3-4

“I have sworn to my servant David: ‘I will establish your descendants forever, and build your throne for all generations.’ ” (NRSV).

In the movie Airforce One, the President of the United States has been giving a speech. When he returns to his plane, he intends to watch a football games that has already taken place. He admonishes his staff not to tell him the outcome. He wants to enjoy the game as if he is watching it live. His staff, of course, having already watched the game know the outcome. From the President’s perspective, his staff “know” the future because they know how the game will turn out.

No person control the future or anything about it, but Father God. He is in absolute control. I can’t begin to understand how He can control the future and yet allow us free will, but His promise to us is that He is working everything out for our good (Romans 8:28) and so there is this dichotomy. And while we cannot know what will necessarily happen in the next five minutes, throughout the day, or even tomorrow, we do know the end of the story, how things we work out. We know, in a sense, which “football” team wins because we know that God wins, every time and in every way.

God has promised that David’s descendants (both Jew and Gentile believers) will be established forever and that his throne—upon which sits our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—is built for all generations.

There is a hymn by Ira Stanphill, “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow,” that talks about the future:

I don't worry o'er the future for I know what Jesus said,
And today I'll walk beside Him, for He knows what is ahead.
Many things about tomorrow I don't seem to understand;
But I know Who holds tomorrow, and I know Who holds my hand.

We don’t need to know what “fills in” the moments between now and then. Father God has each and every one of them in control and is working out everything for our God. We know the end of the story and that is enough.

© 2012 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Psalm 89:3a

“I have made a covenant with my chosen one” (NRSV).

There is amazing power in this statement for three reasons. The first is that we—as God’s adopted children—were chosen by Him! Isn’t that wonderful? It’s beyond comprehension for me that, at the beginning of creation, even before time began, God looked down at all the souls and chose me! (He chose every person who would respond to His love and His call to salvation). Paul writes:

“Just as He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him in love. He destined us for adoption as His children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:4-6 NRSV).

I’m adopted. My birth mom, as I understand it, was an unwed pregnant teen and, with an amazing amount of courage, understood that she was ill prepared to care for a baby. So, my parents who couldn’t have children, chose to adopt me. They didn’t have to. They could have even come to the hospital, viewed my bald head and tiny feet, and rejected me. But they didn’t. Instead, my parents chose me and gave me a wonderful home and childhood.

Most of us spend an unbelievable amount of time and energy trying to belong to someone or something. We grab onto ethic titles or relationships, clubs or sports, professions or hobbies in an effort to find someone to whom we can belong, with whom we can relate. We want to belong to someone, feeling that belonging gives us an identity.

For those of us who are saved, we already belong! We belong to the King of kings and Lord of lords. He, who was once to us simply Creator, is now Father. And not simply because we want Him as Father. He has chosen us! He has adopted us as His children. And it isn’t because of anything within us. He called us because He wanted to. He wants us!

The second truth is this: God wants each person to become His chosen.

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 NRSV).

The Lord Jesus died for the whole world (John 3:16). That person we hate, the one we’re afraid of, the one we disdain to speak to, the neighbor next door who irritates us, the ex-spouse who lives to anger us, the children who are rebelling, the boss who is demanding, the co-worker who is annoying . . . the Lord Jesus died for all of these and Father God’s wish is that each of them come to repentance!

The third truth is that not only are we chosen, but God has made a covenant with us. That means that what He has promised He will do. And He not only promised us many things, but He put those promises in writing (the Bible) so that we would know that what He says He means. “For in Him [the Lord Jesus] every one of God’s promises is a ‘Yes.’” (2 Corinthians 1:20a NRSV). There isn’t a promise given that He will not fulfill, not a promise written that He won’t complete. And perhaps the greatest of these promises is that He chose us!

© 2012 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

1 Peter 1:13-16

“Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when He is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as He who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” (NRSV)

We have dogs. Currently, we have one dog, but often we have more than one. People know that we rescue poodles, and we are often called to see if we will give a poodle a home. In the past two years, the “yard” that our dogs have enjoyed has changed considerably. First, it was the portable yard that we use for our RV. We bought two units and attached them together, so it was about 6x4 feet. Not very big, but for small dogs, large enough to walk around. Last year, when we moved into the trailer, the yard was considerably larger. There was room to run and play a bit, certainly lots of room to nose around and smell (which the dogs loved to do). In this house, the yard is huge in comparison to anything we’ve had previously. It’s a big lot and the back yard goes from edge to edge. It’s possible not to be able to see our little poodle just looking out the back door; the yard is that big.

One thing every yard had in common was some kind of a fence. The fence is both a protection from at least some of the predators getting in (though there are still those, like snakes, that can get in under the fence) and a protection from the dogs getting out of the yard and being at risk of being hit by cars or stolen by thieves.

The fence is a protection.

As people, we also have a protection. It’s called a conscience. It’s both something we are born with and something we should have been taught as children. Unfortunately, many parents are not good at teaching their children right from wrong and so many children now don’t know that certain things (stealing, physical violence, emotional violence, bullying, etc.) are wrong.

When Peter talks about us preparing our minds for action (and then follows that up with a command for us to discipline ourselves), I believe he is talking, at least in part, about training our consciences how to respond. He is commanding us to learn what is right and what is wrong and to choose what is right.

There are two dynamics to this. First, when we finally have become disciplined—when our consciences are trained to distinguish right from wrong—it is a sign of spiritual maturity. And second, it is a process of training. “Solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14 NRSV).

Why am I suddenly so concerned about this? It’s not a sudden concern, actually. Those of you who have followed my spiritual path for a number of years know that I wrote and conducted seminars called “Renovation Living” several years ago which dealt specifically with the idea that the morality of the American Church has deteriorated over the past century, that what we used to condemn is now simply ignored. And we have done it under the guise of “refusing to judge.” The scripture that refers to this has been so misused (Matthew 7:1, Luke 6:37). As usual, Satan has taken a godly truth and twisted it for his own purposes. And we, as a Church, are the weaker for it.

The fact is that the Bible isn’t tolerant and it does establish specific behavioral boundaries. We are told how to think, how to act, how to make choices and if we are believers, we are expected to stay within those boundaries, those fences. Just as I have fences to protect my dogs, the Bible establishes fences to protect us from sin. Even though my sins are forgiven by His grace, I am commanded not to sin: “Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?” (Romans 6:1-2 NRSV).

This week, one of the men from our church called the pastor. He wanted pastor to know that he had been in a physical altercation (yes, a fist fight) with another man and was asking what he should do about it. Pastor told us that this man loved the Lord, but just couldn’t control his temper. I was appalled. How can you love the Lord and beat the stuffing out of another human being (for whom Christ died)? But then, I have gossiped this week and that’s just as bad. How can I hurt someone for whom Christ died if I truly love the Lord?

We need boundaries! We need fences!

I know that I need much more training in distinguishing good from evil, not only to learn where the fence is, but to train my heart to respond to the good and, if I slip, to feel guilt and shame about my sin so that I won’t do it again. Yes, I’m forgiven, but the guilt and shame works to my advantage, to teach me what is wrong and to train me in righteous living. And, probably more than anyone else, I need that!

© 2012 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Psalm 89:1-2

“I will sing of Your steadfast love, O Lord, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim Your faithfulness to all generations. I declare that Your steadfast love is established forever; Your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.” (NRSV)

There is a great deal wrong with our society and within each person (since social ills begin within the individual heart). As a believer who lives in an extremely secular (and sinful) society (California), I could spend my days focused upon how much is wrong with all around me, bemoaning my fate and wondering what shoe will fall next. Or, I can choose with the psalmist to focus instead upon the Creator and Master of all, trusting that God is going to work out and win out in the long haul.

Father God’s love is steadfast. The Hebrew word translated thus is interesting. Vine’s expounded on its meaning:

“In general, one may identify three basic meanings of the word, which always interact: ‘strength,’ ‘steadfastness,’ and ‘love.’ Any understanding of the word that fails to suggest all three inevitably loses some of its richness. ‘Love’ by itself easily becomes sentimentalized or universalized apart from the covenant. Yet ‘strength’ or ‘steadfastness’ suggests only the fulfillment of a legal or other obligation.
The word refers primarily to mutual and reciprocal rights and obligations between the parties of a relationship (especially Yahweh and Israel). But checed is not only a matter of obligation; it is also of generosity. It is not only a matter of loyalty, but also of mercy. The weaker party seeks the protection and blessing of the patron and protector, but he may not lay absolute claim to it. The stronger party remains committed to his promise, but retains his freedom, especially with regard to the manner in which he will implement those promises. Checed implies personal involvement and commitment in a relationship beyond the rule of law.”

It is interesting, this steadfast love. It cannot exist outside of a relationship and yet it also is not dependent upon relationship to exist or to define it. God’s steadfast love exists because He has an object of His love—me. And yet, what I bring to this relationship doesn’t affect or define God’s love toward me. His love is generous and abounding, defined solely by God’s own holy character. It is a love that requires me to be in relationship with Him, but which isn’t restricted by how much or how little I actively participate in that relationship.

Why wouldn’t I sing about this?

God continues to love me through my foibles, through my sins and mistakes, and through my human weakness. He continues to meet me every morning with a new day and a love that cannot and will not fail me. As a Christian, the joy that I have should come from both His Spirit within me and the result of His love toward me. And this joy should result in song!

© 2012 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Deuteronomy 28:7

Deuteronomy 28:7

“The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you; they shall come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways.” (NRSV)

Every believer has enemies. In fact, every believer has three enemies: Satan and his hoards, sin, and our own mortal flesh. Notice that I didn’t mention other people . . . precisely because our warfare isn’t against other people (for whom Christ also died), but against principalities, powers, and spiritual wickedness (Ephesians 6:12). But we do have enemies and we should be doing battle everyday against those enemies. The wonderful thing is that those enemies are already defeated. In fact, they don’t simply skulk away from the direction they came. The Lord routes them in seven different directions! They fly pell mell, unable to even chart a course, due to their fear of the Lord’s armies.

As soldiers in the army of God, we have our orders and our method of fighting. Of course, since the enemy is already defeated, we only have to stand and resist.

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:13-17 NRSV).

We are fighting defeated foes, enemies that are already simply dust. One swing of the sword (one mention of scripture) and the enemy runs . . . if we stand firm. Of course, if we put an arm around the enemy and embrace him, we strengthen him and allow him into our lives. It is always our choice.

A noted Hollywood stunt man died last week. He was acclaimed for having been the man in the Darth Vader costume during the sword fighting scenes. But, as I read the article, he also had been teaching sword fighting to actors for many years.

Teaching . . . sword fighting.

We are not born knowing how to fight. We are not, even when we are born again, endowed with the knowledge and ability for spiritual fighting, for using the sword of the Spirit. It is something that must be studied and practiced. In order to use the sword of the Spirit, we can’t simply wave our printed Bibles around; we must know what’s in the word and be able to use God’s promises and His word at a moment’s notice. “I treasure Your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11 NRSV). What is treasured in my heart? Is it sports stats? My children’s accomplishments? Quotes from a favorite movie? The plots of the newest TV shows? Or is it God’s word? If I want to become an accomplished spiritual fighter—the kind for whom God sends the enemies fleeing in seven different directions—then the treasure of my heart needs to be His word and nothing more.

© 2012 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Hebrews 7:21-25

Hebrews 7:21-22, 24-25

“The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind,‘You are a priest forever’ ”—
accordingly Jesus has also become the guarantee of a better covenant. . . . He holds His priesthood permanently, because He continues forever. Consequently He is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (NRSV).

Can Jesus save . . . that person, that situation, that problem, that illness, that sin? Can Jesus save? I think the answer (“yes”) is something I believe intellectually, but not always something I believe in faith. I do have the choice of trusting (having faith) or observing (looking at what I believe are the facts) and often I choose the “facts” over faith.

I like optical illusions. But I have to admit, sometimes I don’t get them. I look and look and just can’t see what it is I’m supposed to see. It’s the same with jokes. Often I listen to them and then . . . nothing. I just didn’t hear the humor (while my husband is bent over laughing). Both are, in a sense, illusions for a reason. They take “fact” and twist it for a purpose (to amuse). So, I think, facts are not static. Facts are not, then, the same as truth because facts can obviously be manipulated.

Another example is science. In my lifetime, a number of trusted “facts” have been changed. For example, Pluto—which used to be one of the nine planets whose names we had to memorize in school—is no longer a planet. And there have been other things where science has changed a “fact” to correspond to new knowledge or new definitions.

When I believe a fact—when I equate a fact with truth—I am saying (to myself) that this fact is something upon which I can base future decisions on. That means, at least for me, that the fact needs to be trustworthy; it needs to be able to support the reason for my decision over the long haul. It seems that facts can’t really do that. Facts, it seems, can change. So what can I base my decisions on? What can I trust?

Ruth Harms Calkin wrote:

Abraham and Sarah faced the FACT that Sarah was too old for childbearing. Nevertheless, because God promised a son, they gave PREFERENCE to the promise.

In other words, Abraham and Sarah chose faith over fact. Why?

Facts are based on conclusions that come from the observations of our five senses: sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing. However, I already know that my senses can deceive me. I can smell something and my brain will trigger that I’m hungry, even if I just ate. I can see an optical illusion and see something that isn’t really there. I can hear (overhear) a conversation and wrongly understand what was being said. Since facts are based on my senses, facts can lie.

So my other choice is faith . . . but faith in what? It’s obvious that many things don’t deserve my faith. Obviously science doesn’t. Scientists (from all different disciplines) change their minds, seeming to make up “truth” as they go. Even my own observations and conclusions are unreliable. So I need to have faith in something (or Someone) who can be trusted. The Lord Jesus is “able for all time to save.” The KJV uses the word “uttermost” which means completely, perfectly, and utterly. In other words, when the Lord Jesus does something, it is entirely trustworthy and complete. He doesn’t forgive it, doesn’t neglect it, and doesn’t do it halfway. When He does it, it’s done and we can depend upon it.

The Lord Jesus can be trusted. And like Abraham and Sarah, I would be wise to choose faith over fact. The Lord Jesus can save. I can trust Him to take care of my cares, my worries, my concerns, my problems, my illnesses, my hurts, and my sin. He is fully able to save . . . to the uttermost!

© 2012 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

John 8:12

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’” (NRSV)

I am by nature probably more like a chicken than any other animal on the planet. I like to wake up with the sun and go to sleep with the sun. In the winter, I like to sleep for long periods of time in the darkness and in the summer, I am up with the light and energetic until the darkness comes. For me, all this is is a quirk of physiology or training or something. It makes it difficult for me to entertain others long into the night because I begin to drop off after nine, but other than that, it is simply a personal eccentricity. We all have them.

However, as a believer, I should be drawn to the spiritual light and asleep (or dead) to the spiritual darkness. As a believer, this kind of eccentricity should be the norm for me; it should be what comes naturally. Unfortunately, we battle against our flesh nature, those sin patterns, temptations, and spiritual battles that assail the growth of spiritual light within our souls. And I am so often drawn to the darkness, rather than repulsed by it.

Charles Spurgeon wrote:

“Sons of light must not have fellowship with deeds, doctrines, or deceits of darkness. The children of the day must be sober, honest, and bold in their Lord’s work, leaving the works of darkness to those who shall dwell in it forever. Our Churches should by discipline divide the light from the darkness, and we should by our distinct separation from the world do the same. In judgment, in action, in hearing, in teaching, in association, we must discern between the precious and the vile, and maintain the great distinction which the Lord made . . .”

This is an amazing imperative. It seems so clear when I read it and so difficult to accomplish when I live it! The apostle John wrote about living in the light:

“Whoever says, ‘I am in the light,’ while hating a brother or sister,’ is still in the darkness. Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates another believer is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness” (1 John 2:9-11 NRSV).

John uses strong words: love and hate. I’m sure that I don’t hate anyone, and yet . . . do I love everyone who is a believer? If there are only two alternatives—love or hate—then, if I don’t love, I surely hate! And what is love? What does it mean to love someone else? Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that “love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (13:4-7 NRSV). I have to be honest. There are times when I’m not patient, I’m not kind, when I am arrogant or rude. There are times when I insist upon my own way with other Christians or when I’m resentful. And if this is love (and I’m convinced that it is), then at those times, I do hate those around me. Oh, blast! The truth of scripture is amazing in its ability to pierce through my rhetoric and get to the “heart” of the matter . . . to get to my heart and to convict me of my sin. For when I am resentful or arrogant, when I am unkind and ignore that needy person, when I am envious or boastful, then I am walking in the darkness, rather than in His light. And I want to walk in the light. I need to spend much more time in prayer, to give every concern, every anxiety, everything to Him and to allow Him to work in the lives of others while He and I work in my life. Learning to surrender to the Holy Spirit completely, that is enough work for me and will last a lifetime. I need not worry about others. Father God will take care of them. Instead, I need to pray about the light in my own life and to let that light shine before everyone so that they see God in heaven and rejoice!

© 2012 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

1 Peter 5:5-9

“And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because He cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.” (NRSV)

Humility is not something regularly taught these days. Preachers focus on salvation, on relationships, and some focus on integrity (though not many). But it’s been a long time since I heard someone teach on humility. Peter has an interesting take on humility. He states that it is the foundation of all relationships: “You must cloth yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another.” For me, there are three aspects to humility when I deal with those around me.

First, I need to put their needs and desires above my own. The apostle Paul wrote:

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4 NRSV).

This seems wrong in our society of self-focus that we should think of the needs of others before we think of our own needs. In fact, we have been taught—rather strongly—that we must love ourselves, that we must look to our own needs before we are able to look after others. However, in God’s kingdom, that is a wrong approach. We must first (and always) look to the needs of others, regarding their needs as more important than our own.

Second, we must trust God to take care of our needs. You see it can seem that if I fail to seek my own needs, I will be left wanting. Not at all! In fact, my looking after the needs of others, I then am allowing the Creator and Master of the universe to take care of looking after my needs. Paul writes:

“And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NRSV).

The amazing thing is that God doesn’t just supply my needs, but every need and according to His riches in glory. And those needs are supplied through Christ Jesus who gave everything for me. If that is the case, won’t God supply everything I need when I need it? Then why should I worry about my needs? Peter wrote (in the passage above): “Cast all your anxiety on him, because He cares for you.” How much better is the Father at caring for me than I am at caring for myself. I can cast all of my anxiety on Him. I can tell Him of my worries, my concerns, my anxiety and then leave it all with Him, knowing—knowing—that He will take care of it in the absolutely best way.

Third, because this kind of lifestyle is against all of my natural inclinations, I need to discipline myself in it. I need to learn how to turn away from my own desires and to learn how to see the needs and desires of others. It won’t be easy, but it is possible. And it is something that I am going to start doing today.

© 2012 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Matthew 18:21-22

Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?”
Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.” (NRSV)

For three years, thirteen men lived together. They lived together constantly, 24/7. The leader was, of course, the Lord Jesus who was perfect in every way. But the remainder were average men. These were men who would have, in any other normal course of life, not become friends, but who were now bound together by their agreement to become disciples of the Son of God. Men bound together for life by the three years of the teaching and experiences they would share.

Scripture doesn’t tell us much about the manner of their personalities, but we can glean something from the sparse accounts and perhaps infer not inaccurately about their personalities. There was Peter, a fisherman by trade. Likely he was more uneducated that the rest, though he probably could at least read the scriptures. He was bold and brash, unafraid to speak his mind. Very likely he spoke his mind (without thinking it through first) a lot.

Then there was Matthew, a former tax collector. Tax collectors were shunned by proper Jewish society because they were often crooks, taking more than they were supposed to. He may not have been trusted much by the others, at least as first. And it was from Matthew that we get the longest, most detailed gospel. Clearly Matthew was the kind of man who needed to have details explained and who attended to details daily.

There was Judas Iscariot who was trusted with the money of the group. By all accounts, his personality was more controlling. He wanted to have a say in every decision and to have his say seriously considered. He may have been greatly afraid of change and wanted the “Messiah” to be the Messiah of Jewish folklore, rather than the Savior that God had intended.

There was Thomas who refused to believe anything past his own nose. He demanded proof of things prior to throwing his support behind it. Likely he questioned many things and refused to be seen as gullible by anyone.

There was John, more likely a quiet thinker. John wrote the most esoteric of the gospels and was the disciple to whom the Lord Jesus entrusted His mother. He had strong emotions, committing himself fully to the Lord and eventually becoming the prophet God would entrust with the message of Revelation.

Just in these five, we see a widespread difference of personality, of likes and dislikes, of mannerisms and priorities. And it was twelve men—including these five—who lived with the Lord Jesus for three years. No vacations, not much time away. It’s no wonder that Peter asked how much he should forgive his brother. It was very likely that there were some heated arguments and disagreements among these twelve men as they jockeyed for position and tried to learn how to live together with one common goal, a goal that was far greater than any of their daily demands or needs.

Their experience, in fact, is very much like ours. We too need to learn how to live with those who daily offend us, even other Christians. In fact, it’s one thing to forgive the unbelievers around us. After all, they are simply acting according to their nature, being slaves to sin (Romans 6). It can be harder to forgive the Christians around us who are supposed to know how to behave, but who often don’t. (Isn’t it interesting how we want those around us to be kind, gentle, loving, and self-controlled when we don’t hold ourselves to the same standard?). But the Lord Jesus told Peter that he should forgive his brother (other Christians) seventy-seven times. (And actually, the KJV says seventy times seven which is 490!). It is a Jewish idiom that means continually or forever, a number without end. This kind of forgiveness is where being a Christian becomes very personal and practical. Our belief takes feet when we forgive. And it is where the world sees whether or not our belief has meaning.

A. W. Tozer talks about the romantic Christian: “The romantic habit of mind in religion is easy to identify. The romantic religionist thinks with his nerve ends, substitutes words for deeds, accepts the unreal with misty-eyed credulity, confuses wishing with believing and thinks that if a man feels virtuous he is so in fact” (Warfare of the Spirit, p. 74). This is, I believe, a good description of someone who reads, but fails to do. Who knows that she should forgive, but instead holds grudges because the pain of the offense hurts so.

And that’s it, isn’t it? When we are offended, it hurts! And we want the other person to hurt as we have. We don’t want to forgive, but rather to seek vengeance upon the offender. The problem is that we are the offender more than the offended and the Person we have most offended is the Lord. We have no ground to stand upon. The offense done to us—as much as it hurts us—is like a splinter in a finger compared to the offenses that we have done to the Lord of Lords! But we want to, as Tozer so adroitly stated, “think with our nerve ends” rather than to face the reality of our own deeds. We want to focus on the offense done to us rather than to understand how deadly an offender we are ourselves. We are only effective as Christians when we understand the necessity of forgiveness and learn to forgive quickly.

If we ever intend for the American Church to have power and influence in our society, we must begin by learning how to forgive. It is the key to everything!

© 2012 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Matthew 6:25-34

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (NRSV)

Today is traditionally a day of resolutions: I will eat more healthy. I will exercise more. I will spend more time with my family. To be honest, I’m just horrible with resolutions. Even if I make just one, I can do that one thing regularly . . . for a while . . . and then life comes crashing in and I find that my resolution (and all my good intentions) go right out the window. I just can’t handle looking at life over a long period of time. Too many things happen that make demands upon me . . . demands on my time, on my emotions, on my energy, on my focus.

Thankfully, the Lord understands. The Lord Jesus taught us to focus on today and not to worry about the future. Not to worry about that bill that has to be paid or whether or not we’ll have enough energy to face the next tragedy or whatever life throws at us. It’s not that these things aren’t important, but there is a way to face them that allows God to take care of what’s important and, by doing that, allows us to focus then on what’s important.

Our focus is to be on striving for the kingdom of God and His righteousness. And that’s a day-to-day effort. It can’t be an effort of tomorrow for we don’t know where we will be tomorrow. If we are in heaven tomorrow, then there is no effort, for all sin will be gone and serving Him will be the joy and delight of our hearts. If we are here on earth tomorrow, then His Spirit will supply what we need for that day. So our focus needs to be on today . . . serving Him today, praying today, sharing the gospel today, staying away from sin today.

That certainly changes the idea of resolutions in my mind and actually changes the way I feel about the first day of a new year. Today isn’t a new day because it is January 1st, but rather today is a new day because—like very other day—it is the first day of the rest of my life. In 1972, after hearing the phrase from my mom (who loved it and wrote many articles about it), my Aunt Audrey (Mieir) wrote a song about this:

Today is the first day of the rest of my life
Yesterday is gone with all its toil and its strife
I will entrust Him with all my tomorrows
I will accept all its joys and its sorrows
Now is the moment, the past all is done
The rest of my days have now already begun
I’ll make today the best of my life
For today is the first day of the rest of my life.
(© 1972 Manna Music. International copyright secured. All rights reserved.)

There is so much truth in this song. First, yesterday is gone. The only things left of yesterday are our deeds. If those deeds are sin and we are believers, then the sin is covered by the blood of the Lord Jesus. If those deeds glorify God, then we will receive rewards later in heaven. (Those are the only two options.)

Tomorrow, if it is here on earth, will bring joy and sorrow, but that’s already taken care of by the Lord. He has promised to make all things work for our good (Romans 8:28), so there’s really no need to concern ourselves with it.

That leaves today and today only. And there is so much for today!

First there is prayer. Our first thought in the day should be to look to heaven for our marching orders. Our loving Father has already mapped out the perfect day for us if we will but allow Him to direct our path. S. D. Gordon said, “You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray before you have prayed.”

Second, we can become better than we think we can be because of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord’s Spirit wants to live inside us, to infill us, overwhelm us, take control of every aspect of our lives. We have the capacity and possibility of being loving, kind, gentle, joyful, self-controlled—not because of anything around us—but because He is living inside us and He is all these things!

Third, there is a world out there that needs Jesus and we may be the only Jesus someone ever sees. Those around us need our smiles, our sacrificial love, the joy that comes from His Spirit within us. Whatever God has given to us, we need to think of it as resources for today . . . not just for our own needs, but for the needs of those around us. He has given us much so that we, in turn, can give to everyone that comes into our path. More than anyone else in the world, we can afford to be generous because our Father in turn is generous to us.

So, on this first day of a new year, I want so much more than simply resolutions and a new year. I want to remember that today—each and every “today”—is the first day of the rest of my life! I want to pour into it all that the Lord has given me so that, on that day when my today is in heaven, He will look at me and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

© 2012 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.