Knowing God - He Confirms Our Callings

Josh 3:7

And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.

The Lord tells Joshua that He will show His calling on his life through the crossing of the Jordan.  The Lord will confirm His calling on our lives as we lead and carry out those things He has asked us to do.  Sometimes people have a hard time accepting leadership.  We don’t need to defend ourselves or try to convince others that the Lord has called us.  We need to focus on walking in the calling He has for us.  In doing this, the Lord will magnify us in the sight of those that surround us.  It is not our place to commend ourselves.  The Lord will show that He is with us and we need to leave that to Him.  He is the One who calls us and it is His job to confirm our calling in others’ eyes.  Let’s get on with what He asks us to do and leave our reputation in His hands.

Proverbs - Fear the Lord and the King

Proverbs 24:21-22

My son, fear thou the Lord and the king:

and meddle not with them that are given to change:

For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?

Our lives should be under the authority of the Lord and those who are in authority over us.  Part of determining the will of God for our lives is to be concerned about pleasing both – the Lord and the king.  These are consistent sources of boundaries, commitments and works.  If we hang out with those who are given to change we risk sudden calamity and perhaps ruin.  There might be a friend who tries to lure us away from commitments we might have in ministry, in our home or job place.  These people want change and they always have a new idea and try to pull us away from the consistent, unchanging disciplines that produce lasting and remaining fruit in our lives.  Meddle not with these people.  Rather, fear the Lord and the king.

Proverbs - Don't Envy the Wicked

Proverbs 24:19-20

Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked;

For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.

Evil and wicked people can cause us to fret and envy.  It surprises us that their actions can stir us more than our love and passion for the Lord.  When we see wicked people get away with things, or so we think, we feel agitated and frustrated.  This is just a waste of energy.  There will be no reward for the evil man and the candle of the wicked shall be put out.  The Lord has His eyes everywhere and He is not mocked.  Whatever a man plants, he shall reap.  We should keep our eyes on the Lord and wait on Him.  He is Lord over all the earth and He is willing that none should perish but all should have everlasting life.  Fret not and don’t be envious.

Knowing God - The Lord is Near

Deut 4:7

 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?

The nation of Israel is declaring how God is so near to them and how He is in all things that they call upon him for.  Those of us who are Gentiles have been made His nation as well through Christ.  He is so near to us and He is in all things that we call upon him for.  What a great comfort to know that our God is in the very things that we call upon Him for.  He is in that situation that brings great pain to your heart.  He is in that health issue that has entered into your life demanding attention and inhibiting the life you desire to live.  He is in that inner struggle that you believe no one else sees.  He is in that confusion that you can’t seem to make sense of.  He is there before we call upon Him.  What a great and faithful friend we have in Him.  He is so near to us.  He is in the things that we call upon Him for.  We will not believe that He is far.  We will believe that He is near.

Knowing God - He Loves Those Who Have Fear

Isa 35:4

Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

The Lord loves those who have a fearful heart and wants them to know that He will come with a vengeance and save them.  The comfort we need when we are afraid is linked with a promise of the Lord’s promise to come to our rescue and help us.  The Lord is not ignoring us.  The Lord is not too busy.  The Lord is the only wise God and He knows the timing and perfect way to intervene on our behalf.  Our hearts will stop fearing when we realize that help is on its way.   When there is an emergency and we call 911, the fact that help has been dispatched gives us a bit of peace in the midst of a usually very troublesome situation.  The Lord is more reliable than our emergency response system.  We may not hear the sirens but we have heard His promise.  He will come and save us!

Proverbs - Don't Be Happy When Your Enemy Stumbles

Proverbs 24:17-18

Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth,

and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:

Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

There is a temptation to be happy when an enemy falls into trouble.  This is a sign of our own wickedness.  We should want our enemies to turn to the Lord and be spared the consequences of a life lived in rebellion against their Maker.  We then become more of a judge than a servant.  Let us let the Lord be the judge and do what He thinks needs to be done to bring your enemy to a place of repentance and forgiveness.  Pray for your enemies.  Do good to those who despitefully use you.  Bless those who curse you and don’t rejoice when your enemy falls or stumbles.  It will happen.  It says WHEN your enemy falls and stumbles.  Let your response be like your Lord, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Knowing God - He is Merciful and Gracious

Ps 103:8

The Lord is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

God is full of mercy.  The Lord is gracious.  The Lord is slow to anger.  The Lord has plenty of mercy.  Our God is not quickly angered or holding things against us.  He is a God who so desired our forgiveness and cleansing that He gave His only Son to die for us.  His sacrifice shows that He truly is a God who is so willing to forgive that He would give Himself for us to have this mercy.  Our adversary is out to paint our God in a harsh and unreasonable light.  Because our God is so full of mercy we need to come to Him with any and all of our struggles.  We need not fear approaching Him with our sin or requesting His help in overcoming something.  The Lord is full of mercy and loves it when we come to Him for help, cleansing and forgiveness.  This blesses His heart.  He is very slow to anger and has plenty of mercy for us.  What a safe place to be – in His presence!