1 Peter 5:8

FREE FROM BONDAGE- Psalm 79, John 13:31-32

7:00 PM

 

Today’s reading: Psalm 79, John 13:31-32

This is a psalm by Asaph and it was clearly written after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian armies.

In the first 4 verses he cries out his lamentation for such terrible suffering and all the images he and his people had witnessed from this destruction… the horrific scenes described in this psalm… such images his mind could not fanthom!

These same images of horror and cruelty have been a reality for so many people in this world whose countries are burdened with war and famine: for example, the people of Ukraine who for the last 10 months have suffered from the war caused by the Russian invasion!

Asaph after pouring out his heart out to God with cry and lamentation then focused his attention on His Might, Mercies, and Faithfulness in this beautiful prayer:

 “How long, O Lord? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy [which cannot endure a divided allegiance] burn like fire? 6 Pour out Your wrath on the [Gentile] nations that do not know You, And on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name. 7 For they have devoured Jacob and made his pasture desolate.8 O do not remember against us the sins and guilt of our forefathers. Let Your compassion and mercy come quickly to meet us, For we have been brought very low. 9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; Rescue us, forgive us our sins for Your name’s sake. 10 Why should the [Gentile] nations say, “Where is their God?” Let there be known [without delay] among the nations in our sight [and to this generation], Your vengeance for the blood of Your servants which has been poured out.11 Let the groaning and sighing of the prisoner come before You; According to the greatness of Your power keep safe those who are doomed to die. 12 And return into the lap of our neighbors sevenfold the taunts with which they have taunted You, O Lord.” (verses 5-12 AMP emphasis mine).

 

Verse 11 stood out to me, reminding me that before I surrendered my life to Jesus I was also a prisoner of my sins: sighing for all the weight of the burdens I carried in my heart, walking in the direction of eternal doom! What would have been of my life without His Saving Grace? Now I have Life and Purpose as Paul vividly wrote in Romans 6:17-19:

 

“But thank God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient with all your heart to the standard of teaching in which you were instructed and to which you were committed. 18 And having been set free from sin, you have become the slaves of righteousness [of conformity to God’s will and purpose]. 19 I am speaking in [familiar] human terms because of your natural limitations [your spiritual immaturity]. For just as you presented your bodily members as slaves to impurity and to [moral] lawlessness, leading to further lawlessness, so now offer your members [your abilities, your talents] as slaves to righteousness, leading to [d]sanctification [that is, being set apart for God’s purpose].”

 

Yes, we’ve been set apart for a divine and eternal Purpose!



“How consoling is it to desponding believers to reflect that God can preserve even those who bear the sentence of death in themselves. Men and devils may consign us to perdition, while sickness drags us to the grave, and sorrow sinks us in the dust; but, there is One who can keep our soul alive, ay, and bring it up again from the depths of despair. A lamb shall live between the lion's jaws if the Lord wills it. Even in the charnel, life shall vanquish death if God be near.” (Charles Spurgeon)

Many of us have had very difficult seasons in our lives. Many have felt these seasons have been of some kind of captivity or oppression. We -as Asaph’s community- also have also dealt with a ferocious enemy, as Jesus warned us in John 10:10a -“ The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy.”

Yes, Satan will always find the opportunity to have us fall in some kind of bondage, by stealing our peace, killing our faith and even destroying our lives and families, if we let him!  This world is so filled with temptations and in some point of our lives we can turn away from His paths and fall in the trap of some kind of bondage:

-Bondage of fear; bound by health issues; by finances; by oppression; by pain from the past; obsessions; people pleasing; bound by any kind of addictions and even by the circumstances we might facing at the time! Satan will try to keep God’s people in bondage, as much as he has kept those who do not know God!

But Jesus gave us the solution: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29)

Again Paul exhorts us to: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1)

Paul also reminds us of the spiritual battles we continually face, and the importance to put on His Armor ( Ephesians 6:1-18); and Peter exhorts to be sober and vigilant (1 Peter 5:8) 

We must wholly surrender our lives to Him and always follow Him as our Good Pastor, declaring just as Asaph did, in the last verse of this psalm:

“So we Your people, the sheep of Your pasture, will give You thanks forever; We will declare and publish Your praise from generation to generation.” (verse 13)

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for the amazing love you have lavished over us by the Sacrifice of our Lord Jesus! Thank you for delivering us from eternal death and giving us a new life in Jesus! Please Lord, set the captives free! I pray for: _________.Thank you for being our Good Pastor: one who will guide us, protect us, provide for us and carry us through in whatever circumstance we may face while we live on this earth, until You take us home! May we declare with our lips to our generations that You Live and are Worthy of All Honor and Glory!! Amen!

Blessings,

Mari


1 Peter 5:5-9)

Humility, the Root of every Virtue (James 4)

12:00 AM


Today's reading: James 4:1-17
Growing in a dysfunctional home made me an insecure person. I felt that I had to become stronger trying to hide my flaws. Over the years, my accomplishments made me feel I had it! This brought pride into my heart. I became self-sufficient, independent and according to my personal standards, I considered myself a “good person”!  O my God, how mistaken I was!
All this apparent success could not fill the gap inside of me! All the hurt and the insecure child inside of me still haunted me, until I surrendered my life to Jesus!
“But He gives us more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, “God is opposed to the proud and haughty, but [continually] gives [the gift of] grace to the humble [who turn away from self-righteousness]” (Vs. 6)

Through His Amazing Grace I was able to recognize who I really was and that only He could heal and fill my life completely from the inside-out!

" 7 So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; and purify your [unfaithful] hearts, you double-minded [people]. 9 Be miserable and grieve and weep [over your sin]. Let your [foolish] laughter be turned to mourning and your [reckless] joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves [with an attitude of repentance and insignificance] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up, He will give you purpose]." (Vss. 7-10)



It was amazing for me to discover Jesus through the Bible! He revealed His nature when He described Himself as gentle and lowly of heart.(Matthew 11:29), and to discover His servant’s heart, displayed throughout His ministry which  qualified Him to be the “lamb of God”,  who took our place on that cross!  In Jesus we have a model for humility.  In Him we find the humble character that God expects from us!
When we submit our hearts and lives to God, He will lift you up in and give you a real Purpose in your life. Not in your own means, but by the power of His Holy Spirit dwelling in you! (Psalm 18:27)
“Humility, the place of entire dependence on God, is, from the very nature of things, the first duty and the highest virtue of the creature, and the root of every virtue. And so pride, or the loss of this humility, is the root of every sin and evil.” (Andrew Murray)
Pride: the root of every sin and evil! I had never thought of it this way!!
Satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen.3:4), and she sinned following her self-will, and pride was at the heart of this sin: doing what she wanted, instead of what God had commanded. This same situation applies to us too and sadly, more often than we think!
We should not only live in humility in our personal relationship with God but also this same attitude should be reflected toward others (Phil. 2:3)!  
Here is a check- list that could help us –through prayer- to make a heart inventory, as we consider the following:
-       Do you question God, when you are afflicted or tested? When things don’t turn out how you planned? This is pride.
-       Every time we refuse someone forgiveness, we are acting in pride.
-       When you argue with our spouse (friend, family member), and insist you are right and he (she) is wrong, you are acting in pride.
-       When you believe you owe yourself the best modern accessories, perfumes, and clothing; the best car, or house, and you must have it even if you get into debt.
-       When you feel you are better than someone else, regarding your talents, opinions, attitudes, behavior, etc.
-       When by serving our Church, we feel: “I deserve a visit”, or “I deserve my opinion”, or “I deserve my way”, or “I deserve certain rights and privileges”, because of “my achievements”, we are also acting in pride.

I love Peter’s words on this subject:
5 Likewise, you younger men [of lesser rank and experience], be subject to your elders [seek their counsel]; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another [tie on the servant’s apron], for God is opposed to the proud [the disdainful, the presumptuous, and He defeats them], but He gives grace to the humble.
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time, 7 casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. 8 Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, be firm in your faith [against his attack—rooted, established, immovable], knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being experienced by your brothers and sisters throughout the world. [You do not suffer alone.]” (1 Peter 5:5-9)
When we live in humble obedience and cast all our cares (needs) on our Heavenly Father, holding firmly to our Faith, recognizing that He loves us and He knows what is best for us -and in His Perfect timing-, we will be able to resist the devil and his attacks.
Let me close with these final words: “Humility is our greatest friend. It increases our hunger for God’s word and opens our hearts to his Spirit. It leads to intimacy with God, who knows the proud from afar, but dwells with him “who is of a contrite and lowly spirit” (Isa. 57:15). It imparts the aroma of Christ to all whom we encounter. It is a sign of greatness in the kingdom of God (Luke 22:24–27). Developing the identity, attitude, and conduct of a humble servant does not happen overnight. It is rather like peeling an onion: you cut away one layer only to find another beneath it. But it does happen. As we forsake pride and seek to humble ourselves by daily deliberate choices in dependence on the Holy Spirit, humility grows in our souls.” (Jesusfilm.org)
Blessings!
Mari