Monday, February 10,
2014, Midnight – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “WAIT!” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I
read Isaiah 3 (quoting vv. 8-10 in
the NIV).
Jerusalem
staggers,
Judah is falling;
their
words and deeds are against the Lord,
defying his glorious presence.
The
look on their faces testifies against them;
they parade their sin like Sodom;
they do not hide it.
Woe
to them!
They have brought disaster upon themselves.
Tell
the righteous it will be well with them,
for they will enjoy the fruit of their
deeds.
Words and Deeds
Their words and deeds
are against the Lord…
The people of God today are those who have believed in Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives via their submission to God’s work of
grace and the Spirit’s transformation of their hearts away from sin and toward
God (See Ac. 26:16-18; Eph. 4:17-24; Gal. 2:20). Yet, it is possible for the
genuinely saved to defy (disobey; resist; rebel against and/or disregard) their
Lord and his teachings at some point in time in their relationships with him.
Although positionally we become righteous in God’s eyes via
Jesus’ shed blood on the cross for our sins, by God’s grace, through our faith,
that does not mean that we daily walk in his righteousness, though we should, and
it does not mean we become sinless in word and deed from that point on. The
Christian life is a daily walk of faith – of submission to the cross, death to
sin, and a walk in Christ’s righteousness in the Spirit of God. If we walk (in
lifestyle) by the Spirit of God, we will thus not gratify the desires of the
flesh (See Gal. 5:16; Eph. 5:1-3; Col. 3:1-10; 1 John 1:6-7; 2 John 1:6; 3 John
1:3; Rev. 3:4).
Yet, many genuinely saved individuals, and even numerous
congregations of saints are not walking in Christ’s righteousness (in
lifestyle), but have fallen back into some or all of their old ways of sin and
sinful lifestyles, and they are thus grieving the Spirit of God (Eph. 4:30). They
actively engage in setting up barriers against (resisting) the Spirit’s voice,
and/or else they have extinguished the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19), thus showing
contempt for his grace (See Rom. 2:3-5). Or, they may even change the grace of
God into a license to sin (See Jude 1:4) in order to justify or to excuse away
their sinful behavior. They lie to and deceive themselves and others,
proclaiming that there are no irregularities or obstructions in their
relationships with God, and possibly with others, too, and perhaps they even
put on an appearance of righteous living while they know they are giving way to
sin.
Or, some may not even try to hide their sin but may be
blatantly open with regard to their rebellion against God. Either way, they
have no shame, but continue in what they know is wrong, willfully putting a
barrier between them and their fellowship with God and perhaps even between
their relationships with those closest to them. They choose to follow after the
ways of the flesh rather than follow after the ways of the Spirit. They have
brought disaster upon themselves, i.e. they are not able to enjoy the fruit of
Christ’s righteousness in their daily lives, but they are asking for God to
bring divine discipline upon them (See Rev. 2-3).
Testifies Against
The look on their
faces testifies against them…
You have probably heard it said that a person’s eyes are
like windows into the soul. There is a lot that can be said about the look in
one’s eyes and/or the countenance on one’s face. Our eyes and/or our
countenance can reveal our true character even when our lips are proclaiming
something else. We must be careful not to judge people falsely, though, because
we do not really know what is in another person’s heart. Yet, it is possible to
get to know a person’s facial expressions, eye movements (or looks), countenance
and body language over a period of time, especially if we live with people, such
as if they are family members and/or we are married to someone over a long extent
of time. Married people and family members can often communicate to each other
without a word spoken, just by a look in the face or eyes, body language and/or
eye contact (or lack thereof).
Thus, it is possible for someone to lie with their lips, yet
their face, countenance, eyes and body language may speak just the opposite.
They may be able to fool some or many people, but they can’t fool God, and they
should not be able to fool (trick; deceive) those closest to them, if those
closest to them are paying attention. They should be able to tell.
The Righteous
Tell the righteous it
will be well with them…
The righteous here are those who are both positionally
righteous through the blood of Christ, by God’s grace, through faith, and are
those who are walking in the Spirit in Christ’s righteousness. They are bearing
spiritual fruit for the kingdom of heaven via their walks of faith, their
commitments to the Lord, and their sharing of the gospel of Jesus Christ with
the world about them, by God’s grace. I believe the righteous are also grieved
over the sins of their brothers and sisters in the Lord, and they are calling
upon God in prayer for God to move in the hearts of those they love within the
body of Christ in a work of revival in bringing them back to walks of faith,
purity and holiness. Yet, that time has not yet come.
Sometimes in life we face situations that are difficult to
handle or even to comprehend. We get hurt, sad, frustrated, impatient, and/or
confused, etc., longing for the day when God will intervene on our behalf or on
the behalf of those we love, and/or when our circumstances will begin to make
sense, and/or when our complicated state of affairs will change for the better.
It is hard to understand, at times, why it seems that God chooses to take so
long to act. The prophets of old, and the psalmists, too, often lamented God’s
seeming slowness to move in a way that seemed right to them.
Yet, we know that God’s timing is always perfect. He is
never late. He is always right on time. We know, as well, that he is absolutely
sovereign over all things, and that all things are under his control (rule;
authority), so we can rest secure in knowing that he has a purpose, and that he
will work all things out for good for those of us who love God and who are
called according to his purpose (See Eph. 1:20-23; Col. 1:15-18; and Rom. 8:28).
The Bible also says that God is not slow in keeping his
promise, as some consider slowness, but he is patient, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance (See 2 Pet. 3:9). So, we
believe in his promises, we rest in his love, and we wait for his perfect
timing. We keep on loving, forgiving, and serving in His power and strength
within us, and we never, ever give up! He will supply us with all we need to
endure.
Wait! / An
Original Work / February 8, 2014
Wait for your Lord. Be
of courage.
Be strong, and take
heart today.
God is always watching
o’er you.
Trust Him with your
life always.
Sing of your Lord.
Praise His blessings.
Believe in His
sovereignty.
He delivered you from
your sin;
Gave you life
eternally.
Rest in your Lord.
Know His promise.
Beneath His wings rest
secure.
Your God has a plan
and purpose.
Let your faith in Him
endure.
Trust in your Lord.
He’ll not leave you,
Because He is
faithfulness.
He will lead and
guide; protect you.
In His love you can
find rest.
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