and God Almighty made them immortal.
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want..."
(Psalm 23:1)
Once upon a time there was a young country boy whose father trained him for an outside chore. His job was to watch over some of the family sheep. For years this became his main focus and he learned many lessons in the relatively calm setting of the green pastures around his home. Some of them were of the purest theology. One day he began to write down his thoughts...
and God Almighty made them immortal. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want..." (Psalm 23:1)
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There is never anything wrong with God's memory.
But He chose here to use this verb form to express His dealings with believers. Abraham and Lot are perfect examples of opposite poles of belief. The man who lived by faith was unconsciously a blessing to others, while the one who lived by the flesh brought upon others misfortune, fear, and death. What kind of Christian am I? One whom it is good to be around or one whom people should keep at a distance? "THAT GOD REMEMBERED ABRAHAM, AND SENT LOT OUT..." (Genesis 19:2) "And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things . . . be killed . . . and after three days rise again." (Mark 8:31)
At this point Peter rebuked Him. But why? I think he only heard the first part of the statement and it so busted the scenario he had envisioned that nothing else registered. He didn't really listen and think . . . the Lord was going to personally RISE FROM THE DEAD! Unfortunately, this malady is quite common. I too, so very often, read the Word, see the statements, hear the message from the Lord, but don't stop to listen and think about what HE IS REALLY SAYING! God is always doing more than we think He is; He's definitely doing more than we can see. Elijah thought the Lord had only preserved him, but that was not true. God had been watching over 7,000 others. Have you been faithful to your Master but can see no obvious recognition on His part? Don't even begin to think He's forgotten you or overlooked your faithfulness. He never does that! He is ALWAYS doing much more around us than we can imagine. (1 Kings 19:18)
To taste is to suck and chew on something, concentrating on the real sensations it brings to mind and body. We do not break that rule if we seriously want to enjoy food--like the berries in my hand. How sad that so often we don't apply this common sense to God's awesome invitation to taste of Him... (Psalm 34:8) Are you in some kind of prison today? Maybe it's not a penitentiary built of concrete. Perhaps the walls are made out of emotions, finances, imaginations, sickness... Though not behind literal bars, you may feel totally hemmed in by these circumstances. Take courage and insight from the word of God to Jeremiah. He was in prison, surrounded by unfriendly authorities, in a city about to be swallowed up in war. And these are the words he heard: "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. (33:3)
By faith you can see beyond those walls, call to the Lord of heaven, and wait for Him to surprise you right there in your prison. Abram was almost 100 years old, which was well over half what he could expect to live. Though many years before God had spoken to him directly, positively, and generously, there had been some issues. He had made some serious mistakes along the way and it seemed like his usefulness for the Lord had expired. Apparently the son of Terah had blown it one too many times.
But he was wrong. God gave him another chance. And as long as God keeps you and me alive, it means there is hope. (Genesis 17:1--And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram) Our heroes did it. Abraham waited for Isaac; Joseph waited an extra two years in prison; Moses grew old waiting in the desert; David waited on the run from Saul for years; Even Jeremiah sometimes waited (42) for God's answer. So, rather than fret, fuss, complain, and generally be miserable over it, let's embrace it and grow through it, because it's His Perfect Will at the moment! Ps. 27:14
When we say that God's Word is eternal and infinite, we are speaking the truth. However, we don't understand a fraction of what we are saying. Forever in Christ's presence we'll be learning what it means. (Ps. 119:160)
Every one of us is an investor of talents and resources. Solomon's reasoning here gives us a powerful back door argument for investing in people. We have no guarantee that anything we leave behind will be properly managed. For a variety of reasons, the hard earned results of the diligent tend to fade quickly into the forgotten fog. From many different angles, the truth of Scripture points in one direction: Focus your efforts on serving God through serving people.
So, today . . . How will you invest? In mere projects, personal dreams, or vain entertainment? Or will we look around at the individuals God has placed in our lives--many who will outlive us--and be a blessing to them? The Lord makes sure these investments pay off. Forever. (Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous to me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit. Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun . . . ) |
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