Throughout the week I’ve had trouble managing my time, and I’ve had trouble managing work – It’s been an issue for me to not be able to get out of the screen for an extended time to rest my mind and body, but I’m thinking and praying right now on how to make that work. It’s one of two things, anyway – I make it work, or I make my way out.
I’m still thinking it’s too early for me to consider that second thing, seeing as I’ve just hopped into all this… I am keeping my head straight and learning as much as I can, and working towards a point in time where all that I’m seeing as burdensome today will be reflex or natural. I’m thankful for mentorship and encouragement that I receive, and no matter how things turn out, I want to eventually be the one who does the mentoring and the encouragement.
Managing time and managing work… that’s certainly one thing that I’ve learned that I need to learn and re-learn. Yeah, that’s one thing that’s come up this month so far, and I’m not about to go ahead and forget it: That there is STILL much to take in and to relearn, even in my age – and given all that’s set before me (not just work, but also business, ministry, as well as personal, family, and social responsibilities), the sense of urgency in all I need to take in is pretty high; So urgent, in fact that up until this time I still think there’s a need for unlearning en masse; Of all the things I think are obsolete and unapplicable, all things that are weighing me down or actively pulling me under.
With this in mind, I’d like to share this Psalm which was been within sight, with the Bible open, ever since earlier this week:
Psalm 21
The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD; and in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips.
For You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head. He asked life from You, and You gave it to him – length of days forever and ever. His glory is great in Your salvation; honor and majesty You have placed upon him. For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence. For the king trusts in the LORD, and through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved. Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You. You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger; the LORD shall swallow them up in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them. Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth, and their descendants from among the sons of men. For they intended evil against You; they devised a plot which they are not able to perform. Therefore You will make them turn their back; You will make ready Your arrows on your string toward their faces. Be exalted, o LORD, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power.
Nothing fancy or anything, I just want to share how we’re just so tuned in and so into trusting the Lord right now. It’s not just because of the escalation of things happening in my own personal life but, really, life and reality in general as of these moments in time would warrant anyone in the body of Christ to downgrade any confidence we have in anything in this world (ourselves, especially), that we would fix our eyes and place our hope in no less than the Most High, the LORD in whose strength we not only trust, but also have joy from.
Indeed, I’ve been preaching on how Christ-centered living is an existence of natural rejoicing, and it’s all based on the absolute salvation and unwavering right-standing we have with the Creator; We rejoice, and again we encourage others to rejoice, simply because God is our Father. Let me emphasize, for your sake and mine: Through Christ and His finished work, we have the Spirit of Adoption which has us cry out to the Lord Most High, calling Him our ‘Abba, Father‘.
Our Father is our Strength, and it’s in His strength that we find joy; Rather, through Christ we find salvation, and in this salvation we draw joy from our Father’s Strength. This is refreshing for me to know, considering that all I’ve had in mind ever since the onset of this mishmash of words I’m putting together is strength in terms of resilience to adversity, resistance to discouragement and low morale, and recovery from damage and disaster; Here I’m reminded that (1) power and strength comes from the LORD, and (2) this power and this strength is not only a decisive response to all the negativity, but also an active stimulus towards positivity, and all that brings life.
And we rejoice not only in the storm, but also to bring forth the storm, if that makes any sense. Or, sure, it doesn’t. We rejoice in adversity, and we rejoice towards opportunity.
Strength comes with joy, and the joy of the LORD is our strength. It is both a response and a call to action.
Later in the week I also pulled up the following verses, from both the Proverbs and the Psalms:
7 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! 9 Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah
Psalms 24:7-10
3 By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; 4 by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. 5 A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, 6 for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory. 7 Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the gate he does not open his mouth. 8 Whoever plans to do evil will be called a schemer. 9 The devising of folly is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind. 10 If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
Proverbs 24:3-10
I suppose that, will all this considered and in this time and moment, the following are a couple of things that need to come to mind, and stay in mind. With that theme of learning and re-learning, I’m to instill in mind, body and being:
…And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.Nehemiah 8:10b
We’ve established this, I even quoted it, but apparently it’s not the core of it all. I mean, joy comes from the strength of the Lord, by wisdom and knowledge we are full of strength and our might is enhanced – we keep that in mind…
1 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, 2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; 3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, 4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, 5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:1-5
…But it is in wisdom, insight and understanding that we understand the knowledge of God. And where do we draw this wisdom from? Sure, Proverbs 3:5-6 mentions that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, but we also read here that it’s in God’s words and commandments. We take it in, and we cry out for it…
…But this is STILL not the core and center of it all.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. John 1:1-18
The Word to receive is Christ, who dwelt among us. Before He lay down His life, He gave us a new Commandment to treasure: To love one another, as He loves us (John 13:34, 2 John 1:5). After His resurrection and ascension, Paul gives us a revelation superior to receiving wisdom, insight and understanding: We have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:14-16). …and, actually, as I’m thinking about this, not only do we have Christ in our thoughts (my understanding of the mind of Christ, that He thinks as we think, and we think as He thinks), but this also adds additional value to this Truth: That the Holy Spirit is our Helper (John 14:26), AND the Spirit of Truth that leads us into all Truth (John 16:13).
There is joyful, strength-given wisdom in loving one another as Christ loves us. We have the mind of Christ, serving as Truth from the inside out, allowing us to understand the fear of the LORD – which brings us in awe of His might and strength, present in our day of adversity. We have the Spirit of Truth, tutoring us with Truth from the outside in, revealing the knowledge of God – in whose presence we wage war, and claim victory.
This is our reality now, as members of the body of Christ, as folks who believe in Jesus – that we have the mind of Christ, and the Spirit of Truth. We would do well to learn and re-learn this, in adversity, towards victory. …and it all flows in and out of us, by way of the everlasting love of God, expressed through Christ and His finished work.
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow! Praise Him, all creatures here below! Praise Him above, ye heavenly host! Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Amen.
These are our absolutes. This is our reality, bought by the blood of Christ:
- Our names are written in the book of Life.
- God is our Father who is for us and not against us.
- Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God.
- We have the mind of Christ.
- We have the Holy Spirit – The Spirit of Truth, Adoption, and Comfort; The Spirit of Power, Love, and of Sound Judgment.
- We are loved by an everlasting love, and by this love we are willing and able to love one another.
- All of our Father’s promises are ‘Yes’, and ‘Amen’!
I thought it necessary for us to share this and establish this, especially considering the discussion I sat in (but wasn’t as present as I wanted to be) during last Wednesday’s Bible study group. They talked about righteousness and sanctification, and all I got from it was that our righteousness is as absolute as our salvation is through Christ, and our sanctification is our living out this righteousness in this fallen world.
Sanctification is our living our absolute right-standing with our infinite and eternal Father in this finite and time-bound sin-infected existence.
It’s realizing our reality is no longer what our senses perceive, but what the Holy Spirit brought us to believe.
It brings us to understanding the possibility of our being made perfect forever while being perfected in this world.
It’s our eyes seeing the absolute Light in the chaotic darkness. It’s our standing on the Rock of our salvation no matter how the winds and waves rage.
It’s our ears hearing the Truth no matter what lies and narratives abound. It’s our faith coming by hearing the Word of God.
And, really, I think this is what I just need to keep on learning, learning and relearning. Even with my long work shifts where I am giving my full and entire attention to the job, I believe there is time to do what my entire being seems to be agreeable to – More than rest and recharging my brain and body, I need to take in the Truth of my reality, again, bought by Christ.
Then I’m reminded to just run into the water – to the Water of Life, that is. To plunge in, immersing my entire body, not just my feet, but my head, hands and hair, as Peter once demanded.
I’m reminded to gulp in the Water, head down, with no need to draw my mouth up and look around, just as Gideon’s 300 did.
The prayer remains, a revelation deeper than what’s just been realized: Father, restore to me the joy of my salvation!
Jesus, my Salvation, my Savior: Shine in and through me, and bring me to rejoice!
You are the peace that guards my heart, my help in time of need;
You are the hope that leads me on, and brings me to my knees.
For there I find You waiting, and there I find relief;
So with all my heart I’ll worship, and unto You Ill sing!
For You alone deserve all glory! For You alone deserve all praise!
Father, we worship and adore You, Father, we long to see Your face!
For You alone deserve all glory! For You alone deserve all praise!
Father, we love You, And we worship You this day.
Amen.
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