John 15:18 If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.

Jesus prepared the minds of his disciples for what they would soon face, once he had been crucified. He made it plain that since he had been rejected, they should expect to be treated in the same way. The only way they would be able to face the difficulties is if they would always be mindful that “No servant is greater than his master.”

Today, we who are followers of Jesus have to remind ourselves of this as many believers are facing challenges to their faith and, in some cases, physical harm and deprivation. Jesus said: “They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.” (John 15: 21).

Jesus pointed out that those who hate him and his Father are guilty of sin and are without excuse because (a) he has come and spoken to them; (b) he has done what no one else has done by demonstrating his power by many miracles. Again, he noted that this rejection of him is a fulfillment of what is written in their Law: “They hated me without reason.” (John 15: 25).

In a conversation with Philip who asked Jesus to show him the Father, Jesus responded: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.” (John 14:9–11). The people of Jesus’ day heard him speak and saw the miracles.  Many believed but many did not. In fact many hated him, indeed, without a cause. Where do you stand?

Genesis 22:15–18 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

What has God told you to do that you have not done yet? Why the delay? You are not sure it was God’s voice you heard. If that is the case then there is nothing to do. But if you are certain, you need to act. It is possible to be certain because Jesus said: “The watchman opens the gate for him, (the shepherd) and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. (John 10:3-4) Once you recognize his voice you can also know you are not being asked to fulfill the task by yourself because he will go ahead of you.

Obedience begins with small acts. The Lord knows just what stage you are in your relationship with Him and your assigned task will be uniquely designed for you to get to the next level. Abraham was not asked to slay his son on his first encounter with God. He was first asked to get up and move with his family to another place. That was huge but it was not on the same scale as sacrificing his child.

In the case of Abraham we see that every act of obedience came with blessings unimaginable at the time God gave the instructions. Not only that, the blessings would continue to future generations. I do not want to stand in the way of my children being blessed. Do you?  At one point when I was faced with my own inaction, the Holy Spirit pointed out to me:

“The Spirit of God comes in his fullness when we are in a posture of obedience; when everything is laid on the altar of sacrifice, nothing withheld. When it has cost you everything you hold dear. Nothing you ever possess is more important than your obedience – to be where I want you to be and do what I want you to do at my set time.”

Zechariah 3: 7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.”

This is part of a vision given to Zechariah about the long range plan God had for his people who were in the process of rebuilding the temple. They needed to be encouraged. In the vision Zechariah sees Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. Wow! Isn’t that just like the Devil? But we see here that the Lord rebukes Satan so that he cannot hinder the plans he has for Jerusalem and his servant Joshua. Furthermore the Lord asks: “Is not this man a burning stick plucked from the fire?”

Are you a servant of the Lord who feels you have been through fire lately? Are you thinking that you are not a pretty picture right now? Do you feel you have been through too much and you are all but consumed? Wonder where all the accusations have come from? Let the Holy Spirit use this vision of the restoration of Joshua to inspire you. God has not rejected you. He has his eyes on you. He is the one who gives the marching orders over your life. He has fresh clean garments for you. He says: “See, I have taken away your sin and will put rich garments on you.”  (Read Zechariah 3:1-10).

It is good to be broken before the Lord because his Word promises that he will not despise a broken and a contrite heart. So be encouraged and take him at his word: “If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements……”  Start over with God. He still has work for you to do and a reward to boot. You still have a part in introducing people to Jesus Christ.

Genesis 19:15–16 With the coming of dawn, the angel urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.” When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them.

God’s heart has always been to rescue mankind and maintain fellowship with each of us. When he lovingly formed Adam with his hands and breathed his breath into him, God called his masterpiece “very good”. But Adam sinned and since then, in contrast to God’s love, our desire seems to be to get as far away as possible from God.

In Genesis 18 we see Abraham, the friend of God, pleading for the life of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah who had completely rejected the ways of God. He probed the heart of God, starting with a request for him to spare the city if fifty righteous people could be found, then he gradually reduces the number to ten. God agrees that if he finds ten he will spare the city for their sake. Abraham was struggling with the same thoughts we are confronted with today – Will God sweep away the righteous with the wicked? “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

In Genesis 19, Abraham’s nephew Lot is given every opportunity to get out of the city with all his family members to escape the coming judgment. Lot tried to persuade the two young men engaged to his daughters to flee with him but they just laughed at him. Lot himself, his wife and daughters had to be dragged by the angels kicking and screaming to leave this place because they had become so attached to it. His wife so longed after it, she disobeyed the order not to look back and became a pillar of salt. What a tragedy!

God is first merciful, but he is also the Judge of all the earth. Jesus has told us he will return and although some scoff at the idea and considers it too long delayed to be true, the reason is that: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9). Don’t put off turning to God for mercy.

Proverbs 3: 5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

In the King James Version the second half of Proverbs 3:6 says “and he shall direct thy paths.” I am all for letting God direct my paths because it never ceases to amaze me how much better the outcome of my circumstances are when I let God’s Spirit lead.

To “trust” means to believe in the reliability, truth, ability or strength of someone to do what he says he will do. Oh that we could all exercise this much confidence in God for this is the essence of what He asks us to do. He is the guarantor of all that He is. We are asked to exercise the mind of a trusting child who puts his hand in the hand of the parent and joyfully skips along, unconcerned about all the mayhem that maybe going on around him. In that relationship the child feels protected and gladly obeys any instruction the parent gives.

The Psalmist David elevates the idea of such a relationship with God as one of delight: “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.” (Psalm 37:3-6).

Genesis 16:1-2  Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abraham agreed to what Sarai said.

When we read this portrayal of people, we could pick any of the three characters named and we could empathize with each one. They are as full of faults as any of us. Abram had heard God’s voice and had been given a glimpse of his future. Why did he lose faith? Sarai knew what God had told Abram. Why did she become impatient? Hagar seemed defenseless. Could she have refused to do as she was told and risk losing her job, or did she feel proud to be chosen as her master’s concubine? We don’t know her initial thoughts, but we are told that: “When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.” Pride is sneaky like that. No good can come of it.

Sarai’s response to Hagar’s attitude was swift and unreasonable. She blamed Abram and she wanted Hagar gone. So with Abram’s acquiescence she mistreated her till she ran away.  Now I find myself saying: Poor girl, what a mess?

Is that where you are right now, in a mess that was not entirely of your own making? Life is like that sometimes. The wonderful thing is that God sees you and knows it all. The Angel of the Lord found Hagar and called her by name and gave her instructions and a promise. In response she said: “You are the God who sees me, I have now seen the One who sees me.” Will you acknowledge God right now and ask him to speak into your situation, and will you listen and do what he tells you?

Matthew 4:4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

This was Jesus’ response to the devil who said to him in the desert “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Satan knew enough to understand that if Jesus wanted to change the stones to bread he could do it. He knew Christ’s identity. All he was trying to do was to exercise power over his will. If just this once he could get Jesus to do what he wanted him to do, he would get a feather in his cap, something to boast about.

Jesus was secure about his own identity as the Son of God and was not about to succumb to the devil’s cheap trick. The other significant point to note is that prior to this Jesus had just been baptized in the Jordan, the Holy Spirit had descended on him and God the Father had publicly approved of him. Only then was Jesus led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. When he had fasted for forty days and nights he became hungry.  It was at that point that the devil figured Jesus was most vulnerable. He couldn’t have been more wrong. Jesus was sustained by the power of the Spirit and as he grew physically hungry, he became spiritually stronger. He is himself the Word after all. The devil had no power over him.

Are you facing temptation? Do you think for a moment that you can stand in your own power? No. You can only stand in the power of the Spirit wielding your sword which is the Word of God.

Jeremiah 17:7–8 But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

This passage comes immediately after a graphic description of a life that is cursed. A cursed life is a life of futility and frustration. In contrast a life that is blessed of God is uplifting and positive. It is not without challenges, the difference is that faith in God moves us away from depending on ourselves and others and helps us to understand that the God who created the universe cares about us.

Our trust in God allows us to look beyond the negative occurrences in life, so that we can be overcomers. Not only that, the Word says we will be like trees planted by the water. We will be well-grounded and fruitful.  That means not only will we be satisfied but our fullness will overflow to others.

Scripture is filled with pronouncements about being blessed, not just for individuals but for nations, for example: God first blessed man when he said: “Be fruitful and increase in number ….” (Genesis 1:22). He promised Abraham: “… and through your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed because you have obeyed me.” (Genesis 22:18). This blessing is Jesus and through him salvation is available to all who will believe in his name. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” (Psalm 33:12). Jesus also gave a long list of the people he considered blessed. (Matthew 5: 3-11). “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12). “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” (Revelation 1:3). Finally “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.” (Revelation 22:14).

It seems fair to conclude that we do get to have some say in whether we are blessed or not by taking heed to these exhortations and many more in the Bible.

Psalm 139:11-12 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

It is one thing to be able to physically hide from someone you want to avoid and that is usually easy enough. But the very idea that even if you succeeded at that, they could still read your every thought and anticipate your actions would be totally intimidating. Yet, here in this 139^th Psalm David is coming to grips with the reality that it is impossible to hide from God in any way because he is Lord both of the darkness and the light. So David allows himself to become completely unraveled before God as he writes:

“O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in – behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” (Psalm 139:1-10)

David exposes himself to God’s searchlight as it were, acknowledging that God knew him even before he was formed in his mother’s womb and that every day of his life was already ordained by God. He is not out of touch with the realities around him by any means because he acknowledges that he does feel threatened by his enemies. Still, his greatest desire is to be right with God, so he concludes his prayer:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead in the way everlasting.”  (Psalm 139:23-24).

When I grow up spiritually, I want to be like David!

Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?

We don’t wake up every morning feeling fit for battle. Truth be told, we would much rather turn over, pull the covers over our heads and go right back to sleep. But you and I know very well that unless we are ill, that is not an option. So we go through the necessary physical motions of getting ready and hope our minds catch up quickly enough to get our day on course. Believers know that a day starting with thanksgiving and a conversation with the Lord will go much better than if you don’t. Sometimes however, no matter how it started, it is possible to come to the end of some days feeling as if you had been through a grinder and when you put your head on the pillow, calm does not come.

I recall a night which started out like that for me. I had a late evening phone call from a total stranger who shared some information with me that set my mind reeling. Most of the conversation was self-serving on his part, but some of it alerted me to possible pitfalls in an agreement I had signed off on a few weeks prior. As I lay down, I started to analyze the situation. Then I quickly reminded myself: “no, not tonight, you need to go to sleep.”

No sooner I finished the thought, the 27^th Psalm came to mind and I started to repeat the verses I could recall. Then I got up, grabbed my Bible and read the whole Psalm. By the time I got to the end, a calm assurance had set in. Why? The Word had ministered to me in an amazing way. It didn’t really matter what pitfalls were out there, I knew God had already gone ahead of me to smooth the way. How can I be so sure? The transaction I had entered into was in obedience to God’s earlier guidance and it was time-bound. It is the second to last phase of a “valley experience” that God has been leading me through. The caller did not know any of that. So with this Psalm I believe the Lord was just reminding me that there was no need to be afraid as He would be completely in charge of the outcome of my situation. The Word of God is a lamp for our feet and a light to our pathway. (See Psalm 119:105). With the agreement having long since expired, I can testify that truly there was nothing to fear.