The Lord is MY Shepherd (my reflection on Psalm 23)

My reflection on Psalm 23

Psalm 23:1–6 —The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. *He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, *he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. *Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. *You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. *Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. *

The Lord is my Shepherd, (That's relationship!)

The sweetest word of the whole is that monosyllable, “my.” He does not say, “The Lord is the shepherd of the world at large, and leadeth forth the multitude as his flock.” If He is a shepherd to no one else, He is a shepherd to me. He cares for me, watches over me, and preserves me. The words are in the present tense. Whatever be the believer’s position, he is even now under the pastoral care of Jehovah. Amazing grace

"The Lord is my shepherd...what's the next line?...I shall not want." Is that your testimony? Is that the testimony of your heart? The Lord is my shepherd, I have no needs, I have enough. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Christian people really gave that kind of testimony to the watching world? That we had found in our God and in the salvation that He provides and in the spiritual resources at our disposal total satisfaction, that we were absolutely content. A satisfied heart should be the experience of every single Christian. And contentment is a spiritual virtue and discontent is a sin. We should be content, we should be satisfied, we should be saying I have enough, nothing more is needed, nothing more is desired. Seven Keys to Contented Living

‎True religion resides in being able to say with David:‘The Lord is my shepherd.’ It is a matter of that personal pronoun ‘my’—saying to God ‘my Lord’ and having the assurance that he says in return ‘my child’. Opening up Psalms

I shall not want, (That's supply!)

‎The imagery is that of the shepherd leading his sheep. The initiative is with the shepherd. He is the one who determines the watering places and guides the flock as he thinks best. As our shepherd, God has committed Himself to guiding us in the ways that He knows to be best for us. God sovereignly guides our lives, so that we do indeed live out in our daily experiences all the days ordained for us. ‎We think so much about our responsibility to discover God’s will in a situation or to make wise decisions in life’s choices, but the biblical emphasis seems to be on God’s guiding us. Trusting God

How astonishing it is to find the words ‘Lord’ & ‘shepherd’ in such proximity! David is asserting that the Sovereign Ruler of the universe has taken up the menial task of shepherding him! We could not dare believe this if the Lord himself had not revealed himself in this way Gen. 49:24. Christians cannot read David’s words without having their thoughts immediately rise to these words from the Lord Jesus Christ: ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep’ John 10:11.Through his redeeming death on the cross, Christ purchased his sheep. The wrath of God was hurtling towards them & Jesus stepped between them & the wrath & absorbed it on their behalf. Having purchased his sheep on the cross, the Lord Jesus now lovingly tends them along the lines described in this psalm. Opening up Psalms

He makes me lie down in green pastures (That's Rest!)

The imagery of the shepherd and sheep ‎in this poem reflects our total dependence on God. A shepherd’s chief concern is to do everything to insure the well-being of his flock. The emphasis of this psalm is trust in God to meet our needs (see Phil. 4:19). As the Good Shepherd, God provides for our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being (see John 10:7–18). He provides refreshment in the difficult experiences of life. His “rod” and “staff” lovingly guide, protect, and discipline His sheep. God’s “mercy” describes His steadfast love. Woman's study Bible

“I shall not want” for: rest and refreshment. Wiersbe's

God’s people of every generation do not lack: FOOD
They do not lack food because they are made to lie down in green pastures. This has to do with finding rest in the Word of God. The ‘green pastures’ represent food to the sheep. The lying down represents leisure or time. By the grace of the Lord, then, his people spend time meditating on the food which he has prepared for them, which is the Word of God.Opening up Psalms.

As a shepherd leads sheep to fresh grass for feeding, so the Lord leads His people. One who follows the Lord does not lack any spiritual nourishment. Food for the soul is the Word of God. The Bible Knowledge Commentary

He leads me beside still waters (That's Refreshment!)

guidance; ‎What I want to do is draw our attention to God’s initiative and God’s faithfulness in guiding us, so that we do fulfill the plan He has ordained for us. We think so much about our responsibility to discover God’s will in a situation or to make wise decisions in life’s choices, but the biblical emphasis seems to be on God’s guiding us. Trusting God

Jehovah-Shalom, “The Lord our peace” (Jud. 6:24);
Still waters denotes the calm water necessary for sheep to drink. Believer's Study Bible

He restores my soul (That's healing!)

All God’s people have been given rest from the guilt of sin and the fear of condemnation through the redeeming work of Christ. They are God’s people by virtue of that. But they still need rest from hunger, from annoying parasites and from conflict. We find these as we look to the green pastures in the Word of God. We are either grazing in those pastures or we are straying from our shepherd. Opening up Psalms.

Jehovah-Rapha, “The Lord will heal or restore” (Ex. 15:26);

A second blessing that comes from the Lord’s leading is spiritual restoration. As a shepherd leads his sheep to placid waters for rest and cleansing, so the Lord restores or refreshes the soul. Here the spiritual lesson is clear: the Lord provides forgiveness and peace for those who follow Him. The Bible Knowledge Commentary

“I shall not want” for: ‎ restoration and righteousness. Wiersbe's

He leads me in the paths of righteousness (That's Guidance!)

Jehovah-Tsidkenu, “The Lord our righteousness,” (Jer. 23:6);

DIRECTION AND GUIDANCE They do not lack direction and guidance because they are led in paths of righteousness. Christians often vex themselves with the question of whether they are ‘finding the Lord’s will’ for their lives. What consolation we have in this part of the Lord’s shepherdly care! The Lord has promised to lead his people. We should not concern ourselves so much, then, with finding the Lord’s will as with walking close to the Lord. Our problem is not really one of guidance, it is one of closeness to God. It is important to notice that the Lord always leads his people in ‘paths of righteousness’, that is, in conformity with what God has revealed in his Word. This verse will not allow us to claim the Lord’s leadership for any action that is opposed to the Word of God. Opening up Psalms.

The third blessing that comes from the Lord’s leading is guidance in the right way (paths of righteousness). A good shepherd knows the right paths on which to bring the sheep home safely. So too the Lord loses none of His sheep, but guides them in the right way. The Bible Knowledge Commentary.

For His name sake (That's purpose!)

‎ “I shall not want” for: purpose. Wiersbe's

The fact that the Lord leads his people ‘For his name’s sake’ means that he guides them according to all that his name represents. His guidance is, then, in keeping with his holiness, his love, his faithfulness, his wisdom and all that he has revealed himself to be. Opening up Psalms.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of death (That's testing!)

testing, trials; It's only the "shadow of death" not the valley of death!

The sheep never need worry when they follow the shepherd, for he will protect them and provide for them. Even when they go through a dangerous valley (v. 4), the shepherd is beside them, and beyond the valley is the house of rest. Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines

I will fear no evil (That's protection!)

“I shall not want” for: protection in trouble. Wiersbe's

Believers are never in situations the Lord is not aware of, for He never leaves or forsakes His people (cf. Heb. 13:5). Bible Knowledge Commentary

But how is it that we do not fear evil? Previously, the psalmist referred to God as he; now he refers to Him with a more intimate thou. For thou art with me. The intimacy of the statement The LORD is my shepherd is now seen in his direct address to the God of heaven. When we come to know God personally through His Son Jesus Christ, the death barrier is shattered. All who have trusted in Christ as Saviour are not only free from want, but have freedom from the fear of death as well. KJV Bible Commentary.

For Thou art with me (That's faithfulness!)

faithfulness; Jehovah-Shammah, “The Lord is there,” (Ezek. 48:35);

“I shall not want” for: companionship, fellowship.

Many a shepherd interposed himself between wild beasts and his sheep, and at night the shepherd lay down and slept in the single doorway to his sheepfold. Any enemy would have to pass him to attack his flock. How marvelous then for us whom Scripture sees as sheep that God presents Himself as our shepherd. He leads us, protects us, and because He is always with us, we fear no evil. The Bible reader’s companion

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me (That's Discipline!)

He provides refreshment in the difficult experiences of life. His “rod” and “staff” lovingly guide, protect, and discipline His sheep. God’s “mercy” describes His steadfast love. Woman's study Bible

protection, direction and guidance; support; one of the elect;
‎Where rod and staff respectively are used figuratively of divine protection and guidance; cf. Mi. 7:14). A support carried by shepherds; ‎Passing under a rod or staff was a shepherd’s way of counting his sheep. New Bible dictionary

The rod and staff in verse 4 represent God’s defense and guidance. The rod or club was used to drive off wild animals and enemies. The staff was used to give guidance to the flock and to lift them back on the pathway when they fell. The rod and staff in the hands of God comfort or give assurance to the psalmist. The teacher's Bible commentary

comfort, nacham; Strong’s #5162: To comfort, console, extend compassion, sigh with one who is grieving; to repent. Nacham originally may have meant “to breathe intensely because of deep emotion.” In some references, the word is translated “repent,” the idea being that regret causes deep sighing. In its sense of comfort, nacham does not describe casual sympathy, but rather deep empathy. It is like “weeping with those who weep,” or actually “sighing with those who sigh.” Spirit filled life study Bible.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies (That's hope!)

hope; provision; “The Lord our banner” (Ex. 17:8–15);

‎This symbolizes God’s protective care over His children in the midst of a wicked and antagonistic world (cf. Phil. 2:15). Believer's Study Bible.

“I shall not want” for: ‎provision in the wilderness. Wiersbe's

As the Host, God has made complete provision for our every need. in the presence of my enemies: The sheep/Shepherd imagery cannot convey all that needs to be said about God’s grace and mercy to His people. The Near Eastern host who would lay down his life for the guest adds the deeper dimension. The Open Bible

Thou annointest my head with oil (That's Consecration!)

blessing; ‎Anointing was a means of investing someone with power, to signify divine sanctification and approval; also signifies the consecration of someone or something for a holy purpose. Harper's Bible dictionary

The anointed head and the overflowing cup symbolize the abundance of God’s care (v. 5). The teacher's Bible commentary.

It was customary in those days to receive a guest by anointing him with fragrant perfume and with a cup filled with a choice wine. In this way, the host indicated that nothing was to be considered too good for his guest. Opening up Psalms.

My cup runneth over (That's Abundance!)

cup (which represents abundance)—are prepared for the child of God, who may feast in spite of his enemies, confident that this favor will ever attend him. Commentary Critical and Explanatory

abundance; supply;

David declares that God’s care surpasses even this. His head had been anointed, and his cup was overflowing. Opening up Psalms.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life (That's Blessing!)

love, mercy, goodness, caring; So certain is the psalmist that these twin graces will follow him that he begins his summary statement with a heavenly “verily” or surely. Goodness and mercy will not simply follow, but will pursue him. The verb used here is used elsewhere in a predominantly hostile sense. That it is given a benevolent sense here makes its usage even more striking. These graces actively seek us out when we walk with the Good Shepherd. They are present with us in times of feasting, as well as times of fasting all the days of my life. KJV Bible Commentary.

Mercy (Hebrew chesed ) is the unfailing, steadfast covenant love of God. This lovingkindness is similar to the NT word “grace” (John 1:16, 17). Spirit filled life study Bible.

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord (That's Security!)

‎ “I shall not want” for: a home to go to at the end of the day. Wiersbe's

The house of the LORD does not indicate a temple or church, but rather communion with God. The fact that we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever indicates sonship, for a servant never abides in the house. As a child of God who walks in the path of the Good Shepherd, I am always at home with God. This is the fifth of the five freedoms: freedom from desertion. The Shepherd has promised me, “… I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb 13:5); and whether through the green pastures, the still waters, through the valley of death, or in the presence of mine enemies, I know He is always there. KJV Bible Commentary.

Forever (That's Eternity!)

ETERNITY — infinite or unlimited time; time without beginning or end. Nelson’s new illustrated Bible dictionary.

In Scripture eternity is not an abstraction but limitless time, over which God is totally sovereign. Dictionary of Bible Themes

Eternity—time without end. Nelson's

Face it, the Lord is crazy about you!

‎Conclusion:
Jehovah is with (v. 1) under (v. 2) beside (v. 2) after (v. 6) before (v. 5) and ahead of (v. 6) all His trusting children.

They shall not want for food (v. 2) drink (v. 2) strength (v. 3) guidance (v. 3) comfort (v. 4) satisfaction (v. 5) or life (v. 6).

Striking Facts: The shepherd psalm follows the psalm of the cross. We must by experience know the value of the blood shed on Calvary’s cross and see the sword awakened against the Shepherd before we can truly know the sweetness of the Good Shepherd’s care. Summarized Bible:

‎ “I shall not want” is the theme of Ps. 23. ‎‎Hebrews 13:20–21 informs us that today Jesus is the Great Shepherd who cares for the sheep. We are His sheep, and as we follow Him He ministers to us. ‎Christ did not simply die for us; He rose again and lives for us. He is the Great Shepherd, the Great High Priest.

‎Each of the OT names for God is seen in this psalm: Jehovah-Jireh, “The Lord will provide” (Gen. 22:13–14); Jehovah-Rapha, “The Lord will heal or restore”(Ex. 15:26); Jehovah-Shalom, “The Lord our peace”(Jud. 6:24); Jehovah-Tsidkenu, “The Lord our righteousness,”(Jer. 23:6); Jehovah-Shammah, “The Lord is there,” (Ezek. 48:35); Jehovah-Nissi, “The Lord our banner” (Ex. 17:8–15); and Jehovah-Raah, “The Lord my shepherd” (Ps. 23:1). In other words, Jesus Christ is to His sheep all that they ever need. As the little child said when misquoting this psalm, “The Lord is my shepherd—what more shall I want?” Wiersbe's expository outlines on the Old Testament

If you can say, “The Lord is my Shepherd,” you can also say, “I shall not want.” With the Word Bible Commentary

Hebrews 13:20–21 —May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, *equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. *

Encouragement In Difficult Times 2

I have learned yet more about my body recently. I'd started to let stuff get to me the other day, so Tuesday night I asked Bruce to take over the cooking for me for a few days at least. I could tell that I needed to really concentrate on resting in order to prevent a bad flare up from the RA/Sjögren's. Well, I was a day late and a dollar short as the saying goes. By the time I woke up yesterday it had hit with a vengeance. Of course that made me feel even more down and the worse I felt mentally/emotionally, the worse the pain got. It was like I was getting a crash course on seeing exactly how my body reacted to stress and my emotions. So I spent a lot of time with the Lord and that calmed me down, but the damage was already done. I'll have to just deal with this flare up, but I've learned a lot from what the Lord showed me concerning it.

I now know for absolute sure that the only chance I have of preventing the pain and being comfortable, is if I keep myself totally stress free. This is going to be a very interesting experiment for the next few months because although we can control our reactions and emotions, we can't control what happens to us. What the Lord showed me was that both can cause the flare ups and or just extra pain. We can't change it when we or a loved one has money problems, gets sick or dies, loses their job, or what the government does, etc. The only thing we can control is how we react to them, our emotions and feelings. I was thinking that since we can't control what happens, and that by itself is stress, then it was a lost cause, but I realize now that it's really not!

If I can really do what Paul did, (be content in any circumstances) and be strong enough in my faith, then I'll no longer have to even consider how I respond to events in my life. Before, I always looked at it as though the circumstance happened, Paul saw it and dealt with it by being content. But that's not it, that's only half of it. Paul's saying he's already content and he stays content even when the "event" happens. So while I was being content, then interrupted by the event and then going back to being content, I was opening myself up to these flare ups. See what I mean? The problem was/is that although I know that God is sovereign, that He loves me and that all will work out for my good, there's always a part of me that has reacted to "bad" things by thinking, "yeah, but I don't like what He's allowing to happen." With the next thoughts generally being along the lines of "is He mad at me, have I done something wrong, etc.". All of which I know is bologna, and although they're no longer generally conscious thoughts, I can tell they're still there subconsciously. That tells me that somewhere deep inside, I'm doubting His love and goodness.

Taking my thoughts and feelings afterward is certainly the scriptural remedy, but it looks like the Lord is taking me beyond that now and wants me to get down to the root of it all. He's asking me to really trust Him - with ALL my heart, mind, and strength, and not just part of it. 95% isn't enough. It's got to be 100%.

When I can do that, then life will be like it was when I was a small child. I didn't worry about if the lights would turn on when I flicked a switch, or if there's be something to eat when I was hungry, or if my parents would be there tomorrow, or how I would get to grandma's house that week. I knew my parents had it all under control and it simply never occurred to me to worry about anything. Well, unless it was a selfish thing like which flavor of ice cream we had. I knew the ice cream would be there, but would it be the kind I wanted that day?  I wish I could say I didn't have that problem anymore, but I do, so that's another thing I'll have to continue to work on too. But, back then, if the lights didn't come on, I figured my parents planned it that way and it was a great adventure, a new game. I didn't see it as a bad thing. I knew everything would be fine no matter what happened.

Of course as I grew up, I learned differently, that my parents weren't in control of everything and bad things did happen. We all learn that. That's the part I have to overcome now though, and go back to being that simple little child that totally trusts my Daddy. Nothing "bad" is going to happen to me, because He simply won't allow it to. Therefore, anything that does happen, isn't really bad, regardless of what it looks like to the world. Kind of a combination of living by faith and not by sight, and being like a little child. When I can really do that, then nothing will be able to shake me. Of course I can't possibly do it on my own, so I'll have to ask the Lord to help me. Thankfully, as He said, His strength is made perfect in my weakness, so I know that together we can pull it off!

The Lord helped me absorb this all even more yesterday because my daughter called me and needed encouragement as her husband lost his job recently, which is pretty scary for them. She told me He'd given her the scripture that "His grace is sufficient for her for His power is made perfect in her weakness", (2 Cor 12:9) which helped, but as she put it, it's still so hard.... She said she didn't see why it was hard because she knew she trusted Him. Which is of course exactly what the Lord's been teaching me about. So I was able to share a story with her that the Lord brought to my mind, that helped us both.

I told her a made up story about this very famous guy who did a high wire act. Anyway, he was going to walk across someplace like the grand canyon, and there was a huge crowd there to watch him do it. Everyone was all excited. He kept yelling to them asking them if they really believed he could do it and they kept yelling back that they did. After all he'd done similar walks and I think he may have even walked across the grand canyon once before too. So they were all sure he'd make it across just fine. Finally, he asks them if they think he could do it pushing a wheel barrow in front of him and again they start yelling, "Yes!" He kept asking if they really believed and they insisted once again that they did. Then came the real question.... He told them if they were positive that he could do it, then which of them would sit in the wheel barrow while he pushed it across? There was dead silence.

That's just how we are with the Lord. Yes, we believe, and we trust Him, we really do. But, when it comes time for us to actually climb into that wheel barrow, we start to have doubts. We start to question. We start to fear and think, what if He can't do it? It's downright scary to be in that wheelbarrow! Which is of course, why the Lord gives us each wheelbarrow times in our lives. To help us see just how far our trust in Him goes. And not just to find out how far it goes, but to help us grow in our faith and trust in Him.

We have to get to the other side and the only way across is to get into that wheelbarrow, so sooner or later, we've got to climb in. Often, the first few times we have to do this, we make all kinds of trouble for Him, trying to jump out, rocking the wheelbarrow, etc, with all our doubts and fears. But He's very patient and thankfully in control, and keeps us safe so that eventually we do get to the other side. Sometimes, we're so relieved to have gotten to the other side, we even forget how we got there and just hug the ground not wanting to ever get up again lol. Again though, eventually we realize that it was the Lord who brought us to the other side and that He got us there safely in spite of ourselves.

You'd think that would make the next time easier wouldn't you? For some reason though, we get so comfortable walking on the firm ground with Him, that each time we have to cross over an area in the wheelbarrow, we're taken by surprise, and up pops all our doubts and fears again. Or so it seems anyway. As we begin to understand what's happening consciously though, we find that this trip helps us do away with our questions, doubts and fears. We find then that each trip really is easier then the one before and our faith does in fact grow. I don't know if we ever get to the place where knowing we have to climb into the wheelbarrow again doesn't bother us, as I haven't gotten there yet myself.

But I am finding myself feeling MUCH more secure now that I understand what's going on. I was able to look at my situation and see it with the mind of Christ instead of with my corrupted mind, and realize that the Lord who loves me dearly is the one that's in complete control of the wheelbarrow. so I have nothing at all to fear. He sustains everything with His powerful Word, including me, so no matter how scary things look to me, I know that He will take me all the way across this trial to the other side of it and that I'll be completely safe the entire time. No harm will come to me.

I think I'm going to try and just enjoy the ride this time instead of squeezing my eyes closed, screaming, and throwing tantrums like I usually do.

2 Corinthians 5:7–8 —We live by faith, not by sight. *We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 12:9 —But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. *
Mark 10:15 —I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” *
Matthew 19:14 —Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” *
2 Corinthians 5:7–8 —We live by faith, not by sight. *

To encourage all who are going through a difficult time

So many of us are going through such difficult times, including me, so I thought maybe I'd share what I'd studied about the following verses with everyone by sharing what Wiersbe says about it and the notes I've written on them. I'll also include some other encouraging scriptures at the end.

Philippians 4:11–13 —I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. *I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. *I can do everything through him who gives me strength. *

As he wrote Phil 4:11–12, every movement of his hand clanked the chain with which he was linked to a soldier. The pillars of Christian character

Paul is quick to let his friends know that he is not complaining! His happiness does not depend on circumstances or things; his joy comes from something deeper, something apart from either poverty or prosperity. Most of us have learned how to “be abased,” because when difficulties come we immediately run to the Lord! But few have learned how “to abound.” Prosperity has done more damage to believers than has adversity. “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing” (Rev. 3:17).
The word “instructed” in Philippians 4:12 is not the same as “learned” in Philippians 4:11. “Instructed” means “initiated into the secret.” This word was used by the pagan religions with reference to their “inner secrets.” Through trial and testing, Paul was “initiated” into the wonderful secret of contentment in spite of poverty or prosperity. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13). It was the power of Christ within him that gave him spiritual contentment.

Fog had moved into O’Hare Field, the airport that serves Chicago, and my departure had been delayed. I was sitting in the terminal reading a book and quietly asking God to work out His plans for the trip. Near me was a gentleman waiting for the same plane, but he was pacing up and down like a caged lion, and the language he was using to describe the fog was making the atmosphere more dense! I thought to myself, “Here is a man without any inner resources.” Later, he asked me how I could be so calm when the planes were all late, and I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with him.

While flying back to Chicago from upper New York via New York City, we had to stay in our holding pattern over Kennedy Airport for more than an hour. When the stewardess announced that we would be landing an hour late, a man across the aisle shouted, “Bring out the booze!” This was his only resource when things were going against him.

All of nature depends on hidden resources. The great trees send their roots down into the earth to draw up water and minerals. Rivers have their sources in the snow-capped mountains. The most important part of a tree is the part you cannot see, the root system, and the most important part of the Christian’s life is the part that only God sees. Unless we draw on the deep resources of God by faith, we fail against the pressures of life. Paul depended on the power of Christ at work in his life (see Phil. 1:6, 21; 2:12–13; 3:10). “I can—through Christ!” was Paul’s motto, and it can be our motto too.

“I am ready for anything through the strength of the One who lives within me,” is the way J.B. Phillips translates Philippians 4:13. The Living Bible puts it this way: “I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power.” No matter which translation you prefer, they all say the same thing: the Christian has all the power within that he needs to be adequate for the demands of life. We need only release this power by faith.

Jesus teaches this same lesson in the sermon on the vine and branches in John 15. He is the Vine; we are the branches. A branch is good only for bearing fruit; otherwise you may as well burn it. The branch does not bear fruit through its own self-effort, but by drawing on the life of the Vine. “Without Me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). As the believer maintains his communion with Christ, the power of God is there to see him through. “I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency” (Phil. 4:13, AMP).

The overruling providence of God and the unfailing power of God are two spiritual resources on which we can draw that we might be adequate for the tasks of life. But there is a third resource-The Unchanging Promise of God (Phil. 4:14–20).

Contentment comes from adequate resources. Our resources are the providence of God, the power of God, and the promises of God. These resources made Paul sufficient for every demand of life, and they can make us sufficient too. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Php 4:11–13).

These words show us that contentment isn't a natural propensity of man. ‎Covetousness, discontent, & murmuring are as natural to man as thorns are to the soil. We need not sow thistles & brambles; they come up naturally enough, because they are indigenous to earth: & so, we need not teach men to complain; they complain fast enough without any education. But the precious things of the earth must be cultivated. ‎Paul says, “I have learned … to be content;” as much as to say, he did not know how at one time. It cost him some pains to attain to the mystery of that great truth. No doubt he sometimes thought he had learned, & then broke down. Don't indulge the notion that you can be contented with learning, or learn without discipline. It's not a power that may be exercised naturally, but a science to be acquired gradually. We know this from experience. Hush that murmur, natural though it be, (take that thought captive!) & continue a diligent pupil in the College of Content. Morning and evening

‎Discontent & ingratitude will steal your joy. True joy is God’s gift to every believer, & yet many Christians seem to lack it. As with peace, assurance, & other benefits of salvation, joy can be forfeited for many reasons. Willful sin, prayerlessness, fear, self-centeredness, focusing on circumstances, & lack of forgiveness are the main culprits. Two of the most common joy-thieves are dissatisfaction & ingratitude. Paul ‎made no demands on God but simply trusted in His gracious provision. Whether he received little or much made no difference to him. In either case he was satisfied & thankful. Don’t be victimized by the spirit of our age. See God’s blessings for what they are, & continually praise Him for His goodness. In doing so you will guard your heart from dissatisfaction & ingratitude. More important, you will bring joy to the One who is worthy of all praise. Drawing Near—

The words I have learned the secret was a technical term meaning “to initiate into the mysteries.” Paul used it here to suggest a kind of initiation by his experiences into being content when either well fed or hungry, & either in plenty or in want. The Bible Knowledge Commentary

‎Existentialism, the dominant mindset of contemporary psychology implies that every man has the right to do whatever makes him feel good. Wrong thinking like that stems from self–centered pride. Some deceive themselves by thinking their sin doesn’t hurt anyone, but sin always ends up hurting. In contrast to self–love, Scripture says we’re to be humble & unselfish, love those who mistreat us, & extend mercy toward those who stumble repeatedly. Those qualities enabled Paul to be content in any circumstances. In contrast, some take all that they hear & see & filter it to see if it wounds them in any way, which will result in instability & anxiety. When others mistreat you, humility will help you keep your balance. Truth for today
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"The Lord's my shepherd...I shall not want." Is that the testimony of your heart? The Lord's my shepherd, I have no needs, I have enough. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Christian people really gave that kind of testimony to the watching world? That we'd found in our God & in the salvation that He provides & in the spiritual resources at our disposal total satisfaction, that we were absolutely content. A satisfied heart should be the experience of every single Christian. Contentment is a spiritual virtue & discontent is a sin. Instead of manifesting to the world satisfaction & contentment that shows our true trust in God & our true heavenly perspective, we get all caught up in the materialistic surge of our society. 7 Keys to Contented Living

“My self–sufficiency, my level of contentment, lies in the sufficiency of Christ to meet my every need. I can endure rain or shine, darkness or light, sorrow or joy, because through Him, I am equipped and sustained.” ‎Despite circumstances, you can enjoy true contentment when you accept the truth that Christ is adequate for your every need—in good times and bad. Help me be content despite the circumstances of my life. O God, my sufficiency is in Your ability to meet my needs. In You, I am equipped to face the challenges of this day. Enter His gates

‎The word content does not mean “complacent.” Paul was anything but complacent! ‎Contentment is actually containment—having the spiritual resources within to face life courageously & handle it successfully. Contentment is divine adequacy. Contentment is having that spiritual artesian well within so that you don’t have to run to the broken cisterns of the world to get what you need. The power of Christ in the inner man is all we need for the demands of life. Resources on the outside, such as friends, counselors & encouragements, are only helpful as they strengthen our resources on the inside.

‎We fight change & rob ourselves of the contentment God can give us if we'll but yield to Him. Those difficulties that you're fighting, & complaining about, may be the very tools God wants to use to give you inner peace & sufficiency. Stop fighting; yield to Christ & you'll learn how to be content. Paul knew that real joy doesn't come from comfortable circumstances on the outside, but from spiritual adequacy on the inside. ‎How does this inner contentment reveal itself? We have a peace that keeps us from falling apart & doing impulsive things; a patience that sustains us when all around us seems to be disintegrating. There's an inner peace & poise that makes us master of the situation—victors, not victims. The bumps are what you climb on.

Apart from Him we can do nothing. While we're abiding in Him nothing's impossible. The 1 purpose of our life should be to remain in living & intense union with Christ, guarding against everything that would break it, employing every means of cementing & enlarging it.. In proportion as we do so, we'll find His strength flowing into us for every possible emergency. We may not feel its presence; but we'll find it present whenever we begin to draw on it. There's no temptation we can't master; no privation we can't patiently bear; no difficulty we can't cope with; no work we can't perform; no confession or testimony we can't make, if our souls are living in healthy union with Christ; for as our day or hour, so shall our strength be. Thoughts for the quiet hour

‎He will not impose upon you one needless burden. He will not exact more than He knows your strength will bear. He will ask no Peter to come to Him on the water, unless He impart at the same time strength and support on the unstable waves. He will not ask you to draw water if the well is too deep, or to withdraw the stone if too heavy. But neither at the same time will He admit as an impossibility that which, as a free and responsible agent, it is in your power to avert. He will not regard as your misfortune what is your crime. Macduff Thoughts for the quiet hour.

The Gr. word for strengthen means “to put power in.” Because believers are in Christ (Gal 2:20), He infuses them with His strength to sustain them until they receive some provision (Eph 3:16–20; 2Co 12:10). The MacArthur study Bible


Ephesians 3:14–21 —For this reason I kneel before the Father, *from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. *I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, *so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, *may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, *and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. *Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, *to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. *

2 Corinthians 12:7–10 —To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. *Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. *But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. *That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. *

Philippians 1:6 —being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. *

Philippians 2:12–13 —Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, *for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. *

John 15:5 —“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. *

Philippians 4:19 —And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. *

Psalm 68:19 —Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah *

Psalm 31:19 —How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you. *

More Encouragement

I've been studying about Elijah lately and it was so encouraging that I wanted to share it with you. The story begins in 1 Kings 17 with Elijah confronting King Ahab and telling him that there'd be no rain for the next 3 years. He said there'd not only be no rain, but that there wouldn't even be any dew on the ground for all that time, and that the rain would not come again until he said it would. Of course this would cause a horrible drought, which would in turn cause a horrible famine throughout the land. As soon as he delivered the message from the Lord, the Lord told him to go to a specific place by a brook where He had arranged for the ravens to bring him food.

One of the first things I noticed in the story was that the Lord didn't give Elijah a 3 year plan. Instead, He gave him simple one step directions with enough information to carry out those instructions. He told him to go tell the King what He'd said, and it wasn't until after He'd given the King the message that God then told him where to go next. And that was important for Elijah because the King didn't like what he'd been told and as soon as he gathered his wits about him, he wanted to kill Elijah.

So Elijah went to the area the Lord had told him too and as promised, the Lord had ravens provide food for him each day. Again we see that Elijah was provided for daily...not for weeks or months or years in advance. There wasn't a stockpile of food waiting or him either. Nor was he given a nice palace to live in and a big river to get his water from. Instead he had to camp out and make do with a small brook of water that could dry up at any time. I say, "make do", yet Elijah always had more then enough to eat and drink. He was warm when it was cold and cool when it was hot. The point being that God didn't provide him with abundance so that he wouldn't be tempted to rest, or count on the gifts or blessings, but instead would rest, count on, Him.

That's one of the tendencies of our sin nature...to begin to rely on the blessing instead of on the giver of the blessing. Like our pay checks -regardless of where they come from such as our job, unemployment, social security, or whatever, we tend to count on them; rely on them. We forget that our boss, the government or whoever, isn't really the one providing those checks - God is! When God does give us an abundance, we tend to forget Him. We don't need Him then, or so we think. Such as when we have a good secure job and a regular pay check that enables us to pay our bills and have some left over. After a very short time, we forget that this is a blessing directly from God. We tend to consider our pay check, and even our job, as something we've earned and that we deserve instead. While we may still pray and read our bibles, we certainly don't spend time in heartfelt prayer pleading with God, because we don't see any need to do so. We see ourselves as being our own provision with our safe secure job and steady pay check. At least we do till they stop for some reason. When that happens, after we complain and gripe about it, we'll finally turn to God and start pleading with Him in prayer for help. At some point then, we hopefully realize that our jobs and pay checks had become false gods for us, and repent.

To prevent this from happening with Elijah, God didn't give him an abundance. The Lord kept things so that Elijah would have to constantly rely on Him. It was part of his training for the job the Lord had for him in the future. Because we know the story, we know that Elijah is going to do some really awesome miracles; miracles that had never been done before and as big and as profuse as hadn't been seen since the exodus. Elijah needed to grow in faith In order to do things, (which of course he knew nothing about) and keeping Elijah dependent on Him that way, is what caused his faith to grow.

I see this in my own life right now. I'm dependent on God for everything just like Elijah is. The false gods have been kicked out and I've repented of them. Now I'm not just trying to get through one day at a time, instead I'm learning to enjoy living a day at a time with the Lord as my provision. I'm learning to literally rest in Him, the way Elijah learned to do at that brook. To abide in Him every day knowing that my needs will be met and that all I have to do is trust and obey.

Funny isn't it? All we ever have to do is trust and obey, yet we let our lives get so cluttered with "stuff" that we forget. So the Lord brings us back to the beginning once again. Remember that verse, "I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord"? Just as the Lord had big plans for Elijah and was preparing him so he'd be able to handle them, so He's also preparing us for our future, and in the same way. I have a feeling that He's got some pretty big plans for us too!

Loving one another

I've been studying 1 John 4:7 - 21 lately and it really opened my eyes. I guess it does every time I study it. It makes me see where I need to improve and how desperately sick the church itself is these days. Very few Christians can say that they live up to the command that Jesus gave us to love one another. I'm bringing this up here because it illustrates what was lacking in Job's friends. There was no love there for him, and that's what he needed most of all. It's what we all need most of all.

And our Lord provided it for us by placing us in the body of Christ which is supposed to be a family for us. A family ruled by God's definition of love, not the worlds. Yet I can't name a single church or group that lives like that. I certainly hope that somewhere in this world there's a group like that, but I certainly haven't seen one. I know from history though that the body of Christ used to be more like this then it is now.

Besides loving fellow Christians though, the Lord told us to also love even non Christians this way! We fail terribly at loving each other and worse at loving non Christians... at least I know I do. No wonder no one can tell who's a Christian in this world....because most of us look, live and love, just like the world.

John 13:35 —By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” *
1 Peter 4:8 —Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. *

To give you an idea of what it could be like, let me share a story from one of my commentaries ...but first let me post the verses and an explanation of them:

1 John 4:7–21  Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.  We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.  And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.  There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  We love because he first loved us.  If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Dimensions of Love: 1 John 4:7–21
In these next verses John helps us see the way of love in the Christian community. He wanted us to experience close fellowship with Jesus and the Father, and live in intimate community with fellow-believers. John was not exhorting us to pump up the emotion we call “love.” He was explaining why love is valuable to the church, and how we can choose to live love.

In these verses there is no threat to make us feel guilty if we have fallen short of love. John did not lay a burden of obligation to make us struggle harder to do something we cannot do. Instead he simply pointed out that God is love, and to live in fellowship with Him is to live in love. If in our association with other Christians we fall into the world’s way of antagonism and selfishness, then we are not experiencing God’s presence.

These words of John bring hope. If we have failed to love, we acknowledge our sin to God and experience His forgiveness and cleansing. Only if we deny the importance of love in our relationships within the church, and let barriers arise between people have we lost our way. What do believers need to understand about love in order to experience fellowship with God? Let’s trace the thought of the passage.

Love is central (1 John 4:7–8). Because God is love, the person who shares God’s love will love. This is simply a fact; a reflection of the reality that where there is no will to love, God is absent.

Love initiates (1 John 4:9–12). John made abstract love personal when he explained that God loved us and “sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (v. 10). God’s action is especially striking since we did not love God when He gave Himself. Loving meant initiating action without immediate return (and, in the case of many whom God loves, without any return). Here is a model for love in the Christian community. Since God loved us in this same way, we ought to love one another in the same manner.

Relationships in society are usually governed by reciprocity. I am nice to those who are nice to me. Jim invites me to lunch; I invite him in return. I borrow tools from Stan; he borrows tools from me. Even sinners, Jesus once commented, love those who love them (Matt. 5:46). But love in the Christian community is not to depend on repayment. We are to take the initiative in loving, even when the ones we reach out to do not respond.

At first this seems like a strange instruction. Won’t such lovers be taken advantage of? Won’t the unresponsive drain the people who do care? John’s answer is twofold. First, the capacity to love in this way exists in every person who is born of God. Thus, it is not a few loving the rest, but it is all of us loving one another! Each of us has the opportunity to reach out and initiate actions that meet the deepest needs of our brothers and sisters.

Second, as we take up the joyful burden of loving others, God, who no one has seen, becomes strangely visible in the church. We see God Himself as He “lives in us and His love is made complete in us” (v. 12). As God becomes more real among us, even those who have not responded will be touched by His love.

God does live in us (1 John 4:13–16). Is such love possible? Of course! We don’t rely on any capacity of our own to love our brothers. In the person of the Holy Spirit God lives in us and will love through us. We learn to share God’s love for us.

Love frees us from fear (1 John 4:17–18). John has an exciting prospect for the fearful and doubting. As we see God’s love taking visible shape in the community of faith, we become more confident and more like God. “In this world,” John said of the believing community, “we are like Him” (v. 17). Love transforms us. We realize that God is not angry or eager to punish; love has driven out fear.

And now, for the story:

The way love drives out fear is beautiful. When Stan became a Christian, he was antagonistic, bitter, and quick to take offense at others whom he thought slighted him. Burdened by a poor self-image, Stan could not believe that God accepted him with all of his faults. Every time something went wrong, Stan was sure God was punishing him and he cringed. Even when everything seemed to go smoothly, there was always an aching fear that kept Stan from feeling peace or satisfaction.

Then Stan became a member of a truly loving church whose members accepted him as he was. They understood his behavior, overlooked his insults, and returned only love. They invited this unpleasant young man into their homes.

Gradually Stan began to realize that these people loved him in spite of himself. He could be real with them, and they still cared. For a time Stan became worse, testing their acceptance to see if it were real. Finally he was convinced. He was loved! With this discovery came a great release. Through the love of his brothers and sisters in Christ, Stan experienced the reality of God’s love. The message of Calvary he had accepted intellectually now released the knots of guilt and fear deep within. When Stan found a community of people who were like God in this world, he was freed to grow into a loving person himself.

Love is our proper response to God (1 John 4:19–21). Stan was freed to love only by being loved. John pointed out that it is the same with all of us. We did not love God; God loved us. God reached out first. But in being loved by God, we are freed to love in return. Then we can reach out to others.

Who do we love when God’s love frees us? Yes, we do love God. But we also love our brothers. In fact, love of God and love of His family are so inseparably linked that John flatly stated, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar” (v. 20). Love wears no blinders that cut off some while focusing on others. When love touches us, our whole personality is affected. We see God and sensing His love, are drawn to Him. We see people for the first time. We reach out to touch and to care. Love has transformed us.

In Christ, and in His community of faith, we will learn to walk in love.

The teacher’s commentary

Did you know you already have a counselor?

As I was reading my bible today, the Lord brought something to my attention. It was something I was already aware of, and yet I wasn't aware of how prevalent it was in His Word. The Lord tells us over and over again, that He is our counselor and wants us to come to Him when we need counsel. One of my favorite verses is the one in Isaiah where he's talking about Jesus and the Names of God and tells us that one of his Names is, "wonderful counselor". I can certainly vouch for that! You'll never, ever find a better one, that's for sure! What had gone right over my head though, until today, was another fact I knew. That one of the Names for the Holy Spirit is also "counselor"! So I started searching His Word for verses that spoke of God being a counselor to us and was amazed at how many there are. I doubt if I've found them all yet, but I've found well over 20 of them already!

I'll have to look up another thing too, because I also found a bunch of them that said not to take "men's counsel", or the "counsel of the wicked", etc. Oh, I'm sure none of us would ever seek out a wicked person to be a counselor though! Or do we, without realizing it? I just looked up what the word "wicked" translates from in the original language from here: Psalm 1:1 —Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. * That word is also generally translated as the "ungodly", or "unbelievers", hostile to God, guilty of sin, etc. Who's hostile to God though? We wouldn't go see someone that hated God certainly... but God says that all unbelievers are his enemies, and that their minds and hearts are hostile to Him; He tells us that we were like that before we were saved too. (Romans 5:10; Romans 8:7; James 4:4; Colossians 1:21) So not walking in the counsel of the wicked is actually saying not to accept counsel from any who are unbelievers!

Come to think of it though, I could even start a third list of scriptures, for I already know there are many scriptures that say that it's the believers who are mature in their faith that are to offer counsel to others, and that it's to them that we're to go to when we need help and feel the need to speak to another human and not just to God. The reason for that is pretty clear though. Generally most of us don't feel comfortable just talking to God and getting His counsel until we have become mature in our faith. Up till then, we generally still question if what we're "hearing" is from the Lord or not, so we need another believer to confirm it and help us learn to hear from Him.

Ultimately though, as we grow in our faith, we find that God is truly the perfect and very best counselor we could ever have or want; just as He's the very best teacher we could ever want. I would like to mention one other thing though that we often misunderstand about becoming mature in our faith. At least I did for a long time. We never stop learning. When someone becomes mature in their faith, that doesn't mean that they're done growing, or learning. Far from it! What it means is that they fully understand the basics of God's Word. They know what they believe and why they believe it. And most of all, they've got such a close relationship with the Lord that they know Him well. God still has much to show them and teach them, but they know Him and are at peace following Him. Hearing from Him is no longer a struggle, and no longer brings up doubts. They're very familiar with His voice and with His Word.

It's God's Will for every believer to become mature in their faith. That's not reserved for a special or favored few. When I say it's "God's Will" of course that mean it's something He expects of each of us.

Another thing I've found is that often people seem to link being mature in their faith as bragging or being a know it all, and certainly no one wants that kind of label. That's because the church has done such a horrid job of teaching believers though. So many seem to think that only pastors can be "mature in their faith". Sadly today though, many pastors aren't anywhere near being mature in their faith, and some are out right unbelievers! Other people link being mature in faith to being a senior citizen, as though that maturity comes with age. Yet Timothy who was quite young compared to the apostles, was quite mature in his faith, so we know that's not true. Maturity comes with time yes, because it takes time to learn and get to know the Lord, but if you start young, you can certainly become mature in your faith at a very young age. Being mature in faith has nothing to do with getting degrees from a school, church, or organization; nor does it have to do with being ordained by a church. The only thing maturity in faith requires is someone who's willing to spend time with the Lord in His Word every day. That plus time will eventually lead to maturity.

And again, that doesn't mean the person knows everything, they don't. It simply means they're not babies anymore and that they know enough to be able to help others discover the answers that the Lord has for them. They understand that wisdom, knowledge, understanding and discernment come from knowing the Lord. They're able to trust Him to give them the words they need to help others, which is why the bible calls them to counsel other members of the body of Christ. So they counsel others, knowing that really they're just helping the other person get to the point where they know longer need them and can go straight to the Lord themselves.

Let me share some of my favorite scriptures about this with you:

Isaiah 9:6 —For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. *
Isaiah 11:2 —The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord— *
Isaiah 28:29 —All this also comes from the Lord Almighty, wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom. *
Job 12:13 —“To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.
Psalm 32:8 —I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. *

I love this one too as it shows how much better His counsel is:

Job 12:17 —He leads counselors away stripped and makes fools of judges. *
Psalm 33:10–11 —The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. *The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. *

more of my favorites:
John 14:16–17 —And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— *the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. *
Psalm 119:24 —Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors. *
Psalm 16:7 —I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. *
Psalm 73:24 —You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. *

and so many more, but I'll stop for now.

How, Why & When do we judge others?

How, Why & When do we judge others?

The Most Misused and Abused Verses in the Bible today are Matthew 7:1 —“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. * and Luke 6:37 —“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. * You hear and see them constantly, both in "real life" and on line. People use them as little defensive shields to tell others that it's perfectly ok for them to sin and no one had better say anything about it to them.

But by using those verses for that, they show their own ignorance because that's not at all what Jesus was saying.

Usually when someone quotes the verse about not judging, it's because they're being held accountable for teaching false doctrine and don't want to hear it; or sometimes because they're treating others badly and when they're told that, they don't want to hear it so they quote that verse. Or they're living in sin and don't want to be held accountable for it like the Bible tells us to, so they quote that verse. I rarely hear it quoted in context...very, very rarely. It's almost always taken completely out of context.

Matthew 7:1–6 & Luke 6:41–42 are not teaching that we shouldn't judge at all. In fact the Lord tells us that we are to judge both ourselves and others. We can't very well be discerning like we're told to be if we don't judge others, nor can we determine who needs to be saved, rebuked, corrected, taught or anything else if we don't judge others. In John, Jesus tells us to stop judging people by their appearances and make right judgments, and in many other places He tells us how to judge, which is what the verses in Matthew and Luke do. They're not saying not to judge at all, but are telling us how to judge. We are not to be hypocrites or think we're better then others and we're not to judge others about trivial matters, in other words, be nit pickers.

God says we’re to judge righteously and not to judge another person’s heart as only He can see what’s in someone’s heart. He tells He will judge everyone and everything in His time, so we’re not to do so. But, we are to judge people’s actions and words to determine if they’re behavior or words are righteous or sinful, truth or lies. Why are we to do that though? So we can put down that person? So we can gossip about them, berate them? So we can say how wonderful they are? No!

There are several reasons we’re to judge others:

1. We’re to judge things like that to determine if it’s something we should do or say and why.

2. We’re to judge it to determine if the person is already saved or not; to the best of our ability using what the Lord showed us about seeing fruit in someone’s life. We’re to do this so that we’ll know if we need to tell that person about the gospel, or if we think they’re already saved, so we’ll know they’re our brother or sister in Christ.

3. We’re to judge so that we’ll know if they’re someone we should be hanging around with, as the Lord tells us that bad character corrupts good morals.

4. We’re to judge them so we can determine what kind of response the Lord would have us make toward them or what they’ve done or said. The Lord tells us that for both unbelievers, and believers, (even enemies) we’re to pray for them, so we need to listen and judge so we know how to pray. He tells us that as far as it depends on us, we’re to live in peace with all others. If we don’t pay attention and judge, we can’t do that.

5. We’re to judge others to determine if they’re teaching heresy and are false teachers, or if they’re simply mistaken about something and are scriptural teachers. We’re to judge this not so we can put them down or call them names, but in order to talk to them and show them their error(s) so they can repent. If they choose not to, then we need to be ready to disassociate with them. We’re also told to do this so we can warn fellow believers from listening to their teachings as it’s not scriptural. Again, this doesn’t include attacking the person, but simply telling other believers they’re false teachers and need to be avoided.

This last one needs to be broken down more though because some false teachers aren’t even saved and never have been, and other believers need to be warned about wolves in sheep’s clothing. Which brings us to whether or not we can determine if another person is actually saved or not. The simple answer is, No, we can’t. Not for sure anyway, because we can’t know what’s really in another person’s heart. But at the same time, the Lord tells us that it’s important for us to make this judgment call for our own good and that of the rest of the body of Christ. So what we have to do in this case is use the discernment the Lord gives to those mature in their faith.

We have to remember that the purpose of our judgment is to protect the body of Christ from false teaching, by either bringing the false teacher to repentance and reconciling with them or separating from them in obedience to God. We should be careful to not say that another person is definitely not saved, but rather that it appears that they’re not saved, and we should be able to give definite scriptural reasons why it appears that way. It should never be left up to “feelings”.

The goal, even with this last one is always to bring the person into a close relationship with the Lord, either for the first time or to be reconciled with Him, as well as protection for the body of Christ.

That’s what the Lord tells us about all relationships. Our goal should always be reconciliation, first with the Lord and then including ourselves. Unbelievers are to be shown the love of the Lord, and told about Him. Believers are of course also to be shown the love of the Lord. We talk about “the love of the Lord” a lot and yet few of us show it. That’s because the way the Lord loves us is totally unselfish. He never put Himself before us, He always did the opposite. He put our needs and desires ahead of His own, to the point of laying down His life for us when we still hated Him and were His enemies; and that’s exactly the kind of love He expects us to show all others.

That kind of love includes forgiving the way He forgives us. That means promising not to ever bring up the incident to the person, to others, or even to ourselves ever again. Whenever we do bring it up, even to ourselves, it’s sin against the Lord. The Lord, “remembers our sins no more, when we repent and confess them, and so we’re to do for others too. The Lord doesn’t tolerate sin, but He totally and freely forgives it when we repent and that’s the pattern He tells us to follow, and even gives us specific directions as to how to do it.

Loving others includes putting them before ourselves, just as the Lord did for us. It means giving up our right to be “right”, even when we know they’re wrong, and allowing them to have the last say and think they’re right, for the sake of love, peace and unity. (I’m not speaking about doctrine here, but just life situations)

The world tells us that we’re to take care of ourselves first, but God says No. He says we’re to take care of others before ourselves, all the time, not sometimes, and trust Him to take care of us.

Loving others includes giving to others sacrificially. Giving of ourselves, our time, our attention, our material goods, money, or whatever they need. Not just that however, though that’s hard enough. It means giving those things sacrificially. Going above and beyond the call of duty. If we have three apples, giving at least two of them, or even all three away when the need arises, and trusting God to supply our needs. Or to put it in a way that gets all of our attention, if we have only $20 to our name and we hear of someone who needs it, we’re to give them our $20, knowing the Lord will take care of us. That’s the kind of love the Lord wants us to show others.

Are we to supply drugs or alcohol to addicts? Of course not! But we are to give them love, shelter, food, etc. Should we give them money? Probably not. Instead, pay their bills, buy them food, take them out to eat, things like that so that you know their needs are truly being met. Are we to harangue them for their addiction? No! God didn’t do that to us did He? Instead He loved us, cared for our needs, and told us of our greatest need which was for Him.

Are we to only help them if they meet our desire for them to get help in rehab? Again, no! That’s not how the Lord treated us. He died for us when we hated Him. He didn’t wait until we’d agreed we needed help! Should we charge them for our help? Did the Lord charge us? No, He paid it all. But then who will help us pay our bills? The Lord will provide for us.

Does that mean we should support others who are physically able to work, but refuse to do so? No, the Lord said that if we don't work, we don't eat. However, if someone is ill, or disabled, then yes, they need our support. Or if they've just been laid off, are in between jobs, as long as they're looking and trying, then we should help them. We should treat them the way we would want to be treated, and we cannot be the judge of whether or not they are “trying” hard enough.  We are to take their word for it. 

What about if we think someone is lying about something? What if someone says they've repented of a sin, but they keep doing it? What if we think someone isn't trying, but they say they are? What does the Lord tell us to do then? His Word says we're to take them at their word, regardless of our "feelings". We're to treat them as though they're telling us the truth, unless a time comes that something absolutely proves that they've been lying. That's the whole thing with not judging someone's heart again. We can't know for sure what's in another person's heart. Only the Lord can know that for sure. It's in these kind of situations that the Lord says not to judge things before their time, to leave it up to Him to judge them, and in the mean time to assume they're speaking the truth. They will get what they have coming to them if they've been lying, for the Lord will see to it. We don't have to. But what if that means that they've been taking advantage of us all that time and we've wasted all that effort? God says that nothing we've done will have been wasted. Not one little bit of it. We may not understand or see why it was necessary, but we don't have to. All we have to do is obey.

Perhaps the Lord will use all we've done to plant seeds in that person, or in other people, or both. Perhaps He will use it to grow our faith, (hopefully He will!) or perhaps He will use it to show other believers what it looks like to be a real Christian in this type of situation. There are many different ways the Lord can and does use things, ways we can't even imagine. What we can know for sure though is that nothing we do will go to waste and that it will ultimately result in God's glory and our good. You just can't ask for anything better then that!

If we could just remember that we represent Jesus to everyone we come in contact with every day...our family members, our friends, our neighbors, co-workers, boss, people on the street, the mailman, other drivers on the road, people in the stores we go in, the restaurants we eat at, the places we go for fun. Those are the people the Lord has put in our lives for us to reach. Some of them we'll never even speak to, but they'll see us, they'll see our actions, and our actions as well as our words should give others a true picture of our Lord. They should show others His sacrificial love and forgiveness.

That doesn't mean we should never get angry, even our Lord got angry. What it means is that our anger should be righteous anger, not selfish anger. That's why we're told in our anger, not to sin. The purpose of righteous anger isn't to hurt or embarrass someone, it's to fix the problem, to once again bring about reconciliation. Righteous anger has the focus of solving the problem, not getting even or showing how wrong the other person was. Sometimes, that may even include the law being involved when a law has been broken. It's really all about what's in our hearts at the time that interests the Lord. Righteous anger becomes angry at the things that anger God, not just ourselves. How often did our Lord become “angry” when someone or even a whole group of people reviled Him, made fun of Him, called Him names, or even tried to run Him out of town? Not even once. But He did get angry when He saw what people were doing to His Father’s House, and He put a stop to it. That’s the difference between righteous anger and selfish anger.

Obviously there are many reasons we must judge others, but ultimately no matter what we determine about them, the bottom line is that we’re to love them the way the Lord loves us. That’s not easy. In fact, unless we rely on God, we simply can’t do it at all. But that’s ok, because the Lord wants us to be weak and to rely on Him, so we have nothing to worry about. Let’s be the people the Lord wants us to be and begin loving others as He told us to, so we’ll be recognized as His disciples!

“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”” (John 7:24)

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Cor 10:31)

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor 5:20)

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”” (John 13:35)

“If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” (John 15:10–14)

“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!” (James 2:12–13)

““Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37)