Words to an old children’s song. But what does it mean? (For the condensed answer, skip down to the blue Takeaway at the end.)
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines love as…
Strong affection for another rising out of kinship or personal ties [love for a child]
Attraction based on sexual desire, affection and tenderness felt by lovers (in love)
Affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests [old schoolmates]
Warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion [love of the sea]
The object of attachment, devotion, or admiration [baseball]
A beloved person [hello, Love, good to see you]
Unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another such as the fatherly concern of God for humankind, brotherly concern for others
a person’s adoration of God
a god or personification of love
an amorous episode
the sexual embrace
a score of zero (as in tennis)
to hold dear
to feel a lover’s passion, devotion, or tenderness
to like or desire actively, take pleasure in [love playing the violin]
to thrive in [roses love sunlight]
to feel affection or experience desire
Basically this is saying the definition of love changes based on how it’s used.
So, what does the Bible mean when it says God loves us? All of the above? Some? None?
I did a quick word study of a random sampling of verses that used the word love. Here’s what I found.
In the Old Testament:
Deut 6:5 … love the LORD… with all your heart
Is 43:4 Because you are precious in my eyes… I love you…
Jer 31:3 I have loved you with an everlasting love
the word used for love was ahabtik: to have affection
In another Old Testament verse:
Ps 36:7 how precious is your steadfast love…
the word used for love was hasdeka: kindness, piety, reproof, beauty
In the New Testament:
1 John 4:16 … come to know… the love that God has for us… God is love…
Eph 2:4 … his great love for us…
1 John 3:1 … see what kind of love the Father has given us…
Rom 8:39 … separate us from the love of God…
1 Cor 13:2 … but have not love…
Rev 2:4 … you have abandoned the love you had at first…
the word used for love is agapen: affection or benevolence; specially a love-feast
In other New Testament verses:
1 John 4:20 … If someone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother…
John 13:34 … a new commandment… love one another just as I have loved you…
Rom 9:13 … Jacob I loved, Esau I hated…
John 3:16 … God so loved the world…
Matt 22:37 … love the Lord your God with all your heart…
the word used for love is agapo: to love, wish well, to take pleasure in, long for, denotes the love of reason, esteem. Perhaps from agan; to love.
And in another New Testament verse:
John 16:27 …the Father himself loves you because you have loved me…
the word for love is philei: from philos; to be a friend to (an individual or an object) i.e. have affection for, specially to kiss
I think what surprised me the most was the word used in Deut 6:5. I would have thought to love God with all our heart would have a stronger word than ahabtik: to have affection.
I was also quite surprised to find the word love in John 16:27 where Jesus says the Father loves us because we love Him means to be friends with, have affection for, specially, to kiss. Friends? I know Jesus called us friends, and Jesus and the Father are one, but I never thought of myself as a friend of the Father. And kiss? The Father kisses us because we love Jesus? What a heartwarming visual!
The rest of the words for love are applied to “us” and “the world”. As a follower of Christ, I am part of “us” and “the world” so those apply to me. If you are a part of “us” and “the world” you can apply them to yourself, also.
Takeaway:
What does the Bible mean when it says God loves me?
God has affection for me.
God is a friend to me.
God kisses me.
God is benevolent (well-meaning, kind, desire to do good) towards me.
God has given me a love feast (a banquet or gathering of persons to promote good feeling, restore friendly relations, honor a special guest, etc.)
God wishes me well.
God takes pleasure in me.
God longs for me.
God esteems me.
Isn’t God’s love for us amazing!
Which definition impacted you the most? Comment below. Comments help keep me motivated to write and sometimes teaches me new things. I truly appreciate everyone who takes the time to leave one.
Anxiety filled me as the road ahead disappeared in the glare of approaching lights. It was bad enough that halos danced on the top of light posts, each one merging with the lights of nearby restaurant signs, but to lose sight of everything each time a car approached kept my hands clenched on the steering wheel. It wasn’t that my presence on the road was a danger to others. Driving on high alert made sure of that. But I kept thinking I should have waited until morning to make this trip. My vision is better in the light of day and I usually did most of my driving during those hours. Tonight, however, the anticipation of starting a new journal made the thought of waiting worse than the stressful drive.
Finally, the turn lane to Walmart came into sight. Sighing with relief, I exited the highway and drove across the parking lot, inched into a space, and cut the motor. A few deep breaths relaxed my muscles enough to loosen my grip on the steering wheel. I got out and headed inside for the notebook, pens, and colored pencils I needed to start my inspired journal. I couldn’t fully relax yet, though. I still had to drive back home.
“What can I do about it?” I asked my family and friends over the next few weeks. “It’s bad enough the street signs are too blurry to read, but the halos are downright scary.”
“Squint,” said one.
“Don’t drive at night,” suggested another.
“Nothing,” warned a third. “Astigmatism can’t be cured.”
I knew deep down that I probably needed to see my eye doctor, but to avoid the inconvenience I kept asking people, and the advice kept coming.
“Keep your eyes away from the lights.”
“Wear sunglasses.”
“Get your eyes checked.”
Following these suggestions helped a little and I was able to manage the short, familiar roads on the few nights I needed to shop. But then came my son’s wedding announcement. Driving across seven states in three days meant not only night driving but also navigating unfamiliar roads. I knew it was time to go see the doctor.
After examining my eyes, my eye doctor told me I had only slight astigmatism and adjusted my contact lens prescription. “Try these,” he told me, handing me a sample set of contacts. If you like them, you can order them. There might even be some in stock.”
As I walked out of the office, I stared with amazement at the details I could see from a distance. Now I would be able to read road signs before I got to them which would definitely help me find the right way. But I had to wait a few hours to find out how they would work at night.
When the sun went down, I took a quick five-mile drive. Things weren’t crystal clear, but I could read most signs without problems. And best of all, there were no halos!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
As we travel through life, we may begin to rely more on the familiarity of our steps than on the clarity of our vision. We get used to doing the same things and no longer notice, or care, that our vision isn’t what it was. If we do, we brush off the loss of clarity. We don’t need it.
Until we do.
When life takes a turn and we find ourselves in unchartered territory, we discover that we actually, and often desperately, need clear vision. The glaring lights that overshadow the need to see the road become more than a nuisance. They become dangerous. That’s when we find ourselves sitting in a chair while an ophthalmologist shines a light into our eyes.
Our spiritual walk is much like our physical one. We can find ourselves doing the same things, singing the same songs, going to the same church week after week, year after year. This can result in a familiarity that prevents us from recognizing the decline in our spiritual vision. We lose our ability focus, relying on what we’re accustomed to do rather than on following God’s signs as He calls us to new places. Without clear sight, we are vulnerable to transitory bright lights that overshadow and distract us from the more important things. We can miss what God has for us or get lost on the way.
We usually know deep down that we need to go to God, but find it much easier to get advice from other people. We ask for prayers, listen to sermons, and read books. What we hear ranges from good to bad, effective to worthless. And many times, one person’s advice conflicts with another’s, leaving us confused. However, even with good advice, no matter how helpful, none of it competes with what we’ll get from the only One who can truly correct our vision and provide the clarity we need to get us through challenging times or to new places. That person is Jesus. His Word – the Bible – helps us see clearly. It helps correct any shortcomings in our faith and realign our beliefs. It helps us recognize and see through the halos that blind us. Knowing what we need, Jesus prescribes the perfect scriptures for us to wear. With His Word, we can stay on His path with confidence no matter which way it might turn.
We shouldn’t wait until we find ourselves in the midst of a new adventure before seeking help from Jesus. Even in our routine, everyday lives, sometimes we miss what God wants us to see because it’s been too long since we’ve taken the time to let the light of the Word shine into us.
So, sit down, open your eyes, and let Jesus examine – and correct – your spiritual eyes. You’ll love your new contacts.
How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping watch [on himself] according to Your word [conforming his life to Your precepts]. Ps 119:9 AMP
Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
“What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God. Luke 18:41-43
Through many scriptures (many are listed below), I’m hearing God say something like this:
Do not be afraid of the storms in life. I am greater than them no matter their source. Seek the shelter I offer, but offer only to the meek for I refuse to safeguard the haughty lest they take the glory for themselves and think they are able to control the storm or protect themselves. Let them try. It may or may not work. But for those who humble themselves, who seek my protection my way, it will always work. Maybe not the way they want. Maybe not without damage. Maybe not even their physical lives. But, whether on earth or in heaven, they will be stronger, safe, and with Me on the other side.
What do you hear God saying?
Scriptures:
Ex 19:9a And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak to you, and may also believe you forever.”
Ex 19:16 On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled.
Lev 16:2b …for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.
1 Kings 8:12b …”The Lord has said he would dwell in thick darkness.”
Ps 18:11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds with water
Ps 57:1b … in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by
Ps 97:2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
Ps 104:3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind;
Ps 107:25a He commanded and raised the storm wind…
Ps 107:29b He made the storm be still …
Ps 135:7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
Ps 138:6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.
Prov 1:27 when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you
Is 2:11 The haughty looks of men shall be brought low and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
Is 25:4 For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the need in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat, for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,
Is 28:2 Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong, like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest, like a storm of might, overflowing waters, he casts down to the earth with his hand.
Is 30:30 And the Lord will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst and storm and hailstorm
Jer 23:19 Behold the storm of the Lord! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest, it will burst upon the head of the wicked
Ez 13:13 therefore thus says the Lord God: I will make a stormy wind break out in my wrath, and there shall be a deluge of rain in my anger, and great hailstones in wrath to make a full end.
Jonah 1:4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.
Nahum 1:3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way in in the whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
Luke 9:34-35 As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”
Rom 12:16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own eyes.
2 Peter 2:17 These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.
Rev 4:5a From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder…
She watched through the passenger window as the trees and bushes rushed past. Everything was so brown. She felt herself grieving for what she had left behind. Her home, her garden, her pets. “It’s only temporary,” she reminded herself. “I will be going back there later today.” But that didn’t change her feelings. What she saw at the moment completely dominated her thoughts, overriding the hope of what she’d see in the future.
When they arrived at the church, everyone got out of the car and went inside. Her eyes, however, were distracted by the brown bushes at the edge of the parking lot. There was something different about these bushes than the ones she had seen on the side of the road.
She walked over to it for a closer look. The bushes were actually individual plants growing in clumps. The leaves of each plant grew from the base and were tightly compacted around the center. All she could see were the tips of the inner leaves surrounded by the long narrow outer leaves. They were all brown.
Thinking it was dead, she grabbed one stalk near its base and with a quick stroke of the small machete she carried, she severed it from its roots. Still holding it at its base, she absentmindedly began chopping off the tight brown leaves near the top. As she meandered across the parking lot, she looked at the trees in the distance. Their leaves were also brown. The amount of deadness that seemed to surround her contributed to her feelings of melancholy.
She thought about her garden at home. Some of the leaves on her evergreen trees and bushes had also become brown from the cold winter. She would have to trim those when she got home.
She glanced back at the plant in her hand as she continued to cut off the tops of the outer leaves and was startled to sees a tiny bit of green peeking out from the center. With slower, more precise chops, she cut off more of the brown, being careful not to touch the green. Soon she had cleared enough of the dead, brown leaves to reveal the tender green of new leaves growing in the center. This plant was not dead.
“I’ve got to get it back in the ground so it can continue to grow” she thought as she walked briskly back to where she had found it. “But how? I have no shovel with me.”
But then she saw that the place where she had cut the plant. Instead of the leftover root base, she found a fresh hole as if she had pulled the plant up by its roots instead of chopping it at its base. Quickly she set the plant into the hole and spread the loose dirt around it, patting it down firmly.
Feeling encouraged, and leaving the plant alone as she should have done from the beginning, she went into the church.
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond comparison as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Cor 4”16-18
… The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b
These Bible verses talk about the hearts of individual people. But I think we can also apply them to our country. When all we can see around us is “brown” – crime, inflation, deception, greed, etc. – we can quickly grow depressed. How much better to focus on what we can’t see – God’s involvement in our lives as well as the lives of others around us and on our future with Him in heaven – than on the temporary conditions of our present world. Learning to see as God sees can make a huge difference in our lives, both in how we feel and in how we act.
Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 1 Peter 2:10-12
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:30-32
She woke up, not knowing she had been asleep. Watching the trees flying past her window, she heard the soft regular clicks of the turn signal and felt a slight pull to the right as the car changed lanes. Not shifting her gaze, she asked quietly, “You doing okay”?
“I’m fine,” her husband answered.
Reassured, she settled back on the soft, spongy pillow wedged between her seat back and the door frame, lulled back to a dreamy state by the hum of the car tires on the road. It seemed they had been traveling forever on this highway, passing and being passed by impersonal vehicles of all kinds, each rushing to get somewhere. Everyone was alert to the presence of the other vehicles, but no one sought to look past the outside metal structures – to see those who inhabited the inside. She and her husband were no different.
The blank, silver side of a large truck slowly filled her vision as her husband leisurely passed it. Without anything more interesting to watch, she closed her eyes and waited for her window to clear.
Once again, she awoke, surprised that she had fallen asleep so easily. Slowly she opened her eyes. As she watched the scenery march past, confusion slowly replaced her comfortable drowsiness. Something was different. She couldn’t tell what it was, but something had definitely changed.
And then she knew. The landscape was different. Instead of the lush evergreen-filled woods, some of the branches of these trees were bare. There were still some pine trees interspersed between the skeletal trees, but not quite enough to create the deep forests that had surrounded them at the beginning of their journey.
“Where are we?” she asked her husband. “Where did the evergreens go? I don’t think it’s supposed to be like this.”
“Oh, we’ve traveled quite a way since you fell asleep. This is what the landscape looks like now. Don’t worry about it. You might even come to like it.”
“I doubt it. Are you sure we’re going the right way?”
“Sure. This is still the same road the GPS said to take. Until it tells me differently, this is the way I’m going to keep driving. Relax. We’re fine.”
She wasn’t so sure, but took his word for it and went back to staring out the window. She watched as the evergreen trees became even sparser until the entire forest looked dead. And then even the forests thinned out revealing large barren fields of brown grass. This couldn’t be the right way. The directions they had been given had promised to lead them to life, not take them away from it.
Looking back at her husband, she noticed his dreamy expression and languid movements, as if he was daydreaming his way along the highway. Concern spurred her to sit up and cry, “Hey, wake up!”
“I am awake,” he mumbled in response. “Calm down.”
“You don’t look awake. And this definitely doesn’t look like the right way. Where’s your phone? I want to check the navigation system.”
“Oh, I shut it off a long time ago. This road is easy enough to follow. We don’t need it.”
Her heart froze. “Don’t need it? Of course we need it! How do you know that you’re still going in the right direction?”
He shrugged. “I haven’t seen any other roads. Besides, with so many others going this way, it has to be right. I’m just following them.”
She reached for her phone. “I’m going to check anyway.” Quickly she opened the Maps program and entered their destination. She watched as the map zoomed in and out until it settled on the quickest road. She hit ‘Start’ and listened for the directions, but stopped when she heard the word ‘U-turn’. “I knew it! We’re heading in the wrong direction!”
“How could that be?” He drew up his shoulders and let out a noisy breath as he squinted through the windshield. “I’m following the road like I was told to do.”
She held up the phone. “But you quit listening for directions. You missed the narrow side road that we were supposed to take!”
She watched as understanding slowly dawned in his eyes. “Um, maybe I should have stayed more alert.”
She knew he wasn’t the only one to blame. Softly touching her husband’s shoulder, she said, “And I shouldn’t have fallen asleep. We need to turn around. But this time, let’s stay connected to the navigation system.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Moral of the story: Don’t sleep your way through life, following the crowd heading where you don’t want to go. Stay alert and connected to the Navigator who alone will show you the right way to go.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
“But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:14
“You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.” Acts 2:28
“This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Eph 5:14-17
Many people quickly began to bow down to this god. At first they did so out of hope that it could save them from consequences of their actions. They grasped at the promise of its prophets that if they obeyed completely, they would be saved.
As time went on, things seemed to get worse instead of better. So they turned to their new god for answers. But instead of explanations, they received more, and sometimes, conflicting commands. Believing the god was smarter than they were, they continued to obey. They were sure this god knew better than they did how to get them out of the mess they were in. They repeated the god’s words daily, reinforcing each other’s belief, and inviting those who not yet believed to join them in following this god.
But things still didn’t improve. The new god’s prophets announced the problem lay in the numbers. Not enough people obeyed, which negated the efforts of those who did.
“What else can we do?” the people cried out. “We’ve already shared what you said and invited everyone to join us.”
“Force them,” the prophets answered. “It’s for their own good as well as the good of the whole town.”
So, to the fear and guilt they were already using, they added ridicule and condemnation. And it worked. More people joined their worship of this god, which emboldened them to use even stronger tactics. Even though they were now in the great majority, it wasn’t enough. Each one of the remaining minority was seen as a personal threat so when someone suggested punishing those who still wouldn’t join them, everyone jumped at the idea. Of course. There really was only one option, one god. It would be for their own benefit to lay down their own ignorant beliefs for the benefit of the majority, even if they did so under duress. According to the prophets, if everyone became obedient to the new god, there would be no more problems. This was a classic case where the end justified the means. Their god was on their side, at least that’s what the prophets said, and the people constantly pointed that out to each other as justification for their choices.
And yet, even that didn’t work. The faithful minority held to their own beliefs regardless of what the majority did or said, giving a variety of reasons for their resistance.
“Your god is not what you make it out to be.”
“If your god was really a god, things would be a lot better by now regardless of what I do.”
“There are too many contradictions and hypocritical commands coming from your god’s prophets.”
“My god disagrees with your god.”
“People should be able to choose who they want to obey.”
Their continual rejection of the new god enraged the majority. How dare they not obey, and thus jeopardize the whole town? How could they hear the words of the new god and dismiss them, holding on to their erroneous belief? Didn’t they know that the majority is always right?
Anger overcame reason, and soon they became a mob with a common purpose: either convert the stubborn minority, or get rid of them. Either option was appropriate because it would be done in the name of this new god and for the common good.
And the name of this new god?
Science.
Daniel 3:4-6 And the left-leaning media proclaimed aloud,” You are commanded, O liberals, conservatives, men, women, and children, that when you hear the sound of government leaders, the CDC, Fauci, Big Pharma, and every carefully selected expert speaking for science, you are to fall down and accept the golden syringes that President Biden has set up. And whoever does not fall down and take the shots shall immediately be cast out of society.
Oh wait.. that’s not actually in the Bible. Here is what the Scripture says:
And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” Daniel 3:4-6
And the devil took him up and sowed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'” Luke 4:5-8
Pushing the lawn mower across the tall weeds, she watched wasps and dragonflies rise up from the ground. She had not noticed anything in the grass, but the vibration of the mower, the disturbance of the area, or a combination of both were enough to disturb them into flying out in every direction. As they circled her and the mower, she wondered if they would attack. The dragonflies darted back and forth for a few minutes, and then flew away. However, the wasps took usually took a swipe or two at the mower before flying away. Relieved that they weren’t going after her, she continued mowing, observing the same behavior from other wasps all across the yard.
A thought gradually formed in her head. They were attacking the mower instead of the one pushing the mower. No matter how hard they hit the plastic-covered engine, the mower never even slowed down. Yet if just one of them came at her, the mower would have stopped in its tracks as she ran away in panic.
And then she had another thought. People are just like those wasps. So often we attack the people we feel are disrupting our lives, but ignore the power that moves those people to do so.
There are many mowers moving across America today. People doing and saying things that are being pushed by powers we may not see or acknowledge. What would happen in our towns, states, and nation if we became courageous enough to quit attacking the mowers and went after the larger powers behind those mowers instead?
Just a thought.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places. Ephesians 6:10-12
See how the river meanders through the trees. It’s not concerned about how it moves, just that it is moving. Your life is like that river. It twists and turns around circumstances and events. Sometimes it moves quickly, like when there are rapids, and other times it seems to swirl in a corner not going anywhere for a while. Sometimes the flow is peaceful, other times chaotic and confusing. Sometimes it flows over great depths, other times dances over the rocks in shallow areas. But regardless of the movements, the river keeps flowing until it achieves its goal – to get to the sea where it can become one with something much greater than itself.
What is your river like right now? Wherever you are, know two things.
One, it will change sooner or later. You never know what’s around the next bend. That may not seem like a good thing when you’re flowing gently and light is dancing along your surface, but it’s an awesome promise when strong currents are hurtling you along, drenching you as you crash into and over all kinds of obstacles.
Two, know that God is there with you every inch of the way.
And because He is, you can have peace no matter where you are, as long as you keep your eyes on Him.
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. Proverbs 27:1
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20b
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-13
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matthew 7:13-14)
To be God’s friend, and not His enemy, (see previous blogs) we need to obey Him. Obedience is not easy. It comes with a cost that affects us and often the people around us. It’s a serious decision, one with huge impacts and grave consequences. It’s a decision that we have to consciously make.
Jesus said to consider the cost to being His disciple.
It cost Noah a career change, at least temporarily. The Bible is not clear what Noah did before he built the ark, but it most likely wasn’t large-scale construction or wild animal care.
It cost Abraham his homeland. He had to leave his father and most people he knew to go where he knew not. I doubt any of them understood why Abraham was leaving them, especially if every question they asked was answered with, “I don’t know. God just said to go.”
It cost Moses his comfort zone to have to speak to the pharaoh, and the initial impact of his obedience resulted in harder living conditions for the Israelites.
It cost Esther her safety as she faced death for breaking the king’s law.
It cost David his lifestyle. He went from a quiet, peaceful life as a shepherd to a dangerous, stressful life as a king.
It cost Jeremiah his freedom. When leaders didn’t like his prophecies, they sometimes locked him up or threw him into a well.
It cost the wise men their time as they went in search of the Child. The Bible doesn’t say, but their families may have been left behind on a journey that may have taken at least four years. If so, I doubt their wives or children were very happy about it.
It cost Mary and Joseph stability in the early years of their marriage as they had to keep moving from one place to another in order to keep their new baby safe. I can imagine what their friends might have said: “You’re moving again, because of a dream?”
It cost Paul his pride. He gave up everything he was proud of – his zeal, training, knowledge, status – to become a servant of Christ.
It cost numerous Believers their family, friends, and even lives. Imagine the attitude of the unbelievers in their lives (both family and friends) as the Believers chose the new cultish belief over everything else.
Obedience requires knowing who to obey. These people in the Bible all obeyed God, which frequently put them at odds with societal and religious norms. We need to do the same. Jesus didn’t say to follow the church or church leaders. He didn’t say to follow society. He didn’t say to follow the government or other organizations. He said to follow Him. He sent us His Holy Spirit to ensure we could hear Him, and He gives us His grace to empower us to respond obediently.
We may not think God is calling us to do something but He is. He has a job for us, a mission to accomplish, a stand to take, or a light to shine. We may not like it. We may be in denial. We may question it. We may procrastinate. We may talk ourselves out of it. We may twist it to fit what we want to do or believe. But none of that excuses us from obeying Him. His mercy allows us time to grapple with what He wants us to do, but eventually we must decide to obey or disobey. There are no other choices.
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?… So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26-28, 33)
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up the cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? (Matthew 16:24-26)
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matthew 7:13-14)
Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. (Genesis 9:20 ESV) or Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard. (Genesis 9:20 HCSB)
Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from our country and from your kindred and your father’s house to the land I will show you. (Genesis 12:1)
“Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Ex 3:10) Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘the LORD did not appear to you.’” (Ex 4:4) But Moses said to the LORD, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and tongue.” (Ex 4:10)
Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’” But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.”And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many,and you make them rest from their burdens!” The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.” So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw. Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’” So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.” And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?” Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, “Why do you treat your servants like this? No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.” But he said, “You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks.”The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, “You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.” They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh; and they said to them, “The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.” (Exodus 5:1-23)
So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud. (Jeremiah 38:6)
“Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish. (Esther 4:16)
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “’And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. (Matthew 2:1-7)
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and he took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. (Matthew 2:13-15a)
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. (Matthew 2:16)
But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth… (Matthew 2:19-23a)
For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh – though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ (Philippians 3:3-7)
For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. (Romans 14:8)
Amazing God Stories 