Endurance in the Dark

Endurance in the Dark

               ⁸⁴ How long must your servant endure? ⁸² My eyes long for your promise; I ask, “When will you comfort me?” Psalm 119:84,82 esv [When will you come to me “with strength” com- with+ fort-strength.]

           The Psalmist was having a difficult time running the endurance race the Lord had laid out before him. [“let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. . . Heb. 12:1 esv]

He searched and immediately found a couple of things to help him and give him greater endurance. He thought of God's faithfulness and realized that He is always there to strengthen and sustain us. ^“Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast. By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants.” 119:89-91 ^“This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.” 119:50

          And thinking on God's Word reminded him of how much he delighted in it. “If your [Word] had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.” 119:92

In fact when a person goes through a difficult trial or test or is tortured by his own dilemma often there are precious few things that he delights in. But God “takes pleasure” in His works—and we should, too. God takes pleasure in those who love and obey Him—and we should, too. God takes pleasure in being gracious and compassionate—and we should, too.

           Don't be like the author of Ecclesiastes who said, “the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, 'I have no pleasure in them.” Eccl.12:1 The Lord wants you to take pleasure in His blessings, in His gifts with a thankful heart and a song on your lips. God
“gives us richly all things to enjoy.” 1 Tim. 6:17 ^“For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.” Psalm 92:4 God's works of course are His works in creation and in sustaining what He created, but God's works are also His providential care of you every day.

           “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” 119:103,105

“Refused to believe in Me”

        “Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites. The Lord said to Moses, 'How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in Me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?'” Numbers 14:11 NIV

         We live in an age of growing unbelief—in spite of the evidence. I remember many years ago when I was teaching at JBU being confronted by one of my students with an audacious comment. At the end of a discussion of historical evidence and reasoning through an historical problem, he persisted in his previously stated position. So I asked him, “How can you believe that in spite of the historical evidence and logic that we've just discussed?” I'll never forget his response. He said, “I believe it because I want to.”

          [I don't recall the issue we were discussing but it would be like those people who deny that the Holocaust of the Nazi concentration camps actually happened! In spite of all the evidence of eye-witnesses who actually were there and the physical evidence of mountains of human hair and skulls, etc.  and the photographs taken by the Germans as well as by the liberating armies of the allies towards the end of the war, etc. I was 12 years old when the war ended and I well remember the shocking pictures in Life magazine and Saturday Evening Post and other magazines of the day—all of which are still extant now.]

        “I believe that because I want to believe that.” Or “I refuse to believe that because I don't want to believe it.” Need I point out that is intellectual and spiritual suicide? If God has spoken and communicated with human beings, that's got to be the most important development since His original creation when He spoke the worlds into existence.

           You have only two theoretical possibilities to think about: either what the Bible claims for itself is true or it's not. If God in fact did actually speak as the Bible claims, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” Hebrews 1:1-2 ESV If that is true, then it is incumbent upon us, obligatory upon us, to believe and obey it and worship the God who so graciously revealed Himself to human beings—especially because that same God became Man in the Person of Jesus Christ.. So we look at Jesus and we know something of what God is like.

          The other theoretical possibility is that it is not true, that the Bible is a collection of books just like other ancient books. If that's true, then anything goes and we have the intellectual and spiritual anarchy and hopelessness that many believe is the actual situation. Chaos.   "God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. . . ."  1 Cor. 14:33

          But the evidence strongly supports the truth of God's Word and we are not hopeless but instead anticipate the glories that are yet to come as God is working out His purposes in human history for His glory and our ultimate good. 

  1) The impossibility of something coming from nothing points to the existence of our Eternal God in whose hands are the breath of life and all creation.

 2) The existence of the universe and its form, its amazing intricacy and design all point to an all-wise omniscient, omnipotent God. Where did the amazing complexity of DNA come from if God didn't create it!

 3) The obvious truth of the sinfulness of man. The Bible describes us as being sinful and lost without God. The existence of evil is one of the most obviously observable realities we are faced with daily. You see it in yourself as well. And that points to a need for a Savior. And a desire for the Blessed Hope which is yet to come. Paradise and its Restoration. It's all there in Biblical prophecy. 

 4) Fulfilled prophecy. Read Isaiah 53 written 700 years before Jesus was born and see the details and meaning of His sacrificial death on the cross. Or Psalm 22 written nearly 1000 years before he was born. One prophecy after another.

 5) The historical evidence of the eyewitnesses throughout history to whom God spoke and especially Jesus' life. “God has spoken unto us by His Son.” “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

6) We have one other essential category to push you towards faith in the truth of Scripture and that is the witness and conviction of the Holy Spirit in your own heart. ^“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Romans 8:16 ESV The Holy Spirit bears witness to the truth of Scripture as well, for He is the One who inspired its writing.

         Jesus gave a promise in John 7:17 that anyone who is willing to follow Him and obey God will know that He is speaking the truth of God. ^“If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.” John 7:17 ESV

         Do you love the truth or do you run from it? The evidence is overwhelming that God in fact has spoken to us—collectively and individually. “. . . those who are perishing” are lost “because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” 2 Thes. 2:10 ESV If you want to “hear His voice, harden not your heart.” Heb. 4:7, 3:8,15

            “. . . What may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.” Romans 1:19 NIV

         “See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven?” Heb. 12:25-29

Our Ever-Present Help in Need

Our Ever-Present Help in Need

           The Glory of God is who He is and what He does and one of the great glories of God is His faithfulness. In heaven He manifests himself there in such light and beauty that

there is no need of the sun or the moon to shine on it “for the glory of God gives it light.” We don't see the physical light yet but we do experience the glory of His presence and His faithfulness. He can be counted on. Always. He is always an ever-present help in need, no matter how difficult the trial.

         His faithfulness is seen in His promises: “God is faithful and will not allow you to be tested beyond that you are able, but will with the testing “also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” 1 Cor. 10:13 NIV

         God is unchangeable (immutable). The eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms. We rest in the reality of His Presence and His faithfulness. But He wants us to be faithful, too. Do you stop to think about God's expectations for you? “Moreover it is required in stewards that a [person] be found faithful.” 1 Cor. 4:2 God expects you to be faithful to the tasks that He in His providence has given you to do. Be faithful. Be dependable. People should be able to count on you. Be single-minded in following the Lord. “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” James 1:8 That's not the way God is and it's not the way we should be.

          You are aware that this world is growing in its instability. It's in a state of flux and confusion. Most people don't even understand who they are, why they were created, and what God's purposes are for their lives. Since God the Holy Spirit indwells all those who know Jesus as Savior, we should be able to add some stability to our own little world that we live in every day. “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. . . .” 1 Cor. 14:33

         The place to begin is with ourselves and within our family. Can the others count on you? Will you “be there” when they need you? Do you help give your home a little taste of heaven and the love that we find there? Is there peace and love and joy and helpfulness and encouragement and patience and stability and beauty of human relationships shown there?
Are you “kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” Eph. 4:32

         Our whole eternal security is based on God's faithfulness. We could paraphrase and apply a well-known scripture, “Be ye faithful even as your Father in heaven is faithful.” Integrity. Truth. Reliability even when it's difficult.

          “A mighty fortress is our God, A bulwark never failing. Our Helper He amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. . . .” “God is our Refuge and Strength.” Psalm 46 “For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Psalm 100:5 “From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Psalm 90:2

What does God require of you?

What does the Lord require of you? We remember that Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” And He gave us the “First and Great Commandment” which is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength”--with all the implications thereof! And the 2^nd is “like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Those two commandments should engage our attention every day. They're obviously central and very helpful.

            But there's another way of seeking the answer to this momentous question. It's found in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 10 when Moses was speaking to the people of God shortly before he died. Moses asked, “¹² “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you. . . .??” And then answered the question:

1 but to fear the Lord your God,

2 to walk in all his ways,

3 to love him,

4 to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
5 ¹³ and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord . . . for your good

         Then Moses pointed out why the Lord has the right and authority to command us and to “require of us” what He does. ¹⁴ Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. And that's amplified in Psalm 24:1-2
¹ The earthWe belong to God by right of creation.

And We belong to God by right of preservation. He provides for us and keeps us alive.

And We belong to God by right of redemption. “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.” 1 Cor. 6:19-20

        So God gives us a list of 5 ways for us to see if we measure up to what God expects.

Love is at the heart of all of this. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:10    And if we love God, we must do so with our hearts. God seeks those who will worship and serve Him with a willing heart.

        Spurgeon in his inimitable way shows us what that means.

2 Chronicles 31:21 He did it with all his heart and prospered.

       This is no unusual occurrence; it is the general rule of the moral universe that those men prosper who do their work with all their hearts, while those are almost certain to fail who go to their labour leaving half their hearts behind them. God does not give harvests to idle men except harvests of thistles, nor is He pleased to send wealth to those who will not dig in the field to find its hid treasure. It is universally confessed that if a man would prosper, he must be diligent in business. It is the same in religion as it is in other things. If you would prosper in your work for Jesus, let it be heart work, and let it be done with all your heart. Put as much force, energy, heartiness, and earnestness into religion as ever you do into business, for it deserves far more.

       The Holy Spirit helps our infirmities, but He does not encourage our idleness; He loves active believers. Who are the most useful men in the Christian church? The men who do what they undertake for God with all their hearts. Who are the most successful Sabbath-school teachers? The most talented? No; the most zealous; the men whose hearts are on fire, those are the men who see their Lord riding forth prosperously in the majesty of His salvation.

        Whole-heartedness shows itself in perseverance; there may be failure at first, but the earnest worker will say, "It is the Lord's work, and it must be done; my Lord has bidden me do it, and in His strength I will accomplish it." Christian, art thou thus "with all thine heart" serving thy Master?  Remember the earnestness of Jesus! Think what heart-work was His! He could say, "The zeal of Thine house hath eaten Me up." When He sweat great drops of blood, it was no light burden He had to carry upon those blessed shoulders; and when He poured out His heart, it was no weak effort He was making for the salvation of His people. Was Jesus in earnest, and are we lukewarm?

                                                                    --Charles Spurgeon, 1834-1892

             It is also refreshing to read the paraphrase of this passage in Deuteronomy 10 in The Message: “So now Israel, what do you think God expects from you? Just this: Live in his presence in holy reverence, follow the road he sets out for you, love him, serve God, your God, with everything you have in you, obey the commandments and regulations of God that I'm commanding you today—live a good life.”

           “Look around you: Everything you see is God's—the heavens above and beyond, the Earth, and everything in it. . . . God, your God, is the God of all gods, he's the Master of all masters, a God immense and powerful and awesome. . . . He's your praise! He's your God!”

“The Faithful witness in the skies”

“The Faithful witness in the skies”

          Did you see the moon last night?! It was so beautiful once again. And the sky was perfectly clear where we live in Arkansas. You've seen it so many times before and you never tire of it. It so reminds us of God's Presence and God's faithfulness when you see a lovely moon in the skies. I'll never forget the time I went to a Christmas program at the mission in Carmel, California. Minnie had taught school that day and was tired and wanted to stay home so I went by myself, which was quite unusual since she was almost always with me. It was the night of a full moon and the skies were clear and crisp as a winter night can be. It was so lovely I decided to drive by Carmel beach and watch the moon in the ocean as the white caps washed gently on the beach and the sand was so white in the moonlight! It was absolutely breath-taking and I immediately wished that Minnie was there to see it, as she had before. I parked my car and just stayed there a long while watching and praising God that He gives us such beauty regularly and faithfully.

         Then I thought about the scripture that calls the moon “God's faithful witness in the sky.” Psalm 89:37 The moon reminds us of God's faithfulness and His goodness and His Presence and His love of beauty which He created because He is the source of beauty. It reminds us of God's promise that “while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22

        Then I thought about how the moon reflects the glory and power of the sun but has no light within itself, but can only reflect (or tell of) the light of the sun. In the same way Jesus calls us, His disciples, “salt and light.” The light is not our own; we have none. The light we are to reflect is Jesus' Light who truly is “the Light of the World.” “I am the light of the world,” Jesus said, “he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

         And I thought of the many friends God has given Minnie and me throughout the world and I wondered if you saw the moon last night or was it cloudy and blocked from sight? Did you thank God for it and for its beauty and its faithful reminders of God's creativity and love? Did it remind you of the glory that is yet to come? ^“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” Rev. 21:23

         When you read this, click on Reply from Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Mexico, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, that beautiful pleasant land of Washington, California which I still love in spite of it all (my native state), Arkansas, that lovely state of Colorado, and even the great state of Texas from where God gave me my greatest gift, my wife—and two of our children. Did you see the moon last night? Did you thank God for what you saw? It kinda ties us together, doesn't it, giving us a similar experience.

                                          Love, Pastor Burnside

The Bondage of Fear and the Courage Jesus gives

The Bondage of Fear and the Courage Jesus gives

        A sudden realization of potential danger or a plan to avoid danger is one of the ways God warns us to be prudent and avoid dangerous situations. “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.” Proverbs 22:3 ESV Many times in scripture we see people of God avoiding danger when they could do so and still continue the ministry or mission God had given them. Paul, for example, escaped those who sought to kill him by being let down from the city walls in a large basket. Acts 9:23-25

          Jesus Himself knew that He was perfectly safe in the protection of God until “His hour was come” that God had before ordained should occur, but He, too, avoided danger and didn’t deliberately incite unnecessary hostility. Early in His ministry in Judea “the Jews sought the more to kill him,” John 5:18 so Jesus went to Galilee to minister for the next year and a half. He returned to Jerusalem during the three festivals where His attendance was required by the Mosaic Law. But notice how He even avoided undue attention. John 7:1-2 “After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.” So Jesus needed to go to Jerusalem but read the opening verses of John 7: He told His brethren to go without Him and later in the week He went up alone or with a few of His disciples.

        But He had important lessons to teach the people so He quietly went to the Temple area and taught. Jesus never avoided danger when the Father had a mission for Him to accomplish (including the cleansing of the Temple at the beginning of His ministry and again towards the end). It was not fear that motivated Him, but prudence and wisdom. Towards the end of His ministry, Jesus told His disciples that “the hour has come” and went to Jerusalem knowing full well that the Jewish leaders intended to kill Him. So He never shrank back from the mission He had come to do, offering Himself as the atonement for sin by His death on the cross.

        Fear and self-control: Courage in the midst of danger. So we prudently seek to avoid danger, but when we must face it, we look to the Lord for courage to meet the test. Sometimes in life danger cannot be avoided. And then God gives the courage to face that danger. A sudden emotion of fear when you realize you are in a dangerous or potentially dangerous situation awakens an alertness and is a gift from God to help
protect us. But you immediately control that fear and it subsides as you look to the Lord for courage–and He gives it to you. In fact He has given us a promise to do just that in Psalm 27:14 “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” So you look to the Lord for protection, wisdom, and strength, and use the courage He has already given you. Then He promises to “strengthen your heart” as you continue to wait or depend on Him.

       “Be not afraid of sudden fear. . . . For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.” Proverbs 3:25-26 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 This is a wonderful verse, but an important part of it is often missed in translation. The Greek word translated “a sound mind” is sophronismos (Strong’s 4995) which means “discipline or self- control” in English. ESV translates it “self-control.” NAS, “discipline,” and NIV, “self-discipline.” The contrast is to “the spirit of fear.” Instead of being fearful, we can control ourselves in the power of the Holy Spirit and not panic, even when the danger is considerable. Courage instead of panic or fear. You control yourself and your emotions even though you might have a sudden urge to panic. Self-control or selfdiscipline is one of the most important parts of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Galatians 5:22-23

         Self-control “signifies entire command of the passions and desires; a self-control which holds the rein over these.” Vincent   The New Testament takes a common Greek virtue, that of self-control, and “transformed it into a condition yet higher still, in which a man does not command himself, which is well, but, which is better still, is commanded by God.” Trench So it is God who is strengthening your heart and gave you the promise that He would “not allow” you to be tested beyond your ability in His strength to endure.
1 Cor. 10:13

       And Jesus gave you the authority to tell your heart, “Let not your heart be . . . afraid.” John 14:27
Fear is bondage and there are all sorts of fears. Are you afraid of sickness and pain? Are you afraid that you will lose your job or that God will not provide? Are you afraid of bodily harm? Are you afraid of failure or persecution or tribulation? Are you afraid of what the future might bring? Jesus can deliver us from all those fears. He can “deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Hebrews
2:15 ”If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” “If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:36,31-32

        Sin deceives and enslaves. “They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity–for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.” 2 Peter 2:19 NIV So submit to God and be free from slavery to sin, self, Satan–and fear.

          Anxiety and Fear.  Worry or anxiety takes away your joy and your peace. So God has given us
abundant reason to choose His joy and His peace instead of our fears and worries and anxieties. Worry accomplishes absolutely nothing except to destroy your joy and peace. Scripture is so clear on this: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NAS

       Jesus put both worry and fear together and contrasted it with His peace when He told the disciples, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 And in the Sermon on the Mount He talked about the futility of worry. Instead we should concentrate on today and see how the Lord provides each day. Look at the
birds of the air and the flowers of the field, how God cares for them. So “fear not, Little Flock,” He said in another place; you are of more value than many birds and flowers.

         What are we then to do with our fears and worries if we don’t want to be burdened with them? Give them to the Lord for safekeeping and He will handle them. “Roll your burdens on the Lord.” “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.” Psalm 55:22 “Cast all your care (or worry) on Him for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

      Freedom from Fear does not mean Freedom from Suffering and Sorrow “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me . . ., they stumbled and fell.” Psalm 27:1-2 So we have no reason to fear. But as fallen, sinful people we share in the sufferings of this present sin-cursed world. And that’s a very large subject in itself, but “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. . . . The creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but
by the will of the One who subjected it, in hope [or, expectation] that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” Romans 8:18-25 NIV

      So let’s take the eternal perspective and anticipate with joy the future. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and
momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV
                                                                                     –Pastor Burnside

God Fulfills His Purposes for You

God Fulfills His Purposes for You

        God gave the same promise twice in the Psalms:

^“ I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” Psalm 57:2 ESV

^“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” Psalm 138:8

           God never forsakes what He has begun and He will bring it to completion or fulfillment.

“. . . He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. . . .” Phil. 1:6

         And what are those purposes for your life? Scripture tells us several purposes, maybe the most important of which is to make us more like Christ. We are “predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. . . .” Romans 8:29 And the same passage speaks of our ultimate “glorification” when we shall see Him as He is: “we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2

          There are, no doubt, other purposes and plans for us individually which are unique for each of us. That's why the NLT interprets Psalm 138:8 “The Lord will work out His plans for my life.” And those plans gradually unfold so that we follow God's leading step-by-step and day-by-day. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.” Psalm 37:23

       This passage is about the exile of God's people in ancient times but there is an application to us today since “all scripture is . . . profitable.” 2 Tim. 3:16

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (ESV) “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord. . . .”

         While we are waiting expectantly on God, God is at work and we can observe His hand in the providential care of our lives. “Whatsoever the Lord takes in hand, He will accomplish.”

Providence is the “performance of God's gracious purposes and promises to His people. Grace makes the promise, and providence the payment.” (John Flavel, 1628-91)

      In the meantime we have “the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:14