Thursday, February 8, 2018

PSALM 103 VERSE 7 - "SEE THINGS GOD'S WAY, NOT OURS"

He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel (Psalm 103:7)
It is imperative to understand the Ways of God, or try to, since His Ways are most definitely NOT like our ways.  Our thinking, even if it is not followed by human action, is 100% horizontal most of the time. However, if and when we are saved and filled with the Spirit of God,  our thinking and entire mainframe should begin to recalibrate more and more to vertical than flat one to one, human thoughts. This is basically the essence of the Two Greatest Commandments. The greatest of them is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul. The second one is this – love your neighbor (fellow human) as yourself. A mind transformed by Christ and obedience to the Word and the Holy Spirit would be firm, in recognition, of this Truth.  

Psalm 103:7 tells us that God has made known His Ways to Israel. We know that for a fact because we have the entire Old Testament and increasing evidence through Biblical Archaeology to prove this truth.  However, like most human beings,  we can see God literally move Mt. Everest from Asia to Australia take snow blizzard from land and immediately cast it over the ocean….and we would be in awe from five minutes, then go back to doing what we did before.

How did God show His ways to Israel? That is easy – read Genesis, Exodus, First and Second Kings and Chronicles and the Books of Samuel etc.  He rescued them from hunger with Joseph becoming the prince of Egypt. When they were enslaved for 420 years, the Lord did things HIS Way and punished the Egyptians for worshipping ten of their demonic pagan gods by giving them Ten Plaques, which enabled Moses to lead Israel out of bondage.

The greatest event in Biblical History then ensued – the Parting of the Red Sea. They are still finding parts of Egyptian chariots at the bottom of the Red Sea. God stopped the flooded Jordan and allowed over a million young Israelites cross into the Promised Land behind Joshua and Caleb, the only two elders to make it all the way home. Other major accounts are too numerous to list here.  His righteous deeds are too many to enumerate. They are all recorded in Scripture and by the secular historian, Josephus. So many battles were won when defeat was imminent. So much provision, so many blessings and so much more…the deeds of the Lord to help His people are innumerable and unfathomable.

Still, the Lord said to His chosen people (at the time) the following: “25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair? 26 When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies - (Ezekiel 18:25-26).....
 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin - (Ezekiel 18:30)

We see here that God's Ways also involved Judgment against Sin. Because the Lord is Holy, Holy, Holy, He cannot abide sin and must dispose of it and any unrepentant soul who remains in sin. At the same time, we see here and dozens of times in the Bible, that God gives even the worst offender ample time to repent, give up their ways and turn to the Way of all Righteousness.  Here in Ezekiel 18 however, these are not the only rebels. We do the same thing, even when evidence of the Goodness of God is all over our lives. Even in bad times here in this life, we are the most blessed and fortunate people in the world. When bad, sad or hard times hit,  we need to seek and find and understand the ways of the Lord, even more! Psalm 128:1 says “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His Ways”.

Think about how we live our lives, for a second. Even if there is no sin, consider our own ways. Then hold those “ways”  up against the mirror of Scripture and the Ways of Yahweh, and see how good we look then! By “our ways”,  we speak of our way of thinking; speaking; acting not acting; listening; understanding; seeking; finding; worshipping; studying; working….and even loving. Then consider our ways of recreation; leisure time; on the job at work; at home with the family; community work; church work…and on and on. These are all the ways of our daily lives. This is how we live day after day; month after month; year and decade after year and decade. Our worldly ways of just “doing life” is fine….and what we would be expected to do. However if these ways of ours are only about us, and not done under the Wonderful Ways of Yahweh, we never see a righteous move of God in our lives. Sadly, it is not just the lost in the world who lives like this, but an increasing number of those who call themselves Christians.

How do live in the zone where the Lord will show us His Ways and “perform righteous deeds” that cause us to wonder? It’s simple:
  • We must be absolutely sure we are born-again, forgiven and radically saved through repentance and Faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
  • We must be in continuous 24/7 fellowship with Abba. Even as we go about our family, jobs, downtown etc.
  • We must comprehend that this continuous fellowship does NOT mean taking a vow of silence or poverty and walking around doing Gregorian chants in a monastery. It is a blessed assurance Jesus is mine, oh what a foretaste of Glory Divine.
  • We can have that blessed assurance through keeping short accounts with God, through daily repentance and prayer and a pro-active lifestyle of seeking the Hand of God in all you do. Even where to park your car at the mall or whether to purchase this pair of shoes or not, should be run by your Best Friend and mine -God!
  • Short accounts mean that when we slip up, instead of doubling down in the natural and trying to prove yourself right, apologize to God, ask forgiveness and move on – as soon as possible. This kind of practice comes with maturity as a Christian.
  • The blessed assurance when seeking and talking to the Lord, in the Spirit, leads to confidence that He is with you at all times -because He already is. But that certainly is amazing. When you seek His advice in certain choices like purchases, or restaurants or Christmas gifts etc….and He leads you on the way you should go, I recommend you follow through and listen to Him as perfectly as possible. The reason is – if you don’t follow the Way of God when He leads, and you keep asking and still don’t listen when He directs – He will cease.  You have then grieved the Holy Spirit. Do not abuse this privilege.

The Blessed Assurance is more than Fire Insurance.  It is being so acquainted with the Ways of Almighty God through His Word, Prayer, Praise, and Obedience that He delights in showing you more and more of how He operates.  You may not see the unique deeds and miracles like the Red Sea Parting etc. in your life, but when you look back on your own life – in totality – you will begin to get the FULL picture of the amazing things He has done for us! 


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