Embodiment of my Desire

 Psalm 39:12 “Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.”

Psalm 84:10 “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

These passages identify the heart of all whose heart is there, and not here.  We dwell in a fallen world and inhabit a body which still houses the old nature. We remember the days prior to regeneration; when we fully embraced this world and all that it offers. We reflect upon that incredible moment when the Lord granted us repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; when we believed on the Lord Jesus and consciously turned away from what we had always been.  And now, the agenda of this world – the very thought of those things which we once identified with, literally “feels like death.” The treasures have lost their appeal, the promotions feel like a distraction, and the conversations that we once engaged in, sound like foolishness. Wistfully, we ponder the age to come, and the moment when we this corruption puts on incorruption. Our conversation is in heaven and we await the moment when we are forever in the presence of Jesus.

We meditate upon that which is eternal, and the God who inhabits eternity. In this world, it becomes increasingly difficult to ever be fully “in the moment.” While contemporaries discuss the latest developments in this life, their physical aspirations, the continuing dramas at their place of employment, The latest thing to come out of Hollywood, the remodeling project in the kitchen, and a thousand other topics which have no eternal significance, our thoughts slip away into a holy space.  We cry out “even so, come, Lord Jesus” as we simply have no appetite for the earthly. We seek to steer the conversation of those surrounding us toward the eternal, but nobody wants to go there. The sixty third psalm identifies a heart that is fixated on the God who created all that is and changes not. This post is a visiting of that incredible portion of scripture.  

Psalm 63:1 “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is.”

This opening verse sets the tone.  A heart that thirsts after God while dwelling in a land that is void of life.  This world is a spiritual “dry and thirsty land” where a famine for truth is growing by the hour.  Many who once proclaimed the whole council of God are now compromising in ways that would have been unthinkable in previous generations.  The great falling away has become so multi-faceted and consuming that we sometimes wonder if anyone is fully insulated from the temptation to “just go with the flow.” Recognizing this danger; we give more diligence to make our calling and election sure.  We rise early and stay up later than is advisable as we just want to be in the presence of the Lord. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” We determine within ourselves that, regardless of what everyone else does; regardless of how dark this world becomes and what the physical consequences may we will look steadfastly unto Jesus and maintain our testimony until the end.

Psalm 63:2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.” 

We’ve had, as it were, glimpses of the eternal. Moments of deep fellowship with the Lord when it seemed as though the world was a million miles way. For a span of time, all of the earthly cares became as nothing while we considered the one who sees the end from the beginning.  We have tasted that the Lord is good, and are forever ruined for ever again wanting to return to what we once were. As the apostle Peter observed, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Nothing else can compete for our affection. His precious blood cleanses us from all sin. The rivers of living water continuously spring up from within; regardless of what is transpiring in the physical realm. 

Psalm 63:3-4 “Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.”

Better than life itself is the love of God. Beyond all understanding is his perfect peace. It remains a constant in our lives; even when everything in our ambiance seems to be unraveling.  “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” He loves us despite our shortcomings. (not a licence to sin – if we love Jesus we will strive to keep his commandments) His peace remains when the armies of wickedness are encamped around us.  He will abide with us when we carried away by those who know not the Lord. He will give us a mouth and wisdom when we are brought before those who oppose themselves as they occupy an office of authority.  “Lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting” we worship God with a heart unfeigned, as those who “commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.” The life that we have in Christ: the world could never give it and the world can never take it away.

Psalm 63:5 My soul shall be satisfied with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.”

Satisfied. When a person is born of the Spirit, and their sins washed away by the blood of Jesus, they are finally “satisfied” in a way that one can never find apart from God. And while marrow and fatness probably pertains to physical blessing, the fact remains that in Jesus we are satisfied……regardless of our possessions (or lack thereof) that remain only for a moment in time and are then distributed to others. With joyful lips, we give praise. We can never thank him enough for pulling us out of the pit, however, we can thank him and praise him forever and ever.  Ten trillion years from now, we will be praising the Lord Jesus and singing the song of the redeemed……in an eternal abode which has never been contaminated by pride or rebellion. All that is currently seen and handled will have long ago fled away into nothing; the memory of which will be as a fragment from a dream that visited us during a night long long ago.  

Psalm 63:6-7 “When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. 7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.” 

The quiet moments, when all of the worlds distractions are laid aside and we can focus entirely upon that which our heart longs after. Laying awake in our bed, or laying out under the stars; our thoughts drift toward the Lord Jesus and this incredible salvation that he has offered.  We think of what he brought us out of. We consider where we would be had we died the day before we believed on Jesus. We think about the precious blood that he shed to pay for our sins. “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we were healed.” The love that he had for us; even while we were dead in trespasses and sin, is unfathomable.  And since the moment of our conversion he has been an ever present help.  His council is perfect and his protection steadfast. As we abide in the shadow of his wings, nothing of this world can touch us. Even if they lay hold of the body, they cannot pursue us beyond the grave…..and where we are going, nothing contrary shall ever set foot. 

Psalm 63:8 “My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.”

“I run to thee.” When our affections are set on things above, the weights and sins which once hindered us will fall to the ground.  When we are in Christ, the power that sin once had over us is broken.  the power that the enemy once had over, us through a myriad of wicked attractions that governed every area of our life, is dissolved.  The Holy Spirit empowers us to live godly; even when surrounded by the agents of darkness which continuously seek to derail us. 

Psalm 63:9-10 “But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. 10 They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.”

“For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.” This has prophetic significance, because, according to scripture, the son of perdition is going to prevail physically over the saints who are alive at the time of his reign. Those who work against us, betray us, and kill us……unless they repent of their sin and believe on Jesus, the moment is fast approaching when they shall slip beneath the surface and into a realm that was not created for human occupation.  After the appearing of antichrist and the implementation of the mark, those who lay hold of us will have no hope of redemption as they will have undoubtedly given their allegiance to the beast. Once we depart this body of flesh, we will never see them again.

Psalm 63:11 “But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.”

The sixty third psalm was given through king David; a man after Gods own heart. He rejoiced in God – when people talked about king David, his most distinguishable trait was his love for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  As for those who speak lies, they have all been stopped.  They have all gone to their eternal abode. Those amongst us today who speak lies, live in falsehood, profit through deceit, and shake hands with the shadowy figures…..the moment will come when their mouths are stopped…..a moment that may well come upon them suddenly.  Whether the level of falsehood is on a global scale, or just that of a single individual who rejects the gospel of Jesus Christ, the consequences are the same. Are there varying degrees of consequence? Yes……but of what comfort is that to one who dies in their sins and is taken to the least tormenting portion of hell?

The thrust behind this post is to encourage all who love the Lord Jesus to keep our focus upon that which is eternal. To give all diligence in preventing anything from replacing the Lord Jesus as our first love.  We are in a time of great falling away and none of us can think to ourselves that we have arrived.  It’s a topic for a later post, however, lately there seems to be an element of pride that accompanies much of the Christian dialogue in various social venues and broadcasts.  Certain phraseology, coupled with an abundance of references to self, which indicate the impression that one focuses on self a lot. Two general rules when writing. 1 – never say “you” as it tends to sound as though one is talking down to the reader. 2 – Say “I” sparingly as it sounds as though one is consumed with self……except for in a title, where a term for self reference can function as “we.”  Oftentimes “I” is unavoidable, as in, “yesterday I had to go to a meeting.” But in general, self-reference should be limited. “We” works perfectly in dialogue.  It’s not condescending, nor does it bring attention to self. (example: “We must keep our eyes on Jesus.”)

Well it’s time to go.  That final detour necessitates the mentioning of this final passage: 

Philippians 3;20 “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:”

Blessings in Jesus name.

Inhabitors of the Continuing City

The late Leonard Ravenhill made an observation concerning those among us who, from their heart, have let go of this worlds allegiances and have set their affections firmly upon things above. He spoke words to the effect of “they live in eternity six days a week, and on the seventh day, they come down to attend church.” Physically speaking, they are as much a part of this world as their neighbors.  They work and raise families; they are model citizens who may be found in nearly every facet of society. But their conversation, their perspective, and their focus is on the eternal. They cannot be enticed with shallow discussion and dead religion holds no place for them. They have a walk with the Lord Jesus that all of us strive to reach as they fully identify with the words of the apostle Paul. “For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.” 

For the saints in this category, eternal mindedness is no longer a theological construct. They dwell continually in the presence of Jesus and concern themselves primarily with issues of eternal significance. I feel woefully inadequate to embark on this as I am continually reminded of my own shortcomings. Subsequently, this is as much a “note-to-self” as it is an encouragement for all who love the Lord Jesus. To use an old cliche “we’re all in this together.” 

This post will involve a visiting of passages which are familiar to many of us. It’s likely that a number of them are carefully preserved in our memory and we visit them on a regular basis. As the days grow darker and the strong delusion continues to take on attributes that none of us were expecting, it is imperative that our focus is on the Lord Jesus and that our perspective is eternal. Satan plays to the three lusts like a skilled musician; incorporating the full emotional spectrum. from a euphoric sense of wellness to overwhelming despair, as he seeks to direct our attention away from that which is eternal and back to the itinerary of this world. These distractions may seem noble. Many will have a form of godliness. Pursuing them will oftentimes cause us to think to ourselves “I’m doing God service” as they lure us into a continuous loop of earthly focus and endeavor. If we make mention of them to other professing saints, many of them will not recognize the distraction as being such. We must have our senses exercised to discern between good and evil as we forgo the frivolous and lay hold of the eternal.

The first passage below is necessary because striving to be more like Jesus and less like us is a lifelong endeavor. At the end of any given day, we will have either become a little more like Jesus, or we will have surrendered territory which must be regained. We face pitfalls and distractions of a nature that previous generations did not have to contend with; due largely to the current state of technology, coupled with the steady rise of spiritual darkness as the final moments of the age play out. We must look to Jesus; focused squarely on the eternal, while nearly everyone and everything in our physical ambiance is trying to pull us into the vortex of perdition. 

Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ.”

I become discouraged when considering where I desire to be spiritually……and then comparing it with an accurate assessment of my current state. These words are a remedy for anyone who, at times, finds themselves becoming overwhelmed by the journey and the issues that they struggle with. This passage is not a license to remain in a state of complacency or continual stumbling. Rather, it compels us to repent, get back up, and keep looking to Jesus. “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” (I John 3:3)

This next passage is the perfect summary to the listing of saints from past generations who maintained their testimony until the end. 

Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and run with patience the race that is set before us.” 

The great cloud of witnesses. A company which, since the time of this writing has grown beyond our comprehension. It now encompasses those who left this world at the hands of Islamic invaders, and the untold thousands who refused to agree to the unscriptural doctrines of Rome. It is composed of missionaries who left their nativity with no expectation of returning and evangelists who regarded not their own well-being as they brought the words of life to hostile shores. Pastors, farmers, craftsmen, a few statesmen who revered God more than their office – people from every generation and every walk of life, who, in the face of adversity and firey trial, maintained the testimony of Jesus while darkness swept across the land.  These have crossed the finish line; leaving behind a legacy of souls who were birthed into the kingdom and an example for those following who would be tried in like manner.

The message is clear. “Let go of everything that hinders and lay hold of eternal life; trusting in Jesus who is our faithful Creator and Redeemer.” As the days grow darker, it will become easier to let go of the trivial matters that currently hinder so many of us. The firey trial will do this. It silences everything that is irrelevant and amplifies the issues that truly matter. For one who is truly born of the Spirit, it brings the eternal into perfect focus; burning away every shred of lifeless religion and dissolving any residual fascination with the trappings of this evil place. Hebrews chapter 12 continues: 

Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  

From before the foundation of the world, Jesus was knew that a moment would arrive when he would be crucified at the hands of evil men. He was fully aware as this moment went from being thousands of years away to hundreds of years away…..and eventually just around the corner has he began his earthly ministry. When the moment arrived, we can see his agonizing as it was recorded by Luke “And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine be done. And their appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” Regardless of what we may have to endure in this world, it will not even come close to the agony that Jesus went through on our behalf.

He could have called twelve legions of angels…..but didn’t. He could have come down from the cross when the mockers were compelling him to do so…..yet he remained. We must be continuously mindful, and eternally thankful, that our faithful Creator redeemed us with his own precious blood.He endured the cross and was faithful unto death. Three days later, he rose from the dead and is alive forever more. 

Hebrews 12:3 “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”

We were once in absolute contradiction to the person and nature of the Lord Jesus Christ…..until that moment, when, in sincere repentance and desire to leave the old behind, we called out to him. It wasn’t simply a fire escape or a decision made while a fleshy praise team worked the crowd up into a frenzy. It was a sincere desire to follow Jesus. My personal story bears repeating. The moment that I believed on Jesus, there was no overwhelming euphoria or feeling of release. Quite the opposite. As I sat there “believing” that if I truly called on him and asked for forgiveness, he would do it. Then the strange “thought” came to me. it seemed to come from just outside my right ear. It spoke to me “you know that you can never live like that. Three or four days and you will be back to your old self again.” That thought from the enemy caused me to…think….and then proclaim with emphasis “NO! I’m tired of what I have been all of my life. I’m serious about this.” and I was. despite seasons of struggle and one lengthy season of backsliding, that day was the most important in my life. it was my one “turning point” in every sense of the word.

Hebrews 12:4 “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”

And because Jesus overcame this world, and we have the Holy Spirit abiding within, we too can overcome the wicked one……even in a time of tribulation which Jesus warned us would be more severe than any other season of adversity; before or after.  Our time in this world is but a vapor that appears for a fraction of a second. Then we enter our eternal situation, “and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words” I recently heard it described like this. This world is the only hell that a true Christian will ever know. This world is the only heaven that those who reject the truth will ever know.  The final two passages were actually part of a draft that involved a different topic, however, they fit this issue perfectly

James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.  Cleanse your hands ye sinners; and purify your hearts ye double minded.”

Revelation 2:17 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone, a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.”

The first one encourages us to draw close to God and cease from the works of the flesh. To repent and turn from anything that separates us from the Lord Jesus and unite our heart to follow him without reservation. The second passage is one that blows my mind upon every remembrance. If I understand it correctly…..in the age to come, each of us is going to have a special name that nobody else knows except the Lord Jesus. Without a doubt, we will have an identity that is known to others, however, we will also have a secret name…..and only the Lord Jesus will know that name. WOW! Even now, it blows my mind that he can have a personal deep relationship with each of us at the same time…..as though we were the only person on the planet. But the words found in Revelation 2:17 carry this into a whole new dimension.  This idea is in the realm of things “too wonderful to comprehend while inhabiting a vessel of flesh and seeing through a glass darkly.”

A name that only the Lord Jesus knows. This is far more incredible than the grandest mansion, the widest street of pure gold, the indescribable features of a world with no ending,  or any other reward that one could receive, This is what comes to mind whenever my thoughts venture into heavenly placves. Being in the presence of Jesus and surrounded by the company of all who entered eternity with their testimony intact.  “For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.” I’m looking forward to the moment when we are all gathered around the throne of God, who inhabits eternity. 

Blessings in Jesus name.