True Measure

How do we describe a person who speaks their mind clearly with no hidden agendas, whose actions match their words? A good description of that person who is honest, direct and consistent is ... sincere. It reminds me of a rather humorous way this has been said: "I says what I means and means what I says." God seriously cares about the sincerity of the Believer's heart! Truth is, as hard as we may try, no one can manufacture a sincere heart. "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart" (Proverbs 21:2 ESV). In ancient times a touchstone was used to determine the validity of genuine precious metals. The touchstone was a black, fine-grained stone like basalt or jasper; the metal [in question] was rubbed against the touchstone and the streaks left behind on the touchstone would be compared to known pure samples. John wrote that the one who hopes in Christ purifies himself as Christ is pure. (1 John 3:3). Jesus is our touchstone - The One with which we measure the sincerity of our hearts - there is no other valid measure. The Puritan Thomas Watson said, "there may be a fair complexion when the lungs and vitals are rotten." I suggest too many Christ-followers spent too much time on their complexion while our hearts suffer terrible neglect. It is the heart God sees, weighs, tests and approves because "the Lord sees not as man sees - man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7 ESV). A pure heart is a sincere heart; it's the heart's ... true measure.

A Successful Walk

Walking on uneven ground can be a bit tricky - so can walking on snow and ice! Mister Bill and I like the option of, as much as is possible, doing neither! God's Word has much to say about how we walk. In Ephesians 5:15, Paul counsels Believers to carefully walk wisely; another one of my favorite instructions are God's words to Joshua after the death of Moses: "Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go." (Joshua 1:7 NASB). When walking, we typically try to avoid things such as tree roots and holes, avoiding them lest we stumble and fall. In our spiritual lives, however, it is the bumps and holes through which God's Word lead us and we mature spiritually. God continues in His instruction, "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success." (V.9). How silly when we try to orchestrate and manipulate our lives to be free of the uneven and the slippery. James writes, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4 NASB). Yes, this older-me needs to pay closer attention to where and how I step; for the Believer, as we are careful to walk in wisdom, we must also fully trust God Who promises those who walk in obedience ... a successful walk.

Please The Father

Something that the younger-me loved to do was to be on a float on the lake and just ... float. Bill would be on the dock fishing, watching his line and me, making sure neither drifted away! Jesus was focused in His purpose; He said, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." (Luke 22:42). I suggest many Believers have spent much of their Christian life spiritually wondering and wandering, unsure of their God-given purpose. God has made clear, however, His will (purpose) for each of His children: "For this is the will of God, your sanctification" (1 Thessalonians 4:3a ESV). Those who belong to Jesus are to sanctified - that is, to be made holy, growing and maturing day by day into the same holiness as is His nature. Jesus said to His disciples in John 6:38, "I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him Who sent Me." Jesus' heart was set on one thing: please The Father, which He did all the way to an agonizingly cruel Roman cross. The age-old question of "why am I here" does not go unanswered! Like Jesus, we are here to please The Father in all our ways. "Now may the God of peace Who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:20-21 ESV). How wonderful we do not have to flounder and float - every child of God has been called and equipped for this purpose: please The Father.

His Way - His Time

It is believed that the idiom "bull in a china shop" most likely originated from events in 17th century London when cattle roamed freely and into local shops. It appeared first, however, in an 1834 novel contrasting a bull's brutish strength and the delicate fragility of fine china. This phrase came to mind recently as I read Proverbs 21:5 (AMP), "The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance and advantage, but everyone who acts in haste comes surely to poverty." The first part of this verse is encouraging and promising; one's stead and constant efforts bring reward! The latter part of the verse, however, cannot be ignored as it clearly says "everyone" - even those who are diligent. The warning is that even in our diligence we must never act hastily or carelessness. I fear in our Godly pursuits we get ahead of God; instead of seeking His face and being invited into God's plans, we ... invite Him into our plans. I'm a planner, a firm believer in "fail to plan - plan to fail." All the more, however, to not be that bull in the china shop - brutishly plowing ahead in the delicate matters of God's plans. God promises, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you." (Psalm 32:8 ESV). Let us be wise - not in our own eyes, but rather in moving forward in ... His Way - His time.

Don't Delay - Obey

Do you have a "want-to" problem? Well, I certainly do! The first project of my morning was to wash a sink-load of dishes. Mister Bill even commented we might need to hire some help; I noted his sarcasm but did not hear an offer from him to wash them. God says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us." (Hebrews 12:1a NET). How foolish of God's children to forget the weight of sinfulness! It is weighty and cumbersome, greatly influencing our good intention of obedience to Christ. You want to know why my sink was full of dirty dishes? The answer is ... when the dishes should have been washed, I simply didn't want to wash them. Isn't that the problem with spiritual endurance? We "say" we love Jesus and want to be obedient to Him and walk in a pleasing way before Him yet we do not because we become fixated on something else. The rest of Verse 1 counsels us how to persevere in Godly obedience: "keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith." Dishes are washed and the sink is empty and clean - I love it. It is good for the child of God to keep his eyes on Christ and live in obedience to Him ... do not allow sin to gather in your heart nor put-off obedience. Don't delay .. obey.