The Turning Of God’s Providence - Psalm 40:5

You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told. - Psalm 40:5

Ever count your blessings? If not, you should sit down sometime and begin by writing, starting with your own birth, the parents you were given, and slowly and considerately working your way up to the present day, marking every blessing God has ever bestowed upon you. Trust me: you will neither remember them all nor list them all before your hand cramps from clutching that pen. “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:19.
It is truly incredible when one considers the blessings we receive daily. From rising in the morning to our meals for the day to our very health. In a single day, we might not be able to ‘count our blessings.’ Even when we think that things are not going well, we have His assurance that all things will turn out for the best. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” - Romans 8:28. And here begins the turning upon which all our blessings depend.
I recall from my own sordid past many were my inclinations and intentions, and just as many failed miserably. Had I given it any thought at the time I would have come to the conclusion that I was not very blessed. However, I was surely experiencing God’s providence, a ‘turning providence.’ God was using the tribulations and failures of my carnal life to turn me towards more blessed goals, to turn me towards Him. As the late Scottish theologian, John J. Murray said, “People are usually anxious to get rid of the problem than they are to find the purpose of God in it.” No matter what our circumstance, no matter our troubles, God’s purpose is to turn us to true faith in Him.
There is no situation in life that doesn’t have a lesson attached to it. The situation may be pleasant or it can be troublesome and even painful. But even the tribulations we are often exposed to are meant to benefit us in the long run because much of what God does is best seen in the long view of life. I can vouch for that. If we truly want to experience the greatest blessings available to us there is one thing we must do. “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” - Matthew 6:31-33. The answer to turning God’s providence our way is to seek Him!
This doesn’t mean that all we have to do is throw God’s holy name into a list of desires like it is some magical incantation. We need to understand first that everything we receive and obtain in this life is from God. “John answered, ‘A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.’” - John 3:27. To receive such blessings we must have faith in God for without faith we might as well just roll the dice. We must ask ourselves if that is really how we want to hedge the circumstances of our lives. Will we leave it to chance rather than trust in God?
The reality of the blessings we receive is clear - “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” - James 1:17. We must trust that God is seeking the best outcome for our lives. But without true faith in Him, all we will receive is what anyone else receives through the common blessings bestowed upon all men, good and evil. “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” - Matthew 5:44-45.
Our only real hope is through trusting our very lives to God through true faith. This is the way God’s providence turns. “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” - Hebrews 11:6. The blessings and good providence of God are truly too many to count.

Deliverance From Evil - Mark 5:1-5

They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. - Mark 5:1-5

A sad and truly terrifying commentary on today’s world can be seen daily in our news stories, whether in print or on the internet. Some of the reports are too sinister and disturbing to repeat here. Suffice to say that the psychopathy prowling our streets is not an aberration but a routine happenstance in our Godless society. We have been warned. “This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.” - Ecclesiastes 9:3.
Evil, age-old evil, is a concept few today want to acknowledge. The  ‘enlightened minds’ mock the very notion and insist it reeks of superstition and medieval ignorance yet for the life of them, they cannot explain the malevolent acts of man. Evil in modern parlance is described as having been born of genetic defects, harsh environmental elements, abuse, and any number of mitigating issues. The idea is to support the humanist notion that man is born basically good.
It is true that adverse factors affect men differently. Not everyone who endures physical abuse as a child grows up to be a Charles Manson or a Jeffrey Dahmer. So what drives one man to become a serial murderer rather than a law enforcement officer? The answer is simple: evil.
There is a corruption that inhabits all men to varying degrees. We Christians refer to it as the sin nature of man. It prevails over our strongest attempts to curtail it, reroute it, or suppress it when we try to do so in our own human strength. It is only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit and the faith that blossoms thereof that we have any control at all. The evil that men do comes not from God but from our rejection of God. “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” - Romans 1:21.
There is no such thing as a spiritual vacuum. Our souls will be filled with one of two things; either God or the devil. From birth, we have the original sin or ‘total depravity’ to deal with in our lives. Total depravity doesn’t mean that we are as sinful as we can possibly be. It means that there is no part of our humanity that has not been touched by sin. Just like all things in God’s universe, there are degrees of evil. For one person, it is lying to avoid having an embarrassing incident revealed. For another, it is kidnapping and murdering an innocent victim. But we should not make any mistakes: the devil is indeed alive and active in our lives unless we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. “. . .  because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” - Romans 10:9.  If we fail to confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are as lost as the demoniac of Gerasenes.
Tethered to sinful humanity in our lives, we are entombed like unclean spirits, forever wandering in our transgressions. The evil that corrupts the murderer is the same evil that corrupts the thief, the liar, or the sexually immoral. The devil never rests and he is present at every Sunday service as he roams the world looking for souls to devour. He seeks the spiritually distracted. Even the devil’s nuances are specifically designed to divert, confuse, and reroute us, rather than allow us to turn to Christ. We must leave our corrupt tombs and seek Christ.
The evil that lies dormant in our hearts is only a breath away from manifesting itself in ways that no man has the strength to subdue. It is only by the common grace of God that we stay one step ahead of the devil. Let us seek God today, this very hour, now!

Mere Obedience - Luke 11:28

But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” - Luke 11:28

    There are many folks who gripe about their circumstances in life and quickly claim that they have prayed incessantly about their problem, receiving no relief from God. They seem to assume their prayers are some kind of magical incantation or sacrifice. They pray; God is supposed to answer their prayers. It seems, from their point of view, that they have fulfilled their part of a bargain. Now it is up to God to hold up His end.
    What they fail to understand is that for prayer to be acceptable to God it must meet some fairly solid criteria. For instance, God requires that pray matches His will. Prayer cannot generally be used in an imprecatory manner. In other words, we cannot call down curses upon people. But perhaps’ God’s greatest requirement for prayer is that it be done with an obedient heart rather that as some type of ritualistic sacrifice. “And Samuel said, ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.’” - 1 Samuel 15:22.
    We will find that in many situations people pull out all the stops when praying for something they feel is a priority in their lives. There is no ritual or incantation they won’t turn to for the desired answer to their prayers when all God ever asks of us is that we obey His commands. “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.” - Deuteronomy 28:1-2.
    On the other hand, God has also declared to us what the results of failing to obey Him result in. He minces no words when He tells us that there will be a grave and problematic price to pay for our disobedience. No one can possibly pick up a Bible and fail to see the warnings from Genesis to Revelation regarding impertinent disobedience and spiritual rebellion. “If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God, then the Lord will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting.” - Deuteronomy 28:58-59. This particular passage assumes, of course, that our offspring are as rebellious as we have been. There are many passages in Holy Scripture that tell us the child will not be punished for the father’s sin and visa versa. “ The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself." - Ezekiel 18:19.
    The Gospel of Matthew speaks of the rewards of obedience. It is a common theme when teaching the relationship between Christ’s roles as Savior and Lord. Herein lies the problem for many who profess their Christianity: they're willing to accept Christ’s salvific atonement for their sins but refuse to ‘obey Him as Lord’. Scripture is redundant when it speaks to the Lordship of Jesus Christ: we cannot have Him as our Savior if we refuse to have Him as our Lord! In fact, Jesus tells us that those who do not obey Him are like a fool who builds his house upon sand. “And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”- Matthew 7:26-27. Fools we are called when we fail to obey Christ’s words. And what of those who do heed His commands? “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” - Matthew 25:23.
    We can only respond to the commands of Jesus in one of two ways: we can refuse to do as He has instructed us or we can surrender our egos and deliberate impertinence to His Lordship and receive the blessings awaiting us in God’s providence. Mere obedience to God can reap untold rewards for His children.

A Godly Fire Alarm - Proverbs 6:27

Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? - Proverbs 6:27

    The proverb is specific: if we play with fire, we will get burned. The adage doesn’t allude, insinuate, or imply. It boldly asks the outcome of making wrong choices and warns us well in advance.  “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” - Galatians 6:7.
    There is no deeply spiritual riddle that one must solve before the truth makes itself apparent. Even the unbelievers are wary enough to understand that one cannot play with fire and reap a Godly award.
    Think of our children. Think of the dreams we have for them. Think of their dreams. Are those dreams consistent with God’s will for us and for them?  Also, consider the repercussions of allowing our children to make the decisions, the choices, the determinations which will affect their lives for good or bad.
    Will we say, “I must let them make their own choices and let them learn from their mistakes?” Will we let them ‘learn’ from shooting poison into their veins whether or not drug abuse is a good choice? Will we let them speed in their vehicles and hope that a ticket or two will teach them a valuable lesson? Will we let them choose to drop out of school and hope they somehow purchase the winning lottery number? Will we willingly encourage or support marriage with a criminal? If we say ‘No’ to any of these, then why on earth would we allow them to make bad choices when it comes to friends and associates? “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” - Proverbs 13:20.
    We see the effects of ill decisions on our streets and in our neighborhoods every day. Our jails and prisons and graveyards are full of mistakes and poor choices. Why in God’s holy name would we ever simply turn our attention away from the choices our children haphazardly make? And while they may learn from their mistakes their lives may become inexorably changed for the worse . . . forever!
    The Word of God is clear about the character of those who sit by and allow the worst to come to their own. “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” - 1 Timothy 5:8. We have a responsibility to watch out for and protect the ones we love. Make no mistake: if we deliberately show indifference to our loved ones when they make heinous errors that lead to loss of life or soul, it is on us as well as them. Let’s face it, we wouldn’t watch our loved ones jump into a tumultuous river. Why would we watch them jump into hell?
    Throughout our lives we are called to make choices. We choose our vocations, our jobs, our mates, where we live, where we shop, where we worship. And while some decisions are made for us, by and large, we make most of our life decisions ourselves. It is usually with careful deliberation and consideration that we make such choices. All but the minimally thoughtful among us understand the importance of making ‘good choices’. “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.” - Proverbs 27:12.
    These considerations apply in many situations. They may apply to our siblings, our parents, our friends, and our family in general. The one about to make a rash decision may be a coworker or a colleague. Does this mean we should go about injecting our opinions wherever we see someone contemplating a choice? Perhaps we should heed the words of ‘The Prince of Preachers’, Charles Spurgeon - “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.”
    As can be seen, the importance of cautioning those around us, especially our loved ones, how much more should we heed this advice ourselves? “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” - Proverbs 3:5-6. Let us always make the voice of God our fire alarm.

Deliberate Sin Needs Deliberate Confession - Job 19:29

“ . . . be afraid of the sword,  for wrath brings the punishment of the sword, that you may know there is a judgment.” - Job 19:29

    It has been said that failure to respond to wrongdoing emboldens the perpetrator. A lack of swift reprisal gives the perpetrator every reason to believe he may act without fear of punishment or retribution. The recent events in cities like Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington seem to establish that presumption is true. On a more personal level, it applies to each of us in the way we conduct our daily lives. A lie here, an act of greed there; none of it matters . . . as long as we don’t get caught. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place,  keeping watch on the evil and the good.” - Proverbs 15:3.
    For the unbeliever, it is all so easy. Because they refuse to acknowledge God’s existence they simply go about their lives dodging the brimstone rather than raindrops. And many live their entire lives this way, never fearing the day of reckoning, completely oblivious to their harmful thoughts, words, and deeds. All this despite God’s own warning to us - “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” - Jeremiah 17:10.
    To behave this way indicates one of two things: either we don’t believe in God or we don’t think He will punish us for our deliberate sins. Either way, we are showing the greatest disdain and contempt for Him. Essentially, we are willing to crucify Christ again and again and again. There is simply no other way to see it. If by some delusion we think that ‘our God’ would never bring His wrath down upon us, think again! Have we not His ever truthful word? “I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon them.” - Ezekiel 25:17.
    Where will we be on that fateful day when God calls us to account? Note that we won’t be called to account for our children or our neighbors - we’ll be called to account for ourselves! “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” - Romans 14:12. Will we have a defense ready for the sinful things we know we have said and done?  Do we think God will weight out the good things we have done against the evil? God doesn’t grade ‘on a curve’. “For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” - Ecclesiastes 12:14. There is nothing about our lives that will not be revealed.
    Can we imagine being called out for all the things we have ever said and done wrong? There will be sins in our lives that we had hoped we would never hear about, let alone been made to think about again; sins that we hoped would never be brought to light! The shame and humiliation will be nearly as crushing as our condemnation. Are we at all sure that we can stand the trial we face? “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” - 1 Corinthians 10:12.
    We should take this opportunity while we have it to repent of any sins we are actively living in. These sins will not go away nor will they be hidden before our omniscient God. “But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out.” - Numbers 32:23. We must confess our sins before God if we are to have the hope through faith in the mercy of our God Who will forgive us our trespasses. God’s grace is ours because of His compassion for us. He is not willing for us to be condemned for all eternity if we but come to Him for forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9.
    Our confession must be as deliberate as our sins are if we are to be forgiven and welcomed into eternal salvation.

What We Now Must Become - 1 John 2:15-16

   
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. - 1 John 2:15-16

    With all the ridiculous ‘challenges’ we have seen appear on social media lately, perhaps a Godly challenge is due. Here is the challenge: let us take a good long hard look at the world around us today. From the music (and I use the term loosely) to the movies to the magazines, radio stations, cable programming (especially among the subscription giants, HBO, Showtime, etc.), fashions, trends, news, and technology; even the ads and commercials are now laden with homosexuals and LGBTQ adherents. There is actually no perversion under the sky that is not available for viewing through our technologically savvy 4K high definition world. Is there, in any sense of the word, anything that is ‘Godly’? Sadly, the answer is ‘No!’ “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” - 2 Corinthians 4:4.
    Professing Christians are often guilty of the very sins they should not have any part of. They spend an hour in the presence of God on Sunday, then are right back to the business and entertainment of the world. Most times it is hard to tell the difference between a Christian and an unbeliever at all. In fact, we are told to avoid the type of people we ourselves have become!  “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”  - 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
    We have repeatedly been warned about the ways of the world yet we stumble through our lives consistently sinning like the unbelievers around us. We follow their leads like the blind being led by the blind. We employ their language, their smugness, their anger, their ungodliness until we are virtually indistinguishable among them. All this we have become rather than developing into the Christians we should be.
    We were called to be the light in the world. Not only are we to be the light of the world but we have also been told ‘why’ we are to be that light. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” - Matthew 5:14-16. Once again, we are called to be the light in the world so that unbelievers will see that our Christian words and deeds give glory to God in heaven. We cannot accomplish that Godly mission if we behave like the world. The world should recognize us for who we truly are in Christ Jesus and see that we are not like them. “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” - John 15:18-19.
    Our duration here as Christians should not be a day in the park. Tribulations should be our lot, not worldly enjoyment. Our duty here is clear. “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.
    We must not be worldly by any definition. As Christians, we must conduct ourselves in a sober and Godly manner rather than as citizens of this fallen world. We must remember that we are ‘in the world but not of it’ and recall the words of the Apostle Paul - “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” - Romans 12:1-2. No matter what we were in the world before we became believers, the light of the world is what we now must become.

The Perseverance Of Job - Job 2:10

 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. - Job 2:10

    With the Corona virus still slithering among us and the anarchy that seems unabated in our streets there are many who defy God and apparently enjoy mocking Him to our Christian faces. “Where’s your God now?’ They laughingly ask. It’s a big joke to them on the surface but deep beneath all the scornful derision of their blackened hearts, there is a pertinent question that needs answering. Where, in fact, is God when everything seems as bad as it can get? The real question is, what should our response be in the face of tribulation? “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” - James 1:12.
    We would all of course prefer to have all blessings that God provides for us and none of the troubles. That simply isn’t the reality in a fallen world. Ever since the downfall of man, there has been a downside to life on earth. Think of birth: When a Godly woman conceives in her body, she rejoices at the thought of her child’s birth. She celebrates the life living within her. Yet when birth comes, it brings with it the pains that God assured Eve that she would have. “To the woman he said, ‘I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.’” - Genesis 3:16. First pain, then glory. Isn’t this what God has said all along? “Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?” - Lamentations 3:38.
    Even King Solomon knew of the dichotomy of good and bad as a staple of life on earth.
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: . . . a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance . . . .” - Ecclesiastes 1:1,4. The key to contentedness in any and every trial is to adopt the attitude of Job during times of affliction.
    Solomon went on to declare - “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.” - Ecclesiastes 7:14. God has indeed made both the days of prosperity and the days of adversity. And He delivers them at His own bidding so as not to reveal His plans for us. Think about it: were God to reveal all His plans to each of us, why would we need Him afterward? We would already know our futures. And I dare say that many of us would not relish what lies in store for us.
    No, what happens in our lives happens for reasons known only to God. As for our response to adversity? “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” - Romans 3:3-5. We are given Godly commands to carry out in times of tribulation and pain, no matter what the circumstances may be. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” - Romans 12:12. God is certainly not finished with us, regardless of our current circumstances - “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” - Philippians 1:6.
    If we cannot adapt to both the joys and sorrows as they are meted out in God’s sovereign plans how are we to ever persevere to the end and to the crown that awaits us? “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” - Revelation 2:10. No matter what the world throws at us, if we remain faithful we will indeed receive the crown of life promised to us by Christ Jesus! Let us always remember the final days of Job. “And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. . . . And Job died, an old man, and full of days.” - Job 42:10,17. Job’s faith in God provided him with greater days and a long life. Let our faith provide for us as well.