From Death to Breath

Anyone tormented by the guilt of murder will seek refuge in the grave; let no one hold him back. Prov. 28:17

In the Old Testament, the law required “an eye for eye and tooth for tooth (perhaps not necessarily an actual eye, but receiving a fair compensation for one’s losses).” It was right to let the full consequence happen to the offender so that remorse could set in and grace could take its place in his life. Witnesses of the crime would learn from his mistakes, as well, to see first hand that no good comes from doing wrong. No one was to talk another person out of a guilty conscience.

Specifically, concerning the crime of murder, the criminal’s own life was required of him. The Israelites were not to interrupt this due process. No one was to rescue him from his punishment, or the rescuer would be guilty of murder as well.

Sadly, taking someone else’s life had its own set of problems. Terrible memories of the magnitude and guilt of robbing the victim of his years on earth would haunt the murderer all of his days. One who killed another person brought ‘death’ to himself until finally his wrecked and tired body and his mind were laid to rest in the grave. Perhaps, even if one tried to save such a criminal from his punishment, the awful pile of disturbing thoughts would still plague his mind.

Today’s proverb feels like there is no hope for these offenders of society. Yet, what about Saul in the New Testament, who not only sought to kill, but his victims were Christians! Jesus, himself, came to him, changed his name and called him to a higher place. He found amazing grace in the Lord.

In Matthew 5:38-42, Jesus spoke about the old law concerning an eye for an eye, but He emphasized the need for forgiveness and mercy for those who brought others harm or hurt.

Certainly, murder is not something that is simply physical. Jesus tells us that murder can happen in the heart through our anger and harsh words. We can cause death to others and ourselves through our hurtful ways.

After considering all we know about scripture, we realize we must have balance in our Biblical approach concerning crimes. We do receive punishment that is due if any among us is a murderer (and all of us apparently hold that title in one way or another). There are natural consequences for our tirades and raging words, and rightfully so. Sometimes, relationships are severed or changed forever. Let us remember that sin must seriously be addressed in our lives.

In the end, how blessed we are to have access to Jesus’ blood and righteousness. We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Yet, we who put our trust and faith in Him have received His wondrous grace.

Spiritually, there is a type of death in which we WANT to participate once we understand its dynamic. The death is the murder of self. I’m not talking about suicide. I’m talking about putting to death our evil ways.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.

Romans 6:6-7…knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.

When a person dies to self, he matures in the Lord. Every day, he wants, more than anything else, to be like Jesus. He walks away from agitation and irritableness. Worry and fear are changed to trust and faith. The stripping of all he clings to is released into the hands of God and traded for peace and joy. The numbness and fog life brings from illness and loss is turned into pure clarity from meditating on God’s word and praising His Holy name (which lead the person to a good and successful life). Prayer is always seen as answered because of his trust in God’s ways that are higher than his own ways.

Physical possessions bring him happiness but not compared to the joy that comes from conquering his flesh and becoming wiser in the duration of his trials. The one who denies himself, no longer lives for ‘happy.’ He sees that Christ was ‘crushed’ for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5), and he sees his own needs and wants that feel crushed by his trials as being part of the fellowshipping in Christ’s sufferings (Phil 3:10).

He knows his body is not his own (I Cor. 6:19-20) but God’s. He knows that as a Christian everything feels upside down from the way the world views things. He knows that being last, smallest, humiliated or rejected is normal as a disciple of Jesus. His reputation (wanting others to think he is perfect) is often on the line. His sins are constantly exposed to his face as he comes to know more about a perfect God. His life feels backwards. “I thought Christianity was supposed to be a fairy-tale-life, smiling all the time like the image we have of the early Christians who shared everything, every day.”

Yet, that image is false. THEY lived difficult lives and were hunted down and tortured. Nothing belonged to them, except the intangible gift of joy, unity with the Father and a sure salvation. Their joy was actually a little weird. It was unnatural to find joy in the intense trials they experienced, yet to do so was also supernatural!

Whereas the taking of one’s life leads to forever destroying one’s family, God’s idea of death-to-self brings blessings and life. Backwards blessings (the consequences that come from this death-to-self) are the strangest phenomena about such a life lived for Christ. The enemy brings in pain to torment and threaten to undo us through our hardships. But God, breathes LIFE into what Satan meant for evil. The hell we live in because of Satan becomes the catalyst to save our souls.

When good happens to us, we clap our hands, jump up and down and accept it as being from the Lord. We also accept evil in humility of heart, knowing that the good of it will be even better than the physical blessings. ‘Evil’ circumstances teach and train us that there’s more out there than this earth can provide. We are ‘happy’ because the ROCK and FORTRESS of our lives never lets us down like people and things.

Sometimes we will witness God’s physical gifts as huge miracles! But even more are the miracles that come after we experience the crushing weight through which pain can bring us. Pain leads us to the valley where dead (dry) bones are scattered all around. Our not-so-happy, stripped-of-flesh dead-bones cry out, but God breathes into them (Ezekiel 37). Our new LIFE becomes no longer about things of this earth, but about Him. We’re on this earth, fully engaged, but our hearts are stayed upon Him.

The hand of the Lord is on all who choose to climb up on the altar of pain and death, to offer our tied-up hands and feet and allow our trials to make us into living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to Him (Rom. 12:1).

He helps us to BE STILL in the terror of the most awful circumstances from which we would rather flee (or die), for He makes and molds us there. We give up, not on life, but OF our life, to be and do what Christ wants us to be and do. And daily, we ask, WHAT DO YOU WANT, DEAR GOD. WHAT IS YOUR WILL?

 Assuredly, He may lead us to more pain! WE beg Him to kill the cancer and losses that keep coming and never stop. We also beg Him to kill the part of us that tries to rule Him (inside our losses).

We beg Him to kill that part of us that depends on ourselves, that depends on our personal views of what gives life.

Our prayers are honest, but often having them answered our way is not what will place us where we need to be. God’s opposite answers to those prayers, and even His silence, are always marvelous to behold and create a humbling attitude within us.

Lord, thank you for our blessed trials! Thank you, but we still cry. We still hurt. We embrace our hardships as we cry out for them to be removed. We kiss your feet and know without a doubt that you are answering our prayers IN the stripping of all fleshly things we cling to. We give attention to your word in the insanity of the pit. Your word and your presence are the oxygen we need in the drowning torrents of the darkest waters. You work in mighty ways in the silence, breathing true life back into our bones. You are our only hope. Come quickly, Lord. Save us. We die to ourselves and all we try to possess and that possesses us. When we sin, we accept the consequences. Yet we welcome and thrive inside of your amazing grace. In Jesus name, Amen.

Always Tremble

Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble. (Prov. 28:14)

Searching for the word tremble in the Bible, I found that most of these verses refer to a fear of earthly things. They say things like, “Do NOT tremble” or “Do NOT fear,” though it is what mankind is prone to do. Many times, that kind of fear can drive us into terrible decisions. Choices made from fear are typically counterintuitive in the long run. Some of the verses, however, point the reader TOWARD an emotion of fear in which the trembling is about being in the presence of God. The fear is not fright, it is awe, along with a healthy respect for His will and keeping ourselves free from sin.

Last year, my husband and I dealt with a leaky roof in a house recently purchased and were waiting on roofers to fix it. This brought my husband to a place of vigilance about the possibility of other problems. In a heavy rain, he would go down to the basement or up into the attic with a flashlight and point its bright rays at the walls and rafters to reveal any weakness in the foundation or any sign of moisture.

Likewise, in today’s verse, the “blessed one” keeps a constant watch for sin in his life. He is ever vigilant, shining God’s flashlight (The Word) on his heart to reveal what could be hidden. He knows sin is nothing to ignore or pretend is not there. He trembles (a healthy fear) in the face of sin and seeks God to rescue him from any sign of decay and rot in his bones.

The blessed one trembles with fear at the perils of taking the wrong roads of life because it is destructive to his soul. Perhaps trials, pain or discomfort naturally frighten him, but not as much as his dread of the stronghold of sin. He has a working conscience and is sorry for any waywardness that comes about. He has experienced sin’s consequences and knows the more peaceful joy of the straight path. He is in the habit of alerting himself to temptation, and when that comes he is armed. He falls on his face before a Holy God and begs for His help, knowing he cannot resist evil alone. The blessed one is someone who not only has a heathy respect for the cleansing place God plays in all areas of his life, but also balances that with a humble love and wholehearted, fervent desire to please Him.

Right now, if I trembled before God what would that mean? How might that change me each moment of my day? What would I do next because of this trembling?

To tremble (a Holy, wondrous humility and bowing down before God and His ways) means there has to be some sense of caring, wonder and regard for the One before whom I tremble, not a forced submission, but an exalting of His Holy Name, a supreme surrender and a reverent quietness in His presence. The trembling would not necessarily be a literal body-shaking experience, though sometimes, that is possible along with chills down my spine or some other extraordinary phenomena. The trembling would be more of a shaking from within, an earthquake of the soul, one that instead of causing disaster would bring order and peace. It would be a movement towards a Loving God.

This fear or shaking up is absolutely THE key to thriving in a good life. Healthy fear keeps one close to the Father. There can be no apathy or disconnect when an attitude of worship pervades the one who is coming before The Mighty One Enthroned On High.

Always trembling means that my awe would be a normal part of life. I would train myself to be in a constant reverent state of mind, cognizant of God’s presence in every situation, realizing that such an attitude would shelter me from harm and strengthen my increasingly accurate perspective of a Holy Father. My desire would be for the Lord of Hosts above all else. It wouldn’t shock me when unexpectant troubles showed up. My focus would stay on the Father. In the act or state of mind of trembling before God, I could not be hardened of heart. There would be no lack of passion for God and His ways. There would be a belief that my own God-led choices would, in fact, be best for all concerned.

To make today’s verse practical, here are a few ideas:

*I tremble before God by accepting what food is before me, repeating to myself that it is enough, and it is what God is providing for me now (instead of complaining and allowing myself to bow [and tremble] before food).
*Fear of what people think of me is a common giant to face. A good reputation (She’s pretty cool!) matters. What if my friend or spouse leaves or walks away? The fear of abandonment is real and can motivate bad decisions. But, God is the greatest reality more than any of these fears. Bowing down before Him and not people moves me to better priorities.
*Trembling at my trials (earthly situations) is common as well. Yet, how much more must I learn from what frightens me and turn that energy of fear towards my Creator. I state my anxious case to the One who knows me (and the situation) better than I do. Trembling before Him brings comfort and peace IN the situation that causes me stress.
*In the face of necessary confrontations that are too big for me, I tremble before GOD because He can handle my circumstance in a mighty way, whereas, ‘I’ can only see the impossible.
*Death (the worst fear on earth) has been conquered by Jesus Christ. Therefore, I tremble before God. Victory has already been won. I claim this more when I set my fears before HIM.
*Trembling in the presence of God includes trembling before His truth. What does HE want for and from me today? My decisions aren’t based on what ‘I’ wish for or on my fear of what could happen if I follow His call. They are based on a willingness to allow the trembling to spur me on to what is right.
*Sometimes, I put my fear and awe towards fame, power, money, political parties, diet, intellect or credentials rather than in the supreme reality of God’s wisdom and knowledge. Our own expertise and understanding is valuable and needed in today’s world (as God-given talents), but not ALL answers sit on the shoulders of our most learned men and women, who hopefully always tremble before a Holy God as they give counsel. Therefore, though I gain advice from those I trust and those who are more knowledgeable than I (because having many counselors is wise), my ultimate source to the answers I seek is addressed as I tremble before God (who leads me to the right counselors).
*When we process each other’s views, a certain superior air calls us to the circle of our own kind or of those we seek support for our stance (as we converse about those who don’t think like us). Yet, we give our awe, respect and trembling to God first, even more than like-minded family or friends (tribes or clans or parties)? When my chattering criticism of the other side gains my greatest energy and attention, I am distracted inside the multitude of tribal words from trembling before a God who leads me to humility and love.

Truly, the opposite of trembling before God seems to be a hardness of heart which can be prompted by a desire for the pleasures of sin or a self-reliance (having so much that one forgets his need of God). His quiet time with the Father and meeting with His church begins to fade away. He isn’t as alert to the luring aspects of temptation and can be caught in sin before he realizes what’s happening. Sometimes the hardness is a result of not getting what he wants out of life. In his mind, he has prayed but ‘to no avail.’ A low-grade anger takes him over and he slowly slips away into a numbing apathy and refusal to acknowledge God’s glorious presence.

The hardened man doesn’t heed his conscience anymore. He no longer listens to wise counsel or learns from sin’s consequences of the past. He doesn’t admit the wrongs he’s done and doesn’t feel remorse. Though God lovingly pursues him, he is adamantly oblivious. When sin’s consequences come, his tactic is to blame others. Scapegoats are his hobbies. All he’s out for is himself. He is his own god and others around him are coerced into agreeing with his views of life. Little does he know that he is missing out on a good life by submitting his all and trembling before The Almighty God and not himself.

An example of trembling in the Bible is Job. After the worst possible calamities, it would have been understandable for Job to harden his heart! Why instead did he worship (Job 1:20-22)? He was an upright and blameless man, but even more than that, he was a man with a big God (even though his entire world caved in). Job grieved and cried out and got angry, but his greatest habit (that overrode all else) was to tremble before God. His Maker was the One he turned to in his distress, as did King David (The Psalms) and many other Biblical examples. We can learn from these precious stories of how trembling before God brings a blessing.

Lord, we tremble before you in the midst of much turmoil and unrest. As we bow in awe of YOU, help our fears not to get in the way of what you want to accomplish with your power and might. Help the fears we have towards our circumstances not to be the overriding emotion, but our respect and adoration of you. Teach us in our new habit of trembling before you to trust and have faith. Show us your power, Oh God. We believe; help our unbelief. We tremble; help our lack of such trembling in your presence. You have said in your word so many times not to be afraid. Help us instead to tremble before you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Purer in Heart

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but people are tested by their praise. Prov. 27:21

Earlier in this chapter, verse 2 says, “Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips.” We studied this verse several weeks ago and were led to the conclusion that our greatest praise belongs to our Father. All of us, however, for various reasons, will receive praise, and our responses will reveal a lot about us.

Today’s Proverb compares precious metals to precious people and how each is tested. In the refining process, silver and gold are heated to high temperatures until what is not gold or silver rises to the top to be removed. What is left is pure.

When praise comes our way, how might such a seemingly harmless and even wonderful act be like a fire of refining? Some say that it’s not as hard to stand under criticism as it is to stand before praise. There are those who come through their difficult trials with flying colors. Yet, bring honor to them and the result may not be so pure.

Praise can corrupt and ruin a person. So how does one allow the surety of praise to bring the dross to the top of our hearts and let the refining process make us better fit and uncontaminated for God’s kingdom?

We all should go through a self-cleansing process when praise comes to us and let the applause purify our hearts. Part of the self-cleansing is when praise comes to someone else, besides us, let us be glad for them and harbor no envy.

Who will come through the fire? A man of virtue and good morals, a man who transfers the glory to God and a man who desires to become even more godly? Would he become a thankful man for the honor God is bestowing on him? Might he learn to turn the admiration back onto his admirer? This takes humility and a desire to earn the praise he receives. People are always watching. Praise betrays or reveals the deepest parts of who we are, whether we are acceptable or not.

The degree of a person’s good or bad reputation (what people think about him and for what they praise in him) generally gives an idea of his good or bad character. Also, what a bragger himself praises tells a lot about him. Of what does he approve and admire? Good or evil?

Conceited people chase after praise and popularity. Foolish and undisciplined people become pompous. But a wise person, though he appreciates the praise, learns to possess an inner indifference. He knows that having praise speaks of God more than of himself.

How are we praised? I tried to think outside the box for this question:

Besides outright honor, we are praised when someone asks us to pray over them or give them advice. We are praised when we’re asked to speak or mentor others. Believe it or not, we are also praised when we’re given constructive criticism. These words come from a person who loves us. They know we will take what they have to say to heart. That is high praise. Try to think of some ways you are praised and how the praise can go to your head if you’re not careful.

Just a listening friend can be a form of praise. Yet, if we take advantage of that friend-given praise by interrupting or dismissing their feedback, the gift they are giving us is harmed.

There is much refining that needs to be done through all praise. One purifying process happens when we get angry at another person for receiving the praise we think we deserve.

Samuel 18:6-8 says, “When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. As they danced, they sang: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.’
…Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly.”

In fact, Saul came up with a plan to falsely praise David by handing over his daughter to him in marriage. His intent was to make him a part of his army and send him out to battle, letting the enemy kill him.

I Samuel 18:18 says, “But David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king’s son-in-law?”

David, who did not know Saul’s intent, is an example of humility in the face of honor.

Father, refine me through the pleasant gift of praise. Let my heart be found to be like gold or silver. Let me pass the test. Remind me so I can escape the ruin praise can bring. In my heart, let it remain pure so your name will shine above all. Please continue to purify my heart. In Jesus name, Amen.

Listen to the song: