Sustain You

You’ve probably heard it said that there are a number of similarities between a baby and someone of very old age. There are simple motor skills that both don’t possess, both are vulnerable to disease and to those who may want to take advantage of them, and with both there certain bodily functions that are not under their control. But when you were a baby, you presumably had your parents to sustain and take care of you. What happens when you grow old? For the believer, God assures us that he will never leave us for forsake us. Even in our old age God is active in our life; he is active in our care. In fact, the Bible tells us that he will even sustain us. It says in Isaiah, chapter 46, verse 4: 

“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”

One benefit of having children is the comfort of knowing that someone will care for you in your old age. I’ve witnessed several good sons and daughters who have taken extreme measures to make sure that their parents are cared for in their twilight years. But in Isaiah, we learn that even if we don’t have children to help us that God will sustain us in our old age. In fact, God will be with us and will intervene on our behalf during our entire Christian life. The verse referenced in Isaiah was spoken specifically to the Israelites of old, but like so much of the Bible, I believe that it is a promise for believers today. “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” This is a comforting thought. It is so nice to know that we don’t have to worry about being on our own later in life. Though this isn’t a promise that we will have great health, or that everything will go well with us as we age, it is a promise of God’s consistent hand in our life. He will make it his business to know how you are, he will listen to your cries for help, and he will sustain you even in your old age. 

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This verse from Isaiah is of particular interest to me. I don’t have any children of my own, so I’ve always wondered, in the back of my mind, what will happen to me in my old age. Even for those who do have children it is no guarantee that they will be there for their parents in their twilight years. I used to work in a nursing home and would see several residents who seem to have been forgotten by their families. But for those of us who believe, for those of us who have put our trust in Christ and have decided to follow him, we can rest in the knowledge that whether we have children or not, whether we have dedicated loved ones or not, God will sustain us in our old age. So I would encourage you, as I encourage myself, focus on life today. Live for Christ now. Don’t worry about your future as to who will take care of you in your old age, or where you will be when you are no longer able to take care of yourself. Trust that God will be true to his word. Trust that he will sustain you even when your hairs are gray. Trust the he will carry you and rescue you as he has done your entire Christian life.

The Gate

The Bible describes Jesus in many different ways. He has been called Emmanuel, Christ, Lord, Son of God, Son of man, Lamb of God, Light of the World, King of the Jews, and the list goes on. But did you know that Jesus also describes himself as “the Gate”? He uses this title to remind us that he is the only way for man to enter heaven. He reminds us that many will claim to be “the Gate”, but they are in fact, thieves and robbers. Our culture claims to be inclusive of everyone, everything and every ideology. We claim that everything is equal, even every religion. But Jesus reminds us that every religion is not equal. In fact, there is only one Gate, and all others are false. Jesus is the Gate and if you are a true believer, you know his voice. He says in John, chapter 10, verses 1 through 5:

“I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 

Two verses later, Jesus explains by saying, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” This is one of the most contentious truths among those of faith; the claim that there is only one way to heaven, and that one way is Jesus. In a culture that preaches inclusiveness, it is hard for many to come to terms with this truth. Nevertheless, it is truth. In fact, Jesus also describes himself as “the way”, “the truth”, and “the life”. This will come as terrible news for some; those who have chosen to follow other gods, and those who have subscribed to the belief that there is more than one way to heaven - more than one gate. But it will come as welcome news to others; those who have chosen the narrow path; those who are his sheep and know his voice; those who are saved by grace through faith in the only one who has the power over sin and death, Jesus the Christ.

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Have you made the decision to follow Christ? Are you ready to accept that he is the only way to heaven. He is “the Gate”. There are many who steadfastly and wholeheartedly follow different gods, believing that they have chosen what is right and true. God in his sovereignty allows us to make the decision for ourself. What will you decide? If you haven’t already, I would encourage you to choose Jesus. Allow the Holy Spirit to draw you unto the Father. Open your heart to him and pray. Seek him and the Bible assures you that you will find him. Do not leave the question of your salvation unanswered. Have the faith to believe in him today and allow him to be your shepherd.

Walk Steadfastly

Anytime the Bible mentions rewards or blessings for believers based on our actions, my ears perk up. There are many highlighted in the Bible and I believe that Christians should pay close attention to every mention of them, and we should pursue them with all of our heart. Because when God rewards us, that tells us that he is pleased with us. When he blesses us, we know that we’ve done something right. Just like when we get a good grade in school, do our chores without being told, or accomplish something noteworthy in our field of expertise, we please our earthly fathers and are are often rewarded, we can also please God and receive an award. And as believers it should be our duty to pursue the things that please the Lord and avoid anything that disappoint him. One thing that pleases God is our faithfulness to him. Yes, he will forgive us when we are unfaithful, but if we are able to remain faithful, that is a really big deal. It says in Second Chronicles, chapter 27, verse 6:

“Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the Lord his God.”

So, king Jotham was rewarded because he walked steadfastly before the Lord. It was God’s good pleasure to reward him because he pleased God. So if we walk steadfastly before God, we will please him as well. But what does it mean to walk steadfastly? The dictionary describes steadfast as: “resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering”. And when it says that he walked steadfastly, it means that he lived a steadfast, or unwavering, life before the Lord. I would encourage you to consider your walk today. How steadfast are you before the Lord? Does your walk, or your life for God, waver? Or is it resolute or dutifully firm and unwavering? God rewarded king Jotham with power because of his steadfast walk. And now that we know this, we should pursue a steadfast walk as well.

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Maintaining a steadfast walk is difficult. And as our culture drifts further and further away from God, the more difficult it will become. But it is something that we should pursue. We should pause to consider where we are with God. Are we in step with the Spirit or have we fallen off of the tracks, so to speak? If we are unable, or unwilling, to examine how we are living, we may ultimately find that we at odds with who God wants us to be. A steadfast walk is a daily effort. As we take up our cross daily, we are actively pursuing a resolute and unwavering conviction to our Lord and King. I would encourage you to examine your walk. Are you in step, or do you need to make a course correction? Because maintaining a steadfast walk before the Lord is one clear way to please him.

Do it Again

Does your faith ever waver? When you are faced with something that is bigger than yourself do you lose heart? If you find yourself in that place where your world has been upended and only God can make things right, I encourage you to give yourself a quick history lesson. Has God ever delivered you in the past? Has he ever come through in a pinch stopping you from doing something that would be a huge mistake or helping you in a situation that is far beyond your abilities or that extends beyond your resources? If he has then I encourage you to have faith that he can do it again. David’s faith was strong - so strong that he knew God would deliver Goliath into his hands even though Goliath was more than a physical match for him. His faith was unwavering because he remembered how God helped him in the past and he knew that God could do it again. It says in First Samuel, chapter 17, verses 36 and 37: 

“Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

David’s faith level may sound extreme, but it shouldn’t. He remembered what we all should know, that God is bigger than any circumstance. We should not depend only on what we see with our eyes, because God is at work in ways we cannot see. Every one of us may find ourselves faced with our personal “Goliath”. We may be faced with a situation, an adversary, or a problem that without the help of God would certainly crush us. When that happens, we should do what David did. We should remember what God has done for us in the past, and remember that he can do it again. If you are in that place right now, I encourage you to allow your faith to be fueled by reflecting on God’s track record. If he has delivered you in the past, know that he will do it again. 

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David had a long track record with God. He was able to quickly reflect on how God delivered him from the lion and the bear, knowing that if God helped him to overcome those physical barriers, then he could help him overcome this one as well. And if David were to face a mental, emotional, relational, financial, or health issue, he may be able to remember a time when God aided him through those challenges as well and could use those experiences to help him know that God could deliver him again. If you have a long track record with God, you can do the same. But what if you are new to the faith? What if your track record with God is short? You may have a difficult time identifying a time when God delivered you. If that is the case, I would encourage you to lean on the experiences of others - those of whom you know God has intervened. Or lean on scripture, like this account in First Samuel, where he showed up for David in a mighty way. The Bible reminds us that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. If he showed up for David, or for someone you know, then he can do the same for you. But you must have faith.

Do Your Duty

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that God created us for his pleasure. We have to remind ourselves that he is the master of the universe and we serve him. Because if we don’t, we might begin to think otherwise. With our prayers, we may begin to behave as if God exists to bless us, to save us, to heal us and to protect us and those we love. He does those things for us because he loves us, but we are the ones who should be serving him. After all, he is almighty God, and we are his creation. So, I would challenge you to remember to humble yourself before him; to love him, serve him, worship him, praise him and treat him as Lord and King. And when we do, we shouldn’t pat ourselves on the back as if we’ve done something special. Because in actuality, we’re only doing our duty. Jesus says in Luke, chapter 17, verses 7 through 10: 

“Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

If you live in American, you live in a culture that fosters self-entitlement. We’ve been taught that we deserve certain things. Many of us think that the government owes us something, that the rights we enjoy are deserved, and that so many of the pleasures we experience were created for us. We may even begin to believe that God owes us. After all, there are so many promises in the Bible that benefit us. The bulk of our prayers may be prayed in order to serve our needs. But we are the created. We were made to serve him, and we need to remind ourselves of that or we may be taught that lesson the hard way. In the account that Jesus highlights in Luke 17, he reminds us that we are the unworthy servants. When we obey God, worship him, tithe to him, or serve him, we are only doing our duty. I would encourage you to consider how much of your life is in service to God, and how much of your life you are expecting God to serve you. 

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If you were in God’s presence right now; if you were there in his courts and were able to see him on his throne with Jesus sitting at his right hand, how would you respond? Every believer would kneel and worship him. We would humble ourselves before the God of the universe, the creator of everything that is, and we would be ready to serve him in any way he desired. It would be our honor to do so. And in serving, we would only be doing our duty. If we would respond that way in his throne room, why would we respond differently here on earth? We are so blessed to know that God loves us. He wants us to pray to him and he will often give us the desires of our heart if they line up with his character. That is because he is our Father. But he is also our king. If we obey him; if we take up our cross daily and follow him; if we give our lives to him; if we run hard after him; if we submit to him by being his hands and feet here on earth helping our fellow man and leading others to him, we are not doing anything worthy of his praise or gratitude. We are only doing our duty.