He Interpreted to Them in All the Scriptures...

Nugget Point, Southland, New Zealand.

Right from before Creation, the Father knew 'the end from the beginning': He knew we would give in to the temptation in the garden and He knew what we would do with that knowledge. He knew His plan of redemption even as He made the sun, the moon and the stars. He knew He would have to suffer as the Father in being separated from His Son at the cross. He knew the Son would suffer spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. And He loved us enough to do it! 

He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died - more than that, who was raised - who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? Romans 8: 32-35

The first verse of this passage has been prominent for me recently, as God is walking me out of a valley, putting real life experience onto my understanding of Scripture. He's been 'interpreting the Scriptures' relevant to my current situation. He's always so faithful, even when I can't see exactly how His faithfulness is showing up. In this case, I found that although I was praying with thanksgiving, I was still eyeing up my mountain and trying to figure out how we were supposed to deal with it or what I had to 'do'. Days like that are tough to get through, facing down wrong thinking, wrong interpretations of the Word. Praise God that He moved on King David to be so honest in the psalms, often starting out with pleas and cries for God's help, agonizing over his enemies schemes. But every time, David gets to the place of trusting in God regardless of what he could see. And God tells us that David was a man after His own heart. I appreciate that rawness more and more as I spend more time in the Word. Ephesians tells us the Word is the Sword of the Spirit, sharp and 'quick' - the old meaning of that is to make alive. So today, rather than my old habits of waking up to a rehash of my mistakes of yesterday, my Comforter, the Holy Spirit, reminded me 'His mercies are new every morning': I can start afresh, learning the lessons of my day in the valley without climbing back down into it. My 'distress' does not separate me from the love of Christ, and He does not hold it against me. Instead He led me up to solid ground, back to His peace and reminded me what my part is - trust in Him and lean not on my own understanding. In fact, I got the picture of my understanding as a crumbling, unstable wall that I was trying to lean on, while another wall - strong, well-built and permanent - was right there for me to lean on instead. Him.

ACTION POINT: It's become a cliché to call our problems and challenges, 'mountains', but it's a useful metaphor. You may not be in a season where there is a mountain looming just now, but I'm sure you have faced them in the past, just as we all do at various times. So if it's not a current issue for you, think back. In that past situation, or the current one, has God been highlighting a passage or point from His Word to you? It shows up in talks, or devotionals, or just comes to mind. Especially if it is one that you thought you knew well, ask the Holy Spirit what He is trying to show you that is - or was - relevant to that mountain. He will link it to other Scriptures, helping you see the words and phrases from different angles, like holding a piece of jewelry up to the light. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 4-7

That was my favourite Scripture for a long time when I was a young Christian. The church I was saved in used 'Scripture in Song' as worship, so I knew the first part well. But I didn't really understand how to put it into practice. It was in my mind but not in my heart. I was married when I came to Jesus, but my husband was less than impressed by that decision. And as a young, immature Christian, I definitely didn't know how to put the second instruction with the first; I did not 'let my reasonableness' be clear. In fact, I wasn't a very reasonable person! I know I'm not alone in being immature with that early fire we get when we first realize who Jesus is and how necessary He is. Praise God that He is infinitely patient with us, and in my case, rescued me from my own mistakes. And a couple of years later, when His Word had done some work on my heart, He gave me a new marriage, founded on Him as our Rock. I looked up a couple of other translations for this passage: NLT says 'let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do'; KJV says 'Let your moderation be known to all men.' And the NIV says 'Let your gentleness be evident to all.' I wondered how rejoicing in the Lord relates to letting your gentleness, moderation, consideration, reasonableness show to all? So I looked up cross references to this verse. There are a lot, because that thought is only half the verse. But 1 Corinthians 9:25 stood out to me as helpful: 'Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.' We rejoice in the Lord rather than focus on our problems by exercising self-control, which is actually a fruit of the Spirit. We become reasonable, gentle, considerate, moderate when we allow the Holy Spirit to take charge of our heart. That's repentance as well: saying yes to His Word rather than our feelings or habits. I can see it in me, when I compare how I respond now to how I did even five years ago. I know that I know that I know, I didn't make these changes in me. Only the Holy Spirit working in me, shedding His light on the Scriptures, could change me so radically.

ACTION POINT: How did you go with the first action point? Did you find your focus moving from the most known or understood sections to the words surrounding it, as in my example above? Or maybe you began looking up other translations, getting more depth on those familiar passages. Keep going with that. Rest in His stillness and allow Him time to get the words from your mind to your heart. I have noticed that we can too often want a next step, when really we just need to stay with the current one until He lets us know we're ready to move on. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Ephesians 6:13

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgement.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement;" "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is His footstool," "You have heard that it was said, 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil." "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28, 33-35, 43-45

Here, Jesus was radically revealing the Father's true nature and shining a light on traditions and practices. He wielded the 'sword of the Spirit' - the Word of God - to help us see it is the condition of our heart that is critical. If our heart is yielded to Him, then our actions will follow. Like I said before, the changes I can see in me prove to me more than anything that the Spirit of the living God is at work in me, in love. Our traditions, our culture, our physical and emotional world has trained us to focus on the outward behaviour rather than the heart attitude. Jesus is calling us to a higher standard than what we can manage in our own strength, and in doing so, He leads us back into Scripture to read again through the lens of the Father's pure love. In my early years, I tended to think of the Old Testament as history, so interesting from that angle, but also as showing the wrathful side of God. I struggled to balance the fact that I was saved with what, if any, of the Law I was supposed to do. Was I supposed to observe the Sabbath? Or as a woman, stay quiet in church? Here again, the Holy Spirit has been very gently guiding me, both in reading the Word and to finding good teachers of the Bible who have gone before me in studying and meditating. Now when I read the Old Testament, I can see the loving heart of our good, good Father. I am beginning to move from knowledge to understanding, and yes, in some areas, He has given me wisdom. Recently we had a family situation which in the past would have affected my mood and attitude for days, if not weeks. But this time, I was fully aware that I was 'kept in perfect peace' in my spirit, even as my emotions were at work. I was able to isolate the situation so that it had no effect on the rest of my day. I go to the psalms on a daily basis now and see a pattern for how to rejoice always while laying everything out before the Lord in prayer and supplication. I can pray for those who think evil of me, or just differently from me. I am much less uncomfortable with owning up to my own sin, my faults, before the Lord and to those I've wronged, because my trust is in Him. By going to the Word, reading the same things over and over, the Holy Spirit is able to use that to work on my heart, interpret what I read to me, so that I get to know the Father better and better.

ACTION POINT: Next time you read a passage like Matthew 5, rather than allowing your flesh to condemn you, reminding you of how you don't 'measure up', spend some time in praise and worship, and pray in the spirit. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to your remembrance something that reveals an area that you have already changed in. Just like when you are around someone constantly, you don't see the daily changes in them as they grow physically; but when you visit someone after a long time apart, you instantly notice changes since the last visit. So with yourself: God has never stopped working on you, but you won't always see it. There are so many aspects of ourselves we just get so used to, that we often don't recognize how far we've come. So as the Holy Spirit reminds you, allow Him to guide you to other Scripture to deepen your understanding in that area. "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." John 14:26

How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, " I have prevailed over him," lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

But I have trusted in Your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me." Psalm 13, 'A Psalm of David'

Thanks for reading, and for your patience in between my posts. See you next time, and may God's blessing be on you as you disciple yourself in His Word.