A Life Promise Fulfilled To A Young Believer (and Slacker)

Psalm 128

128 How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
Who walks in His ways.
² When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands,
You will be happy and it will be well with you.
³ Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine

Within your house,
Your children like olive plants
Around your table.
⁴ Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the Lord.

⁵ The Lord bless you from Zion,
And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
⁶ Indeed, may you see your children’s children.
Peace be upon Israel!

The above verse is a life verse for me - one that I was given in prayer and have clung to for around 12 years now.  As a relatively new, but very serious Christian those years ago,  I was a frustrated college grad who couldn't see any path forward in life.  I was single, but desperately wanted to be married.  I was working, but did not love my work or vocation.  In reality, it was my character that was very weak and immature.  However, I did love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.

In prayer, I was led to open the Bible to this Psalm and when I read it, I cried and cried.  I didn't know how a life like this would be obtained because it seemed so far away, yet it was exactly what I yearned for.  A wife, healthy children, a house, and a vocation that would provide and be fulfilling.  Nothing fancy, but seemingly impossible for that young man all those years ago.

The Potter only had a lump of clay to start out with -- but little did I suspect that He would do so much...

He started with my character -- as much as I have been able, I have tried to maintain my fear of the Lord over the years.  Over that time period, I remained very single for another 4 years, but learned to give and serve others in volunteering.  Via missions, I was led to live abroad and Japan and the Philippines, eventually meeting my future wife in my travels. 

I moved back into my old career that I thought I hated as a young man, but approached it with a renewed passion for excellence and as a consequence, I have reached new heights in both competence, compensation, as well as fulfillment.

I have gotten married to a woman beyond my wildest dreams, and now have two beautiful, miraculous children.

I have a house to raise a family in...one that we call our own.

This simple Psalm, whose promises are still yet to be fully realized, has been an amazing promise of blessing to my life. Yet, the reader will notice that it is addressed to anyone who fears the Lord.  It is a general promise from God that is available to all.  

I still consider myself far from fully shaped and I know that it is through the challenges of life, not the pleasures of life, that we are shaped and improved.  I have also discovered that my biggest blessings are also my biggest trials (work, marriage, kids).

As I marvel at the blessings of God...I am in awe and awash with gratitude.  And I look forward to each day that comes and try my best to obey Him in all I do.

God Allows Us to Be Partners With Him

"When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary?... So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. (Mt. 13:54-58)

God can do anything. I know that, but this verse brings to my mind the partnership aspect of spiritual life that we gloss over a lot of times. Jesus, the son of God went to his home and tried to minister to the people there. He tried to do great works and miracles, but because they knew him as a youth, they assumed that he was simply the same person that he had always been...the carpenter's son.

When Jesus tried to teach and minister as a Rabbi, they were offended, and didn't want to believe that he could do miracles -- and consequently, no miracles came.

In Genesis 1:28 man was charged to subdue the earth. In short, God gave man the earth on which to live and manage. This, in essence forms the covenant by which God operates in our lives as well. Because He has given us free will to manage our lives here on earth, He doesn't always step in when it is obvious that He should or would.

He is available to us and He presents His ways and commandments as the instruction manual for us to follow - both to gain entry to His heavenly kingdom and to live optimal lives during our earthly lifetimes. However, it is ultimately up to us to determine how much access we will give to Him.

Will we simply pray from time to time and ask for His help? Or will we live lives of complete trust on Him, sometimes risking everything knowing that He will come through for us with a miracle?

God obviously wants the latter because He continually seeks to get to know us and when we do come to Him, He is a loving parent with such a deep deep well of love and affection for us (parenthood itself is the gift of a glimpse into the type of love that God has for each of us). He knows our characters more intimately than we will ever know them because He created us in a specific and special way. He wants to help us have a life that will bring out the very best in ourselves even if that involves tremendous trial and difficulty.

But, in order to do all of that, we need to willingly let Him into our lives. We need to open our hearts to Him in prayer and accept His free gift of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. If we reject Him or limit Him in some way shape or form, than miracles will not occur there. It is not because God is limited in power or scope, but it is because He is honorable to His original covenant to man. He will allow man to sort out and manage the world even though it brings us to the edge of destruction. But, at the same time, He presents Himself ready to assist us if we would simply believe and pray to Him.

Lord Jesus, thank You for this most timely of messages and reminders. I have learned so much about You through Your word, but at the same time, I need constant corrections to get myself back on track. I know that I need You in ways that I haven't been praying for, and I pray that as a family we will seek You daily. Shape our lives Lord, make us into the people that You want us to be. Help us to face our challenges and overcome them. Help us to be people after Your own heart.

In Jesus name, AMEN.

God has a way of teaching us what we need...

"Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. but when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him." (Genesis 37:3-4)

The story of Joseph is one of the most well-known stories in the Bible. Out of jealousy, his brothers kidnap and sell him as a slave to a band of traders headed to Egypt. He is put into the service of an Egyptian prison warden, accused of coming on to the warden's wife, sent into prison, released because of his gift to interpret dreams, used to save Egypt, given a leadership position in Egypt, and then used ultimately to save his family from famine.

It is surely a story of great triumph, but it all starts with the spoiling of a young child by his father, and the jealousy that it incites in his brothers. The scripture paints a picture of a bratty child, one who was accustomed to getting his way, but the Lord knows that character is developed through trials, and not through a life of ease.

One takeaway from the story is in the area of parenting - where it is clearly disruptive for parents to play favorites. I only have one child now, but my sincere hope is to love and handle each child equally - reflecting the equal love that our own God has for all of his children.

The second takeaway for me revolves around the way that the Lord builds our characters. Joseph in his bratty state and favored existence as Jacob's son was clearly ill prepared to take on a position of leadership in saving the family of Israel in the future. As such, there was a hard road ahead for him.

God surely knew the potential that existed in Joseph to become a leader in a powerful country like Egypt, but it needed to be molded and formed. I can only imagine the kinds of hardships and difficulties that Joseph faced, but they were key to the development of a deep seated maturity that was needed for the future.

This is a real encouragement for me because I lived a sheltered and pampered existence growing up and I think it ultimately served to my detriment rather than to help me through life. As an adult, I have been blessed by the Lord in many ways, but things have not come easily or smoothly. There have been many periods of trial each step of the way, but they have also served to deepen my maturity and character. I would not change a thing that I have gone through.

And so it is with the current trials that we are in. They are shaping my wife and myself in such a way that we can become wiser and more mature to do the work that the Lord has arranged for us in the future. Romans 8:28 confirms this: "For we know that in all things God works for the good for those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose."

This message also matches the sensing that I've been receiving from the Lord. That this is simply the beginning and that there are bigger things awaiting in the future. What I've realized however, is that God's concept of "big" and man's concept are two different things. As Jesus said:

"The Kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors'. But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves." (Luke 22:25-26)

Yes, I do aspire to better days financially and to have a means to provide for my family to live comfortably, but I want to be a man of deep character and integrity to use whatever I am given wisely. And in doing so, I hope to raise a Godly generation who can do even more for the kingdom of God.

Lord Jesus, thank you for this word today and for the greater assurance of Your sovereignty amidst trials and strife. Everything has its place and purpose - and I do not know mine yet in full, but I know that I simply need to follow and everything will be unveiled in time. Just as Joseph was taken from a brat to a savior for his family, so too I know that I am on a journey of growth and maturity towards an ultimate goal. Help me to walk with You every step of the way humbling myself before Your throne. In Jesus' name, AMEN.