The Subtle Betrayer

the spirit that is kept gentle under provocation will speak more effectively in favor of the truth than will any argument, however forcible.

Those who are brought in controversy with the enemies of truth have to meet, not only men, but Satan and his agents. Let them remember the Saviour's words, "Behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves." Luke 10:3. Let them rest in the love of God, and the spirit will be kept calm, even under personal abuse. The Lord will clothe them with a divine panoply. His Holy Spirit will influence the mind and heart, so that their voices shall not catch the notes of the baying of the wolves... The Desire of Ages, p. 353.

Observation: Bitterness is a subtle betrayer. Bitterness is when we seek to nurse our own wounds rather than coming to God. Bitterness is a failure to rest in the love of God. It is focusing on personal revenge rather than trusting in the word of God which says: "'vengeance is mine,' declares the Lord." Bitterness is perceiving our co-workers, our boss, even our family as the enemy when the Bible clearly declares: "Our battle is not against flesh and blood." And finally, like the betrayer of Christ, bitterness comes with a kiss that leads to a curse; a curse of anger, resentment, and rage.

Eventually this anger and rage can turn inward. It then becomes depression and self-loathing. O what a miserable lot we humans are. We even cloak our bitterness in religiosity; failing to comprehend that we are fulfilling prophecy:

"You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid them!"

(2Tim 3:1-5 NRSV)

Yes, outwardly bitterness can look like godliness. It will cloak gossip in the form of a prayer request. It will cloak verbal abuse in the guise of telling the hard truth. Bitterness will even make itself the martyr, all the while, remaining angry and enraged and speaking with venomous words. But, even if those words contain thread of truth, if they are not spoken in love, they are not the truth in its fullness. Ultimately, they are a denial of truth; a denial of Christ:

The disciples might speak fluently on doctrines, they might repeat the words of Christ Himself; but unless they possessed Christlike meekness and love, they were not confessing Him. A spirit contrary to the spirit of Christ would deny Him, whatever the profession. Men may deny Christ by evilspeaking, by foolish talking, by words that are untruthful or unkind. They may deny Him by shunning life's burdens, by the pursuit of sinful pleasure. They may deny Him by conforming to the world, by uncourteous behavior, by the love of their own opinions, by justifying self, by cherishing doubt, borrowing trouble, and dwelling in darkness. In all these ways they declare that Christ is not in them. The Desire of Ages, p. 357

Application: I have betrayed myself, my friends, my family, and my God through bitterness. In seeking to justify self, in bemoaning my work, in bickering with my boss, in blaming my wife, and in blowing up at my kids... I have allowed the bitterroot to grow. I'm reminded of the words of Sara Groves...

I will not let this bitter root grow in me.

I will not let you leave that legacy,

But it gets so hard when pain is all I see (oh).

And every time I find healing, you're making a new mess,

And I am learning the real meaning of forgiveness.

Yes, it seems when I've just about gotten the victory over self, when I've just about found healing, I'm making a new mess. I'm the one stirring up strife. It's seems so often that I'm my greatest enemy.

"Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord... There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death." (Rom 7:24, 8:1-2 NRSV)

Prayer: Lord Jesus I'm so thankful for your forgiveness. I'm so grateful that You do not condemn me this morning, that you are setting me free from this body of death, that you are turning waters of Meribah (bitterness) sweet through the power of Your cross.

Have your way in me Jesus. Soften my heart. Let my life shine with the gentle and compelling glow of Your Sweet Spirit. May I be as a candle in the darkness, soft and warm and welcoming. O change me Jesus. Turn my rage to repentance and my anger to peace. I yield to You now. My only hope! My Prince of Peace.

The Touch of Faith

"Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My garments?" And His disciples said to Him, "You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"" (Mark 5:30-31 NAS95S)

The following reflection from The Desire of Ages, about the woman who touched the hem of Christ's robe, is one of my favorites:

The Saviour could distinguish the touch of faith from the casual contact of the careless throng. Such trust should not be passed without comment. He would speak to the humble woman words of comfort that would be to her a wellspring of joy,--words that would be a blessing to His followers to the close of time. {DA 344.2}

Looking toward the woman, Jesus insisted on knowing who had touched Him. Finding concealment vain, she came forward tremblingly, and cast herself at His feet. With grateful tears she told the story of her suffering, and how she had found relief. Jesus gently said, "Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace." He gave no opportunity for superstition to claim healing virtue for the mere act of touching His garments. It was not through the outward contact with Him, but through the faith which took hold on His divine power, that the cure was wrought. {DA 344.3}

The wondering crowd that pressed close about Christ realized no accession of vital power. But when the suffering woman put forth her hand to touch Him, believing that she would be made whole, she felt the healing virtue. So in spiritual things. To talk of religion in a casual way, to pray without soul hunger and living faith, avails nothing. A nominal faith in Christ, which accepts Him merely as the Saviour of the world, can never bring healing to the soul. The faith that is unto salvation is not a mere intellectual assent to the truth. He who waits for entire knowledge before he will exercise faith, cannot receive blessing from God. It is not enough to believe about Christ; we must believe in Him. The only faith that will benefit us is that which embraces Him as a personal Saviour; which appropriates His merits to ourselves. Many hold faith as an opinion. Saving faith is a transaction by which those who receive Christ join themselves in covenant relation with God. Genuine faith is life. A living faith means an increase of vigor, a confiding trust, by which the soul becomes a conquering power. {DA 347.1}

Let the Words of My Mouth...

Closely connected with Christ's warning in regard to the sin against the Holy Spirit is a warning against idle and evil words. The words are an indication of that which is in the heart. "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." But the words are more than an indication of character; they have power to react on the character. Men are influenced by their own words. Often under a momentary impulse, prompted by Satan, they give utterance to jealousy or evil surmising, expressing that which they do not really believe; but the expression reacts on the thoughts. They are deceived by their words, and come to believe that true which was spoken at Satan's instigation. Having once expressed an opinion or decision, they are often too proud to retract it, and try to prove themselves in the right, until they come to believe that they are. It is dangerous to utter a word of doubt, dangerous to question and criticize divine light. The habit of careless and irreverent criticism reacts upon the character, in fostering irreverence and unbelief. Many a man indulging this habit has gone on unconscious of danger, until he was ready to criticize and reject the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, "Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." The Desire of Ages, p. 323

Observation/Application: From early childhood God has sought to speak to me about words. The first verse of Scripture I ever remember being taught was Psalm 19:14:

Let the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

Be acceptable in Your sight,

O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

My Grandmother Moon taught me this verse... I called her Nani. She was a woman of kind words and caring works. She fed me lentils, she rubbed my head, she prayed with me. It's sad to think she is gone. But her legacy lingers. It is a legacy of faith. A legacy that reminds me to watch my words. A legacy that speaks to my heart this morning with a message of humility: Speak with thoughtfulness. Speak with reverence. Speak honor to your Father in heaven by the way you speak to your brethren.

Prayer: O Jesus I thank You for Nani. Thank You for the kind words she spoke to me in my formative years. Thank You for the days I sat at her table and ate of her grace toward me. Thank you for her rough hands rubbing my scalp. Thank You for the love you extended to me through her. Thank You for her gentle rebuke when she would say to me "O Jimmy!" When I was in her presence I knew I was loved.

Father I confess to you that my words have not always been loving. Many times they have been critical, harsh, doubting, and bitter. Lord, "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks!" I yield the bitterness of my heart to you this morning. Lord take my fears... Father take my distrust... Lord Jesus change my heart. Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation and let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy Sight. Forgive me I pray.

Rejoice

Zechariah 2:5 ⁵ ‘For I… will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ “

The Lord’s promise is to be our guard and our guide. He will surround us and He will indwell us. He will lead us out of bondage and into safety. We will dwell in the safety of His blaze, and He will illuminate the darkness of our hearts. Where there was once confusion their will be clarity. Where their was once fear their will be faith. Like the eagle taking to flight, like dear dancing in meadows green, like dolphins diving to depths of joy, our God will birth within us freedom, rejoicing, and wonder.

The Lord is saying to my heart that there is reason to rejoice. Reason to take heart and to celebrate. He is encouraging me to count my blessings… to have no regrets. He’s telling me I have a choice.

The Order of Things

NAU Colossians 1:13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

In what sense is Christ the firstborn of creation? I believe it is the Jehovah's Witnesses which view this literally; that Christ was born of His Father sometime before the creation of this world. However, in the context of this passage, Jesus is the firstborn of the (new) creation by His resurrection from the second death. No one, but Christ, has died the second death. He conquered the grave so He might have first place in everything; that He might be Lord of the living and the dead (Romans 14:9). And as Lord over the grave, He has power to call us back from the grave.

It is also interesting to note that, in the Old Testament, the one who received the rights of the first born was not always the first born; it was matter of God's blessing rather than man's birth order. It depended on the the Lord's Promise rather than human plans and schemes. Thus, we see Isaac coming after Ishmael but receiving the rights of the firstborn. Jacob comes after Esau but receives the rights of the firstborn. And Christ coming after Adam but receiving the rights of the firstborn. The promise of God's word has more authority than the logic and traditions of man!

Who are we to tell our creator the order of things?

Application: How have I sought to tell God the order of things? How have I mis-interpreted His word and promises with my traditions?

Prayer: Father, I'm not sure I know the answers to these questions. And to be honest, I'm really afraid to look. This morning I'm tired and afraid to look at myself. I must simply say thanks for rescuing me from the domain of darkness. Thank You for transferring me into the kingdom of Your Son; for redeeming me and forgiving my sins.

Lord draw my heart close to You today. Cause my faith and confidence in You to grow. Help me to abide in the glory of Your presence and to trust in Your grace. Order my life, that I might be a co-heir with Christ. A first born son as it were.