Restored

“He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.” – Psalms 23:3

Many of us have grown up reciting at bedtime, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, He maketh me to lie down in green pastures…” and so on.  For some of us, Psalms 23 was the first passage we ever memorized.  But sometimes in processing those words into memory, they become recited rather than understood.  We sometimes fail to comprehend the words as we read them.

The word “restoreth” has deep meaning in Psalms 23:3.  To have something restored to you, it must have been yours at one time, and then was taken away.  The word also means to turn back, or return.

The Hebrew word from which it is translated, shuwb (H7725) is what is called a primitive root word. Primitive root words originated before Hebrew language, and were written with symbols that are cuneiform logo syllabic markings that had specific meanings.  These began as markings on clay tokens for record keeping.  For example, as early as 8000 BCE Mesopotamia, they can be found on clay tokens.  If you were keeping record of sheep, the token would have a symbol etched in it that meant sheep.  You’ll find it prophetic that the symbol for a sheep was that of a cross marking on a disk shaped token.

As it became difficult to manage multiple tokens, cuneiform characters evolved to note more than one thing at a time.  For example, a wedge meant one, and a circle was ten. To write five sheep, you would write five wedges and the sign for the sheep, a cross.  The earliest markings eventually became words, and those words are known as primitive root words.  The word shuwb, or “restoreth”, is one of those words.

To fully understand “He restoreth my soul” we have to realize that it was once ours, and then was not, and had to be returned to us. 

Go back to Genesis 2:7 and you’ll find where the soul was given to us.  It says “God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul“.  God’s eternal life that flows in Him was given to us, giving our SOUL life. We were made in God’s image, and (Genesis 1:26-27) His breathed in Spirit was eternal, and we became eternal living souls.

But through our sin, that Spirit was taken.  God warned in Genesis 2:17 that if we rebelled and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden, “for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”  But when Adam and Eve did, they did not suffer a flesh death.  What they did suffer was a soul death.  The first effect of the fruit was that the “eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked” (Genesis 3:7).  This wasn’t just a physical nakedness, but spiritual nakedness - helplessness.  The word eye is translated from the Hebrew word ayin (H5869), which is both “of mental and spiritual faculties”.  You’ll find the word eye often used in the Bible to mean spiritual sight or blindness.   

So through sin our soul died.  Spiritual life was lost.  This is why we refer to those that have not been restored through the righteousness of Christ as “lost” and those that have as “saved”.  To be saved is to be restored.  For at that time of salvation, we are given His Holy Spirit, our soul is given life again, and we receive eternal life in us. 

1 Corinthians 3:16 says “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” 

1 Corinthians 6:19 says “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” 

Ezekiel 36:27 quotes God as saying to the prophet regarding His people, “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

Ephesians 1:13, it tells us we are sealed (marked), with the indwelling of His Holy Spirit as it says “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we have been restored!  We have been given back what was lost in Eden.  Why?  The rest of the Psalms 23:3 tells us why.  It says, “…for his name's sake”.  It is for God’s fame, God’s reputation, God’s glory.  For that purpose He shows His glorious grace, love, and forgiveness to us.

As we live restored to Him, let us make Him famous!  That is our purpose.  Love as He loved, forgive as He forgave, and always give Him praise.

Be of Good Cheer

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 (NKJV)

One of the phrases that Jesus used several times was “be of good cheer”.  In the above verse, he said it while speaking to his disciples, to remind them that though they would encounter trouble, He had already overcome this world and its troubles.

Matthew 9:2 says “Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” Imagine that man, having been paralyzed and carried to Jesus by others.  Imagine hearing, “be of good cheer”, and knowing your sins were forgiven.  The next thing Jesus says to him is “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” And he did just that.  He walked away, carrying his own bed.

Later that same day as he passes through a crowd of people a woman who had been sick for twelve years struggled and got to Jesus to touch the hem of his garment.  In her faith, she knew that if she could only touch His garment, she would be healed.  Jesus says to her in Matthew 9:22, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.”  She was made well that very hour. 

Days later as the disciples are all in a boat heading to Gennesaret.  Night came, and Jesus walked on the water to them in the middle of the sea, with the wind blowing and waves tossing all around Him.  When His disciples saw Him, they were afraid, thinking He was a ghost.  But Jesus said to them in Matthew 14:27, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

The Greek word for cheer is tharseō (G2293).  It means to have courage and comfort.  In all these situations, one thing is present: fear.  Fear of sickness, fear of death, and simply fear of the unknown.  Fear can become a crippling, sickening disease if we let it.  It can lead to depression and anxiety.  It can affect not only our health, but even our social life. 

Jesus wants us to live this life with comfort and courage, without fear creating barriers and borders that we will not cross.  The freedom He has given is for this life as well as life after death.  He said to his disciples something we all need to focus on from time to time.  He said “I have overcome the world”.  What does that mean to you?  Nothing you will encounter is too great for you to bear, too hard for you to walk through, or can break you.  Because He is with us always (Matthew 28:20), because he says he will even pass through the fire with us (Isaiah 43:2).  We are OVERCOMERS, through our faith in Christ.  There is nothing here to fear, nothing that should discourage us or cause our faith to despond.  So friends, be of good courage!

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” – 1 John 4:4

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” – 1 John 5:4

Fervent Love

“And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” – 1 Peter 4:8

There are a lot of valentine’s cards being exchanged today.  Undoubtedly, some will be exchanged in the middle of an argument, in the middle of hard feelings and anger.  When that happens you’re faced with a decision.  Do you want to hold on to your anger, or express and accept love? 

Go ahead.  Give grace.  Accept love.  You’re not so perfect yourself!

If you want to live a life based on love, without grumbling and frustration, you have to forgive every situation that presents itself to frustrate or anger you.  Forgive it.  Don’t roll it under the emotional rug, and try to forget it.  FORGIVE IT. 

Toothpaste cap left off?  Coffee stains on the rug?  TV turned up too loud?  Dishes left in the sink?  Whatever frustrations you have with your spouse can easily become a wall between you if you don’t let go of it.  Love allows you to let go of the frustrations and anger before they build up.  There is no more powerful emotion for the human heart than love. 

When those moments arise and you want to retain your anger, or worse, express it loudly, remember your own idiosyncrasies and mistakes.  Remember when you burnt dinner and smoked up the entire house?  Remember leaving out the milk?  How about the time you ruined their favorite shirt?  Remember that you have been forgiven by the same person you wish to be angry at.  Then give as you have been given the forgiveness that you both deserve. 

Life is what you make of it, and so is marriage.  If you choose to continually hold on to anger, you’ll live angry.  If you choose to express love, you’ll live a life filled with love.  So open that Valentine’s Day card, and accept the love.  Move past your frustrations, and realize what a wonderful gift it is to have someone love you, and love them in return. 

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” – 1 Colossians 3:12-15

Small Town – Big Gossip

 

“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” – Luke 6:37

I love living in a small town, I truly do.  That’s why I’ve spent my 53 years living in the same town I was born.  I love that a short trip into town for even just a loaf of bread can mean running into people I used to work with, old neighbors, relatives (we’re all related I believe!), and even friends from my childhood.  Going to school, K-12, all on one campus means that you know everyone within at least 10 years of yourself – or their brothers and sisters. 

But a lot of the time, living among people who know you so well is a two edged sword. Even those wonderful moments of reconnection can take an ugly twist. 

The questions start with seemingly sincere concern, like “Have you seen Jane lately? What’s she doing these days?” No matter what your answer, the next question seems to always lead to their true inquiry, “You know I heard that she….” Oh, just fill in the blank!  Has a drinking problem, got a divorce, was running around on her husband, got fired from her job, and so on! 

Frankly, I hate gossip.  I don’t talk to many women or gather with them because I know we are the species that usually does this. That’s not to say men don’t as well, but geez ladies, can we just admit that we do have that tendency?  We love to judge each other!  We love drama! We love to talk and get attention!  And somehow we’ve come to the conclusion that gossip is interesting conversation and we just blab…and blab…and blab!  And then comes the next ‘car on the gossip train’, the next acquaintance into the grocery store or the doctor’s office.  And we spread it a little more, retelling what we were told, often under the label of a “prayer concern”.  Oh, now don’t tell me you don’t know what I mean!  “Please remember Jane when you pray.  I don’t know if you’ve heard or not but…”  Really now.  How ugly!  Then that person turns the isle, and sees someone they know and before you know it, the whole town is talking about Jane.  I sometimes wonder what a day at the grocery looks like to those that work there! 

Here’s the thing.  If you live here long enough, eventually you will be Jane.  You will be the subject of those conversations.  It’s a given.  I know I’ve been the subject a few times, and frankly, I was over it about as fast as it started.  I don’t value the opinions of people enough to care - and I do know that the opinion of God is all I need to worry about.  Yet, our reputations do matter.  Those rumors effect our ability to serve Him.  Consider that.  Consider that the words from your mouth damaging the work for God that person can do.  Do you want to be held accountable for that?  How will you feel when you get to Heaven and God says, “Remember when you cut down Jane? Well those words you spoke were also carried by 129 other people.  One of them knew your son Bob.  While Bob was destined to marry Jane, and she would have lead him to Christ, he was turned against her by that rumor, and it never happened.”  How about that scenario?  How will you feel knowing that you harmed those you loved – not just Jane?

If that doesn’t make you think, maybe this will.  Living in a predominately Christian town, we’ve all heard Luke 6:37, which says “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”  But have we ever really read it?  Have you ever really heard what is being said?

“Judge not, and you shall not be judged.”  God only has the power to judge, and He is merciful.  But if we want to take on that authority, He will judge us accordingly. Matthew 7:2 says “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you”.  Have you talked about someone who told a lie? For goodness sake, be sure you’ve never told one.  Have you talked about someone’s drinking getting out of hand?  Oh be sure you stay sober!  God’s memory never fails. 

“Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.”  Mercy isn’t just something God gives.  It can also be given by us.  Those that are merciful receive mercy.  Matthew 5:7 says “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”  Or perhaps you don’t think you need mercy?  Oh, Father God, open the eyes of anyone who doesn’t think they do!  I myself need an endless line of dump trucks full of mercy, lined up and emptying out on me every single day - from God and people.  But our condemnations never cease.  It’s not always something big.  Sometimes it’s small comments about appearance, how we should raise our kids, or how messy our house is.  Small things turn into big things sometimes.  Romans 2:1 says that in whatever way we judge others - it’s in that same way we condemn ourselves. 

“Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”  I think this is the part of Luke 6:37 we overlook, or undervalue, most.  We’re all going to disappoint each other from time to time.  Sometimes those disappointments are going to truly hurt.  Husbands and wives can disappoint each other.  Brothers and sisters, neighbors, best friends, we’re all going to screw up and when we do, it often affects others.  The fact is, sin is never personal.  It always hurts someone else.  But if you want God’s forgiveness, you have to forgive each other.  In Matthew 6:14-15 Jesus says, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” So…build a bridge and get over it! You can’t afford to let that thing linger, because you do not know the day or time when God will call you home my friend.  Unforgiven things in your heart cut your ability to love and be loved, to forgive and be forgiven.  Mend your broken fences, patch up your relationships, and move forward.  There’s not a thing on this earth that is worth ruining your relationship with God.

Now, lest someone gets some cockamamie idea that this is all because someone has spread gossip my way or there’s some little thorn in my side started by gossip, I’m going to tell you up front – nope.  It’s just God delivering a message through me.  When I prayed this morning, I asked Him to use me to His glory, and he immediately started talking about this verse.  So if this didn’t set well with you, talk to Him about it.  As they say, don’t shoot the messenger.  He’s a God of love, and His message spoken (or in this case, written) in love as well.  I still love my hometown, every single one of you, because you all make it what it is.  When we hurt, we all hurt.  When we celebrate, we all celebrate.  That’s how God designed the body of Christ to be. 

 

Hearing Whispers

“Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.” – 1 Kings 19:11-12

Don and I have communication issues.  Sometimes I say things and he doesn’t hear me, and other times he says things, and I don’t understand what he said, so I’ll ask him to repeat it – sometimes multiple times.  It’s funny sometimes the things I think I hear him say which are so far from what he actually said! 

The issue is we both have one ear that doesn’t hear as well as the other.  For him, it’s his left ear, and for me it’s my right ear.  So when we position ourselves to sit near each other, we take that into consideration.  He sits on my left, and I on his right.  Then I can even hear his whispers.  But it’s a matter of positioning.

Picture Elijah on the Mountain, trembling in fear of capture by Jezebel and her army.  God tells him to stand on the mountain before Him, but instead, he’s hiding inside a cave.  He doesn’t come out.

What God does next we should all take notice of.

First, God sends a strong wind to break the mountains into rocks.  If you want to get a man out of a cave, I would suggest that falling rocks, the mountain literally falling apart, would be a really good way.

Secondly, God sent an earthquake.  An earthquake would shake that mountain and even the ground under Elijah’s feet!  That would make me abandon all the comfort of that cave for clear ground (or so I would hope!).

Lastly, God sends one thing we cannot survive, fire.  Yet, Elijah didn’t move!  You see, Elijah had allowed himself to become so desperate and afraid that he had a death wish.  He wanted God to remove him from this life because of the fear he had of what Jezebel would do to him.  In verse 4 he spoke to God and said ‘“It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”

Sometimes life can beat us down so far that we don’t even see how God could get us through it.  We can lose faith in the fact that God’s will toward us is always for our good, as His children.  I think we’ve all been there, at a point of complete desperation.  We’ve been so far down in the pit that we cannot see God’s desire to pull us out. 

Yet, the next thing God does is so loving, and so full of His Holy Character! 

God whispered. 

In what is described as a “still, small voice” God said “What are you doing here, Elijah?” God’s question wasn’t one out of ignorance as to how Elijah had gotten to his destination.  God watched as he travelled to Beersheba after hearing Jezebel’s death threat.  God even sent an Angel to feed him.  Then God strengthened Elijah to travel to the mountain 40 days on that one meal.  God knew he was there, and God knew why.  God’s question was redundant.   He was seeking communication with Elijah. 

Sometimes we can become like Elijah.  We can get so lost in our own worries that we fail to pray.  We fail to communicate with God.  We can get so deeply into the cave that we create for ourselves, allowing our worries to consume us, that we don’t listen for God’s guidance.  And yet, God will crash down everything around us just to draw us out, to cause us to come to Him and hear His whispers.

Just as I must position myself to hear Don, I have to position myself to hear God’s voice.  The worries of the world and this troublesome life can flood into your mind and heart and drown out His still small voice. 

How do you move out of your cave?  You go stand before God.  That’s what Elijah did.  Take time to remove yourself from the worries, abandon your dark cave, and seek out God.  When you seek Him, you will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).  James 4:8 says that when we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. 

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.” – Psalms 121