jesus_is_lord Home Page: Archive: Message #20 Date: Jan 28 1999 07:58:49 EST From: jesus_is_lord Subject: Oh, Father! Dear Christian Friend: Greetings. I pray that you are well in the Lord Jesus. The other day I was driving by myself along a winding forested road and I thought about temptation. How it can well up in me, how I can harbor it and how it seems I am almost unable to resist it at times. But according to I Corinthians 10:13, God provides a way to escape every temptation. If this is the case, why do we sucumb to temptation so often? I mean God is our Father and He is powerful enough to help us overcome any temptation--why don't we enlist His help? I continue to think this through. When I was a child, if I needed help I could call on my Dad. The world wasn't scary when Dad was around. In my mind he could take care of anything. He was my Dad. I can't think of a time when he could not, or would not, help. Likewise God is my Father and He can deliver me from any temptation that I have--but I oftentimes I don't ask Him for help. I walk dumbly (and willingly) right into the temptation trap--resulting in sin (see James 1:13-17). Why do we do that so often? Why do we willingly give into temptation? Perhaps it's because we don't really understand what it means to have a relationship with God. Let me digress for a moment... A relationship is not built on begging. "Lord, I need a new car." "Lord, we need a new church building." "Lord I need a new job." I need this, they need that, he needs, she needs, blah, blah, blah. Yes, the Lord is there to help, but He is not, as I've heard it said, some cosmic genie saying "Your wish is my command." The Bible says that He created us for His pleasure. A proper relationship involves God loving me and me loving Him back--and I'm not talking about lip service. Many say that they love Jesus but in their works they deny Him (see Titus 1:16). I mean a real deep and inimate love relationship. In such a relationship, our Father treats us good and we treat Him good-- **We commune together. HE TALKS to me, first and foremost, through His word (and then through His people and events in my life in accordance with that same word). I TALK to Him in prayer and by obeying His word. How is obeying His word talking to Him? When you do righteousness you are saying to God, "I trust your precepts and judgments, Lord, and I am going to build my life around you." **We enjoy each other's fellowship. Our FATHER PUTS HIS PEACE AND GRACE in our hearts as we live for Him. As a result of that peace, WE WORSHIP, BLESS, GLORIFY AND PRAISE His name for His goodness. WE SING hymns that glorify Him. WE EXALT His name continually because His peace and joy are in us continually. **We work together to accomplish common goals. According to I Corinthians 3:9 we are laborers together with God. He nourishes us with food from His own hand. I eat that nourishment so that I can go out and serve Him. Through His Holy, Precious, Spirit, God empowers me to do the work I've been called to. My part is to take heed to what He tells me to do. As I do, assurance, love, peace, and joy well up in me as I see the fruits of my obedience. I could go on and on, but the point is this: there is supposed to be deep, intimate love going on here in this Christian life. Love between you and your God. Meditate on this: Why is Jesus called the groom and the church the bride? What do married people do? Beg each other all the time for favors? Or do they spend time together, work towards common goals, talk together in the way? Do they not bring forth fruit, i.e., children? In the Christian life, the fruit is good works. These works are inevitable. Jesus lives inside of us, He is married to us--and Jesus is not sterile. If He lives in you, you will produce good fruit. That is why He said, "By their fruits ye shall know them." This is not an isolated verse. If you are interested in further meditations on this subject, please see http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/evidence.htm And so, if you've got a good, intimate love relationship going on with God, who is the first person you are going to call when temptation comes upon you? The police? Naw. Why, our Father, our Groom, our Protector of course! It would only be natural because you've been walking in the way with Him all along. When I was kid and I saw big trouble I could yell, "Dad!!!! Dad!!!! Help!!!!" and my earthly father always helped me. If my corrupt, earthly father protected me when I called on him, how much more God (see Matthew 7:11)? When we are tempted, we need to be shouting (out loud if necessary), "Father!!! Father!!! Help!!!" Then we need to start looking for the way to escape because it is there. Let's cultivate a real relationship with the Father. All good relationships are cultivated. You can't know and love somebody just by saying hi and bye. You have to take time to get to know them. Read the word. Pray. Obey the word. Set aside time to worship God--buy a hymnal and sing songs in your home. Open up a Psalm of praise and say it out loud. Thank the Lord continually for every good thing that comes your way, because according to James 1:17 every good gift and every perfect gift comes from Him. Even in the bad times, GIVE THANKS to God knowing that He is working everything according to His own counsel for your good. I Thessalonians 5:18, In EVERY THING GIVE THANKS: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Decide in your mind that knowing God is the primary goal of your life. The battle is for your mind, my friend. Where is your mind today? What is your overriding goal in life today? What are you worried about today? What do you spend most of your time doing? What do you think about? Is your mind on that far country or is it bogged down with the dung of this world? Are you seeking the reward that comes from God alone or are you trying to impress lying man? Do you look up to the man of God or do you envy the oppressor? Is Jesus the apple of your eye or do you cast your eyes on every whoremonger you can find? Who are you, my friend? What are you my friend? The Bible says in Titus that the grace of God teaches to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. It teaches us that we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. I pray that Jesus would reach through the tough casing of our self-centeredness and awake us to new, fresh, spiritual realities. I pray that we catch a vision of what we can have with Him if we set our minds and hearts on knowing Him. God speed as you pursue, and serve, the ONLY wise God and Saviour Jesus Christ. for Jesus' sake, Sis. Tracy -- http://www.jesus-is-lord.com I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD. And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. Ezekiel 2:4, 6