The king’s favour is toward a wise servant: but his wrath is against him that causeth shame.
Proverbs 14:35 (KJV)
We all hope “the king” we work for is a diligent, moral statesman. Too many of us work for a selfish, corrupt despot. It does not matter what kind of man or woman employs you. You can have favor with anyone, if you first seek God’s wisdom.
God’s wisdom will lead you through, or around, every situation. No matter how it looks to mere logic and reasoning, there is a solution from God’s wisdom. A solution that builds His kingdom and advances His servants.
God’s solutions make you rich in goodwill, respect and influence. God’s solutions do not leave behind ill-will, broken relationships or sorrow. Of course, God’s solutions require God’s wisdom. Accept no substitutes.
You can draw the favor of men by first seeking the wisdom of God. Of course, if you seek after God, and His wisdom, you will find yourself drawing the favor of God. Having the favor of God in your life is a blessing beyond compare.
Wisdom is not reserved for the favored few. Wisdom belongs to any man or woman who seeks it from God. You can draw favor from the “kings” in your life. All you have to do is seek wisdom from the King of heaven.
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
James 2:2-4 (KJV)
Firearms and artillery have one thing in common: the barrel. The barrel must be perfectly straight. The barrel must be perfectly round. Even the rifling, the twisted grooves within the barrel, must be cut, then finished exactly. Without these features, the firearm will not be accurate or a weapon of choice.
Gun drilling is the limiting factor in making a firearm. It is a unique process with extraordinary requirements. I know from experience it is not easily done. It requires an expert craftsman, and patience, to complete correctly. Too often, multiple passes on the same barrel are needed for a good outcome.
God intends to use you to deliver His Word and grace to a dying world. That means the barrel of your life and soul must be perfectly straight, perfectly round, then grooved just so. With these features, you will be able to accurately deliver God’s grace and Word to others.
In order to achieve the needed level of perfection, God will have to work and re-work your life. He is the ultimate Craftsman. You can count that He can do all of the cutting, drilling and grooving correctly. Are you willing to submit to His expert Hands?
Think: God is remaking me as His servant (weapon) of choice
Pray: “Father-God, develop me in Your will and way, for Your Kingdom.”
But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
Job 23:10 (KJV)
The katana is the primary sword of the samurai warrior. A real katana can slice through almost anything, with frightening ease. The katana, in the hands of master swordsmen, defended Japan for centuries.
Creating one of these beautiful yet deadly weapons is a complex, difficult business. At the center of the process is forging the sword. At the heart of forging, is folding.
Anywhere from 8 to 16 times, the steel is heated in a furnace, then folded on the anvil. That’s a lot of time in the fire. That’s a significant number of hammer strokes.
Folding purifies mediocre ore, making extraordinary steel. In addition the process builds in hardness for the cutting edge, or springy resilience for the back-body of the sword. The expert eye of the craftsman guides the entire process.
Perhaps you have been in the furnace, or on the anvil, in your life. The trials and tribulation you have faced have one purpose: To make you a weapon of choice for the Master.
He is building in the edge you need to speak truth, in love. He is giving you the resilience to weather hardship and trials, for His purposes. When you come out of the fire, you will be an extraordinary material. When you come off the anvil, you will be suitable for an exceptional purpose.
Think: God is remaking me as His servant (weapon) of choice
Pray: “Father-God, develop me in Your will and way, for Your Kingdom.”
“My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Psalms 121: 2-3 (KJV)
From time to time, I wake up in the small hours of the morning. In those restless, sleepless moments He is there. God has me surrounded with His love and power, even at 3:30 AM.
He is constant and steadfast in His vigil over my life and soul. While the rest of the world slumbers blissfully, God is focused on me. Most of all, He is keeping me.
I need a powerful, resource-rich authority to be responsible for me. I need the protection. I need the care and concern.
The creator of the universe is interested in my well-being. He is involved in every aspect and detail of my life. Nothing limits His authority, or power, in my life and safety.
God is your keeper as well. Every resource and authority is His. His is concerned for your well-being.
3:30 AM is not a choice time for me to be awake. For an infinite, omnipotent God, it is just as good a time as any other. Knowing that lets we rest in the loving arms of my keeper.
Think: God is my keeper, therefore I in safety and security.
Pray: “Lord, help me to remember that I dwell in Your care and concern.”
On the Cross, Jesus gave the final atonement for sin. His sacrifice tore the Veil of Separation. Jesus repaired the rift that separated sinful man from Holy God.
What motivated all of this sacrifice and transformation? Love. We could not go to God, so He came to us. It is that simple. It is that easy.
His love is complete. His love is pure. His love is perfect.
No matter where you are today. No matter what happened yesterday. No matter what comes tomorrow.
God loves you. Completely. Purely. Perfectly.
Come close to Him. Feel the fond peace of His heart. Rest in the tender safety of His arms.
You can not earn His love, but He gives it all the same. You can never deserve His love, but He delights in you anyway. All you need to do is respond.
Your love might be incomplete. Your love may be impure. Your love could be imperfect.
He knows how you are. Still, He loves you. His arms are stretched out to the worst of sinners. His arms and heart are open even to you. It is that simple. It is that easy.
God loves you. Don’t ask. Don’t tell. Just love Him back.
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Isaiah 49:15 KJV
Among the swirling galaxies and streaming pulsars, He listens for a single voice. Legions of angels come and go, but He anticipates a single face. Among the billions of souls that fill the earth, God is especially concerned with you, by name and fingerprint.
With all that calls to God, He has reserved a part of Himself for a precious child. Despite all that swirls through the infinite, He has a special focus on a single soul. No matter what else is happening, you have priority with God.
It doesn’t matter that someone else disappointed you. The track record of some mere human has nothing to do with Him. You are at the center of His love. You are an ongoing concern to eyes that never sleep or slumber.
Perhaps you are tired. Maybe you are hurting. You could be confused.
God has time to give rest to your soul. He will stop to sooth your hurts. Patiently, He will answer your questions.
You are not forgotten. He listens for your voice. He will be especially delighted to see your face.
Think:God loves me. He loves me more than even I can know.
Pray:“Lord, I accept the rest and restoration of Your love.”
And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
Mark 15:37-38 KJV
In my heart and spirit I walk through the Temple. At the threshold to the Holy of Holies I pause. Only the High Priest should pass the Veil.
Once a year the High Priest would pass the Veil and offer a sacrifice for the nation. And he would do so, trembling. A sinful heart before the Mercy Seat would bring God’s judgment, not forgiveness.
The Veil, the barrier between sinful men and Holy God, has been torn. The ragged tear is evidence of Jesus’ sacrifice. He has made access to God free and clear.
I come before the Mercy Seat, trembling. Because Jesus’ Blood is on the Mercy Seat, I am free to stand before the Throne. I am grateful for the privilege to approach God freely. I am joyous that access to His Presence is not only open, but encouraged. I am humbled by the sacrifice that allows me this unequaled freedom.
In His Presence I am free. Free to talk, face-to-Shekinah, with God. I worship my Holy God. I commune with my Heavenly Father. I reach out and touch Him, knowing that with the Veil torn, His response is love, not judgment.
Think: I have access to God’s Throne.
Pray: “Lord, I thank You for free access to Your Throne and Presence.”
Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. (Job 2:9-10 KJV)
Job 2:9-10 KJV
Mr. and Mrs. Job sat in the middle of devastation and loss. A lifetime of carefully accumulated wealth disappeared in the space of a morning. The precious lives of their 10 children had been just as unceremoniously cut short. Job, himself, lay miserable and hurting with disease.
You would think there would be at least a little bitterness. The facts point to betrayal by God Himself. Job ignores that false conclusion.
Job chooses to trust God. During the good. Despite the bad. He knew that no matter the circumstances, God’s love is good and constant.
Hurting with pain, and living through extraordinary loss, Job held the line. He refused to believe that God had abandoned him. He dismissed the story told by the facts and figures.
Perhaps you are hurting during a season of loss and devastation. Ignore the statistics. Trust in God’s faithfulness and grace.
No matter how dark and hopeless it looks, God is there. He didn’t turn from you then. He will not turn from you now. There might be chaos and noise today, but there will be peace and calm in your (near) future.
Think: When everything is disrupted, God’s grace remains.
Pray: “Lord, I choose to trust you, no matter what.”
Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!
Isaiah 31:1 KJV
Isaiah could only shake his head in distress and dismay. Judah had formed a military and political alliance with Egypt. They expected that Egypt’s appearent wealth and visible military power would be a help to them.
Assyria swept through Israel and Judah like fire through dry grass. Egypt’s help and assistance against the invading horde are conspicuously absent from Scripture. In the end, Hezekiah and Judah were forced to rely on God alone.
Who (or what) do you rely on? Is it a mighty looking earthly resource? A powerful man or woman?
Seek God. Rely on Him alone. Hezekiah, trapped inside Jerusalem by the invading Assyrians, learned to trust God. Unfortunately, he took the fast, crash course.
Don’t give into human perception or common wisdom. Relying on something means you have put faith in it. Who is more worthy of faith than God.
You have a choice. Seek the all-powerful. Rely on His power and sovereign authority. Put your faith in God.
Think: My sole reliance should always be on God, not any early power or resource.
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 John 4:10 KJV
Scripture can (easily) be seen as an epic love story. The suitor is God Himself. From the beginning, He has sought to win the hearts of His intended.
We are His intended. Any man or woman who lives on this side of Glory is the target of God’s unending love and desire. To prove Himself, Jesus came and made it possible for us to receive eternal life.
To give us forever, He surrendered His own Glory. Perfection became a helpless baby. The manger is just as much a symbol of sacrifice and love as the Cross. You are at the center of a story of powerful devotion and relentless desire. God has spared no effort to deliver His love to you. How will you respond?
See the manger for what it is: A symbol of God’s unquenchable desire and affection for you. He longs for a loving relationship with you. Still, He is a true lover. He desires that we love Him in a sincere and true exchange of affections.
His Arms are open wide. He has paid every price for your freedom and liberty. What do you say? How will this love story end for you?
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:22 KJV
Draw near. No matter what you did. Regardless of how many times you did it.
Yes, He is holy. Still, He loves you. Come in sincerity. His arms will receive you.
Draw near. Don’t listen to the facts and figures. Over ride your feelings and emotions about the situation.
Faith sees things as they will be, not as they are now. Your faith carries you to Him. His faithfulness ensures He will be there for you.
Draw near. Because Scripture commands it. Because His Holy Spirit requests it.
Obedience ought to compel you. His loving kindness should draw you. Run, don’t walk, to His embrace.
Draw near. That is where His healing power is. In His embrace you will find comfort and restoration.
He wants to give, not take. He desires to bless you, not blast you. God is a good father who loves you, His child.
Draw near. Your soul knows that is where you will find rest and recovery. Your heart senses His loving desire for you.
Let His embrace draw you in. Accept the gifts He want to give you. Go close, where His love dwells.
Think: My response should be to draw near.
Pray: “Lord, help me to accept Your Call to come close.”
And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
Genesis 22:16-17 KJV
God looked around for a binding authority. He wanted an agency or authority by which He could take an oath. His omniscient eye peered out through all time and space and saw no thing and no one worthy.
Determined, God placed his omnipotent Hand upon His own Word. He swore an oath, invoking Himself. He chose to bind Himself in promise to a mere mortal as an expression of His own faithfulness.
Of course, it’s easy for God. There is no group, agency or government that can block His agenda. There is no circumstance, past, present or future, that can surprise Him. There is no circumstance that can exceed His resources.
When God promises, it does not matter who else says “yes” or “no.” When God promises, no one and no thing can force Him to change. All that remains is the exact date and time of delivery.
Look through Scripture. God has made promises to you. Do you accept?