Shoulder To Shoulder #1303 -- 8/8/22 Title: "Seeking The Ancient Paths (Pt 11: Another Look at the Compass -- Who Do You Trust?" D)
Posted by: rtolliver49 <rtolliver49@...>
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER is a weekly letter of encouragement Bob has written since 1997, covering many topics selected to
motivate people to be strong students of the Word and courageous witnesses of Jesus Christ. It is a personal letter of
encouragement to you, written solely to help "lift up hands that hang down".
"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything." -- Albert Einstein
“There is a common, worldly kind of Christianity in this day, which many have, and think they have -- a cheap Christianity which offends nobody,
and requires no sacrifice, which costs nothing, -- and is worth nothing.” – J. C. Ryle
Shoulder To Shoulder #1303 -- 8/8/22
Title: "Seeking The Ancient Paths (Pt 11: Another Look at the Compass -- Who Do You Trust?" D
)My Dear Friend and Pilgrim Partner:
Today I write again from our home in Yuma, AZ. Jo Ann and I drove down after Sunday services for five days of doctors' appointments and consultations, and some brief opportunities to do a little more work around the "new" house. Being that good husband most people think I am ( 😀 ), I have left my office/bedroom to be done after all the projects Jo Ann wanted done, so there is much to still be done there. In our Missouri house I had an entire room (larger than this one) dedicated exclusively to office space.
Here in Yuma, it's a different story. But, what else should you expect when you move from a 2,700 square foot house, with a two and a half car garage that is 36 feet long, has a shop across the entire back and a 4'X8' storage loft running the full length of the garage, into an 1,100 square foot two-bedroom house with a carport, storage room, and an added small storage shed?
So, on this trip I hope to get the computer monitor/television mounted on the wall, some of the boxes unpacked, and some arranging of six or eight mini-hard drives. Maybe a little more, but if I can just get that done, I'll consider it a monumental achievement.
I don't need to further urge you to pray for our nation. I'm sure you are already doing so and, in light of the recent raid of former President Trump's home in Florida, our alarm and concern for our nation has certainly intensified. Regardless of political preferences, there is no doubt left that the raid will have clear political fall-out. If it was not done for political gain, both parties will use it for political advantage. There is no question that it will have impact on upcoming elections.
I have lived through fifteen different presidencies (yes, I'm old enough to include FDR!), seven wars, and five major attacks against our nation, and I do not think we have ever been in a more precarious position than now of losing America as we know it. We are teetering on the brink of our democratic republic collapsing into a state of political oligarchy with the presidency existing as a mere ornament. Having been in numerous former Communist countries and having lived in one for several years, Jo Ann and I see far too much "handwriting on the wall".
There has never been a time in America's history when upcoming elections were as important as they are now. We not only need honest and vigorous elections in November, but we also need to understand that our only real hope is God Himself. Whatever else we do politically, we must come to trust Him with our current condition, our future, and our welfare.
And that leads me to today's topic -- what it means to trust God . . . to trust Him fully, and to trust Him thoroughly. So, let's do that right after you peruse . . .
THIS 'N' THAT:
+ Personal Prayer Request: This past Tuesday I was finally able to get in to see a Dermatologist. The end result of the examination is that I had four "spots" frozen (two on my right ear and two on my left cheek) and had two other "spots" surgically removed (one on the left side of my neck and one on my left forearm) for biopsies. The one on my neck seemed to be of some concern to the Dermatologist. I have a follow-up appointment set for August 23rd. Thanks for praying.
+ LGBTQ Agenda in Full Swing in Public Schools: Remember the adage, "If you give an inch, they'll take a mile?" It's true -- and nothing proves it more than the decades-long agenda in the homosexual community to make that perverse lifestyle both acceptable, but legal. It is the classic paradigm described by Paul in Romans 1:18-32. What began as a hidden secret issue 30 years ago was first condemned, then ignored, then condoned, then accepted, then approved, and now promoted. The LGBTQ agenda is now being inserted into and taught in many public schools -- even in Florida where Gov DeSantis has prohibited it. For details, go to washingtonstand.com/news/public-school-teachers-told-to-indoctrinate-kids-as-young-as-3-in-lgbt-radical-gender-theory
+ Global Persecution of Christians: -- Christians remain the most persecuted people in the world today.
> In India -- https://christiannews.net/2022/08/06/six-christian-women-jailed-in-india/ .
+ Public Schools Being Abandoned Like A Flood: We have known for decades that our public education system in American has been in slow and steady decline since the 1930's when the "Prussian" or "Frankfurt" model of education was introduced into Colombia University. However, thanks to a large part to serious investigation -- and consequential outrage -- by parents, the moral, civic, cultural, and academic condition of the public school system has been found to be in free fall and nearing collapse.
This condition has led to the development of alternative educational programs, an increase in homeschooling, and the creation of entirely new government-free school systems (all the way from pre-school to college and university academia). One major consequence of the secularization of our public education system is the total abandonment of public education by more and more families. This article gives some good insight worth considering. Check it out at . . . washingtonstand.com/news/back-to-school-blues-droves-of-americans-ditching-public-school .
+ Indiana Becomes First to Make Pro-Life Agenda into Law: While many states had "trigger" laws to take effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned, Indiana is the first state to actually pass comprehensive legislation since the overturn that truly protects the unborn. Go to washingtonstand.com/news/indiana-becomes-first-state-to-pass-a-comprehensive-prolife-bill-since-dobbs for specifics.
+ "Speaking of Politics, . . . .": Have you ever wondered why certain occupations tend to vote one way or another? Well, here's a guy who did some serious digging to find out why. It's a very non-political study of politics. I think you'll enjoy it -- perhaps a rarity in these chaotic days. Go to rightandfree.com/news/2022/08/09/politics-by-profession?seyid=15645 .
QUOTES FOR THE WEEK:
> "When our nation’s Founding Fathers gave us documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, they leaned into a shared understanding and acceptance of a set of moral and social values not established by the government. They knew that only the humility to recognize a Creator who bestows our unalienable rights and moral law would fend off the tyranny of man and the expansion of government." -- Jason Yates (Western Journal)
> "“Faith is a sounder guide than reason. Reason can go only so far, but faith has no limits.” -- Blaise Pascal
> “Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath?” -- Thomas Jefferson
> “If we cannot believe God when circumstances seem be against us, we do not believe Him at all.” -- Charles Spurgeon
> "Faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God." -- A.W. Tozer
> "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." – Corrie Ten Boom
> “Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.” -- Oswald Chambers
> "Faith comes alive when the Word read from the page becomes the Word heard in your heart." – Rex Rouis
PRAY FOR UKRAINE! --
As Putin's military forces continue facing strong resistance from the Ukrainian military, it seems he is more determined than ever to take Ukraine for himself -- either that, or complete his genocidal intent to eradicate Ukraine from the map as a nation and as a people. His mental and moral agenda is equivalent to Hitler's hatred of Jews, the PLO and Hamas intent toward Israel, and Milosovich's effort to eradicate Bosniaks and Croats. His intent is undeniable. As the war progresses, his intent is more clear and his mental and emotional state are more in question. We, of course, see it as his spiritual state. His plan is demonic through and through. No human can have such a genocidal scorched earth policy apart from deep-seated demonic influence.
Most recently, among thousands of other atrocities documented from the very beginning of the war, is the insane tactic to "wire" the Zaphorozhzhni Nuclear Power Plant with explosives that, if detonated, would create a global nuclear disaster far greater than the 1986 Chernobyl debacle. The Zaphorozhni plant is the largest nuclear plant in all of Europe, and the eighth largest in the world. In order to understand the situation, I would suggest you go to this website -- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaporizhzhia_Nuclear_Power_Plant -- to learn more about the plant and how it is being used by Putin to attempt to bring Ukraine to its knees.
This past Monday I ran across this article from the December, 2021, Forbes Magazine, written two months BEFORE Putin invaded Ukraine. It is also an article worth reading in order to understand just how dangerously serious Putin is "playing with fire". Go to http://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2021/12/28/a-ukraine-invasion-will-go-nuclear-15-reactors-are-in-the-war-zone/ .
Everything I am reading today indicates that Putin and his onsite commander at Zaphorizhzhia have instructed the troops there to not hesitate to blow up the plant if they are commanded to do so. Just out of curiosity, I wondered about weather conditions -- especially prevailing winds -- in the event of a nuclear catastrophe initiated by Putin's military and found that radio active fallout -- if it were to happen in the next few days -- would be driven by north-to-south winds away from Russia and into the Middle East, Southern Europe, and North Africa. You can check it out at http://www.windfinder.com/#8/48.9279/32.8162 .
This raises two questions: -- 1) Would the detonation affect the five reactors themselves, or just the energy grid through which electricity flows to Ukraine? and 2) Would Putin's troops actually obey such a command, or be like Hitler's commander and refuse to obey?
OUR TRUE SPIRITUAL STATE BETTER THAN THOUGHT:
For a number of years I have, probably like you, sensed a dangerous moral and spiritual decline in our country. This has been evidenced not only in the culture in general, but particularly in the Christian community. The data we have been given from numerous pollsters has indicated that there is both a religious "cooling" and even abandonment of religious fervor where even professing Christians, Jews, and Muslims have shifted to a more superficial or secularized belief in their professed religion.
As a Christian and former missionary, I have felt the same way. However, a haunting concern for at least ten years is that the standards of measurements in gathering date have failed to take into consideration those Christians who, rather than giving up on their faith, have merely given up on and moved away from the institutionalized church as we know it. The evidence that people are "leaving the church" in almost all sectors of American Christianity is clearly present and hard to overlook.
However, exactly WHAT are those people actually doing? Have they abandoned their faith in Christ, or merely the Christian institution with which they have previously identified? Well, it turns out that the spiritual condition of America's Christian community is far healthier than most pollsters have claimed. While many Christians have "left the Church" as a denomination or institution, they have not left their personal faith. Far from it. Often they leave their church for either a non-denominational church or a local church at all. I watched an interview with one of the writers of the Wall Street Journal article mentioned, and felt I had finally found someone who really understand the real trend --
Christians are wearied of all the massive organization, infighting, power struggles, performance-based entertainment, money-driven motives, and biblically shallow sermons and are returning to those simple principles of scripture that show Christian living to be more personal than corporate, more life-changing than theologically "believing", and more outwardly expressed than simple "attending" organized church services.
One may like it or not, but the fact remains, Christians in America are not nearly so carnal and abandoning as we may think. This report -- AND the investigative date mentioned -- is well worth reading. If anything, it should bolster your confidence in the message of the Gospel, and should definitely motivate you to deeper devotion to Christ and more meaningful service to others. To read the article and the reports upon which it is based, go to . . . washingtonstand.com/news/is-religious-practice-dying-in-america-not-so-fast-say-experts .
(FYI, to read the entire WSJ article, http://www.wsj.com/articles/religion-is-dying-dont-believe-it-nones-others-surveys-faith-institutions-atheists-agnostics-practice-minority-11659017037, you'll need a WSJ subscription.) The study by Dr. Brad Wilcox at National Marriage Project at the University of VA is accessible without a subscription at ifstudies.org/blog/is-religion-traumatic-for-kids-new-data-suggests-otherwise .
QUICK RECAP:
So far, as we have examined the "Compass" of God's Word as the primary essential for seeking, finding, and following those "Ancient Paths" of which Jeremiah spoke, and as we turned our eyes to some of Solomon's words of wisdom as recorded in Proverbs' third chapter, we have found that the Compass of God' Word will . . .
1. The Compass of God's Word Will Always Point us to a Path and Life of Consistent Morality. (Prov 3:1-2).
". . . do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.”
2. The Compass of God's Word Will Always Point us to a Life of Exemplified Kindness. (Prov 3:3a).
3. The Compass of God's Word will Always Point us toward Absolute Truth. (Prov 3:3b)
“Do not let . . . truth leave you; . . . ”
It had my hope that we could cover both verses five and six of Proverbs 3 in today's letter because they include a "triplet" of principles -- trust, understanding, and action. However, due to current events and further insight, it isn't going to happen. So, let's at least begin with . . .
IV. The Compass of God's Word Will Always Point us to Tenaciously Trust God. (Prov 3:5a)
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” (5a).
When the ceremony for our wedding was concluded in 1959 and the reception was over, Jo Ann and I hopped in best man Ben Clayton's car and drove from Tucson into the night to Phoenix where I had rented a small apartment near the college I was attending. As a new day dawned -- my first ever as a married man -- it finally "hit me" that I was now in an entirely new world, having been "cast off" hours earlier into uncharted seas. It was essential that Jo Ann and I begin life together as husband and wife with some kind of serious anchor that would keep us from running aground or going adrift. Even though we both had been raised in devoutly Christian homes led by biblically literate pastors, we would not be immune to potential storms and the dangers of drifting away or running aground.
Sometime within the first two or three days of married life, we agreed that we needed to establish some kind of life principle -- you might call it a "life verse" for our family -- by which we would, as best we could, order our lives as a couple. Surely it must have been our Heavenly Father that directed us to choose what has remained that principle for over 63 years, four daughters, twelve grandchildren, and seventeen (or more) great grandchildren, covering 40 states and 30 countries to where our journey has taken us.
We chose Prov 3:5-6. I'm not sure exactly why, but doubtless that passage had bobbed to the surface multiple times in our pre-marriage days of having been raised in the homes of those two devoted pastors. You will certainly recognize it momentarily in the text below. During each subsequent year of our marriage we have discovered new reasons why God led us to adopt those two verses as our "Marriage Life's Verse".
As I tried to share some thoughts a few weeks ago in the chapel I pastor, I knew I had far too little time to develop the rationale behind the selection, but there were five primary thoughts -- stack pole or center pole thoughts, if you please -- that clearly held us together more than once. A "center pole" is the main load bearing pole in a giant circus tent. A "stack pole" is a tall pole the farmer would place in his hay field upon which and around which he would then take his pitchfork and "stack" the hay until it would be used to feed his livestock. Jo Ann and I saw hundreds of these in our travels around Croatia, Bosnia, Cuba, and Ukraine.
These are the "stack poles" of Tenaciously Trusting God -- no matter what. First is the word, . . .
1. “Trust”. I love that word, and prefer it over other words like "faith", "belief", or sometimes even "believe". It tells me that "what" I believe is totally inadequate to carry me through some of life's challenges. We must never allow "what" we believe to be the primary foundation of life. It isn't "what" we believe, but rather "Who" do I trust?
The word in Hebrew is a wonderful one. It literally means, "to Have confidence in, believe, roll over on, be helpless facedown, waiting in readiness to obey". It is a potent word, because it explicitly describes a person who has exhausted all his resources, explanations, and answers, and has rolled himself over on the Lord, face down in submission and helplessness, trusting God while he waits -- as long as he has to wait -- for God to provide the solution, the resource, or the explanation. It is never a matter if "if" God will come through -- it's only a matter of "when". The believer knows God "can" and God "will"; he just doesn't know "how" and he doesn't know "when" -- but that doesn't matter.
The second "stack pole" is a strong and unbreakable one. It is . . .
2. God ‘s character. I won't take long on this. It shouldn't come a shock to you, but sometimes it does to some Christians -- they think God is unreliable, or that He breaks promises, or even that He tricked and/or deceived them. However, that in itself is a lie direction from the Devil, who is called a liar and the father of lies. Just the opposite is true. Not only does God Not lie, but it is impossible for Him to lie. He simply cannot lie or be unkind. For example, . . .
"God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" -- Numbers 23:19.
"Also the Glory of Israel [God] will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.” -- I Samuel 15:29
". . . so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us." -- Hebrews 6:18
"Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David." -- Psalm 89:35
". . . In hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began . . ." -- Titus 1:2
"And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." -- I John 5:20
"The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever." -- Psalm 119:160
"For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us." -- II Cor 1:20
Do I need to list more? There are literally hundreds of scriptures relating to God's impeccable character and nature, and every single one of them assures us that we can put our trust in Him -- for anything, and for everything. He is THE unchangeable and unshakeable God of the universe. So, trusting in Him "with all your heart" should be a no-brainer.
Not only does His incomprehensible character assure me that I can trust Him for everything, but also . . .
3. God's wisdom. We will never fully grasp this truth, but His is so great He can never make a mistake. This letter is already far too long, but I must at least make reference to this . . . something you already know. Yet, like I am, you probably don't fully understand -- nor will you ever. Knowledge is one thing, understanding is another, and wisdom is still another. Knowledge knows "what"; understanding knows "why", but wisdom knows "how, when, and who". God has all as part of His attributes. According to Psalm 139, God is Omnipresent, always present everywhere all the time; He is Omniscient, always knowing everything about everything; and He is Omnipotent, always all powerful at all times in all circumstances.
It is within this paradigm that we must see God's wisdom. Do your own search by going to the internet and type in, "scriptures about God's wisdom". You will be stunned by all that you see. For starters, consider these few: . . .
"But the wisdom from above [that is, God's wisdom] is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere." -- James 3:17
"For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;" -- Proverbs 2:6
"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!" -- Romans 11:33
"And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, . . ." -- I Corinthians 1:30
"This also comes from the Lord of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom." -- Isaiah 28:29
". . . so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places." -- Ephesians 3:10
" Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen." -- Romans 16:25-27
I could list dozens more scriptures about God's wisdom, but suffice it to say that it is because He is an all-wise God, I need never fear trusting Him with all my heart and not depend on my own limited understanding of the world around me -- past, present, or future.
There is still another reason you and I can trust Him, and it is because of . . .
4. God's Unconditional Love: His love is unconditional and limitless. One of the things Satan throws at us that makes us question God's love for us is our sense of unworthiness, or our feelings of guilt over our failures and inconsistencies. Oh, to be sure, we know God loves us unconditionally -- but does he REALLY love us . . . I mean, REALLY and TRULY?
It's hard to trust someone if you think they are judging you or don't really care. Then, of course, we have to deal with the question as to whether or not we really love Him! And that's another issue, isn't it.
The fact remains, though, that God's love REALLY IS unconditional. Love that has to be earned or bought isn't love at all. Paul explained it well. He reminded us that the highest expression of love is the willingness to die for the one you love. Several years ago Jo Ann and I were ministering to a group of about 100 Muslim refugees in Germany. They were part of a Bible study group one of our Iranian "Timothy's" had started, and had fled Iran, Afghanistan, and parts of Pakistan. We had gone there at his request to spend three or four weeks sharing the Gospel.
I was teaching on the topic of love, and used Paul's statement in Romans 5 ----
"For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." -- Romans 5:6-8.
We laugh about it now, but when I posed the idea that the husbands in the room would probably be willing to die for the wives, the wives began shaking their heads emphatically and saying (in Farsi, of course), "No! No! No! Not MY husband!!!" It was then I was reminded that in those countries few women ever experience genuine love -- because they are seen as second or third class citizens who are to destined to simply cook, clean house, and bear children.
So, the idea that God loved them so much that He proved it by allowing His Son to die for us was, on the one hand, almost impossible for them to grasp and, on the other, such an amazing idea that they were in awe over how anyone -- especially God -- could love them that way. They could not be good enough to gain God's love, nor could they sin enough to miss God's love.
The ultimate expression of God's love is, of course, ultimately and perfectly demonstrated in John 3:16-17: . . .
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."
Such love is beyond our fully understanding it. We will never get our minds wrapped around the idea. But, one way to gain a little understanding about it is expressed by the fact that . . .
5. God's Limitless Faithfulness: If there is a single characteristic of which we can be assured, it is the faithfulness of God. This verse ends with, "He will make your paths straight." When God makes a promise, it is a promise assured, and ultimately a promise kept. A little closer look at three words help us understand just how faithful He really is.
> First, the word "make" in Hebrew literally means that God will take something that looks crooked, bent, mangled, or knotted up, and will simply "straighten it to perfection". In a way, it's like taking a car that has been involved in accident that has left not only the body mangled and the windows smashed out, but the frame itself is bent, twisted, and out of alignment.
Years ago my father had a young man in his church who had an auto body shop. On one occasion we stopped by to visit and I saw a car sitting in one of the bays that had a frame so bent that the rear wheels tracked an astonishing eight inches variance from the front wheels. The shop owner was in the process of hooking up giant chains to hydraulic pistons that were going to put enormous pressure -- literally tons of pressure -- in order to straighten the frame back into its original condition.
It could not have been done without the shop owner, Tim, putting enough pressure on the car frame to "make" it come back into proper shape. This is the kind of power that God exerts on our Ancient Paths when, for one reason or another, they are filled with detours, debris, or disturbances. God will get personally involved in "making" them navigable and straight again.
> Second, the word "paths" refers specifically to "a well trodden road". In other words, this is a pathway you've traveled before, but has been disrupted in some way. It doesn't look the same, it doesn't walk the same, and it doesn't feel the same. All of that creates uncertainty, tentativeness, and perhaps even fear or alarm. It makes you walk cautiously and without confidence and assurance.
Even though you may have passed this way before when things were good, and now it seems too dangerous or uncertain, God will make it new again -- navigable again -- safe again. It's a well trodden road, and God is quite good at maintaining it -- not with patches and caution signs, but with total restoration.
> Finally there's the word "straight". It's the Hebrew word, יָשַׁר, pronounced yashar in English. Interestingly, it does not refer to being straight as in being "straight as an arrow". No, the curves, corners, inclines, and the banking, are all still there. What it Does mean, though, is that the path is of smooth surface, evenly applied, pleasing to the feet, pleasant to the eyes, enjoyable to walk.
What a delightful assurance builder that is -- to realize that, even if our Ancient Path takes us to the highest mountain peaks, along the edges of deep canyons, or into the deepest valleys, our footing is sure because our foundation is solid.
He will never let us go, He will never let us down, and He will never let us off.
FINALLY:
I really don't want to stop here -- there are two other points connected to this first one -- but I must. So, in conclusion, think about these reasons that you can trust God without reservation because He is trustworthy without limits.
1. He is trustworthy. What does that mean? It means He has proven to us that He can be trust, and it means that He is worthy of our trust. To question or doubt God's ability to handle everything that comes our lives not only casts dispersion on Him, but it also draws into question the legitimacy and veracity of our faith.
2. His Character is Without Equal. Everything about God shows us that His character is so far beyond our comprehension that we simply cannot get our minds around it all. Part of this is because we tend to look at the character of God through the lens of flawed and unreliable human character. Let me suggest that you take a single day to contemplate the various facets of God's character -- or maybe a couple of years would be better. We can trust Him because His nature and character exude trustworthiness at all times in every situation -- without exception.
3. His Wisdom is all-encompassing and unmatched.
Corrie ten Boom eloquently wrote, "Faith is like radar that sees through the fog -- the reality of things at a distance that the human eye cannot see.” Jo Ann and I can certainly attest to that. Little did we know just how important Solomon's counsel would be to us. You don't see much beyond irrational but infectious love when you commit yourselves to each other. You're much like what songwriter Ira Stanphill described in his classic song, "I Don't Know About Tomorrow":
I don’t know about tomorrow, I just live from day to day.
I don’t borrow from it’s sunshine, for it’s skies may turn to gray.
I don’t worry o'er the future, for I know what Jesus said,
And today I’ll walk beside Him, for He knows what is ahead.
Every step is getting brighter, as the golden stairs I climb;
Every burden’s getting lighter; every cloud is silver lined.
There the sun is always shining, there no tear will dim the eyes,
At the ending of the rainbow, where the mountains touch the sky.
I don’t know about tomorrow, it may bring me poverty;
But the One Who feeds the sparrow, is the One Who stands by me.
And the path that be my portion, may be through the flame or flood,
But His presence goes before me, and I’m covered with His blood.
Many things about tomorrow,
I don’t seem to understand;
But I know Who holds tomorrow,
And I know Who holds my hand.
An accomplished musician and minister, Stanphill served local churches as youth director, minister of music and pastor, preaching across America and in forty countries. In the process he wrote over 500 Gospel songs including, “Mansion Over The Hilltop”, “Jesus and Me”, “We’ll Talk It Over” and “Happiness is the Lord”. I've sung all of those songs at one point or another during the years Jo Ann and I have served together.
Stanphill married Zelda Lawson, a pastor's daughter, in 1939, where she played piano with her parents before marriage, and then with Stanphill after. However, she became disillusioned with her marriage and their ministry, and they divorced in 1948 after less than ten short years. Following their divorce, Zelda remarried, but sadly died in a car accident in 1951.
During the years of marital separation, divorce and Zelda's death, Ira began to experience deep depression. But one day, as Stanphill was driving down the highway, he began to hum and then sing a song about not knowing what the future might bring him, but he would trust God with His plans. As soon as he got home, he rushed to his piano and jotted down the words. It became instantly popular.
Stanphill's struggles didn't end with the divorce or the tragic death of his former wife. In 1976, Stanphill was diagnosed with “a malignant tumor in the right front quadrant of the brain.” While the surgery was successful, those who knew him said that his personality changed following the surgery. He lived another seventeen years before he died in 1993. In his later years he was often featured on the Gaither Homecoming video series. Literally thousands of singers and choirs have since sung his song of hope and trust in God.
Stanphill and hundreds of other hymnists have described what it like to trust God wholeheartedly and not try to figure life and all its complexities out with one's own rationalization and analysis.
4. His Love is Inexhaustibly Unconditional. We can never lose it, cancel it, or run out of it. We can't buy it, earn it, or bribe to get it. But it is there. Whenever I think of God's love, I cannot help but remember the great old hymn, "The Love of God". It describes better than I, just what that love is like.
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.
When hoary time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
Refrain:
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
That, my friend, is the limitless unconditional love of God -- for you -- and to you.
5. His Faithfulness is Without Limits.
> Deut 7:9 -- "Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments."
> II Tim 2:13 -- " if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself."
> I Cor 1:9 -- "God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.:
> II Thes 3:3 -- "But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.?
> I Cor 10:13 -- "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."
> I Pet 4:19 -- "So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good."
> Lam 3:22-23 -- "Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
> Heb 10:23 -- " Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."
> I Thes 5:23-24 -- "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it."
If Jo Ann and I were asked to describe how God has led us -- even before we knew each other, all the way through our introduction to each other on June 10th, 1957, to our marriage, and then four daughters, twelve grandchildren, seventeen grandchildren, 40 states, and 30 countries -- it would be an impossibility. After 63 years of marriage, we take indescribable pleasure and great joy in reminiscing over the images in our minds of the thousands of places, events, and moments. Even this past Sunday we visited with six or seven young men of high school and college age about one of those events in 2003 when I was already 65 and some Ukrainian young people thought we were in town to attend the 2003 EuroVision music festival.
We will never forget, should we live to be 500 years of age, the endless hallway of memories. And, oddly enough, it is when we come across the picture of a difficult time that we pause a bit longer and speak those "remember when . . ." thoughts to each other. And often, the darker the picture, the longer we linger -- squeezing each other's hand, smiling with gratitude, and with a sigh move on to the next picture.
Yes, it's true; you can -- no, you must -- "Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding."
Not a day goes by but what Jo Ann and I thank the Lord for giving us this scripture as the "life verse" for our marriage. Sixty-three years later, it holds true. It's the only way to live. It's the only way to go.
In His Bond, By His Grace, and for His Kingdom,
Bob Tolliver -- Romans 1:11
"Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness,
examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." -- Dr. Luke (Acts 17:11)
"A fire kept burning on the hearthstone of my heart, and I took up the burden of the day with fresh courage and hope." -- Charles F. McKoy
Life Unlimited Ministries
LUMglobal
[email protected]
Copyright August, 2022
"If Jesus had preached the same message that many ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified." -- Leonard Ravenhill
"The time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the Church will have clowns entertaining the goats." -- Charles H. Spurgeon
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