"The True Christian Heritage"; Psalms 61:5
ZADOK PUBLICATIONS - Dr. C. R. OLIVER
August 1, 2013
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Introduction:August 1, 2013 "The True Christian Heritage" Psalms 61:5 Standing in front of a young DMV clerk, I was astonished at his final question, after eye testing and posing for those horrible mug shots used on driver's licenses. He asked, "Do you have any advice as to how a young person should live his life since you evidently have years of experience." Without a thought I replied, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding and He shall direct your paths (Prov.3:5, 6)." He was taken aback by the swiftness of the response, but did not register acceptance of the scriptural premise. A white haired gentleman at the next station interjected his advice, "Always speak the truth and be true to yourself." Both of us offered good advice, but from two different perspectives. Neither of us knew how serious the young man was in his inquiry. Our information age has caused the world's population to rely heavily upon research and advice from unknown sources in order to steer one into safe harbor. Google has become a god. Our educational systems have abandoned their historical roles of introducing great literature (including the Bible), philosophy, history and cultivating personal initiative. Group thought, psychology, science (apart from God) and cultural studies dominate their curriculum. Their graduates are secular as opposed to Renaissance persons a century before. It would seem that any arena sans God (and Biblical principles) flourishes in corporate acceptance, while those who find themselves thinking like King David are scorned and maligned. This, from the heart of one who would not touch God's anointed (Saul) nor battle Philistines (as well as other enemies such as Ammonites) without consulting the Lord God of Hosts. The most anointed of ancient Kings did not find himself intimidated by seeking the Hand of the Lord. He waited upon the Lord and sought His timing and His victories. Few modern national leaders would consider battle plans that included "Prayer and Fasting" while lying prostrate before the Lord.Psalms 61:1-5 Fewer still could boast of being comrade with those known for their fearing the Lord. David considered the "Heritage of those who fear Your Name," as the pinnacle of ranks. In line with those of Hebrews 11, David shared a place where no one in today's scene will find their photo. When David declared, "From the end of the earth I will cry to You," he expressed the heart of many a missionary and certainly predated my own understanding of the comfort of the Presence of the Lord in all places on the earth. I too have sought out (in 53 countries) the guiding hand of the Lord and always found Him "right there." (En Punto is the testimony book for such.) Isaiah penned a similar passage to that of the Psalmist, and though it is well quoted and better known in pulpit pulchritude, it is rarely embraced as "rules for living." Isaiah 55:6-9Consider this passage as an absolute in a world of relativity. It minces no words and accepts no compromise. Fiatly, it states that on one's best day intellectually, using a Mensa mind and incorporating the assistance of the world's most perceptive electronic devices-man falls short of God's most infantile considerations. Isaiah's Biblical premise reduces the sources of man's highest reference to idiot's babble. It makes pulpit ramblings, with their accompanying plethora of books, DVDs' and other diatribel media, mere musings. With certainty, the routing of economic strategy and the global desires to return to Babel are shipwrecked before their voyage is begun. No Christian must look to any man for the solutions to the world problems. Examine verse seven, which is addressed to God's people: "Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts." Note the word "return." In order to "return," one must have, at some point, departed. (The old adage, "you can't come back from where you've never been" is appropriate.) God is addressing spiritual people. Acceptance of the label "wicked" is a dose of medicine in itself to them. "Twisted" would be a good synonym. Wicked means twisted. To humble oneself before the Mighty God and say, "Lord, I am twisted in my ways. I have left your paths and I know it. I have followed worldly ways and found myself alone and disparate in my circumstances. I want to stop right here and now and confess, 'I need you to show me Your way.'" The Lord's response to such a heart is with mercy and abundant pardon. "Messed up thinking" can happen to anyone, and it can only be rectified by Isaiah's method. Such activity does not disparage who we are in Christ, it exalts Who He Is! Pardon me, but too many ministries are hyper loaded in psychology and counseling techniques, incorporating social strategies, and have abandoned the simplicity of humbling oneself before the Lord of Hosts. Words of knowledge and revelation are great but cannot be but support tools assisting the soul's crying out to God and returning to the Lord with a contrite heart. "Let the unrighteous 'forsake' his thoughts." Since thoughts are the starting line for action, they are the fountain which must be closed up and "left behind." Forsake means to "loosen," "leave desolate," "relinquish and refuse." Instead of the church rising up and declaring they are the righteousness of God in Christ, some might consider confessing their "unrighteous" state first and their great need to abandon their unholy considerations. The need for mercy and pardon has never been greater than today. The call for "forsaking ways and thoughts" has never been weaker! Yet, when Jesus taught about the "self sufficient man," he concluded with this passage: While discomfort comes at the relinquishing of man's devices, comfort returns in Hebrews 13.Luke 14:33 His "Thoughts" and His "Ways" constitute the greatest need of this generation. We simply need the comfort of His help because the wreckage of lives and moral values strewn across the globe testify to this truth. With prayer and forsaking, we must come before Him, confess our failure to reach "the secret place," and seek His presence so as to be close enough to hear His thoughts and engage His ways. God is talking and most are not listening!Hebrews 13:5-6 HE SAID, "My ways are not your ways." These are His words, and He knows we need His ways. Can we be still and wait until we discover what He is willing to give to us? His ways, paths and wisdom contain what is best for us and they help us avoid the pitfalls we are unable to apprehend. ("Be still and know that I am God.") David had a grip on this. "Show and tell" is the method of God's instruction. His Word is one thing, but the Spirit's guidance is another. For Him to teach, there must be a ready listener-a teachable spirit. Look at David's contriteness. Observe his manner of approach and the humbleness he expressed in it. Do we not qualify as a stiff necked, arrogant people these days? Few dare fall into the altar and shudder before His presence. Few tremble at His Word and fear His Name. Are we not judged, like the ancients, as those who forgot their instructions in Deuteronomy?Psalms 25:4-12 Jesus used this latter passage to answer those who quizzed Him. As a covenant people, we need to renew our commitment to the ways and thoughts of the Lord. The Liberals have lied to the multitudes, and the religious leadership of today has joined them. They have approved much of what God has not, but no one rises to a point of order or demands accountability. That makes our thinking far afield from His.Deuteronomy 5:33 You shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess. We must escape this mentality. We must insist on a higher standard than what is presented to us in the name of acceptable behavior. We must rise above the sludge which is avalanching toward our children and grandchildren. God is calling His people higher and demanding they follow.Jeremiah 7:8-11 (observing a nation sliding into ruin) Recently, I was in the company of some faithful saints of the Lord, who walk on a different level than the average "pew-master." The conversation was filled with riveting accounts of exploits for the Lord. As I sat in their presence, I silently prayed for them and thanked My God for the privilege of sitting in their midst. The depth of their Bible knowledge, coupled with their experiencing of great reward for faithfulness, caused me to want to never leave their company.Romans 11:33-36 I can understand the communal days of the early church where this kind of fellowship was constant and glowing. Today's technology precludes a "closed in" or "solitary life" while talking and texting or "MP3-ing" as the world passes in a blur; we are robbed of our Emmaus's and removed from the company of the blessed. Our thoughts become as abbreviated as our texts. Though wiser in information, we are weaker in our walk. God, who created all things, does not approve of our modern patterns of rationale. Our theology is shallow. Our understanding of God's way of thinking and doing is hindered by our inability to blot out the sounds of the Century. Cell phones and I-pads serve us, but they become voices that must be attended-they place demands upon our time and schedule.(CG Bevington in his book, Remarkable Miracles, recalled spending days in the woods in a hollow log, meditating upon the Lord until the voices stopped. He said it often took days before the interruptions of life's voices ceased. ) Consider "pathways (which are characterized as faint narrow trails that are full of rocks, briars, and impediments of steepness, uncertain curves and endless objects blocking far vision)." Consider "highways" with graded levels, smooth and even travel surfaces, marked intersections and cautioned approaches. Highways are faster venues and tend to save time and energy. Why stagger and stumble when one can move with ease and arrive less fatigued? David knew about the advantages of the Highway of Holiness.Jeremiah 18:15 David understood the nature of God's ways and thoughts. His writings reflected his deep regard for God's thoughts versus his own. He knew that to apprehend Yahweh's way of thinking and doing required righteousness and holiness to a degree beyond the formulas of Judaism. David sought to go beyond the requirements of religion to the place of friendship with the Most High. God shares His mind and heart with those who are determined to know Him. The broader view, the richer texture, the comprehensive grasp, the power of creation, the elevation of in-depth appreciation, these are but a few of the elements found in the prism of His mind. We are not invited to sit upon His Throne to act as imbecilic as some do among the ranks of those deemed "elitists" by government and church. We are invited there to learn of His ways and to share His thoughts. As primary in content as some of the conversation may be, it is from those who share those moments who create the greatest books, have the grandest revelation and testify with those of the gospel, "we can but speak of that which we have seen and heard." These are they who fulfill Revelation 12's mandates for the overcomers: The Blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives unto the death. That's His way.Psalms 92:5-7 (Ah, the places "in Him" for which we are to tabernacle will be heaven indeed! "In my Father's House are many tabernacles and I go to prepare a place for you.") Meanwhile, we have a 2000 year old mandate:Micah 4:1-2 Philippians 4:8-9 Until Next month, Dr. Cosby R. Oliver, PhD. |
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