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A View of August

If you have visited All for One, you know it is a small blog. It is only a couple of months old. I am still learning to blog and finding it is more than just putting thoughts and words on a screen. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes.

I have however, been amazed and humbled how far these words have reached. So, I want to say a very sincere and quick thank you. If you have been watching and reading, thank you. If you have dropped by and lingered long enough to read a post, thank you. I hope you stick around there is more to come. We are just getting started.

August is shaping up with back to school. Parents rejoice and children mourn. There is planning involved in the new school year. Teachers and administrators alike plan events and lessons. Classrooms are decorated and everything is cleaned and ready for the return of the students. Parents and kids hit the malls and stores buying school clothes and supplies. There is an excitement in the air ready for school to begin.

I am getting ready also. I am not going back to school. Those days ended for me a while back. My son is grown so I do not have to fight the crowds for school supplies. But I am working on content. Planning what I want to bring to you in August. Since school is beginning. I thought we would get back to basics. I have been toying with the idea of a theme for each month. August will be the first month I really dig in and try it out.  If it works wonderful. If not, well at least I gave it a try.

So, what do I mean by back to basics? Well in Times Like These, I want to cover some basic Christian doctrines. will try to cover doctrines without my Southern Baptist paradigm, but my Baptist roots run deep. I want to take the view of whatever doctrine we are studying as close to the bible as possible, so we are getting truth and not opinion. In Third Verse Devotions, we will look at some old hymns like Are you Washed in the Blood, At the Cross, and others. If you have a favorite hymn you would like to explore, just let me know and I will be happy to include it in Third Verse Devotions. In Angela’s Bookshelf, I hope to have more material up. Maybe not all reviews but other articles and posts.

So, there it is a quick overview of what I hope for in August, a Back-to-Basics kickoff. You don’t want to miss anything that is coming, so be sure to hit the like and subscribe button.  Also leave me a comment and let me know what you are most looking forward to in August. I’m looking forward to seeing you throughout August as we get Back to Basics.

Angela

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The Way Home

Mother-in-laws get a tough rap. They become the butt of jokes, gossiped about over coffee, warred over in homes. Yet in the Bible we find the story of a mother-in-law who did not fit the mold when we think of mothers-in-law.

This lady’s family moved because of lack of food. There was a famine and her husband, and her two sons moved to the land of Moab. Soon after her husband died. Her sons grew up and married local girls, then they too died. The woman was left with nothing. In this time, there were not many options for a woman left alone with no man to protect her or provide for her. She was in a strange land and now had two daughters-in-law with her. In her profound grief, she decided to go home.

You may already recognize the story. I am talking about Naomi from the book of Ruth. This small book of history in the Old Testament gives a beautiful account of the relationship between a mother-in -law and a daughter-in-law. The picture they paint can be a model for us today in the treacherous waters between women who dare to marry sons loved by their mothers.

What is your relationship with your mother-in-law like? Is she like a mother to you? My own mother-in-law was much older than myself. In fact, she and my grandmother were closer in age. She had a difficult life, and I married her youngest son, the baby. Were you and your mother-in-law at peace with each other? Had you found a way to make your relationship work?

We pick up Naomi’s story in chapter 1 of the book of Ruth. Naomi had heard there was food again in the land of Judah so with her husband and both sons gone, she decided to go home. It is worth noting that both of her daughters-in-law were prepared to go with her. Yet Naomi urged them to return to the home of their parents, so they could move on with their lives and find another husband and have a future. We aren’t told how much time passed from when her sons died to when she decided to go home. What we do see is that both her daughters-in-law were devoted to her. They were going with her back to her homeland.

What would you do? If your mother-in-law decided to move away, would you rejoice? Or would you start packing to move with her? Would you be willing to live with your mother-in-law? Naomi’s daughters-in-law were prepared to go with her back to the land of Judah. They were ready to leave their own land and follow her, such was their devotion.

Naomi released them. When she saw what they were intending, she sent them home and blessed them. She kissed them and they all wept together. At first both insisted on going with her then she convinced one of them to return but, “Ruth clung to her.”

So, now the question begs, what kind of mother-in-law are you? Or let’s go ahead and ask, what kind of father-in-law are you? Would your daughter-in-law “cling” to you? Or do you interfere in a marriage that isn’t yours? Do you pull your child away from his or her spouse at every chance? Are you a divider between them? While it may be hard to believe that someone could be good enough for our “baby”, our baby has found someone. I have not had the experience yet as a mother-in-law. So, I don’t know what I will be like. I hope I could follow Naomi’s example and be one that my future daughter-in-law could cling to.

When Naomi urged Ruth to go back to her people and her gods, Ruth uttered the words that many have committed to memory, and many have since repeated as a declaration of loyalty and devotion.

But Ruth said, “Do not plead with me to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you sleep, I will sleep. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord do so to me, and worse, if anything but death separates me from you. (Ruth 1:16-17 NASB)

When Naomi heard the determination of these words, she stopped talking about it and they went home. Ruth worked to provide for herself and Naomi in fields picking grain. She happened to work in a field of a close relative. Before long, with Naomi’s guiding, Ruth revealed who she was to the owner of the field, Boaz. Boaz took the necessary steps and became her husband. Naomi had the joy of holding Ruth and Boaz’s first child.

The relationship between mothers-in-law and daughter-in-law can be tricky. Some never find common ground. Others experience a relationship like Ruth and Naomi. These two ladies set the bar high. They are the model to attain to. Is your mother-in-law a monster? Love her. She gave birth to your husband or wife. Is your daughter-in law impossible? Love her. She loves your son. Pray for each other. Your relationship may never reach the level of loyalty or devotion of Ruth and Naomi, but you can reach for a level of peace as much as it depends on you.

Angela

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Third Verse Devotion: Battle Hymn of the Republic

The words of this patriotic song were written by Julia Howe at the start of the Civil War in November 1861.  This patriotic song can be found in many hymnals. There are five stanzas to the song and all of them are full of meaning, for the sake of time I will only focus on one.

Here is the third verse from the 1991 Baptist Hymnal. You can find the full song at www.hymnary.org.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never sound retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
O be swift, my soul, to answer Him; be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on. [Chorus]

Judgement is not something any of us like to think about. We choose to believe the characteristic of God as love, and He is love. Yet He is also judge. He cannot look on sin. He must judge sin. He is a righteous God and there is no unrighteousness in Him. So, the sin you and I carry must be judged.

There are two types of judgment mentioned in the New Testament. The first is found in Romans 14:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:10. This is a judgement for believers. Every person who has placed faith in Christ Jesus will stand before Him one day and give an account of the things they have done. Did you accept the gift of salvation that Jesus offers? What did you do with the gifts you have been given? How did you live your life? Did you share your faith with others? Did other people know you were a Christian? Did they know you believed in Jesus? What did you do good or bad after you became a follower of Jesus? This is what this judgement seat is all about. The second judgement is mentioned in Revelation and is called “the Great White Throne Judgement”. It is found in Revelation 20: 11-15 and is for all non-believers throughout history. Every individual who had the opportunity to accept God and refused will stand before Him and give an account of his deeds. All deeds were listed and then their name is checked against the book of Life. If their name was not listed there, they were thrown into the lake of fire.

Please hear me, if you think living a good life and performing good deeds will be enough to get you into heaven, Friend, you are wrong. You want your name in that book of Life. The only way to escape the Great White Throne Judgement is Jesus. You want to be at that first judgment.  The next line of the song is “…be swift, my soul, to answer Him…”. Let that be your response as well. When you know God is calling you to follow him, do not hesitate. Respond then. Ephesians 2: 8-9 reminds us:

For by grace you have been saved through faith;

and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 

not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (NASB)

You can never perform enough good works or be a good enough person to make your way to heaven and escape the second judgement. Good works will not get your name in the book of life. Only accepting the grace of Jesus will accomplish salvation and ensure judgment at Christ’s judgement seat.

Be assured God loves you. He does not want any at the second judgment. It is a fact that many will be there. Those who choose to reject Him. You don’t have to be among their number. If you are reading these words, you still have a choice. Make that choice today. Be swift to answer Him.  Since everyone one day will be judged, where will your judgement take place, at the foot of Jesus or at the Great White Throne of God. I hope to see you at the feet of Jesus.

Angela

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Family Matters

Mordecai and Esther were part of the Jewish exiles in Persia (modern day Iran). Their family had been living in Exile since the time of Nebuchadnezzar. They had grown up in exile and had never seen Israel or Jerusalem. They would have understood the customs and laws of the Jewish people as well as the people of the land they inhabited.

When Esther was young her parents died. We aren’t told how. Mordecai, her cousin was older and her took her in and raised her as his daughter. Maybe this is something like your experience. Maybe you were raised by a grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, a family member who loved you and took you in when you needed a place to live. Let’s look at how they cared for each other in difficult times.

Summary of Esther chapter 1-2:4

A little background

The Persian king Ahasuerus had deposed and exiled his queen, Vashti.  Sometime after, the king regretted his decision. The advisors proposed to have all the beautiful young women brought into the harem from all the corners of the kingdom. The one who pleased the king should be the new queen. The king thought this was a terrific idea. So, girls perhaps as young as fourteen were taken from their parents from all over the kingdom and brought to the harem in the king’s palace. The girls had a year of beauty treatments preparing them for their night with the king. If the king never called for them by name again, they would live the rest of their days as a widow in the king’s harem.

Mordecai cares about Esther

Esther was part of the gathering. We are told that “the young woman was beautiful of form and face” (Esther 2:7 NASB). When the guards came round, she was selected and taken to the harem. Mordecai, being a father to Esther, would have been worried about her welfare. There was nothing he could do. He couldn’t rescue her. Her fate was sealed. He could not change it, but he could let her know he was there. He walked back and forth every day in front of the courtyard of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her.” (Esther 2:11 NASB) He showed up. He couldn’t change her future, but he could let her know he was there, and he cared about her.

It is often hard for us as parents to let our children experience difficult times. We protect them when they are small, but as they grow, they must learn how to handle challenges on their own and that becomes difficult. We still want to protect them instead of letting them learn and grow and mature as they work out their own problems.  Sometimes the only thing we can do as parents is let our kids walk through the tough times and let them know we are there, and we care. Sometimes the fault is our own and we must pay the consequences and develop some thick skin to deal with the fallout. Esther did not do anything wrong. She was a pretty girl caught in a king’s awful plan with no way out.

Esther cares for Mordecai

After Esther becomes Queen, she and Mordecai still have a close bond. She has not revealed to her husband, the king that she is Jewish. Mordecai had instructed her not to when she was first taken into the harem. Things are changing, however. A new enemy is on the scene in the form of Haman. He talks the king into destroying this group of people who are opposed to his kingdom. He doesn’t really come out and say who they are, just that they are opposed to the kingdom and need to be destroyed. The king trusts Haman and allows him to write in his name whatever needs to be done giving him his own ring to seal the deal. So, the decree is posted throughout the kingdom allowing the Jewish people to be exterminated.

Mordecai reads the decree, tears his clothes, dresses in sackcloth and ashes, a sign of deep mourning. News of Mordecai’s behavior reaches Esther. To comfort him she sends to him a change of clothes. Her servant returns and tells her he refuses them. Esther is beside herself and sends the servant back with instructions to try to get him to eat and change and find out what is wrong. She, in the harem, is not aware of Haman’s plot. All she knows is that Mordecai, her father, is grieving and she cannot go to him herself. She wants to end his grief.

When someone we love is hurting, the first thing we want to do is ease their hurt. It doesn’t matter if it is a parent, a child, or a family member we are close to and who has always been there for us. We don’t want to see our loved ones grieving or suffering. Sometimes their grief is a disease that we can’t take away. Other times it is a problem that we can’t fix for them. All we can do is pray and love them and let them know that we are there to support them. Esther cared for Mordecai the best way she knew how at this point. Sometimes we must get more involved into the matter. We may need to help with nursing care. We may need to help with housing. We may need to talk to an attorney. Mordecai asked Esther to go to the king on the behalf of her people. After all the years of keeping her heritage silent, it was now time to reveal her identity. This was not a simple fix for Esther. To go before the king uninvited could mean death without his extending mercy. Understandably, Esther was hesitant. Yet, out of love for Mordecai and her people she prepared through prayer and fasting and went to the king. She took a risk with her life to save the lives of many. We may not be asked to put our lives on the line for those we love, but we may be asked to do hard things that seem impossible for us to defend and care for those we love.

The relationship between Esther and Mordecai gives us a model for our own families. They teach us a respect for authority. How to love each other through difficult times. How to properly stand up for each other. It doesn’t mean life is easy, just the opposite. Life is hard and it requires hard things to do the right thing. Yet where our family is concerned, doing the right thing is what matters for our family.

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Meanwhile…

I am working on the next big post, but it is not coming together like I want. So, I have a challenge for you. Grab your Bible and take some time and read the book of Esther. If you don’t have a Bible at home that is not a problem, check out www.biblegateway.com or the bible app avaible on your phone.

A few odd facts. It was almost not included in the canon of scripture. It is the only book of the Bible where God is not mentioned at all. Yet, His presense and influence are everywhere. It is also the historical background for the Jewish holiday of Purim.

I will be back soon with the post for you. Until then, dive into this great book filled with intrigue and plot twists. I think you will like it.

See you soon!

Angela

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Third Verse Devotion: America the Beautiful

We sing this hymn around the patriotic holidays of Memorial Day and Independence Day.  I also incorporated it around 9/11. I know I am past Independence Day, but I want to celebrate our freedom all month. Each of the Third Verse Devotions this month is patriotic in nature.

While every verse of the song is poignant and can cause reflection on the beauty and wonder of our nation verse three is a testament to those who have sacrificed much for this land of liberty. By way of note, I pull the hymns for the Third Verse Devotions from the 1991 edition of the Baptist Hymnal. You can find it here at www.hymnary.org.

Katharine Lee Bates wrote this song after climbing the top of Pike’s Peak. Inspired by the vista below she penned these verses. I think we can understand where she was coming from. I have never stood on Pike’s Peak, but I can imagine the view having seen vistas from lesser high points. Ms. Bates had been a high school teacher and a professor at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She never married as at that time women who married were required to resign their tenure at the college. She wrote poems, books and was in demand as a speaker. America the Beautiful is perhaps her best-known work.

I have only found four verses for the song. The Methodist Hymnal 1989 moves the verse I want to focus on to verse four. The Baptist Hymnal 1991 and most of the other hymnals I looked at all have the verse as verse three.

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev’ry gain divine.

This country was fought for with the blood and vigor of men who became heroes because they believed in what they stood for. Our armed forces today are still made up of men and women who are willing to become heroes in some way for this country. “Who more than self their country loved.” They are willing to give themselves for this country on the battlefield wherever it may be. There was a rise in enlistment after Pearl Harbor and again after 9/11. When our country is under attack there is a spirit that rises to defend her. When she is at peace, that same spirit is there to make sure that peace remains. I fear that there is a serious lack of patriotism among some of our people today. Our country means nothing to these individuals and those that have given their lives so they can express their hatred seems in vain. These individuals are not heroes proved in liberating strife.

This verse makes clear who the heroes are. Those who are willing to put their lives aside for their country. Those who are proved on the battlefield. Those who stand for what is right. A belief so unshakable that America is the greatest nation. Their state is the greatest state. Their town is the greatest town. Their school is the greatest school. Their family is the greatest family. Look to find heroes at the smallest level. How do they treat their family? Heroism begins small and grows from there to the battlefield of life.

Stand for what you believe. Be a hero to your family. Do what is right. Be proved a hero in the strife that comes. Stand strong and firm. Love your country. Love your family, more than your life. Be a giver of mercy. You are part of a great nation. Make it greater by your actions. In Micah 6:8 we have this admonition:

He has told you, mortal one, what is good;

And what does the LORD require of you

But to do justice, to love kindness,

And to walk humbly with your God? (NASB)

You want to be a good person? A hero? It starts with faith in God and a willingness to set yourself aside. Here in Micah we have an outline for three ways to live your life. Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God. If we all try to do these three things we would see America beautiful again. All success be nobleness and every gain divine. God bless America.

Angela

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Be Adopted Today

We need to be adopted. We are all orphans without a home lost in a world that is cold and hard and unfeeling. We try to figure out who we are and where we belong.

I want to look at a couple of Bible passages today and look at the spirit of slavery, the spirit of adoption and the spirit of the Son. Our adoption has already been approved and sealed. We only need to accept it.

SPIRIT OF SLAVERY

Romans 8:15

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again

Paul was writing to the Roman church. He wanted them to understand who they now were and who they once were. They had not received a spirt of slavery. Look where slavery leads. To fear. Did you see that? “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again.” Some of us live our lives in constant fear. We are afraid of our world and everything in it. The Father is not the author of fear. Fear is the work of the slave master.  Fear is only a symptom that we need to be adopted. We are rejected and caught in sin and fear. We need redemption. We cannot make this happen on our own. We are trapped in this spirit of slavery. When we become entrenched in fear with a need to belong, a need to fit in, a need for approval, we become slaves to that thing. Where does the fear come in? After having done everything, we are still rejected. We are still unwanted. It will never be enough.

SPIRIT OF ADOPTION

Romans 8: 15-17

 but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. (NASB)

Our adoption is spiritual. Our adoption allows us to cry out “Abba! Father!”  Abba. It’s not a word that the western world uses, but it at its basic means “Daddy.” It is a very personal name for a father. Our adoption allows us to have a personal close relationship with God. We become his child.

 We become His heirs and fellow heirs with Christ. What does it mean to be an heir? That means that someday when someone dies, we will inherit what someone has left to us. Now since God will never die what does this mean? When we die, we will inherit what he has for us. When He returns, we will inherit what He planned for us. When we become a child of God we suffer with Christ. We may not be nailed to a cross, but we share the persecution, rejection by the world, shame, and reproach, that Jesus did. We share the “family name.” In sharing the family name, we also are glorified with Him. Whatever reproach we endure on earth is wiped away in glory.

SPIRIT OF HIS SON

Galatians 4:4-6

Our adoption stands ready. It has been bought and paid for all we need to do is accept it. Receive the family that is Jesus. Notice what Paul writes in Galatians 4:4-6

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters. 6 Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba! Father!”

God does everything in His time. When the time was right, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. When the time had come, Jesus died on the cross for our sins. It is this one act of sacrifice that allowed us to be redeemed, to be adopted. We only need to accept the adoption that is waiting for us. Paul points out that after we receive the adoption as sons and daughters, God sends “the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba! Father!” After we accept Jesus and the price he paid for our redemption, we are no longer slaves to fear and sin. We are sons and daughters. The Spirit takes up residence in our hearts and we enjoy personal relationship with God calling him Abba!

You can have that relationship with Him today. A new destination in life. I don’t know what is going on in your life. I don’t know where in the world you may be. I do know you need to be adopted and redeemed from the slavery of fear you are in. You need the Spirit of the Son in your heart. You need Abba. You need the Father. Today you can change your heavenly family. All you need to do is cry out to Jesus. He will show you the rest. Won’t you do that today?

Angela

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Solitary in Families

Family. The word conjures all sorts of images. Some of those images aren’t always good. Sometimes families are messy and hard. I imagine there have been times we have wondered how we landed in our messed-up family while it seems other families have it all together and love and support each other. They seem to be places where someone can grow and thrive and prosper. Then there is the other side. The dark side we don’t want to talk about. The family that is cold and abusive and destructive. Members of those families seek that nurturing they missed anywhere they can find it and it seems what they find is more of the same or worse. Deep down what all of us really want, and need, is unconditional love and acceptance,

I have worked in my present job as a secretary in a mental health clinic for over ten years. In that time, I have seen a lot of families come through our doors. Some families are more broken than others. Some leave a lot of damage in their wake and pass it on for generations. Broken people creating more broken people.  Yet, some have learned to cope with their brokenness and begun to heal.

Psalm 68:6 says, “God places the lonely in families, he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land (New Living Translation)

Adam may have related well to the first part of this verse. As the first man in creation, he saw all the wonder and beauty of everything God had created. Alone. He named all the animals. Alone. He tended the garden. Alone. Adam had realized his loneliness as he named the animals and saw there was no helper for him. In all of creation, there was no one else like him. He was truly alone. It was during this time that God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” So, He created Eve.

We are social people. We need each other. I have seen and heard and been a part of the “debate” over introverts vs. extraverts. Some of us are geared to be around people and need to be around people. Then there are those of us who think the world is way to    people-y. We need a high degree of space and can be on our on for long periods of time just fine, thank you very much. Yet even in that aloneness, there is a realization that “it is not good…to be alone.”

God gives us people we can relate to and talk to and be ourselves with. Sometimes this is our birth family. Sometimes it is our in-laws. Sometimes it is a really good group of friends. I think that when we spend too much time on our own, and I fall into that introvert group, we become prisoners to our mind and go to dark places. The family God gives us helps take away our prison and can fill us with joy and freedom and removes the loneliness.

I don’t know what your family looks like. It may be a place of joy. It may be a place of darkness. If it is a place of joy, I celebrate with you. You have found a special thing. Rejoice in the Lord’s provision. You are not alone. If it is a place of darkness. Let me tell you, you are not alone either. There is hope. God has a family for you also. Trust Him to bring you into that family. Get the help you need. If you are seeking and lost in your own prison, let God bring you into His Family. Trust Him today to be your Father and let Him adopt you as His child. There is no better family than His.

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233

National Child Abuse Hotline: 800-422-4453

National Suicide Hotline: 988

Angela

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Third Verse Devotion: Trust and Obey

I can still recall this hymn from my youth. It was most often the offertory hymn. Four men would gather at the back of the church when the song leader gave the cue. It went something like this. “For our offertory hymn, let’s stand as we sing the first, second, and last verses of…” That was all it took, and they would leave their seats as we all stood with hymnals in hands. I wonder if this wasn’t one of his favorite hymns. We seemed to sing it every other Sunday. The men would stand at the back and wait for the last verse then march down the aisle to stand before the pulpit. The song leader would nod at one of them to pray or the pastor would come to pray then they would begin to take the offering. I didn’t realize then that this was just as much a part of worship as the preaching and singing. Giving back to the Lord just a portion of what He had given to us.

Take a moment to read the verses to the hymn.

1 When we walk with the Lord
in the light of his word,
what a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will,
he abides with us still,
and with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

2 Not a burden we bear,
not a sorrow we share,
but our toil he doth richly repay;
not a grief or a loss,
not a frown or a cross,
but is blest if we trust and obey. [Refrain]

3 But we never can prove
the delights of his love
until all on the altar we lay;
for the favor he shows,
for the joy he bestows,
are for them who will trust and obey. [Refrain]

4 Then in fellowship sweet
we will sit at his feet,
or we’ll walk by his side in the way;
what he says we will do,
where he sends we will go;
never fear, only trust and obey. [Refrain]

United Methodist Hymnal, 1989

Hymnary.org

The hymn was written by John H. Sammis around 1887. He was a businessman who was born in New York. He eventually settled in Logansport, Indiana where he became a secretary for the local YMCA. He later became a Presbyterian minister. He is said to have penned more than 100 other songs.

The backstory for the hymn is uncertain as I have read at least two varying accounts. However, what is clear is that a gentleman stood up during a Dwight Moody revival in Brockton, Massachusetts and stated, “I am not quite sure – but I am going to trust, and I am going to obey.” This statement was the catalyst for Sammis to pen the hymn.

Verse three is our primary focus. Sammis reminds us that “we never can prove the delights of his love…” What a beautiful thought.  We can never out test God’s love. God is steadfast in His love for us. He does not waver; He does not change. His greatest act of love is when he sent Jesus to the cross. In return, we lay everything on the altar. Give our all to Him.

Sammis points out it is in this giving everything on the altar, this trusting and obeying, that we experience His favor and the fullness of His joy. Indeed, we are encouraged to trust Jesus for our eternity, and we show our love for Him by our obedience.

There are examples of individuals experiencing the delights of God’s love, favor, and joy throughout the Bible. These experiences are accompanied by trust and obedience. I do not say that the path is easy. Many in the scriptures who chose to trust and obey had difficult journeys and troubled paths. Yet their joy was complete knowing they had accomplished what their God had sent them to do.

Psalm 84:12 encourages us, “LORD Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.” (NIV)

What is the Lord asking you to do? Are you hesitant to begin? Let me encourage you to take that first shaky step. Will you be like the gentleman I mentioned at the beginning from Dwight Moody’s service? I will trust. I will obey.

Trust and obey

For there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus

But to trust and obey

Angela

Posted on by Angela

Nicodemus

John is unlike any of the other three gospels. He records events that may not be included in Matthew, Mark or Luke. The story of Nicodemus is one such story. We don’t know much about Nicodemus. We don’t know where he was born, who his parents were, how old he was, or if he had a wife or children. Yet what we do know is enough to make a big difference in our lives. He gives us an example to follow as we observe his interaction with Jesus.

NIGHTTIME VISITOR

The first time we see Nicodemus is at night. He comes to Jesus as a nighttime visitor. John 3:1-21 records the interaction between Jesus and Nicodemus. We learn the most about Nicodemus’s background here in the first two verses of the chapter.

“Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;

this man came to Jesus at night and said to Him,

 “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher;

for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.””

 (John 3:1-2 NASB)

Question: What do you learn about Nicodemus from these two verses?

Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews. Nicodemus had gained some prominence. He was not only a Pharisee but also a ruler of the Jews. There is a difference in the two groups. Not all Pharisees were rulers of the Jews and not all rulers of the Jews were Pharisees.

Pharisees were a sect of Jews that became popular during the period between Malachi and Matthew. We know it as the intertestamental period. They held to strict adherence to the law both oral and written. Much of their influence is still felt in Jewish thought today. They were antagonistic to Jesus throughout His ministry.

He came to Jesus at night for a conversation. He recognized Jesus as a teacher, calling him Rabbi. He included the whole group of Pharisees in his beginning remarks saying, “we know…” Maybe this was a way for him to enter the conversation with less focus on himself.

Question: How do you enter awkward conversations? Do you try to deflect to a larger group, so the attention isn’t on you alone?

The fact that Nicodemus came at night could have much meaning or no meaning. Jesus and Nicodemus were busy men. So, maybe coming at night was a time when both of their schedules would have allowed intimate conversation without interruption. On the other hand, maybe he came at night because he didn’t want to be seen coming to Jesus. He wasn’t ready for his fellow Pharisees and rulers to know he was talking to Jesus at all.

Question: Do you think there was any significance to Nicodemus coming to Jesus at night? Why do you think he came at night?

The conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus is eternally significant. It is through this conversation that we learn,

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son,

so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish,

but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NASB)

Nicodemus did not have a lot of understanding but after verse nine he does not speak again. He comes to Jesus at night and questions and listens. His last question was, “How can these things be?” Haven’t we wondered this before? Haven’t we listened to the mystery of God and wondered “How can these things be?” We do not have all the answers. We are not expected to. God does not give us all the answers. He gives us what we need. He gives us, “for God so loved the world…”, and this is where faith begins, and it is enough.

VOICE OF REASON

The next time we see Nicodemus is in John chapter 7. The context is during the feast of booths. The feast of booths is established in Leviticus chapter 23. It is to be celebrated for seven days following grain and wine harvest.

The people were divided about who Jesus was. Some were convinced he was the Christ. Some thought he was the Prophet. Some believed in Him. Some wanted to arrest Him. The officers report to the Pharisees who wanted to know why they had not brought Jesus with them. They admitted their confusion. “No one has ever talked like this before.” (my paraphrase). So, the Pharisees took the offense and accused them of believing in him also and being led astray.

“We haven’t believed in him, have we?

This crowd they don’t know what they are doing.

 They are unlearned and accursed.”

(John 7:48-49 NASB)

It is in this raking over the coals that Nicodemus speaks up. In verse 51 we find his response.

“Our Law does not judge the person

 unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?”

Question: Have you ever stood up for something only to be attacked by friends and coworkers and maybe even family for your stance? How did you respond? What was the result of your stance?

Nicodemus is trying to bring some order and justice into the chaos. They needed to hear from Jesus himself. When Nicodemus went to Jesus that night, he listened to Him. He heard what he said. He heard his message. He may not have understood everything, but he heard him. Now he speaks out before this group of his peers based on their own law, and they refuse to listen to him. They turned on him accusing him of being one of His followers. They revealed their limited view of God with verse 52,

“Examine the scriptures and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.”

Here their box-stuffed God is revealed. Just because a prophet had never come from Galilee didn’t mean God couldn’t call one from Galilee. He had never called one from inside a big fish either, yet we have Jonah. How about from a burning bush? Moses. God chooses where and when he calls his servants, not the expectations of people. He calls teachers, mechanics, bus drivers, firemen, police officers, businessmen and women, postal workers, and truck drivers. He calls people from America, England, Poland, China, Russia, Switzerland, Taiwan, North Korea, Ghana, and Chile. He calls men and women from all walks of life from across the globe. He might even be calling you to spread his gospel.  

Question: Is there a work God is calling you to do? Are you unwilling to accept that calling? Why? What is holding you back?

Nicodemus has moved from a nighttime visitor to a daylight voice of reason. He has been attacked for it. Sometimes when we move to do the right thing it might not always go the way we’d hoped. We may have to go through difficult places and have difficult conversations. We may lose relationships and positions we once enjoyed. We have one more look at Nicodemus. Let’s look at this steadfast giver of time and resources.

GIVER OF TIME AND RESOURCES

This last look of Nicodemus takes place in John chapter 19. Jesus has been crucified and Joseph of Arimathea has asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Pilate granted him this request and so Joseph took Jesus’s body. Here Nicodemus comes in. In both John 7 and John 13 Nicodemus is recognized as the one “who had first come to Him by night.” Here he comes, “bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes.” He and Joseph were preparing the body of Jesus for burial. Nicodemus brought about 100 pounds of the spices to cover His body as they wrapped it in the linen according to their custom.  This was an expensive mixture which Nicodemus brought. He was no longer a nighttime visitor. This was a public display of his belief in Jesus. Word would have traveled that Nicodemus had paid such a price for Jesus’s burial preparation. He, and Joseph of Arimathea, could no longer conceal under cover of darkness this deed brought them front and center as disciples of Jesus.

END OF THE STORY

We do not see Nicodemus again in the biblical record. Yet, his impact on believers and non-believers is tremendous. It is through a conversation with Jesus at night we get John 3:16. The verse which has been used to bring countless numbers to faith in Jesus. Nicodemus and Joseph give us an account of the burial of Jesus, which leads us to the tomb on Easter morning.

Where are you in this story? Are you talking to Jesus at night? Wondering how can these things be? Maybe you have moved to being a voice of reason. Have you tried to bring fairness to an unjust situation and been mocked because of it? Or have you opened your heart and resources to the garden tomb? No longer in the shadows, you are out in the open about your faith in Christ and it is precious to you, and you are walking daily with your Savior? It is not too late to begin the journey. Take a step today, won’t you?

Angela

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