Abusing Your Blessings

Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! Wail, all you drinkers of wine; wail because of the new wine, for it has been snatched from your lips.

Joel 1:5

Why should the drunkards weep? Because they won’t have any wine to drink.

In chapter 1 of his book, Joel has been describing a great invasion of locusts that has devastated Judah, consuming everything in the land. The destruction of Judah's harvest was so complete that the locusts had not only eaten the fruit, but had also stripped the bark off the vines and fig trees. Now, all that was left were naked, white branches and vines.

This affected everyone in Judah... from the richest and highest in the land to the poorest and lowest. But Joel pauses in verse 5 to specifically address the drunkard. Why?  

Well, it's certainly possible that in their drunken stupor the drunkards had not noticed what was going on around them and were now in for a rude awakening. But I also find it interesting, that drunkenness is the only sin directly mentioned in the book of Joel.* Perhaps, the drunkards serve as a warning to us of what can happen when we take God’s blessings (that He provided for our good and His glory) and we abuse them and use them for sin. If we do that, then we can't be surprised when He takes those blessings away from us.

Are you abusing any of the good things God has given to you? Are you turning any of God’s gifts into sin? Is wine, or money, or food, or sex, or your own comfort and prosperity becoming a source of sin in your life? If so, then don’t be surprised if He takes them away.

*Dillard, Raymond B. “Joel.” In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, 3:618–24. Baker Reference Library. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1995.

An Ancient Blessing

In the Old Testament we find the patriarchs speaking blessings over their children. Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau. Jacob blessed Joseph and his sons Manasseh and Ephraim. And later on in Numbers 6:22-27 the Lord gives Aaron the high priest a special blessing to pronounce over Israel almost as though he were the spiritual father of the nation as a whole. 

This idae of pronouncing a blessing over someone is almost foreign to us in the New Testament church. We pray for our children and grandchildren but we don't really pronounce blessings over them in that way. So, I was somewhat surprised when I found myself reading Psalm 20 and thinking about how powerful it would be as a blessings or a prayer spoken over my own children. 

I think that must be how this ancient song functioned for Israel. It was a blessing that they sung over one another. And God has preserved it in the Scripture for us so that we too can pronounce this ancient blessing over those close to us. So consider pronouncing or praying this blessing over someone close to you today.    

Psalm 20

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;

may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

May he send you help from the sanctuary

and grant you support from Zion.

May he remember all your sacrifices

and accept your burnt offerings.

May he give you the desire of your heart

and make all your plans succeed.

May we shout for joy over your victory

and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant all your requests.

Now this I know:

The Lord gives victory to his anointed.

He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary

with the victorious power of his right hand.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

They are brought to their knees and fall,

but we rise up and stand firm.

Lord, give victory to the king!

Answer us when we call!

Three Don'ts of a Blessed Life

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

Psalm 1:1

In the middle of our Bibles we have the songbook of the OT believer. In it we find all different kinds of psalms that were sung in their worship services, songs of praise, songs of lament, thanksgiving songs, and some songs that were written to instruct God’s people. Psalm 1 is one of these last types. It lays out for the believer how to have a blessed life and in the very first verse gives us three don’ts to attaining that life.

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked." 

The blessed man doesn't take advice from wicked people. Let me ask, who do you take advice from? If you remember the story of Solomon’s son Rehoboam, then you know that the counsel we accept often determines our fate (I Kings 12). We often end up becoming like those we follow, so don’t let wicked people tell you how to think or what to do. Listen to the counsel of the righteous, instead. Take counsel from God’s Word.

"[He] does not stand in the way of sinners."

What paths are you walking? We're blessed when we do not live like the wicked live. So don’t frequent the places or activities the wicked frequent. "But Jesus hung out with sinners," you might object. While Jesus was a companion of sinners, He interacted with them when they were not engaging in their sinful ways. He didn’t frequent brothels or temples of pagan gods! He spoke to them in the marketplace and out on mountain sides and by the sea shore. Jesus steered far clear of their wicked paths and so should you. Don’t do what the wicked person does and somehow fool yourself into thinking you are any different from them.

"[He] does not sit in the seat of scoffers."

Notice here the progression in his path toward wickedness. First he merely walked by the wicked. He doesn’t tarry but is there long enough to just hear their thoughts on a subject. He "walks in their counsel." Then he grows accustomed to them and their thinking and he "stands among them" in their way of life though he is still somewhat set apart. And in the end where do we find him but sitting down, settling in among them. Here we see that by virtue of taking their advice and hanging around them, over time this young man has begun to think like them. Their worldview has become his worldview. The way of the righteous person seems odd and foreign to him now. And so He joins in with the wicked in mocking God’s people and God’s ways. He is now one of them, whether he admits it or not.

Consider your own life. Look back at where you were 5 or 10 years ago and see where you are now. Are you more like Jesus or the world now than you were then? Are your beliefs more in keeping with the Bible or with the world? Are you walking, standing, or sitting in the way of wicked men?

Praise God No Matter What!

All creatures look to you

    to give them their food at the proper time.

When you give it to them,

    they gather it up;

when you open your hand,

    they are satisfied with good things.

When you hide your face,

    they are terrified;

when you take away their breath,

    they die and return to the dust.

When you send your Spirit,

    they are created,

    and you renew the face of the ground.

May the glory of the Lord endure forever;

                                      Psalm 104:27-31a

God is worthy of praise. This is true even when He isn't blessing you. God gives life, and He takes it away. In both these ways He shows power and His glory and therefore both reveal that He deserves praise. God provides for all creatures everywhere and sometimes He hides His face allowing them to go without. In both these ways He shows that He is the Great Provider and that we have nothing that does not come from Him.

As many psalms do, Psalm 104 makes this point in more than one way. Consider, for example, this psalm's recurring theme of water. In verses 6-8 it calls to the readers mind how God used water to flood the earth in judgment. Not even the tallest mountain was left uncovered. Yet just a few verses later it details many of the ways God blesses His people and creation using...water. So not only do blessings and curses both come from God, but He can also use the very same thing to bless or curse. Often whether it is counted a blessing or a curse depends on quantity. Too much or too little may bring hardship whereas the right amount is a blessing. 

This means that your biggest blessings can become curses. Conversely, in time your worst trials may prove to have an element of blessing in them. So, if some terribly destructive event is carving deep ravines through your life right now, remember that those same ravines may one day be used to deliver God's blessings right where they are needed most. Verses 10-12 give us this image as springs of life-giving water flow through the ravines that were likely carved by the flood to nourish the earth and animals. So, remember this, it doesn't matter if you are in a season of blessing or judgment, plenty or hardship God is still worth praising! Though it is difficult and counter intuitive, we can look back on God's judgment and offer up praise just as much as we can look back on His blessing and do the same. Both reveal who He is. Both reveal He deserves praise.

Go Ahead and Jump

Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Mark 10:28-31

People often talk about the Christian life as a leap of faith. While it's true that the decision to turn away from your sin and surrender your life to Jesus is like a leap of faith, the truth is that it doesn't end there. The Christian life isn't just one leap of faith, it's a series of leaps of faith based on God's Word. And the more often you jump the more comfortable you get with it. 

Think about a flying trapeze act. The trapeze artist swings on a bar high above the circus. After several swings to gain momentum, she lets go and flies through the air performing tricks (flips, twirls, etc...) only to be caught by a "catcher" hanging from another swinging trapeze bar. These tricks are done as high as 40 feet in the air, but you don't think they started off that way, do you? No! They start learning at lower heights, flying across small distances, performing simple or no tricks. Only after practicing for many months or years do they gain the ability and confidence to perform the big tricks so high up in the air. 

It's the same with us as believers. The more we take the small leaps of faith, the more confidence we gain that God will always catch us. So, if we will only discipline ourselves to make the small leaps, to obey God in the everyday things, then before we know it God will call us out to greater heights. That's where the thrill is in the Christian life. That's where God can really use us. 

So many believers are bored with the Christian faith and have no idea why. But I know why! It's because they have very little faith. They are still playing on the kiddie swings. They've never been willing to step out of their comfort zone and obey God. They got saved and then refused to take any more leaps of faith from that point on. So their walk with the Lord is stunted. Their unwillingness to risk anything for God prevents them from going on any great spiritual adventures or experiencing any great spiritual victories. Think about it. Great victories require beating larger foes, and that can only happen if you have the faith to step onto the battlefield with that foe. 

Fear of risking big things for God will keep you from receiving big blessings from God. Take a leap of faith today. Obey some command in Scripture that you've been ignoring or follow a prompting of the Spirit. Give a big gift to your church. Talk to someone about Jesus, even if it means they avoid you from now on. Finally tackle that sin in your life. If you know God is with you and that He is pleased by what you're doing, then no risk is too big. So, go ahead and jump.

The Double Blessing of Obedience

Nearly from the moment they attain speech small children begin to think they know better than their parents. You know they do because they will argue with their parents, shouting "NO!". This innate behavior captures some of what it means to have a fallen human nature. None of us likes to be told what to do. We all think we know better than others do and can get along just fine on our own.

But when it comes to God's commands, we'd be wise to take instruction. Scripture tells us that it's actually a blessing that He tells us what to do. Check out one of David's songs about the blessing of God's law.

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.More to be desired are they than gold,Yea, than much fine gold;Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.Moreover by them Your servant is warned,And in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can understand his errors?Cleanse me from secret faults.Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;Let them not have dominion over me.Then I shall be blameless,And I shall be innocent of great transgression.(Psalm 19:7-13)

In verse eleven we find out that God's commands are actually a double blessing. First, they serve as a warning, protecting us from the many dangers that await us when we go our own way. Sin always brings pain and difficulty. God's commands are designed to protect us from that pain and difficulty.

Second, walking in the paths of righteousness laid out by God's commands brings reward. That doesn't mean life is always easy when you obey, but it's certainly easier and better in the long run than it would have been if you had not obeyed.

So, do something for yourself today. Obey God!

Beware of Blessing

When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.

Hosea 13:6

Are you blessed? Chances are that you're reading this off a phone or computer screen somewhere and that you are in fact very blessed. And that means you are in danger. That's right. There is a danger in being blessed. The human heart is so deceitfully wicked and the great Adversary against whom we struggle is so deviously clever, that even God's gifts to us can be used to turn us away from Him. According to Hosea 13:6 this is how it happens.

Step 1: God blesses us with every good thing. We are full, satisfied, our "cup runneth over." We grow rich and fat.

Step 2: Our satisfaction sours and turns to pride. As Satan whispers praise in our ear, we begin to credit ourselves with the abundance we enjoy. What a clever enemy we fight that he could tempt us to turn our backs on God even in response to God's good gifts in our lives!

Step 3: We forget God. You see pride is a form of worship... it is self-worship. Pride is a selfish ruler who will not bear with any competitor for your affection and it certainly will not allow you to humble yourself by bowing the knee before Almighty God. In fact, any glimpse of God as He truly is would shatter your newly inflated self-image. That is why a heart filled with pride must forget God for its own self-preservation. We stop worshiping Him, stop serving Him, and stop thanking Him for all our blessings. After all they are the result of our own hard work, aren't they?

This is when judgment comes. So be wary. Check your heart. Weed out pride. Count your blessings. And above all credit your blessings to God, not to your own wisdom, hard work, or righteousness.

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights...

James 1:16-17