Site Moved

I have now moved my site to http://drawaside.posterous.com, which can also be reached via my personal blog http://baselamania.posterous.com.

God's goodness and our wayward hearts

"According to their pasture, so were they filled. They were filled and their heart was lifted up. Therefore they have forgotten Me." (Hosea 13:6)

Indeed we serve a great God, one who wants nothing but the best for us. While stated in Jeremiah 29:11 (For I know the purposes which I am purposing for you, says Jehovah; purposes of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope), this is best summed up by John 3:16-17.

What is really tragic though is that as a result of our Lord blessings, many times, we tend to slide away from Him. Its as if through His blessings, we decide that we are self-made and no longer need Him.  Right in the beginning, with all the blessing and provision of the garden of Eden, man blatantly disobeyed God resulting the entire human race being condemned (Genesis 3). The children or Israel were hardly delivered from slavery when they went off dancing around a golden calf and provoking God; claiming that the calf which they had created had in fact bought them out of Egypt (Exodus 32).

And so the pattern continues throughout history with people crying out to God, the Lord hearing, receiving and restoring them, and then a growing cold as people take what God has blessed them with and then use it to pursue their own will and pleasures.We live as if we are the creators of our own destiny. All this makes me think of a term that I heard the other day, "Atheist Christian" i.e. someone who confesses God but lives like He doesn't exist.

Like the old hymn, my heart cries out,
"Keep me true Lord Jesus, keep me true.
There's a race that I must run.
There are victories to be won.
Give me power every hour to be true."

What a contrast the above verse from Hosea is with Psalm 23.

Psalm 23

1. The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
2. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
3. He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5. You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.
6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Here the psalmist acknowledges that God is his support and sustainence.  He feeds, eats and drinks (i.e. lives) in the safety and surety of the Lord. Rather than drifting from God, he draws close in both good times and bad times, times of praise and times of discipline. Like Job and Paul he has absolute confidence in the Lord.

"For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall rise on the earth at the last;  (26)  and even after they corrupt my skin, yet this: in my flesh I shall see God.....", Job (Job 19:25-26)

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.  (8)  Now there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that Day; and not to me only, but also to all those who love His appearing.", Paul (2Ti 4:7-8)

"I know not what of good or ill

May be reserved for me,

Of weary ways or golden days,

Before His face I see.

But I know Whom I have believèd,

And am persuaded that He is able

To keep that which I’ve committed

Unto Him against that day."

Even though Paul had and lived by the above convictions, he was still very aware of the weakness of his flesh. "So then I run, not as if I were uncertain. And so I fight, not as one who beats the air.  (27)  But I buffet my body, and lead it captive, lest proclaiming to others I myself might be rejected." (1 Corinthians 9:26-27), "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  (25)  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then with the mind I myself serve the Law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin." (Romans 7:24-25) 

In short what makes one believer stand out from another is his or her willingness to die to self and truly put God first in his or her life. As John puts it, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). Which once again is best summed up by Christ, "And He said to all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. " (Luke 9:23)

2 Peter 1:10, "Therefore, brothers, rather be diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things, you shall never fall." As Luke 9:23 says, this is a continual, daily experience. Not that we are working our way to heaven as our salvation is secured and wrought through our Lord. We do however need to ensure that we allowing Him to renew our mind (Romans 12:2), and that we are not growing hard of heart (Hebrews 3:8), but rather that we are growing up daily into Him (Ephesians 4:15,1 Peter 2:2,2 Peter 3:18).

The great thing about drawing close to God is that He draws close to us (Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. James 4:8). Therefore the process or action of abiding in Christ (1 John 2:28) turns out not to be that difficult; it's simply a decision that needs to be followed through on.

Fallow ground

Hosea 10:12
Sow yourself in righteousness; 
Reap in mercy; 
Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the Lord
Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.


Sowing speaks of death to self;  "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit." (Jesus John 12:24). The difference between us and the world is that our death of self needs to result in fruit of righteousness and not self-righteousness. This also seems to tie in with 1 Corinthians 33-34, "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. Awake to righteousness, and sin not...." Following righteousness will lead away from sin. So how do I die to self and bring forth righteousness? John 15:4 has the answer, "Abide in Christ". In short this is a deliberate decision and more than that, it is an action. Rather than participating in "evil communications" I pursue Christ; once again,  not a passive involvement but a deliberate and active interaction with our Lord and Saviour.

"Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. In due season we shall reap, if we faint not", Galatians 6:7-9. Praise the Lord that as we have died to self, and through His death, are buried with Christ, that  through His mercy, we can reap eternal life. And eternal life is not for the future only, but for the here and now ("He that hath the Son hath life",1John 5:12  ). Today, and everyday I can know His love, joy, peace, hope etc that passes all understanding and description.

So what if I am not experiencing the above? I need to do some "ground breaking". What is the condition of my heart? Here would be a good time to read the parable of the Sower (Mark 4:14-20). What type of soil is my heart? If my life is not bringing forth "much fruit" then there's a problem. This is always a challenge for me because at the end of the day, out of all that I am involved in and doing, what really is producing the eternal fruit of righteousness, i.e. fruit that will remain and that brings Glory to our Lord (1 Corinthians 3:12-13).

Praise the Lord that He has given us more time and ample opportunity to address and deal with these issues in our lives. I think this is one of the main reasons that I miss the opportunity of breaking bread every week. It is a pity that most fellowships seem to  have moved away from this example that appears to have been set by the Apostles (Acts 20:7).  In my experience, besides been a precious hour of prayer and fellowship around the Lord's table, this  time also served as a focused opportunity to keep an active check on the "fallow ground" in my life while we remembered the wonderful and victorious sacrifice made by our Lord. Together with our personal study and prayer, all the activities in Acts 2:42, help us like Paul to keep our eyes and hearts heaven bound, pressing "toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14).

Once again, I need to seek the Lord. James 4:8 sums it up,  "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners; and purify your hearts, double-minded ones."  David's prayer also echoes his desire to seek after God, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10). The really great news here is that (to quote James again), God is waiting for you to draw near as He WANTS to draw near to you. No matter what we've done, He wants an eternal relationship with us. This desire is best illustrated by Jesus's words, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to her, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings" (Mat 23:37  ) which he said knowing of the betrayal and suffering that awaited Him by these self, same people.

Today (if we hear His voice and harden not our hearts, Hebrews 3:15) we can already know His righteousness in our lives. What we need to encourage each other with, is the hope that we have and wait for, i.e. His very soon return to take us home to be with Him . In fact, this hope is evidence of our purity in Christ (1 John 3:3). I need to continue seeking Him daily, until I hear that trumpet sound and am caught up to be with Him in glory; "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Revelations 22:21). 

Rebellious House

Hi,

Busy going through Ezekiel.. never really counted it as one of my favourite books... but this time I am getting so much out of it and finding it so challenging.

Eze 12:1-2 NKJV

Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house...."

Where do I stand before God (our Lord). I have ears and eyes but do I choose to hear and see? The phrase "rebellious house" appears only to be used in Ezekiel and is only used when referring to God's people. When you consider 1Samuel 15:23 NKJV (For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.") this is indeed tragic.

The joy however is in the fact that living between the cross and the rapture, we have ample opportunity to restore our relationship with the Lord. I too can cry David's prayer, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting." (Psa 139:23-24 NKJV)

...... the crux of the matter now is am I willing to follow? AND even more than that, AM I actually following?

Thank-you lord for the washing of your word.