Rest in The Lord



Notes from my quiet time

 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed; Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of your heart; Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass; And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday; Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass. Psalm 37:3-7.

I was talking to our oldest son recently about an area of unforgiveness in his life.  He was expressing his feelings of hurt, anger and disappointment with someone, and I encouraged him to forgive.  He asked me, “How do you forgive someone who doesn’t care enough to even ask for your forgiveness.”  I paused to think about what I wanted to say because I did not want to give him a religious answer.  He is only 16. At the age of 38, even I still struggle with this question!  I also didn’t want to allow my personal struggles with unforgiveness to taint the appropriate answer to him.  So I said to him, “it doesn’t matter if they do not ask because forgiveness is a gift freely given both to that person as well as yourself.  You give that person the gift of grace and yourself the gift of freedom.   It frees up your heart, mind and spirit from bondage, and allows God to deal with the other person in His way.”  His response made me chuckle, when he said “ugh, the bible is too forgiving!”  You’ve got to love teenagers! But truthfully, how many times have we all thought the same thing???

Let’s be honest, it can be difficult to forgive when someone mistreats you and chooses not to acknowledge the offense, let alone ask for forgiveness.  I have personally whined and complained to God about how he could allow someone to “get away with” what they have done to me.  But isn’t that what He allows us to do with Jesus??   Nevertheless, God understands the pain that we sometimes endure at the hands of another.  He also understands that when we choose to forgive, it can feel like the person is getting away with hurting us.  However, He wants you to trust Him with your offenses.  He knows your natural tendency is to retaliate. But if you will commit YOUR WAY to Him, He promises to bring about justice on your behalf.
    

It’s also important to understand the principle of GRACE in forgiveness.  We are all flawed and capable of hurting or mistreating others.  If we are honest, you and I have committed our own share of offenses.  That doesn’t mean that we purposely and continuously engage in relationships with people who repeatedly mistreat us.  Sometimes sin alters the dynamics of a relationship (much prayer is required to determine this).  However, Grace allows you to forgive (as you have been forgiven).  Remember, your offender is not the enemy, even if at times, she or he succumbs to the influence of the enemy.  So you should understand that God’s justice and judgment does not mean He will “smite” your offender and give you a front row seat to observe.  His everlasting, unconditional and unfailing love extends to your offenders as well.  His first priority is to restore that person into alignment with His word, not satisfy the craving of your flesh for revenge.

So I encourage you today to trust God with your hurt, disappointments, mistreatment and misunderstandings.  Trust Him with the offendes that you have stored up against those who have hurt you.  Rest assured that God is not casually standing by while someone mistreats you.  He sees all. He knows all.  He is well aware of everything that is happening in your life, and He will bring about righteousness and justice for you if you will trust Him.  Even though it "seems unfair" and the enemy surely means it for evil -- to disrupt your trust and faith in God – God means it for your good – to make you stronger, to give you wisdom, to BUILD your trust and faith in Him as your Protecter and Righteous Avenger.  He is a JUST and RIGHTEOUS God.  Rest patiently for Him, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

If you are in relationship with someone who is repeatedly hurting you, pray and ask God how you should handle it.  If it is your spouse, seek the counseling of your Pastor or another mature Christian married couple who can cover and guide you and your spouse.  Marriage is so important to God! It is the earthly representation of His relationship with the body of believers.  Make it your first priority over all things.

For other relationships, seek the Lord on whether or not the relationship is purposeful and necessary for your life. For purposeful relationships, ask the Lord to empower you to forgive quickly and commit your way to Him. If the person is unsaved, commit to praying daily that she/he will be saved and will begin to grow in the knowledge of God. If the person is a believer, considering having a conversation with the individual to express your concerns.

Pearls of Wisdom: Whom the Lord Loves

My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent His rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. Proverbs 3: 11,12


Have you ever thought about what your life would be like if the Lord never allowed you to suffer any consequences? Can you imagine what you would do if God didn't love you enough to discipline and rebuke you? I can tell you what my life would be like: a total mess!!  I cringe at the thought of it!  Sure, I would certainly like to believe that I would do the right thing without rebuke, but the truth is that some of the greatest lessons I have learned have been found in the Lord's discipline.  

I've recently encountered a very tough season.  It has been a time of rebuke in some areas where I really needed to grow but I had allowed myself to become comfortable.  It was also a time to reap in some areas where I had sown seeds of disobedience.  But the interesting thing is that despite what I know about the Lord's discipline, my response to this tough season was one that we as Chrisitian's sometimes fall prey: selective amnesia!  I totally overlooked MY contribution and immediately started questioning God!!

Sometimes I wonder if God must sit back and scratch His Head at Christian's selective amnesia.  You know, the kind of amnesia that allows us to selectively forget our own disobedience when we have to reap consequences. Or the kind of amnesia that allows us to selectively forget our own contribution to the problem at hand.  Or how about the kind where we selectively blame the enemy for our situation rather than take responsibility... That's where I found myself...asking God "why"?  Why now? Why this? Why me?  But the truth is that when I look back over some of the decisions I made, a better question is "why not?"  I'm the one the Lord loves like a son.  I'm the one He wants to be in relationship with. I'm the one He wants to bless.  Why not me?  Why not discipline and train me so that I will not repeat the same situations over and over thereby delaying the abundance He has ordained for me?

My sister, the same applies to you.  Why not you?  He could have chosen to leave you to yourself.  But instead, He loves you enough to discipline you and break those destructive habits and ways that separate you from Him and His will for your life.  So, if you are in a season of hardship, discipline and rebuke, don't despair.  The Lord loves you enough to allow you to be trained by your reaping season.  It's not about punishment.  The truth is, we could not withstand the Lord's punishment.  But He LOVES us enough to permit divinely designed toughs season to enter into our lives for the sole purpose of ushering us into our destiny.  What a great God! 

So be encouraged that He has not forgotten you in this season. He will not leave you here any longer than necessary.  But He loves you so much that He could not allow you to remain the same. No, my sister, He wants more FOR you and therefore, He requires more OF you.  If you can weather your seasons of discipline by staying focused on learning from the process, you will see your life flourish in the abundance that He promised. It's worth it!

All my love,
Nicole

Pearls to Ponder
If you trace your current hardships back to decisions you've made (or fail to make) what is the Lord trying to teach you in His loving discipline? How can you change your response in order to cooperate with the process and not waste time complaining?

Pearls to treasure:

Deuteronomy 8:5
Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you.

Hebrews 12: 6-10

For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?  If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.  Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?  For they disciplined us for a short time at their pleasure, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.  For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.