August 11, 2006
“Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits – Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, Who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:1-5 NIV).
Sure signs of truly experiencing God are a heightened appreciation of the holy, a deeper delight in worship, a graver regard for the burdens and sufferings of others, and a diminished sense of our own self-importance. In fact, as the awareness of the beautiful presence of God washes over us, our sensibilities are shaken and challenged: those things that we have esteemed in the past are measured anew against the Person of Jesus Christ. If our worldly loves have disproportionately absorbed or commandeered the expressions of our devotion (e.g., our time, our resources, or even our attitudes), we must pause to reconsider our priorities. On the one hand, we may choose to either continue on in life as we always have, His holiness and mercy ricocheting off us like bullets from Superman’s chest. If so, then we become calloused to further blessings from God and little deader in our hearts than before.
But perhaps we choose instead to realign our attitudes, ambitions, actions, and activities with the truth that He has shown us through His Word and in so doing, open the way for God to disclose Himself to us in new ways and pour out upon us new opportunities to bring glory to His name.
“Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders You have done. The things You planned for us no one can recount to You; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare…. I desire to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart. I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, as You know, O LORD. I do not hide Your righteousness in my heart; I speak of Your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal Your love and Your truth from the great assembly” (Psalm 40:4-5, 8-10 NIV).
The supreme barometer for whether or not Christ is truly Lord and Savior of our hearts is our inclination to yield to His authority (direct or implied) in our life choices. Thus, the greatest measuring tool for discerning the depth of your spirituality is obedience to Jesus’ will and Word. When God’s Word says something in regard to the “rightness” or “wrongness” of something in your life, how you choose to respond to it will reveal to you whether or not He is your king and whether or not you are truly experiencing Him in your life.
“Let the redeemed of the LORD say this – those He redeemed from the hand of the foe, those He gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things” (Psalm 107:2-9 NIV).
Has God ever given you nourishment and strength, physically or spiritually? Has He ever refreshed your life with zeal, excitement, and a renewed sense of purpose and worth? If so, are you living life that expresses gratitude to God? Does your commitment to serve Him and to bear fruit in His kingdom cry out thankfulness and passion to please Him?
“Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. So He subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men, for He breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron” ( NIV).
Have you ever faced a darkness of discouragement and despair in life, only to finally see the light of His love and majesty? Have you ever been blinded by the fogs of doubt and disillusionment, only to have the fresh air of His love blow them away into the nothingness that they really are? If He has, why then would you withhold from Him an offering of praise and adoration? If you have truly been set free from the power and penalty of sin, how does your character and countenance portray your heart’s desire to please and honor God?
“Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He sent forth His word and healed them; He rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of His works with songs of joy.” (Psalm 107:17-22 NIV).
Does it take calamity or loss to soften our hearts to embrace His loving lordship? Too often it does. For example, how often do we, the moment we get heavy burdens lifted from our shoulders through answered prayer, go back to our old ways of life or former patterns of thinking and choosing? Do we sometimes go to church meetings on Sundays to get a spiritually charged “good feeling”, but then on Mondays, resume our old ways of doing things and assume again our former roles in our circles of influence and acquaintance? If so, then the unimaginable brilliance of God’s holiness seems to not have broken through the cloud cover of our busy, busy minds. We’re still what we once were.
But if we recognize the fact of His presence, embrace His love, and fall down on our knees yielding our will and ways to His kingly authority, we rise up and set our hands and minds to tasks that matter to Him, and forgo the glory and comfort we once sought for ourselves. We really are new creations. We really are servants of the Living God.
“He lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks. The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths. Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD.” (Psalm 107:41-43 NIV).
(Thom Mollohan and his family have ministered in southern Ohio the past eleven years. He is the pastor of Pathway Community Church, which meets on Sunday mornings at the Ariel Theatre. He may be reached for comments or questions by email at pastorthom@pathwaygallipolis.com).
