I was listing to a preacher read Psalm 23 last Sunday. I do not know how many times I have heard or read that psalm. How about you? When he got to verses 5 and 6, the spirit came knocking on my heart. What does it mean to have a table prepared for me by God in the presence of my enemies? I will tell you what came to my mind.
It speaks to the spiritual reality that every Christian lives in so long as they walk this earth alongside those who are not Christian. We have been anointed by the Spirit of God - represented physically by oil. We have been pleased with spiritual blessings.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love" - Ephesians 1:3-4
So we live our new lives with a spiritual reality or table prepared for us, understanding that we live in a world that is in opposition to God and His Truth and us. Our "enemy", if you will, is the fallen world. We live in it, have been saved from it, and are longer part of it. Certainly we wish and hope that the world would change its mind and embrace God, but that requires spiritual conversion.
I wrote "understanding" that we face a spiritual conflict that manifests itself in daily life in a culture that has rejected the Truth for a lie. We are mistaken to think that it is any different. That people really want to be good. To do right. The truth is that they are dominated, driven, enslaved by their sin nature, just as we once were. Why do I continue to write about this fact? Because, like the sons if Issachar, (1 Chronicles 12:32) we must understand the times that we live in and act accordingly as ambassadors for Christ - lights on a hill in the midst of darkness.
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." - Ephesians 6:12
We can live like the turtle and pull our heads, legs and tail into our "shells" and hope that whatever threatens us will go away. That somehow things will go back to the way they once were, or the way we thought they were. But things won't be set aright until the Lord returns or we join Him in Heaven. In the meantime - we must live like strangers in a foreign land. Not in fear or dread, but with confidence and boldness, and understanding that we are children of the King.
Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
No comments:
Post a Comment