City of God

"We have a strong city;

God makes salvation its walls and ramparts."

Isaiah 26:1

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it,

but whoever loses his life for me

will find it."

Matthew 16:25

I have to admit that I'm afraid.  I have heard all the stories of God's amazing feats.  I have listened to testimonies of others who have trusted God and how He has provided.  I have seen His mighty works myself.  But I'm afraid to step off into the darkness.

Two of our daughters have finished one year at an expensive university where they are studying art.  God called them to this particular school and opened all the doors for them to begin classes last summer.  They have learned a lot in just one year.  Although they receive funds from the Veterans Administration for school as part of their father's retirement benefits and were awarded a Pell grant last year, they still racked up some debt in student loans.

The thought of my daughters starting off their adult life with debt has weighed heavily upon me and as I completed the financial aid packet this year, I strongly sensed God leading us to trust Him for the money.  When the award letter came back, they received no grants this year; only loans:  It was time for us to trust Him and reject the loan offers.

God knows my heart and sees my hesitancy to fully commit this expense to Him.  In response, He has shown me in the past few months how He will provide if I'll only trust Him.  For instance, He delivered wicker patio furniture, a weekend away for my husband and I, landscaping bricks to replace the wooden ones destroyed by termites and even some new hula hoops for the kids in the neighborhood: all at no cost to us!  As I scooped up this most recent acquisition, tears sprang to my eyes: Thank you Lord for showing me how much You can give to me if only I'll let you!  

David reminds me in Psalm 23 that, "The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need." (NLT)  In fact, I need look no further than Him for everything.

God is the Wall

Up until the invention of firearms, most cities were enclosed with a wall both for protection and to provide a visual boundary.  God told His people through the prophet Zechariah that, "I myself will be a wall of fire around (the city of Jerusalem). . .and I will be its glory within."  (Zechariah 2:5)  God was reminding them that He was their source of security.  As His child, I can take this reminder to heart.

Insurance is a big business in America today.  Agents try to get me to buy coverage to protect me, my family and my belongings in case of fire, flood, natural disaster, storms, accidents, and the like.  There is always a new threat looming on the horizon for which I am presumably at risk.  It is easy to put my trust in insurance to protect me from the unknown.  

This reminds me of some difficulty we ran into while running our free afterschool program ministry.  Due to the liability inherent with hosting groups of children in our home three times a week, we are unable to purchase liability insurance to cover our belongings or us in case someone decides to sue us.  The only coverage we have is on the house itself.  Many would call us irresponsible or even reckless, but we continue to run the program out of obedience to God and He has always protected us.  

This same attitude can cross over into all areas of my life.   I don't need to fear what man may do to me: "If God is for us, who can ever be against us?  Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else?"  (Romans 8:31b-32 NLT)  God has already shown me how much He will sacrifice for me in giving His One and Only Son, so won't He shield me from gossip, legal threats or sickness?  

Oswald Chambers wrote about being devoted to Jesus Christ to such an extent that nothing would distract my attention from Him.   "Jesus says--Go steadily on with what I have told you to do and I will guard your life.  If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance."  I can be my own worst enemy, getting in the way of the work Jesus is doing to take care of me.

If only I will keep my focus on my Lord who is, "my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.  He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."  (Psalm 18:2)

God is the Inheritance

Families have been torn apart by arguments over money and inheritance issues.  Grudges are held for years because one sibling is left more in the will of a deceased parent than another was given.  My husband's family has been plagued by this difficulty.  Siblings refused to talk to one another because of a few acres of land and a rundown shack.  It was sad to see relationships fall by the wayside because of an old cow pasture!

The tribe of Levi did not have this issue because while all the other tribes were receiving their allotment of land, God told them that, "The Levites, however, will not receive any allotment of land.  Their role as priests of the LORD is their allotment." (Joshua 18:7 NLT)  He also said that He himself is their inheritance.

I know they must have had some feelings of jealousy as everyone else worked their land, improving it's value so their children would inherit something tangible.  It's great to know God is their only possession, but hard to swallow when everyone around them had vineyards to cultivate, houses to call their own and flocks to tend.

It's not so different than me.  God has promised me that when I seek Him with all of my heart, I will find Him.  But many times my heart looks elsewhere.  I long for adventure, excitement and affection when I'm stuck washing the same dishes a thousand times, wiping runny noses and endlessly tying shoes on little feet.  Where's the joy in that?

If I look in the wrong places to find fulfillment, I will be disappointed.  If, however, I do everything for the glory of God and seek His kingdom only, I will never feel discontent.  God will then truly be my one and only possession; the only belonging that is worth holding onto.

If I will look to God as my precious inheritance, then I will do as David did and say, "I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart."  (Psalm 9:1)

God is the King

It is expected that the 2012 campaign will cost a whopping $8 billion.  We place a lot of faith, and money, in the people who lead our country.  A friend of mine once said, "It doesn't matter who is in power; we'll still have the same problems."

I want to think that the right person in office will change everything, but my friend is probably right: in the scheme of things, the president doesn't have that much influence.  

Back in the time of the Judges, the people if Israel looked to God as their leader.  Even though He was the most well-equipped for the job, the Israelites grew restless and wanted a king like everyone else.  Their stubbornness got them into trouble as they suffered through one evil king after another.  Every once in a while a good king would come along who loved God and served Him only, but most of the time it was bad news.  

In the same way, I have been promised a God who is king over all the earth, but I want to be like those around me.  I listen to the advice of talk show hosts before I'll heed the counsel found in God's Word.  I am quick to change my ways to match those of my favorite celebrity while ignoring the example Jesus gave during His 33 years on earth.  I easily follow a friend whom I admire yet forsake God's Spirit Who dwells within me.  

Letting Jesus reign as King of my life is different than electing a president to lead a country.  As my Lord, He will do amazing things through me as I submit to His will.  Watchman Nee, 20th century Chinese Christian put it this way; "To have God do his own work through us, even once, is better than a lifetime of human striving."

If only I will allow Jesus to serve as Lord of my life, than I will be able to say he is my, "King of kings and Lord of lords." (1 Timothy 6:15)

I can trust God with all things.  Unfortunately, it is all too easy for me to look to other sources for my protection, sense of worth and leadership.  God, however, is my everything!  Not only can He supply all my needs, but He is my protection, my inheritance and my King.  Today, I choose to live in the City of God.

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will trust God as the One who is, and was, and is to come.

How do I fail to give my whole heart to God?

When am I stingy with my life, keeping so much of it for myself instead of dedicating it to God?