Surrounded with Favor

God’s investment in us is so great he could not possibly abandon us.

-E. Lutzer

When we observe the world around us, it is easy to become negative.  We often see righteous people suffer, and we see the godless prosper.  But what we see are the circumstances that surround someone.  What we don’t usually see is God’s attitude toward that person.

They are not always the same.  Sometimes his favor results in visible blessing; sometimes it doesn’t.

As in so many other psalms, David cried out to God for help in Psalm 5:2.  His conclusion at the end of the psalm is that he will be blessed.  Why?  He knows who God is.  Though he is suffering at the hands of evil, he knows that this will not always be his situation. 

We, too, may not see justice at a given moment, but over the course of time we will see two unalterable trends: the blessing of those who pursue righteousness and the destruction of those who pursue evil.

We need to remember this when we wonder whether our pursuit of godliness is worth the cost.  It always is.  We may not see it right away, but we will see it eventually. 

Our God does not withhold blessing from anyone whose heart is right towards him.  He blesses the righteous and he surrounds them with favor.

Do you wonder about your future?  Are you afraid for your welfare?  Don’t be, not if your heart belongs to God and you live for him.  It is not in his nature to forsake his faithful ones.  He may let your experience a hard time, but never without his grace and never indefinitely.  There will be relief.  His favor already surrounds you like a shield. 

Sooner or later you will see it.

Surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. –Psalm 5:12

May his favor surround Oasis Church and all those within her who love and pursue his righteousness!

A long-time Oasis member

Love One Another

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

John 15:12

God loves us; He lived and died for us. He tells us to love one another. 

Christmas is the celebration of Christ’s birth. We love him by loving our families, spending time with close friends, and exchanging thoughtful gifts.

It is a time when we appreciate what he makes possible: the gift of companionship, the beauty of our lives, and most importantly, grace.

As you share the celebration this year, take a moment to see Christmas through the eyes of our Heavenly Father.

Like all parents, he is pleased to see his children love.

Merry Christmas!

Kevin Bibo

God’s Timing

The coming of Jesus into the world is the most stupendous event in human history.  – M. Muggeridge

God’s plans require patience.  When it comes to our salvation and God’s will for our lives, we would like to push the Eternal to act a little more quickly.  We may wonder why he waited millennia before the Messiah came.  We may also wonder why he waits years before saving us from a difficult situation or even saving our souls from eternal death.  The answer in every case of God’s timing is the same:

preparation.

We don’t know exactly why centuries of dry judgment prevailed before grace rained freely on all.  We don’t know why some cultures remain in nearly complete darkness today.  We don’t know why the chosen people’s history required such long periods of obedience, apostasy, and then judgment.  And we don’t know why God doesn’t solve every problem the moment we pray, or why our Savior waits with veiled grace sometimes before opening our eyes to it.

Perhaps the human race needed to exhaust its resources before God’s offer of providence became meaningful.  Perhaps the world had to be subjected to utter frustration before it could accept a Savior.  Perhaps so do we.

What we do know, however; is that God is thorough.  He plans are lengthy but well conceived.  His artistry is slow; but his colors are rich, his layers of meaning are many; and his purposes are completely pure.  We can trust his timing.

The patience of the eternal God and the temperament of impulsive human beings often stand in stark contrast.  A thousand years are as a day to the Lord, but not to us.  We are much too impatient for that.  We think God’s plan for future generations might unnecessarily leave current generations shortchanged.  We think a full revelation of his gospel was essential the first day after Eden.

But in his plan, a nation was cultivated, a law was given, human nature was exposed, prophets spoke, and creation waited.  Then the Savior came.  We were prepared for salvation, and we now celebrate the fullness of time.

When the time had fully come, God sent his Son.  – Galatians 4:4

With much love,

A long time Oasis member

God’s Remedy

Christ became what we are that he might make us what he is. 

-Athanasius of Alexandria

What was in the mind of God when he sent his Son to live with us?  Was it frustration over all of his failed attempts to get people to behave correctly?  Was it because the Law did not do what it was supposed to do?  Was the spoken Word so lacking that, in a last-ditch effort, God tried turning the spoken Word into the living Word?

We know, of course, that the Incarnation was not a last-ditch effort.  It was the plan from the beginning.  All of the prior judgments – of Noah’s contemporaries, of Sodom and Gomorrah, of degenerate Canaanite tribes – were foundational to this incarnation.

All of the prior promises – to Abraham and his descendants, to the newly freed Israelites at Sinai, to the prophets of restoration and hope – were wrapped up in this plan.  The righteousness of God first had to be established, then the depravity of man.

Then the plan would work.

The wisdom of God, the “logos” and logic of the universe, the Spirit of the Eternal could clothe himself in humanity and have it actually mean something.

What does it mean to you?  When you read your Bible, does it make a difference that the Word is not just telling you what to do, but offering to re-create the fundamental nature of your spirit?

When you worship God, is it better to do so with a transformed heart than with a slavish obedience to an unknown deity?  Does it matter to you that instead of simply being religious as best you can, you relate to a Person – a Person who lived in the same kind of body you have and yet is still powerful and wise enough to be your God?  Are you glad your faith is this…well, personal?

Some people are not.  They would prefer a distant God who will leave them alone until requested to show up.  The God who became flesh has so much better in store for us.  Yes, sometimes it feels a little too personal – there’s sin and obedience to deal with.  But ultimately, we appreciate it.  We are flesh and we need to relate to flesh.  The Word knew that, so Jesus came to dwell.

The world has never been the same since he did, and neither are we.  Praise him!

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  –John 1:14

With much love and affection,

A long-time Oasis member

Gold That Remains

When he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

-Job 23:10

Few of us would have the confidence Job displayed in this verse.  We might rather assume that when God has tested us in the same manner that gold is refined, many impurities will be consumed.  Eventually, perhaps, we will come forth as gold, but not immediately.  Sin runs too deep and the refining process so excruciatingly long.

Perhaps it is overconfidence that leads Job to say such a thing, or perhaps he really was that much more righteous than the rest of us.  Either way, whether he is right about himself or not, he has hit on a foundational spiritual principle:

God tries his servants, and the intended result is pure gold.

Just as the cross of Jesus revealed the character of God within him, so does the fire of trial reveal the character of God within us.  Are we patient?  We and the world will only know it if our patience is tested.  Are we loving?  It will not be seen until we are confronted with hatred.  Are we full of faith?  There is no evidence until circumstances dictate against it.

The fruit of the Spirit is sometimes latent within us until its antithesis appears.  Superficial joy and real joy look exactly the same until the storm comes and blows one of them away.  Peace isn’t really peace unless it can survive when attacked.   And deeper still:  your life in the Spirit isn’t life at all if it melts away when death threatens.

We want all the fruits of the Spirit and all of the blessings of Christlikeness, but we rarely realize the cost.  What God gives us is proven genuine when it is assaulted by the troubles of this world and the wiles of the enemy.  It is the way God reveals himself through his saints.  It is the way the authentic is distinguished from the superficial.  It is the way to come forth as gold.

Are you running from tests?  Don’t.  Stand firm in them.  Let God do his purifying work.  Get ready to shine.

With love and affection,

A long-time Oasis member