Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

who satisfies your life with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Psalm 103:5

Everyone who works knows the importance of footwear. Especially those in the service industry. Being on your feet all day serving people can REALLY take a toll on your feet. Having improper footwear can take a good day and make it horrible. In some professions, improper footwear will get you fired. Our footwear affects our safety and our attitude toward our work. Our disposition is as important as our equipment when it comes to serving. No one likes a grumpy waiter or waitress – regardless of whether their own behaviour is leading to it. Our disposition not only affects those we serve, but it also determines how quickly and gracefully we respond to honest correction. And it can ALL start with what’s on our feet.

We serve Adonai through our thanksgiving. We can be thankful because we are spiritually prepared to walk in what He has for us. In Jesus, we have access to what we need to do what we’ve been called for. Another reason to be thankful toward Adonai. He equips us. “and binding shoes under your feet with the preparation of the good news of peace” (Ephesians 6:15). These are Jesus’ shoes. Jesus’ footwear. They are designed to get us where we’re called to go and give us grip when we get there. “How delightful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns as a king.”” (Isaiah 52:7). Our understanding that Adonai’s attitude toward us in Jesus is one of PEACE and not JUDGEMENT gives us incentive, not only for personal gratitude, but to spread the Good News to other people. This is one of the foundational principles of what makes us able to walk His Way. It sets up our whole disposition in the Kingdom. We NEED to understand His love for us (Ephesians 3:14-21). Since we are NOTHING without Him (John 15:5), we need to understand who we are in Him in order to function. When we’re scared of Him smiting us, we are not operating as we should be. If we’re condemning other people, we’re not presenting the Good News as He wants it presented (John 3:17-18). We NEED to understand that Adonai is peaceful toward us. Operating from LOVE toward us. Operating from LOVE toward every human being ever. When we understand that Adonai is not mad at us (Colossians 1:13-14), we’re able to keep going – in our calling and in our praise.

When we’re secure in our relationship with Adonai, we function differently. We look to Him for strength. We look to Him for help. We look to Him for support. We look to Him for advice. We look to Him for everything we aren’t, because He is the Source of EVERYTHING. We can trust that because we trust Him. We trust Him because we KNOW our relationship with Him. We are in His covenant through Jesus. We can believe it because we KNOW He is faithful. We KNOW He is true. And He has proved Himself trustworthy through His Word. When He becomes our Source, HIS resources become OUR resources in and through Jesus. That means when we are called to do something, we’re given the resources to achieve it. They are ours even before we’re called to make sure that we have what we need. Jesus broke the evil altars of the curse through the cross so that we can live in the Blessing instead.

What does this have to do with thanksgiving and service? It can be work. Not TOIL, but work. If we are good servants, we won’t shy away from some work. We have to stay on top of our flesh. We have to make sure we’re making headway with praising Adonai by making sure to maintain the gratitude in our hearts. If you look over what we’ve talked about today, we have three or four things to be grateful about on a daily basis right there. Well, as we step out into what we’re called to do, we have to take the reigns a little. We need to make sure that we are stepping under that yoke Jesus shares with us (Matthew 11:28-30). We do that by keeping Him in His place and worshipping Him there. We know we can’t do it alone. We KNOW He’s a strong tower. We KNOW He’s a high wall. We KNOW He’s a fortress. We KNOW He’s sheltering wings. And we should be THANKFUL for that. Our feet shod with the knowledge He is at peace with us prepares our minds to accept that He is our EVERYTHING and we work to maintain that attitude by renewing our mind with the Word, listening to the consistent exhortation of Ruach HaKodesh and holding to what we have learned from Jesus. You know what that creates? Satisfaction in Him. Because life didn’t start until we accepted Jesus. Life didn’t begin until we were resurrected WITH and IN Him to life from death. Until we stepped out of the tomb with Him, we weren’t alive.

Staying in Jesus, then is a HUGE goal for our lives. He IS what gives us life (John 10:10), so we WANT THAT. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch that does not bear fruit in me, he removes it, and every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it in order that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I in you. Just as the branch is not able to bear fruit from itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him—this one bears much fruit, for apart from me you are not able to do anything. If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch, and dries up, and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this: that you bear much fruit, and prove to be my disciples” (John 15:1-8). If we want to produce the fruit He says is PROOF we are with and in Him, we have to be willing to undergo trimming. That’s how you maintain your vines and your fruit trees. Pruning. It isn’t a massive overhaul. It’s a precise and careful trimming of what isn’t needed in order to let the plant put its energies into what IS. It is US willing to be corrected.

We should be GRATEFUL that Adonai corrects us. That He even wants to. There are a lot of people I have been around in my life. Many of them have done things I disagree with or I know to be either ineffectual, dangerous, or flat-out wrong. I have not corrected most of them. It’s because I didn’t care. They weren’t my people. They weren’t my responsibility. I didn’t care if they got in trouble or injured. BAD ATTITUDE. No, I cannot go around correcting everyone. That’s rude. But I should CARE. If I CARE, then I am likely to be listening when Ruach HaKodesh tells me to intervene, or pray for them, or say something very specific in a very specific way. Ruach HaKodesh is THE corrector (John 14:22-26). He makes sure we are doing what we should. He talks to us about WHY we should be doing it. He REMINDS us of who we are in Jesus AND that we can trust Jesus with our situation, words, actions, and thoughts (John 16:8).

Our responding to that corrected quickly and gracefully is a type of worship. We should be thankful for it. Think of how we could have gone wrong if we hadn’t. Think of the trouble that could be in our lap if we’re not listening to the One who KNOWS ALL THINGS. Remember, we KNOW Adonai isn’t mad at us but has an attitude of love, mercy, and grace toward us. He is still righteous and requires godly behaviour, thoughts, and speech from us. He corrects us like a Father does a child, with OUR best interests at heart. We can TRUST this is His attitude because Jesus is right there with us walking in humble submission to the Father. We’re empowered to do our work, with His tools, in cooperation with Him. If we are stepping out of alignment with His will, we will IMMEDIATELY be told so that the consequences are small, the way back is small, and we are hardly off course at all. We are corrected IMMEDIATELY to make the process of repentance easier on US. That’s because He LOVES us. Isn’t that something to embrace? To rejoice in and about? To accept, quickly, and thank Him for it? I think so.

A good servant is a grateful and thankful servant. Because they are serving from love. They are equipped with the tools, equipment, and clothing to be comfortable and able to succeed in service. Everything is taken care of. It isn’t toil, but good and honest work. Effort well worth expending because it keeps us close to Adonai and right in the centre of His will. A good servant gracefully accepts honest and constructive correction, because it makes everything better for everyone. Because it lessens stress and disharmony. Because it is a sign of love, respect, and acceptedness. What great things to be joyful about! What great things to be thankful for! It’s so satisfying to live like that. To exist like that. To move forward into ever-greater, ever more cooperative ventures with Adonai. To truly partner with Ruach HaKodesh in thanksgiving to Adonai.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Proverbs 3:12

“because whomever Yahweh will love, he will rebuke, as a father delights in his son.” Correction from my father did not always FEEL like it was loving. I am in no way saying that it wasn’t, but it is rare for the miscreant in a given situation to FEEL grateful at being rebuked – and it doesn’t matter if it is physical or verbal. I didn’t enjoy it, but I was never made to feel less than. I was never made to feel rejected. Disappointed in me, maybe, but that’s about it. Can’t blame him. I was NOT a helpful or pleasant child. Got into a lot of trouble in a lot of arenas and was not easy to have as a son. That said, He never stopped equipping me for success. Whether with furniture, a stable home, money, food, and attention. I was still FAMILY, you see. Adonai is the SAME WAY. Yes, I miss it. Yes, I was a sinner. But He still died for me. He corrects me. He equips me. Not because of MY performance (for which I thank Him), but because Jesus brought me into the family. Jesus brought you (or can) in too. We’re FAMILY. Yes, we get corrected. We get corrected because He wants the BEST for us. He wants us to prosper and grow and become all that HE says we can be. Not because of what we DO or are DOING or WILL do, but because of our COVENANT CONNECTION. We don’t get what WE deserve, but what JESUS deserves. We repent when we’re corrected because we don’t want to be separated from our FAMILY. Our LOVING family. And He does NOT put us into time out. He IMMEDIATELY cooperates with us to get us back on track, deal with the consequences, and renew our mind with the Word so that going forward we think about the thing what HE thinks about the thing (which prevents repeating the mistake). He’s loving us through the whole process from before we began to after it’s over. What a GOOD God!

Your Daily Confession of Elohim’s Goodness:

I taste and see that Yahweh is good; I am blessed because I take refuge in Him.

Psalm 34:8