The Paths of the Lord: Mercy and Truth

“All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.” Ps. 25:10

The Hebrew word for mercy in this passage means: goodness, kindness, faithfulness.

The Hebrew word for truth means: firmness, faithfulness, sureness, reliability, stability, continuance; truth as spoken; truth of testimony and judgment, of divine instruction, as a body of ethical or religious knowledge.

If we stray from mercy and/or truth, we stray from the path of the Lord. 

When we discover we have strayed from His path, the compass which leads us back to His path is found in the very heart of God (revealed in His Word) as we bow before His throne:

"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Heb. 4:16

May we run to His throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

The Winepress

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations (a pressing, pressing together, pressure; metaph: oppression, affliction, tribulation, distress, straits), knowing that tribulation produces perseverance (steadfastness, constancy, endurance; in the NT the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings; a patient, steadfast waiting; a patient enduring, sustaining) and perseverance, character; and character, hope (expectation of good; joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; the Author of hope or He Who is its foundation; the thing hoped for). Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit Who was given to us.” Romans 5:1-5

In these passages, we learn that tribulations (a pressing, pressing together, pressure; metaph: oppression, affliction, tribulation, distress, straits) produce perseverance, perseverance, character, character, hope and hope does not disappoint.

When I ponder the nature of tribulations, what comes to mind is the ancient art of wine making. In Ancient Rome, for instance, a wine press was a device used to extract juice from crushed grapes. The press exerted carefully controlled pressure in order to free the juice from the grapes. The wine maker was careful to apply just the right pressure to avoid crushing the seeds and releasing a great deal of undesirable tannins—bitter plant chemical, into the wine.

Does it ever feel like you are in a wine press? If you have placed your heart in the hands of the Master Vinedresser (John 15:1), do not despair, He knows just how much pressure to apply to avoid crushing you to the point of bitterness. 

Ancient Roman wine making involved treading the grapes by foot quickly after harvesting. The treading process released the sweet juice from the grape--the juice which was most prized. Only through brokenness could the sweet juice be accessed. The Master Vinedresser sovereignly allows experiences and circumstances into our lives to facilitate a pressing and subsequent brokenness in order to produce the sweet aroma of Christ in our lives.

The construction and use of Roman wine presses was specific, labor intensive and expensive. The wine press was comprised of horizontal beams placed across a basin attached to a rope and heavy weights. The crushed grapes were placed between the beams, pressure was applied by winding down the heavy weights, allowing the pressed juice to run down between the beams into a basin. in a way in which the wine maker would have easy access to the newly pressed juice. The wines were often exposed to high temperatures and "baked" or boiled to concentrate the sugars. 

Jesus was betrayed, beaten, mocked, and crucified. During this intense time of pressing, Jesus responded, "...saying, 'Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.'” (Luke 22:42) Jesus was broken and crushed. He died and was buried. Three days later He rose from the dead. In His surrender to the Master Vinedresser, God's perfect will was accomplished. He paid the price so we could live. Jesus' sacrifice makes it possible for us to enter into life and an intimate relationship with Him.

In the estates where pressing was used, the grapes were pressed several times. The juice that came from last pressings were coarser and more bitter. Being crushed beyond the divinely controlled pressure, releases a great deal of tannins (bitterness) in our lives. If we are emitting bitterness, it is a sure sign that the Master Vinedresser had no part in that particular process.

Whether it is due to life’s devastations, disappointments, trials, trauma, etc., or an all out attack from the enemy, if you feel crushed to the point of bitterness, this is not the result of the pressing done by the Master Vinedresser. “For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me dwell in darkness, like those who have long been dead. Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is distressed. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands” (Ps. 145:3-5).

He only presses to the point to which He extracts the sweet juice He is after…anything else is not of Him. “We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body” (1 Cor. 4:8-10).

After pressing, the grape must--freshly pressed juice that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit--was stored in large earthenware jars. The jars were then partially buried into the floors of the barn (from two to four weeks) to ferment before the wine was removed and stored in vessels.

For each of us, there is a time after the pressing when we are “stored away” in order to "ferment," enhancing sweetness. This final process is necessary in order to create the wine (life) which is mature, ready for pleasurable consumption (influential in the lives of others). 

The pressing (trials, tribulations, “baking,” and “boiling”) and hiding away is purposeful. James 1:2-4 reminds us, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." Once the process is finished, we are then mature, ready to reflect the sweetness of the Master Vinedresser in a profound and influential way.

You see, the ultimate goal in the pressing process is for the Master Vinedresser to see His image reflected in us, allowing us to reflect His beauty to those around us. If you are feeling broken due to the pressure, know this: “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit” (Ps. 34:18). “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart-- these, O God, You will not despise” (Ps. 51:17). Your brokenness is precious in His sight.

The Lord has us in the palm of His hand. He gently guides us, He does not press to the point of crushing. 

Remember: “A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands shall wait for His law” (Is. 42:3-4).

Be Transformed!

In Romans 12:1, we are called to no longer be conformed to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Shrouded in God’s mercy through Jesus Christ, we are called to offer up our bodies as living sacrifices to God, we are called to set ourselves apart from the ways of the world. The word used for conform in the original text means: to conform one's self (i.e. one's mind and character) to another's pattern, (fashion one's self according to). We are cautioned against fashioning our mind and character after the ways of the world.

The Greek word used in this passage for transformation is the word "metamorphoo," which is where we get our word metamorphosis. A metamorphosis occurs when there is a complete change of form, structure, or substance as seen in the life cycle of the butterfly. In other words, we undergo transformation as we are faithful to renew our minds by the washing of the water of the Word (Eph. 5:26).

The word used for renewing in the original text means to renovate. Renovation is the process of making new after decay, destruction or depravation. Renovation is a time consuming process, requiring a stage of deconstruction which precedes the actual reconstruction.

When we purchased a home in California, the kitchen was in such disrepair we were compelled to renovate. We met with a designer and drew up the plans for our new kitchen, choosing cabinets, countertops, appliances, etc. in order to reconstruct our new kitchen.

We hired a carpenter, but before he arrived, we spent a day clearing out
cabinets, the refrigerator, and the pantry to prepare for the renovation.

On the appointed day, the carpenter appeared, laden with tools, and renovation commenced. Dust flew and debris accumulated as Mr. Carpenter tore down old cabinets (in such decay they were unsalvageable), hauled out old appliances, and sledge hammered old countertops. He toiled until the kitchen was just a skeleton of its former self. The deconstruction was complete. The next phase of renovation began; the task of reconstruction.

Mr. Carpenter went to work rebuilding the new kitchen, installing new cabinets, appliances, and counter tops we had selected. Several days later, the project complete, he swept up the mess, calked the last hole, applied the final trim and gave us the bill. We then were able to enjoy our beautiful new kitchen.

Just as in the case with our dilapidated kitchen, God calls us to a heart renovation. He calls us to tear down the decaying, destructive, and depraved thought patterns of our minds (deconstruction) in order to reconstruct patterns of thought (which produce feelings, emotions, and actions) which are consistent with His Word and with His way.

Hebrews 4:12 tells us: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

God’s Word is the primary tool necessary for the renovation process of our minds. God’s Word acts as a carpenter’s knife that cuts through lies we have embraced, it pierces us with conviction, separating what is of the Spirit from what is simply of the flesh, and His Word distinguishes between and separates out the thoughts and intents of our heart.

It is by His Word we are transformed! The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14) and the Word is in us (Rom. 10:8). The Word cleanses us (Eph. 5:26-27), sanctifies us (John 17:17), keeps us from sin (Psalm 119:9), directs us (Psalm 119:105), delivers us from destruction (Psalm 107:20), revives us (Psalm 119:25), tests us (Psalm 105:19), and gives us life (Psalm 119:50)! The Word is a person and His name is Jesus (John 1:1; Rev. 19:13)!

As we renovate our minds through the washing of the water by the Word, we are changed from one form to another (metamorphosis)—we are transformed!

(excerpt taken from "In Pursuit of God's Heart," by Rachelle Crawford)

GRACE

“FOR THE GRACE (that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness; grace of speech; good will loving kindness, favor; thanks; reward) OF GOD THAT BRINGS SALVATION HAS APPEARED TO ALL MEN, TEACHING US, THAT DENYING UNGODLINESS (impiety—ungodliness; irreverence towards God; contempt of the divine character and authority; neglect of the divine precepts) AND WORLDLY LUSTS, WE SHOULD LIVE SOBERLY (with sound mind, temperately, discreetly; calmly), RIGHTEOUSLY (just, properly, uprightly, agreeable to the law of rectitude—rightness of principle and practice; uprightness of mind; conformity to truth), AND GODLY IN THIS PRESENT AGE, LOOKING FOR THE BLESSED HOPE AND GLORIOUS APPEARING OF OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, WHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR US, THAT HE MIGHT REDEEM US FROM EVERY LAWLESS DEED AND PURIFY, FOR HIMSELF HIS OWN SPECIAL PEOPLE, ZEALOUS FOR GOOD WORKS.” Titus 2:11-14

PONDER: Grace is an actual substance (poured out upon us by a benevolent God!) that enables us to walk in a way which is pleasing to God. It is by grace we are saved (through faith) and it is grace that enables us to walk free from contempt toward our Maker, to walk free from cravings of those things which are forbidden, and to walk uprightly with a sound mind.

Why Worship God Alone?

“And God spoke all these words, saying: ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them (worship: bow down; prostrate one’s self) nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.’” Ex. 20:1-6 (1st and 2nd Commandments).

Why does God demand supreme honor, respect, and veneration? Why does He demand exclusive worship? 

Noah Webster in his 1828 dictionary definition of worship: to adore; to pay divine honors to; to reverence with supreme respect and veneration. Thou shalt worship no other God. Exodus 34. 2. To respect; to honor; to treat with civil reverence. 3. To honor with extravagant love and extreme submission; as a lover. God is the Creator and based on that fact alone, He deserves exclusive worship—adoration, divine honors, reverence with supreme respect and veneration; extravagant love and extreme submission.

Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines honor and veneration: 

Honor: 1. The esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation.

A prophet is not without honor except in his own country. Matthew 13:1. 2. A testimony of esteem; any expression of respect or of high estimation by words or actions; as the honors of war; military honors; funeral honors; civil honors. 3. Dignity; exalted rank or place; distinction. I have given thee riches and honor 1 Kings 3:1. Thou art clothed with honor and majesty. Psalms 104:1. In doing a good thing, there is both honor and pleasure. 4. Reverence; veneration; or any act by which reverence and submission are expressed, as worship paid to the Supreme Being.

Veneration: the highest degree of respect and reverence; respect mingled with some degree of awe; a feeling or sentiment excited by the dignity and superiority of a person, or by the sacredness of his character, and with regard to place, by its consecration to sacred services. 

We as human beings are God's creation, His workmanship. Michelangelo created a masterpiece on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He deserves honor and the highest degree of respect and reverence for his workmanship. It would be ridiculous to give honor, respect and reverence to Rembrandt for the Sistine Chapel master work, as he did not produce the beautiful masterpiece. God created human beings in His image, therefore the Creator deserves honor, the highest degree of respect and veneration for His creation. 

God is a loving, relational God as reflected in the Trinity~~Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three distinct persons Who share the essence of their being: LOVE (God is love, 1 John 4:8). God lovingly created human beings as relational beings, created, first and foremost, to share in a relationship with their Creator God. Setting aside God as Lord in our hearts (honor and the highest degree of respect and reverence) through Jesus Christ is the foundation of our worship and our relationship with Him. 

In Genesis chapter three, we discover the devastation that occurs when we deviate from our original design. Adam and Eve chose to deviate from God’s command concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God said, “Don’t eat.” They ate. In essence, Adam and Eve chose to exalt themselves and their desires above those of their Creator. Their worship was displaced. They chose to give honor and submission to the devil (and their own desires) rather than to God alone. The result: devastation and death. 

A clothes dryer is designed to dry clothes. If I decided one day that I wanted to make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner and chose not to use the stove, but instead used the clothes dryer to cook my dinner what do you suppose would happen to my clothes dryer? Yes, indeed, the dryer would be destroyed. The dryer was not designed to cook dinner.

In Romans 1:20-25, explains the consequences of misplaced worship: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile (devoid of truth) in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened (of ignorance respecting divine things and human duties, and the accompanying ungodliness and immorality, together with their consequent misery in hell). Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

Worshipping the creation (idolatry) rather than the Creator prevents us from knowing truth, creates ignorance of divine things, and binds us to the lusts of our hearts. The consequence: separation from God and lack of liberty of heart. We were designed to freely worship Him, to share in a relationship with our Creator God. 

"The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: 'Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.'" ( Jeremiah 31:3) God loves us with an everlasting love. His heart is that no one is separated from Him. His heart is that we walk at liberty in His love, according to His Word. "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'" (John 8:32) 

So, how do we live according to God's design for us, to worship God exclusively? We consecrate our hearts before God through Jesus Christ, surrendering our  hearts to Him, then positioning our hearts in alignment with the prayer found in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way (pain, sorrow, idol) in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

This prayer is an invitation for God to sift through every recess of our heart, to uproot anything (unresolved pain, sorrow, or idols) that may stand in the way of exclusive worship and intimacy with Him. As we open our hearts to Him, He is faithful to heal, restore, and liberate our souls from the ravages of sin, pain, loss, and sorrow.

Some idolatry of the  heart is obvious. Various vices such as alcohol, drugs, sex, pornography, etc., or placing something first and foremost in our heart such as a person, career, pleasure, our own way, etc., may be self evident, but there are times when our complex hearts hide idols. That is when we need the spotlight of the Holy Spirit shining in the hidden recesses to expose any and all things that stand in the way of exclusive worship of the One Who alone is worthy: Creator God. 

God is faithful to reveal anything that stands in the way of exclusive worship because He is a good, loving God Who desires a relationship with His most precious creation—mankind. In His sovereign love, God designed us to worship Him alone which produces life! And most importantly, the result is intimacy (a sweet relationship) with the One Who created us in His image, for His glory.

Smelting

“EXAMINE (scrutinize, prove, try as gold) ME, O LORD, AND PROVE (test) ME; TRY (smelt, refine) MY MIND (seat of emotions and affections) AND MY HEART (inner man, will, heart, soul, understanding, midst (of things), mind (seat of intelligence), knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory, inclination, resolution, determination (of will), conscience, heart (of moral character), as seat of appetites, emotions and passions; as seat of courage)” (Psalm 26:2).

The Psalm 26:2 prayer reveals the Psalmist's heart after God, a heart willing to submit himself to whatever scrutiny necessary to cleanse his heart from any encumbrance or obstacle that would prevent him from receiving and walking in fullness of what God had for him, but most importantly, anything that would hinder intimacy with God. 

The Psalmist asks God to smelt his mind and heart, to smelt every aspect of his knowledge, thinking, reflection, his memory, inclinations, resolutions, determinations of his will, his conscience, his appetites, emotions, and passions. In other words, the Psalmist gives God free access to every area of his heart to smelt as He sees fit.

The ancient process of smelting involved heating ore to the point of melting in order to extract the precious metals. Once the ore was melted, the smelter or refiner would then skim off the dross (the scum or extraneous matter of metals, loosened in the process of melting) from the ore, leaving behind a pure metal, such as silver or gold. If the metal was left too long in the flame, it would be destroyed, therefore the refiner continually kept watch over the flame. The refiner's confirmation of fully refined silver was the ability to see his image reflected in the silver.

In Malachi 3:2, the Lord is compared to a “Refiner’s Fire.” In Malachi 3:3 we discover, “He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.” 

The process of  divine smelting begins with a heart surrendered to God through faith in Jesus Christ, then as sons and daughters of the Master Refiner, it becomes our hearts’ desire to make ourselves (by His grace) an offering to Him in righteousness. We must allow the Refiner and Purifier of our hearts access to every recess of our hearts for the smelting process to produce the offering of righteousness to the Lord. He is the Master Refiner; the One Who smelts our hearts for His glory. A heart smelted by the divine Refiner reflects His image in a most beautiful way.

The heart is deceitful above all things (Jer. 17:9), therefore, it is quite simple to lollygag through life with a dross-laden heart and be completely unaware. It is not until we allow the Master Refiner full access to every area of our hearts that we find out what is really in our hearts. The beautiful thing about the smelting process is that not only is the dross or scum revealed, but God also reveals the precious deposits of gold and silver He has embedded into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

The smelting process is designed by a loving, Master Refiner Who is the “Eternal God our Refuge and underneath are His everlasting arms (Deut. 33:27). His purification process stems from a Father’s heart that desires intimacy with His children—the only way to intimacy with Him is to allow Him to clear away the dross that encumbers a sweet, intimate relationship with Him. 

Living on this earth, most of us know that each and every day is filled with its challenges and obstacles. Each day has its refining moments. And, most of us know that there are times in our lives, in particular, when those challenges and obstacles seem insurmountable and overwhelming…even crushing. It is a time when the heat is turned up so hot, the melting so complete, that all we can see are the swirls of dross, all we feel is the pain of the heat, and all we smell is the stench of the scum bubbling to the surface of our hearts. It is then that we must remember Hebrews 12:11, "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." and Romans 5:3-5, "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

God is faithful to clear away anything and everything that prohibits that peaceable fruit of righteousness and hope from blossoming in our hearts. As peace, righteousness, and hope flourish in our hearts, we are then able to reflect that peace, hope, and righteousness to others. 

God is a wise, loving, and strategic God. He does not smelt our entire heart at once, He, in His perfect timing and wisdom, smelts in a way that heats a certain area (or areas) before He moves on to the other areas of a human heart as not to overwhelm or confuse us. He is ever tender and kind in the process. 

If you are walking through the smelting process at this time, know that the Master Smelter is turning up the heat because He loves you. He wants deeper intimacy with you and the only way to that deeper intimacy is to to turn up the heat, skim the dross, all the while, holding you in His everlasting arms (Deut. 33:27). 

The results: a pure heart before Him, deeper intimacy with Him, and a life that radiates His righteousness and life...becoming a reflection of His beauty and love to those around us.

The Way is a Person and His Name is Jesus

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way (a course of conduct; a way of thinking, feeling, deciding), the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'" (John 14:6)

The Way is a person and His Name is Jesus.