The Fullness of Him Who Fills

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:22-23)

This is an expansion of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, beginning in verse 15, in which he asks the Father to reveal the exceeding greatness of His power toward all believers. This is the same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies — far above all principality, power, might and dominion, and everything that can be named in this age and in the one to come. All has been placed under His feet. All these — principality, power, might and dominion — refer to angelic beings and demonic powers. Christ is above them — not merely above, but far above.

But what of the church? What is our role, our place?

God has given the Lord Jesus Christ to be head over the church. We are explicitly identified as His body. Christ in not a disembodied head, nor are we a headless body. Rather, we go together with Him. We are intimately related to Him, as close as your own head is to your own body. We are not merely in close proximity to Him, but integrally related with Him.

Now consider this: If Jesus is seated far above all principality, power, might and dominion, and all these are placed under His feet — then we, as His body, are also seated far above all principality, power, might and dominion, and all these are placed under our feet, as well. Indeed, in the next chapter, Paul notes that God has already raised us up (exalted us) together with Christ and seated us together in Him in the heavenlies (Ephesians 2:6). Christ is in the place of ruling and reigning; and as His body, exalted and seated with Him in the heavenlies, we are in the place of ruling and reigning also.

What is the fullness of Christ? According to Paul, we are — all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. We are the fullness of Christ, for we are His body. Just as your body is the fullness of you, so we, as the body of Christ, are the fullness of Him. Your body is all about you; His body is all about Him. We represent Christ in every way, for He has filled His body all in all, that is, fully and completely in everything.

• We bear all the authority of Christ on earth. Before He ascended to heaven, Jesus declared, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). Then He commissioned His disciples, authorizing them with all His earthly authority.
• We have the authority to ask “in His name” (John 14:13-14). Whatever we ask in His name, the Father will do (John 15:16; John 16:23-27). We don’t have to ask Jesus to ask the Father; we can ask the Father directly in Jesus’ name. That is, we have the same authority to ask that Jesus has.
• We have the authority to bind or loose on earth what has been bound or loosed in heaven (Matthew 18:18). As we agree together concerning anything, it will be granted by our Father in Heaven (Matthew 18:19).
• We have the authority to command the Kingdom of God to come and the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). Jesus specifically gave us this authority in the Lord’s Prayer. He taught us to pray in the imperative mood: Kingdom of God, come! Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven!
• We have the authority of His perfected love. “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God; and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:16-17).

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are the fullness of Him who fills all in all. It is all about Him, His authority, His power, His goodness, His righteousness, His love. Through faith in Him, we abide in Him and He in us. As He is, so are we in this world, for we have received His fullness.

The Dispensation of the Fullness of the Times

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth — in Him. (Ephesians 1:7-10)

Redemption, forgiveness, grace — this is the revelation of the Father’s will. It is His good pleasure and freely determined purpose. Because it pleases Him, it must have everything to do with faith, for without faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6).

The overarching purpose of God which has now been revealed is to gather all things together in unity in the Lord Jesus Christ, to bring heaven and earth together in Him. For He is the God-Man who now rules and reigns over all forever and ever — and we rule and reign with Him (Ephesians 2:6).

We are now in the dispensation of the fullness of times. A dispensation is an economy, an administration, a stewardship. In the dispensation of the fullness of times, the stewardship is to bring all things in heaven and earth together. We have not yet reached the completion of the fullness of times — that is still to come — but the administration of it has already begun.

• It is an administration of the New Covenant, which is established in the blood of the Lord Jesus, and of which God has made us able ministers: “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as minister of the new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:5-6).
• It is an administration of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ: “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship [dispensation]” (1 Corinthians 9:16-17).
• It is an administration of the grace of God: “For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles — if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you” (Ephesians 3:1-2).
• It is an administration of the Word of God: “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship [dispensation] from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the Word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations but now has been revealed to His saints” (Colossians 1:24-26).
• It is an administration of the Lord’s Prayer. For the Lord Jesus Himself taught us to pray, “Kingdom of God, come! Will of God be done on earth as it is in heaven!” and all things in heaven and earth to being gathered together under His lordship.

The dispensation of the fullness of times has begun, and all those who have received the Lord Jesus Christ have been made able ministers of it. How will you exercise your stewardship today?

The Inheritance of Grace and Peace

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:2)

Grace and peace are a gift from our heavenly Father. It is a matter of inheritance, for fatherhood always brings inheritance. We do not work for it, or try to show ourselves worthy of it — we simply receive it. It comes to us because we have been reconciled to the Father by His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus removed the barrier of sin by taking it on Himself and nailing it to the cross. He has destroyed all the works of the devil that separate us from God (1 John 3:8).

Grace is the favor of God. It means that we are backed up by all the power and authority of heaven. That is why God said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9). It is more than enough to deal with every obstacle and hindrance we may encounter.

Peace is not just the absence of conflict, or even mere calmness. Paul use the Greek word to write to a Greek-speaking audience. But being a Jew, he had the Hebrew idea of shalom in mind. It is a word of wholeness and means that there is nothing lacking and nothing out of joint. This can only come from God, who alone is able to restore things to wholeness.

If you know the Lord Jesus Christ, grace and peace belong to you in abundance. They are a gift from the Father. Are you walking in your inheritance?

A Blessing for Everything

There is a line in The Fiddler on the Roof, where Motel the tailor asks the Rabbi, “Rabbi, is there a blessing for a sewing machine?” The Rabbi answered, “There is a blessing for everything.”

Years ago, I came across a Jewish blessing for after using the privy. Going though some old notes the other day, I came across it again:

Blessed are you, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has formed people in wisdom, and created within them numerous orifices and cavities. It is revealed and known before the Throne of your Glory that if but one of them were to be blocked, or one of them were to be opened, it would be impossible to exist even for a short time. Blessed are you Lord, who heals all flesh and performs wonders. My G-d, the soul which you have given within me is pure. You have created it, You have breathed it into me, and You preserve it within me. You will eventually take it from me, and restore it within me, in Time to Come. So long as the soul is within me, I offer thanks to You, Lord my G-d and G-d of my fathers, Master of all works, Lord of all souls. Blessed are You Lord, who restores souls to dead bodies. (Mangel, N., 2001. Siddur Tehillas Hashem Nusach Ha-Ari Zal, Otsar Sifrei Lubavitch, Brooklyn. p. 6)

Yes, there is a blessing for everything.

Living Out of Righteousness

Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). If you will focus on loving Him, you will end up keeping His commandments. If you will seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (God's way of doing and being right), everything else will be take care of (Matthew 6:33).

Now, righteousness is not something you achieve or attain. For if you know the Lord Jesus Christ, you have already been made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). Righteousness is now your starting point, and your discipleship is learning to yield to Him, letting His life come forth in you.

Legalism is about conditioning God’s love and acceptance upon keeping a particular rule or discipline. That is foreign to God’s righteousness, for we are accepted by God on the basis of the Lord Jesus Christ, through faith in Him — nothing more, nothing less.

Don’t come to God based on your own righteousness — you’ll never make it. But come and receive the righteousness He has already provided for you through the Lord Jesus Christ. You will be “accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6), and He will bring forth His righteousness into every area of your life.

Ascension: Receiving Us Unto Himself

In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:2-3)

Some Christians, when they hear the word “mansions,” think of large estate houses, one for each believer. Then they begin to speculate, even fantasize, about what their houses will look like. But that misunderstands what Jesus was saying. The Greek word for “mansions” actually refers to abodes, rooms, dwelling places. Jesus was not talking about a bunch of houses scattered across the countryside; He was speaking of one house only — “My Father’s house.” It is a house of many abodes, enough for everyone who receives the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus told the disciples, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” Many Christians think He was talking about the Second Coming, that Jesus is now busily preparing our place in heaven with Him, and that one day He will come and take us there.

But that, I believe, is a misunderstanding also. Jesus is not preparing a place for us — He has already prepared it. We are not still waiting for Him to receive us to Himself — He has already received us. The coming He spoke of is not the second coming, but the resurrection. Don’t get me wrong — I do believe that there is a Second Coming, but that is not what Jesus was talking about here.

When Jesus spoke these words, the crucifixion and the resurrection were still future, although they would very shortly come to pass. It is by these great acts of redemption, salvation and victory that Jesus has prepared a place for each one who comes to faith in Him. He has not only cleared the way for us, but He is Himself the way (John 14:6). He died, was buried, and on the third day God raised Him from the dead. On the evening of that third day, Jesus came to His disciples and received them to Himself:

So Jesus said to them again, Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:21-22)

Jesus so thoroughly identified Himself with the disciples that He gave them His peace and commissioned them with the same commission He had received from the Father. The He gave them His Spirit. They were now dwelling in Him; He was now dwelling them.

This giving of the Spirit is something Jesus had spoken of only days before, in John 14-16, in the context of His going to prepare a place and coming again to receive His disciples. Now it had been fulfilled.

He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3)

On the fortieth day of His resurrection, Jesus told the disciples to wait in the Jerusalem for the promise of the Father — the Holy Spirit coming upon them in power. The Spirit of God had been in them, but now He would be on them. After leaving this instruction, Jesus ascended to heaven.

The apostle Paul clearly understood that Jesus has prepared a place for us and received us to Himself, for he wrote that God “has raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). This may seem hard to understand, but if God says that is where He has seated us, then that is where He has seated us. It is not a future expectation, but a present reality. This is the place Jesus has prepared for us, and He has received us to Himself, for we are seated there in Him.

Are you abiding in the abiding place Jesus has prepared for you? If you have received Jesus, Jesus has received you. Contemplate what it means to be presently seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, in the place of ruling and reigning with Him.

Ascension: The Name of Jesus

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)

The sequence of Jesus’ redeeming work is: incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, exaltation.

• Though He has always been fully divine, the Son of God became a bondservant (God is love; love gives and serves) and took on human flesh.
• He humbled Himself, even to the point of death on the cross, where He took on all our sins, sicknesses and bondages.
• God raised Him from the dead in victory over all the works of the devil, even death ( 1 John 3:8: Hebrews 2:14).
• Forty days later, as the disciples watched, Jesus ascended to heaven, where God has highly exalted Him above all things, and given Him the name which is above every name.

At the name of Jesus, every knee must bow and every confess that He is Lord. This, too, is part of our salvation, for Jesus has not been glorified in His divinity only, but also in His humanity. He is the God-Man who reigns forever and ever. This does not take anything away from God, but honors and glorifies Him.

It is not only at the coming of Jesus that every knee will bow and every tongue confess; but it is at the name of Jesus. Certainly we look for His return, and the completion of all things in Him, but our job at present is to lift up and glorify His name. For that is what will cause every knee to bow and every tongue to confess His eternal lordship.

Do you know the God-Man who reigns forever? His kingdom is breaking into the earth, and His reign is the completion of our salvation. The Bible says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the death, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). His glory day will become your glory day, too.

Ascension: The Gifts of Christ

But to each one of us grace was give according of the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended” — what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ — from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:7-16)

Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor and teachers — these are known as the “ascension gifts” of Christ to His Church. He Himself is the embodiment of all these things, and because He has ascended to heaven, He is able to multiply these things in His body, the Church, through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

Christ loves the Church. At the ascension, when God exalted the Lord Jesus, “He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:22-23).

The Church is the fullness of Christ — it is all about Him, and He fills it with every good thing. These ascension gifts are given to equip the body to do the work of the ministry, to bring the body of Christ to unity and maturity, operating in love and truth. For the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23), and the purpose of God is to conform us to the likeness of Christ in these things (Romans 8:29).

All who receive the Lord Jesus Christ are part of His body, and He takes very good care of His body. Every believer is joined to each other. Each one has a part to play and a contribution to make, that the whole body may be built up in love.

Ascension: The Revelation of Glory and Power

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know … what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which he worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. (Ephesians 1:17-22)

The ascension of Jesus Christ to His throne at the right hand of the Father is the revelation of God’s glory and power. It is the same power God exercises toward us and on our behalf. In fact, this great power is actually at work in us.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

The same power by which Jesus has been raised from the dead and exalted to heaven is also at work in us in the same way.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-7)

The ascension of Jesus into heaven, where He rules and reigns forever, is also our ascension into glory, where we are seated in Him in the heavenlies, where we rule and reign with Him. It is the revelation of His power and glory, both to us and in us.

Ascension: The Promise of Greater Works

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever — the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave your orphans; I will come to you. (John 14: 12-18)

The ascension of Jesus Christ to the right hand of the Father is the promise that those who believe in Him will do even greater works than He did. For His absence in one form means His greater presence in another form — that is, by the Holy Spirit. He did not leave us orphans, without His divine presence. No, He asked the Father to give us another Helper, the Spirit of truth, to dwell in us forever. Notice that He dwells, not just with us, but in us.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, to teach us all we need to know:

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. (John 14:26)

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. (John 16:13-15)

This will always be about the Lord Jesus Christ, for He is the truth (John 14:6). “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). The Holy Spirit takes what belongs to the Lord Jesus (and all that Father has belongs to Him) and declares it to us.

The Holy Spirit also brings an endowment of power (Luke 24:29; Acts 1:8). The exercise of this power must always be about truth — about Jesus the Anointed One and the ministry for which He was anointed (see Luke 4:17-21). It must also be about love and obedience to Jesus. For in the same place He gave the promise of greater works, He also said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

Jesus ascended to heaven so He could give the Holy Spirit to all those who believe in Him. The Promise of the Spirit is also the promise of greater works in Jesus’ name. It is conditioned upon faith, but it works according to love (faith works through love; Galatians 5:6) and obedience, so that when we move mountains it will always display the purpose of God and change the world for the better.

Ascension: The Promise of the Spirit

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirst, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 8:37-39)

This coming Sunday is Ascension Sunday, the seventh in the Easter season and the last before Pentecost. The glorification of Jesus is His ascension into heaven, and it is a very important part of our salvation: Jesus died on the cross for our sins; He was resurrected for our victory; but in His ascension, which happened 40 days after His resurrection, He took His place on the throne of heaven, where He rules and reigns forevermore. His kingdom is now being established on earth, even as He taught His disciples to pray, “Kingdom of God, come! Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven!”

But what does this have to do with the promise of the Holy Spirit? The answer is that Jesus could not give us His Spirit as long as He was still on this earth in bodily form. For at the Last Supper, He said,

Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. (John 16:7)

Before He ascended, He told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem:

Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. (Luke 24:49)

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now … You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:4-5, 8)

The baptism of the Holy Spirit and the endowment of power from heaven are the rivers of living water Jesus talked about. They spring forth from the inner man to manifest the kingdom of God in the earth. They are the sign that King Jesus now reigns on His throne and His kingdom is breaking forth into all the world.

If you believe in Jesus, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit belongs now to you, for the King is on His throne and the Promise of the Father has been fulfilled. If you would like to experience the power of God in your life and see it change the world, pray this prayer:

Father, I receive Your Spirit, and I welcome the rivers of living water into my life. Let them flow from me to manifest Your kingdom, Your power and Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Put Your Angels to Work

For He shall give His angels charge over you.

(Psalm 91:11)

And of the angels He says, “Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.” … Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:7, 14)

Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His Word,
Heeding the voice of His Word.

(Psalm 103:20)

Got angels? If you know Jesus, God has given His angels charge over you. They are ministering spirits sent forth by God to minister on behalf of all those who inherit salvation. They’re in your corner.

Do you keep your angels busy or idle? They minister on behalf of those who inherit salvation. Are you giving them something to work with by claiming the provisions of your inheritance?

God’s angels do His Word. They heed the voice of His Word. Whenever they hear the Word of God being spoken in faith, they get busy. It does not matter whether the Word comes from God’s lips or ours, His angels will always obey the voice of His Word.

Many Christians have angels sitting around and waiting — longing — to hear them speak the Word of God so they can perform their duty. But often, all they hear is their Christians whining and complaining about problems and shortfalls — and they can’t do anything with that. Rather, we need to focus on the promises and provisions of God, and start proclaiming them over our problems. That will release our angels to operate; they will spring into action and apply the covenant provisions on our behalf.

God angels? Are you putting them to work by claiming the benefits of salvation over every area of your life? Let the Word of God fill your heart with faith. Then boldly proclaim it with your mouth — and get your angels off the unemployment line.

Deep Calls Unto Deep

Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
The LORD will command His love in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me —
A prayer to the God of my life.

(Psalm 42:7-8)

“Deep calls unto deep.” Christians use this phrase most often to refer to a deep, personal experience of the Lord ministering to them — from the depths of God’s heart to the depths of their own. Indeed, it is a profound thing.

But the psalm writer here was using it in a different way. He was going through very difficult circumstances, sorrow and affliction were pounding him relentlessly, and he was overwhelmed by the weight of it all. All he could hear was the roaring waters of trouble. But at his core, he realized that God had something much better for him. Though disoriented by his situation, he addressed it in faith. His refrain was:

Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.

(Psalm 42:5, 11; Psalm 43:5)

So how did the “deep calls unto deep” of verse 7 transform into the positive and moving expression it is today. Perhaps it is because of the testimony of verse 8:

The LORD will command His love in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me —
A prayer to the God of my life.

This is the centerpiece of the psalm. Even in the midst of the worst trouble, those who are in covenant with God have a source that will not only comfort them and get them through the time of distress, but will cause them to overcome and rejoice. God’s love, provision and protection will be made manifest to them in the broad daylight, where everybody can see it. In the night, there will be no terror, no worry, no sorrow—only a song hope.

Deep calls unto deep. Outwardly, the depth of misery and pain weighed heavily upon him. But there is a depth that is greater and much more powerful, powerful enough to overwhelm sorrow and affliction and carry them far away. It is the depth of God’s love, the revelation of His heart. This is the will of God being made known on our behalf, and it is always for the working of our good.

There is also the depth of God’s song stirring inside us, the song of His Spirit always encouraging us, renewing our hope and rekindling our faith. This love and this song come from the heart of God and penetrate to the depths of our own hearts, bringing forth prayers of faith, hope and love. So the psalmwriter speaks to his inner man and instructs himself:

Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help* of my countenance and my God.

It is as T. S. Elliot said at the end of his Four Quartets, in the poem, “Little Giddings”:

And all shall be well
And all manner of things shall be well.

Do not be overwhelmed by the depths of sorrow and circumstance. Set your expectation on God and He will deliver you completely. Let the depth of His love overwhelm the depths of your heart and fill you with songs of rejoicing and praise. The peace of God that passes all understanding will flood you, and all shall be well.

[* The Hebrew word used for “help” here is yeshuah, the word for salvation. Used as a name, it is Yeshua, rendered in English as Jesus.]

Abiding in Faith, Hope and Love

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Faith is the substance of things hoped for. (Hebrews 11:1)

Faith working through love. (Galatians 5:6)

“All things are possible to him who believes, they are less difficult to him who hopes, there are easier to him who loves, and still more easy to him who practices and perseveres in these three virtues.” — Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection

If things seem impossible, where is your faith? If they seem unlikely, where is the expectation of your hope? If they seem hard, where is your love?

What Would Jesus Do?

What would Jesus do?

Christians often toss that around even when it is not apparent what Jesus would do. But it is too malleable: A person on the Left would have Jesus doing things that are ideologically on the Left; a Right-winger would have Him simply following the ideals of the Right.

WWJD can also easily devolve into guilt manipulation. The caricature is “poor Jesus, meek and mild.” But sometimes He turned over the tables of the moneychangers; and sometimes He allowed precious ointment to be “wasted” instead of being sold and having the money given to the poor. “The poor you will have with you always,” He said. Both acts came as a surprise.

What would Jesus do?

We don’t always know. Even if we did, it would not always help us, for then we would simply be operating at the external level. But we also need to understand why Jesus did what He did. It came from His relationship with the Father. Jesus did not come upon new situations, stop and scratch His head and say, “Hmmmm, I wonder what I would do.” No, He always operated out of relationship with the Father. He did only what He saw His Father doing; He said only what He heard His Father saying; He judged only as His Father judged. That has always been His M.O.

The Father always knows what’s going on; nothing sneaks up on Him. He fully understands all the ramifications of each thought, word and deed. And He will share the answer with those who walk with Him and listen to His voice.

What would Jesus do? He would walk with His Father.

Willing the Will

I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. (John 5:30)

Jesus was all about doing the will of God. As disciples of Jesus, that is what we should always be about, too.

The Greek word for “will” has a semantic range which includes these meanings: determination, choice, purpose, inclination, decree, pleasure, desire, will.

Willing the will of God is …

• Determining with His determinations
• Choosing His choices
• Purposing His purposes
• Being inclined with His inclinations
• Decreeing His decrees
• Being pleased with His pleasure
• Desiring what He desires
  

David said, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). As we delight ourselves in God, His desires become ours, and He is pleased to fulfill those desires, because they come from Him.

Jesus said, “I always do those things that please Him” (John 8:29). This was just another way of saying, “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” So He willed the will, decreed the decrees, and experienced the full pleasure of His Father.

To us is given the privilege, as children of God, to speak and act with His choices and purposes, to decree the things He decrees and know the joy He experiences. His will is our pleasure and delight, the desires of our heart being fulfilled.

(See also The Pleasure of God on Earth)

Giving and Receiving Glory

Honor the LORD with your possessions,
And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And you vats will overflow with new wine.

(Proverbs 3:9-10)

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD will give grace and glory
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.

(Psalm 84:11)

The Hebrew word for “honor” in Proverbs 3 and for “glory” in Psalm 84 is the same. It is the word kabad, which literally means “heavy.” It was used to refer to the weight of wealth, but came to be used also for the value of every good thing within a person.

When Proverbs tells us to honor the Lord with our possessions, it is not speaking of intangibles. It is a call to give substance or weight to honor by giving to God out of our possessions. This literally gives glory to God. Proverbs further explains this as the firstfruits of all our increase. We honor God by giving Him, not the last and the least, but the first and the best.

As we give tangibly to the Lord, we will receive tangible results: “So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats overflow with new wine.” This is abundance from God. As we give the first and the best to Him, He multiplies if back to us in practical ways.

We find this also in the New Testament. Paul said, “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6). Jesus said, “Give and it shall be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38).

When we are in right relationship with God, He gives us grace and glory. The NIV says, “favor and honor.” God’s grace is God’s favor. Understand that we are not made right with God by what we give, but by the righteousness (or rightness) we receive from the Lord Jesus Christ. For God made Him to be sin for us, that we might be made the rightness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). But within that right relationship with God, when we honor Him and give Him the glory of our substance, we are drawing on His favor. When we honor Him, He honors us; when we give glory to Him, He gives glory to us. As the glory we give to God is substantive, so is the glory that God multiplies back to us.

Give God glory by the substance of your possession, the first and the best of all your increase. It will release the glory of God in our life in ways you never thought possible.

This I Know, Because God is FOR Me

When I cry out to You,
Then my enemies will turn back;
This is know, because God is for me.

(Psalm 56:9)

What a bold declaration of faith: God is for me! He’s not against me; He’s on my side. How could David speak with such confidence? Because He was in covenant with Yahweh and a great exchange took place. David’s enemies became Yahweh’s and Yahweh’s enemies became David’s. So David’s troubles were no more about David, but about God.

Joshua and Caleb walked in this same confidence. When Moses sent the twelve spies to reconnoiter in the Promised Land, ten came back and gave a lame report: “There we saw the giants … and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:33)

But Joshua and Caleb gave a very good report and called for bold action:

The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into the land and give it to us, a land which flow with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them. (Numbers 14:7-9)

The ten faithless spies saw giants in the land, and reckoned themselves as grasshoppers. In their foolishness, they supposed that this is how the inhabitants of Canaan saw them. Joshua 2:8-11 reveals how wrong they were. The “giants” were ready to melt in fear.

But Joshua and Caleb saw things much differently. They looked at God and saw that He was with them. That was all they needed to know. They realized that the giants of the land were grasshoppers in the eyes of God.

This was the heritage David drew on, and so He placed His trust in God, and God was with him. It was covenant.

Today we have an even better covenant based upon better promises. It is the covenant made in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says that God made Him to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

No matter what your troubles are or who your enemies may be, when you cry out to God, He will turn them back. For He is for you — this is the assurance we have through faith in Jesus Christ.

For more on the dynamics of faith in the history of Joshua and Caleb, see “When It’s All About God,” in God’s Word in Your Mouth.

God’s Way of Multiplication

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous. (Genesis 26:12-13)

Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God…

Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks…

The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you…

And the LORD will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, n the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. (Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 4, 8, 11-12)

Honor the LORD with your possessions,
  And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
So your barns will be filled with plenty
  And your vats will overflow with new wine.

(Proverbs 3:9.10)

The blessing of the Lord makes one rich,
And He adds no sorrow with it.

(Proverbs 10:22)

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
  That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,” says the LORD of Hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
  And pour out such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
  And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
  Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”
Says the Lord of Hosts;
  “And all nations will call you blessed,
For you will be a delightful land,
  Says the LORD of Hosts.

(Malachi 3:10-12)

But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the Word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (Matthew 13:23)

So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife, or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions — and in the age to come, eternal life. (Mark 10:29-30)

Give and it shall be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. (Luke 6:38)

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. (John 15:7-8)

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all thins, may have an abundance for every good work … Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8, 10).

Let him who is taught in the word share in all good things with him who teachers. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. (Galatians 6:6-8)

Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account … And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:15-17, 19)

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.(3 John 2)

God has many ways of multiplying us in every good thing. This includes material things as well as spiritual.

• Obeying Him and receiving His blessing will bring increase and multiplication.
• Honoring Him with our possessions and increase will bring even more increase and abundance.
• God honors the tithe with more than enough increase, and He will rebuke the devourer for out sakes.
• Receiving the Word of God and letting take deep root in us brings increase. It is the increase that comes by faith, for faith pleases God and comes by receiving His Word (Romans 10:17).
• Giving for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel brings hundredfold increase now in this life. This includes houses and lands as well as spiritual blessing. This promise of multiplication is so embarrassing for some Christians, they feel that must explain it away.
• What we give will be given back to us in greater measure, according to the measure with which we have given. What we measure out with our little hand, God measures out with His big hand.
• Abide in Jesus and letting His Word abide in us brings much fruit as we ask in His name. This glorifies God.
• When we give bountifully, we reap bountifully, and God supplies more than we need so we have abundance for every good work. So the circle of giving keeps increasing and multiplying.
• When we sow to the Spirit, sharing in the ministry of the Gospel, we reap a harvest of things that pertain to everlasting life. What a mighty multiplication that is.
• Paul uses the language of accounting — giving and receiving — to talk about the abundance of harvest that comes to those who give into God’s kingdom.
• The multiplication of prosperity has very much to do with the prosperity of our souls—obedience to God, honoring Him with our possession, abiding in Jesus and receiving His Word, and the willingness of our giving.

Want to experience the joy of God’s multiplication in your life? How is your soul prospering?

The Multiplication of God

Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” … And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” (Genesis 1:20, 22)

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind; cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:24-25)

Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living that moves on the earth. (Genesis 1:28)

And God said, “See, I have given your every herb that yields seed which is on the face of the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. (Genesis 1:29)

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease. (Genesis 8:22)

• God’s plan is for multiplication and abundance, for the earth to be filled with His bounty.
• God’s plan is to multiply and fill the earth with His dominion. He will do this through His people, who are created in His image.
• God’s plan for multiplication is through fruitfulness: each fruit bears the seed for more fruit; each harvest bears the seed for an even bigger harvest.
• The principle of seedtime and harvest will continue for as long as the earth remains.
• The principle of seedtime and harvest is that each seed shall reproduce according to its kind. That is, the kind of seed you sow is the kind of harvest you will reap.
• There is a divine order: First comes the seedtime, then comes the harvest. In between is a period of time. It may be short, it may be long. We may not always understand the timing, but each seed knows its own time.
• The harvest is much greater than the seed that is sown. One seed brings many more seeds.
• God intends for His people to enjoy the fruits of the harvest.

Are you ready for the multiplication of God in your life?