Walking as a Christian: Our Five Senses – Touch

    Our hands are probably the first body parts we think of when talking about our sense of touch; they are certainly an important part of that sense and we should consider them and be careful to use them and our ability to touch for good, as God intended.     

We Need to Hold Fast to What is Good

“Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” (Romans 12:9b NKJV)

    Throughout the Bible we find either direct instruction or mention (in psalm or prayer) of the need to ‘cling’ and ‘hold fast’ to the LORD, His word, and His ways. Turn to and read these Old Testament passages: Deuteronomy 4:1-6, 10:20-21, 30:20, and Psalm 119:30-32. In the New Testament we find these same terms used (please turn to and read these passages to see them in their entirety):

• 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 “…by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you…”
• Philippians 2:14-16 “…holding fast the word of life…”
• 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 “Hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
• 1 Timothy 6:12 “…lay hold on eternal life, to which you were called…”
• 1 Timothy 6:19 “…lay hold on eternal life”
• Hebrews 3:6 “…whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end”
• Hebrews 2:14 “For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning our confidence steadfast to the end.”
• Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering…”
• Revelation 3:11 “Behold I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”

Hold fast (OT Hebrew #1692) ‘dabaq’ means to cling, to cleave, keep close, be loyal. In the NT this phrase comes from the Greek ‘katecho’ (G#2722) which means to bind, take possession of, lay hold on/of, keep secure.

    Clinging, laying hold on, and holding fast are active, ongoing determinations of effort. Having come to a place of spiritual understanding (Colossians 1:9-11, Psalm 119:97-106, Proverbs 9:10, 2 Timothy 3:16-17) and comprehending the value of God, His word, and His way, we bind ourselves to them and work to not only maintain our hold but strengthen it every day. We spiritually root ourselves deeper into the solid foundation of Truth (Matthew 7:24-27, John 14:6) because we have come to know that all we truly need is found only in God!

    Use your hands and your sense of touch to open God’s word, read it and let it touch your heart so that you cling to it with everything you’ve got (Matthew 22:37)!     

We Need to Use Our Hands for Good

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10 NKJV)

    Our hands can be used for good or for evil. God, of course, wants us to learn to do good with our hands and continue to use them by doing good for others, to His glory (Matthew 5:16, Galatians 6:9-10, Ephesians 2:10, Titus 3:8). To this end, He, through the apostle, Paul, tells one who had once maintained a habit of using his hands for evil, in this case, stealing, to no longer steal, “but rather let him labour; working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need” (Ephesians 4:28).

    Use your hands and your sense of touch to be a blessing and a benefit to others!

Touch Other Lives With Goodness

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NKJV)

    Has your life been touched by God’s goodness? Do you appreciate the hope you have in Him and His abundant daily blessings (Psalm 68:19)?  Share your hope (1 Peter 3:15) and your blessings with others! Reach out and touch others with God’s comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) and stretch out your hands in mercy (Luke 6:27-36); touch other’s hearts through your lovingkindness. In doing so you show God to those who may not know Him! If you can do anything for another, do good! Tell others of God through your actions - He is the reason for and source of your goodness (Psalm 16:2)!

    Use your hands to touch other lives with God's goodness!

You can do it! So can I!!

Walking as a Christian: Our Five Senses – Smell

    Scent can invigorate us or calm us; it can repulse us or draw us in. It can even make us feel nostalgic because scent is often linked with our memories. We like being around things that smell nice to us and, as much as we can help it, we will avoid being around the smells we don’t prefer. Many of us are particular about how we smell, we don’t want to be off-putting to others, but have a pleasant scent that does not offend; it is for this very reason that perfumes, colognes, scented shampoos, and soaps/body washes are always in high demand.

    Knowing this, consider this passage:

“Now thanks be to God who leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ* among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the others the aroma of life leading to life…” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16 NKJV)

    The knowledge of God and Christ is our fragrance – some will be drawn to it in their search for God and some will be repelled by it (Romans 8:6-7, 1 Peter 4:1-6, see how light has the same effect in John 3:16-21). Our own senses will develop as we study and gain knowledge of God, allowing us to discern both good and evil (Hebrews 5:14).

*Interesting Fact: Psalm 45:8 describes scent of the coming Messiah’s garments as being scented with myrrh, aloes, and cassia. Myrrh smells like sweet licorice/anise, aloe smells fresh, like cool water, and cassia is similar to the scent of cinnamon. All three of these scents have a calming effect: myrrh calms and steadies the mind and is good for rest, aloe is soothing, helps with depression, and is mood-regulating, cassia helps with anxiety and shyness, and helps relieve the stress of perfectionism, making mistakes, and dwelling on the negative. Now read and consider Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11:28-30. He is the very place, the only place, we can find true peace (Philippians 4:6-8).

    As we live for Christ (Galatians 2:20) and walk as He walked (1 John 2:3-6) we will find that some will be pleased with our behaviour and choices because they see the goodness in it (they may even ask us why we do what we do, 1 Peter 3:15), while others will see that same goodness and behave as though we are preaching words of condemnation at them as they compare our choices/behaviour to their own. The latter ones don’t want to come to the light and they are repelled by the very fragrance that emits from us as we allow God and His word to guide us.     

    Throughout the Old Testament there are mentions of the required offerings and sacrifices causing a sweet-smelling aroma that reached God (ex: Genesis 8:20-21, Leviticus 2:9). Although we are no longer required to offer blood sacrifices because of Jesus’ sacrifice, which was once for all (Hebrews 10:8-10), we still offer sacrifices to God that cause sweet aroma to reach Him. We offer ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2, Matthew 16:24) and when we walk in love as Christ loved us we are offering a sweet-smelling aroma to God (just as Christ did when loved us and gave Himself for us, Ephesians 5:1-2).  Sharing our blessings and helping those in need also offers “a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18). And did you know that our very prayers are golden bowls of incense to God in heaven? Read and consider Revelation 5:8, it may just change the way you approach prayer and make you more consistent in your offering of them.

    Do you smell of the fragrance of Christ? Does knowledge of God and His Son permeate from you – making it evident to all that you are a child of God (think on 1 Timothy 4:15-16)? Are you developing your own sense of smell through reading, study, and application (Hebrews 5:14, James 1:21-27)? If you're walking as Jesus walked be proud of the way you smell, let it be your signature scent, as you humbly give yourself to the Lord and to the work He created you for (Ephesians 2:10)!   

You can do it! So can I!!

Walking as a Christian: Our Five Senses – Taste

    I know very few people who can flip through an old cookbook, read a written recipe, and determine instantly how it would taste. They gain that ability from many years of experience in cooking and/or baking; by reason of use they have become familiar with both the ingredients and the processes. They have found fulfillment in following the recipe, and trusting the directions, they are confident that everything will turn out right in the end.

    Not all are like that. Many will glance at the heavy cookbook and say, “Ugh! Too many words, looks too difficult; who has the time? I need something easier!” While others will look at the cookbook and ask where the pictures are – they need to see the end results for motivation before they even begin to follow a recipe.

    But anyone who has been to a potluck* knows that tasting something new to you and liking it is the biggest motivator toward asking who made it and how. You are much more likely to take that recipe and try it out for yourself – gathering the ingredients, following the directions, and discovering the wonderful end results – simply because you tasted it and came to know that it was good!

*a meal where everyone attending brings a dish of food to share

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8 NKJV)

    David pleads with those who are on the edge of understanding, those who are not sure of who they can trust. He implores them to take God at His word, trust Him, and try doing what He says – follow His instructions, discover the good end results!  We are to do just as David did and encourage others to “taste and see that the LORD is good” – just try a bite, so to speak, by inviting them to church services or a bible study (“Come and see,” John 1:39, 46; 4:29). Beyond that we can encourage them to read and study with us, so they can learn of God’s “ingredients” and “directions” and how they will come together into something worth having in their life.

    It’s important to note that we oftentimes become the “pictures” in the cookbook for those on the edge of understanding – they look at us and determine if we exhibit an end result that is worth the effort to try to achieve for themselves – so we need to be careful that our “ingredients” and “methods” are according to His recipe!

    We, who have tasted that the LORD is good, need to develop an appetite for His word; as we learn to trust and obey the first principles, we need to grow and begin to taste (try so we can understand) bigger bites and portions – things that require more chewing (meditating and thinking time), so that we can train our senses to properly discern what is good and what is bad.

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word if righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised t I discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:12-14 NKJV)

    God gave us His word and He wants us to hear it (Romans 10:17), He wants us to taste His good word and the powers of the age to come (savour the hope one can have beyond this life) and then trust Him enough to follow His directions (James 1:21-25); He wants us to taste His heavenly gift and become partakers of the Holy Spirit so we can gain knowledge, wisdom, and spiritual understanding (Colossians 1:9-14).

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.” (Hebrews 6:4-6 NKJV)

    If you have tasted the good things of God and then fall away, there will be nothing new delivered – there is no new ‘recipe’ to try or ‘cookbook’ that will be manufactured to renew your interest in Him. If you have sat at the table He has prepared for you (Psalm 23:5), if you at one time joyed in the search of the unending treasures of His wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:2-3), but now, for whatever reason, have decided that the junk food offered by the world is more appealing, there will be nothing new offered that will bring you back – and your rejection of God’s goodness and provision causes Jesus and His sacrifice to be belittled and blasphemed by the world you have turned to – you’ve put Him and all He has done for you to an open shame. Only humbling yourself in repentance, acknowledging the corruption of the world’s offerings and spewing them out (turning wholly from them), and once again regaining a taste for the good things of God can allow you a seat at His table once more – and it is only by God’s grace and mercy that will happen.

    We need to develop our sense of taste for what is good. Only God is good. His word is good. Follow the instructions of Philippians 4:8, think on (chew on) only what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy – that is God and His word! – and trust, after diligently following His directions, that everything will turn out right in the end (Hebrews 11:6, 2 Timothy 1:8-12, Romans 8:28)!

    If you have tasted and saw that the LORD is good, keep building your appetite for His goodness and keep following His instructions – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6, consider also Psalm 34:10) – God’s word will provide endless “meals” that will nourish you and allow you to grow (2 Peter 3:18) and flourish!!

You can do it! So can I!!   

Walking as a Christian: Our Five Senses – Hearing

“…the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” (Proverbs 18:15 NKJV)

    Continuing in our five-lesson study of our five senses, we will look this week at hearing and how to use this sense to glorify God who made us and gave us these benefits (Proverbs 20:12, Psalm 139:13-14).

    Wisdom, personified, says “Now therefore, listen to me, my children, for blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not disdain it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favour from the LORD.” (Proverbs 8:32-35). We need to use our ears to hear what is good and beneficial!

    Using our ears to really hear and listen is important, so much so that Jesus, Himself, calls for our use of them repeatedly – “he that has an ear, let him hear” – at the beginning of the New Testament (Matthew 11:15, 13:9, 43, Mark 4:9, 23, 7:16, Luke 8:8, 14:35) and at the end (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29, 3:6, 13, 22, 13:9). Why is it so important? Because God calls us through the gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14) and faith comes from hearing God’s word (Romans 10:17).

    Our hearing is limited by our heart’s interest in the subject matter. Consider Pharaoh who hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses (Exodus 8:15, 19, etc.), the Israelites who turned from God (Zechariah 7:8-14, Proverbs 28:9), and those who refuse to hear the pure gospel message (Acts 7:51-57, 2 Timothy 4:3-4).  

“O, be careful little ears what you hear…” (Children’s song, 1956, Zondervan Music)

    What we listen to daily can affect our heart’s capability to develop interest and limits. Think on Jesus’ parable of the sower (Matthew 13, Mark 4, Luke 8) where the heart’s ability to really listen to the word of God is hindered by the “rocks and weeds” of persecution, trials, and cares of this world. If we give our ears to the people who criticize us for believing in God or listen to the world who says “money is everything” our interest in hearing “pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44-48) and “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19) we will be minimal at best. That is why we need to be careful what we listen to regularly (ungodly people, TV shows, movies, music, audiobooks, podcasts, etc.) and why we are cautioned against using our ears for evil things like listening to slander/gossip (Proverbs 18:8, 26:22) and empty words that deceive (Ephesians 5:1-7).

“Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…” (Hebrews 4:7b NKJV)

    We need to have a heart that is constantly developing interest in hearing God’s word so we can be doing what He has told us in His word (James 1:21-25), this very thing shows true wisdom on our part (Matthew 7:24-29). Let us be like the multitudes who pressed about Jesus to hear the word of God (Luke 5:1) and the noble Bereans who received the word with all readiness (Acts 17:11) and let’s determine to keep our ears open to His word, letting it correct us and guide us toward full maturity (2 Timothy 3:16-17)!

You can do it! So can I!! 

Walking as a Christian: Our Five Senses - Sight

    I would like to finish up this year of Faithfully Flourishing with a small, 5-lesson series that explores bible verses that pertain to our five senses (if the Lord wills we will look at one sense per week) and how to use them to seek God and walk properly in His sight. Let’s begin this week with our sense of sight.

“Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.” (Psalm 66:5 NKJV)

    At some point in your life, either directly or indirectly, someone said to you, “Come and see the works of God.” Maybe it was a parent, grandparent, or relative, maybe it was your spouse, a friend, neighbour, or coworker, maybe it was a stranger, a posted ad, or an invite to study the bible, but someone encouraged you to open your eyes to God and His wondrous work.

    God has blessed people with sight, even those with vision impairment or loss can have their spiritual eyes opened to His great goodness (Psalm 119:18) because in His light, we see light (Psalm 36:9); we can see and know the proper pathway that leads to Him (Psalm 119:105, Matthew 7:13-14). Our loving Father sent His Son to be the light of the world (John 8:12) so that we could see the way out of the darkness of sin and have hope (John 1:4-13; 3:16-21).

“My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning I will direct it to You, and look up.” (Psalm 5:3 NKJV)

    Once we have had our eyes opened, we need to keep our eyes focused on Jesus to avoid falling back into old sinful habits (Colossians 3:1-18) and to keep ourselves moving forward in the “race” (Hebrews 12:1-2, Philippians 3:12-16). We, as Christians, are to grow and flourish (2 Peter 3:18, 1 John 2:3-6) because going dormant (not progressing) will result in spiritual shortsightedness and even blindness that will cause us to stumble (read and think on 2 Peter 1:5-11). We need to value our gift of sight and use it to God’s glory by reading and studying (1 Timothy 4:13, 15-16, so we can do what He says, James 1:21-25), seeing the needs of others (Matthew 25:34-46, 1 John 3:17-18; 5:16, Titus 2:3-5) and sharing our blessings (2 Corinthians 9:7-11) so we can benefit others and tell them of God (Matthew 5:14-16, 1 Peter 2:9)!

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:2-3 NKJV)

    We have hope, when this life is over, of seeing God the Father and His Son as they are! We need to keep ourselves pure, starting with how we use our sight (consider Psalm 101:3a and Matthew 5:27-30, we know this applies to women looking at men as well). Let’s appreciate our sight and use it to draw closer to God, to learn from His word, and to see His goodness in the world (Psalm 27:15, Romans 1:20, Hebrews 11:1, 3)! And let’s let our faith develop so we can be like the patriarchs who saw God’s promises afar off, were assured of them, embraced them, and desired that better, heavenly country (Hebrews 11:13-16) and, like them, let's look eagerly for Jesus’ coming (2 Peter 3:13-14, Revelation 1:7) anticipating when our faith will become clear, flawless sight (Psalm 17:15, Revelation 22:4)!!

You can do it! So can I!!