The EGO That God Blesses

August 17, 2020 — Craig T. Owens

Have you ever noticed that it seems a lot easier to say, “God bless you” than it does to say, “God bless me”? Why is that? 

Do I feel unworthy of His blessing? If I am a Christian, I need to remind myself that I am in Christ, and He is in me, and He has brought me into the Father. This means that I am as blessed as the Father blesses the Son (John 14:20; Ephesians 1:3-6). God is blessed by our being blessed! 

Or perhaps I feel that “God bless me” is an arrogant prayer, while saying “God bless you” is a humble prayer. There is an EGO that God always blesses, and He delights to show us what that is!   

In Hebrew literature, the key point is found in the middle of a poem or story. In Psalm 67, that would make the middle verse: May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah. (v. 4)

The nations rejoice because God judges fairly and God guides the nations. Selah—pause and take that in. The natural attitude is actually a God-negative attitude—“I prefer to be in charge … I don’t like anyone telling me what to do!” But the unnatural attitude is a God-positive attitude—“I trust God more than I trust me, so I’m glad He is in charge … I trust God to judge justly more than I trust world institutions, so I’m glad He is the final Judge!” 

This is very good news: Only God can rule and judge correctly! Men have biases and agendas; men are selfish and self-seeking; men seek their own glory and their own advancement. So the psalmist wants us to Selah/pause to remember that only God can lead and judge in a way that brings Him glory and brings us blessing. God is blessed by our being blessed! 

Working outward from verse 4, we see verses 3 and 5 are identical, teaching us that our God-honoring desire should be for all peoples in all nations to experience the blessing of an intimate relationship with God. 

A similar theme is sounded in the “bookend” verses of 1-2 and 6-7: We are asking God to bless us so that “all the ends of the earth will fear Him.” Once again we Selah/pause to consider this: Do I have the right EGO to request this blessing? Remember: There is an EGO that God always blesses.  

In his book Lead Like Jesus, Ken Blanchard identifies two types of E.G.O.s in our relationship with God:

  • Negative E.G.O.—Edging God Out 
  • Positive E.G.O.—Exalting God Only

The negative EGO says things like, “Bless me” and “Shine on me.” The positive EGO says, “Bless me so that I can be a blessing to others” and “Shine Your light on me so that others will see You.” 

Jesus told us to not let the light of our life be hidden. We are blessed by God so that we can be a blessing to all of the peoples in all of the nations. We desire that all may know the joy of serving a Righteous King. We want everyone to know the praise that comes from Exalting God Only. 

Oh God, be merciful to me. Cause Your face to shine on me. Bless me indeed so that I may teach others to fear You, so that they may come to know You as their All-Righteous, Good, and Loving King! 

If you have missed any of the messages in this series exploring the Selahs in the Psalms, you can find the full list of messages by clicking here. 

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How Big?

August 12, 2020 — Craig T. Owens

…your servant has nothing there at all…except a small jar of olive oil (2 Kings 4:2). 

This widow made the right move in going to Elisha for help. The situation seemed impossible, so she had nowhere else to go but to God.

Instead of giving her immediate relief, God asks this widow to extend her faith. The steps she takes next will determine how big of a blessing she will receive. God frequently does this:

  • how many ditches am I willing to dig (3:16)? 
  • how many doors am I willing to knock on to ask for empty jars (4:3)?
  • how many times am I willing to strike the ground with my arrows (13:18-19)?

The ditches were filled with water until they could hold no more.

The jars were filled with oil until they could hold no more.

Joash only struck the ground three times, so he only received three victories.

Jesus told us…

…ask, and keep on asking 

…seek, and keep on looking 

…knock, and keep on knocking 

God IS going to answer. The question is: HOW BIG do I want Him to answer? 

Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish INFINITELY MORE than we might ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20) 

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Poetry Saturday—Out Of Touch With Your Lord

August 1, 2020 — Craig T. Owens
Only a smile, yes, only a smile,
That a woman o’er burdened with grief
Expected from you; ‘twould have given relief
For her heart ache sore the while;
But weary and cheerless she went away,
Because as it happened, that very day
You were “out of touch“ with your Lord.


Only a word, yes, only a word,


That the Spirit’s small voice whispered, “Speak”;


But the worker passed onward, unblessed and weak,


Whom you were meant to have stirred


To courage, devotion and love anew,


Because when the message came to you,


You were “out of touch“ with your Lord.




Only a note, yes, only a note,


From a friend in a distant land;


The Spirit said, “Write,” but then you had planned


Some different work, and you thought


It mattered little, you did not know


‘Twould have saved a soul from sin and woe;


You were “out of touch“ with your Lord.




Only a song, yes, only a song,


That the Spirit said, “Sing tonight—


Thy voice is thy Master’s by purchased right“;


But you thought, “Mid this motley throng


I care not to sing of the City of Gold,”


And the heart that your words might have reached grew cold;


You were “out of touch“ with your Lord.




Only a day, yes, only a day!


But, oh, can you guess, my friend,


Where the influence reaches, and where it will end


Of the hours that you frittered away?


The Master’s command is, “Abide in Me,”


And fruitless and vain will your service be,


If “out of touch“ with your Lord. —Jean H. Watson








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Poetry Saturday—New Every Morning

July 18, 2020 — Craig T. Owens 




Every day is a fresh beginning,


Every morn is a world made new.


You who are weary of sorrow and sinning,


Here is a beautiful hope for you—


A hope for me and a hope for you.




All of the past things are past and over;


The tasks are done and the tears are shed.


Yesterday’s errors let yesterday cover,


Yesterday’s wounds which smarted and bled,


Are healed with the healing which night has shed.




Yesterday is now a part of forever,


Bound up in a sheaf, which God holds tight,


With glad days, and sad days, and bad days, which never


Shall visit us more with their bloom and their blight,


Their fullness of sunshine or sorrowful night.




Let them go, since we cannot re-live them,


Cannot undo and cannot atone;


God in His mercy receive, forgive them!


Only the new days are our own;


Today is ours, and today alone.




Here are the skies all burnished brightly,


Here is the spent earth all re-born,


Here are the tired limbs springing lightly


To face the sun and to share with the morn


In the chrism of dew and the cool of dawn.




Every day is a fresh beginning;


Listen, my soul, to the glad refrain,


And spite of old sorrow and older sinning,


And puzzles forecasted and possible pain,


Take heart with the day, and begin again. —Susan Coolidge








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Poetry Saturday—My Country

July 4, 2020 — Craig T. Owens 




America! my own dear land,


O, ‘tis a lovely land to me;


I thank my God that I was born


Where man is free!




Our land—it is a glorious land—


And wide it spreads from sea to sea,


And sister States in Union join


And all are free.




And equal laws we all obey, 


To kings we never bend the knee;


We may not own any Lord but God


Where all are free.




We’ve lofty hills and sunny vales


And streams that roll to either sea,


And through this large and varied land


Alike we’re free.




You hear the sounds of healthful toil,


And youth’s gay shout and childhood’s glee,


And every one in safety dwells 


And all are free.




We’re brothers all from South to North,


One bond will draw us to agree;


We love this country of our birth,


We love the free. 




We love the name of Washington,


I lisped it on my father’s knee,


And we shall ne’er forget the name 


While we are free.




My Land, my own dear native Land,


Thou art a lovely land to me;


I bless my God that I was born


Where man is free! —Sarah Josepha Buell Hale (1788–1879) 








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‘Tis I, Be Not Afraid

June 13, 2020 — Craig T. Owens 




Tossed with rough winds, and faint with fear, 


Above the tempest, soft and clear, 


What still small accents greet mine ear?


“‘Tis I; be not afraid.” 




“‘Tis I who led thy steps aright; 


‘Tis I who gave thy blind eyes sight; 


‘Tis I, thy Lord, thy Life, thy Light. 


‘Tis I; be not afraid.




“This bitter cup fear not to drink; 


I know it well—oh! do not shrink; 


I tasted it o’er Kedron’s brink. 


‘Tis I; be not afraid. 




“Mine eyes are watching by thy bed, 


Mine arms are underneath thy head, 


My blessing is around thee shed. 


‘Tis I; be not afraid.“




When on the other side thy feet 


Shall rest ‘mid thousands welcomes sweet, 


One well known voice thy heart shall greet. 


“‘Tis I; be not afraid.” 




From out the dazzling majesty 


Gently He’ll lay His hands on thee, 


Whispering: “Beloved, lov’st thou Me? 


It was not in vain I died for thee,


‘Tis I; be not afraid.” —Anonymous








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Child Of God

April 1, 2020 — Craig T. Owens 




You are the children of the Lord your God… (Deuteronomy 14:1). 




I am a child of the King of kings.


He is the King of Endless Supply.


He has no lack, no deficiencies, no quotas. 


He IS Abundance! 






So why would I live like a pauper—scraping by and scrambling to provide for myself? Why would I live like an orphan—with a scarcity mindset? 


My Heavenly Father knows what I have need of before I even ask, and He has already promised to supply for all of my needs (Matthew 6:8; Philippians 4:19).


As a child of God, I should have a joy-filled, peace-filled, abundance mentality. With this mindset I can…



I’m not trying to build a bankroll here. My inheritance is secure in Heaven. As a child of the King of kings, I can expect Him to provide all I need. 


I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. (Psalm 37:25) 


With the same measure I use to bless others, I will be blessed. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. (Luke 6:38) 


I need to live as a child of the Abundant King, not as a helpless orphan with no one on whom to call for help! 






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Poetry Saturday—One God

March 14, 2020 — Craig T. Owens 




One God! one Majesty! 


There is no God but Thee! 


Unbounded, unextended Unity! 




Awful in unity,


O God! we worship Thee,


More simply one, because supremely Three!




Dread, unbeginning One! 


Single, yet not alone, 


Creation hath not set Thee on a higher throne. 




Unfathomable Sea!


All life is out of Thee,


And Thy life is Thy blissful Unity.




All things that from Thee run, 


All works that Thou hast done, 


Thou didst in honor of Thy being One. 




And by Thy being One, 


Ever by that alone, 


Couldst Thou do, and doest, what Thou hast done. 




We from Thy oneness come, 


Beyond it cannot roam, 


And in Thy oneness find our one eternal home. 




Blest be Thy Unity! 


All joys are one to me— 


The joy that there can be no other God than Thee! —Frederick Faber








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Thursdays With Spurgeon—Our Father In Heaven

February 6, 2020 — Craig T. Owens 




This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Charles Spurgeon. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Spurgeon” in the search box to read more entries.


Our Father In Heaven


     I believe that this prayer [“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name”] was never intended for universal use. Jesus Christ taught it not to all men, but to His disciples, and it is a prayer adopted only to those who are the possessors of grace and are truly converted. In the lips of an ungodly man, it is entirely out of place. Does not one say, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do” (John 8:44)? Why then should you mock God by saying, “Our Father in heaven”? 


     Let none despise this prayer. It is matchless, and if we must have forms of prayer, let us have this first, foremost, and chief. But let none think that Christ would tie His disciples to the constant and only use of this. Let us rather draw near to the throne of heavenly grace with boldness, as children coming to a father, and let us tell forth our wants and our sorrows in the language that the Holy Spirit teaches us. …


     If we say, “Our Father in heaven,” we must remember that our being sons involves the duty of obedience to God. When I say “my Father,” it is not for me to rise up and go in rebellion against His wishes. If He is my Father, let me note His commands and let me reverentially obey. If He has said, “Do this,” let me do it, not because I dread Him, but because I love Him. And if He forbids me to do anything, let me avoid it. …


     We are one in the family of God and no one is ahead of the other. One may have more grace than another, but God does not love one more than another. One may be an older child than another, but he is not more a child. One may do mightier works and may bring more glory to his Father, but he whose name is the least in the kingdom of heaven is as much the child of God as he who stands among the king’s mighty men. Let this cheer and comfort us when we draw near to God and say, “Our Father in heaven.” … 


     And after you have prayed that, rise up and act it. Say not “our Father” and then look upon your brethren with a sneer or frown. I beseech you, love like a brother and act like a brother. Help the needy. Cheer these sick. Comfort the fainthearted. Go about doing good; minister to the suffering people of God wherever you find them. Let the world take notice of you—that you are when you are on your feet what you are upon your knees—that you are a brother to all the brotherhood of Christ, a brother born for adversity, like your Master Himself.


From The Fatherhood of God


This kind of prayer speaks of…


    

  • access
    • 

  • responsibility
    • 

  • power
    • 

  • love
    • 

  • provision
    • 

  • assurance
    • 

  • protection
    • 

  • acceptance
    • 

  • joy
    • 

  • and more blessings than we can ever enumerate! 
    • 



What a blessing to pray to a Heavenly Father who is also Holy God.








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Thursdays With Spurgeon—The Oftener The Better

January 30, 2020 — Craig T. Owens 




This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Charles Spurgeon. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Spurgeon” in the search box to read more entries.


The Oftener The Better 


     It is strange that spiritual blessings are our only possessions that we do not employ. We get a great spiritual blessing and we let the rest get on it for many a day. There is the mercy seat, for instance. Ah, my friends, if you had the cash box as full of riches as that mercy seat is, you would go often to it, as often as your necessities require. But you do not go to the mercy seat half so often as you need to go. Most precious things God has given to us, but we never overuse them. The truth is, they cannot be overused. We cannot wear a promise threadbare. We can never burn out the incense of grace. We can never use up the infinite treasures of God’s lovingkindness. … 


     How seldom do we ask counsel at the hands of the Lord! How often do we go about our business without asking His guidance? In our troubles how constantly do we strive to bear our burdens, instead of casting them upon the Lord, that He may sustain us! And this is not because we may not, for the Lord seems to say, “I am yours, soul; come and make use of Me as you will. You may freely come to My store, and the oftener the better. Welcome.” … 


     Have not God in name only. Since He allows you to have such a Friend, use Him daily. My God will supply all your wants. Never want while you have a God. Never fear or faint while you have a God. Go to your treasure and take whatever you need. There is bread and clothes, and health and life, and all that you need. O Christian, learn the divine skill to make God all things; to make bread of your God, and water, and health, and friends, and ease. He can supply you with all these. … 


     Oh! Child of God, let me urge you to make use of your God. Make use of Him in prayer. I beseech you, go to Him often, because He is your God. … Fly to Him; tell Him all your wants; use Him constantly by faith, at all times. …  


     Go to God continually, importunately, confidently. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will bring it to pass. Commit your way to the Lord, and He will guide you by His counsel and afterward receive you to glory (Psalm 73:24).


From God In The Covenant 


Oh what peace we often forfeit


Oh what needless pain we bear


All because we do not carry


Everything to God in prayer










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