Preserve

For many years we’ve been trying to preserve our natural resources because many are non-renewable, meaning that once they are used up, that’s it! That’s all God gave us! We are not very good at preserving stuff given to us but thankfully God is very good at preserving. God preserving means protecting, caring for, and maintaining His Creation. Now, I know it doesn’t seem like it with all the bad stuff in the world but coming in to wreak havoc on God’s beautiful creation enters the destructive force of sin. Sin is like a fire, it engulfs everything and leaves nothing behind. So, something stronger must keep preserving creation and God has, can and will do that.

The first time we think of God preserving creation was of course at the garden of Eden, God could’ve started over, but He didn’t, He showed grace and mercy when the disobedience would have resulted in physical death. While they were separated from the presence of God, He preserved their life and the life of others while keeping righteousness in the Earth at some pretty extreme costs. “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: 2 Peter 2:4-9.”  We know that God can preserve people and also destroy people. We’ve heard about Noah and the flood, which God saved 8 souls and destroyed the rest of the world because of wickedness. Scripture says, “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy. Psalms 145:18-20.” Doesn’t seem fair or right because good people die all the time and evil people can live a long life. But God can give the godly people a great life no matter how long it is by putting their trust in Him not just in this life but in the life eternal.

God preserves people doing His will for His purpose. Joshua had sent spies to conquer the Promised Land and they had big enemy to face. The two men went into the enemy city and went to the house of a woman of ill repute—a prostitute! Her name was Rahab, you may have heard of her. They went, not for services but because it was a clever place to go and no one would notice. “And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.” But it wasn’t long until they were found out (small town or nosy people) but nonetheless, “And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country. And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:” Rahab lied for the two spies but more than that she helped them hide!  “But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate. And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;” She had a reason to help these enemy spies, look at what she says; “And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.” This woman spared the life of the spies by subtlety and hiding them on the roof covered by straw. The spies asked Rahab to spare them now it was her turn to ask a favor that would change the lives of people forever. “Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token: And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the Lord hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way.” Joshua 2:6-16. When the Israelites besieged Jericho, Rahab and her family were saved as the spies had promised, “Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee.” Joshua 2:18. Now we know that God looks after sinners and all but this woman? A woman of the night? Later in the Bible we read about Rahab’s great faith, in spite of being a Gentile living in a pagan area, she believed in God Almighty. “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.” Hebrews 11:30-31. We aren’t told the rest of Rahab’s life story but something of her life (besides this) was of great importance. God preserved Rahab’s life and her story forever by binding her life to another important life. “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham…And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab (Rahab); and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;” Matthew 1:1,5. Rahab was in the lineage of Jesus! A woman of the night apparently got married and became a mom to Boaz, who married Ruth! Small world it seems like! What a blessing to know that God preserves people no matter their past because He always sees their future!

The same with Joseph; here is the summary but trust me, the book is a lot better! A boy who was the envy of his brothers, left to die, sold into slavery, worked in an official’s house, got put in jail under false charges, became noticed because of a skill of dream interpreting, was referred to Pharaoh, helped Pharaoh, gave some wise advice to Pharaoh and was promoted to the 2nd in command of the country! Talk about an exciting life! But it wasn’t done yet! The countries all went through a famine and were going to Egypt to get food, because Joseph told Pharoah to store up food and be ready! This may sound dull, but it gets interesting really quick. Some neighboring countrymen came, and they looked awful familiar to Joseph. They were his brothers! The same one that threw him into a pit, the same ones who abandoned him. When his brothers realized it was their brother Joseph they became very remorseful and apologetic (since Joseph was now a high official in Pharaoh’s court!). Joseph however had a great answer for them. “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. Genesis 45:5-7.”  Joseph knew God kept him alive and going through those trials for a reason. We may find ourselves in the mountain tops or in the valleys of life, Joseph surely went through them and yet kept his faith in God and knew God continued to love Him and care for him.

Another man who went through a lot in life, yet God preserved him was Job. He had more valley times in despair and depression and we can understand why. He lost a lot of what he took pride in, in a very short amount of time. The scripture said that he didn’t curse God or sin foolishly. However, he was a sinner still (we all are, no one is immune, save one). Job said, “I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself? Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.” Job 7:20, Job 10:12. Job knew that his life was harder than it ever was. His faith needed to be stronger. God never left Job and never will leave anyone who give themselves up and admit their need for salvation.

God preserves the soul that trusts in them with everlasting life in Heaven. We shouldn’t trust things to save our lives but to God Almighty, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:5-8. God will never leave us, nor forsake us and sent Jesus to us as a living example to prove that God’s love and power are strong and everlasting.
    
God has done His work for mankind. But have you done yours? Have you accepted your position as a child of the King? Or are you still wandering around aimlessly for everything else that can attach a label to you that satisfies you for a brief moment? We all do it. God wants us fully His because of what He fully did for us!  As Jesus says, “Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” Luke 7:33. When you lose your life by completely giving it up to God’s will, that’s when the “magic” starts happening. It doesn’t mean that blessings will roll from the hillside, but it does mean that you will have a peace that passes understanding and a faith while shaken cannot be moved (or stirred). There are many times in scripture mortal men have asked, pleaded, and sought God to preserve them for one reason or another, some may have been fox-hole prayers where the action was hot and heavy, and they leaned upon God in that hour. Some may be for help in decision making. Whatever the reason God hears and has heard the prayers but were they for the right reason or just grasping at straws? As David says, “Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust..O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.” Would you be ashamed later of the prayer you prayed to God? If your buddies or friends heard your pleas and ridiculed you about it would you stand up and say, “Yes I did ask God for help and to keep me safe.” Or would you say, “Oh, that was nothing, I was just a little scared and not myself today, that’s all.” Notice David said we shouldn’t be ashamed. God wants us to put our trust in Him, not just when it’s convenient for us but when life is going good, trust in God as well. David continues, “Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee... O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.” Psalms 16:1; Psalms 25:20-19-21; Psalms 31:23. God will reward everyone for their deeds, not karma but God Almighty. God has mercy, grace and judgment. God has given us mercy by holding back what we truly deserve, grace by extending a gift we didn’t deserve (Jesus Christ) and can give us judgment (consequences for what we have done). God will plentifully reward the proud doer, as Jesus said about the Pharisee praying in the temple, they have their reward, to be seen of men.  But the faithful God preserves by helping and sometimes sparing them from the wrath to come (like with Rahab, Lot, Noah, and more). Solomon, David’s son wrote, “He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee. Proverbs 2:8-11.”  God doesn’t want us walking around in a state of indecision. God gives us common sense to preserve our sanity and our body. God wants us to walk the ways of correctness.  The Bible says, “And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 2 Timothy 4:18.” God will always preserve us whether we are on this earth or take our last breath into life everlasting! If God can preserve Rahab and Paul, He can preserve us too!
    
One other thing God preserves is His Word which has been in existence for 6000 years and written form for almost as long! People have tried to destroy it, kill those who reproduce it, injure those that spread the good news, but God’s Word is powerful and forever. God not only purifies and preserves His believers but His Holy Word as well! The Bible which is preserved and inspired says, “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” 1 Peter 1:22-25. If want our preservation of our life we need to trust in the person who preserves us and empowers us with His love. God’s love is enough to keep and comfort us through the darkest stormy nights and light enough to carry with us on our happiest and brightest days!

Remember; while life prepares us, the devil tries to dare and snare us but is God who loves, protects, and spares us! Thankful that God is loving, forgiving and Almighty.