Did you know God destroys AND restores? Isaiah 23-28

Isaiah 23:17-18 (NASBStr)

It will come about at the end of seventy years that the Lord will visit Tyre. Then she will go back to her harlot’s wages and will play the harlot with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. Her gain and her harlot’s wages will be set apart to the Lord; it will not be stored up or hoarded, but her gain will become sufficient food and choice attire for those who dwell in the presence of the Lord.

Restoration!!  There is no better word!    In chapter twenty-three of Isaiah we have the destruction of the ancient city of Tyre foretold.   In the first verse of the chapter we are told the destruction is to be so bad there won't be one home to live in and no harbors to enter the city for the boating world.  This is significance because Tyre was known as the "Babylon of the Sea."   In those days when you thought about sea merchants you thought about Tyre.  As Carnival Cruise Lines epitomizes and even symbolizes the cruising industry, so, too, did Tyre to the sea merchants of the day.   Yet, because of their pride and lack of the fear of The Lord, God would destroy them (Isaiah 23:9).   But, unlike some of the other nations mentioned in Isaiah and scheduled for destruction (Babylon, as one example), Tyre was going to be restored.  Specifically seventy-years after this destruction Tyre would be restored.  The restoration so complete and so awesome they would supply food for those "who dwell in the presence of The Lord."   (You can see places in the New Testament where Tyre was visited by Christ and Paul and became a place for the early church to grow.)    In this chapter we can see that God has the power to destroy but also the mercy and strength to restore.  God is the God of restoration.   He might discipline and correct but it is for the purpose of restoration and rejoicing in Him.   This chapter starts off with destruction of every home in Tyre and ends with the country becoming a home to the future believers.   There is even more restoration in the future, but the lesson for us here is obvious: Despite destruction, restoration is found in God's mercy and grace. 

Do you know why others are suffering? Job 11

Job 11:1-3 (NASBStr)

 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered,

 “Shall a multitude of words go unanswered,

And a talkative man be acquitted?

 “Shall your boasts silence men?

And shall you scoff and none rebuke?

Everyone needs a Zophar in their lives.  They are the person who doesn't couch their words with niceties so we feel good at the end.  They are the one simply thinks if something bad has happened to you then you deserve the bad  you are getting.  Unlike Job's other friends, Zophar see pain and suffering in a different context.   Note what the World Biblical Commentary authors have to say on Zophar:

WBC:  "Whereas for Eliphaz Job's suffering is brought about by some relatively trifling sin and is therefore bound to be soon relieved (4:5- 6), and for Bildad also Job's essential righteousness is confirmed by the fact that he, unlike his children, has not been cut off from life (8:4- 6), for Zophar Job's suffering is nothing but deserved suffering. Both Eliphaz and Bildad set the suffering of their friend in a particular context:Eliphaz in the context of Job's evidently near- blameless life, Bildad in the context of the fate of Job's children. From either perspective, Job's suffering is qualified and thus- to the satisfaction of the first two friends- suitably mollified. Zophar perceives no such context for Job's pain. The fact is, he would say, that Job is suffering, and suffering is inevitably the product of sin."

We all have these friends.  Their conclusion is automatic when they see tough times for others.  The simply ask, "I wondered what they did to deserve that?"  We, because God allowed us to, know what is really going on with Job.  That makes Zophar such a fool in our eyes.  Yet, when have we not been Zophar to others?  When have we not looked at the pain and suffering of others and supposed they are doing some ill against God?   A couple goes through a divorce and we assume that one or both of the partners are evil.   Yet, when Paul and Barnabas went through a separation of ministry, who was the sinner?   Let's not become Zophar to the lives of others.  Let's realize that bad things happen to good people because of sin in the world but not necessarily because of THEIR sin in the world.   Let's allow the Jobs in our lives to know that God is working in their lives and whatever the "reason" for the difficulty the "solution" is continued faith in God.  Not, as Zophar tells Job in the above context: Shut up and take your medicine you evil man!!

Do you know who keeps you safe and sound? Psalm 12-14

Psalms 12:5 (NASBStr)

“Because of the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy,

Now I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will set him in the safety for which he longs.”

We are going to go through afflictions in life.   Those who call upon the name of The Lord will have affliction from the non-believer and the corrupt and worldly system that think it runs this world.   In Psalm 12-14 we have an entire Theological description of the depravity of man and how they both deny God and despise those who believe in Him.   If it were not for God, the afflicted would be all consumed and devoured by these who reject the truth of God and His plan for their salvation.   Yet, in the midst of that obvious truth, God is our refuge.  It is He who delivers us from those who would afflict us.   As we groan and as God sees the devastation we can have at the hand of those who reject Him, God hears and rescues.   He arises to provide us with the "safety for which we long."   The word for "safety" in the above text is used over 200 times in the Hebrew Old Testament.   The first occurrence is translated "salvation" in this text:

2 Samuel 22:3

My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge;

My savior, You save me from violence.

God not only saves those who believe in Him from the fire of hell, He also saves us from the torment on this earth.   We don't always experience it in our current culture.   God has given us safety through the meager laws of our country.  But, in North Korea, today, there is a believer imprisoned who may not live out the day; all because of his faith.   Because of our faith in this culture and country, we might have someone laugh at us, or rolls their eyes, or simply just ignore us.  But, no matter the context of the affliction, we need to remember that it is not our smarts, brawn or resources that keep us safe.  It is the Holy One of Israel that gives us the safety for which we long.  

Do you know what the mortification of sin is? Joshua 21-24

Joshua 23:12-13 (NASBStr)

For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, know with certainty that the Lord your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you; but they will be a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you.

So, what happens if we don't serve God and rid ourselves of the evil around us?   Israel was lead into the promise land by Joshua to take possession of the land.  God had given them victory on every side and had fought for them.  They were to simply become the caretakers of the land as God removed the old, evil caretakers.   This was not to be something they did, but God did through them.   All they had to do was drive out the inhabitants of the land.   In the above passage we read Joshua's words to the nation, however, if they DON'T drive out the inheritance.  If they didn't drive them out it wasn't going to be a neutral zone.   The enemy would eventually gain ground and conquer them, rather than be conquered by them.    The lesson for us is easy.   When we fail to drive sin out of our lives it isn't simply content to live along side us and become non-passive.   Sin is an aggressive body.   It attacks, always.   When we fail to deal with it in our lives it gains ground, immediately.   This is why we have to fight sin as early as possible when it enters the battle.   In the first thought of the mind we are in hand-to-hand combat with sin.   The first glance of the eye is simply sin in our body taking captive the tools of our body to do its bidding.   We must fight it then.   If we don't we allow sin to take advantage of our members (tools: eyes, thoughts, ears, senses) and use them against us.   If we don't conquer sin through the strength of The Lord than sin will conquer us.   We can't be happy to live in harmony with sin.   We must declare war on sin and attack it.  Paul called this the mortification of the body.  Note the following:

Romans 8:13 (NASBStr)

... for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

The "putting to death the deeds of the body" is the spiritual act of mortification.   Joshua is telling the Israelites the same thing. If they put away the evil around them they will live.  If not, death will begin to take over the body.  

Did you know that God was El-Shaddai? Genesis 16-19

Genesis 17:1-2 (NASBStr)

 Now when Abram was ninety- nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him,

“I am God Almighty;

Walk before Me, and be blameless.

 “I will establish My covenant between Me and you,

And I will multiply you exceedingly.”

God had revealed Himself to Abram many times.  In this occasion God refers to Himself as "El-Shaddai"  - God Almighty.   God is about to repeat the promise to Abrram that He will make him a mighty nation and and bless his descendants after him.   Abram has heard this promise before and will hear it again.   This time, the emphasis is not on the promise, but on El-Shaddai.   Over the next few chapters Abram is going to see just how "almighty" God can be.   Shaddai has a couple of difference meanings, depending on where you read about it.   One interpretation of the Hebrew word is that it means the great destroyer.   It is used in this context in other places in God's Word.  In the Greek version of the Hebrew Old Testament the word is often translated "to  overpower" or "to destroy".     However, it is also used in Genesis 49:25 to mean "breast" signifying "sufficiency" or "nourishment" (meaning from the mother's breast comes sufficient nourishment.   Perhaps, El-Shaddai means both.  Perhaps God is sufficient for us which makes Him the "Almighty" and He is the destroyer, adding to the fact that He is to be feared and awed as the sufficient One, the overpowering One, the mighty One.  The point in the above text (this is the first time this name for God is used) is that God will be sufficient to supply what Abraham needs in a son to keep His promise to Abraham.   God will not only establish the covenant (this was an unconditional covenant made by God purely out of God's grace and mercy), but will keep it because HE IS EL-SHADDAI!   There is nothing that God promises He can't supply.  He is the Great Shaddai.   We can rest assured that not only does He make promises and fulfills them, He CAN make promises He wishes to fulfill because He is the Almighty.   Nothing is bigger than God.   Nothing is more powerful than God.   In the next chapter God will destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and, yet, save Lot and his daughters. He does this because He promised Abraham and He can do it.   He killed Lot's wife because of her lust for Sodom.   God is the God Almighty - El-Shaddai: Sufficient and Powerful.  

Did you know you can't please God by your efforts in the flesh? Roman 7-8

Romans 8:8 (NASBStr)

and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

In one of the most glorious sections of Romans, and perhaps the entire Bible, Paul has been telling his readers where victory in Christ comes from (chapters seven and eight).   As we reach the above verse we have already passed some of the greatest treasures of Scripture that provide insight and understanding to the above pregnant, albeit, short, sentence.   Paul is telling his readers that the reason for the need for Christ is that we are full of sin.   Sin, in the flesh, has control over our old nature to the point that we can't, by ourselves, rid it from our body.   Sin was brought alive by the Law, making the Law good, but, never-the-less, sin bad in our bodies.   BUT, because of what Christ has done for us on the cross, we are free from the penalty of that sin nature and are being set free from the presence of it, because it no longer has power over us.   It no longer has power over us as long as we don't try to fight it in the FLESH.    That is his point in the above passage.   When we try to conquer sin based upon our performance we are living in the flesh ... and, the flesh is totally corrupt.  We can't do ANYTHING in the flesh to please God; subsequently then, nothing done in the flesh will have the power of God to free us from the power of sin.   In Hebrews 11:6 it tells us that we need faith to please God.    So, the answer to being set free from the power of sin over our lives is the faith we have in Christ to accomplish that freedom for us.   Freedom from the power of sin comes from faith in the power of Christ to exact that freedom.   I don't quit sinning because I am strong, go to church and read my Bible.   I am giving the strength to quit sinning by having faith in Christ.   To the extent that going to church and reading my Bible emboldens my faith, those things are good.   But, my effort of doing those things does not sanctify me. In my flesh I can't please God - so why keep trying.   In is in faith that I please God.  I believe His Word and I believe my worship of Him in a community is obedience to Him and that gives me strength in the Spirit that defeats sin.   All by faith - nothing by flesh.  

Did you know you need a Doctor? Matthew 8-10

Matthew 9:12-13 (NASBStr)

But when Jesus heard this, He said, “ It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means:‘ I desire compassion, and not sacrifice, ’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Seldom are we criticized for going to the hospital.  In fact, we often tell others about the visit, if we went.   They will often ask about our experience, health and results.   We don't do the same thing, however, when we come to Christ via the church.  We don't often tell others we went to church.  We never tell them the reason we went to church is because we are spiritually sick, much less full of sin.   Even though we need the radiation of God's love and mercy we don't report that out to others.   Hence the above words by our Savior.   The Pharisees were objecting to the fact that Jesus was eating and fellowshiping with publicans, sinners and tax collectors.   They thought a man of Jesus stature should only be with people like them and not with the "sinners" of the world.   Yet, as Jesus stated, if He indeed was the person He was claiming He was was, these are the people He should be with.   Only those who know they are sick need a physician.  Only those who know they are lost and dead in sin need a Savior.   We can't come to Christ without first acknowledging our own depravity.   We are an inability to heal ourselves.  If someone sat at home and, despite a severe sickness, never went to the doctor or hospital, we would call that person a fool.   So, too, the one who knows they are a sinner and never comes to Christ through the avenue of the church, is foolish.  The Pharisees rejected Christ, not because He didn't demonstrate He was the Son of God, but because they couldn't come to the point to admit they needed the Doctor.  

Do you know how God brings a nation to its knees? Isaiah 18-22

Isaiah 19:10-12 (NASBStr)

And the pillars of Egypt will be crushed;

All the hired laborers will be grieved in soul.

 The princes of Zoan are mere fools;

The advice of Pharaoh’s wisest advisers has become stupid.

How can you men say to Pharaoh,

“I am a son of the wise, a son of ancient kings”?

 Well then, where are your wise men?

Please let them tell you,

And let them understand what the Lord of hosts

Has purposed against Egypt.

In this section of Isaiah, the prophet is speaking about the future of nations that have been evil to Jerusalem (the nation of Israel), but at the same time nations Jerusalem has sought refuge.  God will condemn and destroy those surrounding nations for their evil ways and their treatment of Jerusalem, just as He will destroy Jerusalem (chapter 22).  In the above section we read about Egypt.    We recall Egypt from the days of Moses.   Egypt, of all the nations, should be well versed in the ways of The Lord.   God had, through Moses staff, brought them low once before.   Here, according to Isaiah, He is about to do it again.   But, this time it will not be through plagues necessarily.  This time God is simply going to make the counsel that is spoken in Pharaoh's ear to become vague, twisted and stupid.  God could (and will, on some other countries) visit Egypt with great destruction of hell-fire-and-brimestone!   Yet, He can also bring a nation to its knees simply by sending it false counsel.  Remember the story of Balaam and you see a great example how the counsel of just one man can cause an entire nation to stumble.   After Solomon's death, his son, Rehoboam, was given evil counsel by his childhood friends and their suggestions split the kingdom of Israel.   He listened to them despite the warning In Proverbs chapter one, written by his own father, to be aware of the counsel of the ungodly.  They only wish we join them in the violence.  Note further one of Solomon's warnings:

Proverbs 16:29 (NASBStr)

A man of violence entices his neighbor

And leads him in a way that is not good.

God can humble an entire nation via poor advice from their trusted counselors.   He can use thunder, but He can get the same effect through a whisper.   God is not mocked.  He will return onto others their failures of following Him.   But, as we watch the nations today toil and spin, think not God needs a firm vice to turn them.  He can do the same thing with a small, quiet voice.   

Do you grasp the awesomeness of God? Job 8-10

Job 9:5-10 (NASBStr)

“ It is God who removes the mountains, they know not how,

When He overturns them in His anger;

 Who shakes the earth out of its place,

And its pillars tremble;

 Who commands the sun not to shine,

And sets a seal upon the stars;

 Who alone stretches out the heavens

And tramples down the waves of the sea;

 Who makes the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades,

And the chambers of the south;

 Who does great things, unfathomable,

And wondrous works without number.

Throughout the book of Job we read about his pain, suffering and arguments with his three friends.   As they all seek understanding in the middle of this crisis, they say foolish things, mostly.  Yet, at times, they each stumble on truth that inexplicable.  The above passage is a prime example.   Job, in this chapter, is in the middle of a compliant to his friend, Bildad, and, perhaps God at the same time.  Job is explaining to Bildad that God can do what He wants when He wants and he, Job, has no standing before God.   This is Job talking absent the thought of Christ.   Job is stating that, if it were up to him to defend himself against God, for any reason, he is extremely out-matched.   Thus the above passage.    But, in this foolish statement (for those who have faith in God have Christ as their mediator), Job confesses the awesomeness of God.   God has established the heavens and the earth.   If God wants, He can crush a mountain; shake the earth; hide the sun; cause a star to move to stand still; lift the wave of the sea so high they crush the earth; or, set the stars in such an order in the sky they form the outline of a bear.    God does great things.  God does things we can't even fathom in our finite minds.  The finite can't understand the infinite.  Today one of the chief spokesmen for the Reformed view is Dr. R.C. Sproul, who loves to state this truth as follows: .. "in the Latin phrase 'Finitum non capax,' 'The Finite cannot grasp (or contain) the infinite.' Because God is infinite in his being and eternal, and we are finite and bound ... for the manner of understanding we say that, so far as intention is concerned, ...we can't grasp the infinite."  Job knows, without a mediator, he can't grasp what God is doing in his life.   But, thankfully we have both the mediator (Christ), the outline of His plan (the Word) and the author of it (the Spirit).   We can not only grasp the above we can come to the point that we rejoice in these truths, despite our circumstances or situation.  

Do you know that God cares for you? Psalm 9-11

Psalms 9:10 (NASBStr)

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You,

For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

There is a reason to trust God.   Plan and simple, from a selfish point-of-view, God takes care of us.   He will not forsake us.   He will defend us.   We ought to trust God because we believe His worthy of our praise and our consideration.    However, we are rooted in sin.   So, based upon our own bent for self-preservation, we have a desire to rest in God because He cares for us.   God knows this about us.   That is why Peter says "casts your care upon Him for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:17).    God wants us to rest in Him because we can "rest" in Him.     All this is to focus, however, on the second line of the above Hebrew poetry.   The first line gives us the reason we can rest in God's abundant and constant prayer:  God cares for those who "know" Him.    The writer is not telling us that God cares for those who reject Him, is obscure to Him, or search for Him in the darkness of their sin.   God cares for those who "know" Him ... those who have a relationship with Him.   When we have an intimate relationship with God we can be assured that He will take care of us.  God does send common grace on everyone.   He sends the rain on the good and the evil.    Yet, He has special grace for those who believe in Him and trust Him and establish a relationship with Him.   It is in that relationship we both receive care, experience care and feel that care.  Let's rejoice in the fact that if we can have assurance in God's care for us because we have a relationship with Him.  

Do you know why we should not co-habit with sin? Joshua 16-20

Joshua 17:12-13 (NASBStr)

But the sons of Manasseh could not take possession of these cities, because the Canaanites persisted in living in that land. It came about when the sons of Israel became strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out completely.

When we read the account of Israel's history, as we do here in Joshua, there are several aspects and/or levels to look at the events.   There are the historical meanings and then they are the "types" they represent.  The book of Hebrews talks about the Land of the Canaanites and how it is a picture of the believer's life he/she must conquer to find the rest we have in our belief of Christ.  The land of Canaan is the land of sin, in the type picture.   We are, through faith in Christ's finish work, allow Him to conquer the sin in our lives.   We are not to dwell with it.  In the above "historical" account of Joshua and Israel's events, the tribe of Manasseh had a chance to defeat Canaan.   Instead of defeating them, however, they allowed them to not only live but they made an allegiance with them and assimilated them into their lives.  The people were strictly warned about this in the Law.   Moses and Joshua had told them NOT to do this.   Yet, they did anyhow.    The picture for us, today, is clear.  In the above text we see that the Canaanites were "persistent" in wanting to dwell with them.   Sin is determined to live with us and fight us as we try to eliminate it in our lives.  It is determine to be a convenience to us and not conquered by us.    Sin is an active participant in our lives.   It does not go dormant.   Note the following:

Genesis 4:7 (God speaking to Cain)

If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

1 Peter 5:8 (Peter warning the church)

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

2 Corinthians 10:4 (Paul warning the church at Corinth)

for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.

It is important to see the danger of sin and the determination of sin as it attacks us on multiple fronts.   We want to make sin a connivence, just as the tribe of Manasseh did.   Yet, this allegiance with the Canaanites would eventually cost them and bring them into slavery of more of the Canaanite practices.   When we co-habit with sin we will eventually co-suffer with sin.  

Do you know why we shouldn't fear things? Genesis 12-15

Genesis 12:11-13 (NASBStr)

It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife ’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.”

Perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18).  Actually, the entire verse in John states the following:

1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

The story in Genesis twelve about Abraham and his wife traveling to Egypt is a good example of this put into practice.   Abraham was afraid.  He was afraid that the men of Egypt would see that Sarah was good looking and, as the custom of the land has it, would kill him so they could have her.   We might not be able to relate to this, but that was the way things were done in that day and age.  The reason we might meditate on John's words in a similar situation (where the customs of the land might be dangerous for us) is because it is so practical.   IF we believe that God really loves us, we would not fear any custom in the land.   IF we believe that God loves us we don't have to fear because in His PERFECT LOVE we know that He won't allow anything to hurt us He is not already in control of and want for us.   Even the story of Job is a story of God's love for Job and God's watching over him.   Abraham had been told by God that God would bless him and make his name great.   So, that meant that even though the custom of the land would be to kill Abraham and take Sarah as a prize, God would not allow that to happen.  God had perfect love toward Abraham.   He does to us, as well.  We need not fear.  Fear involves punishment and God won't allow us to be punished.  He might, Himself, discipline us, as any good father does for their children.  But, He won't allow us to be punished.   When we act out of fear we bring torment to our lives.   When we believe God's promises we have joy and peace.   Those are fruits of the Spirit that God produces in our lives.   Fear is not a fruit of the Spirit.  

Do you know why you can show JOY in the midst of suffering? Romans 5-6

Romans 5:11 (NASBStr)

And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Paul begins this chapter in Romans by telling us that one of the benefits of justification by faith (the cornerstone of Christianity) is that we have "peace with God."   Even though we "were" enemies with God, God, through Christ and our faith in His finished work, has restored our relationship with God and that means we now have a restored peace with God.  In the above verse, however, he tells us another great blessing of justification by faith: Unspeakable joy.   This verse states that not only do we have peace with God, but "we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ."   The phrase "exult in God" actually means to "boast or glory" in something.  The NIV uses the word "rejoice" in God.   Justification is meant to restore our Peace with God, but also our Joy with Him.  God didn't save us to make us sad.   He saved us to restore us.  That restoration means we are now full of Joy.  Note the following commentator's words:

R.C.Sproul - Romans - “The result of reconciliation is unspeakable joy. The Christian life from beginning to end is meant to be a life of joy. We have much to be happy about. There is no room for the sourpuss in the kingdom of God. There is nothing dour about our redemption. If we suffer to a degree that nobody else has ever been called to suffer—a modern-day Job sitting on the dung heap— we would have no right to say anything different from what Job declared: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” ( Job 13:15). No affliction so dire, no sorrow so deep, no pain so intense, is worthy to be compared to the glory of that katallag, that reconciliation, that we have received in the Beloved. We contemplate our state of affairs in this world and we see our bank accounts slipping away, our homes destroyed, our jobs lost, and our bodies torn by disease, and we have every reason to complain, whine, and weep, but if we lift our eyes for one second to the cross and the resurrection, we see that the Lord God omnipotent, who is too holy even to look at us, now looks at us and embraces us and adopts us as his children because he has been reconciled to us.” (Excerpt From: R. C. Sproul. “Romans.” Crossway Books & Bible, 2009.)

If our day-to-day walk in life so dirties our feet that it affects our joy we have lost the focus meant to happen because of Justification.  Our joy is not based upon circumstances or situations.   In this passage we realize our Joy is based upon Justification in Christ!!   We can't lose our joy.  We can start to focus on something else, thinking that is the reason for our joy (homes, jobs, families, health, good times).    But, real Joy in the Christian life is based upon Justification by faith in Christ alone.  If you want real Joy to flow in your life keep the focus on Justification by Faith, alone.  Our Joy is tied to the act of Christ on the cross not on our walk in this world. 

Do you know why you are supposed to forgive others? Matthew 5-7

Matthew 6:14-15 (NASBStr)

For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

It might be tempted to believe that the above passage teaches something it does not.   To the casual reader and less focused, the above passage might sound as if Jesus is postulating the thought that "if you want your sins to be forgiven, start by forgiving others."    There area few major denominations that foster that same belief and this is their proof text.   They would maintain that God waits to see if we forgive others before He, in turn, forgives us.  The problem with that thought is that in contradicts all other passages in the Bible that state our forgiveness is not a matter or works but faith (Ephesians 2:8-10; 

Romans 3:27-28).  So, if that is what it does not mean, what does it mean?  Jesus adds another passage that emphasizes the same thought in Matthew 18:23-35 when He tells the story about the man who forgave one of his debtors a great debt and the same man went out and wouldn't forgive one of his own debtors a small debt.   Christ's point here is that if we have, indeed, come to know the forgiveness of God, through faith in Christ, how can we ever not forgive others?  Any debt others have incurred against us is minuscule compared to the debt we have accumulated toward God.   Note what the following commentary says about this same passage before us:

Word Biblical Commentary:  "It is clear from these verses that a direct connection exists between God's forgiveness and our forgiveness. But it is a given that God's forgiveness is always prior (Matthew 18:23- 35). These verses are a forceful way of making the significant point that it is unthinkable- impossible- that we can enjoy God's forgiveness without in turn extending our forgiveness toward others. Paul makes use of this logic in Col 3:13."

Colossians 3:13 (NASBStr)

bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Jesus point, above, and in the parable, along with Paul's words, are to express one giant point for us: We have no business holding wrath toward someone when God has forgiven us of such a great debt.   We need to remember that God went to great lengths to pay our debt, by sending His Son, Jesus, to pay it by His life.   With that said, we should note that means that the wrong others have done against us is not simply forgotten as though it was not important, or didn't matter.  It is paid for.   That means someone already suffered for the debt: Jesus.   So, I can forgive someone for the wrong they did against me because the punishment they deserve was poured out on Jesus.  So, I not only forgive them because God has forgiven me, but also, I can forgive them because their punishment has been inflicted on someone taking their place.   So, the above words of Jesus don't say forgive SO you can be forgiven.  They rather say forgive because you have been forgiven.   

Do you know what to do when you know you won? Isaiah 12-17

Isaiah 12:4-5 (NASBStr)

And in that day you will say,

“ Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name.

 Make known His deeds among the peoples;

 Make them remember that His name is exalted.”

 Praise the Lord in song, for He has done excellent things;

Let this be known throughout the earth.

When something great happens to you, do you not want to tell others?   When we have a baby born we want to post it on a billboard.  When we graduate from an educational institution we call all of or friends and announce it and have a party.   When our team wins an important game we wear their colors and boast of our allegiance to them, as if we contributed, somehow, someway, to their winning.   We love to sing the praises of great things.  This is the theme that Isaiah is addressing in the above passage.  Before actually telling the nation why they should sing the praises of God, he tells them how and declares they should.   In the next few chapters Isaiah is going to tell them that all the nations that now torment them and that God is going to use to discipline them, are going to be destroyed, and, themselves, brought into punishment.   God is going to save them.  Praise God for that salvation.  Even though they deserved to be annihilated, God was going to forgive them.   As a result, Isaiah tells them to shout it from the roof tops.  You have been forgiven.  Tell the world.   Having forgiveness expressed to you is so liberating.   No longer in the chains of bondage; no longer under the threat of wrath; no longer in the shame of guilt, God has forgiven us.    We need to praise Him out loud for that.   We win a game and we stand and shout and even rush the field.   We are forgiven and we hide it under a bushel basket.   "Let this be known throughout the earth," the last line reads, above.   We need to wear the colors of forgiveness and shout the victory song of freedom from sin and punishment for sin.   That is what God wants us to do with our salvation.  Tell others so that they too can be free.  

Do you trust God or curse God in the midst of great pain? Job 6-7

Job 6:8-10 (NASBStr)

“Oh that my request might come to pass,

And that God would grant my longing!

 “Would that God were willing to crush me,

That He would loose His hand and cut me off!

 “But it is still my consolation,

And I rejoice in unsparing pain,

That I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

We know the story behind this story.  Job does not.  We can't read these chapters without forgetting that.   However, we should.   We can't really appreciate Job's words unless we forget that he was alone in his understanding of what was actually happening to him.  Imagine if you had God's view of just the last year of your life.  Would your perspective not change?   In the above words of Job we can't help but see his desire for death.   Some might say he sounds suicidal.   However, it should be noted that he doesn't wish to take his own life.   He wishes God would take the finally stroke against his life and end it.  Even though he is in great despair, Job very much still knows who is in charge.   He knows that God has somehow "loosed" His hand long enough on his life that these things have happened.   Now, in these statements, Job asks that God just opens up His hand one more time and let's the last and final blow come to him.    Job is in pain but he still recognizes the sovereign of God and His control over everything.   Despite this pain, Job rejoices in the fact that he has NOT denied God or His Word.   What Satan was looking for was to touch Job in such a way that he would curse God.   Remember, that is the point of the process.   Yet, Job, does not curse God.  In fact, in the midst of such terrible pain and lost, Job continues to recognize God's grace and power; even if it is to take his life.   We can, in the midst of trouble, curse God, forget God, or recognize God's rule in our lives.    The pain Job feels is real.  He doesn't see the script of the role he is playing in this multi-act production.  He only knows the one Character that matters: God.   That is the only thing he can trust and does.  

Did you know God was waiting for man to repent before He shots His deadly arrows? Pslam 6-8

Psalms 7:12 (NASBStr)

If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword;

He has bent His bow and made it ready.

In this Psalm David is conveying to us the difficulty he is having in life, especially those who are attacking him.  His answer for this suffering is found in the character of God.   Rather than wallow in self loathing, David puts his focus on who God is and what God does for those who believe in him and those who reject Him.   In the middle of this discourse we see the above verse.   David is pleading for God to watch over him and take care of him.  Yet, he knows that God is both a compassionate God toward those who believe, but a wrathful God toward those who refuse to repent and confess their sins. God is in the ready to destroy those who reject them.  He has nocked the arrow and sharpened the sword.    Yet, he will not release either for destruction.  He is waiting for man to repent.    God is a God of wrath, but He is a patient God as well.

Romans 2:4 (NASBStr)

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

We need to quickly get on our knees after we sin to confess to God we know it is sin.   He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins (1 John 1:9).   Yet, the bow is pulled tightly and the sword is out of the sheath.   God knows that we are sinners.  He knows we will fail Him.  But, we must come to the point that we confess that to God and seek His forgiveness and grace.   Our prayers to God in confession of our sin won't change our propensity to sin.  It won't change our desire to sin.   It will, however, open up the floodgates of grace so that God can heal us and forgive us.   That is God's ultimate glory when He can apply the death on the cross to cover our sin.   This is why Paul, after making his arguments for the power and greatness of God's grace, was afraid others would think since sinning brought in such a great rush of God's grace, stated, "What, should we continue to sin that grace may abound?"   He knew the argument about the glory of God's grace was so powerful people might be lead to that conclusion.  In the above Psalm we have that same picture of God's grace.  Even though David was not a good place and his enemies were out to cause him pain and suffering, he still saw God's grace for both him and them.   God is ready to shoot the arrows.  But, His grace is waiting for the repentant heart.   God is giving us time to repent.   

Do you have retirement plan? Joshua 11-15

Joshua 15:14-19 (NASBStr)

Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak:Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the children of Anak. Then he went up from there against the inhabitants of Debir; now the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath- sepher. And Caleb said, “The one who attacks Kiriath- sepher and captures it, I will give him Achsah my daughter as a wife.” Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it; so he gave him Achsah his daughter as a wife. It came about that when she came to him, she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. So she alighted from the donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” Then she said, “Give me a blessing; since you have given me the land of the Negev, give me also springs of water.” So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

The legend and story of Caleb is well known to those who are familiar with the Bible or Israel's history.  Under Moses' leadership both Caleb and Joshua were sent out with ten other men to spy out the land we are now reading about in the book of Joshua.   Although the ten brought back a report of based upon flesh and fear, Caleb (and Joshua) believed God and wanted to conquer the land right then (40 years previous to this book).   Now, in the passage above, Caleb is eighty-five years old and he is not ready to retire.  In Joshua 14:11 and following Caleb reminds Joshua of the promise Moses made them both and asks Joshua to give him one of the hardest and formable portions of the promise land.   As we read about the "children of Anak" we must call to mind the giants of the land.  Forty-five years earlier Caleb saw these giants.  He had all those years to dream about conquering them, in the name of The Lord, and securing one of their homes for himself.   In the above passage, we have an additional picture into Caleb's life.  He wants to attack one of the cities of the Anak.  To accomplish this end he is willing to allow the bravest of men to have his daughter in marriage to the one who can conquer this city of giants.   A man steps up, Othniel, and takes on the city.    He wins Caleb's daughter, Achsah.   Caleb was not about to let his daughter marry someone who didn't have his own character of faith and fight.    But, that is not the end of the lesson God gives us here.   Notice what happens when Ashsah, observes the springs of water.  She, like her father, sees more to obtain in life than just the city Othniel has won for her.   Like father, like daughter.   Character matters and faith matters.   Caleb gives us the picture of what faith looks like in day-to-day living.   Caleb is not about retirement.  He is not about sitting on his couch and watching the world go by.   Nor is his family.   They understand that in faith we have life to conquer.    They believe God and take Him at his Word.   That is what men of faith do in life.   They believe God and conquer the land God promised.   

Did you know we all are sinful? Genesis 7-11

Genesis 9:20-21 (NASBStr)

Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent.

Prior to the flood, in Genesis 6, we read that God looked on the earth and saw only evilness.   He would have destroyed the earth right then and there if it were not for Noah.  In Genesis 6:8 it says that Noah found grace in the sight of The Lord.   God then choose Noah to be the redeemer of mankind by having him build a boat to take Noah and his sons and their families through the flood.   It is with Noah and those sons that God would replenish the earth and start the plan of redemption anew.    And then came the above incident.   Noah found grace in the eyes of The Lord but Noah, having received redemption, found  the taste of wine.   We have no recorded sin of Noah prior to this time.  That doesn't mean it didn't sin, however.    But, here we have, as the new founder of God's redemptive plan, a picture of man's totality of sin.  Noah was not perfect when he went into the ark, but God saved him.  Noah was not perfect when he came out of the Ark, and God would have to save him again.   Noah, apparently in shame and disgrace, took too much of the wine and acted foolishly.  We are not told anything more than that he "uncovered" himself.   In the most simply terms we would understand that to mean that he was found naked.   We might think that a harmless act, until we recall that after Adam's sin of eating the forbidden fruit in The Garden that the first thing he did was hide himself from God because he discovered he was "naked."   Sin as a habit of exposing us.   The picture we have above is that Noah, like Adam, had sinned and that sin had exposed him to his sons in a way that was not honoring to God.   Ham, the second born, than compounds the problem by mocking his father.  Although the commandment to "honor your father and mother" won't come until Moses' generation, the concept and truth were still part of God's character.   Noah was not acting honorable and Ham, failing to show grace, did not either.   Here we have a story of sin exposing us to others and bringing dishonor to us and them.   Man did not last long on the earth without demonstrating the evilness of his heart.   The first recorded sin after the flood, however, did not come from simply the son, but from Noah's actions, as well.   Sin rules the heart and it is only the grace of God that covers the nakedness it exposes.  

If we fail to believe will God break His promise? Romans 3-4

Romans 3:3 (NASBStr)

What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?

Paul is, in the book of Romans, explaining to the Roman, Gentile, believers the faithfulness of God.  They had slipped, or were about to slip, into the belief that since the gospel was now given to them God had rejected the Jewish nation and they, the Jewish believers, had no special place in the church.   Something, of course, the Jewish believers would dispute.  So, Paul, in this great book, is setting out to demonstrate to both groups their equal standing before is based upon God's faithfulness and grace and not their national, political, or heritage standing.   In chapter three of the book Paul is going to show them that both Jew and Greek are equal in sin - both are sinful and separate from God, unless God intervenes with His abundant grace.   In the above verse Paul wants them to realize that, yes, to the Jew were given great advantage.   Note what he said in the previous two verse of chapter three:

Romans 3:1-2 (NASBStr)

 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.

The Jew's were given many benefits (see Romans 9:1-5 for a better and more exhausted list).   But, they were also guilty of being unbelievers of those things God gave them.   Paul's argument is easy to understand: Does the unbelief of the creature make the Creator's promises null and void?   That answer, Paul gives in verse four of this chapter, is a resounding, NO!!  (His exact words are, "May it never be!!").   When God makes a covenant with His people, their failure to believe does not void the promise of God.  God does not give and than take back.  When God promises God means it to be so.  Paul takes several chapters to develop this theme and others important to the argument.   He somewhat returns to this very point in Romans 11:29.  Note what he says about God's promises there.   This might, perhaps, be one of the most wonderful verses to meditate upon when and after we sin:

Romans 11:29 (NASBStr)

... for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

When God promises His grace and mercy and calls us to be His children those gifts are "irrevocable."  Along with Romans 8:1, this verse might be one of the most blessed to know and hear in a sinful man's life.   God's promises are sure.   Our unbelief, fear and wayward walk does not cause them to fail.  Those things might provoke God's wrathful corrective discipline, but it can't cause us to lose the promise(s) given to us.  God is faithful, even when we are not. 

Do you know the power of using the right words with others? Matthew 3-4

Matthew 4:18-22 (NASBStr)

 Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He *said to them, “ Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

In motivational theory there is an axiom that states others won't do anything you want them to do unless they believe the thing you want them to do will help them reach THEIR goal.  This theory is termed, Goal Association.   So, if I have a great idea, you won't typically jump on board unless you can see that MY idea will help you reach YOUR goals.   If you read the above text you can see how Christ called the disciples to leave their nets and boats to come and follow Him.   The commission is plan and simply: They were about to join a ministry for the sole purpose of reaching the lost for Christ.    That will be the mission no matter who Christ is calling.   Yet, Christ uses words that allow the disciples to make the connection between their current occupation and their future ministry.   We should not miss the power of words and the skill the Son of God displays in how He interacts with others on this earth.  Words are selected with purpose.   The mission was simply: Catch men like you catch fish.   In fact, in Matthew 13:47, where He is repeatedly describing the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus compares the Kingdom to a dragnet; again, catching men, not fish.   Jesus called these lowly fishermen, using terms they would understand.  God is complex and full of mystery (Deuteronomy 29:29), yet, He uses the simplest of terms and communication to talk to the people He chooses to serve for Him and serve Him.   Call it whatever you want.  It is simply the God of the universe knowing the hearts and minds of His children and speaking their language.  

Do you know how God restores? Isaiah 7-11

Isaiah 11:16 (NASBStr)

And there will be a highway from Assyria

For the remnant of His people who will be left,

Just as there was for Israel

In the day that they came up out of the land of Egypt.

God is in the business of making our way broad and wide.   In the above portion of Isaiah we see the prophet giving the nation some good news about the remnant that will be left after the Assyrian army destroys the city of Jerusalem (see the previous ten chapters).   Even though there is to be a complete destruction, death, banishment and captivity, Isaiah tells them of a time when they will return to the promise land.   And, when they return the road won't be narrow. It won't be an escape by tunneling out.   When God sets them free of HIs discipline He will restore them and give them a broad place.  God does that.  He has done it before:

Psalms 18:19

He brought me forth also into a broad place;

He rescued me, because He delighted in me.

1 Chronicles 4:10

Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!” And God granted him what he requested.

God is in the business or restoration.  Satan wishes to devour and to destroy and to separate.   God's plan is to restore and to bring peace to others.   Even though the prophet Isaiah is telling the nation about all the bad that is going to happen to them because of their constant sin against God, he also is telling them the good news of the gospel.   God is about restoration.   And, when God restores it is not a narrow, slight or slim restoration.   When God restores it is  highway.   When the nation was brought out of captivity of the Egyptians the Egyptians actually gave them jewelry and baked goods.   They gave them shoes and clothing.   Israel didn't escape under the cover of night hoping to get away.  Israel was escorted out of the city like a parade.   So, too, with us as we seek God and His will.  When He restores us it is for His glory and by His power.  It is a highway restoration, not a path in the dark.   Rejoice in His restoration.  

Do you know what to do when you are in utter despair? Job 3-5

Job 3:25-26 (NASBStr)

“For what I fear comes upon me,

And what I dread befalls me.

 “I am not at ease, nor am I quiet,

And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.”

The story of Job is the oldest story we have.   It has an immense amount of truth and learning that we can build our lives around.  But, perhaps one of the greatest aspects of the book is its profound honesty with the emotion of Job as he suffers through this trial.   Most Christians don't like to publicly acknowledge their suffering.   They suppress it and hide it from those who might think they are actually human.   Some people medicate the suffering.   In the above passage Job articulates his pain and the depth of his anguish.  He is not "at ease", he is not "quiet", he is not "at rest," and what he fears comes upon him.   This is a bad place to be in life.   If you have never been at this place, or a place like it in your life, rejoice.   If you have, you know just how Job feels.   We can rejoice, however, that this is not the end of the book, or story.  This is only the beginning.  This is the on-ramp to God.  You have to get to this point before you are ready to hear what God has to say.   Jesus invites all those who are in this way to come to Him in Matthew 11:28-30.  Jesus calls for anyone who is weak, and weary, and in toil, and seeks rest to come to Him and He will pull you through what you are experiencing.  He will yoke Himself to us and, by faith in the power of His name, He will carry us through.   Job won't actually hear this message for 35 more chapters.   However, the answer coms because he has come to the point that he realizes he has nothing left in this life and only Christ can give Him rest.  

Do you know how to organize your prayer life? Psalm 3-5

Psalms 5:3 (NASBStr)

In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice;

In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.

David was a great King and a great follower of God.   Notice what Paul says about King David in one of his sermons from the book of Acts:

Acts 13:22 (NASBStr)

After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘ I have found David the son of Jesse, A man after MY heart, who will do all My will. ’

David had a desire to know God and see God act on his behalf and on the behalf of God's people.   That type of desire and life doesn't just happen.   In the above portion of Psalm Five we see part of the secret behind David's success as a follower of God.   In the above Psalm we see that David outlines his daily approach to life.   He starts his day, early in the morning, in prayer.   But, it is not just hap-hazard prayer.   It is prayer that David states, "In the morning I will order my prayer ..."!    The Hebrew word for "order" is used several times in the Bible to show some strategic planning.  It is used to describe how the Tabernacle and the Alter were set up.   It is used to describe how armies aligned in battle with other armies.   It is used to describe how something is organized and laid out.   What David is telling us in Psalm 5:3 is that his prayer life was organized and structured.  He didn't pray when if liked to.  He prayed in the morning and organized (ordered) his prayer life before God.   David didn't just make sure his prayer life was organized, however.  He also made sure the element of faith was carrying his prayers to the ear's of God.   At the end of the verse he says he would "eagerly watch" to see what God does in regard to his prayers.   The statement is like that of an archer who shots an arrow and waits, viewing the flight with anticipation of it hitting his target.   In faith, that is what we are supposed to do.  We offer our prayers to God and wait in anticipation of God's answer(s).   We can be assured that God will hear them and that God will answer in His own way.   If we want to be a strong believer and a great follower of God we need to make sure we don't just approach our spiritual life and relationship with God in a way that is not willy-nilly (thats a great Greek Word of not good).  David structured his prayer life, which led to a life that was pleasing to God. 

Do you know what to do if you are caught in sin? Joshua 6-10

Joshua 7:16-20 (NASBStr)

The Sin of Achan

 So Joshua arose early in the morning and brought Israel near by tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. He brought the family of Judah near, and he took the family of the Zerahites; and he brought the family of the Zerahites near man by man, and Zabdi was taken. He brought his household near man by man; and Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was taken. Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I implore you, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and give praise to Him; and tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me.” So Achan answered Joshua and said, “Truly, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this is what I did:

The sin of Achan (like the sin of Annanis in Acts 5) is an example to us of a little leaven makes the whole lump of bread rise (1 Corinthians 5:6,7).   Achan

(whose name means, "trouble" in Hebrew) was a man, like all of us, that was distracted from God's will by shinny things.   He saw something that was pleasing to the eye and he took it, despite the command of Joshua from The Lord (see Genesis 3 and how Eve was lead astray by the pleasing attributes of the forbidden fruit).   God provided a way for them to take Jericho with few limits.  But, Achan could not withstand the temptation.   But, note how Joshua conducts his interview and confrontation with Achan.   He shows Achan that since he did not glorify God in his life at Jericho he could still glorify God via his confession.   By confessing our sins to God we give Him glory.  We are stating that we agree with God that He is holy and His way holy and that we are sinful and sinning.   This was not a mistake by Achan, it was sin.  This was not a momentary lack of memory loss.  It was sin.  This was not the fault of his mother and father.  It was sin.  We don't give glory to God unless we agree that the thing we are doing is sin and we are sinners.   Achan goes on to confess it as sin and, despite the confession, he still had to suffer the consequences for his sin: Death!    Confession can give glory to God but does not remove the consequences of the sin.   God is glorified in our confession.   That is the only part we should be concerned about.  If God chooses to remove the consequences, change them, or diminish them, or, allow them to continue on, that is up to Him.  That also brings glory to God as it fulfills His Word.   We ought not make excuses for our sin.   We ought to give glory to God in our confession of them.  

Do you know how to walk with God? Genesis 4-7

Genesis 5:21-24 (NASBStr)

Enoch lived sixty- five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty- five years. Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

Hebrews 11:5 (NASBStr)

By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.

Back in Genesis 4:17 we read that Cain, the son of Adam, gave birth to a son named Enoch.  Cain was so proud he named a city after that son.   It would be a very proud moment to have an entire city named after you.   Cain's Enoch must have grown up very proud.   But, it doesn't say in Genesis 4 that Cain's Enoch walked with God.   However, in the above passage in Genesis 5 we see another Enoch.  He doesn't have a city named after him.  Nor does he have a statue built of himself in his honor.  He doesn't have a University building or athletic center built after him.  He doesn't have his face on the local currency.   No peace treaty or public policy is named after him.   But, this Enoch, the seventh from Adam, has something said about him and something that happened to him as a result that hadn't happened before of after.   Enoch was so in communion with God, in such great fellowship with him (the Hebrew word for "walk" above means to be intimate fellowship) that he went for a walk with God one day and just never came back.  God might have been protecting him from those around him, who would have despised his piety.    God took him right to heaven to be with Him.   The passage in the book of Hebrews states that God took him to heaven because he was so pleasing to God.   In the next verse in Hebrews 11 it states that without faith it is impossible to please God. So, we can make the judgement that Enoch was in fellowship with God, intimate fellowship, because he so believed in God and believed God.   His faith was the gateway to his pleasing God and having fellowship with God.  If we want an extraordinary testimony on this earth and an exceptional relationship with God we need to be a person of faith.  Faith allows us to walk with God and please God in that walk.   

Did you know the Gospel is the answer for everything? Romans 1-2

Romans 1:16-17 (NASBStr)

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “ But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel.   As you read through the book of Acts you can see how boldly and plainly he linked everything to the Gospel and ever message he spoke to the Gospel.   He understood it to be the very "power of God."    He knew if someone was hurting it was the Gospel that would encourage them.  He knew of someone was failing it was the Gospel they needed to give them victory.   He knew if someone was an addict it would be the Gospel that would free them from those chains.   EVERY answer Paul had for ANY question or problem people asked or had, was the Power of the Gospel. Today we turn to the answers found in the psychological, medical, philosophical, and governmental to solve these problems.  If someone is addicted to something there is a government program for it that can heal them.   Yet, Paul was the champion of the Gospel of God, the power of God.    Why?  Because in the Gospel the "righteousness of God" was revealed by faith.   When we believe in the Gospel message (Christ died for our sins and set us from from the power of sin) we invite the righteousness of God into our lives and that is how man is to live.   We are healed by the  power of God through the indwelling presence of Christ who is the righteousness of God incarnate.   We are not to be ashamed of the answer we should give everyone.   When asked for the reason of the hope that is in us we are to be ready with an answer.  The answer is the Gospel of Christ; the power of God because in it the righteousness of God is revealed to those who accept it by faith.   We may not understand it by reason, but we are to live it and believe it by faith.  The Just (those declared righteous) are to "live" by faith.  Not just get saved by faith, but "live" by faith.   In this next year let's not be ashamed of the Gospel.   Like Paul, make it you answer for everything.  

Did you know evil men actually prove God and Christ's message? Matthew 1-2

Matthew 2:14-15 (NASBStr)

So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:“ Out of Egypt I called MY Son.”

My spirit has been troubled the last couple days as a result of a book review I came across.  The reviewer was singing the praises of an author who had written about the foolishness of Christianity, especially in regard to the authenticity of Jesus as an actual historical figure.   The reviewer thought the way the author dismantled Christianity's claims that Christ even existed and walked on this earth was something worth praising.   What the reviewer didn't realize, however, was that the author, in his denying Christ's claims of deity, he was, in fact, "fulfilling" Christ's very claims.   Christ told His disciples that in the later days men would scoff at His claims of deity and resurrection, telling us to not be alarmed by them.   In the above passage we see the story of Joseph and Mary and baby Jesus fleeing from Bethlehem and running from King Herod, being warned by God in a dream to do so.  Herod, threatened by Christ's authority, would, within weeks of the Holy family's departure, would kill hundreds of children, hoping to kill the new born Messiah.   This evil man thought he was doing something to further advance his own beliefs and power.  Yet, he, too, was simply fulfilling what God had previously prophesied would happen.  Even in their evil behavior men who reject God do so in a way that simply furthers the gospel message and fulfills the prophetic utterances of God, via God's servants.   In reality I am not to be troubled in my soul when I read about such books written.  Their behavior is actually a fulfillment of God's Word and evidence of His existence.  Think of this particular author this way: IF Jesus didn't exist why is he so compelled to write about Him and to debunk the beliefs about Him?  What other figure in history, that never existed, does anyone write about to deny their existence?  The very fact that this author felt compelled to debunk Christ's existence emboldens believers.   We believe in a Christ who did something so great and who's claims were so compelling others would want to dissuade us in our belief of Him.  This author fulfilled Christ's words.  What better way to show me He existed.  

Do you know why you were saved? Isaiah 1-6

Isaiah 6:8-9 (NASBStr)

 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” He said, “Go, and tell this people:

‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive;

Keep on looking, but do not understand. ’

In the first chapters of this great book of prophecy we see Isaiah called by God into service.   In the immediate preceding verses we see Isaiah in the Temple and he sees God.   He is so taken aback that when he sees God's holiness he is humiliated by his own sinfulness.  He believes he is "undone" and can't stand before God.    Yet, God heels him and restores him.   Immediately, after that salvation and restoration, the above verses are recorded for us.   Isaiah is called into service.   He is called AFTER he is restored (salvation).   He is called TO rescue his fellow citizens (service).   God, within the Godhead (note the term "us" in the above verse ... referring to God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit) asks for someone to go to represent them and relay the message.   Isaiah doesn't wait until he has a theology degree, he doesn't wait until he gets board or elder approval, he doesn't wait until he "feels" comfortable, but instead steps us to serve.   Isaiah didn't check his calendar and availability.    He boldly states, "Here am I.  Send me!"   He also didn't wait to find out what the message was God needed delivered.   If he was thinking it was going to be a great message of wonderful news (and, it will be for some) he was mistaken.  Note the message:  "Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand."   The message was one of doom to those he was sent to speak to and minister and to serve.   God wanted Isaiah to tell the nation that they were doomed.   God would use Isaiah to deliver the "good news" of salvation (see later in the book) but the immediate hearers were destined for destruction.   Isaiah didn't bother to wait to see the conditions  of service, he just stepped up and said, "Here am I. Send me!"    Our service should not be conditioned on availability, message, task or even skill set (see the story of Moses in regard to not feeling skilled).   Our service is based upon the fact that God restored us and he restored us FOR service and HIS pleasure, not our own.   Prayer: Help me not to so love this life that I forget I am here for YOUR service, Lord!

Did you know God is to be blessed in the good and the bad? Job 1-2

Job 1:20-22 (NASBStr)

Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said,

“ Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

And naked I shall return there.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

 Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.

The human response to suffering is something difficult to behold.  If you have ever watched a mother sorrow over the lose of her infant child with nothing in your power to help her,  you may know a little about what it should be like reading the above passage.   Job has lost everything.  He has lost his cattle, his slaves, his crops, his storage barns, his homes and, worse, his children.   From what we read in the first chapter, Job has three slaves left who brought him this bad news and a wife, who will, by the end of chapter two, be speaking like a fool and telling him to curse God and die.   If you know any type of loss  you know what scene is described in the above passage.   Job, faced with nothing but tragedy does something few, if any will do ... he responds in remorse and worship, and never sins against God or blames God for this bad situation.   Satan was allowed to use the wind, the corrupt nature of a band of mercenaries, and lighting from the weather to destroy his wealth and family.   Most of us would curse and ask God, "Why?", never stepping into the world of worship.  Job, never losing his integrity, gives glory to God and worships God, even while he expresses the obvious pain all would have in like conditions.   Job confesses that even though he had nothing left, he had nothing to begin with in  his life.   He realized that everything in his life was a gift from God.   He recognized the sovereign hand of God both "before" and "after" the attack of Satan.   God give and God allows what He gives to be taken.  Our response is to praise Him with and without.   "Blessed be the name of The Lord."   

Did you God knows the path we are on? Psalm 1-2

Psalms 1:6 (NASBStr)

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

But the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm chapter one is both the introduction to the Book of the Psalms and the introduction to the theme of the book.   Psalms is the book of praise to recognize what God has done for us and to offer back, in song, praise and adoration to Him.   The writer has just told us how great God is and that if we obey Him and believe in Him we will flourish.   Those who reject Him will not.   The conclusion of the Psalm is in the above verse.   Depending on your relationship with God, this verse can be a strengthening thought or a scary thought.   The fact that God knows the "way" of the righteous is a comforting thought to the righteous.   The fact that He knows the "way" of the wicked and that they will perish can't be pleasant to those who reject God.  But, then again, if you reject God you will reject this truth, as well.   But, to the righteous, there is a rest and assurance knowing that God is watching us and is aware of the path we take.   He oversees our path and directs us.    The Hebrew word for the word "know" in the above line is the same word used for intimate knowledge of someone.   The Lord knows the way ... that means He has intimate knowledge of our path.  He knows us and the path we take.   He makes sure that this path is safe for us and will take us to the destiny He has for us.   That is a restful thought.