Matthew 23:23
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
What really matters in life? What really makes the biggest impact on people? Is the biggest impact made by those with the most money? Do those who have the biggest affect have a big home and throw the largest party make the biggest impact? Is the best or most popular personality the one asset that makes the biggest impact in the lives of others? If you listened to today's media and today's entertainment community, you would think all these things and a few more are the items or areas that cause large mouth impact. Some, in the religious world, think that "religiosity" is the catalyst for big impression on not only others, but God. That is what the religious leaders in Christ's day thought, anyway (although today's pastors and priest still hold the same thoughts). Christ calls them out on the carpet for such a belief. He pointed out that these "leaders" of faith put all their emphasis on obeying even the most exact aspects of the Law (He wasn't saying "don't" do that), but then neglect the most important aspect of the Law ... the root meaning ... showing mercy and justice and faithfulness. Jesus was concerned that these religious leaders were missing the point and leading others on that faulty mission. Mint, dill and cumin are the smallest items in the garden. God had told them to tithe, even of those items, in Deuteronomy 14:22. Jesus isn't telling them to stop neglecting these things, but to add to this diligence the more important aspect of the law: God wants them to treat others in a just manner ... not turning an eye away from what is right. Jesus wants them to know that having mercy, to balance that justice, is as equally important and "weightier" than the mint, dill and cumin. He adds to that thought being faithful and completes the trifecta of Godliness. We must stop thinking that simply doing the function of the law will please God. In Hebrews 11:6 we are told that God is pleased by faith in Christ, not the acts of doing something. Acting "like" God in our treatment of others is more important to Christ and more like Christ, than doing things in a religious, "keep-all-the-things-on-the-list," How we treat others should be our lives not our task. This is why Jesus summed up the entire in the words that we should love God and man. That is it!! How do we show others we are Christ-like? By treating others with justice, mercy and faithfulness. The truth is, we might be able to "impress" others with our religious obedience. But if we want to "impact" others we must press hard and practice justice, mercy and faith.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Friday, February 27, 2015
Turth #61 - God rules and puts rulers in place to rule - Isaiah 45-50
Isaiah 45:1
Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
and to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
that gates may not be closed:
When it comes to doing a study on the sovereign nature of God, there may be, perhaps, not other chapter in God's Word that matches Isaiah 45. Romans 9-11 may, but very few whole chapters are given over to God's sovereign rule over mankind. We can help by see it in all of God's Word, if we are looking for it, but this chapter seems to say it so powerfully. Notice, however, a few verses that might give us a backdrop to this chapter:
Proverbs 21:1
The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
he turns it wherever he will.
Psalms 75:7
but it is God who executes judgment,
putting down one and lifting up another.
Daniel 2:21-22
And he changeth the times and the seasons:
he removeth kings, and setteth up kings:
he giveth wisdom unto the wise,
and knowledge to them that know understanding:
He revealeth the deep and secret things:
he knoweth what is in the darkness,
and the light dwelleth with him.
When it comes to God's sovereign rule, we can be assured that NO ruler on this earth is where they are, except by God's design. The wicked man in North Korea is there to do God's biding. A wicked leader in Latin countries is there to do what God's wills to accomplish God's purpose. The wicked men in the Middle East who continue to create havoc across the land, are not the first. In the above verse King Cyrus, the King of Babylon, was used by God as God directed him by the "right hand" and led him like a child to do what God willed. God opens the doors for leadership. The truth is, if you are in a place of leadership it is by God's sovereign will and desire. We are to submit to leaders, no matter their political views, because they are there by God's own choosing:
Romans 13:1-2
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
and to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
that gates may not be closed:
When it comes to doing a study on the sovereign nature of God, there may be, perhaps, not other chapter in God's Word that matches Isaiah 45. Romans 9-11 may, but very few whole chapters are given over to God's sovereign rule over mankind. We can help by see it in all of God's Word, if we are looking for it, but this chapter seems to say it so powerfully. Notice, however, a few verses that might give us a backdrop to this chapter:
Proverbs 21:1
The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
he turns it wherever he will.
Psalms 75:7
but it is God who executes judgment,
putting down one and lifting up another.
Daniel 2:21-22
And he changeth the times and the seasons:
he removeth kings, and setteth up kings:
he giveth wisdom unto the wise,
and knowledge to them that know understanding:
He revealeth the deep and secret things:
he knoweth what is in the darkness,
and the light dwelleth with him.
When it comes to God's sovereign rule, we can be assured that NO ruler on this earth is where they are, except by God's design. The wicked man in North Korea is there to do God's biding. A wicked leader in Latin countries is there to do what God's wills to accomplish God's purpose. The wicked men in the Middle East who continue to create havoc across the land, are not the first. In the above verse King Cyrus, the King of Babylon, was used by God as God directed him by the "right hand" and led him like a child to do what God willed. God opens the doors for leadership. The truth is, if you are in a place of leadership it is by God's sovereign will and desire. We are to submit to leaders, no matter their political views, because they are there by God's own choosing:
Romans 13:1-2
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Truth #60 - Good doctrine can crush the spirit if it is applied in the wrong manner - Job 18-19
Job 19:2-3
“How long will you torment me
and break me in pieces with words?
These ten times you have cast reproach upon me;
are you not ashamed to wrong me?
Often the approach is as important as the truth!! We have in these two chapters yet another exchange between Bildad and Job. In 19:3 we see that this is the “tenth” exchange, although we don't have a record of all their debate. It should be noted Job's “perception” of Bildad and his friends “discussions” with Job. In 19:2 we see that Job felt “attacked” and “tormented” (NIV). Should those we call friends and those we are trying to help through a difficult crisis ever think that we are “attacking” them or “tormenting” them? Of course the answer is “NO!” However, has it ever happened … that someone thought their counselor had become their tormentor? Of course the answer to that question is “YES!” Although the truth of what we are saying is ultimately important, how we approach them is as equally important. If those we which to help consider us as their enemy our influence over them is soon diminished. Paul tells us to speak the truth in “love.” Don't just give them what they “need” to hear, but give it to them in the “way” they need to hear it. You will go a long ways in correcting them. Paul stated the following to the Corinthians in regard to his ministry in the world to the lost:
1 Corinthians 9:22
To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
Note what Solomon tells us in Proverbs:
Proverbs 11:30
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and whoever captures souls is wise.
When Daniel approached the King he prayed before he spoke that he would have the right words. He spoke in the words of loyalty and the words of strategy, something the King would understand. When Nathan approached David about his sin of adultery and murder he used a word-picture, something David understood. When Judah was confronted by his daughter-in-law, Tamar, about his unfaithfulness to care for her, she used language he could understand. We ought not attack those we are are trying to "confront." We ought to seek to "clarify" their real need. Bildad and his two friends are Biblical correct but morally wrong. Their judgment of Job is off target, even while they state correct doctrine. All those who counsel others should beware: The truth is you are sometimes off on your application of great doctrine and the person you wish to assist is crushed and damaged by your lack of knowledge of the real issue(s).
“How long will you torment me
and break me in pieces with words?
These ten times you have cast reproach upon me;
are you not ashamed to wrong me?
Often the approach is as important as the truth!! We have in these two chapters yet another exchange between Bildad and Job. In 19:3 we see that this is the “tenth” exchange, although we don't have a record of all their debate. It should be noted Job's “perception” of Bildad and his friends “discussions” with Job. In 19:2 we see that Job felt “attacked” and “tormented” (NIV). Should those we call friends and those we are trying to help through a difficult crisis ever think that we are “attacking” them or “tormenting” them? Of course the answer is “NO!” However, has it ever happened … that someone thought their counselor had become their tormentor? Of course the answer to that question is “YES!” Although the truth of what we are saying is ultimately important, how we approach them is as equally important. If those we which to help consider us as their enemy our influence over them is soon diminished. Paul tells us to speak the truth in “love.” Don't just give them what they “need” to hear, but give it to them in the “way” they need to hear it. You will go a long ways in correcting them. Paul stated the following to the Corinthians in regard to his ministry in the world to the lost:
1 Corinthians 9:22
To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
Note what Solomon tells us in Proverbs:
Proverbs 11:30
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and whoever captures souls is wise.
When Daniel approached the King he prayed before he spoke that he would have the right words. He spoke in the words of loyalty and the words of strategy, something the King would understand. When Nathan approached David about his sin of adultery and murder he used a word-picture, something David understood. When Judah was confronted by his daughter-in-law, Tamar, about his unfaithfulness to care for her, she used language he could understand. We ought not attack those we are are trying to "confront." We ought to seek to "clarify" their real need. Bildad and his two friends are Biblical correct but morally wrong. Their judgment of Job is off target, even while they state correct doctrine. All those who counsel others should beware: The truth is you are sometimes off on your application of great doctrine and the person you wish to assist is crushed and damaged by your lack of knowledge of the real issue(s).
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Turth #59 - God will not allow His followers to be put to shame - Psalm 24-26
Psalms 25:19-21
Consider how many are my foes,
and with what violent hatred they hate me.
Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!
Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I wait for you.
In the world we live in, the "foes" of the believer vary. In the current climate, as of today, in the Middle East, Christians are being be-headed for the name of Christ. In China they are forced to worship underground, avoid the State run "everything," in order to avoid arrest and, possibly, death. In Africa the believer is, as well, persecuted physically, having their property seized and their lives ruined. The "cost" of following Christ in these worlds is often a physical, material and occupational expense. In the U.S.A. the believer might suffer some ridicule and some unfair job scrutiny, yet, the E.E.O.C. has established clear laws that allow for legal intervention, should the "discrimination" become to hard to endure. Our government actually done a great job of protecting believers, even with all its sins and failings. It has done so quite admirably, as compared to other countries. It will not be as such in this great land, however. We can feel the winds of change in the air(waves). In the above passage the writer understands our brothers and sisters in the Middle East, China and Africa. He writes to prepare them (and, eventually, us) in the above Psalm. In this prayer the writer is instructing us on how to handle our "foes." He already told them and us, earlier in the Psalm, that God would not let us suffer shame:
Psalms 25:2-3
O my God, in you I trust;
let me not be put to shame;
let not my enemies exult over me.
Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
We are to put our trust in God and allow Him to run interference for us. God WILL NOT allow us to suffer shame. Those Christians recently beheaded in Egypt are not the ones who have suffered shame. Their attackers have been shamed and condemned by the entire world. The Christians have been elevated for their faith and God has been glorified in their deaths. Those who tried to shame them by killing them publicly in such an inhumane manner, were hoping to ridicule Christianity. Instead the ridicule turned onto them. God fulfilled these verses. The truth is, God will not allow His followers to be put to shame.
Consider how many are my foes,
and with what violent hatred they hate me.
Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!
Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I wait for you.
In the world we live in, the "foes" of the believer vary. In the current climate, as of today, in the Middle East, Christians are being be-headed for the name of Christ. In China they are forced to worship underground, avoid the State run "everything," in order to avoid arrest and, possibly, death. In Africa the believer is, as well, persecuted physically, having their property seized and their lives ruined. The "cost" of following Christ in these worlds is often a physical, material and occupational expense. In the U.S.A. the believer might suffer some ridicule and some unfair job scrutiny, yet, the E.E.O.C. has established clear laws that allow for legal intervention, should the "discrimination" become to hard to endure. Our government actually done a great job of protecting believers, even with all its sins and failings. It has done so quite admirably, as compared to other countries. It will not be as such in this great land, however. We can feel the winds of change in the air(waves). In the above passage the writer understands our brothers and sisters in the Middle East, China and Africa. He writes to prepare them (and, eventually, us) in the above Psalm. In this prayer the writer is instructing us on how to handle our "foes." He already told them and us, earlier in the Psalm, that God would not let us suffer shame:
Psalms 25:2-3
O my God, in you I trust;
let me not be put to shame;
let not my enemies exult over me.
Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
We are to put our trust in God and allow Him to run interference for us. God WILL NOT allow us to suffer shame. Those Christians recently beheaded in Egypt are not the ones who have suffered shame. Their attackers have been shamed and condemned by the entire world. The Christians have been elevated for their faith and God has been glorified in their deaths. Those who tried to shame them by killing them publicly in such an inhumane manner, were hoping to ridicule Christianity. Instead the ridicule turned onto them. God fulfilled these verses. The truth is, God will not allow His followers to be put to shame.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Truth #58 - Man's sin, when unchecked by God, can be ugly - Judges 17-21
Judges 17:1-3
There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. And he said to his mother, “The 1,100 pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse, and also spoke it in my ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.” And his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the Lord.” And he restored the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother. And his mother said, “I dedicate the silver to the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a carved image and a metal image. Now therefore I will restore it to you.”
The story in Judges 17 is a demonstration of the truth that without God's intervening grace; when men are left to themselves, sin, at any level, will take place. Typically the refrain in Judges is what we find after chapter 17 begins with the above story and doesn't appear until verse 6:
Judges 17:6
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
In the above story, Micah (whose name actually means, "who is like Yahweh?", but is nothing like Yahweh) confesses to stealing 1,100 pieces of silver. That would have been a very, very large portion of money in those days. We are not told how he took it or how the mother had accumulated that amount, only that she had it and her son took it. Micah's confession was not necessarily out of a compulsion of guilt. The anonymous mother had called down a curse from Yahweh upon the thief and, upon hearing the curse, Micah was compelled to confess. Her communication to God had somehow affected the consciousness of the heart. This aspect of the story shows the depravity of the men at the time and throughout all ages. Micah was not the first boy to steal from mom, nor would he be the last. But, the mother, now so relieved a mere common criminal hadn't come into her home, dedicates the "found" money to the Lord ... to her son (the thief) to MAKE AN IDOL. How do you dedicate something "to the Lord" only to have that something used to make a worthless idol, a sin agains the Lord? The mother, to cancel out the curse, rather asks Yahweh for a blessing. However, instead of giving Yahweh time to bless the son, she enables the son to make an idol out the money. Here is the irony: Note the following verse in Deuteronomy 27:15 -
Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to the Lord, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen
To avoid the curse, the son confesses ... his mother, after calling down a blessing, however, gives the son a home project to make an idol and, based upon Scripture, CALLS DOWN A CURSE on the son. This story is a perfect example of the deterioration of the land when the theme of the land is that everyone did what was right in their own lives. Without God's wisdom and the Spirit of grace, man will steal from a mother and a mother will set up the son for a curse. That is the ugly truth the men of that age and this age fail to see. The corrupt nature of man is that, absent God's hand, he will cause harm to his own flesh and blood.
There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. And he said to his mother, “The 1,100 pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse, and also spoke it in my ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.” And his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the Lord.” And he restored the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother. And his mother said, “I dedicate the silver to the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a carved image and a metal image. Now therefore I will restore it to you.”
The story in Judges 17 is a demonstration of the truth that without God's intervening grace; when men are left to themselves, sin, at any level, will take place. Typically the refrain in Judges is what we find after chapter 17 begins with the above story and doesn't appear until verse 6:
Judges 17:6
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
In the above story, Micah (whose name actually means, "who is like Yahweh?", but is nothing like Yahweh) confesses to stealing 1,100 pieces of silver. That would have been a very, very large portion of money in those days. We are not told how he took it or how the mother had accumulated that amount, only that she had it and her son took it. Micah's confession was not necessarily out of a compulsion of guilt. The anonymous mother had called down a curse from Yahweh upon the thief and, upon hearing the curse, Micah was compelled to confess. Her communication to God had somehow affected the consciousness of the heart. This aspect of the story shows the depravity of the men at the time and throughout all ages. Micah was not the first boy to steal from mom, nor would he be the last. But, the mother, now so relieved a mere common criminal hadn't come into her home, dedicates the "found" money to the Lord ... to her son (the thief) to MAKE AN IDOL. How do you dedicate something "to the Lord" only to have that something used to make a worthless idol, a sin agains the Lord? The mother, to cancel out the curse, rather asks Yahweh for a blessing. However, instead of giving Yahweh time to bless the son, she enables the son to make an idol out the money. Here is the irony: Note the following verse in Deuteronomy 27:15 -
Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to the Lord, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen
To avoid the curse, the son confesses ... his mother, after calling down a blessing, however, gives the son a home project to make an idol and, based upon Scripture, CALLS DOWN A CURSE on the son. This story is a perfect example of the deterioration of the land when the theme of the land is that everyone did what was right in their own lives. Without God's wisdom and the Spirit of grace, man will steal from a mother and a mother will set up the son for a curse. That is the ugly truth the men of that age and this age fail to see. The corrupt nature of man is that, absent God's hand, he will cause harm to his own flesh and blood.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Truth #57 - Only God can change who we are and what others think about us - Genesis 32-35
Genesis 32:7
Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps,
Jacob's name is changed to Israel in our passage today. Obviously there is some significance in this. The name change now connects the family with the nation we know today. It ties together Jacob's (Israel's) twelve sons as the twelve tribes of Israel. It shows God's grace, also, however. The name Jacob means, deceiver. As we read about Jacob's life, we can't help but see how he lived up to his name. Even when he was returning to his home land and would have to run into his brother, you can see his deception. He divides his family into two groups, so as to deceive his brother into thinking he has one and the other would escape (32:7-8). He sends out waves of gifts for his brother (32:13-21), hoping to deceive his brother further and persuade him to not kill Jacob for how Jacob had stolen both his birthright and his birth blessing. Jacob was the master of deception (Look how his son's copied it with the story in chapter 34 about Dianah and the Shechemites. It is difficult to keep our character from falling into the lives of our children). But, the name Israel means, he struggles with God. When Jacob struggled with God and lived it show God's grace in his life. God only wounded him (touched his hip) to be a reminder to him that God could have killed Jacob that night. God's grace and mercy in our lives is a great thing. He changes the very nature of who we are when He applies it to our lives ... even if He has to wound us in the process. Big Idea: God's mercy and grace in our lives is the only thing that allows us to change the name that others know us by. Most people today don't look at the nation of Israel (he who struggles with God and lives) as Jacob (the deceiver). God's grace and mercy changed his entire legacy.
Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps,
Jacob's name is changed to Israel in our passage today. Obviously there is some significance in this. The name change now connects the family with the nation we know today. It ties together Jacob's (Israel's) twelve sons as the twelve tribes of Israel. It shows God's grace, also, however. The name Jacob means, deceiver. As we read about Jacob's life, we can't help but see how he lived up to his name. Even when he was returning to his home land and would have to run into his brother, you can see his deception. He divides his family into two groups, so as to deceive his brother into thinking he has one and the other would escape (32:7-8). He sends out waves of gifts for his brother (32:13-21), hoping to deceive his brother further and persuade him to not kill Jacob for how Jacob had stolen both his birthright and his birth blessing. Jacob was the master of deception (Look how his son's copied it with the story in chapter 34 about Dianah and the Shechemites. It is difficult to keep our character from falling into the lives of our children). But, the name Israel means, he struggles with God. When Jacob struggled with God and lived it show God's grace in his life. God only wounded him (touched his hip) to be a reminder to him that God could have killed Jacob that night. God's grace and mercy in our lives is a great thing. He changes the very nature of who we are when He applies it to our lives ... even if He has to wound us in the process. Big Idea: God's mercy and grace in our lives is the only thing that allows us to change the name that others know us by. Most people today don't look at the nation of Israel (he who struggles with God and lives) as Jacob (the deceiver). God's grace and mercy changed his entire legacy.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Truth #56 - Christ takes care of the reproach we feel from others - Romans 15-16
Romans 15:3
For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”
Here is a truth we have a very hard time applying to our lives. In the above passage Paul has just told the Romans believers, who are strong, to bear with the failings of those, in the body of Christ, who are weak. We are not to attempt to please ourselves. Read what Paul writes just before our focus verse, above, for today:
Romans 15:1-2
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.
Perhaps the hardest concept in the Christian's life is putting the will, actions and attitude of others before we please ourselves. Unselfish behavior is the ability to put the welfare of others before our own welfare. This may be the hardest thing we do, especially when their failings cause a "reproach" on us. Note that the example Paul gives for this type of lifestyle is that of our Lord Jesus Christ. The most powerful words in the these three verses if the first word in verse thee, "For Christ." Paul states his case (don't look to please yourself) and then gives us the example and motivation: For Christ ...!!! When are to look to Christ when others do weak things and fail in front us and create a "reproach" to us (the word "reproach" is the Greek word, "oneidismos" and means to defame us or disgrace us). Christ is the example and the means by which we are able to "bear" with the weak. He lived it and lives it in us. He was "reproached" for us. We often think that when others hurt us we are to simply forgive and forget and all is made better and made different. The real truth is that any and all "reproach" that has been done against us was already, on the cross, laid on Him. Since He saves us and lives in us, any reproach we feel, experience, endure, was first laid on Him at the cross and is being dealt by Him after the cross. We forgive others and bear with others because Christ already forgave and already bears under that burden for us. We might feel vindictive in our spirits and want the lash out. However, Christ has already bore that pain and paid for that burden. He defeated that sin they have done against us, on the cross. We have no right and no need to bear it ourselves. We don't need to please ourselves and get our revenge or our "word in," or our anger out, because that reproach that reproaches us "fell" on Him. Rejoice a truth that not only allows you to forgive someone, it sets you free from revenge and recoiling. We can love those who fail us because He took care of it on the cross and is taking care of it through His living in us.
For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”
Here is a truth we have a very hard time applying to our lives. In the above passage Paul has just told the Romans believers, who are strong, to bear with the failings of those, in the body of Christ, who are weak. We are not to attempt to please ourselves. Read what Paul writes just before our focus verse, above, for today:
Romans 15:1-2
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.
Perhaps the hardest concept in the Christian's life is putting the will, actions and attitude of others before we please ourselves. Unselfish behavior is the ability to put the welfare of others before our own welfare. This may be the hardest thing we do, especially when their failings cause a "reproach" on us. Note that the example Paul gives for this type of lifestyle is that of our Lord Jesus Christ. The most powerful words in the these three verses if the first word in verse thee, "For Christ." Paul states his case (don't look to please yourself) and then gives us the example and motivation: For Christ ...!!! When are to look to Christ when others do weak things and fail in front us and create a "reproach" to us (the word "reproach" is the Greek word, "oneidismos" and means to defame us or disgrace us). Christ is the example and the means by which we are able to "bear" with the weak. He lived it and lives it in us. He was "reproached" for us. We often think that when others hurt us we are to simply forgive and forget and all is made better and made different. The real truth is that any and all "reproach" that has been done against us was already, on the cross, laid on Him. Since He saves us and lives in us, any reproach we feel, experience, endure, was first laid on Him at the cross and is being dealt by Him after the cross. We forgive others and bear with others because Christ already forgave and already bears under that burden for us. We might feel vindictive in our spirits and want the lash out. However, Christ has already bore that pain and paid for that burden. He defeated that sin they have done against us, on the cross. We have no right and no need to bear it ourselves. We don't need to please ourselves and get our revenge or our "word in," or our anger out, because that reproach that reproaches us "fell" on Him. Rejoice a truth that not only allows you to forgive someone, it sets you free from revenge and recoiling. We can love those who fail us because He took care of it on the cross and is taking care of it through His living in us.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Truth #55 - To be first, you have to be last - Matthew 20-22
Matthew 20:28
even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The truth is, in the world we live in today, the system is Hierarchal in nature: Those with the most power are at the top. That is our system. The boss sits in the nicest office. The leaders get the most privileges. The people at the top get the most prestige, power, possessions, property and privilege. We are not told to descend the ladder, we are to climb the ladder. We don't want out kids to be last in the class, we want them to graduate top in the class. We rush to be first in line at the concert. We hurry to be top of the list for the best vacation spots and times. But, that is an upside down truth in Christianity. The real truth in the world of faith is that those who serve the most are most like Jesus. Jesus left the halls of heaven and the freedom of deity to take on a body that would constrain Him and a mind that would attempt to limit Him. Jesus, who made the heavens and the earth would sleep on the earth and under the open sky because He had no place to call His home. Jesus who made water would desire it on the cross, only to be given vinegar. In the above passage we are told that Jesus was the Servant and that was the purpose of His coming to earth. No other religion has this mindset for their god. All other religions show an "ascending" god or leader. They indicate that their leader is ascending up, whereas Christianity says their God descended down. Even a man-made religion doesn't think of a serving God, they create a prestigious god. Yet, that is not Jesus words. He came not to be served, but to serve. Yet, we are told that He created all things and deserves to have all power and recognition for the place He actually holds in the universe. Look what Paul says about Jesus' station in this world:
Colossians 1:15-18
The Preeminence of Christ
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
Note Paul's conclusion of Christ's station in life: "that in everything He might be preeminent!!" The truth is, that those who wish to be the greatest must follow the example of Christ and be the servant all. Jesus is preeminent because He created the universe and, through His death, is the firstborn of all creation. He paid the price and now is the "head of the body, the church." If we wish to be great, we must first be the servant. Those who give their lives for others are honored in our country. The reason? That is the example of what Christ did for us. We must walk in His steps. If we wish to be like Him we have to be willing to take upon His attitude. Serving others is the way to climb the ladder.
even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The truth is, in the world we live in today, the system is Hierarchal in nature: Those with the most power are at the top. That is our system. The boss sits in the nicest office. The leaders get the most privileges. The people at the top get the most prestige, power, possessions, property and privilege. We are not told to descend the ladder, we are to climb the ladder. We don't want out kids to be last in the class, we want them to graduate top in the class. We rush to be first in line at the concert. We hurry to be top of the list for the best vacation spots and times. But, that is an upside down truth in Christianity. The real truth in the world of faith is that those who serve the most are most like Jesus. Jesus left the halls of heaven and the freedom of deity to take on a body that would constrain Him and a mind that would attempt to limit Him. Jesus, who made the heavens and the earth would sleep on the earth and under the open sky because He had no place to call His home. Jesus who made water would desire it on the cross, only to be given vinegar. In the above passage we are told that Jesus was the Servant and that was the purpose of His coming to earth. No other religion has this mindset for their god. All other religions show an "ascending" god or leader. They indicate that their leader is ascending up, whereas Christianity says their God descended down. Even a man-made religion doesn't think of a serving God, they create a prestigious god. Yet, that is not Jesus words. He came not to be served, but to serve. Yet, we are told that He created all things and deserves to have all power and recognition for the place He actually holds in the universe. Look what Paul says about Jesus' station in this world:
Colossians 1:15-18
The Preeminence of Christ
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
Note Paul's conclusion of Christ's station in life: "that in everything He might be preeminent!!" The truth is, that those who wish to be the greatest must follow the example of Christ and be the servant all. Jesus is preeminent because He created the universe and, through His death, is the firstborn of all creation. He paid the price and now is the "head of the body, the church." If we wish to be great, we must first be the servant. Those who give their lives for others are honored in our country. The reason? That is the example of what Christ did for us. We must walk in His steps. If we wish to be like Him we have to be willing to take upon His attitude. Serving others is the way to climb the ladder.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Truth #54 - Jesus is the framework for the past, present and future - Isaiah 41-44
Isaiah 43:18-19
“Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
The difficulty of the past is that it often still lives in the present. We are often confronted with our past each day we walk on this earth. A smell reminds us of an event, or time, or person from the past. A place carries incredible memories ... good and bad. That old home has precious and precarious moments that spark both excitement and anxiety at the same time. In this portion of Isaiah God is speaking to His people and He wants them to know He knows their past but He will make something new from them. In the above passage He tells them (and us) to make sure we live the past in the past. We are not to give the past permission to withhold the joy He is about to give us. We are all "lovers" - we like to hold-on to the past. We like to embrace the memories. There are actually places in God's Word where we are told to hold onto these things. Note Solomon's words in Proverbs:
Proverbs 23:10
Do not move an ancient landmark
or enter the fields of the fatherless,
Proverbs 22:28
Do not move the ancient landmark
that your fathers have set.
God does want us to remember when He does great things for us. He does want us to remember His promises. But, God does not want the things of the past to hinder the glory He wants to reveal to us in the future. He also does not want us to forget that the past has shaped us and formed us. Romans 8:28 is all about how God uses the events of this world (in our past) to bring glory to Him. In fact, in the beginning of this chapter God is reminding them of His redemptive history and bring glory to it. However, God does not want us to live in the past. We can glory in what God has done in the past, but He wants us to realize that Christ is our future. For the believer, God is not in the business of holding the past over our heads. God wants us to realize that this new thing is Christ. In 1 Corinthians 11 we are instructed to observe the Lord's Table and to "do this in remembrance of Me." Remember history for where Christ was the center. Remember what Christ did for us. Remember the past for the glory of God. Do not remember it if you can't see the New thing God is doing through the events of the past and in the framework of Christ. The truth is, Christ is the answer to the issues of the past, the present and the future.
“Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
The difficulty of the past is that it often still lives in the present. We are often confronted with our past each day we walk on this earth. A smell reminds us of an event, or time, or person from the past. A place carries incredible memories ... good and bad. That old home has precious and precarious moments that spark both excitement and anxiety at the same time. In this portion of Isaiah God is speaking to His people and He wants them to know He knows their past but He will make something new from them. In the above passage He tells them (and us) to make sure we live the past in the past. We are not to give the past permission to withhold the joy He is about to give us. We are all "lovers" - we like to hold-on to the past. We like to embrace the memories. There are actually places in God's Word where we are told to hold onto these things. Note Solomon's words in Proverbs:
Proverbs 23:10
Do not move an ancient landmark
or enter the fields of the fatherless,
Proverbs 22:28
Do not move the ancient landmark
that your fathers have set.
God does want us to remember when He does great things for us. He does want us to remember His promises. But, God does not want the things of the past to hinder the glory He wants to reveal to us in the future. He also does not want us to forget that the past has shaped us and formed us. Romans 8:28 is all about how God uses the events of this world (in our past) to bring glory to Him. In fact, in the beginning of this chapter God is reminding them of His redemptive history and bring glory to it. However, God does not want us to live in the past. We can glory in what God has done in the past, but He wants us to realize that Christ is our future. For the believer, God is not in the business of holding the past over our heads. God wants us to realize that this new thing is Christ. In 1 Corinthians 11 we are instructed to observe the Lord's Table and to "do this in remembrance of Me." Remember history for where Christ was the center. Remember what Christ did for us. Remember the past for the glory of God. Do not remember it if you can't see the New thing God is doing through the events of the past and in the framework of Christ. The truth is, Christ is the answer to the issues of the past, the present and the future.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Truth #53 - Our Words to the suffering might be said at the wrong time - Job 15-17
Job 17:10-12
But you, come on again, all of you,
and I shall not find a wise man among you.
My days are past; my plans are broken off,
the desires of my heart.
They make night into day:
‘The light,’ they say, ‘is near to the darkness.'
To catch the meaning of the above passage, as never before, we have to put ourselves at the scene of the situation. Job is sitting on the ground, perhaps on the outside of his home, scrapping the boils and sores on his exposed skin. His accusers (that is indeed what they are since their only solution for him is to confess his sin(s) to make this all go away) are sitting around in a half-circle, perhaps dressed in their fine linen, shaking their heads in disbelief of Job's constant defending of his character ... despite the obvious evidence he is being punished by God (according to their interpretation). Although, earlier in his response to their first verbal speeches, Job has asked them to be silent, they begin with a second round of accusations and accusatory complaints (chapter 15). Job, in the above verses, is addressing here these new accusations and "words of comfort" he is hearing. They think they are wise for the counsel they are giving him, at the foot of his bed of affliction. Job mocks this and states, "I shall not find a wise man among you." Job wants them to know that although they think they are helping, their words are not wise, they are wounding. He states that although he is facing certain death and his suffering has stolen the very hope of his heart ("My days are past; my plans are broken off, the desire of my desires of my heart), his three "friends" offer a vain and draining message. Job states that they "make night into day" and they say, "The Light; is near to the darkness." We might not at first catch the meaning here, but further meditation might expand our view. To capture the real issue here we have to put ourselves at the feet of anyone we have ever seen in great suffering. We might talk to a cancer patient, or a accident victim, or a person going through a relational separation. Our words might come out like this: "God doesn't make mistakes!! He is always there even when you don't feel it!! All things work together for good!! God will be there!! Don't doubt in the dark what you believed on in the light!!!" These phrases, and those like them, often flow from our lips as natural as we breath. They are NOT wrong statements. But, Job's statement above gives us the mindset of the one who is suffering. In the midst of suffering, sometimes you just want the truth: the pain is tough and we really have no clue as to why sometimes. Often, our words of comfort and our expressions of deep faith, when stated to the one suffering, are more about strengthened out faith, then about helping others. We have to put "their" suffering into "our" belief system to make it make sense. Job is saying that these three men are not wise because they give the simple answer for his suffering: He is in the spot because of his sin. Job, at this time, has lost hope. What he really needs is love, compassion and mercy, not condemnation, accusations and vain attempts to put the suffering into context. We don't really know why a young couple might lose a baby. We do know that they need love, comfort and mercy. We are God's hands of comfort at the time of their suffering. We don't always have to be their Words of Wisdom on a two legs. We might know that "light is near to darkness" (hope is still there) but they are not in a place to hear that message sometimes. The truth is, the message may be right but the application and timing might be completely off. Timing is everything with God's truth. Stating the obvious might make us feel good, but the real need for the suffering is that, like God, we love them and have compassion for them and are there to listen if they need to talk ... we don't have to ... it might make us better, but not their situation. Carefully choose when to talk to those suffering and what to say. Sometimes just listening is as powerful as a speech full of truth that can't be heard.
But you, come on again, all of you,
and I shall not find a wise man among you.
My days are past; my plans are broken off,
the desires of my heart.
They make night into day:
‘The light,’ they say, ‘is near to the darkness.'
To catch the meaning of the above passage, as never before, we have to put ourselves at the scene of the situation. Job is sitting on the ground, perhaps on the outside of his home, scrapping the boils and sores on his exposed skin. His accusers (that is indeed what they are since their only solution for him is to confess his sin(s) to make this all go away) are sitting around in a half-circle, perhaps dressed in their fine linen, shaking their heads in disbelief of Job's constant defending of his character ... despite the obvious evidence he is being punished by God (according to their interpretation). Although, earlier in his response to their first verbal speeches, Job has asked them to be silent, they begin with a second round of accusations and accusatory complaints (chapter 15). Job, in the above verses, is addressing here these new accusations and "words of comfort" he is hearing. They think they are wise for the counsel they are giving him, at the foot of his bed of affliction. Job mocks this and states, "I shall not find a wise man among you." Job wants them to know that although they think they are helping, their words are not wise, they are wounding. He states that although he is facing certain death and his suffering has stolen the very hope of his heart ("My days are past; my plans are broken off, the desire of my desires of my heart), his three "friends" offer a vain and draining message. Job states that they "make night into day" and they say, "The Light; is near to the darkness." We might not at first catch the meaning here, but further meditation might expand our view. To capture the real issue here we have to put ourselves at the feet of anyone we have ever seen in great suffering. We might talk to a cancer patient, or a accident victim, or a person going through a relational separation. Our words might come out like this: "God doesn't make mistakes!! He is always there even when you don't feel it!! All things work together for good!! God will be there!! Don't doubt in the dark what you believed on in the light!!!" These phrases, and those like them, often flow from our lips as natural as we breath. They are NOT wrong statements. But, Job's statement above gives us the mindset of the one who is suffering. In the midst of suffering, sometimes you just want the truth: the pain is tough and we really have no clue as to why sometimes. Often, our words of comfort and our expressions of deep faith, when stated to the one suffering, are more about strengthened out faith, then about helping others. We have to put "their" suffering into "our" belief system to make it make sense. Job is saying that these three men are not wise because they give the simple answer for his suffering: He is in the spot because of his sin. Job, at this time, has lost hope. What he really needs is love, compassion and mercy, not condemnation, accusations and vain attempts to put the suffering into context. We don't really know why a young couple might lose a baby. We do know that they need love, comfort and mercy. We are God's hands of comfort at the time of their suffering. We don't always have to be their Words of Wisdom on a two legs. We might know that "light is near to darkness" (hope is still there) but they are not in a place to hear that message sometimes. The truth is, the message may be right but the application and timing might be completely off. Timing is everything with God's truth. Stating the obvious might make us feel good, but the real need for the suffering is that, like God, we love them and have compassion for them and are there to listen if they need to talk ... we don't have to ... it might make us better, but not their situation. Carefully choose when to talk to those suffering and what to say. Sometimes just listening is as powerful as a speech full of truth that can't be heard.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Truth #52 - The Lord is MY Shepherd - Psalm 21-23
Psalms 23:1
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
A sheep's life is basically a simple life. Unlike the spider who hides in King's castles, sheep are not know for their cunning or their cleaver ways. Unlike the hippo they are not very strong. They need to be lead to water and safety, unlike the wild animals who survey without care. When God used the metaphor of the sheep in the infamous Psalm 23, we might not catch the full meaning of that animal. Some would even say that sheep are quite dumb. There has been much written on the sheep and a simply Google search can turn up multiple characteristics ... most of which easily apply to the believer in this life. In this opening verse of the twenty-third Psalm we is the essence of the Bible story. God is our shepherd and we are His sheep. That is the characteristics of our relationship with Him and He with us. The wolves can't say they have a Shepherd. We are the ones blessed with this Over-watcher. Notice what Jesus says of Himself of this truth:
John 10:11-16
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
We not only have a Shepherd we have a GOOD shepherd. Everything that God does for us Jesus is our Shepherd and it is done out of a character of love and goodness for us. Jesus laid His life down for us. Like sheep we wander off and like a good shepherd He seeks us out an rescues us ... time and time again. We don't always follow the Shepherd, even though we know where He leads is better for us than were we want to go. He some times has to use a rod or a staff to keep us in the path. Sometimes He might lead us through a dark valley and we wonder why, but despite death all around us, He leads us to a table of blessings and overfills our cups. We can fight that care when we are in the dark valley and doubt that His leading is correct. But, our wandering off to find our own blessing only serves to get us caught and eventually rescued by the Good Shepherd. We only want when we are out of His divine care and have wandered off on our own. Those who reject God and deny's His authority and rule have no shepherd. They wander about looking for what they can find. Sometimes, when we see them, they have blessings galore. Yet, they have no shepherd. The Lord is "MY" shepherd. What a blessed phrase to commit to memory.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
A sheep's life is basically a simple life. Unlike the spider who hides in King's castles, sheep are not know for their cunning or their cleaver ways. Unlike the hippo they are not very strong. They need to be lead to water and safety, unlike the wild animals who survey without care. When God used the metaphor of the sheep in the infamous Psalm 23, we might not catch the full meaning of that animal. Some would even say that sheep are quite dumb. There has been much written on the sheep and a simply Google search can turn up multiple characteristics ... most of which easily apply to the believer in this life. In this opening verse of the twenty-third Psalm we is the essence of the Bible story. God is our shepherd and we are His sheep. That is the characteristics of our relationship with Him and He with us. The wolves can't say they have a Shepherd. We are the ones blessed with this Over-watcher. Notice what Jesus says of Himself of this truth:
John 10:11-16
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
We not only have a Shepherd we have a GOOD shepherd. Everything that God does for us Jesus is our Shepherd and it is done out of a character of love and goodness for us. Jesus laid His life down for us. Like sheep we wander off and like a good shepherd He seeks us out an rescues us ... time and time again. We don't always follow the Shepherd, even though we know where He leads is better for us than were we want to go. He some times has to use a rod or a staff to keep us in the path. Sometimes He might lead us through a dark valley and we wonder why, but despite death all around us, He leads us to a table of blessings and overfills our cups. We can fight that care when we are in the dark valley and doubt that His leading is correct. But, our wandering off to find our own blessing only serves to get us caught and eventually rescued by the Good Shepherd. We only want when we are out of His divine care and have wandered off on our own. Those who reject God and deny's His authority and rule have no shepherd. They wander about looking for what they can find. Sometimes, when we see them, they have blessings galore. Yet, they have no shepherd. The Lord is "MY" shepherd. What a blessed phrase to commit to memory.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Truth #51 - God wants us to ask for things in a way to honor Him - Judges 12-16
Judges 13:8-9
Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.” And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her.
The truth is that God hears our prayers and listens to us. Manoah and his wife, Zorah, were childless. The Angel of the Lord (Christ in the Old Testament) appeared before Zorah to tell her she not only was going to have a son, he would be used in a mighty way to deliver Israel from the Philistines. When Zorah tells her husband, Manoah, about the appearance and promise, Manoah wants to see the Angel of the Lord himself and hear the promise himself. Manoah appears dull spiritually in this story, but we see him and his wife seeking God in prayer, none-the-less. Manoah asks God to appear again and provide more answers to his questions. God does and the story of Samson's birth is repeated to him. In James we are told that if we seek wisdom God will give it:
James 1:5-6
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
Manoah might not be the best example to us of a "man of faith" but in this story he shows us that God answers the promise that James would later tell us. God gives wisdom and will answer when we call upon Him. Note what Jesus told His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 7:7-11
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
God gives to us for His honor and His glory. We can't just ask for things for our desires. Notice what James tells us later in his epistle:
James 4:3-4
You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Our heart's desire when coming to God is more important that what we are asking of God. Manoah and Zorah wanted a son, but, more importantly wanted to know how that son would be used by God. God wants us to ask Him for things, that shows our dependance on Him. But, He wants us to ask in a spirit of glorifying Him. That shows our honor for Him.
Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.” And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her.
The truth is that God hears our prayers and listens to us. Manoah and his wife, Zorah, were childless. The Angel of the Lord (Christ in the Old Testament) appeared before Zorah to tell her she not only was going to have a son, he would be used in a mighty way to deliver Israel from the Philistines. When Zorah tells her husband, Manoah, about the appearance and promise, Manoah wants to see the Angel of the Lord himself and hear the promise himself. Manoah appears dull spiritually in this story, but we see him and his wife seeking God in prayer, none-the-less. Manoah asks God to appear again and provide more answers to his questions. God does and the story of Samson's birth is repeated to him. In James we are told that if we seek wisdom God will give it:
James 1:5-6
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
Manoah might not be the best example to us of a "man of faith" but in this story he shows us that God answers the promise that James would later tell us. God gives wisdom and will answer when we call upon Him. Note what Jesus told His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 7:7-11
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
God gives to us for His honor and His glory. We can't just ask for things for our desires. Notice what James tells us later in his epistle:
James 4:3-4
You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Our heart's desire when coming to God is more important that what we are asking of God. Manoah and Zorah wanted a son, but, more importantly wanted to know how that son would be used by God. God wants us to ask Him for things, that shows our dependance on Him. But, He wants us to ask in a spirit of glorifying Him. That shows our honor for Him.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Truth #50 - God uses conflict in our lives to accomplish His plans - Genesis 28-31
Genesis 31:1-3
Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father's, and from what was our father's he has gained all this wealth.” And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”
The above verse is just one example in Scripture of this truth: God uses conflict between US to accomplish a plan for HIM!! Note the following three conflicts in God's Word that demonstrate this truth:
1 Kings 12:12-15 (This is the story of the split of the Kingdom after Solomon's death)
So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.” And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given him, he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
Acts 15:39-41 (This is the story of the split between Barnabas and Paul)
And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
Judges 14:3-4
But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.”
His father and mother did not know that it was from the Lord, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.
God uses conflicts in our life to move us where He wants us to accomplish His will. We don't think of conflicts in that manner. But, our interpretation of our life in such a manner is imperative so that we can put a conflict in context and understand what God is doing with sin, to use it to His advantage. Note how Joseph did just that. Instead of allowing himself to be bitter toward his brothers, not how he framed the conflict he had with them after their father died. Despite the fact that they sold him into slavery and he now had power to inflict them harm, note his perspective ... this is God given grace:
Genesis 50:20
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
In the story of Jacob and his uncle Laban, we have not reached this level of faith. We don't know how old Jacob's son, Joseph was, when Laban chased Jacob down to retrieve the flocks and Laban's daughters. But, perhaps this moment was rehearsed in Joseph's ears and this story, mixed with his faith, allowed him to say what he said in Genesis 50:20. If we understand the truth that God is using the conflicts of this world to move us to and through His plans, we can better embrace those conflicts as a time to learn and time to glorify Him. Let's not get bitter at these conflicts; let's embrace them as an opportunity to be conformed to the image of Christ.
Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father's, and from what was our father's he has gained all this wealth.” And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”
The above verse is just one example in Scripture of this truth: God uses conflict between US to accomplish a plan for HIM!! Note the following three conflicts in God's Word that demonstrate this truth:
1 Kings 12:12-15 (This is the story of the split of the Kingdom after Solomon's death)
So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.” And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given him, he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
Acts 15:39-41 (This is the story of the split between Barnabas and Paul)
And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
Judges 14:3-4
But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.”
His father and mother did not know that it was from the Lord, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.
God uses conflicts in our life to move us where He wants us to accomplish His will. We don't think of conflicts in that manner. But, our interpretation of our life in such a manner is imperative so that we can put a conflict in context and understand what God is doing with sin, to use it to His advantage. Note how Joseph did just that. Instead of allowing himself to be bitter toward his brothers, not how he framed the conflict he had with them after their father died. Despite the fact that they sold him into slavery and he now had power to inflict them harm, note his perspective ... this is God given grace:
Genesis 50:20
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
In the story of Jacob and his uncle Laban, we have not reached this level of faith. We don't know how old Jacob's son, Joseph was, when Laban chased Jacob down to retrieve the flocks and Laban's daughters. But, perhaps this moment was rehearsed in Joseph's ears and this story, mixed with his faith, allowed him to say what he said in Genesis 50:20. If we understand the truth that God is using the conflicts of this world to move us to and through His plans, we can better embrace those conflicts as a time to learn and time to glorify Him. Let's not get bitter at these conflicts; let's embrace them as an opportunity to be conformed to the image of Christ.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Truth #49 - We live in a Theocracy NOT a Democracy - Romans 13-14
Romans 13:1-2
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
The truth is we don't live in a democracy. Yes, that is the government of the land we live in. The founding fathers of this land thought that a democracy would be the best way to govern this country. And, compared to other types of man-made-governments, they were correct. In man's wisdom this is the best it could be. We are so convinced that a democracy form of government is so good and so vital, we go around the world to try to re-create what we have where others are. However, God did not intend this world to be governed as a democracy. God intended the world to be a Theocracy: God is supreme and in complete authority over all. In fact, He established Christ's rule at scene of the cross:
Colossians 1:16-18
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
Note what the great Reform theologian RC Sproul says about this passage:
“Is Jesus honored by our submission even to corrupt authorities? The universe is not structured as a democracy. It is a theocracy. The govern-ment of the universe is God, and he has appointed his only-begotten Son as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. The Father has given to the Son all authority on heaven and earth. At the end of his life, the president of the United States will have to stand before Jesus Christ and be held accountable for how he held his office. The Senate, the House of Repre-sentatives, and all such authorities will be answerable to the King of kings as to how they executed justice in their labors. The king of England and the chairman of China will be held accountable to the King of kings. We often overlook the fact that at the heart of the biblical message is a political message. We live in a kingdom where the supreme political authority is vested in Jesus Christ.”
Yes, we honor Jesus when we submit to authority and the laws of authority. God may not have wanted democracies, or monarchies, or dictatorships, but He uses them to accomplish His task and his glory. God is in charge. He allows others to lead and will hold them accountable to His authority and how they lead as His appointed leader. He will also hold us accountable for how we submitted to their authority ... His representative. God uses wicked men to accomplish His task. The entire Old Testament demonstrates this in story after story. In Romans 9-11 we read how God used Pharaoh to accomplish His task. God is the supreme authority in our lives, even if those He puts in charge of our lives doesn't recognize that truth.
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
The truth is we don't live in a democracy. Yes, that is the government of the land we live in. The founding fathers of this land thought that a democracy would be the best way to govern this country. And, compared to other types of man-made-governments, they were correct. In man's wisdom this is the best it could be. We are so convinced that a democracy form of government is so good and so vital, we go around the world to try to re-create what we have where others are. However, God did not intend this world to be governed as a democracy. God intended the world to be a Theocracy: God is supreme and in complete authority over all. In fact, He established Christ's rule at scene of the cross:
Colossians 1:16-18
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
Note what the great Reform theologian RC Sproul says about this passage:
“Is Jesus honored by our submission even to corrupt authorities? The universe is not structured as a democracy. It is a theocracy. The govern-ment of the universe is God, and he has appointed his only-begotten Son as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. The Father has given to the Son all authority on heaven and earth. At the end of his life, the president of the United States will have to stand before Jesus Christ and be held accountable for how he held his office. The Senate, the House of Repre-sentatives, and all such authorities will be answerable to the King of kings as to how they executed justice in their labors. The king of England and the chairman of China will be held accountable to the King of kings. We often overlook the fact that at the heart of the biblical message is a political message. We live in a kingdom where the supreme political authority is vested in Jesus Christ.”
Yes, we honor Jesus when we submit to authority and the laws of authority. God may not have wanted democracies, or monarchies, or dictatorships, but He uses them to accomplish His task and his glory. God is in charge. He allows others to lead and will hold them accountable to His authority and how they lead as His appointed leader. He will also hold us accountable for how we submitted to their authority ... His representative. God uses wicked men to accomplish His task. The entire Old Testament demonstrates this in story after story. In Romans 9-11 we read how God used Pharaoh to accomplish His task. God is the supreme authority in our lives, even if those He puts in charge of our lives doesn't recognize that truth.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Truth #48 - Forgiveness MUST BE contagious - Matthew 17-19
Matthew 18:32-35
Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”
Those who are forgiven know the freedom and glory of such a gracious act. If you have ever found yourself in the wrong traffic lane and someone actually slows down and waves you into the proper lane, you know the joy of grace If you have ever done something to hurt someone and they simply looked at you and spoke words of grace through a forgiving spirit, you know the joy of forgiveness. In the above passage, Matthew is recalling a truth taught by Jesus through a parable in regard to the joy of forgiving and the failure of one forgiven to forgive others. The parable is simple: A "lord" brings those in debt to him into his world and demands payment. When a man, who owed much, can't pay, he lays down in front of the man and tells him that he can't pay the very large debt. The "lord" is so taken aback by the "servants" pleading for mercy, the lord grants him complete and utter forgiveness of his debt. What joy the servant must have had. He must have gone his way leaping and shouting in joy. Imagine if all your debts for homes, cars, credit cards, etc. were instantly forgiven. Imagine!! Yet, the servant is not nearly as gracious to others. This "forgiven and joyous" servant goes out and a man who owed him pennies on the dollar compared to the debt he just had forgiven meets him. The forgiven servant demands payment for this small amount. However, the man cannot pay him and begs for forgiveness and more time to pay the debt. This man doesn't even say he WON'T pay it, but ask for time so that he CAN eventually pay it. Yet, this servant has no grace and, legally, has the man placed into the prison system (this is highly counter intuitive as in the prison the man will never make any money to pay the debt). When the gracious lord, who originally forgave the servant hears of this act he brings the servant back in and states the above words we have recorded in Matthew's account of this teaching of Jesus. Do we get the point? How can we, who have been forgiven of all our debt of sin, hold a grudge and not forgive someone who has only sinned against us in a minor manner. We repeatedly have sinned against God. Most men or women, when they "sin" against us and hurt us, do so infrequently, or, perhaps, even one time. Although we have been forgiven by God's grace we don't use that grace poured out into our hearts to flow freely from our hearts. What Jesus is saying is that "if" we truly have been forgiven and are in receipt of His grace and IT IS REAL in our lives, we would, in turn, easily forgive others, despite their debt to us. Jesus is not talking about money here. He is talking about injury and pain caused in relationships. We have injured and caused pain to our Father (Paul tells us that our sin can "grieve" the Holy Spirit). When we repeatedly come and ask forgiveness God graciously, based upon His grace, and then can't or won't forgive others, we don't have grace in our lives. Jesus is not telling us we "earn" our grace by being gracious to others. Jesus is telling us that the proof of grace in our lives is demonstrated by the fruit of grace in our lives. The truth is those who are "of" grace will be a people who "show" grace.
Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”
Those who are forgiven know the freedom and glory of such a gracious act. If you have ever found yourself in the wrong traffic lane and someone actually slows down and waves you into the proper lane, you know the joy of grace If you have ever done something to hurt someone and they simply looked at you and spoke words of grace through a forgiving spirit, you know the joy of forgiveness. In the above passage, Matthew is recalling a truth taught by Jesus through a parable in regard to the joy of forgiving and the failure of one forgiven to forgive others. The parable is simple: A "lord" brings those in debt to him into his world and demands payment. When a man, who owed much, can't pay, he lays down in front of the man and tells him that he can't pay the very large debt. The "lord" is so taken aback by the "servants" pleading for mercy, the lord grants him complete and utter forgiveness of his debt. What joy the servant must have had. He must have gone his way leaping and shouting in joy. Imagine if all your debts for homes, cars, credit cards, etc. were instantly forgiven. Imagine!! Yet, the servant is not nearly as gracious to others. This "forgiven and joyous" servant goes out and a man who owed him pennies on the dollar compared to the debt he just had forgiven meets him. The forgiven servant demands payment for this small amount. However, the man cannot pay him and begs for forgiveness and more time to pay the debt. This man doesn't even say he WON'T pay it, but ask for time so that he CAN eventually pay it. Yet, this servant has no grace and, legally, has the man placed into the prison system (this is highly counter intuitive as in the prison the man will never make any money to pay the debt). When the gracious lord, who originally forgave the servant hears of this act he brings the servant back in and states the above words we have recorded in Matthew's account of this teaching of Jesus. Do we get the point? How can we, who have been forgiven of all our debt of sin, hold a grudge and not forgive someone who has only sinned against us in a minor manner. We repeatedly have sinned against God. Most men or women, when they "sin" against us and hurt us, do so infrequently, or, perhaps, even one time. Although we have been forgiven by God's grace we don't use that grace poured out into our hearts to flow freely from our hearts. What Jesus is saying is that "if" we truly have been forgiven and are in receipt of His grace and IT IS REAL in our lives, we would, in turn, easily forgive others, despite their debt to us. Jesus is not talking about money here. He is talking about injury and pain caused in relationships. We have injured and caused pain to our Father (Paul tells us that our sin can "grieve" the Holy Spirit). When we repeatedly come and ask forgiveness God graciously, based upon His grace, and then can't or won't forgive others, we don't have grace in our lives. Jesus is not telling us we "earn" our grace by being gracious to others. Jesus is telling us that the proof of grace in our lives is demonstrated by the fruit of grace in our lives. The truth is those who are "of" grace will be a people who "show" grace.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Truth #47 - God provides a road in the midst of ruin - Isaiah 34-39
Isaiah 35:8
A highway will be there, a roadway,
And it will be called the Highway of Holiness.
The unclean will not travel on it,
But it will be for him who walks that way,
And fools will not wander on it.
In chapter 34 the prophet Isaiah has just told us about the wrath of God being poured out on the nations. Notice one summary verse from that chapter:
Isaiah 34:5
For My sword is satiated in heaven,
Behold it shall descend for judgment upon Edom
And upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction.
God is said to devastate the earth and those who rejected Him and fought against His plan and His people. He will leave the earth scorched. Great cities will be completely wrapped in ruin:
Isaiah 34:13
Thorns will come up in its fortified towers,
Nettles and thistles in its fortified cities;
It will also be a haunt of jackals
And an abode of ostriches.
Yet, in chapter 35 we come to an oasis, as such. Like a lily pad in a smelly swamp, chapter 35 speaks of God's redemptive plan through His Son, Jesus Christ, the Messiah. In the midst of chaos and ruin, God provides relief through His Son. Christ provides a "Highway of Holiness" that all men can walk and travel upon into the City of Zion (Historically Jerusalem and Spiritually God's presence). Only those of faith will travel upon the road. The "unclean" cannot for they have not been washed by the blood of the Lamb. In Colossians 1:20-22 we are told that Christ, through His blood has reconciled us to Himself. He has "made peace through the blood of His cross" so that He can "present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach." In these days of the nation of Israel they often traveled on narrow paths, full of danger and ripe with peril. In the midst of the gloom and doom of destruction, God also offers a highway of hope. No longer will they travel through danger and destruction, but, through Christ, there is a highway to heaven. That is the truth of the Gospel message. Despite the ravish nature of sin, there is always the righteous nature of the Son to redeem and rescue.
A highway will be there, a roadway,
And it will be called the Highway of Holiness.
The unclean will not travel on it,
But it will be for him who walks that way,
And fools will not wander on it.
In chapter 34 the prophet Isaiah has just told us about the wrath of God being poured out on the nations. Notice one summary verse from that chapter:
Isaiah 34:5
For My sword is satiated in heaven,
Behold it shall descend for judgment upon Edom
And upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction.
God is said to devastate the earth and those who rejected Him and fought against His plan and His people. He will leave the earth scorched. Great cities will be completely wrapped in ruin:
Isaiah 34:13
Thorns will come up in its fortified towers,
Nettles and thistles in its fortified cities;
It will also be a haunt of jackals
And an abode of ostriches.
Yet, in chapter 35 we come to an oasis, as such. Like a lily pad in a smelly swamp, chapter 35 speaks of God's redemptive plan through His Son, Jesus Christ, the Messiah. In the midst of chaos and ruin, God provides relief through His Son. Christ provides a "Highway of Holiness" that all men can walk and travel upon into the City of Zion (Historically Jerusalem and Spiritually God's presence). Only those of faith will travel upon the road. The "unclean" cannot for they have not been washed by the blood of the Lamb. In Colossians 1:20-22 we are told that Christ, through His blood has reconciled us to Himself. He has "made peace through the blood of His cross" so that He can "present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach." In these days of the nation of Israel they often traveled on narrow paths, full of danger and ripe with peril. In the midst of the gloom and doom of destruction, God also offers a highway of hope. No longer will they travel through danger and destruction, but, through Christ, there is a highway to heaven. That is the truth of the Gospel message. Despite the ravish nature of sin, there is always the righteous nature of the Son to redeem and rescue.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Truth #46 - God determines the number of our days - Job 14
Job 14:5
“Since his days are determined,
The number of his months is with You;
And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.
We live in a society that is bent on living longer and staying healthy to do so. We are extremely bent on outliving our fathers. We believe that we can beat death and we can extend our lives to the max. And, if we can't beat death, we are going to die trying. Job has, for the past chapters, had his situation analyzed and evaluated by three of his closets friends. In their defense, they didn't know the real situation ... the behind the scene issues (a lesson for all of us who try to counsel others and explain their situation). Now Job appeals directly to God and he puts in context his creation, his journey on earth and his certain death. Job had no aspirations to live forever. He understood God's plan for man and the effect of sin on life. Death was a certainty. We should eat healthy and we should exercise faithfully. We should plan as though we will never die, but we should live as though it could happen today ... and we could meet God face to face. We hear people repeatedly that they "beat death," after they survive heart attacks, car accidents or mishaps. The real issue is that our days are "determined." God has set the boundaries of our "months." He has set of us our "limits." We need to come to grips with this truth. We don't live longer or shorter based upon our determinations. It is true, even in light of this passage, that God can place in our hearts a desire to eat better and excercise more. God than uses those habits, He instilled, to extend our life to His designed limits. God allows some to act foolishly and doesn't intervene and that causes them to live carelessly, making their lives shorter. God has determined our limits. That is a truth we can live with and must live with.
“Since his days are determined,
The number of his months is with You;
And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.
We live in a society that is bent on living longer and staying healthy to do so. We are extremely bent on outliving our fathers. We believe that we can beat death and we can extend our lives to the max. And, if we can't beat death, we are going to die trying. Job has, for the past chapters, had his situation analyzed and evaluated by three of his closets friends. In their defense, they didn't know the real situation ... the behind the scene issues (a lesson for all of us who try to counsel others and explain their situation). Now Job appeals directly to God and he puts in context his creation, his journey on earth and his certain death. Job had no aspirations to live forever. He understood God's plan for man and the effect of sin on life. Death was a certainty. We should eat healthy and we should exercise faithfully. We should plan as though we will never die, but we should live as though it could happen today ... and we could meet God face to face. We hear people repeatedly that they "beat death," after they survive heart attacks, car accidents or mishaps. The real issue is that our days are "determined." God has set the boundaries of our "months." He has set of us our "limits." We need to come to grips with this truth. We don't live longer or shorter based upon our determinations. It is true, even in light of this passage, that God can place in our hearts a desire to eat better and excercise more. God than uses those habits, He instilled, to extend our life to His designed limits. God allows some to act foolishly and doesn't intervene and that causes them to live carelessly, making their lives shorter. God has determined our limits. That is a truth we can live with and must live with.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Truth #45 - God speaks to everyone in a clear voice - Psalm 18-20
Psalms 19:1-3
The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
Psalm 19 is all about God's communication with man. The first truth to realize in this chapter is that communicates with man. For those who try to deny the existence of or speak as though He "might" be there but we can never really know, Psalm 19 is a legal argument against their empty thoughts. The end of the chapter talks about God's Word, as we know it today, the Bible. But, the first part of the chapter is captured in the first three verses above: God speaks to EVERYONE in EVERY language, through His creation. God has created this entire earth for us to see His glory. "The heavens declare the glory of God." God has placed the sun, the moon, the starts, the clouds, the wind and all the galaxies to declare His Divine Glory. Yet, a scientist can look out into space and still believe this all exists because of a mistake or because of natural selection. Just think how dumb that is. We have all of the heavens to see God's hand and His wisdom in His creation. In Proverbs 8 and 9 we read that God created all this in His Wisdom. In Colossians 1:15-19 we read that Christ was the Creator of all things and by Him all things are held together. Genesis chapter one it simply reads, "... and He created the stars also." God put the earth together in such a way man can hear the voice of God spoken in each cloud, each droplet of rain, each flake of the snow, each rainbow in the sky. Every falling star screams the glory of God. The day speaks of his majesty and the might of His mystery. Knowledge is in the dark and speech is in the light. We might not understand Spanish, or French, or Arabic, but there is NO man or women who can't hear the voice of God. Many refuse to acknowledge Him because of their pride and what that would demand of their life style. But, according to these verses, there is NO PLACE where God's voice is not heard. It should be noted that Romans 1:19-20 states that this voice of God, in the heavens and in creation, is enough for man to both know God and be condemned by God for rejection of the knowledge. Man will have no excuse. It matters not if he or she ever walked into a church and was preached to by a single message. The truth is that God gives them a message everyday to believe in Him.
The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
Psalm 19 is all about God's communication with man. The first truth to realize in this chapter is that communicates with man. For those who try to deny the existence of or speak as though He "might" be there but we can never really know, Psalm 19 is a legal argument against their empty thoughts. The end of the chapter talks about God's Word, as we know it today, the Bible. But, the first part of the chapter is captured in the first three verses above: God speaks to EVERYONE in EVERY language, through His creation. God has created this entire earth for us to see His glory. "The heavens declare the glory of God." God has placed the sun, the moon, the starts, the clouds, the wind and all the galaxies to declare His Divine Glory. Yet, a scientist can look out into space and still believe this all exists because of a mistake or because of natural selection. Just think how dumb that is. We have all of the heavens to see God's hand and His wisdom in His creation. In Proverbs 8 and 9 we read that God created all this in His Wisdom. In Colossians 1:15-19 we read that Christ was the Creator of all things and by Him all things are held together. Genesis chapter one it simply reads, "... and He created the stars also." God put the earth together in such a way man can hear the voice of God spoken in each cloud, each droplet of rain, each flake of the snow, each rainbow in the sky. Every falling star screams the glory of God. The day speaks of his majesty and the might of His mystery. Knowledge is in the dark and speech is in the light. We might not understand Spanish, or French, or Arabic, but there is NO man or women who can't hear the voice of God. Many refuse to acknowledge Him because of their pride and what that would demand of their life style. But, according to these verses, there is NO PLACE where God's voice is not heard. It should be noted that Romans 1:19-20 states that this voice of God, in the heavens and in creation, is enough for man to both know God and be condemned by God for rejection of the knowledge. Man will have no excuse. It matters not if he or she ever walked into a church and was preached to by a single message. The truth is that God gives them a message everyday to believe in Him.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Truth #44 - God uses the least to lead th most - Judges 6-11
Judges 11:7
Then Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me from my father’s house? So why have you come to me now when you are in trouble?”
Jephthah is the ninth judge in this book to be used by God to deliver the nation of Israel from their oppression by their enemies. To grasp his role we have to remember that in the book of Judges the nation of Israel was caught in a vicious cycle that afflicts most believers today. The nation, after a period of allegiance to God, would fall into sin and chase the gods of their ungodly neighbors. As a result of their turning from God, God would give them over to the oppression of their neighbors. God message was simply, "reject me and inherit the same fate as those you turn to." In their affliction the nation would cry out to God. God would then send them a "judge" or deliverer who would bring them back to God. They would then, soon, forget God and turn back to their neighbor's gods and the cycle would repeat. Jephthah is now the ninth judge ... the ninth cycle has begun. What we need to know about Jephthah is found in the first verses of chapter eleven. Jephthah was the son of a harlot. He was despised by his brothers and driven from the city. Yet, when the nation of Israel cried out to God for deliverance Ammonites, they city fathers called out Jephthah to lead them. The truth here is that God could have sent any man (or, women) to deliver the nation ... but, He sent the son of a harlot. God uses the least of His people to lead the most of His people. God used a harlot in Jericho to save the spies. Jesus uses a harlot name Mary in the gospels as one of those women who poured oil on His feet. God uses those we don't necessarily respect in our lives to be the deliverer of His grace into our lives. We tend to think of our delivers as powerful and prestiges men and/or women. Yet, throughout the book of Judges those God uses are the least among the people. God uses the weak things of this world to confound the wise.
1 Corinthians 1:27
... but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,
The truth is that in our society today man uses and looks for the degreed, the wealthy, the powerful and the popular to listen to and lead us. Most of the people used by God in His Word would not qualify to lead in most of our churches today, much less in our corporate board rooms or non-profit leadership chairs. God makes great leaders out of the least people. Jesus selected 12 lowly men to change the world with the Gospel. Fishermen, tax-collectors and loiterers made up Jesus crew. Paul was a murderer and, yet, wrote most of the New Testament. David was a small shepherd boy. The prophets were sheep herders and unknown people. Rejoice in this truth: God uses the weak to confound the wise!!!
Then Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me from my father’s house? So why have you come to me now when you are in trouble?”
Jephthah is the ninth judge in this book to be used by God to deliver the nation of Israel from their oppression by their enemies. To grasp his role we have to remember that in the book of Judges the nation of Israel was caught in a vicious cycle that afflicts most believers today. The nation, after a period of allegiance to God, would fall into sin and chase the gods of their ungodly neighbors. As a result of their turning from God, God would give them over to the oppression of their neighbors. God message was simply, "reject me and inherit the same fate as those you turn to." In their affliction the nation would cry out to God. God would then send them a "judge" or deliverer who would bring them back to God. They would then, soon, forget God and turn back to their neighbor's gods and the cycle would repeat. Jephthah is now the ninth judge ... the ninth cycle has begun. What we need to know about Jephthah is found in the first verses of chapter eleven. Jephthah was the son of a harlot. He was despised by his brothers and driven from the city. Yet, when the nation of Israel cried out to God for deliverance Ammonites, they city fathers called out Jephthah to lead them. The truth here is that God could have sent any man (or, women) to deliver the nation ... but, He sent the son of a harlot. God uses the least of His people to lead the most of His people. God used a harlot in Jericho to save the spies. Jesus uses a harlot name Mary in the gospels as one of those women who poured oil on His feet. God uses those we don't necessarily respect in our lives to be the deliverer of His grace into our lives. We tend to think of our delivers as powerful and prestiges men and/or women. Yet, throughout the book of Judges those God uses are the least among the people. God uses the weak things of this world to confound the wise.
1 Corinthians 1:27
... but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,
The truth is that in our society today man uses and looks for the degreed, the wealthy, the powerful and the popular to listen to and lead us. Most of the people used by God in His Word would not qualify to lead in most of our churches today, much less in our corporate board rooms or non-profit leadership chairs. God makes great leaders out of the least people. Jesus selected 12 lowly men to change the world with the Gospel. Fishermen, tax-collectors and loiterers made up Jesus crew. Paul was a murderer and, yet, wrote most of the New Testament. David was a small shepherd boy. The prophets were sheep herders and unknown people. Rejoice in this truth: God uses the weak to confound the wise!!!
Monday, February 9, 2015
Truth #43 - God uses conflict in our lives to accomplish His purpose for our lives - Genesis 24-27
Genesis 26:18-22
Then Isaac dug again the wells of water which had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham; and he gave them the same names which his father had given them. But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of flowing water, the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they contended with him. Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over it too, so he named it Sitnah. He moved away from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he named it Rehoboth, for he said, “ At last the Lord has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”
God uses conflict in our lives to move us to the place He wants us to be. God moves in our lives and moves our lives to accomplish His purpose and His will. We have just read the story, in this section, about how God moved Isaac's future wife, Rebekah, to the exact place, to say and do the exact thing, so that the servant of Abraham knew that she would be the ONE for Isaac. There are not accidents in our lives that God does not direct. The above story seems out of place for what we are reading. The book of Genesis is about the birth of the nation Israel. But, it is also to teach us about God and His work in the lives of His people. In the above text, Isaac is in conflict with the Philistine King of the land, Abimelech. Isaac's flocks and herds had grown so vast that there was not room for him and the Philistines made the situation worse by filling the wells he needed to water the flocks, with dirt. Rather than go to war, Isaac was willing to move. He overlooked the matter and moved his family. As we read in the above text, Isaac did this repeatedly. The conflicts were moving him closer to where God wanted him. In fact, when he reaches the last place, here is what we are told:
Genesis 26:23-24
Then he went up from there to Beersheba. The Lord appeared to him the same night and said,
“I am the God of your father Abraham;
Do not fear, for I am with you.
I will bless you, and multiply your descendants,
For the sake of My servant Abraham.”
The truth is, God uses conflict in our lives to move us to where He wants so that He can bless us in that place. Suppose Isaac would have fought the men of Gerar after he moved once. He might have taken the stand, "enough is enough ... I have had it ... I'm putting my foot down." Yet, he didn't. Isaac we sensitive to what Paul tells us in Romans 12:18, which states: As much as possible, as it depends on you, live at peace with all men. Isaac was willing to give up what he rightfully owned to live at peace in a place, albeit it wouldn't be the first place he landed. God used conflict in Paul and Barnabas' life to even cause a separation of the missionary partnership, only to allow Barnabas to work with Mark and, eventually, Paul to work with Timothy and Titus (Acts 15:36-41). God uses conflict to accomplish His purposes!! Don't run from the conflict. Look into it and find a way to obey Scripture in the middle of it. When that happens, God will use it to get you to a place He can bless you beyond your dreams.
Then Isaac dug again the wells of water which had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham; and he gave them the same names which his father had given them. But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of flowing water, the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they contended with him. Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over it too, so he named it Sitnah. He moved away from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he named it Rehoboth, for he said, “ At last the Lord has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”
God uses conflict in our lives to move us to the place He wants us to be. God moves in our lives and moves our lives to accomplish His purpose and His will. We have just read the story, in this section, about how God moved Isaac's future wife, Rebekah, to the exact place, to say and do the exact thing, so that the servant of Abraham knew that she would be the ONE for Isaac. There are not accidents in our lives that God does not direct. The above story seems out of place for what we are reading. The book of Genesis is about the birth of the nation Israel. But, it is also to teach us about God and His work in the lives of His people. In the above text, Isaac is in conflict with the Philistine King of the land, Abimelech. Isaac's flocks and herds had grown so vast that there was not room for him and the Philistines made the situation worse by filling the wells he needed to water the flocks, with dirt. Rather than go to war, Isaac was willing to move. He overlooked the matter and moved his family. As we read in the above text, Isaac did this repeatedly. The conflicts were moving him closer to where God wanted him. In fact, when he reaches the last place, here is what we are told:
Genesis 26:23-24
Then he went up from there to Beersheba. The Lord appeared to him the same night and said,
“I am the God of your father Abraham;
Do not fear, for I am with you.
I will bless you, and multiply your descendants,
For the sake of My servant Abraham.”
The truth is, God uses conflict in our lives to move us to where He wants so that He can bless us in that place. Suppose Isaac would have fought the men of Gerar after he moved once. He might have taken the stand, "enough is enough ... I have had it ... I'm putting my foot down." Yet, he didn't. Isaac we sensitive to what Paul tells us in Romans 12:18, which states: As much as possible, as it depends on you, live at peace with all men. Isaac was willing to give up what he rightfully owned to live at peace in a place, albeit it wouldn't be the first place he landed. God used conflict in Paul and Barnabas' life to even cause a separation of the missionary partnership, only to allow Barnabas to work with Mark and, eventually, Paul to work with Timothy and Titus (Acts 15:36-41). God uses conflict to accomplish His purposes!! Don't run from the conflict. Look into it and find a way to obey Scripture in the middle of it. When that happens, God will use it to get you to a place He can bless you beyond your dreams.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Truth #42 - The Theology of our Salvation must change our Mindset!!! Romans 12
Romans 12:16
Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
Before a focus can be considered on the above verse we really have to consider the purpose of the book of Romans and the character of the day for these Roman Christians. In regard to the latter, the Roman culture, although the ascent "free man" was prevalent, there was a hierarchical disposition to the culture. People would know their station in life and it would be easy for one to want to climb the social ladder into a world of status and power. That is the background for Paul's letter to the Romans. That same status seeking and power posturing was evident in the way Paul wrote the first eleven chapters of the book. The Jewish believers believed they had a higher status because of their Jewishness. The Greek believers believed they had a higher standard because it was obvious God had turn to the Gentiles with His grace and their thought was that the Jews were now second-class citizens of the Kingdom. Paul explains to them all that they are all sinners (chapters 1-3) and that they were all saved by grace (chapters 4-6) and that they all struggled in the faith (chapters 7-8) and that, although the Jews were God's chosen people (and would be restored) they were given special privilege but the Gentiles have been grafted into the same tree (Christ). The combination of the Roman culture and this ethnic debate was a danger to the Church and Paul was setting it all straight. His purpose was to show them they are all in need of God's grace (chapters 1-11) and, as a result, should have a different MINDSET!!! Good Theology changes Bad Thinking!!! When we know our status in regard to our salvation we have a different mindset toward others within the church and world. Sinners, who know that they are saved by grace, do not become haughty and high minded. That is what Paul is saying in the above set of verses. Self-exaltation is not a ear-mark of the true believer. They know they are sinners (Romans 3:23) saved by grace (Romans 5:1-3) and therefore have a different outlook on life (Romans 12). Paul, in this chapter, is outlining the new thought structure someone re-birthed by God ought to have in regard to their relationships with this world. High-mindedness is not a fruit of the Spirit. We are not to think we are better than anyone else in the faith. We might have different giftedness (Romans 12:3-8), but we do not have different blood lines. How do we assure that we don't fall into this trap of "privileged-thinking?" Three times in this verse Paul uses a Greek word for "mind." It is a favorite word of Paul's writings. In Romans 8:5 Paul is writing about our previous life, before grace, and states that our "minds" were hostile toward God, thinking evil thoughts. When Christ saves us He begins to change us. In Romans 12:1-2 we are told not to allow our minds to be conformed to this world (in context he wants these Romans Christians to be different than the world around them). When we allow Christ to shape our mind and our Theology about our salvation to enter our minds (not just our hearts), we will, naturally, think differently about ourselves and our relationship with others. Those in the pews ahead and behind us are not to be considered inferior to us in our thinking based upon social status or position in life. We are to think the same toward one another ... we are all simply sinners saved by grace. We are to fellowship with those of like-mindedness ... the lowly! We are not to exalt ourselves in our own mind, thinking we are somehow better or more privileged than those around us, whether based upon our social status, or worse, our spiritual status in Christ. James and John, the two brother-disciples, (along with their mother) had an argument about who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven and who would sit on the right hand of Jesus. Christ told them that the greatest would the leasts of all. No exaltation will and high-mindedness will get you favored status in the kingdom. The truth is, having a transformed mind based upon the theology of our salvation is the only mindset the Christian believer is to employ!!
Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
Before a focus can be considered on the above verse we really have to consider the purpose of the book of Romans and the character of the day for these Roman Christians. In regard to the latter, the Roman culture, although the ascent "free man" was prevalent, there was a hierarchical disposition to the culture. People would know their station in life and it would be easy for one to want to climb the social ladder into a world of status and power. That is the background for Paul's letter to the Romans. That same status seeking and power posturing was evident in the way Paul wrote the first eleven chapters of the book. The Jewish believers believed they had a higher status because of their Jewishness. The Greek believers believed they had a higher standard because it was obvious God had turn to the Gentiles with His grace and their thought was that the Jews were now second-class citizens of the Kingdom. Paul explains to them all that they are all sinners (chapters 1-3) and that they were all saved by grace (chapters 4-6) and that they all struggled in the faith (chapters 7-8) and that, although the Jews were God's chosen people (and would be restored) they were given special privilege but the Gentiles have been grafted into the same tree (Christ). The combination of the Roman culture and this ethnic debate was a danger to the Church and Paul was setting it all straight. His purpose was to show them they are all in need of God's grace (chapters 1-11) and, as a result, should have a different MINDSET!!! Good Theology changes Bad Thinking!!! When we know our status in regard to our salvation we have a different mindset toward others within the church and world. Sinners, who know that they are saved by grace, do not become haughty and high minded. That is what Paul is saying in the above set of verses. Self-exaltation is not a ear-mark of the true believer. They know they are sinners (Romans 3:23) saved by grace (Romans 5:1-3) and therefore have a different outlook on life (Romans 12). Paul, in this chapter, is outlining the new thought structure someone re-birthed by God ought to have in regard to their relationships with this world. High-mindedness is not a fruit of the Spirit. We are not to think we are better than anyone else in the faith. We might have different giftedness (Romans 12:3-8), but we do not have different blood lines. How do we assure that we don't fall into this trap of "privileged-thinking?" Three times in this verse Paul uses a Greek word for "mind." It is a favorite word of Paul's writings. In Romans 8:5 Paul is writing about our previous life, before grace, and states that our "minds" were hostile toward God, thinking evil thoughts. When Christ saves us He begins to change us. In Romans 12:1-2 we are told not to allow our minds to be conformed to this world (in context he wants these Romans Christians to be different than the world around them). When we allow Christ to shape our mind and our Theology about our salvation to enter our minds (not just our hearts), we will, naturally, think differently about ourselves and our relationship with others. Those in the pews ahead and behind us are not to be considered inferior to us in our thinking based upon social status or position in life. We are to think the same toward one another ... we are all simply sinners saved by grace. We are to fellowship with those of like-mindedness ... the lowly! We are not to exalt ourselves in our own mind, thinking we are somehow better or more privileged than those around us, whether based upon our social status, or worse, our spiritual status in Christ. James and John, the two brother-disciples, (along with their mother) had an argument about who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven and who would sit on the right hand of Jesus. Christ told them that the greatest would the leasts of all. No exaltation will and high-mindedness will get you favored status in the kingdom. The truth is, having a transformed mind based upon the theology of our salvation is the only mindset the Christian believer is to employ!!
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Truth #41 - We WILL forget the many blessings God gives us - Matthew 14-16
Matthew 15:32-34
And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.” The disciples *said to Him, “Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?” And Jesus *said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.”
There is an old Gospel song that we used to sing in churches repeatedly. It has been bumped from most of our church's playlists, probably because it is simply too old. Yet, the truth of the song is so vital for us to sing and so applicable to the above text. Note the words of this old song in the first verse and chorus:
Count Your Many Blessings:
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
The point of the song is to remember the great things God has done for us. How soon we forget. Note the story in the above verses of Matthew. This is the story of God feeding the 4,000 on the mountain side. No, this is not a typo. The sentence is NOT supposed to read, "This is a story of the feeding of the 5,000 on the mountain side." There are two such feedings. One is 5,000 people, and the other is 4,000 people. The disciples had already witnessed the feeding of the 5,000. Now, faced with LESS people to feed and still in the presence of a very LARGE miracle worker in their midst, they ask such an empty question, "Where would we get so many loaves ...?" They simply failed, facing this challenge, to recall the past things Christ has already done. Since they were seeing miracles every day, don't you think they would be anticipating and looking for places to see another miracle? Yet, they failed to considered that Christ could now take seven loaves and a few small fish (more than they had for the 5,000) to feed less people. But, are not we of the same mindset? Don't we go through life and experience God's amazing blessings each and every day, only to discover when faced with a challenge we ask, "Where would we get so many _____, to handle this issue?" We fail to remember or count our blessings. We fail to recall God's great grace in our lives. The truth is, God can give us blessing after blessing and we forget each one when faced with a new challenge. If we can't return to singing just a great Hymn in our churches, let's at least sing it in our lives and hearts. Count your blessings!!!
And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.” The disciples *said to Him, “Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?” And Jesus *said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.”
There is an old Gospel song that we used to sing in churches repeatedly. It has been bumped from most of our church's playlists, probably because it is simply too old. Yet, the truth of the song is so vital for us to sing and so applicable to the above text. Note the words of this old song in the first verse and chorus:
Count Your Many Blessings:
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
The point of the song is to remember the great things God has done for us. How soon we forget. Note the story in the above verses of Matthew. This is the story of God feeding the 4,000 on the mountain side. No, this is not a typo. The sentence is NOT supposed to read, "This is a story of the feeding of the 5,000 on the mountain side." There are two such feedings. One is 5,000 people, and the other is 4,000 people. The disciples had already witnessed the feeding of the 5,000. Now, faced with LESS people to feed and still in the presence of a very LARGE miracle worker in their midst, they ask such an empty question, "Where would we get so many loaves ...?" They simply failed, facing this challenge, to recall the past things Christ has already done. Since they were seeing miracles every day, don't you think they would be anticipating and looking for places to see another miracle? Yet, they failed to considered that Christ could now take seven loaves and a few small fish (more than they had for the 5,000) to feed less people. But, are not we of the same mindset? Don't we go through life and experience God's amazing blessings each and every day, only to discover when faced with a challenge we ask, "Where would we get so many _____, to handle this issue?" We fail to remember or count our blessings. We fail to recall God's great grace in our lives. The truth is, God can give us blessing after blessing and we forget each one when faced with a new challenge. If we can't return to singing just a great Hymn in our churches, let's at least sing it in our lives and hearts. Count your blessings!!!
Friday, February 6, 2015
Truth #40 - OUR sources for relief from stress are always inadequate - Isaiah 29-33
Isaiah 31:3
Now the Egyptians are men and not God,
And their horses are flesh and not spirit;
So the Lord will stretch out His hand,
And he who helps will stumble
And he who is helped will fall,
And all of them will come to an end together.
In the middle of our distress we often turn to a variety of sources for relief. In the midst of financial stress, we might turn to a bank, or a friend with deep pockets. In the midst of health distress, we almost always turn to our health care system. In the midst of material stress, we might turn to the mechanic, plumber or builder. Any one of those sources of relief for what ails us, are not, by themselves, wrong, sinful or inadequate. It is not, necessarily, WHO we turn to, it is the WHY we turn to them and to what EXTENT do we turn to our source of relief. If we are having personal issues (psychological), or social issues (sociological), who do we turn to, who, and to what extent? A psychologists or a sociologist are not evil, in and of themselves. However, we can, turn to these sources of relief and fail to realize, remember, or acknowledge, that NO relief comes to our stress if we don't first and foremost recognize that God is the relief we need. He is the source we are to turn to in our pain and suffering. In the above text we pick up Isaiah's prophesy where he is admonishing the nation to stop turning to other sources for relief from their national stress. Since they were about to come under siege by the Babylonians, they wanted to find some alli that would support them and protect them. However, what they didn't understand is that the Babylonians were being sent by God to punish them for their sin. Therefore, their fleeing to Egypt for help was a failure to recognize God's loving chastisement. They rejected God and He was about to bring chastisement to them. Now they were rejecting His chastisement and turning to Egypt for relief. As the text states, Egyptians are men and not God!! Their horses (a sign of their supposed power) is the the power of the Spirit. Instead of seeking God in faith, they sought help in the flesh. God is not, in this verse, telling us that plumbers, banks, builders are bad and sinful to use, when in trouble. He does not tell us that psychologist and sociologist are sinful. But, He is saying that human psychology, fleshly sociology, temporal mechanical help and/or financial support WILL NOT replace Him and CANNOT replace Him in the midst of our stress. The stress we experience CAN BE because of sin (see the Nation of Israel). However, the stress we experience CAN ALSO BE because of some spiritual battle in the background of our lives (see Job). We don't always know what God has for us in the circumstances of our lives. But, in the midst of those circumstances we can be assured that He is using those to conform us to the image of His Son and to accomplish His plan for the world. When we quickly turn to some source to find relief we ought to remember the truth of the above passage: Man's solutions for salvation are useless. "All of them will come to an end together."
Now the Egyptians are men and not God,
And their horses are flesh and not spirit;
So the Lord will stretch out His hand,
And he who helps will stumble
And he who is helped will fall,
And all of them will come to an end together.
In the middle of our distress we often turn to a variety of sources for relief. In the midst of financial stress, we might turn to a bank, or a friend with deep pockets. In the midst of health distress, we almost always turn to our health care system. In the midst of material stress, we might turn to the mechanic, plumber or builder. Any one of those sources of relief for what ails us, are not, by themselves, wrong, sinful or inadequate. It is not, necessarily, WHO we turn to, it is the WHY we turn to them and to what EXTENT do we turn to our source of relief. If we are having personal issues (psychological), or social issues (sociological), who do we turn to, who, and to what extent? A psychologists or a sociologist are not evil, in and of themselves. However, we can, turn to these sources of relief and fail to realize, remember, or acknowledge, that NO relief comes to our stress if we don't first and foremost recognize that God is the relief we need. He is the source we are to turn to in our pain and suffering. In the above text we pick up Isaiah's prophesy where he is admonishing the nation to stop turning to other sources for relief from their national stress. Since they were about to come under siege by the Babylonians, they wanted to find some alli that would support them and protect them. However, what they didn't understand is that the Babylonians were being sent by God to punish them for their sin. Therefore, their fleeing to Egypt for help was a failure to recognize God's loving chastisement. They rejected God and He was about to bring chastisement to them. Now they were rejecting His chastisement and turning to Egypt for relief. As the text states, Egyptians are men and not God!! Their horses (a sign of their supposed power) is the the power of the Spirit. Instead of seeking God in faith, they sought help in the flesh. God is not, in this verse, telling us that plumbers, banks, builders are bad and sinful to use, when in trouble. He does not tell us that psychologist and sociologist are sinful. But, He is saying that human psychology, fleshly sociology, temporal mechanical help and/or financial support WILL NOT replace Him and CANNOT replace Him in the midst of our stress. The stress we experience CAN BE because of sin (see the Nation of Israel). However, the stress we experience CAN ALSO BE because of some spiritual battle in the background of our lives (see Job). We don't always know what God has for us in the circumstances of our lives. But, in the midst of those circumstances we can be assured that He is using those to conform us to the image of His Son and to accomplish His plan for the world. When we quickly turn to some source to find relief we ought to remember the truth of the above passage: Man's solutions for salvation are useless. "All of them will come to an end together."
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Truth #39 - God controls the true wisdom and the false wisdom of this earth!! Job 12-14
Job 12:13-16
“With Him are wisdom and might;
To Him belong counsel and understanding.
“Behold, He tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt;
He imprisons a man, and there can be no release.
“Behold, He restrains the waters, and they dry up;
And He sends them out, and they inundate the earth.
“With Him are strength and sound wisdom,
The misled and the misleader belong to Him.
Chapter twelve is AWESOME!!! The last of Job's friends (accusers?) has just spoken and was the sharpest in his remarks. Zophar has simply stated what they all must truly believe and what we often believe of those in suffering ... God is punishing Job for some terrible sin no one knows about. Yet, that is the farthest thing from the truth. In response to Zophar (and his freinds) statements, Job begins the chapter with a sarcastic statement of his own, that we might translate today like this:
"Well, aren't you The Man!!! You are the wisest and smartest ever!! No one can hold a candle to you and your words!!!
That's not exactly what he said, but that is what he meant. These three friends are pouring out their version of wisdom and Job is about to give them his thoughts. Chapter twelve begins a change in Job, however, as he begins to deflect less of these three friends and, rather, engage more of God and interaction with God. In the above passage we have the foundation for that transition. In these verses Job tells us where wisdom comes from (God) and even how God controls who gets it and how it is heard. Note the last line in the above: With Him are strength and sound wisdom, the "misled" and the the "misleader" belong to Him. Wow!! Do you see that? Job is telling his friends that God is the One who has wisdom and God will allow wisdom to be distributed on this earth the way HE wants. He is telling his friends, "You may think you have wisdom, but God is the one who OWNS it and distributes it the way He wants." In fact, God even controls the "non-wisdom" and the "foolish" who speak. He also controls those who believe the foolish. God allows false wisdom to populate the earth because, in the end, it will be used to accomplish His plan. If you remember after Solomon's death, his son, Rehoboam became king. Instead of listening to his father's advisors about a labor dispute (lead by Jeraboam), he instead listened to his friends. That "false" wisdom lead to the split in the kingdom, with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (Judah) splitting from the other ten tribes (Israel). We might want to say Rehoboam was wrong and should have listened to his father's friends. We would be right ... and, wrong! God used the false counsel of Rehoboam's friends (the "misleader") to lead Rehoboam (the misled) down the path God wanted to accomplish His plan for the Nation. The truth is, God is the controller of all speech and all truth and all false truth parading itself as truth. God is the one who allows false words to be spoken from the sinful deceit in man's heart and for that false wisdom to enter and connect with the evilness in the hearts of men to accomplish His will. If people are listening to "your" wisdom it is because God allows it. If people are listening to false wisdom it is because God allows it to accomplish His greater purpose. That't the truth!!
“With Him are wisdom and might;
To Him belong counsel and understanding.
“Behold, He tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt;
He imprisons a man, and there can be no release.
“Behold, He restrains the waters, and they dry up;
And He sends them out, and they inundate the earth.
“With Him are strength and sound wisdom,
The misled and the misleader belong to Him.
Chapter twelve is AWESOME!!! The last of Job's friends (accusers?) has just spoken and was the sharpest in his remarks. Zophar has simply stated what they all must truly believe and what we often believe of those in suffering ... God is punishing Job for some terrible sin no one knows about. Yet, that is the farthest thing from the truth. In response to Zophar (and his freinds) statements, Job begins the chapter with a sarcastic statement of his own, that we might translate today like this:
"Well, aren't you The Man!!! You are the wisest and smartest ever!! No one can hold a candle to you and your words!!!
That's not exactly what he said, but that is what he meant. These three friends are pouring out their version of wisdom and Job is about to give them his thoughts. Chapter twelve begins a change in Job, however, as he begins to deflect less of these three friends and, rather, engage more of God and interaction with God. In the above passage we have the foundation for that transition. In these verses Job tells us where wisdom comes from (God) and even how God controls who gets it and how it is heard. Note the last line in the above: With Him are strength and sound wisdom, the "misled" and the the "misleader" belong to Him. Wow!! Do you see that? Job is telling his friends that God is the One who has wisdom and God will allow wisdom to be distributed on this earth the way HE wants. He is telling his friends, "You may think you have wisdom, but God is the one who OWNS it and distributes it the way He wants." In fact, God even controls the "non-wisdom" and the "foolish" who speak. He also controls those who believe the foolish. God allows false wisdom to populate the earth because, in the end, it will be used to accomplish His plan. If you remember after Solomon's death, his son, Rehoboam became king. Instead of listening to his father's advisors about a labor dispute (lead by Jeraboam), he instead listened to his friends. That "false" wisdom lead to the split in the kingdom, with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (Judah) splitting from the other ten tribes (Israel). We might want to say Rehoboam was wrong and should have listened to his father's friends. We would be right ... and, wrong! God used the false counsel of Rehoboam's friends (the "misleader") to lead Rehoboam (the misled) down the path God wanted to accomplish His plan for the Nation. The truth is, God is the controller of all speech and all truth and all false truth parading itself as truth. God is the one who allows false words to be spoken from the sinful deceit in man's heart and for that false wisdom to enter and connect with the evilness in the hearts of men to accomplish His will. If people are listening to "your" wisdom it is because God allows it. If people are listening to false wisdom it is because God allows it to accomplish His greater purpose. That't the truth!!
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Truth #38 - God wants us to have joy and victory today! Pslam 15-17
Psalms 16:11
You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
Psalm 16 is a prayer by the writer asking God for deliverance from an immediate and impending difficulty. It is a real prayer for immediate deliverance. In the verse just preceding the above, the writer is confident that God, out of love, will not leave him in Sheol ... the grave. Apparently this situation was one foot in the grave and one foot on a banana peel. It would be easy (and certainly acceptable) to interpret the above verse in a spiritual manner and claim that the writer was talking about the blessings we have in Christ; making the Psalm Messianic in nature. Note what one commentator states about the psalm:
(Word Biblical Commentary): I have suggested in the Comment that the psalm, with respect to its initial meaning, is neither messianic nor eschatological in nature. Yet it is apparent that in the earliest Christian community, the psalm was given a messianic interpretation with respect to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Both Peter, in his sermon at Pentecost (Acts 2:25-28), and Paul, in the synagogue at Antioch (Acts 13:35), reflect this interpretation of the psalm in their preaching.
However, the writer, at the time was certainly in peril and was, at that moment, asking for deliverance. Perhaps this is a good indication that the text of Scripture can have alternate meanings. We have to be careful to interpret the text "historically" (what did it mean at the time) and not over spiritualizing it (what does it mean for "me"). There is no intent to imply that Scripture doesn't have a clear meaning. But, it is obvious in this text that the writer was looking for immediate deliverance AND YET we can see in the language used the references to Christ, NOW sitting at the right hand of God ... pleasures forever more!! The writer is rejoicing because in the midst of the struggle (whatever it is) he has found the "path of life." In the dark of the situation the light was found. The writer is not simply referring to a time he HOPES to have deliverance and fulness of joy and pleasures forever ... although, for all believers, that is a true statement. Here, however, the writer has found these things in the midst of threat of death. What we see is that God is the God of the Here and Now. God will ultimately save us. But, we don't have to wait to enjoy the path of life and the fullness of joy and pleasures forever. God wants us to rejoice in Him NOW. In the dark we can still have the LIGHT. Christianity is not JUST heaven later. Christianity is Christ NOW!! Our fellowship with Him is REAL today. We can allow the threat of the grave to steal our joy, but if it can steal our joy we never really had our joy in the right place. Christ is our joy. How can the writer think this way? Notice what was written earlier in this psalm:
Psalms 16:5
The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You support my lot.
Since the writer desired Christ it wasn't a large leap that with Christ, he realized he had joy, life and pleasure. The truth is, God is our joy today!! We will be blessed in heaven later. That is true. But, it is also true God wants us to have the path of life today ... deliverance from our individual peril!
You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
Psalm 16 is a prayer by the writer asking God for deliverance from an immediate and impending difficulty. It is a real prayer for immediate deliverance. In the verse just preceding the above, the writer is confident that God, out of love, will not leave him in Sheol ... the grave. Apparently this situation was one foot in the grave and one foot on a banana peel. It would be easy (and certainly acceptable) to interpret the above verse in a spiritual manner and claim that the writer was talking about the blessings we have in Christ; making the Psalm Messianic in nature. Note what one commentator states about the psalm:
(Word Biblical Commentary): I have suggested in the Comment that the psalm, with respect to its initial meaning, is neither messianic nor eschatological in nature. Yet it is apparent that in the earliest Christian community, the psalm was given a messianic interpretation with respect to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Both Peter, in his sermon at Pentecost (Acts 2:25-28), and Paul, in the synagogue at Antioch (Acts 13:35), reflect this interpretation of the psalm in their preaching.
However, the writer, at the time was certainly in peril and was, at that moment, asking for deliverance. Perhaps this is a good indication that the text of Scripture can have alternate meanings. We have to be careful to interpret the text "historically" (what did it mean at the time) and not over spiritualizing it (what does it mean for "me"). There is no intent to imply that Scripture doesn't have a clear meaning. But, it is obvious in this text that the writer was looking for immediate deliverance AND YET we can see in the language used the references to Christ, NOW sitting at the right hand of God ... pleasures forever more!! The writer is rejoicing because in the midst of the struggle (whatever it is) he has found the "path of life." In the dark of the situation the light was found. The writer is not simply referring to a time he HOPES to have deliverance and fulness of joy and pleasures forever ... although, for all believers, that is a true statement. Here, however, the writer has found these things in the midst of threat of death. What we see is that God is the God of the Here and Now. God will ultimately save us. But, we don't have to wait to enjoy the path of life and the fullness of joy and pleasures forever. God wants us to rejoice in Him NOW. In the dark we can still have the LIGHT. Christianity is not JUST heaven later. Christianity is Christ NOW!! Our fellowship with Him is REAL today. We can allow the threat of the grave to steal our joy, but if it can steal our joy we never really had our joy in the right place. Christ is our joy. How can the writer think this way? Notice what was written earlier in this psalm:
Psalms 16:5
The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You support my lot.
Since the writer desired Christ it wasn't a large leap that with Christ, he realized he had joy, life and pleasure. The truth is, God is our joy today!! We will be blessed in heaven later. That is true. But, it is also true God wants us to have the path of life today ... deliverance from our individual peril!
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Truth #37 - God gives us power to kill sin in our lives! Judges 1-5
Judges 2:16-23
Then the Lord raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do as their fathers. When the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them. But it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways. So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers and has not listened to My voice, I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it as their fathers did, or not.” So the Lord allowed those nations to remain, not driving them out quickly; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
This passage is longer than what is normally included in these brief blog thoughts. But, you can't get the flavor of what is happening in the time of the Judges, without understanding this passage. Judges, the book, is summed up in the above set of verses. The nation of Israel was supposed to take possession of the land. God gave them the complete tools (Himself) and power (His) to accomplish the task. However, the allowed much of the residents of the land to remain. The residents and their gods and idols to those gods. As a result the nation of Israel, tribe by tribe, would follow those gods and worship those idols. God would then be angry with them for that sin. Yet, they would cry out to God and He would send them a deliverer (a Judge) and in that repentance and deliverance they would praise God. Yet, because they didn't fully drive out the influences in the land, they would soon fall back into sin and God would once again send an enemy to punish them. They would repent and cry out to God and the cycle would repeat. That is the entire book of Judges: Sin-Discipline through an enemy-Repent-Deliverance through a Judge-Praise-Sin-Discipline-Repent-Deliverance-etc.-etc.-etc! Have you ever been in such a cycle? Because they never fully drove out the sin, the sin would entice them and bring them back into that cycle. We have a similar cycle today. Think about a diet. You commit to losing weight but you never fully drive out all the snacks in the house. You find them in the cupboard and you eat them. Guilt comes storming into our conscious mind and we fell bad. We repent in the morning and go throughout our day. But, we never really toss the snacks out of the house. So, in the evening, we find them and repeat the cycle. We do the same thing with the evilness we watch. We say we won't watch it, but there is the television, the internet, the "fill in the blank" and we indulge. We are disciplined through our conscious, or some other manner, and then we repent. But, we never really disconnect from the source of the problem. So, too with the nation of Israel. So, too, with most of the church today. We simply don't ever rid ourselves of that sin. In the King James Version of the Bible Paul's admonishment to the Roman Christians was to "mortify" the deeds of the body ...or, kill them.
Romans 8:13 - For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
We are to destroy the fleshly desires. But, like the nation of Israel we let sin live next to us and we soon practice it. The truth here is that God empowers us to kill sin in our lives, but if we fall in love with it, we will never kill it. God gives us the power to kill it, but we have to yield in faith to that power ... if not, we will live with sin and soon worship it.
Then the Lord raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do as their fathers. When the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them. But it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways. So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers and has not listened to My voice, I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it as their fathers did, or not.” So the Lord allowed those nations to remain, not driving them out quickly; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
This passage is longer than what is normally included in these brief blog thoughts. But, you can't get the flavor of what is happening in the time of the Judges, without understanding this passage. Judges, the book, is summed up in the above set of verses. The nation of Israel was supposed to take possession of the land. God gave them the complete tools (Himself) and power (His) to accomplish the task. However, the allowed much of the residents of the land to remain. The residents and their gods and idols to those gods. As a result the nation of Israel, tribe by tribe, would follow those gods and worship those idols. God would then be angry with them for that sin. Yet, they would cry out to God and He would send them a deliverer (a Judge) and in that repentance and deliverance they would praise God. Yet, because they didn't fully drive out the influences in the land, they would soon fall back into sin and God would once again send an enemy to punish them. They would repent and cry out to God and the cycle would repeat. That is the entire book of Judges: Sin-Discipline through an enemy-Repent-Deliverance through a Judge-Praise-Sin-Discipline-Repent-Deliverance-etc.-etc.-etc! Have you ever been in such a cycle? Because they never fully drove out the sin, the sin would entice them and bring them back into that cycle. We have a similar cycle today. Think about a diet. You commit to losing weight but you never fully drive out all the snacks in the house. You find them in the cupboard and you eat them. Guilt comes storming into our conscious mind and we fell bad. We repent in the morning and go throughout our day. But, we never really toss the snacks out of the house. So, in the evening, we find them and repeat the cycle. We do the same thing with the evilness we watch. We say we won't watch it, but there is the television, the internet, the "fill in the blank" and we indulge. We are disciplined through our conscious, or some other manner, and then we repent. But, we never really disconnect from the source of the problem. So, too with the nation of Israel. So, too, with most of the church today. We simply don't ever rid ourselves of that sin. In the King James Version of the Bible Paul's admonishment to the Roman Christians was to "mortify" the deeds of the body ...or, kill them.
Romans 8:13 - For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
We are to destroy the fleshly desires. But, like the nation of Israel we let sin live next to us and we soon practice it. The truth here is that God empowers us to kill sin in our lives, but if we fall in love with it, we will never kill it. God gives us the power to kill it, but we have to yield in faith to that power ... if not, we will live with sin and soon worship it.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Truth #36 - God keeps His promises!!! Genesis 20-23
Genesis 22:13-14
Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.”
The above passage is taken in the middle of the story of Abraham offering Isaac on the alter, as a test from God. The capture the tension in the story we have to recall the journey Abraham has been on since the promise of having his "seed" fill the earth with little "Abrahams." God had promised Sarah, his wife, and Abraham that, in their old age, God would give Abraham an heir, through whom God would bless the nations. Sarah, of course, thinks this is humorous and laughs at God's notion that she could get pregnant at her age. To "make things happen" and to "help God out" she gives her handmaid to Abraham and she gives birth to Ishmael. That, of course, doesn't accomplish God's plan, because God had said it was through Sarah and Abraham that this blessing would happen, not through Abraham and Hager. Finally, at the age of 100 years, Abraham is blessed with a son, Isaac (appropriately named so ... his name means "laughter"). Now, in chapter twenty-two we see that Isaac, a young lad, is to be taken up to the mountain to be offered by Abraham. Abraham had faith that even if he did offer Isaac, this was the promised son. God had promised THIS child to be the blessing. Abraham had finally come to the place that he unequivocally believed God's promise. He was ready to take God's promise to the bank (Romans 4:20, 21). He even came to the place of faith (based upon the reasoning behind the promise) that if he did sacrifice Isaac, God would HAVE TO raise Isaac from the dead ... Isaac WAS the promised child. Read what the book Hebrews tells us about this story:
Hebrews 11:17-19
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “IN Isaac your descendants shall be called.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.
This passage tells us that Abraham "considered" God is able to raise people from the dead. Abraham used his reasoning, based upon his faith, that God can provide, even in unusual ways, to accomplish His promises. Abraham goes to the extent to name the place, "Yehweh-jireh," - God will provide. The translation is actually, "God will see to it." Abraham knows that God "will see to it," no matter what, "see to it" means. God promises and then makes His promises happen. We are to "consider" the promises of God as they blend with the "power" of God. We ought not concentrate on our circumstances, but rather the equation of God's power mixed with God's promises. The truth is, if God promises He is obligated to make it happen. He is NOT obligated to make it happen how we believe it should happen. Ask Daniel, Joseph, Job, and many other of God people, about that truth. Through God's Word He gives us His promises and tells us about His power. We are to marry those thoughts and apply them to our situation. God will provide - Jehovah-Jireh!!!
Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.”
The above passage is taken in the middle of the story of Abraham offering Isaac on the alter, as a test from God. The capture the tension in the story we have to recall the journey Abraham has been on since the promise of having his "seed" fill the earth with little "Abrahams." God had promised Sarah, his wife, and Abraham that, in their old age, God would give Abraham an heir, through whom God would bless the nations. Sarah, of course, thinks this is humorous and laughs at God's notion that she could get pregnant at her age. To "make things happen" and to "help God out" she gives her handmaid to Abraham and she gives birth to Ishmael. That, of course, doesn't accomplish God's plan, because God had said it was through Sarah and Abraham that this blessing would happen, not through Abraham and Hager. Finally, at the age of 100 years, Abraham is blessed with a son, Isaac (appropriately named so ... his name means "laughter"). Now, in chapter twenty-two we see that Isaac, a young lad, is to be taken up to the mountain to be offered by Abraham. Abraham had faith that even if he did offer Isaac, this was the promised son. God had promised THIS child to be the blessing. Abraham had finally come to the place that he unequivocally believed God's promise. He was ready to take God's promise to the bank (Romans 4:20, 21). He even came to the place of faith (based upon the reasoning behind the promise) that if he did sacrifice Isaac, God would HAVE TO raise Isaac from the dead ... Isaac WAS the promised child. Read what the book Hebrews tells us about this story:
Hebrews 11:17-19
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “IN Isaac your descendants shall be called.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.
This passage tells us that Abraham "considered" God is able to raise people from the dead. Abraham used his reasoning, based upon his faith, that God can provide, even in unusual ways, to accomplish His promises. Abraham goes to the extent to name the place, "Yehweh-jireh," - God will provide. The translation is actually, "God will see to it." Abraham knows that God "will see to it," no matter what, "see to it" means. God promises and then makes His promises happen. We are to "consider" the promises of God as they blend with the "power" of God. We ought not concentrate on our circumstances, but rather the equation of God's power mixed with God's promises. The truth is, if God promises He is obligated to make it happen. He is NOT obligated to make it happen how we believe it should happen. Ask Daniel, Joseph, Job, and many other of God people, about that truth. Through God's Word He gives us His promises and tells us about His power. We are to marry those thoughts and apply them to our situation. God will provide - Jehovah-Jireh!!!
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Truth #35 - God is to be glorified in our belief about Divine Election!! Romans 9-11
Romans 9:22-24
What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.
Perhaps the hardest doctrine in God's Word is what Paul is clarifying in the above verses: Election. Election, by most definitions, is the act of God whereby He chooses those He wants to be saved. Their is not a lot of disagreement that God's Word states that He DOES choose those He wants to save. You only need to read the entire ninth chapter of Romans and the first chapter of Ephesians. The largest issue is not IF God chooses those He wants for salvation, but WHEN He chooses and How He chooses and, perhaps, WHY He chooses them. Does God choose BEFORE man hears the gospel, or does God choose BECAUSE man chooses? Those are a couple of the tough questions we hear asked and debated ... throughout the ages. One of the biggest debates asks, "IF God does select those He wishes to save, does He then, in turn, choose the others to destroy? Is that fair? Did they ever have a chance IF God choose them for destruction?" Attempting to answer these questions and many more in this little devotional would be foolish and unwise. There have been volumes of books written about this subject (see R.C. Sproul's book: Chosen by God, for a good read on this topic). What we can do in this brief writing is look at what Paul might be giving us that will guide us in our thoughts and discussions about the above questions and many of those not listed. Notice in the above text that Paul IS stating that God DOES choose some "vessels" (a metaphor for mankind) for wrath (to be destroyed) and some vessels to show mercy (to be provided grace and forgiveness). Notice that Paul states that God prepared the vessels for wrath "to make know the riches of His glory" to those who would have mercy. And, He prepared "beforehand" those vessels that would receive mercy "for glory." Man might argue, debate, deny and/or argue the merits of Divine Election. However, we better make sure that we read the above passage correctly while engaged in that debate. These three verses tell us that whatever we think of God's Divine Election God did WHAT He did for His GLORY!!! The truth is, God choose whom He choose the way He choose to display His great glory to those He choose. In our confusion and investigation of God's Word we better make sure we start the debate and end the debate giving God the glory He deserves and wanted when He orchestrated His plan. God is to be glorified in election ... even in our discussions about it. Fall on whatever side you want of the various arguments. God is not confused. He did what He did for His glory and for us to see that glory as a result of His plan. The truth is God gets the glory for election and we are to magnify Him as a result.
What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.
Perhaps the hardest doctrine in God's Word is what Paul is clarifying in the above verses: Election. Election, by most definitions, is the act of God whereby He chooses those He wants to be saved. Their is not a lot of disagreement that God's Word states that He DOES choose those He wants to save. You only need to read the entire ninth chapter of Romans and the first chapter of Ephesians. The largest issue is not IF God chooses those He wants for salvation, but WHEN He chooses and How He chooses and, perhaps, WHY He chooses them. Does God choose BEFORE man hears the gospel, or does God choose BECAUSE man chooses? Those are a couple of the tough questions we hear asked and debated ... throughout the ages. One of the biggest debates asks, "IF God does select those He wishes to save, does He then, in turn, choose the others to destroy? Is that fair? Did they ever have a chance IF God choose them for destruction?" Attempting to answer these questions and many more in this little devotional would be foolish and unwise. There have been volumes of books written about this subject (see R.C. Sproul's book: Chosen by God, for a good read on this topic). What we can do in this brief writing is look at what Paul might be giving us that will guide us in our thoughts and discussions about the above questions and many of those not listed. Notice in the above text that Paul IS stating that God DOES choose some "vessels" (a metaphor for mankind) for wrath (to be destroyed) and some vessels to show mercy (to be provided grace and forgiveness). Notice that Paul states that God prepared the vessels for wrath "to make know the riches of His glory" to those who would have mercy. And, He prepared "beforehand" those vessels that would receive mercy "for glory." Man might argue, debate, deny and/or argue the merits of Divine Election. However, we better make sure that we read the above passage correctly while engaged in that debate. These three verses tell us that whatever we think of God's Divine Election God did WHAT He did for His GLORY!!! The truth is, God choose whom He choose the way He choose to display His great glory to those He choose. In our confusion and investigation of God's Word we better make sure we start the debate and end the debate giving God the glory He deserves and wanted when He orchestrated His plan. God is to be glorified in election ... even in our discussions about it. Fall on whatever side you want of the various arguments. God is not confused. He did what He did for His glory and for us to see that glory as a result of His plan. The truth is God gets the glory for election and we are to magnify Him as a result.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)