1 Samuel 18:8-9
And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?” And Saul eyed David from that day on.
This verse is taken from the story of David and Saul. Saul, the king was a very prideful man. David was just a shepherd boy, but he was a boy who who was lead by God and had been obedient to God. God used David to kill the giant Goliath. And, unknown to Saul, God had already selected David to be his successor. However, Saul could not handle the reputation that was being given to David. He couldn't stand not being at the center and having the highest praise. Saul was envious and jealous for what David had and he failed to earn in regard to his reputation. Envy is a very difficult emotion and sin to deal with it in our lives. To desire something holy is a good thing (1 Timothy 3:1 ... Timothy is told by Paul that to "desire the office of the ministry" is a good thing). However, to desire something evil, in this case, praise for yourself, is a bad thing and sin against God. Perhaps David's son, Solomon, had this story in mind when he penned the following words:
Proverbs 14:30
A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh,
but envy makes the bones rot.
Proverbs 27:4
Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,
but who can stand before jealousy?
Notice in the New Testament where wars, fighting and anger among Christians are said by James to stem from:
James 4:1-3
Warning Against Worldliness
What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
Saul was jealous and was not able handle the success of another one of God's children. He was not able to rejoice in the success of others without wishing harm on that person. Envy and jealous is rotten to the bone. The truth is God hates the sin of jealousy. Note the spirit of jealous and envy in Solomon's words below:
Proverbs 6:16-19
There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil,
a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Monday, March 30, 2015
Truth #92 - God doesn't promise us comfort when we do His will - Exodus 1-4
Exodus 3:19-21
But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty,
When God calls us to work for Him we tend to think that everything should be easy and okay. After all, God called us and we are in God's will, therefore things should be okay. The world's standards are this way. The world thinks if they are doing things okay everything is going to be just fine. The world views bumps in the road as something that should be avoided and something that indicates you are doing something wrong. However, notice what a walk in the Spirit looks like. In this chapter. Moses has a burning bush experience (you can't get a more direct message from God than a burning bush that never burns up!). Moses knows God's will, perhaps, better than any man on the face of the earth. Yet, in the above passage we see that his walk with God will meet the obstinance of the King of Egypt. Notice what Paul tells us about this in Roman's nine:
Romans 9:14-18
What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
God gave Moses a word about his work, but God also raised up a king with a hard heart so that God could use him to show great wonders and His awesome power!! When Peter was called to preach he was also placed in prison. When Daniel was called to interpret the dreams of the King he was also place in the den of the lions. When Paul was allowed to sail around Asia to proclaim the truth of the gospel he was also placed in the deep and allowed to almost drown for the message. God does NOT promise us to be free from harm, but to be delivered from it and prosperous in it. Notice what King David tells us in the following Psalm:
Psalm 33:19
that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.
The psalm doesn't tell us that God will keep us from death or keep us from famine. It tells us that God will deliver our soul from death and keeps us alive IN famine. We have been taught by the world that our "creature comforts" are at the bottom of the pyramid of what we desire in life (Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs). Yet, God turns that upside down. God wants us to trust Him for our needs and, rather than seek comfort in our mission for Him, redefine success, not as outcomes, but in obedience by faith. Moses, over the next chapters of the book of Exodus, will not see much success by the world's standards as he leads a rebellious people across the desert. But, he will be honored by God for being faithful and obeying on that faith.
But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty,
When God calls us to work for Him we tend to think that everything should be easy and okay. After all, God called us and we are in God's will, therefore things should be okay. The world's standards are this way. The world thinks if they are doing things okay everything is going to be just fine. The world views bumps in the road as something that should be avoided and something that indicates you are doing something wrong. However, notice what a walk in the Spirit looks like. In this chapter. Moses has a burning bush experience (you can't get a more direct message from God than a burning bush that never burns up!). Moses knows God's will, perhaps, better than any man on the face of the earth. Yet, in the above passage we see that his walk with God will meet the obstinance of the King of Egypt. Notice what Paul tells us about this in Roman's nine:
Romans 9:14-18
What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
God gave Moses a word about his work, but God also raised up a king with a hard heart so that God could use him to show great wonders and His awesome power!! When Peter was called to preach he was also placed in prison. When Daniel was called to interpret the dreams of the King he was also place in the den of the lions. When Paul was allowed to sail around Asia to proclaim the truth of the gospel he was also placed in the deep and allowed to almost drown for the message. God does NOT promise us to be free from harm, but to be delivered from it and prosperous in it. Notice what King David tells us in the following Psalm:
Psalm 33:19
that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.
The psalm doesn't tell us that God will keep us from death or keep us from famine. It tells us that God will deliver our soul from death and keeps us alive IN famine. We have been taught by the world that our "creature comforts" are at the bottom of the pyramid of what we desire in life (Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs). Yet, God turns that upside down. God wants us to trust Him for our needs and, rather than seek comfort in our mission for Him, redefine success, not as outcomes, but in obedience by faith. Moses, over the next chapters of the book of Exodus, will not see much success by the world's standards as he leads a rebellious people across the desert. But, he will be honored by God for being faithful and obeying on that faith.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Truth #91 - Mission focus is better than passion focus - 1 Corinthians 9-10
1 Corinthians 9:19
For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.
A mission focused life is one of clarity, freedom and energy. To know WHY you are here (on this earth, in this community, in this spot on the globe) is like a fire that builds inside and fuels all the rest of what you do. You can't know WHAT to do about a situation in life if you lose focus on the WHY of your life. In the above verse we are in the middle of Paul's focus on his ministry and the authority he has for his ministry. He COULD claim the right of apostleship. He could claim the right of authority over these members of the Corinth church because he lead them to the Lord ... he was their spiritual father. Apparently there were some in the church that were not only questioning Paul's position of authority, but also telling others to not "support" his ministry financially. He could come in and demand their support based upon his position in the world-wide church. However, Paul had already made a decision in his life. His life was not about his right in position but his commitment to his mission. He had already laid all of his "rights" aside but saying he would be a servant of Christ and do what Christ wanted him to do. By becoming a servant to Christ, Paul had become a servant to all ... because he wanted to win all to Christ. His mission was not to exercise his rights, but to serve Christ by winning others over to Christ's way. This is his point in chapter 9 and the connection to the freedom in chapter 8. He may be free, but, through faith in his call, he is obligated to serve. I love how one commentary lays out what Paul is telling us:
World Biblical Commentary:
Paul writes, “For being free … I enslaved myself to all.” The opening of the line (“for”) shows that Paul is offering a further explanation for his practice of foregoing his rights or freedom on behalf of others. Moreover, he says, “I made myself a slave” or “I enslaved myself,” referring to the past stance he had taken in doing missions, not to a current and renewing practice as the tense of the verb (“I make”) suggests in the NIV. Being free, having rights, Paul laid his rights aside in order to win as many as possible. Paul states that effective evangelization of others is more important than claiming, possessing, and preserving his own rights. The point of consistency in Paul’s behavior was that he always put doing God’s mission ahead of everything else.
Finding freedom in service may be the height of life experiences. Even though we can claim a right, we don't ... we serve Christ and therefor others. Paul had a right to demand and, instead, he allowed himself to be defrauded so that the mission of reaching someone for Christ would not be hindered. Paul saw that his mission for Christ trumped all other emotions he might have had and could control his decisions. The truth is, we are all bound to the mission and not our own individual passions. Mission focus might make us servants of others, but it produces freedom that others can never quite understand.
For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.
A mission focused life is one of clarity, freedom and energy. To know WHY you are here (on this earth, in this community, in this spot on the globe) is like a fire that builds inside and fuels all the rest of what you do. You can't know WHAT to do about a situation in life if you lose focus on the WHY of your life. In the above verse we are in the middle of Paul's focus on his ministry and the authority he has for his ministry. He COULD claim the right of apostleship. He could claim the right of authority over these members of the Corinth church because he lead them to the Lord ... he was their spiritual father. Apparently there were some in the church that were not only questioning Paul's position of authority, but also telling others to not "support" his ministry financially. He could come in and demand their support based upon his position in the world-wide church. However, Paul had already made a decision in his life. His life was not about his right in position but his commitment to his mission. He had already laid all of his "rights" aside but saying he would be a servant of Christ and do what Christ wanted him to do. By becoming a servant to Christ, Paul had become a servant to all ... because he wanted to win all to Christ. His mission was not to exercise his rights, but to serve Christ by winning others over to Christ's way. This is his point in chapter 9 and the connection to the freedom in chapter 8. He may be free, but, through faith in his call, he is obligated to serve. I love how one commentary lays out what Paul is telling us:
World Biblical Commentary:
Paul writes, “For being free … I enslaved myself to all.” The opening of the line (“for”) shows that Paul is offering a further explanation for his practice of foregoing his rights or freedom on behalf of others. Moreover, he says, “I made myself a slave” or “I enslaved myself,” referring to the past stance he had taken in doing missions, not to a current and renewing practice as the tense of the verb (“I make”) suggests in the NIV. Being free, having rights, Paul laid his rights aside in order to win as many as possible. Paul states that effective evangelization of others is more important than claiming, possessing, and preserving his own rights. The point of consistency in Paul’s behavior was that he always put doing God’s mission ahead of everything else.
Finding freedom in service may be the height of life experiences. Even though we can claim a right, we don't ... we serve Christ and therefor others. Paul had a right to demand and, instead, he allowed himself to be defrauded so that the mission of reaching someone for Christ would not be hindered. Paul saw that his mission for Christ trumped all other emotions he might have had and could control his decisions. The truth is, we are all bound to the mission and not our own individual passions. Mission focus might make us servants of others, but it produces freedom that others can never quite understand.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Truth #90 - God wants us to seek leisure - and to serve Him in it - Mark 5-6
Mark 6:30-32
The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.
As I read this passage and write this blog, I am in a hotel room in some city. This will be my fourth day on the road, speaking in one city and then the next. It has been a fun week and an exhausting week at the same time. Two days ago I talked to a group of leaders on the subject of "strategic abandonment," which is speaker-code-speak for, "how to quit something" you are currently doing and why "quit" doing it. Yesterday was a 14 hour day of coaching one-on-one and speaking to two separate groups in the morning, afternoon and evening. We live in a pretty busy time in our society. We ALL of a very full calendar and we al tend to put more on each day than we do strategically abandon it. As I read the above passage I am struck by the comment made by Jesus to His disciples. These men were mere fishermen. They knew what a long day would be be and they had, especially in those days, a supreme work ethic. Even without wifi I am sure they were productive individuals. They didn't spend much of their time, if any, on entertainment or mindless watching news, a TV show or listening to talk radio. They had no phone to play them their favorite music. Technically, they didn't even have a calendar. Yet, in the service for Jesus they had NO TIME for leisure ... even to eat!! We have all been there, yet, probably not like these men. Jesus' solution was for them to get away to a boat (since I live on a boat most of my days I find this especially pleasing). The boat, to most of the disciples was a familiar place. It was a place that would have reminded them of the beginning; a place that would have reminded them of what they left behind to follow Jesus; it was a place to focus on the internal and eternal, rather than the pressing needs of the external. These were not men who made a bad choice on their calendars, but men who choose to follow the service of the King. They escaped to be refreshed because they worked so hard in that service they had "no leisure even to eat." Jesus told them to stop and to get away. Jesus wanted them to "rest awhile." The word rest, according to Greek scholars means: "to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labour in order to recover and collect his strength." In the parable of the Rich Fool in Luke's gospel the word is used in a sense of foolishness in the verse below. After the rich man had accumulated much wealth (his retirement nest-egg), he is said to say the following:
Luke 12:19
And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’
This is not the rest our Lord is talking about in the above passage when He tells the disciples to get away to a desolate place to find a boat and rest. He is not telling them to take a cruise ... although there is nothing wrong with a cruise. He is not telling them to find personal leisure time to simply check out of the world. He is telling them to realize that life is busy (in any age) and that finding a place to do some introspective work, is a good thing even for our Savior and His disciples. The interesting aspect of this story is that before the disciples can do this (escape to a place on their boat) the crowds need to be sent away. But, as Jesus sees the crowds He is moved with compassion and wants to know how to feed them. He is about to feed 5,000 people with a little boy's lunch. Even in their hectic pace and full calendar, Jesus takes another meeting. He tells them to escape than in right in their path is another opportunity for Him to glorified and honor the Father. God is always at the center of our work and leisure, no matter if we have been working all day. The truth is, God has given us the day to use the day for His glory and His purpose. That might mean busy and tired and no time, even to eat. Yet, for His glory the strength and resources (a little boys lunch) are quickly turned into a story known all around the world, even to unbelievers. Even in the midst of seeking leisure to eat and to recharge, the ministry of glorifying God is still at the center.
The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.
As I read this passage and write this blog, I am in a hotel room in some city. This will be my fourth day on the road, speaking in one city and then the next. It has been a fun week and an exhausting week at the same time. Two days ago I talked to a group of leaders on the subject of "strategic abandonment," which is speaker-code-speak for, "how to quit something" you are currently doing and why "quit" doing it. Yesterday was a 14 hour day of coaching one-on-one and speaking to two separate groups in the morning, afternoon and evening. We live in a pretty busy time in our society. We ALL of a very full calendar and we al tend to put more on each day than we do strategically abandon it. As I read the above passage I am struck by the comment made by Jesus to His disciples. These men were mere fishermen. They knew what a long day would be be and they had, especially in those days, a supreme work ethic. Even without wifi I am sure they were productive individuals. They didn't spend much of their time, if any, on entertainment or mindless watching news, a TV show or listening to talk radio. They had no phone to play them their favorite music. Technically, they didn't even have a calendar. Yet, in the service for Jesus they had NO TIME for leisure ... even to eat!! We have all been there, yet, probably not like these men. Jesus' solution was for them to get away to a boat (since I live on a boat most of my days I find this especially pleasing). The boat, to most of the disciples was a familiar place. It was a place that would have reminded them of the beginning; a place that would have reminded them of what they left behind to follow Jesus; it was a place to focus on the internal and eternal, rather than the pressing needs of the external. These were not men who made a bad choice on their calendars, but men who choose to follow the service of the King. They escaped to be refreshed because they worked so hard in that service they had "no leisure even to eat." Jesus told them to stop and to get away. Jesus wanted them to "rest awhile." The word rest, according to Greek scholars means: "to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labour in order to recover and collect his strength." In the parable of the Rich Fool in Luke's gospel the word is used in a sense of foolishness in the verse below. After the rich man had accumulated much wealth (his retirement nest-egg), he is said to say the following:
Luke 12:19
And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’
This is not the rest our Lord is talking about in the above passage when He tells the disciples to get away to a desolate place to find a boat and rest. He is not telling them to take a cruise ... although there is nothing wrong with a cruise. He is not telling them to find personal leisure time to simply check out of the world. He is telling them to realize that life is busy (in any age) and that finding a place to do some introspective work, is a good thing even for our Savior and His disciples. The interesting aspect of this story is that before the disciples can do this (escape to a place on their boat) the crowds need to be sent away. But, as Jesus sees the crowds He is moved with compassion and wants to know how to feed them. He is about to feed 5,000 people with a little boy's lunch. Even in their hectic pace and full calendar, Jesus takes another meeting. He tells them to escape than in right in their path is another opportunity for Him to glorified and honor the Father. God is always at the center of our work and leisure, no matter if we have been working all day. The truth is, God has given us the day to use the day for His glory and His purpose. That might mean busy and tired and no time, even to eat. Yet, for His glory the strength and resources (a little boys lunch) are quickly turned into a story known all around the world, even to unbelievers. Even in the midst of seeking leisure to eat and to recharge, the ministry of glorifying God is still at the center.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Truth #89 - God knew you before you knew you - Jeremiah 1-6
Jeremiah 1:5
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations."
Understanding the sovereign rule of God in the lives of His people might be one of the most difficult mysteries of the Godhead we can focus upon. Churches have spilt over how God's sovereign control of His universe is actually put together. The above verse ought to be a key piece in that puzzle. Jeremiah is about to tell us about the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of the nation. The book will cover the events over several years, multiple kings and numerous sins. God, according to the book of Jeremiah is bring a nation from the north (Babylon) to take the nation captive. Jeremiah will speak to them and tell them not to seek refuge in Egypt or another country, but to allow this discipline from God to take place. He will be telling them to lay down their swords, don't fight and surrender to these wicked armies from the north ... because it is God's will that they do so. Jeremiah will be punished, banished, and imprisoned for this dialogue of doom and despair. And, he will weep. This is why he is known as the weeping prophet. Yet, through all of the Jeremiah is steadfast and sure in his message and his ministry because of the above verse. He has clarity for the work he is about to do ... God called him to it. He has no worries about what his daily calendar is all about ... God called him for the work. This call took place, according to God's Word, BEFORE Jeremiah was ever born. God formed him in the womb, but before God formed him in the womb his mission and his walk was formed in God's plan. We might argue all the nuances of God's sovereign rule on the earth and the events in the earth, but we ought never fail to believe and respond to this truth: God has a plan and His people are part of that plan and that plan was worked out and set in motion well before the foundations of the earth were ever established. Notice what Paul told the Ephesian church several centuries after Jeremiah wrote the above verse:
Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
God, before creation, prepared "good works" that those who have been saved by Christ, should walk in them ... do them. God didn't just save us, (and this before the foundation of the world), He saved us to do good works. God has ordained those good works and you and I, each day, are to seek the good works that God has ordained for us ... before we were even born. We are not here to find our "will" or to do our "thing." We are not here to accumulate wealth, to make ourselves comfortable, or craft our trade. We are here to fulfill a purpose for our God and that is the plain and simple truth, no matter what you believe, think or can understand about the sovereignty of God. Before we were in the womb, He knew us!!
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations."
Understanding the sovereign rule of God in the lives of His people might be one of the most difficult mysteries of the Godhead we can focus upon. Churches have spilt over how God's sovereign control of His universe is actually put together. The above verse ought to be a key piece in that puzzle. Jeremiah is about to tell us about the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of the nation. The book will cover the events over several years, multiple kings and numerous sins. God, according to the book of Jeremiah is bring a nation from the north (Babylon) to take the nation captive. Jeremiah will speak to them and tell them not to seek refuge in Egypt or another country, but to allow this discipline from God to take place. He will be telling them to lay down their swords, don't fight and surrender to these wicked armies from the north ... because it is God's will that they do so. Jeremiah will be punished, banished, and imprisoned for this dialogue of doom and despair. And, he will weep. This is why he is known as the weeping prophet. Yet, through all of the Jeremiah is steadfast and sure in his message and his ministry because of the above verse. He has clarity for the work he is about to do ... God called him to it. He has no worries about what his daily calendar is all about ... God called him for the work. This call took place, according to God's Word, BEFORE Jeremiah was ever born. God formed him in the womb, but before God formed him in the womb his mission and his walk was formed in God's plan. We might argue all the nuances of God's sovereign rule on the earth and the events in the earth, but we ought never fail to believe and respond to this truth: God has a plan and His people are part of that plan and that plan was worked out and set in motion well before the foundations of the earth were ever established. Notice what Paul told the Ephesian church several centuries after Jeremiah wrote the above verse:
Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
God, before creation, prepared "good works" that those who have been saved by Christ, should walk in them ... do them. God didn't just save us, (and this before the foundation of the world), He saved us to do good works. God has ordained those good works and you and I, each day, are to seek the good works that God has ordained for us ... before we were even born. We are not here to find our "will" or to do our "thing." We are not here to accumulate wealth, to make ourselves comfortable, or craft our trade. We are here to fulfill a purpose for our God and that is the plain and simple truth, no matter what you believe, think or can understand about the sovereignty of God. Before we were in the womb, He knew us!!
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Truth #88 - God holds it all together; Thank God!! Job 25-26
Job 26:7
He stretches out the north over the void
and hangs the earth on nothing.
Bildad, in chapter 25, has once again attacked Job's claim of his innocence. In chapter 26 Job is about to challenge Bildad's thoughts claiming he has no knowledge apart from God and therefore what he says must be submitted to God for God's approval. Job, in this chapter, is launching an argument that God is majestic and He can do as He pleases and whether Job is innocent or guilty, God is not affected one way or another. God's character is not subservient to Job's behavior. Job is claiming ultimate sovereignty of God ... God does what He does without Job's actions. In the above passage we see Job referring to the creation of the universe as an example of God's independent and ultimate power. God has, and does, hang the heaven in pure space with nothing to support it, except the power of His world. Note the following from other authors of God's Word:
Psalms 104:1-2
O Lord My God, You Are Very Great
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
covering yourself with light as with a garment,
stretching out the heavens like a tent.
Psalms 33:6
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
Zechariah 12:1
The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him:
Those who KNOW God, KNOW and FEAR Him!! They know that God is the sustainer of the universe. Like a tent with no center poll, God takes the four corners of the heavens and sustains them in the sky and hangs they earth on its axis, simply by the Word of His Power. The earth just hangs there, at the most perfect tilt. We know that if the earth were to move just a degree off its axis we would either freeze to death or be burnt by the rays of the sun. So, is the earth so hung that we would be destroyed if it moved in any way and it hangs there in open space simply by His Word. You might wonder who is going to supply your next need, but remember this: The truth is God is not controlled by us and our needs. He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and holds everything together.
Colossians 1:17
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
He stretches out the north over the void
and hangs the earth on nothing.
Bildad, in chapter 25, has once again attacked Job's claim of his innocence. In chapter 26 Job is about to challenge Bildad's thoughts claiming he has no knowledge apart from God and therefore what he says must be submitted to God for God's approval. Job, in this chapter, is launching an argument that God is majestic and He can do as He pleases and whether Job is innocent or guilty, God is not affected one way or another. God's character is not subservient to Job's behavior. Job is claiming ultimate sovereignty of God ... God does what He does without Job's actions. In the above passage we see Job referring to the creation of the universe as an example of God's independent and ultimate power. God has, and does, hang the heaven in pure space with nothing to support it, except the power of His world. Note the following from other authors of God's Word:
Psalms 104:1-2
O Lord My God, You Are Very Great
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
covering yourself with light as with a garment,
stretching out the heavens like a tent.
Psalms 33:6
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
Zechariah 12:1
The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him:
Those who KNOW God, KNOW and FEAR Him!! They know that God is the sustainer of the universe. Like a tent with no center poll, God takes the four corners of the heavens and sustains them in the sky and hangs they earth on its axis, simply by the Word of His Power. The earth just hangs there, at the most perfect tilt. We know that if the earth were to move just a degree off its axis we would either freeze to death or be burnt by the rays of the sun. So, is the earth so hung that we would be destroyed if it moved in any way and it hangs there in open space simply by His Word. You might wonder who is going to supply your next need, but remember this: The truth is God is not controlled by us and our needs. He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and holds everything together.
Colossians 1:17
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Truth #87 - God blesses the righteous and that extends to their children - Psalm 36-38
Psalms 37:25-26
I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.
The contrast in these three Psalms (Psalm 36-38) is quite striking. All three of them speak of the way of the righteous vs the way of the foolish. Those two are different in that the righteous makes God their hope and put faith in Him for their righteousness and existence and forgiveness for sin (Psalm 38:1-3, 21-22). The fool begins by saying there is no God and laughs and embraces and enjoys their sin (Psalm 36:1-4). Not only do they view sin in their lives differently, they have different outcomes in their lives. In this same chapter we are told the wicked will not be there when you look of him:
Psalms 37:10
In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
The righteous, however, in the above passage, are said to be not only be blessed; so, too, their children. The righteous man, forgiven by God, knows what grace and mercy are all about. Yet, the fool can only see the pleasure right in front of them and will be condemned for always chasing it:
Psalms 37:32-33
The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
The Lord will not abandon him to his power
or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
Psalms 37:35-36
I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like a green laurel tree.
But he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.
However, the righteous are so blessed by God, God will extend that to their children. The righteous are so blessed that it runs over and they bless others. That, too, is said by God our verse for today, to run over into their children. Not only are the children of the righteous blessed for his righteousness, they are a blessing to others in his old age. He lives to give to others and lives long enough to see his children give to others. That is a truth to live for and trust God to work out in the lives of your children. Live to bless others by the grace of God and you will live to see your children do the same!!!
I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.
The contrast in these three Psalms (Psalm 36-38) is quite striking. All three of them speak of the way of the righteous vs the way of the foolish. Those two are different in that the righteous makes God their hope and put faith in Him for their righteousness and existence and forgiveness for sin (Psalm 38:1-3, 21-22). The fool begins by saying there is no God and laughs and embraces and enjoys their sin (Psalm 36:1-4). Not only do they view sin in their lives differently, they have different outcomes in their lives. In this same chapter we are told the wicked will not be there when you look of him:
Psalms 37:10
In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
The righteous, however, in the above passage, are said to be not only be blessed; so, too, their children. The righteous man, forgiven by God, knows what grace and mercy are all about. Yet, the fool can only see the pleasure right in front of them and will be condemned for always chasing it:
Psalms 37:32-33
The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
The Lord will not abandon him to his power
or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
Psalms 37:35-36
I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like a green laurel tree.
But he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.
However, the righteous are so blessed by God, God will extend that to their children. The righteous are so blessed that it runs over and they bless others. That, too, is said by God our verse for today, to run over into their children. Not only are the children of the righteous blessed for his righteousness, they are a blessing to others in his old age. He lives to give to others and lives long enough to see his children give to others. That is a truth to live for and trust God to work out in the lives of your children. Live to bless others by the grace of God and you will live to see your children do the same!!!
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Truth #86 - Pride comes and then the fall - 1 Samuel 11-15
1 Samuel 11:12-13
The Kingdom Is Renewed
Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is it that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.” But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has worked salvation in Israel.”
Sometime between these verses and the end of 1 Samuel 15, we have the downfall of Saul. He was selected by God to be the first king of Israel. In the above passage and a few others in these first chapters of his life, we see him having spiritual sensitivity and a heart for God. However, something happens to Saul over the next few chapters. That something turns Saul from following God to following his own heart and mind. He will, in just a few chapters make rash vows, threaten to kill his son, and completely disobey God and several occasions, believing his decision about how to do something trumps God's direct command of what to do. Saul becomes a foolish man. In the end of his life he will pursue God's anointed leader (David) and will eventually die as one of the most famous of failed leaders. So, what happened? What can make a man go from being God chosen and Spirit led to self-centered and earthly-minded? It was his pride. Saul started to read his own news-clippings. When the people began to make up songs about Saul's great leadership and conquests and the enemy began to sing them, Saul began to think he was bigger than he was. Saul drank his own kool-aide. Saul failed to give glory to God for his victories and his success, but rather thought the great things that were happening to him and the nation where because of his great leadership. The truth is, pride will always bring us down. Note the following:
Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
God wants us to humble ourselves before Him. We are not to seek our own selves, but His will and plan.
The Kingdom Is Renewed
Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is it that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.” But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has worked salvation in Israel.”
Sometime between these verses and the end of 1 Samuel 15, we have the downfall of Saul. He was selected by God to be the first king of Israel. In the above passage and a few others in these first chapters of his life, we see him having spiritual sensitivity and a heart for God. However, something happens to Saul over the next few chapters. That something turns Saul from following God to following his own heart and mind. He will, in just a few chapters make rash vows, threaten to kill his son, and completely disobey God and several occasions, believing his decision about how to do something trumps God's direct command of what to do. Saul becomes a foolish man. In the end of his life he will pursue God's anointed leader (David) and will eventually die as one of the most famous of failed leaders. So, what happened? What can make a man go from being God chosen and Spirit led to self-centered and earthly-minded? It was his pride. Saul started to read his own news-clippings. When the people began to make up songs about Saul's great leadership and conquests and the enemy began to sing them, Saul began to think he was bigger than he was. Saul drank his own kool-aide. Saul failed to give glory to God for his victories and his success, but rather thought the great things that were happening to him and the nation where because of his great leadership. The truth is, pride will always bring us down. Note the following:
Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
God wants us to humble ourselves before Him. We are not to seek our own selves, but His will and plan.
Monday, March 23, 2015
Truth #85 - God is with us! Genesis 48-50
Genesis 48:21-22
Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”
What can we leave our children after we die and are gone? In the above passage we see the some of the final words of Israel, who was brought to Egypt in his last days to be reunited with his son, Joseph. Israel, in the above passage, is making a blessing over Joseph's two boys and will, in the next chapter, bless the other boys and then expire. This is the end for Israel. At birth he was named, Jacob. He was the deceiver and lived up to the name. He would, with two wives, give birth to twelve sons, who would become the twelve tribes of Israel. This is the end, however. He must now focus on leaving the sons his legacy and his wisdom. In a bold statement, speaking to one of Joseph's sons, Ephraim, Israel makes the above statement. He recognizes his death and then leaves the best possible gift to his grandson: Words of hope. Israel recognizes his own death and his limits as a man. But, he tells his grandson that he is leaving him the knowledge that God is still with him, despite the physical death of his grandfather. He tells Ephraim that he is also leaving him a place on the edge of a mountain slope that he previously secured in battle. We don't know the place, although most think it is the town of Shechem. The place may or may not be significant in the story, but we do see here is that Israel left with grandson with the hope that all of us should leave our children and grand-children: God will be with them!! The physical gift left (one mountain slope) does not compare to the spiritual gift left (God will be with you). Yet, the physical gift would be the proof of the spiritual gift. When the nation leaves Egypt (see the book of Exodus) this statement of Israel's will come to fruition. When they divide up the land and Ephraim is given the land of Shechem, this hope will be realized (Joshua 24:32). In the world we leave in today, leaving your children and grandchildren a fortune is often used as an indication of a great parent or grandparent. Yet, the truth is, the one who can leave their child spiritual truth and spiritual promises is the ultimate parent or grand-parent. Giving a child or grand-child the truth that God will be with them, trumps any other gift ever giving by the hand of one man to the other. Before Christ ascended to glory, in speaking to His disciples, He stated, "I am with you always." In Paul's final words to his disciple and "son", Timothy, Paul states the following:
2 Timothy 4:22
The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.
The presence of God is greater than the gifts of man. Joseph wanted his son(s) to know this and stated it boldly before his death. This is a truth we should leave to all those born of us and from us.
Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”
What can we leave our children after we die and are gone? In the above passage we see the some of the final words of Israel, who was brought to Egypt in his last days to be reunited with his son, Joseph. Israel, in the above passage, is making a blessing over Joseph's two boys and will, in the next chapter, bless the other boys and then expire. This is the end for Israel. At birth he was named, Jacob. He was the deceiver and lived up to the name. He would, with two wives, give birth to twelve sons, who would become the twelve tribes of Israel. This is the end, however. He must now focus on leaving the sons his legacy and his wisdom. In a bold statement, speaking to one of Joseph's sons, Ephraim, Israel makes the above statement. He recognizes his death and then leaves the best possible gift to his grandson: Words of hope. Israel recognizes his own death and his limits as a man. But, he tells his grandson that he is leaving him the knowledge that God is still with him, despite the physical death of his grandfather. He tells Ephraim that he is also leaving him a place on the edge of a mountain slope that he previously secured in battle. We don't know the place, although most think it is the town of Shechem. The place may or may not be significant in the story, but we do see here is that Israel left with grandson with the hope that all of us should leave our children and grand-children: God will be with them!! The physical gift left (one mountain slope) does not compare to the spiritual gift left (God will be with you). Yet, the physical gift would be the proof of the spiritual gift. When the nation leaves Egypt (see the book of Exodus) this statement of Israel's will come to fruition. When they divide up the land and Ephraim is given the land of Shechem, this hope will be realized (Joshua 24:32). In the world we leave in today, leaving your children and grandchildren a fortune is often used as an indication of a great parent or grandparent. Yet, the truth is, the one who can leave their child spiritual truth and spiritual promises is the ultimate parent or grand-parent. Giving a child or grand-child the truth that God will be with them, trumps any other gift ever giving by the hand of one man to the other. Before Christ ascended to glory, in speaking to His disciples, He stated, "I am with you always." In Paul's final words to his disciple and "son", Timothy, Paul states the following:
2 Timothy 4:22
The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.
The presence of God is greater than the gifts of man. Joseph wanted his son(s) to know this and stated it boldly before his death. This is a truth we should leave to all those born of us and from us.
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Truth #84 - We are under obligation to honor God AND our spouse - 1 Corinthians 7-8
1 Corinthians 7:32-35
I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.
The truth is, marriage is a lot of work. Paul is single and he is making an observation in the above passage that we need to be sure that we understand the obligation of those who are married vs those who are single, in regard to their serving the Lord. Single men and women, according to Paul, can fully focus on how to be serving to God in their holiness. By taking on the marriage bond, we must come to understand, that we, too, must serve God in holiness, but now we must also take into account the relationship we have with our spouse. Too, too, many marriages have been lost because the one, or the other, spouse has been so committed to the "church" (their visible commitment to Christ) they fail to keep their commitment to their spouse. Because they fail to keep their commitment to their spouse, God can't honor them in their commitment to their spouse and family. The balance of how we are to serve God in the Church and relate to our spouse in the home, is a very important aspect of Christian work and of the faith life. Paul takes this entire chapter in his letter to the Church at Corinth to emphasize this balance. He has earlier stated in this chapter that the failure to keep a good balance between the spouse and the responsibility to the spouse can result in undo and unnecessary temptation by Satan:
1 Corinthians 7:5
Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
The marriage is strong when we follow God's teaching about marriage. When we get caught up in the affairs of the world, we can lose focus on our responsibility to God. When we get so caught up in the affairs of the world, to please our spouse (and, Paul makes it plan that IS a responsibility we have) we can lose our focus on our service to God. Paul states that there can be "anxieties" in all of this (see the first statement listed in the above). Paul wants us to be "free" from that anxiety. He states to be free from that "anxiety" we are to have good order and be free from restraint; we are free from restraint when we embrace Paul's teaching in this entire chapter on marriage, the marriage bond and our obligations to BOTH our spouse and our Lord. The truth is we have a responsibility to both. But, when we are serving God faithfully, we are serving our spouse properly. When we are serving our spouse properly we are honoring our God faithfully.
I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.
The truth is, marriage is a lot of work. Paul is single and he is making an observation in the above passage that we need to be sure that we understand the obligation of those who are married vs those who are single, in regard to their serving the Lord. Single men and women, according to Paul, can fully focus on how to be serving to God in their holiness. By taking on the marriage bond, we must come to understand, that we, too, must serve God in holiness, but now we must also take into account the relationship we have with our spouse. Too, too, many marriages have been lost because the one, or the other, spouse has been so committed to the "church" (their visible commitment to Christ) they fail to keep their commitment to their spouse. Because they fail to keep their commitment to their spouse, God can't honor them in their commitment to their spouse and family. The balance of how we are to serve God in the Church and relate to our spouse in the home, is a very important aspect of Christian work and of the faith life. Paul takes this entire chapter in his letter to the Church at Corinth to emphasize this balance. He has earlier stated in this chapter that the failure to keep a good balance between the spouse and the responsibility to the spouse can result in undo and unnecessary temptation by Satan:
1 Corinthians 7:5
Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
The marriage is strong when we follow God's teaching about marriage. When we get caught up in the affairs of the world, we can lose focus on our responsibility to God. When we get so caught up in the affairs of the world, to please our spouse (and, Paul makes it plan that IS a responsibility we have) we can lose our focus on our service to God. Paul states that there can be "anxieties" in all of this (see the first statement listed in the above). Paul wants us to be "free" from that anxiety. He states to be free from that "anxiety" we are to have good order and be free from restraint; we are free from restraint when we embrace Paul's teaching in this entire chapter on marriage, the marriage bond and our obligations to BOTH our spouse and our Lord. The truth is we have a responsibility to both. But, when we are serving God faithfully, we are serving our spouse properly. When we are serving our spouse properly we are honoring our God faithfully.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Truth #83 - Only God can makes us KNOW truth - Mark 3-4
Mark 4:10-11
And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables,
Today, in the modern day psychology of public speaking, is a vast study of human behavior in regard to speech communication, there is much emphasis on the engagement of the mind and the emotion. Research has shown that, after a speech or talk, the average person "retains" 10% of what they read; 20% of what they hear; 30% of what they see; 50% of what they see "and" hear; 70% of what they say. Although the research is probably sound, on surface this is humorous on many levels. If these facts were true, why do we spend so much time teaching kids to read? Shouldn't we just show them a video of learning and then sit around and talk about it? In the above data, reading is highly over-rated. We should never consider NOT reading, but the fact that these stats are studied and examined, you have to ask, "to what end?" Think of Jesus and His presentation skills. He had no PowerPoint or Keynote on an iPad. He had not video from YouTube or TedTalk. He did have long, engaging conversations with His disciples, however. They engaged in questions and He opened up the Scriptures to them. Our modern day teaching, speaking and expositor skills is not what is being taught by Christ in the above passage. Christ was the master of communication. He used parables (verbal stories of YouTube style) to engage His audience and get them to think. However, not everyone grasps the meaning behind the parables and teaching of our Lord. The above passage gives us insight that true faith based upon His Word, (truth expounded by the Savior), is really only understood because the Spirit of God opens the minds to this knowledge. The world attempts, through public speaking gymnastics, to engage an audience in learning. However, only God can open the mind to Truth. If you are in the business to convey the truth of God's Word, you have to realize not all will "get it" and those who do will only get it because God opens their mind to that Truth. God has, in His will, decided to open the mind of man to the mystery of God and make the Word of God fully known. That was God decision and it remains His decision to reveal the mystery to us. Note the following from Paul's letter to the Colossee church:
Colossians 1:25-27
of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
God must open the mind to truth. Many people can get you to learn through a variety of psychological skills sets that engage the mind and emotion. However, only God can open your mind to Truth. That is how God works. The truth is, we don't know truth unless God chooses to open it. In our teaching and preaching and instructing, we might think we are skilled orators. In reality, we are simply the mouthpiece of God and HE opens the mind, heart and soul to the truth of His Word. He is the surgeon, His Word the scalpel and we are simply the hands and voice He uses to accomplish the task:
Hebrews 4:12-13
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables,
Today, in the modern day psychology of public speaking, is a vast study of human behavior in regard to speech communication, there is much emphasis on the engagement of the mind and the emotion. Research has shown that, after a speech or talk, the average person "retains" 10% of what they read; 20% of what they hear; 30% of what they see; 50% of what they see "and" hear; 70% of what they say. Although the research is probably sound, on surface this is humorous on many levels. If these facts were true, why do we spend so much time teaching kids to read? Shouldn't we just show them a video of learning and then sit around and talk about it? In the above data, reading is highly over-rated. We should never consider NOT reading, but the fact that these stats are studied and examined, you have to ask, "to what end?" Think of Jesus and His presentation skills. He had no PowerPoint or Keynote on an iPad. He had not video from YouTube or TedTalk. He did have long, engaging conversations with His disciples, however. They engaged in questions and He opened up the Scriptures to them. Our modern day teaching, speaking and expositor skills is not what is being taught by Christ in the above passage. Christ was the master of communication. He used parables (verbal stories of YouTube style) to engage His audience and get them to think. However, not everyone grasps the meaning behind the parables and teaching of our Lord. The above passage gives us insight that true faith based upon His Word, (truth expounded by the Savior), is really only understood because the Spirit of God opens the minds to this knowledge. The world attempts, through public speaking gymnastics, to engage an audience in learning. However, only God can open the mind to Truth. If you are in the business to convey the truth of God's Word, you have to realize not all will "get it" and those who do will only get it because God opens their mind to that Truth. God has, in His will, decided to open the mind of man to the mystery of God and make the Word of God fully known. That was God decision and it remains His decision to reveal the mystery to us. Note the following from Paul's letter to the Colossee church:
Colossians 1:25-27
of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
God must open the mind to truth. Many people can get you to learn through a variety of psychological skills sets that engage the mind and emotion. However, only God can open your mind to Truth. That is how God works. The truth is, we don't know truth unless God chooses to open it. In our teaching and preaching and instructing, we might think we are skilled orators. In reality, we are simply the mouthpiece of God and HE opens the mind, heart and soul to the truth of His Word. He is the surgeon, His Word the scalpel and we are simply the hands and voice He uses to accomplish the task:
Hebrews 4:12-13
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Truth #82 - God is love and we must remember that - Isaiah 61-66
Isaiah 63:7
I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord,
the praises of the Lord,
according to all that the Lord has granted us,
and the great goodness to the house of Israel
that he has granted them according to his compassion,
according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
In this long book of the prophet Isaiah, the above verse is the first time we see him use the pronoun, "I" in his writing. Although we have no way of knowing why it is an important aspect to note. Here, he takes the time to tell us that he, personally, is recounting (calling to remembrance) the love of God. Not just an ordinary kind of love, but a "steadfast" kind of love. God is love (1 John 4:8). This is a fact we should never forget. God is Love ... He does not just have the attribute of love, He IS love. Love is the essence of God and when we love we are acting the closes we can to Godliness. The entire book of 1 John is committed to the "love of God" and our relationship, actions and obedience toward that love. God is to be remembered for this love He has for us. We should rejoice moment by moment in this love. As the above verse states, the "great goodness" that has been granted to God's people is a purpose for rejoicing in His love for our of His love He grants blessing. Note John's further description of love below:
1 John 4:19
We love because he first loved us.
We don't even possess love or act in any measure of love without God, first producing that love in our hearts. We can't even imagine any action of love unless God first produces it. When Paul wrote his letter to the Colossian believers, he was told about their love from another brother. That love was super-natural love; not a love born of human effort:
Colossians 1:7-8
just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
True love must flow from God and be produced in our lives by God. This is what the prophet Isaiah is rejoicing over and remembering. It is a truth we should recall and remember frequently: God is love.
I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord,
the praises of the Lord,
according to all that the Lord has granted us,
and the great goodness to the house of Israel
that he has granted them according to his compassion,
according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
In this long book of the prophet Isaiah, the above verse is the first time we see him use the pronoun, "I" in his writing. Although we have no way of knowing why it is an important aspect to note. Here, he takes the time to tell us that he, personally, is recounting (calling to remembrance) the love of God. Not just an ordinary kind of love, but a "steadfast" kind of love. God is love (1 John 4:8). This is a fact we should never forget. God is Love ... He does not just have the attribute of love, He IS love. Love is the essence of God and when we love we are acting the closes we can to Godliness. The entire book of 1 John is committed to the "love of God" and our relationship, actions and obedience toward that love. God is to be remembered for this love He has for us. We should rejoice moment by moment in this love. As the above verse states, the "great goodness" that has been granted to God's people is a purpose for rejoicing in His love for our of His love He grants blessing. Note John's further description of love below:
1 John 4:19
We love because he first loved us.
We don't even possess love or act in any measure of love without God, first producing that love in our hearts. We can't even imagine any action of love unless God first produces it. When Paul wrote his letter to the Colossian believers, he was told about their love from another brother. That love was super-natural love; not a love born of human effort:
Colossians 1:7-8
just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
True love must flow from God and be produced in our lives by God. This is what the prophet Isaiah is rejoicing over and remembering. It is a truth we should recall and remember frequently: God is love.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Truth #81 - God is in perfect harmony with His sovreignty - Job 23-24
Job 23:14-17
For he will complete what he appoints for me,
and many such things are in his mind.
Therefore I am terrified at his presence;
when I consider, I am in dread of him.
God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me;
yet I am not silenced because of the darkness,
nor because thick darkness covers my face.
Job is under duress. His suffering must have been so, so painful. When studying Job and his friends dialogue we must never forget the condition of Job. We some times might get brought into the thought that these are four guys sitting at Starbucks having a theological discussion. But, that is not the case. Job is probably sitting on the ground or laying on a bed and his afflictions are open wounds, untreated by modern medicine. To our knowledge he is scraping his open wounds with broken pottery lying on the ground around him. It is only by God's grace that he doesn't die from this suffering and pain. When we read the above passage, note the pain and the internal affliction Job is in. He sees God as the holder of all the cards and the one who has "many such things" in His mind. Job is in a place where the sovereignty of God has turned him to a man who is questioning God's plan for him. His flesh is experiencing a spiritual crisis, even if his heart and mind are not. The sovereign plans of God for us are a great mystery to man. If we recognize that God is sovereign and is not bound by the circumstances of man or the acts of man, we are torn in conflict. How then is prayer worth practicing? If God does what He does and we have no voice in the matter (either audibly or via our actions) why then care for the lost and voice our beliefs in open forums? Job is indeed lost in his thoughts. He has failed to realize that God's sovereign will includes the actions and prayers of man and that everything God does for us and with us and to us is done in His extreme love and concern. Note how another writer in the Old Testament views God's sovereign rule:
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Note a New Testament author:
Philippians 1:6
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
God is in the business of completing good things for us. The only limits on God are His own character and Word. God cannot break His promises and His actions must fit perfectly within His perfect love, justice, mercy and grace. The truth is our circumstances sometimes cause us to have a false view of God, but our circumstances never cause God to have a false step in His plans for us. Job was right, God WILL complete what He has planned for Job. But, Job need not fear that. God will complete the plans in perfect harmony with His love, justice, mercy and grace.
For he will complete what he appoints for me,
and many such things are in his mind.
Therefore I am terrified at his presence;
when I consider, I am in dread of him.
God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me;
yet I am not silenced because of the darkness,
nor because thick darkness covers my face.
Job is under duress. His suffering must have been so, so painful. When studying Job and his friends dialogue we must never forget the condition of Job. We some times might get brought into the thought that these are four guys sitting at Starbucks having a theological discussion. But, that is not the case. Job is probably sitting on the ground or laying on a bed and his afflictions are open wounds, untreated by modern medicine. To our knowledge he is scraping his open wounds with broken pottery lying on the ground around him. It is only by God's grace that he doesn't die from this suffering and pain. When we read the above passage, note the pain and the internal affliction Job is in. He sees God as the holder of all the cards and the one who has "many such things" in His mind. Job is in a place where the sovereignty of God has turned him to a man who is questioning God's plan for him. His flesh is experiencing a spiritual crisis, even if his heart and mind are not. The sovereign plans of God for us are a great mystery to man. If we recognize that God is sovereign and is not bound by the circumstances of man or the acts of man, we are torn in conflict. How then is prayer worth practicing? If God does what He does and we have no voice in the matter (either audibly or via our actions) why then care for the lost and voice our beliefs in open forums? Job is indeed lost in his thoughts. He has failed to realize that God's sovereign will includes the actions and prayers of man and that everything God does for us and with us and to us is done in His extreme love and concern. Note how another writer in the Old Testament views God's sovereign rule:
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Note a New Testament author:
Philippians 1:6
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
God is in the business of completing good things for us. The only limits on God are His own character and Word. God cannot break His promises and His actions must fit perfectly within His perfect love, justice, mercy and grace. The truth is our circumstances sometimes cause us to have a false view of God, but our circumstances never cause God to have a false step in His plans for us. Job was right, God WILL complete what He has planned for Job. But, Job need not fear that. God will complete the plans in perfect harmony with His love, justice, mercy and grace.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Truth #80 - God's love is steadfast - Psalm 33-35
Psalms 33:22
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
Psalms 33:18
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
Psalms 33:5
He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
In the above texts we have the King David (the author of the Psalm) telling us about the awesomeness of God's "steadfast" love. It should be noted that the word "steadfast" is not actually in the text, but rather inferred when referencing God's Love. In other texts of the Bible we have "unfailing love" or "mercy" or "lovingkindness." The word used for love appears over 200 times in the Old Testament. Perhaps all those terms should be tossed into the hat to describe God's love. He is steadfast and unfailing as He pours out the loving-kindnesses of His mercy." The fact that God loves us should not be a surprise to man ... yet, in man's ignorance, it is. Man sees the evil of the world and wonders, out-loud, "Where is God's Love in this tragedy?!" Yet, God's love is there day to day, even when man doesn't see the tragedy. God's love is the constant conduit of blessing, favor and mercy to us. God's love doesn't just show up when things are bad and leave and become passive in the good times ... or, vice versa. God's love does not leave us when we sin. God's love does not leave us when we are the most unlovable. Like a mother with her baby, He endures the crying at night and the sickness by day. God so loved us that He gave us His Son to take our place on the cross of sin. God's love is unlike anything we are shown in the movies, the media or in life with other humans. Other humans can and do grow tired of loving and move on ... too often. Yet, God's love is steadfast and sure. God's love is always the same and not fickle. God's love is based upon HIS choice, not our behavior. God choose to love us and give us His Son and bring us into His family. We didn't deserve it and His love was not based upon how attractive, funny, athletic or intelligent we are. The truth is God's love IS steadfast ... hence the use of the word in our text.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
Psalms 33:18
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
Psalms 33:5
He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
In the above texts we have the King David (the author of the Psalm) telling us about the awesomeness of God's "steadfast" love. It should be noted that the word "steadfast" is not actually in the text, but rather inferred when referencing God's Love. In other texts of the Bible we have "unfailing love" or "mercy" or "lovingkindness." The word used for love appears over 200 times in the Old Testament. Perhaps all those terms should be tossed into the hat to describe God's love. He is steadfast and unfailing as He pours out the loving-kindnesses of His mercy." The fact that God loves us should not be a surprise to man ... yet, in man's ignorance, it is. Man sees the evil of the world and wonders, out-loud, "Where is God's Love in this tragedy?!" Yet, God's love is there day to day, even when man doesn't see the tragedy. God's love is the constant conduit of blessing, favor and mercy to us. God's love doesn't just show up when things are bad and leave and become passive in the good times ... or, vice versa. God's love does not leave us when we sin. God's love does not leave us when we are the most unlovable. Like a mother with her baby, He endures the crying at night and the sickness by day. God so loved us that He gave us His Son to take our place on the cross of sin. God's love is unlike anything we are shown in the movies, the media or in life with other humans. Other humans can and do grow tired of loving and move on ... too often. Yet, God's love is steadfast and sure. God's love is always the same and not fickle. God's love is based upon HIS choice, not our behavior. God choose to love us and give us His Son and bring us into His family. We didn't deserve it and His love was not based upon how attractive, funny, athletic or intelligent we are. The truth is God's love IS steadfast ... hence the use of the word in our text.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Truth #79 - Only God can changes hearts - 1 Samuel 6-10
1 Samuel 10:9
When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day.
The nation of Israel had just asked for a king. Samuel, the prophet of the day, had warned them by so doing they were, in essence, rejecting God. Yet, God was willing to give them a king and allow them to experience "what the other nations" enjoyed. God chose Saul to be that king and the "he" in the above verse is referring to Saul. There is much confusion, to many, when we look at the Old Testament in regard to how God works, as compared to the New Testament Church. In the N.T. the concept of having God change someone by the ministry of the Holy Spirit is well taught and well believed. But, note that in the above passage that God is coming upon Saul to give him "another heart" and that heart will be a total act of God. There are passages in the O.T. that seem to indicate that God's Spirit came on people for service and then left them when their service was either completed or their obedience was in doubt. Saul would be one of those latter cases. But, in the above passage we can see that the only reason that Saul would be able to lead the people of Israel, as a King, is because God did a work in his heart. That is the truth we must look upon in this text. God is the one who changes hearts and no other. There are no psychological methods that can change a heart. The modern day psychologist can only make minor adjustments to thinking and thus behavior. There are no spiritual methods, outside of Christ, that can change the heart. The modern day spiritual and religious leader can only make aspirations and inspirations of the heart. Only God, through Christ, can change the heart. We ought not think we can change the heart. We are to make sure we submit to His changing us. Only He knows HOW to change us and only He knows WHAT that change should look like. In the case of Saul, God is making a very timid young man into a leader. He will, in time, become an arrogant and egotistical and paranoid king. God will eventually replace him with King David. Yet, God is the one who sets up one and takes down another. God is the one who changes hearts.
When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day.
The nation of Israel had just asked for a king. Samuel, the prophet of the day, had warned them by so doing they were, in essence, rejecting God. Yet, God was willing to give them a king and allow them to experience "what the other nations" enjoyed. God chose Saul to be that king and the "he" in the above verse is referring to Saul. There is much confusion, to many, when we look at the Old Testament in regard to how God works, as compared to the New Testament Church. In the N.T. the concept of having God change someone by the ministry of the Holy Spirit is well taught and well believed. But, note that in the above passage that God is coming upon Saul to give him "another heart" and that heart will be a total act of God. There are passages in the O.T. that seem to indicate that God's Spirit came on people for service and then left them when their service was either completed or their obedience was in doubt. Saul would be one of those latter cases. But, in the above passage we can see that the only reason that Saul would be able to lead the people of Israel, as a King, is because God did a work in his heart. That is the truth we must look upon in this text. God is the one who changes hearts and no other. There are no psychological methods that can change a heart. The modern day psychologist can only make minor adjustments to thinking and thus behavior. There are no spiritual methods, outside of Christ, that can change the heart. The modern day spiritual and religious leader can only make aspirations and inspirations of the heart. Only God, through Christ, can change the heart. We ought not think we can change the heart. We are to make sure we submit to His changing us. Only He knows HOW to change us and only He knows WHAT that change should look like. In the case of Saul, God is making a very timid young man into a leader. He will, in time, become an arrogant and egotistical and paranoid king. God will eventually replace him with King David. Yet, God is the one who sets up one and takes down another. God is the one who changes hearts.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Truth #78 - Settle in the world but don't settle for the world - Genesis 44-47
Genesis 47:5-6
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock."
Is it possible to settle "in" Egypt, but not be settled "for" or "with" Egypt? When Joseph's father, Israel (Jacob) and his brothers arrived in Egypt, Pharaoh gave the best land to them and put them in charge of any livestock he had (within the next two years everyone in the land would use their livestock for payment for grain during the famine). Earlier, God had told Israel that He would be using the provision and protection of Egypt to provide and expand Israel and his boys ... to make them a great nation:
Genesis 46:2-4
And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes.”
God was going to use the world's system, combined with a famine, to make a great nation out of Israel. But, at the same time, God did not want Israel and the boys to fall in love with Egypt. Remember, when God had redeemed them from Egypt and had lead them into the wilderness they were hungry. God had provided the "mana" for them to eat, but they desired the glories of Egypt instead:
Numbers 11:5-6
We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”
Although under Joseph they (70 souls) were given protection, over the years they would fall in love with Egypt. The seventy souls would grow into thousands upon thousands as God blessed them under the Egyptian world's system. But, they were not intended to fall in love with Egypt. Egypt was intended to produce, protect and procreate the nation. It was not supposed to become their heart's desire. The truth here is that the world can become a source of weakness for us, rather than a provision for us to accomplish God's plan. God sent us here to be messengers in the world, not worshippers of the world. Israel was small and God used the worldly system of Egypt to make her mighty. But, the system also corrupted her. The same can be said today. God would have US "use" the system to accomplish HIS plan. However, often we are "used" by the WORLD to defeat His plan. We might have to settle "in" our Egypt but we ought not settle "for" Egypt.
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock."
Is it possible to settle "in" Egypt, but not be settled "for" or "with" Egypt? When Joseph's father, Israel (Jacob) and his brothers arrived in Egypt, Pharaoh gave the best land to them and put them in charge of any livestock he had (within the next two years everyone in the land would use their livestock for payment for grain during the famine). Earlier, God had told Israel that He would be using the provision and protection of Egypt to provide and expand Israel and his boys ... to make them a great nation:
Genesis 46:2-4
And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes.”
God was going to use the world's system, combined with a famine, to make a great nation out of Israel. But, at the same time, God did not want Israel and the boys to fall in love with Egypt. Remember, when God had redeemed them from Egypt and had lead them into the wilderness they were hungry. God had provided the "mana" for them to eat, but they desired the glories of Egypt instead:
Numbers 11:5-6
We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”
Although under Joseph they (70 souls) were given protection, over the years they would fall in love with Egypt. The seventy souls would grow into thousands upon thousands as God blessed them under the Egyptian world's system. But, they were not intended to fall in love with Egypt. Egypt was intended to produce, protect and procreate the nation. It was not supposed to become their heart's desire. The truth here is that the world can become a source of weakness for us, rather than a provision for us to accomplish God's plan. God sent us here to be messengers in the world, not worshippers of the world. Israel was small and God used the worldly system of Egypt to make her mighty. But, the system also corrupted her. The same can be said today. God would have US "use" the system to accomplish HIS plan. However, often we are "used" by the WORLD to defeat His plan. We might have to settle "in" our Egypt but we ought not settle "for" Egypt.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Turth #77 - We ARE to judge others ... within the church - 1 Corithians 5-6
1 Corinthians 5:12-13
For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
Perhaps one of the most misunderstood and often mis-taught doctrines of the church is the concept of "judging" others. We often take the verses from the Sermon on the Mount, below, and apply them to a long and steady course of completely no-judgment-zone. Note Christ's words from that famous sermon:
Matthew 7:1-5
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
Most would tell us that it would appear that Jesus is plaining telling us to NOT judge our brother. Yet, in the passage, above, from 1 Corinthians, Paul certainly is telling us to avoid judging the world (that is God's job), but to make sure we do make judgements on the actions and life style of those "within" the church ... our brothers and sisters in Christ. So, why the conflict? Why does Paul state what Jesus doesn't? The conflict is initiated based upon the interpretation of Jesus words in the Sermon. If you read it again you will note that there is no where where Jesus tells us to NOT judge. What He states is that we are to NOT judge, that we won't be judged. He is telling us that the same measure of judgment we do against others will be applied to us. Having a judgmental spirit, in Jesus' words, is wrong and unholy. Being a hypocrite in regard to judging is wrong. Jesus actually tells us that after we take the speck from our own eye we "will see clearly to take the speak out of your brother's eye." So, there is the connection with Paul's teaching. Judging is to be done within the church. That is plain from the text Paul writes to the church at Corinth. But, Judging is to be done in a spirit of humility and within the spirit of Christ. We are to keep the Body (the Church) pure. If we see a brother or sister who is openingly sinning in the church, we are to correct them. However, we are not to do this type of judgment in a hypocritical and prideful manner. We are to "purge" the evilness from among us. We are to make sure we keep a non-judgmental-zone while not creating a non-judgement-zone. When we see others in a fault, we are to restore them in meekness, lest we ourselves be caught in sin.
Galatians 6:1
Bear One Another's Burdens
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
The truth is, we are to judge. But, we are to judge within the church, only and we are to judge within the spirit of Christ only. When we see the world's conduct in life today (sexual and immorality and lacking care and integrity) we are to let God judge them. We are to love them. When those same fruit enter into the church we are to purge ourselves from that life so it does not corrupt.
For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
Perhaps one of the most misunderstood and often mis-taught doctrines of the church is the concept of "judging" others. We often take the verses from the Sermon on the Mount, below, and apply them to a long and steady course of completely no-judgment-zone. Note Christ's words from that famous sermon:
Matthew 7:1-5
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
Most would tell us that it would appear that Jesus is plaining telling us to NOT judge our brother. Yet, in the passage, above, from 1 Corinthians, Paul certainly is telling us to avoid judging the world (that is God's job), but to make sure we do make judgements on the actions and life style of those "within" the church ... our brothers and sisters in Christ. So, why the conflict? Why does Paul state what Jesus doesn't? The conflict is initiated based upon the interpretation of Jesus words in the Sermon. If you read it again you will note that there is no where where Jesus tells us to NOT judge. What He states is that we are to NOT judge, that we won't be judged. He is telling us that the same measure of judgment we do against others will be applied to us. Having a judgmental spirit, in Jesus' words, is wrong and unholy. Being a hypocrite in regard to judging is wrong. Jesus actually tells us that after we take the speck from our own eye we "will see clearly to take the speak out of your brother's eye." So, there is the connection with Paul's teaching. Judging is to be done within the church. That is plain from the text Paul writes to the church at Corinth. But, Judging is to be done in a spirit of humility and within the spirit of Christ. We are to keep the Body (the Church) pure. If we see a brother or sister who is openingly sinning in the church, we are to correct them. However, we are not to do this type of judgment in a hypocritical and prideful manner. We are to "purge" the evilness from among us. We are to make sure we keep a non-judgmental-zone while not creating a non-judgement-zone. When we see others in a fault, we are to restore them in meekness, lest we ourselves be caught in sin.
Galatians 6:1
Bear One Another's Burdens
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
The truth is, we are to judge. But, we are to judge within the church, only and we are to judge within the spirit of Christ only. When we see the world's conduct in life today (sexual and immorality and lacking care and integrity) we are to let God judge them. We are to love them. When those same fruit enter into the church we are to purge ourselves from that life so it does not corrupt.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Truth #76 - Only Christ can MAKE us fishers of men - Mark 1-2
Mark 1:17
And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
Imagine the scene on the day that Jesus comes up to the boat the Peter, James and John were working to catch fish? Imagine the father of James and John, Zebadee, counting the fish and tallying, in his head, the profits for the day. Jesus, still an unknown itinerant preacher of a carpenter's son, at the time, tells Zabadee's crew, leave what you have known all your life, and I am going to apply the same principles you use for catching fish, to the art of fishing for men, spiritually. Hard sell? Jesus is about to ask them to re-invite their lives. But, THEY are not going to the re-invention. JESUS is going to to the work. Notice the word choices Jesus uses in the above verse: He doesn't say, I am going to interview you for the role of fishers of men. He doesn't say: I am going to have my HR department on-board you and assess you for the role in the organizational structure of, Chief Fishermen of Men. He doesn't say: Let's give this a try and see how you work out ... you will always have fishing to fall back on if this doesn't work (Peter actually thought that way after the crucifixion). NO!! What Jesus says is that if they will follow, HE WILL do the work and MAKE them fishers of men. No body is a natural fisher of men. This calls for having compassion on others and to be concerned about spiritual condition of others. But, that is not the primary "job qualification" for this fisher-of-men position. The primary requirement is that you follow hard after Jesus and learn His ways. He will then MAKE you desires of the spiritual welfare of others. We don't follow hard after God. Note what Paul tells us in the following passage:
Colossians 1:21
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
We, before Christ, were alienated and hostile and evil deed doers. Now, under Christ's tutelage, we can be made to desire the spiritual welfare of others. Do we care that others are coming to Christ? Do we care that, absent Christ in their lives, they are going to suffer eternally? God does these things in our lives to give us the ability to proclaim His saving grace to others. Again, listen to Paul:
Colossians 1:25-28
of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully KNOWN, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now REVEALED to his saints. To them God chose to make KNOWN how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we PROCLAIM, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Our role in the gospel is to be fisher of men. But, we don't become that way because it is natural. The truth is, Christ must make us fishers of men. Our desire out to be what He intended for us ... His ministers.
And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
Imagine the scene on the day that Jesus comes up to the boat the Peter, James and John were working to catch fish? Imagine the father of James and John, Zebadee, counting the fish and tallying, in his head, the profits for the day. Jesus, still an unknown itinerant preacher of a carpenter's son, at the time, tells Zabadee's crew, leave what you have known all your life, and I am going to apply the same principles you use for catching fish, to the art of fishing for men, spiritually. Hard sell? Jesus is about to ask them to re-invite their lives. But, THEY are not going to the re-invention. JESUS is going to to the work. Notice the word choices Jesus uses in the above verse: He doesn't say, I am going to interview you for the role of fishers of men. He doesn't say: I am going to have my HR department on-board you and assess you for the role in the organizational structure of, Chief Fishermen of Men. He doesn't say: Let's give this a try and see how you work out ... you will always have fishing to fall back on if this doesn't work (Peter actually thought that way after the crucifixion). NO!! What Jesus says is that if they will follow, HE WILL do the work and MAKE them fishers of men. No body is a natural fisher of men. This calls for having compassion on others and to be concerned about spiritual condition of others. But, that is not the primary "job qualification" for this fisher-of-men position. The primary requirement is that you follow hard after Jesus and learn His ways. He will then MAKE you desires of the spiritual welfare of others. We don't follow hard after God. Note what Paul tells us in the following passage:
Colossians 1:21
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
We, before Christ, were alienated and hostile and evil deed doers. Now, under Christ's tutelage, we can be made to desire the spiritual welfare of others. Do we care that others are coming to Christ? Do we care that, absent Christ in their lives, they are going to suffer eternally? God does these things in our lives to give us the ability to proclaim His saving grace to others. Again, listen to Paul:
Colossians 1:25-28
of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully KNOWN, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now REVEALED to his saints. To them God chose to make KNOWN how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we PROCLAIM, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Our role in the gospel is to be fisher of men. But, we don't become that way because it is natural. The truth is, Christ must make us fishers of men. Our desire out to be what He intended for us ... His ministers.
Friday, March 13, 2015
Turth #75 - Only the One who created at waves can calm the storm - Isaiah 56-61
Isaiah 57:18-21
I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners,
creating the fruit of the lips.
Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the Lord,
“and I will heal him.
But the wicked are like the tossing sea;
for it cannot be quiet,
and its waters toss up mire and dirt.
There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked."
In Isaiah 57 the prophet talks about the person who is "contrite" in spirit vs. the man who is wicked and proud. In the above few verses we see the jest of what Isaiah is proclaiming to the nation of Israel. To those who are contrite in spirit, humble and seek God, He will provide an everlasting peace. To those who are proud and wicked and refuse to humble themselves before God, will be tossed by the winds and waves of this world and have no peace. If you have ever experienced a tossing boat in an uncontrollable sea, you will, in essence, know the truth of this passage. The sea can become quite dangerous, fast. A calm day can turn into a murderous torrent in the slightest moment. What someone thinks is a passive and beautiful day can turn to tragedy in a moment. However, "Peace, Peace," the Lord cries to those who humble their spirit. Those who cry out to God and recognize His mercy, grace and power, will be given the peace, only God can offer. Notice what Paul will eventually write to the Philippian believers. Perhaps he was reading this passage in Isaiah before he penned these words:
Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
When we come to the Lord in humility and rejoice in Him, no matter the issue, we have great peace. When we reject Him we have turmoil and the tossing of the sea around us. Like the disciples in the boat, they sea was tossing and churning. When Christ was awakened He instantly calmed the sea. The disciples had to quit rowing and had to humble themselves. These fishermen, with years of experience on the water, had to turn to the carpenter's son, the Son of Man, to find peace in the storm. The truth is, only the Lord can command the waves of the sea. He made them, He can command them.
I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners,
creating the fruit of the lips.
Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the Lord,
“and I will heal him.
But the wicked are like the tossing sea;
for it cannot be quiet,
and its waters toss up mire and dirt.
There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked."
In Isaiah 57 the prophet talks about the person who is "contrite" in spirit vs. the man who is wicked and proud. In the above few verses we see the jest of what Isaiah is proclaiming to the nation of Israel. To those who are contrite in spirit, humble and seek God, He will provide an everlasting peace. To those who are proud and wicked and refuse to humble themselves before God, will be tossed by the winds and waves of this world and have no peace. If you have ever experienced a tossing boat in an uncontrollable sea, you will, in essence, know the truth of this passage. The sea can become quite dangerous, fast. A calm day can turn into a murderous torrent in the slightest moment. What someone thinks is a passive and beautiful day can turn to tragedy in a moment. However, "Peace, Peace," the Lord cries to those who humble their spirit. Those who cry out to God and recognize His mercy, grace and power, will be given the peace, only God can offer. Notice what Paul will eventually write to the Philippian believers. Perhaps he was reading this passage in Isaiah before he penned these words:
Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
When we come to the Lord in humility and rejoice in Him, no matter the issue, we have great peace. When we reject Him we have turmoil and the tossing of the sea around us. Like the disciples in the boat, they sea was tossing and churning. When Christ was awakened He instantly calmed the sea. The disciples had to quit rowing and had to humble themselves. These fishermen, with years of experience on the water, had to turn to the carpenter's son, the Son of Man, to find peace in the storm. The truth is, only the Lord can command the waves of the sea. He made them, He can command them.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Truth #74 - God's Word is the answer even if we know not the cause - Job 22
Job 22:22
Receive instruction from his mouth,
and lay up his words in your heart.
Eliphaz has taken his third and final argument, right at Job and his character. Eliphaz's courtesy, characterizing his first speech to Job, has been replaced by more demanding and accusing nature. In this speech Eliphaz is making the argument that God is unaffected by man's conduct (good or bad). Of course, his logic is somewhat loss within its own mindset. IF God is not affected by the conduct of man, than why would God chastise Job? If Job's conduct is being punished by God than God must be engaged in man's conduct. Yes, God does not "gain" from man. Yet, God is engaged with man. God sees what man does and holds man responsible for how man responds to God's Word. In the above verse Eliphaz is actually giving Job some great counsel. In the verse just before the above verse Eliphaz tells Job to "agree" with God ... great advice. Now, in this verse, above, he tells Job to take instruction (Hebrew "torah" ... like the first five books of the O.T.) and "lay" it up into the heart. Eliphaz is somewhat, echoing David's words in the Psalm:
Psalms 119:11
I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
Whether you agree with Eliphaz in his assessment of Job, or not, you have to agree with his recommendation. Hiding God's Word in our heart will allow us to walk with God in our minds. We can often be wrong in our evaluation of the problem, but we ought to be right in how we point others to Christ. We need to make sure point people to Christ, despite what we think is wrong with them or how their condition started. Christ cures all and His Word is the solution to our heart's issues. That is the truth.
Receive instruction from his mouth,
and lay up his words in your heart.
Eliphaz has taken his third and final argument, right at Job and his character. Eliphaz's courtesy, characterizing his first speech to Job, has been replaced by more demanding and accusing nature. In this speech Eliphaz is making the argument that God is unaffected by man's conduct (good or bad). Of course, his logic is somewhat loss within its own mindset. IF God is not affected by the conduct of man, than why would God chastise Job? If Job's conduct is being punished by God than God must be engaged in man's conduct. Yes, God does not "gain" from man. Yet, God is engaged with man. God sees what man does and holds man responsible for how man responds to God's Word. In the above verse Eliphaz is actually giving Job some great counsel. In the verse just before the above verse Eliphaz tells Job to "agree" with God ... great advice. Now, in this verse, above, he tells Job to take instruction (Hebrew "torah" ... like the first five books of the O.T.) and "lay" it up into the heart. Eliphaz is somewhat, echoing David's words in the Psalm:
Psalms 119:11
I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
Whether you agree with Eliphaz in his assessment of Job, or not, you have to agree with his recommendation. Hiding God's Word in our heart will allow us to walk with God in our minds. We can often be wrong in our evaluation of the problem, but we ought to be right in how we point others to Christ. We need to make sure point people to Christ, despite what we think is wrong with them or how their condition started. Christ cures all and His Word is the solution to our heart's issues. That is the truth.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Truth #73 - God does get angry at sin but gives joy in the morning - Psalm 30-32
Psalms 30:4-5
Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
Is there a great truth than these words? This phrase from this psalm says all we need to know about God and our salvation by faith in His finished work for us. King David is instructing us, in the psalm, not only what to do in light of the truth, but also about the truth itself. In regard to the truth we see that God's anger does happen. Remember, in the Old Testament God was angry at the Israelites for their constant complaining. He was even going to wipe them out and start over again with Moses, but Moses actually appealed to the character of God behind the above verses and God changed His mind (Numbers 23:19). The character of the truth is that we might, as a result of our sin and thus God's anger, weep about it. Our sin always invokes God's anger, but it doesn't always cause us to weep for the night. God's anger is always cared for by the death of His Son, Christ, in relationship to us. However, that should not stop us from "feeling" the pain of the sin in our lives. Weeping is not a bad thing. Remorse over sin should be natural to the believer. In fact, the lack of remorse would indicate that we might have a false relationship with Christ. Notice in Romans 7 how Paul responds to his own sin.
Romans 7:24-25
Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
Yet, the remorse should always give way to joy in the morning. Again, absent remorse you might have an indication something is not right with the relationship. But, also, absent the "joy in the morning" might equally cause us to question that relationship. We WILL sin in our lives, even after great faith. Yet, true believership will always produce joy after we confess that to Christ. 1 John 1:9 tells us of God's great faithfulness and mercy to forgive ... that solicits joy, or should, in our lives. The truth is God does get angry at sin. The truth is that anger is forgiven on the cross. The truth is, however, that anger ought to produce remorse of which tears are a fruit. The truth is, that those tears should and will give way to joy as we sing the praises and give thanks for God's eternal grace and mercy.
Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
Is there a great truth than these words? This phrase from this psalm says all we need to know about God and our salvation by faith in His finished work for us. King David is instructing us, in the psalm, not only what to do in light of the truth, but also about the truth itself. In regard to the truth we see that God's anger does happen. Remember, in the Old Testament God was angry at the Israelites for their constant complaining. He was even going to wipe them out and start over again with Moses, but Moses actually appealed to the character of God behind the above verses and God changed His mind (Numbers 23:19). The character of the truth is that we might, as a result of our sin and thus God's anger, weep about it. Our sin always invokes God's anger, but it doesn't always cause us to weep for the night. God's anger is always cared for by the death of His Son, Christ, in relationship to us. However, that should not stop us from "feeling" the pain of the sin in our lives. Weeping is not a bad thing. Remorse over sin should be natural to the believer. In fact, the lack of remorse would indicate that we might have a false relationship with Christ. Notice in Romans 7 how Paul responds to his own sin.
Romans 7:24-25
Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
Yet, the remorse should always give way to joy in the morning. Again, absent remorse you might have an indication something is not right with the relationship. But, also, absent the "joy in the morning" might equally cause us to question that relationship. We WILL sin in our lives, even after great faith. Yet, true believership will always produce joy after we confess that to Christ. 1 John 1:9 tells us of God's great faithfulness and mercy to forgive ... that solicits joy, or should, in our lives. The truth is God does get angry at sin. The truth is that anger is forgiven on the cross. The truth is, however, that anger ought to produce remorse of which tears are a fruit. The truth is, that those tears should and will give way to joy as we sing the praises and give thanks for God's eternal grace and mercy.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Truth #72 - Apathy of faith will result in a crisis of faith - 1 Samuel 1-5
1 Samuel 4:21-22
And she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”
The story of Eli, his rebellious sons and his daughter-in-law is a picture of life in Israel at the time of Samuel's birth. El was the priest and his sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were serving with him, yet lived a life a debauchery and were sexual deviants. When the nation went to war they requested that the two sons, as spiritual leaders, and the ark of God would be brought to the battle sight. However, that would backfire, as God did not and does not honor hypocrisy. Instead, the sons are killed in battle and the ark is taken captive by the Philistines. On that day, 30,000 soldiers of Israel died. When spiritual leaders die spiritually, those they lead are at risk physically. The boys were corrupt and their father, the leader of the land, did not restrain them (1 Samuel 3:13). Eli thought his position would protect his boys. Eli, as the spiritual leader thought that God would honor him and his family and his nation, without obedience and without spiritual truth. But, God demands that we worship Him in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24). We can all get into a place of our position in Christ and think that we are safe. The daughter-in-law of Eli appropriately named her child "Ichabod" (The glory has departed), because God does not honor those who do not stand with Him and for Him. Our position does not guarantee our blessing when we are absent in the act of obedience and fellowship with Him!! Note the following warning from Paul:
1 Corinthians 10:12-14
Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
In contrast to Eli this young lady was at least sensitive enough to realize that God had left Israel. He husband and father-in-law didn't realize the lack of spiritual functions and died. The truth is Ichabod can happen when we fail to allow our faith in God to grow and to flourish in more pursuit of Him. Apathy in faith will eventually result in a crisis of faith.
Monday, March 9, 2015
Truth #71 - Fear is the opposite of faith - we fear when we lose faith - Genesis 40-43
Genesis 43:6-7
Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?” They replied, “The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”
Israel (formerly known as Jacob) was now the patriarch and had a chance to teach his boys the great things of the faith. Yet, after all these years, he had still not grasped the sovereign rule of God and God's faithfulness to His promises. God had promised to love Jacob and bless him. Yet, Jacob saw the "bad" things that had happened in his life as unprofitable and outside of God's love. All this time Joseph had been in Egypt and God was preparing a place for Israel and a refuge for the entire family. Yet, Israel could not see God's hand in all this. Even now, when the boys had already returned from Egypt once and were informed that they needed to bring Benjamin back with them, Israel could not see the hand of God. His old age had not expanded his faith in this area. He was still living in fear. Fear is a lack of faith in what God can and has promised to do. Fear, in a lack of faith, will always lead to poor logical discussions. This is what is happening in the above passage. Neither father or son are in a place of recognizing what God was doing, or could do. There was no fasting and prayer for answers from God. There was only fear. If we want to deal with our fear and replace the fear with faith, we have to grasp the love that God has for us. Note the following from John's epistle:
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
We fear the events of live because we don't fully believe, in faith, that God loves us. If we truly believed that God loves us and would only allow things to happen to us that He wants for us and thinks is best for us and His plan, we would not fear, but rejoice in faith. Perfect love (knowing God perfectly loves us and loves us perfectly) will cast out fear and replace it with faith. The truth is, we fear because we don't believe. When we put our faith in God there is nothing to fear because we know that He has perfect love for us.
Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?” They replied, “The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”
Israel (formerly known as Jacob) was now the patriarch and had a chance to teach his boys the great things of the faith. Yet, after all these years, he had still not grasped the sovereign rule of God and God's faithfulness to His promises. God had promised to love Jacob and bless him. Yet, Jacob saw the "bad" things that had happened in his life as unprofitable and outside of God's love. All this time Joseph had been in Egypt and God was preparing a place for Israel and a refuge for the entire family. Yet, Israel could not see God's hand in all this. Even now, when the boys had already returned from Egypt once and were informed that they needed to bring Benjamin back with them, Israel could not see the hand of God. His old age had not expanded his faith in this area. He was still living in fear. Fear is a lack of faith in what God can and has promised to do. Fear, in a lack of faith, will always lead to poor logical discussions. This is what is happening in the above passage. Neither father or son are in a place of recognizing what God was doing, or could do. There was no fasting and prayer for answers from God. There was only fear. If we want to deal with our fear and replace the fear with faith, we have to grasp the love that God has for us. Note the following from John's epistle:
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
We fear the events of live because we don't fully believe, in faith, that God loves us. If we truly believed that God loves us and would only allow things to happen to us that He wants for us and thinks is best for us and His plan, we would not fear, but rejoice in faith. Perfect love (knowing God perfectly loves us and loves us perfectly) will cast out fear and replace it with faith. The truth is, we fear because we don't believe. When we put our faith in God there is nothing to fear because we know that He has perfect love for us.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Truth #70 - Trusting in the knoweldge of this world to bring peace is folly - 1 Corinthian 3-4
1 Corinthians 3:18-19
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”
Our society is obsessed with education. Even though in regard to high school students we rank at the bottom third of all industrial nations in regard to most measurements of success, we believe we have the best educational system in the world. Our universities, on the other hand, are filled with foreign students seeking "higher-ed" and "deeper-thought." We believe that education saves people from poverty and self-abasement. We celebrate graduations as though magical doors that open to a plethora of opportunity, closed to those who don't graduate. On human terms these exercises and discipline of learning might be a worthy endeavor. But, when this philosophy sneaks into the Church we have a real issue. Such is the plight of the Body at Corinth. This church that Paul is writing to, was growing in a time when the Greek philosophy of wisdom rule the world (the word philosophy is made up of two greek words ... philo/love and sophia/wisdom ... that mean the love of wisdom). They were so in-tuned to the Greek way of thought it was affecting how they did ministry and, more importantly, how they believe in Christ and what they believed about themselves in Christ. The Greeks so honored wisdom and the intellect that the bigger the words and the deeper the "high" talk, the more wisdom you possessed. They pursued the deepest things of life and relied upon this type of talk and wisdom to be honored in the church. Some were wiser about the world's philosophy than others and therefore, had greater privilege within the church. Paul is warning them in the above passage to be careful that this type of thought doesn't deceive you. IN CHRIST we have wisdom because Christ is Wisdom. Paul has been developing this since the beginning of the letter. Now he plainly states it. Note what one commentator states about this fear of self-flatter:
Mathew Henry: He must be sensible of his own ignorance, and lament it; he must distrust his own understanding, and not lean on it. To have a high opinion of our wisdom is but to flatter ourselves, and self- flattery is the very next step to self- deceit.
We have the opportunity through today's electronic-media world to listen to more "philosophy" of this world than ever imaginable to Paul. In his day you had to go to places like Mars Hill in Athens to hear the latest philosophies of this world (Acts 17). But, today we can click on a million or so TEDx videos from our phone and find the philosophy of this world. We can get quite wise in our own wisdom. But, the truth is that those who would be wise will never come to Christ or recognize His rule and authority and death for them. The cross is foolishness to world (note any atheists thoughts on Christians). The Church should be based upon the "foolishness" of the cross and not on the hierarchy of this world's knowledge base. Professors in state universities all over the world will laugh and scoff at the message and meaning of the cross. But, God will catch them in their own craftiness. The truth is the wisdom of this world is foolish. Failure to see the cross as the Power of God is to be a fool. Viewing the wisdom of this world as the door that opens opportunity in Spiritual prowess is folly.
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”
Our society is obsessed with education. Even though in regard to high school students we rank at the bottom third of all industrial nations in regard to most measurements of success, we believe we have the best educational system in the world. Our universities, on the other hand, are filled with foreign students seeking "higher-ed" and "deeper-thought." We believe that education saves people from poverty and self-abasement. We celebrate graduations as though magical doors that open to a plethora of opportunity, closed to those who don't graduate. On human terms these exercises and discipline of learning might be a worthy endeavor. But, when this philosophy sneaks into the Church we have a real issue. Such is the plight of the Body at Corinth. This church that Paul is writing to, was growing in a time when the Greek philosophy of wisdom rule the world (the word philosophy is made up of two greek words ... philo/love and sophia/wisdom ... that mean the love of wisdom). They were so in-tuned to the Greek way of thought it was affecting how they did ministry and, more importantly, how they believe in Christ and what they believed about themselves in Christ. The Greeks so honored wisdom and the intellect that the bigger the words and the deeper the "high" talk, the more wisdom you possessed. They pursued the deepest things of life and relied upon this type of talk and wisdom to be honored in the church. Some were wiser about the world's philosophy than others and therefore, had greater privilege within the church. Paul is warning them in the above passage to be careful that this type of thought doesn't deceive you. IN CHRIST we have wisdom because Christ is Wisdom. Paul has been developing this since the beginning of the letter. Now he plainly states it. Note what one commentator states about this fear of self-flatter:
Mathew Henry: He must be sensible of his own ignorance, and lament it; he must distrust his own understanding, and not lean on it. To have a high opinion of our wisdom is but to flatter ourselves, and self- flattery is the very next step to self- deceit.
We have the opportunity through today's electronic-media world to listen to more "philosophy" of this world than ever imaginable to Paul. In his day you had to go to places like Mars Hill in Athens to hear the latest philosophies of this world (Acts 17). But, today we can click on a million or so TEDx videos from our phone and find the philosophy of this world. We can get quite wise in our own wisdom. But, the truth is that those who would be wise will never come to Christ or recognize His rule and authority and death for them. The cross is foolishness to world (note any atheists thoughts on Christians). The Church should be based upon the "foolishness" of the cross and not on the hierarchy of this world's knowledge base. Professors in state universities all over the world will laugh and scoff at the message and meaning of the cross. But, God will catch them in their own craftiness. The truth is the wisdom of this world is foolish. Failure to see the cross as the Power of God is to be a fool. Viewing the wisdom of this world as the door that opens opportunity in Spiritual prowess is folly.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Truth #69 - We WILL deny Him, but He will ALWAYS be faithful to us - Matthew 26-28
Matthew 26:35
Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.
How many times have we all said this? How many times have we all made a commitment to Christ to not deny Him, sin against Him, live life without Him, or simply forget to honor Him as the Lord of our lives? Peter i the picture of us all. He points out for us all the truth that we don't like to believe: We all fail when it comes to following Christ. Yes, there is the pious man and/or woman of God who wants to make us believe they have everything together. However, like Peter's bravado, they make the talk, but fail in the walk. We might all be aware of Paul's confession to the Roman Christians:
Romans 7:14-20
For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
Sin is dwelling in us and that means our desire to do "what is right" is under constant attack by the "sin that dwells within me." God saved us from the results of sin (death) and someday He will deliver us from the presence of sin (in heaven). But, in the mean time we have to deal with sin in our flesh, in which "dwells within" us. Our salvation is not instant deliverance from the power of sin in our flesh. We do have deliverance but it comes from faith in Christ and yielding to the indwelling Spirit of God has He empowers us to walk. Like Peter we step out out of the boat to walk on the water by faith only to take our eyes off Christ to behold the waves and we begin to sink in our work of flesh (Matthew 14:30). Like Peter we promise never to deny Him and then in the middle of the accusations that we are a Christian and in the midst of an opportunity to confess our allegiance we hide and back away to the sound of the rooster confessing our failure. And, like Peter we deny the power of Christ to save Jews AND Gentiles and we start placing one "brand" of believer ahead of another and we need a man like Paul to confront us to our face (Galatians 2:11). The truth is we all deny Him. But, the great truth is that even though we fail to be faithful to Him, He will never deny us!! Note Paul's statement to Timothy:
2 Timothy 2:13
if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.
Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.
How many times have we all said this? How many times have we all made a commitment to Christ to not deny Him, sin against Him, live life without Him, or simply forget to honor Him as the Lord of our lives? Peter i the picture of us all. He points out for us all the truth that we don't like to believe: We all fail when it comes to following Christ. Yes, there is the pious man and/or woman of God who wants to make us believe they have everything together. However, like Peter's bravado, they make the talk, but fail in the walk. We might all be aware of Paul's confession to the Roman Christians:
Romans 7:14-20
For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
Sin is dwelling in us and that means our desire to do "what is right" is under constant attack by the "sin that dwells within me." God saved us from the results of sin (death) and someday He will deliver us from the presence of sin (in heaven). But, in the mean time we have to deal with sin in our flesh, in which "dwells within" us. Our salvation is not instant deliverance from the power of sin in our flesh. We do have deliverance but it comes from faith in Christ and yielding to the indwelling Spirit of God has He empowers us to walk. Like Peter we step out out of the boat to walk on the water by faith only to take our eyes off Christ to behold the waves and we begin to sink in our work of flesh (Matthew 14:30). Like Peter we promise never to deny Him and then in the middle of the accusations that we are a Christian and in the midst of an opportunity to confess our allegiance we hide and back away to the sound of the rooster confessing our failure. And, like Peter we deny the power of Christ to save Jews AND Gentiles and we start placing one "brand" of believer ahead of another and we need a man like Paul to confront us to our face (Galatians 2:11). The truth is we all deny Him. But, the great truth is that even though we fail to be faithful to Him, He will never deny us!! Note Paul's statement to Timothy:
2 Timothy 2:13
if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.
Friday, March 6, 2015
Truth #68 - God loves us because He does, not becasue we love Him - Isaiah 51-55
Isaiah 54:10
For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
Of all the truths we can discover in God's Word, perhaps the most repeated and most profound is the fact that God loves us unconditionally and once His love is upon us, NOTHING can separate us from that Love. In the section of Isaiah the prophet is telling us about the suffering of Jesus and what that means for us. This the Gospel stated in Old Testament terms. The Gospel is Jesus' love for us, that is so vast, He would die for us. What God is affirming for us in the above verse is that IF the mountains simply disappeared and the hills were completely removed, a task that could not and would not happen without His will, even then, the love He has directed toward us and the covenant He has made with us, CAN'T depart. Paul took this theme at the end of his great writing on justification and just before he would outline election, sated it this way:
Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Neither our sin, Satan's activities, the worldly system, or even our inward guilt and condemnation can cause the covenant He made with us (before the foundation of the world ... Ephesians 1) can cause His love to be removed from us. In this life we may have a spouse "stop" loving us. We may have children "divorce" us. We might have friends desert us. But, God is steadfast in his love and strong in His covenant. He is never yielding in His compassion He has placed upon us. Love continues to hold us, even when we fail Him. The truth is that God can't stop loving us based upon our actions, because He never started loving us based upon our actions. He loved us because He so willed it. We are now His based upon HIS love for us, not OUR love for Him. Rejoice today in His steadfast, unmovable love.
For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
Of all the truths we can discover in God's Word, perhaps the most repeated and most profound is the fact that God loves us unconditionally and once His love is upon us, NOTHING can separate us from that Love. In the section of Isaiah the prophet is telling us about the suffering of Jesus and what that means for us. This the Gospel stated in Old Testament terms. The Gospel is Jesus' love for us, that is so vast, He would die for us. What God is affirming for us in the above verse is that IF the mountains simply disappeared and the hills were completely removed, a task that could not and would not happen without His will, even then, the love He has directed toward us and the covenant He has made with us, CAN'T depart. Paul took this theme at the end of his great writing on justification and just before he would outline election, sated it this way:
Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Neither our sin, Satan's activities, the worldly system, or even our inward guilt and condemnation can cause the covenant He made with us (before the foundation of the world ... Ephesians 1) can cause His love to be removed from us. In this life we may have a spouse "stop" loving us. We may have children "divorce" us. We might have friends desert us. But, God is steadfast in his love and strong in His covenant. He is never yielding in His compassion He has placed upon us. Love continues to hold us, even when we fail Him. The truth is that God can't stop loving us based upon our actions, because He never started loving us based upon our actions. He loved us because He so willed it. We are now His based upon HIS love for us, not OUR love for Him. Rejoice today in His steadfast, unmovable love.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Truth #67 - Arguing FOR truth is better than arguing YOUR truth - Job 21-22
Job 20:29
This is the wicked man's portion from God,
the heritage decreed for him by God.”
The above verse is Zophar's words in regard to the wicked on their earth. He has just explained to Job and the other friends, that the wicked are not going to last on this earth, they will never be satisfied on this earth (despite their perceived prosperity), and God will destroy them in the end. Zophar, is drawing a relationship between the truth that the wicked will be judged and Job's circumstance. By implications, Zophar is telling Job that he is wicked and is experiencing the natural plight of all wicked men. However, note Job's thoughts on the wicked, as he observes them:
Job 21:9
Their houses are safe from fear,
and no rod of God is upon them.
Job is looking at the same people (the wicked) and draws a completely different conclusion. Job sees the wicked and notes their satisfaction in life and their sense of ease, apart from God. Job states that there is "no rod of God" upon them. Zophar states that the destruction of the wicked is "man's portion from God" and "decreed for him by God." Both men see the same people and know the same God and derive at completely different locations. Like two people standing on opposite corners of the same intersection, they explain to the officer completely different reasons and accounts of the automobile accident. In the sense of right and wrong, they both are and they both aren't. In the sense of seeking truth, the men are so bent on proving their points and defending their points, the discussion is now more like a trial, with the friends acting as judge and jury and Job the defendant and self-appointed lawyer. If they both were to seek truth, rather than trying to defend being right, they could come to a mutual conclusion: In man's eyes, the wicked often appear at complete ease (Psalm 73), but in the eternal view of things, the wicked have no such security. Outwardly and practically (Job's view) the wicked look fine. Inwardly and eternally (Zophar's view) the wicked are tormented and destined, by God, for certain destruction. Such it is with many Christians today and with groups of believers. There are is only one truth. You can't have multiple truths about the same thing. But, you can have different views of the same truth. One can see God and His work from one angle and one can see the same work and the same God from a different angle. To say that God is perfect in His love is truth. To say that God is perfect in His wrath, is also true. Yet, we have much debate that the God of perfect love would NEVER express His wrath and send someone to hell. Or, we have great debate about the fox-hole conversion of the worst of all sinners, where upon his/her death bed comes to Christ and God showers him/her with perfect love and forgiveness. Same truth, different angles. We ought not become like Zophar and Job. We ought to stand for all truth. But, we ought to also admit, that, at times, we are not always in full knowledge of all truth. Seek truth and it will set you free. Argue partial truth, from one angle and you will be in prison of debate for the rest of your life. The truth is, we need to seek truth, not argue truth.
This is the wicked man's portion from God,
the heritage decreed for him by God.”
The above verse is Zophar's words in regard to the wicked on their earth. He has just explained to Job and the other friends, that the wicked are not going to last on this earth, they will never be satisfied on this earth (despite their perceived prosperity), and God will destroy them in the end. Zophar, is drawing a relationship between the truth that the wicked will be judged and Job's circumstance. By implications, Zophar is telling Job that he is wicked and is experiencing the natural plight of all wicked men. However, note Job's thoughts on the wicked, as he observes them:
Job 21:9
Their houses are safe from fear,
and no rod of God is upon them.
Job is looking at the same people (the wicked) and draws a completely different conclusion. Job sees the wicked and notes their satisfaction in life and their sense of ease, apart from God. Job states that there is "no rod of God" upon them. Zophar states that the destruction of the wicked is "man's portion from God" and "decreed for him by God." Both men see the same people and know the same God and derive at completely different locations. Like two people standing on opposite corners of the same intersection, they explain to the officer completely different reasons and accounts of the automobile accident. In the sense of right and wrong, they both are and they both aren't. In the sense of seeking truth, the men are so bent on proving their points and defending their points, the discussion is now more like a trial, with the friends acting as judge and jury and Job the defendant and self-appointed lawyer. If they both were to seek truth, rather than trying to defend being right, they could come to a mutual conclusion: In man's eyes, the wicked often appear at complete ease (Psalm 73), but in the eternal view of things, the wicked have no such security. Outwardly and practically (Job's view) the wicked look fine. Inwardly and eternally (Zophar's view) the wicked are tormented and destined, by God, for certain destruction. Such it is with many Christians today and with groups of believers. There are is only one truth. You can't have multiple truths about the same thing. But, you can have different views of the same truth. One can see God and His work from one angle and one can see the same work and the same God from a different angle. To say that God is perfect in His love is truth. To say that God is perfect in His wrath, is also true. Yet, we have much debate that the God of perfect love would NEVER express His wrath and send someone to hell. Or, we have great debate about the fox-hole conversion of the worst of all sinners, where upon his/her death bed comes to Christ and God showers him/her with perfect love and forgiveness. Same truth, different angles. We ought not become like Zophar and Job. We ought to stand for all truth. But, we ought to also admit, that, at times, we are not always in full knowledge of all truth. Seek truth and it will set you free. Argue partial truth, from one angle and you will be in prison of debate for the rest of your life. The truth is, we need to seek truth, not argue truth.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Truth #66 - We should desire one thing: To gaze upon Him - Psalm 27-29
Psalms 27:4
One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to inquire in his temple.
What is the one thing you desire in all your life? The truth is, God demands and expects that we will desire Him, above all things. In the above verse the writer of this Psalm composes it simply and succinctly: We are to desire God above all things and hunger to dwell with Him and "gaze" upon His beauty. We may not understand that last phrase: To gaze upon His beauty. People travel all around the world to "gaze" upon beauty. This word is used nine times in the Psalms and almost exclusively in this way ... gazing or beholding the glory of God. One example if found in Psalm 62:3
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Does the thought of "gazing" at God and the beauty of the Lord, for all eternity, excite you? Our hearts are so depraved!! We have a hard time in a church setting with "gazing" upon the Lord. For that one hour or one and one-half hour we have the privilege of gazing upon the Lord's Body, the Church. Yet, we are ready to bolt to our cars to make sure we are at the restaurant on time, we have a game to watch, or we have an activity to perform. Yet, King David, the writer of this Psalm, wants to "inquire" in His temple and gaze upon the Lord all the days of his life. David is in Love with God and he only wants God. Jesus, when asked about the Law, summed it all up into two commandments: To love God with all our heart, soul and mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves. To love God with heart, soul and mind is to have the same desire as David has in this verse. He wants to gaze upon the Lord and take in His full beauty. We will have all eternity to gaze upon the Lord and we still won't be able to capture the awe of Him. Today, in our flesh and depraved hearts, we are capture by the beauty of a car, or a home, or model, or a landscape. We might be captured by the red sunrise or the orange sunset or the white, large moon in the sky on a cool October night. A wild animal might collect our glimpse, but it is God who should collect our gaze. We are taken in by an electronic device and will often wait in line to be one of the first adapters of a new thing. But, how many would wait in line to gaze at the Lord? Elijah desired to see God and had to be hid in a cave to gaze upon just the backside of God (1 Kings 19:9-15). When Moses spent 40 days on the mountain with God and returned to the camp of the people, he had to put a veil over his face because it shone so bright. Imagine what it will be like to gaze upon the beauty of God ... for eternity!!
One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to inquire in his temple.
What is the one thing you desire in all your life? The truth is, God demands and expects that we will desire Him, above all things. In the above verse the writer of this Psalm composes it simply and succinctly: We are to desire God above all things and hunger to dwell with Him and "gaze" upon His beauty. We may not understand that last phrase: To gaze upon His beauty. People travel all around the world to "gaze" upon beauty. This word is used nine times in the Psalms and almost exclusively in this way ... gazing or beholding the glory of God. One example if found in Psalm 62:3
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Does the thought of "gazing" at God and the beauty of the Lord, for all eternity, excite you? Our hearts are so depraved!! We have a hard time in a church setting with "gazing" upon the Lord. For that one hour or one and one-half hour we have the privilege of gazing upon the Lord's Body, the Church. Yet, we are ready to bolt to our cars to make sure we are at the restaurant on time, we have a game to watch, or we have an activity to perform. Yet, King David, the writer of this Psalm, wants to "inquire" in His temple and gaze upon the Lord all the days of his life. David is in Love with God and he only wants God. Jesus, when asked about the Law, summed it all up into two commandments: To love God with all our heart, soul and mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves. To love God with heart, soul and mind is to have the same desire as David has in this verse. He wants to gaze upon the Lord and take in His full beauty. We will have all eternity to gaze upon the Lord and we still won't be able to capture the awe of Him. Today, in our flesh and depraved hearts, we are capture by the beauty of a car, or a home, or model, or a landscape. We might be captured by the red sunrise or the orange sunset or the white, large moon in the sky on a cool October night. A wild animal might collect our glimpse, but it is God who should collect our gaze. We are taken in by an electronic device and will often wait in line to be one of the first adapters of a new thing. But, how many would wait in line to gaze at the Lord? Elijah desired to see God and had to be hid in a cave to gaze upon just the backside of God (1 Kings 19:9-15). When Moses spent 40 days on the mountain with God and returned to the camp of the people, he had to put a veil over his face because it shone so bright. Imagine what it will be like to gaze upon the beauty of God ... for eternity!!
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Truth #65 - A hand up out to accompany a hand out - Ruth
Ruth 2:15-16
When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”
Charity to others is a gift God has given us to mirror His love and giving to us. God gave to us and we, therefore, ought to give to others. In the above story of Ruth and Boaz, we have this character carried out. Ruth was the daughter-in-law of Naomi. She was from Moab and returned with Ruth when her husband, Naomi's son, had died. In fact, Naomi's husband and two sons had die on this fateful trip to Moab. Ruth had decided to return with Naomi and was now, alone, in a foreign land, no husband, no job, no money and no hope (Naomi had painted such a picture in chapter one of this book). Ruth, however, was an industrious women (see Proverbs 31) and, rather than sit on her pain and suffering, went out to work and, at the least, gather grain. Moses had given the Law much earlier and those who had land were instructed not to glean the outer edges of the land. The edges were to be left for the poor ... of which Ruth qualified. But, Boaz, the owner of the field Ruth "just happened to land upon," had already heard about Ruth and Naomi's plight and made sure she was well taken care of. He would eventually marry her, but note how, in the above passages he begins to take care of her. Boaz not only let her glean on the edges of the field, required by the Law to do so, he also made sure she had plenty to glean. He instructed the reapers of the main part of the land to actually "pull some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean." What is interesting here, is that Boaz doesn't pull her aside and just give her bundles and bundles of sheaves. Boaz, does show charity, but Ruth was still required to do the work. The gift that Boaz gave her was not only the gift of sheaves, but also the gift of work. Ruth would be able to return to Naomi with grain in the pouch of her dress, but also with soreness in her back and sweat on her brow. She would look like she worked for the grain, because she did. Boaz was a man of grace but also knew that a work ethic was just as important as the free gift. Boaz would eventually be drawn to Ruth and the two would produce an baby boy who would be King David's grandfather. But, the gift of giving and showing charity by Boaz is more than just the beginning of a love story. The example of Boaz is a truth all believers should learn. Giving something is an act of charity. But, Boaz gives more than the gift of food. He gives the gift of hard work and respect and appreciation for that effort. Today, in our society, we just give things to people based upon all the wrong criteria. We would do better if we followed Boaz's example and find a way that we can help out and help up, as well.
When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”
Charity to others is a gift God has given us to mirror His love and giving to us. God gave to us and we, therefore, ought to give to others. In the above story of Ruth and Boaz, we have this character carried out. Ruth was the daughter-in-law of Naomi. She was from Moab and returned with Ruth when her husband, Naomi's son, had died. In fact, Naomi's husband and two sons had die on this fateful trip to Moab. Ruth had decided to return with Naomi and was now, alone, in a foreign land, no husband, no job, no money and no hope (Naomi had painted such a picture in chapter one of this book). Ruth, however, was an industrious women (see Proverbs 31) and, rather than sit on her pain and suffering, went out to work and, at the least, gather grain. Moses had given the Law much earlier and those who had land were instructed not to glean the outer edges of the land. The edges were to be left for the poor ... of which Ruth qualified. But, Boaz, the owner of the field Ruth "just happened to land upon," had already heard about Ruth and Naomi's plight and made sure she was well taken care of. He would eventually marry her, but note how, in the above passages he begins to take care of her. Boaz not only let her glean on the edges of the field, required by the Law to do so, he also made sure she had plenty to glean. He instructed the reapers of the main part of the land to actually "pull some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean." What is interesting here, is that Boaz doesn't pull her aside and just give her bundles and bundles of sheaves. Boaz, does show charity, but Ruth was still required to do the work. The gift that Boaz gave her was not only the gift of sheaves, but also the gift of work. Ruth would be able to return to Naomi with grain in the pouch of her dress, but also with soreness in her back and sweat on her brow. She would look like she worked for the grain, because she did. Boaz was a man of grace but also knew that a work ethic was just as important as the free gift. Boaz would eventually be drawn to Ruth and the two would produce an baby boy who would be King David's grandfather. But, the gift of giving and showing charity by Boaz is more than just the beginning of a love story. The example of Boaz is a truth all believers should learn. Giving something is an act of charity. But, Boaz gives more than the gift of food. He gives the gift of hard work and respect and appreciation for that effort. Today, in our society, we just give things to people based upon all the wrong criteria. We would do better if we followed Boaz's example and find a way that we can help out and help up, as well.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Truth #64 - God puts people where He wants for what He wants - Genesis 36-39
Genesis 39:1-3
Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands.
Genesis 39:22-23
And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.
Genesis 41:37-40
This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.”
Joseph's life is a picture for all of us to learn from. Joseph is a young man, who, like Job, was used to accomplish something great for God, without Joseph's immediate knowledge. God had allowed Joseph's brothers to sell him into slavery. Upon arriving in Egypt, Joseph was sold into Potiphar's home and immediately rose to the rank of second in command. He would soon be accused of a crime he did not commit and be placed into prison for it, with a trial. In prison he was placed, once again, second in command. And then, outside of our reading today, Joseph is taken out of prison and rises to power again, only to be placed "second in command" to only Pharaoh. God is able to place us where He wants to place us and honor us the way He wants us to be honored. Joseph had time in a pit and a prison. He was a slave and accused of being a rapist. He was fearful and tormented and made to feel like a package to be sold and traded. Yet, at each stop God had bless Joseph. God, despite our position in life, can and does provide blessings to us and those around us as a result of His working in our lives. God is moving Joseph, like a chess piece across the game-board of life, into position to become the sole person in charge of all the food in the land. This will bring his father, Jacob (Israel) into Egypt, where God, with a powerful hand, can redeem them. The truth is we are all in God's hands for Him to do what He when He wants and how He wants. This truth can either be very reassuring to the saint or a threat and an affront to the sinner. God put Pharaoh where He wanted for His purpose (Romans 9:16-17). God put Joseph in the midst of Pharaoh. God would eventually destroy the Pharaoh of the land, even though God's hand was on Egypt and they all could have turned to God in faith. They had Joseph in their midst. Yet, they would reject the very truth in front of them. Joseph was placed where he needed to be at the hand of God. It is never recorded, in any portion of Scripture, that Joseph complained or rebelled against God. The truth is we are all exactly where God wants us and He can bless us the way He wants and use us for the reasons He wants us to be used for His greater plan.
Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands.
Genesis 39:22-23
And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.
Genesis 41:37-40
This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.”
Joseph's life is a picture for all of us to learn from. Joseph is a young man, who, like Job, was used to accomplish something great for God, without Joseph's immediate knowledge. God had allowed Joseph's brothers to sell him into slavery. Upon arriving in Egypt, Joseph was sold into Potiphar's home and immediately rose to the rank of second in command. He would soon be accused of a crime he did not commit and be placed into prison for it, with a trial. In prison he was placed, once again, second in command. And then, outside of our reading today, Joseph is taken out of prison and rises to power again, only to be placed "second in command" to only Pharaoh. God is able to place us where He wants to place us and honor us the way He wants us to be honored. Joseph had time in a pit and a prison. He was a slave and accused of being a rapist. He was fearful and tormented and made to feel like a package to be sold and traded. Yet, at each stop God had bless Joseph. God, despite our position in life, can and does provide blessings to us and those around us as a result of His working in our lives. God is moving Joseph, like a chess piece across the game-board of life, into position to become the sole person in charge of all the food in the land. This will bring his father, Jacob (Israel) into Egypt, where God, with a powerful hand, can redeem them. The truth is we are all in God's hands for Him to do what He when He wants and how He wants. This truth can either be very reassuring to the saint or a threat and an affront to the sinner. God put Pharaoh where He wanted for His purpose (Romans 9:16-17). God put Joseph in the midst of Pharaoh. God would eventually destroy the Pharaoh of the land, even though God's hand was on Egypt and they all could have turned to God in faith. They had Joseph in their midst. Yet, they would reject the very truth in front of them. Joseph was placed where he needed to be at the hand of God. It is never recorded, in any portion of Scripture, that Joseph complained or rebelled against God. The truth is we are all exactly where God wants us and He can bless us the way He wants and use us for the reasons He wants us to be used for His greater plan.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Truth #63 - God uses the fools and the weaks to accomplish His purpose - 1 Corinthians 1-2
1 Corinthians 1:26-27
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;.
I have the privilege in my day job to offer wisdom and advice to some of the best leaders in education in our state and surrounding states. They call me at any hour to discuss challenges, projects and conflicts they are facing and/or experiencing. They ask me what I would suggest about this and do about that. I marvel at this. I was one of the original "child at risk" to the educational community. I was in from a broken home and living in a trailer park ... they stereotypical child who wouldn't make it in the world of education. My brothers had dropped out school long before and opted for a life in the military rather the potential term in crime. By the world's standards I am not powerful or knowledgable. I am blessed by God because of the truth of the above verses. God choose simply fishermen to fill with the Spirit to turn the world upside-down. God choose a simply shepherd in Amos to give a prophecy. He choose a shepherd in David, Moses and many others to write His word in poetic form, lead His people out of Egypt and into the promise land and eventually write His Word to us. God doesn't need or desire the powerful and wise to deliver His message. God uses simply people and puts them into places of influence to accomplish His tasks. Joseph, Daniel, and Esther are examples of God putting people in the right spot to accomplish His will. The irony in the above truth is the Paul might be described by the world as powerful and wise. Before his salvation Paul was high on the list of potential influencers within the world of the religious powers. Yet, God humbled him. He brought him low and even gave him a thorn in his side to keep him low. God uses the foolish of the world to affect the world's events. In this world it is the powerful, rich and educated who are promoted and rewarded. Yet, God uses the fool to confound the wise when that fool comes to Christ and is filled with the Spirit of God. Believers are not wise by the world's standards. The world has a different criteria for powerful and wise. God redefines wisdom as those who come to Christ. Since Christ IS wisdom, those who are IN Christ possess all the wisdom of this world. It matters not your roots. Whether shepherd, fishermen or trailer-park kid, God can use those He wants to accomplish His purpose in this world.
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;.
I have the privilege in my day job to offer wisdom and advice to some of the best leaders in education in our state and surrounding states. They call me at any hour to discuss challenges, projects and conflicts they are facing and/or experiencing. They ask me what I would suggest about this and do about that. I marvel at this. I was one of the original "child at risk" to the educational community. I was in from a broken home and living in a trailer park ... they stereotypical child who wouldn't make it in the world of education. My brothers had dropped out school long before and opted for a life in the military rather the potential term in crime. By the world's standards I am not powerful or knowledgable. I am blessed by God because of the truth of the above verses. God choose simply fishermen to fill with the Spirit to turn the world upside-down. God choose a simply shepherd in Amos to give a prophecy. He choose a shepherd in David, Moses and many others to write His word in poetic form, lead His people out of Egypt and into the promise land and eventually write His Word to us. God doesn't need or desire the powerful and wise to deliver His message. God uses simply people and puts them into places of influence to accomplish His tasks. Joseph, Daniel, and Esther are examples of God putting people in the right spot to accomplish His will. The irony in the above truth is the Paul might be described by the world as powerful and wise. Before his salvation Paul was high on the list of potential influencers within the world of the religious powers. Yet, God humbled him. He brought him low and even gave him a thorn in his side to keep him low. God uses the foolish of the world to affect the world's events. In this world it is the powerful, rich and educated who are promoted and rewarded. Yet, God uses the fool to confound the wise when that fool comes to Christ and is filled with the Spirit of God. Believers are not wise by the world's standards. The world has a different criteria for powerful and wise. God redefines wisdom as those who come to Christ. Since Christ IS wisdom, those who are IN Christ possess all the wisdom of this world. It matters not your roots. Whether shepherd, fishermen or trailer-park kid, God can use those He wants to accomplish His purpose in this world.
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