Job 36:3-4
I will get my knowledge from afar
and ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
For truly my words are not false;
one who is perfect in knowledge is with you.
Job is in quite a tight place. He knows, "in his mind," that he didn't do anything worthy of such a punishment and, yet, here he sits along side the road scrapping boils off his body with broken pieces of pottery. His own pain is compounded by the emotion of losing everyone one of his children. Sitting before him are his three "friends" who have each taken a shot at him to prove that the reason for his suffering and loss is that he is, indeed, a large sinner. He attempts to justify himself, but to no avail, as his three friends come along with additional speeches to continue to point out the harmony of their arguments: The cause for ALL suffering is sin in our lives. Now, before him is a fourth "friend", a much younger version of the others, Elihu. Elihu is there, according to his own words, to defend God and make sure Job and his other friends note that God is the one who is just in this scene ... and only God. Elihu has, as his central argument, the character and integrity of God in mind in his speech. This is what gives way to the above passage. At first glance, the passage seems to give Elihu the look and feel of an arrogant and pompous know-it-all. That would be the interpretation of several commentators. However, it is interesting that as the argument unfolds, after the above passage, that Elihu introduces us to the God of the universe and everything he states is substantiated in other portions of God's Word. Elihu is about to talk about the majesty of God. My personal belief is that Elihu is NOT speaking about his own capacity for knowledge in these two verses, as he sets the introduction for what he is about to say. I believe he is stating, "What I am about to say is perfect knowledge, because it it about the character and integrity and power of God!" This is much like a preacher might say before a sermon ... "Today I am about to speak to you complete truth ... from God's Word .... about the God of all truth!" Elihu embarks onto a message about the character and power of God and that this character and power ought not to be questioned by Job or any of his friends. Elihu's speech is so right on (full of perfect knowledge) that when he finishes in is chapter 37, God continues in chapter 38 and beyond. Elihu states, "one who is perfect in knowledge is with you." The word for "perfect" here is the same word in the beginning of the book to describe Job as "perfect." This play on words by the author is important for us to grasp. We, as the out side reader, are in the state of mind that this entire battle is between Satan and God. Job is in the middle. We know that Job didn't do anything ... except later has he attempted to justify himself before God. Elihu is perfect in knowledge in the same way. He is not attempting to boast of his arguments as compared to the others. He is simply stating that he is about to talk about God's awesomeness and that is something that is true. When you read the rest of his speech you would be hard pressed to find something "wrong" in his argument. "God is awesome and you are not," seems to be Elihu's point. The truth is, that statement is true. In the midst of pain and suffering the goal ought to be, God is awesome and we are not. Praise God as a result. 33
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Truth #122 - God restores us so that we can teach others - Psalm 51-53
Psalms 51:13
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
Psalms 51 is a song of David's, confessing his sin and asking for God's restoration. Most commentators on this Psalm would attribute it to his confession after being discovered in adultery with Bathsheba, of whom Solomon would be later born. David, in this Psalm, is admitting to his sin and then asking God for restoration. In the three verses before our above verse, David asks God to not only forgive him but to restore him and replace the shame he felt for a joy only giving to man by God. Note his plea:
Psalms 51:10-12
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
David didn't want confession for only forgiveness, alone. David wanted for forgiveness for restoration. And, he didn't want restoration for simply his own benefit. He wanted forgiveness and restoration so he could teach sinners how to avoid his mistakes. His restoration was for the purpose of teaching. Most of the time, after we sin, we are in the least mode and mood to do any teaching of others. And, until we are forgiven and fully restored to Christ, we shouldn't think about teaching. But, David knew that God had the ability to forgive, restore and enable someone to continue in a ministry for Him. It is possible to have a teaching ministry after a great sin. David would later be told there were things he couldn't do, but teaching others he could do. He would be told by God he could not build the temple, but he still could teach. God wanted to restore him so he could teach us. This psalm was written to teach us. David, despite his great sin, confesses and is restored, for the purpose of telling others about God. That is the truth God has for us in this passage. We are all great sinners. If God waited for a perfectly pure preacher to show up, there would be none but HIs Son. God restores man to make him a vessel for His use. Our prayer should be that we would be restored for the purpose of proclaiming the truths of God's Word to others. That is the truth of restoration.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
Psalms 51 is a song of David's, confessing his sin and asking for God's restoration. Most commentators on this Psalm would attribute it to his confession after being discovered in adultery with Bathsheba, of whom Solomon would be later born. David, in this Psalm, is admitting to his sin and then asking God for restoration. In the three verses before our above verse, David asks God to not only forgive him but to restore him and replace the shame he felt for a joy only giving to man by God. Note his plea:
Psalms 51:10-12
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
David didn't want confession for only forgiveness, alone. David wanted for forgiveness for restoration. And, he didn't want restoration for simply his own benefit. He wanted forgiveness and restoration so he could teach sinners how to avoid his mistakes. His restoration was for the purpose of teaching. Most of the time, after we sin, we are in the least mode and mood to do any teaching of others. And, until we are forgiven and fully restored to Christ, we shouldn't think about teaching. But, David knew that God had the ability to forgive, restore and enable someone to continue in a ministry for Him. It is possible to have a teaching ministry after a great sin. David would later be told there were things he couldn't do, but teaching others he could do. He would be told by God he could not build the temple, but he still could teach. God wanted to restore him so he could teach us. This psalm was written to teach us. David, despite his great sin, confesses and is restored, for the purpose of telling others about God. That is the truth God has for us in this passage. We are all great sinners. If God waited for a perfectly pure preacher to show up, there would be none but HIs Son. God restores man to make him a vessel for His use. Our prayer should be that we would be restored for the purpose of proclaiming the truths of God's Word to others. That is the truth of restoration.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Truth #121 - Obedience trumps our worship services - 2 Samuel 6-9
2 Samuel 6:5-9
And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?”
We really rejoice in churches today in regard to our "worship" services. We should!! We should shout and dance and sing praises to our King, the Lord of lords, for our salvation; our redemption. Most people today leave a church and attend another one, often, simply because of their worship service. The teaching of the Word can be, often, moved to a lesser priority. There doesn't have to be an "either/or" approach: Either we have good worship, or poor preaching, or vice versa. It should be a "both/and" approach: We can have both great worship and great preaching. In the above passage what we have is the first one, however: We have great worship and poor preaching, or following of the Word. God's Word strictly forbade someone to touch the Ark of the Covenant. In Numbers 4:15 we read the warning to all the priest, to NOT touch the Ark. The Ark was designed to be carried by four priest who would slide two polls into the rings on each side of the Ark. The Ark would then be hoisted to their shoulders and they would carry the Ark, without touching the Ark. In the above story, David was so concerned with the music and the worship portion of the service, he forgot to follow the Word. Celebration for God's victories He provides does not trump obedience to God's Word. David might have remember when King Saul went ahead and offered sacrifice prior to Samuel's arrival. Samuel told King Saul the following:
1 Samuel 15:22
And Samuel said,
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams.
God loves us to celebrate His glory and His provision. But, we must remember that the quality of worship does not negate the necessity of obedience. We CAN sin in our praise toward God. Praising God does not exempt people from committing an act of sin. Ananias in Acts 5 came with his wife to worship and gave some money left from a recent land deal. However, in their giving they lied about the fact they were bringing it "all" to the Lord in an offering. God didn't even care if they gave some or all. But, because they lied, God struck them dead right in front of the offering plate. The truth is, obedience is more important than celebration.
And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?”
We really rejoice in churches today in regard to our "worship" services. We should!! We should shout and dance and sing praises to our King, the Lord of lords, for our salvation; our redemption. Most people today leave a church and attend another one, often, simply because of their worship service. The teaching of the Word can be, often, moved to a lesser priority. There doesn't have to be an "either/or" approach: Either we have good worship, or poor preaching, or vice versa. It should be a "both/and" approach: We can have both great worship and great preaching. In the above passage what we have is the first one, however: We have great worship and poor preaching, or following of the Word. God's Word strictly forbade someone to touch the Ark of the Covenant. In Numbers 4:15 we read the warning to all the priest, to NOT touch the Ark. The Ark was designed to be carried by four priest who would slide two polls into the rings on each side of the Ark. The Ark would then be hoisted to their shoulders and they would carry the Ark, without touching the Ark. In the above story, David was so concerned with the music and the worship portion of the service, he forgot to follow the Word. Celebration for God's victories He provides does not trump obedience to God's Word. David might have remember when King Saul went ahead and offered sacrifice prior to Samuel's arrival. Samuel told King Saul the following:
1 Samuel 15:22
And Samuel said,
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams.
God loves us to celebrate His glory and His provision. But, we must remember that the quality of worship does not negate the necessity of obedience. We CAN sin in our praise toward God. Praising God does not exempt people from committing an act of sin. Ananias in Acts 5 came with his wife to worship and gave some money left from a recent land deal. However, in their giving they lied about the fact they were bringing it "all" to the Lord in an offering. God didn't even care if they gave some or all. But, because they lied, God struck them dead right in front of the offering plate. The truth is, obedience is more important than celebration.
Monday, April 27, 2015
Truth #120 - God uses conflict to bring glory to Himself - Exodust 17-20
Exodus 17:2-4
Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
The people of God are not exempt from conflict with each other simply because they have a relationship with God. God did send His Son so that we would have peace with Him and with others. But, sin continues to grip our hearts and conflict is certain fruit of that sin nature. When Adam and Even sinned against God they immediately became ashamed and accused each other of failures. Conflict and the lost of peace were the first fruits of sin. They continue to blossom on a regular basis everyday. In the above passage the nation of Israel grumbles against Moses because they don't have enough water. Up to this point they had already complained about not enough food, the type of food and several other issues. Notice the affect it had on Moses. He was to the point that he thought they were ready to stone him. For those in leadership who have had their follower-ship rebel, you can relate. How many times do followers become so frustrated with leadership that they communicate displeasure in such a manner ... many times!!!! Moses response is what is should be, he takes their complaints to God. They were in a place of dry dirt and sage-brush surroundings. Since they didn't see water they assumed there was no water. Moses took the issue to God and provides a rock!!! Most of us look at a rock and think ... Rock!! But, God looks at a rock and thinks fountain!! God is not limited as we are in what can be accomplished by a rock. The people saw their limits and feared the limits. They did not seek God. They simply believed what they saw with their eyes, not what they could see with their faith. Conflict in the hearts of God's people is always this way. We are reacting to what we see and know with our eyes of flesh. When we look at conflict through they eyes of faith and see what God wants us to know about Him and we want to see what God can do through the conflict, we have victory IN the conflict, not victory FROM a conflict. God is using conflict to shape us and mold us in all that we do. The truth is, conflict is God's tool to show His power and His glory. In the midst of these issues God makes water flow from a rock that waters a million people for days. That is an amazing thought. Conflict saw a rock and dirt. The grumbling at Moses prodded him to pray to God. That allowed God to answer the issues with a miracle. God is the one gets the glory in the story. The next conflict we are in let's make sure we can see God's glory.
Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
The people of God are not exempt from conflict with each other simply because they have a relationship with God. God did send His Son so that we would have peace with Him and with others. But, sin continues to grip our hearts and conflict is certain fruit of that sin nature. When Adam and Even sinned against God they immediately became ashamed and accused each other of failures. Conflict and the lost of peace were the first fruits of sin. They continue to blossom on a regular basis everyday. In the above passage the nation of Israel grumbles against Moses because they don't have enough water. Up to this point they had already complained about not enough food, the type of food and several other issues. Notice the affect it had on Moses. He was to the point that he thought they were ready to stone him. For those in leadership who have had their follower-ship rebel, you can relate. How many times do followers become so frustrated with leadership that they communicate displeasure in such a manner ... many times!!!! Moses response is what is should be, he takes their complaints to God. They were in a place of dry dirt and sage-brush surroundings. Since they didn't see water they assumed there was no water. Moses took the issue to God and provides a rock!!! Most of us look at a rock and think ... Rock!! But, God looks at a rock and thinks fountain!! God is not limited as we are in what can be accomplished by a rock. The people saw their limits and feared the limits. They did not seek God. They simply believed what they saw with their eyes, not what they could see with their faith. Conflict in the hearts of God's people is always this way. We are reacting to what we see and know with our eyes of flesh. When we look at conflict through they eyes of faith and see what God wants us to know about Him and we want to see what God can do through the conflict, we have victory IN the conflict, not victory FROM a conflict. God is using conflict to shape us and mold us in all that we do. The truth is, conflict is God's tool to show His power and His glory. In the midst of these issues God makes water flow from a rock that waters a million people for days. That is an amazing thought. Conflict saw a rock and dirt. The grumbling at Moses prodded him to pray to God. That allowed God to answer the issues with a miracle. God is the one gets the glory in the story. The next conflict we are in let's make sure we can see God's glory.
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Truth #119 - God can deliver us and will deliver us - 2 Corinthians 1-3
2 Corinthians 1:8-11
For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
Paul is a man who is often looked at for the example of a "righteous man." Paul is the one we see who has it all together. He even puts himself up to these very believers at Corinth by telling them in his first letter to "follow him as he has followed Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). Paul is our example of faith and practice. But, Paul was also human. If, like me, you find yourself succumbing to sin, who has not turned to Romans 7 to read Paul's emphatic recollection of his own failures in the statement, "what I want to do, I don't, and what I don't want to do, I do," when referring to sin in his life. Paul and Barnabas had a huge fight over a personnel issues for their second missionary journey (Acts 15:35-38). Paul was human. In the above passage we can see that Paul was just like you and me as he recounts to these believers his own suffering life. Paul is outlining for them, in the opening lines of this book, that the suffering we have also comes with great comfort. The greater the suffering we have IN CHRIST, the greater the comfort we have IN CHRIST. He does not want the miss this point, however, so, like most great orators and writers, he gives them a personal story of experience: Paul was not just a teacher of doctrine, he was a user of his doctrine. We don't really know the details behind the example he gives in this passage, but it is a time when Paul was probably in Ephesus. The event caused him to both despair of life and to resolve that his life was prematurely over. There might be some confusion of whether Paul was depressed or not, but it is obvious this is a time of depression. You can't help but read the verses and see that Paul was hurting. He states he was "beyond strength" and "despaired of life itself." If those statements don't indicate some depressed feelings, you would be hard pressed to find any worse that did. Paul was in a tight spot. They show Paul was human with his emotion and his plights in life. However, the reason Paul is Paul is because he is a man of great faith. Note the solution to this disaster he finds himself experiencing. Paul, turns to Christ in faith and realizes that this is the time he is not to rely on his strength but the hope we have in Christ. In fact, he states, "But that was to make me rely no on ourselves but on God who raises the dead." Since he faced death, that thought must have been such a release of freedom. He goes on to say that God delivered him from this peril and "He will deliver us." Paul had his faith secure in what Christ can do, not what he had done or might do. He states, "on Him we have set our hope that He will deliver us again." Paul had faith in the One who can deliver, does deliver and will deliver. With that mindset is there anything that God can't do? Is there anything in our lives so hard that God doesn't know it, or is afraid of it? Paul goes on to solicit their prayers, not for deliverance, but to remember to say thanks for all the deliverance already provided. God gives us prayer to thank Him and recognize that He is the one of whom we hope and trust. Not we ourselves. The truth is that God can deliver us, but we must come to Him in faith and trust in that deliverance at His timing and His speed.
For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
Paul is a man who is often looked at for the example of a "righteous man." Paul is the one we see who has it all together. He even puts himself up to these very believers at Corinth by telling them in his first letter to "follow him as he has followed Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). Paul is our example of faith and practice. But, Paul was also human. If, like me, you find yourself succumbing to sin, who has not turned to Romans 7 to read Paul's emphatic recollection of his own failures in the statement, "what I want to do, I don't, and what I don't want to do, I do," when referring to sin in his life. Paul and Barnabas had a huge fight over a personnel issues for their second missionary journey (Acts 15:35-38). Paul was human. In the above passage we can see that Paul was just like you and me as he recounts to these believers his own suffering life. Paul is outlining for them, in the opening lines of this book, that the suffering we have also comes with great comfort. The greater the suffering we have IN CHRIST, the greater the comfort we have IN CHRIST. He does not want the miss this point, however, so, like most great orators and writers, he gives them a personal story of experience: Paul was not just a teacher of doctrine, he was a user of his doctrine. We don't really know the details behind the example he gives in this passage, but it is a time when Paul was probably in Ephesus. The event caused him to both despair of life and to resolve that his life was prematurely over. There might be some confusion of whether Paul was depressed or not, but it is obvious this is a time of depression. You can't help but read the verses and see that Paul was hurting. He states he was "beyond strength" and "despaired of life itself." If those statements don't indicate some depressed feelings, you would be hard pressed to find any worse that did. Paul was in a tight spot. They show Paul was human with his emotion and his plights in life. However, the reason Paul is Paul is because he is a man of great faith. Note the solution to this disaster he finds himself experiencing. Paul, turns to Christ in faith and realizes that this is the time he is not to rely on his strength but the hope we have in Christ. In fact, he states, "But that was to make me rely no on ourselves but on God who raises the dead." Since he faced death, that thought must have been such a release of freedom. He goes on to say that God delivered him from this peril and "He will deliver us." Paul had his faith secure in what Christ can do, not what he had done or might do. He states, "on Him we have set our hope that He will deliver us again." Paul had faith in the One who can deliver, does deliver and will deliver. With that mindset is there anything that God can't do? Is there anything in our lives so hard that God doesn't know it, or is afraid of it? Paul goes on to solicit their prayers, not for deliverance, but to remember to say thanks for all the deliverance already provided. God gives us prayer to thank Him and recognize that He is the one of whom we hope and trust. Not we ourselves. The truth is that God can deliver us, but we must come to Him in faith and trust in that deliverance at His timing and His speed.
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Truth #118 - Prayer is powerful enough to defeat even our flesh - Mark 13-14
Mark 14:38
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
At the close of Jesus' earthly ministry and just prior to the crucifixion, Jesus takes the disciples into the garden to pray and prepare, privately, for His death. The disciples, still, really had no clue what was about to take place. Christ was trying to prepare them, but they failed to capture the intensity of the moment. Christ was trying to equip them for what was about to happen to Him and their dreams for an immediate new kingdom, but they were flesh and the flesh would take over. As they reached the garden it must have been late in the evening. Christ wants them to join Him in prayer. Having set the stage, Jesus goes off alone to pray. When he returns the disciples are fast asleep. This patter repeats three times. They are so exhausted they fall asleep instead of pray. Or, they are so numb to the things of Christ they fall asleep instead of pray. After Jesus goes away and returns a third time, the above verse captures Christ's words to them. In doing so, He gives them and us a formula for success in the Christian life. He tells them that their spirit might be willing (by here we mean that they had a willing attitude or a willing motivation, or even a willing mind), but they are in the flesh and that flesh is not always able to carry out what they will. Our "wills" can have one desire but our flesh has another. You can will to lose weight and quit eating unhealthy food, but the flesh craves what the flesh craves. In this case they had a will to follow Christ and to join Him in prayer about this moment, despite their lack of understanding. But, the heaviness of the eyes trumped their will. Earlier in this same chapter Jesus told them they would "all" run away from Him when He would be crucified. Peter (his will) said he would "never" deny Christ. Later in the chapter Peter denies Jesus three times. Peter had the will but the flesh was weak. If the disciples can fall into this trap, so, too, can we. What is the solution? The solution Jesus gives, is to "watch and pray" and that will allow us to "not enter into temptation." Of all the words Jesus could have spoken to them at this time, he tells them that vigilance and prayer are the two areas of importance in the Christian's life that we need to be armed with, if we wish to avoid temptation, and thus enable the will and control the flesh. When you take the context of what is happening in this entire chapter into consideration, the temptation Jesus is probably warning them about is to not fall away when He is taken captive (only minutes away at this point). Jesus had already told Peter, the strongest of all them, they he would deny Christ. Jesus is telling them that the spirit is willing to follow but the flesh will fall back. Our solution is that yielding to God in prayer can prepare us for and strengthen us against our own flesh. Jesus isn't worried about Satan here, although Satan obviously uses our flesh against us. Jesus is telling them that their biggest enemy right now is themselves. The truth is we all have fears and struggles in our flesh and we deny Jesus, either verbally or behaviorally. The solution is spending time in prayer. Prayer is a powerful tool. When we pray we admit we CAN'T do something. When we pray we recognize God CAN do something. We put ourselves at the mercy and grace of God and that gives us strength. When we are weak, He is strong in us. We take prayer so lightly in the Christian faith. The disciples did, here. We, too, do here. Pray ... it gives us strength because it calls upon the one who wants to strengthen us.
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
At the close of Jesus' earthly ministry and just prior to the crucifixion, Jesus takes the disciples into the garden to pray and prepare, privately, for His death. The disciples, still, really had no clue what was about to take place. Christ was trying to prepare them, but they failed to capture the intensity of the moment. Christ was trying to equip them for what was about to happen to Him and their dreams for an immediate new kingdom, but they were flesh and the flesh would take over. As they reached the garden it must have been late in the evening. Christ wants them to join Him in prayer. Having set the stage, Jesus goes off alone to pray. When he returns the disciples are fast asleep. This patter repeats three times. They are so exhausted they fall asleep instead of pray. Or, they are so numb to the things of Christ they fall asleep instead of pray. After Jesus goes away and returns a third time, the above verse captures Christ's words to them. In doing so, He gives them and us a formula for success in the Christian life. He tells them that their spirit might be willing (by here we mean that they had a willing attitude or a willing motivation, or even a willing mind), but they are in the flesh and that flesh is not always able to carry out what they will. Our "wills" can have one desire but our flesh has another. You can will to lose weight and quit eating unhealthy food, but the flesh craves what the flesh craves. In this case they had a will to follow Christ and to join Him in prayer about this moment, despite their lack of understanding. But, the heaviness of the eyes trumped their will. Earlier in this same chapter Jesus told them they would "all" run away from Him when He would be crucified. Peter (his will) said he would "never" deny Christ. Later in the chapter Peter denies Jesus three times. Peter had the will but the flesh was weak. If the disciples can fall into this trap, so, too, can we. What is the solution? The solution Jesus gives, is to "watch and pray" and that will allow us to "not enter into temptation." Of all the words Jesus could have spoken to them at this time, he tells them that vigilance and prayer are the two areas of importance in the Christian's life that we need to be armed with, if we wish to avoid temptation, and thus enable the will and control the flesh. When you take the context of what is happening in this entire chapter into consideration, the temptation Jesus is probably warning them about is to not fall away when He is taken captive (only minutes away at this point). Jesus had already told Peter, the strongest of all them, they he would deny Christ. Jesus is telling them that the spirit is willing to follow but the flesh will fall back. Our solution is that yielding to God in prayer can prepare us for and strengthen us against our own flesh. Jesus isn't worried about Satan here, although Satan obviously uses our flesh against us. Jesus is telling them that their biggest enemy right now is themselves. The truth is we all have fears and struggles in our flesh and we deny Jesus, either verbally or behaviorally. The solution is spending time in prayer. Prayer is a powerful tool. When we pray we admit we CAN'T do something. When we pray we recognize God CAN do something. We put ourselves at the mercy and grace of God and that gives us strength. When we are weak, He is strong in us. We take prayer so lightly in the Christian faith. The disciples did, here. We, too, do here. Pray ... it gives us strength because it calls upon the one who wants to strengthen us.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Truth #117 - God's Word trumps your Dream!! - Jeremiah 21-26
Jeremiah 23:16-18
Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, No disaster shall come upon you.’”
For who among them has stood in the council of the Lord
to see and to hear his word,
or who has paid attention to his word and listened?
We live in an era where the Word of God is often trumped by the "opinions" (visions???) of men. God, in His grace, has given us His Word and we have all the revelation we need to make the right decisions and/or act in the correct behavior to honor Him. Yet, man is determined to supplant the authority of God's Word with his/her own opinion. In Jeremiah's day, God had told Jeremiah to prophesy to the nation of Israel that the suffering they were about to receive by the hand of the King of Babylon was because of their own sin. As a result of that God told them, through Jeremiah, that they should submit to this punishment and give into this King from the North. That was tantamount to treason, in the minds of the leaders of Israel. If you read Jeremiah 26 you can see that Jeremiah's life was saved, but he was under attack for this "word from the Lord." This would be similar to someone in our day today saying that we should give in to the "King" of North Korea for the punishment of our sins against God, as a nation. However, during this time, these other prophets were prophesying what the people and leadership wanted to hear. They had "their own visions" and those visions stated that the King from the North would not overtake the city. They had dreams but the dreams did not follow the "known" word of God. Today we have similar "prophets" and preachers who are declaring that the church must change about this an that, and that their new revelation (their dream) is from God. God does speak in many ways and, according to the Book of Job, He can speak through dreams:
Job 33:15
In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls on men,
while they slumber on their beds
But, when the dream is contrary to the Word, the Word wins!!! God will correct those who provide false teaching in His time. These prophets were trying to trump the word given to Jeremiah through God. God, in the above text, corrects them. God will not allow those who corrupt His Word to succeed. We must not allow the "visions" and "dreams" of those we hear, that conflict with God's Word, to go unexposed. God is in the God of order and He only gives one Word. He can give His world in many ways, but the harmony and consistency of the Word never changes. No ones dream, vision, opinion or thought can trump the revealed Word of God. That is the honest truth!!
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Truth #116 - God is the center we should focus upon when dealing with conflict - Job 32-34
Job 32:1-3
So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. He burned with anger also at Job's three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong.
Sometimes, when we observe how people counsel one another and how people respond to that counsel we want to say something. Often we don't!!! We hear people defend their situation and blame God and we don't say anything. Yet, we should. In the above passage, Elihu, is in our shoes. He has, unmentioned, and therefore been unnoticed thus far in the story of Job. Elihu has watched and listened as Job's three friends have worked at analyzing Job and wondered at why Job's "sin" has affected him so. Yet, as far as we know, Job has not sinned. Elihu has listened to Job defend his character and reputation against his three friends. He (Job) has argued fluently and, at times, violently on his own behalf. Job, as we look deep into his arguments, has had one things on his mind: The defense of his reputation against his three friends. This is what is wrong with this whole scene and Elihu has decided to speak up, despite his youth and in light of his inexperience. Elihu is about to come to God's defense ... not that God needs defending, but because He is angry that the friends keep pointing out the problems without solutions and Job keeps defending his character at the expense of God's. Job is not concerned about God's reputation. Elihu is interested in speaking for God and worshipping God, despite the issues in Job's life. Elihu knows this is NOT about Job!! It is about God!! When we hear people slam other believers with no solution for them, and only blame, we ought to be angry. That is what the Scripture tells us Elihu did. He was angry at this fact. But, he was also angry when he heard Job defend his own reputation and not God's reputation. Job had Job at the center of this story. If you and I read the book of Job with Job at the center of the story, we too, miss the point. The center of this story is God!! When Elihu hears Job simply justify Job, we should get angry. In the midst of a crisis, it is not us that matters, but God! The truth is that, like Job and his three friends, are not worried about justifying God. We are, or should be in the midst of coming to God's defense. Standing for God and justifying God is the solution for the panic they were all in as a group. We should be angry and wiling to stand up for God when trials and struggles come. We are not there to analyze those in the struggle, but to unpack it and unfold it to find a way to justify God in it.
So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. He burned with anger also at Job's three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong.
Sometimes, when we observe how people counsel one another and how people respond to that counsel we want to say something. Often we don't!!! We hear people defend their situation and blame God and we don't say anything. Yet, we should. In the above passage, Elihu, is in our shoes. He has, unmentioned, and therefore been unnoticed thus far in the story of Job. Elihu has watched and listened as Job's three friends have worked at analyzing Job and wondered at why Job's "sin" has affected him so. Yet, as far as we know, Job has not sinned. Elihu has listened to Job defend his character and reputation against his three friends. He (Job) has argued fluently and, at times, violently on his own behalf. Job, as we look deep into his arguments, has had one things on his mind: The defense of his reputation against his three friends. This is what is wrong with this whole scene and Elihu has decided to speak up, despite his youth and in light of his inexperience. Elihu is about to come to God's defense ... not that God needs defending, but because He is angry that the friends keep pointing out the problems without solutions and Job keeps defending his character at the expense of God's. Job is not concerned about God's reputation. Elihu is interested in speaking for God and worshipping God, despite the issues in Job's life. Elihu knows this is NOT about Job!! It is about God!! When we hear people slam other believers with no solution for them, and only blame, we ought to be angry. That is what the Scripture tells us Elihu did. He was angry at this fact. But, he was also angry when he heard Job defend his own reputation and not God's reputation. Job had Job at the center of this story. If you and I read the book of Job with Job at the center of the story, we too, miss the point. The center of this story is God!! When Elihu hears Job simply justify Job, we should get angry. In the midst of a crisis, it is not us that matters, but God! The truth is that, like Job and his three friends, are not worried about justifying God. We are, or should be in the midst of coming to God's defense. Standing for God and justifying God is the solution for the panic they were all in as a group. We should be angry and wiling to stand up for God when trials and struggles come. We are not there to analyze those in the struggle, but to unpack it and unfold it to find a way to justify God in it.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Truth #115 - God's love allows us to cease from fear - Pslam 48-50
Psalms 49:5-6
Why should I fear in times of trouble,
when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,
those who trust in their wealth
and boast of the abundance of their riches?
"The fear of man is a snare!!" These are the words of Solomon, in the following Proverb:
Proverbs 29:25
The fear of man lays a snare,
but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.
Most people would not admit that they "fear" anyone. But, the fear of man is a staple in the lives of most people. We don't stand up for what we think, often, because we fear man. We can go to work and listen to a conversation about abortion or some other controversial issue and not say a word simply because we fear what others might say about our beliefs. We often give in to the masses because we don't want to be the one standing up as the others are sitting down. In Psalm 49 we see the writer asking the question, "Why should I fear in times of trouble ...". Since the writer goes on immediately talk about those who have wealth and who trust completely and only in the wealth, we would infer that the writer is asking, "why should I fear in times of trouble when the wealthy tries to cheat me and use his power over me." The rich often wield their money through power and use it to exploit those less fortunate. The writer knows (and later in the Psalm states it) that God is ultimately in power and control. Even though the rich think they run the world, it is God who is in charge. We don't have to fear man. When we trust in God the fear of man is laid aside. When we realize that God loves us, we know that He will NEVER allow anything to come into our lives He hasn't planned or won't use to accomplish His great plan for our lives and for His plan for the world. Notice what John says about fear:
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.
When we know that God loves us we don't need to fear the wealthy and the powerful. Even though they continue to corrupt the world and cheat those around them (according to the above Psalm that is often a condition of the wealthy), God will not allow them to hurt us or harm us. God's love for us allows the writer to ask, "why should I fear in times of trouble." The truth is, when we fear we forget that God loves us. We believe He no longer has our best interest and the best interest of His plan for us in mind by allowing this circumstance to come into our lives. When we believe in His perfect love for us, we have no reason to fear anyone or anything.
Why should I fear in times of trouble,
when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,
those who trust in their wealth
and boast of the abundance of their riches?
"The fear of man is a snare!!" These are the words of Solomon, in the following Proverb:
Proverbs 29:25
The fear of man lays a snare,
but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.
Most people would not admit that they "fear" anyone. But, the fear of man is a staple in the lives of most people. We don't stand up for what we think, often, because we fear man. We can go to work and listen to a conversation about abortion or some other controversial issue and not say a word simply because we fear what others might say about our beliefs. We often give in to the masses because we don't want to be the one standing up as the others are sitting down. In Psalm 49 we see the writer asking the question, "Why should I fear in times of trouble ...". Since the writer goes on immediately talk about those who have wealth and who trust completely and only in the wealth, we would infer that the writer is asking, "why should I fear in times of trouble when the wealthy tries to cheat me and use his power over me." The rich often wield their money through power and use it to exploit those less fortunate. The writer knows (and later in the Psalm states it) that God is ultimately in power and control. Even though the rich think they run the world, it is God who is in charge. We don't have to fear man. When we trust in God the fear of man is laid aside. When we realize that God loves us, we know that He will NEVER allow anything to come into our lives He hasn't planned or won't use to accomplish His great plan for our lives and for His plan for the world. Notice what John says about fear:
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.
When we know that God loves us we don't need to fear the wealthy and the powerful. Even though they continue to corrupt the world and cheat those around them (according to the above Psalm that is often a condition of the wealthy), God will not allow them to hurt us or harm us. God's love for us allows the writer to ask, "why should I fear in times of trouble." The truth is, when we fear we forget that God loves us. We believe He no longer has our best interest and the best interest of His plan for us in mind by allowing this circumstance to come into our lives. When we believe in His perfect love for us, we have no reason to fear anyone or anything.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Truth #114- True friendship should be a love that trancends all - 2 Samuel 1-4
2 Samuel 1:25-26
“How the mighty have fallen
in the midst of the battle!
“Jonathan lies slain on your high places.
I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
very pleasant have you been to me;
your love to me was extraordinary,
surpassing the love of women.
The above lines are taken from a poem, a song, that David composed immediately after he heard of the death of Saul and his son, Jonathan. David wept for them both, but particularly, Jonathan. The friendship between David and Jonathan was one of the strongest friendships talked about in the Bible. It would be hard pressed to say that any other relationship between two people on this earth, spoken about in the Scriptures, would compare to the love they had for each other. They were "knit" together in love. That bound can only happen when God is the glue that holds them together. This was not some typical human condition. This was a tight bound of friendship that was initiated by God and held together by God. Despite Saul's ugly pursuit of David, Jonathan had stood by David's side. Jonathan had warned David of his father's threats and pending attacks. (Yet, it should be noted that earlier in this song, David writes about how strong Jonathan and Saul, his father, relationship was.) Having someone on this earth that we are deeply friends with is a blessing that can only come from God. Most people hold friendships because they get something from the relationship. In today's society, you can "friend" someone and then, the next day, "unfriend" them. David and Jonathan had a relationship that was an example to us and an example of what God wants the Body of Christ to be: The Church. Notice what Paul says about believers he is writing to in Colossians:
Colossians 2:1-2
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ,
Notice that Paul states he has a love for these believers in Colossee and in Ladoicea and "for all who have not see me fact to face." Paul had a love for the brothers in Christ who were "knit" together in love. Paul is telling us that in the Body of Christ we don't have to like everyone but we are knit together in love. Paul is telling us we don't even have to know everyone, but we are knit together in love. The truth is, God has put us together and united by the blood of Christ. We are ONE body and that means we don't allow any petty back biting and internal bickering to tear that bound apart. David knew the Jonathan would stand by him to matter what. So, too, should be the household of God. Yet, we fight over such minor things. We divide over such silly methodology. Despite the issues with the kingdom and the throne and the anger of his father, Jonathan was able to maintain his relationship in love for David. That is great love.
“How the mighty have fallen
in the midst of the battle!
“Jonathan lies slain on your high places.
I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
very pleasant have you been to me;
your love to me was extraordinary,
surpassing the love of women.
The above lines are taken from a poem, a song, that David composed immediately after he heard of the death of Saul and his son, Jonathan. David wept for them both, but particularly, Jonathan. The friendship between David and Jonathan was one of the strongest friendships talked about in the Bible. It would be hard pressed to say that any other relationship between two people on this earth, spoken about in the Scriptures, would compare to the love they had for each other. They were "knit" together in love. That bound can only happen when God is the glue that holds them together. This was not some typical human condition. This was a tight bound of friendship that was initiated by God and held together by God. Despite Saul's ugly pursuit of David, Jonathan had stood by David's side. Jonathan had warned David of his father's threats and pending attacks. (Yet, it should be noted that earlier in this song, David writes about how strong Jonathan and Saul, his father, relationship was.) Having someone on this earth that we are deeply friends with is a blessing that can only come from God. Most people hold friendships because they get something from the relationship. In today's society, you can "friend" someone and then, the next day, "unfriend" them. David and Jonathan had a relationship that was an example to us and an example of what God wants the Body of Christ to be: The Church. Notice what Paul says about believers he is writing to in Colossians:
Colossians 2:1-2
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ,
Notice that Paul states he has a love for these believers in Colossee and in Ladoicea and "for all who have not see me fact to face." Paul had a love for the brothers in Christ who were "knit" together in love. Paul is telling us that in the Body of Christ we don't have to like everyone but we are knit together in love. Paul is telling us we don't even have to know everyone, but we are knit together in love. The truth is, God has put us together and united by the blood of Christ. We are ONE body and that means we don't allow any petty back biting and internal bickering to tear that bound apart. David knew the Jonathan would stand by him to matter what. So, too, should be the household of God. Yet, we fight over such minor things. We divide over such silly methodology. Despite the issues with the kingdom and the throne and the anger of his father, Jonathan was able to maintain his relationship in love for David. That is great love.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Truth #113 - God often takes on the long way instead of the direct way - Genesis 13-16
Exodus 13:17-18
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.
The truth is, the path that God takes us on is not always the easiest or quickest, and that for our own good!! When the nation of Israel was taken out of Egypt, God could have put them on the "expressway" to the Promise Land. Yet, God knew something about this people. Even going the rough route that they did, this generation of Israelites wanted to return to Egypt. What would have had happen if all they had to do was a U-turn on the expressway. God took them the long way because they still needed to grow and there were still lessons to learn. There are many such examples of how God works, just like this, in much of Scripture. For God to get take Joseph to Egypt to become second in command, there was a much quicker way. Yet, God choose the slave traders, the accusation of a rape, and bitter, long years in a prison cell, to make Joseph what he was and needed to be in the land of Egypt. God knew something about Joseph. There would have been a quicker way to get Job to the point God wanted him. Yet, through boils, bad friends and an argument with God, conducted over a long period of time, Job finally became what God wanted. God knew something about Job. God could have put David in the throne of the king in an easier manner. But, shepherding the flocks, killing the giants, playing the harp for the king, fleeing from the king and leading a band of criminals through the mountains to escape that same king was what God used to make David what he needed to be. God knew something about David. God could have put Jeremiah in the best sit in the house to deliver his prophetic message. Yet, God thought it best to have Jeremiah tossed into a pit. He thought it best to have Daniel put into a lions den. God thought it best to have Hosea marry an adulterous women. He thought it best for Jonah to spend a few nights in the Hotel: Belly of the Fish. God knew something about His prophets. God knows something about us and knows that we often need to go one way, rather than the other to accomplish what God wanted to accomplish. Paul and Barnabas could have split into two missionary teams without a strong argument about the welfare and employment of John-Mark. Yet, God knew something about Paul and Barnabas and what was needed to make them into two entities. God does not create arguments, evil, or bad health to make us or move us where He wants us. But, He does use the evil in this world to accomplish His tasks. God knows something about us and that knowledge means He knows to take us the long way home, rather than the short way ... least we have a temptation to return to our former state. That is the truth about why our path looks long and winding, rather than short and direct.
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.
The truth is, the path that God takes us on is not always the easiest or quickest, and that for our own good!! When the nation of Israel was taken out of Egypt, God could have put them on the "expressway" to the Promise Land. Yet, God knew something about this people. Even going the rough route that they did, this generation of Israelites wanted to return to Egypt. What would have had happen if all they had to do was a U-turn on the expressway. God took them the long way because they still needed to grow and there were still lessons to learn. There are many such examples of how God works, just like this, in much of Scripture. For God to get take Joseph to Egypt to become second in command, there was a much quicker way. Yet, God choose the slave traders, the accusation of a rape, and bitter, long years in a prison cell, to make Joseph what he was and needed to be in the land of Egypt. God knew something about Joseph. There would have been a quicker way to get Job to the point God wanted him. Yet, through boils, bad friends and an argument with God, conducted over a long period of time, Job finally became what God wanted. God knew something about Job. God could have put David in the throne of the king in an easier manner. But, shepherding the flocks, killing the giants, playing the harp for the king, fleeing from the king and leading a band of criminals through the mountains to escape that same king was what God used to make David what he needed to be. God knew something about David. God could have put Jeremiah in the best sit in the house to deliver his prophetic message. Yet, God thought it best to have Jeremiah tossed into a pit. He thought it best to have Daniel put into a lions den. God thought it best to have Hosea marry an adulterous women. He thought it best for Jonah to spend a few nights in the Hotel: Belly of the Fish. God knew something about His prophets. God knows something about us and knows that we often need to go one way, rather than the other to accomplish what God wanted to accomplish. Paul and Barnabas could have split into two missionary teams without a strong argument about the welfare and employment of John-Mark. Yet, God knew something about Paul and Barnabas and what was needed to make them into two entities. God does not create arguments, evil, or bad health to make us or move us where He wants us. But, He does use the evil in this world to accomplish His tasks. God knows something about us and that knowledge means He knows to take us the long way home, rather than the short way ... least we have a temptation to return to our former state. That is the truth about why our path looks long and winding, rather than short and direct.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Truth #112 - God's grace makes us what we are, not our own efforts - 1 Corinthians 15-16
1 Corinthians 15:9-10
For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
Sometimes, in life, we don't feel adequate around others. We think less of ourselves than we ought to think. Maybe it is something from the past that causes us to feel less than worthy to be in the company of others. Maybe it is the false notions of others about us. They have a cognitive anchor in their minds about us and it was formed by false assumptions and false information. Never-the-less, they have it and it has formed an opinion of us, anchored in the cognitive recesses of the mind. No matter our present activity, we can't seem to get them to think different of us. Paul, in the above passage gives a similar quandary for himself. Paul, according to verse nine in the above passage, did not feel as though he was in the same circles as the other apostles. His statement, "I am the least of the apostles," probably carries little merit with us. We see him has the author of at least 13 of the New Testament books, if not one more (Hebrews). We see him as the main voice of Christianity in the first century. Our cognitive anchor, however, is not the same as the early church ... especially those in the region of Corinth. To them, Paul was a persecutor of the church who "may" or "may not" be serious in his faith. The early church was quite terrified of Paul since his original activity (that which would form their cognitive anchor) was the persecution of the church. Paul felt this view of himself and, as a result, he saw himself as less than the other apostles, despite the fact that he, too, had seen Christ. But (and we should thank God the word "but" is at the beginning of verse ten for each of us) Paul recognized that he was what he was "by the grace of God." Paul acknowledged that his path to Christ was less than he had hoped, but also recognized that his path to Christ was all that Christ had needed to work grace in his life. Paul was able to deal with his self-doubts, his own self-inflicted imprisonment for false crimes, his own self-injury with the fact that he was what he was because God's grace made him so!! What a blessed assurance we have in our lives when, after convicting ourselves of false-crimes or true crimes, we recognize that it was God's grace in our lives that made us what we are today. As a result of the grace, Paul goes on to say that through that grace he worked harder than any other to demonstrate the power of grace in his life. He DID NOT work harder than the other apostles to "prove them all wrong about his standing in the faith." This is something believers do all the time. Rather than living in grace they attempt to perform works in their own energy, hoping to prove to themselves and others thew worthiness of their salvation. Paul is clear in the above passage: His life was based upon God's grace AND his work was in that same grace. Note what he says to the Ephesian believers:
Ephesians 3:7-8
Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
The truth is, we are all least deserving of God's grace. That is what makes it grace. Grace is God's unmerited favor bestowed upon us. We don't merit it. We don't earn it. We don't deserve it. That is what makes it grace. Paul was able to overcome his own feelings of self-doubt and lack of confidence by remembering and believing that God is the God of grace and when He sheds His grace into our lives we are now worthy to speak for Him and about Him.
For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
Sometimes, in life, we don't feel adequate around others. We think less of ourselves than we ought to think. Maybe it is something from the past that causes us to feel less than worthy to be in the company of others. Maybe it is the false notions of others about us. They have a cognitive anchor in their minds about us and it was formed by false assumptions and false information. Never-the-less, they have it and it has formed an opinion of us, anchored in the cognitive recesses of the mind. No matter our present activity, we can't seem to get them to think different of us. Paul, in the above passage gives a similar quandary for himself. Paul, according to verse nine in the above passage, did not feel as though he was in the same circles as the other apostles. His statement, "I am the least of the apostles," probably carries little merit with us. We see him has the author of at least 13 of the New Testament books, if not one more (Hebrews). We see him as the main voice of Christianity in the first century. Our cognitive anchor, however, is not the same as the early church ... especially those in the region of Corinth. To them, Paul was a persecutor of the church who "may" or "may not" be serious in his faith. The early church was quite terrified of Paul since his original activity (that which would form their cognitive anchor) was the persecution of the church. Paul felt this view of himself and, as a result, he saw himself as less than the other apostles, despite the fact that he, too, had seen Christ. But (and we should thank God the word "but" is at the beginning of verse ten for each of us) Paul recognized that he was what he was "by the grace of God." Paul acknowledged that his path to Christ was less than he had hoped, but also recognized that his path to Christ was all that Christ had needed to work grace in his life. Paul was able to deal with his self-doubts, his own self-inflicted imprisonment for false crimes, his own self-injury with the fact that he was what he was because God's grace made him so!! What a blessed assurance we have in our lives when, after convicting ourselves of false-crimes or true crimes, we recognize that it was God's grace in our lives that made us what we are today. As a result of the grace, Paul goes on to say that through that grace he worked harder than any other to demonstrate the power of grace in his life. He DID NOT work harder than the other apostles to "prove them all wrong about his standing in the faith." This is something believers do all the time. Rather than living in grace they attempt to perform works in their own energy, hoping to prove to themselves and others thew worthiness of their salvation. Paul is clear in the above passage: His life was based upon God's grace AND his work was in that same grace. Note what he says to the Ephesian believers:
Ephesians 3:7-8
Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
The truth is, we are all least deserving of God's grace. That is what makes it grace. Grace is God's unmerited favor bestowed upon us. We don't merit it. We don't earn it. We don't deserve it. That is what makes it grace. Paul was able to overcome his own feelings of self-doubt and lack of confidence by remembering and believing that God is the God of grace and when He sheds His grace into our lives we are now worthy to speak for Him and about Him.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Truth #111 - God expects fruit from our statement of faith - Mark 11-12
Mark 11:12-15
On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.
In the above few verses we have the story of one of the most known acts of Jesus, done while He was on this earth: The cleansing of the Temple. This is the only place in the recorded Gospel writings that Jesus uses force or aggression to convey either a message or a desired change. In the Temple setting there were several sections. One section was the "Gentile" section which allowed all visitors to the temple to come. Gentiles where not allowed to go beyond this section, however, unless they had fully converted to Judaism. It was in this place that business owners would set up their tables to sell those coming to worship for Passover the needed animals for sacrifice. This was not a wrong business, since most would travel for long distances and would not be able to carry the needed sacrifice for the yearly offering. The issue was not that they were selling animals or making money exchange for the different types of currency. The issue is actually demonstrated by the story preceding the cleansing of the temple: The cursing of the fig tree. The fig tree, like the Temple, on the outside had promised fruit, through its green leaves. Where there was green leaves there should be green fruit. The tree promised one thing and delivered another. So, Jesus cursed it. The Temple promised a place of worship, yet delivered another, a place of thieves and corruption. It was not "where" they were doing business but "how" and "why" they were doing business. They had lost the entire concept of providing a sacrifice to the Lord of Lords and God of the Universe. Instead, these business owners were out to make a profit and had failed to realize that the Temple promised a place of peace, but was actually a profit center. For this Jesus cursed the Temple. This would eventually be used by the religious leaders of the day to bring charges against Jesus (in a few verses later they would ask Him by what authority He did these actions). The truth is that Jesus wants us to produce fruit and wants others to see our fruit. He DOES NOT want a false leaf with no fruit. When we say we have some faith, we need to produce fruit in that faith. If not, we are nothing more than this fig tree and nothing more than the Temple filled with money grabbing merchants. The truth is, God is looking for the fruit in our lives faith in His Son would naturally produce. When we don't see the fruit, the faith is suspect.
On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.
In the above few verses we have the story of one of the most known acts of Jesus, done while He was on this earth: The cleansing of the Temple. This is the only place in the recorded Gospel writings that Jesus uses force or aggression to convey either a message or a desired change. In the Temple setting there were several sections. One section was the "Gentile" section which allowed all visitors to the temple to come. Gentiles where not allowed to go beyond this section, however, unless they had fully converted to Judaism. It was in this place that business owners would set up their tables to sell those coming to worship for Passover the needed animals for sacrifice. This was not a wrong business, since most would travel for long distances and would not be able to carry the needed sacrifice for the yearly offering. The issue was not that they were selling animals or making money exchange for the different types of currency. The issue is actually demonstrated by the story preceding the cleansing of the temple: The cursing of the fig tree. The fig tree, like the Temple, on the outside had promised fruit, through its green leaves. Where there was green leaves there should be green fruit. The tree promised one thing and delivered another. So, Jesus cursed it. The Temple promised a place of worship, yet delivered another, a place of thieves and corruption. It was not "where" they were doing business but "how" and "why" they were doing business. They had lost the entire concept of providing a sacrifice to the Lord of Lords and God of the Universe. Instead, these business owners were out to make a profit and had failed to realize that the Temple promised a place of peace, but was actually a profit center. For this Jesus cursed the Temple. This would eventually be used by the religious leaders of the day to bring charges against Jesus (in a few verses later they would ask Him by what authority He did these actions). The truth is that Jesus wants us to produce fruit and wants others to see our fruit. He DOES NOT want a false leaf with no fruit. When we say we have some faith, we need to produce fruit in that faith. If not, we are nothing more than this fig tree and nothing more than the Temple filled with money grabbing merchants. The truth is, God is looking for the fruit in our lives faith in His Son would naturally produce. When we don't see the fruit, the faith is suspect.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Truth #110 - Only God can change the heart - Jeremiah 17-21
Jeremiah 17:9-10
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
“I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”
When we hear or read about what modern day psychologist say or write about the issues with mankind, we have to marvel at their plight. Most non-believing psychologist start with the premise that man is basically good and simply has made some mis-steps along the way that need to be "heal" or "mended" to restore their "original" evolved design. Most non-believers theorize that man has been progressing through history and, although has yet to reach his stride, is growing and maturing in knowledge. They believe man will reach the pinnacle of perfection by continuing to look at knowledge as the sole "antidote" for man's condition. It is ignorance that haunts man, in their eyes, and nothing else. However, in the above passage, God states that the issue with man is not in his intellectual thinking, but in the inner reaches of the heart. God states that man is "deceitful above all things and desperately sick" (the old KJV of the Bible would replace "sick" with "wicked"). If you are going to look at the condition of the world and try to "fix" it, you must begin with the condition of the heart and try to replace it. Man has a corrupt and evil heart. If it were not for the common grace of God, that heart would devour all around it. God holds back sin because God is a gracious God and wants to save man. God searches out the heart. He knows that man has no good deeds in his heart. The only way man can have a good deed in his heart is if God puts it there. Man tries to understand man's heart, but, as Jeremiah writes in the above verse, "who can understand it?" Just as you think you understand the depth of evilness in the heart of man, man does something else so deplorable you can't really fathom the thought of it. Later, in Jeremiah, he will write these words about man's heart:
Jeremiah 31:31-34
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
The truth is, the only thing that will change man's heart is God. God must replace the old heart, full of deceit and wickedness, with a new heart, one that seeks after God. Only God can do a heart transplant. No amount of psychology will ever change the deep condition of man. Only God through the Gospel of Christ and make a man new and change his heart.
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
“I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”
When we hear or read about what modern day psychologist say or write about the issues with mankind, we have to marvel at their plight. Most non-believing psychologist start with the premise that man is basically good and simply has made some mis-steps along the way that need to be "heal" or "mended" to restore their "original" evolved design. Most non-believers theorize that man has been progressing through history and, although has yet to reach his stride, is growing and maturing in knowledge. They believe man will reach the pinnacle of perfection by continuing to look at knowledge as the sole "antidote" for man's condition. It is ignorance that haunts man, in their eyes, and nothing else. However, in the above passage, God states that the issue with man is not in his intellectual thinking, but in the inner reaches of the heart. God states that man is "deceitful above all things and desperately sick" (the old KJV of the Bible would replace "sick" with "wicked"). If you are going to look at the condition of the world and try to "fix" it, you must begin with the condition of the heart and try to replace it. Man has a corrupt and evil heart. If it were not for the common grace of God, that heart would devour all around it. God holds back sin because God is a gracious God and wants to save man. God searches out the heart. He knows that man has no good deeds in his heart. The only way man can have a good deed in his heart is if God puts it there. Man tries to understand man's heart, but, as Jeremiah writes in the above verse, "who can understand it?" Just as you think you understand the depth of evilness in the heart of man, man does something else so deplorable you can't really fathom the thought of it. Later, in Jeremiah, he will write these words about man's heart:
Jeremiah 31:31-34
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
The truth is, the only thing that will change man's heart is God. God must replace the old heart, full of deceit and wickedness, with a new heart, one that seeks after God. Only God can do a heart transplant. No amount of psychology will ever change the deep condition of man. Only God through the Gospel of Christ and make a man new and change his heart.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Turth #109 - God gives us grace so we can give others grace - Job 31
Job 31:13-15
“If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant,
when they brought a complaint against me,
what then shall I do when God rises up?
When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him?
Did not he who made me in the womb make him?
And did not one fashion us in the womb?
Justice is a universal inward bent of the human condition. We all cry for justice and we all recognize injustice. Our recognition might be based upon different values and unique cultural norms, but we still crave justice. In the above section of Job (Job 31), the man is attempting to defend himself against the accusations of his friends. In their minds, Job is a sinner and his plight is well deserved for his sin. In Job's mind, he is innocent and has done nothing worthy of this punishment. (Remember, even in the first chapter God is boasting of the character and perfection of Job!!) In this final chapter of Job's defense, (God and a fourth friend will be the speakers throughout the rest of the book), Job speaks about justice and injustice. He is stating in the above verse that "if" he did act in an unjust manner toward a servant, that WOULD BE WRONG. Job is not in the place to deny right and wrong. Job is in the place of stating he KNOWS right and wrong and finds himself on the side of the right. Job states that to treat a servant wrong, simply because your station in life is "higher" than their station, is indeed wrong. His reason for that justice statement? Job recognizes that God has made (created) both the rich and the poor, the master and the servant. He goes on to state that before their birth, while they were in the womb, God made them. They had no designation of servant or master in the womb. They are the same before God and therefore are the same in life. Job invites an inquire by God himself, because he doesn't believe he has wronged anyone. The truth Job gives us in the place of his defense is that God does create all and that everyone has equal standing before God. Job is not teaching that sociality norms of hierarchy are wrong. Job is teaching us that our treatment of others based upon those hierarchy status symbols is wrong. In the one of the last books of the Old Testament, God sums up all the requirements of God the the prophets voice as follows:
Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Notice how Jesus summed up the entire law of the Old Testament:
Mark 12:30-31
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
How we treat others is a fundamental aspect of our walk with God. Job is defending himself and, yet, instructing us. Our treatment of others is a mark of the mercy and grace we have in our hearts. When God sheds mercy and grace in our hearts we should share mercy and grace from our hearts to others.
“If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant,
when they brought a complaint against me,
what then shall I do when God rises up?
When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him?
Did not he who made me in the womb make him?
And did not one fashion us in the womb?
Justice is a universal inward bent of the human condition. We all cry for justice and we all recognize injustice. Our recognition might be based upon different values and unique cultural norms, but we still crave justice. In the above section of Job (Job 31), the man is attempting to defend himself against the accusations of his friends. In their minds, Job is a sinner and his plight is well deserved for his sin. In Job's mind, he is innocent and has done nothing worthy of this punishment. (Remember, even in the first chapter God is boasting of the character and perfection of Job!!) In this final chapter of Job's defense, (God and a fourth friend will be the speakers throughout the rest of the book), Job speaks about justice and injustice. He is stating in the above verse that "if" he did act in an unjust manner toward a servant, that WOULD BE WRONG. Job is not in the place to deny right and wrong. Job is in the place of stating he KNOWS right and wrong and finds himself on the side of the right. Job states that to treat a servant wrong, simply because your station in life is "higher" than their station, is indeed wrong. His reason for that justice statement? Job recognizes that God has made (created) both the rich and the poor, the master and the servant. He goes on to state that before their birth, while they were in the womb, God made them. They had no designation of servant or master in the womb. They are the same before God and therefore are the same in life. Job invites an inquire by God himself, because he doesn't believe he has wronged anyone. The truth Job gives us in the place of his defense is that God does create all and that everyone has equal standing before God. Job is not teaching that sociality norms of hierarchy are wrong. Job is teaching us that our treatment of others based upon those hierarchy status symbols is wrong. In the one of the last books of the Old Testament, God sums up all the requirements of God the the prophets voice as follows:
Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Notice how Jesus summed up the entire law of the Old Testament:
Mark 12:30-31
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
How we treat others is a fundamental aspect of our walk with God. Job is defending himself and, yet, instructing us. Our treatment of others is a mark of the mercy and grace we have in our hearts. When God sheds mercy and grace in our hearts we should share mercy and grace from our hearts to others.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Truth #108 - God not only knows about the chaos, He uses it to accomplish His plan - Psalm 45-47
Psalms 46:8-10
Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
Human existence on this earth has taught us many things about creation. Although God has established order and a plan for man and for creation, sin has caused much chaos in the world. However, God masters chaos. God is not surprised by what evil has done in His creation, but rather has decreed His sovereign plan over evil. He actually incorporates evil to accomplish His plan. Psalm 46 and many more passages teach us that God can stop war and can use war to accomplish His ends. In the story of Job we have a great example of how God uses the evilness in men's hearts to accomplish His will. When Satan wanted to attack Job, God gave him permission to do so, but without touching Job. Satan then stirred up a band of evil marauders to attack Job's property. God allowed the weather to go haywire and destroy the home Job's children were occupying at the time, which would destroy the children. God removed His grace and allowed evil to do what it does in this earth to accomplish a greater end in the life of Job. God used the evilness in the hearts of Joseph's brothers to sell Joseph and, thus, get him to Egypt. Later he would be there in order to save the entire family ... who prior had hated him. In the above passage we see that in the midst of destruction and war and desolation, God can make war cease. He can break the bow and shatter the spear. God is not shocked, defeated or on vacation in regard to the devastation in this world. He is perfectly in control. The answer to conflict in the world is found in the last refrain in the above verses. The writer gives us the secret formula to surviving in a world that looks like it is completely out of control: Be still and know that I am God. God wants to be exalted "among" the nations and "in the" earth. To do that we are not to do anything!!! We are to "be still" and "know" that He is God. When believers recognize that God is God and God is in charge, we honor Him. When God is honored He is able to intervene in difficult circumstances and to make peace in the earth. We are to recognize when God puts us in situations of great chaos, we must realize that THIS is the times we are to BE STILL and KNOW THAT I AM GOD!! When Joshua fought the enemy in the valley, Moses was on the mountain praying ... he was being still while the battle raged. As long as he prayed without stretched arms the battle was Joshua's. When Elijah was on Mt. Carmel he bowed his head in front of all the priest of Baal and was "still." He recognized God and the battle between Baal worshippers and God's worshippers was over. When we are in the midst of chaos we tend to want to be as chaotic as the situation. Yet, God's simply solution to this issue is not to become chaotic and scream and yell and stomp and run and fling our arms in despair. God's solution is to be still and recognize God is God. Our knowing God in the midst of the storm is the solution to being safe in the storm. Peter was walking on water when he focused on Christ. But, when he saw the chaos around him he took his eyes off "knowing" Christ and began to "know" the storm. He began to gather knowledge about the storm (high, wet, violent waves) instead of gathering knowledge about Christ (powerful, sovereign, all-knowing Creator of high, wet and violent waves). The truth is, the secret to overcoming chaos is to get to know the One who uses chaos to accomplish His will and plan for us.
Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
Human existence on this earth has taught us many things about creation. Although God has established order and a plan for man and for creation, sin has caused much chaos in the world. However, God masters chaos. God is not surprised by what evil has done in His creation, but rather has decreed His sovereign plan over evil. He actually incorporates evil to accomplish His plan. Psalm 46 and many more passages teach us that God can stop war and can use war to accomplish His ends. In the story of Job we have a great example of how God uses the evilness in men's hearts to accomplish His will. When Satan wanted to attack Job, God gave him permission to do so, but without touching Job. Satan then stirred up a band of evil marauders to attack Job's property. God allowed the weather to go haywire and destroy the home Job's children were occupying at the time, which would destroy the children. God removed His grace and allowed evil to do what it does in this earth to accomplish a greater end in the life of Job. God used the evilness in the hearts of Joseph's brothers to sell Joseph and, thus, get him to Egypt. Later he would be there in order to save the entire family ... who prior had hated him. In the above passage we see that in the midst of destruction and war and desolation, God can make war cease. He can break the bow and shatter the spear. God is not shocked, defeated or on vacation in regard to the devastation in this world. He is perfectly in control. The answer to conflict in the world is found in the last refrain in the above verses. The writer gives us the secret formula to surviving in a world that looks like it is completely out of control: Be still and know that I am God. God wants to be exalted "among" the nations and "in the" earth. To do that we are not to do anything!!! We are to "be still" and "know" that He is God. When believers recognize that God is God and God is in charge, we honor Him. When God is honored He is able to intervene in difficult circumstances and to make peace in the earth. We are to recognize when God puts us in situations of great chaos, we must realize that THIS is the times we are to BE STILL and KNOW THAT I AM GOD!! When Joshua fought the enemy in the valley, Moses was on the mountain praying ... he was being still while the battle raged. As long as he prayed without stretched arms the battle was Joshua's. When Elijah was on Mt. Carmel he bowed his head in front of all the priest of Baal and was "still." He recognized God and the battle between Baal worshippers and God's worshippers was over. When we are in the midst of chaos we tend to want to be as chaotic as the situation. Yet, God's simply solution to this issue is not to become chaotic and scream and yell and stomp and run and fling our arms in despair. God's solution is to be still and recognize God is God. Our knowing God in the midst of the storm is the solution to being safe in the storm. Peter was walking on water when he focused on Christ. But, when he saw the chaos around him he took his eyes off "knowing" Christ and began to "know" the storm. He began to gather knowledge about the storm (high, wet, violent waves) instead of gathering knowledge about Christ (powerful, sovereign, all-knowing Creator of high, wet and violent waves). The truth is, the secret to overcoming chaos is to get to know the One who uses chaos to accomplish His will and plan for us.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Truth #107 - People will turn against you and that is when we know God is not against us - 1 Samuel 26-31
1 Samuel 30:6
And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
Leadership is a grave and lonely responsibility. When things go right, people want to crown you king. When things go wrong, they want to stone you. The above verse is taken from the story of David, when he was on the run from King Saul. To escape his own king, David ran to the land of his enemy, faked being insane, humiliated himself and lived a false identity to stay safe. In the meantime he attracted other men and women like himself ... those on the run and those who were in debt and those who were wanted by the king for some infraction or another. Notice the verse below as it describes these people who came to follow David and now, in the above passage, want to stone him:
1 Samuel 22:2
And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.
David had his hands full as he had some who were loyal enough to crawl through the enemy camp to get him a drink of water from his favorite well, and there were others who were ready to stone him at the first sign of distress. In leadership you don't always get to decide who follows you. In fact, often you "inherit" followers from previous leadership. Often you attack followers who are not committed to the mission or work behind the mission because they are there for the benefits, not the work. David, in the above passage, will eventually appease these rebellious folks. They were upset because David had taken them on a mission to fight with the enemy, only to be rejected by the enemy and, upon their return, they discovered that their homes were destroyed, their belongings and families were taken captive. They were holding David responsible ... that is what you do to leadership ... you blame them for things beyond their control. David would gather them together and they would chase down the enemy, recover their "stuff" and family. But, this is a dark time for David. These followers were the only thing he had. Now they wanted to stone him. What could he do? The verse states that David, "... strengthened himself in the Lord his God." David found strength in the Lord. When we are weak and we have lost everything, that is what we are to do ... find our strength in God. Note what Paul tells the church in the book of Colossians:
Colossians 1:29
For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
Paul also prays for their endurance and steadfastness, that it might be in God's power:
Colossians 1:11
May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,
The truth of the matter is that in life we are going to have times when everyone is against us, or it seems they are. That is when we must find strength in the fact that God is not against us, but for us and the ONE who strengthens us. He gives us power for all endurance and patience with joy under the pressures of life.
And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
Leadership is a grave and lonely responsibility. When things go right, people want to crown you king. When things go wrong, they want to stone you. The above verse is taken from the story of David, when he was on the run from King Saul. To escape his own king, David ran to the land of his enemy, faked being insane, humiliated himself and lived a false identity to stay safe. In the meantime he attracted other men and women like himself ... those on the run and those who were in debt and those who were wanted by the king for some infraction or another. Notice the verse below as it describes these people who came to follow David and now, in the above passage, want to stone him:
1 Samuel 22:2
And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.
David had his hands full as he had some who were loyal enough to crawl through the enemy camp to get him a drink of water from his favorite well, and there were others who were ready to stone him at the first sign of distress. In leadership you don't always get to decide who follows you. In fact, often you "inherit" followers from previous leadership. Often you attack followers who are not committed to the mission or work behind the mission because they are there for the benefits, not the work. David, in the above passage, will eventually appease these rebellious folks. They were upset because David had taken them on a mission to fight with the enemy, only to be rejected by the enemy and, upon their return, they discovered that their homes were destroyed, their belongings and families were taken captive. They were holding David responsible ... that is what you do to leadership ... you blame them for things beyond their control. David would gather them together and they would chase down the enemy, recover their "stuff" and family. But, this is a dark time for David. These followers were the only thing he had. Now they wanted to stone him. What could he do? The verse states that David, "... strengthened himself in the Lord his God." David found strength in the Lord. When we are weak and we have lost everything, that is what we are to do ... find our strength in God. Note what Paul tells the church in the book of Colossians:
Colossians 1:29
For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
Paul also prays for their endurance and steadfastness, that it might be in God's power:
Colossians 1:11
May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,
The truth of the matter is that in life we are going to have times when everyone is against us, or it seems they are. That is when we must find strength in the fact that God is not against us, but for us and the ONE who strengthens us. He gives us power for all endurance and patience with joy under the pressures of life.
Monday, April 13, 2015
Truth #106 - God often hardens the hearts of others so that He can soften ours - Exodus 9-12
Exodus 11:9-10
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land.
We don't always understand why the people we pray for in regard to salvation are not saved immediately. We do not grasp the plan of God when we want a conflict resolved with someone and God seems to be sitting on His hands. The above couple of verses give us a glimpse into God's sovereign workings and how He responds to these requests and wishes. God is on a mission to show mankind who He is and what His power can do. God does perform miracles, but for the purpose of showing His glory and not for the purpose of showing our prayer power. God wants His miracles and power to draw us to worship Him. He has, does and will harden the hearts of someone so as to show His sovereign will and sovereign power. Note what Paul says about this passage in the book of Romans:
Romans 9:17-24
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.
You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?
God, even in salvation, is exposing His glory to us. God is God and can do what He wants. God made Pharaoh and He made us. We are His clay. Like any creator, He can do with the pottery what He wants. Just as we are sovereign over what we create, God is sovereign over what He creates. We need to rejoice in this mystery and not recoil from it. We are often fearful of what God does in this arena of theology and find ourselves hiding from its truth. But, the truth is, God has harden Pharaoh's heart for the sole purpose of revealing Himself to Pharaoh and the Egyptians. So too, today, God may not answer our prayers in regard to others because He wants us to see His power, His wonder and His awe. God is going a work and we might have to go through all ten plagues before that work comes to fruition. We are to simply accept by faith that God is doing a great work and we can rejoice in the work and in the character of God, as we wait and watch.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land.
We don't always understand why the people we pray for in regard to salvation are not saved immediately. We do not grasp the plan of God when we want a conflict resolved with someone and God seems to be sitting on His hands. The above couple of verses give us a glimpse into God's sovereign workings and how He responds to these requests and wishes. God is on a mission to show mankind who He is and what His power can do. God does perform miracles, but for the purpose of showing His glory and not for the purpose of showing our prayer power. God wants His miracles and power to draw us to worship Him. He has, does and will harden the hearts of someone so as to show His sovereign will and sovereign power. Note what Paul says about this passage in the book of Romans:
Romans 9:17-24
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.
You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?
God, even in salvation, is exposing His glory to us. God is God and can do what He wants. God made Pharaoh and He made us. We are His clay. Like any creator, He can do with the pottery what He wants. Just as we are sovereign over what we create, God is sovereign over what He creates. We need to rejoice in this mystery and not recoil from it. We are often fearful of what God does in this arena of theology and find ourselves hiding from its truth. But, the truth is, God has harden Pharaoh's heart for the sole purpose of revealing Himself to Pharaoh and the Egyptians. So too, today, God may not answer our prayers in regard to others because He wants us to see His power, His wonder and His awe. God is going a work and we might have to go through all ten plagues before that work comes to fruition. We are to simply accept by faith that God is doing a great work and we can rejoice in the work and in the character of God, as we wait and watch.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Truth #105 - It is not the size of the gift that matters, but the kind of the love in the heart using the gift - 1 Corinthians 12-14
1 Corinthians 12:31 - 13:1
But earnestly desire the higher gifts.
And I will show you a still more excellent way.
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
The acts of worship in today's local church vary from region to region and denomination to denomination. Paul, in this letter, is both correcting and instructing the church at Corinth. Because of their pagan background, the church had begun to incorporate parts of their pagan worship into their current worship (something that is true of the church, today). Paul is giving them instruction and guidance as to what they should be doing in a corporate worship setting. The above couple of verses connect a chapter on correction (Chapter 12), with the chapter on the guiding principal behind corporate worship (chapter 13). Paul knows that the church had started to promote one gift over the other. Those with the gift of tongues had thought they had a "special" gift and were boasting about their giftedness. In chapter 12 Paul nullifies that thought process and begins to instruct them as to proper understanding of the gift they have been given by God. However, to make sure that "use" the gift properly, He introduces the overriding gift principle: LOVE. Paul is less concerned about the gift you have than he is of how you use it. Operating with the highest of gifts in a way that does not demonstrate love, is wrong ... that is Paul's message. Tongues, prophesy, or interpretations, all have their place in the church, but the over-arching guideline is that they are using their gift, giving by the Spirit, in a spirit of Love. We might preach well from the pulpit but if we are holding anger in our hearts for another member of the leadership team, that is the wrong use of the gift of preaching. We might be the most articulate of all speakers, yet, to hold envy and bitterness in our hearts is to nullify the blessings of the gift. If we have the gifts of helps but we do so out of guilt and wanting affirmation we nullify the gift's work and will find ourselves lacking true spiritual fruit. The truth is God is concerned about the heart of our worship and the heart of why we are using the gift and how we use the gifts He gives us, more than what gift He gives us. In our corporate worship we need to use the gifts we have in the Love He provides to allow the gifts to reach their full spiritual blessings.
But earnestly desire the higher gifts.
And I will show you a still more excellent way.
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
The acts of worship in today's local church vary from region to region and denomination to denomination. Paul, in this letter, is both correcting and instructing the church at Corinth. Because of their pagan background, the church had begun to incorporate parts of their pagan worship into their current worship (something that is true of the church, today). Paul is giving them instruction and guidance as to what they should be doing in a corporate worship setting. The above couple of verses connect a chapter on correction (Chapter 12), with the chapter on the guiding principal behind corporate worship (chapter 13). Paul knows that the church had started to promote one gift over the other. Those with the gift of tongues had thought they had a "special" gift and were boasting about their giftedness. In chapter 12 Paul nullifies that thought process and begins to instruct them as to proper understanding of the gift they have been given by God. However, to make sure that "use" the gift properly, He introduces the overriding gift principle: LOVE. Paul is less concerned about the gift you have than he is of how you use it. Operating with the highest of gifts in a way that does not demonstrate love, is wrong ... that is Paul's message. Tongues, prophesy, or interpretations, all have their place in the church, but the over-arching guideline is that they are using their gift, giving by the Spirit, in a spirit of Love. We might preach well from the pulpit but if we are holding anger in our hearts for another member of the leadership team, that is the wrong use of the gift of preaching. We might be the most articulate of all speakers, yet, to hold envy and bitterness in our hearts is to nullify the blessings of the gift. If we have the gifts of helps but we do so out of guilt and wanting affirmation we nullify the gift's work and will find ourselves lacking true spiritual fruit. The truth is God is concerned about the heart of our worship and the heart of why we are using the gift and how we use the gifts He gives us, more than what gift He gives us. In our corporate worship we need to use the gifts we have in the Love He provides to allow the gifts to reach their full spiritual blessings.
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Truth #104 - Jesus' ressurection is totally out of the minds of man - Mark 9-10
Mark 10:32-34
Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time
And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”
Although this post will show up on the blog one week after Easter, I am reading it on Easter Saturday. Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem and would soon have His triumphant entry on a donkey. That would, of course, be followed by the scene in the garden and then the temple court and then the king's court and then the hill of Golgotha. Imagine how these disciples must have felt about Jesus' many statements about his future death and "resurrection." The above passage was the third time in the Gospel of Mark that Jesus had predicted his death and resurrection (see Mark 9:9, 30-32). They had to be getting excited about the momentum that was building around Jesus' reputation. They had, on two occasions, even begun to discuss future positions in the Kingdom. They were looking forward to reigning and, yet, Jesus was continuing to talk about suffering and defeat. The disciples could not, or would not, accept or understand this concept of death, burial and resurrection. Would we? Imagine having never, ever thought of the concept of someone dying and then coming back to life, having someone you hoped would lead a revolution, discuss it openly! The Christina message is so unusual and different than any other faith based belief system. No other system even claims of a risen Savior who gave His life for HIs followers. All of them want the followers to give their life for the "god" or "king" or "prophet." But, only in Christianity does the paradigm get turned upside down and the King gives His life for the followers. And, to top it off, defeats death and rises from the dead to become King for eternity. Only in Christianity is this truth taught. Other faiths are man-made and they can't imagine the concept of a resurrection, as even a possibility. Not only did Jesus die and raise from the dead, He predicted it. Even today, if someone came and talked in such a way we would discount him/her immediately. Yet, Jesus came to fulfill all the prophets words about their Savior and those words did include suffering (Isaiah 53). The truth is that Jesus came to die, rise from the dead and provide salvation to use all by defeating death and giving us life, forevermore. That was the point of the resurrection.
Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time
And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”
Although this post will show up on the blog one week after Easter, I am reading it on Easter Saturday. Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem and would soon have His triumphant entry on a donkey. That would, of course, be followed by the scene in the garden and then the temple court and then the king's court and then the hill of Golgotha. Imagine how these disciples must have felt about Jesus' many statements about his future death and "resurrection." The above passage was the third time in the Gospel of Mark that Jesus had predicted his death and resurrection (see Mark 9:9, 30-32). They had to be getting excited about the momentum that was building around Jesus' reputation. They had, on two occasions, even begun to discuss future positions in the Kingdom. They were looking forward to reigning and, yet, Jesus was continuing to talk about suffering and defeat. The disciples could not, or would not, accept or understand this concept of death, burial and resurrection. Would we? Imagine having never, ever thought of the concept of someone dying and then coming back to life, having someone you hoped would lead a revolution, discuss it openly! The Christina message is so unusual and different than any other faith based belief system. No other system even claims of a risen Savior who gave His life for HIs followers. All of them want the followers to give their life for the "god" or "king" or "prophet." But, only in Christianity does the paradigm get turned upside down and the King gives His life for the followers. And, to top it off, defeats death and rises from the dead to become King for eternity. Only in Christianity is this truth taught. Other faiths are man-made and they can't imagine the concept of a resurrection, as even a possibility. Not only did Jesus die and raise from the dead, He predicted it. Even today, if someone came and talked in such a way we would discount him/her immediately. Yet, Jesus came to fulfill all the prophets words about their Savior and those words did include suffering (Isaiah 53). The truth is that Jesus came to die, rise from the dead and provide salvation to use all by defeating death and giving us life, forevermore. That was the point of the resurrection.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Truth #103 - God puts us in the best possible position He can for us to see Him correctly - Jeremiah 12-16
Jeremiah 16:21
“Therefore, behold, I will make them know, this once I will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that my name is the Lord.”
In chapters 12-16, Jeremiah has several discussions with God about his personal struggles (why do the wicked thrive); his personal ministry (no wife or children and brothers and sisters and family who turn against him); other prophets (they were delivering false messages); and, God punishment of his fellow countrymen (see the above verse). The prophets had tremendous conversations with God and God accommodated their fears and their bursts of outrage with methodical theological explanations and sound doctrine. Jeremiah started out this section with an argument that God was allowing the wicked to flourish, but was punishing the nation of Israel, God's chosen people. God's response was to tell Jeremiah He would, indeed, take care of the wicked, but the thrust of this message was Jeremiah's fellow citizens. They were the ones who were had rejected God, not the other way around. Note the message in chapter 13. Jeremiah was asked to take a personal piece of clothing (a loin clothe, typically worn as an undergarment ... close to the flesh), soak it in water and then put it in a cave for a few days. No doubt the cloth would become ruined. Hence the following verse:
Jeremiah 13:11
Then the word of the Lord came to me: “Thus says the Lord: Even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing. For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the Lord, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.
God had attempted time and time to show HIs power and His glory to His people through great acts of kindness and mercy. He had delivered them and provided for them. Yet, they still turned their backs on God. In conclusion, therefore, God tells the prophet that He was now going to punish them by using a wicked nation to bring peril and captivity to them. Why? See the above passage. God wants them, once and for all, to see the power and the glory of His name. If they would not believe Him and worship Him as a result of His goodness, God would use His sovereign power and might to discipline them. That WOULD get their attention and cause the to fall down and worship Him ... see Daniel, Nehemiah and other post captivity books for the result of God's chastisement in their lives. The essence of the message of this section is that God uses many different forms to get our attention to cause us to worship Him. God wants us to worship Him and when we see His power and might, that is what we do. Yet, we can fall away from that view of God. We can get caught up in our lives and our living among the nations of the world who reject the God of power and might. We start living like those nations and acting like they act. Yet, God intervenes. He steps into our lives to show us His power. Often, however, He has to put us into a place to get a better view of His power. We can often see God's power and might much clearer when we are on our backs or our knees, than when we are standing tall and erect. God must intervene in our lives and position our spiritual bodies and eyes to see Him the way He wants us to see Him.
“Therefore, behold, I will make them know, this once I will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that my name is the Lord.”
In chapters 12-16, Jeremiah has several discussions with God about his personal struggles (why do the wicked thrive); his personal ministry (no wife or children and brothers and sisters and family who turn against him); other prophets (they were delivering false messages); and, God punishment of his fellow countrymen (see the above verse). The prophets had tremendous conversations with God and God accommodated their fears and their bursts of outrage with methodical theological explanations and sound doctrine. Jeremiah started out this section with an argument that God was allowing the wicked to flourish, but was punishing the nation of Israel, God's chosen people. God's response was to tell Jeremiah He would, indeed, take care of the wicked, but the thrust of this message was Jeremiah's fellow citizens. They were the ones who were had rejected God, not the other way around. Note the message in chapter 13. Jeremiah was asked to take a personal piece of clothing (a loin clothe, typically worn as an undergarment ... close to the flesh), soak it in water and then put it in a cave for a few days. No doubt the cloth would become ruined. Hence the following verse:
Jeremiah 13:11
Then the word of the Lord came to me: “Thus says the Lord: Even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing. For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the Lord, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.
God had attempted time and time to show HIs power and His glory to His people through great acts of kindness and mercy. He had delivered them and provided for them. Yet, they still turned their backs on God. In conclusion, therefore, God tells the prophet that He was now going to punish them by using a wicked nation to bring peril and captivity to them. Why? See the above passage. God wants them, once and for all, to see the power and the glory of His name. If they would not believe Him and worship Him as a result of His goodness, God would use His sovereign power and might to discipline them. That WOULD get their attention and cause the to fall down and worship Him ... see Daniel, Nehemiah and other post captivity books for the result of God's chastisement in their lives. The essence of the message of this section is that God uses many different forms to get our attention to cause us to worship Him. God wants us to worship Him and when we see His power and might, that is what we do. Yet, we can fall away from that view of God. We can get caught up in our lives and our living among the nations of the world who reject the God of power and might. We start living like those nations and acting like they act. Yet, God intervenes. He steps into our lives to show us His power. Often, however, He has to put us into a place to get a better view of His power. We can often see God's power and might much clearer when we are on our backs or our knees, than when we are standing tall and erect. God must intervene in our lives and position our spiritual bodies and eyes to see Him the way He wants us to see Him.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Truth #102 - God has a different idea - Job 29-30
Job 29:18-20
Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my nest,
and I shall multiply my days as the sand,
my roots spread out to the waters,
with the dew all night on my branches,
my glory fresh with me,
and my bow ever new in my hand.’
Awe, the bliss of retirement! The only better, in the minds of some, than actual retirement, is the planning of retirement. We love to think about, plan for and rejoice over, retirement. In the above verse, Job gives us a glimpse of his retirement planning. He thought, in the R-World, he would die in "my nest." We don't know where or what Job's "nest" looked like. (it was probably a cottage on some lake with a patton boat). Where ever it was, Job's thought was that in the last days of his life He would have a place to rest in his nest. But, God had a different idea. He also thought he would live for a long time ... "multiply my days as the sand" ... was his thought. Yet, he didn't know his life would actual hang in the balance. But, God had a different idea. Job thought, "... my roots spread out to the waters ...". Job thought that his "roots", his children and heirs, would prosper all the way to the deep waters. He thought his many children would produce many more children. But, God had different ides. Job thought that in his "night" (the last days of life) the "dew" (the blessings from God ... like dew, it just comes as a result of no work from us) would land upon his "branches" (branches are not the root, but the fruit of his labor). Job had hoped that, in the end, the work he produced would continue to produce. Can you see Job imagining his stock portfolio? Job thought that the fruit of his life, in the end of his age, would continue to be blessed in a way that would benefit him. But, God had different ideas. Job also thought his health and stamina would not diminish. Note that he states, "... my glory fresh with me and my bow ever new in my hand." Job thought his strength and freshness would never cease. But, God had a different idea. The truth is, God has a different idea than we do for everything. God's Word does not teach the concept of "retirement." Caleb, when he entered the promise land, well above 80 years of age, didn't stop to put his feet up, only to gaze at that past. Caleb wanted a mountain, occupied by giants, that he was willing to share with his daughters and future son-in-laws. They only had to to want it and be willing to conquer it "with" Caleb, not for Caleb. Note his words in the historical accounts:
Joshua 14:11-12
I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.”
God does not have a retirement plan for us that includes most of what people plan for today. God's plan for us, no matter the time of our life, is the glorification of Him. Job's plans had taken the place of God in his life. He failed to remember that God is the one who we live for and not for ourselves. We might do something different at an older age and we might be able to do it with the same vigor, but we have the same goal in old age as we do in the younger days ... glorify God. For Job that meant suffering ... for now. Yet, God would change that, later, too ... God has a different idea.
Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my nest,
and I shall multiply my days as the sand,
my roots spread out to the waters,
with the dew all night on my branches,
my glory fresh with me,
and my bow ever new in my hand.’
Awe, the bliss of retirement! The only better, in the minds of some, than actual retirement, is the planning of retirement. We love to think about, plan for and rejoice over, retirement. In the above verse, Job gives us a glimpse of his retirement planning. He thought, in the R-World, he would die in "my nest." We don't know where or what Job's "nest" looked like. (it was probably a cottage on some lake with a patton boat). Where ever it was, Job's thought was that in the last days of his life He would have a place to rest in his nest. But, God had a different idea. He also thought he would live for a long time ... "multiply my days as the sand" ... was his thought. Yet, he didn't know his life would actual hang in the balance. But, God had a different idea. Job thought, "... my roots spread out to the waters ...". Job thought that his "roots", his children and heirs, would prosper all the way to the deep waters. He thought his many children would produce many more children. But, God had different ides. Job thought that in his "night" (the last days of life) the "dew" (the blessings from God ... like dew, it just comes as a result of no work from us) would land upon his "branches" (branches are not the root, but the fruit of his labor). Job had hoped that, in the end, the work he produced would continue to produce. Can you see Job imagining his stock portfolio? Job thought that the fruit of his life, in the end of his age, would continue to be blessed in a way that would benefit him. But, God had different ideas. Job also thought his health and stamina would not diminish. Note that he states, "... my glory fresh with me and my bow ever new in my hand." Job thought his strength and freshness would never cease. But, God had a different idea. The truth is, God has a different idea than we do for everything. God's Word does not teach the concept of "retirement." Caleb, when he entered the promise land, well above 80 years of age, didn't stop to put his feet up, only to gaze at that past. Caleb wanted a mountain, occupied by giants, that he was willing to share with his daughters and future son-in-laws. They only had to to want it and be willing to conquer it "with" Caleb, not for Caleb. Note his words in the historical accounts:
Joshua 14:11-12
I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.”
God does not have a retirement plan for us that includes most of what people plan for today. God's plan for us, no matter the time of our life, is the glorification of Him. Job's plans had taken the place of God in his life. He failed to remember that God is the one who we live for and not for ourselves. We might do something different at an older age and we might be able to do it with the same vigor, but we have the same goal in old age as we do in the younger days ... glorify God. For Job that meant suffering ... for now. Yet, God would change that, later, too ... God has a different idea.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Truth #101 - God is the one who gets praise and the subject of our boasting - Psalm 42-44
Psalms 44:4-8
You are my King, O God;
ordain salvation for Jacob!
Through you we push down our foes;
through your name we tread down those who rise up against us.
For not in my bow do I trust,
nor can my sword save me.
But you have saved us from our foes
and have put to shame those who hate us.
In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah
It is so easy to believe that the great things we have in our lives are ours because we are so talented. Our society tries to conform us to the image it has for success. Doing good in school, going to college, getting a good paying job, buying two nice cars for your two-stall, new home and being the president of your local community club, have all been determined to the measures of success. Christ had none of those. There is certainly nothing wrong with those "things" - today I write this devotional in our new condo. It is easy to say, "By my wealth this was purchased." Or, "My skills as a communicator produced the wealth." Yet, David, in the above Psalm tells us to not consider our own efforts as producing something good in our lives. God has produced within us, by His outstretched arm, all that David had good. "Through your name," David states his safety and prosperity was afforded him, he says to God. Even when he was in the midst of the army to walk out against Goliath, David was careful to give God the praise for any victory he had. David was a great archer, but did not want to trust in his bow. David was a great musician but did not want to trust in his harp. David was a great king but did not want to trust in his efforts, skill, or thoughts. Rather, David states, "In God we have boasted continually." God gave us our condo our of the graciousness of His character. We are stewards of this home until God moves us somewhere else. God gives us our skills to do what we do in life and in Him we out to boast, continually. The truth is that without God we can do nothing. He is the one who saves us and the one whom we need to "give thanks to your name forever. Selah"
You are my King, O God;
ordain salvation for Jacob!
Through you we push down our foes;
through your name we tread down those who rise up against us.
For not in my bow do I trust,
nor can my sword save me.
But you have saved us from our foes
and have put to shame those who hate us.
In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah
It is so easy to believe that the great things we have in our lives are ours because we are so talented. Our society tries to conform us to the image it has for success. Doing good in school, going to college, getting a good paying job, buying two nice cars for your two-stall, new home and being the president of your local community club, have all been determined to the measures of success. Christ had none of those. There is certainly nothing wrong with those "things" - today I write this devotional in our new condo. It is easy to say, "By my wealth this was purchased." Or, "My skills as a communicator produced the wealth." Yet, David, in the above Psalm tells us to not consider our own efforts as producing something good in our lives. God has produced within us, by His outstretched arm, all that David had good. "Through your name," David states his safety and prosperity was afforded him, he says to God. Even when he was in the midst of the army to walk out against Goliath, David was careful to give God the praise for any victory he had. David was a great archer, but did not want to trust in his bow. David was a great musician but did not want to trust in his harp. David was a great king but did not want to trust in his efforts, skill, or thoughts. Rather, David states, "In God we have boasted continually." God gave us our condo our of the graciousness of His character. We are stewards of this home until God moves us somewhere else. God gives us our skills to do what we do in life and in Him we out to boast, continually. The truth is that without God we can do nothing. He is the one who saves us and the one whom we need to "give thanks to your name forever. Selah"
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Truth #100 - God IS sovereign in the good and the bad - 1 Samuel 21-25
1 Samuel 21:7
Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen.
In the midst of the story of David on the run from Saul, we come to this section where he runs to the priest to ask for help. The priest, Ahimelech, is not aware of David's torn relationship with King Saul and gives food to David's men and a sword for David's defense. During this exchange of assistance the above verse tells us about the evil man, Doeg, who was, for some unknown reason, detained at the temple. He was Edomite so it is hard to understand why he was detained, but his being there would eventually cost Ahimelech, the priest, his family and many of the people in the surrounding area, their lives. Doeg would inform King Saul of Ahimelech's aiding and abetting of the King's enemy. We don't know why Doeg was there, but God had him there. God knew Doeg would be there. God knew what evil was in Doeg's heart and what his information could do to the priest, his family and his friends. Yet, in the sovereign power of God, God did not intervene. God allowed the evilness in Doeg's heart to do what it does. In contrast, later in David's journey, another sovereign act of occurs. This time, mercy and grace are intervening in what was headed to be certain doom for a man name Nabel. David's men had protected Nabel's shepherds and wanted some compensation for their efforts. Nabel, in foolishness (his name means, "fool") spurned David. David, in a haste decision set out to destroy Nabel and all he owned. However, in God's sovereignty He made sure that Nabel's wife, Abigail was informed. Abigail is a women of grace and mercy and after she come to David to plead for mercy in regard to the stupidity of her husband, the following acts take place:
1 Samuel 25:32-34
And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand! For as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.”
In two distinct stories we see two "side" stories with two people who are not the main characters of the story ... but become so. God allows the evilness of one to cause harm and He allows the mercy and grace in another to save lives. We can't understand how God's sovereign rule works, but we should recognize that it does. The truth is God has people in the places He does to make sure His will is done. The young nephew of Paul warned him about a plot to kill him by overhearing adults talk in the ear-shot of a child. God is in complete control no matter if it is Doeg or Abigail.
Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen.
In the midst of the story of David on the run from Saul, we come to this section where he runs to the priest to ask for help. The priest, Ahimelech, is not aware of David's torn relationship with King Saul and gives food to David's men and a sword for David's defense. During this exchange of assistance the above verse tells us about the evil man, Doeg, who was, for some unknown reason, detained at the temple. He was Edomite so it is hard to understand why he was detained, but his being there would eventually cost Ahimelech, the priest, his family and many of the people in the surrounding area, their lives. Doeg would inform King Saul of Ahimelech's aiding and abetting of the King's enemy. We don't know why Doeg was there, but God had him there. God knew Doeg would be there. God knew what evil was in Doeg's heart and what his information could do to the priest, his family and his friends. Yet, in the sovereign power of God, God did not intervene. God allowed the evilness in Doeg's heart to do what it does. In contrast, later in David's journey, another sovereign act of occurs. This time, mercy and grace are intervening in what was headed to be certain doom for a man name Nabel. David's men had protected Nabel's shepherds and wanted some compensation for their efforts. Nabel, in foolishness (his name means, "fool") spurned David. David, in a haste decision set out to destroy Nabel and all he owned. However, in God's sovereignty He made sure that Nabel's wife, Abigail was informed. Abigail is a women of grace and mercy and after she come to David to plead for mercy in regard to the stupidity of her husband, the following acts take place:
1 Samuel 25:32-34
And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand! For as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.”
In two distinct stories we see two "side" stories with two people who are not the main characters of the story ... but become so. God allows the evilness of one to cause harm and He allows the mercy and grace in another to save lives. We can't understand how God's sovereign rule works, but we should recognize that it does. The truth is God has people in the places He does to make sure His will is done. The young nephew of Paul warned him about a plot to kill him by overhearing adults talk in the ear-shot of a child. God is in complete control no matter if it is Doeg or Abigail.
Monday, April 6, 2015
Truth #99 - God is in the business of saving us after He demonstrates His power - Exodus 5-8
Exodus 5:22 - 23
Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”
6:1
But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”
The above passage is taken from the early scene of Moses, Pharaoh and the people of Israel, as Moses goes to Pharaoh to demand that he let the people go. In the first attempt to ask Pharaoh to release the people, Pharaoh instead reacts like any other employer. He tells them that since they are looking for 3-days off from the work to "worship" someone, or something, they must have too much time on their hands. Instead of a 3-day work release pass they make them gather their own straw for the making of bricks and double the quota for the day. That, of course, infuriates labor, who goes to management to file a grievance. Moses, in turn, goes to God to acknowledge the obvious: "Why have YOU done evil to this people?" Moses immediately believes that the previous promise of deliverance by God has fallen through and now we need to reassess the plan. Yet, God is sovereign and He DOES know what He is doing. God promised deliverance and that will happen, but not first a demonstration of God's awesome power and His outstretched hand. Moses and the people wanted it quick, God wanted it grand. God was going to deliver them but He was also going to give them some shock and awe. We sometimes want God to deliver us from some peril we find ourselves in and God, instead, draws out and on the situation to provide more of a glimpse of Him and to demonstrate more of His power. God could have delivered the three Hebrews in Daniel, BEFORE the fiery furnace, but He waited until they were in it to provide salvation. God could have stop the king from tossing Daniel into the lion's den but He provided salvation from within the pit rather than from the pit. God could have prevented Peter from going to prison, but instead He caused an earthquake and broke open the jail doors for a prison break, instead. Peter spent the evening in jail sining songs as God waited to demonstrate His power. Peter would lead the jailer and his family to Christ as a result. God could have saved Jonah before the belly of the fish but after tossing him into the sea the sailors on the boat became believers when the sea became calm as it engulfed Jonah. The truth is, God is in the business of demonstrating His power. He makes sure we know ONLY He could deliver us from whatever mess we find ourselves. If it gets really dark, just remember that is when God shines the most.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Truth #98 - God uses conflict in our lives to verify the genuineness of our faith - 1 Corinthians 11
1 Corinthians 11:18-19
For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.
When Paul calls the people at Corinth a "church" he means they have been brought together by the Spirit and placed into the Body of Christ, hence being united as ONE. In John 17 Jesus prays specifically for our "oneness" in Him and that we would be together and united. This is why division and schism in the body of Christ is such a tragic and deplorable sin. Jesus died that we would be ONE with Him. This is what makes the above passage such an amazing couple of verses to dwell upon and to allow to adjust our view of strife in the church. In the above passage, Paul acknowledges (either he heard this or had some personal information about it) that there was, indeed, division in the church. The fact that there was division in the church is not the issue. (Most of us, after observing a church body for a relative short amount of time, would acknowledge and affirm that there are divisions within Christ's body.) The more thoughtful aspect of these two verses is that Paul, either through sarcasm, humor, or bold truth, states that the division MUS BE in order for God to acknowledge who is "genuine" and who is not. This thought should conjure up several questions in our mind. Is Paul saying that God caused conflict in the body so that we can see who is genuine in the faith? He does say that fractions "must" be among them. Is Paul teaching that conflict in the body is natural and in turn it reveals that those who are faith will respond one way and those who are not of faith will respond another way? Is Paul saying that since the Corinthian believers had some division about them (see 1 Corinthians 1:10-13) it would necessarily flow that they would also have "factions" (one person following one and one person following the other) among them? But, fit hat were the case, why is the statement "in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized" used in the passage. There are a number of great thoughts on each of these and perhaps even more interpretations of the passage. What is plan is that Paul is telling them that the divisions among them, no matter there cause, is being used, by God, to determine the genuineness of their faith. It is my personal belief that God allows conflict in our lives to chisel us to be formed into the image of His Son. I don't believe the Son would pray for unity of the body, only for the Father to create it in the church. So, I don't believe that God caused the conflict in this church for the purpose of testing them. I do believe that if God removes even an ounce of His grace from the lives of man, conflict will necessarily follow. When God removed His grace from the life of Job you can see what evil was allowed to do. When God removed His grace from the nation of Israel they went into captivity. The only thing that prevents the indwelling evilness of man from suddenly and completely annihilating all men is the intervening and common grace He shows to man. In the above passage we see that even in the church of Christ man needs to have God's grace to prevent him from separating from others, bound by the same blood. The truth that Paul seems to be telling us is that conflict is a fact that God will use in our lives to determine the genuine of our faith and commitment to unity in the body. Neither the Father or the Son want conflict in the church. But, the conflict the comes from the hostile and evil deeds of our hearts (Colossians 1:21) will continue to do its work, even in the Body, when we fail to submit to the grace of God in Faith. When that evil does, God uses it to test and affirm those that our in the faith and those who are not.
For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.
When Paul calls the people at Corinth a "church" he means they have been brought together by the Spirit and placed into the Body of Christ, hence being united as ONE. In John 17 Jesus prays specifically for our "oneness" in Him and that we would be together and united. This is why division and schism in the body of Christ is such a tragic and deplorable sin. Jesus died that we would be ONE with Him. This is what makes the above passage such an amazing couple of verses to dwell upon and to allow to adjust our view of strife in the church. In the above passage, Paul acknowledges (either he heard this or had some personal information about it) that there was, indeed, division in the church. The fact that there was division in the church is not the issue. (Most of us, after observing a church body for a relative short amount of time, would acknowledge and affirm that there are divisions within Christ's body.) The more thoughtful aspect of these two verses is that Paul, either through sarcasm, humor, or bold truth, states that the division MUS BE in order for God to acknowledge who is "genuine" and who is not. This thought should conjure up several questions in our mind. Is Paul saying that God caused conflict in the body so that we can see who is genuine in the faith? He does say that fractions "must" be among them. Is Paul teaching that conflict in the body is natural and in turn it reveals that those who are faith will respond one way and those who are not of faith will respond another way? Is Paul saying that since the Corinthian believers had some division about them (see 1 Corinthians 1:10-13) it would necessarily flow that they would also have "factions" (one person following one and one person following the other) among them? But, fit hat were the case, why is the statement "in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized" used in the passage. There are a number of great thoughts on each of these and perhaps even more interpretations of the passage. What is plan is that Paul is telling them that the divisions among them, no matter there cause, is being used, by God, to determine the genuineness of their faith. It is my personal belief that God allows conflict in our lives to chisel us to be formed into the image of His Son. I don't believe the Son would pray for unity of the body, only for the Father to create it in the church. So, I don't believe that God caused the conflict in this church for the purpose of testing them. I do believe that if God removes even an ounce of His grace from the lives of man, conflict will necessarily follow. When God removed His grace from the life of Job you can see what evil was allowed to do. When God removed His grace from the nation of Israel they went into captivity. The only thing that prevents the indwelling evilness of man from suddenly and completely annihilating all men is the intervening and common grace He shows to man. In the above passage we see that even in the church of Christ man needs to have God's grace to prevent him from separating from others, bound by the same blood. The truth that Paul seems to be telling us is that conflict is a fact that God will use in our lives to determine the genuine of our faith and commitment to unity in the body. Neither the Father or the Son want conflict in the church. But, the conflict the comes from the hostile and evil deeds of our hearts (Colossians 1:21) will continue to do its work, even in the Body, when we fail to submit to the grace of God in Faith. When that evil does, God uses it to test and affirm those that our in the faith and those who are not.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Truth #97 - God give us strength to deal with sin; that we will have - Mark 7-8
Mark 8:29-33
And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."
I love Peter. He is so me. One minute he is seeing great insights that are based upon faith and truth and the next minute he is stepping in it and demonstrating the truth in his heart; that he lacks any real spiritual depth, at all. Peter is the perfect picture of the redeemed man. The redeemed man is saved by grace through faith and filled with the Spirit of Christ and blessed with a bounty of wisdom and spiritual understanding, that is only waiting to be tapped into by even a slight and limited act of faith ... and, at the same time, wrapped in flesh and warped by the sin nature that, defeated ultimately, remains steadfastly breathing out threats and influencing with corruption even the strongest of minds. The truth is, sin still corrupts us, even though we can walk with Christ and recognize the truth of who Christ is. Peter was able to articulate the beauty of Christ. He was able to say what other couldn't, "You are the Christ." Yet, he failed moments later to recognize t he plan of Christ, to lay down his life for his friends. We can worship on Sunday and see Christ, high and lofty; and, then on Monday, speak ill of our brother and not even notice how we have shamed the name of Christ. Christ came to save us from the penalty of sin and, eventually, the presence of sin. He strengthens us to give us power over sin, today, however. Peter didn't yet have the Spirit of God in his life, like we do. That didn't come until after Pentecost, when Peter and the other disciples were filled. Today we have the Spirit giving us power and strength to over come sin. We only have to submit to that power by faith to see it live out in our lives. That is the truth at overcomes the struggle we have in this life with the sin in our flesh. Submit to Christ and allow the Spirit of God to rule in our hearts.
And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."
I love Peter. He is so me. One minute he is seeing great insights that are based upon faith and truth and the next minute he is stepping in it and demonstrating the truth in his heart; that he lacks any real spiritual depth, at all. Peter is the perfect picture of the redeemed man. The redeemed man is saved by grace through faith and filled with the Spirit of Christ and blessed with a bounty of wisdom and spiritual understanding, that is only waiting to be tapped into by even a slight and limited act of faith ... and, at the same time, wrapped in flesh and warped by the sin nature that, defeated ultimately, remains steadfastly breathing out threats and influencing with corruption even the strongest of minds. The truth is, sin still corrupts us, even though we can walk with Christ and recognize the truth of who Christ is. Peter was able to articulate the beauty of Christ. He was able to say what other couldn't, "You are the Christ." Yet, he failed moments later to recognize t he plan of Christ, to lay down his life for his friends. We can worship on Sunday and see Christ, high and lofty; and, then on Monday, speak ill of our brother and not even notice how we have shamed the name of Christ. Christ came to save us from the penalty of sin and, eventually, the presence of sin. He strengthens us to give us power over sin, today, however. Peter didn't yet have the Spirit of God in his life, like we do. That didn't come until after Pentecost, when Peter and the other disciples were filled. Today we have the Spirit giving us power and strength to over come sin. We only have to submit to that power by faith to see it live out in our lives. That is the truth at overcomes the struggle we have in this life with the sin in our flesh. Submit to Christ and allow the Spirit of God to rule in our hearts.
Friday, April 3, 2015
Truth #96 - God is concerned about our heart of worship not our acts of worship - Jeremiah 7-11
Jeremiah 9:25-26
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh— Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the desert who cut the corners of their hair, for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.”
These two verses are the theme and the heart of God's message through Jeremiah. God is NOT delighted with our worship services!! The church with the best praise band and singers does not WIN. The pastor with the greatest eloquent speaking tongue does not garner HIS attention. The largest and most active youth ministry does not stir God's heart. God is more moved by someone who's heart is right with Him than someone who's worship is impressive to us!! Note the following:
Mark 12:41-44 (This is the story of Jesus sitting in the Temple and observing the crowd of worshippers)
And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
God is not in awe of the guy who puts in the most money and buys the church a new sound system or carpets the church, if that man has a heart that is full of stone. This widow had a circumcised heart. God wants hearts that are full of faith, not acts that are full of show. Remember, circumcision was an "outward" sign and display to convey Abraham's inward faith and obedience toward God. It wasn't the circumcision that saved Abraham, but his faith toward God (see all of Romans 5). When we walk with God and follow Him with our heart He is pleased. If we show up to church and sing in the praise team and lead in prayer, take the offering, work in the nursery and preach the sermon (that is one busy church member) but we hold anger in our hearts for one of our fellow worshippers, we will see no fruit from our "good works." All those things are good to do, but they are not done "good" if we hold anger in our hearts toward our brothers. We must all realize that God is, one day, going to take corrective measures toward those who come to Him in worship, but only in action and not in heart. That is what Jeremiah is saying. The truth is, God knows those who worship in spirit and truth vs those who only worry about what mountain or what temple or what church looks good to worship (John 4). The truth is, God knows who are His in heart vs those who are all action and no heart.
Matthew 7:22-23
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh— Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the desert who cut the corners of their hair, for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.”
These two verses are the theme and the heart of God's message through Jeremiah. God is NOT delighted with our worship services!! The church with the best praise band and singers does not WIN. The pastor with the greatest eloquent speaking tongue does not garner HIS attention. The largest and most active youth ministry does not stir God's heart. God is more moved by someone who's heart is right with Him than someone who's worship is impressive to us!! Note the following:
Mark 12:41-44 (This is the story of Jesus sitting in the Temple and observing the crowd of worshippers)
And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
God is not in awe of the guy who puts in the most money and buys the church a new sound system or carpets the church, if that man has a heart that is full of stone. This widow had a circumcised heart. God wants hearts that are full of faith, not acts that are full of show. Remember, circumcision was an "outward" sign and display to convey Abraham's inward faith and obedience toward God. It wasn't the circumcision that saved Abraham, but his faith toward God (see all of Romans 5). When we walk with God and follow Him with our heart He is pleased. If we show up to church and sing in the praise team and lead in prayer, take the offering, work in the nursery and preach the sermon (that is one busy church member) but we hold anger in our hearts for one of our fellow worshippers, we will see no fruit from our "good works." All those things are good to do, but they are not done "good" if we hold anger in our hearts toward our brothers. We must all realize that God is, one day, going to take corrective measures toward those who come to Him in worship, but only in action and not in heart. That is what Jeremiah is saying. The truth is, God knows those who worship in spirit and truth vs those who only worry about what mountain or what temple or what church looks good to worship (John 4). The truth is, God knows who are His in heart vs those who are all action and no heart.
Matthew 7:22-23
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Truth #95 - The only riches that last are the riches of God - Job 27-28
Job 27:19-20
He goes to bed rich, but will do so no more;
he opens his eyes, and his wealth is gone.
Terrors overtake him like a flood;
in the night a whirlwind carries him off.
We are such in the pursuit of something that can disappear in a moment. In this country, every day, people take a job primarily based upon what the job pays. Promotions are sought in regard to what the pay step will be. The world is obsessed with wealth and the accumulation of it. Men chart their earnings, their savings and their investments. Riches produce prestige and access and that produces power ... by the world's standards. Yet:
Proverbs 27:24
for riches do not last forever;
and does a crown endure to all generations?
The chasing of riches is like chasing the wind. You might catch the affects of the wind, but the wind can't be captured or contained. Job is in the midst the worst experience of his life. He has had riches and now they are gone. His health is gone. His family is gone. His prestige is gone. He went to bed one night offering a fat calf as a sacrifice for children he had thought "might" have sinned and he woke up the next morning completely devastated by loss. Riches are not corrupt ... but the pursuit of them over the fear of the Lord leads to corruptness. Job is not condemning riches. He is exposing their frailty and, hence, the despair of those who trust in them. This is not a seminary class from a giant syllabus Job is teaching. This is a testimonial of epic proportions Job is confessing. In this chapter Job is telling us that everything he has is subject to God's movements and God's plan. He maintains his integrity (Job 27:1-4), but he also submits to the power of God and the will of God. Jesus told us to pray for "daily" bread, because that is what God promises to provide. Yet, we accumulate our "bread" and store it up for a "rainy" day fund. There certainly is nothing wrong with preparation and planning, but how many worship that planning and trust in the planning over God's provision? If God is blessing today, the story of Job teaches us that He can allow even the man with the most integrity to wake up the next morning and have "terrors overtake him like a flood." The truth is we need to put our trust in God not in our degree, our ability to earn, or the number of zeros in our bank account. The only riches that last forever are the riches of God:
Psalm 112:3
Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He goes to bed rich, but will do so no more;
he opens his eyes, and his wealth is gone.
Terrors overtake him like a flood;
in the night a whirlwind carries him off.
We are such in the pursuit of something that can disappear in a moment. In this country, every day, people take a job primarily based upon what the job pays. Promotions are sought in regard to what the pay step will be. The world is obsessed with wealth and the accumulation of it. Men chart their earnings, their savings and their investments. Riches produce prestige and access and that produces power ... by the world's standards. Yet:
Proverbs 27:24
for riches do not last forever;
and does a crown endure to all generations?
The chasing of riches is like chasing the wind. You might catch the affects of the wind, but the wind can't be captured or contained. Job is in the midst the worst experience of his life. He has had riches and now they are gone. His health is gone. His family is gone. His prestige is gone. He went to bed one night offering a fat calf as a sacrifice for children he had thought "might" have sinned and he woke up the next morning completely devastated by loss. Riches are not corrupt ... but the pursuit of them over the fear of the Lord leads to corruptness. Job is not condemning riches. He is exposing their frailty and, hence, the despair of those who trust in them. This is not a seminary class from a giant syllabus Job is teaching. This is a testimonial of epic proportions Job is confessing. In this chapter Job is telling us that everything he has is subject to God's movements and God's plan. He maintains his integrity (Job 27:1-4), but he also submits to the power of God and the will of God. Jesus told us to pray for "daily" bread, because that is what God promises to provide. Yet, we accumulate our "bread" and store it up for a "rainy" day fund. There certainly is nothing wrong with preparation and planning, but how many worship that planning and trust in the planning over God's provision? If God is blessing today, the story of Job teaches us that He can allow even the man with the most integrity to wake up the next morning and have "terrors overtake him like a flood." The truth is we need to put our trust in God not in our degree, our ability to earn, or the number of zeros in our bank account. The only riches that last forever are the riches of God:
Psalm 112:3
Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Truth #94 - God takes care of us when others defame us - Psalm 39-41
Psalms 41:11-12
By this I know that you delight in me:
my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.
But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
and set me in your presence forever.
Before you can really appreciate what King David is saying in the above Psalm, you have to read the verses prior to these two:
Psalms 41:4-10
As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you!”
My enemies say of me in malice,
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words,
while his heart gathers iniquity;
when he goes out, he tells it abroad.
All who hate me whisper together about me;
they imagine the worst for me.
They say, “A deadly thing is poured out on him;
he will not rise again from where he lies.”
Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
But you, O Lord, be gracious to me,
and raise me up, that I may repay them!
David, as a young man, was being hunted and haunted by the anger of King Saul. As a king he was actually run out of the kingdom by his own son and made a mockery by the citizens, as he left with his tail between his legs. We have all had times when our "friend" betrayed us and caused us to wonder what is happening in our lives. In the above passage we see that David takes responsibility for his own sin and then gives the rest to God. Only God can avenge the actions of others against us. We must only take responsibility for our own sins. God can and does see that those who mistreat others are reckoned with. That is not our responsibility, however, as we see in the above Psalm. The truth is, God knows our hurt and our heart. We are to confess the sins of our heart and let Him care for the hurt. When we live our lives in His Word we have integrity and we can allow that "walk with God" to be our "talk to other people" by God's care and corrective action in their lives and our own. David delighted in God's care when under attack from the false acquisitions of others.
By this I know that you delight in me:
my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.
But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
and set me in your presence forever.
Before you can really appreciate what King David is saying in the above Psalm, you have to read the verses prior to these two:
Psalms 41:4-10
As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you!”
My enemies say of me in malice,
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words,
while his heart gathers iniquity;
when he goes out, he tells it abroad.
All who hate me whisper together about me;
they imagine the worst for me.
They say, “A deadly thing is poured out on him;
he will not rise again from where he lies.”
Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
But you, O Lord, be gracious to me,
and raise me up, that I may repay them!
David, as a young man, was being hunted and haunted by the anger of King Saul. As a king he was actually run out of the kingdom by his own son and made a mockery by the citizens, as he left with his tail between his legs. We have all had times when our "friend" betrayed us and caused us to wonder what is happening in our lives. In the above passage we see that David takes responsibility for his own sin and then gives the rest to God. Only God can avenge the actions of others against us. We must only take responsibility for our own sins. God can and does see that those who mistreat others are reckoned with. That is not our responsibility, however, as we see in the above Psalm. The truth is, God knows our hurt and our heart. We are to confess the sins of our heart and let Him care for the hurt. When we live our lives in His Word we have integrity and we can allow that "walk with God" to be our "talk to other people" by God's care and corrective action in their lives and our own. David delighted in God's care when under attack from the false acquisitions of others.
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