Tag: We are IN the BELOVED - Jude

Jude 1:1 (Greeting)

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,

To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

Tag:  We were, are and will be “beloved!”

We don’t always need to know the original language of the Bible to understand its meaning.  We can simply read the English version and know that God loves us and that Jesus died for us.   In the above text the author Jude is writing to the church to warn them about false teachers.   In the opening sentence we can read that he believes and he is teaching us that all believers are loved by God and kept safe by God.  This is what we read in plain English.   But, the original writings of the Bible were written in the Greek language.  Unlike the English language, Greek has very specific ways to use their words and very important “tense” tools it can use to describe a word or a sentence.   In the above verse, for instances, the word “beloved” in the Greek is describe the word commentator Vine as follows:

agapao (ἀγαπάω, 25), in its perfect participle passive form, is translated “beloved” in Rom. 9:25; Eph. 1:6; Col. 3:12; 1 Thess. 1:4; 2 Thess. 2:13. In Jude 1the best texts have this verb (rv); the kjv, “sanctified” follows those which have hagiazo.

He states it is in “perfect participle passive form.”   Note:

“The Perfect Tense indicates ongoing result. If you remember that the meaning of the word perfect is complete, then you can remember that the perfect tense has to do with completed action. But the perfect tense is a primary tense because it emphasizes the present, or ongoing result of a completed action.” 

When Jude writes that we are “beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ” he is writing about a “past event” that has been completed and is currently on-going in its nature.  He is describing something that happened (through our faith in Christ we have been placed in the “beloved”) and is on-going.  God didn’t just do something, He continues to complete this work.  Jude is, in essence, using a simply Greek tense to say what Paul said in a statement to the church at Philippi:

Philippians 1:6

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

We can rejoice that we are not only placed in the “beloved” of God, we are “kept” there.  We have a wonderful position in Christ.  We are secure and loved for eternity!!   We can see it in the English but we can believe it and rest in it via the Greek use of the words.  Jude doesn’t want us to miss the fact that we are in the “beloved.”  No one can take that away or diminish who were are.  Our entire existence as saved people is in the fact that God has placed us in Christ ... in the Beloved.  

Tag: God Protects His Own - Acts 27-28

Acts 27:42-44

The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.

Tag:  God protects His Own

While Paul was being transported to Rome for his “hearing” before the King, the ship they traveled in was hit by a storm while at sea.   As the ship began to break apart, the soldiers feared that the prisoners would escape and plotted to kill them.  The centurion, who was specifically in charge of Paul’s transport, had different ideas.  Throughout his journey he would make sure he had a positive spiritual impact on those he was “chained” to.   This centurion was no exception.  The centurion stepped in and rescued Paul because God intended it that way.  God had a plan for Paul.   No group of soldiers were going to prevent God from accomplishing God’s plan for Paul in his life.  He did not worry or fret about what was ahead of him because he trusted the One that was directing his path.  Here he is in the midst of a ship wreck and God sends someone to protect him from a group of men who wanted to take his life.   God protects His own.  We are not alone in this world.  God is fully and 100% in charge of our lives.  He guides and directs them and protects us from the harms of life.  Why?  Because He saved us for His glory and He has a plan for us.  

Tag: The Absence of Pain - Revelation 18-22

Revelation 21:4

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Tag: The Absence of Pain

Perhaps the hardest thing to watch and realize in the evening news is the remarkable amount of pain in this world.  People hurt!!  The amount of pain in our world is crushing.  Dictators crushing their people for gain; cancer crushing our cells in the destruction of our loved ones; sexual trafficking and the objectification of woman; mental health issues that end in violence; marriages collapsing; child disobedience; government corruptions; corporate greed; educational inequality; racial tensions; physical ailments; cars, trucks, planes, and trains crashing; cheats; thieves; loss; confusion; and the list goes on and on.   We live in a world full of pain.  To calm that pain we self medicate; self absorb; self promote; self protect; self assure.   Mankind, to avoid pain, does everything within them to prevent pain for them and their loved ones.  We buy nice things to avoid pain.  We tell ourselves lies to avoid the pain we feel.  We pretend all is well so others don’t see the shame of pain in the depths of our soul.  And, all this pain eventually consumes us in death.  Yet, the above verse speaks of a time when there will be NO MORE pain!!  NO MORE tears; NO MORE death.  The book of the Revelation of Christ is the final chapter in the painful journey we call life.  It ends, through Christ’s own pain in death, with NO MORE death.  Christ’s death was all our pain placed on our God who was willing to bear it for us.  Why? So that the above verse can be sung and shouted from the pew of every church and over the pain of every heart.   There will be NO MORE ... pain!!!  Christ assured it.  We simply have to accept that truth and live our lives in the light of the fact that Christ will “WIPE AWAY” every tear, pain, death!!  Praise Him.  

Tag: From Independene to Peaceful Relationship - Song of Songs 7-8

Song of Songs 8:10

She I was a wall,

and my breasts were like towers;

then I was in his eyes

as one who finds peace.

Tag:   From Independence to Peaceful Relationship

In the above passage we break through into a section of this love story where the bride (Solomon’s bride) is apparently in a conversation with her brothers.  The brothers believe she needs to be protected and they are up for the challenge.   Note the proceeding verses:

Song of Songs 8:8-9

We have a little sister,

and she has no breasts.

What shall we do for our sister

on the day when she is spoken for?

If she is a wall,

we will build on her a battlement of silver,

but if she is a door,

we will enclose her with boards of cedar.

The brothers see the bride differently than she sees herself.  They see her as too young (no breast) and vulnerable (needing a wall built up around her).  She believes her breast are fully developed, thank you, and she believes she has made them like towers (showing her purity and commitment to chastity. Her brothers simply want to protect her.  She is claiming her independence from their protection and, rather, asserting that she can fend for herself.  She is sharing with them that this independence has broken through to a relationship with Solomon.  Such a relationship that there is no “conflict” about her breast or intimacy with him.  Instead she asserts this relationship has culminated in “peace.”  She is using that word to show that the brothers wanted to protect her purity and create a “battlement of silver” for her.   She reply’s, “Back off, bro, I got this.  I am strong enough to keep myself pure.   But, you need to know that there is no battle raging ... we have committed ourselves to each other and there is peace ... extreme peace.   That is what pure love should look like and feel like ... extreme peace.  When she stays pure and he honors those boundaries, there is no battlement. There is no need for protection.  When respect and love are present we have peace.  Peace is a relationship must be built before there is intimacy in a relationship.   Peace is NOT the absence of war.  Peace is the presence of love and commitment to each other’s welfare and pleasure.  This is what the bride is boasting about.     

Tag: Happiness Comes from our Relationship with our Maker - Psalms 149-150

Psalms 149:2

Let Israel be glad in his Maker;

let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!

Tag: Our “Happiness” is in Our Relationship with our Maker

God has given us all we need in life to be happy.  The Hebrew word in the above text for “glad” is:

śâmaḥ; a primitive root; probably to brighten up, i.e. (figuratively) be (causatively, make) blithe or gleesome: — cheer up, be (make) glad, (have, make) joy(-ful), be (make) merry, (cause to, make to) rejoice, x very. (Vine)

Samah carries this concept of happiness or gleesome.  In today’s world we have people trying to get their “brightness” their happiness from a lot of different places.  Recently a client of mine told me he wants everyone at his work to be “happy.”  I asked him why he thought that was something he wanted and he stated, “work should make you happy.”  I would not argue with the hope that work could make you happy but I would argue that this is our goal.   God said in Genesis 3:19 that “work” for Adam, because of his sin, would be by the “sweat of his brow.”  So, happiness is not found in work.  Now, we (believers) have been restored thought Justification, so God can and is restoring us to preface status.   But, happiness is not derived from external sources.  Happiness is obtained by our relationship with our Maker; as the above verse from Psalms 149 states.  The writer is telling us that the source of our strength and the reason for our outward manifestation of that strength is our relationship with our “Maker.”  We ought not try to find happiness in our jobs, our possessions, our wealth, our “year end report,” or our human relationships.  Those can give us a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.  But, only a relationship with our Maker can give us long term and stable “samah,” brightness on our face.   

Tag: God Restores Justice - Esther 6-10

Esther 8:1-2 (Esther Saves the Jews)

On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her. And the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

Tag:  God Restores Justice

God is in the business of restoring justice.  God puts all the pieces back together again, eventually.   We live in a world of injustice.  The powerful prey upon the weak.  The rich exploit the poor.  The faithful and worthy are trampled by the faithless and wicked.  The saint is exposed by the sinner.  In Proverbs 1:10-19 we read that the wicked love to sit and prepare attacks agains the righteous.   Note what Asaph says in this passage in Psalms:

Psalms 73:4-13

For they have no pangs until death;

their bodies are fat and sleek.

They are not in trouble as others are;

they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.

Therefore pride is their necklace;

violence covers them as a garment.

Their eyes swell out through fatness;

their hearts overflow with follies.

They scoff and speak with malice;

loftily they threaten oppression.

They set their mouths against the heavens,

and their tongue struts through the earth.

Therefore his people turn back to them,

and find no fault in them.

And they say, “How can God know?

Is there knowledge in the Most High?”

Behold, these are the wicked;

always at ease, they increase in riches.

All in vain have I kept my heart clean

and washed my hands in innocence.

We live in a world where wicked leaders believe they will conquer all and are never worried.   In this passage in Esther we see that God has and does win in the end.  God saw the wickedness of Haman and what he attempted to do to the Jews (Note: By wiping out the Jews that would have destroyed the line of the Messiah ... this Haman was a tool of Satan to destroy God’s plan for Christ).  We might see wicked “look” like it is in charge in this world.  But, like Haman, it too will come to an end.  In the end it is the righteous who are clothed in royalty and given rings of authority.   

Tag: God is Our God and We His People - Deuteronomy 32-34

Deuteronomy 33:29

Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you,

a people saved by the Lord,

the shield of your help,

and the sword of your triumph!

Your enemies shall come fawning to you,

and you shall tread upon their backs.”

Tag:  God is Our God and We His People

Israel is about to enter the promise land.  He is going to show the world that His chosen people are indeed chosen and certainly blessed.   In the above verse we see that God is their “shield,” their “sword,” and their protect from their enemies.   Israel had nothing to fear as they enter the promise land.  They, will, of course fear.   Despite the truths of the above passage, they will not only fear, but they will fail to trust God.   God is giving them His promise, as a convenient keeping God, and yet they will fail to trust Him.  We do the same thing today.  All the above truths are taught in the NT for the church and for today’s believers.  In fact, we have more revelation than this nation has had.   They might have seen the miracles in the desert, but we have seen the miracle of the resurrection through God’s Word.   Yet, we fear and we fail.   We need to remember that the same God that promised protection and power to them did so to us as well.  We are His people.  He has promised to protect us, enable us and defend us.   We have nothing to fear.  Our natures will fear, but God can and does care for us and our every need.  

Tag: Our Testimony Rejoices Others - 3 John

3 John 1:3

For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth.

Tag:  Our Testimony for Christ and Rejoice the Church

John is writing a letter to a man in the church named, Gaius.  Gaius could have hosted a church in his home (a common place for churches to start), or was simply a predominate member of the church.  He very well could have been an elder in the church, but it would seem that John would address him as such, if that were true.  It certainly appears that Gaius as the type o person John wanted to reward.   During these days those carrying messages of encouragement, instruction and doctrine would travel from Church to Church.   Gaius was one of those who took upon the responsibility of refreshing these ministers and sending them on their way.   Later in his little letter, John points out another person in this church named, Diotrephes, who did NOT do this.   John is excited about Gaius’ work in the Lord.   He states, “For I rejoice greatly ...”.    Our walk with Christ should glorify the Father and should rejoice the Saints.   Gaius did not do his work to get the praise of men, if he had, John no doubt would not be able to add the last line of this verse:  “... as indeed you are walking in truth.”    Since Gaius was “walking in truth” we know his work in the Body was pure and true.   When we do things for God’s glory and the edification of the Body then we rejoice others in Christ.   This is what the Church should look like.  We should rejoice in the service of others.  We should let them know.  John took time to write this letter to let Gaius know that he had been told about the work the man was doing for the Gospel.   Telling others their walk in Christ rejoices you is an important aspect of the Body of Christ.  

Personal Testimonies Augment Doctrine (Acts 25-26)

Acts 26:12-13 (Paul Tells of His Conversion)

“In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me.

Tag:  Personal Testimonies Are Powerful

Paul has been accused, by the Jewish leadership, of crimes against their religion.  In reality it is a shameful power move, as Paul was drawing Jews away from the synagogue and to Christ.   After appealing to be tried in Caesar’s court, Paul, on the journey to Rome, is now asked to defend himself before King Agrippa.  Agrippa has some understanding of the Jewish faith and Paul uses that to his advantage.  His defense does have doctrinal statements and explanation of his faith.  But, in the above passage he begins to tell Agrippa about his conversion experience.  Christianity is about doctrine and deep Theological truths.  You can’t read Paul’s letter to the Romans without realizing the doctrine of Justification is deep truth.    Yet, the power of the Gospel is the changed lives it leaves in its wake.   When the Gospel is presented the Spirit of God changes lives.  Paul uses his conversion experience, not as the foundation of his beliefs, or the reason for his preaching, but the evidence that the doctrine he preaches is alive and powerful.  Our own personal experiences should not be used to establish doctrine.  But, they should not be ignored, either.  

Tag: God’s Wrath is to be Praised - Revelation 12-17

Revelation 15:3-4

And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,

“Great and amazing are your deeds,

O Lord God the Almighty!

Just and true are your ways,

O King of the nations!

Who will not fear, O Lord,

and glorify your name?

For you alone are holy.

All nations will come

and worship you,

for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Tag:  God’s Wrath is Based Upon God’s Justice and is Worthy to be Praised

When we think about praising God in our church services we seldom hear anyone praise God for His wrath.   When we think of God’s wrath we think of destruction and pain and sorrow.  Yet, in the above passage, John gives us a different way to consider God’s wrath.   In chapter 15-17 we are about to see the final wrath of God poured out upon mankind.  Man has disobeyed and rejected God.  They have not only mocked the Son of God, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, they openly try to eradicate Christ’s followers.   For this the wrath of God is to be poured out upon them.  In the midst of this pouring out, we have the above doxology.  We have a praise phrase about the fact that God’s wrath is just, try and worthy to be praised.  God’s wrath are called “righteous acts.”   We are not to fear God’s wrath as believers, nor are we to ignore His wrath.  We are to include it in our worship and our praise to Him.  All aspects of God’s Character are to be praised ... including His wrath (that will soon be poured out upon mankind).   

Tag: True Love can Handle a Challenge - Song of Songs 5-6

Song of Songs 5:9

What is your beloved more than another beloved,

O most beautiful among women?

What is your beloved more than another beloved,

that you thus adjure us?

Tag:  True Love can Handle a Challenge

In this section of Song of Solomon the group of other women (we don’t know who they are) is pressing up on Solomon’s bride to tell them why she believes her groom (Solomon) is so special.   They ask this because she has made such a big deal about him and now want a further, more in depth description.  In verses 10-16 she will accommodate them with word pictures and adjectives as to why he is “more than another.”   When love is challenged there ought to be a ready reply.   We ought not have a hesitation when asked why our true love is our “true” love.   She is ready to end their curiosity with such a vivid description.   She knows her man and is proud to tell others of his virtues and strengths.  She doesn’t talk about his flaws, although, undoubtedly, he has them.  In public she is content to only mention the great things about him to her friends.  She boasts of her man‘s strengths.   This is how true love should be.  This is how our love for Christ should be, as well. When asked by the crowds of life why we love Christ so, we ought to be able to rattle off virtue after virtue; deed after deed that He has done for us.   He, of course, has no flaws.  We are blessed with a Redeemer who is perfect in every way and when asked why He is special and more special than the other so called ‘gods’ of this world, we can rejoice in the character and might He possesses.  

Tag: Made to Praise - Psalm 146-148

Psalms 146:1-2

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

I will praise the Lord as long as I live;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Tag:  Made to Praise

We have been created to praise God.  These final chapters of the book of Psalms are praise hymns we are to sing to our God.  We are to be in constant praise.   It is hard for us to even go moments, or a day in praise to Him.  We tend to want to ask things of Him and not just want to lift up praise for Who He is.   Or, worse, we simply go through out day without talking to Him at all.  We are so busy with our lives and building our own kingdoms and worried about our own lives, we forget that the purpose of our lives is to worship and praise the King of Kings.  We are made to praise Him.  We are created to worship the God of the universe.   Yet, our day-to-day issues distract us from what we have been called to do.  In the above text we see the writer of the psalm state that he will praise God “while I have my being.”   He is making a commitment to always praising God.   That is the perfect New Year’s Resolution.   Few probably make such a resolution or commitment.   Yet, that is the very reason we have been created.   

Tag: Earnestness in Prayer - Esther 1-5

Esther 4:1

When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry.

Tag: Earnestness in Prayer

Here is something we don’t see in today’s modern day church: Praying in sackcloth and ashes.  

Sackcloth (Hebrew שַׂק saḳ) is a term originally denoting a coarsely woven fabric, usually made of goat's hair. It later came to mean also a garment made from such cloth, which was chiefly worn as a token of mourning by the Israelites.

Sackcloth and ashes indicated that a person took very seriously the situation they were in and their time to pray was of utmost importance.  Today we pray in little bits and little times of convenience. Mordecai had just learned that Haman, the king’s second in command, was plotting to kill all the Jews.  Mordecai, first and foremost, begins to take the issue to God.  He will get insight from God to solicit Esther into the mix to help deliver the Jews.  But, he first turns to God.  Daniel, also in captivity, did the same thing.  When confronted with issues that were lie and death they both turned to God in prayer.  They allowed the issue to move them to their knees.  God is concerned about us and wants to help us. He has chosen to use prayer as the means to move.  We are to pray in earnest expectations of God’s delivery.   Mordecai was mourning in prayer, which is different than mourning in sorrow.  He was now in sorrow.  Mordecai was in earnest prayer.   He would be delivered from this plot against the Jews.  But, it began in earnest prayer.   

Tag: God Provides where He Guides - Deuteronomy 29-31

Deuteronomy 29:5

I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet.

Tag:  God Provides where He Guides

Forty years earlier God lead the nation of Israel out of Egypt; out of captivity.   He lead them in the wilderness for forty years.   During that time, He did miracle after miracle.   However, the unseen miracle in their midst is stated above.   There are no shopping centers in the wilderness.   God not only led them from place to place, He made sure that the provisions they did have did not wear out.   When God guides us some place He can make sure that we do not have waste in our resources.   God provided oil and flour for the widow who took care of Elijah.  

1 Kings 17:16

The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

God provides when we are faithful to Him.  Looking at the nation of Israel’s disobedience we might say that God provides even in our waywardness.   God provides in unusual ways for us.  Even in our deepest times God is working to provide the physical or spiritual thing we need to make sure we can be who God wants us to be and where God wants us to be.   Remember, there were at least 1.5 million people in the wilderness. They walked for 40 years.   Imagine the need for shoes.  I have no idea what that means for growing children over forty years.  But, we do know that God tells them He provided for them then and will be in the future.  God will do the same thing for us, even when we don’t know He is working.  I am sure the nation didn’t even realize their clothes and shoes were not wearing out.  God does might miracles in regard to physical needs as He Works with us in our spiritual needs.  Our only job is to trust His working.   

Tag: The Power of a Persoanl Conversation in the Midst of Conflict - 2 John

2 John 1:12

Final Greetings

Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

Tag:  The Power of a Personal Conversation in the Midst of Conflict

In 2 John we have a little letter written by the Apostle John to a church that probably meet in someone’s home.  John wants to correct a problem in the church: False teachers were traveling from church to church and spreading anti-Christ messages.  Churches were “hosting” or being “hospitable” to these false prophets and John wanted that practice stopped.   John wanted them to know that anyone who denies the person and work of Christ was an anti-Christ and should not be listened to.  John called them a “deceiver.”   To end the book, John tells them that he could write a lot more about this topic and give them more instruction, but, instead, he ends the book by saying he wants to meet with them “face-to-face.”   This Greek phrase is equivalent to our English, “eye-ball-to-eye-ball.”   John is telling them that he wants to talk to them personally because a personal conversation over these things is much more powerful and will bring “joy” complete.   It is important to see here that John and the church are in the middle of a conflict.   Conflict is not normally discussed in the context of “joy.”   But, John recognizes that he HAS (and WILL, yet fuller) imparted to them truth.  In the first four verses of the book he writes about the power of “truth” using the Greek word, “aletheia” five times.   The word is used 98 times in the NT and typically is referring to the Gospel message.   John is saying to them that this “conflict” is okay to discuss and eye-to-eye is even better; as their mutual joy will be derived.   There is ALWAYS joy when truth is discussed and searched for, in regard to conflict.   John wants to teach them about these false teachers and wants them to learn how to interact (or, not interact) with them.  He realizes that writing a letter to them (our modern day “email” approach) is not conducive to the subject.   Some things should be done in face to face meetings.   When we pursue “truth” with others, it produces “joy” in our lives.   John wanted a personal conversation to do that because he saw that this would be beneficial to them both and joy would be “complete.” This should be the goal of every conversation we have, but especially in the midst of a possible conflict.  

Tag: God is there for those who despair - Acts 23-24

Acts 23:11

The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”

Tag:  God is there when we despair

The above passage gives us a look into how God deals with His servants and how he deals with us in our toughest hours.  The verse is speaking about God’s message to Paul, who was now in prison, for the simply crime of speaking up for Christ.   Prior to this verse, Paul has had had three attempts on his life.   Paul was attempting to speak up for Christ and the Jewish leaders decided that this was wrong and they attempted to stone him. When Roman soldiers saw this they respected him, only to put him in their prison.   Paul was alone and abandoned by everyone.  He was locked up after being beaten.   Yet, here is why God is called the God of all comfort.  Paul would actually designate God as the God of All comfort, later, in his letter to the Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

Perhaps this scene in Acts is where Paul learned this truth ... he certainly would experience it.   Notice that God steps into his life and “stood by him.”  We don’t know what that means.  We don’t know if physically Christ appeared to him, or if this was just real audible voice he heard, or a voice in his head.  All we know is that via the Spirit of God, Paul felt the presence of God.  That is a marvelous truth that faith can bring to us.   God had promised to never leave us and, at this exact moment in Pauls life, God was present with him.   He then heard, “Take Courage.”   This is the exact words Jesus said the the disciples when they were sat fearful in a boat, in the storm at sea:

Mark 6:50

for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

The phrase, “Take heart” is the exact same Greek word used to speak to Paul in the above verse, but translated here, “Take courage.”   It is unique to Jesus in the New Testament.  It simply is Christ speaking to our lives to tell us that we can have courage in the midst of a storm of life.  Paul was abandoned and he was, by faith, to trust Christ when He says, “Take courage.”  His “courage” would have nothing to do with his circumstances, but everything to do with who “stood by him.”  His strength was not because the situation was about to improve, but because Christ was with him in the situation.   In fact, Pauls next journey would be worse.  He was not only going to speak up for Christ in Jerusalem, but would be taken to Rome to “testify” there also.   Paul’s life was about to get more intense.  Never-the-less, he was to be encouraged because God knew his life circumstance and knew what tomorrow was to bring forth.  Paul was not start “future tripping” about his life.  He was made aware of it, but he could also rejoice that the God who designed the future, would be standing beside him for each step he took.   As believers we often freak ourselves out by “future tripping” about what might happen.  God is telling Paul (and us) that the future is known to God and that we are still, in obedience, trust Him.   God knows the path we take and is there to carry us through the path He designs for us.  

Tag: God’s Word is Sweet and Bitter - Revelation 6-11

Revelation 10:8-11

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

Tag:  God’s Word is Sweet and Bitter

John the Apostle is being giving a revelation about the end of the world.   In the above text we see that he is instructed to “eat the scroll.”  The scroll is the Word of God.  We have here a picture of John’s assimilation of God’s Word into his life.   He has two, completely different, emotions.   He first tastes God’s Word and has a sense of sweetness.  It is, after all, God’s Word.  John tastes and like the Psalmist, it is sweet:

Psalms 119:103

How sweet are your words to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

That is how God’s Word should be for the believer.   We ought to desire God’s Word, more than our necessary food:

Job 23:12

I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;

I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.

Yet, also, God’s Word is bitter to John.  John is seeing, through God’s vision, the destruction of unbelievers and the judgement of the world’s systems.  He is seeing that those he loves, who have rejected Christ, will be destroyed.  That is bitter to him.   He sees the horrors of sin and the judgment of it.  Although he rejoices in the fact that God’s Word is being fulfilled it is still bitter and burdensome to hear.  We need to realize that God’s Word is sweet and bitter at the same time.   We can rejoice that it is fulfilled in our lives and be, at the same time, in a sense of grief over what will happen to those we love who reject Christ.  

Tag: Notice the Small Things - Song of Songs 3-4

Song of Songs 4:2

Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes

that have come up from the washing,

all of which bear twins,

and not one among them has lost its young.

Tag:  Notice the Small Things

The above verse is taken from the verses that share Solomon’s comments about his bride.  He is attempting to give her compliments.  He is showing her that he notices her hair, her body, her lips, etc.   In the above verse he notices his bride’s teeth.  This is probably not a compliment we would toss around on a first date, but it does say something about love and the physical attraction piece of life.   Solomon is noticing his brides teeth and, in particular, that her teeth are bright, aligned and NONE ARE MISSING.  It might be wise to remember that in Biblical times their health care package probably did not include a dental plan.   There was, of course, not as much tooth decay because their diet and nutrition had a bit more purity.   Never-the-less, Solomon notices these things about his lover.   Her teeth are compared to a flock of bright white sheep, fresh after washing ... all aligned and all accounted for.  Solomon notices the small things about his bride.  In this section he will compliment her temples, her lips, her cheeks, and, yes, her breast.   Solomon is giving us a pathway to express our love to the one of our heart.  He is telling us to notice even the smallest details.  His bride has taken care of her body and he is complimenting that care.   He notices the little things and expresses that love to his bride.   A good reminder for all who love each other.  Notice the small things and the big things will take care of themselves.  

Tag: God is Faithful and Kind - Psalm 143-145

Psalms 145:10-13

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,

and all your saints shall bless you!

They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom

and tell of your power,

to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The Lord is faithful in all his words

and kind in all his works.]

Tag:  The Lord is Faithful to All His Word and Kind in all His Works

The above lines, taken from Psalm 145, that appear in the [brackets], do not appear in all manuscripts that we have on Psalm 145.  They could have been added by one scribe and not others, or in the original text.   Some would point to these areas as why the Bible is unreliable.  However, the opposite may be true.  Those who care for these copies of the original text are so meticulous about their work, they spot any and all irregularities of the copying.  They spot everything little thing.  That doesn’t show a lack of reliability, but rather enhances the reliability of the text.   The position perhaps “added” does, however, reflect the previous contents of the verses.  If that is now what the writer of the psalm said, that is what the meaning and theme of what he wrote said.   God IS faith to all His Word and King in ALL His Works.  We can look at what we read in God’s Word and see that.  We can look at what He is doing in the in the lives others and see that.  We can look back in our lives and see the kindness of His work and the faithfulness He has to His word.   Some can’t, true.  Some can’t see His faithfulness. They only see despair and disappointment in their walk with God.   This psalm (song) is about recognizing that God is working and being faithful to His word, even in difficult times.   God has promised we will suffer.  So, in our suffering we are experiencing a promise from God.   He also, however, promises to be with us in that suffering.   So, we can be assured that God will keep all His Word in our lives to accomplish His plans and He is always kind and gracious in His acts to us.  

Tag: Relationships Matter to God - Nehemiah 10-13

Nehemiah 13:23-26

In those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but only the language of each people. And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take an oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin.

Tag:  Relationships Can Build or Tear Down our Walk with God

Nehemiah was sent to Jerusalem, by God, to rebuild the city.  Yet, after the city is rebuilt, he actually started to rebuild the spiritual character of those who would occupy the city.   In the above passage we see him notice that the foreign marriages that went on during the years of captivity, were causing, or could cause, the nation to fall right back into the sins that caused the captivity in the first place.  Nehemiah lets the nation know that God is not pleased with such behavior and this type of behavior has led them astray before.  He even uses the illustration of King Solomon.  Solomon was revered as a great leader to the nation of Israel.   Yet, even Solomon, in all his wisdom could not overcome the influence of the many foreign wives he had.  They would, eventually, even lead him astray.  Our relationships do impact our walk with God.  If we want a strong walk with God, we have to make sure we have a walk that is with strong people of faith.  The foreign influences threatened to deteriorate the character of the people. It would not matter if they put material walls around the city to keep the danger our, if, at the same time, they had broken down walls around their hearts when it came to relationships with people who did not believe in God.  Foreign relationships with those who do no honor God will, eventually, destroy the heart and the city.  Nehemiah was a leader who wanted the city strong, but their hearts, also.  

Tag: God Promotes - Deuteronomy 26-28

Deuteronomy 26:18-19

And the Lord has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments, and that he will set you in praise and in fame and in honor high above all nations that he has made, and that you shall be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.”

Tag:  God Promotes 

In this section of Deuteronomy we are reading the “blessings” and the “curses.”   Moses is providing the new generation, about to enter the promise land, that if they obey God they will have blessings from God; but if they disobey God’s Word, God will bring curses upon them.   Like believers today, the nation of Israel allows themselves to believe that their success and/or failure, was in their control.   They believed their success was due to their own strength and skill sets.  Like today’s modern business world, they believed it was their “capacity” that brought about promotion.   Yet, in the above passage God shows them that the reason for their success, honor and fame, was because they were chosen by God and He, alone, enabled them to receive honor(s).   Believers are the “treasure” of God.  God so loves us that He calls us His “treasured possession.”   We are the “apple of His eye.”  

Zechariah 2:8

For thus said the Lord of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye:

Deuteronomy 32:10 (In speaking about Jacob, whose name was changed to, Israel):

“He found him in a desert land,

and in the howling waste of the wilderness;

he encircled him, he cared for him,

he kept him as the apple of his eye.

God has us in the center of His eye.  He will not let harm come to us and will not allow others to hurt us.  God will promote us and give us honor and fame.   These blessings, however, are tied directly to our faith in and obedience to God’s Word.   As we walk in faith and obedience to the “known” will of God (what He tells us to do and promises to trust), we can be sure we will have blessings in our life, or that God will, in the hardships, protect us.   

Tag: Think Like God, Not Like the World - 1 John 4-5

1 John 4:5-6

They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Tag:  Think Like God and Avoid the Thinking of the World and the World’s Teachers

John, the Elder, is writing to the church to warn them about the false teachers coming to their assembly to lead them astray.   They have left the church and taking up the world’s philosophy, the world’s values, and the world’s mindset (4:1).   They have returned to the church to attempt to lead others down their path.  To the Elder there are two worlds:  Spiritual and Worldly.   To the Elder, God the Father, Christ and the Holy Spirit rule the Spiritual realm.   On the other hand John believes that Satan is the ruler of the World:

1 John 5:19

We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

We either submit ourselves to the power and authority of the Triune God, or we are under the power of the evil one (Satan).   John is telling us, in the above verse, to listen to the truth presented by John and the church teachers.  He is warning them to beware and avoid those coming into the church who do not confess Christ is Lord of lords.    The false teachers bring in worldly methods and philosophies to deal with sin.  Those methods don’t include repentance, regeneration, and sanctification by the power of the Spirit through the Work of Christ, accomplished by the Love of God.   We need to be careful that we don’t heed the world’s voice and filter anything we hear them say through the authority of Christ.  

Tag: God’s Will is Found in God’s Word - Acts 21-22

Acts 22:12-16

“And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’

Tag:  God’s Will is Found in God’s Word

In the above passage we have the account of Paul defending himself in front of the Jews who wanted to stop his message.  To the Jews of Jerusalem, as he preached the Gospel, he was also breaking the traditions they held in the highest honor.  For this reason they were persecuting him.  His defense was his experience with the risen Savior (See the story of the blind man in John 9).   In this passage he is given the account of when God sent Ananias to return his sight, lost on the Damascus Road experience.   Notice the two statements in this passage that are the theme of Ananias’ message:

1.  “God of our fathers appointed you to know his will ...”

2. “... to hear a voice from his mouth ...”

Paul would live on these two truths for the rest of his ministry and service to God.  He recognized, that despite the circumstances, God was always doing His will.  Paul would live by the truths of God’s Word and God’s Word would provide his strength, direction and doctrine.   He was willing to do God’s Will because he believed God’s Word.   God’s will is tied to God’s Word.  God will not direct us any place or to do anything that is not in harmony with His Word.   

Tag: Believers Need Repentance Too - Revelation 1-5

Revelation 2:5

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

Tag:  Even Believers Need Repentance

In the beginning chapters of The Revelation Christ, through John, is speaking to the “seven” churches.  The message varies and the churches are both, at the same time, real churches and metaphorical churches throughout the ages.  Each church receives a message and several are told to “repent.”  Most believers, today, seem to believe that repentance is an act to “receive” Christ, but not necessarily an act to “walk” with Christ.   The word, repent, is as follows:

VIINES:  metanoeo (μετανοέω, 3340), lit., “to perceive afterwards” (meta, “after,” implying “change,” noeo, “to perceive”; nous, “the mind, the seat of moral reflection”), in contrast to pronoeo, “to perceive beforehand,” hence signifies “to change one’s mind or purpose,” always, in the NT, involving a change for the better, an amendment, and always, except in Luke 17:3, 4, of “repentance” from sin. The word is found in the Synoptic Gospels (in Luke, nine times), in Acts five times, in the Apocalypse twelve times, eight in the messages to the churches, 2:5 (twice), 16, 21 (twice), rv, “she willeth not to repent” (2nd part); 3:3, 19 (the only churches in those chapters which contain no exhortation in this respect are those at Smyrna and Philadelphia); elsewhere only in 2 Cor. 12:21. 

When we see the word we know that God is serious about something in our lives.  This “change of mind” is how we look at the sin in our lives.  We can get where we believe the sin is not too harmful.  Yet, God is holy, so any sin, any type of sin, can separate us from His Holiness.  We, as human beings, tend to categorized sin.  Lying is bad, but not as bad as anger.  Anger is bad but not as bad as murder.  Lust is bad but not as bad as adultery.   Note, however, what Christ said in the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:21-22

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Matthew 5:27-28

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Christians need to practice Repentance as they would reading God’s Word.  In fact, the more we read God’s Word, the more we would see our need to repent!

Tag: Images of Love - Song of Songs 1-2

Song of Songs 1:9-10

I compare you, my love,

to a mare among Pharaoh's chariots.

Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,

your neck with strings of jewels.

Tag:  Images of Love

In this book of Song of Solomon we have an illustration for love.  The ultimate interpretation of the contents of the book is to understand it in the context of God’s love for us and Christ’s sacrificial love for us.   The imagery is based upon Solomon and the woman he is in love with.  The banter goes back and fourth and just be before the above passage, the woman has ask the man (Solomon) where he is feeding his flock (the assumption being, she wants to see him).   Solomon’s response is to tell her how to find him, but to let her know that having a woman of her beauty among those he is with would be like putting a beautiful mare (female horse) in the presence of Pharaoh’s chariots ... the chariots would be pulled by “stallions.”   Solomon is tending his flocks with other shepherds.  He is telling the woman where to find him, but wants her to know she will be in a place where she WILL be noticed.   She has just stated (vs. 6), “do not gaze at me.”   If, Solomon reasons, you don’t want to be looked at, don’t show up where he is tending the flocks.  You will be a good looking “mare” in the presence of a group of “stallions.”  On top of her beauty being attractive and an attention getter, she is also told her ornaments and jewelry will bring out the features of her cheeks and neck.   Solomon is capture by this woman’s beauty.  She enhances her beauty with ornaments and makes herself pleasing and welcoming to him.  He is in love with this woman and in this passage he is both admiring her beauty and, at the same time, desiring to protect her from those in the world that might gawk at her.   She is someone to be noticed.  God uses beauty in our lives.  There is nothing wrong in Solomon noticing her beauty.   Here we have a great picture of the difference between the “objectification” of a woman and being attracted by her beauty.  Solomon warns her if she did, indeed, come to him, she needs to realize there will be some who objectify her.  But, he wants her to know he doesn’t miss her beauty.  Both of these are important in a relationship.   Both attraction (God’s design) and protection are part of a relationship we have in this story.   

Tag: God is our Portion - Psalm 140-142

Psalms 142:5

I cry to you, O Lord;

I say, “You are my refuge,

my portion in the land of the living.”

Tag:  God is my portion

Psalm 142 is a marvelous Psalm.  I could read it every day and it would not get old.   The Understanding the Old Testament Commentary writes the following about this Psalm:

This prayer psalm is for those who are alone: “no one is concerned for me” (v. 4; note also the superscription “When he was in the cave”). “The righteous will gather about me” (v. 7) is described as a future event, only after the psalm has been answered. This psalm, therefore, does not seem suited to public performance. Devoid of supportive social relationships, the speaker directs his “voice . . . before him,” that is, to Yahweh. He is the special protector of those who are alone, the alien, the fatherless, and the widow (Pss. 10:14, 18; 68:5; 146:9). The depictions of threat and distress are varied—trappers (v. 3), pursuers (v. 6), and prison (v. 7)—thus indicating they are not describing actual circumstances but are portraying images that denote feelings of attack and confinement. This allows the psalm to be used for a variety of needs.

The above verse is the apex of the prayer.   In the midst of being alone, abandoned, and attacked, David, the writer, has decided that the antidote for his being alone and abused is to make God, “my refuge, my portion.”  David has, before, claimed God has his only portion in the land of the living (his walk on earth):

Psalms 16:5

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.

Psalms 119:57

The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep your words

The writer Asaph, did as well:

Psalms 73:26

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 

To get the meaning of the Hebrew word for “position” we have to understand that the Levites (the priestly line of Israel) were given NO land when Joshua brought the 12 tribes into the Promise Land.  What did the tribe of Levites (the priest) get?  

Numbers 18:20

And the Lord said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.

God was to be the “portion” for the Levites.  God is to be our sole portion.  David’s answer to loneliness and how to survive the attacks and abuse of the world around him was to make God is only portion.  Finding strength and solace in the arms of God is the only real source of peace when we are surrounded by the wickedness of this world and those who only wish to hurt us, use us, or ignore us.   David, in the above verse, “cries” to the Lord.   He is in extreme pain.  But, the balm for that hurt is found not in the things he sees with his eyes, but what he sees in faith ... his refuge (the place to hide) and his portion (who holds him in the hiding) is The Lord!!  There and only there, he finds safety.   David wrote this Psalm while in a cave being hunted by his enemy (King Saul).   We can find the same peace in the arms of God in the midst of our cave.