Still won't repent ... even in light of this? Revelation 6-11

The wrath of God poured out on the earth will be so severe people will run and ask the rocks to fall on them to kill them, just so they don't have to endure such pain (see 9:6).    We can't imagine the torment that is actually described in these chapter of Christ's Revelation to and through John.   You would think that when people are met with such devastation they would turn to God in droves.   They would fall to their knees and, like Isaiah of old, say, "Behold I am undone" (Isaiah 6).   Yet, this is not the case.  Note what John records in regard to those who are not killed by the wrath of God:

Revelation 9:20-21

The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.

Despite all this devastation they refuse to repent.   We hear so many people say that if they could only see the miracles of Moses, Daniel, David, or Jesus they would gladly worship God.   However, in the light of the worst punishment ever inflicted on the earth and man we see the result: Pride.   Man is so full of himself he refuses to repent and worship God despite the worst punishment any man has ever faced.  When Sin grips the life it truly prevents repentance.   When we elevate ourselves above God we will never find a way to put ourselves under God's rule.   We will not repent unless we have God do a great work in our lives.   We need God's grace to repent.   Absent God's grace we have rebellion and hard hearts.   If you have repented from your sins give praise to God for His grace.   For without it, you would be as though in 9:20-21.

I see NO flaws in my spouse - Song of Songs 3-4

Song of Songs 4:7

“ You are altogether beautiful, my darling,

And there is no blemish in you.

Love is blind, or so they say.   Perhaps Solomon's confession about his lover and bride is a clear example of that truth.  In these two chapters of the Song of Songs, Solomon and his bride are praising each other and each has poured out the proper and expected salutations, greetings and compliments to their respective lovers.   By the time we get to 4:7 above they are drunk on love.   Solomon sums up a section describing the body of his bride with this statement, "You are altogether beautiful ... there is NO blemish in you."    The world, especially women, are in great pursuit of this high and lofty evaluation.   You can almost see the cover of the glamour magazine with the bride displayed proudly on the front with the headline, "No Blemish In Her."   Perhaps that is what floated around Jerusalem in those days.   Perhaps there was no blemish in her.   The "bride" is supposed to be a picture of the church purified by the blood of Christ, so in once sense the statement is true.  As we are presented to Christ we are presented spotless, with no blemish.  Note Peter's words about the coming Day of The Lord (the Marriage Supper of the Lamb):

2 Peter 3:14

Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,

But, in the historical sense of the Solomon's statement to his bride, he is so captivated by her beauty he literally sees no flaws. This is how we are to view our spouse.  We are to see the perfection they have IN Christ and we are to compliment them for who they are.   It is easy to find flaws in others, even after we have been married awhile and have now discovered each and every one of them.  It is quite another to allow true Biblical love to cover those flaws.   Solomon already knew this when he wrote the following Proverb.  He practiced in Song of Songs 4:7 what he wrote here:

Proverbs 10:12

Hatred stirs up strife,

But love covers all transgressions.

What to do when others attack us - Psalm 143-145

In order to catch today's theme we have to read the basis for it in the following verses from Psalms:

Psalms 143:3-5

For the enemy has persecuted my soul;

He has crushed my life to the ground;

He has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead.

Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me;

My heart is appalled within me.

"I remember the days of old;

I meditate on all Your doings;

I muse on the work of Your hands."

The writer seems under attack by someone.  He is being persecuted and is feeling overwhelmed and full of self-doubt.   He states his "heart is appalled within" him.   That is the fruit of depression, or, perhaps, depression itself.   This attack from the outside has mingled wine with the inside.   External problems eventually, if not always, damage internal organs.    

To combat this situation the writer can go many places.   Modern day psychologist give us many "techniques" to get over hurt from others and to restore the "feelings within."   The Spirit has the writer, in this case, to give us a key to restoring our confidence and internal strength.  It is NOT the idea of self evaluation - count what you have accomplished and learned in your life.  It is NOT they idea of learning more and gaining insight from past mistakes.  Both of these methods have some merit and might even be supported by some principles of Scripture.   But, here the writer tells us to "remember the days of old and mediate on" God's doings.   To overcome self-doubt we are not to focus on SELF.  We are to put our focus on what God has done through us and for us.   HIS WORK is to be identified and mediated upon and not our work.   He is the one who restores the internal power, despite the external pressure.   Meditate today on what God has done for you in the past and you will soon begin to believe what He will be doing in the future

Staying in the comforts of home vs. moving toward God - Nehemiah 11-13

Read the first three verses of this section in Nehemiah again:

Nehemiah 11:1-3

Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem, but the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while nine- tenths remained in the other cities. And the people blessed all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.

Now these are the heads of the provinces who lived in Jerusalem, but in the cities of Judah each lived on his own property in their cities —the Israelites, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants.

Here we have the re-habitation of Jerusalem.  Nehemiah, on his first trip back from captivity, had made sure the walls were built.  On his second trip back he wanted to make sure the city was filled.   Neglect would only lead to more ruin.   This was Jerusalem, the Holy City, the place God put His name and His temple.   Yet, the people were not rushing to dwell in the restored and honored dwelling place.   We can see in this description of the residence that the "leaders" of the people lived there.   And that they should.   This is where the leaders belonged.  But, where were the rest of the people?  Why the hesitation?  It would be normal to fear living in Jerusalem.   The foreign countries that took them all captive, first and foremost, destroyed Jerusalem.  The city was hated by other countries.   But, perhaps there is another reason.   Ezra tells us that the people wouldn't rebuild the temple because they "lived in panel houses" of their own.   Perhaps Paul, latter in his letter to the Church at Phillipi, gives us the real reason they wouldn't inhabit the city:

Philippians 2:21

For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.

The people were comfortable.  They had become entranced in their own cities.   There should have been a rush to fill the city.  Instead they resorted to a lottery system to put Jerusalem back where it should be in occupancy.   Like our empty churches today, seeking the place of holiness is just not on our agendas.   We prefer the comfort of our surroundings than to put ourselves at risk in the place of holiness, hated by the world.  

The curse and the cure - Deutronomy 26-28

Deuteronomy 27 and 28 are the Blessings and the Cursings of the nation of Israel.  In a simple truth God tells them if they obey they will have blessing and if they disobey they will have the curses.   To say that the curses are horrible and destructive and full of pain would be a vast understatement.   Note the following summary of the curses:

Deuteronomy 28:58-59

“If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book, to fear this honored and awesome name, the Lord your God, then the Lord will bring extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants, even severe and lasting plagues, and miserable and chronic sicknesses.

These are just two of the large number of verses that tell them to obey God.   God does not tolerate or excuse disobedience.  This is why we need Christ to stand in our place.   We, like them, would be in constant torment from the curses without God's grace through Christ.   We constantly disobey God and fall short of His demands.   We can't obey even the short list in chapter 26.   We are cursed ... like them.   God, however, knows this and provides Christ to fulfill the requirements of the law and to stand in our place for the punishment due for breaking the law.   God's grace in our lives meets the demands of God's justice over our lives.   We can be thankful that God provided Christ in our stead for the demands of the law.  

Idol Worship - 1 John 4-5

John ends his book on loving God and loving others and avoiding anti-Christ teaching in the following manner:

1 John 5:21

Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

With no salutation or Pauline-like sign off, John simply gives one final warning: Don't get caught worshiping someone or something that is, in the simplest terms, an idol.   We typically think of idols as stone or wooden statues that the ancients bowed before asking for blessings from a rock.   We laugh at the ignorance of the primitives, who, when a meteor struck their town, they would worship the rock like some god fallen from the sky, punished by the other gods.   We laugh at the tribes in the congo who are found in worship of trees and logs they have given faces and hands.  Yet, in our society we see us worship shinny and fast cars, sleek yachts, wood and cement homes, hand-held technology and empty, vain athletes and entertainment gods.   We wait in line for the next gadget, only to find out the new version of it will be out within the next year, making the long awaited toy in our hand obsolete before we learn how to use it.  We worship the way others dress, or what they are wearing.  We worship and chase championship trophies to hoist them over our heads and kiss like the ancients years ago kissed their stones.  What we pursuit we worship.   What we adore we worship.  What we long for we worship.   If we pursue, adore and long for Christ we are in the right place.  If not, heed John's final words in this book:  Little Children, guard yourselves from idols.  

When you see other's successful ministries, what do you do? Acts 21-22

In Mathew 5:16 it says that we are to do our good works in front of men so that when they see them they will glorify our Father who is in heaven.   

Matthew 5:16

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

In this section of Paul reporting back to the people in Jerusalem about his missionary journey we see those words of Jesus fulfilled: 

Acts 21:19-20a

After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

And when they heard it they began glorifying God; ...

Telling others what God is doing in our ministries ought to produce praise and glory for God.  It ought not to produce envy and ego trips.   Paul was sharing with them the glories of Christ.   They responded by giving glory to God.    That is what our "success" in ministry is all about.   We are not to share to boast of our accomplishments.  We are not to try to solicit envy.    Yet, in most of our churches, when we see the success of others we attempt to down play or judge or marginalize their success.   When we see another church grow and ours isn't what do we do.   Paul came back to Jerusalem and sang great praise of what God was doing.  It must have been tough for the Jerusalem council since they were in persecution, with disciples living and fleeing.   They were in a famine.   Yet, God was blessing Paul ... and on top of that he was going to the Gentiles.   Praising God for what He is doing in others is the intent of God.  But, it goes against our nature.   The next time you hear or see another's ministry being successful, praise God.  Glorify the Father.   That is what the good works are intended to do ... bring praise to Him.