Tag: God Has a Plan - Ecclesiastes 3-4

Ecclesiastes 3:14

I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.

Tag:  Whatever God Does Teaches Us To Fear God

God does a lot of stuff.  God has been doing a lot of stuff for a long time.  The above verse gives us understanding that God has given us gifts, pain, happiness, sorrow, rain, snow, laughter, brokenness, health, jobs, material goods, blessing, cursing, etc. for the sole purpose of teaching us to fear Him.  There are a number of points in this verse that should not be missed:

#1 - God does things - God is in charge of the universe and it is His work that is working. 

#2 - God has a plan - it is implied in this verse that God is doing something with a plan intent at the end.  That means each action of God is for that intent. 

#3 - God’s work endures - nothing God does is insignificant or temporary.  He is working a plan and each step of the plan has an enduring quality to it. 

#4 - We can’t add or subtract from God’s plan - we might think that our contributions are independent and in our control, but even our aimless acts of rebellion are simply an extension of God’s enduring work. 

#5 - God does all this to get us to fear Him - in Proverbs we read that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.   God’s entire game plan is to get mankind to fear Him in holy reverence and submissive honor.    

God has a plan and we are part of the redemption of that plan.   Praise Him for that!!!

Tag: Gladness Comes From God’s Goodness - Psalms 125-127

Psalms 126:3

The Lord has done great things for us;

we are glad.

Tag:  Gladness Comes from God’s Goodness

Before we dive into this verse, perhaps we should recall something the Apostle James said in the News Testament:

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Or, perhaps something Jesus said:

Matthew 5:45

so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

If ANYTHING good ever happens to ANYONE on the face of the earth, it is because God has chosen to be good to them.   Perhaps it would be wise for all mankind to stop and think what would happen if we all just received what we deserve.  What would that be?  We know mankind thinks highly of themselves, but if it were not for God’s grace and goodness (to even those who refuse to believe Him and recognize Him), note what God says would happen to us all:

Romans 3:23

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So, when we read this beautiful verse from Psalm 126 about being “glad,” we have to stop and remember that anytime we have “gladness” in our heart, it is because of something a Sovereign God did for us, from the Goodness of His heart.  We can never really, truly be glad if we are not first willing to recognize that every good thing ANYONE has ever experienced has come from God’s gracious hand. Man likes to think he makes his own “luck” and makes his own “good” in his/her life.  Mankind likes to think they are in control.   Yet, the truth of the matter is seen in the above verse.  Gladness comes directly from God’s Goodness.  We ought to spend our time praising Him for it and being thankful to him for it.  

Tag: Motivated By God’s Character - 2 Chronicles 29-32

2 Chronicles 29:8-12a

Therefore the wrath of the Lord came on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has made them an object of horror, of astonishment, and of hissing, as you see with your own eyes. For behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, in order that his fierce anger may turn away from us. My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him and to be his ministers and make offerings to him.”

Then the Levites arose, ...”

Tag:  Inspiration and Motivation Should be Based Upon the Character of God

King Hezekiah is trying to motivate the Levites to return to service to the Temple.   The Temple, under previous kings and leaders, has fallen into extremes disrepair.   To motivate them, King Hezekiah speaks about the power of God, the wrath and judgment of God and the promises of God.  His motivational speech was not about their “positions” or “rights” or possible “blessings” (although all those would be true).  His motivational speech was about the character of God.   That is what should motivate us for service to the King of Kings.   The King could have promised them resources, treasure and position.   Many leaders do just that!!   But, in God’s Service the greatest motivation is the character of our God.   That should instill in our the desire to serve Him and to do a great job for Him!! 

Tag: Prosperity Hinders Pursuit of God - Deuteronomy 7-9

Deuteronomy 8:11-14

“Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,

Tag:  Prosperity Hinders Pursuit of God

When we have al that we need and more we can be assured there is a temptation to stop pursuing God.  This is the warning we see in the above verses.  Having blessing and riches is not evil or wrong in itself.   It is the impact those blessings, wealth and prosperity have on us in regard to our pursuit of God.  God is about to bring the nation of Israel into the promise land. It is a land that is “flowing with milk and honey.”   The nation is about to cease eating manna and, instead, eat real food, for the first time in 40 years.  They are going to eat of the crops they did not grow and the cattle they did not raise.   They are going to live in houses they did not build and have access to wells they did not dig.  Like winning an instant lottery, the nation is about to experience blessings they have seldom had in their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.   Moses, in the above verses, is warning them to NOT turn away from God as a result of this instant prosperity.  

Note what Jesus also says to us about riches:

Matthew 19:23

And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.

Note what Jesus says we should do instead:

Matthew 6:31-34

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Tag: God’s Word is a Mirror - James 1-3

James 1:25

But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

Tag: God’s Word is a Mirror

Looking in the mirror is a popular venture for a jr. high girl and guy. They love to see what they see. Their judgements are often, however, cruel as they disapprove of the new pimple or emerging facial flaw. One hair out of place can secure a teenage girl to sit in front of a mirror more than a thousand chains. Self inspection through mirror-work is a part of life ... except when it comes to spiritual mirror-work. James tells us to look into God's Word, His "perfect" law and law of "liberty". He tells to not just "look" but to "abide by it" and something will take place ... we will be "blessed." Standing in front of a mirror for a long time in the morning will not change your bed-head look. But, standing in front of the mirror and having it inspire and motivate you to pick up a comb and brush will not only correct the problem but bring a more blessed day. So, too, with God's Word. It is not that we simply look at it. It is not that we casually read it (although the simple reading of God's Word gives the Spirit of God the Sword He needs to fight the flesh). We need to read it and act on it, through faith. We need to say to God, "I see what you are saying ... by faith I am going to pick up this brush and do something with my spiritual hair because I can see in your Word I need to." If we simply read a verse-a-day-to-keep-the-devil-away, we will find we are lacking. The key is to "abide" in God's Word and do the necessary mirror work for our lives. Proper mirror work gives us the ability to deal with those outside our lives (outside the window of our lives). So, before you do window-work, make sure you first do the mirror-work by obeying, by faith, what you read in God's Word.

Tag: The Good News is About Peace - Acts 9-10

Acts 10:34-38

Gentiles Hear the Good News)

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

Tag:  The Good News is News of Peace

Before we can understand the words of Peter in the above verse (“... preaching good news of peace ...”), we should look at some other passages:

Nahum 1:15

Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him

who brings good news,

who publishes peace!

Keep your feasts, O Judah;

fulfill your vows,

for never again shall the worthless pass through you;

he is utterly cut off.

Isaiah 52:7

How beautiful upon the mountains

are the feet of him who brings good news,

who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,

who publishes salvation,

who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

Ephesians 6:13-15

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, ... and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

When the angels proclaimed Christ’s brith, note their message:

Luke 2:14

“Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Note Jesus message to His disciples:

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

When Peter, in our verse from Acts, spoke to Cornelius about “peace,” he had good reason to do so.  The Gospel is the message of peace between man and God.  Right now, all of mankind are under the judgment of the consuming wrath of God.  Mankind likes to believe that God is the God of Love and would ever condemn someone to death.  Yet, that is not what the Bible teaches.   God is a consuming fire for judgment against all sin.  If man reject God’s payment for that sin through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, they will face God’s wrath.   The gospel is a message of peace because Christ’s sacrifice knocks down the wall between man and God and restores peace.  

Ephesians 2:13-16

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

Tag: Waiting on God - Habakkuk

Habakkuk 2:1

I will take my stand at my watchpost

and station myself on the tower,

and look out to see what he will say to me,

and what I will answer concerning my complaint.

Tag: Waiting For God is a Good Thing

The story of the prophet Habakkuk is more practical and pertinent in our lives, today, than we may want to admit.  The prophet is having a discussion (argument?) with God.  God is about to use a wicked nation (Babylon) to punish God’s chosen people Israel.  Babylon, Habakkuk maintains (and God somewhat concedes this point) is a worse nation than Israel, when you compare sin for sin.   To the Jewish mind, they were very, very special.  God had blessed them and made them a great nation in the midst of all the evil “dogs” of nations around them.   If you read a large portion of the Old Testament you can see why they think that.  Paul even maintains that same thought in Romans 9:1-5.   

However, the key thought for Habakkuk is that why is God using such a wicked nation to punish them.  Certainly God would not soil His hands in such a way.  Note what Habakkuk says in the preceding chapter:

Habakkuk 1:12

Are you not from everlasting,

O Lord my God, my Holy One?

We shall not die.

O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment,

and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof.

The prophet appeals to God’s character and He certainly can’t be associated with such filth as Babylon.   

That is what brings us to the above verse where the prophet has decided to “wait.”   He is going to “wait” for an answer.   God will give Him and answer and it is plain that God holds those He blesses and chooses for His own to a higher standard than He does a wicked nation(s).   The key thought, however, is that the prophet must wait for the answer.   We often find ourselves waiting for God to answer our big questions in life.  That is not a bad thing.  God has chosen to speak, as He does for Habakkuk.   God will always answer, but we must always be willing to sit and wait and listen for His response.   The response is always through His word, as it is with Habakkuk.  

The prophet is sitting at his “watchpost” and waiting on God.  That is the best place to be in life.   Finding our own particular “watchpost” is an important aspect of life.  Sitting, waiting and listening for God is never a bad thing, no matter the answer God gives.  The rest of chapter two and three God answers the prophet.  But, only because the prophet asked the har question(s) and then sat and was willing to listen to the Divine answers.