2 Kings 5:1-3
Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
Truth: God uses any person He puts in the right place at the right time.
There are no coincidence in God's plan for mankind. God has a perfect plan and He works that plan using a variety of people. In our society you often hear about how "lucky" people are to have something happen or to meet someone. In God's world there is no such thing as luck. Every thing is by design and by His plan. In the above story a young Jewish girl was taken from her land in a raid by the Syrians. I must have been traumatic for her to be a prisoner of war in a foreign land and away from her parents. Imagine the bitterness that could have entered her life. She could have shut down and become senseless and no-responsive to life. Yet, in the midst of this conflict, God uses her memory and the connection she makes between her captor's leprosey and her memory of the great prophet, Elisha. God uses this little girl to connect the prophet to the commander of the army that took her from her home. God uses people in all kinds of places. When Paul was taken captive by the Roman guards after being attacked by the religious leaders in his day, it was his nephew who God used to uncover a plot.
Acts 23:16
Now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.
God places people, all kinds of people, in the right places at the right time to accomplish His tasks. There is no meaningless meeting between two people in God's plan. God has a purpose for each interaction. Joseph was in prison for a false crime after being sold into slavery by his wicked brothers. The baker and the cupbearer of the king are tossed into prison and "just happen" to have a dream that Joseph interprets for them. The cupbearer "just happens" to remember the interpretation at the right time for Joseph to be requested by the king and set free. There are no coincidences with God's plan. God uses any person to accomplish His plans. No age, no gender, no ethnicity restrain God from using His creatures to accomplish His plan.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Monday, June 29, 2015
Truth #183 - God is concerned about hour holiness in everthing - Leviticus 10-12
Leviticus 11:1-2
And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, These are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.
Truth: God demands holiness in all that we do.
In the above text we have the instruction of God, through Moses, about dietary laws and regulations. In the verses in chapter eleven God was not trying to restrict the nation of Israel from eating a great bacon-cheese-burger, as much as He was preventing them from being made sick by certain food items for those particular days and to make them distinct from their neighbors. God knew that in the roaming in the desert there were certain foods that would not be healthy for them, nor would be able to be kept clean and free from diseases from them. He also knew that to keep them separate from the other nations, that would include how and what they ate. At the end of the chapter, God gives the reason for the dietary rules and laws:
Leviticus 11:44a
For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.
These laws are why Daniel, even in captivity stood his ground and asked to be excused from the eating of items that God had forbidden him to eat from this passage:
Daniel 1:8
But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.
In the book of Acts, Peter is challenged with the eating of these types of food, because God removed the restriction to demonstrate His love for all kinds, i.e. the Gentiles. When seeing animals of all types, forbidden foods, ascend from heaven Peter was told by God to eat them, which perplexed Peter. It is no doubt he knew the instructions of Leviticus 11 and, yet, this is what God said to him:
Acts 10:13-15
And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”
God is concerned about all aspects of our holiness. In the day of the nation of Israel that holiness was manifested in "what" they ate. Later God would change that manifestation. In Christ it became about "why" we eat. Note the passage Paul writes to the church at Corinth about eating meat that was sacrificed to idols previously ... should we eat it?
1 Corinthians 8:10-13
For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
God is concerned about our holiness ... but that is manifested differently by God. In our day it is less about "what" we eat and more about "why" we eat. He still demands that we are holy, however.
And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, These are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.
Truth: God demands holiness in all that we do.
In the above text we have the instruction of God, through Moses, about dietary laws and regulations. In the verses in chapter eleven God was not trying to restrict the nation of Israel from eating a great bacon-cheese-burger, as much as He was preventing them from being made sick by certain food items for those particular days and to make them distinct from their neighbors. God knew that in the roaming in the desert there were certain foods that would not be healthy for them, nor would be able to be kept clean and free from diseases from them. He also knew that to keep them separate from the other nations, that would include how and what they ate. At the end of the chapter, God gives the reason for the dietary rules and laws:
Leviticus 11:44a
For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.
These laws are why Daniel, even in captivity stood his ground and asked to be excused from the eating of items that God had forbidden him to eat from this passage:
Daniel 1:8
But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.
In the book of Acts, Peter is challenged with the eating of these types of food, because God removed the restriction to demonstrate His love for all kinds, i.e. the Gentiles. When seeing animals of all types, forbidden foods, ascend from heaven Peter was told by God to eat them, which perplexed Peter. It is no doubt he knew the instructions of Leviticus 11 and, yet, this is what God said to him:
Acts 10:13-15
And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”
God is concerned about all aspects of our holiness. In the day of the nation of Israel that holiness was manifested in "what" they ate. Later God would change that manifestation. In Christ it became about "why" we eat. Note the passage Paul writes to the church at Corinth about eating meat that was sacrificed to idols previously ... should we eat it?
1 Corinthians 8:10-13
For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
God is concerned about our holiness ... but that is manifested differently by God. In our day it is less about "what" we eat and more about "why" we eat. He still demands that we are holy, however.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Truth #182 - God's Love enables God's discernment - Phillipians 1-2
Philippians 1:9-11
And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Truth: When we have the love of God flowing from our hearts, we have the discernment of God flowing from our minds.
There is no doubt we spend much time in our hearts and minds trying to decide the direction of our lives. We often turn things over and around in our minds like a mixing bowl filled with possibilities. We struggle so much with the questions of lefts and rights that we often miss the right nows, right heres. The "should we" questions often steal and capture our joy. Since Paul wrote the book of Philippians to teach the believers in this church how to allow the Joy of Christ rule in their hearts, the problem of worry in the act of discernment is an important topic for him to write about. In the above set of verses it is important to see how Paul couples our living out God's love in our hearts with the act of knowledge and discernment. Paul wants them to know that "how" they love is directly propitiate to how they move forward in discernment and acting out in righteousness. To understand this concept we have to remember that upon salvation, God placed love in our hearts:
Romans 5:5
... and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Because love is a fruit of the Spirit Paul knows that this love, in turn, is the both the rudder and the sail of our discernment. Note the following comments:
Word Biblical Commentary:
This love, he trusts, will be accompanied by knowledge and depth of insight. Paul was not blind to the dangers of emotion uncontrolled by intelligence. He was resolved, by his own account, to pray and sing “with my spirit, but … also … with my mind” (1 Cor 14:15), and he was equally concerned that he and his converts should love in spirit and mind alike.
It is love that fosters the growth of true knowledge and discernment or spiritual perception. “Knowledge,” divorced from love, “puffs up,” whereas “love builds up” (1 Cor 8:1). But if love is indispensable, knowledge and depth of insight are necessary. The truth of the gospel is liable to be subverted where ignorance and faulty judgment provide a foothold for the unsound teaching against which the Philippians are put on their guard in chapter 3.
Paul wants these believers in Phillipi to beware of false teaching, which will eventually collapse their joy. To assure that this does not happen Paul prays for them NOT that they might study harder. But rather that they might love deeper (more and more) AND that this love might abound so that their knowledge and discernment will allow them to "approve" (and my inference "disapprove") anything that is excellent. God's love is the key component in our discernment. We can't expect to know God's will when we are refusing to DO God's love that was placed in our hearts by the Spirit of God.
And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Truth: When we have the love of God flowing from our hearts, we have the discernment of God flowing from our minds.
There is no doubt we spend much time in our hearts and minds trying to decide the direction of our lives. We often turn things over and around in our minds like a mixing bowl filled with possibilities. We struggle so much with the questions of lefts and rights that we often miss the right nows, right heres. The "should we" questions often steal and capture our joy. Since Paul wrote the book of Philippians to teach the believers in this church how to allow the Joy of Christ rule in their hearts, the problem of worry in the act of discernment is an important topic for him to write about. In the above set of verses it is important to see how Paul couples our living out God's love in our hearts with the act of knowledge and discernment. Paul wants them to know that "how" they love is directly propitiate to how they move forward in discernment and acting out in righteousness. To understand this concept we have to remember that upon salvation, God placed love in our hearts:
Romans 5:5
... and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Because love is a fruit of the Spirit Paul knows that this love, in turn, is the both the rudder and the sail of our discernment. Note the following comments:
Word Biblical Commentary:
This love, he trusts, will be accompanied by knowledge and depth of insight. Paul was not blind to the dangers of emotion uncontrolled by intelligence. He was resolved, by his own account, to pray and sing “with my spirit, but … also … with my mind” (1 Cor 14:15), and he was equally concerned that he and his converts should love in spirit and mind alike.
It is love that fosters the growth of true knowledge and discernment or spiritual perception. “Knowledge,” divorced from love, “puffs up,” whereas “love builds up” (1 Cor 8:1). But if love is indispensable, knowledge and depth of insight are necessary. The truth of the gospel is liable to be subverted where ignorance and faulty judgment provide a foothold for the unsound teaching against which the Philippians are put on their guard in chapter 3.
Paul wants these believers in Phillipi to beware of false teaching, which will eventually collapse their joy. To assure that this does not happen Paul prays for them NOT that they might study harder. But rather that they might love deeper (more and more) AND that this love might abound so that their knowledge and discernment will allow them to "approve" (and my inference "disapprove") anything that is excellent. God's love is the key component in our discernment. We can't expect to know God's will when we are refusing to DO God's love that was placed in our hearts by the Spirit of God.
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Truth #181 - God doesn't value money like we do - Luke 15-16
Luke 16:14-15
The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
Truth: God doens't value money the same way as man.
For those who are working to "earn" this passage from Luke's Gospel is very important to understand and digest. God has a different priority about wealth. In today's society, much more than in the days of the Pharisees, we equate financial wealth with success. The Pharisees equated financial wealth with God's blessings. It is of little doubt that when they heard Jesus' teaching and equated the disciplines and Jesus as poor, and therefore not blessed by God. They were lovers of money ... money equated to power for them. Note the principle Jesus states, however, in regard to their belief system: "For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God." The immediate context of this statement is in regard to financial gain and accumulated wealth as a measurement for God's blessing, and by inference, success. What is quite powerful in the statement is that our Savior uses "abomination" to describe such a thought process. That changes our thinking (or, should change it) in regard to why we work and what we are attempting to accumulate. Jesus' point it that the heart that has money on the altar is an abomination to God. Whatever we exalt in place of Jesus will be an abomination in the sight of God ... and, what is in our heart IS in the sight of God. Whatever we exalt, when it is not Christ, is an abomination. God demands that He is on the throne. Nothing else is worthy to be on the throne of our hearts. Money is a heart issue, not a earnings issue. Money is a detractor that the world system, at the hands of Satan's fingers, is used to pull us away from the priority and obligation of worship. We are sucked into the vortex of earning wealth at an early age. Children are taught to earn for the purpose of purchasing or saving for something. The Pharisees would be proud of our modern day teaching to youth about money, earning and purpose in life. What Jesus is teaching in these two chapters is the priority we ought to have for the lost and for finding those who need to hear the message of the Gospel. God is in the business to seeking the lost (the lost lamb, the lost coin, the lost son ... all examples of God's passion and our purpose). If anything else is on the throne of our lives it is an "abomination" in the sight of God.
The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
Truth: God doens't value money the same way as man.
For those who are working to "earn" this passage from Luke's Gospel is very important to understand and digest. God has a different priority about wealth. In today's society, much more than in the days of the Pharisees, we equate financial wealth with success. The Pharisees equated financial wealth with God's blessings. It is of little doubt that when they heard Jesus' teaching and equated the disciplines and Jesus as poor, and therefore not blessed by God. They were lovers of money ... money equated to power for them. Note the principle Jesus states, however, in regard to their belief system: "For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God." The immediate context of this statement is in regard to financial gain and accumulated wealth as a measurement for God's blessing, and by inference, success. What is quite powerful in the statement is that our Savior uses "abomination" to describe such a thought process. That changes our thinking (or, should change it) in regard to why we work and what we are attempting to accumulate. Jesus' point it that the heart that has money on the altar is an abomination to God. Whatever we exalt in place of Jesus will be an abomination in the sight of God ... and, what is in our heart IS in the sight of God. Whatever we exalt, when it is not Christ, is an abomination. God demands that He is on the throne. Nothing else is worthy to be on the throne of our hearts. Money is a heart issue, not a earnings issue. Money is a detractor that the world system, at the hands of Satan's fingers, is used to pull us away from the priority and obligation of worship. We are sucked into the vortex of earning wealth at an early age. Children are taught to earn for the purpose of purchasing or saving for something. The Pharisees would be proud of our modern day teaching to youth about money, earning and purpose in life. What Jesus is teaching in these two chapters is the priority we ought to have for the lost and for finding those who need to hear the message of the Gospel. God is in the business to seeking the lost (the lost lamb, the lost coin, the lost son ... all examples of God's passion and our purpose). If anything else is on the throne of our lives it is an "abomination" in the sight of God.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Truth #180 - God is pateint - Ezekiel 14-18
Ezekiel 18:23
Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?
Truth: God takes no pleasure when people die without faith in Him.
Note the following verse that closes this chapter of Ezekiel's prophecy, as well as the one above:
Ezekiel 18:31-32
Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.”
God is a patient God and takes no pleasure when others reject Him and they suffer for it. God is grieved by those who reject Him. In this portion of Ezekiel God is telling the nation of Israel that because of their sin they must suffer discipline for it. Yet, God takes no pleasure in it. Notice a couple of New Testament passages that echo this verse:
1 Timothy 2:4
who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Romans 2:4
Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
God is patient. We ought to learn from this. We tend to want wrath right away. But, God doesn't. He tolerates sin for more than we know. Isn't it great that God is patient toward us ... even when we are impatient toward others? God is not slack, but long suffering. That is a trait we should worship, rejoice around and practice in our lives.
Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?
Truth: God takes no pleasure when people die without faith in Him.
Note the following verse that closes this chapter of Ezekiel's prophecy, as well as the one above:
Ezekiel 18:31-32
Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.”
God is a patient God and takes no pleasure when others reject Him and they suffer for it. God is grieved by those who reject Him. In this portion of Ezekiel God is telling the nation of Israel that because of their sin they must suffer discipline for it. Yet, God takes no pleasure in it. Notice a couple of New Testament passages that echo this verse:
1 Timothy 2:4
who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Romans 2:4
Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
God is patient. We ought to learn from this. We tend to want wrath right away. But, God doesn't. He tolerates sin for more than we know. Isn't it great that God is patient toward us ... even when we are impatient toward others? God is not slack, but long suffering. That is a trait we should worship, rejoice around and practice in our lives.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Truth #179 - God gives wisdom to leadership - Proverbs 7-8
Proverbs 8:15, 16
By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, All who judge rightly.
Truth: God gives wisdom to leadership
Leadership begs for wisdom. Leadership wants wisdom more than anything else. Yet, they don't always know they want it, need it or can seek it. Solomon tells us in these two verses that God provides wisdom to those who lead and it gives them the power to "reign"; to decree "justice"; to "rule"; and to "judge." "Kings;" "rulers;" "princes;" and "nobles" are all titles for those in authority and in much need of leadership. True, Biblical leadership, can't do without Godly wisdom. We rule and reign with wisdom. Seeking it gives us the capacity to rule and lead. We can try to rule in other ways but only through Godly wisdom can we rule justly and in righteousness. The last line gives us the key to the two verses: "All who judge rightly." That phrase shows us what we do with Wisdom. It shows us that Wisdom is the key component of leadership. Wisdom is the "Fear of the Lord." So, the key ingredient to true wisdom and great leadership is acknowledgement that God is who He says He is. We are to fear the Lord and that is the avenue to wisdom. Wisdom is the avenue to great leadership. Chase God and get what you need for leadership.
By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, All who judge rightly.
Truth: God gives wisdom to leadership
Leadership begs for wisdom. Leadership wants wisdom more than anything else. Yet, they don't always know they want it, need it or can seek it. Solomon tells us in these two verses that God provides wisdom to those who lead and it gives them the power to "reign"; to decree "justice"; to "rule"; and to "judge." "Kings;" "rulers;" "princes;" and "nobles" are all titles for those in authority and in much need of leadership. True, Biblical leadership, can't do without Godly wisdom. We rule and reign with wisdom. Seeking it gives us the capacity to rule and lead. We can try to rule in other ways but only through Godly wisdom can we rule justly and in righteousness. The last line gives us the key to the two verses: "All who judge rightly." That phrase shows us what we do with Wisdom. It shows us that Wisdom is the key component of leadership. Wisdom is the "Fear of the Lord." So, the key ingredient to true wisdom and great leadership is acknowledgement that God is who He says He is. We are to fear the Lord and that is the avenue to wisdom. Wisdom is the avenue to great leadership. Chase God and get what you need for leadership.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Truth #178 - God IS near! - Psalm 75-77
Psalms 75:1
We give thanks to you, O God;
we give thanks, for your name is near.
We recount your wondrous deeds.
Truth: God is near!!
There are those who don't believe that truth. There are those who believe, that even if there is a God, He is distant and unengaged in our lives. Or, He is inactive because He is impotent. They believe He has no power to intervene in our lives so, they believe, He has chosen to be a spectator and commentator rather than a Savior and a Friend. There are still others who hold that God is there but too distant and too might for us to know. To them, God is powerful and awesome but distant and beyond our comprehension. But, the above verse and several others say otherwise. In this opening verse we read and can believe with real assurance that God IS near. In fact, the writer assures of this by telling us to simply recounting God's wondrous deeds. God has done great things, is doing great things and has many great and wondrous deeds yet He will do in our lives. Notice where the "nearness" of God is also stated in Psalm, even in a more concise manner:
Psalm 145:18
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
In this psalm we are told that those who approach God "in truth" can be assured that God is near to them. To approach God in truth we must have a relationship with the God who is truth. Jesus came and told us that He was the "way, the truth and the life and no man comes unto the Father but by me." (John 14:6). Having a relationship, by grace through faith, allows us to call upon God in truth. We come to God because Christ made a way for us to draw near in faith to Him. Note what the writer of Hebrews tells us:
Hebrews 10:19-23
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
We can draw near to God and know that He IS near because Christ made the way for us to draw to Him. This is a divine truth that we can be thankful for. He has done wondrous deeds by removing the barrier between God and us and making a way to enter into a relationship with the Father, through the Son.
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