The Gift of God for You

When I was a kid there was a strange disconnect from the known risk of smoking and common practices.  For instance, in Southern California at our local diner upon entry a cigarette vending machine was a fixture.  A waitress would ask for our preference of "Smoking or non-smoking?"  We always chose the non-smoking section, but the view of smoke rising from tables and ashtrays was not far away.  It was ironic to me we eat to sustain the health of our bodies, whilst at the same time the clearly visible Surgeon General's Warning stated, "Smoking may be hazardous to your health."  This warning later took aim at smokers personally:  "Quitting smoking now greatly reduces serious risks to your health."

I saw a sign today in the shops in Australia that reminded me of how much things have changed.  The sign simply said, "Smoking kills."  It struck me that a sign intended to warn all of the serious health risks of smoking is no guarantee.  Smokers can always dodge the implications of the potential hazards of smoking by citing examples of people who lived healthy and died young, or people who smoked packs a day who lived a long life.  I am not a smoker myself, but I can see how easy it is to deflect the more serious warnings because they are not personal.  Even if the sign read, "Smoking will kill you" there would be those who doubted this claim, deny belief by their continued smoking or be indifferent.

One aspect I love about God's word is there is no wiggle room concerning warnings of sin.  There is no wavering maybes like, "Sin may destroy relationships" or "Sin might increase your sorrow in life" or "Sin might punch your ticket to hell."  God is absolutely clear concerning the destructive, deadly consequences of sin for people created in His image.  Ezekiel 18:20 states, "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself."  There is no question concerning the righteous standard held forth in the 10 Commandments and the testimony of scripture, for the sovereign God speaks in absolutes.  God tells every person what are the clear consequences of sin individually:  the death of the body and ultimate eternal death of our souls.

Until now our future looks bleak because we are all born addicted to sin:  pride, rebellion, selfishness, folly and much more.  The glorious truth is the God who knows and reveals our sin also has provided a way for us to be instantly cleansed, forgiven and born again.  The lungs of a heavy smoker can recover over time after quitting, but being justified by grace through faith in Jesus is done in an instant.  When we repent of our sin and believe on Jesus as LORD and Saviour the righteousness of God is credited to us.  Paul contrasted our lives governed by sin and self and the life we have through faith in Jesus in Romans 6:21-23:  "What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. ²² But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

See the assurance God gives those who trust in Him!  All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and the wages of sin is death.  Faith in Jesus does not provide a possibility of salvation or redemption but it is a guarantee based upon what God has already said and done.  God offers all sinners the gift of salvation, having clearly communicated our need.  He has set before us a way of life and death all must choose, and the wise will hear God, believe what God says is true for them personally and obey.

The God Who Sends

I love how man plans his way, and at the same time God directs his steps.  A great passage that illustrates this is when the donkeys owned by Kish went missing.  Kish asked his son Saul to take a servant and find the donkeys which were lost.  They went from city to city looking for the donkeys and as days passed their food was spent.  After a discussion Saul and his servant decided to go to the seer Samuel and ask for guidance.  Their visit was without appointment and were appearing unannounced, but God had already orchestrated the whole affair.

1 Samuel 9:15-17 reads, "Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came, saying, ¹⁶ "Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to me." ¹⁷ And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said to him, "There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over My people."  Isn't God awesome?  God spoke to Samuel about the man from Benjamin He would send Him.  Saul had no idea he had been sent, for as far as he could tell he was on an aimless search for lost donkeys!  At the request of his father Saul obediently searched and at the same time was sent by God to Samuel to save God's people from the Philistines in response to their cries.  Samuel extended an offer of hospitality to Saul and his servant and they enjoyed a banquet prepared for them and others.

Like Saul, we can simply be going about our business--and it seem futile and pointless at that--yet God has a totally different purpose and end He will be faithful to accomplish.  We not may be one God intends to anoint as king or to be a deliverer of His people, but we can extend hospitality to those who are hungry or need a place to stay.  We can encourage one another with wisdom from God's word or be willing to accept a friendly offer of fellowship.  I imagine Saul had many things he would rather have done than look for lost donkeys, and yet it was part of God's unfolding plan on a path to becoming king.

Consider for a moment the way God sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to seek and save the lost:  He experienced suffering, endured temptation, and overcame death on Calvary to atone for the souls of sinners.  Unlike Saul, Jesus knew the purpose of His earthly pilgrimage and how He would lay down His life to redeem the lost and rise from the dead in glory.  What appeared a grave injustice on every level satisfied the justice of God, and the disciples never saw it coming.  Praise God His ways are higher than ours and He knows what He is doing, even when we feel like we are spinning our wheels and going nowhere.  We can rest confidently in His goodness and grace when we are like Saul who had no idea where the donkeys had run off to or why.  In his situation and ours God is at work, and let us labour to trust and obey God wherever He sends us.

Grace and Peace Multiplied

One of the benefits of having money in a bank account is to have a percentage added for interest.  It is a basic way to have money "working" for you while at the same time is secure and insured.  While adding to wealth is desirable, multiplying wealth is even more appealing.  Why add when you can multiply and earn faster?

During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus mentioned how people tend to worry about their lives, what they will eat, drink or wear.  Because born again Christians have God as our Father in heaven, we ought not to worry like others do about an uncertain future because God will supply all our needs.  Matthew 6:33 said, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."  All the things we need are found in God who has created us, given us eternal life and all things which pertain to life and godliness.  It is in knowing God and the promises of His word that build and strengthen our faith.

In seeking God we discover all our needs are abundantly met and added to us:  did you know it is possible to have grace and peace multiplied to us?  This is revealed in the introduction of 2 Peter 1:1-4:  "Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ: ² grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."  As our knowledge of God in whom we trust expands, grace and peace are multiplied to us in the knowledge of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.  Our faith is not an airy-fairy longing but rests in the reality of God's existence, the facts of who He is and all His exceedingly great and precious promises.

As our knowledge of God as revealed in scripture and by our relationship with Him, God's grace and peace abounds.  God's divine power has given us everything we need for this life and all eternity, for we are made partakers of the divine nature:  the Holy Spirit who regenerates and indwells us.  The people of this world have plenty to eat, drink and wear and are not satisfied, yet we have "escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."  Lust leaves us dissatisfied with what we have and always thirsts for more, better and new.  Our precious faith which believes Gods great and precious promises sustains us, for our hope is in our God who multiplies grace and peace unto us.  We have multiplied to us what the world cannot earn or obtain by any effort of the flesh.  How privileged and blessed we are to know God and to be known by Him!

Glory in Knowing God

"Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; ²⁴ but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD."

Jeremiah 9:23-24

This passage has a two-fold emphasis for me today:  God can be known, and it is possible to glory in many things rather than knowing Him.  Even in the days of Law and the Old Testament, God revealed Himself to all in the earth by the great things He had done.  Though unapproachable in glory, God provided evidence for man to seek and know Him.  He created mankind with the ability to reason and ponder, with curiosity and an unquenchable thirst to learn, explore and discover.

The prophet Jeremiah addressed this discourse to the children of Israel who had turned from the living God to idols, bringing down the majesty of their Creator to an image fashioned by man's devising of wood, stone or precious metal.  It is natural for men to glory (to praise, boast) in his abilities and accomplishments, like the athlete who raises his arms on the podium after winning an event.  The crowd cheers their champions, and the arms raised in triumph and saluting of the multitude is an acknowledgement of himself.  The mighty man naturally glories in his might, and the rich are pleased to be so.  God spoke through the prophet, "He who glories glory in this, that you understand and know Me, that I am the LORD."  The strength of the mighty man and riches we acquire are a gift from God, but strength and riches have their limits; in time strength turns to weakness and riches pass to another.

Our glorying should not be in our abilities or achievements but in God who has revealed Himself to us, who exercises "lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth" because He delights in them.  God's character and ways can be known by those who trust Him, whose eyes have been opened by His grace to believe on Him.  God's ways are unsearchable and His thoughts higher than ours, but we can know Him!  What a joy it is to know He who is most glorious, and will ever be in the height of His power and majesty forever!  God has spoken and He also puts into practice what He delights in without respect of persons.  God's love is active and loyal and governs justly.  He upholds the righteous standard He has set and keeps it Himself without fail.

God knows us and desires we would be intimately acquainted with Him and His ways.  The lack of the knowledge of God led to the destruction of His people, and God remained faithful.  James 1:16-17 reads, "Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. ¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."  The things we believe we have earned are actually gifts from God, and we are deceived to think by our own power or wisdom we can accomplish anything.  We will be tempted to imagine our good deeds or hard work is the reason for the blessings we enjoy, but every good gift is from the LORD who does not change.  Our situations and circumstances change yet God remains good who exercises lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth.  By His grace we live, and by grace we are saved.  Let us praise and glorify Him!