12 April 2018

The Snare is Broken

The Bible presents a vivid demonstration of God's faithfulness and grace.  He birthed the Jewish nation out of Egypt with a mighty hand.  Though they rebelled against Him and served other gods, He was faithful to them and would not destroy His inheritance.  God's presence led and dwelt among His people, and He protected, provided, and cared for them continually.  He brought them into the land He promised them and drove out their enemies before them.  When God sent prophets to instruct His people they provoked Him to anger with their sin.  He allowed them to be scattered and brought into captivity in Babylon, but by His grace brought them out again and established them in the land according to His promise.

King David wrote Psalm 124 as the nation of Israel reached a zenith as a notable kingdom long before the destruction of Jerusalem or captivity in Babylon.  The words recorded were valid then, after captivity, and even to this day.  Psalm 124:1-8 reads, "If it had not been the LORD who was on our side," let Israel now say--2  "If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us,3 then they would have swallowed us alive, when their wrath was kindled against us; 4 then the waters would have overwhelmed us, the stream would have gone over our soul; 5 then the swollen waters would have gone over our soul." 6 Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth. 7 Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped. 8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth."  God delivered the children of Israel from the Egyptians through the Red Sea and brought them into Canaan across the swollen Jordan river.  He brought them out not to destroy them but to save them and bring them into a glorious inheritance.

Through faith in Jesus Christ, today we can enter into the good inheritance God has prepared for us.  We were cursed by sin and heading for eternal destruction, yet Jesus has come to set the captives free.  He has not given us as a prey to the teeth of Satan who seeks as a lion to devour and destroy.  I love the description of verse 7:  "Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped."  Not only have we been delivered, but the snare is broken.  What held us fast is ruined and impotent.  Sin and death, our mortal enemies, have been crushed and will never regain power over our souls.  Death truly has no sting because death has been swallowed up in the victory of Jesus Christ who gives abundant and eternal life to all who believe.

Praise the LORD the snare is broken, but let us not be confident in our flesh.  Those who tout their freedom can return to bondage through legalism and disobedience.  Galatians 5:1 reads, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."  It is through walking in the Spirit we avoid the snare of the lust of the flesh.  Paul went on to say in Galatians 5:13, "For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."  Liberty is not the freedom to do whatever I want, but the ability to do what pleases God.  Our help is in the LORD who made heaven and earth.  Praise the LORD who has called us out of darkness and into His marvellous light!

11 April 2018

Giving the Sense

"So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading."
Nehemiah 8:8

After the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt, all who had understanding gathered to hear the Word of God.  Ezra the scribe is described as standing upon a pulpit of wood designed for this purpose, and read the Law to the attentive assembly.  He and others helped the people to understand what the Law said, what it meant, and therefore how it should affect them.  This approach to teaching the Bible is desperately needed today.

The value of inductive Bible study and teaching cannot be overstated.  Instead of bringing our bias to the text, it is important to realise we are handling the absolute truth of God's Word.  Whilst it is true there can be various interpretations and applications of a single passage of scripture, Nehemiah 8:8 emphasises readings from "the book" have concrete meaning because they gave "the sense."  The priests, Levites, and scribes did not give their personal opinions or spin on what the reading meant.  Their knowledge of God through the entire written Word of God enabled them to draw conclusions through observation, interpretation in context, and personal application.

The Bible is more than a text to be studied but wisdom to put into action.  When the light of God's word shines upon us, it should provoke an obedient response.  The people were grieved by the weight of their sin, but Nehemiah reminded people of how they were to conduct themselves on a holy day in Nehemiah 8:9-10:  "And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep." For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."  There are fitting times both to mourn and celebrate, and Nehemiah directed the people to rejoice in God rather than to mourn their sin.  Mourning gave way to repentance and agreement with the God who rejoiced over them, having graciously provided them land, homes, and food.  In light of all God had done for them, they were to joyfully do for others.

Did you read the Bible today?  It is good to read, but did you understand what you read?  Having understood, have you put into personal practice the things God has revealed?  Praise the LORD for the teachers He gives us but most of all for the indwelling Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth.  How privileged and blessed we are to commune with God through opening our hearts and minds to His Word.

10 April 2018

Go to the Ant!

Verses familiar to me as a young child are found in Proverbs 6:6-8:  "Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, 7 which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, 8 provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest."  As long as this world endures, there likely will be sluggards and ants.  It is estimated there are 1 - 1.5 million ants per person on the earth!  The term "sluggard" is seldomly used in common speech today, not unlike the word in the Strong's Concordance which defines it:  indolent.  To be "indolent" as defined by Webster's 1828 edition is "habitually idle or indisposed to labour; lazy; listless; sluggish; indulging in ease; applied to persons."

Solomon directs the indolent and lazy person to the ant, an industrious insect whose qualities and characteristics outshine the sluggard in every way.  Sluggards are idle and only move when it stands to benefit them, but ants labour for the good of the entire colony.  Sluggards love their sleep and like a door turning on its hinges, roll over in bed after hitting the snooze button again and again if they bother to set their alarm at all.  Ants do not need their mum to remind them it is time to rise from bed or to be bribed with goodies to contribute for the good of the household.  Ants prepare tirelessly to seek and procure necessary food for themselves and the colony so their stores will be well-stocked for winter.  Though some species of ants are practically blind, they demonstrate more foresight than the sluggard who boasts two good eyes.

I learned recently that ants have two stomachs:  one for themselves, and the second stomach to store food for other ants.  Paul rebuked the Cretians for being liars and lazy gluttons (Titus 1:12), which sounds very much like the description of the sluggard who lives only for himself and to fill his belly.  He always finds a reason to put off necessary labour like it says in Proverbs 20:4, "The lazy man will not plow because of winter; he will beg during harvest and have nothing."  I have seen many ants scurrying around, but I have never seen them begging.  Did you know since ants do not have lungs their physical activity and movements aid in respiration?  Like most insects they have tiny openings called spiracles in their sides which connect to tubes in their bodies to distribute oxygen and release carbon dioxide.  For an ant, labour literally sustains their lives.

God forbid we would see labour as a bad thing, something to be avoided!  God created man for work, as we see Adam was given responsibility by God to tend and keep the Garden of Eden.  After Adam was sacked of his landscaping gig and thrown out of Eden because of his sin, God told Adam the ground would be cursed, producing thorns and thistles.  In the sweat of his brow he would labour for food.  Sluggards make the mistake of thinking hard work is a curse, but this is not the case.  Indolence is a result of the curse of sin!  Paul laid down a principle in the early church for people who hoped for handouts without labour in 2 Thessalonians 3:10-13:  "For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: if anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. 11 For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread. 13 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good."  Eating is a privilege obtained by working.  Those who refused to labour would be refused food without pity.  To be given a job and responsibility by God is a blessing, and praise the LORD for His provision.

Some might ask, what about retirement?  Retirement from formal employment does not mean retirement from work, for there are good works all are called to do.  Even retirement is no excuse for sloth and indolence.  Indolence is a mind-set, a self-centred perspective which places more value on ease for self than obedience to God or service towards others.  Some of the hardest working Christians I know are retired from their careers, but will never retire from working for the LORD until God retires them.  Go to the ant, sluggard!  Every person is potentially a sluggard so the lesson is useful for all.  Praise the LORD for the satisfaction of a job completed and to hear from our Saviour, "Well done, good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joy of the LORD."

09 April 2018

The Daily Call

The term "calling" is often used vaguely in Christian circles, even as the "will" of God is left to the imagination.  The call of God is multifaceted like His will, and we do not need to be ignorant of either.  God's Word speaks specifically on the will of God and how Jesus called people to follow Him.  Os Guiness wrote an excellent book titled "The Call" which speaks in detail of the general call to believers and specific calls God makes upon His people.

I appreciate the clarity of the Bible, how God spells out the truth for us in black and white.  Last night I was reading through 1 Peter 2 with the family, and I was blessed to read of calls of God we often don't hear about.  People talk about being "called" as a missionary or a pastor, but answering the call of God for all believers is the path to answering every specific call God makes.  For example, God has called all Christians to "love one another."  The man convinced he has been called to pastoral ministry is in no way precluded or hindered from loving others, even if he is not yet ordained by men.  In fulfilling a general call to love others he will be more suited to answer the specific call to be a pastor.

1 Peter 2:9 says God has "...called you [Christians] out of darkness and into His marvellous light."  We are called to forsake sin and wickedness and enter into Jesus the Light of Life.  In the passage Peter explains specifically what sins to avoid and how we ought to submit to God and those in authority.  We should all take God's Word personally, and the sharp truth of God's call pierces home in 1 Peter 2:18-25:  "Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. 19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. 21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 "Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth"; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."

Did you see what followers of Jesus are called to?  We are called to do good as Jesus did, and should we suffer for it to take it patiently.  Christian, this is what you are called to!  Consider how Jesus only did good - speaking the truth in love, healing people, visiting outcasts, the Servant of all - and boy did He suffer!  When Jesus suffered, He didn't deserve to.  When people turned against Him He continued to speak righteously, did not treat others like He was shamefully treated, did not threaten, but trusted God to the point of dying on Calvary's cross.  This sheds light on the profound meaning the words of Jesus in Luke 9:23:  "Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."  The call of Christ is to deny self and do as Jesus did.  Jesus took up the cross once for all, but we are to take up the cross daily.  Daily we are to do good even if it means suffering, and when we suffer we are to endure patiently, trusting God will make us fruitful even in death.

We were all once like wayward sheep, but Jesus has called us to Himself.  We have all suffered the consequences of our foolish decisions and stubborn rebellion, but when we suffer for doing good we can rejoice to identify with our Good Shepherd.  We are exhorted to fix our eyes beyond our suffering to Him who suffered for us in Hebrews 12:3:  "For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls."  Jesus endured, and since the Holy Spirit dwells within us we too can endure by God's grace.  The next time you feel your suffering is unfair, remember the gracious call of God.  Consider what hostility Jesus endured and the end of it:  His resurrection and glorification!  This is the future God has for us experienced today with our risen LORD.

07 April 2018

Prayer for Needs

"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Hebrews 4:16

We all realise there is a difference between "wants" and "needs."  Because of Christ's atoning sacrifice on Calvary, by faith we have the privilege of an audience with the Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth.  To appear before a king at an appointed time is a amazing honour, but to have access to the gracious King of Kings through prayer at all hours is nothing short of miraculous.

When you draw near to God in prayer, is it typically because you want or need something from God?  Our response to this question may indicate why prayers go unanswered.  If we are praying for our wants or what think is best for others, we may be asking amiss.  Just like we can miss where we are aiming in darts or billiards, our prayers can be off the mark.  James had strong words for these sorts of prayers - prayers where the desires of self or others are central rather than the God we seek.  James 4:1-3 says, "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures."

After reading the Hebrews passage, I was struck many times my prayers regard wants or desires for convenience.  Do you know what we all need?  Mercy and grace from God in time of need.  What demands could we rightfully make before God?  The fact we can approach and stand before the holy God is because of the mercy and grace extended to us through the Gospel.  We have been invited into God's throne room of grace because of His grace.  We are born needy and remain that way all our lives.  We need to breathe air, drink water, eat food, and for our hearts to keep circulating blood through our bodies.  If our respiratory or circulatory systems shut down even for a few minutes the consequences would be life threatening.  Praise the LORD He knows what we need, even when our faith is small or neglect to ask.

In time of need, let us boldly approach the throne of grace.  Should God ask you, "What is your request?" consider what your needs truly are.  Instead of seeking to obtain our desires from God, let us seek to obtain mercy and find grace to help.  God has sent the Helper, the indwelling Holy Spirit, to guide us into all truth.  He will lead us to pray according to the will of God revealed in scripture.  Our greatest need is for God, and how blessed we are to know and speak with Him.

06 April 2018

Doing God's Will

If you were to list the most heinous sins, what might top your list?  Since God is the Judge of all the earth who has established an absolute standard of righteousness to which we will be held responsible, it's important to align our perspective with His.  Whilst we can be fixated on externals, God looks at the heart.  He recognises the source of the sin in our hearts and minds before any "crime" is committed.  The sins God despises often will not land the guilty in prison, but they lead souls to hell.

Consider the list of sins God finds disgusting in Proverbs 6:16-19:  "These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren."  I would be willing to wager "a proud look" would not have topped the list of abominations before God, but there it is.  The source of pride is not in our physical features but in the perspective of our minds and the posture of our hearts.  It is not illegal anywhere (to my knowledge) to be deemed proud, smug, or arrogant, but it is great wickedness.  Pride was the sin of Satan, and it is a sin at the core of every soul born in sin.

All of these sins - lying, murder of the innocent, wicked plans, running to evil, being a false witness or sowing discord among brethren - all of these start in the heart and mind.  The shedding of innocent blood or lying under oath are sin punished in courts of men, but the justice of God probes and evaluates our unseen motives.  Many of these sins involve our words.  Jesus taught His disciples out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, and a good tree bears good fruit.  If our mouths are filled with deceit and lies, if we use our words to harm and cause division, it indicates our hearts are not pure before God.  An honest assessment of God's righteous judgments is quite shocking, and praise God He has revealed the truth to us.  There is no fine print to contend with in God's Word that conceals the truth, just our own spiritual blindness and stubbornness.

It is of little benefit to only seek to avoid sin, but as children of God we ought to seek to do what pleases Him.  We are called to humble ourselves before God, and a contrite heart is pleasing in His sight.  We should speak the truth in love, protect the innocent and vulnerable, delight in seeking and doing the good will of God, remove our feet from the wicked way, and edify the Body of Christ.  Let us receive the exhortation of Paul in Philippians 2:12-16: "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. 14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or laboured in vain."

04 April 2018

The Peril of Rationalism

As we live out of days on earth, there will be things others do that bother us.  As I grow older I don't know if I am more or less likely to be annoyed by things other people do - or a combination of both!  I believe we all experience things which "bug" us, and it is good to approach these circumstances with love and grace - unlike Sylvester in the movie "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World."  Still, I think we all know exactly how he feels.


One thing that bothers me is when people (especially Christians) feel the need to explain away or rationalise the miraculous with a scientific explanation, as if science and the scriptures are opposed to one another.  How many times I have heard God's Word rationalised and apologised for in an attempt to appeal to modern minds.  I find the distortion and twisting of the scriptures to draw ridiculous conclusions downright painful.  Right when I think I have heard it all, I realise I haven't even scratched the surface of the spin people put on things.  A classic technique for false teachers is to shock by denying a truth the Bible plainly states, then insert their own concepts which appeal to men.

For a person who believes in an eternal, omnipotent, and Almighty God, it is marvellous thing we feel the need to explain how He does anything.  Can anyone explain scientifically how Jesus rose from the dead?  How did God create the heavens, earth, and living creatures from nothing?  I don't know, and no one does.  He does things we don't know about all the time!  Then why do we feel the need to insert Darwinian evolution into how life forms grew and multiplied on the earth?  If you believe God sent 10 plagues upon the Egyptians, why deny the Hebrews actually crossed through the Red Sea and the Jordan River on dry ground?  When people are described as "demon possessed," since some doubt the existence of devils today they claim this is nothing more than mental illness misunderstood by ignorant people.  These sorts of things bug me because they deny God of glory He deserves and effectively call God a liar.

Either the Bible is the Word of God, or it isn't.  IF it is the Word of God, then it can be trusted and cannot be broken (John 10:35).  It is utterly ridiculous to believe in the miracle of salvation by grace through faith and the resurrection but deny the fact God created the world out of nothing by the words of His mouth.  It is silly to believe Jesus Christ was the Son of God but didn't know the difference between schizophrenia and demon possession.  God has graciously given us His Word to reveal Himself to us, and it is for us to believe or reject wholesale - not pick and choose what aligns with our current understanding or belief.  A cherry-picking approach to scripture will not lead to revelation of God, transformation of heart or mind, or maturity of faith but is abominable in God's sight for it sows discord amongst the brethren.  It is bad for you and for others to believe only what makes sense to unregenerate minds.

The Bible is the Word of God, brethen, and God who has revealed Himself to us has also joined us together as one Body, the church, with Jesus Christ as Head.  There may be different views and interpretations among us, and this is understandable because our knowledge is not yet complete.  God's ways and thoughts are higher than ours, and because we are not God we cannot know all.  But let us not bring His Word down to our level in authority, where we sit in the judgment seat and say what God really meant instead of what He already said - because we are without faith and refuse to submit our feeble minds to Him.  God says to us, "Let us reason together."  Ours is a God of logic, order, and purpose.  But humanistic rationalism cannot rightly divide the Word of God.  We need the Holy Spirit to do that, and He has already spoken.

03 April 2018

Faith Made Perfect

Some people buy vehicles for transportation, and others want to make a statement with their selection.  And there are those who adorn their cars with literal statements called bumper stickers.  Love them or hate them, where I lived in southern California vehicles were commonly plastered with them.  Besides a Local 5 Union sticker, I had one notable sticker for years I found on the Living Waters website:


1 April this year fell on Easter Sunday for the first time in recent memory, and after a online search to appease my curiosity I discovered 1956 was the last time this occurred - a bit before my time!  It is ironic a day remembered by deceiving and pranking others would be the day commemorating Resurrection Sunday.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ is no joke but a substantiated historical event and divine triumph which impacts believers and sceptics alike.  If Jesus did not rise from the dead Christianity is a farce, but if Jesus Christ did rise from the dead to dismiss it would be grave folly.  The resurrection of Jesus demonstrates the victory of Jesus over sin and death, and it is assurance Jesus will return to judge all who reject Him (Acts 17:30-31).

As the sticker points out, the Bible describes those who deny the existence of God as fools, but we believers have no footing to be smug about this.  Wise people can make foolish choices, which could be defined as making decisions without considering what God has said in the Word and He knows all things.  In the hearts and minds of Christians we too can play the fool, giving place to worry and fear when Jesus is risen and glorified.  If we ever are tempted to point fingers at the faults or hypocrisies of others, realise we are no better.  Having hearts that acknowledge God's existence and salvation through the Gospel, let us faithfully honour Him with our decisions and plans, seeking His guidance as we rest in Him.

James 2:19-22 reads, "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?"  If we acknowledge the existence and wisdom of God, it follows we ought to practice what He says.  Genuine faith will be confirmed through obedience as the life of Abraham reveals.  Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness.  Abraham was not deemed righteous because he was obedient, but his faith in God was demonstrated through obedience.  Praise the LORD for the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the empty tomb still speaks to all who will heed with far more impact than a bumper sticker.

01 April 2018

God Answers Our Prayer

In the mornings I have been reading through the book of Ezra which details the return of the children of Israel to Jerusalem.  Ezra was a priest and scribe who not only led exiles back to the land God provided them, but taught them the Law of God.  His knowledge of God was not theory but to be put into practice.  Familiarity with doctrine does us no good unless we apply it personally to our lives.

I was impressed with Ezra's leadership in Ezra 8:21-23:  "Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, "The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him." 23 So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer."  What can pass for spiritual leadership today can be no different than following a business structure or a cult of personality.  Ezra had been chosen by the king of Persia to fulfil a great task, but Ezra did not appeal to his "authority" granted by God or the king:  he led the people to seek the LORD with prayer and fasting so they might be led and protected by the Almighty King of kings.

The scriptures demonstrate this is true spiritual leadership, to lead people in following God - not seeking to make loyal followers of self.  Ezra had been bold to speak of the power of the great God of Israel to the king of Persia, and he would have felt a hypocrite to beg for assistance when their enemy waited to attack them on the road.  Wasn't God able to safely escort them to His desired destination?  Ezra and the people fasted and humbled themselves before God, and simply said God graciously "...answered our prayer."  God did not respond to the prayers of His people because they afflicted themselves, paying their divine dues to sacrifice comfort for the blessing and guidance of God.  God answered the prayers of His people because He had promised and delighted to do so.  Ezra and the people sought the LORD in fasting not to earn an audience with God but denied themselves in their fervent desire to draw near to God in faith.

As believers we can make the mistake of assuming God will bless our own plans by virtue of our belief in Him rather than seeking Him for guidance and wisdom.  God's people ought to seek Him rather than leaning on their own understanding, anointed and called as they might be.  This is not a hard lesson to learn, but it is a challenge to remember and practice.  As children of God may we be as His hungry little ones, running to Him so He might supply our needs.  When our children were little we would instruct them to ask us before they ate or drank whatever was on offer:  is it unreasonable for God to desire the same for us?  In the scope of life's decisions one snack or meal is a small decision.  If we will trust God united as one, then let us seek Him as Ezra did, trusting He will hear our cries and answer our prayer.