Faith First!

Genuine faith in God is expressed through obedience to Him.  Righteousness is imputed by God to those who trust in Him as is seen in the life of Abraham and others.  A great example of the impact of faith in the lives of people is seen with Elijah and the widow and her son who dwelt in Zarephath.

There was a severe drought in the land and God directed Elijah the prophet to travel to Zarephath.  He saw a woman gathering sticks and asked her for a drink of water.  1 Kings 17:11-14 reads, "And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." ¹² So she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." ¹³ And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. ¹⁴ For thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.'"

The situation of the widow and her son was dire, for the woman imagined she was cooking her last meal.  Unlike the sometimes elaborate last meals of convicted criminals condemned to die today, her meal consisted of flatbread.  But Elijah told her not to be afraid in light of her lack but to make a cake for him first.  This must have seemed a bizarre request from a travelling stranger when food was scarce.  Was this some sort of cruel trick?  No:  God promised through the prophet Elijah there would be flour enough to also prepare a meal for the woman and her son--not just for the day, but flour and oil would be miraculously sustained for the duration of the drought and subsequent famine.

If you found yourself in the woman's predicament, what would you do?  To obey meant she needed to exercise faith in the word of the LORD God.  Faith obeys God first, believing He will graciously supply our need.  1 Kings 17:15-16 tells us what happened:  "So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. ¹⁶ The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah."  Exercising faith in God brought sustenance and salvation to her household.  The same is true concerning our souls when we place our faith in Jesus Christ.  Our faith in Christ is demonstrated by our works for Christ in obedience to Him.  Even when life seems futile and out of our control, there is provision, protection, and safety in God when we trust Him.  God has the power to miraculously sustain His people, and He provides abundant life forever.

In Jesus Life Consists

"And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."

Luke 12:15

One of the chronic problems of men is not believing God, and the words of Jesus illustrate this well.  Coveting for human beings is as natural as breathing!  To covet is an inordinate desire to gain for yourself what someone else has.  It doesn't seem sinister or wicked at all to desire nice things for yourself, right?  The problem with covetousness at a fundamental level is it springs from a lack of gratitude with what you already have.  It sets stuff as an idol to be worshipped in the place of God.  A man who is dehydrated desires a drink of water, and it is not covetousness to have physical needs met.  It is covetousness and greed which causes a man to desire more than he needs and gives rise to excesses like gluttony, drunkenness, and lustful cravings.

Jesus taught our lives do not consist in the abundance of things we possess.  The world contradicts this:  it says we need newer, better, and more things to improve our lives.  But even if we were to gain the whole world, what would it profit us if we lost our souls?  God graciously has given us life, and He at all times maintains the sovereign right to take it away.  It is not money or things which make life good.  It is God who is good and the source of all life, and Jesus came to provide abundant life for all who trust in Him.  The world advocates acquiring new and better stuff, but the scriptures promotes thanksgiving and gratitude to God for all He supplies.  Do we need more than enough?

Do you have things?  Praise God for them and be generous in giving to others.  Material goods nor money are evil in themselves but are gifts from God.  When riches increase do not set your affections on them.  Remember the warning Jesus issued concerning covetousness which works to rob us of the abundant life God has graciously provided.  All the wealth of the world cannot save you, nor will your money, house, or car mourn your passing.  If we set our heart on things, even when we gain them we discover a greater emptiness.  Acquiring is not living, nor is there life in any worldly pursuit.  True life--eternal life---is only found in Jesus Christ in whom we all consist as it is written in Colossians 1:17:  "And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist."  If we deny our Life through idolatry, covetousness, and greed without repentance, what hope is there for us?

Beauty of His Holiness

In Ezekiel 16, through the prophet God shared a personal story of love, betrayal, and grace.  God compared Jerusalem and the southern kingdom of Israel to a helpless infant he found by the side of the road who had been abandoned soon after birth.  He showed compassion on the little one and rescued her, cleansed, clothed, and raised her as His own.  God spared no expense to meet her every need, provided the best clothes, wholesome food, and even gave her ornaments to accentuate her beauty.  In time He made a covenant with Israel, even as a man enters into a marriage covenant with his wife.

God said in Ezekiel 16:11-14, "I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck. ¹² And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. ¹³ Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty. ¹⁴ Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendour which I had bestowed on you," says the Lord GOD."  What impacted me as I read through this passage today was how the beauty of the woman was perfected through God's splendour He bestowed upon her.  Without God, Israel would have perished long ago.  But by His grace God caused them to be established in Jerusalem and wealth flowed out and into the nation.  The beauty and fame of the woman with a royal bearing was God's doing all along.

But the story took a tragic turn:  Israel was unfaithful to God even as a woman to her husband.  God discussed graphically the ways Israel had played the harlot, went after foreign lovers and gods, set up high places, and even slaughtered God's children in sacrificing to idols in the high places she built.  The faith of Israel departed from God and she proudly trusted herself as it is written in Ezekiel 16:15:  "But you trusted in your own beauty, played the harlot because of your fame, and poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it."  Though the passage is written with Israel in mind, but as children of God through faith in Jesus it is applicable to Christians as well.  We too were without hope, cut off from life by our sins, and we were incapable of washing ourselves clean or saving our souls.  God had compassion on us by sending Jesus to be our Saviour, and we were born again by grace through faith.

It is good to remember who were are, undeserving of God's favour, help, and presence.  God has accepted us and adorned us with His beauty, having filled us with the Holy Spirit.  Having been loved by God we can move away from trust of God and rely on our own strength and understanding.  God has bestowed loveliness on us that is not us.  Moses begged God to kill him rather than let him see his own wretchedness, and I quite agree.  God's amazing grace has saved a wretch like me and I remain a wretch despite my justification and sanctification.  Don't believe me?  All it takes is my expectations not being met or dumb mistakes for frustration to mount.  My failures and disappointments expose negative attitudes and anger I thought was a thing of the past, sins I need to repent of before God and forsake again.  Any beauty in me or in any follower of Jesus Christ is by the grace of God, and let us not fall for the trap we are anything better than what we are:  sinners loved and accepted by God He has made saints.

In the end of Ezekiel 16 there is a promise of a covenant which, according to the revelation of scripture, is the New Covenant in the blood of Jesus which is better than that of Law.  It is an everlasting covenant of peace with God through what Jesus accomplished through His death and resurrection.  Jews and Gentiles have been made one through faith in Christ, and He is the Head of His Body, the church.  Let us not assume we are something when we are not, deceiving ourselves, thinking there is little need for repentance or forgiveness now that we are in Christ.  We need Jesus just as much as ever, and if we will repent and do God's will we need wisdom and strength from God to do it.  Our love for God is revealed in our faithfulness to Him, like spouses remain chaste and sanctified for their partner alone.  Praise the LORD for the beauty of His holiness.

Sifting Out the Wicked

"A wise king sifts out the wicked, and brings the threshing wheel over them."

Proverbs 20:26

As a person raised in a western culture of democracy, the implications of living under a monarch with absolute authority is difficult to fathom.  A wise king cares not only for himself but the well-being of his subjects, and therefore he establishes and upholds justice.  History shows even unwise kings were vigilant to protect their throne and interests, even being unjust in their zeal to weed out potential threats.  A wise king does not destroy the loyal subjects with traitors, but sifts out the wicked carefully with severe consequences administered upon the guilty.

One thing I hear often about the administration of tough sentences or capital punishment is these are not statistically proven deterrents and therefore should be abandoned.  This is a fallacious argument, for the primary purpose of the justice system is not to deter potential criminals but to bring appropriate consequences according to law upon the guilty party.  Obviously there are people who will not be deterred from their folly because there are repeat offenders and first-time offenders who knew they were breaking the law and if caught would face negative consequences.  A wise ruler will not take a pacifist approach to crime or punishment because the wicked must be sifted out to protect the innocent and preserve the nation.

A wise king sifts out the wicked using the appropriate threshing implement:  an appropriate penalty for the crime is required.  The theft of an apple by a starving man should not be treated as premeditated murder.  The job of law enforcement is to determine who is engaging in illegal activities, gather evidence of their guilt, and bring them to justice.  A shepherd watches his flock carefully to ensure wolves do not sneak amongst the lambs.  In a similar way, those who are wise will be watchful over the sin which stealthily creeps into or crops up in our lives which might be unnoticed at first.  All of us need this sifting, this continual sanctification, where we deal with sin severely so we can honour and faithfully serve our King Jesus Christ.

Jesus told a parable about how a land owner sowed good seed in his field.  During the night, however, an enemy came and sowed "tares," a weed which had a similar appearance to grain but has no practical value.  It wasn't until the seeds sprouted the treachery was revealed.  The master decided to allow the wheat and tares to grow up together and at the time of harvest they would be separated.  This is something God will do at the end of the age:  as a shepherd separates sheep from goats or a farmer divided the wheat from the tares, so God will do with men.  The righteous will be brought into God's everlasting kingdom in heaven, and the wicked will be cast into hell.  Our wise King will not allow anything which defiles to enter heaven.  Born-again Christians are forgiven and made righteous by faith in Jesus Christ and not by our own efforts to measure up.  As God's people who have been justified and sanctified we ought to walk worthy of the righteousness provide us by grace.

Having been washed free of all sin, it is a wise man who sifts out wickedness from His life - not to earn salvation, but to have intimate fellowship with God.  Written to believers, the apostle John wrote in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  Since God is faithful and just to forgive, we ought to sift out the sin from our lives.  Wise kings refuse bribes from criminals, and they will not turn a blind eye upon illicit activity which undermine righteousness and destroys people and nations.  An effect of sifting or threshing is fruitfulness, and this is true in our lives too.  When the sin is cast away from us, renewed fruitfulness for God's glory and our good is the result.