June 30
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly,” John 10:10.
What does He mean by "life . . . more abundantly"? A problem arises when discussing this concept due to the apparent subjectivity of the term "abundant." What is abundant living for one person may be absolutely unsatisfying for another.
A hard-charging, A-type businessman - into exotic vacations, sports cars, and rock climbing - would not consider a rocking chair on the porch, a vegetable garden out back, and a weekly round of golf at the local course to be fulfilling, yet they would probably suit a retired senior citizen just fine.
The Greek word Jesus uses in John 10:10 to describe the kind of life He came to teach His disciples is perissón, meaning "superabundant, superfluous, overflowing, over and above a certain quantity, a quantity so abundant as to be considerably more than what one would expect or anticipate."
In short, He promises us a life far better than we could ever envision, a life that is reminiscent of I Corinthians 2:9, which says, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him," Isaiah 64:4.
Paul informs us that God "is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us," Ephesians 3:20. These verses strongly suggest that God has ideas for His people that go far beyond the dreams they may envision for themselves.
However, before we begin to ponder the notion of palatial homes, classic automobiles, around-the-world trips, and wads of pocket money, we need to step back and consider what God says comprises "life." Once we determine His view of living, we will have a better grasp of what kind of blessings we can expect as Christ's disciples.
All we need to do is glance around at the situations of various believers to know that wealth, prestige, position, and power in this world are not high-priority items on God's list of blessings. (See I Corinthians 1:26-29.) In terms of economic, academic, and social strata, most of us come from the lower and middle classes, and we tend to remain in a situation similar to the one in which we were called (see I Corinthians 7:20-24.)
Perhaps the most telling Biblical definition of life—particularly eternal life--is uttered by Jesus Himself in John 17:3: "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
Note that this definition makes no mention of length of days, health, prosperity, family, occupation—in fact, the only thing it does mention is knowing God!
What can we gather from this?
1. God is not overly concerned with the physical circumstances of our lives. It is enough that He assures us that we need not worry about what we will eat or wear (see Matthew 6:25-32 and Philippians 4:19.)
2. Eternal life, the kind of life in which a Christian is truly interested, is not determined by duration but by a relationship with God. This is why, once we are converted and filled with the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are said to have eternal life already (see I John 5:11-13), though not, of course, in its fullness.
3. Eternal life—the life God offers us through Jesus Christ and His teaching—is thus about quality, not quantity. Put another way, abundant life is life as God wants us to live it (see Ezekiel 33:10-11, I Peter 2:21and I John 2:6,) for once we truly come to know God, we will desire to walk as He would have us to walk.
4. Physical blessings, then, may or may not be by-products of God's way of life; neither our wealth nor our poverty is a sure indication of our standing with God. Certainly, God desires that we "prosper in all things and be in health,” III John 2, but the bottom line is "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth,” as the beloved apostle stated to his flock in III John 2:4, not that we live like royalty.
5. Finally, a Christian's life revolves around, as Peter puts it, "grow[ing] in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” II Peter 3:18. This suggests that the abundant life is a process of learning, practicing, and maturing, as well as failing, recovering, adjusting, enduring, and overcoming because, in our present state, "we see in a mirror, darkly,” I Corinthians 13:12.
As humans, we are naturally oriented toward material things, but as Christians, our perspective must change. Paul admonishes, "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died [in baptism], and your life is hidden with Christ in God,” Colossians 3:2-3.
To us, life—and our perception of abundant life—is a whole new way of seeing the value in what is true. Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Monday, June 29, 2015
I AM
June 29
I AM
"I AM." These two little words are perhaps the most remarkable in the language, for they convey so much more than one first apprehends in them.
The words, "I am praying for you," conveys a very pleasant thought—someone cares enough to lift whatever need we might have to the throne of mercy and grace. It is most encouraging to know because we who believe in the unfathomable power of Jesus are sure that prayers to Him change things.
But, if we read it slightly differently, rather than the personal pronoun 'I' followed by the verb 'am praying,' we read, 'I AM' (noun) praying for you--it becomes God Himself reminding Himself of the needs we have placed before Him. If I AM is praying for us, certainly we may be not only encouraged, but we may have every expectation that our prayers are heard and answered!
I AM. Two of the smallest words that can be spoken in English as a complete sentence. I AM, words that set the Jewish leaders of His day vehemently against Christ, for this utterance confronted them with a reality that they did not want to face—that their God stood before them; that He for whom they had looked for centuries had come.
Their long-awaited hope and expectation had come as a humble man of low degree, but they'd been awaiting a conqueror, a king! At this juncture in time they desired One who would put off the shackles of Rome and establish them as a reigning power over men! They wanted a worldly kingdom, but Jesus offered them a spiritual one.
They couldn't allow God Incarnate to change their temporal expectation to an eternal hope. What about you? What temporal expectation are you holding so tightly that you cannot allow the Great I AM to transform it into a glorious eternal hope?
I AM
"I AM." These two little words are perhaps the most remarkable in the language, for they convey so much more than one first apprehends in them.
The words, "I am praying for you," conveys a very pleasant thought—someone cares enough to lift whatever need we might have to the throne of mercy and grace. It is most encouraging to know because we who believe in the unfathomable power of Jesus are sure that prayers to Him change things.
But, if we read it slightly differently, rather than the personal pronoun 'I' followed by the verb 'am praying,' we read, 'I AM' (noun) praying for you--it becomes God Himself reminding Himself of the needs we have placed before Him. If I AM is praying for us, certainly we may be not only encouraged, but we may have every expectation that our prayers are heard and answered!
I AM. Two of the smallest words that can be spoken in English as a complete sentence. I AM, words that set the Jewish leaders of His day vehemently against Christ, for this utterance confronted them with a reality that they did not want to face—that their God stood before them; that He for whom they had looked for centuries had come.
Their long-awaited hope and expectation had come as a humble man of low degree, but they'd been awaiting a conqueror, a king! At this juncture in time they desired One who would put off the shackles of Rome and establish them as a reigning power over men! They wanted a worldly kingdom, but Jesus offered them a spiritual one.
They couldn't allow God Incarnate to change their temporal expectation to an eternal hope. What about you? What temporal expectation are you holding so tightly that you cannot allow the Great I AM to transform it into a glorious eternal hope?
Friday, June 26, 2015
The Love of the Father
June 26
The Love Of The Father by Dr. D. James Kennedy
‘And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.’—Luke 15:20
Do you remember the last time you waited to see someone dear to you? Perhaps your best friend from childhood visited you from a faraway place. Maybe a child came home from college. Whoever it was, how did you feel when that person finally arrived?
The joy we feel at a reunion with a cherished family member or friend is just the tiniest reflection of our heavenly Father’s joy when one of His lost children returns to Him. We get a wonderful picture of this in the parable of the prodigal son. When the son returns home, the father runs to greet him and welcomes him with open arms; so great was the father’s love for his child.
The prodigal had finally realized the frivolity of leaving his father’s house. He recognized the error of his ways. As he arose and made his way home, his father waited and watched. The father’s hair had now turned gray, and his heart had long been broken. Nevertheless, he sat on his rooftop, looking and yearning and waiting for his beloved son to return.
After waiting for so long, one day the father saw a head rise up over the hill, then a torso, then a body; and even though the person was clothed in rags, he recognized the gait. It was his son! The father rushed down the stairs; made his way out of the house; and, to the amazement of all the servants, took off running.
Some sinners say they’ll repent someday…one of these days or when they lie on their deathbeds. But every day they wait, they put off the tremendous reunion that awaits them. God waits to take them in at the slightest indication that they want to come home. To say, “I am going to turn to Christ next week” or “next month” or “tomorrow” means only that the sinner will spend that much more time in spiritual squalor while the Father’s love and the homecoming celebration wait.
Ah, dear prodigal, you who suppose you have sunk so deeply into the mire of the far country that God would never want to set His eyes on you again, Jesus has delineated for you a perfect picture of God’s unfathomable love, if you just turn to God once again, in true confession and repentance. He’ll be there, running toward you to embrace you and welcome you home.
[He] who sins and mends commends himself to God. —CERVANTES
The Love Of The Father by Dr. D. James Kennedy
‘And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.’—Luke 15:20
Do you remember the last time you waited to see someone dear to you? Perhaps your best friend from childhood visited you from a faraway place. Maybe a child came home from college. Whoever it was, how did you feel when that person finally arrived?
The joy we feel at a reunion with a cherished family member or friend is just the tiniest reflection of our heavenly Father’s joy when one of His lost children returns to Him. We get a wonderful picture of this in the parable of the prodigal son. When the son returns home, the father runs to greet him and welcomes him with open arms; so great was the father’s love for his child.
The prodigal had finally realized the frivolity of leaving his father’s house. He recognized the error of his ways. As he arose and made his way home, his father waited and watched. The father’s hair had now turned gray, and his heart had long been broken. Nevertheless, he sat on his rooftop, looking and yearning and waiting for his beloved son to return.
After waiting for so long, one day the father saw a head rise up over the hill, then a torso, then a body; and even though the person was clothed in rags, he recognized the gait. It was his son! The father rushed down the stairs; made his way out of the house; and, to the amazement of all the servants, took off running.
Some sinners say they’ll repent someday…one of these days or when they lie on their deathbeds. But every day they wait, they put off the tremendous reunion that awaits them. God waits to take them in at the slightest indication that they want to come home. To say, “I am going to turn to Christ next week” or “next month” or “tomorrow” means only that the sinner will spend that much more time in spiritual squalor while the Father’s love and the homecoming celebration wait.
Ah, dear prodigal, you who suppose you have sunk so deeply into the mire of the far country that God would never want to set His eyes on you again, Jesus has delineated for you a perfect picture of God’s unfathomable love, if you just turn to God once again, in true confession and repentance. He’ll be there, running toward you to embrace you and welcome you home.
[He] who sins and mends commends himself to God. —CERVANTES
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Two Sons
June 25
Two Sons
Then He said, ‘A certain man had two sons.’ —Luke 15:11
Author Charles Dickens, who knew a great tale when he heard it, remarked that the greatest story in all literature was the parable of the prodigal son.
Let us examine this story that earned such distinction.
To begin our examination, let’s briefly review the story. You will recall that the parable is about a father and his two sons. The younger son came to his father, asking for his share of his inheritance.
The father gave it, and the young man left for a far country and squandered the money he received on wild living (“prodigal” means wasteful). The younger son ended up broke and in dire straits, so he returned to his father in repentance. The father embraced him, rejoiced at his return, and celebrated with a feast.
The older brother, who had never left home, was jealous of his father’s attention toward the younger brother. But the father told the older son that they had good cause to celebrate—the prodigal son had been dead and now was alive. (For the complete parable, read Luke 15:11–32.)
One theologian has pointed out that Christ is always crucified between two thieves: license and legalism. So it is with these two sons, the younger representing license and the older legalism.
These two sons paint a picture of the entire human race, the depiction of two apparently opposite and yet related types of sinners. Both rebel in their own ways, alienating themselves from their father. Yet the father loves them both with a love beyond comprehension.
This rich parable teaches many deep truths, but the greatest of these is the love of the Father, who welcomes home those who have fallen into all kinds of sin. Whether we live wildly or we self-righteously judge those who do, the Father loves us and welcomes us home as His children.
Love is God’s essence; power but His attribute; therefore is His love greater than his power. —Richard Garnett
Two Sons
Then He said, ‘A certain man had two sons.’ —Luke 15:11
Author Charles Dickens, who knew a great tale when he heard it, remarked that the greatest story in all literature was the parable of the prodigal son.
Let us examine this story that earned such distinction.
To begin our examination, let’s briefly review the story. You will recall that the parable is about a father and his two sons. The younger son came to his father, asking for his share of his inheritance.
The father gave it, and the young man left for a far country and squandered the money he received on wild living (“prodigal” means wasteful). The younger son ended up broke and in dire straits, so he returned to his father in repentance. The father embraced him, rejoiced at his return, and celebrated with a feast.
The older brother, who had never left home, was jealous of his father’s attention toward the younger brother. But the father told the older son that they had good cause to celebrate—the prodigal son had been dead and now was alive. (For the complete parable, read Luke 15:11–32.)
One theologian has pointed out that Christ is always crucified between two thieves: license and legalism. So it is with these two sons, the younger representing license and the older legalism.
These two sons paint a picture of the entire human race, the depiction of two apparently opposite and yet related types of sinners. Both rebel in their own ways, alienating themselves from their father. Yet the father loves them both with a love beyond comprehension.
This rich parable teaches many deep truths, but the greatest of these is the love of the Father, who welcomes home those who have fallen into all kinds of sin. Whether we live wildly or we self-righteously judge those who do, the Father loves us and welcomes us home as His children.
Love is God’s essence; power but His attribute; therefore is His love greater than his power. —Richard Garnett
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Obedience
June 24
Obedience
Here are several scripture verses that make it quite clear that the Lord requires obedience from those who profess faith in Christ.
"And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” -Acts 5:32 "And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation." -Hebrews 5:9, "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience." -Ephesians 5:6 "For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience." -Colossians 3:6 "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” -John 3:36
Here is another clear example of the importance of obedience in the eyes of our Holy God.clear by the scriptures he’s quoted that obedience is an essential component of salvation. In I Samuel 15:32 the prophet tells King Saul, “Obedience is better than sacrifice.”
The incident told in I Samuel 15:11-22 is interesting and of tremendous import to all of us who call on the name of the Lord. Here we discover the transformation that has occurred in Saul, who once bowed humbly before God but now exalted himself in his arrogance as king.
Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.
12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”
13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”
15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”
16 “Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”
“Tell me,” Saul replied.
17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”
20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
22 But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?...”
May each of us ask ourselves that question, "Does the Lord delight in what we sacrifice in offering to Him or in our obedience to Him, to His law?" for the answer is the same today as it was in the day Samuel posed it to King Saul.
Obedience
Here are several scripture verses that make it quite clear that the Lord requires obedience from those who profess faith in Christ.
"And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” -Acts 5:32 "And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation." -Hebrews 5:9, "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience." -Ephesians 5:6 "For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience." -Colossians 3:6 "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” -John 3:36
Here is another clear example of the importance of obedience in the eyes of our Holy God.clear by the scriptures he’s quoted that obedience is an essential component of salvation. In I Samuel 15:32 the prophet tells King Saul, “Obedience is better than sacrifice.”
The incident told in I Samuel 15:11-22 is interesting and of tremendous import to all of us who call on the name of the Lord. Here we discover the transformation that has occurred in Saul, who once bowed humbly before God but now exalted himself in his arrogance as king.
Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.
12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”
13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”
15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”
16 “Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”
“Tell me,” Saul replied.
17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”
20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
22 But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?...”
May each of us ask ourselves that question, "Does the Lord delight in what we sacrifice in offering to Him or in our obedience to Him, to His law?" for the answer is the same today as it was in the day Samuel posed it to King Saul.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Bad Company
Bad Company by Dr. D. James Kennedy
June 23
Be not misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’—1 Corinthians 15:33,
We are all influenced by each other, and our ideas, thoughts and even mannerisms are shaped by the people around us. Who we choose as friends is critical in terms of who we ultimately become. Choosing godly friends will build us up in the faith and help us to become godly. Conversely, choosing ungodly friends will pull us down.
From the beginning of time, peer pressure has been a major factor in leading people astray. The book of Proverbs contains many practical warnings for us. For example, Proverbs 1:10 instructs: “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.” Solomon goes on to describe how ungodly acquaintances will try to persuade you to join in their activities.
How can we become close friends with such people and not be influenced by them? We can be friends with the ungodly inasmuch as we attempt to be gracious witnesses to them, but certainly we cannot, as children of God, take our cues from them or engage in their wicked activities.
The destructive effect of friendships with the wrong people can be seen in the results of a recent survey of inmates in an Illinois prison. Do you know the main reason for their criminal behavior? Not broken homes, poverty, or lack of positive opportunities in life. The main reason the prisoners cited for their wayward lives was their friends: peer pressure.
Don’t be misled: Bad company corrupts good character. Let’s commit to choosing our friends and associates carefully—even prayerfully.
Associate yourself with men of good quality…’tis better to be alone than in bad company. —George Washington
June 23
Be not misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’—1 Corinthians 15:33,
We are all influenced by each other, and our ideas, thoughts and even mannerisms are shaped by the people around us. Who we choose as friends is critical in terms of who we ultimately become. Choosing godly friends will build us up in the faith and help us to become godly. Conversely, choosing ungodly friends will pull us down.
From the beginning of time, peer pressure has been a major factor in leading people astray. The book of Proverbs contains many practical warnings for us. For example, Proverbs 1:10 instructs: “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.” Solomon goes on to describe how ungodly acquaintances will try to persuade you to join in their activities.
How can we become close friends with such people and not be influenced by them? We can be friends with the ungodly inasmuch as we attempt to be gracious witnesses to them, but certainly we cannot, as children of God, take our cues from them or engage in their wicked activities.
The destructive effect of friendships with the wrong people can be seen in the results of a recent survey of inmates in an Illinois prison. Do you know the main reason for their criminal behavior? Not broken homes, poverty, or lack of positive opportunities in life. The main reason the prisoners cited for their wayward lives was their friends: peer pressure.
Don’t be misled: Bad company corrupts good character. Let’s commit to choosing our friends and associates carefully—even prayerfully.
Associate yourself with men of good quality…’tis better to be alone than in bad company. —George Washington
Monday, June 22, 2015
Apostolic
June 22
APOSTOLIC
What do we mean when we say APOSTOLIC?
1. Apostolic Doctrine is the Word preached and taught by the Apostles.
2. Apostolic Lifestyle is inward and outward holiness that results in separation from the world.
3. Apostolic Power is ministry that produces signs, wonders, and miracles.
4. Apostolic Dimension is walking with God, being led by the Holy Spirit, faith for the supernatural and exercising faith in God.
May we be His apostles today. May we preach and teach HIS Word in truth as the apostles did.
May we allow Christ to so fill our lives that our lifestyle will reflect His holiness to every eye that looks upon us.
May we appropriate the power HE says we have so that indeed, signs, wonders, and miracles will attend our way.
May we truly be led by the Holy Spirit into a fuller walk with God; may our faith lift us higher and may the supernatural become so commonplace in our lives that we will never be surprised by His signs and wonders but rather be empowered by them to seek even greater and more blessed answers to our prayers.
May we so fully evidence Jesus to a lost generation that the eyes and hearts of those who are steeped in the night may see and believe the One who is our Glorious Light and Savior.
APOSTOLIC
What do we mean when we say APOSTOLIC?
1. Apostolic Doctrine is the Word preached and taught by the Apostles.
2. Apostolic Lifestyle is inward and outward holiness that results in separation from the world.
3. Apostolic Power is ministry that produces signs, wonders, and miracles.
4. Apostolic Dimension is walking with God, being led by the Holy Spirit, faith for the supernatural and exercising faith in God.
May we be His apostles today. May we preach and teach HIS Word in truth as the apostles did.
May we allow Christ to so fill our lives that our lifestyle will reflect His holiness to every eye that looks upon us.
May we appropriate the power HE says we have so that indeed, signs, wonders, and miracles will attend our way.
May we truly be led by the Holy Spirit into a fuller walk with God; may our faith lift us higher and may the supernatural become so commonplace in our lives that we will never be surprised by His signs and wonders but rather be empowered by them to seek even greater and more blessed answers to our prayers.
May we so fully evidence Jesus to a lost generation that the eyes and hearts of those who are steeped in the night may see and believe the One who is our Glorious Light and Savior.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Mother Forgave
June 21
Mother Forgave by Dr. Jim Denison
"I forgive the hands of the people who had a hand in my son's murder—either before or after—and I pray and hope that some day everybody out there will forgive them also." So said Ursula Ward less than an hour after a jury convicted former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez of killing her son.
She added, "I will never have a grandchild from my son or grandchildren. I will never get to dance at his wedding." She told the packed courtroom, "The day I laid my son Odin Lloyd to rest I felt my heart stop beating for a moment. I felt like I wanted to go into that hole with my son."
Nonetheless, the grieving mother has chosen to forgive the man convicted of his murder.
From the other side of the world, we hear the story of Nouman Masih was a 15-year-old Christian living in Pakistan. According to a prominent Pakistani human rights attorney, Nouman was walking to work when he was approached by two Muslim men. They asked if he was a Muslim or a Christian. He told them he was a Christian. They beat him, chased him down, doused him in kerosene, and set him on fire. He died soon after.
British Pakistani Christian Association Chairman Wilson Chowdhry told reporters that Nouman forgave his killers, but also wanted them caught: "He just said that he forgave them. . . . but he didn't want his attackers to prevail and enact their crimes on anybody else. He was just being very magnanimous in a Christian way saying, 'I have forgiven them but I want them to go through the justice system.'"
Who has hurt you most recently? Most deeply? What can Nouman Masih and Ursula Ward teach us about forgiveness? Consider three facts:
One: forgiveness is complicated. Ursula Ward could extend unconditional forgiveness to Aaron Hernandez because he had already been sentenced to life in prison without parole, and would never again threaten her fellow citizens. By contrast, Nouman Masih wisely knew that his murderers would likely kill again. While he forgave them personally, he wanted the justice system to keep them from attacking more Christians.
Forgiveness is not excusing the person who hurt you or pretending your pain does not exist. To forgive is to choose not to punish personally. But there are times when those who hurt you must face the consequences of their actions, lest they hurt others as well.
Two: forgiveness frees the one who forgives. Researchers have linked forgiveness to higher functioning cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems. When we forgive, we make ourselves, not the person who hurt us, responsible for our happiness.
Three: when we forgive, the world takes note. Nouman Masih and Ursula Ward would probably not have generated headlines if they had not forgiven murderers. There is no more powerful witness to a culture that is steeped in darkness than to imitate the light of Jesus when He forgave those who crucified Him.
C. S. Lewis notes, "Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive."
We know the family members of those slain in Charleston have also chosen to forgive the young man who entered the church where their loved ones were at prayer and perpetrated his vile act against them. As they appropriate the ability to forgive as Christ forgave those who crucified Him, may they also realize what He realized from His forgiveness--the ignominy of the cross became the most glorious event in human history.
Mother Forgave by Dr. Jim Denison
"I forgive the hands of the people who had a hand in my son's murder—either before or after—and I pray and hope that some day everybody out there will forgive them also." So said Ursula Ward less than an hour after a jury convicted former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez of killing her son.
She added, "I will never have a grandchild from my son or grandchildren. I will never get to dance at his wedding." She told the packed courtroom, "The day I laid my son Odin Lloyd to rest I felt my heart stop beating for a moment. I felt like I wanted to go into that hole with my son."
Nonetheless, the grieving mother has chosen to forgive the man convicted of his murder.
From the other side of the world, we hear the story of Nouman Masih was a 15-year-old Christian living in Pakistan. According to a prominent Pakistani human rights attorney, Nouman was walking to work when he was approached by two Muslim men. They asked if he was a Muslim or a Christian. He told them he was a Christian. They beat him, chased him down, doused him in kerosene, and set him on fire. He died soon after.
British Pakistani Christian Association Chairman Wilson Chowdhry told reporters that Nouman forgave his killers, but also wanted them caught: "He just said that he forgave them. . . . but he didn't want his attackers to prevail and enact their crimes on anybody else. He was just being very magnanimous in a Christian way saying, 'I have forgiven them but I want them to go through the justice system.'"
Who has hurt you most recently? Most deeply? What can Nouman Masih and Ursula Ward teach us about forgiveness? Consider three facts:
One: forgiveness is complicated. Ursula Ward could extend unconditional forgiveness to Aaron Hernandez because he had already been sentenced to life in prison without parole, and would never again threaten her fellow citizens. By contrast, Nouman Masih wisely knew that his murderers would likely kill again. While he forgave them personally, he wanted the justice system to keep them from attacking more Christians.
Forgiveness is not excusing the person who hurt you or pretending your pain does not exist. To forgive is to choose not to punish personally. But there are times when those who hurt you must face the consequences of their actions, lest they hurt others as well.
Two: forgiveness frees the one who forgives. Researchers have linked forgiveness to higher functioning cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems. When we forgive, we make ourselves, not the person who hurt us, responsible for our happiness.
Three: when we forgive, the world takes note. Nouman Masih and Ursula Ward would probably not have generated headlines if they had not forgiven murderers. There is no more powerful witness to a culture that is steeped in darkness than to imitate the light of Jesus when He forgave those who crucified Him.
C. S. Lewis notes, "Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive."
We know the family members of those slain in Charleston have also chosen to forgive the young man who entered the church where their loved ones were at prayer and perpetrated his vile act against them. As they appropriate the ability to forgive as Christ forgave those who crucified Him, may they also realize what He realized from His forgiveness--the ignominy of the cross became the most glorious event in human history.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Third Day Resurrection
June 20
Israeli scholar says 1st century Jews awaited Messiah who would die and rise again. Argues “third day resurrection” is an idea that pre-dates Jesus. by Joel Rosenberg
“The Messiah Before Jesus: The Suffering Servant of the Dead Sea Scrolls,” a fascinating book by Dr. Israel Knohl of Hebrew University.
During the week of Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of First Fruits, millions of Jews in Israel and around the world were celebrating the story of how the Jewish people were saved from the "angel of death" in ancient times if they put the blood of a perfect slain lamb on the doorposts of their homes in Egypt.
This was also the week of Good Friday and Easter when millions of Christians around the world were celebrating the death of Jesus of Nazareth, and His resurrection from the tomb three days later, and the belief that all mankind can be saved from the "angel of death" in our times if we, too, trust in the blood of a perfect slain Passover Lamb.
But did the Jews of the first century really believe the Messiah would one day come to earth, die as a “suffering servant” -- as an atonement for sins and the redemption of Israel -- and would then rise from the dead on the third day?
A respected professor and Dead Sea Scrolls expert at Hebrew University says "yes." Based on concrete evidence, he argues that the death and “third day” resurrection of the Messiah is, in fact, a distinctly Jewish concept that actually pre-dates Jesus.
Dr. Israel Knohl has based on his conclusions on many years of research and recently analyzed archaeological evidence, including a previously unstudied Dead Sea Scroll. Indeed, Knohl argues that this notion of the Messiah rising on the third day is a pre-Christian concept that dates back to before the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem Ephratah.
I had the opportunity to sit and discuss this with Dr. Knohl at length a few years ago and it was an absolutely fascinating conversation.
I first heard of him when he drew worldwide media attention several years ago for his research, including a major article in the New York Times and several articles in Biblical Archaeology Review.
The Times story, which ran under the headline, “Ancient Tablet Ignites Debate on Messiah and Resurrection,” begins as follows: “A three-foot-tall tablet with 87 lines of Hebrew that scholars believe dates from the decades just before the birth of Jesus is causing a quiet stir in biblical and archaeological circles, especially because it may speak of a messiah who will rise from the dead after three days.
If such a messianic description really is there, it will contribute to a developing re-evaluation of both popular and scholarly views of Jesus, since it suggests that the story of his death and resurrection was not unique but part of a recognized Jewish tradition at the time. The tablet, probably found near the Dead Sea in Jordan according to some scholars who have studied it, is a rare example of a stone with ink writings from that era — in essence, a Dead Sea Scroll on stone.”
The tablet has been named by scholars as “Gabriel’s Revelation” because it suggests that the angel Gabriel was instructed by God to direct that the Messiah be raised from the dead on the third day.
The stone tablet was discovered about fifteen years ago and is owned by a Israeli-Swiss Jewish man by the name of David Jeselsohn who didn’t understand its significance when he purchased it. The Times article was published in 2008. Dr. Knohl then published a book about all this in 2009 entitled, Messiahs and Resurrection in “The Gabriel Revelation.” That was a follow up to his previous book, The Messiah Before Jesus: The Suffering Servant of the Dead Sea Scrolls (first published in Hebrew in 2000 and then in English in 2002).
In the book, Dr. Knohl explains the various Jewish theories about the Messiah, including the idea of a “Messiah son of David” who will be a reigning king on the earth like King David was, and a “Messiah son of Joseph” who will be rejected by his brothers, mistreated, left for dead but will eventually reappear and save not only the nation of Israel but the world like Joseph did in the book of Genesis.
As an evangelical Christian from a Jewish heritage (my father is Jewish, my mother is Gentile), this subject fascinates me and my family.
Several years ago, my wife and sons and I were studying the book of I Corinthians. One day we focused on I Corinithians 15:1-5, which reads, “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas [Peter], then to the twelve [apostles]. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time….”
We studied how the Hebrew Scriptures speak of the Messiah suffering and dying to atone for our sins and how we see these ancient prophecies described in Isaiah 53, in Daniel 9:26 (which says the Messiah will come for atonement, then be “cut off,” and afterwards Jerusalem and the Temple will be destroyed), and Psalm 22.
We also looked carefully at the Gospel accounts to show how Jesus remarkably fulfilled each of these prophecies. Then I read excerpts of the Times story to Lynn and the boys, and we discussed why many Jewish people think the idea of a suffering Messiah who dies and rises again on the third day is a Christian idea, when really it is a Jewish idea, as explained with such intriguing research by Dr. Knohl.
I would commend these articles — and his books — to your attention. Read them yourself.
Israeli scholar says 1st century Jews awaited Messiah who would die and rise again. Argues “third day resurrection” is an idea that pre-dates Jesus. by Joel Rosenberg
“The Messiah Before Jesus: The Suffering Servant of the Dead Sea Scrolls,” a fascinating book by Dr. Israel Knohl of Hebrew University.
During the week of Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of First Fruits, millions of Jews in Israel and around the world were celebrating the story of how the Jewish people were saved from the "angel of death" in ancient times if they put the blood of a perfect slain lamb on the doorposts of their homes in Egypt.
This was also the week of Good Friday and Easter when millions of Christians around the world were celebrating the death of Jesus of Nazareth, and His resurrection from the tomb three days later, and the belief that all mankind can be saved from the "angel of death" in our times if we, too, trust in the blood of a perfect slain Passover Lamb.
But did the Jews of the first century really believe the Messiah would one day come to earth, die as a “suffering servant” -- as an atonement for sins and the redemption of Israel -- and would then rise from the dead on the third day?
A respected professor and Dead Sea Scrolls expert at Hebrew University says "yes." Based on concrete evidence, he argues that the death and “third day” resurrection of the Messiah is, in fact, a distinctly Jewish concept that actually pre-dates Jesus.
Dr. Israel Knohl has based on his conclusions on many years of research and recently analyzed archaeological evidence, including a previously unstudied Dead Sea Scroll. Indeed, Knohl argues that this notion of the Messiah rising on the third day is a pre-Christian concept that dates back to before the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem Ephratah.
I had the opportunity to sit and discuss this with Dr. Knohl at length a few years ago and it was an absolutely fascinating conversation.
I first heard of him when he drew worldwide media attention several years ago for his research, including a major article in the New York Times and several articles in Biblical Archaeology Review.
The Times story, which ran under the headline, “Ancient Tablet Ignites Debate on Messiah and Resurrection,” begins as follows: “A three-foot-tall tablet with 87 lines of Hebrew that scholars believe dates from the decades just before the birth of Jesus is causing a quiet stir in biblical and archaeological circles, especially because it may speak of a messiah who will rise from the dead after three days.
If such a messianic description really is there, it will contribute to a developing re-evaluation of both popular and scholarly views of Jesus, since it suggests that the story of his death and resurrection was not unique but part of a recognized Jewish tradition at the time. The tablet, probably found near the Dead Sea in Jordan according to some scholars who have studied it, is a rare example of a stone with ink writings from that era — in essence, a Dead Sea Scroll on stone.”
The tablet has been named by scholars as “Gabriel’s Revelation” because it suggests that the angel Gabriel was instructed by God to direct that the Messiah be raised from the dead on the third day.
The stone tablet was discovered about fifteen years ago and is owned by a Israeli-Swiss Jewish man by the name of David Jeselsohn who didn’t understand its significance when he purchased it. The Times article was published in 2008. Dr. Knohl then published a book about all this in 2009 entitled, Messiahs and Resurrection in “The Gabriel Revelation.” That was a follow up to his previous book, The Messiah Before Jesus: The Suffering Servant of the Dead Sea Scrolls (first published in Hebrew in 2000 and then in English in 2002).
In the book, Dr. Knohl explains the various Jewish theories about the Messiah, including the idea of a “Messiah son of David” who will be a reigning king on the earth like King David was, and a “Messiah son of Joseph” who will be rejected by his brothers, mistreated, left for dead but will eventually reappear and save not only the nation of Israel but the world like Joseph did in the book of Genesis.
As an evangelical Christian from a Jewish heritage (my father is Jewish, my mother is Gentile), this subject fascinates me and my family.
Several years ago, my wife and sons and I were studying the book of I Corinthians. One day we focused on I Corinithians 15:1-5, which reads, “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas [Peter], then to the twelve [apostles]. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time….”
We studied how the Hebrew Scriptures speak of the Messiah suffering and dying to atone for our sins and how we see these ancient prophecies described in Isaiah 53, in Daniel 9:26 (which says the Messiah will come for atonement, then be “cut off,” and afterwards Jerusalem and the Temple will be destroyed), and Psalm 22.
We also looked carefully at the Gospel accounts to show how Jesus remarkably fulfilled each of these prophecies. Then I read excerpts of the Times story to Lynn and the boys, and we discussed why many Jewish people think the idea of a suffering Messiah who dies and rises again on the third day is a Christian idea, when really it is a Jewish idea, as explained with such intriguing research by Dr. Knohl.
I would commend these articles — and his books — to your attention. Read them yourself.
Friday, June 19, 2015
When Life Is Hard
June 19
When Life Is Hard by Jen Schmidt
I approached my door and tried to focus. Brown paper bags littered my sidewalk. Bags stuffed with manna. Food, toiletries, diapers, gift cards, and unsigned notes overflowed from grocery bags left for my family.
Approaching a year without a paycheck, trying to keep our business afloat, paying our employees first, and avoiding foreclosure on our home, I didn’t know what to do any longer. I begged God for clarity, but heard nothing. I cried out wondering how much longer this season would last, but answers weren’t forthcoming. Days felt like years, and in the midst of this, my mother in law — vibrant and healthy — was diagnosed with a brain tumor, given months to live.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” {John 16:33}
Life is hard. When Jesus shared, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace,” His purpose was not to scare us, but to prepare us for the possibility of pain. It was a foreshadowing of things to come and a lesson my parents took to heart when I was just a child.
After an incredibly difficult life circumstances, which they navigated for many years, my parents mentored their children to biblically gear up for challenging times. They wanted the bedrock of our faith to be steadfast and secure, so that we were prepared for when tough times hit. They modeled Scripture memory and prayer and fasting, alongside vibrant Bible study time — all in the midst of devastating days.
Verses were their lifeline.
Christ declares, “I have overcome the world.”
Power is available when Jesus speaks. Can we shout that for all to hear? He demands the storm waters to calm and they obey. He commands the dead to come forth and a family reunion ensues. He loosens tongues and heals wounds, all with a word.
The Lord knew I needed His inspired word. It didn’t come from Jesus’ audible voice, but it was shouted none the less.
I wanted to quit. I was done. I was exhausted, and my circumstances were not changing, but then He fed me — literally.
With some bags of groceries and some diapers, He reminded me of His truth:
“Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.” {1 John 4:4}
I demanded a pity party but remembered: “Weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” {Psalm 30:5}
I doubted his voice, and He assured me: “I am the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.” {Hebrews 13:8}
My circumstances do not determine my peace. The world can neither give us peace, nor take it away.
Our “peacekeeping situations” mull over in our minds . . . If only my job situation would change . . .If only my spouse would be more understanding . . . If only my kids would show more respect. If only . . .
It is only in Christ that we find true peace.
I have the hope of glory, so why do I doubt?
Satan, the prince of this dark world — with all his power, scheming, and manipulation; with all his seeds of doubt, anger, and dissatisfaction that he drops throughout our daily lives — is no match for our Redeemer.
Satan has no power where Christ Jesus is named.
There is nothing that God cannot redeem. After all our struggles, toils, our doubt and fear, God extends His grace and redeems.
What does Jesus mean when He states, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”?
It’s a declaration that He knows better than anyone how to lead us to victory!
Jesus has conquered and prevailed. He has been declared victorious. Jesus develops overcomers and through our dependence on Him; we are welcomed along for the ride!
Why then do I struggle with this most difficult next step of simply relying and trusting God at His Word?
It’s stepping forth in faith towards the things unseen. It’s accepting His perfect peace even when things feel contrary to my nature and are completely out of my control. It’s resolving that He knows my pain and He understands my problems, but “You have to trust Him, even when you can’t trace Him!”
This is when I choose to fully lean into my Lord Jesus. It’s a choice. In the midst of pain, it’s a choice to recognize truth, believe in His sovereignty and find peace and joy amidst the heartbreak.
It’s realizing that His answers started with an anonymous bag of groceries on a doorstep and didn’t finish until 15 years later.
It’s knowing I may never figure this all out, but He knows, He sees and He wants to carry this burden for us.
We can’t do it alone, so how can I be praying for you? What burden seems too great to carry by yourself? We want to walk with you today.
When Life Is Hard by Jen Schmidt
I approached my door and tried to focus. Brown paper bags littered my sidewalk. Bags stuffed with manna. Food, toiletries, diapers, gift cards, and unsigned notes overflowed from grocery bags left for my family.
Approaching a year without a paycheck, trying to keep our business afloat, paying our employees first, and avoiding foreclosure on our home, I didn’t know what to do any longer. I begged God for clarity, but heard nothing. I cried out wondering how much longer this season would last, but answers weren’t forthcoming. Days felt like years, and in the midst of this, my mother in law — vibrant and healthy — was diagnosed with a brain tumor, given months to live.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” {John 16:33}
Life is hard. When Jesus shared, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace,” His purpose was not to scare us, but to prepare us for the possibility of pain. It was a foreshadowing of things to come and a lesson my parents took to heart when I was just a child.
After an incredibly difficult life circumstances, which they navigated for many years, my parents mentored their children to biblically gear up for challenging times. They wanted the bedrock of our faith to be steadfast and secure, so that we were prepared for when tough times hit. They modeled Scripture memory and prayer and fasting, alongside vibrant Bible study time — all in the midst of devastating days.
Verses were their lifeline.
Christ declares, “I have overcome the world.”
Power is available when Jesus speaks. Can we shout that for all to hear? He demands the storm waters to calm and they obey. He commands the dead to come forth and a family reunion ensues. He loosens tongues and heals wounds, all with a word.
The Lord knew I needed His inspired word. It didn’t come from Jesus’ audible voice, but it was shouted none the less.
I wanted to quit. I was done. I was exhausted, and my circumstances were not changing, but then He fed me — literally.
With some bags of groceries and some diapers, He reminded me of His truth:
“Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.” {1 John 4:4}
I demanded a pity party but remembered: “Weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” {Psalm 30:5}
I doubted his voice, and He assured me: “I am the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.” {Hebrews 13:8}
My circumstances do not determine my peace. The world can neither give us peace, nor take it away.
Our “peacekeeping situations” mull over in our minds . . . If only my job situation would change . . .If only my spouse would be more understanding . . . If only my kids would show more respect. If only . . .
It is only in Christ that we find true peace.
I have the hope of glory, so why do I doubt?
Satan, the prince of this dark world — with all his power, scheming, and manipulation; with all his seeds of doubt, anger, and dissatisfaction that he drops throughout our daily lives — is no match for our Redeemer.
Satan has no power where Christ Jesus is named.
There is nothing that God cannot redeem. After all our struggles, toils, our doubt and fear, God extends His grace and redeems.
What does Jesus mean when He states, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”?
It’s a declaration that He knows better than anyone how to lead us to victory!
Jesus has conquered and prevailed. He has been declared victorious. Jesus develops overcomers and through our dependence on Him; we are welcomed along for the ride!
Why then do I struggle with this most difficult next step of simply relying and trusting God at His Word?
It’s stepping forth in faith towards the things unseen. It’s accepting His perfect peace even when things feel contrary to my nature and are completely out of my control. It’s resolving that He knows my pain and He understands my problems, but “You have to trust Him, even when you can’t trace Him!”
This is when I choose to fully lean into my Lord Jesus. It’s a choice. In the midst of pain, it’s a choice to recognize truth, believe in His sovereignty and find peace and joy amidst the heartbreak.
It’s realizing that His answers started with an anonymous bag of groceries on a doorstep and didn’t finish until 15 years later.
It’s knowing I may never figure this all out, but He knows, He sees and He wants to carry this burden for us.
We can’t do it alone, so how can I be praying for you? What burden seems too great to carry by yourself? We want to walk with you today.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Prophetic People and Persecution
June 18
A Prophetic People and Persecution by Bill Wilson in THE DAILY JOT
Americans are worried about persecution. They see many of the religious freedoms dwindling away by the actions of the leaders who have been elected to represent the people, but represent the self interests of the devil himself.
But persecution in the United States is not at the level it is around the rest of the world. We become upset and worried if the government uses the force of law on someone who refuses to go against their religious beliefs.
In the Middle East, however, women and children are being raped, sold into slavery, tortured, even beheaded or burned to death by Muslims because they are considered infidels.
In China, homes are bull-dozed if Christians are found to be meeting in them.
If not for America, the world would be a dark place. We send aid, protection, food, and the gospel around the world. Even though our country is in a moral decline, and the leadership we elect are often evil deceivers, Americans have stood the test of time, using religious freedom and freedom of speech to advance the kingdom of God.
No matter how convoluted and circuitous the path America has taken, Americans more often than not have stood in the breach and have held the line for what is right and good. For a generation, it appears we have taken leave of our good senses and have allowed our nation to slowly decline. We are now starting to face the consequences of this lack of proper standing and engagement.
But take courage, and be encouraged. As is written 1 Peter 2:9,"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."
You, yes you, are a prophetic person who was born specifically for this time. When you accepted Christ, you may not have understood about counting the cost. Jesus said that we would have to take up the cross to follow him. Those costs are becoming more evident in this day and age for those of us who live in America. Our leadership is poor. Our nation is in decline. Our Christianity is being challenged, as is our faith. But you are a chosen generation.
Peter had a lot to say about persecution. He knew it well. He writes in 1 Peter 3:12, "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous. And his ears are open unto their prayers: But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil." He asks, "And who is he that will harm you, if you be followers of that which is good."
Peter said it is better to suffer for righteousness' sake, verses 14-15, "happy are you: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ."
You are a prophetic person.
Rise up. Stand as the prophetic person that the Lord says you are!
A Prophetic People and Persecution by Bill Wilson in THE DAILY JOT
Americans are worried about persecution. They see many of the religious freedoms dwindling away by the actions of the leaders who have been elected to represent the people, but represent the self interests of the devil himself.
But persecution in the United States is not at the level it is around the rest of the world. We become upset and worried if the government uses the force of law on someone who refuses to go against their religious beliefs.
In the Middle East, however, women and children are being raped, sold into slavery, tortured, even beheaded or burned to death by Muslims because they are considered infidels.
In China, homes are bull-dozed if Christians are found to be meeting in them.
If not for America, the world would be a dark place. We send aid, protection, food, and the gospel around the world. Even though our country is in a moral decline, and the leadership we elect are often evil deceivers, Americans have stood the test of time, using religious freedom and freedom of speech to advance the kingdom of God.
No matter how convoluted and circuitous the path America has taken, Americans more often than not have stood in the breach and have held the line for what is right and good. For a generation, it appears we have taken leave of our good senses and have allowed our nation to slowly decline. We are now starting to face the consequences of this lack of proper standing and engagement.
But take courage, and be encouraged. As is written 1 Peter 2:9,"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."
You, yes you, are a prophetic person who was born specifically for this time. When you accepted Christ, you may not have understood about counting the cost. Jesus said that we would have to take up the cross to follow him. Those costs are becoming more evident in this day and age for those of us who live in America. Our leadership is poor. Our nation is in decline. Our Christianity is being challenged, as is our faith. But you are a chosen generation.
Peter had a lot to say about persecution. He knew it well. He writes in 1 Peter 3:12, "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous. And his ears are open unto their prayers: But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil." He asks, "And who is he that will harm you, if you be followers of that which is good."
Peter said it is better to suffer for righteousness' sake, verses 14-15, "happy are you: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ."
You are a prophetic person.
Rise up. Stand as the prophetic person that the Lord says you are!
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Recalibrate Route
June 17
Recalibrate Route
From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman
"The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth," Luke 3:5.
I love the Global Positioning Systems (GPS) in the new cars. A voice comes on and tells me how far I have to go and when to turn. However, sometimes I get off course and the voice says: "Recalculating route." The GPS is telling me I have gone off course and it is now recalculating the route based on my wrong turn.
Sometimes we can make wrong turns in our spiritual lives. We think we are going the right direction only to discover it was never God's will to enter that relationship, make that business deal, hire that person—the examples are limitless.
There is an amazing thing about God. He can make our crooked places straight. He has an ability to make whatever blunder we make turn out right. It may mean there might be some consequences to those decisions, but He will always allow our actions to work together for good for those called according to His purposes if we repent and seek Him fully to make things right.
These lessons can even contribute to greater wisdom in our lives if we learn from our mistakes.
God's omnipotence is always one step ahead of our incompetence. Do you think He knew you would make that misstep? Absolutely! Do you think your life was planned even with that misstep figured in? Absolutely!
Isn't it comforting to know you cannot plan God out of the equation no matter how badly you mess up? He will always turn crooked places into straight places for those who are humble and contrite.
Do you need a crooked place straightened out today? Ask Him to straighten the course so you can flow in His perfect will for your life.
Recalibrate Route
From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman
"The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth," Luke 3:5.
I love the Global Positioning Systems (GPS) in the new cars. A voice comes on and tells me how far I have to go and when to turn. However, sometimes I get off course and the voice says: "Recalculating route." The GPS is telling me I have gone off course and it is now recalculating the route based on my wrong turn.
Sometimes we can make wrong turns in our spiritual lives. We think we are going the right direction only to discover it was never God's will to enter that relationship, make that business deal, hire that person—the examples are limitless.
There is an amazing thing about God. He can make our crooked places straight. He has an ability to make whatever blunder we make turn out right. It may mean there might be some consequences to those decisions, but He will always allow our actions to work together for good for those called according to His purposes if we repent and seek Him fully to make things right.
These lessons can even contribute to greater wisdom in our lives if we learn from our mistakes.
God's omnipotence is always one step ahead of our incompetence. Do you think He knew you would make that misstep? Absolutely! Do you think your life was planned even with that misstep figured in? Absolutely!
Isn't it comforting to know you cannot plan God out of the equation no matter how badly you mess up? He will always turn crooked places into straight places for those who are humble and contrite.
Do you need a crooked place straightened out today? Ask Him to straighten the course so you can flow in His perfect will for your life.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Yearning for His Spirit to Move Among Us
The following is an evidence of why the people of God do not abide in His power. Our Holy and Omnipotent God will not share His glory nor will He manifest Himself through a people who lack integrity.
If we hope to have a mighty move of His Holy Spirit, we must empty ourselves of anything that does not reflect who He is and allow Him to replace our humanity, our proclivity to rely upon our megre resources instead of leaning fully upon His mighty arm, with His omnipotence. We must allow the honor of His name to be paramount in our character, word and deed, so He can glorify Himself as He releases His power through us.
If we hope to have a mighty move of His Holy Spirit, we must empty ourselves of anything that does not reflect who He is and allow Him to replace our humanity, our proclivity to rely upon our megre resources instead of leaning fully upon His mighty arm, with His omnipotence. We must allow the honor of His name to be paramount in our character, word and deed, so He can glorify Himself as He releases His power through us.
The Fantasy Factory
June 16
The Fantasy Factory By Pastor Brad Reiches
"To avoid the initial awkwardness of truth,
we sometimes tell half-truths or avoid
the truth altogether by donning a
prefabricated mask we've designed
in our fantasy factory."
-Diane Komp, Anatomy of a Lie, p.38
Tom (Hebrew): "Completeness, integrity, innocence of willful wrongdoing, having a clear conscience in a relationship."
"He who walks in tom walks securely,
but he who perverts his way shall be found out."
-Proverbs 10:9
Noah had tom (see Genesis 6:9). So did Job (see Job 1:1, 8; 2:3, "tam") and David:
"Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have walked in my tom,
And I have trusted in the
Lord without wavering...
And I have walked in Thy truth,
I do not sit with deceitful men,
nor will I go with pretenders...
But as for me,
I shall walk in my tom."
-Psalm 26:1, 3-4, 11
Satan is "a liar and the father of lies" (see John 8:44). And, since the whole world lies in the power of the Devil and his wickedness, (see 1 John 5:19, NASB, KJV), it makes since that the "lying spirit of this age" has taken center stage. Tragically, however, this "lying spirit" has made its way into the Church. "Lies and not truth prevail in the land" (see Jeremiah 9:3) and everyone has become a "Political Man."
"There is a system of thought called
'situational ethics' that links our choice
of whether to lie or tell the truth to the
context of our words, not to some moral
rule about lying being right or wrong."
-The Anatomy of a Lie, p.37
In other words, the "situationalist" believes that the ends always justify the means and that a lie that facilitates some perceived "greater good," is not only acceptable, but "good" (-see Isaiah 5:20).
It's one thing to watch this dynamic played out in The White House, it is far more tragic and consequential however, to see tom removed from the local church.
“An appalling and horrible thing
Has happened in the land:
The prophets prophesy falsely,
and the priests rule on their own authority;
And My people love it so!
But what will you do at the end of it?"
-Jeremiah 5:30-31
Tom. Integrity. I consistently read examples of it in the Bible, but among today's "professing Christians" and in today's church...not so much.
The Fantasy Factory By Pastor Brad Reiches
"To avoid the initial awkwardness of truth,
we sometimes tell half-truths or avoid
the truth altogether by donning a
prefabricated mask we've designed
in our fantasy factory."
-Diane Komp, Anatomy of a Lie, p.38
Tom (Hebrew): "Completeness, integrity, innocence of willful wrongdoing, having a clear conscience in a relationship."
"He who walks in tom walks securely,
but he who perverts his way shall be found out."
-Proverbs 10:9
Noah had tom (see Genesis 6:9). So did Job (see Job 1:1, 8; 2:3, "tam") and David:
"Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have walked in my tom,
And I have trusted in the
Lord without wavering...
And I have walked in Thy truth,
I do not sit with deceitful men,
nor will I go with pretenders...
But as for me,
I shall walk in my tom."
-Psalm 26:1, 3-4, 11
Satan is "a liar and the father of lies" (see John 8:44). And, since the whole world lies in the power of the Devil and his wickedness, (see 1 John 5:19, NASB, KJV), it makes since that the "lying spirit of this age" has taken center stage. Tragically, however, this "lying spirit" has made its way into the Church. "Lies and not truth prevail in the land" (see Jeremiah 9:3) and everyone has become a "Political Man."
"There is a system of thought called
'situational ethics' that links our choice
of whether to lie or tell the truth to the
context of our words, not to some moral
rule about lying being right or wrong."
-The Anatomy of a Lie, p.37
In other words, the "situationalist" believes that the ends always justify the means and that a lie that facilitates some perceived "greater good," is not only acceptable, but "good" (-see Isaiah 5:20).
It's one thing to watch this dynamic played out in The White House, it is far more tragic and consequential however, to see tom removed from the local church.
“An appalling and horrible thing
Has happened in the land:
The prophets prophesy falsely,
and the priests rule on their own authority;
And My people love it so!
But what will you do at the end of it?"
-Jeremiah 5:30-31
Tom. Integrity. I consistently read examples of it in the Bible, but among today's "professing Christians" and in today's church...not so much.
Monday, June 15, 2015
Jesus Is Faithful
Self-Confidence Or Christ-Confidence by Dr. D. James Kennedy
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.—Psalm 20:7
Let’s say you’ve come up against the toughest trial of your life, an obstacle many others have failed to overcome. (Maybe you’re facing it today!) What’s your first response? Do you forge ahead, or do you fall to your knees?
Israel faced an obstacle too big for its own might to overcome; his name was Goliath. All of the armies of Israel had self-confidence until they faced this giant. Then where did their self-confidence go? It failed them.
But one young man, David, completely lacked self-confidence. He had another kind of confidence—confidence in the living God. David said to Goliath, “I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts…whom thou hast defiled.” When everyone else cowered in fear, David, the boy whose confidence was in God, went forth to victory.
We all need confidence. But the question at hand is: “Confidence in whom?” If we rely on our own power, we lean upon a weak reed indeed. When we have confidence in ourselves, two things invariably follow: (1) If we succeed, we become prideful, and (2) if we fail, we are cast into despair and depression.
We live in a day when hundreds of books and seminars preach self-confidence. But these messages fly in the face of the God’s Word, which declares, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength” (Jeremiah 17:5).
Self-confidence is a snare and an illusion.
How much better to trust the One who made you than to trust in yourself. Confidence in God delivers us from pride by giving us gratitude to God for victory in our lives. It delivers us from despair because we know that whatever comes to pass, God will work it together for our good.
Those who trust in God go through life with a certain tranquility that allows them to pass over the rough spots of life virtually undisturbed. We need to trust in God not only for our eternal salvation but also for the everyday affairs of our lives. When we would fail ourselves, God will never disappoint us!
Are you facing a Goliath in your life today? Like David, place your confidence in God, and wait for your victory through Him, for Jesus never fails.
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, " Romans 10:13.
Everyone.
Men, women, children, nations. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be saved. It doesn't matter how far anyone has fallen from grace. It doesn't matter to what depth anyone has plummeted into sin. It doesn't matter how indifferent anyone has been to the things of God. No. It doesn't matter.
What does matter is that anyone who turns from his wicked way and seeks the face of the One True and Mighty God, who bows before Him in repentance, who accepts the propitiatory life, death, and resurrection of Jesus to wash him clean of sin, will turn from death to life, will turn from his lost condition to salvation.
Everyone.
Lord Jesus, Help everyone to trust in You always, for You are always gracious to hear the cry for pardon, faithful to forgive the repentant sinner, and You are always mighty to save. It is in Your own holy, matchless name I ask, Jesus. Amen.
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.—Psalm 20:7
Let’s say you’ve come up against the toughest trial of your life, an obstacle many others have failed to overcome. (Maybe you’re facing it today!) What’s your first response? Do you forge ahead, or do you fall to your knees?
Israel faced an obstacle too big for its own might to overcome; his name was Goliath. All of the armies of Israel had self-confidence until they faced this giant. Then where did their self-confidence go? It failed them.
But one young man, David, completely lacked self-confidence. He had another kind of confidence—confidence in the living God. David said to Goliath, “I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts…whom thou hast defiled.” When everyone else cowered in fear, David, the boy whose confidence was in God, went forth to victory.
We all need confidence. But the question at hand is: “Confidence in whom?” If we rely on our own power, we lean upon a weak reed indeed. When we have confidence in ourselves, two things invariably follow: (1) If we succeed, we become prideful, and (2) if we fail, we are cast into despair and depression.
We live in a day when hundreds of books and seminars preach self-confidence. But these messages fly in the face of the God’s Word, which declares, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength” (Jeremiah 17:5).
Self-confidence is a snare and an illusion.
How much better to trust the One who made you than to trust in yourself. Confidence in God delivers us from pride by giving us gratitude to God for victory in our lives. It delivers us from despair because we know that whatever comes to pass, God will work it together for our good.
Those who trust in God go through life with a certain tranquility that allows them to pass over the rough spots of life virtually undisturbed. We need to trust in God not only for our eternal salvation but also for the everyday affairs of our lives. When we would fail ourselves, God will never disappoint us!
Are you facing a Goliath in your life today? Like David, place your confidence in God, and wait for your victory through Him, for Jesus never fails.
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, " Romans 10:13.
Everyone.
Men, women, children, nations. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be saved. It doesn't matter how far anyone has fallen from grace. It doesn't matter to what depth anyone has plummeted into sin. It doesn't matter how indifferent anyone has been to the things of God. No. It doesn't matter.
What does matter is that anyone who turns from his wicked way and seeks the face of the One True and Mighty God, who bows before Him in repentance, who accepts the propitiatory life, death, and resurrection of Jesus to wash him clean of sin, will turn from death to life, will turn from his lost condition to salvation.
Everyone.
Lord Jesus, Help everyone to trust in You always, for You are always gracious to hear the cry for pardon, faithful to forgive the repentant sinner, and You are always mighty to save. It is in Your own holy, matchless name I ask, Jesus. Amen.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Today Is Flag Day in the U.S.
The Star Spangled BannerBy Francis Scott Key 1814
Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
‘Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
How Long?
June 14
“The LORD also said to me: ‘Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations. For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons whom they bore to Me, passing them through the fire, to devour them. Moreover they have done this to Me: They have defiled My sanctuary on the same day and profaned My Sabbaths. For after they had slain their children for their idols, on the same day they came into My sanctuary to profane it; and indeed thus they have done in the midst of My house.’” Ezekiel 23:36-39
What vile things these people were committing on God's holy Sabbath days! They worshipped idols, sacrificed their children, even burning them in the fire, and afterward, they presented themselves at the Temple services. That is horrifying! God specifically mentions that they did these things on the Sabbath—on His day. It shows how far idolatry will take a person, imposing its will on the actions of an individual.
We need to be very careful about this. These people were guilty of the common sin of idolatry—syncretism, the blending of the world's way with God's way. God, of course, does not accept it as true worship. How could He? The Israelites would attend services, supposedly in honor and out of respect for the Creator God after killing their children in the fires of Molech!
In Ezekiel 20-23, where a brief overview of the relationship between God and Israel is presented, idolatry and profaning the Sabbath are specifically named nine times as the major reasons God drove Israel into captivity.
— John W. Ritenbaugh
Can we see ourselves in this sin, America, in this sin of idolatry? If we can’t, it’s because we have drunk the ‘cool ade’ and are totally deluded as to how far we’ve come away from the precepts of God’s Holy Word the Bible and how far we’ve fallen from the faith that made us great.
How many lovers have we taken since we believed?
How many children have perished in the abortionists’ clinics?
How many idle words have crossed our lips in criticism of the holy things of God?
How much money have we lavished upon temporal pleasures while those who know Christ not remain without the Word of Truth for lack of funds?
How often have we declared ourselves to be believers in Jesus Christ while allowing ourselves to be totally without restraint regarding our self-indulgence?
How many?
How much?
How ofen?
How long can the Almighty ignore our sin?
How long?
“The LORD also said to me: ‘Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations. For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons whom they bore to Me, passing them through the fire, to devour them. Moreover they have done this to Me: They have defiled My sanctuary on the same day and profaned My Sabbaths. For after they had slain their children for their idols, on the same day they came into My sanctuary to profane it; and indeed thus they have done in the midst of My house.’” Ezekiel 23:36-39
What vile things these people were committing on God's holy Sabbath days! They worshipped idols, sacrificed their children, even burning them in the fire, and afterward, they presented themselves at the Temple services. That is horrifying! God specifically mentions that they did these things on the Sabbath—on His day. It shows how far idolatry will take a person, imposing its will on the actions of an individual.
We need to be very careful about this. These people were guilty of the common sin of idolatry—syncretism, the blending of the world's way with God's way. God, of course, does not accept it as true worship. How could He? The Israelites would attend services, supposedly in honor and out of respect for the Creator God after killing their children in the fires of Molech!
In Ezekiel 20-23, where a brief overview of the relationship between God and Israel is presented, idolatry and profaning the Sabbath are specifically named nine times as the major reasons God drove Israel into captivity.
— John W. Ritenbaugh
Can we see ourselves in this sin, America, in this sin of idolatry? If we can’t, it’s because we have drunk the ‘cool ade’ and are totally deluded as to how far we’ve come away from the precepts of God’s Holy Word the Bible and how far we’ve fallen from the faith that made us great.
How many lovers have we taken since we believed?
How many children have perished in the abortionists’ clinics?
How many idle words have crossed our lips in criticism of the holy things of God?
How much money have we lavished upon temporal pleasures while those who know Christ not remain without the Word of Truth for lack of funds?
How often have we declared ourselves to be believers in Jesus Christ while allowing ourselves to be totally without restraint regarding our self-indulgence?
How many?
How much?
How ofen?
How long can the Almighty ignore our sin?
How long?
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Heroes Wanted!
June 13
Heroes Wanted! By Dr. D. James Kennedy
‘Now therefore, give me this mountain…It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.’—Joshua 14:12
Suppose, as you looked for a job, you came across this ad in the classifieds: “Heroes wanted. No cowards need apply.” Would you apply for that job? Are you a hero?
Most of us have never even considered this matter, but we should, because we desperately need heroes in the army of God. Over and over in Scripture, we read of valiant, mighty men and women, and we’re encouraged to follow their examples.
The Bible exhorts us to endure hardship as good soldiers of Christ. It admonishes, “Fear not,” “Be not afraid,” “Be of good courage,” “Fear not the face of men.” Such courage is the mark of a hero.
Why do we need so much courage? Because Jesus has commissioned us as His soldiers to witness for Him. We have the privilege of serving as Christ’s ambassadors to this dying world, sharing the good news of what Jesus can do for people.
Yet tragically, many people who profess to be Christians have gone AWOL (Absent Without Leave) in this regard. The battle for lost souls rages on, but many of us hide in our own secure corners of the world, leaving the lost vulnerable to the enemy.
This should not be true of the soldiers in Christ’s army. After all, our leader, Christ, is the greatest hero Who ever lived. Not only did He single-handedly take on all the hosts of mankind, an apostate Jewry, a hostile heathenism, and His own friends who forsook Him, but He also took on the forces of death, hell, Satan, and the demons, overcoming them one and all!
As God’s soldiers, we have Christ’s death-defeating power on our side! We need not fear as we share the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we face the fray, Jesus Christ heats the heart and fuses the shifting sands into rock, making heroes out of cowards. Christ stands ready to do that for each of us.
Will you allow Christ to grant you his courage today? If you do, be a faithful soldier, using that courage to share Christ’s good news with someone who desperately needs to hear it.
Heroes Wanted! By Dr. D. James Kennedy
‘Now therefore, give me this mountain…It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.’—Joshua 14:12
Suppose, as you looked for a job, you came across this ad in the classifieds: “Heroes wanted. No cowards need apply.” Would you apply for that job? Are you a hero?
Most of us have never even considered this matter, but we should, because we desperately need heroes in the army of God. Over and over in Scripture, we read of valiant, mighty men and women, and we’re encouraged to follow their examples.
The Bible exhorts us to endure hardship as good soldiers of Christ. It admonishes, “Fear not,” “Be not afraid,” “Be of good courage,” “Fear not the face of men.” Such courage is the mark of a hero.
Why do we need so much courage? Because Jesus has commissioned us as His soldiers to witness for Him. We have the privilege of serving as Christ’s ambassadors to this dying world, sharing the good news of what Jesus can do for people.
Yet tragically, many people who profess to be Christians have gone AWOL (Absent Without Leave) in this regard. The battle for lost souls rages on, but many of us hide in our own secure corners of the world, leaving the lost vulnerable to the enemy.
This should not be true of the soldiers in Christ’s army. After all, our leader, Christ, is the greatest hero Who ever lived. Not only did He single-handedly take on all the hosts of mankind, an apostate Jewry, a hostile heathenism, and His own friends who forsook Him, but He also took on the forces of death, hell, Satan, and the demons, overcoming them one and all!
As God’s soldiers, we have Christ’s death-defeating power on our side! We need not fear as we share the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we face the fray, Jesus Christ heats the heart and fuses the shifting sands into rock, making heroes out of cowards. Christ stands ready to do that for each of us.
Will you allow Christ to grant you his courage today? If you do, be a faithful soldier, using that courage to share Christ’s good news with someone who desperately needs to hear it.
Friday, June 12, 2015
I Will Answer You
June 12
“I Will Answer You”
‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’—Jeremiah 33:3
“Call to Me…” God says in Scripture, yet so many of us are slow to respond to that invitation. Why do we pray so meagerly?
I believe it’s because unbelief whispers in our ears, “Your prayers won’t work. God won’t hear them. Others may come and receive all sorts of bounty from God, but not the likes of you, not the one who has so often broken His commandments. God doesn’t even want to hear from your lips.”
Do thoughts of unworthiness creep into your mind, building a wall between you and God? Yet against these whispers of Satan, God’s Word speaks to us, “Call to Me…” God reaches out to us, inviting us to reach out to Him.
Yet doubts still discourage us from praying. Inside our heads we hear, “Prayer will do no good because God will not answer. I’ve tried before, and I haven’t received answers.”
Have you ever felt that way? Then read the second part of Jeremiah 33:3, an assurance that stills such doubts: “I will answer you.” God has promised to respond to our prayers.
When we call on God, we can feel confident that He has made us worthy of approaching Him and that He has promised to answer us.
We should also keep in mind all the other principles that the Bible teaches concerning prayer. For example, to maintain an open prayer line to God we must confess our sins and ask for forgiveness, while forgiving those who have sinned against us.
Another principle is that we must call upon God in faith, believing He will do that which we ask of Him. The Scripture says that whatsoever you shall ask, believe that God will give it, and you shall have it. We should also call upon God with great perseverance and ask according to His will.
Finally, we should pray with gratitude, thanking God for all He has already done.
How’s your prayer life these days? Are any of the concerns I mentioned earlier stopping you from fully enjoying your connection to God?
I invite you to call to God and remember His promise to answer you. Do these things, and wait for God to show you “great and mighty things”!
More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. —Alfred Lord Tennyson
“I Will Answer You”
‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’—Jeremiah 33:3
“Call to Me…” God says in Scripture, yet so many of us are slow to respond to that invitation. Why do we pray so meagerly?
I believe it’s because unbelief whispers in our ears, “Your prayers won’t work. God won’t hear them. Others may come and receive all sorts of bounty from God, but not the likes of you, not the one who has so often broken His commandments. God doesn’t even want to hear from your lips.”
Do thoughts of unworthiness creep into your mind, building a wall between you and God? Yet against these whispers of Satan, God’s Word speaks to us, “Call to Me…” God reaches out to us, inviting us to reach out to Him.
Yet doubts still discourage us from praying. Inside our heads we hear, “Prayer will do no good because God will not answer. I’ve tried before, and I haven’t received answers.”
Have you ever felt that way? Then read the second part of Jeremiah 33:3, an assurance that stills such doubts: “I will answer you.” God has promised to respond to our prayers.
When we call on God, we can feel confident that He has made us worthy of approaching Him and that He has promised to answer us.
We should also keep in mind all the other principles that the Bible teaches concerning prayer. For example, to maintain an open prayer line to God we must confess our sins and ask for forgiveness, while forgiving those who have sinned against us.
Another principle is that we must call upon God in faith, believing He will do that which we ask of Him. The Scripture says that whatsoever you shall ask, believe that God will give it, and you shall have it. We should also call upon God with great perseverance and ask according to His will.
Finally, we should pray with gratitude, thanking God for all He has already done.
How’s your prayer life these days? Are any of the concerns I mentioned earlier stopping you from fully enjoying your connection to God?
I invite you to call to God and remember His promise to answer you. Do these things, and wait for God to show you “great and mighty things”!
More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. —Alfred Lord Tennyson
Thursday, June 11, 2015
America Needs God
June 11
Washington and Jefferson: America needs God by Dr. Jim Denison My wife and I spent some time in Virginia recently, where we toured the homes of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The faith of these two giants of American history in many ways speaks to the significance of faith in America today.
George Washington spoke of God in his speeches and writings 147 times, the divine 95 times, heaven 133 times, Providence over 270 times, used other titles for God some 95 times, and alluded to over 200 biblical texts. He believed strongly in divine providence.
When deciding whether to accept a second term as president, Washington told his dear friend Edmund Randolph, "As the all-wise disposer of events has hitherto watched over my steps, I trust that in the important one I may soon be called upon to take, He will mark the course so plainly . . . that I cannot mistake the way."
Washington was deeply and consistently committed to a life of prayer. His contemporaries remarked on his daily practice of prayer; as one said, "He is known to have observed stated seasons of retirement for secret devotion." He wrote more than 100 prayers in his own hand.
Washington's wife, stepchildren, and grandchildren all affirmed that he was a Christian. John Marshall, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and Washington's biographer, agreed: "He was a sincere believer in the Christian faith and a truly devout man."
And he frequently and consistently called himself a Christian. His was a faith of deeds and words, integrity and compassion, inclusion and grace.
By contrast, Thomas Jefferson stated, "I am a Christian, but I am a Christian in the only sense in which I believe Jesus wished anyone to be, sincerely attached to His doctrine in preference to all others, ascribing to Him all human excellence, and believing that He never claimed any other."
His Jefferson Bible removed all references to miracles, preserving only Jesus' ethical teachings and ending with His crucifixion and burial.
While Jefferson did not affirm an orthodox personal faith, he recognized its value in American culture. When he became president, he frequently worshiped with the congregation of Christ Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. He explained: "No nation has yet existed or been governed without religion. I, as the Chief Magistrate of this nation, am bound to give it the sanction of my example."
He authorized federal support for military chaplains and Christian missions to the Indians. He attended Sunday services of Christian worship in the Capitol building, and designated space in the Rotunda of the University of Virginia for chapel services.
Our recent National Day of Prayer continued a tradition dating to our first president. But America needs more than a day of prayer—it needs a people of prayer. It deserves our intercession this day and every day.
In his first inaugural address, our nation's first president stated: "The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained."
Do you agree?
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Yes, There Is More
June 10
Yes, There is More Than This! By R. Loren Sandford
Are you looking for an experience or to develop intimacy with Christ?
It seems to me that the goal of some has shifted from seeking intimacy to seeking to be supernatural. I've learned the hard way in a lifetime of exposure to the things of the Spirit that if your goal is to be supernatural, then you'll end up shipwrecked. If, however, your goal is intimacy with the Father and you hunger for His nature and character to be your own, then you'll end up being supernatural.
This subtle shift of focus on so many fronts has created a growing sense of disappointment in an increasing number of people. The same sense of disappointment is gradually taking root in the so-called seeker sensitive churches, which have not been part of the flow of revival. Even there, hearts are crying out, "There must be something more than this!"
As 2013 came to a close, the youth group at our church began to see an influx of young people from a fast-growing megachurch in the Denver metro area, all saying, "I need more. I'm tired of the emptiness over there. It's not enough!"
Excerpts from some emails I received illustrate well what I am hearing on a broad spectrum. See if something doesn't cry out, "that's me!" when you read this one.
This person wrote: "I'm 'sick' of all the “me/focused 'worship' music and the whole 'me getting my feeling' emphasis, along with all the hoops to keep jumping through, along with the latest 'prophetic' word/vision stuff—and not to leave out the 'alignment' movement. More hoops! There I said it! It is time to get back to the Word, Christ-like character, and the Great Commission and kick all the latest charismatic-gimmick hoops aside. Isn't it time to seek the genuine blessings of the Spirit and thresh out the chaff?”
What we once did in innocence, obeying the sweet moving of the Spirit, we now make into methods, structures, impartations, and alignments. But Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). There's the secret!
The answer to our hunger comes not from a focus on receiving from God, although we'll never stop receiving. We serve a giving God, a loving Father, and one of the highest forms of praise we can offer Him is to gratefully receive what He sends.
A growing number of believers, however, are coming to understand that the balm to soothe our growing ache focuses not on what we are getting or receiving but on what we're becoming. It's about the impartation of the Father's heart, nature, and character in us until we truly can be called sons and daughters of God who, from the deepest reaches of the heart, radiate who our Father is. Therein lies the second part of the message of the Father's love.
John 1:12 says, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God. In Hebrew linguistic usage, to be a "son of" or a "child of" something is to resemble that thing in a significant way. Romans 8:19 applies the usage as well: "For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God."
I see a developing movement focused on impartation of the nature of the Father in character, disposition, heart, and spirit. It is a time of conformity to "the image of His Son" (Romans 8:29). It has nothing to do with religious legalism or performance and everything to do with transformation of character from the inside out until we have the Father's heart as our own.
God's heart, then, would be to move us in this season from the remedial to the transformational, from receiving to becoming, so that we could exude the nature of the Father and the world would see and know Him by what they see and sense in us.
We're not living for an experience. We're living for oneness with our Father through our Savior, Jesus Christ in heart, character, and spirit. There lies the substance we long for. It leads to a greater intimacy with the heart of the Father than we have ever known.
Yes, There is More Than This! By R. Loren Sandford
Are you looking for an experience or to develop intimacy with Christ?
It seems to me that the goal of some has shifted from seeking intimacy to seeking to be supernatural. I've learned the hard way in a lifetime of exposure to the things of the Spirit that if your goal is to be supernatural, then you'll end up shipwrecked. If, however, your goal is intimacy with the Father and you hunger for His nature and character to be your own, then you'll end up being supernatural.
This subtle shift of focus on so many fronts has created a growing sense of disappointment in an increasing number of people. The same sense of disappointment is gradually taking root in the so-called seeker sensitive churches, which have not been part of the flow of revival. Even there, hearts are crying out, "There must be something more than this!"
As 2013 came to a close, the youth group at our church began to see an influx of young people from a fast-growing megachurch in the Denver metro area, all saying, "I need more. I'm tired of the emptiness over there. It's not enough!"
Excerpts from some emails I received illustrate well what I am hearing on a broad spectrum. See if something doesn't cry out, "that's me!" when you read this one.
This person wrote: "I'm 'sick' of all the “me/focused 'worship' music and the whole 'me getting my feeling' emphasis, along with all the hoops to keep jumping through, along with the latest 'prophetic' word/vision stuff—and not to leave out the 'alignment' movement. More hoops! There I said it! It is time to get back to the Word, Christ-like character, and the Great Commission and kick all the latest charismatic-gimmick hoops aside. Isn't it time to seek the genuine blessings of the Spirit and thresh out the chaff?”
What we once did in innocence, obeying the sweet moving of the Spirit, we now make into methods, structures, impartations, and alignments. But Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). There's the secret!
The answer to our hunger comes not from a focus on receiving from God, although we'll never stop receiving. We serve a giving God, a loving Father, and one of the highest forms of praise we can offer Him is to gratefully receive what He sends.
A growing number of believers, however, are coming to understand that the balm to soothe our growing ache focuses not on what we are getting or receiving but on what we're becoming. It's about the impartation of the Father's heart, nature, and character in us until we truly can be called sons and daughters of God who, from the deepest reaches of the heart, radiate who our Father is. Therein lies the second part of the message of the Father's love.
John 1:12 says, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God. In Hebrew linguistic usage, to be a "son of" or a "child of" something is to resemble that thing in a significant way. Romans 8:19 applies the usage as well: "For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God."
I see a developing movement focused on impartation of the nature of the Father in character, disposition, heart, and spirit. It is a time of conformity to "the image of His Son" (Romans 8:29). It has nothing to do with religious legalism or performance and everything to do with transformation of character from the inside out until we have the Father's heart as our own.
God's heart, then, would be to move us in this season from the remedial to the transformational, from receiving to becoming, so that we could exude the nature of the Father and the world would see and know Him by what they see and sense in us.
We're not living for an experience. We're living for oneness with our Father through our Savior, Jesus Christ in heart, character, and spirit. There lies the substance we long for. It leads to a greater intimacy with the heart of the Father than we have ever known.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
God on Trial
June 9
God on Trial Author Unknown
The self-professed Creator of the universe claims to be all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving. For millions of people, it is harder to believe such assertions after the Newtown massacre.
Atheist Sam Harris declares that "the murder of a single little girl—even once in a million years—casts doubt upon the idea of a benevolent God." Now we're facing the killing of 20 children in one of the deadliest school shootings in American history. If God is all-knowing, he knew the morning of December 14 that a mass murderer was going to kill 20 children and seven adults before shooting himself. If God is all-powerful, he could have stopped this tragedy. If God is all-loving, he would want to. And yet 28 people were killed on that horrific day.
Every day in America 40 people are murdered. Each death is unspeakably tragic. But when 20 first-graders are killed at their elementary school, something in us rages at such senseless violence. Each child who died left a parent who treasured them above everything else in this world. Each child who survived will be scarred forever by the terror of the morning. The Newtown massacre ripped away the veneer of a joyful holiday season, exposing the ugly cruelty that lies at the heart of this fallen world—a world made by an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God.
You don't have to be an atheist like Sam Harris to ask how this can be. Four accusations against God The Newtown tragedy is not an isolated event. In July 2012, suspect James Holmes killed 12 in an Aurora, Colorado movie theater. In January 2011, Jared Lee Loughner killed six and injured more than a dozen in Tucson, Arizona. In 2009, suspect Nidal Malik Hasan killed 13 soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas. In 2007, Seung-Hui Cho murdered 32 people at Virginia Tech before killing himself.
Many of us still remember the April 1999 Columbine High School massacre, where Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 classmates and then themselves in Littleton, Colorado. Nothing has changed as a result of Newtown. There is no reason that today could not be another day of senseless death. In a nation similarly fraught with violence and facing an uncertain future, the Hebrew prophet Habakkuk expressed to God our confusion and anger: Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; You cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do You tolerate the treacherous? Why are You silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? (Habakkuk 1:13). Has his last question ever been more appropriate than today?
I am writing this essay on the anniversary of my father's death. He died of a heart attack at the age of 55, when I was in college. Dad left an empty place in our wedding photos, our children's lives, and every Christmas table since. The great tragedy of my life is that my father never met my sons. Soon it will be the one-year anniversary of the horrible day we learned our oldest son had cancer. 2012 will always be remembered by our family as the year of Ryan's diagnosis, surgery, and radiation. Even as I write these words, tears come to my eyes as my stomach knots in pain. Where was God in Newtown? Where was he when my father died? Where was he when my son's malignancy began growing inside his body? Only four options are possible.
Each constitutes an accusation against the God of the Bible. One: He is not omniscient. Perhaps He does not see our problems in time to prevent them. If He is trapped in time as we are, He does not see tragedy until it unfolds. But this is no defense of an all-knowing God. Even if He did not see the Newtown massacre before it happened, He watched Adam Lanza prepare to kill his mother. He then watched Lanza drive to Sandy Hook Elementary, break into the school, and take aim at those inside. He watched my father's heart disease build to the point where it took his life; He watched Ryan's cancer cells begin to multiply inside his body.
We can defend God's power and love at the expense of His omniscience, but we must then wonder how relevant they are. If He doesn't know about our problems, how can He help with them? Two: he is not omnipotent. Rabbi Harold Kushner, in his bestselling When Bad Things Happen to Good People, claimed that God cannot intervene miraculously in our world. He can help us as we grieve, but He cannot prevent our grief. In our scientific age, it is common to ascribe the miracles of the Bible to myth and superstition.
Perhaps God saw and wanted to stop Adam Lanza's violence or my son's cancer, but could not. We can defend God's knowledge and love at the expense of His power. But once again, we must wonder how relevant they are. If He knows about our problems and wants to solve them but cannot, how much help is He?
Three: He is not all-loving. The Greeks pictured their gods atop Mt. Olympus, capricious and uncaring. The fatalistic Stoics described us as dogs tied to carts—we can trot along or be dragged behind, but we're going with the cart. We can defend God's knowledge and power at the expense of His love. But yet again, we must wonder if they are then relevant to us. If He knows about our pain and has the power to prevent it, but He doesn't care about our suffering, why would He help us? Four: God does not exist. David Hume, the 18th-century skeptic, proposed this syllogism:
• If God exists, He must be loving and powerful and thus eradicate evil.
• Evil exists.
• Therefore, God does not exist. For millions of atheists, including Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris in our day, his argument is theirs.
Is there a way to defend God's omniscience, omnipotence, love, and existence in the aftermath of Newtown? My case for God One of the most famous Christmas texts in Scripture was first delivered to a world filled with "distress and darkness and fearful gloom" (Isaiah 8:22).
In the midst of such suffering, the prophet heard an amazing promise: "There will be no more gloom for those who were in distress" (Isaiah 9:1). Why? Because Unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over His kingdom, Establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this (vs. 6-7).
Christians believe this promise to be fulfilled with the Christmas miracle of Jesus' birth. We look to Him as our all-knowing "Wonderful Counselor," our all-powerful "Mighty God," and our all-loving "Everlasting Father." In a violent, destructive world, we believe that He is our only "Prince of Peace." As He stands trial today, I imagine you as the jury and myself as His attorney.
Here's my defense. Consider other suspects First, the Defendant is not the only being capable of committing this crime. If God were the only Person able to instigate the violence at Newtown, it would be difficult to defend His character today. But this is not the case.
Consider the criminal record of another suspect, one who is "a murderer from the beginning" of time (John 8:44). Satan instigated the betrayal of Jesus which led to His execution (Luke 22:3). He has power over unbelievers (Acts 26:18) and blinds their minds (2 Corinthians 4:4). he "prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). he is alive and working in our fallen world. Everything about the Newtown massacre is consistent with his character and actions. Another suspect is the Newtown shooter. Adam Lanza was created by God to know and love his Maker (Matthew 22:37). But love requires the ability to choose, so God gave him free will (Genesis 3:15-17; Exodus 32:26; Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15; 1 Kings 18:21). Lanza's freedom was intended by God to be used for good and not evil (Matthew 4:10; Proverbs 1:10; Proverbs 4:14; Romans 6:13; Ephesians 6:13; 2 Peter 3:17). Tragically, he used his free will to choose sin and death (James 1:13-15; James 4:1).
In a moment we will ask why God did not prevent his crime or its consequences. For now, it is my intent to show you that Lanza should be considered the perpetrator of Newtown, not my Client. Now examine the character of the Person on trial. He touched leprous bodies and healed them (Matthew 8:3), fed hungry crowds (John 6:1-13), and raised a father's dead daughter (Mark 5:35-43) and a widow's only son (Luke 7:11-15). He forgave the disciples who abandoned Him (John 21:15-19) and even the soldiers who crucified Him (Luke 23:34). How did He feel about the children who were killed at Newtown? He rebuked disciples who kept children from Him and declared, "Let the children come to Me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Then He "placed His hands on them" and blessed them (Matthew 19:14-15). Jesus did not cause even a single death during His life and ministry, but grieved for those who died (John 11:35).
Nothing about the Newtown tragedy is consistent with His character or actions. How can He be omniscient and allow evil? Now let's move to the specific charges against my Client. The first is that if He is omnipotent and all-loving, He cannot be omniscient. He could not know about the Newtown tragedy in time to prevent it, or He would have. In response, I'd like you to consider this question: Are knowing and choosing always the same? Does the fact that God knows what we are going to do mean that He makes that decision for us? God is not bound by time. He is the eternal "I Am" (Exodus 3:14). As He is not constrained by the space He created, neither is He confined to the time by which He regulates His creation. As a result, God can "see" my activities in what we call "tomorrow" as though they were "today."
But seeing and choosing may not be the same. I have spoken in churches and classes around the world. In each setting I have watched people take their seats in the sanctuary or classroom. Never have I chosen their seats for them. In the same way, God sees today what I'll eat for breakfast tomorrow, but such knowledge does not mean that He will choose my food for me. The fact that God knew Adam Lanza would kill so many children and adults in Newtown does not mean that He made this murderous choice for him. Can he be omnipotent and allow suffering? The second charge against my Client is that He must not be omnipotent, or He would have prevented the Newtown massacre. His omniscience would have alerted Him to the tragedy before it happened or at least as it began.
His omnipotence would then prevent this calamity from occurring. If God could create the universe with just his spoken word (Genesis 1:3), he could have kept Lanza's guns from firing. If He could make the Red Sea part (Exodus 14:21-22), He could have stopped the bullets before they reached their targets. If He could raise Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43-44), He could have brought the Newtown victims back to life. In response, consider this question: once God begins preventing the consequences of misused freedom, where does He stop? We'd all like a world where God prevents every Holocaust or 9/11 or Newtown tragedy.
But once He intervenes to prevent the results of free will, where does He draw the line? I want God to prevent a drunk driver from killing my sons. But I also want Him to prevent someone from injuring them. I want Him to intervene whenever someone is going to lie to them or manipulate them in some way. I have no doubt that He is powerful enough to do all of this and more. But if He uses his omnipotence in this way, is He not violating our freedom?
Imagine that I am keeping a low-carb diet but order a pizza to be delivered. My wife discovers my subterfuge and persuades the delivery service to substitute yogurt for the pizza. When my food arrives, it will be clear that my choice was only apparent, not real. God is powerful enough to have prevented the Newtown massacre. But He would have also prevented Adam Lanza from using his God-given free will. Can He be all-loving and allow innocent suffering? The third charge against my Client is that He must not be all-loving, or He would not have allowed these innocent children and adults to die.
His omniscience would alert Him to the pending tragedy; His omnipotence would enable Him to intervene. The fact that He did not must mean that He lacks the compassion to do so. In response, consider the biblical claims that God hurts as we hurt:
• "When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you" (Deuteronomy 20:1).
• "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me" (Psalm 23:4).
• "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18).
• "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior" (Isaiah 43:2-3).
• "We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).
He allows us to misuse our free will, refusing to prevent the consequences of our wrong choices, but then He suffers as we suffer. The fact of evil does not disprove the fact of God's love. Rather, the former provides opportunity for the latter. Can He exist and allow a world like this? The final charge against my Client is that He does not exist: He must be omniscient, omnipotent, and all-loving to be the God of Scripture, yet He does not prevent the suffering we experience daily. If we will not abandon one of His biblical traits, their combination in the face of an evil world requires us to reject the existence of such a Being. In response, consider this proposal: God redeems for greater good all He allows or causes. If He is sovereign, He must at least permit all that happens in this life.
If He is holy (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8), He can never make a mistake (Matthew 5:48):
• "He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He" (Deuteronomy 32:4).
• "Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no God apart from Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but Me" (Isaiah 45:21).
• "For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love" (Psalm 33:4-5).
• "The Lord reigns forever; He has established His throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness; He will govern the peoples with justice" (Psalm 9:7-8).
• "For the Lord is righteous, He loves justice; upright men will see His face" (Psalm 11:7).
• "The Lord is righteous in all His ways and loving toward all He has made" (Psalm 145:17). • "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight" (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
If this God allows any evil that He does not redeem for a greater good, He has erred in allowing it. Thus, His character requires Him to redeem all that He permits or causes. This assertion does not guarantee that you and I will experience or even understand God's greater good on this side of glory. As Paul said, "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" (1 Corinthians 13:12).
But I do not need to understand something to believe that it is true. I don't understand the physics of air travel, but I board airplanes regularly. I don't understand the techniques involved in knee surgery, but I've experienced them twice. I don't understand how my laptop computer converts my keystrokes into the digital data you are reading, but I use it daily. In the same way, I believe that God is redeeming my father's death and my son's cancer for a greater good. I am convinced that He is already redeeming the Newtown tragedy for a greater good as well.
Some of this good we may see in our lifetime, as when He uses suffering to refine us (Psalm 66:10; Isaiah 48:10; Malachi 3:3), enabling us to share our faith (1 Peter 2:12, 15) and making us more like Jesus (Romans 8:28-29). Much of this greater good we will not see until we are in heaven. In the meantime, I choose to agree with Paul: "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). I understand the frustration many feel in trying to reconcile an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God with our broken world. But I would ask those who prosecute my Client this question: how would you do better? He created a perfect world in which no Newtown massacres would have occurred, but humans chose to sin against His will and corrupted His creation (Romans 8:22).
He gave us his commandments, principles that would prevent all such tragedies if they were followed (cf. Exodus 20:13, "You shall not murder"). He gave us His prophets to interpret and apply His principles to our lives. Then He gave us his Son to teach us His word and to die for our sins. His miracles attested to His omniscience, omnipotence, and love; His resurrection demonstrated His uniqueness and divinity. Now He has given us His trustworthy, authoritative Scriptures by which to know His Son and follow His will. The fact of suffering does not mean that this God is less knowing, powerful, loving, or real. Rather, it proves that He is relevant and essential to our lives and needs.
When we are sick, we can blame medical science for our illness or we can turn to a doctor for our cure. Conclusion Elie Wiesel's books tell the story of the Holocaust through the prism of his personal suffering.
No passage is more horrific than this account of a small boy hanged by the Nazis: For more than half an hour he stayed there, struggling between life and death, dying in slow agony under our eyes. And we had to look him full in the face. He was still alive when I passed in front of him. His tongue was still red, his eyes were not yet glazed. Behind me, I heard [a] man asking: "Where is God now?" And I heard a voice within me answer him: "Where is He? Here He is—He is hanging here on this gallows."
In the same way, the God who made us entered our fallen world. He chose to come not as a conquering general but as a helpless child. The only baby who determined the circumstances of His birth chose a feed trough in a cow stall, peasants for parents, and grimy field hands for attendants. He chose to walk our planet, breathe our air, face our temptations, feel our pain, and die on our cross. Then He chose to rise from our grave and to prepare our eternal dwelling (John 14:3).
In the aftermath of the Newtown tragedy, many are questioning the existence, character, and relevance of God. But nothing that happened in Connecticut on December 14 changed His nature. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). In fact, He is not on trial—we are. It is not His response to Newtown that is in question, but ours.
It is not His knowledge of us, but our desire to know Him; it is not His power, but our willingness to submit to that power in our lives; it is not His love for us, but our choice to receive His love and share it with all in need. Max Lucado, with his usual sensitivity, offered this prayer after the Newtown shooting: "Oh, Lord Jesus, You entered the dark world of Your day. Won't You enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We, like the wise men, are looking for a star. We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger. We ask You, to heal us, to help us, to be born anew in us." Amen.
God on Trial Author Unknown
The self-professed Creator of the universe claims to be all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving. For millions of people, it is harder to believe such assertions after the Newtown massacre.
Atheist Sam Harris declares that "the murder of a single little girl—even once in a million years—casts doubt upon the idea of a benevolent God." Now we're facing the killing of 20 children in one of the deadliest school shootings in American history. If God is all-knowing, he knew the morning of December 14 that a mass murderer was going to kill 20 children and seven adults before shooting himself. If God is all-powerful, he could have stopped this tragedy. If God is all-loving, he would want to. And yet 28 people were killed on that horrific day.
Every day in America 40 people are murdered. Each death is unspeakably tragic. But when 20 first-graders are killed at their elementary school, something in us rages at such senseless violence. Each child who died left a parent who treasured them above everything else in this world. Each child who survived will be scarred forever by the terror of the morning. The Newtown massacre ripped away the veneer of a joyful holiday season, exposing the ugly cruelty that lies at the heart of this fallen world—a world made by an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God.
You don't have to be an atheist like Sam Harris to ask how this can be. Four accusations against God The Newtown tragedy is not an isolated event. In July 2012, suspect James Holmes killed 12 in an Aurora, Colorado movie theater. In January 2011, Jared Lee Loughner killed six and injured more than a dozen in Tucson, Arizona. In 2009, suspect Nidal Malik Hasan killed 13 soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas. In 2007, Seung-Hui Cho murdered 32 people at Virginia Tech before killing himself.
Many of us still remember the April 1999 Columbine High School massacre, where Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 classmates and then themselves in Littleton, Colorado. Nothing has changed as a result of Newtown. There is no reason that today could not be another day of senseless death. In a nation similarly fraught with violence and facing an uncertain future, the Hebrew prophet Habakkuk expressed to God our confusion and anger: Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; You cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do You tolerate the treacherous? Why are You silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? (Habakkuk 1:13). Has his last question ever been more appropriate than today?
I am writing this essay on the anniversary of my father's death. He died of a heart attack at the age of 55, when I was in college. Dad left an empty place in our wedding photos, our children's lives, and every Christmas table since. The great tragedy of my life is that my father never met my sons. Soon it will be the one-year anniversary of the horrible day we learned our oldest son had cancer. 2012 will always be remembered by our family as the year of Ryan's diagnosis, surgery, and radiation. Even as I write these words, tears come to my eyes as my stomach knots in pain. Where was God in Newtown? Where was he when my father died? Where was he when my son's malignancy began growing inside his body? Only four options are possible.
Each constitutes an accusation against the God of the Bible. One: He is not omniscient. Perhaps He does not see our problems in time to prevent them. If He is trapped in time as we are, He does not see tragedy until it unfolds. But this is no defense of an all-knowing God. Even if He did not see the Newtown massacre before it happened, He watched Adam Lanza prepare to kill his mother. He then watched Lanza drive to Sandy Hook Elementary, break into the school, and take aim at those inside. He watched my father's heart disease build to the point where it took his life; He watched Ryan's cancer cells begin to multiply inside his body.
We can defend God's power and love at the expense of His omniscience, but we must then wonder how relevant they are. If He doesn't know about our problems, how can He help with them? Two: he is not omnipotent. Rabbi Harold Kushner, in his bestselling When Bad Things Happen to Good People, claimed that God cannot intervene miraculously in our world. He can help us as we grieve, but He cannot prevent our grief. In our scientific age, it is common to ascribe the miracles of the Bible to myth and superstition.
Perhaps God saw and wanted to stop Adam Lanza's violence or my son's cancer, but could not. We can defend God's knowledge and love at the expense of His power. But once again, we must wonder how relevant they are. If He knows about our problems and wants to solve them but cannot, how much help is He?
Three: He is not all-loving. The Greeks pictured their gods atop Mt. Olympus, capricious and uncaring. The fatalistic Stoics described us as dogs tied to carts—we can trot along or be dragged behind, but we're going with the cart. We can defend God's knowledge and power at the expense of His love. But yet again, we must wonder if they are then relevant to us. If He knows about our pain and has the power to prevent it, but He doesn't care about our suffering, why would He help us? Four: God does not exist. David Hume, the 18th-century skeptic, proposed this syllogism:
• If God exists, He must be loving and powerful and thus eradicate evil.
• Evil exists.
• Therefore, God does not exist. For millions of atheists, including Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris in our day, his argument is theirs.
Is there a way to defend God's omniscience, omnipotence, love, and existence in the aftermath of Newtown? My case for God One of the most famous Christmas texts in Scripture was first delivered to a world filled with "distress and darkness and fearful gloom" (Isaiah 8:22).
In the midst of such suffering, the prophet heard an amazing promise: "There will be no more gloom for those who were in distress" (Isaiah 9:1). Why? Because Unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over His kingdom, Establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this (vs. 6-7).
Christians believe this promise to be fulfilled with the Christmas miracle of Jesus' birth. We look to Him as our all-knowing "Wonderful Counselor," our all-powerful "Mighty God," and our all-loving "Everlasting Father." In a violent, destructive world, we believe that He is our only "Prince of Peace." As He stands trial today, I imagine you as the jury and myself as His attorney.
Here's my defense. Consider other suspects First, the Defendant is not the only being capable of committing this crime. If God were the only Person able to instigate the violence at Newtown, it would be difficult to defend His character today. But this is not the case.
Consider the criminal record of another suspect, one who is "a murderer from the beginning" of time (John 8:44). Satan instigated the betrayal of Jesus which led to His execution (Luke 22:3). He has power over unbelievers (Acts 26:18) and blinds their minds (2 Corinthians 4:4). he "prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). he is alive and working in our fallen world. Everything about the Newtown massacre is consistent with his character and actions. Another suspect is the Newtown shooter. Adam Lanza was created by God to know and love his Maker (Matthew 22:37). But love requires the ability to choose, so God gave him free will (Genesis 3:15-17; Exodus 32:26; Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15; 1 Kings 18:21). Lanza's freedom was intended by God to be used for good and not evil (Matthew 4:10; Proverbs 1:10; Proverbs 4:14; Romans 6:13; Ephesians 6:13; 2 Peter 3:17). Tragically, he used his free will to choose sin and death (James 1:13-15; James 4:1).
In a moment we will ask why God did not prevent his crime or its consequences. For now, it is my intent to show you that Lanza should be considered the perpetrator of Newtown, not my Client. Now examine the character of the Person on trial. He touched leprous bodies and healed them (Matthew 8:3), fed hungry crowds (John 6:1-13), and raised a father's dead daughter (Mark 5:35-43) and a widow's only son (Luke 7:11-15). He forgave the disciples who abandoned Him (John 21:15-19) and even the soldiers who crucified Him (Luke 23:34). How did He feel about the children who were killed at Newtown? He rebuked disciples who kept children from Him and declared, "Let the children come to Me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Then He "placed His hands on them" and blessed them (Matthew 19:14-15). Jesus did not cause even a single death during His life and ministry, but grieved for those who died (John 11:35).
Nothing about the Newtown tragedy is consistent with His character or actions. How can He be omniscient and allow evil? Now let's move to the specific charges against my Client. The first is that if He is omnipotent and all-loving, He cannot be omniscient. He could not know about the Newtown tragedy in time to prevent it, or He would have. In response, I'd like you to consider this question: Are knowing and choosing always the same? Does the fact that God knows what we are going to do mean that He makes that decision for us? God is not bound by time. He is the eternal "I Am" (Exodus 3:14). As He is not constrained by the space He created, neither is He confined to the time by which He regulates His creation. As a result, God can "see" my activities in what we call "tomorrow" as though they were "today."
But seeing and choosing may not be the same. I have spoken in churches and classes around the world. In each setting I have watched people take their seats in the sanctuary or classroom. Never have I chosen their seats for them. In the same way, God sees today what I'll eat for breakfast tomorrow, but such knowledge does not mean that He will choose my food for me. The fact that God knew Adam Lanza would kill so many children and adults in Newtown does not mean that He made this murderous choice for him. Can he be omnipotent and allow suffering? The second charge against my Client is that He must not be omnipotent, or He would have prevented the Newtown massacre. His omniscience would have alerted Him to the tragedy before it happened or at least as it began.
His omnipotence would then prevent this calamity from occurring. If God could create the universe with just his spoken word (Genesis 1:3), he could have kept Lanza's guns from firing. If He could make the Red Sea part (Exodus 14:21-22), He could have stopped the bullets before they reached their targets. If He could raise Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43-44), He could have brought the Newtown victims back to life. In response, consider this question: once God begins preventing the consequences of misused freedom, where does He stop? We'd all like a world where God prevents every Holocaust or 9/11 or Newtown tragedy.
But once He intervenes to prevent the results of free will, where does He draw the line? I want God to prevent a drunk driver from killing my sons. But I also want Him to prevent someone from injuring them. I want Him to intervene whenever someone is going to lie to them or manipulate them in some way. I have no doubt that He is powerful enough to do all of this and more. But if He uses his omnipotence in this way, is He not violating our freedom?
Imagine that I am keeping a low-carb diet but order a pizza to be delivered. My wife discovers my subterfuge and persuades the delivery service to substitute yogurt for the pizza. When my food arrives, it will be clear that my choice was only apparent, not real. God is powerful enough to have prevented the Newtown massacre. But He would have also prevented Adam Lanza from using his God-given free will. Can He be all-loving and allow innocent suffering? The third charge against my Client is that He must not be all-loving, or He would not have allowed these innocent children and adults to die.
His omniscience would alert Him to the pending tragedy; His omnipotence would enable Him to intervene. The fact that He did not must mean that He lacks the compassion to do so. In response, consider the biblical claims that God hurts as we hurt:
• "When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you" (Deuteronomy 20:1).
• "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me" (Psalm 23:4).
• "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18).
• "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior" (Isaiah 43:2-3).
• "We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).
He allows us to misuse our free will, refusing to prevent the consequences of our wrong choices, but then He suffers as we suffer. The fact of evil does not disprove the fact of God's love. Rather, the former provides opportunity for the latter. Can He exist and allow a world like this? The final charge against my Client is that He does not exist: He must be omniscient, omnipotent, and all-loving to be the God of Scripture, yet He does not prevent the suffering we experience daily. If we will not abandon one of His biblical traits, their combination in the face of an evil world requires us to reject the existence of such a Being. In response, consider this proposal: God redeems for greater good all He allows or causes. If He is sovereign, He must at least permit all that happens in this life.
If He is holy (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8), He can never make a mistake (Matthew 5:48):
• "He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He" (Deuteronomy 32:4).
• "Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no God apart from Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but Me" (Isaiah 45:21).
• "For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love" (Psalm 33:4-5).
• "The Lord reigns forever; He has established His throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness; He will govern the peoples with justice" (Psalm 9:7-8).
• "For the Lord is righteous, He loves justice; upright men will see His face" (Psalm 11:7).
• "The Lord is righteous in all His ways and loving toward all He has made" (Psalm 145:17). • "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight" (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
If this God allows any evil that He does not redeem for a greater good, He has erred in allowing it. Thus, His character requires Him to redeem all that He permits or causes. This assertion does not guarantee that you and I will experience or even understand God's greater good on this side of glory. As Paul said, "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" (1 Corinthians 13:12).
But I do not need to understand something to believe that it is true. I don't understand the physics of air travel, but I board airplanes regularly. I don't understand the techniques involved in knee surgery, but I've experienced them twice. I don't understand how my laptop computer converts my keystrokes into the digital data you are reading, but I use it daily. In the same way, I believe that God is redeeming my father's death and my son's cancer for a greater good. I am convinced that He is already redeeming the Newtown tragedy for a greater good as well.
Some of this good we may see in our lifetime, as when He uses suffering to refine us (Psalm 66:10; Isaiah 48:10; Malachi 3:3), enabling us to share our faith (1 Peter 2:12, 15) and making us more like Jesus (Romans 8:28-29). Much of this greater good we will not see until we are in heaven. In the meantime, I choose to agree with Paul: "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). I understand the frustration many feel in trying to reconcile an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God with our broken world. But I would ask those who prosecute my Client this question: how would you do better? He created a perfect world in which no Newtown massacres would have occurred, but humans chose to sin against His will and corrupted His creation (Romans 8:22).
He gave us his commandments, principles that would prevent all such tragedies if they were followed (cf. Exodus 20:13, "You shall not murder"). He gave us His prophets to interpret and apply His principles to our lives. Then He gave us his Son to teach us His word and to die for our sins. His miracles attested to His omniscience, omnipotence, and love; His resurrection demonstrated His uniqueness and divinity. Now He has given us His trustworthy, authoritative Scriptures by which to know His Son and follow His will. The fact of suffering does not mean that this God is less knowing, powerful, loving, or real. Rather, it proves that He is relevant and essential to our lives and needs.
When we are sick, we can blame medical science for our illness or we can turn to a doctor for our cure. Conclusion Elie Wiesel's books tell the story of the Holocaust through the prism of his personal suffering.
No passage is more horrific than this account of a small boy hanged by the Nazis: For more than half an hour he stayed there, struggling between life and death, dying in slow agony under our eyes. And we had to look him full in the face. He was still alive when I passed in front of him. His tongue was still red, his eyes were not yet glazed. Behind me, I heard [a] man asking: "Where is God now?" And I heard a voice within me answer him: "Where is He? Here He is—He is hanging here on this gallows."
In the same way, the God who made us entered our fallen world. He chose to come not as a conquering general but as a helpless child. The only baby who determined the circumstances of His birth chose a feed trough in a cow stall, peasants for parents, and grimy field hands for attendants. He chose to walk our planet, breathe our air, face our temptations, feel our pain, and die on our cross. Then He chose to rise from our grave and to prepare our eternal dwelling (John 14:3).
In the aftermath of the Newtown tragedy, many are questioning the existence, character, and relevance of God. But nothing that happened in Connecticut on December 14 changed His nature. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). In fact, He is not on trial—we are. It is not His response to Newtown that is in question, but ours.
It is not His knowledge of us, but our desire to know Him; it is not His power, but our willingness to submit to that power in our lives; it is not His love for us, but our choice to receive His love and share it with all in need. Max Lucado, with his usual sensitivity, offered this prayer after the Newtown shooting: "Oh, Lord Jesus, You entered the dark world of Your day. Won't You enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We, like the wise men, are looking for a star. We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger. We ask You, to heal us, to help us, to be born anew in us." Amen.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Good News from a Dark Place
An Iranian interrogator involved in the persecution of religious minorities gave his life to Jesus Christ after a Christian woman locked in solitary confinement for three days shared the Gospel with him.
The woman, a house church leader, was arrested for her faith and forced into solitary confinement, according to Open Doors USA, an organization that aids persecuted Christians throughout the world.
"I wasn't ready to go to prison," she said to Open Doors. "I knew it was a dirty place, a place where people are tortured and locked up in solitary confinement. I was afraid that I would be so fearful that I would give up all the names of the members of house church. I even feared that I would deny my faith if they tortured me."
During her imprisonment, however, she shared the Gospel with her interrogator after three days of being locked in solitary confinement.
"We talked about Jesus for hours until finally the interrogator gave his heart to Jesus. We prayed together," said the courageous woman.
"It's an honor for me to talk about Jesus," she told the guard. "You also need Jesus in your life. I cannot be indifferent toward you. I want you to experience the joy and blessing of salvation. I can't keep silent about this."
The preaching of the Gospel is still happening in the predominantly Muslim nation despite immense opposition from the the regime led by President Hassan Rouhani that has imprisoned more religious minorities than previous ones since he was elected in 2013.
The Rouhani regime has led to poor religious freedom conditions and with that has come the imprisonment of various religious minorities, including Christian converts, Sunni Muslims, Sufi Muslims and dissenting Shiite Muslims, according to a report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
"The government of Iran continues to engage in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, including prolonged detention, torture, and execution based primarily or entirely upon the religion of the accused," said the report.
The woman, a house church leader, was arrested for her faith and forced into solitary confinement, according to Open Doors USA, an organization that aids persecuted Christians throughout the world.
"I wasn't ready to go to prison," she said to Open Doors. "I knew it was a dirty place, a place where people are tortured and locked up in solitary confinement. I was afraid that I would be so fearful that I would give up all the names of the members of house church. I even feared that I would deny my faith if they tortured me."
During her imprisonment, however, she shared the Gospel with her interrogator after three days of being locked in solitary confinement.
"We talked about Jesus for hours until finally the interrogator gave his heart to Jesus. We prayed together," said the courageous woman.
"It's an honor for me to talk about Jesus," she told the guard. "You also need Jesus in your life. I cannot be indifferent toward you. I want you to experience the joy and blessing of salvation. I can't keep silent about this."
The preaching of the Gospel is still happening in the predominantly Muslim nation despite immense opposition from the the regime led by President Hassan Rouhani that has imprisoned more religious minorities than previous ones since he was elected in 2013.
The Rouhani regime has led to poor religious freedom conditions and with that has come the imprisonment of various religious minorities, including Christian converts, Sunni Muslims, Sufi Muslims and dissenting Shiite Muslims, according to a report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
"The government of Iran continues to engage in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, including prolonged detention, torture, and execution based primarily or entirely upon the religion of the accused," said the report.
From the Word
June 8
Hebrews 3:7-4:13
So, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested and tried me,
though for forty years they saw what I did.
10 That is why I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. 15 As has just been said:
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”
16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God 4:1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.”5 And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”
6 Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, 7 God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Hebrews 3:7-4:13
So, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested and tried me,
though for forty years they saw what I did.
10 That is why I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. 15 As has just been said:
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”
16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God 4:1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.”5 And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”
6 Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, 7 God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Sunday, June 7, 2015
To What Are Believers Called?
Believers have not been called to a life of luxury. In fact, those who have served the purposes of Christ the most in their lives have been called upon to make great sacrifices in His behalf and in the behalf of His Kingdom's purposes.
The Word says that people of faith are to "count it all joy," James 1:2, when difficulties arise in their lives. A cursory glance at the lives of the twelve Apostles conveys the reality that those who would "live godly for Christ Jesus will suffer persecution," II Timothy 3:12, but they endured it with the power of His grace upon them.
1. Matthew suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia where he was killed by the sword.
2. Mark met his demise in Alexandria, Egypt, where he was dragged through the streets by horses until he was dead.
3. Luke was hanged in Greece as a result of his powerful preaching to the lost.
4. John, the Beloved Apostle, faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered from death. John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos, from which he wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation. John was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey . He died an old man, the only apostle to ultimately die a natural death.
5. Peter was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross. According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die in the same way that Jesus Christ had died.
6. James the Just who had been the leader of the church in Jerusalem, was thrown down over a hundred feet from the southeast pinnacle* of the Temple in Jerusalem because he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When he miraculously survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller's club. *This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.
7. James the Great, the son of Zebedee, was ultimately beheaded at Jerusalem. The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial. Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.
8. Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel, was a missionary to Asia. He was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.
9. Andrew was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece after being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: 'I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.' He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he expired.
10. Thomas was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the sub-continent
11. Jude was shot with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.
12. Matthias, the apostle chosen to replace the betrayer Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded.
13. Paul, was tortured and ultimately beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. Paul had endured a lengthy imprisonment prior to his execution, which allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire . These letters, which teach many of the foundational doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament.
How are we doing? How strong is our faith? Would we be willing to endure persecution, torture, and cruel death because we refuse to deny our Savior?
In our own strength, none of us could stand. In His strength, we can. May we live our lives today in the power that raised Jesus from the dead, (see Romans 8:11) so no matter how we might be called upon to die, we will be endued with the same grace that the martyrs of old experienced at the threshold where they crossed from life to LIFE.
The Word says that people of faith are to "count it all joy," James 1:2, when difficulties arise in their lives. A cursory glance at the lives of the twelve Apostles conveys the reality that those who would "live godly for Christ Jesus will suffer persecution," II Timothy 3:12, but they endured it with the power of His grace upon them.
1. Matthew suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia where he was killed by the sword.
2. Mark met his demise in Alexandria, Egypt, where he was dragged through the streets by horses until he was dead.
3. Luke was hanged in Greece as a result of his powerful preaching to the lost.
4. John, the Beloved Apostle, faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered from death. John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos, from which he wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation. John was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey . He died an old man, the only apostle to ultimately die a natural death.
5. Peter was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross. According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die in the same way that Jesus Christ had died.
6. James the Just who had been the leader of the church in Jerusalem, was thrown down over a hundred feet from the southeast pinnacle* of the Temple in Jerusalem because he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When he miraculously survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller's club. *This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.
7. James the Great, the son of Zebedee, was ultimately beheaded at Jerusalem. The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial. Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.
8. Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel, was a missionary to Asia. He was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.
9. Andrew was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece after being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: 'I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.' He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he expired.
10. Thomas was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the sub-continent
11. Jude was shot with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.
12. Matthias, the apostle chosen to replace the betrayer Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded.
13. Paul, was tortured and ultimately beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. Paul had endured a lengthy imprisonment prior to his execution, which allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire . These letters, which teach many of the foundational doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament.
How are we doing? How strong is our faith? Would we be willing to endure persecution, torture, and cruel death because we refuse to deny our Savior?
In our own strength, none of us could stand. In His strength, we can. May we live our lives today in the power that raised Jesus from the dead, (see Romans 8:11) so no matter how we might be called upon to die, we will be endued with the same grace that the martyrs of old experienced at the threshold where they crossed from life to LIFE.
Choked by Wealth
June 7
Being Choked by Wealth
From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman
"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income...." - Ecclesiastes 5:10
Believers are especially susceptible to a trap in their spiritual lives, one to which others may not be so susceptible. That trap is wealth. Scripture tells us that if we are having our basic needs met for food and clothing, we are considered to have riches. Jesus cautioned us against living a lifestyle that required more than our basic necessities. However, it is clear that Jesus was not against wealth, but against a dependence on wealth.
Jesus continually taught that a dependence on anything other than God was evil. Whenever Jesus determined that money was an issue for an individual, He addressed it and found that the individual could not let go.
This was true for the rich young ruler. When talking about what he must do to inherit the Kingdom, Jesus told him to do the one thing that would be the most difficult—to give away his wealth and follow Him. Jesus was not saying this was what every person must do, only the rich young ruler, because Jesus knew this was his greatest stumbling block . For others of us, it could be something else Jesus would ask us to give up (see Matthew 19:16-30).
In the parable of the sower in which He describes four types of people, Jesus also gave us another example of the problem money creates for any follower of Jesus.
"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow, but when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop, some a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown" (Matthew 13:3b-8).
"The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful" (Matthew 13:22).
Much like the frog in the boiling pot, if we are not careful we gradually begin to acquire and walk the treadmill of material gain. Those around us begin to expect more and more. Soon we begin expanding our lifestyle. Before we know it, we are worrying about how to take care of what we acquire. Our emphasis becomes what we own versus our relationship with Jesus and His Kingdom.
One day I woke up and realized I had a cold heart toward God. Apathy toward the things of God became apparent. I was still going through the motions of service toward God, but with no power. We wake up to realize Christ is no longer Lord of our lives, much less of our money. The greater independence money gives us, the less dependence on God we need.
Christ talked much about money in the Kingdom because He knew how much of a problem it was. This is why we have so few who are bearing 100, 60, or 30 times what is sown.
Do you have the same hunger for God that you once had? Has financial blessing had an adverse effect on your passion for Jesus Christ? Ask Him today if your heart has grown cold as a result of financial blessing. Ask Him to keep you hungering for more of His presence in your life.
Our Brother Hillman has taken several paragraphs to identify our condition, but John D. Rockefeller, who was once the richest man in the world, capsulized our plight by answering when asked, “How much money is enough?” by saying, “Just a little bit more.”
May we be instead like the Apostle Paul who gave up wealth and prestige to follow Christ, “I have resolved that in whatever state I am, I will be content,” Philippians 4:11.
Being Choked by Wealth
From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman
"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income...." - Ecclesiastes 5:10
Believers are especially susceptible to a trap in their spiritual lives, one to which others may not be so susceptible. That trap is wealth. Scripture tells us that if we are having our basic needs met for food and clothing, we are considered to have riches. Jesus cautioned us against living a lifestyle that required more than our basic necessities. However, it is clear that Jesus was not against wealth, but against a dependence on wealth.
Jesus continually taught that a dependence on anything other than God was evil. Whenever Jesus determined that money was an issue for an individual, He addressed it and found that the individual could not let go.
This was true for the rich young ruler. When talking about what he must do to inherit the Kingdom, Jesus told him to do the one thing that would be the most difficult—to give away his wealth and follow Him. Jesus was not saying this was what every person must do, only the rich young ruler, because Jesus knew this was his greatest stumbling block . For others of us, it could be something else Jesus would ask us to give up (see Matthew 19:16-30).
In the parable of the sower in which He describes four types of people, Jesus also gave us another example of the problem money creates for any follower of Jesus.
"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow, but when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop, some a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown" (Matthew 13:3b-8).
"The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful" (Matthew 13:22).
Much like the frog in the boiling pot, if we are not careful we gradually begin to acquire and walk the treadmill of material gain. Those around us begin to expect more and more. Soon we begin expanding our lifestyle. Before we know it, we are worrying about how to take care of what we acquire. Our emphasis becomes what we own versus our relationship with Jesus and His Kingdom.
One day I woke up and realized I had a cold heart toward God. Apathy toward the things of God became apparent. I was still going through the motions of service toward God, but with no power. We wake up to realize Christ is no longer Lord of our lives, much less of our money. The greater independence money gives us, the less dependence on God we need.
Christ talked much about money in the Kingdom because He knew how much of a problem it was. This is why we have so few who are bearing 100, 60, or 30 times what is sown.
Do you have the same hunger for God that you once had? Has financial blessing had an adverse effect on your passion for Jesus Christ? Ask Him today if your heart has grown cold as a result of financial blessing. Ask Him to keep you hungering for more of His presence in your life.
Our Brother Hillman has taken several paragraphs to identify our condition, but John D. Rockefeller, who was once the richest man in the world, capsulized our plight by answering when asked, “How much money is enough?” by saying, “Just a little bit more.”
May we be instead like the Apostle Paul who gave up wealth and prestige to follow Christ, “I have resolved that in whatever state I am, I will be content,” Philippians 4:11.
Saturday, June 6, 2015
Forward!
June 6
Forward!
And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.’—Exodus 14:15
Have you ever encountered an obstacle so huge, you just didn’t know if you could get around it? Perhaps you are facing one today.
If you need a testimony of victory against tremendous obstacles, read the book of Exodus. The tenth plague had come upon Egypt, striking the firstborn of all the houses of Egypt.
Meanwhile, the Israelites sat terrified in their homes amid the shrieks, wails, moans, and cries of the mourning Egyptians around them. The angel of God had passed through the land, slaying the firstborn of every house that did not have blood upon the doorpost and lintel.
The next day, Pharaoh gave the Israelites permission to leave Egypt, so they headed out of the land. But while Moses led the Israelites to the edge of the Red Sea, Pharaoh hardened his heart and sent his men to pursue the Israelites.
As the Israelites looked back from the Red Sea, hundreds of Egyptian chariots bore down on them! They had no place left to go. With the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptians behind them, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.’”
At once the Red Sea parted, and God provided them safe passage.
Forty years later, the Israelites (now under Joshua’s leadership) faced the Jordan River, and it appeared impossible to cross. But God had told them that when they stepped into the water, it would disappear. The river flowed menacingly along, but because of God’s instruction and promise, they went forward. At the moment the Israelites’ feet touched that water, it parted, and the people walked across on dry ground to the Promised Land!
When we face obstacles, God always provides a way. He has promised in His Word that He will make our paths straight. God calls us to go through our obstacles, whatever they may be, because He calls us forward to a glorious destiny, the Promised Land.
So if you face a tremendous obstacle today, wait for God to provide you a way through it, and when He calls you forward, go in the faith that He will fulfill His promise to you.
When the good Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window. —THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Forward!
And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.’—Exodus 14:15
Have you ever encountered an obstacle so huge, you just didn’t know if you could get around it? Perhaps you are facing one today.
If you need a testimony of victory against tremendous obstacles, read the book of Exodus. The tenth plague had come upon Egypt, striking the firstborn of all the houses of Egypt.
Meanwhile, the Israelites sat terrified in their homes amid the shrieks, wails, moans, and cries of the mourning Egyptians around them. The angel of God had passed through the land, slaying the firstborn of every house that did not have blood upon the doorpost and lintel.
The next day, Pharaoh gave the Israelites permission to leave Egypt, so they headed out of the land. But while Moses led the Israelites to the edge of the Red Sea, Pharaoh hardened his heart and sent his men to pursue the Israelites.
As the Israelites looked back from the Red Sea, hundreds of Egyptian chariots bore down on them! They had no place left to go. With the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptians behind them, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.’”
At once the Red Sea parted, and God provided them safe passage.
Forty years later, the Israelites (now under Joshua’s leadership) faced the Jordan River, and it appeared impossible to cross. But God had told them that when they stepped into the water, it would disappear. The river flowed menacingly along, but because of God’s instruction and promise, they went forward. At the moment the Israelites’ feet touched that water, it parted, and the people walked across on dry ground to the Promised Land!
When we face obstacles, God always provides a way. He has promised in His Word that He will make our paths straight. God calls us to go through our obstacles, whatever they may be, because He calls us forward to a glorious destiny, the Promised Land.
So if you face a tremendous obstacle today, wait for God to provide you a way through it, and when He calls you forward, go in the faith that He will fulfill His promise to you.
When the good Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window. —THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Friday, June 5, 2015
On Assignment
June 5
On Assignment by Mike Evans
One day, several years ago, when I went to the Lord in prayer, God spoke to me; God gave me an assignment to go to what was then the most dangerous place on the planet—Lebanon. I had the opportunity to minister to Palestinians who hated Jews. I took them food and medicine. I was warned by Israeli intelligence not to go because of a threatened terrorist attack.
I also had a trunk full of Gideon Bibles to give to the Marines who were stationed in Beirut. The next morning, I heard the explosion as a Hezbollah terrorist blew up the Marine barracks and killed more than 240 of our brave, young men.
I was driving a rented car with Israeli license plates in the middle of a war zone. In trying to get out of the country and back to Israel, I got lost. I ended up turned around and heading toward Damascus.
We ran out of gas, and the two other members of my team said, "We're dead!"
I said, "No we're not—you're still talking."
A young Arab who looked to be around 18 or 19 stuck his head into the window of the car. My first thought was, "He's going to shoot us." He smiled and held up a can of gasoline. After he put it in the car, he pointed at the door lock. I unlocked the door, and he got in.
For 32 minutes, he never said a single word. He pointed to where we needed to go. Just as we arrived at the border, he put his hand up. We stopped the car, and he got out.
The colonel at the border checkpoint told me he had informed the Prime Minister's office that my team and I had been killed in Lebanon. They thought there was no way I could survive. He said, "How did you make it?"
I started to point toward our guide, but he was gone. I believe it was an angel of the Lord who delivered us from death that day.
We need our angels to be active because we are part of a crucial and mighty battle. Our Jesus will neither fail nor forsake us as we fight the enemy in our daily lives—wherever the Lord may take us in our daily lives.
On Assignment by Mike Evans
One day, several years ago, when I went to the Lord in prayer, God spoke to me; God gave me an assignment to go to what was then the most dangerous place on the planet—Lebanon. I had the opportunity to minister to Palestinians who hated Jews. I took them food and medicine. I was warned by Israeli intelligence not to go because of a threatened terrorist attack.
I also had a trunk full of Gideon Bibles to give to the Marines who were stationed in Beirut. The next morning, I heard the explosion as a Hezbollah terrorist blew up the Marine barracks and killed more than 240 of our brave, young men.
I was driving a rented car with Israeli license plates in the middle of a war zone. In trying to get out of the country and back to Israel, I got lost. I ended up turned around and heading toward Damascus.
We ran out of gas, and the two other members of my team said, "We're dead!"
I said, "No we're not—you're still talking."
A young Arab who looked to be around 18 or 19 stuck his head into the window of the car. My first thought was, "He's going to shoot us." He smiled and held up a can of gasoline. After he put it in the car, he pointed at the door lock. I unlocked the door, and he got in.
For 32 minutes, he never said a single word. He pointed to where we needed to go. Just as we arrived at the border, he put his hand up. We stopped the car, and he got out.
The colonel at the border checkpoint told me he had informed the Prime Minister's office that my team and I had been killed in Lebanon. They thought there was no way I could survive. He said, "How did you make it?"
I started to point toward our guide, but he was gone. I believe it was an angel of the Lord who delivered us from death that day.
We need our angels to be active because we are part of a crucial and mighty battle. Our Jesus will neither fail nor forsake us as we fight the enemy in our daily lives—wherever the Lord may take us in our daily lives.
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