December 13
It is an observable, if not measurable phenomenon that it is often the people who know the least regarding a matter who virtually demand to be in charge. To put this mindset into a 'spiritual nutshell', we could say that this type of individual is concerned about his own aggrandizement more than he is in the furtherance of the Kingdom of God.
Stated another way, if the person in question is a Christian, he is following Christ for the loaves and fishes. Rather than being drawn by the prospect of knowing the Lord of all the universe intimately, the individual desires to have all he can attain by walking with the One who has all power to supply all things.
Unbelievable as that concept seems, indeed, it is true. Some of us who name the name of the Lord Jesus are followers because of the advantage we attain for doing so rather than because we have allowed Him to be Lord of our lives.
In I Timothy 1:7, Paul says to his spiritual son, “They want to be teachers of the law although they don’t understand what they are saying or what they are insisting upon.” Because human nature doesn’t change apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, this observation is still true today. Some who profess faith in Jesus are very desirous of holding positions of authority within the body.
They enjoy being on the board or counseling new Christians or expounding their purported wisdom, but it is for their own aggrandizement not for the glory of Christ that they volunteer their service. Mere observers of men’s actions cannot rightly judge their motives, but God sees hearts. May we assure that what He sees in us flows from genuine love for Jesus.
Friday, December 13, 2013
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Impeccable Credentials
December 12
Would anyone enter an apple orchard with the hope of harvesting tomatoes? Do shoppers go into a grocery store to purchase a new car? Can we expect a real estate agent to serve the needs of someone injured in an accident? Silly questions.
When assistance is needed, the corresponding source of supply must be sought. We must ascertain the credentials of an individual to determine whether he has the skills and the resources to provide our need. A painter who specializes in single-level dwellings is not someone who we’d hire to paint a multi-story building.
When Jesus walked the dusty roads of Palestine, He acquired a reputation. He was known as One who not only did good among the needy but also as One who possessed extraordinary power. The people of the countryside round about knew that if they could but be in His presence, their needs would be fully met. So they flocked to Him. One such individual was a man who had been blind from birth.
When he received his sight from Jesus, the religious leaders of the day who continually found fault with the Lord said he had been healed by an evil man. Rather than argue, the healed man simply said, “Whether or not He’s a sinner, I don’t know. But I do know that once I was blind and now I see,” John 9:25.
We, like that wise beggar, must recognize that our faith will at times be challenged. When it is, like him, we must simply allow the evidence to speak for itself. That may not be easily done if we have but a perfunctory faith, a faith that is based on tradition. If our faith is personal, as was the blind beggar's, we will not be shaken from our confidence in the One with whom we have a steadfast relationship.
Jesus does not wish to stand on the periphery of our lives as an observer who monitors our behavior and judges us on the merit of our words and deeds, rather, He would be at the heart of our lives! He says in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him and sup with him and he with Me.”
Jesus desires intimacy with His people. He wants to dine with them. He wants to guide their lives. He wants to guard their lives. He wants to meet them at the point of their every need.
Will you allow Him to be all He yearns to be to you? Will you open your life fully to the sweetness of His presence? In good times and in the trials of life, He will be “the Friend who sticks closer than a brother,” Proverbs 18:24; He will be the One who will “never fail you nor forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5.
In Deuteronomy 31:6, 8, He is even more specific. Here He says not only that He will not fail or forsake His people, but also that they need fear not oppression because He is with them. Can we embrace to ourselves the intimacy of the God who loves us this much? His love is unfailing, His Word is immutable. His credentials are impeccable.
Would anyone enter an apple orchard with the hope of harvesting tomatoes? Do shoppers go into a grocery store to purchase a new car? Can we expect a real estate agent to serve the needs of someone injured in an accident? Silly questions.
When assistance is needed, the corresponding source of supply must be sought. We must ascertain the credentials of an individual to determine whether he has the skills and the resources to provide our need. A painter who specializes in single-level dwellings is not someone who we’d hire to paint a multi-story building.
When Jesus walked the dusty roads of Palestine, He acquired a reputation. He was known as One who not only did good among the needy but also as One who possessed extraordinary power. The people of the countryside round about knew that if they could but be in His presence, their needs would be fully met. So they flocked to Him. One such individual was a man who had been blind from birth.
When he received his sight from Jesus, the religious leaders of the day who continually found fault with the Lord said he had been healed by an evil man. Rather than argue, the healed man simply said, “Whether or not He’s a sinner, I don’t know. But I do know that once I was blind and now I see,” John 9:25.
We, like that wise beggar, must recognize that our faith will at times be challenged. When it is, like him, we must simply allow the evidence to speak for itself. That may not be easily done if we have but a perfunctory faith, a faith that is based on tradition. If our faith is personal, as was the blind beggar's, we will not be shaken from our confidence in the One with whom we have a steadfast relationship.
Jesus does not wish to stand on the periphery of our lives as an observer who monitors our behavior and judges us on the merit of our words and deeds, rather, He would be at the heart of our lives! He says in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him and sup with him and he with Me.”
Jesus desires intimacy with His people. He wants to dine with them. He wants to guide their lives. He wants to guard their lives. He wants to meet them at the point of their every need.
Will you allow Him to be all He yearns to be to you? Will you open your life fully to the sweetness of His presence? In good times and in the trials of life, He will be “the Friend who sticks closer than a brother,” Proverbs 18:24; He will be the One who will “never fail you nor forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5.
In Deuteronomy 31:6, 8, He is even more specific. Here He says not only that He will not fail or forsake His people, but also that they need fear not oppression because He is with them. Can we embrace to ourselves the intimacy of the God who loves us this much? His love is unfailing, His Word is immutable. His credentials are impeccable.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
An Abounding Harvest
December 11
It is the nature of man to desire some acknowledgement, if not reward, for the labor upon which he expends himself. Whether the work that is done is tedious and frustrating or stimulating and challenging, it is worthwhile in the end if there is some recognition, if just a simple, ‘Thank you,’ from those who have benefited from it.
Often, however, there are no thanks given at the conclusion of a task. It is an unfortunate reality of the nature of man that diligent effort often goes unnoticed, but one certain way to gain the attention of the people round about, is to perform a colossal blunder!
To gain a reward, therefore, is not a sure thing—except in the spiritual realm. The God we serve, the One in whose harvest field we labor to reap souls for the Kingdom of Christ, is mindful of the labor of love that we perform. It is not that our goal is to attain recognition. Rather, it is our hearts’ longing to see many lost souls brought from darkness to the Light of Christ.
Many missionaries leave the comfort of home and the love of family and friends to travel to far-flung corners of the earth so the gospel message can be shared with those who have not been privileged to hear, following Christ’s admonition to, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” Mark 16:15.
Why would anyone do that? It is because he takes seriously the following verse, Mark 16:16, “…for he who hears and believes will be saved but he who rejects the truth will be lost.” For the sake of one lost soul that might hear the truth and live, a missionary will leave all that is precious to him that he might endeavor to achieve what is precious to God—the salvation of the lost.
And as a by-product of his labor of love for the Savior he is promised a reward. Hebrews 6:10 states very clearly that, “He will not forget your work and the love you show for His name when you continually serve the saints.”
Because He loves us, it is His desire to reward our service in the behalf of His Kingdom and His people. The believer who spends himself on the gospel of Christ will reap an abounding harvest (see Mark 10:29, 31).
It is the nature of man to desire some acknowledgement, if not reward, for the labor upon which he expends himself. Whether the work that is done is tedious and frustrating or stimulating and challenging, it is worthwhile in the end if there is some recognition, if just a simple, ‘Thank you,’ from those who have benefited from it.
Often, however, there are no thanks given at the conclusion of a task. It is an unfortunate reality of the nature of man that diligent effort often goes unnoticed, but one certain way to gain the attention of the people round about, is to perform a colossal blunder!
To gain a reward, therefore, is not a sure thing—except in the spiritual realm. The God we serve, the One in whose harvest field we labor to reap souls for the Kingdom of Christ, is mindful of the labor of love that we perform. It is not that our goal is to attain recognition. Rather, it is our hearts’ longing to see many lost souls brought from darkness to the Light of Christ.
Many missionaries leave the comfort of home and the love of family and friends to travel to far-flung corners of the earth so the gospel message can be shared with those who have not been privileged to hear, following Christ’s admonition to, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” Mark 16:15.
Why would anyone do that? It is because he takes seriously the following verse, Mark 16:16, “…for he who hears and believes will be saved but he who rejects the truth will be lost.” For the sake of one lost soul that might hear the truth and live, a missionary will leave all that is precious to him that he might endeavor to achieve what is precious to God—the salvation of the lost.
And as a by-product of his labor of love for the Savior he is promised a reward. Hebrews 6:10 states very clearly that, “He will not forget your work and the love you show for His name when you continually serve the saints.”
Because He loves us, it is His desire to reward our service in the behalf of His Kingdom and His people. The believer who spends himself on the gospel of Christ will reap an abounding harvest (see Mark 10:29, 31).
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Scatter the Seeds
December 10
The garden of life flourishes with fruit. Each of God’s children has harvested much from the lush fare of life. The Master Gardener has withheld nothing from those who believe in His name, yet there may be inconsistencies among us that make us question the fairness of how His fruits are distributed.
There is a reason believers are admonished by the Apostle Paul in II Corinthians 10:12, “They who compare themselves among themselves are not wise.” When we allow ourselves to assess our lot in life with that of another, we will surely find ourselves to be advantaged in some areas and disadvantaged in others.
But the most unfortunate aspect of this profitless enterprise is that when we indulge the futility of comparison, we allow ourselves to become distracted from our main purpose—that of sharing His salvation message with the lost.
We are to allow the Holy Spirit to conform us into the image of Christ; we are to reflect Him more and more; we are to win others to Him by the light of His truth that we allow to shine in our lives. We are to be the reflection of Christ to the lost.
We are to so live before our Lord that we may, as stated in Isaiah 61:3, “…be called trees of righteousness, planted by the Lord, to glorify Him.” We must recognize that we possess no righteousness of our own, that we are like other men. We know nothing good dwells within us, yet, when Jesus lives in our hearts, our lives become a reflection of His goodness.
When we shine His love and truth and salvation through the living epistle of our lives, everyone whose life touches ours may see the fruit our lives bear and everyone whose life touches ours may feast upon that fruit. Love, truth, goodness, mercy, honor, kindness, hope, faith (see Galatians 5:22, 23)—all the things that Jesus is—become evident in us and we distribute them as He gives opportunity.
We share the wonderful fruit of the Spirit that He has nurtured in us among the lost so they, too, may taste and eat and be blessed. The precious outcome will be that they will partake of the fruit of salvation; that they will then become scatterers of its precious seeds.
The garden of life flourishes with fruit. Each of God’s children has harvested much from the lush fare of life. The Master Gardener has withheld nothing from those who believe in His name, yet there may be inconsistencies among us that make us question the fairness of how His fruits are distributed.
There is a reason believers are admonished by the Apostle Paul in II Corinthians 10:12, “They who compare themselves among themselves are not wise.” When we allow ourselves to assess our lot in life with that of another, we will surely find ourselves to be advantaged in some areas and disadvantaged in others.
But the most unfortunate aspect of this profitless enterprise is that when we indulge the futility of comparison, we allow ourselves to become distracted from our main purpose—that of sharing His salvation message with the lost.
We are to allow the Holy Spirit to conform us into the image of Christ; we are to reflect Him more and more; we are to win others to Him by the light of His truth that we allow to shine in our lives. We are to be the reflection of Christ to the lost.
We are to so live before our Lord that we may, as stated in Isaiah 61:3, “…be called trees of righteousness, planted by the Lord, to glorify Him.” We must recognize that we possess no righteousness of our own, that we are like other men. We know nothing good dwells within us, yet, when Jesus lives in our hearts, our lives become a reflection of His goodness.
When we shine His love and truth and salvation through the living epistle of our lives, everyone whose life touches ours may see the fruit our lives bear and everyone whose life touches ours may feast upon that fruit. Love, truth, goodness, mercy, honor, kindness, hope, faith (see Galatians 5:22, 23)—all the things that Jesus is—become evident in us and we distribute them as He gives opportunity.
We share the wonderful fruit of the Spirit that He has nurtured in us among the lost so they, too, may taste and eat and be blessed. The precious outcome will be that they will partake of the fruit of salvation; that they will then become scatterers of its precious seeds.
Monday, December 9, 2013
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
December 9
It’s not about us. No matter who we are. The only One who may lay claim to the reality that it is all about Him is Jesus. We may, as Shakespeare observed, “strut our hour upon the stage,” for indeed, we all have our role to perform, but in having completed our part excellently, the performance is still not about us.
From the fall, man has been longing for a Savior. The vessel through which that Savior came was the nation of Israel. As the glorious 12th Century hymn proclaims, “O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.”
We may even fancy ourselves to be stars in the drama of life, but no matter how large a part we may have, no matter how crucial our role may be to the outcome of ‘the play,’ we are expendable. Each of us can be replaced. Elected officials are voted out of office; lovers are replaced; best friends move on. None of us is uniquely qualified to speak our lines—except Jesus.
Nobody can slip into His role. He has no understudy—He did not take one with Him to the cross. The Lord fulfilled His role and because He did, everyone who believes may complete his own performance to the utmost of his ability. No matter what circumstances befall our lives, we may know with certainty that we will deliver our lines, perform our role, effectively.
Paul said in II Timothy 2:9, “For this I suffer, to the point of being bound like a criminal, but God’s message is not bound.” Paul, the great apostle, the one whose life touched more souls for the Kingdom of God than any other but the Lord’s, knew that it wasn’t about him. Paul knew that though he might be imprisoned and executed, the Truth he bore could never be stopped.
Why can we be so certain that our role in life will be fulfilled? Because Jesus has fulfilled His. As the old Latin hymn, translated into English in 1851 by John Mason states, “Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan's tyranny; from depths of Hell Thy people save and give them victory o'er the grave!“
Jesus has given us the power to realize our God-given destiny. We cannot be stopped from achieving any goal He sets before us because our Lord has conquered the foe! And not only may we succeed in the Lord’s plan for our life, we may attain His ultimate goal for us which is Heaven. We may rejoice in the knowledge that He is ours and we are His.
How precious is the truth that Jesus saves and sets us free—not only from sin but free to become the fullness of all our innate abilities and desires can realize; free to attain unto the destiny of a blood-bought soul that is bound for Heaven.
From "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," 12th Century Latin Hymn
It’s not about us. No matter who we are. The only One who may lay claim to the reality that it is all about Him is Jesus. We may, as Shakespeare observed, “strut our hour upon the stage,” for indeed, we all have our role to perform, but in having completed our part excellently, the performance is still not about us.
From the fall, man has been longing for a Savior. The vessel through which that Savior came was the nation of Israel. As the glorious 12th Century hymn proclaims, “O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.”
We may even fancy ourselves to be stars in the drama of life, but no matter how large a part we may have, no matter how crucial our role may be to the outcome of ‘the play,’ we are expendable. Each of us can be replaced. Elected officials are voted out of office; lovers are replaced; best friends move on. None of us is uniquely qualified to speak our lines—except Jesus.
Nobody can slip into His role. He has no understudy—He did not take one with Him to the cross. The Lord fulfilled His role and because He did, everyone who believes may complete his own performance to the utmost of his ability. No matter what circumstances befall our lives, we may know with certainty that we will deliver our lines, perform our role, effectively.
Paul said in II Timothy 2:9, “For this I suffer, to the point of being bound like a criminal, but God’s message is not bound.” Paul, the great apostle, the one whose life touched more souls for the Kingdom of God than any other but the Lord’s, knew that it wasn’t about him. Paul knew that though he might be imprisoned and executed, the Truth he bore could never be stopped.
Why can we be so certain that our role in life will be fulfilled? Because Jesus has fulfilled His. As the old Latin hymn, translated into English in 1851 by John Mason states, “Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan's tyranny; from depths of Hell Thy people save and give them victory o'er the grave!“
Jesus has given us the power to realize our God-given destiny. We cannot be stopped from achieving any goal He sets before us because our Lord has conquered the foe! And not only may we succeed in the Lord’s plan for our life, we may attain His ultimate goal for us which is Heaven. We may rejoice in the knowledge that He is ours and we are His.
How precious is the truth that Jesus saves and sets us free—not only from sin but free to become the fullness of all our innate abilities and desires can realize; free to attain unto the destiny of a blood-bought soul that is bound for Heaven.
From "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," 12th Century Latin Hymn
Sunday, December 8, 2013
A Stone In Zion
December 8
Romans 9:33 makes a clear point that lends itself to a vivid analogy. It says, “I am putting a stone in Zion to stumble over and a rock to trip over, yet the one who believes on Him will not be put to shame.” The Jews had an expectation of their Messiah. He would be a conqueror.
Jesus, humble and mild did not fit the bill. They could not reconcile the concept of the “Suffering Messiah” of Isaiah 53 with their anticipation of the Liberator who would set them free from the yoke of their harsh Roman masters.
Ponder the words of this prophetic passage. See the Suffering Messiah here who the oppressed Jews did not want to recognize:
1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
They did not want to see the Suffering Messiah who would set them free from sin. They wanted to see the Conquering Messiah who would set them free from Rome. So, they stumbled, and in their stumbling, the plan of salvation was opened to the gentiles. What could have been a devastating end became a new beginning.
What was a stumbling block to God’s chosen people became a stepping stone to the rest of the world’s people! We who would have been left out entirely if the Jews had simply recognized and embraced their Messiah when He came, now have a future and a hope; we, too can be co-heirs with Christ of Heaven’s riches.
Yet, as Paul says in Romans 11:8, 12 of the Jew, “According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear unto this day.
“Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fullness?”
The Jews have not fallen that they may be lost. No! Though a somnolence has fallen over them for a season, they will be re-gathered into the fold of faith. Indeed, in these last days we see a mighty move of the Spirit of the Living God sweeping over His ancient people, awakening them to the reality that Jesus is the One for whom they have waited.
May we who believe in the salvation of the Lord, we who have received His forgiveness and abide in His love and power, pray fervently for our Jewish brethren to come home; and as we pray for them, may the power of our prayers reach all the lost kindred and tribes of the world.
Romans 9:33 makes a clear point that lends itself to a vivid analogy. It says, “I am putting a stone in Zion to stumble over and a rock to trip over, yet the one who believes on Him will not be put to shame.” The Jews had an expectation of their Messiah. He would be a conqueror.
Jesus, humble and mild did not fit the bill. They could not reconcile the concept of the “Suffering Messiah” of Isaiah 53 with their anticipation of the Liberator who would set them free from the yoke of their harsh Roman masters.
Ponder the words of this prophetic passage. See the Suffering Messiah here who the oppressed Jews did not want to recognize:
1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
They did not want to see the Suffering Messiah who would set them free from sin. They wanted to see the Conquering Messiah who would set them free from Rome. So, they stumbled, and in their stumbling, the plan of salvation was opened to the gentiles. What could have been a devastating end became a new beginning.
What was a stumbling block to God’s chosen people became a stepping stone to the rest of the world’s people! We who would have been left out entirely if the Jews had simply recognized and embraced their Messiah when He came, now have a future and a hope; we, too can be co-heirs with Christ of Heaven’s riches.
Yet, as Paul says in Romans 11:8, 12 of the Jew, “According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear unto this day.
“Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fullness?”
The Jews have not fallen that they may be lost. No! Though a somnolence has fallen over them for a season, they will be re-gathered into the fold of faith. Indeed, in these last days we see a mighty move of the Spirit of the Living God sweeping over His ancient people, awakening them to the reality that Jesus is the One for whom they have waited.
May we who believe in the salvation of the Lord, we who have received His forgiveness and abide in His love and power, pray fervently for our Jewish brethren to come home; and as we pray for them, may the power of our prayers reach all the lost kindred and tribes of the world.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Our Part Is To Stand
December 7
Real faith stands. Yes. Real faith stands. It isn’t shaken by adverse winds. You can’t argue real faith away. You can’t vote real faith away. You can’t legislate real faith away. You can’t discourage real faith away. You can’t rationalize real faith away. You can’t torture real faith away. Real faith stands.
Ask Moses who was willing to suffer with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of Egypt for a season (Hebrews 11:25). Ask Paul who was willing to relinquish the esteem of his nation in order to propagate the gospel under great persecution (Philippians 3:4-9).
Ask anyone who has placed faith in Christ at the pinnacle of his life and he will affirm that abiding in Him is worth the cost. And, there will be cost. Everyone who takes the yoke of the Lord upon himself gives something up—but gains so much more. One thing that will be notably discerned as part of what must be let go, is the esteem of ones fellows. Many people will consider the believer to have taken leave of his senses.
To dispute with those who do not believe is to abdicate the high ground of faith. Mark 9:14-19 tells us what Jesus said to His disciples when they found themselves arguing with doubters: “What are you arguing about...O, faithless generation! How long shall I suffer you?” It is apparent here that to engage in argumentation is to diminish the believer’s faith and his power to do what Jesus has sent him to accomplish. Jesus expects His followers to stand!
And yet, we are admonished to give a defense for the truth that we believe. I Peter 3:15 tells us that we must always be prepared to explain our hope to those who do not share it. There is obviously a thin line between arguing for the sake of itself and defending our faith against all detractors. Our part may be to attend so fully to the whisper of the Holy Spirit within us that in every circumstance, we will know when to speak and when to be silent.
In fact, James 1:19 admonishes people of faith to be "quick to listen and slow to speak." This indicates that God prefers that we endeavor to understand where an opponent is coming from regarding his opposition to the Gospel rather than to attempt to persuade him to ours. This suggests that perhaps our part is to pray for the unbeliever rather than to try to convince him...thereby letting the Holy Spirit do His work.
It is not always easy to, "Be still and know that I am God," Psalm 46:10. It is our nature to want to do something, to take care of matters on our own. But that is not what we're called to do. It is our portion to be available to do whatever the Lord places before us to accomplish for His Kingdom's purposes. It is our part to stand in real faith!
Real faith stands. Yes. Real faith stands. It isn’t shaken by adverse winds. You can’t argue real faith away. You can’t vote real faith away. You can’t legislate real faith away. You can’t discourage real faith away. You can’t rationalize real faith away. You can’t torture real faith away. Real faith stands.
Ask Moses who was willing to suffer with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of Egypt for a season (Hebrews 11:25). Ask Paul who was willing to relinquish the esteem of his nation in order to propagate the gospel under great persecution (Philippians 3:4-9).
Ask anyone who has placed faith in Christ at the pinnacle of his life and he will affirm that abiding in Him is worth the cost. And, there will be cost. Everyone who takes the yoke of the Lord upon himself gives something up—but gains so much more. One thing that will be notably discerned as part of what must be let go, is the esteem of ones fellows. Many people will consider the believer to have taken leave of his senses.
To dispute with those who do not believe is to abdicate the high ground of faith. Mark 9:14-19 tells us what Jesus said to His disciples when they found themselves arguing with doubters: “What are you arguing about...O, faithless generation! How long shall I suffer you?” It is apparent here that to engage in argumentation is to diminish the believer’s faith and his power to do what Jesus has sent him to accomplish. Jesus expects His followers to stand!
And yet, we are admonished to give a defense for the truth that we believe. I Peter 3:15 tells us that we must always be prepared to explain our hope to those who do not share it. There is obviously a thin line between arguing for the sake of itself and defending our faith against all detractors. Our part may be to attend so fully to the whisper of the Holy Spirit within us that in every circumstance, we will know when to speak and when to be silent.
In fact, James 1:19 admonishes people of faith to be "quick to listen and slow to speak." This indicates that God prefers that we endeavor to understand where an opponent is coming from regarding his opposition to the Gospel rather than to attempt to persuade him to ours. This suggests that perhaps our part is to pray for the unbeliever rather than to try to convince him...thereby letting the Holy Spirit do His work.
It is not always easy to, "Be still and know that I am God," Psalm 46:10. It is our nature to want to do something, to take care of matters on our own. But that is not what we're called to do. It is our portion to be available to do whatever the Lord places before us to accomplish for His Kingdom's purposes. It is our part to stand in real faith!
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