June 7
The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:2-17)
1 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My Commandments.
3 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
4 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
5 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
6 “You shall not murder.
7 “You shall not commit adultery.
8 “You shall not steal.
9 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10 “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.”
"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you,” Exodus 20:12, is said to be the ‘first commandment with promise,” Ephesians 6:2. Paul is making quite an assertion in his letter to the Ephesians.
In his letter to Timothy he states further, “All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work,” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
We see that our adherence to the law of God is for our own good. Obeying the holy writ will benefit us in countless ways, including ‘setting things straight.’ Indeed, we tend to get our lives in a snarl when we go our own way and do our own thing, but compliance with the holy word of God will enable us to learn and to be profited in its reproof of our failures.
It will also help us in our outreach to others as we endeavor to allow our lives to be “living epistles, read of all men,” II Corinthians 3:1-3. But the Fifth Commandment has a personal promise attached to it. If we will honor our parents as the Lord desires that we do, He says we shall enjoy long life in the land He gives to us.
This promise will enable us to see our children and grandchildren thrive upon the earth as we nurture them in His way. If we will abide in the Word of God and allow His Word to abide in us, we will become vessels that hold the promise—and every life that touches ours shall be blessed.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Friday, June 6, 2014
Strive As Paul Strove
June 6
"I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace," Acts 20:24.
The Apostle Paul has done more to further the gospel than has any other evangelist of any period in time. The Oral Roberts and Kathryn Kuhlmans and Billy Grahams of the 20th Century don’t even come close to him in number of souls reached for Christ in spite of their shared advantage of modern technology.
Yet it has never been about numbers. For each of them the only relevant number is one—the ONE. It has been about the One True and Living Christ who bore our sins and carried our sorrows (see Isaiah 53:4); it has been about sharing the truth of Him with everyone who has walked the earth.
When Paul was cast into a Roman dungeon, chained and in the continual presence of a guard, he did not count his ministry as over. No, he used the time of his imprisonment, the time awaiting his execution, to pen the glorious words of scripture that we read today in much of the New Testament.
As he wrote of himself, his only desire was that he would be given the time to conclude the race the Lord had set before him; that he would be able to complete the task of sharing the good news of the gospel of God’s grace to the masses.
Today, his prayer is still being answered. His supplication has been granted in many ways. The words which he wrote are still being read and they are still being preached from pulpits around the world. In countries where the Bible is banned, the word of the Lord, including those from Paul’s pen, are being hidden in the hearts of men.
Modern day evangelists are spreading the Good News near and far through the convenience of technology that allows safe, speedy travel as well as provides almost instant communication from one point in the globe to another in the blink of an eye.
If you, dear reader, are in a quandary as to how you may be effective for Christ, may you appropriate the philosophy of Paul and simply do what you can do from where you are. As he could not imagine the gospel going forth from his prison cell with the power it has attained, neither can you begin to dream of what the Lord may do with your surrendered effort in the behalf of His Kingdom.
But He does promise that “eye has not seen, ear has not heard, neither has it entered the heart of man what has been prepared for those who love Him,” I Corinthians 2:9, so should we not strive to avail every person whose life touches ours of the ability to realize the fullness of that assurance?
Should we not strive as Paul strove, as the evangelists of our day strive to assure that “not one should be lost, but all should come to a saving knowledge of Christ,” even as the impetuous Apostle declared in II Peter 3:9.
"I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace," Acts 20:24.
The Apostle Paul has done more to further the gospel than has any other evangelist of any period in time. The Oral Roberts and Kathryn Kuhlmans and Billy Grahams of the 20th Century don’t even come close to him in number of souls reached for Christ in spite of their shared advantage of modern technology.
Yet it has never been about numbers. For each of them the only relevant number is one—the ONE. It has been about the One True and Living Christ who bore our sins and carried our sorrows (see Isaiah 53:4); it has been about sharing the truth of Him with everyone who has walked the earth.
When Paul was cast into a Roman dungeon, chained and in the continual presence of a guard, he did not count his ministry as over. No, he used the time of his imprisonment, the time awaiting his execution, to pen the glorious words of scripture that we read today in much of the New Testament.
As he wrote of himself, his only desire was that he would be given the time to conclude the race the Lord had set before him; that he would be able to complete the task of sharing the good news of the gospel of God’s grace to the masses.
Today, his prayer is still being answered. His supplication has been granted in many ways. The words which he wrote are still being read and they are still being preached from pulpits around the world. In countries where the Bible is banned, the word of the Lord, including those from Paul’s pen, are being hidden in the hearts of men.
Modern day evangelists are spreading the Good News near and far through the convenience of technology that allows safe, speedy travel as well as provides almost instant communication from one point in the globe to another in the blink of an eye.
If you, dear reader, are in a quandary as to how you may be effective for Christ, may you appropriate the philosophy of Paul and simply do what you can do from where you are. As he could not imagine the gospel going forth from his prison cell with the power it has attained, neither can you begin to dream of what the Lord may do with your surrendered effort in the behalf of His Kingdom.
But He does promise that “eye has not seen, ear has not heard, neither has it entered the heart of man what has been prepared for those who love Him,” I Corinthians 2:9, so should we not strive to avail every person whose life touches ours of the ability to realize the fullness of that assurance?
Should we not strive as Paul strove, as the evangelists of our day strive to assure that “not one should be lost, but all should come to a saving knowledge of Christ,” even as the impetuous Apostle declared in II Peter 3:9.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
HE Shall Have The Day!
June 5
“Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength. Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground. Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you." While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling. Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia,” Daniel 10:8-13.
This awesome being of power, who was so great that men—ordinarily strong, valiant men—were so frightened that they ran, yet something withstood this great being to his face and kept him from getting to Daniel for three full weeks. We cannot even begin to imagine the titanic struggle that went on between, say, Gabriel and this other being. There must have been such an awesome wrestling match as men have never been witness to.
Whatever it was that withheld Gabriel from getting to Daniel must have been awfully powerful. Notice too that this great struggle was going on without Daniel even being aware of it. Somehow a malignant demon tried to thwart Daniel's prayer from being answered.
But it was answered because, in verse 13, "Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia." It was not until two of them ganged up on this other being—two great, mighty archangels to subdue the other. The logical conclusion would almost have to be that the king of Persia mentioned here was none other than Satan.
This section in Daniel 10 really contains a great deal of encouragement. We can understand why the apostle Paul and the psalmist wrote that the angels are ministering spirits. They are ministering to the heirs of salvation. They are protecting us! They are standing between us and possible annihilation! We do not know how many times an angel has intervened to save our lives, to deflect the power of these malignant beings from us. It has happened repeatedly in some cases, not just in dramatic interventions, but where an intervention took place of which we were not even aware. — John W. Ritenbaugh
Our brother Ritenbaugh has eloquently stated the keeping power of the Army of the Lord who has stationed His lieutenants round about His people. Even if satan himself should assail the child of the Living God, his mischief cannot penetrate the shield of safety the Archangels form around them.
If the likes of Gabriel and Michael are doing warfare in the behalf of the people of Christ, should we not be at peace? Should we not in fact have “the peace of God that passes all understanding to keep our hearts and our minds through Christ Jesus,” as Paul tells us in Philippians 4:7!
May we ever be mindful of the indefatigable Army of Heaven that encamps around the people of the Lord at the point of their need. May we pray that our eyes will be opened, even as Elisha prayed for his servant in II Kings 6:16, 17, “Lord, open his eyes that he may see that they that are with us are far greater than they that are with them.”
As with Elisha, even if a demonic host is encamped around us, the mighty army of the Lord is there to guard and protect us—and HE SHALL HAVE THE DAY!
“Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength. Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground. Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you." While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling. Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia,” Daniel 10:8-13.
This awesome being of power, who was so great that men—ordinarily strong, valiant men—were so frightened that they ran, yet something withstood this great being to his face and kept him from getting to Daniel for three full weeks. We cannot even begin to imagine the titanic struggle that went on between, say, Gabriel and this other being. There must have been such an awesome wrestling match as men have never been witness to.
Whatever it was that withheld Gabriel from getting to Daniel must have been awfully powerful. Notice too that this great struggle was going on without Daniel even being aware of it. Somehow a malignant demon tried to thwart Daniel's prayer from being answered.
But it was answered because, in verse 13, "Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia." It was not until two of them ganged up on this other being—two great, mighty archangels to subdue the other. The logical conclusion would almost have to be that the king of Persia mentioned here was none other than Satan.
This section in Daniel 10 really contains a great deal of encouragement. We can understand why the apostle Paul and the psalmist wrote that the angels are ministering spirits. They are ministering to the heirs of salvation. They are protecting us! They are standing between us and possible annihilation! We do not know how many times an angel has intervened to save our lives, to deflect the power of these malignant beings from us. It has happened repeatedly in some cases, not just in dramatic interventions, but where an intervention took place of which we were not even aware. — John W. Ritenbaugh
Our brother Ritenbaugh has eloquently stated the keeping power of the Army of the Lord who has stationed His lieutenants round about His people. Even if satan himself should assail the child of the Living God, his mischief cannot penetrate the shield of safety the Archangels form around them.
If the likes of Gabriel and Michael are doing warfare in the behalf of the people of Christ, should we not be at peace? Should we not in fact have “the peace of God that passes all understanding to keep our hearts and our minds through Christ Jesus,” as Paul tells us in Philippians 4:7!
May we ever be mindful of the indefatigable Army of Heaven that encamps around the people of the Lord at the point of their need. May we pray that our eyes will be opened, even as Elisha prayed for his servant in II Kings 6:16, 17, “Lord, open his eyes that he may see that they that are with us are far greater than they that are with them.”
As with Elisha, even if a demonic host is encamped around us, the mighty army of the Lord is there to guard and protect us—and HE SHALL HAVE THE DAY!
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Forgive As We Are Forgiven
June 4
“For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin. Also do not take to heart everything people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you, for many times your own heart has known that even you have cursed others,” Ecclesiastes 7:20-22.
No matter how resolute may be our good intention of doing the right thing all the time, our effort falls far short of our resolve. We are reminded of our short-fall in this verse which chastises us for holding others to a standard we cannot maintain ourselves.
Indeed, it seems to be the nature of man to condemn most harshly the sins of others that most closely parallel his own foibles. Again, Solomon reminds us in this brief passage that our own guilt should hold our condemnation of others in check.
Jesus Himself came down on the side of Solomon’s wisdom regarding the woman who was taken in adultery. In John 8:7 we are told of the unfortunate woman who was dragged by her accusers before Jesus. Although they were eager to stone her for her sin, they were even more desirous of catching Jesus between a rock and a hard place.
They were sure they had the perfect scenario for entrapping Him in His own words, for in their minds, nothing He said in the matter could be ‘right.’ If He said to stone the woman, they would accuse Him of being a ruthless judge. If He said to set her free, He would be accused of disregarding the law.
He didn’t do either. Instead, He combined compassion with the immutable law of God in the way that only God Himself had the wisdom to do. Jesus said to the bloodthirsty mob, “Let the one among you who is free of sin himself cast the first stone," John 8:7-9.
As He spoke, He wrote in the sand. We aren’t told what He wrote but some have speculated that He was writing other sins: blasphemy, theft, lying, hatred, judgmentalism…in seeing their own worst vice scribbled on the ground, each of her accusers recognized his sinfulness before a Holy God and had no recourse but to back away from the accused woman.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are your accusers?” John 8:10. When she responded that there was no one remaining to condemn her, He said to her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more,” John 8:11.
Does all this mean that we are to ignore sin, to accept sin, to engage in sin? No, it does not. It means what it has always meant: we must stand against sin, but we must love those who sin. We must recognize that it is not, nor will it ever be our place to judge our fellow man. I Corinthians 6:3 tells us that we shall judge angels, but the Word also tells us that only God can see and judge the hearts of men (see I Samuel 16:7).
One day we shall judge angels, as I Corinthians 6:3 tells us, but until that day, we are to leave that prerogative with the One who alone can see the hearts of men (see I Corinthians 4:5). Until that day, we must “forgive as Christ has forgiven us,” Colossians 3:13.
“For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin. Also do not take to heart everything people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you, for many times your own heart has known that even you have cursed others,” Ecclesiastes 7:20-22.
No matter how resolute may be our good intention of doing the right thing all the time, our effort falls far short of our resolve. We are reminded of our short-fall in this verse which chastises us for holding others to a standard we cannot maintain ourselves.
Indeed, it seems to be the nature of man to condemn most harshly the sins of others that most closely parallel his own foibles. Again, Solomon reminds us in this brief passage that our own guilt should hold our condemnation of others in check.
Jesus Himself came down on the side of Solomon’s wisdom regarding the woman who was taken in adultery. In John 8:7 we are told of the unfortunate woman who was dragged by her accusers before Jesus. Although they were eager to stone her for her sin, they were even more desirous of catching Jesus between a rock and a hard place.
They were sure they had the perfect scenario for entrapping Him in His own words, for in their minds, nothing He said in the matter could be ‘right.’ If He said to stone the woman, they would accuse Him of being a ruthless judge. If He said to set her free, He would be accused of disregarding the law.
He didn’t do either. Instead, He combined compassion with the immutable law of God in the way that only God Himself had the wisdom to do. Jesus said to the bloodthirsty mob, “Let the one among you who is free of sin himself cast the first stone," John 8:7-9.
As He spoke, He wrote in the sand. We aren’t told what He wrote but some have speculated that He was writing other sins: blasphemy, theft, lying, hatred, judgmentalism…in seeing their own worst vice scribbled on the ground, each of her accusers recognized his sinfulness before a Holy God and had no recourse but to back away from the accused woman.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are your accusers?” John 8:10. When she responded that there was no one remaining to condemn her, He said to her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more,” John 8:11.
Does all this mean that we are to ignore sin, to accept sin, to engage in sin? No, it does not. It means what it has always meant: we must stand against sin, but we must love those who sin. We must recognize that it is not, nor will it ever be our place to judge our fellow man. I Corinthians 6:3 tells us that we shall judge angels, but the Word also tells us that only God can see and judge the hearts of men (see I Samuel 16:7).
One day we shall judge angels, as I Corinthians 6:3 tells us, but until that day, we are to leave that prerogative with the One who alone can see the hearts of men (see I Corinthians 4:5). Until that day, we must “forgive as Christ has forgiven us,” Colossians 3:13.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
To See Clearly; To Follow Closely
June 3
“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it”
The Israelites of old had great cause to believe God. Yes, they had suffered much in bondage in Egypt, but the deliverance the God of their fathers prepared for them made all the indignities they endured worthwhile.
Not only did the Holy One cause Pharaoh to become frustrated with them because of the plagues he and his kingdom endured as a result of his refusal to obey the Lord’s demand of their release but the Israelites themselves were spared the consequences of those plagues.
In the midst of the affliction upon Egypt because of Pharaoh’s rejection of God’s command to let His people go, the Israelites endured none of the plagues’ affect. When Egypt’s firstborn sons were taken by the death angel, Israelite children were under the blood. (See Exodus 12:7).
Like them, we who believe in the completed work of the cross are under the blood. But we are not under the blood of sacrificial animals; we are under the blood of Heaven’s sacrificed Lamb. Our salvation emerges from the single most amazing event of time—the death and resurrection of Jesus.
But what do we do with His great sacrifice? Will we mix it with faith, or shall we be like the Israelites of old who were not profited by the miracles they saw or the blood that was applied to their door posts?
Will we who have Christ’s shed blood upon the door posts of our hearts avail ourselves of the totality of His great sacrifice or shall we live our lives as the Egyptians who were faithless; who, even when they had seen a clear revelation of the power of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, pursued His people to the Red Sea?
Lord, help us to see You clearly and to follow You closely that we may sail the Sea of Life in the security of the salvation You have supplied to us. May we not perish in a Sea of Unbelief as did the Egyptians. May we not negate the power of Your Spirit in us or the truth of Your immutable Word.
“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it”
The Israelites of old had great cause to believe God. Yes, they had suffered much in bondage in Egypt, but the deliverance the God of their fathers prepared for them made all the indignities they endured worthwhile.
Not only did the Holy One cause Pharaoh to become frustrated with them because of the plagues he and his kingdom endured as a result of his refusal to obey the Lord’s demand of their release but the Israelites themselves were spared the consequences of those plagues.
In the midst of the affliction upon Egypt because of Pharaoh’s rejection of God’s command to let His people go, the Israelites endured none of the plagues’ affect. When Egypt’s firstborn sons were taken by the death angel, Israelite children were under the blood. (See Exodus 12:7).
Like them, we who believe in the completed work of the cross are under the blood. But we are not under the blood of sacrificial animals; we are under the blood of Heaven’s sacrificed Lamb. Our salvation emerges from the single most amazing event of time—the death and resurrection of Jesus.
But what do we do with His great sacrifice? Will we mix it with faith, or shall we be like the Israelites of old who were not profited by the miracles they saw or the blood that was applied to their door posts?
Will we who have Christ’s shed blood upon the door posts of our hearts avail ourselves of the totality of His great sacrifice or shall we live our lives as the Egyptians who were faithless; who, even when they had seen a clear revelation of the power of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, pursued His people to the Red Sea?
Lord, help us to see You clearly and to follow You closely that we may sail the Sea of Life in the security of the salvation You have supplied to us. May we not perish in a Sea of Unbelief as did the Egyptians. May we not negate the power of Your Spirit in us or the truth of Your immutable Word.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Judgement
June 2
“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles" feet.
“’But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.’
“Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter said to her, ‘Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?’
“She said, ‘Yes, for so much.’ Then Peter said to her, ‘How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.’ Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband,” Acts 5:1-10.
This passage is very sobering. How many of us have trivialized our perception of God, our relationship with Him, our conversation about Him? How many of us have reduced Him to a buffoonish character that we mock, to an impotent entity whose name we use only as a cuss word? How many of us have failed abysmally to give God His due?
And He has allowed us to live. He has not struck us dead in our tracks. He has not sealed our eternal fate at the instant of our flippant disrespect. He has allowed us to go on another day. Have we repented before Him? Have we turned around from our foolishness and gone forward in the direction of reverence and honor for the Holy One?
Or have we dismissed the whole notion of needing to repent before the Christ who is our God and soon-coming King? When we contemplate the sin of Ananias and Sapphira we realize that had they merely told the truth about keeping a portion of the proceeds of the sale of their property for themselves, no one would have cared! God didn't want their money! HE wanted their honor, their respect, their truth, their love, their faithfulness. It's what He wants from us.
The point of their sad tale is that they were making a show of faith, a show of giving all of themselves to the Lord but they were phonies. When we make a pretense of being believers in the Christ before the Church while indulging blasphemy and dishonor to Him in our hearts, we are perpetrating a lie that is just as grievous as that of Ananias and Sapphira.
And just as they could not fool God, neither can we. May He help us to apprehend the truth of Christ’s admonition, “I wish that you were hot or cold, but since you are lukewarm, I will spew you out of My mouth,” Revelation 3:15, 16.
May He help us to be on fire for His Kingdom and His purposes. May He help us to “love Him because He first loved us,” I John 4:19. May He help us to remember that we will be held accountable for every commandment we have broken; for every time we have taken His holy name in vain, Exodus 20:7.
“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles" feet.
“’But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.’
“Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter said to her, ‘Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?’
“She said, ‘Yes, for so much.’ Then Peter said to her, ‘How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.’ Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband,” Acts 5:1-10.
This passage is very sobering. How many of us have trivialized our perception of God, our relationship with Him, our conversation about Him? How many of us have reduced Him to a buffoonish character that we mock, to an impotent entity whose name we use only as a cuss word? How many of us have failed abysmally to give God His due?
And He has allowed us to live. He has not struck us dead in our tracks. He has not sealed our eternal fate at the instant of our flippant disrespect. He has allowed us to go on another day. Have we repented before Him? Have we turned around from our foolishness and gone forward in the direction of reverence and honor for the Holy One?
Or have we dismissed the whole notion of needing to repent before the Christ who is our God and soon-coming King? When we contemplate the sin of Ananias and Sapphira we realize that had they merely told the truth about keeping a portion of the proceeds of the sale of their property for themselves, no one would have cared! God didn't want their money! HE wanted their honor, their respect, their truth, their love, their faithfulness. It's what He wants from us.
The point of their sad tale is that they were making a show of faith, a show of giving all of themselves to the Lord but they were phonies. When we make a pretense of being believers in the Christ before the Church while indulging blasphemy and dishonor to Him in our hearts, we are perpetrating a lie that is just as grievous as that of Ananias and Sapphira.
And just as they could not fool God, neither can we. May He help us to apprehend the truth of Christ’s admonition, “I wish that you were hot or cold, but since you are lukewarm, I will spew you out of My mouth,” Revelation 3:15, 16.
May He help us to be on fire for His Kingdom and His purposes. May He help us to “love Him because He first loved us,” I John 4:19. May He help us to remember that we will be held accountable for every commandment we have broken; for every time we have taken His holy name in vain, Exodus 20:7.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
The Real Realm of Power and Glory
June 1
“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” I Corinthians 2:9,
It’s a difficult concept for man to grasp—God wants to bless us more than we want to be blessed. People in the Western world tend to look upon the material things of life—the things we can handle, own, enjoy; the influence we can exert over others; the ability to flex our muscle in the area of self-serving control we can wield—and count ourselves blessed if we operate in the realm of having that kind of sway over our circumstances and over those around us.
But the LORD does not see things as we see them. As the prophet says in I Samuel 16:7, "…But God doesn’t “see as we see. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” When we interpret worldly possessions or achievement or influence as blessings from the Holy One, we may be totally or at least in part, in error about what we see.
One of our suffering brothers who appears to be powerless before a ruthless legal system, one of our impoverished compatriots in faith, one of our unknown fellow citizens in Christ’s Heavenly Kingdom may appear as a victim of an unholy system in the eyes of the world while wielding great spiritual power and possessing incalculable eternal treasure.
If the Lord looked upon outward appearances, Moses, a Prince of Egypt, reduced to shepherding his father-in-law’s flock on the remote side of a mountain would not have been selected to lead God’s people out of bondage in Egypt (see the Book of Exodus). If God looked upon outward attributes, the adolescent David would not have been selected above his warrior brothers as Israel’s next king (See I Samuel 16:1-13).
If the Holy One counted temporal wealth and power as of eternal worth, Jesus would not have declined Satan’s offer to give Him the kingdoms of the earth if He would but bow down and worship him (see Matthew 4:9).
If God were impressed with earth’s trappings of power and wealth the men of power in high places would be princes of His Kingdom, but they are not. Some of the earth’s most influential people are spiritual dwarfs who are impoverished in the eyes of God.
So, what shall we be? People who pursue temporal gain at any cost? People who care nothing of character? People to whom honor is an antiquated virtue? People who use other people and things as expendable instruments of their own aggrandizement?
Or shall we see as Jesus sees and be willing to take up our cross and follow Him into the real realm of power and glory?
“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” I Corinthians 2:9,
It’s a difficult concept for man to grasp—God wants to bless us more than we want to be blessed. People in the Western world tend to look upon the material things of life—the things we can handle, own, enjoy; the influence we can exert over others; the ability to flex our muscle in the area of self-serving control we can wield—and count ourselves blessed if we operate in the realm of having that kind of sway over our circumstances and over those around us.
But the LORD does not see things as we see them. As the prophet says in I Samuel 16:7, "…But God doesn’t “see as we see. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” When we interpret worldly possessions or achievement or influence as blessings from the Holy One, we may be totally or at least in part, in error about what we see.
One of our suffering brothers who appears to be powerless before a ruthless legal system, one of our impoverished compatriots in faith, one of our unknown fellow citizens in Christ’s Heavenly Kingdom may appear as a victim of an unholy system in the eyes of the world while wielding great spiritual power and possessing incalculable eternal treasure.
If the Lord looked upon outward appearances, Moses, a Prince of Egypt, reduced to shepherding his father-in-law’s flock on the remote side of a mountain would not have been selected to lead God’s people out of bondage in Egypt (see the Book of Exodus). If God looked upon outward attributes, the adolescent David would not have been selected above his warrior brothers as Israel’s next king (See I Samuel 16:1-13).
If the Holy One counted temporal wealth and power as of eternal worth, Jesus would not have declined Satan’s offer to give Him the kingdoms of the earth if He would but bow down and worship him (see Matthew 4:9).
If God were impressed with earth’s trappings of power and wealth the men of power in high places would be princes of His Kingdom, but they are not. Some of the earth’s most influential people are spiritual dwarfs who are impoverished in the eyes of God.
So, what shall we be? People who pursue temporal gain at any cost? People who care nothing of character? People to whom honor is an antiquated virtue? People who use other people and things as expendable instruments of their own aggrandizement?
Or shall we see as Jesus sees and be willing to take up our cross and follow Him into the real realm of power and glory?
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