God’s Discipline of His People (Dan 1:1-2)

Posted on by
Reply

Dan. 1:1   In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem and laid it under siege. 2 Now the Lord delivered King Jehoiakim of Judah into his power, along with some of the vessels of the temple of God. He brought them to the land of Babylonia to the temple of his god and put the vessels in the treasury of his god.

God had finally had enough. After years of Judah breaking His covenant, He decided it was time that He discipline His people. They had broken His covenant in spite of His graciousness and faithfulness. Although, Judah was relatively faithful under King Josiah, they went right back to their old sinful and idolatrous habits after he died. His son King Jehoikim followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and great grandfather, rather than his father. Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah all warned that the people would go into exile if they did not keep God’s covenant. Isaiah prophesied that Babylon would take them into captivity and Jeremiah prophesied that it would be for 70 years. It is now 605 BC. Nebuchadnezzar has become king of Babylon and has defeated the Egyptians and the Assyrians at the Battle of Carchemish. He has made Judah a vassal state and took some of the royal family and nobility into exile. He also carted off certain vessels from the temple treasury to be put in the temple of his own God. This suggests that God’s presence will soon depart from the temple and that the temple will soon be destroyed.

From these two verses there are two lessons. First, God is sovereignly in control of the events and affairs of all nations. Daniel tells us that it was the Lord who handed over King Jehoikim and Judah over to Nebuchadnezzar. He also handed over the vessels from the temple. Nebuchadnezzar did nothing that was not outside God’s control. Do you submit your life and work to God’s control? Do you acknowledge God’s sovereignty in every area of your life. As we will see, Daniel did this very thing, and he hints at it in the opening lines of book.

Second, God’s discipline and judgment are signs of His faithfulness to His covenant. He made promises of blessing for obedience and promises of judgment for disobedience. If we cannot trust Him to keep His promises of discipline when we are disobedient, how can we trust Him to keep His promises of blessing when we are obedient? God’s discipline is a sign of His love, goodness, and faithfulness. We should not respond to it with complaining and rejection, but we should repent and thank Him that He keeps all of His promises.

THE VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN WALK

Posted on by
Reply

What does it mean to walk victoriously? Everybody savors the mouth-watering taste of victory. We do everything we can to keep the sourness of defeat at bay, and rightly so. Triumph is delicious, especially when it comes right after hard work and self-sacrificing labor. People who have striven to succeed relish the win. Consider Michael Phelps who won eight gold medals at the last Olympic games. He made history and his name became something of a worldwide phenomenon. He became an instant success, or did he?

To those of us who had not heard his name before his world-record win, it would seem as if his success was instantaneous; but it was not. He had been practicing for years. He had spent countless hours in the pool, year after year. The water was his workplace because it was in there that he forged the stamina, gusto, and precision that catapulted him to worldwide victory in the 2008 Olympics. He would enter the not-so-warm waters of the pool before the crack of dawn while most of us were still asleep, and he would practice. Living the Christian life takes practice. It takes consistency, resiliency, humility, and utter dependence on Deity.

People often shy away from consistency when they embark on a new discipline. The newness alone often creates tension, and they struggle with the fatigue and failure that naturally ensues when one begins to engage in something new, be it a job, a hobby, or an assignment. Betterment takes practice. Anything that is not habitual will require your willingness to stay the course. You cannot gain competence at something you have only practiced a few times. Competent people work consistently in their field. They are forever finding ways to polish their skills. They don’t plateau; they always seek to become better and they weather setbacks with unflinching courage.

Perseverance is the key to triumph-in any endeavor (Luke 21:19; Rom 2:6-7; 8:25; 15:4-5). No one becomes successful overnight; and if anyone does, he should seek wise counsel because maintaining that success without the lessons learned in the arena of difficulty may make the triumph short-lived. In the Christian arena, only those who know how to get up again and again will have victory. Everyone will stumble, even with the best intentions. We do not live to sin but we sin in the process of living. As we embrace each day, we encounter things that may be very hard to endure. Hardships such as pain, rejection, misfortune, deception, deceit, and false accusations can bombard us and cause us to erect walls around our heart. We may say, “Lord, I forgive so-and-so,” and for the most part, we intend to mean it. But, every time we think of what the person did to us, fresh resentment may poke its head; or we may find that the pain resurfaces whenever we see the individual. This is an indicator that all is not well. Unforgiveness can weasel its way through the pores of your heart and steal your victory. However, with perseverance, you can climb atop the Mount Everest of unforgiveness, doubt, fear, lack, rejection, or pain that has you limping.

When we see people with physical impediments, we tend to feel sorry for them or we quickly look in the opposite direction for fear we will embarrass them should we offer them eye contact. What they would probably prefer, however, is a friendly smile. Try doing that the next time you pass someone in the mall who wobbles as he walks, or stop and say hello to the guy dripping with sweat under the blazing summer sun as he gathers wayward shopping carts in the cluttered parking lot of Wal-Mart. You will find that many of the people, whose physical appearance is marred, persevere from day to day without allowing their impediment to impede their will. We need to muster the determination to will-the will to do what needs to be done, however painstaking, day after day. It is O.K. to limp, hobble, wobble, or drag along slowly as long as that is the best you can do and you maintain victory in view.

There are two factors that constitute having and maintaining victory: you must determine to rise up every time you fall and you must learn from former mistakes so as not to repeat them. The wise person seeks to learn and grow regardless of how dismal his circumstance may appear. You grit the teeth of your heart and say, “There is no giving up, no way!” Victorious people have a warrior spirit. They know how to face the enemy and fight to the end (Eph 6:10-18). Sometimes-maybe most of the times, the biggest enemy is our flesh. Why? Ultimately, only we can control ourselves. People may do things to hurt us but how we react and the perspective we maintain in the midst of the injustice will determine how we fare. We have to resist the temptation to fight back with vengeance or to wield the sword of retaliation. We have to maintain self-control. Containing oneself is more difficult than readily doing what one wills. There are times when you may want to lash out at the offender but you choose to hold your peace. How often you may be tempted to question the incredulity of words being spoken, but you decide to be silent. Self-control is much a part of securing victory in one’s life (2 Tim 1:7; Gal 5:22-23). With the conscious decision to harness one’s will comes the need for balance. Doing what needs to be done regardless of one’s present emotional status guarantees victory. Every successful person knows that being balanced and consistent will help him maintain victory. The Christian life cannot be lived well unless you are practicing the disciplines of spiritual growth. It is the doing that bears the heavyweight title. We have to do what God says in order to have victory. We cannot take short cuts when we want to get to know God more deeply. It takes pursuing Him, loving Him, wanting Him, and knowing Him-to have victory in Him. Walking in victory is the process of sanctification. Sanctification is the process by which the Holy Spirit transforms us into the image of Christ (Rom 8:29; 12:1-2). When we are transformed we reflect God’s beauty and likeness; we become what He intended before Adam sinned in the Garden. This is why the Cross is so powerfully effective. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ enables us to regain our beauty that had been marred by sin. His blood, being spilled out, did not stain but became a permanent bleaching agent that takes away our filth and makes us clean before God (Rev 7:14). Nothing else could give us victory (Rev 12:11). Nothing else could suffice. Nothing else could bring the joy and peace that keep us in the midst of a tumultuous world. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us new birth (1 Pet 1:3). We join together and sing praises to God because we know that we are victorious in Him (Rom 15:6).

When Satan attempts to fool you into thinking you are defeated, you have only to look to the Cross (Heb 12:1-4; 1 Cor 1:18). Jesus did not die in vain. Let the Cross of Christ be in your life what God, before time, preordained it to be (Titus 1:1-3 ). Let it be the mark of redemption, justification, and sanctification (1 Cor 1:30-31).

All Things Great and Small (Mark 12:28-44)

Posted on by
Reply

I. The Great Commandment (12:28-34)

  • A. The Question of the Greatest Commandment (28).
  1. The Scribe’s Observation (28a)
  2. The Scribes’ Admiration (28b)
  3. The Scribes’ Interrogation (28c)

“The Scribes had declared that there were six hundred and thirteen commandments: two hundred forty-eight affirmative precepts-as many as the members of the human body-and three hundred sixty-five negative, as many as the days of the year (Vincent). There was a great discussion between the opposing theological schools of Shamai and Hillel as to which were the “light” and which were the “heavy” commandments. They discussed the distinction between the ritual and the ethical, or the positive and the moral, the prevalent tendency being to attach more importance and g reater weight to the positive commandments relating to circumcision, Sabbath-keeping, and other ritual requirements (Lightfoot). The result was the “exaltation of the ceremonial element, the curse of later Judaism.” The words of the Rabbis were to be prized above the words of the Law. It was commonly agreed that the positive commandments about the minutest details of the ceremonial law were as binding as the fundamental moral code. The heavy commandments were the ones to which the death penalty was attached, such as the Sabbath-keeping laws, sacrifices, and purifications. If the Pharisees could get Jesus entangled in the web of current theological, hair-splitting controversy, they would bring the unlettered Nazarene Rabbi into disrepute. They hoped He would take the fatal step of asserting again His divine supremacy. This would precipitate a reaction of violence against Him such as had almost swept Him away on various previous occasions.”

  • B. Jesus’ Answer of Two-faceted Love (29-31; Deut 6:4-5; Lev 19:18).
  1. God is One (29a)
  2. Love for God must be encompassing and supreme (29b)
  • a. Heart: We must love God emotionally and passionately.
  • b. Soul: We must love God consciously and volitionally.
  • c. We must love God mentally and intelligently.
  • d. We must love God physically and tangibly.

. 3. We must love other people with active compassion and justice.

  • C. The Scribe’s Approval (32-33)
  1. He agrees with Jesus on all three counts (32-33a).
  2. He submits that love is greater than sacrifice and offerings (33b; 1 Sam 15:22; Isa 1:10-17; Jer 7:22-23; Hos 6:6).
  • a. We cannot worship God without loving and obeying Him.
  • b. We cannot worship God without loving and forgiving people.
  • D. Jesus’ Commendation (34)
  1. Jesus observed the scribe’s thoughtful response (34a).
  2. Jesus remarks that the scribe is near but not yet in the kingdom (34b).
  • a. The scribe admires Jesus.
  • b. The scribe has not yet trusted in Jesus as the Messiah.

The lawyer could not help himself. What Jesus replied could not have been said better. While this scribe agreed with our Lord’s statement, I cannot help but get the impression that this religious authority is giving his approval as a superior to an inferior, such as a professor would respond to one of his students. He virtually repeats Jesus’ words with a few additional comments. While he has accepted the truth of His teaching, he has not yet acknowledged His sovereign authority, otherwise he should have fallen at the feet of Jesus.

The answer of the Savior must have been shocking. If the scribe had commended Jesus with an evaluation roughly equivalent to ‘not bad, not bad at all,’ Jesus appraises this man’s position as ‘not far from the Kingdom’ (Mark 12:34). That is tantamount to saying to a man like Billy Graham, “That was a fairly good sermon,” or to John Calvin, “Your theology is coming right along, so stay with it.” If the best word Jesus can give to this somewhat receptive scribe is ‘not far,’ what can His evaluation of the rest be?

. 3. The Jewish leaders risk no more questions (34c).
II. The Great Messiah (12:35-37)

  • A. The expert’s confession is that the Messiah is the Son of David (35).
  • B. David under the inspiration of the Spirit sees the Messiah as his Lord (36; Ps 110:1).
  • C. Jesus’ paradox of the Messiah being David’s son and lord (37a).
  1. David depicts the Messiah as greater than he is.
  2. Messiah is more Lord than he is Son.
  3. Jesus implies that He as the Messiah is greater than the scribes think.
  • B. The crowd delights and approves of Jesus teaching (37b).

III. The Great Rebuke (12:38-40)

  • A. The Scribes’ Public Arrogance (38).
  1. Popularity
  2. Prestige
  3. Power
  • B. The Scribes’ Social Arrogance (39).
  • C. The Scribes’ Economic Arrogance (40a)
  • D. The Scribes’ Religious Arrogance (40b)
  • E. The Scribes’ Severe Punishment (40c)
  1. The scribes are judged because their piety is without love.
  2. They do not love either people or God.

IV. The Great Offering (12:41-44)

  • A. Jesus observes the giving of the rich (41).
  • B. Jesus observes the giving of the poor widow (42).
  • C. Jesus compares the giving of the rich and poor (43-44).
  1. He uses this situation as a teaching moment for His disciples (43a).
  2. He calls the poor widow the greatest of givers (43b-44).
  • a. The widow’s offering was the greatest (43b).
  • b. The rich give out of their wealth and excess: their leftovers (44a)
  • c. The widow gives everything she has: her life (44b).
  • d. The widow gives out of love for God..
  • e. Ironically, the widow gives to the very system that oppresses her.

. i. She still sees the temple as God’s house.
. ii. She believes that God will one day redeem it and her.

God: The Ultimate Lover 2/9/09

Posted on by
Reply

When you grasp who God is-His love, His strength, His beauty, His holiness, and His mercy-you are unafraid to boldly proclaim that you are a child of His. You are bold to declare that you know Him and you will represent Him faithfully, though maybe not perfectly consistently.

You must come face to face with God in order to represent Him, because when you represent Him you will also suffer. Such suffering, though, will not deter one whose eyes have been opened to the magnanimous transcendence of the King of Glory. Who is this King of glory? He is The Lord strong and mighty. His name is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isa 9:8), and no weapon that comes against His children will take root (Isa 54:17). He lifts up those who have been trampled upon, He heals those whose lives are ransacked, and He mends those whose hurts are beyond what doctors can cure. He is all things. Everything. Complete. Supreme. His name is Grace and He wants nothing more than to have fellowship with you.

Can you imagine that God-yes Yahweh, the one who dwells in the heavens-wants to talk with you? He is so determined for you to know Him that He dispatches the Holy Spirit to capture your heart (Rom 5:5). Left to your own devices you would not give Him a second look. He knows that, so He always takes the initiative. He saw you before you ever were, and when you felt you were alone, He was right there. His all-seeing eyes were never off you, not even for a second. When your heart was made tender you responded to Him and He smiled. He placed His hand out toward you and drew you to Himself, the way a husband reaches out and takes his bride at the altar. Only, when God takes you, it is for eternity. He loses none that He takes. His grasp is firm and secure. Jesus said, “…no one whom the Father gives to me will I lose” (John 6:39)

Each day He seeks to direct you, guide you, open doors for you, protect and shield you from the snares of the enemy. When you listen to Him and follow His guidance you find sweet bliss. There is peace in His presence, joy in His fellowship, and hope in His future promises. You lack nothing because you have everything when you have Him. His pursuit is gentle but persistent. His Son died for you so He is determined to free you from death. Sin brings death but Christ brings life. God is light and His Son gives life to all who call upon His name. If you are lonely, call. Sad. Call. Happy. Call. Never stop calling. Should you feel yourself unreachable and your situation unfathomably dark, call. God hears the faintest cry. He holds even the most feeble hand. He is not a bigot and He is not duplicitous. He loves all people-yes, all. He takes you as you are but changes you to become like Him. His love never changes but the way He expresses it will always blow your mind. You will never completely figure Him out. He is too large, too wide, too deep for your mind to fully comprehend. He is breathtakingly beautiful and He loves you.

Dear Lord, we thank you for being so close to us. We feel you as we walk, as we talk, as we pray. Your closeness brings peace. We do not take it lightly for many have never felt your closeness the way we have. We are blessed to know you and we want only to become like you. Chisel us until we are refined. Jesus, when you showcase us before the Father, we want to come forth as pure gold. Keep us from falling Lord, as we await your presentation of us before your Father on that Great Day. Oh Lord, may not the world hold us in its grasp. May we swim against the wave of ingratitude, murmuring, apathy, and unkindness. Help us to consider others better than ourselves and to live our lives in a giving way. In Your sweet name we pray. Thank you Lord Jesus, Amen.

Recommended Reading: When God Whispers Your Name by Max Lucado

Does God Speak Today? 2/2/09

Posted on by
Reply

How would you feel if your spouse, whom you see every day, did not speak with you? You would feel neglected and you would think that something is wrong. You would ask your spouse if he is fine, wouldn’t you? When we are in relationship with people, be it with our children, our friends, or our co-workers, we talk with them. One of the most significant ways that we communicate is by talking. When we talk with each other we are able to express how we feel. We can ask for what we need. We can open up our hurts. We can offer our help. We can communicate.

Does God still talk with His people today? Some Bible scholars limit God’s talking to canonical revelation, while others see God’s communication as continuing but never conflicting with canonical revelation. Scripture supercedes all and God will never tell you to do something that is in conflict with Scripture. He is not the author of confusion (1 Cor 14:33) and He is not in conflict with Himself.

The written Word (logos) is what we read, what we treasure, what we follow. It is the Christian’s guidebook for living effectively on earth, and at the same time, it offers a glimpse into our eschatological future. It tells us what we need to know to please God and what we can look forward to when He returns. It is inspired. It is true. More than enough manuscripts have been found to validate its authenticity. It addresses issues we face today: people skills, making right choices, loving others, pursuing and maintaining peace, justice, freedom, and stewardship. Scripture is inspired (because God empowered the individual writers to craft each book the way He wanted it done). We can trust it and we stake our claim on it. We desire to live according to it (even when we fail), and we use it to validate our integrity.

We are able to love because the Bible tells us to love. We forgive because God forgives us. We pray because Jesus prayed. We look out for the poor because Scripture dictates that we do. We give because God is a model-giver. He gives only the very best, the ultimate gift being Jesus Christ. We enjoy giving because the love we experience when we come to God propels us to give. Giving becomes part of our living. We are changed and transformed as we come to know Christ and follow Him day by day. He supplies what we need and we trust Him to reveal Himself to us.

He reveals Himself through Scripture but also through our times of communication (prayer). God works through the Holy Spirit to impress things on our heart. He will place a burden (deep concern) about a particular matter/person on your heart because He wants to use you to positively affect the people involved. God sits enthroned above (Ps 103:19) but He uses us to do His will. He is sufficient in Himself and does not need anyone to exist (because He created us) but in His design, He had always planned for us to be a part of whatever He does. He did not create us to be puppets. We can make our own choices and we have to decide if we want to join in God’s program.

When we accept Christ, we in essence tell God know that we are available for His service. We join in His plan for our life and we abandon our own plans. We turn over the entitlement to ourselves to Him. He responds by showing us how He wants to transform us and use us so that we may be better than we were. No one who has ever come into relationship with Christ can ever attest that his latter state was worse than his former. Coming to know the Lord is like stepping into the shower after a long day of yard work. You get cleaned up. He is the master cleaner and He knows exactly what you need. It’s like going to the spa for a day. You go there to be rejuvenated and refined. You get scrubbed, exfoliated, detoxified, and hydrated. You leave relaxed and refreshed. There’s nothing like it! In the same way, when you come to know Christ He cleans you up from the inside out-but it takes years, not just a day, to get the process done.

Imagine that you would say yes to God but never hear Him speak to your heart. You would feel like something is missing in your relationship. You would feel forlorn and somewhat disillusioned, as you would not know how to proceed in some areas of your own life. While Scripture has all you need in areas of right and wrong, there are times when you have to make personal decisions and you want God to speak to your situation. You want a rhema (spoken) word-a now word for what you need. You want to choose the best out of the good choices that are available. It is at times like those that God speaks. When your heart pursues His and you want to do His will, He does speak. God will even speak to you when you are out of fellowship with Him-because He wants you back into relationship. The problems is that most out-of-fellowship people are not listening to God and may not want to hear what He has to say.

We are in relationship with God and He has something to say to us. He wants to use you to bless someone, help someone, or encourage someone. He wants to use you to effect change in another. There are countless times when the Holy Spirit impresses things on my heart and when I obey I find that God was really at work. He may tell me to give some money to someone and then she will tell me how desperately she needed it. This has happened on countless occasions and I feel so blessed when I know that I am hearing from God, obeying Him, and following His will for my life. God will often confirm what He is telling you to do. Each time God speaks to you about something and you obey Him, you are building your faith muscles, and there will come a time when you will not need Him confirm what He told you. You will know His voice. There are times when God speaks to me to pray for someone and I just do it. I do not get a confirmation from that person because she is unaware that I have prayed. I do not need to have her validate that she needed prayer. I know that it is the voice of God that is telling me to pray. I have been walking with Him for a while so I know when He tells me to pray, it is serious business. While I do not always obey in His timing (sometimes I delay), I am learning that I need to move in God’s timing and not be afraid to step out by faith in Him. When God tells us to do something we must listen and obey. God wants us in our entirety (nothing held back) and He wants to talk with us all the time. Let us listen for His voice and follow where He leads. He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-18) and we are His sheep, so we will follow Him and we know that He only leads us into triumph.

Recommended reading:
Experiencing God by Henry & Richard Blackaby

Prayer for the week:
Dear Lord, thank you for being so kind to us. We are completely lost without you. Our sight is limited and our insight small unless you lead us. We want to hear your voice, heed your requests and follow you. May we never feel as though you have abandoned us because your Word says you will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5). We believe you Lord and we trust you. Help us to trust you more deeply and deepen our love for You. We want You more than we want air. You are everything we need and all we really need is you, so help us to trust and love You as You open our eyes to your love for us. Thank you Lord. We pray this in the mighty, powerful name of Jesus the risen Christ.

Ponder This 1/19/09

Posted on by
Reply

Ponder This…
When you look at a vase that holds freshly cut roses, it is absolutely beautiful. The roses look as though they could withstand the days ahead without being wilted. They allure the onlooker with their vibrance. Their color, their smell, and the delicacy of their petals are breathtaking. They force you to stop and stare. They capture, as it were, a moment in time, and time seems endless for them; but after a week, if you were to look at the same roses you would notice a change. Their petals are not as bright. They droop instead of standing at attention, and they no longer smell fresh. They had a certain amount of time in which to shine. So do you. You do not have forever. Use your time wisely. Impact as many people as possible in a positive way, and do what God tells you to do. You are a rose. You only have a limited time in which to make a difference, but while you have the time, encourage those around you so that they cannot help but fix their attention on God—the Rose of Sharon.

Dear Lord,
This is a very special time in our history and we need you. A new President is being sworn into office…the unrest in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas continues…Russia boldly flexes her muscles and one can only wonder what may be simmering under the surface…there is economic uncertainty here at home and people are nervous…. This is a time when your people must show courage, wisdom, and strength of faith. May we place our trust in You and You alone. May we trust You by following your Word, listening to your voice, and resisting the tendency to become anxious. “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” says the Lord (Heb 13:5).

Amen

NESTLING IN GOD’S CARE

Posted on by
Reply

When you see the word “nestle,” two images may come to your mind. The first is that of creamy condensed milk, which is popular in some countries. The other is that of rest. Nestle, when used as a verb, bears the idea of snuggling, finding a niche and resting there. The image is of a mother hen scratching around a limited circumference on the ground until the area is just right. She then nestles her body into that area with her chicks snug underneath her. A hen nestles upon her eggs to keep them warm so that they can hatch. Having grown up on a farm in Jamaica, I remember the imagery quite well. As a little girl, I would sit on a bench or stone and watch the hens as they went clucking away while making their nests at the same time. By the time the nest was made, the hen would nestle comfortably in it with a look of contentment.

Christians are called to be content, but in order to do so, we must be willing to accept all that comes from our Savior’s hand. We learn to be content when things are going very well. When our bank account is well rounded and health is at its peak. We also learn to be content when we are ailing and the money has drained from our savings. We learn to be content when we lose the ones we love, and when we lose the things we treasure. Paul tells us that godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Tim 6:6). Here, Paul talks about ministers who were exploiting others Christians for their own benefits. These ministers were probably itinerant preachers who expected to be paid for their preaching. It is not that Paul did not want them to be cared for. As a matter of fact, he encourages Christians to give to those who teach them (1 Tim 5:18). Rather, Paul speaks against those who taught error for profit. They were men who preached the Word, and who had an air of godliness. They were fake. They were in it for the money. Those were men who were exploiting those early Christians and they are men we should avoid today.

Why is it gainful to be content? It keeps us from falling into worldly error. It keeps us from being ungrateful. It keeps us from using others. It keeps us humble, satisfied, and spiritually healthy. When we learn to be content, we learn to nestle in God’s care. We learn to trust him, believe that he knows what is best for us, and wait on him. When the hen is sitting on her eggs she is in no hurry. She gets up to eat and relieve herself, but hen she goes right back on top of those eggs. Most of us learn contentment over time, as we learn to yield to the Holy Spirit, and walk with God. There is a certain beauty that is almost indescribable in men and women who have weathered many storms in their lives, and who have aged gracefully with the Lord as their Savior.

Our Savior saves us and teaches us through his Word the benefits of trust in him. We learn what it means to relax when the problems of life jolts us at every turn. I could not help but think of my life with God and how I respond to him during times of discomfort, while my husband and I were bathing our birds. We have two birds, Beanie and Strip. We decided to give them a bath, so we took their large, white, attractive cage into the garage where we intended to transfer them into the small yellow cage. It had been several months since they had gotten a bath and so I think they had forgotten the procedure. I could tell that they were in a state of wonder. They were not sure what was about to happen and they seemed jittery. Do you become jittery when God allows the unfamiliar to come into your life, and when you are not sure what is about to happen? We are told not to become anxious about anything, but that in everything, we should offer prayer coupled with gratitude, and tell God about our concerns (Phil 4:6-7).

Beanie and Strip were concerned. They resisted my husband, Charles, as he tried to get to them. I closed the garage door for fear they would fly away. As Charles placed them into the yellow cage and as I turned on the faucet and warm water sprayed their feathers, they began to enjoy the process. They fluttered and chirped happily. They began to enjoy the bath. Do you only become comfortable when you think you know how things are going to work out for you? Do you flutter around with worry and anxiety and fritter your time away complaining to friends when you are unsure about your future? The Psalmist tells us to trust in the Lord, to wait patiently for him (Psalm 27:14).

Beanie and Strip were content in the bathing cage, until we decided that it was time to return them to their white cage, which now had fresh bedding on the bottom. While they were enjoying their baths, their cage and eating trays were being cleaned and filled, so that by the time were restored to their familiar setting, their bird life would be comfortable. Well, they were not aware of all that, so they began to pick at Charles and tried to resist his grasp. He gently grasped Beanie, and I took a towel and began to dry her and stroke her head. Eventually her body stopped its quivering and she just peered up at us as if in appreciation. We did the same thing with Strip, only she was twice as resistant as Beanie and never seemed to appreciate the attempt to dry her feathers and stroke her head.

Eventually, both were returned and they were clean. We meant them no harm. Instead, we wanted to do something good for them. What do you do when you feel God’s grasp? When he places you in a position to get your attention, do you quiver and squirm in an attempt to release yourself from his grasp? When he strokes your heart with the Word, do you twist and turn and fix your gaze elsewhere, or do you focus your attention on what he is trying to do? Are you so preoccupied that you do not even recognize that God has you in his grasp? Beanie and Strip never got the idea of what we were doing until it was all over. They would have enjoyed the process more had they not resisted us so much. Understand, trials are not intended to be enjoyed. They benefit, but are not enjoyed. I have never heard anyone say they enjoyed a trial. The point is that trials, when approached objectively and spiritually, can become a tool for growth and a period of joyful perseverance. Both James and Paul associate joy with trials. James 1:2-4 tells us to consider our trials as all joy because of the product of perseverance and maturity. In Romans 5:3-5, Paul teaches us to rejoice in the midst of our trials because it produces perseverance, proven character and hope in Jesus Christ. There is a sense that when we focus on Christ in our trials, we grow closer to him and become more intimately acquainted with him. This intimacy brings about joy, peace, and hope. Hope is the intrinsic quality that keeps us stabilized and focused while sailing the turbulent seas. It is no wonder that Paul, in his epistle of joy, associates knowing Christ with knowing the fellowship of His sufferings (Phil 3:10).

When Beanie and Strip were in their bathing cage and were enjoying the bath, they did not learn to trust Charles and me. As soon as we attempted to take them out, they began to resist us again. Are you resisting God when he attempts to grow you. Please don’t. When God allows trials into your life, he wants to teach you something, not harm you. Learn from each situation, because if you don’t, you will continue to resist and stunt your growth in the process. The only way to grow up in God is to weather the storms with him, learn from him, and walk with him.

Our Beliefs and Our Emotions

Posted on by
Reply

One week as I was teaching a class of high school sophomores at Rocky Bayou Christian School the subject of the doctrine of election and predestination came up. We were looking at John 6:36-65 and I asked how 6:37, 44, and 65 related to the doctrines of election and eternal security. The passages are as follows:

John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.
John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
John 6:65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”

All of a sudden it was a free for all. Many students were quite passionate about how they believe that we choose to believe and that the doctrine of election was wrong. But all I asked was how these passages related to the issue of election. I did not define the doctrine nor advocate a certain view. They assumed (although correctly) that I held a certain view and proceeded to argue against it. Add to this, the students who held the same view as I did also joining in the fray, and chaos began to reign. After I called for order, I emphasized the point that I was not asking an explanation or defense of a certain viewpoint but to honestly interact with what the text says and what conclusions we could legitimately draw from it.

By using the word “election,” I pressed an emotional trigger. We are passionate about what we believe, and this particular sparked a lot of emotion. However, no matter how passionately and strongly we may hold a particular belief, we must always submit it the words of Scripture. We must be careful about what our authority is; is it our emotional connection to what we believe, or is it the absolute authority of God’s revelation of Himself in Scripture.

A second issue that came up was how all this affected how we live today. I was amused by that question because they were arguing so passionately for a particular view, then asking if it was relevant. If it wasn’t relevant, why were they so passionate about it? I suspect they knew they were emotional, but did not see the concrete outworking of it, how it helped them to make decisions and treat other people. Among other things, the relevance is this: What we believe about God affects most everything we do. If we believe He is absolutely sovereign, it will affect how we live. If we believe that He is absolutely committed to saving people, we will want to be a part of that saving work, and work harder at sharing the gospel. In order to truly know who God is we must study and submit to Scripture, every word of it.