Self Reliance Versus Growing in Faith

Psalm 131

"O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore."

Dear Believer, this Psalm has two very great lessons that we need to learn. The psalmist tells us of two great dangers here: to be proud and assume we can do all things on our own and to be so dependent upon God that we are unable to grow. 

We have the capacity to solve problems with the intellect given to us by our Creator, and so we are easily tempted to fix our problems ourselves, before we bring them to our Father. We will attempt all other solutions before we bring it to Him, when this is not as it should be. We are told in  1 Thessalonians 5 that we should "pray without ceasing." This does not mean that we pray without stopping, for this would be physically impossible. The meaning in the original text is more like a sneeze. When we are prompted with an aggravation in our nostril, we sneeze as a first response. In life, when faced with difficulties, our first, natural response should be to drop to our knees in prayer. Do not wait until things are "too big" to give it to God, for He longs to have us bring Him our concerns.

The second part of the text describes a child who is content being with its mother, but not simply for provision. A weaned child is one that no longer needs the milk from the mother. It is natural for a child to grow less dependent upon its mother, and in the same way, it is natural for us to grow in our faith. Although we will always be dependent upon our heavenly Father, He longs for us to grow in maturity. He longs for us to spend time with Him, not only because we need Him, but because we enjoy His presence. God will leave us in a trial and seem to be silent, so that we can learn to trust Him, even when He does not immediately take away our difficulties. We cry out for Him to take away the trial, and He waits silently as we learn to trust in Him, even when He is silent. There are many believers who are crippled in their faith, because they will not take steps of obedience without a sign from God that it is the correct path. As we grow in our faith, we learn that our communion with God. daily, makes our decisions in accordance with His will, as John 15:1-11 states. As we abide with Christ, our desires become more aligned with His desires, and therefore we can walk in confidence that our decisions are in accordance to His will, while also enjoying God's presence in a deeper way than simply relying on Him, as we grow in our faith and begin to trust in God.

Enjoy Wealth

1 Timothy 6:17-19

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.


Dear Christians, in our present age, there are many who are wealthy. Some do not even recognize that they are the wealthy of which this verse speaks. There are many in the world who live on less than a dollar a day. They do not have a one bedroom house, but rather a one room shack--and many do not even have this! There are many who have no idea what a television is, much less a cable bill. Grocery money is not the problem, but food for the day. There is no budget--make money today, and there might be food to eat. When we look on all that the Lord has blessed us with, we must remember this fact. We are very wealthy, even if we do not feel that all our desires are met. We must take this verse as a charge to ourselves--do not be haughty and set your hopes on material things. 

When we have things, it is not wrong to enjoy them, however. God placed Adam and Eve in the garden, and gave them delightful fruits to eat, and wonderful animals with which to mingle. They enjoyed what God had given them. The rich young man was told to sell everything he had, not because the possessions were bad, but because he had placed them higher than God. Maybe God is saying the same thing to us, but maybe we have been blessed for a purpose. The Bible is clear that when we have more than we need, it is for the purpose of filling the needs of others. If we are obedient and listening to the Holy Spirit's voice, He will direct us in how we ought to use our wealth for God's glory. This does not mean that we do not enjoy the blessings that God has given us. Many people fear that all pleasure is from the Enemy, but they forget that God is the one who created things to be enjoyed--Satan merely twists them into idols. 

In the end, we must keep our focus on eternity. In Matthew six, Jesus told us to lay up treasures in heaven. We do this, when we are obedient to God, and only for His glory. When we steal the glory and praise from Him, we have our reward. The riches in heaven are not to be compared to the riches on earth. It would be like clinging to a measly penny, when you could have all the purest gold in the world. Jesus also said that it would be very difficult for those with wealth to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, and it is for the following reason: we get too focused on our stuff, and forget what is really important--loving God most of all, and loving everyone else more than ourselves. 

So we must enjoy the things that God has given us, and be generous to all who need, and always remember that the things of this earth are a mere picture of what is to come.

The Ultimate Choice

Deuteronomy 30:15-16b

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live..."

In another translation of this verse, it says, "See I have set before you a choice: life and good or death and destruction." Dear Christian, we have the same choice today. As we proclaim the gospel, we must understand this fact. The choice is not whether we want to go to heaven or whether we love God. The choice is whether we want to have true life or if we want death and destruction. When we live in disobedience to God, we can expect nothing more than destruction and depression in our lives. I do not disregard that many live lives of luxury and ease apart from God, but we know that one day, they will face the Almighty Judge, and apart from Jesus, they will be separate from God and perfection for eternity. Separation from God is death. The choice is also not a simple choice to pray a prayer or go to church on Sunday, but rather to obey, daily. We make this decision every day of our lives. If we ever decide not to obey and instead to follow our own desires, we will find death and destruction. Brothers and Sisters, I lay before you the same choice. Today, will you decide to follow God and His way? He has given us His word and the Holy Spirit to guide us, but will you listen? What hinders us from a child like obedience is the result of the fall. We declared from the beginning of humanity that we would not listen to God and His warning. Obey and live, or disobey and die. Will we listen today? We must pray that God would break down our pride, so that we can obey His voice, instead of going at it our own way. God help us, and God forgive us when we disobey.  

Rebels Against the Empire

Judges 8:4-9

And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing. So he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” And the officials of Succoth said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?” So Gideon said, “Well then, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” And from there he went up to Penuel, and spoke to them in the same way, and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered.  And he said to the men of Penuel, “When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.”

Zeba and Zalmunna, two Midian kings, part of an empire that had reigned over the land for seven years, have just fled in battle. The Midianites were vast in number, and it was only by the hand of God that Gideon and his three hundred man army had defeated them in battle. Succoth and Penuel had no reason to trust in Gideon and his men. What if they failed in their attempt to overthrow the kings? Surely there would be punishment for all who aided them. What these cities did not know is that the victory had already been won; only the battle was left to finish. 

Is this not a picture of our world? We have an enemy. He is fierce and unrelenting. He has grown his empire throughout the ages. The Bible is clear that those who are not followers of Christ are followers of the enemy. If we merely look at numbers and power, there is no reason to trust that Christians should ever be able to overthrow the empire of Satan; however, the battle has already been won, through Christ on the cross. We may not hear people say the words, "I will not follow Jesus, because Satan is much too powerful," but in our lives, we reveal who is our lord. We give our pledge to the enemy by living in apathy, or even by living in direct opposition to God. Many fear standing up to this super power, because they are not certain that he can be overthrown, but what they do not realize is that after Christ has returned, and the war is won, it will be too late. Those who side with the enemy will receive judgement. It is hard to be the rebel group in a world that follows the empire of the prince of the power of the air, but take heart dear Christian, God has already won the victory. We will one day spend eternity in peace with Him, if we do not lose heart.   

A Word for Parents

Judges 2:10

"And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel."

The scene above directly follows the death of Joshua the son of Nun. After the exhortation to "teach them [the laws of the Lord] diligently to your children, and talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise," (Deuteronomy 6:7) the children of that generation, who watched the mighty hand of God in the wilderness, allowed their children to not know the Lord. After God instituted the Passover Feast as a way of reminder, and the pillars of rocks, and the tabernacle itself, this generation (who directly followed the generation that took the first portion of the promised land) did not know the Lord. 

Dear Christian parents, let this not be so with our children. May we always be telling our children of the wondrous Lord we serve. Not only in our words, but in our deeds, for to "talk" with our children is not just with our words, as James so clearly states, but with our actions too. We can not be those who speak the truth of God to our children but then do not live it out--or else we become the tool that the enemy uses to drive them away. We are given a responsibility to show our children what it means to be a follower of Christ. There is a deep burden for those who have lost a son or daughter to the world and its desires, so do not be discouraged to the point of despair. It is not our work to bring our children to salvation; it is the work of the Holy Spirit. However, let us not allow ourselves to live a life of weak diluted faith, because, when it has passed through us and our example, our children will only be able to dilute it further. Let us instead live lives in connection to the Living Water, so that we can pass on the eternal waters of life, by the power of Christ and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. May our lives be a witness and our words be truth, and may our children know the Lord through us, by His grace. God help us!

Grief and Consolation

2 Samuel 12:18-22

"On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

Dear Christian, may we learn to grieve and console in a way that is honoring to God. When someone near to us dies, we may react in different ways: anger, sadness, disappointment. The way in which David reacted was in trust. He trusted in what God said, that there is life eternal for those who follow Him. And that those who trust in God, though they may die, will only move on into eternity. This does not mean that we should not be saddened by their leaving. We can feel the sting of a father unable to be at a daughters wedding, or a grandmother not meeting her grandchildren. These things may make us sad, but there is a joy and peace that passes our understanding. The man who struggled with pain and loss of hearing is now in a place of perfection. No more pain. No more growing old. We can be glad that God has lifted this branch up after it's work has been completed. As Christians, our grief is different, because in our grief we have a hope. If our brother or sister in Christ dies, we know that one day we will be reunited with them again. In other times, we are in a place of supporting those who are grieving. In the above passage, David's servants react in horror at the way in which David was mourning. We must always remember that each person is created uniquely by God, and there is no set way in which someone will experience grief. Each of us handles this in different ways. As those who support the mourning heart, we need to understand that the best thing we can do is first pray, second listen, and speak only if led by the Holy Spirit. We are so quick to try to find some word that will wipe away all the pain our brothers and sisters are feeling that we forget that it is the Holy Spirit who is called the comforter, and Jesus is the one who will wipe away all tears. We can be vessels through which they speak or hold, but no sentimental jargon that we say will truly be helpful, and neither will some biblical truth blurted out in an untimely moment. We must discern when it is the right time to speak and when it is better for us to just sit quietly. Above all, we should understand that it is always the right time to pray for the true comforter and peace giver to intervene. The death of a loved one is a trial that will test the faith of those involved, as any tragedy. This test will some times make faith stronger, and sometimes will prove an ingenuine faith resides inside of us, as James explains. We need to pray that our brothers and sisters going through these trials will be refined by the flame and drawn closer to God, as the enemy is fighting desperately for the opposite to happen. Christian, remember that for those who follow Christ, there is eternal life, and upon traversing the waters of death, we enter into the Kingdom of glory and perfection, and there there will be no more tears and no more pain. Keep hope and keep faith.

Levitical Law and Jesus

Leviticus 5:15

“If anyone commits a breach of faith and sins unintentionally in any of the holy things of the Lord, he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued in silver shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering."

Leviticus 16:30

"For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins."

1 John 1:9

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

When reading Old Testament law, it is easy to get caught up in all the specifics of it and wonder why it matters to us, today. Most know that Old Testament law can be broken down into three categories, that can be very helpful in our reading of it. The first category is Civil. These laws governed how the Israelite people were meant to deal with each other day to day, and also how to handle various disputes such as if a cow is stolen. The second category is Ceremonial. These laws governed how the Israelite people were to conduct their temple worship. In some ways, Civil and Ceremonial laws overlapped, such as after the restitution of the cow, there needed to be an atoning sacrifice for the sin. The last category is Moral. The Moral laws are the ones that Jesus and New Testament writers re-established and even re-emphasized in the New Testament. For instance, Jesus took the law "do not murder" and explained that it was more about hatred in the heart and less about the action. These categories are very helpful, mostly because scoffers would argue that we are not bound by the moral laws of God by stating that we as Christians do not abide by the Civil or Ceremonial laws--as if we were meant to continue in all the Old Testament laws altogether. We are by no means meant to carry out the Civil laws given to Israel. We can use them as an example (and we do) when creating our own laws, but we are not bound by them. Nor are we meant to continue in Ceremonial laws of sacrifice. Christ is the fulfillment of all the sacrificial laws. In the above verses we find this connection very clearly shown. In Leviticus we find that if someone sinned unintentionally and then it was made known to them, they would bring, "a ram without blemish out of the flock." In another case, each year the high priest would bring the atoning sacrifice for all the peoples' sin. In both cases, this was a physical sacrifice of an animal to make the Israelites clean in the eyes of God, so that they could continue to have relationship with Him. We know that Christ's crucifixion was in such a way that He fulfilled all the Old Testament conditions for an atoning sacrifice--which is the significance that His legs were not broken. We by faith lay our hand on Him, and He takes our sin upon Himself and dies for it. In 1 John 1:9 we find that when we confess our sin, we are not only forgiven for the sin that we have committed and confessed but also of all the things that we have not even remembered (all unrighteousness). In this way, we see that Jesus is both the atoning sacrifice and also the unintentional sin offering. We cling to Him as the fulfillment of all Levitical Law. 

What Is My Calling?

Matthew 28:19-20

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Colossians 3:23-24


"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."


Many Christians struggle with what God is calling them to do. They pray earnestly that God would reveal a great plan to them, with details, involving His idea for their life. This is not wrong, because God tells us in His word that He has a purpose for our lives. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesian 2:10 God does have a plan for our lives, and it is not wrong to think about and pray for direction as to what it is; however, what if part of that plan has already been revealed? In these two scriptures we find that God has given each follower a general calling. We are to do everything for His glory, and we are to make disciples. We are told in 1 Peter 3:15 that we should "always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you." This suggests that we are living a life that begs people to ask about why we have hope? In our work, we are committed and do everything without complaining. In our studies, we are diligent. With our words and actions, we are kind. We do not get involved in gossip or backbiting. All of these things make us stand out as believers and followers of Christ, and will eventually lead others to take notice. When they ask us why we are the way we are, we introduce them to our Savior and Lord who leads us day by day through His word. As far as making disciples, some would suggest that there are only a few who are called to make disciples, that this commandment was only for the Apostles, or for modern day Elders and Teachers of the Bible--of which we are told not to strive to become, because those that teach the Bible are held accountable for what they have taught on the final day of Judgement. We think this, because we are afraid of what it means in our personal walk with God. We are too timid to teach others about the Bible. We are not well versed enough in the Scripture, or we simply are not good at speaking or teaching, but making disciples is a call to everyone. We are called to help others grow closer to God. Even if we know very little about the Word of God, we still know more than the person we are teaching, even if it is simply the basics of salvation and sanctification. The truth is, not knowing the Bible well should spur us on to a deeper understanding of God's word, not lead us to apathetically disregarding our role in discipleship. If we do not know the answer to a question or have a lack of understanding about something related to eternity, should not we be seeking the answer? And when we have found it, and it is exciting, should not we share it with others? In conclusion, if we ever wonder what our calling from God is, let us recall that God has already made the call: "Make disciples and do everything you do for My glory!" Amen.

Soldiers, Athletes, and Farmers

2 Timothy 2:4-7

"No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything."

When we think of following Christ as a disciple, these three pictures may guide us on what that entails. A soldier does not get distracted with anything that is not his mission. What is our mission on earth? We are called to make disciples and claim victory over death and the enemy. We so easily are taken off of this objective, mostly because we do not see our enemy, but his tricks and schemes are vicious and subtle. We must be ever on our gaurd to combat him and his sinful forces. We can not become entangled with earthly things, but must keep our eyes heaven focused. Not that we are escapist, but rather that we are careful to remember that eternity is what matters most. In another way, following Jesus is like being an athlete. We can not jump into the field or court and do whatever we want. Following Jesus is not determined by our guidelines or emotions. We do not dictate what things we are willing to do and what things we are unwilling to do. Those that practice this, will not and cannot obtain the prize set before us (eternal life). No, Jesus said to follow Him, and He gave us a guide to lead us in His ways. Only the righteous may enter the Kingdom, and those who are righteous practice righteousness. We are saved by grace, of course, but the proof of the genuineness of that grace comes through our earnest pursuit of obedience to Christ. We can not say that we love Him and then ignore what He has said. Those who hear His words and do not do them are like fools building their houses on sand. Finally, the farmer who tends to the crops should be the first to taste of their fruit. The reward will come. Those that do not tend to the field given to them, will not reap the reward. God has given us each talents and gifts. He has given us work to accomplish. We are saved by grace, but for good works. We are promised eternal rest, but only after the work is finished. Stay true and steadfast in the work that the Master has placed you, and you will reap, if you do not lose heart. So three admonishing pictures: Keep focused, Obey God's calling, Remain steadfast. I encourage you, dear Christian to do the same.

A Picture of Salvation in Sodom

In Genesis chapter nineteen, we find the story of Sodom. Most when teaching on this story use it to describe God's merciful destruction of this city overcome by sin. However, let us look at this story under a new light. Jesus spoke of Sodom on multiple occassion in the Gospels, and I think that His style of teaching may be of benefit to us with this story: or parable. In a parable, we see that the characters and objects in the story have a deeper meaning. In the story of Sodom, I believe there are many similarities to the way in which we are saved (and not saved) from destruction. In this parable, all those who live within the city are to be destroyed. Much in the same way, all of us have sinned and are under the consequence of sin: destruction and separation from God. If we remain in this sin, we will ultimately be destroyed both by our sin and the judgement of God.

Genesis 19:4-11 "struck with blindness"
The first of the characters that we find in this parable are the men of the city (young and old, great and small) all of which are so overcome with sin that they can not even sleep before they have done it. They seek sin and pursue it like an unquenchable thirst. Those who pursue sin with such lust will innevitably be blinded from ever seeing the light. They can not come to a knowledge of the truth of salvation from sin, because they are too occupied with the sin. They have become blinded, and therefore can not escape from destruction. This blindness is self inflicted, due to their hardness of heart and rebelion against God.

Genesis 19:12-14 "but he seemed . . . to be jesting"
Next we find those who upon hearing of God's wrath and destruction scoff at it. They think that God is not serious with His commandments and flipently disregard them. This is the deception that was from the beginning when the serpent told Eve that she would not really die: God will not really do what He said He would do. These are carried away with destruction, merely because they do not listen to the warnings. Many today are in this category. They have heard of the consequences of sin, but do not care. They have been told that being a true disciple means persevearing sanctification, and they chose instead a cheap grace that can not save them. They disregard God's command to be holy as He is holy, or they simply do not really believe that He will punish those who disobey.

Genesis 19:15-22 "he lingered... the Lord being merciful to him... brought him out."
With all believers, we linger in our sin. It is only because of the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and His enabling of our ears and eyes, that we obtain salvation. It is not of our own accord that we are saved. God reaches out in His mercy and pulls us out. Once we are saved from the imminent destruction, we must journey on toward the city of refuge. God pulls us out, but then we must make the journey onward. Our savlation is not initiated or sustained through us, but we must walk in accordance to the command of God to obtain it. The city of Sodom was not destroyed until Lot reached the city of refuge. God preserved him and saved Him from the destruction, much in the same way that He saves us from our sin. We are pulled out and told, "walk in this way to the end" and when we continue on that narrow path to the finish line, then we are rewarded with eternal life and escape from destruction.  

Genesis 19:23-26 "looked back"
There are some who having been pulled out of the destruction, before reaching the city of refuge, look back upon their sin and longingly seek to go back to it. Those who are to be saved can not turn back to sin and long for it. It must be turned from and never returned to. This is not a stumbling or a slip, but rather a longing for: that is why Lot's wife was destroyed. We too will be consumed by our sin, if after leaving it behind, we turn again to it. We must not look back and allow ourselves to be overcome by the destruction as if we had never left the city.

A Double Standard

2 Thessalonians 3:6-12

"Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living."

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

"and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one."

Matthew 5:42

"Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you."

In our society today, we have an epidemic. Ours is the Entitlement generation. We believe that we should get whatever our heart's desire is, and we should get it now, and we should get it for free. It is a plague that has even found it's way into our churches. It is always interesting to me how the Bible has two sides of the coin, and we always find ourselves on the side that loses our "rights." The Bible says that if someone wants to take us to court and take our shirt, that we should give them our coat also (Matthew 5:40), but also says that we should not take others to court, as we know that God is the ultimate Judge (1 Corinthians 6:1-8). It tells us that we should forgive those who speak ill of us behind our backs, but also that we are not to be those who gossip (Ecclesiastes 10:20, Ephesians 4:29).  Finally, the Bible says, give to anyone who asks of you freely, but also tells us to work hard, as to not find ourselves in need. We know that all things are from God, and that He uses everything in our lives to transform us into His son's image, if we trust in Him. This means that in times of poverty, we are not to be ashamed, for God has placed us in need, maybe to humble us, or maybe to bring us to a dependency on Him. However, this situation could also be self-inflicted. God does not shield us from the consequences of our choices, so if I handle my money poorly (buying things that I do not need), and do not work, I will find myself in a desperate situation. We must work hard, and be frugal with our spending, and in doing so honor God and obey this commandment. When we find that we have an abundance, we know exactly what it is for: to give to those in need. It is not a blessing to be wealthy nor a sign of God's favor, but rather a grave responsibility to bear the load of wealth. Those that have much are in a difficult place of seeking Kingdom matters, because as Jesus said, it is impossible to serve two masters. Those that have wealth, tend to make the business of making money their master, which is why Jesus said it was easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than for a wealthy person to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. So the double standard, not in the traditional sense of the analogy, but rather in the sense that we have two standards for both situations, and in both, we are the ones responsible: give to any who asks of you, but work hard with your hands, so that you are not dependent on anyone--except God, of course. For when I am wealthy, it is because God has made it so, and when I am in poverty, it is because God has made it so. In both cases, he supplies all that we need, if we trust in Him and seek after His Kingdom first.  Dear brothers and sister, do not make your life about the accumulation of earthly pleasures that will one day decay and that you are unable to bring with you to eternity. However, let us work hard, as if we are working for the Lord, and always be ready to open our hands to those in need. 

Making a Name for Ourselves: Babel

Genesis 11:4

"Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.'"

Genesis 1:28

"And God blessed them (Adam and Eve). And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it..."

The people in Babel were much like us today. If you are much like me, you might read the story of the Tower of Babel, and wonder why God is against the people making this tower. It says in the following verse that God said, "And nothing they do will be impossible for them." Why is this such a bad thing? When we were in Sunday School as children, this story was told as if the tower itself was the people's way of trying to reach God, and so that is why God was against it. As adults, a quick survey of the text does not show this as the moral of the story at all. No, the people of Babel fell into the same trap that we do: making a name for themselves instead of God. Their purpose in building the tower was not to reach Heaven, but rather so that people would look on and ask, "Wow! Who built that!?" As the people of Babel would proudly say, "That was us!" The motive in their heart was to bring glory to themselves. We find in Jesus' teaching that all things that we do should bring glory to God. The people of Babel were not interested in bring glory to their Creator; they were too preoccupied with making a name for themselves. I wonder, dear Christian, if we spend our time making God's name great, or if we are simply going about making sure people know us. Are we always pointing to God for the good things in our lives, or are we quick to point out that we were the ones who did it? Back to Babel, on top of these selfish motives, the people of Babel were in direct disobedience to God's purpose for them: to disperse and fill the earth. Those that have read Job know well that God's purposes will be brought to pass. We may spend years building/wasting our lives the way we want them, but in the end, God will confuse our plans and we will be left only to follow after His purposes. My prayer is that this happens quickly; although, we know that all the years that are wasted, God is able to make up, if only we turn back to Him and quit pursuing our own desires and fixating on making ourselves a great name.

What Is Hell?

2 Thessalonians 1:9

"They [those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus] will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might..."

In today's culture, there are many who do not believe in a physical hell. Some say that we have hell on earth, when we have difficult times, and others say that there is no such place, because God is too loving to have created it. In these two statements, we find a fundamental misunderstanding of hell. The first is based on a wrong definition of hell. Those that say we have hell on earth are defining hell as a place of tormenting and punishment. They see hell as only God's punishment on those that disobey Him. However, this is not the sole purpose of hell. The others have the complete wrong view of what loving means. Their view of love is warped and twisted. We find the other purpose of hell, by having a true definition of love. Although hell is a place of punishment for the wicked (which we cry out for, when we see injustice and evil), it is also a place of choice. See, dear brothers and sisters, without choice, there can be no love. This is why, in the garden of Eden, there had to be the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and the commandment to not eat of it. Adam and Eve were given the choice to either love God and stay in His presence, or disobey God (which is to not love Him) and not be in His presence, and we have the same choice. Forced love is rape. God will not force anyone to spend eternity with Him, and since we are created as eternal beings (Genesis 2:7), we must have eternal dwelling. The fundamental misunderstanding of hell is the answer to this question: why is hell so terrible? It is not the worms or the gnashing of teeth, or the fire. It is being away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might. This is why it is folly to claim that hell could be on earth, because as dark and terrible as the earth is, the presence of God is here: within those in the body of Christ dwells the Spirit of God. Because of this presence, earth could never be hell. The thought then is in my mind, if earth is this bad, with the presence of God (even on a minuet scale), how terrible would a place devoid of His working presence be? How wonderful would a place completely filled with His presence be? Those that spend eternity separated from God, do so after coming face to face with Him in judgement. They face Him and see that everything about Him is true: His beauty and majesty, His love and power, and all that is our Lord, and they are faced with the fact that they chose to be separated from Him. This is why hell is so terrible. Some may say that God is unfair to force us to make a decision of eternal consequence this side of eternity with no proof, but if it were not by faith, then the blessing would be lessened. When Jesus appears, every knee will bow, but not out of love. We were created for relationship, not for mindless praise. This is why it must be now. It can not wait. Do not put off any longer, because the reality is this: the choice is to spend eternity with God or without God, and it must be made this side of eternity.   

Leviathan and Pride

Job 41:1-10

“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook or press down his tongue with a cord? Can you put a rope in his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook?3 Will he make many pleas to you? Will he speak to you soft words? Will he make a covenant with you to take him for your servant forever? Will you play with him as with a bird, or will you put him on a leash for your girls? Will traders bargain over him? Will they divide him up among the merchants? Can you fill his skin with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? Lay your hands on him; remember the battle—you will not do it again! Behold, the hope of a man is false; he is laid low even at the sight of him. No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up. Who then is he who can stand before me?"

Brothers and sisters, may we stay away from pride. It was pride that led Job and his three friends to think that they had a complete understanding of God. Not one of them was able to explain to Job why these terrible things had happened to him. His "friends" scoffed him, and said that he must be wicked--they knew how God worked. They knew the formula exactly: wicked people are punished and good people are rewarded. How short sighted they were to ignore the eternity that follows this brief time on earth. We in the same way think that we have great knowledge of God. We speak on His behalf on many matters. We console others in the faith with explanations for why things happened in such and such a way. I would give a warning to those who always have advice: shut up and let God speak. We are too quick to give an answer without prayer. We open our mouths before we open our hearts and ears to hear what God might have us say. We have such pride in that we think we understand God. Job's pride was in that he thought he could stand before almighty God. However, if we are unable to stand in the presence of one of God's creations, how could we ever stand before Him? If we are unable to harness and grasp the creation, how dare we state that we have grasped the knowledge of God completely. In all reality, we shall never meet the end of God's knowledge. He is so far outside of our understanding. We explore His creation, and cannot find an end to it. We have split the atom, and found even smaller pieces. We have built a larger telescope, and have still not found the end of His universe. How could we ever understand God, when we can not even understand His creation? Let us humble ourselves and come to God as Job does:

Job 42:1-6

"Then Job answered the Lord and said:

'I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. "Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?" Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. "Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me." I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.'” 

Confess that God is almighty, and we are nothing, ask for forgiveness for our careless words, repent and turn from our pride to the all knowing, all powerful living God. 

Thief in the Night

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

"Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, 'There is peace and security,' then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."

Beware of those who claim to know when Jesus will return. I have had many conversations in which the person with whom I was speaking has stated, "I think Jesus is coming back soon." They cite scripture on earthquakes and rumors of war and point out what is happening in the world. Although I pray that they are right, it has been my own observation that in every decade there have been these things, especially if we get out of the ethnocentric mindset, for I do not think that Jesus was referring to wars with the United States, when he spoke on the subject in 30 A.D. Have not the conditions for Christ's return been in full force since the age in which he left? Why else would the Apostles warn in their letters that the time was short? I believe that God, in His infinite wisdom, has set up events in such a way that we always have rumors of war and natural disasters. The reason, some might ask... because only God knows the time of Christ's return, and He wants to keep it that way. Jesus says in the parable of the thief that if we knew when the thief was coming we would be ready and also in another parable He speaks of a servant who was left in charge of other servants and decided since his master was not returning to begin to mistreat the other servants. These parables illustrate to us that if we want to be ready when Christ returns, we must be ready at all times. Like the watchful servants, in the parable of the wedding party, we need to be ready to greet our master as he returns. And in the parable of the groomsmen, we need to have our oil in our lamps. "Be prepared" is the warning, not "Predict the date." 

I liken Jesus' second coming to His first. There were many in that time (the Pharisees) who thought they knew how the Messiah would come. They thought they had everything figured out, and then God threw them through a loop, when He sent a baby instead. And not only a baby, a baby who's mission on earth was to die innocently. Not even the disciples, whom Jesus told, understood God's plan of salvation, until after Jesus rose from the dead and taught them. In the same way, I believe that no one will understand how the events of Jesus' second coming will unfold, until after it has happened. And we will look on the scriptures, and Jesus will so graciously say to us (as He did to those on the Emmaus road), "Oh you fools, did you not understand the scriptures that this was the only way it could have happened."   And we will see how it was plain in our faces the entire time, and yet we did not see it. One thing is for certain, brothers and sisters, Jesus will return. And when He does, those that He has chosen will not be caught up in wrath, but in salvation. And those that Jesus has chosen will be busy about His work now, until he returns. Only those that continue to the end will have the reward. Only those who run the race to the finish line will have the reward. What is the reward, one may ask? Eternal life. So be ready, friends. Stand firm in the faith, and know for certainty that our King will come back for us, and even if we have fallen asleep, He will awaken us. Be prepared. 

Useful Scripture

2 Timothy 3:12-17

"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

1 Timothy 4:8

"For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."

The word value and profitable in these two passages of scripture come from the same Greek word meaning to have value. To have value, something must be useful or rare. There are many alive today, who value scripture, but only because of the "rareness" of it. By this I mean that they value scripture as being like a nice painting to be placed over their mantel. To take the words and put them in nice picture frames, because the words are a "rare" find. However, to be valuable means much more than just rarity. I believe in these two verses, we see that the value of Scripture comes from its usefulness in training us in righteousness and godliness. If we limit Scripture to only being nice words of encouragement to us, then we misuse it. The same scripture spoken of here, is also the one that cuts us deep. The same scripture spoken of here, is what the Holy Spirit uses to reveal sin in our lives. This scripture is useful! We read it far too often to get good feelings deep inside, but this is idol worship. The scripture has a purpose, and it is to a) reveal sin in our life and b) teach us how to live. Of course it is also the story of God's love and a sacrificing Savior, I am not trying to demean this. But the Savior was sacrificed, so that we could have the grace to practice righteousness--the righteousness that we learn from studying the Scriptures, which are the Word of God, Himself. Also, this Jesus said that anyone who listened or read the Word of God and did not do what it said is like a man who built his house on sand, and in the verses that precede this parable we find the illustration explained. There are two types of "Christians" that approach the throne of Judgement. There will be many who approach proud of what they have done, and Jesus will look upon them and say "I never knew you. Away with you, you workers of lawlessness." Lawlessness means to have no law, meaning to not do what Scripture says to do. To know it and not obey it. We have many today who find security in the fact that they go to church, read their Bibles everyday, serve at the soup kitchen, and this or that. A person can read their Bible everyday, and not do a single thing it says to do. A person can go to church every Sunday, and the words from the preacher have no effect on their life. There is no change. Even serving at the soup kitchen could be done only with the poor motives that someone will look on and think "how holy he/she must be." Jesus says that we have our reward, if we do things to be seen by men. Scripture is useful. We must read it, and be changed by it. We must study it, and apply it. We must be quick to quote it, in times of temptation, as Jesus our example did. To leave it on the shelf in our bedroom, or in the shelf of our heart and not use it, is a disgrace. Let us instead, spend daily time in it, and not only look for nice comforting words, but ask the Holy Spirit to cut and break us, by it, if necessary. Here is a prayer that I pray, every time I approach the word of God. I shouldn't say every time, but when I was a little boy, I did pray it every time. 

Father God,
As I read your word today, please give me understanding. Show me the places in which I fall short. Speak to me through Your word, today. Help me to read it, not selfishly or with poor motives, but to genuinely seek You in it. Change me by Your word, today, and give me the grace to do what it says. 
Amen.

May God's Word be useful and valuable in our lives!