John 9:7 (NASB) Jesus said unto him, “go wash in the Pool of Siloam,” (which is translated, Sent)
In parentheses the author of this passage seems to be telling us about a hidden meaning correlated to the pool being called "send" or "sent." The idea of Jesus being the one “sent of God” is obviously seen here. But the root of the meaning of “sent” has no direct correlation to Christ, it comes from the water flowing down from the stream right up to the outer wall of Jerusalem, the stream “sent” waters flowing to the city.
But there is a hidden message, one not quite as obvious, unless you study the Jewish culture and traditions of that time.
According to the SDA Bible commentary this event In John 9 took place right around the Feast of Tabernacles. According to the New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible: at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles, as part of the end of their celebration, the Jewish people would go out from the city, beyond the wall, down to the pool of Siloam, near the Temple, there they would gather water, bring the water into the Temple and pour it over the altar.
The Feast of Tabernacles had a twofold symbolism. It was a festival of thanksgiving at the end of harvest time and also for seven days the people would live in tents. This was so that they could remember how their forefathers dwelt in tents in the wilderness for forty years. Jesus knew the Feast of Tabernacles was fresh in the people’s minds. Possibly they had just recently hauled buckets of water from the pool to the altar. The people could associate with going to the pool and gathering water on the last day of the Feast. The pool because of its close proximity to the temple was a source of water for cleansing purposes in the temple. Although the Feast of Tabernacles was the final holiday of the Jewish year, it began five days after Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement (the symbolic end and total removal of the existence of sin.)
The Feast of Tabernacles was a time of joyous celebration, the highlight of the year. The event completed the year of rituals for the sanctuary services. It was a dramatic change from Yom Kippur, the most solemn time of the year. At the end of the Feast of Tabernacles symbolically the wandering in the wilderness is over, the time of harvest is come (the second coming of Christ to redeem the earth.) By pouring water over the alter, the people were starting fresh for the new year of rituals to begin. The next Jewish festival to come was the Passover. In the next Passover, the time of fulfillment was to take place, Christ was to die.
So Jesus sent the man formerly born blind to the pool of Siloam where the last event of the Jewish calendar had probably just taken place, where the waters seemed to represent a cleansing and a fresh start. But also pointed forward to the start of the new year of sanctuary services, in which Christ Himself was to be the fulfillment as the true Lamb of God who was to die as the Passover Lamb.
In sending the blind man to the pool of Siloam Jesus was calling out to the Jews at that time, and down the ages through all time to the entire world- “I want to open your eyes! See that the time of fulfillment is now beginning. The true Lamb has arrived and the true sacrifice will take place at the very next Passover, I will be ready for the slaughter. Will you open your eyes and see what is about to happen or will you be blind to what I am going to do for you?”
Compare this story with a time in your life that God showed you something important that He wanted you to see? What kind of thing has God worked out in your life that seemed to be telling you something? Explain what happened and what you think God was telling you?
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Matthew 14:28,29
Matt. 14:28,29, (NLT) Then Peter called to him, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water." "Yes, come," Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.
Jesus sent the disciples out on the boat in order to cross over to the other side, and again like once before a storm arose. This time Jesus was not in the boat with them to calm the waters when they thought they were going to die. They had learned that if Jesus was with them they would be safe. But this time Jesus was not with them. The storm was getting bad, it was the middle of the night, all they could think to do was row as hard as they could to get to the shore. Then suddenly they saw a spirit coming for them, was it the angel of death that took the lives of the firstborn in Egypt during the plagues? Was the angel of death now coming for them? They were not thinking clearly, this was a time of stress, they were tired and scared, and there was someone or something moving, walking on the water. That would be enough to freak anyone out. They had to be thinking, why did Jesus send us out on this boat? “We must be about to die.”
When fear reached the stage of hopelessness, Jesus tried to reveal Himself to them, coming to their rescue, but they didn’t recognize Him. Jesus called out to them and told them not to be afraid. He tried to tell them to have courage, I am on my way! In the storm once before, Jesus was right beside them asleep in the storm. This time Jesus wanted to take the storm out of them before He took them out of the storm of life.
They all must have wondered if it really was Jesus or just their imagination. But Peter, impulsive as always, asked Jesus to tell him to come out on the water with him if this was really happening. Jesus didn't say, "Sorry, Peter, but water-walking is Just for Messiahs only." No, he said one simple word: “Come.”
Peter climbed out onto the stormy waves and started walking on the water! But almost immediately after he started, he took his eyes off Jesus and started to regret this crazy idea. “Help me Lord” he shouted, as he began to drop beneath the waves. Immediately Jesus was at his side and lifted him up and walked with him back into the boat.
God calls us to do impossible things by faith. And sometimes, like Peter, we step right out to do them without thinking. And that is when Satan hits us upside the head. Life reminds us that drowning is a real possibility. Although it must have taken a lot of faith for Peter to take that first step out of the boat in the middle of the night with gust of wind and rain knocking him off balance and big waves rolling right
toward him. “What was I thinking?”
What kind of boat did Jesus tell you to get in? It is inevitable, if you are in Jesus’ boat long enough Satan is going to send you a storm. To have faith it is not always a requirement to walk on water. But it is a requirement to keep your eyes on Jesus and recognize His presence coming to your rescue, or possibly He has been beside you all along and you forgot He was there. Don’t let the circumstances make you forget that Jesus is never far away. If you want to walk on water like Peter did, you can. Storms are God’s specialty, claim the promise He made to Peter, “come.” The promise Jesus has always made to us, “come unto me” is ours to claim. If He is on the water, then there is no better place for you to be than there with Him too.
Remember Peter didn’t choose to go on a boat ride on his own. Jesus sent him. Be like Peter and believe you can do the impossible, if Jesus called you to be where you are, but the situation looks impossible, then it is time to do the impossible. It is time to climb out of the boat.
Describe the last storm of life you remember being in? Explain in detail how you responded to the situation? Did your response fall into one of these categories:
1. Did you try to row to the shore to get to safety as quickly as possible?
2. Did you quit and call the coast guard to rescue you out of the boat?
3. Did you ignore the storm and wait it out?
4. Did you forget Jesus was asleep in the boat and wake him up and request He calm the sea for you?
5. Did you say “Take me with you Lord,” please, take me out on the water with you?
Summarize why you think your response to the storm fit into one of these five categories? Or share and summarize your own different category?
Jesus sent the disciples out on the boat in order to cross over to the other side, and again like once before a storm arose. This time Jesus was not in the boat with them to calm the waters when they thought they were going to die. They had learned that if Jesus was with them they would be safe. But this time Jesus was not with them. The storm was getting bad, it was the middle of the night, all they could think to do was row as hard as they could to get to the shore. Then suddenly they saw a spirit coming for them, was it the angel of death that took the lives of the firstborn in Egypt during the plagues? Was the angel of death now coming for them? They were not thinking clearly, this was a time of stress, they were tired and scared, and there was someone or something moving, walking on the water. That would be enough to freak anyone out. They had to be thinking, why did Jesus send us out on this boat? “We must be about to die.”
When fear reached the stage of hopelessness, Jesus tried to reveal Himself to them, coming to their rescue, but they didn’t recognize Him. Jesus called out to them and told them not to be afraid. He tried to tell them to have courage, I am on my way! In the storm once before, Jesus was right beside them asleep in the storm. This time Jesus wanted to take the storm out of them before He took them out of the storm of life.
They all must have wondered if it really was Jesus or just their imagination. But Peter, impulsive as always, asked Jesus to tell him to come out on the water with him if this was really happening. Jesus didn't say, "Sorry, Peter, but water-walking is Just for Messiahs only." No, he said one simple word: “Come.”
Peter climbed out onto the stormy waves and started walking on the water! But almost immediately after he started, he took his eyes off Jesus and started to regret this crazy idea. “Help me Lord” he shouted, as he began to drop beneath the waves. Immediately Jesus was at his side and lifted him up and walked with him back into the boat.
God calls us to do impossible things by faith. And sometimes, like Peter, we step right out to do them without thinking. And that is when Satan hits us upside the head. Life reminds us that drowning is a real possibility. Although it must have taken a lot of faith for Peter to take that first step out of the boat in the middle of the night with gust of wind and rain knocking him off balance and big waves rolling right
toward him. “What was I thinking?”
What kind of boat did Jesus tell you to get in? It is inevitable, if you are in Jesus’ boat long enough Satan is going to send you a storm. To have faith it is not always a requirement to walk on water. But it is a requirement to keep your eyes on Jesus and recognize His presence coming to your rescue, or possibly He has been beside you all along and you forgot He was there. Don’t let the circumstances make you forget that Jesus is never far away. If you want to walk on water like Peter did, you can. Storms are God’s specialty, claim the promise He made to Peter, “come.” The promise Jesus has always made to us, “come unto me” is ours to claim. If He is on the water, then there is no better place for you to be than there with Him too.
Remember Peter didn’t choose to go on a boat ride on his own. Jesus sent him. Be like Peter and believe you can do the impossible, if Jesus called you to be where you are, but the situation looks impossible, then it is time to do the impossible. It is time to climb out of the boat.
Describe the last storm of life you remember being in? Explain in detail how you responded to the situation? Did your response fall into one of these categories:
1. Did you try to row to the shore to get to safety as quickly as possible?
2. Did you quit and call the coast guard to rescue you out of the boat?
3. Did you ignore the storm and wait it out?
4. Did you forget Jesus was asleep in the boat and wake him up and request He calm the sea for you?
5. Did you say “Take me with you Lord,” please, take me out on the water with you?
Summarize why you think your response to the storm fit into one of these five categories? Or share and summarize your own different category?
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Romans 12:9-14, 20-21
Rom. 12:9-14, 20-21 (KJV) "Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."
The context of this passage is in reference to the body of Christ. Therefore it describes the type of love we should have for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Brotherly love like God expects from us is the same kind of love the Son of God revealed when He came to die for us. God trusted Adam and Eve, he gave them Paradise, and they betrayed Him. The world has rebelled against God. We are so undeserving of the reckless forgiveness God has freely provided for us. Because of Gods compassion for us we should have the same kind of reckless love for our brethren. God was not narrow minded and turned off by our filthy condition. Anyone else would have taken one look at our planet and said, "those people down there are just gross, we need to just stay away from them." But God decided not to leave us in our filth to rot. God was broad minded enough to see potential for our restoration. When anyone else would have said, "They made their choices, now they will have to suffer the consequences." God said, there is no sacrifice too great I am not willing to make in order to save them.
Dan's paraphrase of Rom. 12:9-14, 20-21
Brotherly love is to be sincere and without hypocrisy. Don't just say that you love the people you fellowship with, but let your actions prove it. Definitely don't let your actions differ from your words. God knows the motives behind everything you do. So let your true motive always be for doing good. Having an evil motive should be far from you.
If you want to show your brothers and sisters in Christ that you really care for them then you need to learn ways to express your affection to them. This may include, small gifts of appreciation, greeting them with a hug, thoughtful notes and cards, remembering their birthdays and anniversaries, just look for anything that meets their everyday needs. Reach out to them socially, emotionally and spiritually. Be like a mentor, the goal is to demonstrate brotherly love. The key to making a relationship is starting with getting to know one another, so open up and learn about one another.
Build trust, if you tell them you are going to do a favor for them, get to it right away, procrastination shows your disinterest in them and tells them that you really don't care. If they want you to pray for them, don't just offer to pray for them later, why not pray with them right now about it. Together the two of you can pray fervently in the spirit with one another.
As brothers and sisters in the family of God you should be active in ministry together, and as you serve God, share the hopes and dreams you have for following Christ and then rejoice with one another as you see your dreams come true. When times get tough don't be a fly by night friend, but be there for them, be a hand to hold or a shoulder to cry on. Be available for prayer in the spur of the moment, hard times are good times to be instant in prayer.
Give freely of what you have if your brothers or sisters need it more than you. If there is a need, open up your home and say my door is open to you, my refrigerator is your refrigerator.
There may be people in the church that have not treated you right. They may have talked about you behind your back or slandered your name. When this happens make sure you return their evil with kindness. Don't do to them as they did to you, but rather go pout of your way to seek to do extra special things for them. Difficult time happen to everyone, so be sure you are the first to come to their rescue. If something bad happens to them, don't give in to the temptation to rejoice in their suffering, rather weep with them in their pain.
Describe how you have been shown love like this by someone you have fellowshiped with? Have you show reckless love toward a brother or sister in Christ before, explain what you did?
The context of this passage is in reference to the body of Christ. Therefore it describes the type of love we should have for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Brotherly love like God expects from us is the same kind of love the Son of God revealed when He came to die for us. God trusted Adam and Eve, he gave them Paradise, and they betrayed Him. The world has rebelled against God. We are so undeserving of the reckless forgiveness God has freely provided for us. Because of Gods compassion for us we should have the same kind of reckless love for our brethren. God was not narrow minded and turned off by our filthy condition. Anyone else would have taken one look at our planet and said, "those people down there are just gross, we need to just stay away from them." But God decided not to leave us in our filth to rot. God was broad minded enough to see potential for our restoration. When anyone else would have said, "They made their choices, now they will have to suffer the consequences." God said, there is no sacrifice too great I am not willing to make in order to save them.
Dan's paraphrase of Rom. 12:9-14, 20-21
Brotherly love is to be sincere and without hypocrisy. Don't just say that you love the people you fellowship with, but let your actions prove it. Definitely don't let your actions differ from your words. God knows the motives behind everything you do. So let your true motive always be for doing good. Having an evil motive should be far from you.
If you want to show your brothers and sisters in Christ that you really care for them then you need to learn ways to express your affection to them. This may include, small gifts of appreciation, greeting them with a hug, thoughtful notes and cards, remembering their birthdays and anniversaries, just look for anything that meets their everyday needs. Reach out to them socially, emotionally and spiritually. Be like a mentor, the goal is to demonstrate brotherly love. The key to making a relationship is starting with getting to know one another, so open up and learn about one another.
Build trust, if you tell them you are going to do a favor for them, get to it right away, procrastination shows your disinterest in them and tells them that you really don't care. If they want you to pray for them, don't just offer to pray for them later, why not pray with them right now about it. Together the two of you can pray fervently in the spirit with one another.
As brothers and sisters in the family of God you should be active in ministry together, and as you serve God, share the hopes and dreams you have for following Christ and then rejoice with one another as you see your dreams come true. When times get tough don't be a fly by night friend, but be there for them, be a hand to hold or a shoulder to cry on. Be available for prayer in the spur of the moment, hard times are good times to be instant in prayer.
Give freely of what you have if your brothers or sisters need it more than you. If there is a need, open up your home and say my door is open to you, my refrigerator is your refrigerator.
There may be people in the church that have not treated you right. They may have talked about you behind your back or slandered your name. When this happens make sure you return their evil with kindness. Don't do to them as they did to you, but rather go pout of your way to seek to do extra special things for them. Difficult time happen to everyone, so be sure you are the first to come to their rescue. If something bad happens to them, don't give in to the temptation to rejoice in their suffering, rather weep with them in their pain.
Describe how you have been shown love like this by someone you have fellowshiped with? Have you show reckless love toward a brother or sister in Christ before, explain what you did?
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
I Corinthians 13:4-8
1 Cor 13:4-8 (KJV) "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth."
Love is showing kindness. Kindness that is an end in itself. Love that doesn't expect a return. The kindness we share has the end goal of kindness alone.
Dan's paraphrase of 1 Cor 13:4-8
Love quietly waits for unpleasant situations to pass and through it all love remains kind. Love does not compare its lot in life against any body elses lot. He who has love does not need to show it off to other people nor does he want to be a show off himself. Love behaves right by being compassionate, sympathetic, empathetic, respectful, courteous, supportive and generous. However, love never does any of these things for ulterior motives. Someone without love may try to irritate the person with love in cruel ways but love will continue to show patient understanding toward them. Love will not imagine ways to get back at them. Love even becomes sad when tragedy falls on those who have provoked him and love is happy for them when they come to know and experience genuine love for themselves. Love puts up with all sorts of garbage because love has incredible faith that great miracles will soon take place and turn the garbage into treasure. Love has the power to fulfill the highest aspirations and accomplish unfathomable good. Love claims all the promises of God, not only for himself but for others also. Patiently trusting that everything will work out in the end, there is nothing love cannot fix. Although nothing of this earth will last forever, love is not of this earth. The love we have shown to others will never go away, its effects will follow people enriching lives in unimaginable ways and its ripples will only become wider encompassing the universe throughout eternity.
Describe how God's love has made a difference in your life? Compare your personal experience applying love with the ultimate love described in this passage?
Love is showing kindness. Kindness that is an end in itself. Love that doesn't expect a return. The kindness we share has the end goal of kindness alone.
Dan's paraphrase of 1 Cor 13:4-8
Love quietly waits for unpleasant situations to pass and through it all love remains kind. Love does not compare its lot in life against any body elses lot. He who has love does not need to show it off to other people nor does he want to be a show off himself. Love behaves right by being compassionate, sympathetic, empathetic, respectful, courteous, supportive and generous. However, love never does any of these things for ulterior motives. Someone without love may try to irritate the person with love in cruel ways but love will continue to show patient understanding toward them. Love will not imagine ways to get back at them. Love even becomes sad when tragedy falls on those who have provoked him and love is happy for them when they come to know and experience genuine love for themselves. Love puts up with all sorts of garbage because love has incredible faith that great miracles will soon take place and turn the garbage into treasure. Love has the power to fulfill the highest aspirations and accomplish unfathomable good. Love claims all the promises of God, not only for himself but for others also. Patiently trusting that everything will work out in the end, there is nothing love cannot fix. Although nothing of this earth will last forever, love is not of this earth. The love we have shown to others will never go away, its effects will follow people enriching lives in unimaginable ways and its ripples will only become wider encompassing the universe throughout eternity.
Describe how God's love has made a difference in your life? Compare your personal experience applying love with the ultimate love described in this passage?
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Hebrews 13:5
Heb 13:5 (NIV) Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:24-25.) I need to ask myself from time to time, “am I serving mammon?” If I am serving God I wouldn’t care about what I will eat or drink. But when I am serving mammon my wife and I may worry or fight over money. I have heard it said that in Christ’s day mammon was an actual pagan deity that represented prosperity. So that makes mammon the false god of prosperity. Much of the pagan idolatry at that time was connected to demonic forces, and today these demons are some of the Devils most powerful weapons to turn the hearts of Jesus’ followers away from God. Mammon is an evil spirit that causes men and women to give power and authority to money when money in reality it has no value and especially no power whatsoever. Mammon causes people to become fearful of running out of money when actually God supplies all our needs. Then mammon turns our hearts to love money and trust riches when our hearts are supposed to belong to God, and trust God alone. Once totally possessed by mammon people become corrupted by it then they will conspire in greedy ways to unethically acquire as much money as they can get.
A rich young ruler came to Jesus and wanted to know how to inherit eternal life, (Matt 19:16-21.) Jesus said “sell all that you have and give it to the poor, then come follow me.” How many of us could actually do something like that. When you are accustom to the finest clothes, the finest foods, servants waiting on your every need. Give it all away and live in destitution following around a Prophet, hated by the Priest and Pharisees. Jesus did. He was clothed in finer clothes than any human ever wore, ate the most perfect and delicious foods ever eaten from heaven. Angles served Him, and worshiped Him. He gave it all up and became a human child. Human birth is a nasty thing accompanied by blood and sometimes feces, as Mary cried with pain Jesus was born on the ground in a barn, He was wrapped in strips of cloth, and laid to sleep on straw in either a cow or donkey’s feeding troth. If only the rich young ruler had listened more carefully he would have heard Jesus say, “I have true riches for you, give everything you now have away, but you will lose nothing, and you will have treasure in heaven” The Bible asks the rhetorical question, “Can a man out give God?” I dare you to try.
It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, mammon can consume the hearts of all. The rich want more money and desire power from it so they collect it because they are afraid they may someday lose it. The poor have so little they protect what little they have. But protecting it is also another way of following Mammon. The story of the Widow’s mites is told in Luke 21:1-4 (NLT) and gives us a good example of how to have true riches. “While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. "I tell you the truth," Jesus said, "this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has."” Jesus praised this woman's generous and sacrificial giving. As followers of Jesus, we should be willing to give all—whether money, time, or talents—its only real value is when we put it in the LORD’s hands to use. If Jesus was willing to be satisfied with living day by day on what God provided for Him, then I can too. I can live with less and I can stop desiring more and accumulating more things than I need. It is so easy to look at what other people have and start to resent what I am missing. Instead I should be praising God that He has provided just the sufficient amount that I needed today. When we become materialistic we are saying to God, you can’t take care of me well enough, or at least not the way I want to be taken care of, and our drive for materialism leads us to a love of money. The cure for the sickness of mammon is to trust God to meet all our needs.
Have you experienced times where you trusted God to meet all your needs? What happened? How did God fulfill this promise in your life?
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:24-25.) I need to ask myself from time to time, “am I serving mammon?” If I am serving God I wouldn’t care about what I will eat or drink. But when I am serving mammon my wife and I may worry or fight over money. I have heard it said that in Christ’s day mammon was an actual pagan deity that represented prosperity. So that makes mammon the false god of prosperity. Much of the pagan idolatry at that time was connected to demonic forces, and today these demons are some of the Devils most powerful weapons to turn the hearts of Jesus’ followers away from God. Mammon is an evil spirit that causes men and women to give power and authority to money when money in reality it has no value and especially no power whatsoever. Mammon causes people to become fearful of running out of money when actually God supplies all our needs. Then mammon turns our hearts to love money and trust riches when our hearts are supposed to belong to God, and trust God alone. Once totally possessed by mammon people become corrupted by it then they will conspire in greedy ways to unethically acquire as much money as they can get.
A rich young ruler came to Jesus and wanted to know how to inherit eternal life, (Matt 19:16-21.) Jesus said “sell all that you have and give it to the poor, then come follow me.” How many of us could actually do something like that. When you are accustom to the finest clothes, the finest foods, servants waiting on your every need. Give it all away and live in destitution following around a Prophet, hated by the Priest and Pharisees. Jesus did. He was clothed in finer clothes than any human ever wore, ate the most perfect and delicious foods ever eaten from heaven. Angles served Him, and worshiped Him. He gave it all up and became a human child. Human birth is a nasty thing accompanied by blood and sometimes feces, as Mary cried with pain Jesus was born on the ground in a barn, He was wrapped in strips of cloth, and laid to sleep on straw in either a cow or donkey’s feeding troth. If only the rich young ruler had listened more carefully he would have heard Jesus say, “I have true riches for you, give everything you now have away, but you will lose nothing, and you will have treasure in heaven” The Bible asks the rhetorical question, “Can a man out give God?” I dare you to try.
It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, mammon can consume the hearts of all. The rich want more money and desire power from it so they collect it because they are afraid they may someday lose it. The poor have so little they protect what little they have. But protecting it is also another way of following Mammon. The story of the Widow’s mites is told in Luke 21:1-4 (NLT) and gives us a good example of how to have true riches. “While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. "I tell you the truth," Jesus said, "this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has."” Jesus praised this woman's generous and sacrificial giving. As followers of Jesus, we should be willing to give all—whether money, time, or talents—its only real value is when we put it in the LORD’s hands to use. If Jesus was willing to be satisfied with living day by day on what God provided for Him, then I can too. I can live with less and I can stop desiring more and accumulating more things than I need. It is so easy to look at what other people have and start to resent what I am missing. Instead I should be praising God that He has provided just the sufficient amount that I needed today. When we become materialistic we are saying to God, you can’t take care of me well enough, or at least not the way I want to be taken care of, and our drive for materialism leads us to a love of money. The cure for the sickness of mammon is to trust God to meet all our needs.
Have you experienced times where you trusted God to meet all your needs? What happened? How did God fulfill this promise in your life?
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Hebrews 12:1-2
Heb 12:1-2 (NLT) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne.”
Heb. 11:6 says “without faith it is impossible to please God.” So it is important for us to know what faith is and how to apply it. I believe faith has three essential elements, in the same way that fire must have three specific ingredients to burn: oxygen + combustible material +heat, without any one of these ingredients fire cannot burn. Likewise faith must have these three ingredients to activate it: hope + plausibility + questioning, without any one of these ingredients faith cannot work.
1st - Hope: Hope is the active ingredient of faith, as heat is the active ingredient of fire. There must be something you are hoping for; otherwise having faith in it would be irrelevant. We ultimately have hope in the promises of God. Therefore, God’s promises acts as the catalyst that motivates our faith (a catalyst causes a reaction.) “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” Rom. 10:17.
2nd - Plausibility: The thing that you are hoping for must have at least the smallest degree of possibility. Something that is absolutely impossible or totally untrue is unworthy of faith. For example, one should not put any faith in the ability to become invisible or to jump off a building and fly. Plausibility is the fuel for our faith, the combustible material. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for,” (Heb. 11:1.) Substance means material. If it is plausible then it is the real or essential part of the element of that thing. A substance is the physical matter of which a thing consists. It is the REAL part of our lives. In the end, there must be substance in what we have faith in otherwise our faith in it will be impossible to maintain over a long period of time.
3rd - Questioning: A small degree of doubt must exist otherwise faith becomes a fact. “and (faith) is the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1.) However, there must be a balance because God never asks us to believe without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our faith. But at the same time if something is a proven fact, faith in it becomes obsolete, for example, the fact that “the earth is round.” This fact needs no faith to accept it as truth because we already know it is 100% true. A hint of question will always exist in everything because God never removes the possibility of doubt. This is why our faith must rest upon evidence of things unseen, not things proven. Here is the dichotomy, on one hand; you can snuff out a fire by removing its source of oxygen, like you can snuff out faith by turning it into a fact. Likewise, on the other hand; if you have too much doubt, it will blow out the faith in the same way the wind blows out a match.
Hebrews Ch. 11 traced the history of some of the great men and women of the Bible leading up to Hebrews Ch. 12 (the huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith spoken about.) Let’s look at a few of them and see how their faith consisted of hope + plausibility + questioning.
We are told in Heb 11:7 that Noah was “warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.” Noah had hope because God promised to save him from the flood, it was plausible because God said it would happen, and was there room for doubt? Sure there was, the whole earth covered in water, that was an enormous question! Abraham in Heb 11:8 was “called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” There was hope, God promised him the inheritance of a “city whose architect and builder is God.” Was this plausible, yes, the New Jerusalem, in Heaven is the city he looked for. Was there the possibility of doubt? Yes, there was. He searched for that city, but never found it, but still claimed it as the inheritance of his children. Abraham and Sarah were promised descendants as “numerous as the stars in the sky,” they had hope. But they were past the age of having children and had none up to that point, they had doubt, nearly too much doubt. This is what made Abraham’s faith so great, to anyone else the promise was implausible, but to Abraham, because God said it He believed it even though Sara laughed at the idea. Moses and the children of Israel “crossed the Red Sea on dry land.” They had hope; God promised them that he would deliver them from out of Egypt. The Egyptian army was swarming down upon them to kill them and take revenge on them for the plagues. They were trapped between the mountains on two sides, the Egyptians behind them and the Red Sea in front of them. To Moses the escape was plausible, so he struck the Red Sea with his rod, and the sea divided. Was there the possibility of doubt that God could rescue them? You better believe it.
The Christian life involves hoping in circumstances where the plausibility seems to be an enormous question. Do we have faith to overcome the doubt or not? To be able to trust God without questioning Him requires that we are spiritually strong. To become strong we need to give up those things that weaken our relationship with God. Our faith needs to be able to run life's race with endurance. The scripture suggest that we cast off any sins because they slow down or faith. Surrender your load of sins at the foot of the cross and by the power of the Holy Spirit start running by faith. To not just walk by faith, but in order to run by faith effectively, we must keep our eyes on Jesus. If we keep our eyes on Him we will not stumble. Looking away from Him in order to to look at ourselves or at the circumstances surrounding us makes the doubts grow so large that they can snuff out our faith. Finally, we need to be running this race for Christ, not for ourselves, because when we win the race and people see our great acts of faith we will glory God, who is the author and finisher of our faith.
God's promise to us is that if we are faithful, and continue follow him, we will stand before His throne and sing for joy a new song about how he redeemed us. (Rev 14:3)
Have you ever had faith that God could really do something outrageously big, almost implausible? What was it? Describe any hint of doubt you had that He would actually do it?
Heb. 11:6 says “without faith it is impossible to please God.” So it is important for us to know what faith is and how to apply it. I believe faith has three essential elements, in the same way that fire must have three specific ingredients to burn: oxygen + combustible material +heat, without any one of these ingredients fire cannot burn. Likewise faith must have these three ingredients to activate it: hope + plausibility + questioning, without any one of these ingredients faith cannot work.
1st - Hope: Hope is the active ingredient of faith, as heat is the active ingredient of fire. There must be something you are hoping for; otherwise having faith in it would be irrelevant. We ultimately have hope in the promises of God. Therefore, God’s promises acts as the catalyst that motivates our faith (a catalyst causes a reaction.) “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” Rom. 10:17.
2nd - Plausibility: The thing that you are hoping for must have at least the smallest degree of possibility. Something that is absolutely impossible or totally untrue is unworthy of faith. For example, one should not put any faith in the ability to become invisible or to jump off a building and fly. Plausibility is the fuel for our faith, the combustible material. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for,” (Heb. 11:1.) Substance means material. If it is plausible then it is the real or essential part of the element of that thing. A substance is the physical matter of which a thing consists. It is the REAL part of our lives. In the end, there must be substance in what we have faith in otherwise our faith in it will be impossible to maintain over a long period of time.
3rd - Questioning: A small degree of doubt must exist otherwise faith becomes a fact. “and (faith) is the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1.) However, there must be a balance because God never asks us to believe without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our faith. But at the same time if something is a proven fact, faith in it becomes obsolete, for example, the fact that “the earth is round.” This fact needs no faith to accept it as truth because we already know it is 100% true. A hint of question will always exist in everything because God never removes the possibility of doubt. This is why our faith must rest upon evidence of things unseen, not things proven. Here is the dichotomy, on one hand; you can snuff out a fire by removing its source of oxygen, like you can snuff out faith by turning it into a fact. Likewise, on the other hand; if you have too much doubt, it will blow out the faith in the same way the wind blows out a match.
Hebrews Ch. 11 traced the history of some of the great men and women of the Bible leading up to Hebrews Ch. 12 (the huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith spoken about.) Let’s look at a few of them and see how their faith consisted of hope + plausibility + questioning.
We are told in Heb 11:7 that Noah was “warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.” Noah had hope because God promised to save him from the flood, it was plausible because God said it would happen, and was there room for doubt? Sure there was, the whole earth covered in water, that was an enormous question! Abraham in Heb 11:8 was “called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” There was hope, God promised him the inheritance of a “city whose architect and builder is God.” Was this plausible, yes, the New Jerusalem, in Heaven is the city he looked for. Was there the possibility of doubt? Yes, there was. He searched for that city, but never found it, but still claimed it as the inheritance of his children. Abraham and Sarah were promised descendants as “numerous as the stars in the sky,” they had hope. But they were past the age of having children and had none up to that point, they had doubt, nearly too much doubt. This is what made Abraham’s faith so great, to anyone else the promise was implausible, but to Abraham, because God said it He believed it even though Sara laughed at the idea. Moses and the children of Israel “crossed the Red Sea on dry land.” They had hope; God promised them that he would deliver them from out of Egypt. The Egyptian army was swarming down upon them to kill them and take revenge on them for the plagues. They were trapped between the mountains on two sides, the Egyptians behind them and the Red Sea in front of them. To Moses the escape was plausible, so he struck the Red Sea with his rod, and the sea divided. Was there the possibility of doubt that God could rescue them? You better believe it.
The Christian life involves hoping in circumstances where the plausibility seems to be an enormous question. Do we have faith to overcome the doubt or not? To be able to trust God without questioning Him requires that we are spiritually strong. To become strong we need to give up those things that weaken our relationship with God. Our faith needs to be able to run life's race with endurance. The scripture suggest that we cast off any sins because they slow down or faith. Surrender your load of sins at the foot of the cross and by the power of the Holy Spirit start running by faith. To not just walk by faith, but in order to run by faith effectively, we must keep our eyes on Jesus. If we keep our eyes on Him we will not stumble. Looking away from Him in order to to look at ourselves or at the circumstances surrounding us makes the doubts grow so large that they can snuff out our faith. Finally, we need to be running this race for Christ, not for ourselves, because when we win the race and people see our great acts of faith we will glory God, who is the author and finisher of our faith.
God's promise to us is that if we are faithful, and continue follow him, we will stand before His throne and sing for joy a new song about how he redeemed us. (Rev 14:3)
Have you ever had faith that God could really do something outrageously big, almost implausible? What was it? Describe any hint of doubt you had that He would actually do it?
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
II Timothy 3:16-17
2 Tim 3:16-17 (NIV) “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
I found this translation using “God-breathed” to be fascinating, KJV – says, “given by inspiration of God.” But the Greek word is “theopneustos” (theh-op'-nyoo-stos); it actually means “divinely breathed in.” Today the word inspiration is used to describe a lot of things, including great works of art, modern inventions, classical literature, but inspiration is intended to obviously inspire us toward something, right? Worldly inspiration points us toward our own creativity, it is synonymous with what stimulates our thinking process, or encourages us to have greater insight. Worldly inspiration is a humanistic reaction. However, what better thing to be inspired by then God? Theopneustos tells me that, God is the ultimate source of inspiration because God breathed it. True inspiration does not originate with men but is sent by God. "For no prophecy recorded in Scripture was ever thought up by the prophet himself. It was the Holy Spirit within these godly men who gave them true messages from God." 2 Pet. 1:21, (TLB). The (NIV) says it “never had its origin in the will of man.” Inspiration is not just about a warm glow you get inside when you like something. It is not just flowery words or fantastic ideas or incredible techniques. Inspiration has a purpose, it has meaning, it is God’s relevant message to us. Amos 3:7, (NIV) says "Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets." Even more astounding, inspiration tells us accurately what will happen. Because what the scriptures revealed “came true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens." Isaiah 42:9, (TLB). That is why the scriptures are useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and teaching, that is why they are able to equip the Christian to walk the spiritual life. The scriptures are trustworthy and will bless you when you use them to guide your life. The scriptures are our standard for testing everything that claims to be true. And the scriptures are the source of knowledge for how we can inherit eternal life.
But even the scriptures have been and are often used incorrectly in order to mask a person’s actions that are not in line with the spirit of the scriptures. Actions that appear good on the outside but inside have a hidden and craftier motivation. Actions that deep down reveal things like superiority, conceitedness, criticism, rebellion, revenge, self-righteous, piousness, smugness, negativism, hatred, greed, envy, or strife. We use the scriptures incorrectly when we use them in order to get our own way. We use them incorrectly when they are used a rule book, to try to do what is right. They are used incorrectly when we use them for tearing one another down rather than building one another up in the faith. We use the scriptures incorrectly by using the scriptures to tell everyone else what to do without being connected to Christ. The fruit we produce in our lives shows whether or not we are using the scriptures correctly or not.
If you want to have fruit, the best thing to do is to buy a tree that grows fruit. Likewise, if you want to use the scriptures correctly then you need to be connected to the WORD in order to bear fruit in your life. The best thing to do is to let the scriptures connect you to Jesus. Disconnected fruit is no good, it falls to the ground, gets full of bugs and worms and rots, do not pretend to be fruitful or compel other people to be fruitlike either. Because a fruit tree, remember, is what bears fruit because it is a fruit tree, never in order to be a fruit tree. And a Christian does what is right because he is a Christian, never in order to be a Christian. The problem with how we sometimes use the scriptures is how we fail to personally connect to Jesus. Or we are so anxious to use the scriptures to make other people behave how we think they should behave that we forget that other people should connect with Jesus first too.
Here is how we can use the scriptures correctly; we need to take time, alone, at the beginning of every day, to seek Jesus through His Word and through prayer. That is it. When we use the scriptures this way, we come to know Jesus. Once we come to know Jesus then we can surrender our will to Him. Then we make a fresh connection with Jesus, new every morning, become recharged and inspired by Him, let Him breathe into you.
Have you ever experienced inspiration, "God's breath on you," during your devotional time? What did it feel like? Compare how you feel on days when you connect with Christ and the difference in your life on days that you don't?
I found this translation using “God-breathed” to be fascinating, KJV – says, “given by inspiration of God.” But the Greek word is “theopneustos” (theh-op'-nyoo-stos); it actually means “divinely breathed in.” Today the word inspiration is used to describe a lot of things, including great works of art, modern inventions, classical literature, but inspiration is intended to obviously inspire us toward something, right? Worldly inspiration points us toward our own creativity, it is synonymous with what stimulates our thinking process, or encourages us to have greater insight. Worldly inspiration is a humanistic reaction. However, what better thing to be inspired by then God? Theopneustos tells me that, God is the ultimate source of inspiration because God breathed it. True inspiration does not originate with men but is sent by God. "For no prophecy recorded in Scripture was ever thought up by the prophet himself. It was the Holy Spirit within these godly men who gave them true messages from God." 2 Pet. 1:21, (TLB). The (NIV) says it “never had its origin in the will of man.” Inspiration is not just about a warm glow you get inside when you like something. It is not just flowery words or fantastic ideas or incredible techniques. Inspiration has a purpose, it has meaning, it is God’s relevant message to us. Amos 3:7, (NIV) says "Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets." Even more astounding, inspiration tells us accurately what will happen. Because what the scriptures revealed “came true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens." Isaiah 42:9, (TLB). That is why the scriptures are useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and teaching, that is why they are able to equip the Christian to walk the spiritual life. The scriptures are trustworthy and will bless you when you use them to guide your life. The scriptures are our standard for testing everything that claims to be true. And the scriptures are the source of knowledge for how we can inherit eternal life.
But even the scriptures have been and are often used incorrectly in order to mask a person’s actions that are not in line with the spirit of the scriptures. Actions that appear good on the outside but inside have a hidden and craftier motivation. Actions that deep down reveal things like superiority, conceitedness, criticism, rebellion, revenge, self-righteous, piousness, smugness, negativism, hatred, greed, envy, or strife. We use the scriptures incorrectly when we use them in order to get our own way. We use them incorrectly when they are used a rule book, to try to do what is right. They are used incorrectly when we use them for tearing one another down rather than building one another up in the faith. We use the scriptures incorrectly by using the scriptures to tell everyone else what to do without being connected to Christ. The fruit we produce in our lives shows whether or not we are using the scriptures correctly or not.
If you want to have fruit, the best thing to do is to buy a tree that grows fruit. Likewise, if you want to use the scriptures correctly then you need to be connected to the WORD in order to bear fruit in your life. The best thing to do is to let the scriptures connect you to Jesus. Disconnected fruit is no good, it falls to the ground, gets full of bugs and worms and rots, do not pretend to be fruitful or compel other people to be fruitlike either. Because a fruit tree, remember, is what bears fruit because it is a fruit tree, never in order to be a fruit tree. And a Christian does what is right because he is a Christian, never in order to be a Christian. The problem with how we sometimes use the scriptures is how we fail to personally connect to Jesus. Or we are so anxious to use the scriptures to make other people behave how we think they should behave that we forget that other people should connect with Jesus first too.
Here is how we can use the scriptures correctly; we need to take time, alone, at the beginning of every day, to seek Jesus through His Word and through prayer. That is it. When we use the scriptures this way, we come to know Jesus. Once we come to know Jesus then we can surrender our will to Him. Then we make a fresh connection with Jesus, new every morning, become recharged and inspired by Him, let Him breathe into you.
Have you ever experienced inspiration, "God's breath on you," during your devotional time? What did it feel like? Compare how you feel on days when you connect with Christ and the difference in your life on days that you don't?
Sunday, August 23, 2009
II Chronicles 14:11
2 Chron 14:11 (NIV) Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, "Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O Lord, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you."
When Asa became King of Judah he “did what was right in the sight of the Lord.” He brought about a revival in Judah by removing idols from the land, and removed people and places that were associated with idol worship. King Asa also deposed his grandmother (the queen mother) because she had made an idol of Asherah. He did what he could to follow God. After reigning 10 years in peace and safety, the King of Ethiopia or Egypt, King Zerah, came to invade Judah. Zerah had an army of a million men and 300 chariots (A host of a thousand thousand, vs 9.) This is the largest assembled army recorded in scripture to come against God’s people. On the other hand Asa had a small army of men that “bare large shields and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand.” (2 Chronicles 14:8). Only a fool would face an army so outnumbered and so better equipped. But Asa had been faithful to God, and trusted God, and claimed God’s promises, and went to battle, powerless, but claiming victory in the name of the Lord. Asa's prayer in vs. 11, in KJV reads, [It is nothing with thee to help] in other words, God can as easily help the weak as the strong. So what does our being hopelessly outnumbered have to do with God’s ability? In the same way it is nothing for God to answer your prayers, whether really small or great big prayer request, both are just as easy for Him to answer.
The defeat of Zerah is one of the most remarkable events in the history of the Jews. Not only did they defeat them but all the food and supplies that Zerah’s army brought with them in order to sustain such a large army was captured as bounty.
God promises if we are faithful to Him, He will defeat the devourer. One way we show our trust in God, as well as our faithfulness to God is to return back to God one tenth of what He has given us. “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” Mal 3:10 (NIV). Like Asa our faithfulness will be rewarded from the storehouses of heavens riches and power. When we are faithful to God then God says He will be faithful to us, “I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.” Mal 3:11-12 (KJV)
When you are facing battles you feel you cannot possibly win, don't give up. In the face of a vast horde of enemy soldiers, Asa prayed for God's help, recognizing his powerlessness against such a mighty army. The secret of victory is first, like Jacob, to make a covenant with God, Jacob said, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth." Gen 28:20-22(NIV). Jacob made this vow, repeating what God had already promised him. Jacob claimed the promise and surrendered dependence on God's faithfulness, as a conditional agreement, not a bargain. Then the second secret to victory is to admit the futility of unaided human effort and then to trust God to overthrow our obstacles. His power works best through those who recognize their limitations, “Gods power is made perfect in our weakness” (2 Cor 12:9). It is those who think they can do it all on their own who are in the greatest danger.
Describe a time that you cried out to God for Help? What kind of covenant have you ever made with God? Explain how you believe God answered your prayer?
When Asa became King of Judah he “did what was right in the sight of the Lord.” He brought about a revival in Judah by removing idols from the land, and removed people and places that were associated with idol worship. King Asa also deposed his grandmother (the queen mother) because she had made an idol of Asherah. He did what he could to follow God. After reigning 10 years in peace and safety, the King of Ethiopia or Egypt, King Zerah, came to invade Judah. Zerah had an army of a million men and 300 chariots (A host of a thousand thousand, vs 9.) This is the largest assembled army recorded in scripture to come against God’s people. On the other hand Asa had a small army of men that “bare large shields and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand.” (2 Chronicles 14:8). Only a fool would face an army so outnumbered and so better equipped. But Asa had been faithful to God, and trusted God, and claimed God’s promises, and went to battle, powerless, but claiming victory in the name of the Lord. Asa's prayer in vs. 11, in KJV reads, [It is nothing with thee to help] in other words, God can as easily help the weak as the strong. So what does our being hopelessly outnumbered have to do with God’s ability? In the same way it is nothing for God to answer your prayers, whether really small or great big prayer request, both are just as easy for Him to answer.
The defeat of Zerah is one of the most remarkable events in the history of the Jews. Not only did they defeat them but all the food and supplies that Zerah’s army brought with them in order to sustain such a large army was captured as bounty.
God promises if we are faithful to Him, He will defeat the devourer. One way we show our trust in God, as well as our faithfulness to God is to return back to God one tenth of what He has given us. “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” Mal 3:10 (NIV). Like Asa our faithfulness will be rewarded from the storehouses of heavens riches and power. When we are faithful to God then God says He will be faithful to us, “I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.” Mal 3:11-12 (KJV)
When you are facing battles you feel you cannot possibly win, don't give up. In the face of a vast horde of enemy soldiers, Asa prayed for God's help, recognizing his powerlessness against such a mighty army. The secret of victory is first, like Jacob, to make a covenant with God, Jacob said, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth." Gen 28:20-22(NIV). Jacob made this vow, repeating what God had already promised him. Jacob claimed the promise and surrendered dependence on God's faithfulness, as a conditional agreement, not a bargain. Then the second secret to victory is to admit the futility of unaided human effort and then to trust God to overthrow our obstacles. His power works best through those who recognize their limitations, “Gods power is made perfect in our weakness” (2 Cor 12:9). It is those who think they can do it all on their own who are in the greatest danger.
Describe a time that you cried out to God for Help? What kind of covenant have you ever made with God? Explain how you believe God answered your prayer?
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Luke 6:38
Luke 6:38 (NIV) “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Jesus used the illustration of a farmer packing grain in a basket to ensure the fullest amount was in his measure. He stuffed it in and pressed it down and even shook it down in order to get in the fullest measure possible. Isn’t it disappointing when you open a box of cereal and the box is 1/3 empty or a bag of potato chips and the bag is less than 1/2 full? Isn’t it even more disappointing when Christians are only 1/2 full of love, joy, peace, kindness, forgiveness, generosity, and compassion to share with others? It has become standard practice for food production and packaging companies to fill food containers with air. But when a Christian is filled full of hot air, their lives are opposite of joy, forgiveness and compassion. A little bit of hot air amounts to a lot of judgmentalism, criticism, anger and greed. God’s ideal is that Christians are packed and shaken down so tight, filled so full of love and mercy and generosity that they are overflowing till every bit of the hot air is squeezed out.
Your heart can be as full of these qualities as you want it to be, God doesn’t limit any body to the amount they can be filled. But the measure we use to allow God to fill our lives with mercy, generosity and forgiveness is the same measure God uses to show us mercy, forgiveness and generosity. Some people may say to themselves; “I don’t want to be a pushover and be too forgiving.” or “I can only be so generous, at some point I won’t have enough for myself.” But it is impossible to out give God.
The story is told in the Bible of a rich, young Ruler in Luke 18:18-23. He came to Jesus and asked, “What must I do to have eternal life?” The response Jesus gave was, “you must sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." The rich young Ruler thought about this briefly, then decided, the cost to follow Jesus was more than he had bargained for. In sadness the man turned away, But Jesus said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." His disciples heard Him say this and asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." The rich young ruler did not comprehend the principle of Luke 6:38 “Give and it will be given to you, in the same measure you gave it.” He only imagined having nothing rather than the endless possibilities God has to give you more than you had to begin with.
In another story in the Bible, Simon of Bethany wanted to throw a feast for Jesus and His disciples in gratitude for being cured of leprosy. During the feast Mary Magdalene snuck into the feast and tried to secretly anoint Jesus’ feet with an expensive perfume. But the beautiful, strong fragrance revealed her secret to everyone in the room. Simon, who had been healed by Jesus, saw what Mary had done and was offended. Simon was aware that Mary had given herself to prostitution in the past and Simon was aware of this because he had led her into sin himself. Simon ignored his own guilt, but on the other hand he felt nothing but reproach toward Mary, and he questioned in his heart, “If Jesus were a true Prophet He would know what sort of woman Mary was and would not have let her touch Him.”
This story indicates the qualities of Mary's and Simon's hearts, and how each person had their own measure returned back to them. Mary was filled with love for Jesus, she shook it down and packed His love in her heart, love for the times she had been forgiven by Him and for resurrecting her brother Lazarus from the dead. Simon who had never sought forgiveness for the sin he committed with Mary filled his heart with condemnation. He was judgmental of Mary and critical of Jesus, Simon made it clear that the measure in his heart was full of a lot of hot air. Jesus went on to reveal to Simon that the measure by which he and Mary showed love and forgiveness was the same measure they received from God.
Simon learned that evening that Mary's gift was valued more by Jesus than the feast he intended to give Jesus as a gift. Because Marys' gift was packed tight and shaken down where Simon's measure was not. We hope Simon learned that the measure he had was not the only measure he could have received. If you want a fuller measure ask God for more, He can still pack it in and shake it down and heap it till it overflows.
Explain the reason why you would want more of God's goodness packed down tightly in your heart? Describe areas in your life you would like to see God pack it down tighter and filled more? What are the reasons why you selected those areas in your life compared to others?
Jesus used the illustration of a farmer packing grain in a basket to ensure the fullest amount was in his measure. He stuffed it in and pressed it down and even shook it down in order to get in the fullest measure possible. Isn’t it disappointing when you open a box of cereal and the box is 1/3 empty or a bag of potato chips and the bag is less than 1/2 full? Isn’t it even more disappointing when Christians are only 1/2 full of love, joy, peace, kindness, forgiveness, generosity, and compassion to share with others? It has become standard practice for food production and packaging companies to fill food containers with air. But when a Christian is filled full of hot air, their lives are opposite of joy, forgiveness and compassion. A little bit of hot air amounts to a lot of judgmentalism, criticism, anger and greed. God’s ideal is that Christians are packed and shaken down so tight, filled so full of love and mercy and generosity that they are overflowing till every bit of the hot air is squeezed out.
Your heart can be as full of these qualities as you want it to be, God doesn’t limit any body to the amount they can be filled. But the measure we use to allow God to fill our lives with mercy, generosity and forgiveness is the same measure God uses to show us mercy, forgiveness and generosity. Some people may say to themselves; “I don’t want to be a pushover and be too forgiving.” or “I can only be so generous, at some point I won’t have enough for myself.” But it is impossible to out give God.
The story is told in the Bible of a rich, young Ruler in Luke 18:18-23. He came to Jesus and asked, “What must I do to have eternal life?” The response Jesus gave was, “you must sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." The rich young Ruler thought about this briefly, then decided, the cost to follow Jesus was more than he had bargained for. In sadness the man turned away, But Jesus said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." His disciples heard Him say this and asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." The rich young ruler did not comprehend the principle of Luke 6:38 “Give and it will be given to you, in the same measure you gave it.” He only imagined having nothing rather than the endless possibilities God has to give you more than you had to begin with.
In another story in the Bible, Simon of Bethany wanted to throw a feast for Jesus and His disciples in gratitude for being cured of leprosy. During the feast Mary Magdalene snuck into the feast and tried to secretly anoint Jesus’ feet with an expensive perfume. But the beautiful, strong fragrance revealed her secret to everyone in the room. Simon, who had been healed by Jesus, saw what Mary had done and was offended. Simon was aware that Mary had given herself to prostitution in the past and Simon was aware of this because he had led her into sin himself. Simon ignored his own guilt, but on the other hand he felt nothing but reproach toward Mary, and he questioned in his heart, “If Jesus were a true Prophet He would know what sort of woman Mary was and would not have let her touch Him.”
This story indicates the qualities of Mary's and Simon's hearts, and how each person had their own measure returned back to them. Mary was filled with love for Jesus, she shook it down and packed His love in her heart, love for the times she had been forgiven by Him and for resurrecting her brother Lazarus from the dead. Simon who had never sought forgiveness for the sin he committed with Mary filled his heart with condemnation. He was judgmental of Mary and critical of Jesus, Simon made it clear that the measure in his heart was full of a lot of hot air. Jesus went on to reveal to Simon that the measure by which he and Mary showed love and forgiveness was the same measure they received from God.
Simon learned that evening that Mary's gift was valued more by Jesus than the feast he intended to give Jesus as a gift. Because Marys' gift was packed tight and shaken down where Simon's measure was not. We hope Simon learned that the measure he had was not the only measure he could have received. If you want a fuller measure ask God for more, He can still pack it in and shake it down and heap it till it overflows.
Explain the reason why you would want more of God's goodness packed down tightly in your heart? Describe areas in your life you would like to see God pack it down tighter and filled more? What are the reasons why you selected those areas in your life compared to others?
Friday, August 21, 2009
Exodus 33:11
Ex 33:11 (NKJV) “So the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.”
It is incredible to think that Moses was so close to God, that God considered him a friend. The children of Israel also thought this was incredible too but instead of wanting to imitate Moses and develop a personal friendship with God themselves, they were intimidated by God and admired Moses as someone with powers and abilities beyond the average person. The oneness that God desired with His people, at that time, only existed with Moses.
God was to the children of Israel a mysterious pillar of cloud, it is hard for people to become friends with someone they cannot see, touch or hear. So God, the creator of all things, and the King of the universe, humbled Himself and became a human, an infant, a helpless child. He did this so that He could understand us, and we could understand Him. If God wanted to prove that he desired to be our friend, He could not have done more. He demonstrated his desire to have oneness with us by becoming one of us, Emanuel, “God with us.” He became a man so that we could know Him and understand Him and want to be His friend. “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3 (KJV).
The oneness that Christ desires with us is so deep He described it this way, that “they (His followers) all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.” John 17:21 (KJV). The closeness of relationship that exist between Jesus and His Father is to be the same depth of relationship Christ desires with us, and at the same time, the same depth of relationship believers have with one another, “that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one.” John 17:22-23 (KJV). We as a Church are truly not as close to one another at the amazing level Jesus intends for us to be. But then beyond that, Jesus tells us that when the world sees the oneness we have as Christians, people of this world will be drawn to us. The world is desperately looking for a real connection with people who care, the churches oneness has a purpose, to draw the world to Christ. In this way, our love will prove to the world that God loves them as much as the Father loves the son. And by this “the world will know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” John 17:23 (KJV)
The biggest problem with Christianity today is our tunnel vision, we have a hard time seeing God's bigger picture. It seems like, for most Christians, that we are perfectly content to have a personal relationship with Jesus and then stop there, perfectly satisfied with the little picture. Moderation, when God has so much more in mind for His Church. We complain and are dissatisfied with the fact that the Church doesn’t seem caring and it is so impersonal, and we accept it as the status quo. However, we cannot look to the “church” to change the status quo, because what is the church? – I am the church, change must start with me not with “them.” You may say what can I do? I am just one person, the problems are too big in the church for me to fix? But a fire starts with just one little spark and a storm begins with just one drop of rain.
Making the church more caring and less impersonal begins with one drop of rain – me; and soon there is a puddle – us; then a river – the congregation; then ponds – multiple congregations; and lakes – countries; and eventually oceans – the whole world. Why can't the church be filled with the oneness of Christ and compassion for one another, and for the world? There is no reason it can't, Jesus said, “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also.” John 10:16 (NIV). Sure, just watch the rivers sweep those other sheep into the flood till the world is consumed. It is a divine strategy.
By God's power we can overcome our lack of imagination, and the Church will become one even as Jesus and the Father are one. Wouldn't it be just like God if something as simple as oneness would be the key to spreading the Gospel to the entire world.
Describe how deep of a friendship you have with God? Compare that to the type of friendship you would like to have with Him? What does the status quo in the church you attend feel like? What are some things you can do to make a difference?
It is incredible to think that Moses was so close to God, that God considered him a friend. The children of Israel also thought this was incredible too but instead of wanting to imitate Moses and develop a personal friendship with God themselves, they were intimidated by God and admired Moses as someone with powers and abilities beyond the average person. The oneness that God desired with His people, at that time, only existed with Moses.
God was to the children of Israel a mysterious pillar of cloud, it is hard for people to become friends with someone they cannot see, touch or hear. So God, the creator of all things, and the King of the universe, humbled Himself and became a human, an infant, a helpless child. He did this so that He could understand us, and we could understand Him. If God wanted to prove that he desired to be our friend, He could not have done more. He demonstrated his desire to have oneness with us by becoming one of us, Emanuel, “God with us.” He became a man so that we could know Him and understand Him and want to be His friend. “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3 (KJV).
The oneness that Christ desires with us is so deep He described it this way, that “they (His followers) all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.” John 17:21 (KJV). The closeness of relationship that exist between Jesus and His Father is to be the same depth of relationship Christ desires with us, and at the same time, the same depth of relationship believers have with one another, “that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one.” John 17:22-23 (KJV). We as a Church are truly not as close to one another at the amazing level Jesus intends for us to be. But then beyond that, Jesus tells us that when the world sees the oneness we have as Christians, people of this world will be drawn to us. The world is desperately looking for a real connection with people who care, the churches oneness has a purpose, to draw the world to Christ. In this way, our love will prove to the world that God loves them as much as the Father loves the son. And by this “the world will know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” John 17:23 (KJV)
The biggest problem with Christianity today is our tunnel vision, we have a hard time seeing God's bigger picture. It seems like, for most Christians, that we are perfectly content to have a personal relationship with Jesus and then stop there, perfectly satisfied with the little picture. Moderation, when God has so much more in mind for His Church. We complain and are dissatisfied with the fact that the Church doesn’t seem caring and it is so impersonal, and we accept it as the status quo. However, we cannot look to the “church” to change the status quo, because what is the church? – I am the church, change must start with me not with “them.” You may say what can I do? I am just one person, the problems are too big in the church for me to fix? But a fire starts with just one little spark and a storm begins with just one drop of rain.
Making the church more caring and less impersonal begins with one drop of rain – me; and soon there is a puddle – us; then a river – the congregation; then ponds – multiple congregations; and lakes – countries; and eventually oceans – the whole world. Why can't the church be filled with the oneness of Christ and compassion for one another, and for the world? There is no reason it can't, Jesus said, “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also.” John 10:16 (NIV). Sure, just watch the rivers sweep those other sheep into the flood till the world is consumed. It is a divine strategy.
By God's power we can overcome our lack of imagination, and the Church will become one even as Jesus and the Father are one. Wouldn't it be just like God if something as simple as oneness would be the key to spreading the Gospel to the entire world.
Describe how deep of a friendship you have with God? Compare that to the type of friendship you would like to have with Him? What does the status quo in the church you attend feel like? What are some things you can do to make a difference?
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Proverbs 3:5-6
Prov 3:5-6 (NIV) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Are you facing a crossroad in your life? Do you have family or friends who are depending on you to make wise choices? Are you ever unsure whether you are making the right decisions?
Is there a difference between just trusting the Lord, and trusting the Lord with all your heart? Maybe it’s time to try some extreme trust! I have heard it said, "To have things you've never had, you must be willing to do things you've never done.” Like trusting when we know potential harm may come to us or trusting without a guarantee. So many times we want answers, plain and clear, before we trust. But real trust, trusting with all your heart, involves stepping out in total darkness, unsure of where you are stepping, unable to see your hand in front of your face trust walking. It is not really trust if there is no risk, it is not really trust if the path is straight and the road is clearly marked, if the brightness of the sun clears away the shadows and reveals all the obstacles in our way.
We often want to do things our way rather than God’s way, God’s way is not the natural way we often think about, so to do things we have never done is in many ways parallel to trying it God’s way, something we cannot do without being led by the Spirit. The New Testament talks often about individuals like Paul and Philip being led away by the spirit. This is something we need to ask for from God on a daily basis, for God to redirect our plans through His Spirit in all that we do. Then be willing to do whatever God directs us to do no matter how crazy it may sound at the time.
God will not give us detailed instructions and it is not like Him to reveal His plans far ahead of time. But if we are open minded to His “still, small voice” speaking to our hearts, if we have faith to believe what He is revealing to us, is actually from Him, then just in time He will direct our paths.
Describe some of the risks you have taken in order to follow Jesus? What other risks would you be willing to take to follow Him more?
Are you facing a crossroad in your life? Do you have family or friends who are depending on you to make wise choices? Are you ever unsure whether you are making the right decisions?
Is there a difference between just trusting the Lord, and trusting the Lord with all your heart? Maybe it’s time to try some extreme trust! I have heard it said, "To have things you've never had, you must be willing to do things you've never done.” Like trusting when we know potential harm may come to us or trusting without a guarantee. So many times we want answers, plain and clear, before we trust. But real trust, trusting with all your heart, involves stepping out in total darkness, unsure of where you are stepping, unable to see your hand in front of your face trust walking. It is not really trust if there is no risk, it is not really trust if the path is straight and the road is clearly marked, if the brightness of the sun clears away the shadows and reveals all the obstacles in our way.
We often want to do things our way rather than God’s way, God’s way is not the natural way we often think about, so to do things we have never done is in many ways parallel to trying it God’s way, something we cannot do without being led by the Spirit. The New Testament talks often about individuals like Paul and Philip being led away by the spirit. This is something we need to ask for from God on a daily basis, for God to redirect our plans through His Spirit in all that we do. Then be willing to do whatever God directs us to do no matter how crazy it may sound at the time.
God will not give us detailed instructions and it is not like Him to reveal His plans far ahead of time. But if we are open minded to His “still, small voice” speaking to our hearts, if we have faith to believe what He is revealing to us, is actually from Him, then just in time He will direct our paths.
Describe some of the risks you have taken in order to follow Jesus? What other risks would you be willing to take to follow Him more?
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Romans 8:28
Rom 8:28 (KJV) “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Is there anything God does not touch or that he shows no interest in? God’s hand is involved in everything and nothing happens that His eyes cannot penetrate. “The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made” Ps 145:9 (NIV); “Not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.” Matt 10:29 (NLT); and God “causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matt 5:45 (NIV); God “gives all men life and breath and everything else.” Acts 17:25 (NIV).
But this promise that “all things work together for good” is not for everybody. It can be claimed only by those who love God and are called according to his purpose, that is, those who have chosen to receive Christ. Such people have a new perspective, a new mind-set. They trust in God, not in worldly treasures; their security is in heaven, not on earth. Their faith in God does not waver in pain and persecution because like Joseph, David and Paul; whose lives were filled with suffering, each of them knew that God was ultimately with them no matter their circumstances.
Just because God is involved in our lives doesn’t mean that all that happens to His people is good. Evil is working against us. God is involved in a spiritual warfare against Satan, it is the great controversy between good and evil. In this great controversy Satan is striving to keep non-Christians from coming into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and at the same time rendering Christians ineffective. Satan has dominion over this world, so he takes advantage of his authority over this world to cause pain and suffering. God only has authority over us when we submit our lives to Him. God will not interfere with our freedom of choice so we must make requests to God through our prayers and intercession for others in order for God to have permission to get involved in our human affairs. But by submitting our lives to Him we can claim the promise, that although Satan is out to ruin our lives, God will thwart Satan’s evil and turn it into good.
Even though evil is prevalent in this fallen world, God is able to turn every circumstance around for the long-term good of those who love Him. Like in the story of Joseph, Joseph’s brothers sold him as a slave, but within this evil act God made good come of it, as Joseph, saw God’s hand in the end, and he was able to forgive his brothers as he said to them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done” Gen 50:20 (NIV). When Balaam was hired to pronounce curses upon the Children of Israel, God “turned the curse into a blessing” Deut 23:5 (NIV). When Absalom tried to overthrow the kingdom from David, his father, David said, “It may be that the Lord will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today” 2 Sam 16:12(NIV). When the Children of Israel were in slavery in Egypt, the more the Egyptians oppressed them the more God caused them to prosper. Also, when the children of Israel were wandering in the desert wilderness, they felt cursed by God because they were hungry and thirsty and so God blessed them with manna from heaven. In circumstances of apparent disaster God manages to turn things around. When Paul was in prison, God used that situation for him to be a witness to the government of Rome. But the ultimate example of God turning a curse into a blessing is the plan of salvation. We were cursed by sin, then “Christ rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When He was hung on the cross, He took upon Himself the curse for our wrongdoing.” Gal 3:13 (NLT)
God is not working out good just to make us happy, He is actually working to fulfill his purpose in the lives of those who love Him. God’s highest purpose is to transform us into the character of Christ. The New Testament Greek word for “transform” is metamorfoústhe which means "metamorphose.” Christians are to metamorphose like a caterpillar, going into his cocoon and then coming out a butterfly. When we as Christians, show our love for Christ by surrendering our lives to Him, this is symbolized by the ordinance of baptism. As our lives metamorphose, our words, our thoughts, our deeds, and our actions are changed. The old caterpillar dies when we are submerged beneath the water of baptism representing dying to self and being buried in the grave with Christ. Then we are resurrected, up from the water, to a new life with Him, a total and complete change like into the butterfly. The apostle Paul said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Rom 12:1-2 (NKJV)
So a new paraphrase of this promise could read: So in all circumstances, even when Satan is causing us pain and suffering, we know God will turn Satan’s evil into our long-term good, because our lives are synchronized with God’s ultimate purpose and we are being metamorphosed into the character of Christ.
Describe an event in your life that was really bad at first but then God fixed it and made it right? Compare some areas in your life that Christ has transformed in you contrasted with the ways you were before?
Is there anything God does not touch or that he shows no interest in? God’s hand is involved in everything and nothing happens that His eyes cannot penetrate. “The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made” Ps 145:9 (NIV); “Not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.” Matt 10:29 (NLT); and God “causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matt 5:45 (NIV); God “gives all men life and breath and everything else.” Acts 17:25 (NIV).
But this promise that “all things work together for good” is not for everybody. It can be claimed only by those who love God and are called according to his purpose, that is, those who have chosen to receive Christ. Such people have a new perspective, a new mind-set. They trust in God, not in worldly treasures; their security is in heaven, not on earth. Their faith in God does not waver in pain and persecution because like Joseph, David and Paul; whose lives were filled with suffering, each of them knew that God was ultimately with them no matter their circumstances.
Just because God is involved in our lives doesn’t mean that all that happens to His people is good. Evil is working against us. God is involved in a spiritual warfare against Satan, it is the great controversy between good and evil. In this great controversy Satan is striving to keep non-Christians from coming into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and at the same time rendering Christians ineffective. Satan has dominion over this world, so he takes advantage of his authority over this world to cause pain and suffering. God only has authority over us when we submit our lives to Him. God will not interfere with our freedom of choice so we must make requests to God through our prayers and intercession for others in order for God to have permission to get involved in our human affairs. But by submitting our lives to Him we can claim the promise, that although Satan is out to ruin our lives, God will thwart Satan’s evil and turn it into good.
Even though evil is prevalent in this fallen world, God is able to turn every circumstance around for the long-term good of those who love Him. Like in the story of Joseph, Joseph’s brothers sold him as a slave, but within this evil act God made good come of it, as Joseph, saw God’s hand in the end, and he was able to forgive his brothers as he said to them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done” Gen 50:20 (NIV). When Balaam was hired to pronounce curses upon the Children of Israel, God “turned the curse into a blessing” Deut 23:5 (NIV). When Absalom tried to overthrow the kingdom from David, his father, David said, “It may be that the Lord will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today” 2 Sam 16:12(NIV). When the Children of Israel were in slavery in Egypt, the more the Egyptians oppressed them the more God caused them to prosper. Also, when the children of Israel were wandering in the desert wilderness, they felt cursed by God because they were hungry and thirsty and so God blessed them with manna from heaven. In circumstances of apparent disaster God manages to turn things around. When Paul was in prison, God used that situation for him to be a witness to the government of Rome. But the ultimate example of God turning a curse into a blessing is the plan of salvation. We were cursed by sin, then “Christ rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When He was hung on the cross, He took upon Himself the curse for our wrongdoing.” Gal 3:13 (NLT)
God is not working out good just to make us happy, He is actually working to fulfill his purpose in the lives of those who love Him. God’s highest purpose is to transform us into the character of Christ. The New Testament Greek word for “transform” is metamorfoústhe which means "metamorphose.” Christians are to metamorphose like a caterpillar, going into his cocoon and then coming out a butterfly. When we as Christians, show our love for Christ by surrendering our lives to Him, this is symbolized by the ordinance of baptism. As our lives metamorphose, our words, our thoughts, our deeds, and our actions are changed. The old caterpillar dies when we are submerged beneath the water of baptism representing dying to self and being buried in the grave with Christ. Then we are resurrected, up from the water, to a new life with Him, a total and complete change like into the butterfly. The apostle Paul said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Rom 12:1-2 (NKJV)
So a new paraphrase of this promise could read: So in all circumstances, even when Satan is causing us pain and suffering, we know God will turn Satan’s evil into our long-term good, because our lives are synchronized with God’s ultimate purpose and we are being metamorphosed into the character of Christ.
Describe an event in your life that was really bad at first but then God fixed it and made it right? Compare some areas in your life that Christ has transformed in you contrasted with the ways you were before?
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Job 19:25
Job 19:25 (NIV) I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.”
In this life people will constantly judge us, whether they are right or wrong about us, fair or not, we face constant scrutiny for our every action. Job faced tremendous condemnation from his friends; they accused him of hiding some secret sin in his past that was the result of all his misery. I personally feel that the attacks from Job's friends may have been more hurtful, than the loss of possessions, the death and desertion of his family, and the painful physical boils covering his body because nothing hurts worse than betrayal. But if we are in Christ Jesus, God does not condemn us for our past, our redeemer lives and will stand up for us when we are judged in the last days. Romans 8:1, tells us that there is “now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” A conditional statement, based upon the fact that if we are no longer “controlled by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, then the Spirit of God lives in us” and we are not condemned. Romans 8:9.
God may allow us to be chastised, and we may go through trials. We are not to confuse trials for condemnation. During those times of trial it is easy for us to think that God has left us for some reason. We may even begin to think that God is displeased with something we have done, and that is why heartache has fallen down upon us. In those times we need to remember Job. Satan attacked him only to try to show that his devotion to God was not sincere. Job’s friends saw all the evil that fell upon him and decided that all of this must be a punishment from God.
But like Job, we cannot stop people from accusing us, or thinking the worst about us when our world seems to be falling down around us. But also like Job we can say, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him. He also shall be my salvation . . . I know that I shall be vindicated. Who is he who will contend with me?” Job 13:15-19 (NKJV)
How does it make you feel when people criticize and condemn you? In contrast what does it feel like when someone comes to your defense? Share how this has happened to you? Identify ways you can be a better friend to someone being personally attacked by others?
In this life people will constantly judge us, whether they are right or wrong about us, fair or not, we face constant scrutiny for our every action. Job faced tremendous condemnation from his friends; they accused him of hiding some secret sin in his past that was the result of all his misery. I personally feel that the attacks from Job's friends may have been more hurtful, than the loss of possessions, the death and desertion of his family, and the painful physical boils covering his body because nothing hurts worse than betrayal. But if we are in Christ Jesus, God does not condemn us for our past, our redeemer lives and will stand up for us when we are judged in the last days. Romans 8:1, tells us that there is “now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” A conditional statement, based upon the fact that if we are no longer “controlled by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, then the Spirit of God lives in us” and we are not condemned. Romans 8:9.
God may allow us to be chastised, and we may go through trials. We are not to confuse trials for condemnation. During those times of trial it is easy for us to think that God has left us for some reason. We may even begin to think that God is displeased with something we have done, and that is why heartache has fallen down upon us. In those times we need to remember Job. Satan attacked him only to try to show that his devotion to God was not sincere. Job’s friends saw all the evil that fell upon him and decided that all of this must be a punishment from God.
But like Job, we cannot stop people from accusing us, or thinking the worst about us when our world seems to be falling down around us. But also like Job we can say, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him. He also shall be my salvation . . . I know that I shall be vindicated. Who is he who will contend with me?” Job 13:15-19 (NKJV)
How does it make you feel when people criticize and condemn you? In contrast what does it feel like when someone comes to your defense? Share how this has happened to you? Identify ways you can be a better friend to someone being personally attacked by others?
Thursday, August 13, 2009
II Corinthians 12:15-17
1 Cor 12:15-17 (NIV) “If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?”
Why does the hand tell the foot “I don’t need you”?
Well, it might be because the foot just stomped all over those fragile fingers. It’s been said that Christians are the only people who shoot their own wounded – and sometimes there might be some truth to that statement.
I have been thinking about how some people shoot at members of their own body who don't eat the right way, or who don't dress to the right standards, or sing music from outside of the authorized Hymnal.
It is easier for them to point their finger in judgement rather than show love and nurture, encouraging spiritual health, rather than causing spiritual hurt.
We all have taken a winding road on our Christian journey. Sometimes our walk with God has been up, sometimes it has been down. When it is down we need our brothers and sisters to build us back up spiritually not criticise us and knock us down. Sometimes we could learn more patients with other's faults in order to love them enough to take the necessary time to understand them and heal them. To really help them work through their struggles and return them back into favor with God. It is a process that takes earnest prayer, much time and heartfelt tenderness.
So say our members get spiritually weak, what do we do about it? Say they commit adultery and murder, like David did. They publicly and verbally deny being a follower of Jesus and swear against it with an oath, like Peter did. When times get tough they quit their commitment to serve God in the ministry, like Mark did. When under stress and their lives are threatened, they run away from their problems, like Elijah did. Or to avoid the possibility of a life threatening situation they lie about being married allowing another man to make sexual advances toward his wife, like Abraham did. Say you are a deceiver and crafty and you steal the birthright and the blessing from your own brother, like Jacob did. Or you are jealous of your spoiled younger brother so you sell him as a slave and lie to your father about what actually happened to him, like Joseph's 10 brothers did. Or you move in, and start living with a prostitute and fall in love with her, like Sampson did. Do we tell them that their influence brings an unhealthy atmosphere to the body, and tell them to straighten up or be amputated as members of the body?
These are people who fell, who knew they messed up, repented and returned to God. It should be our purpose like it was with the Prophet Nathan to bring the the straying King David to repentance and renew a right spirit between David and with God again.
But if we shoot our wounded, we do not have anyone to write the book of Psalms or the Gospel of Mark. When we shoot our wounded, like the brothers of Joseph, we have no Judah in the Church and therefore no lineage of Christ. When will we learn to have the patient, gentle, compassion with others and not give up on people who need Christ the most. God has not given up on them, God never gives up on any of us, He always holds out His hand for forgiveness. Praise God that He has not given up on me, because I know I keep failing but He is still working on me and I am not yet what He wants me to be.
However, if the church is filled with wounded and spiritually sick members of the body, the body resembles a spiritually dead body; like a valley of dry bones filling up the pews. It takes time for the spiritually wounded to become healed. Then because the members of the body are normal sinful people this - Why His arms aren't reaching; Why His hands aren't healing; Why His words aren't teaching; And why His feet aren't going.
Describe the kinds of spiritual wounds you may have experienced, or you have seen in other people? Share specific ways you think you could be a support for other people who have had the kind of wounds that need healed?
* contributing statements by Shari Willis
** Lyrics by Casting Crowns
Why does the hand tell the foot “I don’t need you”?
Well, it might be because the foot just stomped all over those fragile fingers. It’s been said that Christians are the only people who shoot their own wounded – and sometimes there might be some truth to that statement.
I have been thinking about how some people shoot at members of their own body who don't eat the right way, or who don't dress to the right standards, or sing music from outside of the authorized Hymnal.
It is easier for them to point their finger in judgement rather than show love and nurture, encouraging spiritual health, rather than causing spiritual hurt.
We all have taken a winding road on our Christian journey. Sometimes our walk with God has been up, sometimes it has been down. When it is down we need our brothers and sisters to build us back up spiritually not criticise us and knock us down. Sometimes we could learn more patients with other's faults in order to love them enough to take the necessary time to understand them and heal them. To really help them work through their struggles and return them back into favor with God. It is a process that takes earnest prayer, much time and heartfelt tenderness.
So say our members get spiritually weak, what do we do about it? Say they commit adultery and murder, like David did. They publicly and verbally deny being a follower of Jesus and swear against it with an oath, like Peter did. When times get tough they quit their commitment to serve God in the ministry, like Mark did. When under stress and their lives are threatened, they run away from their problems, like Elijah did. Or to avoid the possibility of a life threatening situation they lie about being married allowing another man to make sexual advances toward his wife, like Abraham did. Say you are a deceiver and crafty and you steal the birthright and the blessing from your own brother, like Jacob did. Or you are jealous of your spoiled younger brother so you sell him as a slave and lie to your father about what actually happened to him, like Joseph's 10 brothers did. Or you move in, and start living with a prostitute and fall in love with her, like Sampson did. Do we tell them that their influence brings an unhealthy atmosphere to the body, and tell them to straighten up or be amputated as members of the body?
These are people who fell, who knew they messed up, repented and returned to God. It should be our purpose like it was with the Prophet Nathan to bring the the straying King David to repentance and renew a right spirit between David and with God again.
But if we shoot our wounded, we do not have anyone to write the book of Psalms or the Gospel of Mark. When we shoot our wounded, like the brothers of Joseph, we have no Judah in the Church and therefore no lineage of Christ. When will we learn to have the patient, gentle, compassion with others and not give up on people who need Christ the most. God has not given up on them, God never gives up on any of us, He always holds out His hand for forgiveness. Praise God that He has not given up on me, because I know I keep failing but He is still working on me and I am not yet what He wants me to be.
However, if the church is filled with wounded and spiritually sick members of the body, the body resembles a spiritually dead body; like a valley of dry bones filling up the pews. It takes time for the spiritually wounded to become healed. Then because the members of the body are normal sinful people this - Why His arms aren't reaching; Why His hands aren't healing; Why His words aren't teaching; And why His feet aren't going.
Describe the kinds of spiritual wounds you may have experienced, or you have seen in other people? Share specific ways you think you could be a support for other people who have had the kind of wounds that need healed?
* contributing statements by Shari Willis
** Lyrics by Casting Crowns
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Ezekiel 37:1-3
Ezek 37:1-3 (NIV) The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know."
"If We Are The Body"
It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in
Trying to fade into the faces
The girls' teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know
CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
There is a way
A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat
And quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances
Are better out on the road
CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet goingWhy is
His love not showing them there is a wayJesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ Chorus (2x)
If we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
Jesus is the way
(lyrics/song by Casting Crowns)
How can it be that the body of Christ is sometimes just like that song? What a message in that song, so often the Body has wounded itself, tortured itself, amputated itself. It is crazy, the body of Christ should be doing what Christ did when he was here, reaching out, caring, helping, serving. So why is His body sometimes so clickish, sometimes so negative and faithless, often time so hurtful and destructive?
In a way God’s church today is like the valley of dry bones. A useless dead army, when we should be the best equipped, best organized, most elite army ever. To look at the condition of the Body of Christ today, and know where we should be can be depressing. We may say, the Christian Church is dead and hopeless. But I love the conversation Ezekiel had here with God. God showed Ezekiel this valley full of dry bones and said, can these bones live? Ezekiel was skeptical, he did not say, they could or couldn’t live again. So then God made Ezekiel prophesy in verses 5-6, “I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life.” Clearly, God is saying that He can take His Church, acting like a dry dead body, and make it alive again.
So then the question is why would God let his Body get in such awful condition, dead, and nothing but a pile of dry bones before He promised to bring us back to life again? Wouldn’t it have been easier if He had healed His church when we began to show signs of getting sick? Then we would have been so much more productive over all these years. But Like Martha when she told Jesus, after Lazarus died, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. John 11:21 (NIV) The story is told that Jesus intentionally did not come and heal Lazarus when he got sick. After He had heard that Lazarus was sick and near death he stayed where he was for two more days. When He finally arrived at Lazarus’ home Lazarus had been dead and in the grave for four days. Why did Jesus come so late? According to what God told Ezekiel, the reason He brought life to the dead bones was the same reason He let Lazarus die. In order for all to know that the LORD has done it.
When the church is restored and all the body of Christ is filled with strength and power no one person can say “Look what I have done.” Everyone will be forced to say that this great thing must be from the LORD.
Compare the body of Christ the way it is now with the way it should be? What are some steps you can take in order to make a difference and move your Church closer to God’s ideal?
"If We Are The Body"
It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in
Trying to fade into the faces
The girls' teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know
CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
There is a way
A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat
And quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances
Are better out on the road
CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet goingWhy is
His love not showing them there is a wayJesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ Chorus (2x)
If we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
Jesus is the way
(lyrics/song by Casting Crowns)
How can it be that the body of Christ is sometimes just like that song? What a message in that song, so often the Body has wounded itself, tortured itself, amputated itself. It is crazy, the body of Christ should be doing what Christ did when he was here, reaching out, caring, helping, serving. So why is His body sometimes so clickish, sometimes so negative and faithless, often time so hurtful and destructive?
In a way God’s church today is like the valley of dry bones. A useless dead army, when we should be the best equipped, best organized, most elite army ever. To look at the condition of the Body of Christ today, and know where we should be can be depressing. We may say, the Christian Church is dead and hopeless. But I love the conversation Ezekiel had here with God. God showed Ezekiel this valley full of dry bones and said, can these bones live? Ezekiel was skeptical, he did not say, they could or couldn’t live again. So then God made Ezekiel prophesy in verses 5-6, “I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life.” Clearly, God is saying that He can take His Church, acting like a dry dead body, and make it alive again.
So then the question is why would God let his Body get in such awful condition, dead, and nothing but a pile of dry bones before He promised to bring us back to life again? Wouldn’t it have been easier if He had healed His church when we began to show signs of getting sick? Then we would have been so much more productive over all these years. But Like Martha when she told Jesus, after Lazarus died, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. John 11:21 (NIV) The story is told that Jesus intentionally did not come and heal Lazarus when he got sick. After He had heard that Lazarus was sick and near death he stayed where he was for two more days. When He finally arrived at Lazarus’ home Lazarus had been dead and in the grave for four days. Why did Jesus come so late? According to what God told Ezekiel, the reason He brought life to the dead bones was the same reason He let Lazarus die. In order for all to know that the LORD has done it.
When the church is restored and all the body of Christ is filled with strength and power no one person can say “Look what I have done.” Everyone will be forced to say that this great thing must be from the LORD.
Compare the body of Christ the way it is now with the way it should be? What are some steps you can take in order to make a difference and move your Church closer to God’s ideal?
Monday, August 10, 2009
Matthew 5:44-45
Matt 5:44-45 (NIV) “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
We arrived in Taipei early Friday morning just as a typhoon was about to strike Taiwan later that morning. There are two types of typhoons, fast moving typhoons that cause allot of wind damage and slow moving typhoons that bring lots of rain and flooding. This was a big typhoon, they say the biggest typhoon in Taiwan in 5o years, a category 4, but it was slow moving and on the southern part of the island dumped over 5 feet of rain. When we finally arrived on the campus of Taiwan Adventist College on Saturday night we were told that we brought the rain with us when we arrived to Taiwan.
We did not understand what they were insinuating at first, even slow moving typhoons can be hazardous, we had been told that 14 people had been killed by this typhoon alone. Were they saying that by coming we brought evil upon them? No, it turns out that in the Taiwanese culture, rain is considered a blessing, and they were telling us that when we came we brought them a blessing. In fact, before the typhoon hit there was a shortage of water, the government was considering rationing water. But with the Typhoon came the blessing of fresh water.
Because God cares for the unrighteous as much as the righteous He causes the sun and the rain to be a blessing to both the evil and the good. God is love and God’s love is unconditional. Likewise, as sons and daughters of God, we are told in order to be like our Father in Heaven we should be a blessing like the rain, unconditionally falling on everyone around us.
My family and I have taken on an enormous challenge here with this new move to Taiwan. There are 24 million people living in Taiwan, and only 2700 Seventh day Adventist attending church on a given Sabbath morning. There are few young people in the Adventist churches here; it appears that they get caught up in secularism and leave the church. Couples here are choosing not to have children or just one child and focus their time and energy into working, making money and enjoying life, so the small little churches are shrinking smaller and smaller year after year. In the past Buddhism and Taoism have been traditionally the dominant religions in Taiwan. But now we are facing a force that is even more of a difficult challenge to confront, which is secularism and a post modernism combination added into the Buddhist culture. We need to make Christianity appealing to a materialistic culture that has its roots in Buddhism; how do we do that?
The only thing I can figure out to do is to lift Jesus and proclaim Him as the true blessing, the God who loves us so much that He pours out His grace like rain down on us. Lift Him up in prayer and ask Him to give us wisdom, strength and guidance to know what to say how to act and what to do. Lift Him up in faith and trust in the Lord that He will make us into a blessing and accomplish mighty things through us because we trust in his power and strength.
Discuss the value of Christianity above materialism? Share some examples of how you can share Jesus in a post modern world?
We arrived in Taipei early Friday morning just as a typhoon was about to strike Taiwan later that morning. There are two types of typhoons, fast moving typhoons that cause allot of wind damage and slow moving typhoons that bring lots of rain and flooding. This was a big typhoon, they say the biggest typhoon in Taiwan in 5o years, a category 4, but it was slow moving and on the southern part of the island dumped over 5 feet of rain. When we finally arrived on the campus of Taiwan Adventist College on Saturday night we were told that we brought the rain with us when we arrived to Taiwan.
We did not understand what they were insinuating at first, even slow moving typhoons can be hazardous, we had been told that 14 people had been killed by this typhoon alone. Were they saying that by coming we brought evil upon them? No, it turns out that in the Taiwanese culture, rain is considered a blessing, and they were telling us that when we came we brought them a blessing. In fact, before the typhoon hit there was a shortage of water, the government was considering rationing water. But with the Typhoon came the blessing of fresh water.
Because God cares for the unrighteous as much as the righteous He causes the sun and the rain to be a blessing to both the evil and the good. God is love and God’s love is unconditional. Likewise, as sons and daughters of God, we are told in order to be like our Father in Heaven we should be a blessing like the rain, unconditionally falling on everyone around us.
My family and I have taken on an enormous challenge here with this new move to Taiwan. There are 24 million people living in Taiwan, and only 2700 Seventh day Adventist attending church on a given Sabbath morning. There are few young people in the Adventist churches here; it appears that they get caught up in secularism and leave the church. Couples here are choosing not to have children or just one child and focus their time and energy into working, making money and enjoying life, so the small little churches are shrinking smaller and smaller year after year. In the past Buddhism and Taoism have been traditionally the dominant religions in Taiwan. But now we are facing a force that is even more of a difficult challenge to confront, which is secularism and a post modernism combination added into the Buddhist culture. We need to make Christianity appealing to a materialistic culture that has its roots in Buddhism; how do we do that?
The only thing I can figure out to do is to lift Jesus and proclaim Him as the true blessing, the God who loves us so much that He pours out His grace like rain down on us. Lift Him up in prayer and ask Him to give us wisdom, strength and guidance to know what to say how to act and what to do. Lift Him up in faith and trust in the Lord that He will make us into a blessing and accomplish mighty things through us because we trust in his power and strength.
Discuss the value of Christianity above materialism? Share some examples of how you can share Jesus in a post modern world?
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
John 15:7-8
John 15:7-8 (NIV) “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
My very limited experience with peach trees and blueberry bushes on our property in Michigan helped me realize some important lessons illustrated in this passage. God makes the flower appear on the branch, bees pollinate the flowers and fruit appears. Pruning helps, fertilizing helps, watering is essential, and sunlight is essential. God sends the sunshine and the rain. God created a system that allows nature to take rotten food and worms turn it into compost that fertilizes the soil that allows the trees and plants to absorb nutrients. In the same way, God provides all our spiritual needs. The farmer prunes the dead or useless branches once a year. Only healthy branches that remain connected to the tree bear fruit. Farmers pride themselves in techniques that produce larger and more abundant fruits but really the farmer cannot make the tree produce any fruit. God does it all.
In our spiritual life, God produces all the fruit, we need to be a good branch that remains connected to God to avoid pruning. If there are things we know we can do to help make larger and more abundant fruit we should do them.
God answers prayer, “ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” God is like a loving parent he wants to give us whatever we want. Ask God in prayer, He will provide all or emotional, spiritual, and physical needs that are for our enduring good. But being a wise parent he knows to only give us the things that is for our ultimate good that will help us grow and bear more fruit.
What a time of celebration for the God when the harvest is ready, when all the fruit can be picked and collected in the barns. When we are mature and ready for use! God made it all happen! This farming analogy demonstrates how God is glorified when His people mature into a right relationship with him and the yummy fruit of our lives can be enjoyed by all.
In your experience, what are some things you have done that has made your life's fruit, juicer, larger, and more delicious?
My very limited experience with peach trees and blueberry bushes on our property in Michigan helped me realize some important lessons illustrated in this passage. God makes the flower appear on the branch, bees pollinate the flowers and fruit appears. Pruning helps, fertilizing helps, watering is essential, and sunlight is essential. God sends the sunshine and the rain. God created a system that allows nature to take rotten food and worms turn it into compost that fertilizes the soil that allows the trees and plants to absorb nutrients. In the same way, God provides all our spiritual needs. The farmer prunes the dead or useless branches once a year. Only healthy branches that remain connected to the tree bear fruit. Farmers pride themselves in techniques that produce larger and more abundant fruits but really the farmer cannot make the tree produce any fruit. God does it all.
In our spiritual life, God produces all the fruit, we need to be a good branch that remains connected to God to avoid pruning. If there are things we know we can do to help make larger and more abundant fruit we should do them.
God answers prayer, “ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” God is like a loving parent he wants to give us whatever we want. Ask God in prayer, He will provide all or emotional, spiritual, and physical needs that are for our enduring good. But being a wise parent he knows to only give us the things that is for our ultimate good that will help us grow and bear more fruit.
What a time of celebration for the God when the harvest is ready, when all the fruit can be picked and collected in the barns. When we are mature and ready for use! God made it all happen! This farming analogy demonstrates how God is glorified when His people mature into a right relationship with him and the yummy fruit of our lives can be enjoyed by all.
In your experience, what are some things you have done that has made your life's fruit, juicer, larger, and more delicious?
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Exodus 4:2-4
Ex 4:2-4 (NLT) The Lord asked Moses, "What is that in your hand?" "A shepherd's staff," Moses replied. "Throw it down on the ground," the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back. Then the Lord told him, "Reach out and grab its tail." So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd's staff in his hand.”
Moses’ staff was nothing but a common shepherd’s rod. Staffs as well as other personal belongings were used by people back then as items that identified them. In a similar way, today we can be identified by our car, or our house or clothes that other people recognize as ours. It is a funny thing how we become attached to our little things. A cook may have a favorite cutting knife, a physician may have a special stethoscope, a carpenter has a favorite hammer, a mechanic has a special tool box, and maybe you have a special possession like a laptop or a Bible. This story illustrates that whatever possession that we hold dearly in our hand, we have the opportunity to throw it down and give it to God. After Moses threw his rod on the ground – the rod of Moses became the rod of God. With the rod of God back in Moses’ hand Moses preformed supernatural signs and miracles. With the rod of God Moses called down plagues in Egypt, he divided the Red Sea, he struck the rock and water flowed out.
As Christians we are told to “seek first the Kingdom of God.” If we are doing this, then one of our most prized possessions should be the Kingdom of God, a possession we should be most notably identified with. Jesus told his disciples to “go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” Matt 10:6-8 (KJV)
When you are seeking the Kingdom does your relationship with God flow both ways, in as well as out? Too many times we only allow the Kingdom to flow into us and not necessarily out to others. If this is your experience then, throw it down. Give it back to God, who gave it to you, and throw it down! When you give it back to God, the dry dead wood of our spiritual life will become like a living hissing snake, a living hissing relationship with God is a dangerous thing to the world around us. But we can do as Moses did and grab it by the tail and share it with those around us to show them that our relationship with God is real.
Share some things in your life you could throw down and give to God? How do you think God could use them through you once He gives it back to you?
Moses’ staff was nothing but a common shepherd’s rod. Staffs as well as other personal belongings were used by people back then as items that identified them. In a similar way, today we can be identified by our car, or our house or clothes that other people recognize as ours. It is a funny thing how we become attached to our little things. A cook may have a favorite cutting knife, a physician may have a special stethoscope, a carpenter has a favorite hammer, a mechanic has a special tool box, and maybe you have a special possession like a laptop or a Bible. This story illustrates that whatever possession that we hold dearly in our hand, we have the opportunity to throw it down and give it to God. After Moses threw his rod on the ground – the rod of Moses became the rod of God. With the rod of God back in Moses’ hand Moses preformed supernatural signs and miracles. With the rod of God Moses called down plagues in Egypt, he divided the Red Sea, he struck the rock and water flowed out.
As Christians we are told to “seek first the Kingdom of God.” If we are doing this, then one of our most prized possessions should be the Kingdom of God, a possession we should be most notably identified with. Jesus told his disciples to “go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” Matt 10:6-8 (KJV)
When you are seeking the Kingdom does your relationship with God flow both ways, in as well as out? Too many times we only allow the Kingdom to flow into us and not necessarily out to others. If this is your experience then, throw it down. Give it back to God, who gave it to you, and throw it down! When you give it back to God, the dry dead wood of our spiritual life will become like a living hissing snake, a living hissing relationship with God is a dangerous thing to the world around us. But we can do as Moses did and grab it by the tail and share it with those around us to show them that our relationship with God is real.
Share some things in your life you could throw down and give to God? How do you think God could use them through you once He gives it back to you?
Monday, August 3, 2009
Psalms 84:11
Ps 84:11 (NIV) “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”
How does Yahweh Elohiym illustrate the sun towards His people? God illuminates our life’s path showing us the right way to go. He brightens our world, filling in the dark shadows with light. Many people have experienced depression from the lack of sunlight during the wintertime; medical professionals call it seasonal affective disorder. But the sun, like Yahweh, invigorates us with warmth and life, you might say that light is nature’s pep pill that fills us with energy. Experiencing Christ working in our life is like when “The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.” Mal 4:2 (NIV)
Yahweh Elohiym is also a shield to protect and defend all those who trust him. God does not promise to give us everything we think we want, but He will not withhold anything that is permanently good. He will give us the means to walk along his paths, but we must do the walking. When we obey Him, He will not hold anything back that will help us serve Him.
What kind of situations have you experienced where you felt restricted, or penned up spiritually like in a stall? Describe times in your spiritual life where you have leaped like a calf released from the stall?
How does Yahweh Elohiym illustrate the sun towards His people? God illuminates our life’s path showing us the right way to go. He brightens our world, filling in the dark shadows with light. Many people have experienced depression from the lack of sunlight during the wintertime; medical professionals call it seasonal affective disorder. But the sun, like Yahweh, invigorates us with warmth and life, you might say that light is nature’s pep pill that fills us with energy. Experiencing Christ working in our life is like when “The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.” Mal 4:2 (NIV)
Yahweh Elohiym is also a shield to protect and defend all those who trust him. God does not promise to give us everything we think we want, but He will not withhold anything that is permanently good. He will give us the means to walk along his paths, but we must do the walking. When we obey Him, He will not hold anything back that will help us serve Him.
What kind of situations have you experienced where you felt restricted, or penned up spiritually like in a stall? Describe times in your spiritual life where you have leaped like a calf released from the stall?
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Revelation 3:17-18
Rev 3:17-18 (NASB) “you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.”
In the beginning, at creation, Christ was the one who brought forth light out of darkness. He created light, when there was nothing but darkness at all. Then Jesus came into this world to be “the light of men.” “He is the light of truth, “the true light that gives light to every man.” He came into this world to shine light in the darkness of people’s hearts, but the darkness did not understand it. (John 1:1-9)
The most remarkable story is told of Christ healing a man born blind in John Chapter 9. To understand the setting, of which the healing took place in John 9, we need to look back to the last events in the previous chapter (John 8:33-59.) Jesus had an impassioned discussion with the Pharisees. Jesus angered the religious leaders more that afternoon than at any other time in His ministry. He offered to set them free (8:36) “If the Son shall set you free, you will be free indeed.” They argued back, "we are sons of Abraham we were never in bondage." Jesus told them they were “servants of sin” (34.) Then he implied in (39) that they were not Abraham’s seed because they did not do the works of Abraham. In (42) Jesus suggest God was not their spiritual Father either. But His most pointed words were given in (44) when he tells them strait foreword; “You are of your Father the Devil.” Still the Pharisees put up with Him until (58-59) “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM. “Silence fell upon the vast assembly. The name of God, given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence, had been claimed as His own by this Galilean Rabbi. He had announced Himself to be the self-existent One, He who had been promised to Israel, "whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity." (Desire of Ages, E.G. White, p. 469-470) “Then took they up stones to cast at Him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by” (9:1) “and as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.”
“When the Pharisees drove Christ from them, he went to this poor blind beggar. Some of the ancients make this a figure of the bringing of the gospel to the Gentiles, who sat in darkness, when the Jews had rejected it, and driven it from them.” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary, on John 9:1-7: Sight given to one born blind) Another respected author Ellen G. White in her book The Desire of Ages, places these two events as happening directly one right after the other. Here is a little lesson for us to learn from Jesus in this story. No matter how busy we are, we may feel like we are running for our life to get to the next place, but as we “pass by” someone who is in need, we should take the time to “do good” toward them. And we should never be too busy not to notice long sorrowful faces crying out for someone who cares.
Jesus notices this blind man, and immediately has compassion for him. But his disciples, who noticed Jesus looking at the blind man, they do not offer to bring him to Christ to heal him. Instead they bring up the old argument concerning him. “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that this man was born blind?” According to the Talmud, “There is no death without sin, and there is no suffering without iniquity.” (The Seventh Day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, pg. 996, notes on John 9:2 (quoted from: Shabbath 55a, Soncino ed., p. 255)) Also, “A sick man does not recover from his sickness until all his sins are forgiven him” (The Seventh Day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, pg. 996, notes on John 9:2 (quoted from: Nedarim 41a, Soncino ed., p. 130)) The Jews taught every sin had a particular punishment, therefore we see Christ’s disciples more interested in theological debate than mercy for the poor blind man.
Jesus said (9:4-7) “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.” (KJV)
When Jesus said “The night cometh” He wanted to stress to His disciples just how soon His ministry was about to end. “From the Feast of Tabernacles to the Passover the following spring, when Jesus was crucified was about six months. Three years of His ministry was in the past and but half a year remained.” (The Seventh Day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, pg. 980, notes on John 7:33) Jesus made the point that now was the most suitable time to heal this man, it would be now or it would possibly never happen. But this day was the Sabbath day, and the Jewish traditions for healing forbid such an anointing. Any unusual anointing was forbidden, in the case of the blind man there was not an emergency. Jesus stood defiant against the Jewish traditions, and the Jews considered this act to be illegal. Yet Jesus was teaching that doing good was a necessary work, because the Sabbath day was a day when only works of necessity should be done.
When Christ made the eye salve he spit on the ground and made clay. He could have cured him with a word, but he chose to do it this way. He spread the clay upon the eyes of the blind man, one observing this act would believe the opposite of healing would take place, it is more likely to cause blindness than to cure blindness by applying clay to his eyes. But often spiritual principles are opposite from human principles, like the spiritual idea for men to need to feel blind before He can give them sight. The Apostle Paul was shown that he had been persecuting Jesus before his conversion. Paul was zealous for God but was spiritually blind and for three days after he met Jesus he remained physically blind, as a reminder of the lesson he needed to learn. Paul had learned this lesson well, he wrote in 1 Cor. 1:27 “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.” (KJV) And 1 Cor. 3:18-19 “If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” (KJV)
The origin of the clay is a noteworthy fact as well. Clay used by Jesus is not any ordinary clay. Clay from the Creator's hand has much more power than ordinary clay; it was Christ who first made man out of clay. Before Jesus had made the first Adam out of clay, but now the Second Adam was using this same material he had created man with to cure the man born blind. An illustration of the ultimate cure of God, curing the eyes of faith, we are born with blind eyes of faith and faith in Jesus bringing us to salvation. The design of the gospel is to open man’s eyes, to see by faith not by sight. The eye salve that Christ is preparing to do this work is not made of His spit but of His blood. And just as the blind man was told to go and wash in the pool of Siloam, we are to be washed by the blood of the Lamb, and “sent” (interpretation of Siloam) to share the blood of Christ to others. The blood that heals us is from the wounds we gave him. From nails on His hands and on his feet, and the lashes we put on His back and upon His chest. We wounded Him also on His head with the crown of thorns, and in His side with a spear. What? You may ask, When did I do those things to Christ? But our eyes that cannot see are like Paul’s eyes on the road to Damascus. Christ may say to us “Why did you persecute me?” To see salvation we need to see with and not just through the eyes.
The Pharisees were so angry at Jesus, so filled with hate they brought this man who had been born blind before their council and questioned him. The objective of the Pharisees was to persuade this man to think that Christ had some how tricked him. The Pharisees had fresh in their minds all Christ had told them and had done against them. Christ had told the Pharisees they were not “Sons of Abraham but sons of the devil” and had heard with their own ears Jesus pronounces himself to be the Eternal I AM. Then immediately after this Jesus anoints this blind man’s eyes, an act forbidden upon the Sabbath day by the Jewish traditions, of which the Pharisees maintained and enforced. In their hardness of heart they refused to see. They would question this former blind man, try to intimidate him, and trying to confuse him, and make him deny Jesus. “The Pharisees were spiritually blind, and were leaders of the blind. The physical blindness that Jesus had healed in the man born blind, was not as dangerous as the moral blindness of those who had evidence piled upon evidence in regard to the divine character of the world's Redeemer, and yet who closed the eyes of their understanding, and refused to see, because they were too self-exalted to be instructed by Christ. They claimed to be learned in the Scriptures, to have spiritual eyesight, yet they made the plainest specifications concerning Christ a different matter from that which the records testified. The light of the world was shining amid the moral darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. The darkness that blinded the minds of the Pharisees was much more deplorable than was the darkness that blinded the eyes of the man who had been born blind. “ (The Signs of the Times, November 6, 1893, paragraph 2 Article Title: Danger of Spiritual Blindness)
As the man born blind was questioned by the Pharisees he “became a witness for Christ. He answered the Pharisees in words that were a cutting rebuke to his questioners. They claimed to be the expositors of Scripture, the religious guides of the nation; and yet here was One performing miracles, and they were confessedly ignorant as to the source of His power, and as to His character and claims. "Why herein is a marvelous thing," said the man, "that ye know not from whence He is, and yet He hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshiper of God, and doeth His will, him He heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this Man were not of God, He could do nothing." The man had met his inquisitors on their own ground. His reasoning was unanswerable. The Pharisees were astonished, and they held their peace, --spellbound before his pointed, determined words. For a few moments there was silence. Then the frowning priests and rabbis gathered about them their robes, as though they feared contamination from contact with him; they shook off the dust from their feet, and hurled denunciations against him, --"Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us?" And they excommunicated him from the synagog . . . Jesus heard what had been done; and finding him soon after, He said, "Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" To the Savior’s question, "Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" the blind man replied by asking, "Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him?" And Jesus said, "Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee." The man cast himself at the Savior’s feet in worship. Not only had his natural sight been restored, but the eyes of his understanding had been opened. Christ had been revealed to his soul, and he received Him as the Sent of God” (Desire of Ages, E.G. White, p. 474, 475)
When Jesus told the Pharisees in John 8:12 “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” He was suggesting to them that they were blind and He could give them sight. After he healed the blind man He said, “"For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind." Christ had come to open the blind eyes, to give light to them that sit in darkness. He had declared Himself to be the light of the world, and the miracle just performed attested to His mission. Some of His hearers, feeling that Christ's words applied to them, inquired, "Are we blind also? "Jesus answered, "If ye were blind, ye should have no sin." If God had made it impossible for you to see the truth, your ignorance would involve no guilt. "But now ye say, We see." You believe yourselves able to see, and reject the means through which alone you could receive sight. To all who realized their need, Christ came with infinite help. But the Pharisees would confess no need; they refused to come to Christ, and hence they were left in blindness,--a blindness for which they were themselves guilty. Jesus said, "Your sin remaineth."” (Desire of Ages, E.G. White, p. 475)
Describe what you think it means to see with and not through the eyes? Compare the blindness of the Pharisees with the man born blind? Why is moral blindness worse than physical blindness?
In the beginning, at creation, Christ was the one who brought forth light out of darkness. He created light, when there was nothing but darkness at all. Then Jesus came into this world to be “the light of men.” “He is the light of truth, “the true light that gives light to every man.” He came into this world to shine light in the darkness of people’s hearts, but the darkness did not understand it. (John 1:1-9)
The most remarkable story is told of Christ healing a man born blind in John Chapter 9. To understand the setting, of which the healing took place in John 9, we need to look back to the last events in the previous chapter (John 8:33-59.) Jesus had an impassioned discussion with the Pharisees. Jesus angered the religious leaders more that afternoon than at any other time in His ministry. He offered to set them free (8:36) “If the Son shall set you free, you will be free indeed.” They argued back, "we are sons of Abraham we were never in bondage." Jesus told them they were “servants of sin” (34.) Then he implied in (39) that they were not Abraham’s seed because they did not do the works of Abraham. In (42) Jesus suggest God was not their spiritual Father either. But His most pointed words were given in (44) when he tells them strait foreword; “You are of your Father the Devil.” Still the Pharisees put up with Him until (58-59) “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM. “Silence fell upon the vast assembly. The name of God, given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence, had been claimed as His own by this Galilean Rabbi. He had announced Himself to be the self-existent One, He who had been promised to Israel, "whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity." (Desire of Ages, E.G. White, p. 469-470) “Then took they up stones to cast at Him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by” (9:1) “and as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.”
“When the Pharisees drove Christ from them, he went to this poor blind beggar. Some of the ancients make this a figure of the bringing of the gospel to the Gentiles, who sat in darkness, when the Jews had rejected it, and driven it from them.” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary, on John 9:1-7: Sight given to one born blind) Another respected author Ellen G. White in her book The Desire of Ages, places these two events as happening directly one right after the other. Here is a little lesson for us to learn from Jesus in this story. No matter how busy we are, we may feel like we are running for our life to get to the next place, but as we “pass by” someone who is in need, we should take the time to “do good” toward them. And we should never be too busy not to notice long sorrowful faces crying out for someone who cares.
Jesus notices this blind man, and immediately has compassion for him. But his disciples, who noticed Jesus looking at the blind man, they do not offer to bring him to Christ to heal him. Instead they bring up the old argument concerning him. “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that this man was born blind?” According to the Talmud, “There is no death without sin, and there is no suffering without iniquity.” (The Seventh Day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, pg. 996, notes on John 9:2 (quoted from: Shabbath 55a, Soncino ed., p. 255)) Also, “A sick man does not recover from his sickness until all his sins are forgiven him” (The Seventh Day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, pg. 996, notes on John 9:2 (quoted from: Nedarim 41a, Soncino ed., p. 130)) The Jews taught every sin had a particular punishment, therefore we see Christ’s disciples more interested in theological debate than mercy for the poor blind man.
Jesus said (9:4-7) “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.” (KJV)
When Jesus said “The night cometh” He wanted to stress to His disciples just how soon His ministry was about to end. “From the Feast of Tabernacles to the Passover the following spring, when Jesus was crucified was about six months. Three years of His ministry was in the past and but half a year remained.” (The Seventh Day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, pg. 980, notes on John 7:33) Jesus made the point that now was the most suitable time to heal this man, it would be now or it would possibly never happen. But this day was the Sabbath day, and the Jewish traditions for healing forbid such an anointing. Any unusual anointing was forbidden, in the case of the blind man there was not an emergency. Jesus stood defiant against the Jewish traditions, and the Jews considered this act to be illegal. Yet Jesus was teaching that doing good was a necessary work, because the Sabbath day was a day when only works of necessity should be done.
When Christ made the eye salve he spit on the ground and made clay. He could have cured him with a word, but he chose to do it this way. He spread the clay upon the eyes of the blind man, one observing this act would believe the opposite of healing would take place, it is more likely to cause blindness than to cure blindness by applying clay to his eyes. But often spiritual principles are opposite from human principles, like the spiritual idea for men to need to feel blind before He can give them sight. The Apostle Paul was shown that he had been persecuting Jesus before his conversion. Paul was zealous for God but was spiritually blind and for three days after he met Jesus he remained physically blind, as a reminder of the lesson he needed to learn. Paul had learned this lesson well, he wrote in 1 Cor. 1:27 “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.” (KJV) And 1 Cor. 3:18-19 “If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” (KJV)
The origin of the clay is a noteworthy fact as well. Clay used by Jesus is not any ordinary clay. Clay from the Creator's hand has much more power than ordinary clay; it was Christ who first made man out of clay. Before Jesus had made the first Adam out of clay, but now the Second Adam was using this same material he had created man with to cure the man born blind. An illustration of the ultimate cure of God, curing the eyes of faith, we are born with blind eyes of faith and faith in Jesus bringing us to salvation. The design of the gospel is to open man’s eyes, to see by faith not by sight. The eye salve that Christ is preparing to do this work is not made of His spit but of His blood. And just as the blind man was told to go and wash in the pool of Siloam, we are to be washed by the blood of the Lamb, and “sent” (interpretation of Siloam) to share the blood of Christ to others. The blood that heals us is from the wounds we gave him. From nails on His hands and on his feet, and the lashes we put on His back and upon His chest. We wounded Him also on His head with the crown of thorns, and in His side with a spear. What? You may ask, When did I do those things to Christ? But our eyes that cannot see are like Paul’s eyes on the road to Damascus. Christ may say to us “Why did you persecute me?” To see salvation we need to see with and not just through the eyes.
The Pharisees were so angry at Jesus, so filled with hate they brought this man who had been born blind before their council and questioned him. The objective of the Pharisees was to persuade this man to think that Christ had some how tricked him. The Pharisees had fresh in their minds all Christ had told them and had done against them. Christ had told the Pharisees they were not “Sons of Abraham but sons of the devil” and had heard with their own ears Jesus pronounces himself to be the Eternal I AM. Then immediately after this Jesus anoints this blind man’s eyes, an act forbidden upon the Sabbath day by the Jewish traditions, of which the Pharisees maintained and enforced. In their hardness of heart they refused to see. They would question this former blind man, try to intimidate him, and trying to confuse him, and make him deny Jesus. “The Pharisees were spiritually blind, and were leaders of the blind. The physical blindness that Jesus had healed in the man born blind, was not as dangerous as the moral blindness of those who had evidence piled upon evidence in regard to the divine character of the world's Redeemer, and yet who closed the eyes of their understanding, and refused to see, because they were too self-exalted to be instructed by Christ. They claimed to be learned in the Scriptures, to have spiritual eyesight, yet they made the plainest specifications concerning Christ a different matter from that which the records testified. The light of the world was shining amid the moral darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. The darkness that blinded the minds of the Pharisees was much more deplorable than was the darkness that blinded the eyes of the man who had been born blind. “ (The Signs of the Times, November 6, 1893, paragraph 2 Article Title: Danger of Spiritual Blindness)
As the man born blind was questioned by the Pharisees he “became a witness for Christ. He answered the Pharisees in words that were a cutting rebuke to his questioners. They claimed to be the expositors of Scripture, the religious guides of the nation; and yet here was One performing miracles, and they were confessedly ignorant as to the source of His power, and as to His character and claims. "Why herein is a marvelous thing," said the man, "that ye know not from whence He is, and yet He hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshiper of God, and doeth His will, him He heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this Man were not of God, He could do nothing." The man had met his inquisitors on their own ground. His reasoning was unanswerable. The Pharisees were astonished, and they held their peace, --spellbound before his pointed, determined words. For a few moments there was silence. Then the frowning priests and rabbis gathered about them their robes, as though they feared contamination from contact with him; they shook off the dust from their feet, and hurled denunciations against him, --"Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us?" And they excommunicated him from the synagog . . . Jesus heard what had been done; and finding him soon after, He said, "Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" To the Savior’s question, "Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" the blind man replied by asking, "Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him?" And Jesus said, "Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee." The man cast himself at the Savior’s feet in worship. Not only had his natural sight been restored, but the eyes of his understanding had been opened. Christ had been revealed to his soul, and he received Him as the Sent of God” (Desire of Ages, E.G. White, p. 474, 475)
When Jesus told the Pharisees in John 8:12 “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” He was suggesting to them that they were blind and He could give them sight. After he healed the blind man He said, “"For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind." Christ had come to open the blind eyes, to give light to them that sit in darkness. He had declared Himself to be the light of the world, and the miracle just performed attested to His mission. Some of His hearers, feeling that Christ's words applied to them, inquired, "Are we blind also? "Jesus answered, "If ye were blind, ye should have no sin." If God had made it impossible for you to see the truth, your ignorance would involve no guilt. "But now ye say, We see." You believe yourselves able to see, and reject the means through which alone you could receive sight. To all who realized their need, Christ came with infinite help. But the Pharisees would confess no need; they refused to come to Christ, and hence they were left in blindness,--a blindness for which they were themselves guilty. Jesus said, "Your sin remaineth."” (Desire of Ages, E.G. White, p. 475)
Describe what you think it means to see with and not through the eyes? Compare the blindness of the Pharisees with the man born blind? Why is moral blindness worse than physical blindness?
Saturday, August 1, 2009
II Chronicles 15:2
2 Chron 15:2 (NIV) “The Lord (Yahweh) is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.”
God is with us. At Jesus’ birth the Angles of God announced in Matt 1:23 “and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” If you would look at all the major religions of the world you would find that Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius and Moses all identified themselves as teachers or prophets. None of them were God. Jesus is unique, He is the only leader of a world religion the Christian church, born as a man but has existed before the beginning of time as God. “So you see, God is with us. He is our leader.” 2 Chron 13:12 (NLT.) Jesus is God and He eagerly wants, no craves a relationship with us, we are told that when you “come near to God, He will come near to you.” James 4:8. We have this promise, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jer 29:13-14 (NIV.) Jesus Himself has said in Matt 7:7-8 “Seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” No other god of any other religion has such an intense desire for a loving, personal relationship with us.
What other god loved mankind so intensely, that it would become a man so it could die to restore a right relationship between us and him. Only Jesus, “greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 (NIV.) Paul explained, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’ Rom 5:6-8 (NIV.)
Jesus said of himself, "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:14-15 (NIV.) “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:27-29 (NIV.)
What are some of the ways you are seeking God? Describe some actions that you think may be a way of forsaking God?
God is with us. At Jesus’ birth the Angles of God announced in Matt 1:23 “and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” If you would look at all the major religions of the world you would find that Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius and Moses all identified themselves as teachers or prophets. None of them were God. Jesus is unique, He is the only leader of a world religion the Christian church, born as a man but has existed before the beginning of time as God. “So you see, God is with us. He is our leader.” 2 Chron 13:12 (NLT.) Jesus is God and He eagerly wants, no craves a relationship with us, we are told that when you “come near to God, He will come near to you.” James 4:8. We have this promise, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jer 29:13-14 (NIV.) Jesus Himself has said in Matt 7:7-8 “Seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” No other god of any other religion has such an intense desire for a loving, personal relationship with us.
What other god loved mankind so intensely, that it would become a man so it could die to restore a right relationship between us and him. Only Jesus, “greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 (NIV.) Paul explained, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’ Rom 5:6-8 (NIV.)
Jesus said of himself, "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:14-15 (NIV.) “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:27-29 (NIV.)
What are some of the ways you are seeking God? Describe some actions that you think may be a way of forsaking God?
Friday, July 31, 2009
Psalms 19:1-4
Ps 19:1-4 (NLT) “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.”
Dose God live, does He really exist? This question creates strong opinions with views both for and against. We know when a person resists even the possibility of there being a God, then whatever evidence we come up with will just be rationalized or explained away.
But Christians know that He lives because we experience Him. God answers our prayers, we see him work out difficulties in our lives in mysterious and miraculous ways. God gives us peace of mind as evidence of forgiveness for our sins. Yet how can a person who has not experienced Him working in their lives know that God lives?
God never asks anyone to believe, without giving them sufficient evidence upon which to base their faith. God’s existence is established by testimony all around us that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant. Yet God has never removed the possibility of doubt. Our faith must rest upon evidence of things unseen, not on an impressive show or fancy demonstrations of His legitimacy. Yet, clearly, if you choose to see it, the greatest testimony of God’s existence is in the natural world all around us. Nature shouts without a sound or spoken word that God is everywhere.
Marilyn Adamson has written an excellent article on the evidence of God in the natural world. She says, there are many examples showing God's existence, more evidence than could fill volumes of books, evidence possibly with no end. But here are a few:
The Earth...its size is perfect. The Earth's size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth's surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter. Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life.
The Earth is located the right distance from the sun. Consider the temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30 degrees to +120 degrees. If the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth's position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day.
And our moon is the perfect size and distance from the Earth for its gravitational pull. The moon creates important ocean tides and movement so ocean waters do not stagnate, and yet our massive oceans are restrained from spilling over across the continents.
Water...colorless, odorless and without taste, and yet no living thing can survive without it. Plants, animals and human beings consist mostly of water (about two-thirds of the human body is water). You'll see why the characteristics of water are uniquely suited to life:
It has an unusually high boiling point and freezing point. Water allows us to live in an environment of fluctuating temperature changes, while keeping our bodies a steady 98.6 degrees.
Water is a universal solvent. This property of water means that thousands of chemicals, minerals and nutrients can be carried throughout our bodies and into the smallest blood vessels.
Water is also chemically neutral. Without affecting the makeup of the substances it carries, water enables food, medicines and minerals to be absorbed and used by the body.
Water has a unique surface tension. Water in plants can therefore flow upward against gravity, bringing life-giving water and nutrients to the top of even the tallest trees.
Water freezes from the top down and floats, so fish can live in the winter.
Ninety-seven percent of the Earth's water is in the oceans. But on our Earth, there is a system designed which removes salt from the water and then distributes that water throughout the globe. Evaporation takes the ocean waters, leaving the salt, and forms clouds which are easily moved by the wind to disperse water over the land, for vegetation, animals and people. It is a system of purification and supply that sustains life on this planet, a system of recycled and reused water.
The human brain...simultaneously processes an amazing amount of information. Your brain takes in all the colors and objects you see, the temperature around you, the pressure of your feet against the floor, the sounds around you, the dryness of your mouth, even the texture of your keyboard. Your brain holds and processes all your emotions, thoughts and memories. At the same time your brain keeps track of the ongoing functions of your body like your breathing pattern, eyelid movement, hunger and movement of the muscles in your hands.
The human brain processes more than a million messages a second. Your brain weighs the importance of all this data, filtering out the relatively unimportant. This screening function is what allows you to focus and operate effectively in your world. The brain functions differently than other organs. There is an intelligence to it, the ability to reason, to produce feelings, to dream and plan, to take action, and relate to other people.
The eye...can distinguish among seven million colors. It has automatic focusing and handles an astounding 1.5 million messages – simultaneously. Evolution focuses on mutations and changes from and within existing organisms. Yet evolution alone does not fully explain the initial source of the eye or the brain -- the start of living organisms from nonliving matter.
Much of life may seem uncertain, but look at what we can count on day after day: gravity remains consistent, a hot cup of coffee left on a counter will get cold, the earth rotates in the same 24 hours, and the speed of light doesn't change -- on earth or in galaxies far from us.
How is it that we can identify laws of nature that never change? Why is the universe so orderly, so reliable? "The greatest scientists have been struck by how strange this is. There is no logical necessity for a universe that obeys rules, let alone one that abides by the rules of mathematics. This astonishment springs from the recognition that the universe doesn't have to behave this way. It is easy to imagine a universe in which conditions change unpredictably from instant to instant, or even a universe in which things pop in and out of existence."
Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize winner for quantum electrodynamics, said, "Why nature is mathematical is a mystery...The fact that there are rules at all is a kind of miracle."
All instruction, all teaching, all training comes with intent. Someone who writes an instruction manual does so with purpose. Did you know that in every cell of our bodies there exists a very detailed instruction code, much like a miniature computer program? As you may know, a computer program is made up of ones and zeros, like this: 110010101011000. The way they are arranged tell the computer program what to do. The DNA code in each of our cells is very similar. It's made up of four chemicals that scientists abbreviate as A, T, G, and C. These are arranged in the human cell like this: CGTGTGACTCGCTCCTGAT and so on. There are three billions of these letters in every human cell!!
Well, just like you can program your phone to beep for specific reasons, DNA instructs the cell. DNA is a three-billion-lettered program telling the cell to act in a certain way. It is a full instruction manual.
Why is this so amazing? One has to ask....how did this information program wind up in each human cell? These are not just chemicals. These are chemicals that instruct, that code in a very detailed way exactly how the person's body should develop.
Natural, biological causes are completely lacking as an explanation when programmed information is involved. You cannot find instruction, precise information like this, without someone intentionally constructing it.
Share some of the things that proves to you that God is real? Compare the faith of science in evolution with the faith of Christians in creation?
Dose God live, does He really exist? This question creates strong opinions with views both for and against. We know when a person resists even the possibility of there being a God, then whatever evidence we come up with will just be rationalized or explained away.
But Christians know that He lives because we experience Him. God answers our prayers, we see him work out difficulties in our lives in mysterious and miraculous ways. God gives us peace of mind as evidence of forgiveness for our sins. Yet how can a person who has not experienced Him working in their lives know that God lives?
God never asks anyone to believe, without giving them sufficient evidence upon which to base their faith. God’s existence is established by testimony all around us that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant. Yet God has never removed the possibility of doubt. Our faith must rest upon evidence of things unseen, not on an impressive show or fancy demonstrations of His legitimacy. Yet, clearly, if you choose to see it, the greatest testimony of God’s existence is in the natural world all around us. Nature shouts without a sound or spoken word that God is everywhere.
Marilyn Adamson has written an excellent article on the evidence of God in the natural world. She says, there are many examples showing God's existence, more evidence than could fill volumes of books, evidence possibly with no end. But here are a few:
The Earth...its size is perfect. The Earth's size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth's surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter. Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life.
The Earth is located the right distance from the sun. Consider the temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30 degrees to +120 degrees. If the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth's position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day.
And our moon is the perfect size and distance from the Earth for its gravitational pull. The moon creates important ocean tides and movement so ocean waters do not stagnate, and yet our massive oceans are restrained from spilling over across the continents.
Water...colorless, odorless and without taste, and yet no living thing can survive without it. Plants, animals and human beings consist mostly of water (about two-thirds of the human body is water). You'll see why the characteristics of water are uniquely suited to life:
It has an unusually high boiling point and freezing point. Water allows us to live in an environment of fluctuating temperature changes, while keeping our bodies a steady 98.6 degrees.
Water is a universal solvent. This property of water means that thousands of chemicals, minerals and nutrients can be carried throughout our bodies and into the smallest blood vessels.
Water is also chemically neutral. Without affecting the makeup of the substances it carries, water enables food, medicines and minerals to be absorbed and used by the body.
Water has a unique surface tension. Water in plants can therefore flow upward against gravity, bringing life-giving water and nutrients to the top of even the tallest trees.
Water freezes from the top down and floats, so fish can live in the winter.
Ninety-seven percent of the Earth's water is in the oceans. But on our Earth, there is a system designed which removes salt from the water and then distributes that water throughout the globe. Evaporation takes the ocean waters, leaving the salt, and forms clouds which are easily moved by the wind to disperse water over the land, for vegetation, animals and people. It is a system of purification and supply that sustains life on this planet, a system of recycled and reused water.
The human brain...simultaneously processes an amazing amount of information. Your brain takes in all the colors and objects you see, the temperature around you, the pressure of your feet against the floor, the sounds around you, the dryness of your mouth, even the texture of your keyboard. Your brain holds and processes all your emotions, thoughts and memories. At the same time your brain keeps track of the ongoing functions of your body like your breathing pattern, eyelid movement, hunger and movement of the muscles in your hands.
The human brain processes more than a million messages a second. Your brain weighs the importance of all this data, filtering out the relatively unimportant. This screening function is what allows you to focus and operate effectively in your world. The brain functions differently than other organs. There is an intelligence to it, the ability to reason, to produce feelings, to dream and plan, to take action, and relate to other people.
The eye...can distinguish among seven million colors. It has automatic focusing and handles an astounding 1.5 million messages – simultaneously. Evolution focuses on mutations and changes from and within existing organisms. Yet evolution alone does not fully explain the initial source of the eye or the brain -- the start of living organisms from nonliving matter.
Much of life may seem uncertain, but look at what we can count on day after day: gravity remains consistent, a hot cup of coffee left on a counter will get cold, the earth rotates in the same 24 hours, and the speed of light doesn't change -- on earth or in galaxies far from us.
How is it that we can identify laws of nature that never change? Why is the universe so orderly, so reliable? "The greatest scientists have been struck by how strange this is. There is no logical necessity for a universe that obeys rules, let alone one that abides by the rules of mathematics. This astonishment springs from the recognition that the universe doesn't have to behave this way. It is easy to imagine a universe in which conditions change unpredictably from instant to instant, or even a universe in which things pop in and out of existence."
Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize winner for quantum electrodynamics, said, "Why nature is mathematical is a mystery...The fact that there are rules at all is a kind of miracle."
All instruction, all teaching, all training comes with intent. Someone who writes an instruction manual does so with purpose. Did you know that in every cell of our bodies there exists a very detailed instruction code, much like a miniature computer program? As you may know, a computer program is made up of ones and zeros, like this: 110010101011000. The way they are arranged tell the computer program what to do. The DNA code in each of our cells is very similar. It's made up of four chemicals that scientists abbreviate as A, T, G, and C. These are arranged in the human cell like this: CGTGTGACTCGCTCCTGAT and so on. There are three billions of these letters in every human cell!!
Well, just like you can program your phone to beep for specific reasons, DNA instructs the cell. DNA is a three-billion-lettered program telling the cell to act in a certain way. It is a full instruction manual.
Why is this so amazing? One has to ask....how did this information program wind up in each human cell? These are not just chemicals. These are chemicals that instruct, that code in a very detailed way exactly how the person's body should develop.
Natural, biological causes are completely lacking as an explanation when programmed information is involved. You cannot find instruction, precise information like this, without someone intentionally constructing it.
Share some of the things that proves to you that God is real? Compare the faith of science in evolution with the faith of Christians in creation?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
