Category Archives: God

What it Means if God is With Us

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Fynbos, a floral kingdom unique to South Afric...

Fynbos, a floral kingdom unique to South Africa, is found near Cape Town (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Scripture Reference: Isaiah 41:9-13

There are many beautiful promises in the Bible, but for me these stand out in a special way.  God makes these promises to Christ –the chosen Servant. He is the Chosen One and all those who believe in Him are chosen by God. Although these promises are given to Christ, they become ‘yes’ and ‘amen’ for all those who are in Him.

I took you from the ends of the earth,
    from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’

There is an allusion to “every tribe and tongue” who are called of God (the ends of the earth). There are no geographical boundaries. God is calling to these chosen ones and urging them to continue trusting Him. This should keep their eyes fixed on Him for their future. They are inseparably joined to Him and He will never leave them nor forsake them.

So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

God gives these promises to His people who are in this world but not of it. They may be in dire need and surrounded on every side by their strong and crafty enemies. God reassures them that no obstacle is too great for Him. He will remove everything that attempts to separate Him from His own. Nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

With tenderness He exhorts us not to fear. He is with us. He will strengthen us. When we are about to fall, He upholds us. This is even more reason not to cultivate desires of revenge against those who hurt us. We can be assured that for all their attempts, we will not stumble and God will deal with them in His own time and way. Why, He will even turn their bad intentions around for good so that we are developed by them and not destroyed by them. ‘Do not be dismayed‘, He says. Keep going and keep your eyes on your powerful God who is mighty to save. He preserves us. He gives us power. If He is for us who can be against us?

He says He is with us. What precisely does that entail? When God says He is ‘with‘ us it is a promise of His presence, His power –everywhere. It is a promise of Him supporting us, helping us, preserving us, observing us, granting grace to us, guarding us, supplying us, comforting us, encouraging us, loving us and removing the ‘impossible’ obstacles from us!

For I am the Lord your God
    who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
    I will help you.

These promises are ours only because of the selfless life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Let us give Him all the praise!

 

Nothing About God is Random

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Photo Credit: carmemlucia

Photo Credit: carmemlucia

Scripture Reference: Isaiah 40:3

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

In the ancient Eastern world it was customary to prepare the way for the arrival of the prince by sending specially selected men ahead to ensure the way is clear where the prince would travel. This was especially done when the ruler would travel through barren and inhospitable areas.

When Isaiah speaks of preparing the way for the Lord, he is alluding to this custom. One could say that Christ was on His way to a barren and inhospitable region. “For His own did not receive Him.” The one that would prepare the way for the Prince of all princes was John the Baptist.

The meaning is even deeper when one considers that through this ‘preparing the way’ God was also preparing the hearts of the chosen ones by the work of His Spirit so that they will be receptive to the message of Redemption in Christ Jesus.

Everything was prepared meticulously for when the ‘time has fully come’. The political arena was perfectly staged as was the hearts of men, those who would embrace Him and those who would oppose Him. Now, when God arrived in the form of a humble servant, everything was fully accomplished to fulfill His promise.

Nothing about who God is or what He says or what He does is ever random. On the surface, that may appear to be the case for many, but when we look closer, even at the mathematical precision with which this entire universe operates, it is abundantly clear that everything has been perfectly planned and with the most incredible attention to detail.

This applies also to our individual lives. We may be going through some things that appear to be useless suffering with no real goal in sight, but we can only look at how God has done everything in the past –how carefully He planned every single detail –to know that He is intensely interested and involved in every single detail of our lives.

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Five Ways to Earn Deceptive Wages

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MoneyA wicked person earns deceptive wages, but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.  (Proverbs 11:18)

We have a body and we have a soul. Doing right or doing wrong has an effect on both. Sin never affects only our physical bodies, but has even more detrimental effects on our souls. On the other hand, righteousness affects not only our natural lives with good things, but brings eternal rewards.

Solomon speaks here of earning deceptive wages. He says these are the wages of the wicked. In order to avoid working for a bad reward, I think it is necessary to explore ways of earning deceptive wages.

  1.  Selfishness: A wicked person is motivated to work only for selfish reasons. There is no place in his heart for the need of another. Sacrificing on behalf of another does not exist in his heart or deeds. He spends his days making plans on how he can get as much as possible for himself. In the end he would have gained nothing advantageous from all his carefully constructed plans and hard work. Think of the parable of the rich fool. He never got to enjoy his riches because he was thinking of only of benefits to himself and had nothing left in his heart for others. In the end, his life was over before enjoying his riches and others got to spend it. Such a one risks not only losing those closest to him, but he will have to face God, the Judge of the motives of our hearts.
  2. Dishonesty: The person who earns his income by deceiving others will in turn be deceived by his income for it will fail him when he needs it most. Nothing that he does will have lasting rewards, except his crimes of deceit and dishonesty. He will not get to enjoy the fruit of his labors. He does all his deceitful work to accumulate riches, but riches are deceitful and will perish with use, leaving him with nothing but a bad reputation here, sometimes having to face the wrath of the law and ultimately to stand guilty before the judgment seat of God, which, if he never repented and turned from his ways, will bring him eternal suffering.
  3. Salvation through Good Works: Those who think they can be made right with God through works, will find that these works deceived them, since they will eventually find out that no one can be made righteous in the sight of God through works, but only through faith in Christ. If the works of the law could save us, Christ died for nothing.
  4. Sin: It promises pleasure and profit and even liberty but those who do the works of the flesh will be disillusioned once they find that it brings only lasting pain, loss and slavery to sin. The deceitfulness of sin is fatal to the soul. The wages of sin is death.
  5. False doctrines: These make false promises by the words of deceitful workers. Such are the ones who build their homes on a foundation of sand.  ”The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,  because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:1-8)

By contrast, the person who makes it his business to do good to others is assured of a good reward, for so it is written. This is the one who does right, constantly and diligently. A man will reap what he sows and nothing else. So, if a person sows righteousness, that is what he will reap. A righteous person loves the truth and the love of truth has its own rewards. It brings the lover of truth eternal glory and happiness.

The sanctification of the Spirit of God cultivates this love of truth in our hearts. Instead of a deceitful reward, his reward will be a true, real, solid, good and substantial. He is motivated not only by his personal needs and that of his family, but often an eye on the less fortunate drives him to do more so that he can be a blessing to others. His work is motivated by doing good to others, by unselfishness and self-sacrificing love. His reward far exceeds anything he can imagine or ask for.

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Show and Tell and Risk Losing it All

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Photo Credit: M Connors

Photo Credit: M Connors

Scripture Reference: Isaiah 39

Showing others what we receive from God does not automatically mean we will lose it all. I think the attitude with which we tell others of our material blessings is much more important than the actual act of telling. Isaiah here shares with us the consequences of Hezekiah‘s boastfulness and although the same lot may not befall us, I believe that we should take note of God’s view of boasting in our gifts and forgetting the Giver.

The king of Babylon sent a gift along with his envoys to Hezekiah as a way of congratulating him on his miraculous recovery. Hezekiah used the opportunity to show the king’s envoy the extent of his wealth. Isaiah heard about the important visitors and inquired who they were and asking what exactly did Hezekiah show them. Hezekiah smugly declared he showed them everything he had. This tour must have taken some time, since the king was vastly blessed in material possessions. With this Isaiah says the king will lose everything he showed to the envoy from Babylon.

Isaiah’s response to the news must have shaken the king up at least a  little, but he quickly recovered, thinking it’s not too bad as these things will affect only his children and not himself directly since his life was only extended with 15 years. That was kind of selfish considering that he never thought how horrible the effects of his deeds may be for his children.

Now, notice how Hezekiah said, “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.” It appears that he did not give much credit, if any, to the God who blessed him. He seems to have forgotten that everything he had, has been given to him by God.

That is the lesson right there: When we start using what God has given us to advance our own sense of importance in the face of others,  we are placing ourselves in danger of losing it all. But worse still, if we look at the consequences of Hezekiah’s boasting, we may leave a legacy of suffering to our children. This incident encourages me never to forget that there is nothing I have that I did not receive from God. May we always remain mindful of the fact that all good gifts come down from the Father of the heavenly lights. May this serve as a constant reminder of how dangerous it can be to boast as if we should get the credit for our material successes. May we give God all the glory for anything we accomplish in this life.

By the way, we don’t give glory to God by saying “Glory to God” like parrots (the Pharisees loved to do this but we know they didn’t really give glory to God in their hearts). We give glory to Him by our humble remembrance that everything we have we have received from God’s gracious hand and by sharing with others in need. This will prevent us from using what He has given us as tools to advance our own agendas; our selfish ambitions and our own importance in the sight of others.

“Show and tell and risk losing it all,” is the lesson I learn from this account. This does not mean that we keep quiet about the good things that God has done for us; instead it is a reminder that we should continuously examine our true motives for telling. Are we doing it to magnify the Lord or are we doing it to magnify our sense of self-importance? When we measure our importance in the sight of God by how much He gives us, we are self-deceived. Jesus laid claim to no earthly possessions and yet we know that God loved Him, calling Him “my beloved Son.”

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. (1 John 2:15-17 NLT)

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Never Give Up Hope

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Scripture Reference: Psalm 37:32-40

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These words serve as an exhortation not to lose hope on account of the apparent prosperity of the wicked. They may set their traps of destruction for those who love to do the right thing, but God will not allow His precious ones to be delivered into the power of the wicked; nor will He allow His chosen ones to be condemned when brought to trial because of the schemes of the wicked.

Hope in the LORD and keep His way. He will exalt you to inherit the land.

We are encouraged to wait for the Lord when faced with injustice and to keep doing the right thing and live according to His word and not to be tempted to take matters into our own hands. Think of Jesus and how He was silent before His accusers because He trusted in the One who judges justly. God will reward those who do right with good things from His hand and will allow the righteous to see how He puts an end to the wicked and their schemes. No matter how prosperous they appear to be, soon they will be no more and even if we went out and searched for them, we will not find them.

Instead of losing heart because of the temporary success of the wicked, we are urged to keep our eyes on those who live right and set good examples for us to follow.

Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.

The person who loves peace will have a great future or as the margin says, “Those who seek peace will have prosperity.” His outlook is not a hopeless one, even if it appears to be so now.

All sinners will be destroyed. And we also would fall into that category if the Lord did not
send Jesus Christ to save us from our sins. But this is important to remember so that we may understand how pointless it is to fix our eyes on sinners and measure our success by how well it goes with them. There is no future hope for them; they will never experience the true prosperity that transcends mere material wealth.

God Himself gives salvation to His righteous ones. He makes them righteous by imparting to them the righteousness of our Lord Jesus. They are never destitute or forsaken during their trials and times of trouble because God Himself is their stronghold.

The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; He is their stronghold in time of trouble.

God helps them; He delivers them; He delivers them from the traps set for them by the wicked and He saves them because they waited on the Lord and took their refuge in Him.

At the rate things are going now, where ungodly ideas and laws and leaders are applauded and honored, it is easy to lose focus. The Lord graciously gives us continual reminders in the midst of these things to keep hoping. Righteousness and justice will rule once again. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne and He will reign forever and ever!

By Grace Alone, Through Faith Alone

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English: Which Way Now? The public footpath cu...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Scripture Reference: Isaiah 34

This chapter consists of two parts. The first part covers the divine vengeance against the enemies of God. The second part describes how the church of Christ will flourish especially after His judgments are executed.

We would be wise to pay attention to these prophecies as the events predicted here are of universal concern. All nations are called to listen to the declaration. Judgement is announced against all who have mocked and rejected the Messiah. Although specific places may be mentioned, these names are symbolically representative of all those who are enemies of the Lord.

The reality of this prophecy is so certain that the prophet represents it as if it has already happened. The time of judgment will be the time when God sets right all injustices, but we must patiently wait until that appointed time and judge nothing before then. Until that day, mercy is extended to every person through Christ and His Name will ultimately be glorified. Listen to His voice while it is still called “today.” The invitation still stands. His mercy is still new every morning.

Step by step, Isaiah carves away at any false requirements for salvation. He hurls them to the ground one by one until he shows that none of the things people think can save them will withstand the justice of God. Only through faith, by grace in Christ are we saved. He shows:

  1. Affiliation to institutions and your ancestry cannot save you. Many assumed they were children of God because they were born into a certain group. How wrong they were! We are not saved because of affiliation to a group or because our parents were of a certain group. Edom refers to the descendants of Esau. Although also children of Isaac and Abraham, they were not saved by their ancestry but by their faith. This judgment is therefore for anyone who assume they are saved by affiliation and not by faith in Christ. John the Baptist sent out the same warning saying that being children of Abraham does not mean automatic salvation.
  2. Social standing cannot save you. Lambs, goats and rams are symbols of social standing and show that no matter how high up you are on the social ladder and no matter what religious or secular title you have, these things cannot assure salvation.
  3. Sacrifices cannot save you. They do not cover up a crooked heart in the sight of God and God looks at the heart, not sacrifices. He rejects the sacrifices of hypocrites who pretend to know God but deny Him by their everyday actions.
  4. Strength 0r the lack of it cannot save you. This prophecy shows how the mighty and the weak will be destroyed together.

 

The core message of Scripture is that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. Jesus is the only name given under heaven by which men can be saved. All other man-imposed salvation measures are worthless.

 

 

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Because of Christ…

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Winter WonderlandScripture Reference: Psalm 37:18-20

Since the beginning of time and consistently throughout the Old Testament, God promised that He would send one to rescue mankind from their hopeless fall away from Him. He will send One who will reconcile us to our God. That promised One is Christ Jesus and as we near the time where we set aside special moments to reflect on His birth, it is also needful to reflect on the consequences of His birth, His life  and sacrifice for all who believed in Him. May these reflections fill us with joy during this Christmas time and every day thereafter.

  1. Because of Christ, when God looks at us now, He sees our bright future already planned long ago. He knows the plans He has towards us, plans to give us hope and future, plans to prosper us and not to harm us (Jeremiah 29:11). He looks at us as the heirs of salvation. The knowledge that all future events are known to God; that God is never taken by surprise should be hugely comforting to us. Every day of our lives have been written in God’s book (Psalm 139:16).
  2. Because of Christ, eternity is ours. The heavenly treasures we store on earth is kept safe from earthly decay, but better still will be our eternal reward as there will be no end to it. On earth we may yet be tested with disaster and failure, but as sure as Jesus promised on earth we will have trouble, just as sure is His promise of deliverance from every trouble. The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever.
  3. Because of Christ, those who look to the Lord will never be covered with shame. Though people may mock them now, the day will come when the Lord will remove the disgrace they suffered due to the taunts of unbelievers and the mockers will themselves be disgraced. The disgrace the faithful suffer may be temporal, but the disgrace of the mockers will be forever.
  4. Because of Christ, we have no reason to frantically try to protect our image in the sight of man as the Lord is faithful and will Himself restore our dignity.
  5. Because of Christ, we have no need to be concerned in our time of lack. Economic recessions need not bother us because if God is our provider it matters little that the cost of living is rising. We are literally blessed forever in Christ Jesus. In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

It has become almost fashionable to mock those who believe in God, but whatever fuels their arrogant fires right now will be of little worth to them when the Lord comes to the rescue of His own. They act as if they have this entire universe figured out. If there is one single part of this universe still unknown to man, how can he claim for certain there is no Creator?

So, let them boast and pollute with their arrogant words. They will be silenced at the appearance of the King of kings. While the righteous are promised salvation in Christ, the wicked are promised that they will perish.

Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

Those who find their confidence in God will find that He will work on their behalf so that their trust in Him will never disappoint them. He will give them contentment in heart and all that they need for life and godliness. Because of Christ we have peace with God. Everything we have, everything we are in the sight of God is because of Christ.

Merry Christmas to all of you. May you have a joyful and happy time and may these joyful reflections on all we have because of Christ continue in your hearts everyday!

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No Life is Less Valuable Than Another

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All lives have valueScripture Reference: Matthew 18:10-14

Here Jesus warns us against that pride which exalts the self and despises the lowly. He makes it clear that angels have been entrusted with the special task of taking care of individuals and they are in constant connection with the Father about those they minister to.

How then, can we afford to look down on those who have representatives at the throne of the Most High God? They are objects of God’s intense care and constant attention. In fact, God has such a high regard of them that Jesus Himself came to save them. So, we are given two reasons not to despise the ‘insignificant’ ones:

  1. God takes the most intense interest in their well-being.
  2. Jesus Himself came to save them. How can we claim to be His followers when we despise the very ones He sacrificed His life for?

The ‘little ones‘ Jesus refers to are not only children, but all those who are looked down upon because they are considered by society from a platform of self-assumed superiority as insignificant and unimportant.

People who have been blessed with the willpower to live high moral lives often have a tendency to forget that they have nothing which they have not received from God and that it is by grace that they have been kept from many sins. When they forget these things, they tend to look down on those whose lives have been publicly tainted by sin. In Jesus’ time it was especially the pious church leaders who were inclined to show contempt for those who were ‘below’ them on the ‘spiritual ladder’.

With the parable of the lost sheep Jesus aims to correct proud thinking and shows that each individual has as much intrinsic value as anyone else. Even those who have lost their way, are as valuable to Him as the ones who stay close to His side. We are fooling ourselves if we think that some lives matter less than others. We are self-deceived if we think we are better and more valuable and more significant than the ‘sinners’ (not that any of us are without sin –Romans 3:23).

In fact, finding the wandering sheep may even enhance the value of the sheep once it is found at the cost of great personal sacrifice of the shepherd. Sin does not add to the value of the lost and wandering sheep, but the desperate condition of that sheep evokes in the heart of God pity, compassion and the tenderest love.

And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.

By despising those caught in sin, we are therefore, behaving the exact opposite to our Father and we hinder the transformation of a sinner by despising him.

In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

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Should We Rejoice At the Fall of a Wicked Leader?

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Solomon's Temple Vista

Solomon’s Temple Vista (Photo credit: arbyreed)

When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy. (Proverbs 11:10)

At first glance, one may think that these words condone rejoicing in the downfall of another. However,  that is not the case. The Bible is clear that we should not gloat when our enemy suffers in any way. These words should be seen in the context of what Solomon was trying to achieve with his observation.

He often contrasted the life of a righteous person with the life of a wicked person so that those who hear his words will be encouraged to cultivate their own integrity. In Proverbs 11 he highlights what discerns a righteous person from a wicked person, and he also pointed out the rewards the two opposites will receive in this life and the next.

What Solomon observed then and what we see today has not changed. There is a general jubilation at the fall of a wicked leader. Many despots have fallen along the corridors of history and often to the tune of tremendous shouts of joy. They were the selfish, power-hungry, money-grabbing leaders who oppressed the very people they were called to serve selflessly. They will be brought down. As one once proud leader exclaimed,

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble. (Daniel 4:37)

When a good leader gets a chance to lead, almost all his endeavors are successful because a good leader looks out not for his own interests but for the interests of the people. He makes many friends. He understands that he is there to serve (public servant) and not to be served. Since that fact is firmly established, his decisions and actions are based on what is beneficial for his people. And if a good leader fares well, “the city rejoices“. This means everyone under his care rejoices at his success since his success means theirs also.

Instead of rejoicing when a wicked ruler falls, as children of the Most High, we are called instead to use such events to reflect on God’s  justice. While it is true that the righteous rejoices when the truth wins and when injustice is demolished, their joy is not borne out of malicious gloating for the fall of an individual, but rather because they recognize that our battle in this world is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers of darkness which utilize human beings to fulfill their destructive intents.  They understand the goodness of the God they serve, who said,

Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? (Ezekiel 18:23)

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Seek Help from the Lord Alone

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Help from the God who created all things. Scripture Reference: Isaiah 31:1-3

We are continually warned in Scripture not to depend on human help. God is our Helper and any help we may receive from man is only possible because God enabled that help. However, we need these regular reminders since we are inclined to look to man for help, even if we do so in subtle ways we are not aware of ourselves.

Here we have another instance where God addresses these inclinations of seeking help from man. We can see Egypt as the world and its systems. Although the people of God during the time of Isaiah were guilty of running to Egypt for help, these words give us great insight into how responds to those who seek their help from man. These warnings are as relevant to us today as it were to the people of God then.

 

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD.

As I said before, Egypt is symbolic of the world. So, one could read in this that God will oppose any help we seek from the godless. When we become friends with the world, we become enemies of God. We can’t be friends with God and the world as the two forces work in opposite directions and for opposite purposes. We have to decide who is our friend.

 

Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster; he does not take back his words. He will rise up against that wicked nation, against those who help evildoers.

A person who runs to the world for protection may consider himself safe, but it is a false sense of security. God’s wisdom is by no means inferior to the wisdom of the world, so why do we seek for wisdom in an inferior source? His understanding no one can fathom. He established the entire universe with His word and He does not take back His word, or this creation would disintegrate.  He is faithful and trustworthy. What folly it is then to run to someone for help who is inferior both in wisdom, faithfulness and strength to God. We cannot fool God either by religious pretensions while we flirt with the world. It makes no sense to try to deceive the One whose eyes can see all things, even the hidden intents of the heart.

 

But the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out his hand, those who help will stumble, those who are helped will fall; all will perish together.

For victory over the enemy we need more than physical strength. We need the wisdom and power of God which is provided for us in Christ Jesus through His Spirit. It is therefore both futile and dangerous to look for this kind of help in mere human beings. God says that both those who offered their vain help and those who were helped by mere mortals will perish together.

May these words be a constant reminder to us. God wants all of us or He wants nothing. We cannot expect to receive anything from God if our loyalty is divided between Him and the world. May we seek our help in God alone and praise Him accordingly when He reaches out and hears our cry.