Category Archives: Life

Calling on the Light of God

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Sunrise

Sunrise

God will never reject anyone who trusts in Him. Here we have a prayer of someone who comes to God with his fears. As it is written in the psalms, “When I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.” He asks that God will rescue him from those who are deceitful and wicked. He is oppressed by his enemy.

With this prayer he displays a clear understanding of the merciful character of God. He understands that righteousness and justice are the foundations of God’s rule, but he also knows his God is merciful.

This knowledge and understanding of God makes it easy for him to plead his case before God. There is no hesitation. Let this inspire us to leave vengeance in the hands of God and not to go about concocting our own schemes to get back at those who have hurt us.

He does not come before the throne of mercy claiming to be an innocent man. He has his own faults. He is appealing to God’s righteousness and not his own. With this understanding he makes his case against his enemies. When we are in need of God’s help let no enemy ever tell us that we do not ‘deserve’ God’s help. None of us deserve anything from God’s hands since we have all sinned and fallen short of His glory. If God could only help perfect people, who would qualify?

He prays boldly for deliverance from his enemy. He acknowledged that God is his strength. He says, “You are God my stronghold…” He is not relying on the arm of flesh. He did not run to people for deliverance, but straight to the throne of his God.

When we are distressed by all kinds of problems, we feel as we are hurled into darkness. We may become so overwhelmed that we can no longer think clearly. We may be so enveloped by our problems that we see no way out. As a solution to this condition, the psalmist prays that God will send forth His light. He knows this Light will lead him back into the presence and fellowship of his God.

Sometimes, we may feel darkness surrounding even our prayer life. It feels lifeless. We no longer sense the closeness of the Lord as we do at other times. We feel as if our prayers hit the ceiling. This may also represent a spiritual darkness which may become unbearable to the one who loves the Lord’s nearness.

When we find ourselves in these various situations of darkness, may we learn to pray, “Send me your light…” Amen. Then we will be able to see clearly our way out of the darkness.

Most importantly, we should never forget that when we pray like this we are in fact calling on the guidance of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

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Remaining Humble Enough to Allow the Word to Change Us

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Photo Credit: Emlyn

Photo Credit: Emlyn

Scripture Reference: Matthew 21:28-32

Jesus never satisfied idle curiosity, but He was always very receptive to the questions of the sincere truth seekers. He was hostile towards hypocrisy, while being tender and merciful towards sinners, readily answering their questions.

For the most part, the religious leaders rejected Him and His teachings. They attempted to brush Him aside as either insignificant or a crazed madman. However, as time went on and Jesus grew in popularity among the crowds, they could no longer ignore Him. In fact, they soon felt threatened by His power and authority. They questioned His authority to His face, tried to trick Him with sly questions and spied on Him every opportunity they had.

It was shortly after they questioned His authority that He started to address them quite directly through a series of parables. They got the  reference to themselves in these stories and wanted all the more to get rid of Him. One of those parables was the parable of the two sons.

He starts to relate the parable, interestingly enough, by asking them a question: “What do you think?” It will be their own words, eventually, which will condemn them. A father, He says, had two sons. He asked the one to be of service to him, but the son refused. However, he later repented of his disobedience and did as the father asked. The father asked the second son the same question, and this good boy said yes immediately. But, he never got around to fulfilling his promise to his father. So, asks Jesus, who was ultimately obedient to the father? “First son,” was their reply.

It was the one who appeared resolute in his disobedience who eventually did as his father requested. And Jesus then shows them how this relates to them. The first son signified the ‘sinners’ they looked down upon. The second son were representative of them –the religious leaders –who with their ramrod stiff religious rectitude rejected the way of life John the Baptist came to show them. John did not do religion like they did it and they refused to see that he was sent by God. They did not believe him. Even after they saw the preaching of John resulting in the changed lives of those very sinners they sneered at, they still refused to see the work of God in action. They still refused to believe.

So, says Jesus, those who think they are better than others because of their own religious works; those who think that God can work through no one but through their church; those who think that rites and rituals are more important than changed lives lived out daily as a testimony to the power of God, these are the ones who may think they will enter the kingdom of God. But these are the ones who will be left out in the dark, and those very people they looked down on, they are the ones who will be welcomed in His kingdom. Why? Because they never came to Him resting on their own merits, but remained humble enough to allow the word to change them.

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Why the Generous Gain More

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Gift

Generosity. (Photo Credit: earl53)

One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. (Proverbs 11:24)

One would think that a person who ‘gives freely‘ may eventually come to poverty. However, we often see the exact opposite happening. Why do the generous gain more?  I think the answer lies in this verse below. It is in response to generosity that God gives the following promise:

And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. (2 Corinthians 9:8) NLT

This does not mean we give because God will now ‘owe’ us something. We give freely because we love Him and love for God inevitably evokes love for people. There is no man more generous than a man in love. So it is for us spiritually as well. Because of our overwhelming love for Him, we are inspired to generosity. Not because we expect anything in return, but because we want to do it.

We must understand that ‘giving freely‘ does not mean giving irresponsibly. It is a well thought-through and prayed-over decision for the believer. Paul wrote that a man who does not care for his own family is worse than an unbeliever. This means, of course, that we have to ensure we have our priorities straight before we give freely. We cannot give while our own families are suffering want.

For a believer, then, giving is not a mindless and reckless exercise. As we are led by the Spirit in everything else, we are also blessed to be led by the Spirit in our giving. Praying that God will guide our steps in this regard, will bring rewards for us and our children and happiness and gratitude in the hearts of those who receive.

God knows who needs what and He knows exactly when they need it. By trusting Him to show us where and how we may give, we can be assured that our giving will never lead us to poverty. As freely as Jesus moved through His days, tending to needs as He met them on His way, so we may move freely and trust the Lord will guide us those who need our help. We cannot help everyone, but God will show us the ones He decided we could help.  Remember also that giving must never be a religious exercise. Scripture teaches that God loves  a cheerful giver, not someone giving out of compulsion.

You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 2 Corinthians 9:7 NLT

To ‘withhold unduly‘ refers to failure to pay debts. When we owe someone, even if the money is still in our hands, it is strictly speaking not our money. It belongs to another and if we use it for any other purpose than to pay the person, we are actually stealing that money. We have gone back on our word. Jesus taught us that our ‘yes’ must be yes and our ‘no’ remain no. Anything other than this, He says, comes from the evil one. In other words, if we owe a person money and we have that money, anything that suggests we should put it to other use, is not from God, but from His enemy. The enemy knows that we will forfeit blessings, not for ourselves alone but also for our children, if we fail to pay our debts. We will ruin our reputation, our credibility, our integrity and above all our witness for Christ. By submitting to his suggestions we may find short term pleasure in that money, but it will have lasting consequences. It is no wonder then, that the proverb says the one who withholds unduly will come to poverty.

The Bible calls the act of giving a ‘grace’. Grace is God’s power to do the right thing. May we be given more and more grace to excel in giving.

But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. (2 Corinthians 8:7)

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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!

 

Mercy is Not for the Innocent

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Photo Credit: Scarab

Photo Credit: Scarab

I said, “Have mercy on me, Lord; heal me, for I have sinned against you.” (Psalm 41:4)

Jesus placed His followers under no delusion when He said, “In this world you will have trouble…” But, as was His habit, He followed up truth with comfort and added, “But take heart. I have overcome the world.“

As followers of Christ, we are not guaranteed freedom from the ills that fill this world we live in. We are not exempt from illness, financial distress, grief and family issues. However, Jesus promised that for every problem that can arise, He already has the solution. He has overcome the world and all its troubles.

Going through tough times allows us to become tender towards the struggles of others. No one can empathize with your troubling situation more than someone who has been through similar circumstances. As believers we are empowered, through grace, to be tenderhearted towards one another. Our own troubles often contribute greatly to this ability.

It must be added that troubles don’t work tenderness towards others in everyone. Some are hardened and become cynical because of their problems. It is only by grace that our troubles tenderize us and not harden us.

We can’t help all the troubles that come our way, but, we have to acknowledge, that many of our troubles are a result of our sin. For those who love the Lord, there is nothing so distressing as the possibility of sinning against such a loving and gracious God. Habitual sin results in a myriad of other troubles and often escalates into more sin to try and defend and cover the original sin. And sin also affects our physical well-being. “Sin and suffering are inevitable companions,” writes Charles Spurgeon.

But, there is power in the blood of Christ. His blood has the power to cleanse our guilty consciences. There is forgiveness for repentant sinners through the power of His Name. True repentance acknowledges that sin is firstly committed against God. This is how David understood his sin. He also knew though, that His grace is enough to cover his iniquities.

Notice how David prays for healing not because he is innocent, but because he has sinned. Mercy is not for the innocent. This is quite a contrast compared to the prayer of the self-righteous who believe God ‘owes’ them something because they had been oh-so-good; they had been doing this, that and the other thing for God and now they are entitled to His help.

As David prays for mercy because of his sin, he is not applying to justice for if he had to pray for justice, how could he stand before a holy God? He appeals to God’s mercy. He acknowledges that he sinned against his God. He does not try to hide it, cover it, downplay it, or excuse his sin. He is honest in his appeal for mercy. This is the kind of prayer that will guarantee an answer from God. He gives grace to the humble.

Finally, may we always remember that Jesus has been tempted in every way just as we have, but without sinning. In other words, He can perfectly relate to our humanity –to our weaknesses and our temptations and our troubles. It is for this reason that we are invited to come boldly to the throne to find grace in our time of need. We do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses. We may pray for mercy, not because we are innocent, but for the very reason of our guilt.

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

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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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Those Who Wait Patiently On God Do Not Wait in Vain

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Photo Credit: Anita Peppers (The Morgue File Free Photos)

Photo Credit: Anita Peppers (The Morgue File Free Photos)

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. (Psalm 40:1)

God has enough power to help the weakest among us. He has enough grace the help the unworthiest human being if he trusts in Him. Psalm 40 is also a remarkable prophecy about the Savior and His sacrifice. The author of Hebrews quoted from this psalm as if it were the words of Christ Himself, when he wrote about Christ offering Himself as the better sacrifice (Hebrew 10:5)

Here David was going through a dark time riddled with doubts, but he continued waiting, hoping and praying. In the Hebrew, the sense here is not of an isolated incidence of waiting, but of a continuous waiting in which he persevered. He stuck to waiting for a long time. He kept on praying even when it appeared his prayers were not being answered. He was not disappointed. He expected his help from no other source, and he was indeed rewarded.

He turned to me and heard my cry.

This is confirmation that those who wait patiently on God do not wait in vain. Looking at Jesus, our ultimate example, we will notice that impatience didn’t linger in His heart nor flow over His lips, even as He endured the agonies of the Cross and the period of time which lead up to that event. He displayed patience perfected. In this, He was giving us an example of how our conduct should be when we go through the trials of life.

The hope that God gives us allows us to keep steady in our walk and conduct. David soon found his darkness give way to the light of God’s joy and peace. Daily we experience the provision and grace of God. His mercies are new every morning. Let us patiently wait on Him even if it appears He is not listening to our prayers right now. Like David, we will certainly be rewarded.

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Greatness is Measured by Serving, not by Being Served

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Photo Credit: kumarnm

Photo Credit: kumarnm

Scripture Reference: Matthew 20:20-28

Prior to this incident, Jesus shared with His disciples the trials awaiting Him in Jerusalem. He told them how He will be killed by the church leaders and comforted them by sharing also His ultimate victory over death.

Recognizing that Jesus will be lifted up to a high position following these events, it appears that the mother of the sons of Zebedee saw in these words an opportunity to promote her sons to a level above the rest of the disciples. A desire to be better and higher than others is a sin rooted in pride.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

Jesus put the truth to her plainly saying she has no idea what she is asking for. There can be no glory without pain. As humans we want all the glory but none of the pain required to achieve it. He refers to it as drinking a cup. It reminds me of drinking bad tasting medicine. It’s terrible, but the only way to achieve your goal of getting better.

The most arrogant among men have had no experience of this cup. They never knew the Cross and what a price He paid to achieve what we now enjoy under His grace. If they did know the Cross, there would be no room for pride and arrogance in their hearts as the closer we come to Christ, the more we are humbled by what He endured on our behalf.

There are few things that cause as much trouble between brothers and sisters than grandiose ideas of personal greatness. The rest of the disciples were indignant when they heard this request. James summed it up perfectly when put his finger on what causes quarrels between believers. He speaks also of selfish ambition and calls it the ‘wisdom’ of the world, which really is no wisdom at all, but folly.

What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. (James 4:1-3 NLT)

But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.  For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. (James 3:14-16 NLT)

The world teaches us that greatness is measured by the number of people serving us. Jesus teaches us that greatness is measured by the number of people we serve. It is humility, not pride, that makes us great in the sight of God. Jesus was our perfect example in humility, as He was in everything else required of us.

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,  and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

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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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