Who Will Care For My Needs?

Mark 6:30-44

Some animals are solitary, and do very well on their own.  Others, though, don’t do well on their own, and need a lot of care.  Sheep are one animal that needs someone looking after them, and thus we have the job of a shepherd.  Sheep and some other animals aren’t the only ones that need special care, protection, and guidance.  People also need proper guidance and care, and often don’t get that.  In our Scripture today from the Gospel of St. Mark, we see a group of people who needed just such care.

Shortly before our Scripture began, Jesus had been rejected in His hometown of Nazareth, the disciples had been sent out on brief mission trips to preach Jesus’ message of salvation, and John the Baptist had been executed.  Now when the disciples returned to Jesus, and reported to Him all that had happened, the crowds started to gather around Him again, making any rest for them impossible (vs. 30-33).   What might a lot of people do in such circumstances?  They might be likely to send the crowds away, telling them to go home and let them get some rest.

However, we do not see this with the Savior.  As the Lord Jesus looked out at the crowd, He didn’t see them as annoying, selfish, and demanding.  Instead, Jesus saw them as being like sheep without a shepherd, and had compassion on them (vs. 34).  A sheep left on its own can be in danger.  They are prone to wander off on their own, away from the flock, and put themselves in danger from predatory animals.  They can injure themselves, and away from the safe fields they can eat dangerous plants that make them sick.

Just like sheep that might be left on their own, the people were helpless and hungry.  They needed someone to care for them, both physically and spiritually.  These crowds were lacking in spiritual guidance and protection, leaving them exposed to the perils of sin and spiritual destruction.  Sheep are easily scattered without a shepherd, and will be in grave danger.  When the shepherd arrives, though, they will be safe.  Jesus is the Shepherd who could teach them what they needed to know, and keep them from straying from God.

After spending the day in preaching and ministering to the crowds' spiritual needs, it was getting late, and the disciples told Jesus that He needed to send the people away so that they could get some food in the villages and start heading home (vs. 35-36).  Again the compassionate Jesus cared for them, and didn’t want the people to have to leave and travel home while hungry, so He told the disciples to give them some food.  What?!  This was a crowd of around 5,000 men, not counting women and children, so it could easily be three to four times that amount.  How many of us could afford to feed that many hungry people?  None of the disciples were wealthy men, and they told the Lord that just to get bread for this crowd would cost a fortune (vs. 37).  It would take over 200 denarii to just get them enough for a bite.  One denarii was equal to the wage of a working man for one day.

Jesus wanted to show the disciples, the crowd, and us today as well, that if we trust Him, He can provide for all of our needs, including our everyday provisions such as food for our daily meals.  Jesus asked for them to bring them what they had, and all they could come up with was five small dinner rolls and two fish, maybe enough for two people to have a small meal (vs. 38).  However, once Jesus got a hold of that meager meal there was no limit to what He could do with it!

The disciples went through the crowd, dividing them up into smaller groups.  Then the Lord Jesus took the food, and gave thanks to God for the meal the people were about to receive (vs. 39-41).  How many times do we just sit ourselves down and start eating, neglecting to thank the One who provided the meal for us?  Jesus consciously and openly gave thanks to God for the provision of food.  As believers, we need to follow our Lord’s example so clearly given here.

The disciples then took the food, and passed it out to the people, and everyone in the crowd was completely satisfied (vs. 42).  They didn’t just get one or two small bites, just enough to prevent light-headedness or a hunger headache.  Instead, each man, woman, and child there were filled.  Jesus does not do things in half-measure.  He is not a skimpy God!

Are you faced with some pressing need?  Maybe your finances and daily provisions just aren’t enough for your needs.  When we put what little we have into Jesus’ hands, and trust in Him, He can multiply that to more than will meet the need at hand.  Do you feel like a sheep that is just wandering all alone, with no one to watch out for you?  Come to the Lord Jesus, as He, and He alone, is the Good Shepherd, and He has compassion on the sheep of His flock.

The Wall Is Torn Down

Ephesians 2:11-22

We build walls in order to keep people, and sometimes animals out, or to keep them in.  Neighbors put up a wall or a fence in order to mark off their property and to keep their neighbors, and especially their neighbor’s children, from just randomly walking into their yard.  The wall or fence around a yard also keeps our children safe when playing outside, and keeps the dog within the property.  We put walls around prison property to keep the prisoners in and the local population safe.  Countries put walls along the border in order to regulate who comes in, and also to keep their country safe.  At one time God had a figurative wall that blocked access to Himself.  Let’s look into the Scripture and see what that is about.

In the Old Testament days, access to the Lord and to the Holy of Holies, where the Lord Yahweh dwelt, was strictly regulated.  In the Tabernacle, and later in the Temple, certain areas were cordoned off, restricting who was allowed where.  Gentiles were allowed only in the very outer perimeters.  Women were allowed a bit further, but not much.  There were areas where only the Levites could enter, and some only the priests.  Then there was the Holy of Holies, the place where the Ark of the Covenant was kept.  Here only the High Priest could enter, and no one else.  There was even a thick, heavy curtain hanging to block access.  Ordinary folks could not just go anywhere.  Neither could they offer their own sacrifices for the forgiveness of their sins, or even in thanksgiving.  There were even figurative walls built between the Jewish people and Gentiles, who they felt were unclean, and many felt could never, ever have a part with Yahweh.  There were walls, barriers to prohibit people from coming any further.

However, all this changed when the Lord Jesus, the only-begotten Son of God, came and paid the penalty for our sins with the shedding of His sinless Blood.  At the moment that Jesus died, the curtain, or veil in the Temple, was miraculously torn in two (Matthew 27:51).  It is through the Precious Blood of Jesus that all who accept Him as Savior now have access to God (vs 11-13).  There is now no longer a need for some other intermediary.  This includes any Gentiles (non-Jews), who accept Jesus as Savior, those who were formerly prohibited access to God unless they had been circumcised.  Jesus tore down the wall that separated mankind and God.  He opened the way for Gentiles to come to God, and now both Jew and Gentile have been brought near, and can enjoy fellowship with Him.

Not only was the vertical separation between mankind and God overcome by the Blood of Jesus, but also the horizontal one between Jews and Gentiles (vs. 14-18).  Both of these barriers were overcome through the Blood of Jesus.  The ground is level at the foot of the Cross.  Both Jews and Gentiles are equal, not one being first class and the other second class, but as equal members of the family of God, made one in Christ.

In Jesus, the Law was fulfilled, and our sin was forgiven.  All who believe have been forgiven.  We also have peace through Him (vs. 17).  Jesus is the Prince of Peace, in Hebrew Sar Shalom.  He will sustain us through every trial and through every battle we face. When we are troubled on every side, distressed, and cast down, those who are believers in Jesus are able to rest in the peace of God.  The Lord Jesus will be our peace, and He will bring us through to victory.

Access to God is open to all who believe and accept Jesus as Savior (vs. 18-19).  Through the Holy Spirit we have the right to talk to God directly without a human intermediary..  When we were saved, we went from being foreigners and aliens to being children of God.  He is now our Father.  He hears our prayers because we have been made family through redemption of His Son, Jesus Christ.  The presence of the Holy Spirit proves we are one of His own.  Believers have direct and immediate access to God.  Princes are admitted to royalty when common people must stand far off.  The child of God has free access to the inner courts of heaven.

The Berlin Wall was erected in 1961 to surround the City of West Berlin, in order to keep all East Berliners and other people in East Germany from fleeing into freedom in West Berlin.  On June 12, 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan gave a speech at the Wall, and challenged the Soviet Union’s Premier Mikhail Gorbachev, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this Wall!”  About 2 ½ years later, on the night of November 9, 1989, crowds started to tear down the wall.  The destruction of that wall brought the people on both sides together once again.  This is what the Lord Jesus did for us, tearing down the wall that separated us from God.

He Hears Our Desperate Prayers

Psalm 22:22-31

We have seen this scenario many times, frequently in movies, but some of us may have lived through such an event.  The situation that I am referring to is when everything looks completely dark, and there seems to be no hope at all for success and everything is bleak, then suddenly things turn around and victory is there.  Like in an old-time Western movie, the cavalry has arrived!  Or the underdog in a boxing match, who has repeatedly gotten knocked down to the mat, suddenly gets a second wind and comes up swinging powerfully.  We see this in our psalm for this week, a portion of Psalm 22.  Let’s take a look.

Psalm 22, a psalm written by King David, is a familiar one to many people, and generally the focus is on the first half, verses 1 - 21.  That first half of the psalm is very Messianic, and has many verses which were prophecies that were fulfilled during the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, showing the suffering Messiah.  However, in the second half of that psalm, verses 22-31, everything takes a turn, and we read of the exultation and glory of the Messiah.

Throughout the first half we read verses that indicate that the Messiah has been taken by His enemies, beaten, mocked and ridiculed, and seemingly defeated.  He is crying out to the Lord for help and deliverance, but that help doesn’t seem to be coming.  The last verses of that first half are cries to God for deliverance from the sword, from the power of the dog, the lion's mouth, and the horns of a wild oxen (Psalm 22:20-21).  Along with the physical afflictions, these are not something someone would likely be able to conquer and come out fine.

All of a sudden the tone and tenor of the psalm makes a sudden and dramatic change.  The Lord sends deliverance!  Though the psalmist, King David, was in some sort of trouble for which he wrote this psalm, the Lord delivered him from that situation, and also from every other one, as he died an old man in his bed.  However, since this psalm is very heavily a Messianic psalm, we need to look at it from the perspective of the Lord Jesus.  From a human perspective, it would look like He was totally defeated, as He was shamefully treated, tortured, and died upon the cross.  Yet Yahweh delivered Him, as well, when He raised Jesus from the dead on the third day.  Early that morning, when no one was around,      the stone was rolled away from the grave, and the Risen Savior came forth.  God wonderfully delivers us in the quiet moments when we are hurting.  We must be prepared to offer public praise for His care (vs. 22).  We need to declare Jesus’ Name all over the world, and give Him the praise.

All throughout David’s life, and he found himself in many trials, he knew that God was there when he cried out for help.  This also definitely was the case with the Messiah, Jesus (vs. 24).  Despite how desperately dark and grim the situation seemed with the Lord Jesus during the last hours of His life, He knew that Yahweh heard His prayers (Luke 23:34, 46).  Jesus knew that triumph was ahead for all who would believe in Him (Hebrews 12:2).

As this portion of Scripture continues we read that all of the world will turn to the Lord and worship Him (vs. 27).  Many of the devout Jewish people throughout the Old Testament, and also into the New Testament, as well, felt that Yahweh was specifically their God.  Though they believed He was the only true God, they felt that Gentiles had no part in Him, as He was their God.  They believed that He hated the Gentiles.  However, there are many verses throughout the Old Testament, particularly in the books of the prophets, and in psalms, where we read that other nations, the Gentiles, the people of the world, will turn to Yahweh in worship.  Jesus died, not only for the Jews, but also for all mankind.

Some people have thought or implied that the things that happened to Jesus, His betrayal, phony trial, and crucifixion, were all a big mistake, something that God hadn’t planned, but which He had to quickly remedy.  However as we read in verse 28, Yahweh rules over all of the nations.  Everything is in His hands.  God has a purpose for everything He does or permits.  The Lord is sovereign, and nothing catches Him by surprise.  He is in absolute control of the universe, the natural, and the political climate of this earth and in our lives.

As our psalm closes, King David reminds us of how important it is to be telling the future generations about the Lord, sharing His salvation message with those who follow us (vs. 30-31).  Unborn generations depend on our faithfulness as we teach our children about the Lord, so they will teach their children, and their children’s children.  If we fail to instruct our children about the Lord Jesus, it not only affects their  eternal destination, but also the generations to come.  If we are faithful, we will also affect future generations, as well.  If we want our children to be saved (which all of us most definitely should), and to serve the Lord, they must hear about Him from us.

The Backslider Returns

Isaiah 57:14-21

I am thinking of a certain type of person that many of us might have had the occasion to deal with, one that can be frustrating, and even hurtful.  I am referring to people who hold a grudge, people who will not forgive no matter how many times you sincerely and genuinely apologize, telling them you’re sorry.  Someone like that can put a deep wedge into a family.  They can quickly destroy a marriage.  That kind of behavior can tear apart a friendship.  Some of you might have been hurt by someone who refused to forgive, or who held a grudge against you for something wrong you said or did, no matter how contrite you are now.  What about God?  Does He always forgive, or does He have a difficult time with that, holding a grudge against us to “teach us a lesson”?  Let’s take a quick look into a portion of Scripture from the prophet Isaiah today.

One thing that anyone who is familiar with God’s Word can attest is that the Lord willingly and eagerly forgives those who repent and turn away from their sins.  As our Scripture passage for today opens, we read how the Lord wants to open up a way for people who have fallen away from Him to be able to return.  He calls out to prepare the way for the backslider, the repentant sinner to return to Him, and to take all stumbling blocks out of the way (vs. 14).  Too often some religious leaders and other, self-righteous Christians put all sorts of rules and regulations in the way for a sinner to perform before they say that God will forgive.  If a believer has sinned and backslides away from the Lord, they put all sorts of stumbling blocks in the way for them to return to Him.  God says to get those out of the way and let the sinner return to Him.

If a sinner wants to return to the Lord, all they must do is acknowledge their sin, feel genuine sorrow for what they did against Him, confess, and then forsake that sin, turn away from it and return to the Lord.  There are no special religious hoops they must jump through.  The Lord said that He dwells with the one who has a contrite and humble spirit, with one who is sincerely sorry for their sins (vs. 15).  The One who has lived in all eternity past, before the ages of time, condescends to dwell with those who are humble and have a contrite spirit.

As we continue reading, God promises that He will not hold on to His anger forever against a sinner who repents (vs. 16).  Unlike so many humans, God does not hold grudges.  If He did, our spirits would fail within us, as there would be nowhere to turn.  God’s anger quickly recedes.  If this were not so, none of us could endure it.  Man, unable to justify himself, would faint and fade away before God’s fury.

This does not mean that God never gets angry with sin.  He does, and our sin puts a barrier between us and Him (vs. 17-18).  However, the Lord desires that His children be restored and brought back into a right relationship with Him, which the Holy Spirit will bring to pass.  Once a believer who has backslidden is restored into a right fellowship, the Lord heals their relationship and blesses them with His peace (vs. 19).

The “fruit of the lips” that Isaiah speaks of is the praise and thanksgiving that we bring to the Lord when we know that our sins have been forgiven, and we have our relationship and peace restored.  It can also refer to the words that we say when we call and urge the backslidden to return to the Lord.

The prophet Isaiah closes this passage of Scripture with a warning to the unsaved, to those who have never confessed and repented of their sins (vs. 20-21).  He describes the wicked, the unsaved, as being like a troubled sea, waves crashing to and fro that cast up nothing but mire and dirt.  They have no peace.  When trouble comes to the lives of the unsaved, where do they turn to?  Many to drugs, alcohol, and sinful relationships.  One cannot find help from other unsaved people, and they can’t find it within themselves, either.  As God says, there is no peace for the wicked.

Sent Two By Two

Mark 6:7-13

Things are often easier if you have a partner.  A chore, such as pulling weeds in the garden or shoveling the walkways, gets done quicker when there’s two.  That assignment from the boss is easier with another co-worker helping.  That is frequently the reason why some people go into business together, two attorneys or two doctors starting a partnership.  The Lord Jesus knew this, which is why He paired up the disciples before sending them on an assignment, as we will see in our Gospel reading for today.

Shortly before our Scripture for today took place, Jesus had visited His hometown of Nazareth, where the community rejected Him and basically ran Him out of town.  Now, with only a limited time left in His ministry, Jesus wanted to reach the greatest number of people with His message.  Now was the time to put His disciples to work.  The Lord’s plan was to send the disciples out, two by two, into the various cities and villages throughout Galilee and Judea (vs. 7).

We might wonder why send them out in pairs?  Couldn’t the disciples reach more villages if they went on their own?  This was done for their own safety.  Look at how Jesus was treated in His own hometown!  Bullies know that it is much easier to gang up on one person than it is with two people.  Going out with two to share the Gospel message would give each of them mutual help and encouragement.  A pair of witnesses also met the Old Testament legal requirement for an authentic testimony (Deuteronomy 19:15).

Jesus had some instructions that He gave to the disciples before He sent them out, instructions about what they should and shouldn’t take with, and also for how they act when they reach the village they will be witnessing to.  First, they could take a staff or a walking stick with them (vs. 8).  This would not only aid in the travel made completely on foot, but also provide a bit of protection from criminals along the way and wild animals.  They were also instructed not to carry the usual leather traveling bag, a food supply, or extra money with them.  This was so that they would learn to completely trust in the Lord for their provisions, and not their own selves or resources.

There were further instructions about what to wear and not wear.  They were to wear the standard sandals that most people wore (vs. 9).  The disciples were also not to wear two tunics.  The tunic was the standard garment of clothing.  Men who had some degree of wealth would often wear two to show off to others their fancy wardrobe.  Jesus wanted His disciples to identify with the common folk more than with the wealthy, and to travel with the minimum of clothing, again to show trust in God to provide, and to avoid any ostentatious display of wealth.

Next, Jesus gave instructions on when they arrived at the village they were going to minister in (vs. 10).  When the disciples came to a village, they were to carefully select where they would stay, but once there they were to be content with the host and his provisions and accommodations, and not move to another place that might have better cooking or lodging.  Instead they were to focus on ministry, not physical comfort.

Then followed a warning that Jesus told the disciples to give if they were not well-received, and their message was rejected.  He told them that they were to leave, and when leaving, to shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against them (vs. 11).  To “shake the dust off one’s feet” was a symbolic act, signifying complete renunciation of further fellowship with those who rejected them.  If the people of the village did not accept the Gospel message the disciples brought, they were rejecting not just these disciples, but also Jesus, His ministry, and the Gospel of salvation.  Devout Jews would shake the dust of their feet after having passed through Gentile territory to show their separation from them and their pagan practices.  This was then a vivid sign that the disciples wanted to be separate from those who had rejected Jesus.

When we bring the Gospel message to someone, we too might experience resistance and rejection.  That is to be expected, and is not a fault of ours.  People are responsible for what they do with the Gospel.  We are not to blame for their rejection of the Gospel if we are faithful to present it.

The disciples obeyed the Lord Jesus, and went out bringing the Gospel.  Their message was one of repentance, not a fluffy, “feel good” one (vs. 12). Too many preachers today do not want to even whisper the words sin and repent.  Congregations do not want to hear that, but it is what Jesus and His disciples preached throughout the land.  Repentance requires that we line up our lives according to God’s Word, the Bible.  Repent, because God means what He says, because our sin is a matter of life and death, because in repenting we will receive forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Spiritual Blessings In Heavenly Places

Ephesians 1:3-7

Have you ever heard about someone who was living in poverty, yet they actually had a great deal of money?  They either didn’t know about their wealth, or know how to access the money.  I’ve heard the tale, whether genuine and true, or just a tall tale, about an impoverished farmer in western Oklahoma.  After years of drought and poor crops, the farmer and his family were so behind on their mortgage, the bank had to repossess the house.  As one of the bank employees came out to put a for sale sign in the yard, oil gushed from the hole he made!  This poor family had been sitting upon a multi-million dollar fortune that whole time, and didn’t know it.  Someone else may inherit a fortune, but just don’t know how to access the money in some special accounts.  Until they learn, they live as though they don’t have the money.  You may think that would never happen to you, that if you had a multi-million or billion dollar fortune, you would know it and figure out how to get at it!  How about the spiritual fortune that you, as a believer, have?   Some Christians might ask, “What spiritual fortune?”  Let’s look into today’s Scripture.

As Paul wrote this letter to the Christian church in Ephesus, the first thing he did was tell them about the spiritual blessings that God has for them, for us, stored up in heaven (vs. 3).  As we think about heaven and God, we would never think of it as a poor place.  It’s not like the poor, depressed neighborhoods of a big city, or that poor, run-down community in the backwoods.   God never has to tell us that He can’t help us today because He’s running short on anything, that His account is overdrawn!  God’s Word tells us that we have every spiritual blessing which is retained in heaven for us.

So, who are the ones who have this magnificent inheritance?  How can we know whether we are eligible for these spiritual blessings?  These are for all those who have put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and are saved and born-again.  Before the foundation of the world, God set a plan in motion for us to be born into His family, that plan being the sacrificial death of His only-begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (vs. 4).   God chose us, not due to anything good in ourselves, but due solely to His kindness (vs 5).

We can feel special and wanted, because the Sovereign of the universe loved us so much that He set this plan for our salvation before the foundation of the world.  As the Apostle Paul stated, we are “accepted in the Beloved” (vs. 6).   Some people have never really felt accepted by others.  Their friends are few and far between, co-workers never really accept them, and their family members brush them off.  Perhaps even in some churches they never feel accepted by the popular cliques.  We might feel completely alone, even rejected by many people.  However, we are accepted by Jesus!  He loves us so much that He died for us, and now shares with us all of His riches in glory.

In Jesus Christ we have all the benefits of knowing God - salvation, adoption into His family, the forgiveness of our sins, the gifts of the Holy Spirit (such as love, joy, and peace), the power to do His will, and the hope of life everlasting.  All of God’s blessings are being progressively dispersed to us on earth in accord with our need and Christian growth.

God’s grace is always with us, though we don’t always know it.  We can be easily distracted by stress in our lives.  When we focus on the mechanics of Christianity instead of a relationship with Jesus, we are more likely to live as spiritual paupers.  However, the more we look for God’s grace, the more we will find it.

Remember that couple I mentioned at the beginning, that didn’t know they were sitting on vast wealth.  Many Christians go through life like that impoverished couple, not knowing what is rightfully theirs.  They are stuck thinking only “I’m saved and someday I’ll go to heaven, but that’s it.”  Jesus offers abundant life now (John 10:10).  We need to tap into the reservoirs of God’s grace now.  We don’t have to wait until heaven to enjoy the Lord’s spiritual blessings that He has for us through the Holy Spirit now.

The Mountains Of Jerusalem

Psalm 125

Most people would agree that mountains are very beautiful to look at and travel through.  Sports enthusiasts enjoy the mountains for skiing in the winter, and hiking throughout the rest of the year.  Mountains have also served another purpose for many millennia, and that is that they have been a source of safety from enemies.  When an enemy army would approach, people who lived close to any mountains would often flee there for safety.  That is one reason why Switzerland has rarely ever been invaded.  The tall mountains of the Alps have kept its population safe.  Our psalm for this week reminds us of how the Lord God can also be a protection like a mountain for His people.  Let’s take a look.

Psalm 125 is another one of the Songs of Ascents, psalms that traditionally were recited or sung by Jewish pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem for the Holy Days during Biblical times.  As the pilgrims would approach Jerusalem they would notice many small mountains that the Holy City was situated on or near.  They are Mt. Scopus, Mt. Olivet, Mt. of Corruption, Mt. Ophel, the original Mt. Zion, the new Mt. Zion, and the hill on which the Antonia Fortress was built on.  Mt. Zion, the southwest mount, figuratively represents Jerusalem, and was an emblem of permanence, supported by God’s Covenant promise.

As our psalmist approached Jerusalem, he saw these seven hills surrounding the city, figuratively standing guard and protecting God’s people and the Temple, and he contemplated how that is a picture of how God stands guard and protects believers (vs. 1-2).  God surrounds His people, supporting and standing guard over our souls.  He awaits with strong help, steady hope, and everlasting love.  God shelters us with His loving care.  If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31).

Sometimes we think of being surrounded as a bad thing.  If you are a soldier, you definitely don’t want to be left alone and surrounded by enemy soldiers.  Being surrounded by a dangerous storm is not a circumstance we want to be in, either.  However, sometimes being surrounded is not a bad thing.  We like to be surrounded by family and friends, or surrounded in a fragrant garden.  When threatening circumstances surround us, such as bad medical reports, financial troubles, or family problems, we need to remember that the Lord surrounds His people, just like the mountains.  Elisha reminded his servant of that when he panicked after seeing the enemy army all round them (II Kings 6:8-17).

Those who trust in the Lord have put their trust in a secure source.  As believers, sometimes we need to be reminded that God cares about us, and desires our good.  Just as we feel safe and protected in certain places, the one that we should always remember and turn to when problems or enemies surround us, is the safe, supportive, and loving arms of the Savior.  Just like a mountain is strong, secure, and cannot be moved, so is the Lord Jesus.  No one or nothing can remove us from His loving care.  No man can pluck us out of His hand (John 10:28-29).  Just like the mountain, Jesus is always there for us.  And even if one day that mountain which you see every day were suddenly gone, God will always be with us, and surrounding us (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5).

The psalmist wraps up his psalm with a contrast of the righteous saved children of God and the wicked unsaved, and their eternal outcome (vs. 4-5).  Eternal judgment will come to the unsaved.  However, God’s peace will come to His saved children.

As we close, let us take a moment to look at one of the hills among the mountains that surround Jerusalem. It was on one of these hills, called Calvary or Golgotha, that Jesus, having been previously scourged and crowned with thorns, was led out to be crucified.  It was on one of these hills, connected to the mountains that surround the Holy City, that Jesus suffered and died for the sins of the world.  Through faith in Jesus Christ we are like Mt. Zion, immovable and strong, confident that the Lord Himself will surround us from this time forth and forever!

Measuring Up To God's Plumb Line

Amos 7:7-15

Ask anyone who works in building construction, or ask any realtor, and they will tell you that a good foundation is very crucial to any building.  If you have a faulty foundation, or one that is damaged in any way, the stability of the whole building is at risk.  At the very least, all the floors and walls will not be level.  This holds true not only for building structures, but also for our spiritual lives as well.  Having a faulty spiritual foundation, or even worse, none at all, is eternally dangerous.  Let’s take a look today at the word that God gave the prophet Amos.

Amos was a prophet during the 8th century BC., the majority of his messages from God came during the approximate years of 760 - 755 BC.  Most of his ministry was focused on the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  Amos was neither from the priestly line, nor from the tribe of Levi.  Instead, he held a secular job as a shepherd and a sycamore fig farmer (vs. 14).  When his brief ministry ended, that was probably what Amos returned to doing.

As our Scripture opens, the Lord has given Amos a vision.  In this vision the prophet saw the Lord standing on a wall that had been made with a plumb line, and He had a plumb line in His hand.  A plumb line is a string with a weight at the bottom, and is used by builders to make sure that the walls are vertically straight.  God was using a plumb line to see how well the people of Israel were standing spiritually, whether straight and narrow or off kilter (vs. 7-9).  God employed a plumb line to carefully evaluate the hearts and behavior of His people back in the days of the prophet, and does so today, as well.  God was not going to ignore their sin anymore, nor would He spare His judgment.  That was irremediable.  We are to live by His standards, not our own.

In approximately the year 930 BC, the united Kingdom of Israel split in two, northern Israel and southern Judah.  Almost immediately the new king of Israel, Jeroboam I, set up idols for his people to worship, as he was afraid that if they continued to travel to Jerusalem to worship Yahweh in the Temple, they might eventually desire to reunite the kingdoms, which he didn’t want.  The most prominent site for the worship of Jeroboam’s idols was in the city of Bethel (I Kings 12:26-29).  At the time of our Scripture, Bethel was still the major religious center for the mongrel pagan worship, which mixed a very corrupt worship of Yahweh with that of numerous pagan gods.

Amaziah, the priest at Bethel, notified King Jeroboam II of the preaching of Amos, and how he was preaching of the coming of judgment of the Lord.  This did not sit well with those in authority, and they looked at Amos as a traitor.  True prophets of Yahweh were often seen as traitors and conspirators because they spoke out against the king and his advisors, questioning their authority and exposing their sins.  The words of Amos cut deep into the heart of Israel’s leadership, causing them to accuse him of conspiracy against the king (vs. 10-15).  This was a dangerous position for Amos to be in.  It could cost him his life, but that did not stop the prophet from giving his message.  Amaziah told Amos to pack up and get lost.  He told him to leave the country, to take his message of divine judgment somewhere else.  The people, and especially the king, did not want to hear that.

Not only was Amos’ message from the Lord a negative one, they questioned his credentials.  Who was he to tell them that they were sinners, living in apostasy from Yahweh?  He was not one of the religious elite, with a string of divinity degrees.  He was just a rancher and farmer.  Amos had been quite content doing that, however, when the Lord called him, he set his job on the side and obeyed.  Without any special preparation, education, or upbringing, Amos obeyed God’s call to go prophesy to the people.  Obedience is the test of a faithful servant.  Amos did not put anything before the Lord, not his career, not his safety, or even his life.  Are we willing to take a stand like Amos did?  Are we willing to put Jesus first?  Regardless of who you are and what you do for a living, God wants to use you to spread the Gospel.  We are to be His ambassadors (II Corinthians 5:20).

God’s plumb line for the nation showed that they were way off kilter.  They were a structure that was ready to collapse. The foundation was so damaged it was useless.  If God sets a plumb line on us, how well would our spiritual lives line up?  Not only do major sins get our spiritual life out of whack, but things like resentment, bitterness, pride, discouragement, and unbelief put our walls out of kilter.  The tool needed to straighten us up is repentance at the Cross of Jesus Christ.  He is our Master Builder.  Let Jesus be your Foundation so our spiritual life will be strong and straight.

No Welcome In Nazareth

Mark 6:1-6

Have you ever been put down, or even rejected because others didn’t think you were good enough?  Perhaps they didn’t think that you were educated enough, you didn’t come from the best neighborhood, your family background wasn’t “quality stock”.  So these other people say to you, “Who do you think you are?!  You can’t be doing that!  You’re not good enough!”  How do we react, even though we know the Lord called us to do what we were trying to do for Him?  Our Scripture today tells the account when something like this happened to the Lord Jesus.  Let’s look into what God’s Word tells us about this instance.

As the sixth chapter of Mark begins, Jesus and His disciples came to His hometown of Nazareth.  He had just recently healed the woman with the issue of blood, and raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead, along with casting out a legion of demons from a man.  Now Jesus was back in His hometown.  On the Sabbath, Jesus went to the synagogue.  After the Scripture reading and commentary by the rabbi and other officials, the Lord Jesus likely requested permission to speak to the congregation.  The Lord used this opportunity to teach and comment on the Scriptures that were read that Sabbath (vs. 1-2).  Imagine sitting in on a Bible study where Jesus was the in-person teacher!

Immediately many of those in attendance at the synagogue of Nazareth started to question and criticize Jesus’ qualifications to expound on the Scriptures (vs. 2-3).  These were men who knew Jesus from before He began His ministry.  They knew Him as the local carpenter.  Some of them may have even remembered Jesus as a child.  They knew His siblings and His mother, who all still lived in the community.  The typical Jewish boy at this time would have started school around 5-6 years old, and generally continued on until around age 13, when they would have their Bar Mitzvah.  The school was for boys, and was held in the local synagogue.  For the lucky few who were born into affluent families, they could continue their education in Jerusalem, otherwise they then began to learn a trade.  However, Jesus was from a working class family, as Joseph was a carpenter, the trade which He learned at the workshop of His foster father.

The local men in the synagogue that Sabbath knew all this, and they were not happy to have this local guy who recently left town about a year or so ago and is now returned, teach them the Bible!  They were offended that Jesus would somehow think Himself as a teacher because of His ordinary background, His limited formal education, and His lack of an officially sanctioned religious position.  Many of them might have been familiar with a lot of Jesus’ teachings, possibly having heard what He preached in Capernaum and elsewhere, and possibly having heard His Sermon on the Mount.

They all had undoubtedly heard about Jesus’ miracles and healings.  They did not question the wisdom of His teachings, or the authenticity of the miracles.  Instead, they questioned His right to do such things.  In their thoughts, Jesus wasn’t worthy.  They refused to see Jesus as higher than themselves, and found it impossible to accept Him as the Son of God.

When Jesus heard their comments and verbal attacks, He gave a final statement to them before He left, and that was a proverb-like statement, basically saying that the prophets are honored and welcomed all across the country except for in their own hometowns, and by the people who knew them (vs. 4).

During that brief stay in Nazareth, Jesus did not perform many miracles, only a very few healings of the sick (vs. 5-6).   There were fewer works done, but not because Jesus’ power was weaker or limited.  The people had a spirit of unbelief, and that prevented Jesus from doing any mighty works in Nazareth.  Perhaps fewer people came to Him while in Nazareth because they scorned His popularity when they just felt He was a home-town boy.  They wouldn’t bring the sick or diseased to Jesus.  They would rather see their loved ones sick than to see Jesus heal them.  Whatever their reason was, miracles belong among those who are ready to believe.  It is by faith that people receive miracles.  Unbelief will stifle the power of God.

This was how Jesus was received in His hometown.  No pride in the “local boy doing good”!  As we asked at the start of this study, when you are trying to do the Lord’s will, are there folks who look down on you because they don’t think you have good enough qualifications?  They say things to us like “How dare you think that you can teach me the Bible!”  Trust in the Lord’s undertaking for you, and continue your service for Him.  Perhaps we are the ones who are looking down on someone else.  Don’t let your quick and snappy judgments blind you to the truth that someone brings.  Don’t be like the folks from Nazareth.  The Savior came to them, but they turned Him away.

A Thorn In The Flesh

II Corinthians 12:2-10

We have all had things that we wished would happen, things we have desperately prayed for, and then it never comes to be.  It seems that the Lord wasn’t going to answer that prayer, even though it was not a desire for anything sinful or shameful.  This might leave us puzzled, hurt, and perhaps even a bit angry.  We wonder why God won’t answer this prayer.  After all, we weren’t praying for someone to get sick or die, we weren’t praying to win a huge lottery, or even a little one.  In our Scripture passage today, we read of a time when the Apostle Paul had something very important to him that he prayed about, but did not receive the answer he was looking for.  Let’s look at the circumstances of his prayer request, and what the Lord did answer for Paul.

As the Apostle Paul began this passage, he described a specific event that happened to himself.  Out of humility, though, he described it in the third person, as if he were talking about someone else.  In the event, this person, (which we know is Paul), was caught up into the third heaven where he saw things so wonderful and amazing he couldn’t even begin to describe them (vs. 2-4).  What is the third heaven?  The first heaven would be referring to the earth’s atmosphere, the air we breathe, the clouds, etc.  The second heaven is outer space, where planets, stars, comets, etc. are.  When Paul refers to the third heaven, he is speaking of the realm where God dwells.

Paul was not exactly sure if he actually went to heaven, or whether this was just a vision that he had.  Also, Bible scholars today are not exactly sure when this happened.  Some say that it might have occurred when Paul was stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19-20).  The reason that Paul brought this up in his letter to the Corinthians was that there was a faction of people there, and in other churches, who felt that he was too unassuming, unassertive, and meek, that he was basically a nobody.  They wanted somebody who seemed to be somebody.  Paul didn’t want to boast about himself, bragging about his resume and experiences, but if he had to he would share some things (vs. 5-6).  Paul wanted the Corinthians to judge him based on their observations of his ministry, not on his visions.

He continues on by sharing about an affliction that he had, and what the Lord taught him through that.  Paul knew the reason for his adversity was to keep him humble (vs. 7).  Due to his many revelations he could not afford to become prideful.  Paul’s affliction would remind him of how dependent he was on God.  Again, the apostle does not give us too many details, and we do not know exactly what this “thorn in the flesh” was.  People have pondered whether it was some specific temptation sent from Satan, or the severe opposition from his adversaries.  Many people have felt it was some recurring physical affliction or intense bodily pain, either brought on from all he had been through.  Whatever this was, Paul had spent three very specific times in earnest prayer to the Lord that He would remove or relieve him from this “thorn” (vs. 8).  However, this prayer was not granted.

Although God did not remove Paul’s affliction, He promised to demonstrate His power in and through Paul (vs. 9-10).  God allows us to have “thorns in the flesh” for us to use them as inspiration to look to Him.  We can’t beat them with our own strength.  The only thing we can do is turn to God and ask Him for help.  He may not remove them, but God will strengthen our relationship with Him while we deal with them.

Being a Christian does not mean that we will have no problems in life.  It does not mean that we will never have sickness, accidents, face indifference, injustices, or death.  The difference is that we will not be alone when hardships come on us. God will see us through the challenges we face.  It is not always God’s will that we be healed.  It is not always His plan to relieve the pressure.  Our happiness is not God’s chief aim.  God’s answer to our prayers is based on His long-range plan, not our immediate relief.  Even in the most trying circumstances, we can give thanks to God because in these situations we discover how close God really is to help us through them.

When it seems God is saying “no” to something, He may be saying “yes” to something else.  Sometimes we do not receive what we pray for because we are not ready for it.  God’s answer might be “yes, but not now.”  Other times God says “no” because what we are praying for is not in line with His will and what is best for us. Lastly, what seems like a “no” answer may be because God may have something else in mind for us.

Brokenness is God’s requirement for maximum usefulness.  That is when we must count on God’s provisions.  Grace is constantly available for the believer.  The Lord’s loving-kindness is more than sufficient to help us when we are at our weakest.

Eyes On The Right Influencer

Psalm 123

The world is filled with “influencers”.   Being a social media influencer is a very big thing today, especially among the younger generation.  However, there are all sorts of different influencers.  Anyone in advertising.  People we look up to and admire, like a sports hero, a favorite singer or band, or an actor are types of influencers.  We hang on every word they say, and watch how they live their lives.  Certain famous people are always being called on to do advertisements for products because of how much influence they have.  These folks are either a good or a bad influence for people, and people have our eyes on them.  So who are we keeping our eyes on?  Our very short psalm for this week gives us the answer of who our influencer should be.

Today’s very brief psalm is one of the Psalms or Songs of Ascent, which are fifteen psalms, Psalms 120 - 134.  They are all very short psalms (except Psalm 132, which is basically the average psalm length).  These psalms or songs were frequently sung by pilgrims coming to Jerusalem on the Holy Days, as they climbed the hills that surround the city.

Our psalmist knew who he needed to keep his eyes on.  It wasn’t the local influencer of his day, or the famous sports or military leader.  It wasn’t even the king, like David or Solomon, or one of the prominent prophets.  The psalmist knew to keep his eyes on the Lord God.  He knew who to pattern his life after, who to follow.  He knew that he needed to listen to and to obey the Lord, not someone else who may lead him down the wrong path.  How many people started smoking or using drugs because their favorite rock musician used this or that drug?  How many were lured into gangs or other criminal activity because they listened to some friends or acquaintances in the neighborhood?  Movie and TV stars are always giving their opinions about politics and who everyone should be voting for.  If we keep our eyes on the Lord, and are following and obeying what He says in His Word, the Bible, then we won’t be led down the wrong path, and His guidance and principles from the Bible would also instruct us in voting.

In the ancient Middle East, masters would often direct their servants with their hands, rather than their voices (vs. 2).  Servants would thus watch the hand of their master.  God’s hand directs, supplies, protects, comforts, corrects, and rewards us, His servants.  This psalm reminds us of our proper standing before God.  We do not look down on God, or view Him as an equal.  We lift our eyes to Him.  Yahweh is enthroned over the universe.  We are dependent upon Him for all things.

In some of the New Testament epistles our Christian life is compared to that of running a race.  With the Olympics starting in just a few weeks, the athletes are training.  They know the importance of keeping focused.  Those in games, like volleyball, know to keep their eyes on the ball.  A runner keeps his eye at the finish line.  They aren’t to be distracted by looking in the stands to see if someone they know is watching them.  We are told to be “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).  We are to keep our eyes on the Lord.

The author in Psalm 123 lifted his eyes to God, waiting and watching for Him to send His mercy.  The more he waited, the more he cried out to the Lord, because he knew that the evil and proud offered no help.  They only had contempt for God (vs. 3-4).  All too often, the influencers in the world today are not believers, and their message is anything but godly.  If one listens to the news media today in any form, whether online, on the TV or radio, or in publications, you will quickly see that they all have nothing but contempt for Christians, the Lord Jesus, and the Bible.  Believers receive nothing but scorn from them.

In closing, let’s follow the lead of our psalmist.  In every area of his life, he kept his eyes on the Lord.  Our eyes, too, should be on Jesus to mercifully meet our needs, and lead us through each and every day.

Faithfully And Fearlessly Bringing God's Message

Ezekiel 2:1-7

There are some people whose job it is to give others warnings of dangerous conditions ahead or that are coming.  Meteorologists are one such group of people.  Part of their job is to warn the public when a storm is approaching, such as a hurricane, a tornado, or a blizzard.  Where I live our community tornado siren will go off at least once a year, warning that a tornado has been sighted.  If we don’t take cover there could be serious danger.  Police put up warning signs when something dangerous is up ahead on the road, perhaps a bridge being out.  Officials put out warnings if it’s dangerous to swim in the ocean due to rip currents or perhaps even a shark.  To disobey that could cost one their life.  It is important to heed the warnings, and it is equally important for those in charge to faithfully give the needed warnings.  If they fail in their responsibilities, it could cost many people their lives.  In our Scripture today, we read of the charge that the Lord gave the prophet Ezekiel to give His message to the people of Israel, and to not be afraid or hesitate, because the message was important.

As our Scripture opens, the Lord told Ezekiel to get up, to stand on his feet (vs. 1).  The prophet had fallen upon his face in reverence, awe, and worship when he was blessed to see a vision of, not only a heavenly being (Ezekiel 1:4-25), but also of the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus (vs. 26-28).  Naturally, such a vision would bring one to prostrate themselves.  The Lord had a very important message to give the prophet for him to deliver to the people, so He told him to get up.  This vision had so affected Ezekiel that the Holy Spirit had to give him the power to arise (vs. 2).  God never gives us a command that He doesn’t also give us the ability to fulfill.  He never calls us to a task without also enabling us to complete it.

The Lord gave Ezekiel a message he was supposed to bring to the children of Israel.  His ministry was to the people during the Babylonian captivity, and though one might think that now their hearts would be tender to the Lord, that was not the case for many of them.  The Lord called them a rebellious nation, calling them impudent and stubborn (vs. 3-4).  Ezekiel was to give them God’s message, and whether they accepted it or not, they would know that a prophet, God’s messenger, had been among them (vs. 5).

The words that Ezekiel then spoke to the people were not his words, but were actually God’s words.  If the people rejected him, they, in truth, were rejecting the Lord God.  The measure of Ezekiel’s success would not be on how well the people responded to him, but was on how well he, himself, obeyed God.  God's truth does not depend on how people respond.  God’s truth, His Word, stands true whether people believe it and obey or they do not.  God will not judge us for how well others respond to our mission, but for how faithful we have been.

The unsaved, those who are rebellious and whose hearts have been hardened against the Lord are not pleased when someone comes, bringing God’s Word.  God’s messengers are very often not welcome, and their reception can often be outright hostile.  Ezekiel must have felt some fear in being sent to deliver the message, as he knew how they would likely receive him.  They were like briers, thorns, and scorpions (vs. 6).  No one wants to walk through a brier patch, nor to be among poisonous scorpions!  These were the descriptions that the Lord gave for the people whose obstinate rejection of His Word were like the barbs of thorns and the stings of scorpions.  However, God sent Ezekiel to speak to the nation.  It would not be an easy job, but God was with him.  He did not need to fear.

The great 19th century British preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, “Never, for fear of feeble man, restrain your witness.”  We should never be so afraid of getting a negative response from someone, or a group of people, that we hold back and not bring the Word of God, the Gospel to them.  God wants us to bring His message whether they listen or not (vs. 7).  Wherever the Lord has placed us today, faithfully be His witness.  People today are like those who are just idly going about their lives while a huge storm is heading their way and they ought to be seeking shelter.  People today are unprepared, both those inside and outside of the Church, for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We need to share His message with someone today!

It Is Never Too Late With Jesus

Mark 5:22-24, 35-43

Picture yourself in a really desperate situation, some life or death health crisis, or some very desperate, critical financial situation.  You think that you have found a good solution, some real life-line that can help you, but then the bottom drops out and the life-line is not there. You have nowhere to turn.  You get the worst possible news.  There is no more hope.  What do you do?  The difficulties are just too great, so do you just admit defeat?  This is the type of situation the gentleman in our Gospel passage today found himself.  Let’s take a look at this event in this man’s life.

As our Scripture from the Gospel of Mark opens, we read how a gentleman by the name of Jairus came to Jesus.  He had a young daughter who was quite sick, actually at the point of death, and he came to Jesus pleading with Him to come and heal her.  She was obviously too sick for him to actually bring her to Jesus, so Jairus asked if Jesus would come with him to his house (vs. 22-24).

Jairus was a “ruler of the synagogue”.  They presided over the local synagogues and were lay officials in charge of arranging the services and overseeing other synagogue affairs, such as running the weekly school for young Jewish boys, and caring for the building.  They might be similar to deacons or elders in some Christian churches today.  Rulers of the synagogues were frequently Pharisees, or at the least, associated with them.  Considering that this was very likely the case with Jairus, it took a lot of faith and courage for him to come to Jesus.  He could have lost his position for turning to Jesus on behalf of his daughter.  However, the situation was desperate.  Where else could he turn?  Jesus was his only life-line.  Jairus must have believed that Jesus could heal his daughter, which he obviously loved very much.

Fortunately, Jesus was willing to go with Jairus to his home.  While enroute, something happened that put a whole different twist to the situation.  Jesus got delayed, He was sidetracked by someone else and their concerns.  The Savior was stopped by a woman who had her own health issue that she needed healing for, and He stopped to attend to her.  Now what?  Jairus’ daughter was near death, any delay would only make matters worse!  I can only imagine what might have been going through his mind right then.  I might be pulling on His sleeve, telling Jesus to hurry up, to leave that woman, that I had been first in line, so attend to my needs!  I don’t see Jairus doing any of that.  However frantic he was inside, he seems to have waited, at least outwardly patient, for Jesus to finish.

As we continue in our Scripture we read that the worst possible message came to Jairus from his household, which was that his daughter had died.  The messenger told him that there was no more need for him to bother Jesus any more (vs. 35).  His daughter was dead.  What’s the use now?  She is dead.  Should he just give up and walk away?  That’s what his messenger told him to do.  Dead was dead, at least that is what they thought.  Jesus had overheard what the messenger had told Jairus, and He told him to not be afraid, but instead to believe (vs. 36).  Jairus was urged to maintain the faith that he had initially demonstrated in coming to Jesus.  God always urges us on to faith and away from fear.

They continued on to the house, and when they got there, they found people already grieving and mourning (vs. 38).  In that hot climate burial would follow as soon as possible after death, so public mourning and grieving was done immediately.  Jesus then said something that brought immediate ridicule.  He told them to stop mourning, that she was not dead (vs. 39-40).  To say that she was “not dead, but sleeping” was a figure of speech.  Jesus knew she was dead, but her death was only temporary.  Though disrespectful, and meant to humiliate Jesus, their comments show that the girl was really dead, not just unconscious.

Seeing all the mourners and their ridicule of Jesus must have been difficult for Jairus’ emotions, but he still clung to his faith.  Jesus always wants to operate in a climate of faith, not of unbelief, so He had everyone sent from the room except the girl’s parents, along with Peter, James, and John.  He then took the girl’s hand and, speaking Aramaic, told her to arise, to get up (vs. 41).  This was the second of three people that Jesus raised from the dead during His ministry, the first being the widow of Nain’s son (Luke 7:11-17), and then later His good friend Lazarus (John 11:1-44).  Jesus told the parents to give her something to eat, and not to go spreading the word about this resurrection (vs. 43).  Word would soon get around when people saw her.  Jesus wanted time to leave the area to avoid ostentatious acclaim, and avoid scornful unbelievers.  Jesus’ custom all along was to make Himself known to earnest seekers, but to conceal His true identity from the skeptics and unbelievers.

Are you facing some very desperate and critical situation, that perhaps has now gotten even worse, where there doesn’t seem to be any hope?  Maybe time just seems to have run out in the situation, and there is seemingly nothing more that can be done.  Jesus showed that with Him, it can never be too late!  Time cannot limit what Jesus can do, and when He chooses to do it.

Faithful And Generous Giving

II Corinthians 8:1-9, 13-15

The world is often divided into two groups of people.  Some of these are the rich and the poor, the old and the young, the thin and the not very thin.  And there are the generous and the not very generous, or the stingy.  The generous will give to help others, sometimes even when they don’t have much to begin with.  The less generous, or stingy folks want to hang on to what they have, even if they have more than enough.  Our New Testament Scripture this week comes from a portion of St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.  Here we read how Paul encouraged this congregation to be generous, and help other believers in need.  Let’s see what the Lord can teach us today.

During the years that Paul was a missionary throughout Greece, one thing that he wanted to do was to take up an offering in the churches that he established to help the Christians in Judea.  The Christians in Judea, in and around Jerusalem, were the first believers to come to faith in the Lord Jesus.  Why were they so particularly poor, more so than churches in other areas, like north in Damascus or Antioch, or the churches in Asia Minor or in Greece?  For one thing, practically all of the believers in Judea came from a Jewish background, a lot whose families were Orthodox or were Pharisees.  When they accepted Jesus as the Messiah many of them were then disowned by their families (many of these families being Pharisees), and expelled from their homes.  Their employers often fired them, so they lost their ability to support themselves.  Also, not that long before this letter, there had been a severe famine in the area (Acts 11:27-30).  In addition, there had been two earthquakes in the area.  One occurred during the reign of Emperor Caligula (AD 37-41).  The other was during the reign of Emperor Claudius (AD 41-54).  Due to all of these circumstances the Christians in Judea were in desperate need.

As Paul traveled throughout Greece establishing churches, he urged each congregation to remember the poor, not only among their own community, but also in other churches, particularly in Judea.  When Paul first came to Corinth and established the church, he challenged them to start a collection, as the churches in Macedonia, including those in Philippi and Thessalonica, were also taking collections.  Macedonia was a poorer area than that of Corinth, due to political and military problems there, but they were giving generously.  In contrast, Corinth was quite prosperous due to the thriving port and being a major commercial area.  Paul commended the churches in Macedonia for giving to the impoverished believers in Judea, even though they were poor, as well.  He encouraged Corinth to do equally as well.

How about our giving today in the 21st century?  Are we hanging on to whatever we have as we worry about the dismal economy in so many parts of the world?  Are we afraid to give, thinking things will get worse, and we won’t have enough for ourselves and our families?  Or are we just selfish, thinking we have rightfully earned our money, and want to spend it on things we would enjoy?  That shouldn’t be the case for followers of the Lord Jesus. When we are wholeheartedly committed to the Lord, His priorities become ours.

Some might say that they barely have enough for their own needs, how can they give to others.  The members of the Macedonian churches could have said that, but they knew that with the Lord, there is always enough to share.  The point of giving is not so much the amount we give, but why and how we give.  God does not want gifts given grudgingly.  He wants us to give out of dedication to Jesus, love for fellow believers, the joy of helping those in need, and that it is the good and right thing to do.

As children of the Most High, our finances do not depend on the world’s economy, but on the economy of God.  The unsaved world panics when the economy is bad, when the prices of food, gasoline, and healthcare go up and up and the bank accounts get thinner and thinner.  That should not be us, though.  We must show the world that we are people of faith, not of fear.  If we are faithful givers to those in need we will find out that God is a faithful provider.  No one excels more in giving than the Lord!

Living A Blessed Life

Psalm 112

When one sets out in life, most people hope that they will be successful, that they will be blessed.  This usually includes hopes that they will be prosperous with a good bank account, that they will be successful in their job and in their marriage, have plenty of good friends, and go through life healthy.  What does the Bible say about the man or woman who is blessed by the Lord, and how can one be in such a desirable position?  Our psalm for today speaks of the person that the Lord blesses.  Let’s take a look into our Scripture.

Psalm 112 opens with a word of praise to Yahweh, and then immediately declares what one must do if they desire to be blessed by Him (vs. 1).  To be one that is blessed by the Lord one must delight in His commandments.  As the psalmist continues, he states that there are many blessings available to us such as honor, prosperity, security, and freedom from fear (vs. 2-9) if we fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commands.  If one continually disobeys what the Bible says, if one tries to say that a command of God really means something different, or that it doesn’t apply for today, or if they just choose to ignore God’s Word, then they can’t really expect to be blessed by Him.  Mankind’s desire for prosperity and blessings can only come through obedience to the commands of God.

As we continue in our psalm we read that a good person, one who enjoys the Lord’s blessing, will be a generous person (vs. 5).  They freely lend to help those in need, and do so graciously, not begrudgingly, or making the other one feel bad about their need.  Sometimes wealthier people abuse others in their desire to accumulate wealth.  Developing a habit of generosity can help in eliminating that.  The fear of losing all of one’s money can be a snare.  If we are generous with what we have we show that we are putting our trust in the Lord and not in our bank and financial accounts.  The blessings the Lord bestows on His obedient children make it possible for us to give to others.  Though the unsaved may prosper, their prosperity is fleeting and will not last forever.  The blessings that obedient believers receive from the Lord will last forever because they are anchored in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Another blessing that the Lord bestows upon believers who are living their life closely aligned to His Word is that we can live our lives without fear, panic, and apprehension (vs. 7-8).  There are so many fearful things happening in the world today, that we see people all over in a state of worry and fear.  They fear the bad economy and the security of their jobs.  They are afraid of wars and conflicts in various parts of the world and whether they will escalate even worse.  People fear about their health and that of their loved ones, about how their children are doing.  They also fear the deteriorating social and political climate.  However, those who fear the Lord, and who trust in Him do not need to be afraid of evil tidings.  The fear of God can lead to a fearless life.  To “fear God” means to respect and revere Him as the Almighty Lord.  When we trust God to take care of us, our other fears will subside.  A believer should not be afraid when bad news comes.  If we are, how are we any different from the unsaved?  They become filled with alarm and fear.  We have proven God’s faithfulness and we have a living hope.  Evil tidings should not put us in fear.  We know the Lord will undertake for us.

As our psalmist closes this psalm, we read that the Lord will exalt the horn of those who He has blessed, those who obey Him and give generously to the poor (vs. 9).   When the Scriptures talk about exalting someone’s “horn” they are using a figure of speech.  The horns on an animal, such as a rhinoceros, a ram, or a bull can be a symbol of their strength and power.  One does not want to be on the receiving end of any of their horns!  Typically we steer clear of them.  When God “exalts our horn”, it indicates that He is blessing us, giving us strength and prosperity.  In contrast to the righteous man, the wicked man leads a worthless existence without the blessings of the Lord (vs. 10).

After reading through this psalm, seeing the blessings the Lord will give those who obey and follow Him, or the final end of those who have turned away from God and are going their own way, which do you want for your life?  I would certainly choose a life of blessings and honor, a life without fear.  That is the reward for those who have Jesus as their Savior, and who delight in His commandments.

How Do We Treat The Poor?

Deuteronomy 15:7-11

I see them nearly every single day.  They are all over the big cities, and the suburbs.  They are out in rural areas, too, only probably not as noticeable.  What am I talking about?  I am referring to the poor and homeless asking for help.  We see them on the busier streets by the traffic lights.  When the lights are red, they will walk down between the lanes, often holding a sign saying they are homeless and hungry.  There are always one or two at a busy intersection several blocks from where I live.  I have lived here over twenty-five years, and there haven’t always been people on the street corners begging for help.  It’s only been in the last few years.  How do you feel when you see the poor and homeless in your area, as this is a world-wide concern?  Our Scripture today lets us know what the Lord God has to say about this.

This week’s Old Testament Scripture comes from the Book of Deuteronomy, the last book that Moses wrote.  Deuteronomy contains his final message to the people of Israel, right before they would cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land.  In these small handful of verses, Moses tells us the Lord’s instructions for how He wishes us to treat the poor.

The Lord wishes that His children have an attitude towards the poor that is one of warmth and generosity, giving what is necessary to meet their needs, whether they pay us back or not (vs. 8).  Right prior to our passage in this chapter of Deuteronomy Moses laid out the regulations for the “year of release”, where all debts were to be canceled every seven years (Deuteronomy 15:1-6).  That way people would not be weighed down with unending debt, especially if the lender tacked on heavy interest rates.  In today’s passage, the Lord added more about the “year of release” because He knew how hard-hearted some people might be to those who needed a helping hand.  He knew that a potential creditor might be unwilling to make a loan to a poor person because of the proximity of the year of release.  If it was the sixth year, and the next year was the year of release, that would essentially make the loan instead a gift, as little would be paid back.  So some hard-hearted and selfish people would refuse to make loans to the poor then.  The Lord explicitly condemned having such an attitude (vs. 9-10).

Why do people so often have a hard heart against the poor?  Many people conclude that people are poor through some fault of their own.  They feel that they are poor and/or homeless because they are alcoholics or drug addicts, or because they are lazy and don’t work hard enough.  This makes it easy in their minds to close their hearts and hands to the needy.  However, we are not to invent reasons for ignoring the poor.  The Lord tells us to respond to their needs, no matter who or what was responsible for their condition.  Plus, with the economy as bad as it is in the U.S. and in many other countries, we can no longer just assume that the poor and homeless are lazy drunks and drug addicts.  Unfortunate job lay-offs, ill health with sky-rocketing medical bills, an abusive spouse who takes off and leaves you with children to care for, any of these and more could be the reason that one needs to beg for a hand-out and help.

We also find some people who are so hard-hearted against the poor that they do not want them in their community because they think them unsightly, and that it gives the community a bad image.  They petition the police and city council to run them out of town.  They remove park benches so they won’t have a place to sit and rest, or put armrests in the middle of those park benches so they can’t lie down at night.  Then they turn around and go to church on Sunday and think they are a good, upstanding Christian.  Do we not remember what the Lord said He would do when He returns, how He will divide the people according to how they treat the poor?  (Matthew 25:31-46).  Jesus said that whatever we do to the least of our brothers, we do unto Him.  If we help them to the best of our ability, we are helping Him.  If we cast them off and ignore them, we are doing the same to Jesus.

Have we been blessed by the Lord with a roof over our head, enough food for each meal, and enough to pay our bills?  Most of us have that, and many have even much more.  The Lord does not want us to hoard what He has blessed us with.  He blesses us so that we might bless others.  If we want the blessings of the Lord to continue on us, we must obey Him, and work diligently to carry out His Word (vs. 10).  We are told here by Moses in our Scripture (vs. 11), and later with Jesus in Matthew 26:11, that the poor will always be among us.  Therefore we are always to remain generous.