Don't Topple Off The Edge

Psalm 19:7-14

How close to the edge of a deep cliff or drop-off do you like to get?  Are you a daring one who likes to get right up to the edge, believing that you have steady balance and footing, and nothing will happen?  Or are you a more hesitant person who stays way back?  I have a terrible fear of heights, so I never get near the edge of anything, even when the height isn’t so much.  We occasionally hear of someone who fell off the edge of a cliff, and we might wonder why they didn’t take proper precautions, as one slip can mean serious injury or even death.  Our psalm for this week warns us about getting too close to something else that is even more dangerous than a deep cliff.

Psalm 19, written by King David, can be divided into two parts.  The first part briefly describes God’s revelation in nature, specifically with the heavens and particularly the sun.  The second part is God’s revelation to us through His Word, His Law.  Even though most of the Bible had not been written yet, basically only the first five Books of Moses, David loved God’s Word, as he expresses here.  He knows that God’s Word, what he had and what was yet to come, is perfect, sure, pure, true, and righteous (vs. 7-9).

As king, David could have anything that he wanted.  He had plenty of gold and riches, and the choicest of food, and yet what did he want and think was more desirable than that?  David proclaimed that God’s Word was more desirable than gold, and sweeter than honey (vs. 10).  Honey is sweeter than cane sugar, and can give one energy.  Honey is sometimes added to skin lotions because it is a natural humectant.  It is also a probiotic, and has other healthful properties, being used for when one has a cold or sore throat.  Because it also has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, honey is used in treating wounds and burns.  With all of these benefits, honey was very valuable, especially in the days of the past.  Yet David valued the Word of God even more, as we should, too.

One reason David valued God’s Word was that as long as he read and studied it, God’s Word kept him from sin (vs. 11-13).  When we follow and obey the Bible, it will keep us from harm.  It is like a guide-line that one can follow to know the way to go.  Living in the Midwest part of the United States there are many farms, and one can visit some old, historic farms that show us the farming practices of the past.  Many parts of the Midwest are prone to strong and blinding blizzards in the winter.  Even during these dangerous storms farmers in the past needed to get to the barns to take care of the livestock.  In the old historic farms one can sometimes see ropes or cords strung between the house and the barns which were used as guidelines to help the farmer go safely from his house to the barn in a blinding snowstorm.  As long as he held onto the cord with one hand he knew he would be safe and not wander off course into danger.  We, too, can use the lines of God’s Word to guide and guard us through life.

David also prayed that God would keep him back from getting too close to sin (vs. 13).  Like those daring souls who try to get right up to the edge, sometimes we try to see how close we can get to sin and wrong actions before we fall headlong into behavior that will leave our life shipwrecked.  Curiosity can draw us toward the darkness of sin.. We think we can flirt with temptation, get very close to the edge, and safely walk away. But that is impossible.  We know an action is wrong, and yet we toy with it, and then we are drawn into deeper and darker perversions.  We need to pray to the Lord to help us before we get that far, just as David did.

Each of us has hidden faults, those we deliberately try to hide from others and even from God, and also those that we are unaware of.  We need to repent of our sins, the sins we know, and the sins of which we are unaware (vs. 12-13).  When we do, God will declare us innocent for the sake of His Son, Jesus.

In closing his psalm, King David prayed that his prayers, and all the words of his mouth would be acceptable to the Lord (vs. 14).  We need to make sure that the words that come out of our mouth are pleasing to God (Ephesians 4:29; Ephesians 5:4).  Not only do we need to be careful not to curse, we need to watch that we don’t always speak doom and gloom.

Let’s be sure to follow David’s example here, valuing God’s Word above all else.  Let’s cling to it like that guideline in the storm, and allow it to keep us back, way back from the edges of sin, before we topple in to our destruction.

Those Complainers And Whiners!

Numbers 11:4-23, 31-34

We all know at least one, possibly more of them - the chronic complainer, the whiner, someone who always has to find fault with just about everything.  Perhaps you work with someone like that.  Maybe you have one in your family, your mother, an elderly uncle, a sibling.  We can even find them in our churches.  Being around constant complainers is very irritating, tiring, and can even get stressful.  Unfortunately it is also contagious.  The more we are around a group of whiners, the more likely we are to start joining in.  Our Scripture today tells of an incident when the Israelites started to complain to God about His provisions.  Let’s look into this episode of whining and complaining.

As our Scripture opens, we read about a mixed multitude of people who started to complain that they wanted a more varied diet, one with more meat in it, along with other foods they had back when they were in Egypt (vs. 4-6).  First, we might wonder who this “mixed multitude” is.  When Moses led the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, some others left with them.  Some would have been from intermarriage between the Hebrews and Egyptians, along with people from other nations that came with them during the exodus.  They started complaining about the manna, and wanted other food, including meat, and pretty soon many of the Israelites started to join in with the complaining.  It is important to be careful with whom we associate with, as listening to complaining will often rub off onto us, and before we know it, we are joining in.  We also need to watch our own complaining, as we can soon drag others into that sinful behavior with us.

Manna was a gift to the people from God.  It was a gift of food that the people didn’t have to work for to get, a free gift from God.  All they had to do was to go out every morning and gather it.  It was there every day for them, except on the Sabbath.  The day before the Sabbath God provided them with enough manna to last them through the Sabbath, each and every week.  The people didn’t have to plant and care for it in order to get manna.  They didn’t have to hunt it down, either.  They could eat it plain, or they could make it into recipes.  It was always there for them, no work involved, so why the complaints?!

The people’s complaining was very wearing and stressful on Moses.  He came to the Lord in prayer, turning to Him with the burden of the people.  He wanted out from the position of leading the people.  They were too much for him, with all their complaints and whining, so much so that he was beginning to wish he were dead (vs. 10-15).  The next time we begin with the moaning and groaning about our life, let’s consider what that is doing to those who have to listen to us!

God heard Moses’ prayer, and He certainly had heard the people’s murmuring, and He promised to give them meat, so much meat that it would make them sick! (vs. 18-20).  When Moses questioned just how much meat that would take, God challenged him by saying that He was certainly up to the task!  (vs. 21-23).  The Lord proceeded to bring a miracle, by sending millions of quail into the area, enough to feed the multitudes (vs. 31-34).  However He also punished those who complained, as many of them died.

Complaining poisons the heart with ingratitude, and can be a contagion.  God has to judge it.  By listening too long to complaints one can start to agree with them.  Even Moses was beginning to be dragged in.  However, rather than moaning to others and hoping for their agreement, as the people did, Moses took his complaints to God.  We need to take our needs to the Lord, knowing that He loves us enough to help us, and even puts up with us when we sin.

If our faith is worth anything, it will stand a test.  Poor faith can only trust God when things are going well.  However, when our suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and then character produces hope, the Lord will be honored (Romans 5:3-4).  Our present afflictions will lead to future joy.

When you hear complaining coming from others, or when you feel it welling up inside of you, the best way to combat it is to count God’s many blessings in your life.  Proclaiming God’s faithfulness silences discontentment!

God's View Of Greatness

Mark 9:30-37

When we think of successful people, people who have accomplished their specific goals, we don’t usually think of or include those who died as a result of trying to achieve their goals.  We also think of those who are on top, those who are top achievers, the “go-getters”, those who seek to be number one.  We don’t typically think of the fellow with the lowest position as being too successful.  This is the world’s view, but how about Jesus’ view?  Our Scripture today from the Gospel of Mark gives us a different picture of success, one from God’s view rather than the world’s.

As we open our Scripture passage today Jesus had just come down from the mountain top where He had been transfigured, and then He had cast the demon out of a man’s son.  He and His disciples now headed out of that village, and along the way Jesus spoke again about His approaching betrayal and death (vs. 30-32).  This is something that He had spoken with them about before, including the time that Peter had tried to dissuade Him from this path.  Yet this time, like the others, Jesus’ words did not seem to be comprehended by the disciples.  They not only did not understand, they seemed to not remember these words, as they all seemed taken by surprise when Jesus was arrested and crucified, and did not seem to remember anything about His promise of rising again from the dead.

Mark records that Jesus spoke about His betrayal into the hands of His enemies, His execution, and then His resurrection on the third day.  As the twelve heard this, we read that they were afraid to ask Him exactly what He meant.  Why would they be afraid?  Did they feel that they should understand everything by now?  Were they afraid that if they spoke further about Jesus being crucified, that it might mean that it definitely would happen?  Sometimes some people feel that if they don’t talk about something, it just doesn’t exist.  For example some people won’t talk about, or even acknowledge a negative medical report, that if they just ignore it, it will go away.  So maybe if they don’t talk about Jesus’ crucifixion, it won’t happen.  In addition, sometimes we don’t ask questions if we really don’t want to know the answers that will be given.

As Jesus and His disciples continued to walk, they came back to Capernaum, the village where He frequently visited and taught.  Once there, Jesus asked the disciples what they had been talking, and even arguing about (vs. 33).  Again, they kept quiet and didn’t answer, as they were probably embarrassed and ashamed of what they had argued among each other about.  The twelve, having been together for a couple of years, had gotten into an argument as to which of them was the greatest among the others (vs. 34).  Was it Peter, the first one to openly acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God?  Was it either James or John, who along with Peter, were part of the inner group of three, closest to Jesus?  Was it Simon, who was nicknamed the zealous one, or Matthew, possibly the one who had the greatest change in his life, turning away from a life of corruption?

Jesus proceeded to settle that argument by saying the greatest one is actually the one who has genuine humility and acts as a servant to the others, not the one wanting to be served (vs. 35).   One sign of humility and having an attitude that isn’t so wrapped in pride is welcoming children, and treating them with love, interest, and concern.  Jesus took a little child and put him in their midst, saying that if they receive a child in His Name, they receive Him (vs. 36-37).

What Jesus taught about greatness is the exact opposite of what the world thinks.  He taught that to be great we need to become a servant to others.  Jesus, the Lord of all, gave us an example to follow when He washed the disciples feet (John 13:1-17).  Can you picture the heads of multi-billion dollar corporations getting on their knees and washing the feet of the janitors and cafeteria ladies?!  Humility is essential for leaders and all followers of Jesus Christ.

We also look at leaders having successfully achieved their goals, yet as we look at Jesus, we see Him being taken by His enemies and executed on the cross.  The world would not call that successful, they would call that losing.  However, what happened on the third day??  Jesus rose triumphantly from the dead!!  Jesus has power over death.  He has conquered death, and He could fulfill His own resurrection prophecies.  Contrary to what the world would say, that is success!  Jesus gave, in this Scripture, the picture of a successful man or woman in God’s Kingdom.

A Friend Of God

James 3:16 - 4:6

Would you like to be a friend of God?  I think that most people, if they believe in God, would like to consider Him their friend.  And I think that this would definitely hold true for those who have accepted His Son, Jesus, as their Savior. Yes, I believe that we all would like to be considered a friend of God’s.  In our Scripture today, as we continue in the Book of James, He speaks of being either a friend or an enemy of God.  He speaks of having wisdom that comes from God, which a friend of God would have, and also of wars and fighting.  Let’s look into this lesson from James.

As our Scripture opens, James speaks of several evil traits that are common among people, including sometimes found in believers.  These are envy and self-seeking or selfish ambition (vs. 16).  These bring about nothing but confusion, disorder, and all sorts of evil.  What causes envy in the hearts of so many people?  It comes when we are filled with greed, selfishness, and pride.  When we see someone else get something, we become discontent with what we have or don’t have, and we develop a covetous desire for what they have, along with a growing bitterness.  Jealousy or envy dishonors God, and one can hardly be a true friend of God if we allow these traits to remain in us.

However, a person who is filled with wisdom that comes from above, from God, will be pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, show mercy, and other fruits of the Spirit (vs. 17-18).  Are you full of peace or full of anger?  Do you show gentleness to others, and show mercy?  Are you willing to yield to others?  Those willing to yield do not cling stubbornly to one’s own opinions, but are open to reason.  When we yield to Him, the Lord will give wisdom and these fruits without partiality.  God does not show favoritism.

James continues on speaking about wars and fighting among people (vs. 1-3).  This would include both actual wars between countries, and “warring” and fighting among individuals or groups.  As we read here, fighting and warring, both individually and in any size group, often comes from our desires for pleasure, wanting what others have, thinking it will bring us happiness, enjoyment or fulfillment.

Sometimes the reason we don’t have what we want is because we don’t ask God (vs. 2).  However, our motives need to be in tune with what God knows is best for us (I John 5:14).  Expectant prayer demonstrates confidence in God’s goodness.  All too often we forget to ask the Lord for specific things we need.  We need to pray in line with God’s commands.  God will not answer prayers for sinful or selfish motives (vs. 3).

Now we come to where our Scripture asks whose friend are we?  Are we a friend of the world or are we a friend of God?  Whose friend do we want to be? (vs. 4).  Usually when the Bible speaks of the “world” it is speaking of the world system, which follows the prince of this world, Satan (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11).  There is nothing wrong with loving and wanting to take care of nature, but it is wrong when we devote ourselves to the philosophies and thinking of the culture of this world.  Being a friend of this world is not compatible with being a friend of God.  Being a friend of this world is thinking, doing, and speaking as the world does, and to value the same things that the world does.  What God wants and what the world expects are diametrically opposed.

Sometimes people find it hard to submit to Jesus because we like to be in charge (vs. 6).  We hold back in fear because we may not like what God chooses for us, or we fear He may ask us to give up something or do something we don’t want to do.  We should have the same attitude as God’s Son, Jesus, who gave Himself to die at Calvary (Philippians 2:5-11).

The Bible speaks of one person, calling him specifically a “friend of God”, and that is the Patriarch Abraham.  We read in II Chronicles 20:7, in Isaiah 41:8; and earlier in James 2:23, where he was called a friend of God.  We all want friends, and what better friend could we have than God!  The world is fickle, and at any moment it will cast you out.  Satan doesn’t care about anyone.  He will use you, chew you up and then spit you out.  God, on the other hand, loves you and wants you to choose Him, and be His friend.

Wrongful Betrayal

Psalm 54

If you are hiding from someone, the last thing you want is for someone to find your hiding place, and especially not to reveal it to the one you’re hiding from.  It’s not such a big deal if it is just a game of hide and seek, though you still don’t want to be found.  However, if you’re hiding to save your life, you certainly don’t want your hiding place revealed to your enemy.  There are a number of cases throughout history of someone who was hiding for their life, and then the wrong person discovered their place and told the enemy, often with disastrous results for the person  Anne Frank would be one famous example.  Our psalm for this week is an example from the Bible of a group of people revealing the hiding place of someone to their sworn enemy.  Let’s take a look.

Psalm 54 was one of many psalms written by King David.  This psalm, like a few others, has a descriptive heading, explaining the background of the psalm.  After David’s great victory over the Philistine army champion Goliath, the young man came to the royal court of King Saul where he served as a personal musician to the king and also fought in the army, gaining more victories over the Philistines.  Rather than being glad over this, these victories stirred the emotionally unstable and insecure king into a rage, and he frequently made attempts to harm or kill David.  The young man had to spend many years on the run for his life.  It was during one of those times that David went to the small village of Ziph in the territory of Judah, and hid from Saul in that area.  However, despite their both being from the tribe of Judah, the residents of Ziph treacherously told King Saul where David was hiding out (I Samuel 23:14-29).

Imagine how David felt when he heard that the residents of the area turned their back against him and told the king where he was hiding!  These were his people, members of the tribe of Judah.  Tribal loyalty meant a lot back then, yet they betrayed him!  David wasn’t a weak man, and he had a number of well trained men who followed with him, so if he wanted to, he was well-equipped to take his revenge on the townsfolk.  What would David do?

If any of us have ever been wrongfully betrayed by another we can imagine how David felt, and known the desire to seek revenge on these enemies.  Instead of gathering his warriors around him, and going back to Ziph and razing it to the ground, David instead turned to the Lord in prayer.  He was hurt.  He was angry.  After all, he nearly lost his life due to their treachery!  However, that is not what David did.  Instead, he went to the Lord in prayer, knowing that vengeance belongs to Him (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19).   He prayed to the Lord that He will help him, and that He will repay his enemies for the evil they have done to him (vs. 4-5).

The word “helper” in Hebrew (vs 4) is “ezer”, which gives the idea of rescuing, one who rescues or helps when someone is doomed.  This helper supplies what one lacks when the enemy attacks.  David knew God was his “ezer”.   He knew that the Lord would uphold him in his time of need, that He would sustain and support him like the beams support a building so that it does not fall or collapse.

Because David had a relationship with God, he felt comfortable to be bold and specific in his requests to Him.  Though there is nothing wrong with a general prayer of “Help!”, David knew he could be specific with God.  He knew that as His child, he could ask God to rightly judge them and take care of them according to His righteousness.  David prayed that the evil planned against him would come back on their own head.  David concentrated on doing right rather than in plotting his own revenge.  He surrendered that right to God.  This is something that we should learn, as well, when someone does something unjustly against us.  Rather than coming up with some equally harmful plot, we should leave the vengeance to God as David did.

Jesus also experienced something similar to what David did when He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, someone who was one of the twelve disciples.  And then strangers arose against Him (vs. 3).  Ruthless men sought to take His life.  They thought that they were serving God, but really they had not set the Lord before them.  If they had they would never have killed the Son of God, their own Messiah.

When we feel the treachery of an enemy, or even from someone we thought we could trust, instead of plotting our own revenge, instead, let’s go to the Lord in prayer, and then leave the matter in His hand.  Let’s trust in the Lord to be our helper, and to uphold us with His love.

Today's Wisdom From Proverbs

Proverbs 22

Some Christians follow a practice of reading one chapter from the Book of Proverbs each day.  Since most months have 31 days, and there are 31 chapters in Proverbs, that provides a chapter for each day of the month.  Today being the 22nd day of the month, let us take a quick look into some verses from the 22nd chapter of Proverbs.

The Book of Proverbs is part of the wisdom literature in the Bible, which includes Psalms, Job, Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes.  A large portion of the book are sayings collected from King Solomon, though there are others whose sayings were also included.  The book speaks of how important it is to obtain God’s wisdom and the fear of the Lord.  It also gives instruction in godly values, moral behavior, human life, and right conduct.

Solomon opens this chapter with instructing us in the importance of having a good name (vs. 1).  Solomon was an enormously wealthy king, so rich that he could have anything he ever wanted.  However, when weighed in a balance, the king knew that having a good name was much more valuable. He would rather have a name that he could be proud of than all the riches he had.  How many wealthy people do we know who have all the money they could want, yet their behavior, the way they treat others, is atrocious?  God says it is better to have that good name, one that is held in high regard among others, than to have riches.

When we are doing God’s work and living God’s way, we can count on receiving everything we truly need to keep going (vs. 1-4).   Honor and a good name are more desirable than great riches.  Humble people rely on God’s direction, and thus avoid many dangerous pitfalls in life.

In verse 6 we have a verse that has caused some good and godly parents some puzzlement when their children go off down the wrong path.  They wonder where they went wrong and why God seems to be punishing them.  We need to remember that Proverbs purpose is as a book of wisdom sayings, not a book of promises.  If Proverbs were a book of promises then all godly people would be wealthy, and we would all live long and healthy lives (Proverbs 10:22, 27).  The Bible teaches that we’re responsible to God for how we teach and bring up our children, but we are not responsible for our children’s adult choices (Ezekiel 18:20).   Christian parents need to be the best parent they can be, and take neither credit nor blame for their children’s choices.  Instead, thank God when they choose holiness, and pray when they don’t.

Many parents today want to let their children make their own decisions.  That is definitely not a wise thing to do.  Children will grab at the first flashy thing with ribbons that they see, but then find out too late that it has a hook in it!   Temptations to do the wrong thing come packaged with glitter all over it, and children do not have the wisdom to make the right choice.  Parents need to be laying a Biblical foundation in their life, so that when they are older they will make wise decisions.

In our chapter we see several verses that speak to us about how we should treat the poor - verses 9, 16, 22-23.  The Word of God records that we are supposed to show kindness to the poor who are in need and who dwell among us.  Anyone who gives to the poor will never go unrewarded.  It is a sacrifice that God is well-pleased with at all times.

Like most of the chapters of Proverbs, chapter 22 is filled with many words of godly wisdom.  Let us quickly look at one more line of wisdom that God wishes us to apply to our life in verses 24-25.  Solomon frequently spoke about the dangers of getting angry, and letting our anger flare up.  We may think that we have reasons to justify our anger, but God says it is foolish.  It only stirs up strife, and will lead us to sin.  Keeping company with, and making good friends with someone who is an angry person, who frequently and violently loses his temper, is not wise or advisable.  We tend to become like those we keep frequent company with, and becoming one prone to anger is not the type of person God wants us to be.  God warns us to not even associate with an angry person.

These are just some tidbits of wisdom that we reap from the Book of Proverbs on this 22nd day of the month.  Each day of the month the Lord gives us a handful of wisdom from Proverbs to guide us through the day.

Help Our Unbelief

Mark 9:14-29

Have you ever faced a devastating problem, and you have looked everywhere and to everyone you thought might help, and no one could help you?  The problem is critical, and you are quickly losing all hope that anything will change and get better.  Where or who can you go to for help?  This is a situation that faced a desperate father in our Gospel reading for today.

As our Scripture opens, Jesus had just spent some time with His three closest disciples on top of a mountain, where He was transfigured (Mark 9:2-8).  As Jesus returned back down the mountain, He noticed a commotion going on with the other disciples, the scribes, and other village folk.  Not liking to see His disciples involved in a squabble, He asked what was going on (vs. 14-16).  Then a man approached Jesus, and told Him how his son had a demon since he was a young child, and how he brought the son to His disciples to cast that demon out, but they had been unable to (vs. 17-18).

Jesus then rebuked the crowd for their lack of faith, and requested that the father bring his son to Him.  As the boy was brought, he started to convulse and foam at the mouth, and the father begged Jesus to do something, “if He could” (vs. 19-22).  Jesus spoke directly to the father then, saying that if he could believe, everything was possible.  The father then gained a spark of faith, just a spark, and told Jesus he did believe, but still had some unbelief.  Jesus then cast that demon out, and restored the delivered boy to his father (vs. 23-27).

Why were the disciples unable to cast this demon out when they had done so before, and had seen Jesus cast demons out numerous times?  The boy had been tormented for many years, and there were many unbelieving people present.  Prayer with great faith was needed in this case (vs. 28-29).  Prayer is needed to accomplish work done in and through His power.  Facing the evil one in both seen and unseen realms requires prayer accompanied by great faith.  Jesus has the power for us to successfully overcome all evil.  As the great 19th century evangelist D. L. Moody said, “He who kneels the most, stands the best.”

When the father came to Jesus, he said to Him “if You can do anything” (vs. 22).  The word “if” is in the wrong place!  It is not if Jesus can heal the boy,  it is if the father can believe (vs. 23).  As the Savior spoke to him, the father’s trust was strengthened, and he prayed for an increase in faith.  Jesus spoke the Word of healing and deliverance.  All things are possible to one who believes.  Sometimes when our circumstances feel overwhelming, our prayer can simply be “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief.”

The saying “seeing is believing” should not be the saying for Christians.  In the spiritual realm that is very seldom true.  If we could see, why would we need to have faith?  We need to walk by faith, not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7).  Do we trust in God’s unseen sovereignty and His personal care for us?  In order to grow stronger spiritually, we must take our eyes off of our circumstances and look to the Lord. By trusting in His character, and believing in His promises, we can overcome anxiety and develop greater faith.

Faith is a trust convinced that God ultimately knows what is best, and that He will do what is right.  Faith is a reliance upon God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

Jesus is greater than any obstacle that we face.  He put the stars in place.  He gave the oceans their boundaries, and set the earth spinning.  Jesus said “Let there be light” and it was, and it has never gone out.  He has healed the blind and lepers.  The devil can’t come up with a problem in our life that God can’t solve.  It is not a question of what God can do, but only of what we believe He can do.  Only we limit what God does through us.

Faith In Action

James 2:1-18

No one likes to feel rejected, especially when one comes to church.  The church is where, of all places, one should feel welcomed.  We all seek to be loved and accepted.  If one is rejected, especially for reasons that one cannot help, it is a terrible feeling.  In our Scripture passage today James talks about two important issues which we will look into.  Rejecting some folks while showing favoritism and partiality to others at church is the first, and in the second James takes a look at the works versus faith debate.  Let’s start with a look at the first issue.

James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem, wrote this epistle to the church, where he gives many practical lessons for believers.  As chapter two begins James has to scold the church for an issue which he has seen, something that needed to be corrected.  This was the practice in many congregations where the local believers were showing favoritism to one group of people, while rejecting or treating in a harsh way another group (vs. 1-4).   James had noticed that in many congregations when a wealthy person, one who was well-dressed in nice, expensive clothing came in, they were warmly greeted and welcomed by the believers.  The church members made much of them, escorting them to the best seats in the house, made sure they were comfortable, and their every need was attended to.  However, if someone who was obviously poor, one who was wearing clothes that looked like they may have been bought in the local second-hand store, came into the church they were told to sit in the back, in the corner, somewhere where they would not be seen in their poor clothes.  Or perhaps they were just completely ignored, like they were invisible.

Was this treatment right?  Was this the way the Lord Jesus wanted His followers to be acting?  James reminded the church that God chose the poor to be rich in faith.  He reminded them that it is the rich who are the first to haul you into court with lawsuits (vs. 5-7).  This certainly is not an issue that occurred only in the days of the early church.  We see this all too often in churches today.   In some churches they will readily welcome someone who looks like they are better off financially.  Their clothes look fashionable and expensive, they drive nicer vehicles, look like they frequently go to the gym, etc.  They are treated like celebrities.  However, someone who is poor, especially if they look poor, are treated with scorn or ignored.  If some world-famous celebrity came to church, should they be treated any better than the young mother who is currently living in the homeless shelter?  Jesus would treat both the same, and so should His followers.  We must not judge people by externals, such as wealth, popularity, looks, or position.

There is a second lesson in this portion of Scripture, and that is the spiritual conflict between the belief in salvation by works and salvation by faith.  There were those in the days of the Apostles, just as there are today, who believe that one gets into heaven by being good and doing good deeds.  The Bible very clearly states that salvation is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone, and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9).  We do not get to heaven by being a “good person”.  However, as James points out here, a true, genuine salvation will show itself by a change in our actions (vs. 14-18).  If good works don’t follow, then it is questionable whether one truly was saved (Ephesians 2:10).

Some people have criticized the Book of James, saying it promotes a “salvation by works”.  However, this passage is not talking about what saves or doesn’t save us.  It is about how believers should live out their faith.  Faith without good works is worthless and useless.  We are justified by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone.  Talk is cheap.  Living faith always acts in ways that follow the law of love.

James clearly questions how someone can say that they are a Christian, a believer and follower of the Lord Jesus, and then just speak some pious platitudes to a fellow Christian who needs help, and then walk away without helping them.  Are they really a Christian?  That person may say that they don’t have to do anything to have saving faith.  However James says that their actions, their “works” will show that they do, indeed, have saving faith.

True servants of God are merciful to those who need help.  They care.  They get involved.  They offer more than just pious words.  God promises that they, in turn, will receive mercy (Matthew 5:7).  But those who are disinterested will receive that same type of treatment.  Those who reach out and demonstrate mercy will receive it from others and from God.  It is one thing to hear the Gospel, and it is another to embrace the Gospel fully and be transformed by it.  When we put our faith into action we will reap rewards  Faith must always have an accompanying action.

Keeping Our Vows

Psalm 116

We all know this scenario, we’ve seen it in movies and on TV, read it in novels, and perhaps have even had such a circumstance in our own life or someone we know.  The type of circumstance I’m referring to is when we find ourselves in a very precarious position, our life is literally in danger, we are hanging on by just the thinnest of strings, and we cry out to God.  We make a vow to Him, that if He would only get us out of this terrible spot, we will do this or that for Him.  However, once God rescues us from the trouble, the life-threatening circumstance, we forget all about our vow.  God and our promises are quickly put out of our mind.  That is, until we are in another terrible bind, and we make another faithless vow.  Is that right to do?  Our psalm today speaks of vows, and how important it is to fulfill our vows, especially ones made to the Lord.

There is a difference between a promise and a vow, and we might not think that breaking a promise to someone is a big matter.  A vow is a type of promise, but is one that is a much more serious and solemn promise or pledge.  We may have promised someone that we would do something, but then we weren't able to do it because an emergency happened, or we weren’t feeling well.  However, a vow is much more serious.  When we vow something, nothing, absolutely nothing, should get in our way of fulfilling that vow, which is also why we shouldn’t make vows carelessly, especially if there are chances we might not be able to carry them out.

Psalm 116 begins with the psalmist speaking of his love for the Lord because God heard his cries for help (vs. 1-2).  We don’t know what the circumstance was that the psalmist found himself in, but it was life-threatening (vs. 3).  It might have been when he was in battle and surrounded by the enemy.  Perhaps he was traveling, walking through a hazardous area and he slipped and fell down a ravine, or was attacked by bandits.  Or perhaps he was deathly ill.  Whatever the circumstance, the psalmist cried out to Yahweh (vs. 4), and made a vow, a solemn oath to Him, that he would do something for Him if only He would deliver him from this deadly problem.  God was good to the psalmist, and He delivered him from the deadly circumstance he was in (5-8).  Therefore he remembered his vow to Yahweh, and was determined that he would keep his vows (vs. 12-14, 18-19).

A vow is a solemn promise to which one commits himself before God.  Biblical vows were always voluntary but once made, God made them compulsory.  We may forget our vows, but God never does.  It is better not to vow at all, then to vow and not keep our word (Ecclesiastes 5:2, 4-6).  When we think of the blessings of the Lord, and all that He has given us through Jesus Christ, we, too, should want to give Him our best, to bring Him a sacrifice.  Jesus came not to be served, but to serve.  He came not to get, but to give.  He sacrificed His life for us.

When we are faced with a dire circumstance where we might be tempted to make a vow, and then later when we are deciding whether or not to fulfill our vow to the Lord, we need to remind ourselves of God’s kindness and faithfulness in the past, as it is a practical comfort and help to us in the present (vs. 7).  It is good to remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness and the hope we have in Him.  We will be encouraged.  The same God who has been faithful in the past will continue His love for us in the future.

We love the Lord because, unlike false and pagan gods, He hears and responds to the cries of His people (vs.1-2).  He rescues them from trouble (vs. 3-6, 8-11).  He cares for us (vs. 7).  What shall we give back to the Lord?  We can proclaim all of His benefits to us (vs. 12-13).  We can pay the vows that we made (vs. 14, 18-19).  And we can praise His Name (vs. 15-17).  We can proclaim our testimony of what Jesus has done for us.

Set My Face Like A Flint

Isaiah 50:4-9

When a boss or a parent gives an assignment to their employee or child, they hope that it will be completed in a good, efficient, and well-done manner, even if it was something rather difficult.  The prophet Isaiah was one who was given an assignment or job from the Lord to do, and he readily performed and did what God had asked him to do.  Today’s Scripture comes from the Book of Isaiah, and contains a brief portion of his message to the people of Judah, most of which was prophetic, speaking about the coming Messiah.  Let’s take a look.

As our Scripture opens, Isaiah speaks about the Lord giving him a word to speak, a message to bring to the people (vs. 4).   The prophet readily acknowledges that his message and words are from God, not from his own thoughts or ideas.  When he spoke words of comfort and encouragement to the people, it was the Lord speaking through him.  As a word of prophecy, these words also apply to the Lord Jesus.  His message was from Yahweh, and though Jesus only had the standard education from the local rabbi until about age 12-13 that all working-class boys did in that day, the Lord gave Him the tongue of the learned.  The words of Jesus confounded even the learned Pharisees and Sadducees.  His words were also a comfort and encouragement to those who needed spiritual uplifting.

This is also something that, as believers, we can also do.  The Lord has commissioned each of us to bring His message to others.  As we trust in Him, God will give us the words to speak, words to uplift and comfort those who are hurting or need encouragement, and answers to those who have questions.

As Isaiah continued, he speaks of being obedient to what the Lord asked, and even speaks of persecution and physical attacks (vs. 5-6).  Though the Scriptures don’t specify any specific opposition or persecution that Isaiah endured, such as what Jeremiah did, there are legends from both Judaism and Christianity that evil King Manasseh had the prophet sawed in two when he was hiding from the king and his enemies inside a hollowed out tree.  There is a reference in the Book of Hebrews of unnamed believers enduring persecution and martyrdom, including being sawn in two (Hebrews 11:37), so perhaps that legend was an actual event.

Verses 5 and 6 have prophetic fulfillment in the Lord Jesus.  Jesus came to earth as the incarnate Son of God for a specific reason, that being to give His life on the Cross as sacrificial payment for our sins.  Being scourged by Roman soldiers, and then dying by crucifixion was a brutal and tortuous death.  Being not only fully divine, but also fully human, He had a natural dread in facing that, as we see when He prayed to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:41-44).  However, as Isaiah says here, Jesus was not rebellious, and did not turn away.  There are several Scriptures in the Old Testament that prophesy about the death of the Messiah, such as in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22.  Verse 6 in our passage speaks of some of the cruel treatment that the Lord Jesus suffered at the hand of His enemies shortly prior to His crucifixion.  He was scourged and beaten, including having His beard brutally grabbed and ripped from His face, and spat upon.

As Isaiah finishes this Scripture passage, he relates how he determined that he would finish the task the Lord gave him, despite all opposition, no matter how harsh, the enemy gave him (vs. 7-9).  He knows that the Lord God is near and will help and justify him.  His adversaries may come and condemn, but he trusts God.  This also has fulfillment in the Lord Jesus.  The Savior knew what lay ahead for Him at the hands of the religious leaders in Jerusalem, yet He did not shirk or turn away.  As the prophet said, He set his face like a flint (vs. 7).  Jesus was determined to accomplish our salvation no matter how difficult it was.  He continued His mission despite the suffering, opposition, and suffering.  Jesus endured what He had to because He kept His eyes on the joy that was set before Him (Hebrews 12:2).

How about us?  Are we willing to faithfully fulfill the tasks that the Lord has given us?  Most of us aren’t likely to face martyrdom like Isaiah possibly did, we aren’t called to sacrifice our lives like Jesus did, however, if persecution does come our way, will we faithfully stand true, our faces set like flint?  We can trust that the Lord will be near us, and will justify and help us as He did for Isaiah and for the Lord Jesus.

Be Opened!

Mark 7:31-37

Being disabled in any way is tragic, particularly if one becomes blind or deaf, as without special training and aid, those disabilities can close one off from the world.  This was particularly the case in Biblical times.  This is particularly true with those who are deaf.  Without the ability to hear or speak, communication with others is more difficult, and then it is easier to become shut off from others in the community and the world.  In our Scripture for today we see a deaf and mute person brought by their loved ones to Jesus for healing.  Let’s take a look at this healing.

As our Scripture opens, Jesus had just left the area of Tyre and Sidon, which were two Gentile cities along the Mediterranean coast, in present day Lebanon.  He returned to the area around the Sea of Galilee, where most of His ministry had taken place.  When word got around that Jesus had returned, a family brought a loved one to Him, one who was deaf and mute.  At this time there was nothing that anyone could do for someone who was deaf.   There were no medical procedures that could be done, and no hearing aides.  If the deaf person was a child, there were no education opportunities for them, and any sign language was primitive, and likely only understood by the immediate family.  The world was effectively closed to them.

This family must have heard about all the different miracles that Jesus had performed for others.  He had healed the blind, giving them sight again.  He had healed lepers, making them “clean” again.  Jesus had fed multitudes with only food enough for one, He calmed storms, cast demons out, and many other miracles.  They desperately wanted a miracle for their own son, and begged Jesus to help (vs. 31-32).

For a moment, let’s look at this from the boy or young man’s perspective.  Being deaf for many years, perhaps his whole life, he could not hear what his family was saying when they would have been talking about Jesus.  He did not hear when they heard that Jesus was back in town, and that the family was hoping that perhaps He could help him.  If he had been blind, crippled, or any other illness, he would have heard their plans, and been told what they were going to do.  He would have heard all about Jesus, the miracles He had performed, and the message He preached.  Not this young man, though.  All of a sudden his family takes him by the arm, walks him through town, and up to this stranger.  They bring him forward, and then probably step back a bit.  He must have wondered what was going on.  Who is this Person, and why is my family handing me over to Him?  Why is there such a commotion?

Jesus realized this.  He had compassion on the deaf man, and realized he must be scared, or at least very confused.  So Jesus took the young man a short distance away from the crowds, and put His fingers in his ears, and also touched his tongue (vs. 33).  We wonder why Jesus would do such an odd thing.  Remember, being deaf, the young man did not know what was going on.  This was possibly a way for Jesus to let him know what He was going to do, a way of “signing” to him that He was going to heal his ears and speaking ability.  Then Jesus spoke one word, “Ephphatha”, which is an Aramaic or Chaldean word meaning “be opened” (vs. 34).

Immediately he is healed of his deafness and he has the ability to speak plainly.  He could hear, hear his family and loved ones’ voices, hear the sounds of the village, laughter, music, the sounds of nature.  His ears are now opened.  The world is opened to him, and with his ability to now speak, he is opened to the world.  He also now has the ability to hear for himself the message of Jesus and salvation.

Jesus then tells the family and those around to not go telling everyone of this miracle.  However they did not heed His wishes, and told everyone they met (vs. 36-37).  Showmen and magicians, along with tricksters and scammers, like to perform their tricks and shows in front of crowds.  Jesus had no desire to be viewed as a local showman.  Jesus often took the person He was ministering to away from the crowds.  By doing this in private, the Lord’s acts of compassion couldn’t be viewed as mere crowd pleasing gimmicks.  Jesus’ instructions against telling others disassociated His miracles from common tricks.  Jesus' purpose for healing was not to amuse and entertain crowds, but to bear witness to the power of God.

In closing, are you open to the Lord and His message?  Have you opened your heart to Jesus as your Savior?  Are you open for Him to use you in a special way in our family, church, and neighborhood?  As Jesus said to this young man, He says to us, as well, “Be opened!”

Godly Wisdom From James

James 1:17-27

The New Testament readings from the Lectionary in the Book of Common Prayer for the next several weeks come from the Book of James.  There were several men named James mentioned throughout the New Testament, such as James the son of Zebedee and brother of John, James the son of Alphaeus, and James the brother, step-brother, or cousin of Jesus and later leader of the church in Jerusalem. It is this latter James who is traditionally thought to be the author of the Epistle of James.  Our New Testament reading this week comes from the first chapter of James.  There is much that we can learn from his epistle to help us with our daily Christian life. Let's see what we can take in today.

As our Scripture opens, James tells us that God gives us, His children, good gifts, and that He brings good into our lives (vs. 17).   We might wonder at that, as many of us have gone through some rather difficult times in our lives.  When we look at some things that happen in our life, such as serious illness, financial struggles, problems with our children or spouse, etc., we wonder how this is “good”.   “Good” isn’t always the same as “pleasant”.  Sometimes what is good for us isn’t always pleasant.  We think of some nasty tasting medicine or a painful medical procedure.  Or think back to your parents telling you to eat some vegetable you really hated by saying “it is good for you”.  Discipline and punishment can be good for us, increasing our faith (Hebrews 12:11; Revelation 3:19).  We grow through hardship in ways we cannot grow through pleasant circumstances.

The Lord does, though, bring what we all would consider good things into our lives, too.  He blesses us daily with gifts such as what we see all around us each day - the bright sunshine, the gentle rain, the beautiful flowers, our pets and the little animals that scamper around our neighborhoods, our vision and hearing, etc.  These all come from the Lord as His gifts to us.  What do we need today?  Ask God.  He is the Father of Light, and every good and perfect gift comes directly from His hand.

As we continue in our Scripture James urges us to put away the filthy behavior of the world, and instead receive God’s Word into our lives (vs. 21).  As believers, we have inherited the spiritual wealth of God’s Kingdom, yet so many are subsisting on the garbage of the world!  They are controlled by all sorts of vices, choosing to live off the refuse of the world.  We have God’s Word of truth and the Holy Spirit at our disposal.  We have no excuse for groveling in the dirt of sin when the power of God is there for us.  Don’t act like a beggar in the garbage heap when we have God’s riches at our disposal.

Another important lesson that James seeks to teach us is to be a doer of the Word, and not just only a hearer (vs. 22-25).  Every day before we head out to start our day we usually look in the mirror to see if we look alright.  Is our hair nicely brushed?  Is our face clean?  Are our clothes straight?   If we see anything off, we correct it.  At least I hope we do!  Why look in a mirror if we don’t plan to change what is wrong?  This should be the same attitude we have when we read God’s Word.  We should look closely and act on what we read.  If we hear God’s Word without taking action we fool only ourselves.  Instead, as Christians we should examine ourselves in light of God’s Word, and obey His instructions.

Unfortunately there are some believers who are more obedient to their car’s GPS than they are to obey God’s Word, even being willing to drive into a pond or a building because the system told them that was the right move!  We need a heart that is ready and willing to follow Jesus!  Like the great old-time hymn says: “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey!”

Who Can I Trust?

Psalm 146

Every four years we have a presidential election here in the United States.  There are other important elections during other years, such as for state governors, senators, etc.  Most other countries have various elections, as well.  We all hear these politicians' promises - they’re going to do this and that to help the economy, they will hold to certain foreign policies with other nations, they will get more jobs, help the poor and seniors, etc., etc.  Can we trust all of these promises?  Everywhere we turn we feel let down.  Corporate leaders are often dishonest, and everyone just wants to line their pockets with your money.  Who can we trust?  We find God’s answer in our psalm for today.  Let’s take a look.

The last several psalms in the Book of Psalms begin and end with praise to the Lord, and Psalm 146 is one of these.  The psalmist proclaims that as long as he is alive, he will praise the Lord (vs. 2).  He doesn’t give any exceptions.  He doesn’t say that as long as things are going fine in his life he’ll praise the Lord, as long as he has a good job and a nice, fat bank account.  He doesn’t say that he’ll only praise the Lord when his health is good, or when there is peace in the land.  The psalmist says that he will praise Him as long as he is alive.  Is that our thoughts and attitude, as well, or do we praise Him just when we receive an answer to our prayers or when we feel good?

Next, our psalmist makes a very noticeable and emphatic statement.  He tells us in verse 3 that we should not put our trust in princes.  The Hebrew word the psalmist used is “nadib”, and would refer to noble ones.  Many countries used to have nobility, and some still do.  They were people of high rank, but not the king or his immediate family.  They could be dukes, earls, barons, etc., princes of high rank.  Today we might include our politicians, our senators, congressmen, etc.  Our psalmist reminds us that we should not put all of our hope and trust in them for help, for there is no help in man.  They are only human, and they will die along with all of their plans and promises (vs. 4).  How many times have we put our trust in some politician or leader, believing their promises, only to be let down, their promises false and empty?  And even if they do end up being a good and honest leader, they won’t last forever.  They die and someone else takes their place, and not necessarily someone as good and honest.

However, the psalmist has some good news for us.  Our human leaders and politicians may not be all we hoped for, and may not provide the help that we need, but we can and will find help in the God of Jacob.  We can put our hope in Yahweh (vs. 5).   What makes God any more trustworthy than all human leaders?  The psalmist proceeds over the next several verses to enumerate reasons why we should turn to Him for our help and hope, listing many of His attributes (vs. 6-9).

First, Yahweh is the Creator of all, both on earth and throughout the universe.  Unlike most politicians, the Lord God is a God of truth.  He is Truth, and keeps His Word.  He brings justice to those that are unjustly oppressed, and provides for the needs of the poor and hungry.  He brings healing, both physically and emotionally, and watches over the helpless.  Our politicians and leaders may promise us this type of help, but only the Lord God can truly fulfill these promises and give this help.

Our psalmist reminds us that God cares deeply about the oppressed, the poor, prisoners, the blind, orphans and widows.  Psalm 146 reminds us that He is compassionate and serves as a model for us to follow.  If God cares about these vulnerable people, we should as well.

There are a lot of influencers out there wanting us to subscribe to their way of thinking.  However, we need to put Jesus Christ first in our life.  Though we are warned against trusting in man, we can put our trust in Jesus.   He will never lead us astray.  Those politicians don’t remember us when they get elected, but Jesus will remember us.  He won’t forget our name.  He won’t forget our circumstances.  Jesus won’t forget our prayers.

Hope For The Hopeless

Isaiah 35:4-7

Have you ever been down, really down, feeling that there was no hope for your condition or situation?  Perhaps you or someone you love has a devastating illness and the doctors say there is no hope.  Maybe you are in such dire financial straits that it is hopeless, as well.  Perhaps your marriage is falling apart.  Maybe the economy or the social conditions in the country are very bad.  Any of these can bring hopelessness, and hopelessness brings fear.  Many of the Israelites at the time of the Prophet Isaiah also lived in fear.  There were threats of war and safety from neighboring nations.  As in any society, there were numerous poor people, and then, due to the times of the Old Testament, illness frequently led to death.  God gave the prophet messages for the people, to bring them comfort and hope. Today’s Scripture is one small portion of such a message.

As our brief Scripture passage opens, we see the Lord tell the Prophet Isaiah to tell the people not to be afraid or filled with fear, but instead to be strong, for the Lord will come with a vengeance and save them from whatever is oppressing them, other nations and ultimately Satan (vs 4).  We read here both a prophecy and a promise.  This is a prophecy of the coming of the Messiah, and the promises that He fulfilled in His life.

Isaiah proceeds to tell the people that at the time when the Lord comes, bringing salvation, referring to the time of the coming of the promised Messiah, there will be physical healings manifested, specifically healing of the blind, of the deaf, the mute, and of crippled people (vs. 5-6).  Though there are numerous miraculous events recorded in the Old Testament, there are not many physical healings recorded, and no mention of the blind or the deaf being healed.  When the prophet would have given this message from God, it would have been a glorious wonder, as someone who had gone blind or deaf had no hope.  Their condition was a life sentence back then, as no matter how skilled a doctor might have been in the days of the Bible, there was nothing anyone could do for someone who went blind, and especially who was born blind.  It was the same with the deaf.  Depending on how badly one was crippled, one might be able to get around with crutches or have limited mobility.  However all of these people would likely spend their lives begging for their daily needs and sustenance.  Now there was the promise that the Messiah would bring sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf.  The Messiah would heal the crippled so that they could run and leap just like a deer could!  Those who could not speak would be able to sing forth.

Even a quick reading of the Gospels show that Jesus healed folks with these ailments numerous times.  Jesus healed blind Bartimaeus outside of Jericho (Mark 10:46-52).  He healed a blind man while in Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26).  And then quite notably, Jesus healed a man who was born blind (John 9).  We also read in the Gospels that Jesus healed people who were deaf.  One such instance is recorded in Mark 7:31-37.   There were a number of people who were crippled and the Lord healed them, including some who were probably paralyzed.  One was a man confined to a bed, and his friends brought him to Jesus, going so far as to lower him through the roof because of the crowds (Luke 5:17-26).  Another was when Jesus healed a crippled, possibly paralyzed, man who had been in that condition for 38 years (John 5:1-15).  These were sure indications to the people that Jesus was fulfilling prophecies of the coming Messiah, as no one but the Messiah would be able to perform such miracles.

Another miracle that the Lord foretold through Isaiah was turning the desert into pools of water (vs. 6-7).  There are times that our hearts feel like a desert.  Isaiah prophesied of the coming of Jesus who gives living water to all who trust in Him (John 7:37-39).  He gives us the Holy Spirit.  Even in our driest times the Holy Spirit is with us, sustaining us, strengthening us, and keeping us in Christ.

Even in the worst of times, times when it would seem that all hope and trust is gone, we can still trust in God.  He will come for us.  He loves us, and just like a father will do all he can for his child, God, who has all power, will work on our behalf.

What Will Spill Out?

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 20-23

If I have a glass of milk, and I knock it over, is coffee going to come out?  No, only milk will.  If I am carrying a bag of apples, and I trip and fall, what will come out of the bag?  Only apples, not peaches or pears.  Similarly, what will spill forth from my heart during a time of high emotion?  The answer is whatever I have put in my heart.  This is the subject of what the Lord Jesus taught in today’s Scripture from the Gospel of Mark.  Let’s see what we can learn from His Words.

As our Scripture passage opens, the Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus to criticize some of His disciples because they had not gone through the specific religious ritual of elaborate hand washing that the orthodox Pharisees went through before they ate (vs. 1-5).  The Pharisees and scribes had all sorts of elaborate, detailed, and intricate rituals that they went through for many daily activities, including hand-washing and washing of dishes, etc.   They had a great number of rules and regulations that were not found in the Old Testament Law, traditions which they had come up with on their own, and which they kept and insisted that others keep, as well.  Now they were condemning Jesus and His disciples for not following these man-made rules and traditions.

What was Jesus’ response to these accusations?   He did not say, “Oops, we’re wrong!  We’ll do better next time, and be careful to follow your regulations.”  No, instead Jesus quotes from the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 29:13), where He condemns how they pretend to honor the Lord, but instead are promoting man-made commandments rather than God’s Word (vs. 6-8).   Jesus confronted all of the traditions that were practiced by the Pharisees and religious leaders.  Some of these traditions had started with good intentions, some even initially being based on Scripture.  However, over the years they expanded into layers of empty ritual.  By the time of the Gospels, the Pharisees were putting more emphasis on keeping these man-made traditions and rituals rather than God’s Law.

Jesus proceeded to teach those around Him that it wasn’t by failing to keep these rituals that someone became “unclean” or “defiled”.  Whether one goes through certain rituals, or keeps certain traditions or not doesn’t make one holy or not.  It doesn’t make one a sinner or a righteous person.  Jesus taught that it was what was in our hearts that made us defiled or not (vs. 14-15).    The religious rituals that we do on the outside are not nearly as important as the condition of our heart.  What really defiles a person is what is in their hearts, not what they eat or what rituals they follow.

Jesus rebuked the false worship of the scribes and Pharisees, and their outward show, but inside having a hard of heart.  Substituting for real worship of God has been a problem for ages.  Human-created religious traditions lead people to praise God outwardly, but without having a heart for God.  Rituals often take the place of genuine faith.  How many times have we seen a person who “acts religious” in church on Sunday, but they go home and the rest of the week they act like a demon to their family and neighborhood?  We’ve seen people who might lead a prayer in church or at the dinner table, but an hour later they are cursing up a blue streak.  Something is wrong there!   However, Jesus said that what comes out of us is what is in our heart.  If our heart is filled with evil thoughts and words, then that is what will spill out (vs. 20-23).

When we come up against trouble, we need to remember that only what is in us will spill out.  When we are mistreated, do we respond with love or with anger and retaliation?  Do we quickly lash out at the littlest things, or do we have a song of praise continually in our heart?  How we respond is a test as to how close a walk we have with Jesus.  If our heart is full of the Savior’s love, we will respond with patience and kindness when someone rubs us the wrong way or we face one of life’s trials.  Remember, what is on the inside of us is what is going to spill over onto the outside.

Weapons For Battle

Ephesians 6:10-20

One would never think of sending one’s soldiers off to war, off to do battle against the enemy, without equipping them for the fight.  If our country is involved in a war or battle somewhere, we want our soldiers to be well equipped with the best weapons and protective gear.  We assume that the enemy is well equipped, so it only makes sense to ensure that our troops are also equipped and trained in using the best that we can give them.  This goes not only for physical warfare, but also for spiritual warfare, as our Scripture for today highlights.  Let’s look into this Scripture to see how and why we should be equipped for battle.

What do we mean by spiritual warfare?  Just as in the physical world various countries and people will sometimes face warfare from another country, there is an unseen battle going on between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Darkness, the powers of Satan and his demons.  Satan and his demons will often intervene in human affairs and fight against believers and their work for the Lord, including using God’s enemies to actually attack them.  They also use depression, nightmares, fear, and anxiety to undermine believers and their service to God.

God has not left us unequipped, like a soldier left behind enemy lines without any weapons or means to defend themselves.  The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Ephesian church, gave us a list of weapons that the Lord God has given us in fighting in this battle against the powers of darkness.  And just as a soldier in physical warfare is instructed on how to use each piece of weaponry so that he is not left a sitting duck for the enemy, we also need to know what our weapons are, and how and when to use them.  Believers can learn this by studying the Scriptures.

Our first piece of weaponry to put on is a belt of truth (vs. 14).  This belt of truth will protect us against Satan, who is the chief deceiver and liar.  Jesus called Satan the father of lies (John 8:44).  We need to wrap ourselves in God’s truth, which is found in His Word, the Bible.  The next piece is the breastplate of righteousness (vs. 14).  An ancient breastplate would be like a bulletproof vest today.  If we are depending upon our own righteousness against the attacks of Satan and his hordes, we are going without the breastplate.  We must take hold of the righteousness of Jesus, which we receive when we are saved, and it will protect us from enemy attacks.

A soldier needs proper shoes or boots when going out to battle, and we need the same.  God’s Word tells us that our feet must be prepared to bring the Gospel of peace (vs. 15).  We must be at peace with our brothers and sisters in the Lord, and ready to go wherever the Lord calls us.  Another piece of weaponry, an important one, is our shield of faith (vs. 16).  In ancient warfare one’s shield was vitally important.  We are to use our faith to quench the fiery darts that Satan uses to attack us.  We must use this daily, for the Word of God says it will quench all, not some, but all of the fiery darts of the wicked.  We need to take up our authority by faith, and watch every attack be put out as we apply our faith in Jesus Christ.

Proper protection of one’s head in battle is very important, thus we need to put on our helmet, too.  God has given us the helmet of salvation (vs. 17).  Satan frequently attacks our mind with his lies and wicked thoughts.  We must cover our mind with the knowledge of God’s salvation given us through the Blood of His Son.  The only offensive weapon we have been given is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (vs. 17).  When Satan came against Jesus, the only thing He used to fend off those temptations was quoting Scripture.  We need to use God’s Word against the devil, too.

A very important weapon or tool that we have in our battle against the kingdom of darkness is our direct connection to God (vs. 18).  Soldiers depend on their contact with the command posts, and believers need to keep in constant communication with the Lord through our prayers.  When we are in the midst of battle we always need to be in prayer.  Prayer will keep us on the right course and keep us steady in the fight.

One important thing to remember in our battles against Satan is that he is a defeated adversary, defeated forever at the Cross of Calvary.  While he is a powerful foe, those who are protected by salvation, prayer, and the Word of God, need not be paralyzed in fear at this roaring lion (I Peter 5:8; James 4:7).  No evil can penetrate the armor of God.  With God’s armor on, we can pray with confidence, knowing He will deliver us from the schemes of the evil one (Matthew 6:13).  God’s Word, which is truth, exposes the lies of the devil, and His armor overcomes fear.