In His Name

 Mark 9:38-48

“Don’t associate with them.  They’re not one of our group.”   Have you ever been told that, perhaps when younger by one of your classmates, or even your parents?  Or even now by one of your associates?   Unfortunately this is something that we sometimes hear in some churches, quite a bit in the past, and even occasionally still today.  In our Gospel Scripture today, we see a little bit of this exclusivity from a few of the disciples.  Let’s take a look.

As our Scripture opens, the disciple John spoke to Jesus, telling Him that he and some of the other disciples saw a man who was casting out demons in the Name of Jesus (vs 38).  John and the others did not like that.  This other man was not one of their group.  They felt that because he wasn’t, he had no right to be using Jesus’s Name in any way.  So they promptly shut him up, and John proudly told Jesus this.  What was Jesus’s response?  Did He agree that the twelve, and they alone, had exclusive rights to His Name?  No!  Jesus told John and the other disciples that what they did was not right.  This other person, even though he was not officially one of the twelve disciples, was a true believer.  If he was out fighting against the kingdom of Satan and evil, casting out demons, and probably also teaching the message of Jesus and God’s Word, he certainly wasn’t against Jesus  (vs. 39-40).  Jesus said that if this other fellow was not teaching or preaching anything contrary to what He taught, then he is not against them, like many of the religious leaders in Jerusalem were.  This man was obviously on their side, on the side of God.

What about today?  Do we see this in any of our churches today?  Some people feel that if someone is not a member of their denomination then they can’t possibly be a true Christian.   I’ve heard some folks say that anyone who attended this or that church certainly could not be saved.  This was what John was believing here.  If that man was not part of his small, select group, then he certainly could not be a follower of Jesus.  What Jesus responded then, He responds now, as well.  If a person truly believes in the Lord Jesus as Savior, if they are following and believing what Jesus teaches, then they are for Him, not against Him.  This other man was a true believer.  The Body of Christ comes from all different groups of people, many different denominations, all nationalities, and all races of people.

Jesus continued on to tell His disciples that any act of kindness done for any of His followers, is done to Him (vs. 41).  Rather than picking up stones to hurl at the man, like John was acting like he wanted to do, Jesus said to instead show him acts of kindness.  Thankfully John did, indeed, learn his lesson.  John became the “apostle of love”, as is evident in his Gospel and his Epistles.  No longer did he want to smack others down.  Instead, he forever after taught others to love one another in Jesus’s Name.

Our Scripture continues on with a warning from Jesus against leading another believer astray, or into sin (vs. 42-48).  As we read here, to entice, trap, or lead a believer into sin is a very serious matter, especially if they are children.  Jesus cares very much about young children, and we are told throughout Scripture how important it is to teach them about God and His Word, the Bible.

Some people have taken issue with this passage of Scripture about cutting off hands or feet, and it’s description of hell as a place of torment, saying that it is way too harsh, and isn’t loving.  They say it isn’t appropriate for today.  Firstly, Jesus did say it, and anything He says is appropriate at all times.  Next, God does not want us to literally disfigure ourselves, but instead, He is teaching us that we need to do whatever is necessary to deal with sin in our life.  Sin is serious business, and we need to take all appropriate and necessary steps to root it out of our life.

Hell is mentioned several times in the closing verses of our Scripture.  Jesus taught about hell.  It is not a fairy tale or a figure of speech to just teach a lesson.  It is a literal place of torment, that those who have not turned to Jesus as their Savior will spend eternity in.  Jesus was not trying to scare people, but at the same time He was trying to teach important truths, as He does not enjoy seeing people end up there.

That is an important question to ask ourselves today.  Where will you spend eternity?   Are you a follower of Jesus, having accepted Him as your Savior, or is that a decision you still need to make?  Do not wait another day, as we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

Watch Out For Satan's Lures!

James 4:7-10 

When I was younger there were a few times that I went fishing with some other people.  Though often they used live bait, a few times they used lures.  A lot of those lures were rather pretty to look at, nice and shiny, flashing in the sunlight.  From Mr. Fish’s perspective they might look interesting.  So he comes closer.  Perhaps he thinks it might be something tasty.  The temptation of that bright, shiny, flashy lure is too much to resist, so Mr. Fish decides to take a bite.  Alas, now it’s too late for him.  He has a hook in his mouth, and he’s being reeled in.  He can struggle and fight as much as he wants, but that usually gets the hook in deeper and more secure. He is caught, and his doom is determined. We set similar traps for other animals.  Even the spider weaves a tantalizing and alluring trap, which catches the curious bug.  In our Scripture today from the Epistle of James, we see someone who sets a trap for us, and how we can avoid becoming his victim.

The enemy that we have, who has set his traps all around to catch us, is of course, Satan.  The devil will go after anyone, but he is particularly interested in snaring Christians.  Sometimes his traps are hidden, like the bear trap under a pile of leaves.  Other times they are right in the open.  The temptation and our curiosity are so strong that we fall right into it.  Satan dangles temptation right in front of us.  It looks tantalizing, just like that flashy fishing lure.  But there’s a hook in there to catch us.  God tells us to say no, to resist Satan’s bait (vs. 7).  When we stand in Jesus’s Name and power, Satan will flee.  We need to listen to God’s warnings, and submit to Him.

So how do we resist the devil, keeping free from his lures, traps, and webs?  James tells us we need to draw near and submit to God, and to humble ourselves before Him.  Throughout our Scripture passage, James gives us some ways to draw near to the Lord God, and thus stay out of the traps.  First we need to submit to God.  Just as a soldier submits to his commanding officer, we must yield to God’s authority, committing our life to Him and His control.  James then tells us that we need to resist the devil.  Don’t allow him to entice us with his seemingly attractive temptations.  Do not submit to or fear Satan, but rather, stand against him (I Peter 5:8-9).

Another step that we are told to do in order to draw near to God and avoid temptations and traps is to have clean hands and a clean heart (vs. 8).  We need to lead a pure life, and be cleansed from any sins we do commit.  The cleansing of one’s life must involve both outward deeds and inner thoughts (Psalm 24:3-4).  When we recognize what an affront our sins are to the Lord who died for us, and what they do to us and our walk with Him, we will grieve and mourn for our sins in sincere sorrow (vs. 9).  God will not turn away from a heart that is broken and contrite over sin (Psalm 51:17).

The final thing that James tells us in our passage today to do is to humble ourselves before the Lord God (vs. 10).  Humbling ourselves means to recognize that our worth comes from God alone.  To be humble involves working with His power and not our own, throughout our life.  We realize that on our own, we cannot accomplish anything of value, but are wholly dependent upon the Lord.  We do not deserve God’s favor, but He reaches out to us in love, and gives us worth and dignity, despite our human shortcomings.  A truly humble person will give his allegiance to God, obey His commands, and follow His leadership.  When we humble ourselves before God, He will lift us up (I Peter 5:6).  The humble, not the proud, will receive honor from God.

God promises us that when we draw nearer to Him, He will draw nearer to us.  Moses reminds us that God is near whenever His children call out to Him (Deuteronomy 4:7).  Jeremiah personally had evidence for this (Lamentations 3:57).  God brought him comfort in his day of trouble, when he called upon Him.  God is not unmoved when we humbly come to Him.  His welcoming response is always near.

The Heavens Declare The Glory Of God

 Psalm 19

After a long stretch of cloudy days, days when all you see in the sky is a blanket of gray clouds completely covering east to west, it is a joy to finally see the sun again.  Opening the curtains and letting the sunshine in is welcomed.  Lately I have been enjoying many very lovely sunsets, with brilliant colors splashed all across the sky.  I’ve always enjoyed looking up into the sky, looking at clouds, and at night looking at the moon, the stars and constellations.  King David also enjoyed looking at the heavens, probably from his earliest days guarding the sheep at night.  In our psalm today we read how the heavens clearly point to our Creator God.

It is difficult to imagine people looking up into the heavens and not believing in a Creator God, yet many do.  The universe gives evidence of God’s existence, His power, His love, and His care.  The design of the universe, its intricacy and orderliness point to a Divine Creator.  Even as a young girl, before I had actually accepted Jesus as my Savior, I still believed in God, and knew without any doubt that He created all that I could see.  Not only the sun, moon, and stars, but also the many beautiful flowers, birds, animals, and all I could see.  I didn’t need a theological degree to know that.  As David stated in our psalm, nature itself proclaims this truth (vs. 1-4).

The voice of creation loudly proclaims its Creator.  Throughout the day, everything we see, plants, animals, and the wonders of nature, speak this truth, and at night the stars, planets, and the whole universe tell the same.  The heavens are God’s preachers in the sky, who proclaim 24 hours a day the truth that He exists.  As David said, there isn’t a person on earth that can’t know this, as its language is universal.  As the Apostle Paul later writes, all mankind is without any excuse in not believing in God, as His creation clearly points to Him (Romans 1:19-23).  Everyone can see some part of nature, whether the mountains, the ocean, jungle, prairie, flowers, insects, stars at night.  Whatever we observe, it all points to God as its Creator.  All people, all nations are without any excuse for not believing in God.  The testimony of the universe about God comes forth consistently and clearly, but sinful mankind persistently denies Him.

Some people might think that because nature proclaims the existence of God, we don’t need to tell others.  However, it’s not enough to just say that nature will lead people to God, or that we don’t need to get involved or speak up.  Nature will show His existence, but God’s Word must still be shared, telling about salvation found only through His Son, Jesus Christ.

As the psalm continues, David switches from highlighting nature and its proclamation of God, to highlighting God’s Word, and how it naturally points to Jesus and His truth (vs. 7-11).  Do you want to be wise, to be enlightened?  Do you want to rejoice?  Most people do!  How about knowing enduring truth?  Not just something that is temporary, but truth that endures forever. Would you like something that is delectably tasty, like honey?  I don’t know anyone who would turn down gold!  Our psalm tells us that the Word of God is all of the above.

God’s Word is perfect and will both enlighten us with the truth and give us wisdom.  It’s truth is pure and endures forever.  We can rejoice as we read and study the Word of God, just as one would if they had fine gold, and as those of us with a sweet tooth would when eating honey.  God’s Word, the Bible, is not some chain to weigh us down, but rather gives us guidance and light for our path through life.

David switches gears one last time when he closes this psalm, as he wishes to be clean and forgiven from all of his sins before God (vs. 12-13).  As we know from reading Scripture, David was not perfect.  Like all of us, he committed sins.  However, just as we all should, he dealt with his sins, and did not deny them.  David confessed his sins, both the known ones, and even sins he may have inadvertently and unknowingly committed.

As our Scripture closes, God’s Word in our psalm tells us we need to make sure that the words out of our mouth are pleasing to the Lord (vs. 14).  We need to be speaking positive and good words, both to others and to ourselves.  Words that bring life, not negative words that bring death.

In closing, Psalm 19 shows us that God reveals Himself through nature, where we learn about His power and our finiteness.  We also see how God reveals Himself through Scripture in the Bible, where we learn about His holiness, our sinfulness, and about Jesus Christ, His Son, who paid the price for our sins.

Quit Your Complaining!

 Numbers 11:1-6, 10-16, 24-25

There is nothing worse than going on a trip with a bunch of complainers!  They complain about their accommodations, about how hot or cold they are, how bored they are, and very often, about the food.  The food tastes awful, the cooks don’t know how to prepare it, there’s no variety, and they wish they had this or that to eat.  Traveling with complainers can certainly ruin the whole trip.  This was what Moses was having to deal with in our Scripture passage today.

As our passage opened, we immediately read that the people were complaining.  Throughout the whole journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, the Hebrew people complained.   They complained about not having enough to eat, not having enough to drink, and that God only brought them out into the desert to kill them.  God then miraculously provided them with manna to eat each day, but now they were tired of that and wanted something new and different to eat (vs. 1-6).  They wanted the food that they ate in Egypt.  They were turning up their noses at the food God gave, wishing for onions from Egypt!

When people continually complain, it displeases God.  Complaining is also contagious.  One person’s complaint can lead to another one joining him, then three or four, and more and more.  When we start hearing someone complain, it’s best to get away from them before we are tempted to join in. Complaining shows we are not satisfied with what God gives us.  It shows a lack of faith and trust in Him.  It signifies unbelief, and unbelief will lead to spiritual death.  When sin continues it will be judged.

God destroyed those on the outskirts of the camp, those who dwelled far away from the tabernacle, where God dwelt.  The farther away we are from God, the more likely we are to fall into sin.  Those on the outskirts of the camp were the complainers, who listened to words of unbelief, who desired the things of Egypt and the world.  Those who were closer to God were not destroyed.

God will bless an obedient spirit, and He judges a complaining spirit (I Corinthians 10:10).  We cannot grumble and honor God at the same time.  Instead of looking at what we don’t have, and start yearning for it and complaining that we lack it, like the Israelites were doing, we need to instead look at what God has blessed us with.  The manna came every day, with enough that no one ever went hungry.  Yet the Israelites had grown to detest the manna, God’s gift, something that one psalmist described as food of angels (Psalm 78:25).   They forgot that manna was God’s gift to them.  Complaining poisons the heart with ingratitude.  God has to judge this.

As our Scripture continues, we read that Moses, too, was displeased with the people’s complaints.  He was weary with the load and burden of leading these people by himself (vs. 10-15).  The people’s constant complaints were tiresome, and on more than one occasion they had even threatened Moses’s life.   Then Moses started to complain to God.   He prayed to God, telling Him that these weren’t his people, he wasn’t their father.  He told God that he couldn’t supply their needs, and that this burden was too much for him.

The people complained and Moses complained.  However there was an important difference between the two.  The people complained to each other about God, about Moses, and about their provisions.  Their dissatisfaction fed off of each other, increasing their complaint.  Moses took his complaint to God, who he knew could help him.  Moses prayed about the burden of leading the people, that it was too great for him alone.   The people just complained to each other, getting each other all worked up into a rebellion.  Rather than being a murmurer and complainer, Moses reacted in prayer, bringing his honest emotions and upsets to God.  He prayed about his problems, and the Lord honored that.  God answered him by giving him 70 elders to help deal with the burden of the multitude of people.

Our lesson here should be to be satisfied with what the Lord has given us, rather than looking at and complaining about what we don’t have.  Be thankful and grateful with what He has blessed us with.  And if we do have a legitimate complaint, take it to God in prayer as Moses did, rather than murmuring and complaining with each other, as the Israelites did.

Who Is The Greatest?

 Mark 9:30-37

Most of us know someone who always wants to be the head, the leader, the “top dog” in the group.  This is particularly seen in the office.  Though ambition is sometimes good, these folks go overboard.  Their ambition knows no bounds.  We all know people who also want to be the center of attention.  They aren’t content to be just one of the group.  They want the spotlight always on them.  Neither person shows much, if any, humility.  They want to be on top, front and center.  In our Gospel reading today from the Gospel of Mark, Jesus responds to some of the disciples who wanted to be considered the greatest.  Let’s look at our Scripture and see what the Lord can teach us.

As our passage opens, Jesus and His disciples are making their way south through Galilee, on towards Jerusalem.  This will be His final journey into Jerusalem, for Jesus knows that this time He will be betrayed and crucified.  Jesus wanted this time to be a separate time, just Him and His disciples, so that He could teach them privately about the crucifixion, and His sacrifice for sin (vs. 30-32).  However, every time Jesus spoke to them about His approaching death, His words did not sink in.  Their eyes and ears were closed to what Jesus was saying.  When His crucifixion, and then later the resurrection happened, they were all surprised, as if they had never heard anything about it.  Are there some lessons that the Lord is trying to teach you, but the message just doesn’t seem to sink in?  We need to be open and really listen to His Words to us.

Instead of listening to what Jesus was teaching, the disciples were instead arguing among themselves as to which of them were the greatest (vs. 33-34).  Not only weren’t they paying attention to what Jesus was trying to teach them at that moment, but they hadn’t really learned or applied any of His teachings on humility, or considered patterning their behavior to His example.

Having some personal ambition isn’t wrong in and of itself.  Making goals to better oneself is not wrong.  There is nothing wrong with getting a job within a company, and then desiring and seeking to advance to a better or more important position.  That is normal.  However, if we do that at the expense of others and treat others wrong, or seek to lord our promotion over others, that is when there is a problem.  What is important is God’s Kingdom, along with humility and service to others.  In God’s Kingdom, those who lord themselves or their positions over others are not considered great.  Rather, God considers the greatest those who humbly serve others.

Jesus knew, without even needing to ask, exactly what the others were arguing about.  In response, He proceeded to tell the disciples that if they wanted to be considered great in God’s Kingdom, they need to be a servant to the others, to not seek to be the head, but rather show lowly humility (vs. 35).  Do simple, humble acts that show compassion towards other people, acts which display the character of Jesus Christ.  Do acts of service that are not done for personal gain, but are done out of an overflow of His love in us, and are done for His glory, not our own.

Jesus then took a little child and stood him in the middle of the group.  In that day children were the lowest on the totem pole.  They were considered second or third class citizens, and had no rights like they do today.  Yet Jesus, the Son of God, received them, showing them love and care (vs. 36-37), and He wants His followers to do the same.

Jesus is our perfect example of humility and service, rather than pomp and grandeur.  He left His throne of glory in heaven to come to earth, live a humble life, and die a tortuous death on the cross.  Even on His last night before His death, Jesus took the role of the humblest of servants, and on His knees He washed the disciples feet (John 13:1-17).  Rather than insisting on being treated as the greatest, which the disciples were doing, Jesus became our servant.  With Him as our example, we should do the same.

Submitting To God In Prayer

 James 3:16-4:6

Have you ever talked with someone about prayer, and they tell you that they don’t really pray any more because they don’t feel that God answers their prayers?  They tell you how they prayed for this or that, and never received what they wanted, so they have given up on the whole idea of prayer.  In our Scripture passage today, James discusses this issue, and gives some reasons why sometimes people’s prayers do not get the response they were looking for, and why we get envious of those who do seem to get answers to prayers and are blessed by God.  Let’s see what the Word of God says about this.

As our Scripture opens, James brings up a sin that so many of us get caught up in, and that is envy (vs. 16).  Envy is more than just wanting something that another person has.  It also involves resentment, resenting that God hasn’t provided for us what He has given to someone else.  A person prone to envy becomes greedy.  They are discontent with what God has given to them, and they want what other people have.  This type of thinking and behavior brings confusion and eventually can lead to evil.  When we envy others, Satan is successful in shifting our focus away from God, and onto our circumstances.  We are prideful and covetous.  We focus on our circumstances and what we feel we deserve.

James then proceeds to describe godly wisdom, which can lead a person away from this envy (vs. 17-18).  There are two types of wisdom in this world.  One is from God, which is pure, and promotes peace and leads to righteousness.  The other is demonic, with jealousy, ambition, strife, evil living, and confusion.  A believer showing godly wisdom will have spiritual, moral integrity.  They will be peace loving, kind, teachable, and obedient to God’s standards.  They will show mercy and concern for those who suffer, and will not make unfair distinctions.  There will not be hypocrisy in their life.  They will practice godly living both in public and in private.

As our passage continues into chapter 4, James gives us some reasons why our prayers may not be answered.  First, we have unaddressed sin in our life (vs. 1-2).   James’s readers were filled with strife, coming from their unsatisfied, selfish desires.  Discord among believers is not God’s design.  When we want our sinful desires badly enough, we will fight to get them.  Not only to literally kill, but also destroy the reputations of another in order to gain advantage.

A very common problem in prayer is simply not asking God (vs. 2).  Additionally, proud people feel that they can handle everything in their lives all on their own, which is why they do not come to God for help.  Sometimes we also feel that a possible “no” to our prayers is unacceptable.

Another reason James gives is that we often have wrong motives in our prayers.  If we come to God in prayer with the right motives, putting first the Kingdom of God, and if we live for Him, He will give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4).  When our wants and desires line up with what we know God’s Word teaches and with His will for our lives, we can pray, expecting Him to answer.  Expectant prayer demonstrates confidence in God’s goodness.

As our Scripture continues, James uses some rather strong words, calling his readers adulterers (vs. 4).  Why did he do that?  Were they actually cheating on their spouses?  No, that wasn’t the case.  Just like Israel was spiritually married to Yahweh, but was unfaithful to Him by turning to other gods, and God called them adulterers, the Church is called the Bride of Christ.  When we show a love for the ways and things of the world and its mindset, we, too, are adulterers.  Being a friend of the world is not compatible with being a friend of God.  A friend of the world acts, thinks, and speaks as the world does.  He values the same things the world does.  What God wants and what the world expects are diametrically opposed to each other.

A cure for evil desires is humility (vs. 4-6).  Pride makes us self-centered, feeling we deserve all we can get.  When we seek God, we see that the world’s seductive attractions are cheap substitutes for what God has to offer.  If we live our life trying to please other people or ourselves, we will be at odds with God.  If we live for Him, the world will be hostile to us.

Who would not want to be friends with God?  The key is to refuse to pursue worldliness.  We cannot play both sides.

Betrayal!

 Psalm 54

Betrayal is a very painful event.  To have someone that you felt you could trust turn around and betray you to your enemy or to your opponent is not a pleasant thing to go through.  It might jeopardize your job, it might destroy friendships, or even ruin your family.  In some circumstances it could cost you your safety, or even your life.  Today’s very short psalm has a dangerous betrayal as its background.  Let’s take a look into Psalm 54.

In the years following David’s victory over the Philistine giant, Goliath, King Saul brought him to his royal court.  He made David one of his chief military leaders in his battles against the Philistines and other enemies.  However, rather than rejoicing over the victories that David brought, King Saul became jealous over his popularity.  His jealousy became so overwhelming that David had to flee for his life.  Many years and much manpower was spent by Saul in trying to bring down his supposed rival.  Though God protected David from the harm Saul intended for him, there were several close calls.  Our psalm for today describes one such time.

Over the course of several years, David traveled all throughout the land of Israel and the neighboring countries while fleeing Saul’s murderous jealousy.  One time found David in the far southern part of Israel.  At this time he hid out in the woods nearby the village of Ziph, which was about four to five miles south of the city of Hebron, in southern Israel (I Samuel 23:14-21).  Neither David nor his men had ever harmed or treated the people of Ziph poorly, and he thought that he could safely stay there for a while to rest and regroup.  However, the people of Ziph had other ideas.  As soon as they saw that David was in the woods nearby, they sent word to King Saul that he was there, a totally unprovoked betrayal.

How did David respond to this betrayal?  He had a band of men with him who were very skilled fighters.  After fleeing Saul yet again, David could have come back and wiped that small village off the map.  He certainly could have done that after he became king, but he didn’t.  David had delivered them and the whole area before from the Philistines, and this was the treatment they gave him!  But no, David did not take this matter into his own hands.  Instead of seeking vengeance on his own, David took the problem and situation to the Lord.

As Psalm 54 begins, David sought the Lord God, and found power and strength in His Name (vs. 1).  The Name of the Lord, Yahweh, is a stronghold for us.  Elsewhere in the Bible we are told that the Name of the Lord is a strong tower, which we can run to and be safe (Proverbs 18:10).  David knew he could depend on God’s Name, and we can, too.  Satan and his minions must bow to the Name of Jesus!

When David found out that he had been betrayed by the residents of Ziph, he had to hightail it out of there to save his life and the lives of his men from Saul.  He prayed to God, asking Him to deliver him from both “strangers” and “oppressors” (vs. 3).  Saul was oppressing David over several years, chasing him across the country, trying to kill him.  Now these strangers of Ziph, people he didn’t even know, people he had protected from their enemies the Philistines, rose up against him by betraying him to King Saul.

By leaving this distressing situation in God’s hands, and not his own, David knew that the Lord would repay his enemies in His way (vs. 5).  God will repay His enemies.  Those who cause trouble will reap trouble.  What those folks have intended for God’s child may blow up in their own faces.

When we are faced with some distressing situation where everyone has turned against us, when we find that those we thought were our friends are not, we need to take that problem to Jesus.  Remember one line in the favorite old-time hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”.  It reads: “Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?  Take it to the Lord in prayer.  In His arms He’ll take and shield thee, thou wilt find a solace there.”  David was not afraid to come to God and express his true feelings and needs (vs. 3-4).  Thus his spirit was lifted.  He was able to praise God, his Helper, Protector, and Friend.