Little Ear Rocks

I Corinthians 12:12-27

One day, a number of years ago, I woke up with severe dizziness.  As I sat up, the room was spinning, making me feel nauseous.  Later, I found out that the cause of this dizziness was because my “ear rocks”, or otoconia, had gotten out of position.  I had never heard of ear rocks before, and perhaps you haven’t either.  I learned all about them, tiny crystals of calcium carbonate in the canals of the ear, and the maneuvers you can do to get them back where they belong.  Tiny little parts of the human body that most people don’t even know they have, but when they aren’t functioning properly, the body sure lets you know.  In our Scripture for today, the Apostle Paul speaks about how the Church is like a body, when all of its parts are functioning properly.  Let’s take a look at what the Lord has to say in His Word.

The Christian church in the city of Corinth was a large one, and could do much work for the Lord in that busy pagan metropolis.  However, this local church often had to deal with problems among its members.  One problem that Paul needed to confront was how many of the believers in Corinth thought that their spiritual gifts and abilities were superior to those of others.  They felt that they were more important, and looked down on other members of the congregation.  This spiritual snobbery was getting to the point where it was causing major problems among the Corinthians.

As the Apostle Paul opens this passage, he compares the Christian believers, who are part of the Body of Christ, to a human body.  Each part of the body has a specific function that is necessary to the body as a whole.  The parts are different for a purpose, yet they are to work together.  In order to function at its optimum level, the body needs each of its parts.  Often we only think about certain body parts, those whose function is most noticeable, such as our hands, heart, stomach, eyes, etc.  That doesn’t mean that the other parts are not necessary.  When something goes wrong with a less noticeable part, though, we find out, just as I did when my otoconia were not in their correct position.

Paul wanted to correct the behavior of some of the Corinthian believers, those who thought that their spiritual gifts were better, more important, and more valuable than others.  They thought they were the hands, the eyes, or the head, something that people notice and use every day.  But, as Paul showed, just as one part of the body, such as the hands, does not say to the feet that they don’t need them, so too one believer is not to say to someone else that they do not need them in the church.

The Church is composed of many types of people from a variety of backgrounds, with a multitude of gifts and abilities.  We may have different interests and gifts, but we have one common faith and goal.  Though we may have different backgrounds, gifts, and personalities, we are each filled with the same Spirit, and belong to the same Body of Christ.  There should never be anyone in the church who looks down on those who may seem to them to be unimportant.  In the same token, we should also never be jealous of others who have what seems to be more impressive gifts.

All parts of the body, whether our human body or the Church play an important part, without which there would be serious repercussions.  God has designed visible, public gifts to have a crucial place, but equally designed and just as equally vital to life are the hidden gifts.  All are essential to the Body of Christ.  Every Christian plays an important role, and each of us is necessary.

Just as you wouldn’t want a part of your body cut off or yanked out, so too you should not look down on a fellow Christian, deeming them unnecessary for your fellowship.  Some church members are out in the open with their gifts, and are like the eyes, the hair, the arms.  Some of us, though, are more hidden, like the otoconia.  As I could attest to that one morning, when the otoconia was not working right, I sure noticed!  Let’s be sure that we care for each member of the Body of Christ equally.

 

Seated With Princes

Psalm 113

What if you were to be given a special invitation to dine with Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, or with Charles, the Prince of Wales?  That would be a great honor, one that a poor, humble person like myself would find amazing.  Why, I wouldn’t even likely get to meet my village’s mayor, let alone dine with royalty!  For most of us, to find ourselves seated next to a royal figure is unlikely because we are plain folks and they are royalty.  In our psalm today, we will read of how God can do something like that for us.

As our psalm for this week begins, the unknown psalmist calls upon us to praise the Lord, which is what all believers should do each and every day (vs. 1).  The psalmist calls us servants, a person in a humble and lowly position, there to wait upon someone greater.  We, the redeemed, are God’s servants, who should serve the Lord with all obedience.

Praise is often the theme of many of the psalms, and Psalm 113 is one of them.  Praise shouldn’t be just a one time event, not just once a week on Sundays in church, or even just once a day, maybe as we get our day started.  No, God’s Word here tells us to praise the Lord from morning to night (vs. 3).  All throughout the day a believer should be praising God.  Praise Him when we wake up, for keeping us safe through the night.  Praise Him for our meals.  When we walk out of our door, praise Him for the sunshine or the rain, for the flowers, trees, or even the snow-covered ground.  All throughout our day we should praise the Lord until our head hits the pillow.  Even though we might not feel like praise, we need to commit ourselves to doing so.  One way is to schedule praise breaks throughout the day (Psalm 119:164).

As our psalm continues, the writer describes how God is high and exalted, above all creation here on earth, including us (vs. 4-6).  Yet, though He is the mighty God, dwelling in heaven above all, He is willing to humble Himself because of His love for us.  This was especially shown when God sent His Son for our redemption.

Who are the ones that God loves and cares for?  Who did He send His incarnate Son to die for?  If God went by the values that society has set, it would only be for the wealthy, the powerful, the prestigious elite.  It would only be for the “beautiful people” society values so highly.  Fortunately that is not the case with the Lord God, as not too many of us fall into those categories.  In God’s eyes, a person’s value has no relationship to their wealth or position on the social ladder.  Though the world may be, the Lord is certainly not interested in whether someone’s name is listed in the Social Register.  Many people whom the Lord has used for His purposes have come from humble beginnings or a lowly background, people who the world would never have considered (vs. 7-8).  God overrides the social orders of the world.

Throughout the Bible we see God exalting the humble, and humbling the proud.  Jesus said the first will be last, and the last first (Matthew 20:16).  Imagine, as I stated at the start, being invited to associate with royalty.  There would need to be someone who would come and buy me elegant clothing, fashion my hair just right, and give me a complete makeover so that I am suitable for that company of people.  To be set with princes is a high privilege.  That is a place of select society, yet God places us there.  As the psalmist says, God raises us out of the dust and ash heap, and sets us with royalty.  He has made us a royal priesthood (I Peter 2:9).  Princes are immediately admitted to the king, while others must stand far off, hat in hand.  If we have taken the Lord Jesus as our Savior, God raises us out of the dust heap, clothes us with His Son’s righteousness, and we become His child.  As such, we are now princes, and we can draw near to His Throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:16).  As princes, children of God, we have His wealth untold.

The Lord delights to help the poor, the hurting, and the suffering, if they will only trust Him.  If we trust in the Lord Jesus as our Savior, He will lift us up, up out of the refuse that the world and society has seen fit to toss us, and give us the blessings of His heavenly kingdom.

Returning To The Lord

 Nehemiah 8:2-10

When a person has turned away from wrong or destructive behavior in their life, they need to make some changes in their life and habits, or else they will likely fall right back into their old, harmful, and detrimental ways.  They need to develop good habits and lifestyle changes, and get back on the right path.  In our Scripture today from the Old Testament Book of Nehemiah, we will read of two godly men who sought to help the nation get back on that right path with God, and make the changes necessary in their life, so as not to fall back into the ways of the past.

As we read throughout the whole Old Testament, we see how the people of Israel and Judah repeatedly turned away from faithful worship of Yahweh, and followed after the false gods of the surrounding nations.  Despite faithful prophets preaching the Word of God to the people, they forsook the Lord, and turned to pagan idols.  As a result, after many years of enduring their faithlessness, God punished the people by sending them into captivity in Babylon.  There they remained for 70 years.  After that time, their captors slowly allowed them to return.

As our Scripture opens, both Nehemiah, the governor of Judah under the Persian king’s authority, and Ezra, a priest and scribe, both very godly men, sought to help bring the people back to truly worshiping and following Yahweh so that they would not repeat the sins of their ancestors.  For true revival to take place in the people’s hearts, these men knew that they needed to hear and obey the Word of God.  That was the only way that they would avoid falling back into the sins of their fathers.  Good intentions and promises will not keep us from repeating the sins we seek to forsake.  It is only by getting into God’s Word, the Bible, that we will truly make a change in our life, and bring revival to our hearts.

Ezra and Nehemiah gathered the people together, and publicly read the Word of God to them, and taught them what the Scriptures meant (vs. 1-8).  Throughout the day the Word of God was read aloud, and then Ezra, along with several of his faithful companions, instructed and explained the Bible (vs. 8).   As the religious leaders read from the Scriptures, the people who were gathered together to hear, showed proper respect to God’s Word (vs. 6).  They bowed low, with their face to the ground.  Such a posture reminds us that God is the King, and we are His subjects, His servants.  He is sovereign.  We are not.

They also listened intently to the Bible being read.  How many times has it happened, when we are in church listening to the message that the pastor brings, that our mind wanders off to thinking of any number of things?  Or perhaps when we are reading the Bible, we get to the end of the page, and realize that though our eyes were reading the words, our mind was off a thousand miles away.  When we listen to God’s Word being taught, we need to be actively listening, actually hearing what is said, and not letting our mind wander.  The same is true when we read the Bible.

After hearing and learning God’s Word, the people were convicted of their sins, and the sins of their forefathers, how they had strayed so far away from Yahweh, and they wept (vs. 9).  They recognized how deeply they had sinned against God.  His Word had awoken their conscience.  For a true revival to occur, we must realize our sinfulness and God’s holiness and righteousness.  Then we will be able to turn to Him in repentance and come back to His path.

When the people who had returned from captivity determined to obey and follow God, they could rejoice because God forgives sin, and will bless obedience (vs. 10).  When we repent and turn to Him, the Lord will forgive us.  When we receive that forgiveness, there is no more need to be sorry.  Ezra and Nehemiah encouraged the people to now rejoice.

The Lord’s delight is in forgiving and saving us.  He finds joy in showing love to all who believe in Him.  When we feel weak and helpless, we need to remember that God loves to deliver us.  We can trust God with our needs.  We can choose joy over giving in to despair, and find our delight in Him.  We need to rejoice and refill our tank with joy, the Lord’s joy, not a cheap imitation from the world (vs. 10).  The best way to do that is to spend time in the presence of God by prayer and reading His Word daily, getting to intimately know Him. God’s heart is filled with joy when we obey Him.  When we do, we will find that His joy is our strength.

Do Whatever He Says

 John 2:1-11

Weddings are generally very happy and also important occasions for a family.  Often many months of careful planning go into hosting such an event, and no one wants some mishap to occur.  This was also the case back in the days of the Bible.  Though the ceremony was different, and the garments that the bride and groom wore looked nothing like what we are familiar with today, everyone wanted things to run smoothly for the couple and their families.  Today in our Scripture from the Gospel of John, we will look in on a wedding, see a disaster unfold, but when they turned to Jesus, the day was saved.

As our Scripture passage opens, Jesus, several of His disciples, and His mother were invited to a wedding in the village of Cana (vs. 1-2).  Cana was on the west side of the Sea of Galilee, north of the village of Nazareth, where Jesus had grown up.  Cana was also the hometown of Nathaniel, one of His disciples (John 21:2).  Weddings in the days of the Bible were week-long festivals.  There were many guests, sometimes the whole village, and often out-of-town guests, such as in this case.  Thus, careful planning was needed.  To run out of food or beverage was a terrible thing, and was quite embarrassing.  Even more so, it broke the unwritten law of hospitality.  It was a disaster!

As we read, such a thing happened to the host of this wedding.  They ran out of wine, and there were probably several days left with the wedding festival.  Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a close friend or possibly a relative of the bride or groom’s family, and as such, was privy to this terrible predicament.  The many wedding guests did not know this, but the immediate families of the couple did, and they were frantic.  What would they do?  Mary, their close friend or relative, knew what she was going to do, though.  She would take the problem to Jesus (vs. 3).

What do we do when we have problems in our life?  Problems even much more serious than running out of beverages at a wedding?  At that time, and for this family, they were facing a terrible need.  Sometimes in our life we run up against terrible crises.  Perhaps a horrible illness, a job loss, or a financial ruin.  Like the Virgin Mary did for this family, we need to take these problems to the Lord.  It doesn’t matter what our need may be, even if it might seem a bit odd like this problem was, we need to go to Jesus with it.  We may have no idea how to fix the problem.  We may not even know what to exactly pray for.  It doesn’t matter.  We can leave it in Jesus’s hands, knowing that He will do whatever is best.

When Mary brought the problem of no wine to her Son, she didn’t know what He was going to do.  That didn’t matter, though.  She had faith that Jesus would take care of the matter in the best possible way, whatever that way would be.  After bringing the problem to Jesus, Mary told the servants to do whatever He would tell them to do (vs. 5).  Mary submitted to Jesus and how He would answer her request.  Like her, we should submit, and allow Him to deal with our needs as He sees fit.

Jesus instructed the servants to fill the large water pots with water, and then bring them to the master of the feast (vs. 6-8).  These water pots were quite large.  Each one would have held between 18-27 gallons, depending on the size.  There were six of these, so that would have been a total of between 108-162 gallons.  When the servants obeyed, and brought it to the master of the feast, it had turned to wine, the best of wine (vs. 9-10).

Like the stone water pots, God wants to fill us with His anointing.  First, though, we must be empty of everything of the world.  We must give to God everything we have, and He will transform us into a vessel full of His anointing.

In closing, just as our Scripture says, we need to do whatever God tells us to do.  God knows how to take us out of our mess, and into wherever He wants us to be.  Sometimes the instructions God gives us may not make sense to anyone, just like at this wedding, but we must do whatever He tells us to do.  Noah probably wondered why God wanted him to build an ark.  Abraham wondered why God wanted him to leave his homeland.  They obeyed, remained faithful, and reaped God’s blessings.  When we take our problems to God in prayer, be ready to obey what He says, and then be prepared for His blessings to pour out.

Spiritual Gifts

I Corinthians 12:1-11

For a company or organization to run smoothly, all of the employees or members need to have a specific job, and diligently work at it.  The same goes for any family.  Someone needs to wash the dishes, someone else to take out the garbage.  Someone needs to buy groceries, etc.  And a wise head of the company or family will assign tasks according to each one’s ability, but everyone needs to hold up their end for the place to run smoothly.  The same is true with the Church, and our Scripture passage today shows that the Holy Spirit has given believers gifts to build up His Church.

The Apostle Paul wrote several letters to the Christian Church in Corinth, and in this letter, among other things, he taught them about spiritual gifts, which we will look at today.  Spiritual gifts are divine enablements for ministry that the Holy Spirit gives in some measure to all believers.  They are to be completely under His control, and used to build the Church and to bring God glory.  And just as a company has different positions and jobs for each person, so too does the Holy Spirit for each one in the Church.

The Holy Spirit gives gifts to every believer for the common good of the church.  Thus everyone is not exactly alike or identical to others in the church (vs. 4 - 7).  Some have one gift, while others have another.  In the Corinthian Church spiritual gifts had become symbols of spiritual power, causing rivalries.  Some people thought they were more spiritual than others because of their gift, and Paul sought to correct this.

We need to appreciate the gifts of others.  For example, the person who has the gift of mercy should not judge the one who has a gift of exhortation and believe they are heartless.  In the same way, the one with the gift of exhortation should not judge the one with the gift of mercy, feeling they are overly sympathetic.  If everyone had the gift of mercy, where would be the one to teach of sin and a godly life.  But without those who show mercy, we all would get too discouraged and give up.  Each serves a specific purpose, just as here are show horses, war horses, carriage horses, and draft horses.

In this Scripture passage we read of several of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that are given to those who are part of the Church.  We read here of some of the speaking gifts, such as prophecy, knowledge, wisdom, teaching, and exhortation.  Then there are some of the serving, or non-speaking gifts, such as leadership, helps, giving, mercy, faith, and discernment.  Let’s briefly look at just a few of these gifts.

Wisdom is the ability to understand God’s Word and His will, and to skillfully apply that understanding to life (vs. 8).  The Word of Knowledge is the ability to understand and speak God’s truth with insight into the mysteries of His Word that cannot be known apart from God’s revelation.  The gift of faith is not the same as saving faith, which one exercises when they are saved.  Instead, this is an especially strong trust in God in the midst of difficult circumstances (vs. 9).

We typically think of prophecy as foretelling of future events.  The Holy Spirit’s gift of prophecy in verse 10 is, instead, the gift of speaking forth or proclaiming publicly God’s message and Word with power.  The gift of discernment is the God-given ability to recognize lying spirits, and deceptive and erroneous doctrine (vs. 10).  Satan is a deceiver (John 8:44), and his demons counterfeit God’s message and work.  One with the gift of discernment is able to see this deception and error when it creeps into the Church.

These are just some of the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given to each believer and to each individual church.  God cares so much for His children that He gives each one of us a place in His plan for the world.  Believers are gifted with the talents and attributes needed to carry out His purpose.  When everyone is faithfully submitted to God’s will, we are all working towards the same goal, and that is to glorify God and lead others to salvation.

Praise To The Returning Judge

 Psalm 96

Though not all of the psalms in the Bible are praise psalms, many of them are, and today’s psalm is one of them.  When we have a God as great, wonderful, and powerful as our God is, one cannot help but bring Him praise.  When a couple is in love, they frequently tell anyone and everyone how wonderful and special their loved one is.  The various psalmists are doing the same here and in the other praise psalms, and as believers, we should join in.

If we believe that God is great, if we love Him above all else, we cannot help but tell others about Him (vs. 2-3).  It is a good witness to others when we publicly show our appreciation and gratitude to God.  Our praise to Him should often also include, or lead to a testimony to others of His plan of redemption, as verse two urges us to proclaim the good news of His salvation.  The Scripture does tell us that there is great joy and praise in heaven every time someone gets saved (Luke 15:7).  What an honor it is for us to be a part of bringing that joy in heaven as we witness to others, and tell them of God’s salvation.

Our psalmist continues on by telling us how the other false gods that the heathen worship are just inanimate idols (vs. 4-5).  One of Satan’s goals has always been to make himself God, and to obtain our worship, instead of worshiping Yahweh.  He has sought to do this through demon spirits, idol worship, and through false gods and false, pagan religions.  These idols, representing the false pagan gods and goddesses, are nothing.  There isn’t a “god hierarchy”, where Yahweh may be at the top, and the other gods that people worship are at various steps below Him, like some kind of divine pyramid.  They are false, fake gods, and behind them are demonic spirits.  The majority of the world is worshiping what is nothing, instead of worshiping the one true God, Yahweh, who created all things (vs. 5).

In verse 8 we are instructed to bring an offering to the Lord when we come into His courts and into His presence.  This would include, but not be limited to, our monetary tithes and offerings.  In addition to giving a portion of our money and income, the Lord desires that we give Him ourselves, our talents and abilities.  We can give of our time to do the work of the Lord.  We can use the various abilities and talents He has blessed us with to help in our local churches and other Christian organizations, to further bring His message and ministry to the world.  The Lord is also blessed and happy when we bring Him an offering of praise with our lips and with our voices (Psalm 100:4).

As our psalm continues, we are reminded again to tell the nations, people everywhere, that the Lord reigns (vs. 10).  When Jesus returns and sets up His millennial reign, the world will be firmly established.  There will be no more continuing international chaos.  People of every nation, every nationality and ethnic background will be at peace with each other, and the love of the Lord will abound among everyone.  The world will be settled and efficiently managed. There will be no more economic disasters or problems, nor the fears that come with that.  Jesus will also rule the world with impeccable justice.  No more will anyone need to fear that “justice” will go to the one who has the money or influence, or that the wrongdoer will get away with what they have done.

As our psalm for today closes, the writer reminds us that the Lord Jesus will be returning (vs. 13).  Jesus came to earth the first time as our humble Savior, dying upon the Cross for our sins.  When He returns the second time, it will be as the Conquering King and Judge.  Everyone on earth, and who has ever lived, will stand before Jesus, as our Judge.  The truth will be laid out before Him, and He will judge righteously.  His judgment will be true and fair.  Many people do not want to think about this coming day, or even want to believe that it will happen.  However, as this final verse in our psalm says twice, He is coming!  Are you ready?

Trust And Not Be Afraid

 Isaiah 12:1-6

This is a very fearful time in history.  There are so many things that bring worry and fear.  For the past two years the whole world has faced a relentless pandemic, which shows no real sign of abating.  Wars are going on in various parts of the globe, many of them causing whole populations of people to flee for their very survival.  Criminal activity and violent social unrest have been happening in many places, bringing fear for one’s safety to just even go out.  Then there is economic uncertainty, with the cost of daily necessities alone being too much for many to afford.  With these, along with people’s personal problems of health, careers, and family relationships, we can see why so many people are afraid, and living with anxiety and depression.  Where can we turn?  Who can help in such times as these?   A look into our Scripture for today will give us the only sure and true answer.

The prophet Isaiah lived during some very difficult and frightening times, both politically and economically.  He ministered and preached God’s Word to the people of Judah between approximately 740 - 686 BC.  During this time, the country of Judah was under threat from foreign powers, namely the Assyrian Empire.  In 721 BC they watched their northern neighbor Israel, their “sister country”, fall to the Assyrians, and their people, the ten tribes of Israel, be carried off captive.  During this time in history no one cared about human rights, and showing mercy to one’s captives.  Their neighbor fell.  Would they, as well?  With this and other threats, with political and economic uncertainty, who could help them?  There was no government help or charitable aid programs to keep one from starving.

Isaiah was a witness to all of this.  He knew that the people of the northern Kingdom of Israel had long since turned away from faithful worship of Yahweh, and their ultimate fate was the result.  Isaiah knew, as well, that the people of Judah were not much better.  Despite his, and the other prophet’s preaching, so many were unfaithful to God.  Would the Lord bring His judgment upon them, as He did to Israel?

The message that the Lord God gave to Isaiah today is one of hope.  Though God would not ignore or sanction unfaithfulness to Him, and would judge sin, if the people returned to Him, He promised to turn His anger away (vs. 1).  This is the same today as it was then.  When we turn to the Lord, and call upon Him, and Him alone, He will bring His salvation.  And with God as our salvation and hope, we can trust Him and not be afraid (vs. 2).  Not be afraid!  Those are such good words to hear, especially in days like we face today.

Trusting God is truly committing our lives into His care, and not trying to manage life on our own.  With the trying events we face these days, no one can truly handle things on their own.  We need to lean into His care, and not depend upon our own ability to manage life.  Jesus is trustworthy, and we do not need to be afraid of anything that comes our way.  As verse 2 says, He is our strength, our song, our salvation.

However, before we can enjoy those benefits, we need to trust Him.  First, we need to trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, and for salvation.  Sometimes salvation is compared with drawing water out of a well, life-giving water, as Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:7-26).  Unlike a traditional well, which could possibly go dry, the well of salvation, bringing the eternal life-giving water of the Holy Spirit, will never run dry.  This well of salvation is a constant, flowing, never-ending source.  And after we receive the Lord Jesus as Savior, we can continually turn to Him in trust, and receive the power of the Holy Spirit at all times.  It is a never-ending well.  Our salvation should give us joy every day.  Salvation is not only about eternal life.  It is also about an abundant life right now (John 10:10).

When we feel fear or anxiety coming upon us, especially during these trying times, we should pray these verses.  Then we need to praise the Lord, calling upon His Name in thanksgiving, and tell others about what the Lord has done for us (vs. 4).

When trying and difficult times come, we have the choice whether to trust God or become fearful.  No matter what our circumstance, trusting God is the right choice.  Faith gives us the ability to see what God sees.  Be confident that the Lord will be our defense.