March 31, 2022

Psalm 7: 11 (NIV)

God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day.

The Bible teaches that God is loving, forgiving and patient. But God is not a wimp. He is a God of justice and capable of wrath.*

Did you hear it? Did you see it? God expressing his wrath? . . . Neither did I!

Some Bible scholars believe that it is implied that God expresses his wrath "with the wicked" and so they add that phrase to their version of this passage. Other translations render it as, “God does not express his wrath every day.”

I can’t say which version is accurate but both leave me with questions:

• If God is righteous, how can he not be angry about sin? 
• If God is angry, why would he only be angry with the wicked? Isn’t it possible that his own people might make him mad occasionally? Maybe even more mad than at the wicked.
• If he is angry, why would he skip a day in expressing it? Don’t we sin every day? So it would come as no surprise to learn that he expresses his anger every day.

But . . . according to one source, these translations obscure the “legal background” of the term rendered “expresses wrath.” It might be better understood, he offers, as “passes sentence.”* That seems to make more sense in the context of the phrase. As David says, God is a righteous judge. He sits in court every day and passes judgment. Every day, his children are found guilty the same as the wicked, but when he gets to the sentencing phase of our trial, he announces, “Paid in full by the blood of Jesus. You are free to go.” Could he do that if he was mad at us?

Just because you did it doesn’t mean you’re guilty.*

March 30, 2022

Matthew 5: 44 (NIV)

“But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Imagine yourself standing over the corpse of the one you have hated. Will you now be free?*

When Jesus speaks, we usually are asked to abandon our comfort zones and embrace new – and foreign – attitudes. “Love your neighbor” and “hate your enemy” are the common and comfortable philosophies of those who have yet to meet Jesus. We who know Jesus are aware that he wants us to be nice to everyone. Right? . . .

I think most American Christians have no clue what Jesus meant in this passage. While some of us may have accrued an enemy or two, very few of us have experienced persecution for our faith. But in other parts of the world, God’s children embody these words every day.

Jesus is expecting more than probably will ever be asked of the majority of us. Loving your enemies and praying for your persecutors goes way beyond being nice to people who aren’t nice to us. Most of us don’t have enemies who are trying to kill us – they just don’t like us. Compared to the daily abuse endured by our brothers and sisters in other countries, we are merely inconvenienced.

I don’t mean to belittle any mistreatment you have received at the hands of an enemy. Many of you - or your loved ones - have been seriously harmed by evil perpetrated by another. But when you are struggling with forgiveness; when loving your abuser seems impossible; and when praying for him seems hypocritical, remember your fellow Christians in their dire circumstances. Not to make you feel better in comparison, but to remind yourself that Jesus was talking to you and to them.

We should be people who love deeply because we are deeply loved, who forgive because we have been forgiven so much, who live peacefully because we have been called to peace.*

March 29, 2022

Genesis 31: 49 (NIV)

“May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other.”

God is up close and personal. We don’t have to go in search for God. God is all around us.*

This verse is often quoted as a benediction or a blessing; however, if we look at the context of these words, we find that their speaker may not have had blessing in mind when he uttered them.

Short version: Jacob has fled from his father-in-law, Laban. Laban catches up with him, expresses concern about his daughters (Jacob’s wives) and his grandchildren. They come to an understanding, build a monument they christened “Mizpah” which means “watchtower,” and Laban says, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me . . .” followed by words to this effect: if you mistreat my daughters, I may not be there to see it but God will be watching you!

Do we forget that God sees all, even if no one else does? Do we need a Mizpah to remind us of proper behavior? We can purchase Mizpah tokens – rings, coins, pendants – that promote the blessing connotations of this verse. Perhaps instead we could wear our Mizpah jewelry to remind us, when we are tempted to sin, that God is watching us! A Mizpah could also serve as a reminder that God sees the good that we do even if no one else does. After all, it is for his glory that we serve, not for our own.

Even when we feel we aren’t seen by anyone else, He takes pleasure in the beauty of our lives.*

March 28, 2022

III John 2 (NIV)

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.

Prayer is never a waste of time.*

Years ago, I was a member of a weekly Bible study class that spent a lot of time at the beginning of each meeting sharing prayer requests. As you might guess, a lot of cancer and surgery patients were among those added to the list. I believe in the power of prayer but one week, four out of five people on the prayer list had died. I was only half-joking when said that if I got sick, I would rather they didn't add me to their list.

Throughout the New Testament, we are admonished to pray for one another - though not always are we told specifically what to pray for. Someone pointed out to me one time that praying for sick people to get well could be tantamount to "praying the saints out of heaven," but John’s greeting here sets a precedent for prayers regarding another's health.

While many invalids have been effective servants of the Lord, there are a lot of jobs to be done for the sake of the Kingdom that can’t be performed by someone whose health is delicate, leaving the ailing one feeling less valuable. But I believe that when John adds the request “that all may go well with you,” he is referring to our outlook on our circumstances more than the circumstances themselves. And we certainly can’t go wrong if, like John, we pray for all to be well with the souls, not just the health, of those we love. So, if I could go back in time to that Bible study group, I would tell them, “Go ahead. Put me on your list.”

A Christian gets the opportunity to show how life with God brings greater joy and peace than life without him, regardless of the circumstances.*

March 27, 2022

II Samuel 23: 1, 2 (NIV)

These are the last words of David: “The Oracle of David son of Jesse, the oracle of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, Israel’s singer of songs. The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.”

David lived all of his life with a deep awareness of God’s presence*

After all the grand and public failures, at the end, David was able to look back on his life without regrets. He could have lain on his deathbed wallowing in the shame of his past – adultery, murder, deceit, neglecting his family – but because of what God had done in his life, David’s life ended on a noble note.

What can we learn from David’s swan song? First, while David may have been the rock star of his day, he knew where his greatness came from and openly acknowledged God as that source. Read again his litany of accomplishments in these verses and see where he actually brags about what he has done. . . It’s not there, is it? Exalted by the Most High; anointed by God; the Spirit spoke through him.

The second lesson we reap from these words of David is found in what David doesn’t mention here: he was a man after God’s heart. He loved the Lord, and most of his life was lived for God’s glory. All that exalting and anointing would not have happened if David’s heart wasn’t surrendered to God. Even at David’s worst moments, God knew where he stood with David.

Acknowledge God as the source of every good thing in your life. Love him for his provision. Love him for his presence in every bad thing that happens in your life. Love him for knowing your heart and loving you anyway. Love him because he loved you first. The more you love him, the more you will love him.

If God has absorbed the penalty and pain of our deficiencies and sinfulness, we can let go of our regrets and guilt.*

March 26, 2022

Philippians 1: 12 (NIV)

Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.

When God steps in, the ordinary events of life take on extraordinary significance.*

We might believe that good things can result from the bad things that happen to us, but wouldn’t it be nice if we actually got to see the results? Paul was writing from prison where his cheery words weren’t just a positive spin for his readers. His incarceration was a witness to the entire palace guard and encouraged his fellow Christians to speak more boldly. When the outcome is not so immediate, we must hold on to our faith, relying on God to accomplish his purpose.

It is interesting that when we think of the events that shape us and help serve the gospel, we tend to think of the bad things. Reflect on your life, though, and perhaps you will realize that the positive may have had more impact than you assumed. I was changed by the betrayal of a friend; a broken heart; a failed marriage; but I was blessed with a firm foundation that prepared me to overcome and rise above and carry on. Without a solid Christian background and all its advantages, my moments of truth would not have been so shiny.

Whatever influences have been the strongest in your life, it is time to ask God, “Now what?” How can you leverage the failures and victories, challenges and opportunities of your past? It is time to stop being the passive victim of “it happened” and move on to actively advancing the gospel.

We see the world from the perspective of the things we learn.*

March 25, 2022

Numbers 12: 1-6 (NIV)

Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses . . . At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the Tent of Meeting, all three of you.” . . . Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud . . . and summoned Aaron and Miriam. . . .he said, “Listen to my words.”

People do not look for solutions to personal conflicts when they have not yet repented of their sins.*

I have attended my share of conflict resolution seminars. I have even facilitated a few. There is a wealth of information out there – some of it helpful – for those who wish to solve their interpersonal relationship problems. In dealing with Moses and his squabbling siblings, God demonstrates how a mediator can be a positive force in resolving conflicts between brothers and sisters.

Certainly, God enjoys advantages that a human mediator does not: he doesn’t have to wait to be invited to be the peacemaker; and when he says, “Listen to my words,” we have to listen. But if you are a friend to both parties, could you be brave enough to volunteer to facilitate reconciliation between fellow Christians? If you wait for your services to be requested by one of the parties, the other side will not trust you to be the voice of reason. Perhaps you do not feel qualified for the task. Could you at least be friend enough to call them together and suggest that they seek the services of a professional mediator? Be prepared with the contact information of someone you can recommend to them. Offer to pray with them.

If you find yourself in the peacemaker hotseat, keep in mind the steps God took with Miriam, Aaron, and Moses:

1. He dealt with them at once. He did not give the bad feelings time to fester and gain power. 

2. He called all the parties together. No one was allowed to talk about the others behind their backs. 

3. He did not give them time to express their feelings.* God already knew the facts, where a human mediator would have to learn them by allowing everyone to tell his story – but dwelling on feelings wastes time that could be spent looking for solutions. Work at getting to the problem-solving stage and the feelings will start to heal.

In 2 Corinthians, chapter five, Paul writes about our ministry of reconciliation. How can our brothers and sisters be reconciled to God when they are harboring resentment against each other? How can we fulfill our ministry if we continue to tell ourselves, “It’s not my problem”?

God smiles when we make relationships right. Right relationships with man equal a right relationship with God.*

March 24, 2022

Job 4: 6 (NIV)

“Should not your piety be your confidence and your blameless ways your hope?”

Human suffering is not easy to explain.  Don’t always try.*

Job’s friends meant well. They rushed to be with him during his time of need. They tried to cheer him up – but like most of us, they were somewhat socially inept. We don’t know what to say in times of trouble but we very badly want to make things better for the sufferer. As if saying stupid things is really going to help!

If you read all of Eliphaz’s attempts to encourage Job, you will see that he was a proponent of the “reap what you sow” school of thought. He is convinced that Job’s misery is his own fault somehow – and if he's the one who "broke it," then he should be able to "fix it." If only Job were pious enough, he wouldn’t be doubting himself; if he were blameless, he wouldn’t be despairing.

As Christians, we walk a fine line between encouragement and false hope in our efforts to comfort a friend who is hurting. Yes, we must speak the truth in love – but do we know all the truth? Eliphaz had no idea that God and Satan were behind Job’s problems, but he had trouble admitting that he didn’t know everything. We encourage by listening and by offering biblical solutions, not by trying so hard to think of the right thing to say that we tune out the Spirit’s voice. At this stage of Job's crisis, Why this has happened is not the important question. "What are you going to do about it?" is.

The book of Job . . . teaches us the danger of speaking from an incomplete theology, of trying to analyze God's workings with only a narrow understanding of how he works, and what are the causes behind his actions in human life.*

March 23, 2022

II Samuel 12: 7 (NIV)

Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!”

Avoiding confrontation is not love. It’s either apathy because I don’t care enough to do what Jesus says or it’s fear because I’m more afraid of facing you than obeying Jesus.*

“Silence is golden,” is good to remember on those occasions when keeping your mouth shut is the wisest move to make. But sometimes, silence is yellow. Things that need to be brought to light are left unsaid because we are too cowardly to face the consequences. We don’t want to make anyone mad, or hurt their feelings, or lose our job – or be executed.

Nathan was a prophet who is mentioned throughout the story of David’s reign and even on into that of Solomon, David’s son and successor.  (“As for the other events of Solomon’s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the records of Nathan the prophet?” II Chronicles 9: 29) It was Nathan’s God-given responsibility to rebuke King David for his despicable behavior – adultery and murder – and to deliver the message of God’s judgment. Was Nathan terrified? We shouldn’t think less of him if he was, for as someone has observed, “The odds . . . were a million to one that Nathan would have lost his head if he had confronted any other monarch with a charge of wickedness like that he skillfully leveled against the king of Israel.”*

We don’t have the benefit of receiving a direct order from God to help us determine when silence is golden and when it is yellow, but we have two advantages over Nathan: we don’t have the fear of death looming over us as a consequence of our words; and he did not have the Holy Spirit’s presence to give him discernment. 

Are you faced with such a dilemma? Does it seem that you have been chosen to deliver a message like Nathan’s? It’s not just the risk of hurt feelings or anger that makes us hesitate – there’s always the chance that we will be accused of being judgmental or that we are wrong or even that it’s not our place to speak up. Whatever is holding you back, earnestly seek God’s will and his assurance. Assess the situation; ask yourself, “What’s the worst that can happen if I speak up? What’s the worst that can happen if I don’t?” If one of those answers involves eternal consequences, I believe you have your answer.

A rebuke is more effective when the person delivering it truly cares about the well-being of others and isn’t just out to win the argument.*

March 22, 2022

Hebrews 10: 1, 14  (NIV)

The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. . . . [B]y one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Sacrifices could offer temporary solutions, but only God could offer the eternal one.*

Suppose you have a credit card with an astronomical credit limit and you have maxed it out. Every month you make the minimum payment which, of course, gets you nowhere closer to paying it off. As a matter of fact, your creditors have decided to raise your limit so you can add still more charges to your debt. Along comes a wealthy and generous benefactor who pays off the entire amount. Now you are debt-free. You go through a “honeymoon phase” of gratitude for this kind person but it’s not long before you start charging again. Dare you appeal to your savior to come to your rescue again, month after month?

The credit card company is God. The debt is our sin; the minimum payment is the yearly sacrifices offered for sin under the law. The blood of the animals was never sufficient to pay off the entire debt – it just held the creditor at bay. The benefactor who paid your debt? That would be Jesus. By one sacrifice he has fully paid our debt and his blood is sufficient to cover it forever.

Yes, we can appeal to our Savior to rescue us again – and again.

Because of his death, no more sacrifice was needed. None better could be offered.*