How to Celebrate Christmas

You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

Isaiah 9:3–5

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Isaiah looks past the time when Assyria will take the northern part of their land and shrink Israel’s territory and he sees into the far distant future to the time of the Messiah when the territory of God’s people won’t be shrinking but expanding. He says, the Messiah will enlarge the nation. But Jesus didn’t come to enlarge a physical kingdom like Old Testament Israel. No. He came to establish and enlarge a spiritual kingdom, His church.

If you are a believer, then you are part of that kingdom of God. You are part of the church, and God’s church is meant to grow. It is meant to expand. As a church we must enlarge our borders. We must go out and find the hurting and hopeless and invite them in.

As we see Christianity losing cultural influence in America it can be easy to shrink back and watch and wait for the church shrink as well. But that isn’t what Jesus came to do and that isn’t what He has commanded us to do. His kingdom has been expanding for more than 2,000 years, and it is our job to continue to expand its borders. And we do that by obeying the His command to proclaim forgiveness in His name to all who will receive Him. You are commanded by God to call people out of darkness and into Jesus’ light.

And as Isaiah looks into the future he sees God’s people rejoicing because of the coming of the Messiah. He sees New Testament believers celebrating Jesus’ coming…celebrating Christmas you could say. And how do they celebrate?

‌‌He says that they rejoice as people rejoice at the harvest when many months of hard work and investment pay off. These were hungry families, seeing that they would in fact have enough food to make it through the winter. They had battled against the hardships of survival and God had given them the victory. So they would rejoice and have a big feast. That’s what Christian joy is like. That’s how we should celebrate the coming of Jesus.

Then he says it’s like men dividing the plunder of their enemies. In Gideon’s day the Midianites kept the Israelites under their thumb and nearly starved them to death. They invaded their land regularly and ate their crops and ruined their fields and stole anything good that they had. Israel had been plundered by them many times. So, you can imagine the rejoicing that took place when God defeated the entire army of the Midianites with only Gideon and his 300 men and the people of Israel raided their tents. On that day there was plenty of food in Israel and God’s people were given victory over their oppressors. On that day the burden was lifted off their backs. Can you imagine the rejoicing?

That is how we ought to celebrate Christmas. With joy! Not the joy of gifts, or even the joy of family, but the joy that comes from knowing that God is growing His church, the joy of knowing that God has met our deepest need and has delivered us from our greatest enemy. The joy of those who finally know peace. That’s how I want to celebrate Christmas this year. Will you join me?

All the Days of Your Life

Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life.

I Kings 15:14

King Asa wasn't a perfect man by any means. Nor is he particularly anyone's biblical hero. His place in the biblical record is small, and many Christians are completely unfamiliar with his name. But this verse tells us something about him that I think we often gloss over, and that is that his heart was fully committed to the Lord all the days of his life. 

Life is long. And the Devils' tricks are many. There is something to be said for simple consistency in the faith over the long run of life. It's difficult to walk closely with the Lord for many weeks or months, let alone for many years. Sin is always trying to get at us and tear us away from our God. The Devil is always laying traps for us and trying to lure us off the narrow path which we walk with our Savior. As humans we can grow tired. We can grow complacent. We can grow bored or inconsistent over the long term.

Sometimes believers say things to me like "I've already read the entire Bible. Why do I need to do it again?" And there answer is simply because there are more spiritual treasures there for you to mine out of God's Word. Some believers figure this out and persevere in the faith. I only recently had a believer in their eighties say to me with a smile on their face that they were working their way through the Bible for the fifth time. 

There is a special virtue to the believer who can get up and enjoy having quiet times, reading their Bible, praying and communing with God, and worshipping Him not only when they are young in the faith and it is all new to them but even when they grow old in the faith and it has become a habit. 

But I believe there is a special nearness to the Lord and a special reward for those who stay fully committed to the Lord over the long term, those who persevere in their loyalty and faithfulness to the Lord over many years. So, strive to not just be fully committed to the Lord but to be fully committed to Him all the days of your life.  

How Not to Slap People (W.o.W. Rewind)

 Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

James 1:19-20

Do you ever just want to smack somebody? Lately, I have found myself wanting to do that more and more. And the sad part is they really don't deserve it. I'm getting more frustrated with people than normal and I don't know why. My temper is short. My patience shorter. Mostly, this all occurs in my mind. I don't think the people around me have noticed it much yet, but they soon will if I don't get it under control. But how?

What I am really mad about often isn't the minor annoyance that just occurred. It's the fact that it or something like it has happened five times this week! In other words, I've been keeping a record. Not so much a record of wrongs as a record of annoyances. Pet peeves. Things that kinda tick me off. I don't actively think about it, but all of that frustration is building up just below the surface of my life. So much so that I can be completely happy one minute, but as soon as something frustrates me all of that old built up frustration surges to the surface and I'm ready to explode. The amount of frustration I feel is all out of proportion to the situation. I am convinced that Christians ought not live this way, that we ought to discipline ourselves to deal with our frustration in a better way so that we can be "slow to anger." I knew I had to find a better way.

It occurred to me that I needed to find a way to vent my frustrations. I could yell at the people that are frustrating me, kick the cat, take it out on my family, or force my wife to listen to me complain for the third time this week OR I could take it to the Lord in prayer. I've decided that venting my frustrations in prayer is far superior to the other options. For a while now I have been utilizing the A.C.T.S. prayer model which stands for adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. I'm going to change it to the F.A.C.T.S. prayer model and add in frustrations.

For me this is a two part strategy. First, in my extended prayer time I need to focus some time on praying over all the things that are frustrating me. If I can vent all of that to the Lord and let it go, then I can start my day at a frustration level of zero instead of 100. But secondly, and maybe even more importantly, prayer must become my first response when I sense frustration starting to build. When someone cuts me off in traffic or does something else that drives me nuts I need to pray about it right that second. 

So take a minute to pray over all the things people do that make you want to lose your cool, all the things that you sense building up inside you. And throughout the day as things irritate you, take it immediately to God in prayer and let it go. Hopefully, by doing this you and I can both keep ourselves from actually slapping anyone.

Will You Believe?

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15:6

And then verse six says simply, that standing there looking at the stars, “Abram believed God.” He decided to trust God to keep His promises. He was certain, confident that God would give him a son. Romans 4:18 puts it this way. It says, “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed...” It would have been easier for Abram to believe what seemed certain, that he and his barren wife would never have a child. But Abram made the decision to hope against hope. He chose to believe that God is faithful. He chose to believe that He would keep His word.

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And the second half of verse 6 tells us that God credited this to Abram as righteousness. Abram wasn’t righteous mind you. If you read his story in detail, Genesis presents him as a flawed man. When he went down to Egypt he was so afraid of Pharaoh that he hid the fact that Sarai was his wife. He knew Sarai was beautiful and he was afraid they would kill him to marry her, so he let his wife be taken into Pharaoh’s bed to save his own skin. This was a despicable sin against God and Sarai. Then, years later, Abram did the same thing again with the King of Gerar, a man named Abimelech, only God intervened this time before Sarai was taken into the king’s bed. So, Abram wasn’t righteous. He wasn’t perfect. But he believed God. He had faith and God credited that faith to him as righteousness. In other words, because of his faith, God regarded him as righteous even though he wasn’t.

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This verse, Genesis 15:6, is picked up in Romans 4:23-24 and applied to us. It says, “The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”

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You see, just like Abram, you aren’t righteous and you can’t be righteous on your own. But has chosen to credit righteousness to the accounts of those who believe. For Abram it was belief in the promise. For us it is belief in Jesus and the promises surrounding Him. Do you believe?

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Do you believe that Jesus is more than just a man, that He is the eternal Son of God? Do you believe that He lived a sinless life so He could become the perfect, atoning sacrifice for your sins? Do you belief that Jesus died on the cross to pay the punishment for your sins? Do you believe He was raised from the dead on the third day? Do you believe He ascended to Heaven where He sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty? Do you believe that He can save even you? Do you believe that He can set you free from sin and make you a new creation. Do you believe that one day He will raise all who believe back from the dead to live eternally with Him on a new heavens and a new earth where He will wipe away every tear and where there will be no more crying, death or pain? Do you believe that? These are all promises that God has made to those who believe. But you have to believe to receive this reward. You have to believe to be considered righteous.

Will you believe in Jesus? Will you trust God to keep Him promises?

So Abram Went

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

Genesis 12:4–5

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The Bible often phrases things so simply and yet so powerfully. God has asked Abram to leave his country and any land he might have owned behind. God asked him to leave his people and his extended family behind. Basically, God asks Abram to leave everything and follow Him. And Scripture simply says “So Abram went.” Amazingly, Abram seems to have made this giant step of faith and sacrifice without pause. Presumably, Abram was willing to make these sacrifices to obey God’s call because he reasoned that the blessings of obedience would outweigh the sacrifices that God asked of him.

Following God’s call on your life will always  require sacrifice. What are you willing to leave behind to follow God? What is He asking you to sacrifice? Money? Friendships? Time? Your plans for your life? No matter how much sacrifice it requires to follow God’s call, I assure you that you will be happier living inside God’s will than you will be living outside of it. So, I urge you to trust God and willingly make any sacrifices He asks of you.

One other thing I should point out is that when Abram obeyed God’s call, he didn’t even really know where he was going. God didn’t tell him the whole plan. He made some specific promises to Abram and He told him that He would show him the land, but that was about it. Hebrews 11:8 puts it well when it says that Abram “obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”

Often that is exactly what following God’s call in your life feels like. You have no idea where you’re going. You don’t fully know where He is leading you. God seems to only tell us what we need to know to be able to obey. Perhaps that is because He wants us to obey based on faith instead of knowledge. It could also be because He knows we couldn’t handle knowing the whole plan. Either way, you don’t have to know the whole plan to obey. Just step out in faith and obey what He has revealed to you and trust that He will show you the rest along the way. That’s what Abram did.

Brushing Up Against Jesus

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering... He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

M‌ark 5: 24b-29, 34

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The passage tells us that in spite of all the money this woman spent and all the suffering she endured, she only grew worse and more desperate. But then she heard about a man who could heal every disease with a touch. She had already suffered so many disappointments. Did she dare to believe this Jesus could heal even her? 

She did. She believed that Jesus could do what no one else had been able to do for 12 years. She said to herself “If I can just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” So, she found out where Jesus would be. She worked her way through the crowd and came up behind Him and reached out her hand in faith and touched Him. Actually, she didn’t even touch Jesus, just his cloak. And that was all it took! Scripture says that her bleeding stopped immediately. She was healed.

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Now, many people touched Jesus that day, but she alone touched Him in faith. And that made the difference, because God responds to faith. He has, by His own Divine decree and character, determined that He will honor those who come to Him in faith. Her touch seems to have called the healing forth automatically. How? 

The key is that she touched Him in faith. No one else was healed. Surely some of those other people in the crowd who brushed up against Jesus had bad backs and sore knees, but they weren’t healed because though they touched Him they didn’t touch Him in faith.

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Did you realize that faith really does matter in the Christian walk? A person can walk the aisle and pray a prayer of salvation but if they don’t pray it in faith, they won’t be saved. A believer can come to church week after week, but if they don’t come with faith, expecting God to do something, asking Him to do something, then it will profit them nothing. You can open your Bible to read it, but if you have no faith, it will only lie lifeless before you.

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So when you come to Jesus, when you come to church, when you come into your quiet time alone with God... come with faith. Don’t just brush up against Jesus like the crowds did. Reach out and touch Him in faith! I’m NOT saying that if you have faith all your problems will go away. I AM saying that faith really does matter, it counts for something in the Christian walk.

Invite Him In

When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

Mark 5:15–17

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How did the townspeople respond to Jesus and the great miracle He performed when He cast thousands of demons out of this one man?

They very kindly and very politely invited Jesus to leave. In fact, it says they “pleaded” with Jesus to leave their region. And this is exactly how some of you treat God. You go to church on Sunday morning and pay your respects and then you politely ask God not to interfere with your private life. Why? Why did they respond this way and why do we respond this way?

Verse 15 gives us the answer. It says, “When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.” They were afraid! Who knows how long this man had terrorized their area. Who knows how many times they had tried to deal with him. The story tells us that he had often been chained hand and foot. Yet, Jesus arrives and within just a few minutes is able to subdue this man and cast all the demons out of him! They didn’t think this was possible. They were afraid of Jesus’ power. They simply weren’t sure that they wanted someone that powerful anywhere near them or their town. They were afraid of what Jesus could do, afraid of what He might do with all that power.

‌I think many of us respond to Jesus in this same way. We are afraid to let Jesus into our life, because we are afraid of what He might do? Afraid of what He might ask us to do. I struggled with this for a very long time. I was afraid that if I fully surrendered my life to Christ He might call me to be a missionary, or He might ask me to walk up to strangers on the street and share the gospel with them. Are you keeping Jesus at arm’s length? Are you very politely asking Him to leave you alone because you are afraid of what He might ask you to do? Don’t make the mistake these people made. The Bible doesn’t record Jesus ever returning to this area after they invited Him to leave. Don’t let fear keep you from Jesus. Don't plead with Him to leave. Invite Him in.

Train Them Up! (W.o.W. Rewind)

 Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

Proverbs 22:6

Many of you know this passage by the King James translation which begins with "train up a child in the way he should go..." I actually like the way the New International Version translates it better. It draws out what the Baker Commentary on the Bible has to say about this verse. It notes that the word for "train" can also be translated "dedicate." It also says that the phrase "the way he should go" is more literally translated "on the mouth of his way." I am not skilled enough in language studies to confirm this, but it seems to be in keeping with the meaning of the passage. Interestingly enough, the word for "way" can mean not only "path" or "road" but also "manner" or "habit." (edited by Walter A. Elwell. Proverbs commentary written by R. K. Harrison,  p.424).

All of this taken together gives us the general thrust of this proverb. I liken it to a sharpshooter aiming at a target that is a long distance off. Even if your aim is only a degree or two off, over such a long distance it is multiplied so that you miss your target altogether. But if you are careful to eliminate the smallest of errors in the beginning, then you have a much better chance of hitting your target. So too with our children. We must do more than merely lay a solid foundation in their early years and hope for the best. We must go far beyond this. After we have laid that foundation we must be diligent to watch for deviations from the path of righteousness and correct their course whenever needed. A minor step away from the Lord at the age of 8, 10, or even 15 can take your child far away from the faith by the time he is 25 or 30.

This reminds me of a saying from one of the early church fathers. Chrysostom said, “To each of you fathers and mothers, I speak: Just as we see artists fashioning their paintings and statues with great precision, so we must care for these wondrous statues of ours. Painters, once they have set the canvas on the easel, paint on it day by day to accomplish their purpose. Sculptors, too, working in marble, proceed in a similar manner; they remove what is unhelpful and add what is lacking. You should proceed in the same way. Like the creators of statues, give all your leisure time to fashioning these wondrous statues of God. As you remove what is unhelpful and add what is lacking, inspect them day by day, to see with which good qualities nature has supplied them so that you can increase these qualities, and to see which faults so that you can eradicate them” (quote taken from Perspectives on Family Ministry by Timothy Paul Jones, p.20).

It is important to remember that the proverbs are not promises. They express what wisdom has found to be generally true. Unfortunately there are those children who will decide to walk away from God in rebellion even after their parents have done all they can do. But on the whole, if we are diligent to dedicate our children to the path of righteousness at a young age and keep them on it, then they will never depart from it, even in their old age after we have gone to be with the Lord. So I charge you to be diligent in raising up your children for the glory of God.

For further reading...

• Deuteronomy 6:1-9- Teach God's commands to your children.
• Ephesians 6:1-4- Don't be too hard on your children.
• Joshua 4:20-24- Set up practical reminders of God's goodness. 

Small Starts

Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

Mark 4:30–32

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The Bible Knowledge Commentary* helpfully notes that it takes over 700 mustard seeds to weigh a gram (and there are 28 grams in a single ounce). So a mustard seed is pretty small and very light. Yet the shrub that grows from this seed becomes the largest of all garden plants in Palestine, reaching a height of 10–12 feet in a few weeks. The key point being that this mustard seed starts small but grows to be something very big.

Jesus is comparing His ministry and the kingdom He is planting to the mustard seed. He is saying that even though it looks small and insignificant right now, it would grow. In fact, this small movement would one day encircle the whole globe. 

‌‌This parable is a great reminder for us that God often starts great works in the smallest ways. An old Chinese proverb says “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” And that seems to capture how God often works in His children’s lives. Consider for example how God chose to create a people and a nation for His name. He didn’t go find a people already existing and adopt them as His own. No. He chose one man and his wife and asked them to go on a long journey to a place they had never been before. Imagine that! The beginnings of Israel, even the beginnings of the church. Abram I’ve got a plan, but first you need to go on a journey.

Yes, God has a habit of starting large undertakings in small ways. So, you have to learn not to despise small things and small beginnings in the Christian life. Advancing God’s kingdom in your life often starts with small things like choosing to obey. Praying and asking God for guidance and help. Or even inviting someone to church. Don’t underestimate these small steps of faith.‌

* John D. Grassmick, “Mark,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 121.

God Brings the Harvest (W.o.W. Rewind)

 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.

Mark 4:26-29

There were many things a farmer in the first century could do to try to ensure a successful crop. He could prepare the earth to make it receptive to the seed. He could prevent weeds from invading the gardens and choking the seedlings. He could even fertilize his plants. But in the end, the farmer knew all too well that the success of his crop depended on many factors that were out of his control. He couldn't control the rain or the heat or the cool. He couldn't control whether bugs ruined the crop. In fact, he didn't even really know how seeds grew. He didn't have the science to know. He was painfully aware of the fact that the success of his harvest depended more on the kindness of God than on himself. He sowed the seed but God made it grow.

The same is true when it comes to sowing the seed of the kingdom. The seed is the word of God, the gospel. We do not know how God will use that word planted in people's hearts to bring them to salvation. And sometimes we look at the seed and we think, "This is just a small thing, it won't make a difference. How could it ever amount to something so big in their life?" But that is how the kingdom of God works. It starts small, but our God has a way of making it grow quickly in fertile soil.

Sow the seed and trust God for the results. I know that you are scared to talk to other people about Jesus, but it's okay to start small. Just try to work the name Jesus into your conversations. That is powerful. Or try to work some scriptural truth into your interactions. It may seem small and insignificant but throw it out there anyway. God will do with it what He pleases. If it should grow, He'll make it grow. Remember that if it is God's word then it will accomplish the purpose that God sent it out for. (Isaiah 55:10-11).

You are called to make disciples of the whole world (Matthew 28:19). That is your first calling, your number one job as a Christian. You may not be Billy Graham, and that's okay. God isn't asking you to save people. That is His job! All you have to do is scatter seed. Some people do not know that when the Great Commission says "Go therefore into all the world and make disciples," that it can actually be translated "as you go." I think that is a very helpful way of thinking about it. You don't have to be on a mission trip to share the gospel. As you go through life, wherever you find yourself, plant gospel seeds. If your attempts at sharing Christ seem small and like they won't amount to anything, take a minute to look at a mustard seed and remember that our God uses small beginnings to bring about big changes. God wants to use you to rescue souls from Hell and all you have to do is sow little seeds. So...sow!

For further consideration...

• This week instead of further reading, here are some ideas I have gathered from a number sources (some are even from teens) about ways that you can sow gospel seeds.
• Invite people to church.
• Speak the name of Jesus every chance you get. There is power in that name.
• Bring Scripture up in conversations by comparing real-life situations to stories found in Scripture.
• Put Bible verses up in your workspace, on your car, on your desktop, or on your stuff.
• Put Scripture up as your Facebook or Twitter status.
• Hand out gospel booklets that explain the plan of salvation.
• Write out a verse of Scripture on a 3x5 note cards and give them to cashiers whenever you pay for anything. 
• Do an Evange-letter. Take note of all of the addresses in your apartment complex or on your street. Develop a form letter that is personable and explains the gospel. Once a week, take five minutes and hand write one of these letters, pray over it, and mail it to one of your neighbors. You don't even have to know their name. All you need is their address.

Jesus Silenced Them!

Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.

Mark 3:11-12

Demons were proclaiming the gospel?! Why would they do that?

Many believe that these demons were trying to stir up trouble for Jesus. If they could convince the crowds that Jesus was the Messiah then the crowds might take Jesus by force and crown Him King. This would, in turn, be seen as an act of rebellion by Rome and would result in Jesus' death. It’s a rather ingenious plan! 

But if these demons were speaking the truth about who Jesus is, then why did He silence them? I think there are several reasons. First, He silenced them because it is not yet His time. It wasn't time for the crowds to fully know who He was yet, and it wasn't yet time for His crucifixion.

But here's another reason why He silenced the demons. The demons were not fit to procalim the gospel. It would have been inappropriate for the Messiah's arrival to have been heralded by demons. To allow them to do so would have sullied Jesus' reputation and it would have elevated theirs. He could not allow either of those things to happen. 

Lastly, I think Jesus silenced the demons because even though they were speaking the truth their intent was evil. They were trying to use the truth to work against God’s purposes, and Jesus would have none of it.

This gives us some insight into how we should think about and deal with false teachers. The test for a false teacher isn’t just, “Are they speaking the truth?”, but also “Are they twisting the truth for evil purposes? Is their intent to use the truth for some purpose that is their own and not the Lord’s?" If so, then they should be silenced too.

I think it is a valid application of this passage to say that we shouldn’t listen to everyone who speaks the truth! I would explain it this way. While the truth is always welcome, some mouths don’t deserve to speak it. For example, I like drinking nice cold milk as much as anyone, but I don’t want to drink it out of a dog bowl! Some containers aren’t worth drinking from no matter what is in them. Likewise some people aren't worth listenign to, even when they are speaking the truth. Don’t be tricked into listening to some false teacher just because they speak the truth sometimes. Even the truth can be used with evil intent. So test not only the message but also the person and their motives.

God's Kingdom Won't be Stopped

Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon.

Mark 3:6-8

By just verse six of chapter three of mark's gospel, Jesus has unnatural allies plotting together how they might kill Him, but what we find in the next two verses shows us that even in the face of increasing opposition, God’s kingdom advances.

In verse 7 we read that Jesus has a large crowd following Him but they are all from Galilee which is the geographic area that Jesus’ ministry has been primarily restricted to up to this point. But it doesn’t stay that way for long. In verse 8 we find that word about what Jesus has been doing has spread and that people are coming from all over to see Him. 

The names of some of these places that they come from are interesting. Tyre for example is far north of Galilee. While Idumea is far south. And both of them, along with several other areas listed, are inhabited primarily by non-Jews. What this tells us is that Jesus’ influence is growing. He is now drawing people from a large geographic area. [John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Mk 3:8.]

And so what we see here is that in spite of the fact that Jesus’ enemies were plotting to kill Him, His influence grows and God’s kingdom advances! This is strong reminder that we should not live in fear of the world or of those who oppose the expansion of God’s influence over it. People with a secular mindset may call you nasty names. They may say awful things about Christians and Christianity. They may even makes threats against you, but they cannot stop the growth of God’s kingdom! God is in control, and you are in His hand. They cannot harm you without His permission; so never, never, never fear them.

A Refuge in Death

When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge.

Proverbs 14:32

This proverb begins by saying “When calamity comes…” It’s not a question of if but when. Calamity will knock at your door sooner or later. It may come in the form of disease or injury or financial trouble or the loss of a relationship or even death, but it will come. The question is this…when calamity comes for you, will you be ready? Will you have a refuge to run to?

The proverb says that “when calamity comes the wicked are brought down.” The wicked person lives their life balanced on a razor’s edge. Their lifestyle seems exciting and thrilling but it leaves them exposed to danger. And sooner or later, when even the smallest calamity comes their way, they will fall on that razor’s edge that they walk every day.

The wicked person has no refuge in the time of trouble. They can’t expect to receive any help from the God they have spent their life mocking. They can’t expect to receive any help from the family they have caused so much heartache. Nor do they have a single true friend to come to their aid because they have never been a true friend themselves. The wicked man or woman is profoundly susceptible, at risk of being brought down by even the slightest difficulty that enters their life. 

But not so with the righteous! The righteous person has a refuge. It says that even in death, the worst calamity that life throws at us, the righteous have a refuge. Who or what is it? It is their God!

The truth, however, is that none of us are fully righteous on our own. But God has revealed a righteousness from Heaven that comes by faith and not by works (Romans 1:17). And all we must do to receive it is to acknowledge our wickedness and throw ourselves on the mercy of the Heavenly court seeking God’s grace and forgiveness. We must believe on Jesus’s death and resurrection and begin living in obedience to His commands. When we do this our sin is credited to Jesus’ account and Jesus’ righteousness is credited to ours. From that moment on when God looks at us He sees the righteousness of Christ. Then we too will have a refuge even in death.

Kitten Love

I've never considered myself a cat person. In fact, I'm allergic. But this past week I came across an abandoned kitten. She was cute, desperate for help and meowing like crazy. I couldn't bring myself to walk away and leave her knowing that she would likely die. So, I picked her up and made some inquiries at the nearby houses. No one claimed her. I didn't know what to do, so I put her in my car to take her back to the church to our resident ministry assistant cat-lady. On the way to the church this little kitten crawled up my arm onto my shoulder and started nuzzling my beard. That pretty much sealed my fate. Fast forward a few hours and my wife and I were introducing our kids to their new pet and trying to think of names.

Later, as I thought about my cat, I realized that we come to God in much the same way that this little cat came to me. She was needy and desperate for help. She couldn't claim that she deserved my love or that I owed her anything. Yet, she came to me in her desperation hoping I would love her and help her anyway. This is exactly how we come to God. 

Luke 19:10 says that Jesus "came to seek and to save the lost.” And that is what we are without Him...lost. We desperately need Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:9 tells us that Jesus saves us "not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace." We don't deserve Jesus' love. He doesn't owe us His love, but He chooses to love us anyway. Just because He is loving.  

This drives home two basic starting points of the Christian faith that you must never forget. 

1) You stand before God needy and desperate for help.

2) You do not deserve His love but He loves you anyway.

Favorites in the Family

Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah.

Genesis 29:30

Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

Genesis 37:3-4

Jacob had been his mother's favorite son. His brother, Esau, had been his dad's. Favoritism in the home was what he knew. It was what he was used to. And as we read the last half of Genesis, it becomes clearer and clearer that it is a toxic trait that Jacob's home life will be dominated by. 

Through a series of circumstances that weren't entirely Jacob's fault, he was tricked into marrying a pair of sisters. This is a bad idea which is why Scripture expressly forbids it in Leviticus 18:18. But Jacob made this bad idea worse by playing favorites. Scripture tells us right away that he loved one of his wives better than the other. Unsurprisingly, this created a rivalry between the two women. And for years they competed for their husband's affection by trying to outdo the other by having more children.

Sadly, this only made the situation worse because Jacob treated the children the same as he treated their mothers. He played favorites among his own kids. Showing preference to the one who was born of his favorite wife. Predictably, this led to rivalry among the kids. It got so bad that the brothers sold their rival into slavery and told their father he was dead. Deep down in their hearts, I believe they wished he really were dead. 

There are so many lessons we can learn from Jacob's life but one of them is undoubtedly the danger of playing favorites with our families. I know that most of us think we would never do that, but how many adults do you know who believe they weren't their parent's favorite child? Obviously, some parents still make this mistake. Be very careful that you aren't among them. Favoritism is toxic, and it will ruin your family.

Focused on Jesus

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 1:20

Does it ever seem like Christians make a HUGE deal out of Jesus? I mean He is only one of the three persons of the godhead, right? So, why are we always talking about Jesus? It's like the church is fixated!

In fact, this has much more to do with God's plan for redemptive history than it does some fixation on the part of the church. 2 Corinthians 1:20 tells us that ALL of God's promises are fulfilled in Jesus. Think for just a moment of how incredible that statement is. EVERY promise God ever made, even promises made thousands of years before Jesus was born, God was pleased to fulfil in Christ. 

That is why Jesus is always the center of attention is because God made Him central to His entire plan for the world. That is why the church MUST always focus on Jesus! Because all the theological roads of God's promises lead to the same destination: Jesus! That is why we speak the "Amen" through Jesus. The word 'Amen' means "that's right," "that's the truth," or "I agree." Everything about the Christian faith that we place our faith in, everything we proclaim to be the truth finds its conclusion in Jesus. This was God's plan. 

And the verse says that as we speak the "amen" through Him it is to the glory of God! God the Father doesn't feel left out or overshadowed by Jesus. This was His plan. It is His will. And it all works out to His glory. So, study Jesus. Exalt Jesus. Worship Jesus. And do it all to God's glory.

21 Ways to Share Your Faith

Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah 1:17

If I were to summarize the book of Jonah with a single sentence, I might put it this way. "If God tells you to go, then you better go." And this is important for us as New Testament believers because God has commanded us to go. Before His ascension to Heaven, Jesus commanded us to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). You are commanded to go and share the gospel with the lost. But sometimes it feels like it is difficult to find opportunities to share either the gospel or your testimony with lost people. So, I recently came up with 21 ways to help create opportunities to be a witness. Here they are:

1. Share a meal. Eating a meal with someone gives you the opportunity to pray over the food or engage in deeper conversation that you can steer towards spiritual things. 

2. Invite them to your home. They may see scripture or crosses on the walls. They will certainly get a closer look at how you live and how you treat your family. And this is a great way to share a meal with them.

3. Give them a Bible or a Christian book. Tell them how much it meant to you and that you wanted them to have it on their shelf in case they ever felt the need to explore it.  

4. Give them a gospel tract. A lot of people use these to share the gospel when they don't have the time to explain the gospel fully but want the person to have a full explanation they can read later.  I have used the "Four Spiritual Laws" tract quite a bit.

5. Just ask, “Can I share a little of my story with you?” Or "Can I tell you a little about my faith?"

6. Recommend they see a Christian movie. Yeah, some of them are cheesy, but some of them are pretty good. 

7. Write an “evange-letter.” I once worked my way through part of a condo complex this way. I started with unit A-1 and wrote a gospel letter to its unknown resident and mailed it. Each week I would write a letter to a new unit and pray for the people who lived there. 

8. Give them a notecard with a Scripture written on it. I used to write the text of Romans 5:8 on 3X5 notecards and give one to the cashier every time I checked out.  

9. Invite them to something. Invite them to church, a Bible study, a Christian concert or even to see a Christian comedian with you.

10. Listen to their needs and then offer to pray for them. Most of us hate it when someone drones on about their problems. But what if you actually listened and offered to pray for them?

11. When your server brings your food at a restaurant say, “We are about to pray over our meal. Is there anything we can for you about?”

12. Post Scripture or your testimony on social media.

13. Ask spiritual questions like “What do you believe about that?”

14. Give them a ride. While they are in your car you can listen to Christian music or engage them in a conversation about spiritual things.

15. Tag along with a friend. It always helps to see someone else do it, so when you get the chance to watch someone else share their faith...take it!

16. Go on a mission trip!

17. Get involved with a Christian group like FCA. As people become aware of the groups you volunteer with and participate in they will know what you believe. 

 

18. Introduce them to a Christian friend. “This is my friend, John, from church. You know you should really come to our church sometime. I really think you would like it.”

19. Decide to share the gospel with everyone who comes into your home. You can say something like, “I like to make sure that everyone who comes into my home knows about Jesus.” Then you can give them a tract or a short explanation of the gospel.

20. Pray for specific lost people and for opportunities to share Jesus with them. 

21. Be an obvious Christian everywhere you go. Your shirts, hats, bumper stickers, home décor, and life style can all be a witness. If you avoid cussing and gossiping, if you submit to authority and show true grace and forgiveness to people at work, they’ll notice. Live such an obviously Christian lifestyle that people can't know you without knowing you're a Christian.

Go and Tell (W.o.W. Rewind)

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

Isaiah 52:7

For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Romans 10:13-15

In his book entitled Night, Elie Wiesel tells the story of a man named Moshe who lived in the town of Sighet in Transylvania where Wiesel grew up. In 1942, at the age of twelve, Wiesel had began to be mentored by this barefoot Jewish mystic. Wiesel tells of how one day the Hungarian police loaded all of the foreign-born Jews onto cattle trains and shipped them away. Moshe was one of those Jews. The native Jews with Wiesel eventually came to accept this as a reality of the war, until one day Moshe returned.

"He told his story and that of his companions. The train full of deportees had crossed the Hungarian frontier and on Polish territory had been taken in charge by the Gestapo. There it had stopped. The Jews had to get out and climb into lorries. The lorries drove toward a forest. The Jews were made to get out. They were made to dig huge graves. And when they had finished their work, the Gestapo began theirs. Without passion, without haste, they slaughtered their prisoners. Each one had to go up to the hole and present his neck. Babies were thrown into the air and the machine gunners used them as targets. This was in the forest of Galicia, near Kolomaye. How had Moshe...escaped? Miraculously. He was wounded in the leg and taken for dead..."*

Wiesel tells of how Moshe went from house to house warning the Jews of what the Gestapo had done, but nobody believed him. Maybe he has gone mad, they said. Perhaps he is just looking for sympathy. "And as for Moshe, he wept. Jews listen to me. It's all I ask of you. I don't want money or pity. Only listen to me."* They would not listen to Moshe but perhaps the saddest part of Wiesel's account is that as days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, eventually Moshe stopped telling his story. Later Wiesel and many others from Sighet witnessed the horrors of the Nazi hatred for Jews firsthand, but Moshe had long given up hope of convincing them of the terror that lay ahead.

Like Moshe, Christians have a solemn responsibility to sound the alarm and warn the world of the terrors to come. We are called to tell people of the judgment that awaits those who reject Jesus and His grace. May we never grow tired of warning people about Hell, because unlike Moshe we have good news to tell as well. We have a Savior who has fought the enemy and has already won the victory for those who believe. He commanded us to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything [He commanded us]” (Matthew 28:19-20a). And so we must go and tell even when they won't listen. We must never make the mistake Moshe did and give up sounding our alarm. Even when they tell us to stop. Even when they threaten our lives. We must tell them the good news and warn them of the fate that awaits those who reject it. May we never lose heart, and may we never give up proclaiming the good news of Jesus' glorious gospel!

For further reading....

Romans 1:16- Ashamed of the gospel?

Matthew 9:35-38- A plentiful harvest.

I Peter 3:15- With gentleness and respect.

John 3:16- Whosoever believes.

*Wiesel, Elie. Night. : Bantam Books, 1960. Pages 4, 5.

March Out with Praise

As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:

“Give thanks to the Lord,

    for his love endures forever.”

As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.

2 Chronicles 20:20-22

King Jehoshaphat had a problem. A vast army, greater than any Judah could hope to defeat, was coming against them from Edom. But Jehoshaphat did what all of us should do when we face a problem, "he resolved to inquire of the LORD" (2 Chronicles 20:3). The people of Judah humbled themselves and fasted and gathered to hear from the Lord what they should do. God answered His people through one of His prophets telling Judah to go out to battle the next morning but that they wouldn't have to fight. They would only stand and see the great deliverance He would work for them. 

Verses 20-22 above narrate how Judah marched out to battle the next morning. They didn't put their greatest warriors at the head of the army. They didn't put their cavalry or their chariots there either. No, they placed their singers right out front, at the head of their army declaring God's praise. They believed God's word and they placed their hope in Him, instead of in their ability to fight. When they macrhed out to face the Edomite army that morning their weapons weren't the sword or the spear, they were praise and faith. 

How often do we march out to face our problems with faith in our own strength, or faith in money, or faith in the wisdom of the world, instead of facing our problems with faith in God? I can't help but wonder. What marches at the head of your army when you're in trouble? Place your hope in God. Learn to march out into battle with such great faith that you go out praising Him for the victories He hasn't even give you yet.

Thirsty

As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, my God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When can I go and meet with God?

Psalm 42:1-2

Psalm 42 begins with an arresting description of the Psalmists longing for God. Imagine a deer that has been fleeing a predator. Imagine how thirsty it must get bounding with such speed through meadows and woodland, darting at the smallest sound, running for its life. If it could speak I imagine it would say "I'm dying of thirst!" It pants and longs for a cool drink of water. Have you ever been there? I know I have. Well, that feeling captures how the psalmist feels about God. His soul cries out, thirsty and desperate for his God. He feels as though he will die if he doesn't enter God's presence soon. 

I've been there before. I can remember actually being excited to go to bed at night because I couldn't wait to get up in the dark of the early morning hours to commune with God, to feel His presence, and to worship Him with no one else around. Yes, I've been there before, but it's been a while. Lately, it's been a struggle just to drag myself out of bed in the morning. Then I have to motivate myself to open God's Word instead of opening my phone. Maybe you can relate. 

If so, join me in praying and asking God to give us the longing, the spiritual thirst that Psalm 42 speaks of. Let the cry of your heart be "Lord, make me thirsty!" And let's commit together to get up early tomorrow and drink deeply from the well of Living Water. And may our souls be refreshed, and may we learn to long for Him above all the cheap imitations this world has to offer

God is Good to All

The Lord is good to all;

 he has compassion on all he has made.

Psalm 145:9

Sometimes people imagine that God is like the little boy sitting over the ant hill with his  magnifying glass grinning maniacally as he burns and tortures the little ants and watches them run helplessly for their lives. But this verse proves that that picture of God is a lie. 

It says that God is good to all and has compassion on all He has made. He isn’t just good to believers. He isn’t just good to the righteous. He is good to all people. And even beyond that. God isn’t just good to people. God shows His goodness and compassion to all His creation. Matthew Henry put it this way, “[God] is good to all…from the highest angel to the lowest worm.”* Or we might say down to the smallest ant.

Jesus speaks of this common grace of God in the New Testament when He says “God causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45) What this verse teaches us is that God is so good that He’s good to everyone! He’s so full of goodness and compassion that they overflow out of Him in abundance and spill over into our lives. Every single one of us has been touched and blessed by the goodness of God.

Perhaps life has been particularly difficult for you lately. Perhaps it has even been difficult for a very long time. You may be tempted to think of God as that little boy over the anthill. You may be tempted to think He is torturing you for His own pleasure. But that isn’t who God is. No matter how hard life has been on you, I can say with confidence that God has been good to you. I can say with confidence that He has compassion for you, because that is who He is. He doesn’t show you compassion or love because you deserve it but simply because it is who He is.

*Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged. (Hendrickson Publishers) 1991. p948.

Personal Praise

I will exalt you, my God the King;

I will praise your name for ever and ever.

Psalm 145:1

David begins his song by saying, “I will exalt you my God.” For David praise is personal and possessive. Literally, David uses the possessive pronoun “my” to refer to God. He says "He’s my God." God was a treasured possession to David and He ought to be a treasured possession for you as well.

This is a helpful reminder that God isn’t just the God of the universe. He isn’t just the Creator God that lives far off in the heavens somewhere. No, if you choose to follow Him, if you call yourself a Christian, then God, in Christ Jesus, is your personal God. David calls Him, "my God" and you would do well to do the same.

Next David calls God the King. He says, “I will exalt you, my God the King.” The great preacher Charles Spurgeon comments on this verse saying, “David as God’s king adores God as his king.”*  This is the king of Israel, the greatest king in Israel’s history up to this point, willingly acknowledging that there is a greater king whom he must obey.

No matter how high you climb in life, no matter how much authority you wield, there is always someone greater, God, the King of Kings, before whom you must bow. We live in a time in which the church thinks about God and relates to God predominantly as a friend. And it is true that in Jesus God has drawn near to believers and become our friend, but it’s also true that He is still the great king. He is not to be dismissed or disrespected. He is to be obeyed! God must be “the King” in your life.

In just eight words David has established that God is his personal God (He is beloved and treasured and to be worshipped) and that God is his King (He is his authority who is to be obeyed). And now in light of these truths He promises to priase God's name forever and ever. Let us do the same!

*Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. The Treasury of David: Volume 3. (Hendrickson Publishers) p375.

Grass Season (W.o.W. Rewind)

It's lawn mowing season again. It's time for Dads everywhere to bust out their short shorts, dark socks, and white tennis shoes. It's time to do manly stuff in the yard while simultaneously showing the world that our pasty legs haven't seen the sun since last summer. There are a few things we can be certain of this time of year. 1) Our daughters will be mortified by our lack of fashion sense. 2) Our allergies will flare up mercilessly. 3) And the grass will grow endlessly. That means that this is a good time of year to consider what God's Word says about the wicked. Psalm 92:7 says, "Though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever." It often appears that those who disobey God's commands are winning in the game of life. Their popularity, fame and riches increase and we're tempted to envy them. But we must remember that they are like the grass which is easily scorched in the heat of the summer. In ancient Palestine dry grass was even used as fuel for fires due to lack of firewood (ESV Footnote on Luke 12:28). So what Jesus says is true. The grass that is alive in the field today is thrown into the oven tomorrow (Luke 12:28). The psalmist uses this image to remind us that God's has already pronounced judgment on the wicked. Though they shoot up quickly, like the grass they will be mowed down in their prime.

Compare this fate of the wicked to what the psalmist has to say about the righteous. Psalm 92:12-14 says, "The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green." The palm tree that the psalmist compares the righteous person to is probably the date palm which has a long life and produces fruit (ESV Footnote on Psalm 92:12-15). These are two things that grass does not do. But why does the psalmist compare the righteous to a cedar of Lebanon? Cedars of Lebanon were widely considered to be the best trees in the world for use in building.

Though the selection of these trees may seem insignificant to you, they allow the psalmist to add a beautiful layer of double meaning for his original readers. I believe this psalm may have been written at a time when Solomon's temple was still standing because the author is drawing on images from that temple. The psalmist speaks of the righteous being "planted in the house of the LORD" and "flourishing in the courts of our God." According to I Kings 5 and 6, both of these trees played a key role in Solomon's temple. The temple itself was constructed out of cedars of Lebanon overlaid with gold while the inside of the temple was covered with carvings of palm trees. The psalmist's ultimate point is that the righteous will enter God's presence, but he uses a powerful image to make that point. In essence, he says the righteous are like the cedars used to make God's house, they are like the palm trees engraved on the walls of the temple. In Heaven they will get to spend every day in God's presence, watching what He is doing. What a beautiful image! How much better is the end of the righteous man than that of the wicked!

So when your progress in this life seems slow, when it appears that the wicked are passing you by, and when you are tempted toward despair or envy- remember the grass. Remember what the wicked man's end will be. They will be cast out of God's presence into outer darkness (Matthew 22:13). And remember the end of the righteous, dwelling in the midst of God's glorious presence forever. May this motivate us all to persevere in the way we should go.

Get Out of the Litter Box

In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

2 Timothy 2:20-21

Imagine you go over to a friend's house for dinner. When you walk through the front door the aroma of fried chicken and mashed potatoes and fresh bread and green beans greats you. The food is attractively displayed on the table. Your host begins putting out the silverware. As you take your seat you hear them rummaging through the kitchen drawers looking for their slotted serving spoon for the green beans. In a moment you hear them exclaim "Who was using the slotted spoon to scoop the cat litter again!?" And you watch in horror as they walk over to the litter box, dig out a slotted spoon and plop it into the bowl of green beans on the table. What do you do?

Hopefully, you'll never find yourself in a scenario quite so disgusting as that., but I do fear that we often unwittingly do the equivalent to God. We use our mouth to curse and gossip and slander and then think it won't bother Him when we use the same mouth to sing His praise?! We set our heart on money and the approval of men and illicit sex and then offer that heart up to Him and we think He doesn't notice?! We use our hands to hurt others, to take us to the darkest parts of the internet and social media, and to sexually touch those we have no right to touch and then try to put the same hands to the plow in His service?! We do all this and more and somehow it never occurs to us that He might not be pleased with our offering?!

Scripture points out to us in 2 Timothy 2 that there are certain articles in any home that have been set aside for special use. These articles are not used for common purposes but are kept separate and clean to be used only for their special purpose. And that is what Christians ought to be like. We must cleanse ourselves from iniquity and keep ourselves separate from it if we are to be "holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work."

Consider what you are offering up to God. As 2 Corinthians 6:17 says, "Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” Get out of the litter box and keep yourself separate and holy to the Lord.

Run to God

God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.

Psalm 46:1-3

A Christian can possess internal stillness of soul even as the world melts into chaos around him. Psalm 46 tells us how. The secret is trusting God. Even when that which seems most fixed and unshakeable in our world, characterized in this psalm by mountains, collapses before our eyes and falls at our feet, we don't have to be afraid. Even when everything around us is shaking, we need not be shaken, because we trust in the Lord.

Psalm 46 says, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear." No matter how bad life gets the Christian has a refuge he can run to, a safe place that can't be touched by the evils of this world. This reminds me of what I would do when I was scared as a child. If a big, scary dog approached us and was barking at us, I would instinctively get close to my dad or grandad because I knew they would keep me safe. When I was scared I ran to them and felt safe. 

It's the same with God. When your world is shaking, when it seems like everything is falling apart, it isn't time to get angry with God or question His justice, it's time to run to Him for protection. The wise Christian knows that his relationship with God is his only refuge in this chaotic world. He also knows that God is his only source of help or rescue. So, whenever the wise Christian feels scared or in trouble he runs to His God and feels safe again.

Wait for the Lord

In the Lord I take refuge.

How then can you say to me:

“Flee like a bird to your mountain."

Psalm 11:1

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:14

Sometimes having faith means doing nothing. Sometimes trusting in God means standing still. I am reminded of how the Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that, "There is a time for everything." This is also true of our faith. There are times when we ought to charge forward in faith. For example, anytime we have a clear command of God to obey. But there are also times when we must stand still and wait in faith. Sooner or later, you will face something bigger than you, something that is completely out of your control. And all you will be able to do is ask for God's help and wait.

Both charging forward and sitting still can be powerful expressions of faith in God's willingness to act on our behalf. We need to be adept at doing both, because the Christian life will require both out of us. I believe one reason why the Lord puts in in situations in which we must wait on Him is that it removes any ambiguity about who is acting. It's all too easy for me to charge ahead thinking that I'm putting my faith in God into action when all I am really doing is putting my faith in my own abilities into action. But when I have to sit still and wait on the Lord to act on my behalf, there isn't any confusion about who is acting. My faith must be purely in God then. 

So, if God has placed you in a situation that is beyond your control, if He is asking you to wait on Him to act, then know that you are not alone. When David wrote these psalms he was in real, physical danger. His enemies were plotting or even marching against him. Yet, he learned to wait on the Lord, to trust God to come to his rescue. There are times when even the mightiest warriors can do nothing but exercise their faith by sitting and waiting. This was an invaluable lesson for David, and it will be for you as well. If God has called you to such a time today, then trust Him to carry you through it.

The Power of Praise (W.o.W. Rewind)

 Lord, our Lord,

how magnificent is your name throughout the earth!
You have covered the heavens with your majesty.
From the mouths of infants and nursing babies,
you have established a stronghold
on account of your adversaries
in order to silence the enemy and the avenger. (Psalm 8:1-2)


When do you praise God? Maybe just when you're at church? Or only when things are going well? If so, then you are missing out on a powerful spiritual weapon.

Have you ever been told that praise can be a spiritual weapon? According to this passage, it is and believers ought to use it against our enemies. The passage speaks of a stronghold that God brings forth from the mouths of infants and babes. What is this stronghold? The Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint understood this stronghold to be praises to God sung by children. Jesus affirmed this understanding when He quoted from the Septuagint translation in Matthew 21:16- "You have prepared praise from the mouths of infants and nursing babies.” If we are to take Jesus' word for it, then the praise we declare to God and His Messiah is a stronghold which protects us from our enemies.

How does this work? When we're surrounded by enemies (physical or spiritual) we ought to sing God's praise. In doing so we remind ourselves and our attackers who our Protector is, how strong He is, and how magnificent He is. As we open our mouths in praise, our enemies close their mouths in silence. As we praise God's strength we grow more confident as they grow more afraid. There is good news for us here. Believers don't need to be strong or mighty to be safe. We can be as weak as a newborn babe. God is our Protector and our weakness doesn't limit His power.

So spend some time praising God today. Praise Him for who He is. If you need inspiration, read a few psalms. As you praise, your outlook will change. And if you'll praise Him publicly before your enemies they'll think twice as well.

Asleep on Delilah's Lap

After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him.

Judges 16:19

When the Philistines realized that they could not defeat Samson by military force, they tried a different tact. Instead of attacking Samson head on, they seduced him. He had fallen in love with a Philistine woman from the Valley of Sorek named Delilah. So, the Philistine lords offered her a great sum of money to find out the secret of Samson's strength so they could overpower him. 

It turned out that Samson was strong but not wise. The man who was impervious to soldiers and to lions was only too foolish and vulnerable before this beautiful woman. In the end, Samson told his worst enemy exactly how to defeat him, then laid his head on her lap and fell asleep. All along the Philistines had been hiding in the shadows, plotting against Samson and waiting for their moment to strike. It was only once that great lion of a man had been turned into a lapdog by Delilah that they came out of the shadows and attacked him directly. 

It seems to me that the church in America is very much like Samson sleeping on Delilah's lap. We have not been subject to overt attacks and persecution like many of our brothers and sisters around the world, but our enemy has been hard at work trying to seduce us. Everyday you are bombarded with an intentional, strategic campaign to deceive and seduce you away from God and toward worldliness. It's in the TV shows and movies you watch, the music you listen to, the news sites you follow on the internet, and the social media posts and marketing campaigns you drink in everywhere we go. You are surrounded by temptation to sin and by crafty lies designed to make you doubt truth and reject God and His way. 

Yes, I fear that we have fallen asleep on Delilah's lap, and that at any moment our enemy could step out of the shadows and attack. So, I say to you what I would say to Samson. Wake up! And save yourself before it is too late! Open your eyes to the lies and temptation and seduction all around you. Get your head off of Delilah's lap, and arm yourself for the enemy is upon you and attack is imminent. 

What Great Love

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

I John 3:1

How great is this love?! It is something to be marveled and wondered at that an immortal, infinite, perfect and holy God would choose to love us! It’s like a child choosing to love a blade of grass or a jar of dirt. What is there in us that could make God love us? Nothing! That is why this verse says God has ‘lavished’ His love on us. That word for ‘lavished’ can also be translated ‘given’ or ‘bestowed.’ It’s a gift! There is nothing in me that would draw God’s heart towards me. There is plenty in me to draw His wrath but not His love. I am unworthy of that. I am a child of God by grace.

John 1:12 puts it this way, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” If you have become a Christian, then God has adopted you as His own child. He didn’t have to do that. He could have saved you and taken you to Heaven as His servant. But no! He takes you as His child. This is a great privilege you have been given. The God of the universe has adopted you and called you His own!

One privilege of being a child of God is that you can trust that He will never abandon you. Perhaps you know what it means to be abandoned by a spouse or a parent. Abandonment scars us deeply and causes us to doubt people. If you can’t trust your mother or father or your own spouse, then who can you trust? God. You can trust God. Psalm 27:10 says, “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.” And Hebrews 13:5 reminds us that “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” No matter what, if you are a believer then God is your Father forever. He will never let you go, and no one can take you out of His hand (John 10:28).

What great love the Father has lavished on us!

Prayer at the Crossroads

Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Luke 5:15-16

As I look back over my life, I realize that at many of the major crossroads God used prayer to guide me and reveal His will for me. It was through prayer that God called me to ministry. It was through prayer that He led me to my wife. And it was through prayer that God led me to each of the three churches I’ve served. And what I realized this week is that we see the same thing in Jesus’ life. At every major crossroads, at every turning point, we find Him praying. 

It was when Jesus was praying at His baptism that heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him and anointed Him for ministry (Luke 3:21-22). This was Jesus’ ordination, the birth of His ministry. And what was He doing when it all began? He was praying.

Then as Jesus became more popular, and the demands on Him grew, what did He do? He didn’t spend more time crafting His sermons or going fishing to get a little R&R. No! Luke 5:15-16 says "He often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." That time alone, speaking to God was a lifeline for Jesus. It no doubt recharged and refilled Him so He could continue pouring Himself out in ministry day after day after day.

Later, when the time came for Jesus to select 12 men to designate as apostles, how did Jesus go about making this big decision? Luke 6:12-13 tells us that He prayed the entire night! Then, at His transfiguration Jesus revealed to a few of these twelve apostles who He really was. And wouldn’t you know it, Jesus was praying when He was transfigured! (Luke 9:28-29) He was praying when His divine glory broke through.

And what about that last major event in Jesus’ life? His death. How did Jesus prepare Himself for all that He would suffer? He prayed! We often ask people how they would spend their final moments if they knew they were going to die. Jesus chose to spend His last free moments, praying…seeking God’s guidance and strength for what lay ahead (Luke 22:39-41).

So, make prayer a regular habit in your life. If you aren't sure how to pray, use the Lord’s Prayer or one of David’s prayers in the Psalms to get you started. Pray their prayers until you feel comfortable praying your own. In time you’ll see that praying isn’t difficult. It’s just talking to God: thanking Him, praising Him, confessing your sins, and bringing your needs to Him. Prayer isn’t difficult, but prayer is important, especially when you’re at a crossroads. In those moments especially, you should pray and ask for God’s direction.