Consequences of Sin, Father / Yahweh, Grace / Forgiveness, Heaven and Hell, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Sin

We Are By Nature Children Of Wrath

Contrary to what many today want to believe, we are not born holy and righteous. Human nature draws us toward sin and disobedience to Jehovah rather than submission to Him. Left on our own, we are dead in sin and will be held accountable as such by God on the day of judgment. Yes, there really is a heaven and a hell.

While this makes many uncomfortable, it is important to understand in order to have a clear picture of God’s love, grace and mercy. He displays all of it by providing a way to save us from our sin, to bridge the gap between our selfish and rebellious nature and His holiness.

God demonstrates mercy in that He is willing to withhold from us the punishment we deserve based on the gap between our behavior and attitudes and His holy standard. Further He shows grace by providing us forgiveness we do not deserve and a way to be reconciled with Him. He demonstrated love by coming to live among us and die on our behalf to pay the penalty for our sins and rebellion. He did this in the person of Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:1-10

     1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

It is important to remember that we are not inherently good. We do not deserve forgiveness. We can not earn forgiveness. We can never achieve God’s standard through our own works. We are saved by God’s grace, through our faith in Jesus Christ. It is a gift we do not deserve, but still we must choose to accept it. Once we accept this gift, God does indeed expect us to walk in good works as evidence of our submission to Him.

Trying to bridge the gap between us and God without accepting Jesus Christ as Lord is akin to trying to climb down into the Grand Canyon using a step ladder. We do not even come close on our own. Let us remember and remind others that God shows His great love, great mercy and great grace by the offer of reconciliation and salvation He offers in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We should praise Him and glorify Him and never take it for granted as something we do not need or something we deserve based on our own works.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Holy, Justice / Judgment, Righteous, Speaking

His Ways Are Not Our Ways

Many people who claim to follow God (Jehovah) find themselves looking around at the wickedness in the world and wondering why God does not bring judgment or intervene more to bring people to Him. Then when major unlikely events occur, such as the rise of evil nations like the Islamic State or Hurricane Katrina that brought severe devastation to New Orleans, these same people immediately dismiss or criticize those who rightly point out that God may be at work in these things.

We won’t explore the Islamic State in today’s article, but if you are interested to see if God ever raised up an evil nation to serve His purposes… He did. Read about how God raised up the Chaldeans (a.k.a. Babylonians) in Habakkuk.

Today we look at examples of how God chose to use powerful and dramatic “forces of nature” for his purposes. They created devastation among the wicked Egyptians who rejected Him, yet left the Hebrews alone. Yes, God may use both forces of nature and evil nations at times to His own purpose.

Exodus 9

Egyptian Cattle Die

      1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2“For if you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them, 3behold, the hand of the LORD will come with a very severe pestilence on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks. 4“But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel.”’” 5The LORD set a definite time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land.” 6So the LORD did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the sons of Israel, not one died. 7Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not even one of the livestock of Israel dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

The Plague of Boils

      8Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of soot from a kiln, and let Moses throw it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. 9“It will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and will become boils breaking out with sores on man and beast through all the land of Egypt.” 10So they took soot from a kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw it toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on man and beast. 11The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians as well as on all the Egyptians. 12And the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.

      13Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 14“For this time I will send all My plagues on you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth. 15“For if by now I had put forth My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then have been cut off from the earth. 16“But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth. 17“Still you exalt yourself against My people by not letting them go.

The Plague of Hail

      18“Behold, about this time tomorrow, I will send a very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 19“Now therefore send, bring your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. Every man and beast that is found in the field and is not brought home, when the hail comes down on them, will die.”’” 20The one among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses; 21but he who paid no regard to the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.

      22Now the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, on man and on beast and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” 23Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24So there was hail, and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very severe, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25The hail struck all that was in the field through all the land of Egypt, both man and beast; the hail also struck every plant of the field and shattered every tree of the field. 26Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail.

      27Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time; the LORD is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones. 28“Make supplication to the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail; and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” 29Moses said to him, “As soon as I go out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease and there will be hail no longer, that you may know that the earth is the LORD’S. 30“But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the LORD God.” 31(Now the flax and the barley were ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32But the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, for they ripen late.) 33So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread out his hands to the LORD; and the thunder and the hail ceased, and rain no longer poured on the earth. 34But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.

As you reflect on this scripture, consider world events or even on a smaller scale, events in your life and community around you. Do not be quick to dismiss how God may be at work around you. His ways are not our ways… they are better and wiser. We should be careful not to “put God in a box” such that we assume He only works in ways that we would also choose to work. Often He works in ways that we would not choose ourselves.  Too often we expect judgment and intervention from God, but then expect that “a God of love would not hurt anyone”. God is love, but is also holy and righteous and just.  If God chooses to work in a way that results in people or animals dying or suffering, than who are we to question Him?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Money / Finances / Wealth

Give To Jehovah What Is His

Consider you are an owner of a business. Do you care how your employees spend the company’s money? Do you want them to spend in a way that is consistent with your instructions when you gave them access to the money or just spend however they feel best, even if completely selfish and not furthering the business? Is it any different if we consider a family situation in similar fashion?

Of course we care! Whether we are running a company or leading a family, we have limited resources and it is important to use them wisely and consistent with our guiding values and purpose. Anyone who does not see this… just let someone have access to your checkbook and tell them to spend your money however they want… and you will quickly understand the point. You appreciate those who use the resources appropriately and correct those who do not.

Would it matter if they only wasted half of your money? What about 25%? We care about how they use all or any of the money. We gave instructions with the money and we want them followed, or next time we give the money to someone else.

So why do so many people have a problem with understanding that God (Jehovah in Hebrew) cares how we spend the money and other resources He provides to us?  Typically we struggle with this concept because we don’t want to submit to Him in regards to finances. We prefer to do things our own way. We may even be “generous” and set aside 10% of what He gave us and then tell Him we will manage the rest our way. This is not honoring God, but rather honoring ourselves.

Give to Jehovah what is His. It all belongs to Him, so manage all your resources, time… talent… money, to further the kingdom of God.

Luke 20:21-25

 21They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. 22“Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 23But He detected their trickery and said to them, 24“Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” 25And He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Proverbs 3:9-10

       9Honor the LORD from your wealth
And from the first of all your produce;

      10So your barns will be filled with plenty
And your vats will overflow with new wine.

Malachi 3:10

   8“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9“You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. 11“Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the LORD of hosts. 12“All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the LORD of hosts.

Have you submitted all your finances to be stewarded on behalf of God or are you holding some back for your own purposes? This does not mean writing a big check to give all your money to a church. Not at all. It means stewarding wisely all that you have and spending in such a way as to be responsible and further the kingdom of God. Obey His general commands regarding money as we find them in the Bible. Take time to learn to pray effectively and seek God’s specific instructions for you, if any, regarding money. Remind yourself it all belongs to Him and you are only the servant who is asked to take care of it and manage it on His behalf.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Learning To Pray Effectively

Prayer Request: What Do You Pray For?

This week’s prayer challenge is to consider how you pray for yourself and your family. Take a few moments to consider what you ask God for in your life and why. Write down three personal prayers.

Now let us consider the prayer of one whom God answered in a mighty way, Solomon.

2 Chronicles 1:7-13

     7In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.”

Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom

      8Solomon said to God, “You have dealt with my father David with great lovingkindness, and have made me king in his place. 9“Now, O LORD God, Your promise to my father David is fulfilled, for You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10“Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours?” 11God said to Solomon, “Because you had this in mind, and did not ask for riches, wealth or honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but you have asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may rule My people over whom I have made you king, 12wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed nor those who will come after you.” 13So Solomon went from the high place which was at Gibeon, from the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem, and he reigned over Israel.

What a tremendous attitude Solomon had as he responded to God’s inquiry! Solomon did not pray for himself or something selfish, but rather he prayed for wisdom to rule wisely over God’s people… thus wisdom to serve God. Take note of the approach Solomon takes in responding to God as well. He does not simply lay out his personal list of wants, but rather starts by acknowledging who God is and what He has already done… with thanks. This is not a complicated prayer, but a simple and genuine request of God for the gift needed to rule wisely.

Take another look at  your personal prayer list. Are you praying for selfish things that benefit only yourself? or are you praying, like Solomon, for God to increase in you the gifts He wants you to use to serve Him and advance the kingdom of God on earth? It is ok to pray for personal needs or wants, but how much better to pray for God to help you accomplish what He has already called you to do. Consider humbly adjusting your prayer life to ask God for His help to give and develop in you the talents and abilities you need to do what He is calling you to do.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Father / Yahweh, Miracles, Pride, Through Prophets, Wickedness / Evil

Denial Is Not Just A River In Egypt

Most of us are familiar with the phrase “Denial is not just a river in Egypt.” It is a word play on “denial” and “the Nile”. We all encounter denial in regards to Jehovah’s presence and interaction in this world. It seems that some can find a way to reject Him no matter what signs and wonders He performs. Others, even when He gets their attention with signs and wonders, they quickly fall away again once the sign is past and they begin to rationalize away the power of God they just witnessed.

Pharaoh and his court did this over and over, thus inviting God to continue demonstrating His power to all through more miracles. First, whenever God would demonstrate a sign through Moses and Aaron, the Egyptian “magicians” would attempt to produce a fraud… a trick that mimicked in some way the real sign just demonstrated. They would try to point to something man can do similar to what God did as a way of avoiding admitting that Jehovah was God. After they were overwhelmed by God’s signs they would appear to repent. He got their attention. They were defeated in that sign, like the frogs in Exodus 8. Then Pharaoh would commit to releasing the Israelites. However, once the sign was completed and the threat to Egypt appeared over, his heart was hardened again and he would go back on his commitment.

Exodus 8:1-15

Frogs over the Land

      1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2“But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite your whole territory with frogs. 3“The Nile will swarm with frogs, which will come up and go into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed, and into the houses of your servants and on your people, and into your ovens and into your kneading bowls. 4“So the frogs will come up on you and your people and all your servants.”’” 5Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the streams and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’” 6So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7The magicians did the same with their secret arts, making frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

      8Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Entreat the LORD that He remove the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the LORD.” 9Moses said to Pharaoh, “The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I entreat for you and your servants and your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, that they may be left only in the Nile?”

      10Then he said, “Tomorrow.” So he said, “May it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God. 11“The frogs will depart from you and your houses and your servants and your people; they will be left only in the Nile.” 12Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the LORD concerning the frogs which He had inflicted upon Pharaoh. 13The LORD did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, the courts, and the fields. 14So they piled them in heaps, and the land became foul. 15But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

Often we say to ourselves, “Pharaoh was a rare exception because God hardened his heart. That does not really happen today.” I disagree. It is all around us even today. Consider…

What are some recent examples you have encountered from people, even those identifying as Christian, in which they deny the power or presence of God based on comparing what man can do to what God did? I can think of examples in healthcare… people turn to God for help, He miraculously heals someone and those involved start convincing themselves it was not really God, but rather man’s efforts in medicine alone. (Of course God can work through doctors and medicine.)

Apply the same thought exercise to an event like major hurricanes that have led to devastation in some areas or terrorist attacks. (We can debate in any one case if major events like this are guided by God. However, the reaction we see in people is the same as if it were.)  The event happens. People are in pain emotionally and physically. Some who are not close to God may turn to him in this time of suffering. What happens once the event stops and time begins to pass? Some will continue in deeper relationship with God but many will adjust back to acting as they did before… as if nothing happened. This is essentially what Pharaoh did in Exodus 8 after the frogs were contained.

Now the hard part… you may want to engage a fellow follower or disciple of Christ you trust. Look back at your life and prayerfully consider if there are moments when you too dismiss the power of God that has been demonstrated in your life. Avoid the blindness of pride in this exercise and begin with humbly admitting you are not perfect and are indeed capable of making mistakes. This opens the door to growing in wisdom and applying God’s word in your life. Are there times in your life around big events or small ones that you quickly dismiss the power of God, rationalizing it away as coincidence or activities of man alone? Look for it in your thoughts as you go forward in life. Consider writing down when you feel God is working in your life to keep a record. It is too easy to dismiss what He is doing in our lives while at the same time wondering why He is not active in our lives.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Miracles, Miracles, Strong in Our Weakness

Do Not Dismiss God’s Guidance In Search Of Your Own

Have you ever found yourself facing situations where you felt like God was directing you to or away from something. Perhaps you prayed even a simple prayer for God to do something in your life.  At times when I have prayed for something, God may answer “yes” or he may answer “no” or he may answer “not the way you want, but my way” or even “not right now”. He does not always answer with words or miracles. Sometimes he just blocks our path as we keep trying to find a way to accomplish our own desires… having convinced ourselves that God must want it for us too.

I have experienced this more than a few times in my life. I have an answer in mind and pray for help. Then I proceed to ignore every improbable barrier that comes in my path, each time convincing myself that God wants to give me the answer I already identified. Sometimes He is giving me a clear answer and I just refuse to listen. In fact, He often seems to be “closing certain doors” and “opening others” I had not even considered or had chosen against. Pharaoh had a similar problem with a hard heart, refusing to acknowledge God and the will of God despite many miraculous wonders.

Exodus 8:16-32

The Plague of Insects

      16Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, that it may become gnats through all the land of Egypt.’” 17They did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff, and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats through all the land of Egypt. 18The magicians tried with their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not; so there were gnats on man and beast. 19Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

      20Now the LORD said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, as he comes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 21“For if you do not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and on your servants and on your people and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians will be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they dwell. 22“But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you may know that I, the LORD, am in the midst of the land. 23“I will put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will occur.”’” 24Then the LORD did so. And there came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants and the land was laid waste because of the swarms of flies in all the land of Egypt.

      25Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26But Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we will sacrifice to the LORD our God what is an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice what is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not then stone us? 27“We must go a three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He commands us.” 28Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Make supplication for me.” 29Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you, and I shall make supplication to the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow; only do not let Pharaoh deal deceitfully again in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”

      30So Moses went out from Pharaoh and made supplication to the LORD. 31The LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people; not one remained. 32But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.

Each time you pray, challenge yourself to try to look for what God wants you to do, rather than what you want to do. Identify your bias and try to guard against it. Test what you want to do against scripture for guidance and pray for God to help you find His path rather than your own. Then be open to the prompting God provides to lead you and guide you. He will not always send gnats and flies. Sometimes He is much more subtle. When you ask for God’s help, take special care you do not dismiss His answer when He gives it.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Church / Body of Christ, Help / Serve Others, Humility, Share the Good News

Humility and Unity Enable The Body Of Christ

It is wonderful to see the body of Christ work together toward the common goal of glorifying God. The brethren of Jerusalem received Paul gladly upon his return. Paul met with the elders and told them all about his missionary journey… but note Paul’s humility as he gives glory to God for what occurred instead of pointing toward himself. The elders hear him and also begin to glorify God. Notice that there is no trace of jealousy among them for the wonderful works accomplished through Paul. They are all on the same team! They are aligned only toward the agenda of sharing the gospel of Christ with the world.

So too the elders give advice to Paul on how to dispel the rumors that he does not care for the law. There is no hypocrisy or deceit here. Paul consistently obeys the law throughout scripture. He is sometimes misunderstood. As he taught the Gentiles he focused them on a few important things to get started so they would not be overwhelmed by all of the law at once. Some took that to mean Paul rejected the law. It was always Paul’s pattern to continue teaching those who followed Jesus more about what God commands as they continue to study with him. Paul again demonstrates humility in accepting this advice as an effective communication tool to the Jews in Jerusalem. Paul participates in the ending of a Nazarite vow by others. Paul is not just making a show of it or compromising on his beliefs. In fact, Paul completed what is likely a Nazarite vow himself in Acts 18:18.

The brethren were truly working together toward the common goal of sharing the gospel of Christ. They gave and received advice to one another. They glorified God in the work as it was accomplished. They thoughtfully considered how they could be most effective in reaching their audience (e.g. Jews vs. Gentiles). They proclaimed truth.

Acts 21:15-26

Paul at Jerusalem

      15After these days we got ready and started on our way up to Jerusalem. 16Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple of long standing with whom we were to lodge.

      17After we arrived in Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; 21and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. 22“What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23“Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law. 25“But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication.” 26Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself along with them, went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.

Humility and working together toward a common goal of sharing the gospel of Christ united the brethren of Jerusalem and Paul in a strong bond. How would it have worked out if the elders were jealous of the success Paul witnessed and began infighting? What about if Paul reacted with pride instead of humility, taking glory for himself and rejecting the advice of others?

Think about personal examples in your own life in which you may need to make some adjustments. Are there areas where you react more with pride than humility? Are you jealous of the success of others in sharing the gospel? Pray that God would help lead and guide you to take on a humble spirit, united with all brothers and sisters in Christ toward the common goal of proclaiming the gospel of Christ. We are not in competition with one another, but rather we are on the same team.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Eternal

What’s In A Name?

What’s in a name? A name can at times carry a great deal of significance. When we, as followers of Christ, call upon “God” or praise “God”, even a Muslim or Hindu can agree and praise god, but who are we praising? who are we asking for help?

As followers of Christ we certainly know the name of Jesus Christ and if we have studied the Bible we see much power and significance in the name of Jesus. However as we come to know our Father in heaven and relate to Him throughout our lives, why not call Him by name? Yes, His name is holy and should not be used in vain. But calling to our Father by name is not using His name in vain. Praising our Father by name is not using His name in vain.

So what is His name? There is some degree of debate on whether His name is Jehovah (pronounced “Yehova”) or Yahweh. We can welcome this civil debate and study as brothers and sisters in Christ. We need not divide over this, but it does matter. How many of us want to be called by the wrong name? We may not get angry at our children if they call us the wrong name, but we certainly appreciate those that take the time and effort to learn it properly as they get more mature.

As an introduction for you to the matter, I have included some discussion from an article at HopeOfIsrael.net. Click through the link to read the whole article.

Therefore “Jehovah” is the english equilvant of “Yehovah”. This pronunication has been verified by ancient manuscripts predating the New-testament. The other way we know that “JeHoVah”is correct because it is broken into three syllables “Je” from “yehi” meaning “He will be” (translated one time in the KJB as “JAH”); next is “Ho” from “hove” meaning “Being”; lastly “Vah” from “hahyah” meaning “He was” . Therefore the meaning of “Jehovah” is the ETERNAL ONE. That is what the Lord Jesus was saying about Himself, that he was Himself Jehovah – defining it in Rev 1:4, 8; 4:8; 11:17. That  Jesus therefore has validated the correct pronunciation by defining the three syllables of JE-HO-VAH.

What’s in a name? A lot. Jehovah carries the significance of God’s eternal nature and is used in scripture to demonstrate further that Jesus is one with the Father. When we address our Father, why not start calling Him by name, Jehovah, as we do when we refer to Jesus?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Faith / Trusting God, Obeying God, Strong in Our Weakness

Why Does It Seem Hard To Do God’s Work?

Surely almost all of us at one time or another must have asked the following question?

“Why does it seem hard to do God’s work?”

It seems that even when God tells us what we are asked to do will be hard, we still expect it to be easy. Sometimes we wonder… “Can I be following God the right way if it seems hard?” The answer in a word… YES. Neither Jehovah (God) as revealed in the Old Testament nor Jesus (Yeshua) as revealed in the New Testament ever told us living life the right way, His way, would be easy, not after Adam and Eve were forced to leave the garden for rebellion against God.

We could probably dwell awhile on the significance of the impact of Adam and Eve’s rebellion and how it may play a significant role on this topic. There is another aspect which I want to highlight here today instead. We are often quick to take credit ourselves when we accomplish something that seems easy, rather than giving glory to God who made it easy. In fact, if you pause for a moment and think about the most common Bible stories, the ones even children remember, you can reflect on the fact that the truly memorable ones that demonstrate the power of God were only possible because the situation was very difficult and clearly beyond the ability of the man or woman to accomplish on their own power. It is in these events that we remember the power of our God as well as His sovereignty.

It is not unusual for God to make the situation even harder just to show us beyond a doubt that it was He, and not ourselves, who accomplished it.  I can immediately think of two great examples… one involving Gideon and one involving Moses. We will explore Exodus 7 in today’s article, but I encourage you to read about Gideon as well (Judges chapters 6-8)

Exodus 7

“I Will Stretch Out My Hand”

      1Then the LORD said to Moses, “See, I make you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2“You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land. 3“But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. 4“When Pharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments. 5“The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.” 6So Moses and Aaron did it; as the LORD commanded them, thus they did. 7Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Rod Becomes a Serpent

      8Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 9“When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Work a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” 10So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and thus they did just as the LORD had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts. 12For each one threw down his staff and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13Yet Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

Water Is Turned to Blood

      14Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn; he refuses to let the people go. 15“Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he is going out to the water, and station yourself to meet him on the bank of the Nile; and you shall take in your hand the staff that was turned into a serpent. 16“You shall say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness. But behold, you have not listened until now.” 17‘Thus says the LORD, “By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood. 18“The fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will become foul, and the Egyptians will find difficulty in drinking water from the Nile.”’” 19Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their reservoirs of water, that they may become blood; and there will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”

      20So Moses and Aaron did even as the LORD had commanded. And he lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood. 21The fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile became foul, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. And the blood was through all the land of Egypt. 22But the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said. 23Then Pharaoh turned and went into his house with no concern even for this. 24So all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink of the water of the Nile. 25Seven days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile.

God actually hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that He would multiply His signs and wonders in the land of Egypt so that the Egyptians, and the Israelites, would know that He is God.

3“But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. 4“When Pharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments. 5“The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.”

When things are difficult in your own life, do not assume you are on the wrong path. In fact, it is at such times that we often draw closest to God and rely most faithfully on His power… when we know our own power is not sufficient. Ask God in prayer for His wisdom and guidance and help. Put your faith in Him. Read scripture daily to come to know Him more fully. If He has spoken to you and given you specific direction, verify it is consistent with scripture and then obey it even when it seems hard or you appear to face defeat. Praise God at all times and thank Him for His lovingkindness. Give Him thanks for who He is and what He does in your life. You will see His mighty power at work and know that He is God and it was He, rather than yourself, that accomplished His work through you.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Jesus Christ / Yeshua

If Only I Could Help Them Understand

Awhile ago, my family adopted several cats in an attempt to make them family pets. We rescued them, two from a shelter and one from the streets. When we took them in we did so with the intent to care for them and love them and in return we hoped to be loved by them. One of them in particular was shy and required a lot of care to approach. He did not trust us… it appears he was hurt in the past and still dealing with it in lack of trust for people. Over time, he gradually grew to trust us a bit more.

After awhile two of them were showing signs of sickness, including the cat that was easily scared. We took them to the vet and received the bad news that we should give them certain pills, twice a day… by mouth. Anyone who has a cat probably already realizes that feeding a cat medicine by mouth is not pleasant for owner or cat. In our best efforts to help the cats, one of them lost all sense of trust for us and would no longer allow us to approach closely or pick it up. He did not understand that we were showing love for him… that we wanted only to care for him… that we had his best interest at heart.  He moved next door and would not let us approach him anymore.

I thought to myself often… if I could only explain it to him… if I could only communicate clearly with him… then he would understand and we could be reconciled. He could still be saved from a life on his own on the street and find provision and love with our family. But alas, I could not communicate with him.

Have you ever considered that God feels the same way toward us? He loves us and wants to bless us and care for us. He wants us to show Him love in return. He wants us to choose Him. Often times, however, people do not understand and they turn away from God and choose instead to make it on their own… like my cat.  They do not understand that this is to their own peril, but it is. If only God could think of a way to communicate with us in a way we could understand… that we could see Him and touch Him and hear Him…

He did. God became man and walked among us in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus was not just a good teacher or prophet or good person. Jesus is God. He has existed since the beginning and chose to become flesh and dwell among us.

John 1:1-5

The Deity of Jesus Christ

      1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

John 1:14-18

The Word Made Flesh

      14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” 16For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Prayerfully consider how the words of scripture in the gospel of John should affect how you think about Jesus. God became flesh and dwelt among us out of love for us. He revealed Himself to us in a way we could not otherwise understand. He reached out to show us His love for us in a way we should not be able to misunderstand… He died for us and rose again so that we could know the love of God for us and that we could have a way to be reconciled to God.

How else should we respond to this act of love except with love in return? Ask yourself, “Does my life demonstrate my love for God? What changes should I make? What am I waiting for?”

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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