Today’s Reading: 1 Chronicles 14; 1 Chronicles 15; Psalm 132; Matthew 18
Scripture: Matthew 18:34-35
34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
Observation: This is a harsh passage. Jesus asserts that God will take the role of a torturer for those who do not forgive their brothers. God as torturer? Yikes! (This is a good example of the importance of interpreting a passage in its context.) The man in the parable had just had his multi-million dollar debt wiped out by the king. Then he went out and imprisoned a man who owed him only few bucks, even though the man begged for mercy. You see, the problem here is that the first man, since his large debt had been eliminated, had been given the means to write off this small debt by the king. But he took the king's gift and refused to share it. In fact, he caused others to find fault with both him and the king for his naked and monstrous hypocrisy.
Application: God gives us the grace to forgive others when they wrong us. If we do not forgive others when they wrong us, then we are resisting and refusing God's grace. An unforgiving heart is evidence of a heart devoid of God. But God doesn't just wipe us out. No, he tortures us! Now this may sound mean, but God is trying to get us to make the changes that will result in our ultimate salvation. In the story, the man refused and resisted God's grace, so God allowed him to suffer "until he should pay back all he owed." What does that mean to us? I think it means that since God has forgiven us, if we do not walk in forgivness toward others, God allows and even directs suffering in our lives. Once we settle our debt to God, that is accepting his grace to truly walk in the same forgiveness we have received, then this suffering will cease. (There will always be a certain amount of suffering in this life. But the suffering that is a result of God's judgment will cease once we have repented and reaped the harvest of our misdeeds.)
Bottom line: God is expecting that we will follow through with the grace he gives us. He does not give his grace simply for our ease or comfort. His grace is given to produce Godly character. He expects us to be the Christ-ians that we profess to be.
Prayer: Lord, thank you that you give us everything we need to live this amazing kind of life. And thank you for not giving up on us when we fall short. Help me to pay attention to your corrections in my life so that I can get and stay right with you in every aspect of my life.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Title: Burning Deception / Topic: Rebellion
Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel 6; 1 Chronicles 13; Psalm 68; Matthew 17
Scripture: Psalm 68:6
God sets the lonely in families,
he leads forth the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
Observation: This last clause got me. "...the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land." What a brutal way to live. Rebellious people think that by asserting their "right" to self-determination ("Nobody is going to tell me what to do."), they are truly free and unencumbered by the burden of demands from others. And the ultimate freedom, according to "the rebellious," is freedom from God -- from his expectations, judgments, and demands. The fullest expression of this freedom is to deny even the existence of God -- if not with words, with the way they live: they live as if God is dead. Thus, they are, according to their value system, truly free.
And now, the rest of the story: The reality of the rebellious is quite different from this. And this phrase from Psalm 68:6 shows God's perspective on their "freedom": "the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land." This is an oppressive place with no relief. This picturesque description drives home the reality. Have you ever been in a place where the sun was so hot and no shade was to be found? I remember a time in a small fishing boat on a lake. When we first put out, the sun was just below the horizon and the air was cool. But a few hours later, the sun had risen and the air was stifling. The reflection of the glare off the water made the rays of the sun so oppressive. We had to row to get off the lake and it seemed like hours. This experience is etched on my memory as one of the most unpleasant environments I have ever been in. And the Psalmist tells us that it is this kind of place, "a sun-scorched land", where the rebellious person lives. It's really a tragic place, and way, to live.
Application: The only answer is to live a crucified life. Our flesh, or self nature, cries out for respect, protection, attention. Its demands are incessant: "take care of me, don't let anybody step on me, don't let me be put down, etc." And the biggest lie that your flesh will tell you is this: "I (the flesh) am you." But this isn't true. Your flesh (sin nature) is not you. It is a part of you, but you (the essence of who you are) is much more than the flesh. In fact, the flesh is like a cancer on who you are. It is a part of you, but it is deadly and is, in fact, killing you. The only way to be free is to kill it first. We must cut the flesh out of our lives. But it is fast growing and you can never get it all. So we must go through a daily intentional process of execution. Jesus said, "if anyone would be my disciple he must take up his cross [instrument of execution] daily and follow me." This is the only way to be truly free.
The second biggest lie that our flesh offers is that its demands are easy in comparison with other masters. But the flesh is not an easy master. No, the flesh is the cruelest master of all. It is never satisfied, never gives peace, never ceases its demands. And it won't quit until it kills you -- like a parasite destroys its host.
In contrast, we can have Jehovah God as the master of our lives. Yes he is demanding, but he himself actually grants us the means to fulfill the demands he places on us. And he gives comfort, and peace, and encouragement all along the way.
Bottom line: Serve the Lord, kill the flesh. This is the only road to a truly happy life and the greatest freedom that human can know.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your loving ways. May I be one who always embraces you and shuns the selfish demands that originate in my fallen nature. Please continue to cultivate your life in me and assist me to live in full cooperation with this process in my life.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture: Psalm 68:6
God sets the lonely in families,
he leads forth the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
Observation: This last clause got me. "...the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land." What a brutal way to live. Rebellious people think that by asserting their "right" to self-determination ("Nobody is going to tell me what to do."), they are truly free and unencumbered by the burden of demands from others. And the ultimate freedom, according to "the rebellious," is freedom from God -- from his expectations, judgments, and demands. The fullest expression of this freedom is to deny even the existence of God -- if not with words, with the way they live: they live as if God is dead. Thus, they are, according to their value system, truly free.
And now, the rest of the story: The reality of the rebellious is quite different from this. And this phrase from Psalm 68:6 shows God's perspective on their "freedom": "the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land." This is an oppressive place with no relief. This picturesque description drives home the reality. Have you ever been in a place where the sun was so hot and no shade was to be found? I remember a time in a small fishing boat on a lake. When we first put out, the sun was just below the horizon and the air was cool. But a few hours later, the sun had risen and the air was stifling. The reflection of the glare off the water made the rays of the sun so oppressive. We had to row to get off the lake and it seemed like hours. This experience is etched on my memory as one of the most unpleasant environments I have ever been in. And the Psalmist tells us that it is this kind of place, "a sun-scorched land", where the rebellious person lives. It's really a tragic place, and way, to live.
Application: The only answer is to live a crucified life. Our flesh, or self nature, cries out for respect, protection, attention. Its demands are incessant: "take care of me, don't let anybody step on me, don't let me be put down, etc." And the biggest lie that your flesh will tell you is this: "I (the flesh) am you." But this isn't true. Your flesh (sin nature) is not you. It is a part of you, but you (the essence of who you are) is much more than the flesh. In fact, the flesh is like a cancer on who you are. It is a part of you, but it is deadly and is, in fact, killing you. The only way to be free is to kill it first. We must cut the flesh out of our lives. But it is fast growing and you can never get it all. So we must go through a daily intentional process of execution. Jesus said, "if anyone would be my disciple he must take up his cross [instrument of execution] daily and follow me." This is the only way to be truly free.
The second biggest lie that our flesh offers is that its demands are easy in comparison with other masters. But the flesh is not an easy master. No, the flesh is the cruelest master of all. It is never satisfied, never gives peace, never ceases its demands. And it won't quit until it kills you -- like a parasite destroys its host.
In contrast, we can have Jehovah God as the master of our lives. Yes he is demanding, but he himself actually grants us the means to fulfill the demands he places on us. And he gives comfort, and peace, and encouragement all along the way.
Bottom line: Serve the Lord, kill the flesh. This is the only road to a truly happy life and the greatest freedom that human can know.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your loving ways. May I be one who always embraces you and shuns the selfish demands that originate in my fallen nature. Please continue to cultivate your life in me and assist me to live in full cooperation with this process in my life.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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