Choosing Life in Moments of Decision--Day 71 Through the Bible

                                    A green lichen graces a dead tree that has fallen to the forest floor. 
                                   It's amazing what God can grow out of dead things--He reminds us in Ephesians 2:1,
                                                that He has made us alive who were dead in our trespasses and sins!


Only brief moments between thoughts and actions stand between us and sin. Many times, without even realizing what we are doing, we make split-second and impulsive decisions that set us on unwanted paths. As Israel had to take a longer route around Edom, sin originated in their thoughts many miles before they (once again) spoke against Moses and Aaron. Knowing it didn’t have to be this way no doubt tended to make their journey seem more difficult and added to their irritation as they became physically exhausted. Many of them died as they were bitten by fiery serpents sent by God as a result of their disrespectful outspokenness toward Him.

(Today, God has blessed us with the indwelling of His Holy Spirit (John 14) wherewith we can receive spiritual insight to help us capture these moments before we sin and keep us on the path to life (Deuteronomy 30:19). His Spirit assists us with the strength and wisdom to choose life.) Moses prayed for the people when they confessed they had sinned against the Lord. However, God did not stop the serpents from biting them immediately. He allowed them to continue to be bitten, but to not die if they looked at the bronze serpent that He had instructed Moses to set on a pole. They and we, along with Adam and Eve were/are influenced to sin by Satan, who took the form of a serpent in the Garden of Eden. The serpent on the pole foreshadowed sin being nailed to the cross. It looked forward to Christ taking our sins to the cross in His own body and making payment for them there. Although we too, are bitten by sin, Jesus gives us a promise that we won’t die. The penalty for sin is death--and Christ has paid that penalty in our place. We still experience pain because of sin even as the Israelites experienced pain from the serpent bites, however, Christ has conquered the originator of sin.

Balaam leaves us with a tremendous lesson regarding sin. We cannot pursue the rewards of sin without being overtaken by it. It must be eradicated—rooted out at the level of the heart. Balaam’s actions revealed what he really wanted, which was not in accordance with God’s will. He continued on this path with the hope God would change His mind and allow him to curse Israel. Balaam eventually paid with his life for the sin in his heart.

Psalm 33:10-17, proved to be a source of encouragement for me in light of the path our country is taking. God reminds us in these verses that He is in charge regardless of what nations and people plan. He has the power to bring man's plans to naught and we can rest assured God’s plans will be carried out in all generations. These verses set the stage for verse 12: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord”. Wow! Like Israel, it is easy to be discouraged when we realize it doesn’t have to be this way! Many Americans are aware that we have lost our way as a Christian nation, however God tells us in verses 13-15, that the Lord sees what is happening. He encourages us by letting us know that: “He fashions (our) hearts individually; He considers all (our) works”. It is important that we know what God’s word says about issues and stand for what is right. Salt prevents something dead from rotting. Jesus said we are “the salt of the earth”. We might ask ourselves what we are doing as Christians in America to help counter the stench of our culture? How encouraging that God sees us as individuals and calls us out to be separate (2 Corinthians 6:17) and to "stand in the gap before God for the land that He should not destroy it" (Ezekiel 22:30). What an exciting time we are living in! Our hope is not in physical strength or solutions as verses 16-17 of Psalm 33, remind us. This entire passage puts us on track concerning the Sovereignty of God and is a good passage to read on a regular basis. We can use it as a tool to fill those moments between circumstances and the hopelessness of discouragement and it should help set us on a path of hope.

Serving others results in the power of influence. Proverbs 11:25 says we enrich ourselves when we enrich others through our generosity. In Mark 12,  Jesus pointed out a poor widow to the disciples whom He said had given more than all who gave out of their abundance. Her example of generosity continues to inspire us today! Verse 37 of Mark 12 may at first seem insignificant; however a closer look reveals its wisdom. “And the common people heard Him gladly”. The moment of decision that hovers between circumstances and choice is determined to a great extent by our perception of who we are. "How dare God give us this worthless manna! We deserve much better than this!"  This kind of pride leads to destruction (Proverbs 16:18).  May God help us remember that where our spiritual needs are concerned, we are all "common people". We cannot save ourselves and we are all at God’s mercy. He has provided for our common need because of His tremendous love for us. May we "hear Him gladly" when He says to look to His Son for salvation from our sins and may we not hesitate in that moment of decision.

Life is Good--Day 19 Through the Bible

  Needless to say, I have experienced many things since this picture was taken.

    My life began with the need for comfort following my first cry. 

     My father comforted me many times 

     and as a believer my Heavenly Father continues to comfort me now!

January 19
I often see a bumper sticker or spare tire cover that says, "Life is Good". But, is it now? I sometimes think about the driver of the vehicle and wonder what they have experienced in life so far. Is life really always good for some? Will they perhaps experience a turn of events that causes them to remove this sign from their vehicle?

Jacob must have been devastated when he thought Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. He surely thought he could not survive his grief. The pages of Genesis so far have been filled with conflict, human struggles, and violence. It started off good. Adam and Eve were living the "good life" in the beginning.   However, as we have read, things changed drastically when they had their first encounter with sin--when they chose to go against God's instructions.

As the children of Adam and Eve, we are born into sin. We are not handed a "Life is Going to Be Good" guarantee when we enter the world. The majority of babies come into the world crying, many actually screaming. It's interesting that new born babies need to be comforted and soothed almost immediately upon entering this world. Could it be this is a preview of things to come? Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, writes in Ecclesiastes 7:1, that the day of our death is better than the day of our birth. In our youth, we would probably scoff at his "wisdom". However, by the time we reach old age, we may be seeing his point.

Joseph's life also had a seemingly good beginning. He was his father's favorite son and received special treatment, including his famous colorful coat. Basking in his father's love and favor, Joseph perhaps was able to ignore his brothers' envy and dislike for him and may not have recognized the extent of their hatred. This changed, however, when he was suddenly attacked by them and thrown into an empty well. He was then sold into slavery and taken from his father's favor.

 I think most of us, at least in this country, view life as a pursuit of happiness and an opportunity to get all we can get and experience everything we can. However, it would be to our advantage to look at reality and ask God to show us the real purpose and meaning of life. In many ways, it is true that life is good. However, as we may have already experienced, life can also be painful and filled with grief.

Jesus has the power to remove us from this world as soon as we are saved. And, He could have protected Joseph and foiled his brothers' plot. However, God's purpose and plan evidently would not be served by either. Jesus prays for Believers in John 17:15, saying, "I pray not that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil".  As believers, we are subjected to evil and sometimes even death at the hands of evil. Do you think the American pastor who is suffering torture in an Iranian prison and waiting to go before "the hanging judge" next week thinks "Life is Good"? (Please remember him in your prayers.)

God doesn't want us to live in a fantasy world or be out of touch with reality. It is a fact of life--it is reality, that we live in an evil world. However, that is not to be our focus. God wants us to focus on Him--He alone who is Good (Luke 18:19). The good life Adam and Eve enjoyed in the Garden of Eden came from God. He was the Good in their lives. (Before their sin, they could have realistically hung up the sign that says, "Life Is Good!") The foundation of their good life was their relationship with God. When we are born into this world, we are separated from God because of Adam and Eve's sin--we inherited the curse that includes separation from Him. However, God has made a way for us to have our relationship with Him restored. Because of His tremendous love for us, He gave His only begotten Son as a sacrifice to pay for the sins of everyone who would ever live. He extends this promise of restoration to "whosoever believes in Him"
 (John 3:16).

Even as Joseph's captivity passed, this life too, will pass. God had a plan for Joseph all along. This holds true for our lives also. We can rest in God's plan when we trust Him at every crook and unexpected turn that our lives may take. And, just as God carried out His plans for Joseph, we can be assured that He is also carrying out His plans in our lives. In His desire to be with us and to comfort us, He gives us nothing less than His Holy Spirit, known as "The Comforter" (John 14:16). How wonderful to know that although our lives began with a cry, God has already provided a way for us to be comforted. (One of Jesus' names is also Counselor, and our daily reading in Proverbs 3:32 says, "But his secret counsel is with the upright".)

As believers, we are not of this world (John 17:16). Life is not always good regardless of our belief status. However, it is reality that God Is Good. We are encouraged in Psalm 34:8, "O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in Him". May we recognize and acknowledge the goodness of God in our lives as we trust in Him and continue our journey!