Hard Lessons and Precious Faith---Day 333 Through the Bible

                                    Traces of snow are still visible on a hillside on South Toe.

Our faith is only between us and God. Peter calls it "precious faith . . by the righteousness of God" (2 Peter 1:1). "It takes two to have a marriage" is a common saying when a relationship fails. God is perfect in His part of our relationship.  "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these (we) may be partakers of the divine nature" (v. 4).  Our faith is based on our relationship with the Creator God is "precious" and His promises to us are likewise "precious".

We have just celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday here in the United States. Psalm 136:1-9, begins with the phrase "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!  For His mercy endures forever".  This passage describes the only real God "who by wisdom made the heavens" (v. 5).  All 26 verses in this chapter include the words "For His mercy endures forever".  When I think of God, the truth that He is loving and merciful ought to trump any other thoughts I have about Him.

The wisdom of Proverbs for today, "A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back" (29:11).
(Nothing to add here!)  Foolish versus wise.

In Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden image in the plain of Dura.  At the sound of the music--"the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music"--everyone was to "fall down and worship the gold image . . .and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace" (v. 5-6). It was reported to the king that "certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon:  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego" had not regarded the king nor worshiped the gold image (v. 12).  The king called them into his presence and warned them that if they did not bow down they would be cast immediately into a fiery furnace "And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?" (v. 15).  This was their answer to the king: "we have no need to answer you in this matter.  If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from you hand, O king.  But if not, let it be known to you O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up" (v. 16-18).  This did not go over well with the king!  He then commanded the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual and the three men be bound and thrown into the furnace immediately.   The Bible says they "were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments", and were cast into the furnace.  The furnace was so hot "the flame of the fire killed those men" who cast them in.

"Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished. . .'Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? . .I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the forth (I love this part!) is like the Son of God'." (v. 24-25).  The king called the men to him out of the fire and "they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of the head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.  Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, 'Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!'" He then admitted, "there is no other God who can deliver like this" (v.29).

Nebuchadnezzar possessed an element of pride and gloried in Babylon. Twelve months following his vision, he was glorying in what he had accomplished when he encountered the power of the God of Israel. "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?  While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice fell from heaven: 'King Nebuchadezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!'"  Nebuchadnezzar would "graze with the beasts on the grass of the earth" (v. 15), as he had seen in his visions--"till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses" (v.25).

In Daniel 4:34, after the vision was fulfilled, Nebuchadnezzar gave this powerful testimony, "And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation, all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?' . .And those who walk in pride He is able to put down" (v. 35-36, 37).  Are we more willing than Nebuchadnezzar to recognize God's power and might in the earth before having to be taught it the hard way?

Dialogue with God--Day 120 Through the Bible

God allows us to choose how we respond to Him.

"For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen,

being understood by the things that are made, 

  even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse."  

(Romans 1:20)

                                        

Our Pastor made some comments Sunday before our worship service began that opened my eyes to something I had never considered.  He said that worshiping God is a matter of dialogue between us and Him. It is a matter of a back and forth relationship.  God blesses us--we thank Him and praise Him.  He gives us His Word--we choose to respond or to do nothing.  Our choices draw us into a relationship with God or prevents such a relationship from developing.  In today's scriptures we read about two different people with opposite outcomes in their lives.  Hannah trusted God for her dilemma and was blessed with an answer to her prayers while Eli accepted things the way they were and received judgment on his house.  Do I respond to God when He "pushes the envelope" or do I draw a line and cut myself off from Him?

Hannah sought the Lord because of her barrenness.  Her husband loved Hannah and showed her favor by giving her "double portions" when they went yearly to worship the Lord in Shiloh.  Her husband's other wife evidently showed signs of jealousy by provoking Hannah "severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb".  Every year when they traveled to Shiloh, Hannah endured this and "wept in anguish" and was unable to eat. She then made a vow to the Lord that if He would give her a son she would give him to the Lord.  The priest at first accused her of being drunk, but then he told her to go in peace, and the God of Israel grant her petition.

Samuel was born to Hannah and she kept her vow and when he was weaned she took him to serve in the temple.  She "lent him to the Lord" for as long as he would live. Hannah was a praying woman and rejoiced in the Lord saying, "I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation".  She went on to praise God and give Him glory, recognizing His strength and power. She did not put God aside when she received what she wanted.  God also blessed Hannah with other sons and daughters. She made Samuel a "little robe" each year and took it to the temple when she went there to worship.  Samuel became established as a prophet of the Lord and became Israel's greatest judge.  Samuel was willing to listen to God and follow His instructions and Samuel is listed in the "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews 11.

Eli was the priest in the temple who told Hannah to go in peace.  The outcome of his life was very different from that of Hannah's. Eli's sons were known for cheating the people and for their licentious lifestyles. They were "sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord" (I Samuel 2:12). They refused to listen to their father and he evidently took no corrective action with his sons. God sent a prophet to speak to Eli.  He told Eli he honored his sons more than he honored God and that his sons would both die on the same day.  God also revealed to Samuel that He would judge Eli's house.  Eli insisted Samuel tell him what God had said and Samuel obediently held nothing back.  Eli responded, "It is the Lord.  Let Him do what seems good to Him".  It seems Eli had just given up--maybe it was because he was old and blind.  You would think he would have sought God's mercy with repentance and tears.  However, he seemingly just accepted his fate and the fate of his sons.

How would we have responded?  It's easy to accept things and take no action.  Yet when we look at Hannah's life, we see her crying out to God year after year.  Hannah knew the Lord.  And, as Proverbs 15:8-9, says, "But the prayer of the upright is His delight.  The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but He loves him (or her) who follows righteousness".  Eli did not follow righteousness and his sons did not know the Lord.  Life holds many choices for us.  Choosing not to seek God is a choice.  May we follow Hannah's example and take action with persistent prayer, remaining faithful to God.  May we develop a "dialogue" with our Father.  He closed Hannah's womb--she prayed--He gave her a son--she "lent him to the Lord".  Eli failed in his relationship with God.  God reprimanded Eli--Eli took no action, he did not respond to God.  No one likes to be ignored.  I doubt that God does either.  Father, give me a heart that is responsive to You, even as Hannah responded and was blessed.

In the Presence of Jehovah--Day 66 Through the Bible

                                     The same God who created the wild iris, reminds us in Psalm 47:7, 
                                            "For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding".
                               

From today's scripture readings: "when the people complained it displeased the Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused" (Numbers 11:1). It's easy for us to look at the situations in Numbers and judge the Israelites. Yet, the Bible tells us in Romans 2:1, that if we do so, we are condemning ourselves because we do the same things. Our mouths get us in trouble on a regular basis and our words flow from the abundance of our hearts (Matthew 12:34). When I complain, my thoughts have evidently not been focused on God's goodness and love toward me. The Psalmist reveals in 119:11, that hiding God's word in our hearts can prevent us from sinning against God.

This situation should serve to send up red flags for us where complaining is concerned. God hears what I say and He does not take complaining lightly--He actually takes it personally. Do I complain about where God has placed me, what He has blessed me with, how He is providing for me? Maybe it's not what I had in mind, however, further consideration of my situation should bring me to a time of counting my blessings rather than complaining against God. My Father loves me and only wants what is best for me. I must know this without a shadow of a doubt in order to move from selfish thoughts to gratitude toward God.

Miriam and Aaron also had a problem with their mouths (and hearts) and spoke against Moses in chapter 12 of Numbers. God reminded them of the special relationship He had with Moses and He defended Moses. He then asked them why they were not afraid to speak against His servant? We are unfortunately part of a culture that no longer shows proper respect for one another. We need to flee from such disrespectful, end time attitudes by increasing our time in God's word and in prayer, so that we might come away with increased respect for God and for others. Hopefully we will come to realize the importance of weighing our words (and thoughts) carefully, and join with David in asking God to "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips" (Psalm 141:3).

Psalm 31:17, suggests that if we spend our time calling upon the Lord, we will have no reason to be ashamed. We should deal with envy, jealousy, discontentment, etc., in the Presence of the Lord. If we settle such matters with Him, they will not spill over into words from our mouths. Proverbs 11 continues along the same theme and says that "a man of understanding holds his peace". (I like to make this more personal by reading it as: "a woman of understanding holds her peace".) And, verse 13 also has to do with the mouth and talks about talebearers revealing secrets, but "(she) who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter". As believers, how we live and what we say can be traced back to either our relationship with God or lack thereof. When I want to gossip about somebody, I need to go to a private place and talk to God about why I feel the need to tear down or tarnish the character of "my Father's servant".

If I see myself as accountable to God, I will spend more time before Him dealing with my own stuff! I will  get the beam out of my own eye, before becoming focused on the "splinter" in my neighbor's eye (Matthew 7:3-5). If I deal with myself before God as much as is needed, I will have little time to complain or to be concerned about what someone else is doing. The Pharisees were never portrayed as being concerned with their own sins, they were always focused on someone other than themselves. The disciples, in Mark 10, did not have the mind of Christ in regards to little children. How much more does this remind us of the many areas where we also lack the mind of Christ. Too often, rather than address these issues before the Lord, we do the very thing the man did in Mark 10:22. Jesus answered his question about what he should do to have eternal life. Jesus knew his heart. He told him to sell what he had and give it to the poor. Rather than dealing with these issues, the man went away sorrowful. We do not know whether he ever came to the place where he could deal with his love for his possessions over his desire for eternal life.

May I be convicted by today's study, to deal with my own issues on my knees before the Lord for as long as it takes--until I am "transformed by the renewing of (my) mind" (Romans 12:2); and before my issues spill over into my speech in the form of complaints and accusations that are heard by the Lord and by others. May I grow in the knowledge that God loves me more than I can ever understand in this life, and that He only desires what is in my best interest. He will hear my cries to "create in me a clean heart" (Psalm 51:10).
I John 1:9, says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". I will never be found "perfect" in this life, however, I want to be able to say with David, and in the Presence of Jehovah: "My soul follows hard after You: Your right hand upholds me" (Psalm 63:8)!

Grow in Faith--Day 22 Through the Bible

January 22

(If you are wondering why there were 2 posts for Jan 21, it was due to a "senior moment" on my part.)

I would like for us to consider the Growing in Our Faith commentary written by Dr. Stanley in today's study. In Romans 13:3, God says He has dealt a measure of faith to every person. This might remind us of the parable of the talents where each person was given a reward comparable to the increase of their lord's investment. Could it be God has given us a measure of faith and we are responsible for seeing that it grows?
(How we dread the word "responsibility"! However, let's push past the thoughts that originate in our human nature and listen to what God is teaching us through this study.)

We see that Jesus expects us to USE our faith--to exercise it--which results in increased faith. Just as using our muscles can increase their size, even so--exercising our faith can increase the amount of faith we have. Dr. Stanley says that: "We grow in faith when we:
1) Hear from God
2) Obey what He says, and then
3) Acknowledge God's faithfulness to His word in our lives."

Romans 10:17, teaches us that "faith comes by hearing the word of God". We must obey what we "hear" God saying or else we obviously do not believe what He is telling us in His Word. If we really believe Him, we will without doubt, follow up on what His word says with some type of action (James 2:17, says,"faith without works is dead".) Acknowledging God's faithfulness to His word in our lives serves to open our eyes to the fact that God is involved in our lives and that He does what He says He will do. When we acknowledge what He has done for us, it creates expectation. In other words, when we read God's word (hear) and follow what He says (obey), we will begin to anticipate what God is going to do for us.

Dr. Stanley goes on to say, "A faith challenge requires:
consistency,
endurance,
perseverance,
and watchfulness.
We must continue to stand in faith until the thing for which God challenged us to believe comes to pass."
Dr. Stanley completes his commentary by saying, "Endure until you see the fulfillment of God's Word".

This, indeed is a challenge for us to be intentionally focused on what God says in His Word until we see His will take shape in an amazing way in our lives. Like Peter, we must not lose our focus and become distracted by the storm around us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus. The more we know Him, the more our eyes can be opened to why we can trust Him. It is NOT a matter of "blind faith"! It is faith that is based on knowing God's faithfulness and knowing He loves us even more than a father who treasures his children and would give his life in place of theirs. That is exactly what God has done for us.

God desire for us is that we enjoy a wonderful relationship with Him--to have a life where "goodness and mercy shall follow (us) all the days of (our) lives and (we) will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (Psalm 23:6)!  What an incentive to grow our faith! Psalm 11:1, reminds us: "In the LORD I put my trust". And, verse 4 reminds us how great is our God: "The LORD is in His Holy Temple, The LORD's throne is in heaven; His eyes behold."

Godly Direction--Day 17 Through the Bible

                                          Roan Mountain is located in nearby Mitchell County
                                        and offers Nature Trails, picnic areas, spectacular views,
                                                 as well as never ending photo opportunities.

January 17
I would like to pose a question to begin today's blog. Are we acknowledging God in our decisions? And, if so, to what extent?
One of my favorite Scriptures is found in Proverbs 3:6, and we can see the principles found in this verse  played out in today's study. This verse says, "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths". There will no doubt come a time in our lives when we recognize a need for God's help and direction. It could be when a doctor tells us there is nothing else he can do for us, or we might be facing financial ruin, old age, the loss of our spouse, an unexpected loss of a loved one, the loss of our eyesight, or facing consequences of bad decisions. There is no end to scenarios where we may need God's help and direction either at present or in the future.
Jacob endured Laban's deceitful tactics for twenty years. To Jacob's credit, he did what was right and was faithful in conducting himself with integrity and honesty toward his father-in-law. Jacob acknowledged God. Finally, God told Jacob He had seen what was happening and that it was time for Jacob to leave and return to his own family. Without God's involvement at this point in Jacob's life, Jacob may not have left this trying situation.
The fact that Jacob had a relationship with God and that God was involved in his life, opened the door for God to direct his path. God assured Jacob he would be with him, just as He assures us He will never leave us nor forsake us (Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5).
In chapter 34 of Genesis, our study brings us to an example where God was not acknowledged and Simeon and Levi (Jacob's sons) took matters into their own hands. They did what they thought was right and hatched a deceitful plot, making themselves murderers and bringing reproach on Jacob's family. While it is true their sister was mistreated, vengeance belonged to God, and would have been better served had it been left to Him. Not only did they not seek God's direction, they failed to even bring the situation before their father, Jacob. (Sometimes in reading Scripture, we tend to think that because it is in the Bible, God sanctioned it.  The account of Dinah and her brothers’ act of revenge is merely an account of events and says nothing about God directing them to the actions they chose.)
Acknowledging God (period) is the first step in coming to the realization that God's Word is truth. Once we get into His Word, we then discover the fact that vengeance belongs to God (Romans 12:19), along with many other truths. We are overstepping our bounds whenever we seek vengeance. We are leaving ourselves to our own devices and leaning to our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5) when we do not acknowledge God.
In the final verses of our daily reading in Matthew, I found it interesting that Jesus also made a decision to leave a situation. Once again, acknowledging God and His plan played a part in this decision. Jesus was God in the flesh and He knew it was not time for Him to die. Therefore, when the Pharisees began seeking a way to destroy Him, "Jesus withdrew from there" (Matthew 12:15).
Acknowledging God in all our ways gives us an advantage. We can avoid experiencing the failure and adverse consequences that may come from doing it our way. He can help us to see clearly what it is that we need to leave behind (perhaps it is a vengeful spirit). God has insight that we do not have access to unless we first have access to Him. He loves us so much He "fixed" the sin thing that separates us from Him. He sent His Son Jesus to die in our place so that we can enjoy a relationship with God for eternity! Our part is to believe in Him so that we might not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).