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.

Day 5 of Daily Bible Study

                                                    A Yancey Morning taken last summer.

January 5

Completing the Bible readings for today leaves me with a question: To what extent am I deceived—either by external influence or by my own doing?  We live in a culture that tends to carry us along into gray areas. Too often I find myself taking the path of least resistance--the path human nature dictates.  This choice (or lack of choosing) results in shallowness—which translates into sin. When I do not examine my beliefs, when I stand for nothing, when I’m satisfied with going along with the crowd—my life becomes superficial—a facade, actually worthless to God!

Looking back at today’s study, Noah obeyed God & followed Him--not the crowd (who, incidentally, drowned). Shem & Japheth honored & respected their father rather than just going along with what their brother did and they were blessed by God. We see in Genesis 9, a foundational principle for relationships. Verse 6 says we are all made in the image of God. What a different culture this would be if we all just respected one other.  Instead, we live in a culture that stresses self and that promotes “all about me” attitudes.  As believers, if we allow this deception to permeate our thinking, we will lose our power as Christians.

In Matthew 5, Jesus presented the “Beatitudes” to His disciples. Is this passage a “profile” of a believer: Poor in spirit, one who mourns, meek, hungry & thirsty for what is right, merciful, pure in heart, a peacemaker, persecuted for standing for what is right?  If so, as a believer, do I fit that profile? Do I have the depth of character required to mourn for the dilemma of sin that permeates our culture? Is my heart pure? Do I extend mercy?  Am I a peacemaker? 

Following this passage, Jesus reassures us there is a blessing in being a recipient of persecution because of Him. He goes on to reassure us that in spite of being persecuted, we ARE “the salt of the earth” and “light of the world”. We cannot fulfill these responsibilities if we take on the demeanor of the world—if, we only pretend we are followers of Christ. The world is growing darker by the day and people find themselves out of hope. As believers, Jesus says we are to provide the preservative (salt prevents decay) for our culture as well as illuminating the way to that which is truth (reality).

In order for us to carry out these responsibilities, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit—we must become people of depth. This comes by spending time with God—time in prayer and time in His Word, being honest with God and with myself. The section on “How can I rid myself of guilt”, takes us beyond shallowness—beyond just worrying about what people think. (The Scribes and Pharisees were notorious for putting themselves in the limelight so that all could see how “religious” they were. Jesus said unless our righteousness exceeded theirs—we would not even enter the kingdom of Heaven.) This article shows what is involved in forgiveness in the depths of our being where others cannot see—where we thoroughly address and examine the sin, make amends, and accept forgiveness. The is such a good example of prayerfully dealing with issues on a godly level as opposed to just brushing things aside and going on our way.

In light of this study today, I feel the need to challenge myself to stop “surface living”, to stop pretending things are fine and look at my life in depth from God’s perspective! How I long to love God with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my mind, and with all my strength, and to love others as I love myself (Mark 12:30-31).  I want to be a person of depth, untainted by this culture, unpretentious, and receptive to the Holy Spirit in the innermost places of my heart.