The last day or two I have been reading in Zechariah and thinking a little bit about the visions of the four horses (Zech 6:1-8). I am still praying for light on the whole thing as I feel that maybe God wants to show me something on it, but having looked at a few commentaries and having read over the passage some I still don't know.
However, we are all given a pattern on how to pray by Christ, and in that prayer we are told to pray that His will would be done in the same way on earth as it is in heaven. This much I can see in Zech. 6, so I will start at looking at how Scripture shows us God's will is done in heaven so we can see what we are to be praying for.
God's will is done willingly and promptly. In Ezekiel 1, the four living creatures did not turn when they went, but moved straight ahead in immediate obedience to the promptings of the Lord. They also return to be instantly ready to serve again.
As we see in Zech. 6, God's will is accomplished with a desire to bring joy to Him and to remove anything which offends or disturbs Him. I do not know what specifically the chariots were sent to do, but clearly there was something in the north country that had disturbed God and they were sent and put it right (Zech. 6:8). We also should be zealous for the Lord's quiet and pleasure in all that we do.
Lastly God's will is fully accomplished in heaven, and so may it ever be in our lives. Amen.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Thoughts on Psalm 83:11-12
Psa 83:11-12 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, who said, "Let us take possession for ourselves of the pastures of God."
Asaph in remembering the past victories which God gave to Israel, specifically in the book of Judges, is crying out to God for a similar work against the current enemies of the Lord.
These four men had made themselves notable examples of both oppression of Israel in the days of Gideon and by their defeat also notable examples of divine retribution. Their desire in oppression was a possession of God’s land, specifically His pastures, houses or sheepfolds (the word has those three significations), all of which point to churches. These four men are types of spirits which attempt not just to destroy individual believers, but attempt to actually mar God’s inheritance by taking over churches.
Their names are significant, starting from the last to the first we see a causation of decline in churches.
Zalmunna means protection is denied. It is impossible for God’s enemies to gain even temporary possession of God’s houses unless He has removed His hand of protection from them. As the love of God’s people towards Him cools and they no longer serve Him with joy and gladness His protection is withdrawn (Rev. 2:4, Deut. 28:47).
After a while of continuing in this condition God actively gives over His church to His enemies, this is the meaning of Zebah – sacrifice or victim. These are the princes, or chief causes of the desolation which follows, the withdrawal of protection and active giving over. The nobles are the actual enemies which now wreak havoc within the churches given over.
Zeeb – the wolf, is a type of false teachers and heretics. False teachers are ordained by God (Jude 1:4). I picture this in this way, God looks through His church and sees the hearts of all men, He then gives a call, “I need teachers of error to test my peoples love for the truth. Which of you would like to have popularity and money more than you would like the truth? You will have everything you desire, but no relationship with Me, and only eternal judgment on the other side.” The hearts of the teachers of error all put up their hands and say, “Pick me, pick me.” Admittedly the choice is not often that blatantly stated, but even if it were they would make the same choice.
What state are we in when it is possible for a church to have one of its members commit murder and then suicide and claim that he is still in heaven, but he lost all his rewards?!? http://www.heavensfamily.org/ss/e_teachings/as-a-father
Lastly there is Oreb – the raven. An unclean, carrion bird known throughout antiquity for its eerie ability to detect sickly and dying animals by smell and to call to the other ravens, hence the sound of a raven became an omen of death. It also was known for attacking the eyes of its victims first (Prov. 30:17). It is truly a type of those unclean spirits which detecting weaknesses in men take them captive in all uncleanness, and using the eye as the main means of entry through lust, have deprived men of both spiritual and natural sight as in the case of Samson.
These enemies must be defeated, not only Oreb and Zeeb, but the ones who enabled their ravages - Zebah and Zalmunnah. The victories will be notable even as the Rock of Oreb was noteworthy as where he was slain and the winepress of Zeeb was known for his demise. There will be clearly distinguishable points where these battles were fought and overcome. Then God’s mature leaders, not youths, must earnestly seek for and deal with Zebah and Zalmunnah, and restore God’s protection to His people, and lead them to turn their hearts back to Him (Judges 8).
Asaph in remembering the past victories which God gave to Israel, specifically in the book of Judges, is crying out to God for a similar work against the current enemies of the Lord.
These four men had made themselves notable examples of both oppression of Israel in the days of Gideon and by their defeat also notable examples of divine retribution. Their desire in oppression was a possession of God’s land, specifically His pastures, houses or sheepfolds (the word has those three significations), all of which point to churches. These four men are types of spirits which attempt not just to destroy individual believers, but attempt to actually mar God’s inheritance by taking over churches.
Their names are significant, starting from the last to the first we see a causation of decline in churches.
Zalmunna means protection is denied. It is impossible for God’s enemies to gain even temporary possession of God’s houses unless He has removed His hand of protection from them. As the love of God’s people towards Him cools and they no longer serve Him with joy and gladness His protection is withdrawn (Rev. 2:4, Deut. 28:47).
After a while of continuing in this condition God actively gives over His church to His enemies, this is the meaning of Zebah – sacrifice or victim. These are the princes, or chief causes of the desolation which follows, the withdrawal of protection and active giving over. The nobles are the actual enemies which now wreak havoc within the churches given over.
Zeeb – the wolf, is a type of false teachers and heretics. False teachers are ordained by God (Jude 1:4). I picture this in this way, God looks through His church and sees the hearts of all men, He then gives a call, “I need teachers of error to test my peoples love for the truth. Which of you would like to have popularity and money more than you would like the truth? You will have everything you desire, but no relationship with Me, and only eternal judgment on the other side.” The hearts of the teachers of error all put up their hands and say, “Pick me, pick me.” Admittedly the choice is not often that blatantly stated, but even if it were they would make the same choice.
What state are we in when it is possible for a church to have one of its members commit murder and then suicide and claim that he is still in heaven, but he lost all his rewards?!? http://www.heavensfamily.org/ss/e_teachings/as-a-father
Lastly there is Oreb – the raven. An unclean, carrion bird known throughout antiquity for its eerie ability to detect sickly and dying animals by smell and to call to the other ravens, hence the sound of a raven became an omen of death. It also was known for attacking the eyes of its victims first (Prov. 30:17). It is truly a type of those unclean spirits which detecting weaknesses in men take them captive in all uncleanness, and using the eye as the main means of entry through lust, have deprived men of both spiritual and natural sight as in the case of Samson.
These enemies must be defeated, not only Oreb and Zeeb, but the ones who enabled their ravages - Zebah and Zalmunnah. The victories will be notable even as the Rock of Oreb was noteworthy as where he was slain and the winepress of Zeeb was known for his demise. There will be clearly distinguishable points where these battles were fought and overcome. Then God’s mature leaders, not youths, must earnestly seek for and deal with Zebah and Zalmunnah, and restore God’s protection to His people, and lead them to turn their hearts back to Him (Judges 8).
Sunday, September 13, 2009
The Upward Call
Philippians 3:13-14 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Recently I have been thinking about the phrase the upward call, or as it is sometimes translated the high call, or upward invitation. This is the prize for which Paul was constantly running towards. What is this upward call?
First, it is a drawing of our desires toward the one who calls. As Song of Solomon says, “Draw me and we will run after you.” An invitation when it is received draws out a response from the one who receives it, whether favorable or not (ignoring an invitation is as sure a refusal as an emphatic “no”). The upward call is a continuous outpouring of the heart of God calling us higher and higher so that we can be closer and closer to Him. It can be to a higher level of ministry and revelation as it was with John in Rev. 4:1, where he is called up from one level of vision and prophecy unto a higher one. It can also be a call onward to know Christ in a new and deeper way through entering into His sufferings and joys.
Second, and very importantly, the upward call creates ability to fulfill it. When Christ walked on water, Peter seeing Him, said, “Lord, if it is You, tell me to come.” After the Lord’s call to come, he was able to do the impossible as long as his focus remained on the Lord. Christ’s upward call not only calls us onward, but it gives us the power to move. It is this upward call that enables us to change and be conformed to the image of Christ.
Our part is to respond to the upward call, to hear it and obey it. Like men walking in the dark being lead by a guide, hearing His voice and following. His call always leads to Himself! This is what Paul was constantly running in response to, what he was reaching for! The light of Christ shed abroad at that moment followed by obedience and awaiting further light. Those who follow hard in this life are privileged to do the same forever (Rev. 14:4). Praise God!
Recently I have been thinking about the phrase the upward call, or as it is sometimes translated the high call, or upward invitation. This is the prize for which Paul was constantly running towards. What is this upward call?
First, it is a drawing of our desires toward the one who calls. As Song of Solomon says, “Draw me and we will run after you.” An invitation when it is received draws out a response from the one who receives it, whether favorable or not (ignoring an invitation is as sure a refusal as an emphatic “no”). The upward call is a continuous outpouring of the heart of God calling us higher and higher so that we can be closer and closer to Him. It can be to a higher level of ministry and revelation as it was with John in Rev. 4:1, where he is called up from one level of vision and prophecy unto a higher one. It can also be a call onward to know Christ in a new and deeper way through entering into His sufferings and joys.
Second, and very importantly, the upward call creates ability to fulfill it. When Christ walked on water, Peter seeing Him, said, “Lord, if it is You, tell me to come.” After the Lord’s call to come, he was able to do the impossible as long as his focus remained on the Lord. Christ’s upward call not only calls us onward, but it gives us the power to move. It is this upward call that enables us to change and be conformed to the image of Christ.
Our part is to respond to the upward call, to hear it and obey it. Like men walking in the dark being lead by a guide, hearing His voice and following. His call always leads to Himself! This is what Paul was constantly running in response to, what he was reaching for! The light of Christ shed abroad at that moment followed by obedience and awaiting further light. Those who follow hard in this life are privileged to do the same forever (Rev. 14:4). Praise God!
Monday, September 07, 2009
Spare Your People O Lord
The ELCA has officially decided now to allow homosexual clergy in their churches. It is good that the signers of the Augsburg confession are in heaven where there is no sorrow, otherwise doubtless their hearts would be broken. They were willing to risk earthly honors, political quiet, and even war for the sake of the Gospel and their descendants in America are not willing to bear with the disapproval of the world and its agenda.
That on its own is sad enough, but as this morning as I have been contemplating the state of the Church in general, I have had the realization that this will likely not be the last denomination to do this. Those of us who are not Lutherans look and say, “whew, I am glad I am not Lutheran.” Yet, I must wonder how much lower must the Church come before It awakes. We are like the Germans in Nazi Germany, who looked the other way when the Nazis persecuted the Jews, because they were not Jewish, then ignored what they did when they came for the Catholics, because they were not Catholic. At last there was no one left to turn to.
Let us awake and cry out to God.
Joel 2:27 - Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, "Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"
It is a reproach to Christ when any church that has preached the Gospel in any measure is given over to rule by any open sinners of any variety. The people of God are His heritage, those that have His Name upon them. It is an exceedingly grievous thing when any of His sheep are under such leadership. Yet again Christ comes to His own and His own receive Him not. This is an often repeated scenario, repeated by nations, churches and individuals. We would crucify Christ again if it were possible, the cry goes out, “not this man, but Barabbas!” We would rather have a murderer or other notorious sinner in our midst than the very Son of God!
This is not the first time such a thing has happened. During the Arian controversy many, many churches were under men who denied the Deity of Christ in any real sense, and some who did not deny it themselves compromised for the sake of imperial favor. Many centuries later, during the heyday of the Puritans, men like Richard Baxter, John Bunyan, George Fox and many others had a hard time in their youth finding ministers who were sober in the pulpit, let alone able to lead others in the way of salvation. The Church has weathered both of these and other storms and this one shall also pass. However we must pray that God would spare His people, that He would not let the heathen rule over them. Perhaps if we turn to Him with our whole heart He will relent and not allow the Church to be plunged into further darkness.
Let us not be like Ephraim or Samson who sunk so low as to not realize their own decrepitude before it was too late to avoid a serious captivity (Hosea 7:9; Judges 16:20).
Spare Your people O Lord! Turn our hearts again toward You!
That on its own is sad enough, but as this morning as I have been contemplating the state of the Church in general, I have had the realization that this will likely not be the last denomination to do this. Those of us who are not Lutherans look and say, “whew, I am glad I am not Lutheran.” Yet, I must wonder how much lower must the Church come before It awakes. We are like the Germans in Nazi Germany, who looked the other way when the Nazis persecuted the Jews, because they were not Jewish, then ignored what they did when they came for the Catholics, because they were not Catholic. At last there was no one left to turn to.
Let us awake and cry out to God.
Joel 2:27 - Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, "Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"
It is a reproach to Christ when any church that has preached the Gospel in any measure is given over to rule by any open sinners of any variety. The people of God are His heritage, those that have His Name upon them. It is an exceedingly grievous thing when any of His sheep are under such leadership. Yet again Christ comes to His own and His own receive Him not. This is an often repeated scenario, repeated by nations, churches and individuals. We would crucify Christ again if it were possible, the cry goes out, “not this man, but Barabbas!” We would rather have a murderer or other notorious sinner in our midst than the very Son of God!
This is not the first time such a thing has happened. During the Arian controversy many, many churches were under men who denied the Deity of Christ in any real sense, and some who did not deny it themselves compromised for the sake of imperial favor. Many centuries later, during the heyday of the Puritans, men like Richard Baxter, John Bunyan, George Fox and many others had a hard time in their youth finding ministers who were sober in the pulpit, let alone able to lead others in the way of salvation. The Church has weathered both of these and other storms and this one shall also pass. However we must pray that God would spare His people, that He would not let the heathen rule over them. Perhaps if we turn to Him with our whole heart He will relent and not allow the Church to be plunged into further darkness.
Let us not be like Ephraim or Samson who sunk so low as to not realize their own decrepitude before it was too late to avoid a serious captivity (Hosea 7:9; Judges 16:20).
Spare Your people O Lord! Turn our hearts again toward You!
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Practical Application Of Daniel 2:31-35
Dan 2:31-35 "You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
We know from the verses which follow that this refers to the kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome and revived Rome, but I would like to look at this from a different and personal perspective. Jesus said the Kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21). So how can we apply this personally?
First is the head of gold, our own bright ideas and plans for our lives. Our own creativity and mental capabilities. We all want to control our own destiny, but it is not in man to direct his way (he can choose a path, but the path takes him where it goes). God wants to destroy our plans and establish His far better ones in their place. Our thoughts are not His thoughts, and He desires us to surrender our thoughts to Him.
Second is the breast of silver, which compares to our affections (after all, the heart is there). Are our affections on the things of this world? If we love this world the Love of the Father is not in us. Our affections should be set on those things above, where Christ is.
Third is the middle and thighs of bronze, this speaks of motives (Hebrews viewed the kidneys as the source of motive, see Psalm 7:9). What are our motives for what we do? Even good deeds are evil if they proceed from corrupt motives. We should not seek the praise of man but of God. God desires to revolutionize our motives for the deeds we do.
The legs of iron could refer to our own stubborn way of doing things - an inflexibility and insistence on our own methods and traditions. God wants us to be willing to yield to His leading even when it contradicts our cherished traditions (but not His Word).
The feet of iron mixed with clay - these are our inconsistencies and good but short lived intentions. We try to serve God in our own strength and we fail. When God's Kingdom comes it destroys all confidence in our own ability and leaves us wholly dependent on Him (Phil. 3:3).
Christ personally comes to each of us and as we allow Him to work like the stone in the vision, He will demolish these Kingdoms in our life and establish His own in us. These things are blown away like chaff, because they have no real substance. His Kingdom will endure forever. It has substance, and when it fills us and replaces these other Kingdoms we too will have an enduring substance. Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.(Psalm 125:1). Praise God!
We know from the verses which follow that this refers to the kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome and revived Rome, but I would like to look at this from a different and personal perspective. Jesus said the Kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21). So how can we apply this personally?
First is the head of gold, our own bright ideas and plans for our lives. Our own creativity and mental capabilities. We all want to control our own destiny, but it is not in man to direct his way (he can choose a path, but the path takes him where it goes). God wants to destroy our plans and establish His far better ones in their place. Our thoughts are not His thoughts, and He desires us to surrender our thoughts to Him.
Second is the breast of silver, which compares to our affections (after all, the heart is there). Are our affections on the things of this world? If we love this world the Love of the Father is not in us. Our affections should be set on those things above, where Christ is.
Third is the middle and thighs of bronze, this speaks of motives (Hebrews viewed the kidneys as the source of motive, see Psalm 7:9). What are our motives for what we do? Even good deeds are evil if they proceed from corrupt motives. We should not seek the praise of man but of God. God desires to revolutionize our motives for the deeds we do.
The legs of iron could refer to our own stubborn way of doing things - an inflexibility and insistence on our own methods and traditions. God wants us to be willing to yield to His leading even when it contradicts our cherished traditions (but not His Word).
The feet of iron mixed with clay - these are our inconsistencies and good but short lived intentions. We try to serve God in our own strength and we fail. When God's Kingdom comes it destroys all confidence in our own ability and leaves us wholly dependent on Him (Phil. 3:3).
Christ personally comes to each of us and as we allow Him to work like the stone in the vision, He will demolish these Kingdoms in our life and establish His own in us. These things are blown away like chaff, because they have no real substance. His Kingdom will endure forever. It has substance, and when it fills us and replaces these other Kingdoms we too will have an enduring substance. Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.(Psalm 125:1). Praise God!
Second Week of Bible School
Today marks the end of our first week of Bible School. It has been a good week, we have had 27 students this term. I taught on Repentance. Tomorrow, Dad will start a study on the lives of David and Solomon, which has a lot of good lessons specifically for leaders. The third week I will teach on the Gospel of John, and the last week Dad will teach on the Second Coming of Christ.
Ordinarily we have our third term in October, but since my (one and only) sister is getting married in October in the States, we moved the term forward. Mom will be heading to the States in a week, then Dad will follow right after Bible School ends and I will complete the Exodus a few days before the wedding.
It is great to have our students back, and to see growth in their lives.
Ordinarily we have our third term in October, but since my (one and only) sister is getting married in October in the States, we moved the term forward. Mom will be heading to the States in a week, then Dad will follow right after Bible School ends and I will complete the Exodus a few days before the wedding.
It is great to have our students back, and to see growth in their lives.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Thoughts on Psalm 24
Psa 24:1 A Psalm of David. The earth is Jehovah's, and the fullness of it; the world, and those who dwell in it.
Psa 24:2 For He has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.
Psa 24:3 Who shall go up into the hill of Jehovah? Or who shall stand in His holy place?
Psa 24:4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to vanity, and has not sworn deceitfully.
Psa 24:5 He shall receive the blessing from Jehovah, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Psa 24:6 This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face, O God of Jacob. Selah.
Psa 24:7 Lift up your heads, O gates; and be lifted up, O everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Psa 24:8 Who is this King of glory? Jehovah strong and mighty, Jehovah mighty in battle.
Psa 24:9 Lift up your heads, O gates; even lift up, O everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Psa 24:10 Who is this King of glory? Jehovah of Hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.
This Psalm begins by magnifying the greatness of God. The world belongs to Him, He formed it and bears rule over it. All mankind are His subjects, whether obedient good subjects or criminal rebellious ones.
The Psalm then shifts emphasis, if there is fear in the heart of a man to approach unto a mortal monarch, who held virtually unlimited power over the subjects in those days, how can anyone approach to this Monarch whose rule and power is far greater and justice more severe? If men fear a king because of his power of life or death over his subjects, how much more He who kills and makes alive and punishes or rewards after death? To approach such a King is either the surest way to all happiness or to all misery depending upon your reception.
Then are mentioned the qualifications for a good reception: clean hands – hands that are not polluted by evil deeds; a pure heart – a heart that does not meditate on and take pleasure in evil; Who has not lifted up his soul to vanity – our soul that is our affections should be fixed on things above and not fixed on things that perish; Not sworn deceitfully – there is no falsehood in God and no falsehood can stand long in His presence, our actions must follow our words and we must be faithful even as He is faithful. It is one who does these things that receives a blessing from the Lord, surely even to be allowed into His presence is a great blessing, but from that blessing flow many others. Also this man though he has done good things to arrive at this place has not a righteousness of his own to stand in, but instead has become a candidate to receive the righteousness of God. Truly when we have done all, we are only unprofitable servants!
Verse 6 is a very interesting verse if for no other reason, than it is a place in Scripture where God Himself assumes the name of Jacob (most translations insert God of). This is an act of mercy, lest having seen the high requirements set before us we should despair. None of us have clean hands or a pure heart that we could approach unto God, but He is the God of Jacob. The God of the crooked one who is willing to submit himself to God’s processes in his life that result in his straightening. The same God who sets a high standard also is willing that all should attain that standard.
This psalm being written around the time the tabernacle of David was set up, it ends with a cry that the gates of Jerusalem would open to receive their King, so that all could come and seek Him. May God open the gates of our hearts to His presence that He may dwell among us also! Amen.
Psa 24:2 For He has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.
Psa 24:3 Who shall go up into the hill of Jehovah? Or who shall stand in His holy place?
Psa 24:4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to vanity, and has not sworn deceitfully.
Psa 24:5 He shall receive the blessing from Jehovah, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Psa 24:6 This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face, O God of Jacob. Selah.
Psa 24:7 Lift up your heads, O gates; and be lifted up, O everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Psa 24:8 Who is this King of glory? Jehovah strong and mighty, Jehovah mighty in battle.
Psa 24:9 Lift up your heads, O gates; even lift up, O everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Psa 24:10 Who is this King of glory? Jehovah of Hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.
This Psalm begins by magnifying the greatness of God. The world belongs to Him, He formed it and bears rule over it. All mankind are His subjects, whether obedient good subjects or criminal rebellious ones.
The Psalm then shifts emphasis, if there is fear in the heart of a man to approach unto a mortal monarch, who held virtually unlimited power over the subjects in those days, how can anyone approach to this Monarch whose rule and power is far greater and justice more severe? If men fear a king because of his power of life or death over his subjects, how much more He who kills and makes alive and punishes or rewards after death? To approach such a King is either the surest way to all happiness or to all misery depending upon your reception.
Then are mentioned the qualifications for a good reception: clean hands – hands that are not polluted by evil deeds; a pure heart – a heart that does not meditate on and take pleasure in evil; Who has not lifted up his soul to vanity – our soul that is our affections should be fixed on things above and not fixed on things that perish; Not sworn deceitfully – there is no falsehood in God and no falsehood can stand long in His presence, our actions must follow our words and we must be faithful even as He is faithful. It is one who does these things that receives a blessing from the Lord, surely even to be allowed into His presence is a great blessing, but from that blessing flow many others. Also this man though he has done good things to arrive at this place has not a righteousness of his own to stand in, but instead has become a candidate to receive the righteousness of God. Truly when we have done all, we are only unprofitable servants!
Verse 6 is a very interesting verse if for no other reason, than it is a place in Scripture where God Himself assumes the name of Jacob (most translations insert God of). This is an act of mercy, lest having seen the high requirements set before us we should despair. None of us have clean hands or a pure heart that we could approach unto God, but He is the God of Jacob. The God of the crooked one who is willing to submit himself to God’s processes in his life that result in his straightening. The same God who sets a high standard also is willing that all should attain that standard.
This psalm being written around the time the tabernacle of David was set up, it ends with a cry that the gates of Jerusalem would open to receive their King, so that all could come and seek Him. May God open the gates of our hearts to His presence that He may dwell among us also! Amen.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Breadth, Length, Depth and Height of Love
For a few weeks I had been thinking of Eph. 3:19 and specifically "How is it possible to know that which surpasses knowledge?" Then a couple of days ago, my friend Allan asked me what were my thoughts on verse 18 and the breadth, length, etc. This made me decide to write on these verses.
Eph 3:17-19 "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God."
The first thing we see here concerning the love of God is that it requires Christ to dwell in our hearts by faith. God is love and it is His love that is shed abroad in our hearts starting with our new birth. As we partake of this love and are rooted and grounded in it, we are made able to comprehend it.
Next we need to know what is the breadth of this love. God's love extends to all of His creation and to man in a greater measure because we were created in His image. His love causes Him to give freely to all His creatures what they need (Psalm 145:16;Psalm 104:14-21; Matt. 5:44-45). The highest expression of this love was the gift of His only-begotten Son, who died to redeem man from the curse of sin. The breadth of this redeeming love is stretched as wide as the arms f Christ upon the cross and take in all who will shelter there.
The length of this love is actually from everlasting to everlasting. All who believe in Christ are loved in Christ by the Father and made partakers of that love. The love of the Father for the Son is before time and will continue long after time itself has passed away (John 17:20-26). It is this perfect love which is shared among the Trinity that Christ brought to earth and enabled us to receive. It is an eternal love and we are eternal recipients of it, as even in all eternity we will willingly return to the Father the love that He has poured into us. This love also bears with a life time of our struggles and shortcomings as we are prepared for glory.
The depth of this love is great. It brought the sinless Savior down from a holy heaven into a defiled world. He who knew no sin became sin for us. The abyss of love met the abyss of human depravity and filled the void. Not only did Christ come to earth and even sink down into the death of the cross, but (as my friend Allan reminded me) He descended into Hades and returned triumphant bringing souls in train. His love has gone as deep as depth is.
The height of this love follows closely on the depth. not only does it find us where we are, but it draws us up to Him. It causes us to sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus and to be partakers of His divine nature. Eventually we will be there in heaven with Him having been transformed by this love. His love will have taken us to the highest place, near Him and with Him for all eternity.
To really understand this love is beyond our human capability. That is why it is said to surpass knowledge, but the more we realize its breadth and length ad depth and height we can manifest this love. As we do this we are filled with the essence of God Himself, which is love. When we deal with other people we need to remember this love. It is wide, they are included in its scope. It is long, both long-suffering and enduring. It is deep and will undergo much for those it loves. It is high and it will take all who exercise it up to it's fountain head in God above. That is the love that we should show others, praise God!
Eph 3:17-19 "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God."
The first thing we see here concerning the love of God is that it requires Christ to dwell in our hearts by faith. God is love and it is His love that is shed abroad in our hearts starting with our new birth. As we partake of this love and are rooted and grounded in it, we are made able to comprehend it.
Next we need to know what is the breadth of this love. God's love extends to all of His creation and to man in a greater measure because we were created in His image. His love causes Him to give freely to all His creatures what they need (Psalm 145:16;Psalm 104:14-21; Matt. 5:44-45). The highest expression of this love was the gift of His only-begotten Son, who died to redeem man from the curse of sin. The breadth of this redeeming love is stretched as wide as the arms f Christ upon the cross and take in all who will shelter there.
The length of this love is actually from everlasting to everlasting. All who believe in Christ are loved in Christ by the Father and made partakers of that love. The love of the Father for the Son is before time and will continue long after time itself has passed away (John 17:20-26). It is this perfect love which is shared among the Trinity that Christ brought to earth and enabled us to receive. It is an eternal love and we are eternal recipients of it, as even in all eternity we will willingly return to the Father the love that He has poured into us. This love also bears with a life time of our struggles and shortcomings as we are prepared for glory.
The depth of this love is great. It brought the sinless Savior down from a holy heaven into a defiled world. He who knew no sin became sin for us. The abyss of love met the abyss of human depravity and filled the void. Not only did Christ come to earth and even sink down into the death of the cross, but (as my friend Allan reminded me) He descended into Hades and returned triumphant bringing souls in train. His love has gone as deep as depth is.
The height of this love follows closely on the depth. not only does it find us where we are, but it draws us up to Him. It causes us to sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus and to be partakers of His divine nature. Eventually we will be there in heaven with Him having been transformed by this love. His love will have taken us to the highest place, near Him and with Him for all eternity.
To really understand this love is beyond our human capability. That is why it is said to surpass knowledge, but the more we realize its breadth and length ad depth and height we can manifest this love. As we do this we are filled with the essence of God Himself, which is love. When we deal with other people we need to remember this love. It is wide, they are included in its scope. It is long, both long-suffering and enduring. It is deep and will undergo much for those it loves. It is high and it will take all who exercise it up to it's fountain head in God above. That is the love that we should show others, praise God!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
In Him
The past couple of days I have been reading some of Hilary of Poitiers works. Since he lived in the midst of the Arian controversy, his writings have specific reference to the the divinity of Jesus Christ. While I wouldn't say that I learned a lot from reading his works because I am, of course, already a firm believer in the divinity of Christ, yet I did find it interesting to see how he draws from all the Scriptures starting in Genesis to show Christ's divinity. For example discussing the Angel of the Lord as a Christophony and using Scriptures like Gen. 19:14 to show the Son and Father working together in the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah. Christ Himself contended with the Jews that if they had believed Moses they would have believed Him (John 5:46). All Scripture testifies to Christ and shows that He as the Son of God is the dividing line in history. Our eternal fate rests directly upon our attitude and response to Christ (Psalm 2:12 truly a greater than Solomon is here!)
With all this in mind I was thinking of the Phrase "in Him". This phrase shows the centrality of Christ, and the necessity of relationship to receive what is His and in Him. The Apostle Paul cried out to be found in Him clothed with His righteousness by faith. John tells us in Him was life. In Him we live and move and have our being. We were loved in Him and chosen in Him from before the foundation of the world. In the fulness of time God will gather all of heaven and (redeemed) earth in Him (Eph. 1:10). In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead (ie. the attributes that make God God). We are complete in Him. We are glorified in Him. This is by no means an exhaustive list of what is in Him.
The whole point of this is to show the centrality of Christ and our relationship to Him to everything in life. Everything we need in this life and the next is in Him, so are we "in Him." Are we trusting Him, believing Him, listening to His voice and obeying Him. It all depends on that. Unto Him be glory in the Church!
With all this in mind I was thinking of the Phrase "in Him". This phrase shows the centrality of Christ, and the necessity of relationship to receive what is His and in Him. The Apostle Paul cried out to be found in Him clothed with His righteousness by faith. John tells us in Him was life. In Him we live and move and have our being. We were loved in Him and chosen in Him from before the foundation of the world. In the fulness of time God will gather all of heaven and (redeemed) earth in Him (Eph. 1:10). In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead (ie. the attributes that make God God). We are complete in Him. We are glorified in Him. This is by no means an exhaustive list of what is in Him.
The whole point of this is to show the centrality of Christ and our relationship to Him to everything in life. Everything we need in this life and the next is in Him, so are we "in Him." Are we trusting Him, believing Him, listening to His voice and obeying Him. It all depends on that. Unto Him be glory in the Church!
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Seeing Him Who is Invisible
In Hebrews Chapter 11 we find the Faith Hall Of Fame so to speak of the Bible. Almost all the great heroes and heroines of faith receive at least a passing notice in this chapter, with some being only alluded to and others named with more details of their lives given. Part of what is said of Moses is as follows:
Heb 11:24-27 "By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to share ill treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt: for he looked unto the recompense of reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible."
When we compare this little summary of this part of Moses' life with what we see in Exodus 2 and Acts 7:20-29 it appears that Moses had known that he was called to be a deliverer and in helping a fellow Israelite and killing the Egyptian, he thought it would be apparent to his people. It wasn't though and he had to flee and spend forty years in the wilderness (incidently if you follow Stephen's speech in Acts 7 it basically is showing the Jews how they have always resisted all the leaders God sent them from Moses right through until they even chose a murderer instead of Christ).
Moses must have been deeply discouraged, nothing he had attempted had worked out as he thought. He had abandoned all the earthly power and prestige that he had to be with the people of God and then they had rejected him. Yet he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.
When we have had disappointments and discouragements and wonder if God's promises will come to pass when it seems impossible we too must endure by seeing Him who is invisible. It is faith that enables us to see Him. It is faith that enables us to continue in spite of the difficulties that all believers will face to some degree.
Jeremiah wondered if God hadn't somehow tricked him in having him prophesy to people who had no interest in what he said (Jer. 20:7). However he still was faithful to speak God's word.
When we see Him who is invisible then there is really only one option, obedience. Yes, you can disobey and it would make life, at least temporarily, easier for you, but you would have disobeyed God and if you have a consciousness of Him it is hard to do that. Thus it is faith that causes us to carry on even when we don't like the options that the path gives us. The only options are either to go forward and trust God even though we do not see how things will work out, or quit, which would lead us out of immediate difficulties but bring us into far greater eternal ones.
This knowledge of the eternal realities is a seeing of Him who is invisible. It is only possible by faith and only continues as we exercise that faith and do not give up. This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Praise God!
Heb 11:24-27 "By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to share ill treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt: for he looked unto the recompense of reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible."
When we compare this little summary of this part of Moses' life with what we see in Exodus 2 and Acts 7:20-29 it appears that Moses had known that he was called to be a deliverer and in helping a fellow Israelite and killing the Egyptian, he thought it would be apparent to his people. It wasn't though and he had to flee and spend forty years in the wilderness (incidently if you follow Stephen's speech in Acts 7 it basically is showing the Jews how they have always resisted all the leaders God sent them from Moses right through until they even chose a murderer instead of Christ).
Moses must have been deeply discouraged, nothing he had attempted had worked out as he thought. He had abandoned all the earthly power and prestige that he had to be with the people of God and then they had rejected him. Yet he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.
When we have had disappointments and discouragements and wonder if God's promises will come to pass when it seems impossible we too must endure by seeing Him who is invisible. It is faith that enables us to see Him. It is faith that enables us to continue in spite of the difficulties that all believers will face to some degree.
Jeremiah wondered if God hadn't somehow tricked him in having him prophesy to people who had no interest in what he said (Jer. 20:7). However he still was faithful to speak God's word.
When we see Him who is invisible then there is really only one option, obedience. Yes, you can disobey and it would make life, at least temporarily, easier for you, but you would have disobeyed God and if you have a consciousness of Him it is hard to do that. Thus it is faith that causes us to carry on even when we don't like the options that the path gives us. The only options are either to go forward and trust God even though we do not see how things will work out, or quit, which would lead us out of immediate difficulties but bring us into far greater eternal ones.
This knowledge of the eternal realities is a seeing of Him who is invisible. It is only possible by faith and only continues as we exercise that faith and do not give up. This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Praise God!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Fighting God
In Luke 14:31-33 Jesus is speaking on counting the cost prior to choosing to become His disciple. In our day of easy-believism, it is interesting to see that Jesus was more interested in that the response of following Him would be made a full view of the dangers and difficulties as well as promises and blessings, something we tend to underemphasize today.
Luk 14:31-33 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not first sit down and consult whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So then, everyone of you who does not forsake all his possessions, he cannot be My disciple.
The first thing we need to see here, is that each of us is a king. Not only that but we are a king who is at war with another King. He is a good King to whom we owed vassalage, and homage, but whose yoke we early cast off. We have refused Him his due and He is angry with us for that, it is only a matter of time before His armies exact a punishment upon us for our willful and repeated rebellion against Him. This King is God.
With this in mind we must make a choice, and it had better be the right one. We must first consider if we are equal to the task of prosecuting this war, can we effectively fight God? Many have thought so, many have tried, and they all had a confidence that they could carry the war. Nietzsche gloried in his own intellect, yet when he left this world that intellect had been stripped from him and he died in a state of imbecility. Many have trusted in the vigor of youth, only to find themselves struck down in the midst of their youth by accident or sudden illness. Are you better prepared? If you think so, by all means gather your abilities, talents, wits, charm by which you intend to either overpower or impress the Most High. If you think you will impress Him by your abilities and talents or even charm, remember that these are His gift to you and He has seen all too many talented, charming people appear before Him on that grounds and yet they were condemned. Having created man and seen their doings for 6,000 odd years God is not easily impressed. If you choose to fight Him with strength, you will quickly find His power out-powers yours.
Your only chance is to quickly make your peace with God. The condition on which He will make peace with you is found at the end of these verses – a willingness to renounce all, and follow Christ. You should make peace as quickly as possible, while the Spirit of God is drawing your heart. You are only able to respond to God as He draws you. If you refuse the times of His offer of mercy, and allow Him to approach in judgment, then when your ammunition of strength is spent and the wall of your self-confidence breached and you stand vanquished, will you then presume on mercy, who despised it before? God delights in mercy and does not afflict the children of men willingly, but to be sure of receiving His mercy we must respond to the offer when it is given, while grace is available.
If you are reading this and you have never surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, giving Him complete control to order your life as He sees fit, please surrender to Him, and do it without delay.
Luk 14:31-33 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not first sit down and consult whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So then, everyone of you who does not forsake all his possessions, he cannot be My disciple.
The first thing we need to see here, is that each of us is a king. Not only that but we are a king who is at war with another King. He is a good King to whom we owed vassalage, and homage, but whose yoke we early cast off. We have refused Him his due and He is angry with us for that, it is only a matter of time before His armies exact a punishment upon us for our willful and repeated rebellion against Him. This King is God.
With this in mind we must make a choice, and it had better be the right one. We must first consider if we are equal to the task of prosecuting this war, can we effectively fight God? Many have thought so, many have tried, and they all had a confidence that they could carry the war. Nietzsche gloried in his own intellect, yet when he left this world that intellect had been stripped from him and he died in a state of imbecility. Many have trusted in the vigor of youth, only to find themselves struck down in the midst of their youth by accident or sudden illness. Are you better prepared? If you think so, by all means gather your abilities, talents, wits, charm by which you intend to either overpower or impress the Most High. If you think you will impress Him by your abilities and talents or even charm, remember that these are His gift to you and He has seen all too many talented, charming people appear before Him on that grounds and yet they were condemned. Having created man and seen their doings for 6,000 odd years God is not easily impressed. If you choose to fight Him with strength, you will quickly find His power out-powers yours.
Your only chance is to quickly make your peace with God. The condition on which He will make peace with you is found at the end of these verses – a willingness to renounce all, and follow Christ. You should make peace as quickly as possible, while the Spirit of God is drawing your heart. You are only able to respond to God as He draws you. If you refuse the times of His offer of mercy, and allow Him to approach in judgment, then when your ammunition of strength is spent and the wall of your self-confidence breached and you stand vanquished, will you then presume on mercy, who despised it before? God delights in mercy and does not afflict the children of men willingly, but to be sure of receiving His mercy we must respond to the offer when it is given, while grace is available.
If you are reading this and you have never surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, giving Him complete control to order your life as He sees fit, please surrender to Him, and do it without delay.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
The Best Laid Plans…
My intention yesterday was to get started on the printing of “The Journey of Israel” study manual for our Bible school. I woke up nice and early ready to go, but thanks to the electric company, I was powerless to do it. Since it is always dark by 6:30 here, everything runs earlier than what it would in other parts of the world with more artificial lighting. I wake up at 4:30 most mornings and have my time of prayer and devotions. My 5:30 alarm is my signal to actually get up and turn off security lights on the compound and unlock the gate and put on a pot of coffee. The power cut at 5:29. I got up turned all the switches off (the lights themselves were already off if you want to be technical), and unlocked the gate. Since we had lost power so early I figured it would be off for a while so I got some wood out of the shed and boiled water to make coffee (this is a labour of love – primarily self-love, but dad enjoys it too). In addition to boiling water for coffee and later for tea (it was a fairly cold day), I also got to put my John Wayne skills to the test cooking baked beans and hamburger (power only came back on at 12:40). I had mixed results, the baked beans were great, but I had to much burger sticking to the grill in that option.
I’m typing all this to say that I had a totally unproductive morning, at least as far as what I wanted to do was concerned. On a positive note, I did not complain about the outage (much better attitude than my usual), so maybe I can call it a moral victory? Anyway, some days just carrying on is all the productivity that can be expected.
I’m typing all this to say that I had a totally unproductive morning, at least as far as what I wanted to do was concerned. On a positive note, I did not complain about the outage (much better attitude than my usual), so maybe I can call it a moral victory? Anyway, some days just carrying on is all the productivity that can be expected.
The Best Laid Plans…
My intention yesterday was to get started on the printing of “The Journey of Israel” study manual for our Bible school. I woke up nice and early ready to go, but thanks to the electric company, I was powerless to do it. Since it is always dark by 6:30 here, everything runs earlier than what it would in other parts of the world with more artificial lighting. I wake up at 4:30 most mornings and have my time of prayer and devotions. My 5:30 alarm is my signal to actually get up and turn off security lights on the compound and unlock the gate and put on a pot of coffee. The power cut at 5:29. I got up turned all the switches off (the lights themselves were already off if you want to be technical), and unlocked the gate. Since we had lost power so early I figured it would be off for a while so I got some wood out of the shed and boiled water to make coffee (this is a labour of love – primarily self-love, but dad enjoys it too). In addition to boiling water for coffee and later for tea (it was a fairly cold day), I also got to put my John Wayne skills to the test cooking baked beans and hamburger (power only came back on at 12:40). I had mixed results, the baked beans were great, but I had to much burger sticking to the grill in that option.
I’m typing all this to say that I had a totally unproductive morning, at least as far as what I wanted to do was concerned. On a positive note, I did not complain about the outage (much better attitude than my usual), so maybe I can call it a moral victory? Anyway, some days just carrying on is all the productivity that can be expected.
I’m typing all this to say that I had a totally unproductive morning, at least as far as what I wanted to do was concerned. On a positive note, I did not complain about the outage (much better attitude than my usual), so maybe I can call it a moral victory? Anyway, some days just carrying on is all the productivity that can be expected.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Quote from Ruysbroeck
Recently I have been reading Ruysbroeck’s Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage, which I have so far found to be very good. While of course he predates either Calvinism or Arminianism proper, this quote shows pretty clearly which side he would weigh in on.
From Chapter 1 On the Active Life,
“The light of Divine grace is a fruit-bearing shoot, coming forth from the
living paradise of the eternal kingdom; and no deed can bring refreshment or
profit to man if it be not born of this shoot. This shoot of Divine grace,
which makes man pleasing to God, and through which he merits eternal life,
is offered to all men. But it is not grafted into all, because some will not
cut away the wild branches of their trees; that is, unbelief, and a perverse
and disobedient will opposed to the commandments of God.
But if this shoot of God’s grace is to be grafted into our souls, there must
be of necessity three things: the prevenient grace of God, the conversion of
one’s own free will, and the purification of conscience. The prevenient
grace touches all men, God bestowing it upon all men. But not all men give
on their part the conversion of the will and the purification of conscience;
and that is why so many lack the grace of God, through which they should
merit eternal life.
The prevenient grace of God touches a man from without and from within. From
without through sickness; or through the loss of external goods, of kinsmen,
and of friends; or through public disgrace. Or he may be stirred by a
sermon, or by the examples of the saints or of good men, their words, or
their deeds; so that he learns to recognize himself as he is. This is how
God touches a man from without.
Sometimes a man is touched also from within, through remembering the sorrows
and the sufferings of our Lord, and the good which God has bestowed upon him
and upon all other men; or by considering his sins, the shortness of life,
the fear of death and the fear of hell, the eternal torments of hell and the
eternal joy of heaven, and how God has spared him in his sins and has
awaited his conversion. Or he may ponder the marvellous works of God in
heaven and in earth, and in all creatures. Such are the workings of the
prevenient grace of God, stirring men from without and from within, in many
ways. And besides this, man has a natural tendency towards God, because of
the spark of the soul, and because of that highest reason, which always
desires the good and hates the evil. In all these ways God touches all men,
each one according to his need; so that at times a man is smitten, reproved,
alarmed, and stands still within himself to consider himself. And all this
is still prevenient grace, and not yet efficacious grace. Thus does
prevenient grace prepare the soul for the reception of the other grace,
through which eternal life is merited. For when the soul has thus got rid of
evil willing and evil doing, it is perplexed and smitten with fear of what
it should do, considering itself, its wicked works, and God. And from this
there arise a natural repentance of its sins and a natural good-will. Such
is the highest work of prevenient grace.
If a man does all he can, and cannot do more because of his feebleness, it
rests with the infinite goodness of God to finish the work. Then, straight
as a sunbeam, there comes a higher light of Divine grace, and it is shed
into the soul according to its worth, though neither merited nor desired.
For in this light God gives Himself out of free goodness and generosity, the
which never creature can merit before it has received it. And this is an
inward and mysterious working of God in the soul, above time; and it moves
the soul and all its powers. Therewith ends prevenient grace and begins the
other grace, that is to say, the supernatural light.”
To me this all sounds very evangelical and very Arminian, in spite of it being written in the 14th century. Of course I would not agree with all of Ruysbroeck’s doctrine, but from what I have read I do believe that he knew Christ and I do expect to meet him in heaven, along with others from Groenendael and the brethren of the common life.
From Chapter 1 On the Active Life,
“The light of Divine grace is a fruit-bearing shoot, coming forth from the
living paradise of the eternal kingdom; and no deed can bring refreshment or
profit to man if it be not born of this shoot. This shoot of Divine grace,
which makes man pleasing to God, and through which he merits eternal life,
is offered to all men. But it is not grafted into all, because some will not
cut away the wild branches of their trees; that is, unbelief, and a perverse
and disobedient will opposed to the commandments of God.
But if this shoot of God’s grace is to be grafted into our souls, there must
be of necessity three things: the prevenient grace of God, the conversion of
one’s own free will, and the purification of conscience. The prevenient
grace touches all men, God bestowing it upon all men. But not all men give
on their part the conversion of the will and the purification of conscience;
and that is why so many lack the grace of God, through which they should
merit eternal life.
The prevenient grace of God touches a man from without and from within. From
without through sickness; or through the loss of external goods, of kinsmen,
and of friends; or through public disgrace. Or he may be stirred by a
sermon, or by the examples of the saints or of good men, their words, or
their deeds; so that he learns to recognize himself as he is. This is how
God touches a man from without.
Sometimes a man is touched also from within, through remembering the sorrows
and the sufferings of our Lord, and the good which God has bestowed upon him
and upon all other men; or by considering his sins, the shortness of life,
the fear of death and the fear of hell, the eternal torments of hell and the
eternal joy of heaven, and how God has spared him in his sins and has
awaited his conversion. Or he may ponder the marvellous works of God in
heaven and in earth, and in all creatures. Such are the workings of the
prevenient grace of God, stirring men from without and from within, in many
ways. And besides this, man has a natural tendency towards God, because of
the spark of the soul, and because of that highest reason, which always
desires the good and hates the evil. In all these ways God touches all men,
each one according to his need; so that at times a man is smitten, reproved,
alarmed, and stands still within himself to consider himself. And all this
is still prevenient grace, and not yet efficacious grace. Thus does
prevenient grace prepare the soul for the reception of the other grace,
through which eternal life is merited. For when the soul has thus got rid of
evil willing and evil doing, it is perplexed and smitten with fear of what
it should do, considering itself, its wicked works, and God. And from this
there arise a natural repentance of its sins and a natural good-will. Such
is the highest work of prevenient grace.
If a man does all he can, and cannot do more because of his feebleness, it
rests with the infinite goodness of God to finish the work. Then, straight
as a sunbeam, there comes a higher light of Divine grace, and it is shed
into the soul according to its worth, though neither merited nor desired.
For in this light God gives Himself out of free goodness and generosity, the
which never creature can merit before it has received it. And this is an
inward and mysterious working of God in the soul, above time; and it moves
the soul and all its powers. Therewith ends prevenient grace and begins the
other grace, that is to say, the supernatural light.”
To me this all sounds very evangelical and very Arminian, in spite of it being written in the 14th century. Of course I would not agree with all of Ruysbroeck’s doctrine, but from what I have read I do believe that he knew Christ and I do expect to meet him in heaven, along with others from Groenendael and the brethren of the common life.
Daniel’s Recent Dabblings
Mission work is by its nature often varied. When your job description is assisting your parents, it can be even more varied than average.
Yesterday, submitted my application for another two year work permit here. Meanwhile, dad got the new vehicle registered, road-worthied, etc…
My main jobs here are in order of importance not frequency, Bible school teacher, book publisher/printer, electrician, computer technician, building assistant and cook/message taker. Most weeks I don’t leave the compound except on Saturdays and Sundays, I spend my time studying, supervising workers, preparing lunch, holding down the fort while writing blogs like this one.
My current main project is to reprint one of the courses we use in our Bible School, “The Journey of Israel.” This was the first book we printed when we set up the bible school in 2001. At that time, we didn’t have a CD burner, so it was backed up on floppy disks using Mwbackup, which came standard with Windows 98 (we actually got a CD burner not too long after doing this book, so it appears to be the only book we don’t have backed up on CDs). Of course our machines are now using XP, which has a backup that is incompatible with mwbackup. So how do I get the files unpacked so I can fix the 10-15 spelling mistakes and typos we have in the book? Well first I resurrected a derelict Pentium1 that has been out of use for good reason for a couple of years, got Windows 98 installed, had hardware problems, managed to persevere (this all took the better part of a morning, including periodic power outages which we experience around here). Discovered the old dinosaur had a serious problem with its floppy drive, which prevented it from reading any floppies. I then moved the hard drive to another computer so I could boot in 98 and hope for the best. That sorted out all the hardware problems, and I would have been all set if the floppies that had the backup on it were actually still good. Malawi is for electronics what Outer Mongolia was for Roman soldiers and the Eastern front was for Germans… Between the humidity, temperature fluctuations and dust (obscene amounts of dust), the floppies were no longer working. We still have the hard copy masters that we used to run the book last time, so I took those retyped paragraphs in Word, printed them out and then used scissors, glue and typex to get them onto the masters. Since the leading and paragraph lengths are slightly different, it is not a perfect fit. Some small corrections I ignored, because my fix, would be worse than the mistake it is fixing. The others are okay. It goes against all my DTP training to do this (my parents didn’t notice the difference until I showed them), and kind of stuck in my craw, but I’ve had some water and I think I’ve washed it down now . Tomorrow having given plenty of time for the typex and glue to dry I will run the book.
Now is one of the best times of year to run the book, because with the colder ambient temperature, the rubber roller that does the paper feeding on the Risograph doesn’t jam as much. Jamming results in half printed pages, and much frustration for the person operating the machine, punctuated by heart-felt cries for divine assistance and patience to get through it all.
So if anyone reading this was ever wondering I wonder what sort of challenges missionaries face, maybe you’ll have a little better idea now.
Yesterday, submitted my application for another two year work permit here. Meanwhile, dad got the new vehicle registered, road-worthied, etc…
My main jobs here are in order of importance not frequency, Bible school teacher, book publisher/printer, electrician, computer technician, building assistant and cook/message taker. Most weeks I don’t leave the compound except on Saturdays and Sundays, I spend my time studying, supervising workers, preparing lunch, holding down the fort while writing blogs like this one.
My current main project is to reprint one of the courses we use in our Bible School, “The Journey of Israel.” This was the first book we printed when we set up the bible school in 2001. At that time, we didn’t have a CD burner, so it was backed up on floppy disks using Mwbackup, which came standard with Windows 98 (we actually got a CD burner not too long after doing this book, so it appears to be the only book we don’t have backed up on CDs). Of course our machines are now using XP, which has a backup that is incompatible with mwbackup. So how do I get the files unpacked so I can fix the 10-15 spelling mistakes and typos we have in the book? Well first I resurrected a derelict Pentium1 that has been out of use for good reason for a couple of years, got Windows 98 installed, had hardware problems, managed to persevere (this all took the better part of a morning, including periodic power outages which we experience around here). Discovered the old dinosaur had a serious problem with its floppy drive, which prevented it from reading any floppies. I then moved the hard drive to another computer so I could boot in 98 and hope for the best. That sorted out all the hardware problems, and I would have been all set if the floppies that had the backup on it were actually still good. Malawi is for electronics what Outer Mongolia was for Roman soldiers and the Eastern front was for Germans… Between the humidity, temperature fluctuations and dust (obscene amounts of dust), the floppies were no longer working. We still have the hard copy masters that we used to run the book last time, so I took those retyped paragraphs in Word, printed them out and then used scissors, glue and typex to get them onto the masters. Since the leading and paragraph lengths are slightly different, it is not a perfect fit. Some small corrections I ignored, because my fix, would be worse than the mistake it is fixing. The others are okay. It goes against all my DTP training to do this (my parents didn’t notice the difference until I showed them), and kind of stuck in my craw, but I’ve had some water and I think I’ve washed it down now . Tomorrow having given plenty of time for the typex and glue to dry I will run the book.
Now is one of the best times of year to run the book, because with the colder ambient temperature, the rubber roller that does the paper feeding on the Risograph doesn’t jam as much. Jamming results in half printed pages, and much frustration for the person operating the machine, punctuated by heart-felt cries for divine assistance and patience to get through it all.
So if anyone reading this was ever wondering I wonder what sort of challenges missionaries face, maybe you’ll have a little better idea now.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Speaking Good Of People
A while ago (few weeks, a month or two, chronology has never been my forté) I was reading a blog called Pyromaniacs. Since this is a Calvinist/Cesationist blog fairly frequently they do posts on why the gifts are not for today etc... Which in general I skip, occasionally there are other things I find of interest. However reading one specific comment thread, there was a continualist who basically called Warfield a fool.
That got me thinking. Much as I believe that Warfield was dead wrong in his racism, theistic evolution, calvinism, and cessationism, I would not speak too harshly of him. Here's why: 1. He is dead... nothing I say about him is going to alter his eternal state for better or worse, so it is pointless. 2. Vilifying someone's wrong doctrine does not improve my own doctrine which will stand or fall on its own truthfulness. Actually since it is God who opens our minds to see truth, if He sees us mock others who are benighted, He may very well withhold light from us. 3. If Warfield was as wrong as I believe he was, then he has already had his theology rectified by Christ when he passed away. If there was no reward waiting for him, or his work was found to be unacceptable to God than he is already suffering loss for his error, and I would hate to kick a man while he is down.
Think about it, here is a human life, a man lives a full life, through his share of joys and sorrows that that entails, if his life does not count for eternity, that is certainly too tragic to mock, and out of knowledge of our own frailties and need of mercy if for no other reason we should be careful how we speak of men.
We all have our theological heroes and villains, but we should be careful how we speak of people. Yes, we must fight error, and counter it with truth, but we do not have to vilify those who uphold error. God is their judge and also is ours. It is said of Christ that He judges and makes war in righteousness (Rev. 19:11), and Michael the archangel did not use vilifying words even to the devil (Jude 1:9).
Since we are followers of one who could weep and have pity for those who were killing Him even though He knew many of them would even reject His sacrifice (Luke 23:28), let us imitate Him.
That got me thinking. Much as I believe that Warfield was dead wrong in his racism, theistic evolution, calvinism, and cessationism, I would not speak too harshly of him. Here's why: 1. He is dead... nothing I say about him is going to alter his eternal state for better or worse, so it is pointless. 2. Vilifying someone's wrong doctrine does not improve my own doctrine which will stand or fall on its own truthfulness. Actually since it is God who opens our minds to see truth, if He sees us mock others who are benighted, He may very well withhold light from us. 3. If Warfield was as wrong as I believe he was, then he has already had his theology rectified by Christ when he passed away. If there was no reward waiting for him, or his work was found to be unacceptable to God than he is already suffering loss for his error, and I would hate to kick a man while he is down.
Think about it, here is a human life, a man lives a full life, through his share of joys and sorrows that that entails, if his life does not count for eternity, that is certainly too tragic to mock, and out of knowledge of our own frailties and need of mercy if for no other reason we should be careful how we speak of men.
We all have our theological heroes and villains, but we should be careful how we speak of people. Yes, we must fight error, and counter it with truth, but we do not have to vilify those who uphold error. God is their judge and also is ours. It is said of Christ that He judges and makes war in righteousness (Rev. 19:11), and Michael the archangel did not use vilifying words even to the devil (Jude 1:9).
Since we are followers of one who could weep and have pity for those who were killing Him even though He knew many of them would even reject His sacrifice (Luke 23:28), let us imitate Him.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Divine Sovereignty and Personal Responsibility
I this post I would like to look at how Scripture ties these two complementary facts together. The Bible clearly teaches that God is sovereign, in other words, He has the final say in all that happens on earth. “Man proposes, but God disposes” as the old saying goes. However it is also equally clear, that God responds to the choices of His creatures. Ultimately we become what we desire to be. Our destiny is thus based on our character, which is the sum of our choices, or in other words the composite way in which we have responded to the grace that God has given us.
Jeremiah 10:23 tells us, “I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.” This verse does not say that men have no choices, but rather that we choose paths, which take us in directions of which we may not necessarily have even a remote idea at the time of choosing. Once a path is chosen it can be difficult to go in another direction. The path we take now determines which crossroads we will later have, which will determine later crossroads. There was a man I knew, who while living with one woman had fathered a child by another. He hid the thing from the woman he was living with. They later got born again and got married. Eventually after around 13 years it came out, it was really difficult for the wife to bear, but thankfully she weathered it. Someone asked me, “How he could do that?” His first choice not to tell made it the easiest choice thereafter. As each year passed, whatever pain and grief he had tried to avoid by hiding would be compounded, thus making it harder to come clean. Joseph’s brothers undoubtedly faced a similar situation, in their betrayal of Joseph and lying to their father. Grace alone enables us to break away from destructive paths we are walking in and come into the light to be cleansed.
God’s sovereignty is seen in the fact that our paths are not self-ordered. Our responsibility is to choose the right path. God is not passive in this process, because He offers grace unto man to enable him to choose the right path. However if grace is refused, not only is the man set on a wrong path, but God will sometimes even impel the evil doer in his wickedness. When Judas had made his choice to betray Jesus, Jesus not only allowed it, but encouraged it in telling him to do it quickly. The choice and covetousness which caused it all belonged to Judas, but once he made a choice to betray Christ, Christ Himself sealed him into that choice.
King Saul is another example, if you study his life carefully, you notice that his heart was really set on having the favor and honor of the people. When he repeatedly disobeyed the Lord, God gave him over to an evil spirit. This is an active sending and not merely a passive allowance, from that time Saul became an evil instrument that God was using to do a good work in David.
Balaam was first forbidden by God to go at all with Balak’s messengers. Then when he persisted to ask God for permission, God gave it. This was not a case of God changing His mind as to the best course of action, but a case of His allowing a stubborn man (as we all can be stubborn) to do his own thing if that is what he wants to do. Even then, however, Balaam’s choice is limited. God is angry with him for going and angry with his desire to curse Israel, but after reproving him through a donkey, He allows him to go. The most amazing part of this amazing story is that Balaam is used by God to give some of the most profound Messianic prophecies in the Bible – while he is actually hoping that God will let him curse Israel.
Both Balaam and Saul were used by God to prophesy, even as they were going directly against God’s purposes in their hearts.
Samson, though he had a better end than Saul or Balaam, is another example of one who was used by God, though his lifestyle and heart motives could never be approved by God, at the time of his death though he does appear to have come to a place of repentance. Samson is a very interesting character, he fulfilled his role as a deliverer, but from inherently selfish motives. In a sense he is like those spoken of in 2 Timothy 2:19-22 as vessel to dishonor. They are in the house of God, but yet are not fit for every good work, but only for certain uses.
We are fitted for a certain use by our own choices. Samson wrought deliverance out of personal vengeance. That was his desire and God granted it, but that also sealed him off from other avenues of ministry.
God is able to make from the same lump (the same individual) a vessel of mercy or wrath (Romans 9:21). He forms us according as we resist or receive His grace. In eternity we will realize that we became exactly what we wanted to be, whether we realized what we were doing at the time or not. Even for Christians our position in the Kingdom of heaven will be affected by motives for what we do, and how we do it. Let us be vessels of honor that we can please the heart of God and be fit for every good use!
Jeremiah 10:23 tells us, “I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.” This verse does not say that men have no choices, but rather that we choose paths, which take us in directions of which we may not necessarily have even a remote idea at the time of choosing. Once a path is chosen it can be difficult to go in another direction. The path we take now determines which crossroads we will later have, which will determine later crossroads. There was a man I knew, who while living with one woman had fathered a child by another. He hid the thing from the woman he was living with. They later got born again and got married. Eventually after around 13 years it came out, it was really difficult for the wife to bear, but thankfully she weathered it. Someone asked me, “How he could do that?” His first choice not to tell made it the easiest choice thereafter. As each year passed, whatever pain and grief he had tried to avoid by hiding would be compounded, thus making it harder to come clean. Joseph’s brothers undoubtedly faced a similar situation, in their betrayal of Joseph and lying to their father. Grace alone enables us to break away from destructive paths we are walking in and come into the light to be cleansed.
God’s sovereignty is seen in the fact that our paths are not self-ordered. Our responsibility is to choose the right path. God is not passive in this process, because He offers grace unto man to enable him to choose the right path. However if grace is refused, not only is the man set on a wrong path, but God will sometimes even impel the evil doer in his wickedness. When Judas had made his choice to betray Jesus, Jesus not only allowed it, but encouraged it in telling him to do it quickly. The choice and covetousness which caused it all belonged to Judas, but once he made a choice to betray Christ, Christ Himself sealed him into that choice.
King Saul is another example, if you study his life carefully, you notice that his heart was really set on having the favor and honor of the people. When he repeatedly disobeyed the Lord, God gave him over to an evil spirit. This is an active sending and not merely a passive allowance, from that time Saul became an evil instrument that God was using to do a good work in David.
Balaam was first forbidden by God to go at all with Balak’s messengers. Then when he persisted to ask God for permission, God gave it. This was not a case of God changing His mind as to the best course of action, but a case of His allowing a stubborn man (as we all can be stubborn) to do his own thing if that is what he wants to do. Even then, however, Balaam’s choice is limited. God is angry with him for going and angry with his desire to curse Israel, but after reproving him through a donkey, He allows him to go. The most amazing part of this amazing story is that Balaam is used by God to give some of the most profound Messianic prophecies in the Bible – while he is actually hoping that God will let him curse Israel.
Both Balaam and Saul were used by God to prophesy, even as they were going directly against God’s purposes in their hearts.
Samson, though he had a better end than Saul or Balaam, is another example of one who was used by God, though his lifestyle and heart motives could never be approved by God, at the time of his death though he does appear to have come to a place of repentance. Samson is a very interesting character, he fulfilled his role as a deliverer, but from inherently selfish motives. In a sense he is like those spoken of in 2 Timothy 2:19-22 as vessel to dishonor. They are in the house of God, but yet are not fit for every good work, but only for certain uses.
We are fitted for a certain use by our own choices. Samson wrought deliverance out of personal vengeance. That was his desire and God granted it, but that also sealed him off from other avenues of ministry.
God is able to make from the same lump (the same individual) a vessel of mercy or wrath (Romans 9:21). He forms us according as we resist or receive His grace. In eternity we will realize that we became exactly what we wanted to be, whether we realized what we were doing at the time or not. Even for Christians our position in the Kingdom of heaven will be affected by motives for what we do, and how we do it. Let us be vessels of honor that we can please the heart of God and be fit for every good use!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Music, worldview and True Love
Recently, I took a bus from Blantyre down to Johannesburg. It is a long trip - this time it took about 36 hours. On the bus I was subjected to a lot of pop music, based on that exposure I will make the following observations.
1. I am so glad I have a Saviour to sing about and redeeming love, rather than all this hogwash. Music is the best expression of heart and emotion, how anyone could get emotionally behind the shallow, sensual trash is beyond me, but then as I said before I have something better.
2. The songs while many all basically fell under two categories: a. love - but only in its sensual, infatuation stage b. Telling your ex just what rotten, lousy, etc... he/she is and how little you will miss him/her. I might suggest that these two themes are very related. It is amazing, but somehow a culture thinks it can focus on the sensual aspects of love, have an almost solely physical view of love, where basically people give themselves physically in order to receive love in return, and yet still act surprized when they are cheated on! God reserved sex for marriage for a reason. Marriage is a large step and commitment. When God's standard of a life-long covenant is in view than marriage is never a trivial thing to be entered into lightly. This ensures commitment and relationship before physical love. If the order is reversed, then you are left with much of the emotional struggles, but none of the commitment of marriage. You hardly know the person, barely know anything about them, but you give yourself to them, and then you wonder why a little later they find someone else.
God intends so much more for human life. Someone once said that people do not so much break God's law as they break themselves upon it. That is very true. Thank God there is a better way, that it is possible to live in through Jesus Christ.
1. I am so glad I have a Saviour to sing about and redeeming love, rather than all this hogwash. Music is the best expression of heart and emotion, how anyone could get emotionally behind the shallow, sensual trash is beyond me, but then as I said before I have something better.
2. The songs while many all basically fell under two categories: a. love - but only in its sensual, infatuation stage b. Telling your ex just what rotten, lousy, etc... he/she is and how little you will miss him/her. I might suggest that these two themes are very related. It is amazing, but somehow a culture thinks it can focus on the sensual aspects of love, have an almost solely physical view of love, where basically people give themselves physically in order to receive love in return, and yet still act surprized when they are cheated on! God reserved sex for marriage for a reason. Marriage is a large step and commitment. When God's standard of a life-long covenant is in view than marriage is never a trivial thing to be entered into lightly. This ensures commitment and relationship before physical love. If the order is reversed, then you are left with much of the emotional struggles, but none of the commitment of marriage. You hardly know the person, barely know anything about them, but you give yourself to them, and then you wonder why a little later they find someone else.
God intends so much more for human life. Someone once said that people do not so much break God's law as they break themselves upon it. That is very true. Thank God there is a better way, that it is possible to live in through Jesus Christ.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Thoughts on Proverbs 30:21-23
Pro 30:21-23 For three things the earth doth tremble, And for four, which it cannot bear: For a servant when he is king; And a fool when he is filled with food; For an odious woman when she is married; And a handmaid that is heir to her mistress.
A while ago (maybe more than a year) I wrote a series on Proverbs 30 and the sets of four in it. This one however I never covered. I only realized that last week and so I have decided to take it up now.
These four things show us that a mere change of outward circumstances do not change character. If our character is not changed then the change in circumstances will not produce a real benefit, but only spread an evil influence further.
1. The servant who is king
This is not referring to having a servant-heart in leadership – that is a blessing. Christ , Himself, exemplified a true servant-king. Joseph is another good example of a former servant turned into a good leader. However, there is a vast difference between being a servant and being servile in disposition. A servile person works only when it is forced on them, and only when they are constantly watched. It is a great tragedy when people like that are in leadership, because thinking others are just like them (all people do), they act the part of oppressors. Also because of the change in their position they tend to be very insecure and use their authority to lord it over others.
2. A fool who is filled with food
When someone is wicked, walking in their own ways, and even actively opposing the things of God, it is a great difficulty to the earth that they prosper. God allows it at times and it made the Psalmist wonder what was going on (Psalm 73). When people see them prosper they are easily influenced to follow in their folly, God uses this to test us. If bad things never happened to the righteous then there would be no need for faith. If good things never happened to the wicked then there would be no temptation to follow in their ways. God allows the wicked to prosper for a time to see who is more interested in temporal blessings than in eternal realities – to see who is willing to sell Christ (perhaps without a full realization of it) for the things of this world.
3. An odious woman when she is married
The best adornment for a woman is a meek and quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:3-4). The natural tendency however is to trust in outward beauty, charm etc… This is not just a tendency for woman, one of God’s repeated complaints against Israel as a nation was that they trusted in their own beauty (figuratively their own resources, talents, etc…). Women might obtain husbands by using these methods, but not keep them. Our generation continues to pay a high price in pain, broken and damaged lives, through our high divorce rate, because we enter into marriage for our own selfish reasons. Marriage in and of itself will not make you a happy or fulfilled person. Having a good character and being willing to respond in a good way and even lay down your will is the key to true happiness in marriage or any other situation.
4. A handmaid that is heir to her mistress
Hagar is a prime example of this one. Sarah deserves a share of the blame for it too, because the whole situation was her idea. This verse likely refers specifically to concubinage. Whenever God’s moral law is broken there are consequences. Humans like to think that they are immune to them, but they are not. Concubinage not only made the maidservant not particularly willing to serve her mistress, but also placed her in direct competition with the wife for the husband’s affections. It creates some of the same problems as divorce and remarriage does - Step-parents who are jealous of children who aren’t their own, viewing them sometimes as a threat to their marriage. God never intended for married people to have to compete for their spouses affections, that is an aberration that we have invented.
In these four things we affect not only ourselves but even nature around us by our sin. Our dominion over earth is not totally eradicated because of sin, we still govern, the problem is we are not really fit to do it!
May God grant us character and ability to match every situation He places us in, to Him be the glory! Amen.
A while ago (maybe more than a year) I wrote a series on Proverbs 30 and the sets of four in it. This one however I never covered. I only realized that last week and so I have decided to take it up now.
These four things show us that a mere change of outward circumstances do not change character. If our character is not changed then the change in circumstances will not produce a real benefit, but only spread an evil influence further.
1. The servant who is king
This is not referring to having a servant-heart in leadership – that is a blessing. Christ , Himself, exemplified a true servant-king. Joseph is another good example of a former servant turned into a good leader. However, there is a vast difference between being a servant and being servile in disposition. A servile person works only when it is forced on them, and only when they are constantly watched. It is a great tragedy when people like that are in leadership, because thinking others are just like them (all people do), they act the part of oppressors. Also because of the change in their position they tend to be very insecure and use their authority to lord it over others.
2. A fool who is filled with food
When someone is wicked, walking in their own ways, and even actively opposing the things of God, it is a great difficulty to the earth that they prosper. God allows it at times and it made the Psalmist wonder what was going on (Psalm 73). When people see them prosper they are easily influenced to follow in their folly, God uses this to test us. If bad things never happened to the righteous then there would be no need for faith. If good things never happened to the wicked then there would be no temptation to follow in their ways. God allows the wicked to prosper for a time to see who is more interested in temporal blessings than in eternal realities – to see who is willing to sell Christ (perhaps without a full realization of it) for the things of this world.
3. An odious woman when she is married
The best adornment for a woman is a meek and quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:3-4). The natural tendency however is to trust in outward beauty, charm etc… This is not just a tendency for woman, one of God’s repeated complaints against Israel as a nation was that they trusted in their own beauty (figuratively their own resources, talents, etc…). Women might obtain husbands by using these methods, but not keep them. Our generation continues to pay a high price in pain, broken and damaged lives, through our high divorce rate, because we enter into marriage for our own selfish reasons. Marriage in and of itself will not make you a happy or fulfilled person. Having a good character and being willing to respond in a good way and even lay down your will is the key to true happiness in marriage or any other situation.
4. A handmaid that is heir to her mistress
Hagar is a prime example of this one. Sarah deserves a share of the blame for it too, because the whole situation was her idea. This verse likely refers specifically to concubinage. Whenever God’s moral law is broken there are consequences. Humans like to think that they are immune to them, but they are not. Concubinage not only made the maidservant not particularly willing to serve her mistress, but also placed her in direct competition with the wife for the husband’s affections. It creates some of the same problems as divorce and remarriage does - Step-parents who are jealous of children who aren’t their own, viewing them sometimes as a threat to their marriage. God never intended for married people to have to compete for their spouses affections, that is an aberration that we have invented.
In these four things we affect not only ourselves but even nature around us by our sin. Our dominion over earth is not totally eradicated because of sin, we still govern, the problem is we are not really fit to do it!
May God grant us character and ability to match every situation He places us in, to Him be the glory! Amen.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
End of this Bible School Term
Tomorrow the Bible School term ends. It has been a good term.
At our prayer meeting this afternoon one of the students had a word of knowledge, It is the second one he has had this term. The first one was for sore eyes, which was something that mom was having at that time. This time he felt someone was having knee pains, and it was one of the students. It is wonderful to see them begin to flow in the gifts.
At our prayer meeting this afternoon one of the students had a word of knowledge, It is the second one he has had this term. The first one was for sore eyes, which was something that mom was having at that time. This time he felt someone was having knee pains, and it was one of the students. It is wonderful to see them begin to flow in the gifts.
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