About that Law ...

We've been doing a lot of study and talking about The Law recently.

We've read and discussed

• its characteristics—natural and revealed,
• its impact on people at the time of its proclamation,
• its acceptance and rejection—then and now,
• the weight added to it by human interpretations and embellishments which made it a yoke that causes men to fall (and fail),
• how its commandments are a perfect reflection of God's nature and character,
• how only One could fulfill the law and totally obey it,
• how, with it, we can identify sin,
• how it was a such blessing that we received through Moses, followed by an even more significant, more meaningful and more powerful blessing from Christ Jesus, who gave us grace and truth,
• how through His sacrifice, we who believe in Him have died to sin; we are no longer slaves to it, but can stand in His grace, and
• how a "new' law might be embraced in the invitation:

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

Key words: Come, Take, Learn.

Learn what?

Well, if we believe Him, we have eternal life. And what is eternal life? Learning and knowing for eternity the God that Jesus has revealed.

Remember also, that Jesus came to fulfill the Law and not to judge, but to save.

If we accept that the Law was one of God's gifts to man—that indeed it is a reflection of His nature, then we can more readily embrace it as true followers of Christ.

I thought it might be appropriate to read and remind ourselves of what one man wrote about the law, a long time ago, in a place far, far away.

After he described and praised the majesty of God's natural law, he wrote:

The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.

They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

I, for one, am glad we have the Law, and seek to embrace all of them. But that, I guess, is the topic of this week's discussion and study. See you then. (Remember what Psalm 1 says about what the blessed man does day and night. Hmmm.)

IBG / JF

613 What?

Since we talked about this briefly this week, here is a list of all 613 Mitzvot that Jewish tradition has enumerated from the Torah -- just in case you were wondering!

Judaism 101

APPROACHING THE TOPIC OF GOD

Hi Jim,

Now that I got logistics out of the way, I appreciate your thoughts about approaching your friend.

Perhaps, you should first determine where your friend is at whether is happy with his or her life. A possible way to bring up the subject, is to share in confidence that you have another friend who is unhappy or unsatisfied with their existence, and want to solicit some ideas how to help him or her out of depression or negative situation. Hence, you could bring up introducing Christ in their life as a potential option because how much it meant to you and changed your own life in a positive direction. This approach does not place your targeted friend on the spot upfront, but may afford you some sense indirectly whether your friend would be open to the Holy Spirit at this time in their life.

Wish I could say that I tried this approach, but I have not. Just brainstorming, and hopefully, the Spirit had a hand in it.

Blessings in your endeavor,

Richard

HI ALL

Hi Jim,

Just a noted to let know that I accepted your invitation to join your blog. Stay positive and love all.

Your brother in Christ,

Richard Tom (aka rxt)

Approach Others

I've had the concept of hope through faith on my mind for a couple weeks, and, particulary after reading Psalm 145 and studying again Romans 5, came up with the following. I'm going to try this approach (at least once) as an argument to convince a friend in need to take the time to listen.

What are the odds that this might work?

You know what a relationship is. You may not know it, but you have all kinds of them. Some are with friends, some with men, others with women. Some are with family. Some may be with pets, others may be with groups of people. But, you have them.

Do you have a relationship with God?

Do you want one?

Have you any idea how He wants one with you? Do you know how he waits for you with open arms and a loving heart?

Do you have any idea of how he has pursued you all the days of your life, seeking you, encouraging you to turn to Him?

Do you have any concept of how He will bless you and love you and nurture you once you commit yourself to Him?

You do not need a go-between to have this relationship.

It is purely one-to-one.

You do not need a priest—a human priest, that is.

But, you will have a God priest on your side.

All you need for this relationship with your Creator, the Creator of the universe, is Jesus Christ. Accept him, and he become your priest in heaven, who sits at the right hand of the Father as His Son and your personal representive, interceding for you.

He said before he suffered and died and sacrificed Himself to pay the price for your sins and mine and the ransom for our captivity to sin, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6, NIV)

This then is the King, you King who ransomed you with His life, who unlocks the door to salvation and to eternal life.

What is the work that God wants of you?

To believe in his Son. That's all.

My prayer is that you grasp hold that belief as soon as you can. Then, ask questions. You will find answers. That is the beginning of belief, of faith.

Come to Christ. He will embrace you and help you nurture your faith while you are still able to do so.

Start a relationship with God, and you know what? Your current relationships will grow stronger and could even be mended as a result. It happens.

IBG / JF

Today's Nehemiah?

Father, thank You for this day, this holy day that began this morning in our small group. It was a spirited discussion with (today) five of us, and Oh! how great You are to let us experience You and share Your love in our journeys.

Lord, it was good.

As you know, we had a spirited discussion of how we need to show our faith in You through our actions. With Your help, we will! All five of us and more!

-------------------------------------------------------

A friend of ours forwarded this prayer today. I don't know how far it has spread on the Internet, but it is so appropriate to our conversation and study this morning. We need to pray it, and to get others we know to take it to heart and pray it.

It is a lot like Nehemiah's prayer for Israel.

God heard that prayer, and look what was accomplished!

This prayer is:

Billy Graham's Prayer for Our Nation

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.

"We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good.' But that is exactly what we have done.

"We have lost our spiritual equilibrium, and reversed our values.

"We have exploited the poor, and called it the lottery.

"We have rewarded laziness, and called it welfare.

"We have killed our unborn, and called it choice.

"We have shot abortionists, and called it justifiable.

"We have neglected to discipline our children, and called it building self esteem.

"We have abused power, and called it politics.

"We have coveted our neighbor's possessions, and called it ambition.

"We have polluted the air with profanity, and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

"We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers, and called it enlightenment.

"Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!"

-------------------------------------------------------

Another friend just sent this quote: "Prayer is the rain that softens the soil." (Jim Hynds, National Campus Crusade Director from Prague).

I don't have a clue when Billy Graham composed this prayer. I daresay that every part of it is true.

Let's pray this and share it, putting our faith into, at least, that kind of action.

IBG / JF

Just a Prayer ...

Lord God, I am amazed by You. I truly am. The more I gaze upon Your face — the more that I am in Your Word, meditate on it, and study with others what You have told us and shown us, the more I realize how much You really are and the more I see You and Your majesty and glory in all things. Yet, I have only but an inkling of You, You who is, have been, and forever will be. So, I thank You for allowing me get this close.

IBG / JF

Righteous, Dude!

Alas. I did not really find what I was looking for. I was hoping I could find a specific scripture passage that succinctly defined “righteousness.” The closest thing I found was Romans 8:10 which seems to suggest that “sin” and “righteousness” are opposites. Here are some more of the puzzle pieces that may be a part of coming up with a complete definition.

• According to Vine’s Expository of New Testament Words, dikaiosune (translated “righteousness” in Romans 3) is defined as “the character or quality of being right or just.”


• The Greek-English Lexicon of New Testament Words defines it as: “the state of him who is such as he ought to be.”


• Unger’s Bible Dictionary says it is “purity of heart and rectitude of life; the being and doing right.”


• Righteousness is both something that describes a person’s character/attributes as well as something we practice (I John 3:7).


• Righteousness is both something we pursue (I Timothy 6:1) and something “credited” to our account through faith.


• Righteousness is both something we possess now and hope for in the future (Galatians 5:5).


• Righteousness is provided through Jesus (Philippians 1:11).


• Righteousness is part of what God provides to protect us from the attacks of our enemy (Ephesians 6:14).

In a discussion of Romans 3:21-26 in The Gospel for Real Life, Jerry Bridges writes:

What is this righteousness from God--or, more literally stated, the righteousness of God? In the famous story of Martin Luther’s life, Luther at first thought the righteousness of God was the righteousness that God required for us in perfectly fulfilling His Law. Because he realized more and more he could not possible measure up to that impossible demand, he grew increasingly angry with God. At one time he had exclaimed, “Love God? I hate him.” Eventually he came to realize that the righteousness of God was that which God provided for us. At that time he said, “Thereupon I felt myself reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise.

What then is this righteousness from God that Paul announces to us, and over which Martin Luther struggled? It is a righteousness that He both requires and provides for us. It is the righteousness that He requires be cause it must full satisfy the utmost demands of His Law, both in its precepts and penalty. For although this righteousness is apart from Law as far as we are concerned, it is not as far as God is concerned. Rather it must be a righteousness that both perfectly fulfills the righteous requirements of His Law and satisfies the demands of His justice toward those who have broken His Law.

This righteousness from God, the, is nothing less than the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, who, through His sinless life and His death in obedience to the Father’s will, perfectly fulfilled the Law of God in both its precepts and its penalty.

Encouragement From Others

[Okay, it's the last day of September, and the blog roll is empty for the month. I'll take a stab at filling it with this.]

The study of Moses in BSF is turning out to be quite enlightening. Aside from a few minor interpretation issues in the ministry's notes, we've been presented with several worthwhile application challenges.

I thought that I'd share are four of them from this week's study.

We can look at the life of Moses and see our own. If we examine his characteristics and life events, as revealed by him and the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament and interpretations of his life and actions in the New Testatment, mainly Acts 7 and Hebrews 11, we can measure our own successes and shortcomings. And joy comes in when we are alert to how God is orchestrating events in our lives, as he did in Moses'.

For example, Jesus tells us in John 15:5, "apart from me you can do nothing." If you look at Moses, he failed in a whole lot before he convicted himself to God. What did he accomplish (what fruit did he bear) in his life before he met God and accepted his assignment? Josephus says a bunch about Moses' triumphs, but all of them are secular.

When he went on his own volition to be the great emancipator, he killed an Egyptian. The very next day, he was rejected by his countrymen. What did he do then? He ran away to save his life. Spiritually, he had failed. The Israelites didn't see him as "judge and ruler." They didn't see him as their deliverer. So, he went away and became "an alien in a foreign land," a stranger to the Midianites, to his Hebrews, to his Egyptians, and even to himself.

Moses discovered that he was capable of murder, and we can be similarly as culpable if we go our own way instead of God's. This isn't the only example of someone good in the Bible who did something terribly wrong. Who would have thought that David was capable of adultery and murder to cover it up? Do we think that we are better equipped or holier than men like these? I doubt it. The learning point is this: if we do not stay close to God and wait on him, we can become capable of doing the most heinous things that any one else has ever done.

Moses probably thought that he was doing the right thing when he took on the task master who was beating a Hebrew. Did Moses set out to kill him? The Bible doesn't say. It just says "Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand." (Ex 2:12) Conclusion? It sure sounds like murder. Point here is that no matter how noble our desires or how lofty our objectives, it is crucial that we use God's methods to accomplish them, not our own, not the world's.

Using Moses as an example, we can see that God will work in us to overcome our failures and work through us in His time, in the place of His choosing. It was 40 years and lots of preparation time before God used Moses. But He used him for one of the greatest events in human history.

So, even if we have stains from our mistakes, the ones we keep to ourselves and for our own personal self-regret, we can be encouraged by the life and trials of Moses (and others) and be ready when called on to do something small.

Who knows what that small thing might turn into?

IBG / JF

One Abnormally Born

Eureka! The verse I was looking for this morning is verse 8 (highlighted) but I think the whole context might shed some light on some things we were talking about this morning. I Corinthians 15:1-11

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter,[b] and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

Has Anything Even Remotely Like This ...

... Ever Happened In Your Walk?

I fell Sunday. I really stumbled in my walk with Christ. I saw and heard some things come out of me against someone that I dearly love that I hope and pray that I never will see again, in any circumstance, at any place, with any person.

The who, where, what, when or why doesn't really matter. What matters is that I saw Satan—in me, through my eyes and in my actions and in the eyes and reactions of one I love.

It was ugly, so ugly that I will not forget it. Reflecting on my mental images of it, it must be a little of what hell is like. It was gut-wrenchingly awful. Beauty and purity of two people who love each other, turned utterly foul and disgusting in hurt, anger and rage. It was not at all Christ-like. No. It was the antithesis of Christ.

How did it get so bad?

I'm still trying to figure that out. I tried to avoid it. I walked away from a confrontation. I cooled off before I might have popped and flown off-the-handle. I went for a long, solitary walk, and I prayed. I came back and turned to Scripture. I meditated and prayed about Ephesians 4:17-24, about the "new" man, and vv 25-31, about being angry, but not sinning; about not giving a place for the devil; about no corrupt word proceeding from your mouth, but only what is right for edification; about letting "all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you... forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." You know how it goes.

I recalled how Jesus referred to Sciptures when he was tempted by Satan. I thought that would help me.

Oh, how I prayed for counsel and guidance on how to handle the situation. I had been offended. Three times. Publicly. The last, loud enough and emotionally enough for the entire restaurant to notice.

Or, so I had thought. The final curse cut me deeply.

Over the next 3-4 hours, I thought that I was handling it fine, not saying a word. Just smiling. Not really me, but just being there. Polite. Courteous. Not very giving. Yet, not making a scene. Then, after 23 minutes of silence on the ride home, the lid blew off. Coolness abandoned me as I responded to more verbal attack. I was not about to take any more.

So, I reacted in kind. Did I ever! It was like I have never acted before. In anger. In hate. In rage. I was wronged and wasn't about to be made the whipping post. I was so loud and vociferous and angry that even I didn't know me. And, I actually felt justified!

Out of our mouths come overflows of our hearts; or at least, our hearts at the time. That, I thought, was what started the episode hours before. Why couldn't it have been left alone? Instead, it festered, it brewed, and emotions exploded. Things were said in anger, things that never should be thought, let alone uttered.

The words of Jesus have been reverberating in my brain: "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things."; and, "the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts ..." (Mt 12:35, 15:19)

Nothing good came from my mouth. Only rage and anger. After all, I was the one wronged and I was irritated and I was offended. Or, so I thought.

What does my reaction say about my heart? What does that say about me?

I tell you, I am disappointed. Deeply.

It was like I stepped on a landmine—a landmine placed by Satan, and it exploded on me and on all those around me.

And, do you know what I sense? I sense the prince of lies laughing, mocking and scoffing. "See, Jesus, he ain't changed. Not one bit. In fact, he's worse because now he thinks that he is righteous."

So, chalk one up for the big prick. He worked it. He worked us. He won. I failed. I dishonored my God, my Savior, my faith, my loved ones, a beloved one, myself. I am not proud of what I did. And thinking of pride, I wonder how much did pride have to do with the way that I acted. How could I let myself become so offended, and later, so enraged?

Where was I coming from?

Better yet, where should I have been coming from?

I was blindsided. I did not see this coming. Not at all. What's more, both of us have an insatiable love for Christ. It blindsided both of us, and neither want to see anything like this happen again. I feel that we were manipulated. I feel that it was a spirit-world battle in real time, real life.

And we lost. Oh God, how we lost!

Has anything like this ever happened to you?

The war, however, is not over. I've confessed and I'm asking for grace, strength and wisdom. See, I believe now that I might have been getting fairly haughty over my abiding in Christ. Maybe I do not abide in Christ as much or as deeply or
as firmly as I had thought.

We, no, I, need to know that I, no, we, are secure in the Lord only at those times when we remind ourselves of His presence in us and in the other person(s) around us. On Sunday, we became like two demons posessed. Unreal. Surreal.
A different zone, altogether. Or, how about this: like two people might act if they were existing together in a place called hell!

That's how awful it was.

When the two of us could gain wisdom and strength from this weakness, from this fall, then the tide of battle will turn.

This morning, I was lead to this:

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,

To God our Savior, Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power,
Both now and forever. Amen. -- Jude 24-25

He is indeed able to keep us from falling. He alone can present us faultless, not by our will, but by His.

Has anything like this awful event ever happened in your walk?

In my life, I'd like to be able to see something like this coming the next time and to stand strong against it. If you can identify with that need, if you would be willing, I'd like to recommend studying Charles Stanley's "Landmines in the Path of the Believer". I believe that it would supplement our current study of "Respectable Sins" that is coming to a close.

From the cover jacket: "Satan doesn't usually hit us with an all-out frontal attack. It's the subtle landmines that do the most damage. They are hidden just below life's surface where they are the hardest to detect. At the slightest misstep, they explode beneath us tearing emotional holes in our lives and leaving us feeling as if we are separate from God and His eternal love. But this is never the case. While sin has consequences, God's restoration is ours the moment we turn to Him and seek forgiveness.

"In Landmines in the Path of The Believer, Dr. Charles Stanley addresses nine primary landmines that every Christian must identify and defuse in order to live a victorious life: Pride, Jealousy and Envy, Insecurity, Compromise, Unforgiveness, Disappointment, Fear, Immorality, Laziness.

"... Dr Stanley provides biblical principles for clearing the landmines out of your life. Once you do this, you will be able to experience a host of God's greatest blessings including peace, joy, contentment, and hope that never fades."

The book is 12 chapters long, and we could cover one chapter each week. I don't know that a study guide exists, but I could check it out; or, even create one.

I just want to be able to detect such subleties, know when they might be approaching, strengthen the weakness to withstand them, and defuse these things before they explode.

What say ye?

IBG / JF

How Do We Know If It Is God Telling Us ...

... and not ourselves declaring what should be?


(Father, please guide me in this.)

I believe that we may be missing in our lives many things, many blessings, many opportunities, many victories and many successes because we fail to ask for them in prayer.

We fail to communicate effectively with our Lord God.

We may ask; we may plead; we may supplicate day-in and day-out. We may babble.

But do we take the time to listen? Do we bother to ask Him for a sign that might point us in His guidance of our lives so that we know that it is Him answering us, and not just our desires?

Guilty, I am!

I think, too often, that I can do it alone and figure things out for myself. That's tallies to a lot of mistakes that have collected in my basket! Boy! What am I missing?

A lot of people argue that it is difficult to know God's will in His direction of our lives. It really is not.

In the same way, it is not impossible or impractical to do God's will in family, social, and business life.

How can we be sure that it is God's will that is guiding us, and not our own desires?

Well, in believing the Bible, we must accept all of Scripture, not just parts of it.

How about this from Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."

That's pretty convincing. And convicting.

Or this one from Jesus, himself: "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you will be My disciples." John 15:7-8.

Or, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. . . How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?" Matthew 6:7,11 (Both, NKJV)

I have found that how I ask and what I ask for are paramount. If you are anything like me, you cannot ask flippantly. God deserves our devotion and worship and respect and honor. Nor can you ask for something against his nature, and then expect it to be granted. In the same way, you cannot ask for something that is not in His will and purpose or time for you, and have it tomorrow morning when you wake up.

James is pretty darned explicit about that: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God , who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." James 1:5-8

So, who of us wants to be double-minded; or like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed?

Then, why are people like me so ... so ... so ... (what, foolish? Or just plain dumb?)

If I could just recall Proverbs 3 when I should (which really is most of the time)!

I'll practice and learn. Sooner than later, I hope. No, I pray.

When I do apply this way of living that is still new to me, when I seek the Lord's guidance and blessing, I do pour out my heart and try my best lay the difficulty and stress I'm in before God. As I do that, I feel that I can ask Him for clear guidance. I can even ask for signs so that I won't mistake what I see or interpret. You know, we are allowed (and maybe even encouraged) to do that. Remember the fleece story?

In the Bible, we are given many examples of this path of success. Abraham's servant Eliezer could be one of the first. Remember him praying after his long, arduous journey of faith and service? When he finally arrived at the well of Padan Aram? Well, he got there all right. If I had been in his sandals, I would have wondered, "Okay. I'm here. Now what?"

Not Eliezer. He knew what do. Do you remember the characteristics of his prayer? Eliezer (a Syrian, not a Hebrew):

• prayed passionately to God for Abraham and Isaac;
• he was specific;
• he was expectant; and,
• he covered everything that his mission encompassed.

Was he answered?

Wasn't he ever!

Could the secret to success in knowing God's will for our life lay in the prayer(s) that we make with Him?

A good part of it does, I believe, because that's the heart-to-heart communication, the worship, the confession, the thanksgiving, and the supplication.

There are six paths of conviction and confirmation that we can see in the Eliezer prayer and God's response to it. We can and should apply them in our journeys, as well as he did.

First, faith, and what faith means to an individual. Refer back to James 1:5-8, above. This exhortation is reinforced in 5:16, "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much," and then James goes on to highlight Elijah's prayers for drought and then rain, giving us other examples of God's answer to genuine, believing prayer.

Eliezer had it. Elijah had it. Others had it. It is a faith so genuine that it expresses itself in believing prayer.

Oh, do we need that! We need to seek it, cultivate it, and nurture it in our lives. I don't know that could come without an active relationship with Jesus. He started us on the journey. We need to stand up and do our part.

Second, the prayer itself. I suggest that we look over and learn the characteristics of Eliezer's prayer, making our prayers just as passionate. We should model our prayer after the four characteristics of his. (They're listed, up there.)

Third, we need to be alert and receptive to circumstances that confirm or deny our requests. In Elizier's case, God gave every sign for which he had asked. Have you ever experienced God's answer in such a manner? In such immediacy? Wow! God can do that!

Fourth, we need to confirm that the circumstances or the sign(s) are indeed in keeping with God's principles, with His purposes, with His will.

If they are congruent with the principles we learn from God, then fifth, we should sense an inward peace in our hearts about the answer; then, give God the glory for any success we may have achieved. That should come all by itself. If it's missing, we're in trouble and need to go back.

Remember, it is His gift to you for His glory, not for your glory. His. (That's fair warning not to claim the glory for yourself. I found that out the hard way—only once.)

Finally, I'd like to add a sixth point. Act upon the results swiftly and diligently, as did Eliezer. Don't waver. Don't dally. Don't second guess yourself. Don't be that "wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind". (James 1:7)

Instead, act on your faith, standing firmly and trustingly upon it. Over time and invariably, you will find that the decision God helped you to reach was the proper one. Remember that God gives liberally to all who ask Him, especially, it would seem, if we ask for wisdom (James 1:5). Solomon did that.

So, trust, as we are told in Proverbs 3:5-6.

Not convinced? Check Isaiah 48:17-18:

"Thus says, the Lord, your Redeemer,
The Holy One of Israel.
'I am the Lord your God,
Who teaches you to profit,
Who leads you by the way you should go.

'Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!
Then your peace would have been
like a river,
And your righteousness like the
waves of the sea.'"

Thank You, Lord.

IBG / JF

Better Late Than Never

It seems to me that a quality facilitator would've had these references ready to share this morning. I think they might have aided our discussion. So, if you are still thinking on these things you might want to consider these passages. Or not.

Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and nigt your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "— and you forgave the guilt of my sin. (Psalm 32:2-5)

When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:13-15)

I Am Like Peter Was

… only a lot less.

Last week’s BSF threw me for another loop. Or, as Dr. Truth would say, “this one really put me into a cocoon.”

Question 8 of Lesson 29, a “challenge” question, in this high-worth, international Bible study: “What was the difference between Peter’s betrayal and that of Judas and their emotions and decisions afterward?” The second part of the question is easy. The first part?

Notice the choice of words.

It was fairly well defended. And that offended me even more.

When did Peter betray Christ? When did Peter ever sell Him out?

He didn’t! He doesn’t in the Bible that I read. In the NIV, the version to which BSF ascribes, Matthew says “disown.” So does Mark. So does Luke. John uses the word denial. Jesus is quoted as saying that Peter will deny Him. He never says that Peter will betray Him. In fact, in Luke 22:30-31, where Jesus informed Peter that Satan had asked to sift him as wheat, he says “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Jesus knew what was to happen, and he prayed for his disciple, who was an exuberant, full-of-life human being, with faults, insecurities, fears, and trepidations just like all the rest of us. He boasted of his faith—so much so that in the following verses Jesus warned him that he would deny his Master three times before the rooster bugled in daylight the next morning.

What kind of man was Peter? Was he the type who would betray Christ?

He was a man who Christ rebuked many times.

• In Matthew 14:31, those oft-quoted words “You of little faith. Why did you doubt?” as Peter sought a life preserver.
• In Chapter 15, Christ asked him “Are you so dull?” when Peter failed to comprehend a parable.
• In 16, verse 23, “Get behind me, Satan. You are a stumbling block to me. You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of man.”
• In the very next chapter, Peter is speaking to Christ about pitching three tents, and guess Who interrupts him!
• Again, in chapter 18, you’ve got to consider Peter—the leader of the disciples—as the cause of their diversionary tactics when Jesus admonishes them to “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

If you're counting, that’s 5 consecutive chapters that Peter gets himself in trouble. Five! And, I'm sure we could find more.

But, Peter gets a reprieve and isn’t admonished until chapter 26 and Christ’s warning of an impending trifecta of denial. Jesus had a lot on his agenda, so he couldn't focus on head disciple.

Yet, Simon Peter stands in Christ’s grace and truth, too. How can we not love the guy for his in-your-face exuberance and faith?

• In Chapter 16, “Blessed are You, Simon Bar Jonah. For this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.”
• In 19, “…you who have followed me will also sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel."

There are others.

So, my contention is how can a man like this ever even be considered to be placed into the same category of crime as a slinking, conniving, theiving counterfeit?

What happened to Peter after this denial? Luke reports that as the cock crowed its third time, Jesus was passing by and looked his top disciple in the eye. Imaging that impact! How would you have felt had you been Peter? The thought makes me crumble.

We’re told that he left and wept bitterly. Well he should. But as a result of this "sifting," this remorse, this repentance, and God's grace, Peter was converted—thoroughly and completely, not just superficially. No longer would this man of men trust in himself. He would trust in his Lord. Totally. His personality and leadership style were completely transformed.

Peter did not sell out our Lord. He sold out for Him. What a goal.

And the other guy? Sad case.

Wouldn’t the question had been better written: "What was the difference between Peter’s denial and Judas’ betrayal …?"

The answer? Lots. And then some.

Anyway, that's how I feel about it. Lotta sin goin' on here; some "respectable," some not.

Blessings ...

Accountability or Attack?

When I read this quote this week, it made me think of our study. I think it kinda ties in to some thoughts this morning, too. Richard Baxter (1615-1691) took a negative aspect of being a Christian leader and turned it into a positive.

You should thankfully consider how great a mercy this is, that you have so many eyes to watch over you, and so many ready to tell you of your faults; and this greater helps than others, at least for restraining you from sin. Though they may do it with a malicious mind, yet you have the advantage of it. -- Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor, p. 76 as quoted by Vance Salisbury in Good Mr. Baxter, p. 69.

Evil

How can we show others the way to navigate the perils of evil and then present the honor of that sucess to God?

Signed

Robb

Why Are We Here?

What is a soul?

What is a spirit?

What is a neighbor?

What is truth?

What is sin?

What is love?

What is the nature of God?

Don't be shy. Conversation and discourse is what this blog is all about. Go ahead and post away ...