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Check your Sources

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Job 13:7
“Will you speak wickedly for God, And talk deceitfully for Him?”

Years ago some good friends of mine were involved in a business transaction that drew a lot of press. It was not long before the papers decided to go public with the story. As we cracked open the paper, it was almost comical to read their account because it was filled with so much error and had even misquoted certain individuals. They had not really paid attention to the facts, or those they chose to interview, and instead wove a story that they thought sounded good.

Sadly, this is all too common with people as it relates to God and His word. People seem to be completely unencumbered by the facts as they develop their viewpoint on God, or what they believe to be God’s viewpoint on the issues of life. It would serve us all well to keep in mind the words of Job.

Job 13:7
“Will you speak wickedly for God, And talk deceitfully for Him?”

One of the great values of the Bible is that it shines like heaven’s light, revealing how God thinks about the ways of men. As our culture pushes its value system upon us, we must go to the Scriptures, determine what God thinks, and in a loving way, filled with grace, push right back. Anyone who speaks for God without checking His Word is actually talking deceitfully for Him.

Cultures will collapse, value systems will change, but the truths found in the Word of God are timeless.

Pastor Jim

 

Guidance 

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Job 5:8
“But as for me, I would seek God, And to God I would commit my cause”

One of the reasons the book of Job is so difficult is, though much of the counsel he receives is correct, the application is misplaced. Eliphaz wrongly believed Job was in sin, and his trials were brought about entirely by his disobedience. That being said, we find in this verse, some of the wisest counsel we will ever receive,

“But as for me, I would seek God, And to God I would commit my cause”

Whatever you are facing, the right approach is to seek God and commit your ways to Him. If you are facing a time of great trial, instead of complaining about how hard it is, or looking for an easy way out, take some time to seek God. It may be, you will learn why you are facing the trial, or more importantly, you will learn something about who God is and what He wants to accomplish in your life. When Paul faced a difficult time, he took the counsel of Eliphaz and sought the Lord. He learned God wanted him to understand the sufficiency of His grace in times of need.

Another important aspect of moving ahead through difficult times, is to learn to commit our ways to the Lord. This will ensure that we walk in the right direction, and are involved in the things that are pleasing to God. It is too common among Christians, to use our difficulties as an excuse to sin. We think a rough day at work, gives us the freedom to blow off steam with a few drinks, or to unload on our wife and kids. We think a difficult situation with a friend gives us the liberty to gossip about them, or tear apart their character to make us feel better. One way to guard against allowing hardship to lead to sin, is to commit our ways to the Lord.

Whatever you are facing, whether a devastating trial or a tremendous blessing, take some time to seek the Lord and commit your day to Him.

Pastor Jim

 

For Nothing 

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Job 1:9-10
“So Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.’”

Job is described as the greatest man in all the East. His greatness was measured by his success and his character. He is described as a man who feared God and shunned evil; one who accumulated great wealth. When the scene shifted from earth to heaven, we find Satan called into question the motive for Job’s faithfulness to God. He asks, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Then he gives a list of reasons why Job trusted in, and followed after the Lord. I am thankful the answer to Satan’s question is no.

None of us “fear God for nothing”. If we carefully consider our lives, we will see the good hand of our God upon us. The success we have is directly attributed to the grace of God. Some people consider themselves “self made”, yet fail to consider the gifts and opportunities afforded to them are given by God. An athlete, while he must work hard to hone his skills, has been given the athletic ability by grace, apart from his own work. There is an old saying among basketball coaches that ” you can’t teach tall”. They recognize height to be a gift, not something to be earned.

The same is true of a business man, a family man, a successful teacher, doctor or other professional. What we have must be attributed to the grace and goodness of God. The only question that remains is, how will we react to all we have been given? Will we stand upon the walls of the city, like king Nebuchadnezzar of old, and claim our accomplishments are our own; or will we, like Job, choose to fear God and shun evil?

Without question, we do not “fear Him for nothing”. His goodness, grace and mercy, while immeasurable, can, in some ways, be measured by looking at the blessings He has poured into our lives.

Take some time to thank Him for all He has done for you.

Pastor Jim

 

Hide And Seek 

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1 Corinthians 2:9
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

The things God has planned for each of us are better than anything we could ever imagine. Rather than leaving us to our imagination, Paul declares these things are revealed to us by the Spirit of God. It is the desire of God that we know Him, and we understand the things He has planned for each of us.

When my oldest son was a toddler, I introduced him to one of my favorite childhood games, hide and seek. While he loved to play, he did not quite grasp the concept. I would hide in an obvious spot, where he could easily find me. When he did, I would act surprised, then he would turn excitedly and say, “I am going to hide under my bed and you try to find me.” For him the exciting thing about the game was not hiding, but rather being found. The same is true of God, He wants us to know who He is, and to understand the things He has planned for our lives. Paul declares that the hidden mysteries of God are revealed to us by the Spirit. In other words, we can know God because the Spirit of God makes Him known. “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:11

At times we hide things from others, not because we do not want them to know, but because we do not know how to express them. This is especially true in relationships. Experts say, one of the most common factors that lead to marriage problems is failed communication. Thankfully, God is not limited in His ability to communicate to us. Paul explains that the Spirit reveals God through both the person of Christ, and His written Word.

One of the terms used in Scripture for Jesus is, “The Word”. This term is used because Jesus is the perfect expression of God. If we want to know what God is like, and what He desires from us, we must look carefully at Christ. Every encounter He had with others reveals something about the way God feels about us, and the things He desires out of us. The more familiar we become with Jesus, the better we will understand who God is, and what He desires from us. In addition to the person of Christ, God has also given us His written Word. Page, after page, reveals the unknowable. The hidden things of God are made known in His Word. Had God left creation alone to reveal His nature, we would have a skewed and limited understanding of Him. We would understand His power, but be very limited in knowing about His love. Since it is the desire of God for us to know Him, He reveals Himself in the Word. It is as if God said, “I am going to hide in My Word and you try to find me.”

Will you take Him up on the challenge? Or will the mysteries of God remain a hidden enigma to you, as you wander about, attempting to discover God with imagination and personal experience.

Pastor Jim

 

Weakness 

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1 Corinthians 1:26
“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.”

images-2.jpegPaul reminded Timothy that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. That was His purpose, His passion, and what He labored diligently towards. After the resurrection, Jesus called His church to be involved in this same purpose. He commissioned men to “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel.” This is the greatest of all vocations and carries with it the highest honor. Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “If God has called you to preach do not stoop along the way to become a king.”

God intends for the work that began with Christ, and was carried out by the Apostles, to continue today through His church. Jesus is still commissioning men to go into the world and preach the Gospel, “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” John 17:18

But who are these men? What is Jesus looking for in those He selects to take the Gospel to the world? Paul wrote, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called”(1 Corinthians 1:26). In order to reach the world, God is not looking for the most gifted of people, but is simply looking for those who will be faithful to Him, and respond to the call.

One of the struggles every Christian faces, is the reality of our own limitations. The moment we surrender ourselves completely to Christ, He begins to call us to serve Him; often calling us into service that makes us quite uncomfortable, and causes us to realize our weakness. Paul reminds the Corinthians this is on purpose. God is not looking for the mighty, or noble, but for the weak, base and foolish. There are many reasons for this, not the least of which is, God can. What I mean is, our weaknesses do not weaken God, nor do our limitations, limit Him. You may have heard the phrase, “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” That may be true of a chain, and even of human organization, but it is not true of the Kingdom of God. He is not weakened by our weakness, but is able to provide His strength and power, to whatever He calls us to do. I have found, whenever God calls me to something, I am immediately aware of all the reasons I can’t do it. I usually begin to tell Him that choosing me is a really bad idea; He should look for someone more qualified. Often, I even have a list of people who would do a better job than I could. It is then that I must make a decision. Will I choose to focus on my weakness, or on His strength? While it is true I am too weak, it is also true that He is too strong. My mind begins to recall story after story, within the pages of His Word, where the weak were used to accomplish great exploits for the Kingdom of God, because His strength overcame their weakness. Rather than focusing on all the reasons that we can’t, we should focus upon all the He can.

Pastor Jim

 

A Terrible Thing To Waste 

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Nehemiah 5:7
“After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said…”

Nehemiah serves as an example of godly leadership. He mobilized the people to finish a seemingly impossible task, and did it in record time. He was a man of the Word, as well as a man of prayer, but those things did not mean he wasn’t also a man of careful thought. This is perhaps one of the most neglected weapons in the arsenal of the Christian. It is wise for us not to forget, Jesus told us to love Him with all our minds.

Over the years I have encountered many Christians who make big, life altering decisions based entirely upon their emotions. When asked for justification for these choices, they will often claim it is “the Lord”; almost as if that was a trump card overriding all other considerations. While I am not in any way suggesting the Lord does not speak to His people, I am saying not everything God receives blame for, is actually His fault. I think many bad decisions could be avoided if we were to slow down and use our minds. Consider what His Word already declares about the subject.

If you are in the midst of the decision making process, allow me to make a few suggestions. First, take time to pray. Ask God to speak clearly to you and to direct you. Ask Him to make His plan apparent, so you might follow it. Second, keep in mind, God answers prayer through the counsel of His Word. Prayer was not designed to be exercised apart from the Word of God, but in line with it. The proper model would be to pray and search out the Scripture for direction.

It is high time we began to use our minds to love the Lord.

Pastor Jim

 

Be Prepared 

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Nehemiah 2:8
“…And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.”

The walls around the city of Jerusalem lay in rubble, and the people who returned to rebuild the Temple had become discouraged by the enormous task, and the constant attack of their enemies.

If we were writing this story, I wonder who we would choose to be the hero? I wonder where we would look to find a man or woman who could lead a discouraged group of frightened people to complete a job. A job that would have both immediate, and long lasting impact for the kingdom of heaven. Since God wrote the story, we can be sure the solution will be found in what, at first glance, may seem like the most unlikely of places, but in the end will reveal His incredible wisdom and forethought. God’s solution to this problem was Nehemiah, a man who served as the cupbearer to the king.

Being the cupbearer might not have afforded Nehemiah the skills needed for construction, or the ability to ward off the constant threat of hostile neighbors, but it would give him access to the king, that many others could never achieved. This daily access to the throne room would one day pay off when the king surprised him with a personal question regarding his emotional condition. This was the open door Nehemiah had been waiting for, and he poured forth his three fold request before the throne. He asked to be sent to Jerusalem, that the king would send letters to protect his travels, and that the king pay the enormous expense of his travel and the building project.

It was not just his position that prepared him for his future ministry, but it was what he did with that position. Nehemiah knew what to ask the king because he had spent months in continual prayer for Jerusalem and its inhabitants. It was the prayer life of Nehemiah that prepared him for the call of God.

You may have a sense that God wants to use you, but you are currently in a role that seems so far removed from the work of God. Instead of feeling frustrated, take this time to be seeking the Lord for what He wants to do in and through you. As time goes on, you will find that He not only calls you to His perfect service, but uses whatever station you are in right now as part of the process.

Since God loves and wants to reach the whole world, it is necessary that His saints be stationed everywhere.

Pastor Jim

 

Desperation 

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Ezra 8:23
“So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.”

Ezra and his company were traveling hundreds of miles without a military escort and carrying the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of dollars in gold, silver and bronze. Had word got out of their precious cargo, they would no doubt be the target of thieves, and their lives would be at risk. Caravans have been attacked and lives taken for far less than they were carrying. In their desperation, Ezra made a calculated decision not to ask the king for protection, but to gather the people, proclaim a fast and seek the Lord. In the end, they not only made it safely to their destination, but they were able to see God accomplish the miraculous. This story reminds me of a statement made by Gideon when he was hiding in a cave from the Midianotes. He said,

“…where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about?” Judges 6:13

We hear this sentiment repeated over and over today. Perhaps we have even thought it ourselves. We read the Bible and see God doing things for people, and we look at our own lives and wonder where the hand of the Lord is in our circumstances. Allow me to suggest that part of the reason we do not see God intervening, is that we do not ever want to find ourselves in a position where we are desperate for Him. We do everything we can to not have to depend on God. If we were making the journey from Babylon to Jerusalem, carrying a boat load of cash, wouldn’t we do everything in our power to ensure our own safety, and the safety of our cargo? Or would we gather the people, proclaim a fast and seek the Lord? I wonder if a fraction of the time we spend ensuring that we are not dependent on God was spent seeking after God, what miraculous stories we might have of His intervention in our lives?

We are all facing something that occupies a great deal of our thought life, and that we struggle not to worry over. Whatever this current issue is, why not follow the example of Ezra and dedicate it to God. Determine that you are going to seek Jesus to intervene, no matter how long it takes. Perhaps it is time to make ourselves more dependent upon Him so that we can see His hand intervene in our story.

Pastor Jim

 

Mr. Fix It 

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2 Chronicles 29:9
“For indeed, because of this our fathers have fallen by the sword; and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity.”

When Hezekiah assumed the throne, the nation of Judah was experiencing difficult times. The Assyrian forces had defeated most of the nations surrounding them, and the threat of Judah being overthrown was a daily reality. All eyes were fixed upon the king. What would he do to protect his people? Hezekiah realized the natural problems needed a spiritual solution. He knew the best defense for the nation would be found in turning back to the Lord, so he called the people to “sanctify themselves.” Sanctify means to set apart. The cure to what ailed the nation was to set themselves apart to the Lord.

I can almost hear those who would complain saying, “Hezekiah we need real world solutions, what are you going to do to protect us against the enemies?” As the story continues to unfold, we will see that Hezekiah did what no other nation was able to do. He led his people to victory over the Assyrians. So striking was this defeat, that Babylon sent delegates to learn Judah’s foreign policy.

I think Hezekiah was on to something. He realized what we often fail to see; almost all natural problems have a spiritual solution. No matter what we might be facing, we will have a better chance of victory when we choose to draw near to the Lord.

Pastor Jim

 

Seeking First 

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Psalm 143:1
“Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications!”


In Matthew 6:33 Jesus told us, in the difficulties of life, we should seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

In Verse 1 of this Psalm, David cries out to the Lord and we see a very clear example of what seeking the Lord actually looks like. “In Your faithfulness answer me, and in Your righteousness.” First, notice the basis of coming to the Lord was not his righteousness, but God’s faithfulness. One thing that keeps us from seeking the Lord, is our feelings of unworthiness. Those feelings are warranted; on our own we are not worthy. The word ‘righteous’ speaks of our best accomplishments, but even those are not enough to provide access to God. Our access is always based upon the work of God, not our own works. The cross gives us access to God on our best day, and on our worst.

In Verse 5 David states, “I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands.” Second, seeking the Lord involves getting my attention off the circumstances I am facing, and onto the Lord. Both words, ‘meditate’ and ‘muse’, speak of filling the mind with thoughts of God. David could do this in two ways. First, he could think back to the stories that filled the pages of his Bible. Stories of God parting seas, providing manna from heaven, causing rain in the wilderness, or knocking down the walls of Jericho. Second, he could think back upon his own life, to the times when he faced obstacles greater than himself, and God had been faithful to help. Like a movie reel, his mind could play back for him the bear, the lion, the giant, and countless other untold stories of the faithfulness of God. Seeking the Lord involves looking back at His faithfulness in order to find assurance that He will deliver in the present.

Verse 6, “I spread out my hands to You; my soul longs for You like a thirsty land.” Next, we see David with his hands lifted high, calling out to the Lord. Notice, there is a sense of desperation as he realizes that his hope resides in the Lord alone. He describes himself as one longing for the Lord, like a thirsty land longs for rainfall. David may be describing his posture in private worship, but this is something that should affect our corporate worship as well. Too often, we allow ourselves to be affected by the style of music, or concerned with what the people around us might be thinking, instead of simply realizing that we need God, and we need to go after Him with all our hearts. It is hard for me to imagine David, under these circumstances, looking around the room, continually checking his watch, or thumbing through the bulletin for the fourteenth time.

“Answer me speedily, O Lord; my spirit fails!” (Verse 7) Finally, as David seeks the Lord, he brings his personal needs before the throne of grace. In the final verses of the Psalm, he lists a series of personal requests. Obviously, he is pleading for deliverance from these trying times, but his petitions go much deeper. He cries out for a better understanding of the nature of God, the will of God, and the ways of God. Our difficulties are often designed by God to help us see that His ways are different from our ways. Often, as we seek the Lord, the first thing we begin to realize is, there are some changes that need to take place in our lives. Our priorities might be out-of-order, or we may be neglecting to make the necessary spiritual investments in our daily lives. Seeking the Lord will always result in taking inventory of our lives, in light of the ways of God. Instead of crawling our way through the present condition of our lives, let’s follow the example of King David and seek first the kingdom of God.

Pastor Jim