Month: November 2021

As a brand new Christian, the zeal we have for all things God is impressive. We speak boldly about the Lord and what He has done in our life, and we share the Gospel Message anytime we have the opportunity to. But then trials enter our life and we all question our new-found faith…is it strong enough to withstand this trial…am I going to be able to hold fast to my hope in God, or will I give up? Other times, we are enticed by worldly things from the past, and again our faith will be questioned…will I squander this gift from God for momentary pleasure…or reject His love for selfish pride? The key to all this is found in the word perseverance…which is hope under pressure. The Bible tells us that the testing of our faith develops perseverance and we should throw off everything that hinders us and run our race with that same perseverance. Trials will come and go, it’s just part of living in a very broken world, but they don’t have to make us hesitate or question our faith every time. We are to persevere with confidence, holding fast to our eternal hope in Jesus Christ…knowing we’re doing the Will of God.

Zerubbabel led the first group of dispirited Jewish exiles back to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity. Haggai was the first prophet that ministered to them there. The Word of the Lord had come to Haggai, revealing God’s message to Zerubbabel and the people that Daniel’s prophecy from old was going to take place in the promised rebuilding of the city and the return of His people. (Daniel 9:24-26) As for Zerubbabel, God was selecting him as the chosen one to accomplish this huge task…setting His seal of ownership, pledge, and guarantee on him.

These words are words to live by and serve others. We all have doubts…times when our mind is divided by confusion, fear, or anxiety. But we need to give grace to others when they find themselves going through those same times of doubt…giving them Biblical encouragement not condemnation. The idea of snatching a burning stick from the fire speaks of literally plucking someone from the fire of Hell by means of the Gospel Message, thus saving them from Spiritual death. Finally, Zechariah 3:2-5 tells us about Joshua’s filthy clothes (soiled garments defiled, and stained from sin) being exchanged for clean ones…or the removal of his iniquities. Grace, mercy, and fear of God…good words to live by.

Many places in the Bible you will read the phrase, “Burning with anger.” So what happens when anger is kindled and ignites within us? Well, first off, it clouds our thinking…like thick smoke swirling up from our burning wrath…we can’t see or think straight. Next, we tend to act first and think later…reacting rather than behaving with good judgment. Finally, burning anger opens the way to hatred which opens the way to the ultimate expression of hatred – murder. So how can we douse the burning anger within us? James 1:19-20 gives us excellent advice to follow, “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” In other words, when we feel anger coming on we need to stop and really listen to the other person. And that means not waiting until they take a breath so we can charge right in, but listening intently. We next need to allow the conversation time to develop, asking questions and again listening before we speak. Finally, we need to act but not react…putting out the fire before it can spread.

With a great hoard of enemy soldiers marching towards them, King Jehoshaphat found himself and the people of Judah powerless before them. But it tells us earlier in verses 3 and 4 of this Chapter that, “Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord.” They readily admitted they were helpless and had no idea what they could do to save themselves…yet they firmly believed God could intercede on their behalf and save them. There are times in all our lives when we come to the end of ourselves…powerless over disease that wracks our body, helpless over the loss of a spouse, defenseless as we watch a loved one die. But that’s when our eyes need to be on the Lord and not the situation…or as Psalm 25:15 tells us, “My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare.”

Amos was appalled by the arrogance, injustice, and cruelty of the social sins by the upper class. We read that these people didn’t think twice about oppressing the poor, widow, or orphan and treating them harshly. But Amos warned them that the Lord sees all…”He takes notice of ever act of wickedness however slight.” And He remembers…”But they don’t realize that I remember all their evil deeds. Their sins engulf them; they are always before Me.” We may think that God isn’t watching the wickedness and oppression in the world today…that He’s far off or unconcerned…but He’s not…for God promised, “I will never forget anything they have done.”

Here Peter is warning of false teachers and their corrupt doctrines. Peter was especially cautioning fellow Christians against two popular philosophies that were circulating… Gnostics and Antinomians. Gnostics taught that in addition to believing in Christ, you must also receive esoteric knowledge. While Antinomians believed that since salvation was by grace alone, all requirements to keep moral law were irrelevant and unnecessary. Peter refuted both philosophies to cheapening God’s gift of grace and eviscerating the power of the Cross and the blood of Jesus…instead, reminding the Church to stick to the foundational Truths they had been taught and read in the Scriptures…all the while being given Spiritual insight by the Holy Spirit. Times change and so do popular philosophies that waft in and out of Churches…and we must all be on guard for corrupt and deceptive doctrines that could cause us to run aground.

Elsewhere in Isaiah, God promises that Israel would be restored and the city of Jerusalem would be rebuilt. But when the people returned from captivity in Babylon and looked upon the ruins, in the wake of total destruction by enemy armies…all they could see was desolation. It was Nehemiah who encouraged the dispirited group to rebuild. He exhorted them to look beyond the obvious to what could be with the Lord’s help. “Jerusalem lies in ruin its gates burned, come let us rebuild the wall.” (Nehemiah 2:17) With God’s help, Nehemiah spoke life not only into the city but into the souls of the hopeless exiles…uniting them into enthusiastic and dedicated Repairs of Broken Walls, and Restorers of Streets with Dwellings. Is there something in your life today that needs to be brought back, restored, or rebuilt? Stop looking at the broken pieces in hopeless apathy and seek the Lord who is the ultimate Repairer of Broken Walls and Restorer of Streets with Dwellings…for as He promised restoration to the City of Jerusalem, He has promised it to you.

When I read this, I immediately keyed in on the very last word…gangrene. Now as a retired Nurse, I’ve seen my share of this serious medical condition, and thought to myself, what is Paul trying to tell the young Pastor Timothy here? Gangrene is caused by a bacterial infection that spreads throughout the tissue, causing the tissue to die. If not aggressively treated, gangrene can cause sepsis (infection in the bloodstream), cause major systems of the body to shut down, result in surgical loss of body parts (amputation), and/or death. So why is Paul comparing godless chatter to this life-threatening condition? Both can kill the body… and Paul wanted Timothy to be very aware of the dangers that mindless, worldly, vain babbling can bring. It was so important to Paul that he even ended his first letter to Timothy on the same note, “Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in doing have wandered from the faith.” (I Timothy 6:20)