These Scriptures denounce idolatry…the worship of false gods. Back in Biblical times, idols were carved, casted, or cut from gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. Today, our idols may look different, but this idea of placing something higher than God and thus taking His place is still considered forbidden involvement that is both futile & foolish in His eyes. Paul reminded the Church in Corinth that as pagans they were influenced and led astray by mute idols. (I Corinthians 12:2) And that can just as easily happen to us today…though our idols might look something like the latest IPhone, a Designer Purse, or a large Instagram Following. I Samuel 12:21 spells it out to all of us, “Turn from useless idols. They cannot do you any good, nor can they rescue you.”
Proverbs 30:7-9 ” Two things I ask of You, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown You and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the Name of my God.”
The request made here in Proverbs is brutely honest and shows our true human nature. It is asking for a sufficiency that avoids both extremes of acute poverty and unnecessary riches. Both of which can take us places we don’t want to go. When we have an excess of material things… first, we want more & more, and all these things can cause us to forget Who gave them to us in the first place. Secondly, we start depending on ourselves rather than God to supply our needs…to the point we forget God, hence the question, “Who is the Lord?” But at the opposite end of this request we find severe poverty…where our possessions have been taken away by fire, hurricane, tornado, flood, or some other disaster and we are left with nothing. Being penniless & destitute can push an otherwise law-abiding citizen do things they’re ashamed of just to feed their kids. That’s why the Writer of this Proverb asks for just enough for the day…a regular allotment of not too much & not too little.
Luke 18:31 & 34 ” Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, ‘We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.’ The disciples did not understand any of this.”
The call of God on our life…it is bewildering and never fully understood or explained. It’s a call only known by our true inner nature and may be difficult to verbalize to others. But the real test for us is to truly believe & trust that God really does know what’s best for us. We then must rest in the thought that God sovereignly works out His own purposes in each one of our lives…for our good & His glory. If we’re in fellowship & oneness with God, we’ll realize that as we grow in our Christian walk we’ll be less & less inclined to say, “I wonder why God is doing this?” For we’ll begin to see that the purpose of God in our life is everything that happens, not just the big & important things. We may not fully understand what’s going on…but what we do know is that the Master Potter is divinely shaping & molding our life into His perfect masterpiece.
I Peter 3:15-17 ” Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”
We know that when we suffer for the Truth we will be blessed and that ultimately our unjust suffering is for our good & His glory. So part of this includes readiness in confessing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior…even when affronted by hateful accusations when we do stand firm in our confidence. But we must do so, as it says, with gentleness – (the inwrought grace of the soul, not in weakness but in power & strength of character) and in respect – (integrity & moral conduct, knowing the difference between right & wrong.) For it’s by our good, upright conduct it will be shown that all their nasty & spiteful smear tactics will be revealed as unfounded.
Luke 10:3 ” Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. “
As Believers we all have been called to a Missional purpose here on earth…an Ambassador for Christ to the unsaved. But Jesus warned the seventy-two He was sending out, and us, to be careful. We must be wary of two things that can hinder and stymie our effectiveness in sharing the Gospel Message with others…one being fear of man, the other being fear of failure. When our mind is on what other people think or say about us, rather than obeying God, we can become wishy-washy and discouraged very easily. So just be prepared, alert, and vigilant every time you venture outside the four walls of the Church…for you will be met with harsh criticism, mocking, and ridicule for proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ…so stand firm.
Matthew 25:21 ” His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come share your master’s happiness!’ “
Do you have a heart for missions? You’ve envisioned yourself spreading the Gospel Message in some far flung part of the world…maybe you’ve even picked a particular country you want to travel to. And when a visiting Missionary comes to visit your Church, you’re the first one down at the Altar…accepting the call with all the fervor & enthusiasm you can muster. But all that ardor & eagerness is sadly left at the Altar when you return to your seat. You want God to supernaturally plop you on the Mission Field without you needing to do anything. But it doesn’t work that way as the Scripture above shows. We have to be faithful in the small stuff in order for God to work in the big stuff. Or as the old saying goes – Yes, God feeds the birds, but He doesn’t dump food into their nests. And being faithful in the small stuff starts with serving where you are. For if volunteering at Vacation Bible School, helping at the Church Work Day, or Greeting is a waste of your Spiritual Gifts & beneath you…God will never trust you with the many big things He has planned for you. In other words…if cleaning the Church’s toilets is unworthy of your time…you have become unworthy of God’s time.
Revelation 2:7 ” To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life…”
The Apostle John wrote, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) So we can’t be surprised by the adversities that come into our life, for it’s those stressors of life that build our Spiritual strength. If there were no struggles, there would certainly be no building of our Spiritual strength. Oswald Chambers once wrote, “God does not give us overcoming life – He gives us life as we overcome.” (Revelation 2:7) So the first step for us to do when the weight of hardship presses down on our life is to face the strain head-on…and God will provide wisdom, comfort, & strength. Think about it, if you give everything of yourself physically, you will soon become exhausted…but when you give yourself Spiritually, you will gain strength…not for some future time, but for the moments ahead. And this ever-growing Spiritual strength enables us then to face any adversity victoriously as we overcome.
Isaiah 6:9 ” Be ever hearing, but never understanding…”
In both Matthew 13:14 & Mark 4:12 Jesus is quoting this Scripture from the prophet Isaiah to explain why He spoke in Parables. Those who had already rejected Him didn’t have divinely enlightened minds in which to perceive spiritual truths – and no amount of explanation would make them understand. (I Corinthians 2:14) They could only watch & hear Jesus with their physical eyes & ears…not capable of understanding the truth He spoke about…their hearts hardened because of rebellion, pride, and self-will. (II Corinthians 4:3-4) But to those who had not hardened their hearts and were instead obedient & submissive, the Parables revealed, as Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:4 & Colossians 4:3, the Mysteries of Christ. So, “Today, if you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts…” (Psalm 95:7)
Philippians 2:13 ” For it is God Who works in you to Will and to act according to His good purpose.”
“My faith rests not in what I am, or shall be, or feel, or know, but in what Christ is, in what He has done, and in what He is now doing in me.” Charles Spurgeon. Reread this quote from this great Puritan Preacher and ponder it for a moment. My faith & trust can’t be in myself. Why? Well, for one thing, I’m not trustworthy…even to myself. Countless times I have broken faith, not stood firm in my faith, and am guilty all the time of having little faith. And when I choose to put my faith & trust in myself rather than God…I’m placing myself on the throne of my life and opening up Pandora’s Box of self-serving, self-love, and self-reliance and allowing them to escape to reek havoc. Secondly, I can’t place my faith & trust in my emotions…for they are not always true & wise indicators. That’s because too many times I let emotions reign over my life, and it’ll get me into trouble every time. Again it’s because, as a human, I tend to be easily angered, readily offended, and freely allow fear to over-ride common sense. Next, I can’t place my faith in my own wisdom…for this is the very slippery slide of conceit, pride, and arrogance just waiting to happen. Thus, my trust must rest in God alone through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ…Who was the sacrificial lamb Who took onto Himself my sins in order that I may have eternal life and a right relationship with God the Father….saving my soul from hell and working His good purpose in my life everyday.
Acts 4:32 “All the Believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.”
The early Church was totally united together in affection & Will…being of one heart & united in Spirit. (Ephesians 4:3) This wasn’t a mandatory requirement, but rather a result of the sheer joy of Divine grace being lavished on them. So much that they gladly & freely shared with each other as needs arose. They took the mandate of loving one another very seriously…ever vigilant of and sensitive to the physical needs of their fellow Believers. In other words, they took care of their own.
Safetypinlove 