Tag: King

The Brain is The Hub,The Tongue is The Sword Part 2

I continue to examine the wisdom packed into Proverbs, the 21st chapter. King Solomon is giving us insight to righteous behavior, comparing good to bad. We as Christians are called to be separate from the world. This, by design, calls us to produce different fruit, to behave differently. We continue to break down the verses, moving on to verse 13- Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.

John Gill

“A deaf ear will be turned to him by both: the same measure he has measured shall be measured to him again; no mercy shall be shown to an unmerciful man, either by God or man”

I can say simply that it would do us all well to look at a situation and instead of seeing someone else in it, see yourself. I know that a lot of people want money, and there are deceivers out there who look to steal from you. But if we use that blanket to justify miserly ideology, denying those in real need, what good is our heart, where is our compassion? Not all giving has to be money. We really can give food, and if in the right space, we can give work. Did you know that the original welfare system was the church? I personally do not believe in any of the non-profits out there. I think most churches have, long ago, closed the doors. They used to be out in the communities. But they retreated and closed the doors behind them. Now a days, the only time we see churches in the community is holidays. Other times, you must be a member. Now, this is not all churches. There are some that have many programs to help those down and out. Not all churches have abandoned the principle that we are our brother’s keeper; not all have turned their ears from hearing the cries of the poor, but many have. This caused a black hole, a vacuum. This need was then filled by the government and the non-profits. Have you ever heard the saying, give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime? We need to get back to teaching men to fish? A hand out is a hand out, its value is short lived. The value of a hand up is immeasurable. When it comes to salvation, no matter who we are, what we do, we all need that hand up. We are all in a hole. Without Christ, we are doomed. And if John Gill is right, ask yourself, do you simply get the hand out, or do you get the hand up?

16 The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.

17 He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

In order to wander away from understanding, you must first have the understanding. This verse should make every believer understand that the devil is out there searching the earth to and from for those whom he may devour. Satan is not just trying to interfere with your rewards, He is trying to devour you. IF all he wanted was to make you stumble and to interfere with your rewards in heaven since you are now saved, that would make your salvation and all of Satan’s efforts about you. That is a very arrogant and misguided approach to both sin and salvation. You chose to wander. No one makes you do it. Satan tempts you and you agree to follow. It happens to the best of Christians. When you do, you will remain in the congregation of the unsaved, the dead. J. Vernon McGee comments, and I paraphrase, We have glorified the theater, they provide our morals and today things are upside down. Jesters were called fools and to this day he doesn’t believe it has changed, entertainers today are sacred cow. I totally agree with him. It is a profession where, because they can act well, we somehow believe they are an authority on everything else. God is to be our idol, He is to be our moral authority, after all, He is the creator of morals to begin with.

Adam Clarke

“That follows gaming, fowling, hunting, coursing, etc., when he should be attending to the culture of the fields, shall be a poor man; and, I may safely add, shall be so deservedly poor, as to have none to pity him.”

20 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.

21 He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.

22 A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof.

23 Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.

Albert Barnes

“Spendeth it up – literally, swalloweth it. The wise man keeps a store in reserve. He gains uprightly, spends moderately, never exhausts himself. But the proverb may have also a higher application. The wise man stores up all “treasure to be desired” of wisdom, all “oil” of divine influence, which strengthens and refreshes, and so is ready at all times for the work to which the Master calls him.”

Be aware, and ready. Earn and work honestly. Save and rest often. Spend and work prudently. These behaviors are of a Christian who has something else in mind, something other than the amount. There is an end coming. That end will not care about your possessions, nor your bank accounts. Faithfulness is the bounty to be measured. I was once told that God did not call us to be successful, he called us to be faithful. I think we, me included, sometimes get sidetracked into the success part. We measure the success by different standards. God might want us to go through a thing where the reward is wisdom. We go through it and we are thinking substantial tangible rewards, money or prizes. But as it continues, if we follow after Christ, if we obey, and we recognize that we are not worthy of His mercy and yet be so eternally grateful for it, we find life. If we can understand that if we remain under the care of our LORD, our wisdom will provide us victory over the confidence of the enemy. Verse 22 reminds me of the picture of David and Goliath. David was wise to pick the weapon he was most proficient with. He did not seek a big weapon for the big giant. He used his talent and wisdom, and defeated the giant. We can too. Verse 23 is the stumbling block for me. To know when to speak and when not to speak, a gift that the elders of a church should hold seminars on.

John Gill

“Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue,…. Guards the one and bridles the other; is careful of what he says, that it is truth, and without dissimulation and guile; and is not injurious to the characters of men, and is not offensive and provoking; who abstains from ill and wrathful language, and which tends to stir up wrath and contention.”

Ephesians 4:29  29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

James 3:8   But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

The bible, Jesus himself, could be quoted over and over when talking about speech. In today’s culture we understand this to mean that we must dilute the truth because the tongue “cuts to and fro”. The words that come from the brain and then out of the mouth can kill. Jesus stated that it is not that which goes into a man’s mouth that defiles him, but that which comes out. He also said that what comes out of the heart, which is the brain, reveals who the man is.  Without the spirit, we are told that our brains can only imagine wickedness. Wait….WHAT!?!?!?!?! Yes, even those who spend their whole life doing great things and inspiring others are wicked if their service is not for the glory of God. It is all idolatry if they are not inspired by God and give glory to God for all the blessings from their words. The wisest man that has ever lived is telling us that the man who learns to watch his words, tells the truth without omitting the hard stuff, the fine or minute stuff, and does so not to cause injury to the listener, but to grow and disciple the listener does well. Be mindful, therefore, in the thought to withhold truth or soften the truth so as not to offend. Truth is easily lost in the weeds of fluff.

Proverbs 21:28 A false witness shall perish:

Joseph Benson– one who is forward to swear or speak false things, or such things as he hath neither heard nor seen, but devised in his own heart

 

John Gill By telling lies in trade; by bearing false witness in a court of judicature; or by preaching false doctrines in the church of God: such treasures, though ever so great, are like any light thing, smoke or vapour, straw, stubble, chaff, or a feather, tossed about the wind; which is expressive of the instability uncertainty of riches ill gotten; they do not last long, but are taken away and carried off by one providence or another; and they are likewise harmful and pernicious; they issue in death: and those that seek after them, and obtain them in a bad way, are said to “seek death”: not intentionally, but eventually; this they certainly find, if grace prevent not;

We see again that words contrived in our hearts, not based in truth are wicked, telling lies and making up stories that harm others. Additionally there is no watering down of the consequence. A liar shall perish. That’s pretty simple to read and understand. God wants the truth. There is love in the truth. We are a society that has become afraid of the truth. We would much rather hear a lie that makes us feel good than the truth which heals us, completes us, makes us whole. Again, God does not want the truth used as a weapon. But it is an agent for change; change that is for the better.

The 21st Proverb is filled with wisdom for the ear that is willing to hear. The truth can be hard to hear sometimes. It can hurt, it has a sting. But the great thing about those who tell the truth with love is that they remain to walks us through that pain and help us endure that sting. Love is not disguised, it is not covered in balls of cotton so thick that it cannot be seen or heard. The truth just is, and that is why there is no escape from it. The bible itself has been attack for thousands of years, including this year. And yet it stands just as truthful today as it was the day they penned it, or chiseled it. It is always important to be led by love. Let the Holy Spirit take control and guide your tongue. Let the spirit tell you when you should speak and when to remain quiet; when to be gentle and when to be direct. At the end of the day, however, I would rather be alone on an island in communion with almighty God, than to be seen as a Saint by a million dear friends and relatives because my words simply make them FEEL good.

If you stand in the mirror what will the reflection tell you about yourself, and what are you going to do about it? May the peace of God be abundantly heaped upon you and your house, straight from the cross to the Christian!

 

The Brain is The Hub and The Tongue is The Sword, Part 1

So many times I have heard how the Old Testament (OT) has no meaning in today’s life. I have heard that once Christ came on to the scene all that was, is no more. All things are made new. I even have heard people, in the same sitting, tell me that Christ changed all that, and then used the OT to validate their thought. In Jesus fulfilling the law all that is left is faith in Him. In some ways, this is absolutely true. We no longer offer the annual blood sacrifice for the covering of our sin. Christ’s blood sacrifice was the completeness of the sacrifice. There is no other sacrifice that can do anything more than that which Jesus dying on the cross has already done. But the New Testament does not negate the Old Testament. There is so much that is alive and just as effective in the application to our doctrine and daily lives. As I read the 21st Proverb, I was overcome with this feeling. Every single instruction of how to live and every example of God’s view of right and wrong are just as true today as they were when King Solomon wrote them.

Proverb 21:1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

The very first verse pierces my heart as it tells me that my God has every heart in His hands. First, we must understand that the word “heart” here really means the mind of man. I have said over and over, the true heart is just a muscle that pumps blood throughout the body. It does not create feelings and thoughts and words. The heart does not control our behavior. It is a vital organ, and we should care for it. But the brain is the hub of where we generate our behaviors. God controls even the King’s mind. I think of all the times that we read about how God hardened or softened a heart (mind). How much further do you have to go than the story of Joseph who was sold into slavery and ended up in the house of the Captain of the Pharaoh’s guard, Potiphar. God had Potiphar’s heart in his hand and cause him to have favor for Joseph. He made Joseph the superintendent of his house. Because he would not lay with Potiphar’s wife, she makes accusations against Joseph and he ends up in prison. God had the Warden’s heart in his hand and caused him to have favor on Joseph. He made Joseph the jail keep. There he interpreted dreams of a baker and cup bearer. The baker was reinstated and after 2 years of forgetting about Joseph, the Pharaoh was having bad dreams that no one could understand. The baker remembered Joseph and told the Pharaoh of the dreams Joseph interpreted and how he predicted rightly that the cup bearer would be executed but that the baker would be reinstated. The Pharaoh called for Joseph. After interpreting the dreams, the Pharaoh did not let Joseph go, but God had the Pharaoh’s heart in his hand, and God directed it like the waters of rivers. He directed Pharaoh to make Joseph the Vizier, the second in command of all of Egypt. The most powerful thing is that the Pharaoh was not a believer. Being a sinner is no match for my God. Let us not forget, that the most evil of all evil, falls in the end. In the hands of the evil and wicked Pharaoh, Joseph went from slave to convict to Second in charge of all of Egypt, and having great influence on the Pharaoh as well. Make no mistake, these simple words, the introductory declaration, are simple, but carry great power when you stop and ponder that the God who had the Pharaoh’s heart in his hand and cause great things to come upon Joseph is the same God who sits on the throne and can be in charge of your life if you believe that He still has man’s heart in his hand. And that sets the tone for this proverb. It is one of wicked compared to righteous. There is no gray area in obedience to the LORD. Either you are living a life serving the Master, or you are living a life serving satan. There is no third party. There is no gray area.

2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts.

3 To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

Most of us, if we are being honest with ourselves, think we are right about a lot of things. Some of us are good at admitting that we are wrong about something, but only after being shown that we are wrong. Most of us start off by thinking we are right. Our faith is no different. Those who reject God think they are right. Those who accept Christ but twist the word of God to suit their own flesh think they are right. There are so many different ways to take this, all ending with the same, we really do think we are right in our behavior. The real story is in the proverbial heart, or literally the mind. That is where God does the examining.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee says, and I am paraphrasing here, Jesus is the great physician, and a heart specialist. Jesus was the first in the heart transplant business. He was the first one to take the old heart and replace it with a heart that is obedient to him.

Matthew Henry states,

“Man is right in his own eyes. The proud heart is very ingenious in putting a fair face upon a foul matter, and in making that appear right to itself which is far from being so, to stop the mouth of conscience…..  God looks at the heart, and judges of men according to that, of their actions according to their principles and intentions; and his judgment of that is as exact as ours is of that which we ponder most, and more so; he weighs it in an unerring balance.”

I do believe that the one thing that Christian behavior has gotten far away from is principle. I think today’s society has convinced even the strongest of Christian that independent and free thinking is best. Being empowered to be you is better than compliance to any norm, including the biblical living Christ calls us to embrace when we accept Him. I fear that we have gotten away from things like principled living, and things like reverence. We have diminished God to someone we can take off a shelf when we need him, and put him back on the shelf whenever we are moved to be empowered or free thinking. We can truly see this as church after church, denomination after denomination allow the unrepentant sinner to enter the pulpit, behind the sacred desk (if your church even has a pulpit or a sacred desk anymore) to lead others. Think about weddings. Most of the Christian Faith have an objection to same sex marriage. But at the same time, the church that refuses to marry a same sex couple will marry two drunks who never attend church or even make confession for Christ. Think about that for a second. The idea of justice is righteousness or holiness. What is righteous about marrying one pair of sinners, but not another. Either we observe God in the boundaries of marriage or you do not. Of course, anyone behaving like this will open the scriptures and find something they will use to justify their position because they are right in their own eyes. But read what the king wrote here. To be just is acceptable to the LORD. Meaning the LORD is watching. We can explain our sin to each other all we want. Explain it to God; give the LORD all the excuses and let’s see how he judges us in return.

4 An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.

5 The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.

6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.

7 The robbery of the wicked shall destroy them; because they refuse to do judgment.

 

Charles Ellicott States,

The plowing of the wicked.—i.e., their work, all they do; for it is not done to please God but themselves; nor carried on in His strength, but in reliance upon their own, and therefore it is “sin,” not pleasing to Him.

How we live is important. In the four verses above we see pride of man being brought to light. A high look, a facial expression that has your nose high in the air, a look that says that you see me but you turn your head from me as if I am not worthy of your acknowledgment. When God looks into our mind and He sees us, He sees the sinful pride. There are many things to be proud of, to be pleased with. The way to know the difference is to compare your thoughts to God. Jesus would never look down on anyone. Jesus would never allow His joy, pleasure, or simple contentment in any accomplishment to lead to the pain of another. He came as a humble servant, not as one who thought he was better than anyone else, or that their children are better than your children, or my home is better than your home, job than your job, paycheck/bank account than your paycheck/bank account. We see that God certainly did give us brains so that we can ponder life, and temptation, and think about them righteously. Jesus was tempted. It is not a sin to be tempted. There was nothing that satan had that Jesus did not already have. This is not true for us. Sometimes the temptations look so good, they smell, taste, feel and sound so good. To have diligent thoughts is to take into consideration God’s will. To do so leads to abundance. It may not be abundance of what your flesh wants, but it is the abundance that God wants you to have. Quickly, lets examine sexual sin. I am a heterosexual man. My flesh loves beautiful women. My lust desires them. Satan offers me all the women I can have. My God has already blessed me with a beautiful and wonderful wife. I have a choice to make. To be diligent in thinking about it, if I take all the women I can have, I might think that to be a great abundance. But an abundance of what? Pain, sickness, divorce, poverty, loneliness, and a great big hole where true companionship once lived? I had an abundance of women that led to death. Yet, if I diligent consider the gift God has given me, I have a life filled with love, companionship, peace, joy, and a life after death because my behavior was pleasing to God for bringing Glory to Him. That is the abundance He wants us to have. So as His, as a follower of Jesus, it is my responsibility to align my wants with His wants. I do not want, nor need the life of abundant women. I need abundant love.

9 It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.

10 The soul of the wicked desireth evil: his neighbour findeth no favour in his eyes.

Albert Barnes

“The flat roof of an Eastern house was often used for retirement by day, or in summer for sleep by night. The corner of such a roof was exposed to all changes of weather, and the point of the proverb lies in the thought that all winds and storms which a man might meet with there are more endurable than the tempest within.”

Whom we chose to spend our time with in important. I believe that the command to not be unequally yoked is not just a command for marriage, but also close friendships. We should be a friend to all, and we should always be prepared to let the light of Christ shine whenever darkness knocks on our doors. But when it comes to who we allow into the sanctuaries of our homes, and in the case of marriage into our own bodies as we become one, we should be certain to be equally yoked. Having said that, a brawling man is unbecoming. But I believe that men and women were designed for two totally different purposes. I believe that men are the hunter gatherers. They were designed to be the rugged piece. The woman however is the nurturing piece. For her to act like him is highly unbecoming. The bible does not refer to the woman as the weaker vessel as a testimony of a lack of strength, but of pricelessness. Again, a biblical principle that satan has used society and very determined sinners to destroy. Here, the bible is saying that it is totally unacceptable to be with a brawling woman. Brawling meaning loud and storming voice, violent, filthy mouth, and prone to verbal arguments/fights. God is saying that it is better to be exposed to the scorching sun, violent wind and sand storms and torrential rain storms on the roof of a house, where there is no cover, than to endure this type of woman in a luxurious home, with all the amenities. This behavior is not Christ like from male and female. But again, there should never be any mistake that, while man and woman were both made in the image of God, and that in the pure spirit form all will be equal, there was a specific and real difference between man and woman. I truly wish the church would do more to preach the difference between man and woman. Especially in the home. We are truly off the mark.

When I was not walking with God, thus called wicked, I focused only on what I wanted. This came to a great expense for others, as I would violate others during my quests to satisfy myself. Christians are command to love our neighbors. We ourselves are to be good neighbors. The wicked have no such principle. It is only about their gain. No matter what the behavior, a wicked man does it for his own good, even if it seems to suit the neighbor.

If you stand in the mirror what will the reflection tell you about yourself, and what are you going to do about it? May the peace of God be abundantly heaped upon you and your house, straight from the cross to the Christian!

Serve the Lord with fear

Sometimes I look to my front, and I see obstacles. I look to my left and right, more obstacles. I look behind me and the road I used to get me where I am is now blocked and retreat is no longer an option. I am not always sure I understand why. I just know that, because I am a believer in Jesus the Christ, the bible says that I will suffer persecution. Even though I understand this, I still find myself asking why are there so many people against me, why are so many people against doing it God’s way.

When I opened up the truth and saw the first verse of the second Psalm, I was amazed. Then I read the second verse and then the third verse; I was sitting their saying, “I ask these same questions.” Let’s refresh our memories by reading that psalm in its entirety.

Psalm 2

1Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. 7 I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. 10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

No one knows for an absolute fact who wrote this psalm. However, it is widely accepted that it was written by King David. Many truly believe that because King David wrote in a theme, he wrote with a rhythm. This psalm has that rhythm. In addition, in the New Testament, in the book of Acts, chapter 4, verse 25, David is named as the writer, and the 2 psalm is quoted in that verse. While there is no proof of authorship, the word of those who were reading it in the time of writing the new testament are widely trusted to be doing so with a clear and accurate memory. I have no proof that when I was a child I owned a pet rock. But my memory knows it to be true. Do you believe me? I chose to believe the writer of Acts, Apostle Paul, and thus, believe that the king wrote this psalm.

Having said that, there is also some arguments as to whether the king was talking about himself, Jesus, or to both himself and Jesus. I have read the arguments thoroughly, and I have read the psalm over and over. I know that Kind David was a prophet, I also believe that Jesus is LORD. I believe there are parts of this psalm that can ONLY refer to Jesus. I believe that in verses 4, 5, and 6, David was talking expressly about Jesus. There is no man on earth, past-present-future, whose wrath will be greater than God. Oh we want to think ourselves some great equalizer but God is the creator of morality, and so only he can be the punisher of immorality. Additionally, King David speaks of “He who sits in heaven laughing and how the LORD will have his derision”, which means contempt or ridicule. No man, even King David should laugh at the man who is suffering the wrath of God. We should weep for the pain and suffering that we know awaits them. Charles Manson recently passed away. He went believing he was the anti-Christ, and also without much fanfare. For as much as he was in the news throughout his life, he should have been on the front page of the paper with the Headlines, “WEEP!!!! For his soul will forever be tormented in hell.” That is hard for us because we look at his behavior and say, “well he deserves it.” BREAKING NEWS…..we all deserve it. Not a single one of us is deserving of God’s mercy. So in this manner I believe these verses refer to Christ exclusively.

1 Peter 2

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

I believe King David refers to both himself and you and I in the rest. The first three verses are obviously about non-believers. That is a funny statement. When I say non-believers, I also refer to those who cry LORD LORD and yet obey him not. There are many who love him, they call on him, they are sore afraid of going to hell, so they claim his righteous name. Yet, these same people make friends with the world. They want the reward without the work. They want to be blessed by His hands, but use their own hands for their own benefit. They serve with no fear because they do not believe in His righteous wrath. Some say they believe in a God, but not the bible. Some believe that is is all about love and no obedience. They, I believe, are also non-believers.

 

Matthew 7
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

In this psalm these are the kings and the leaders of the nations (heathens) surrounding Israel. They sit and conspire with each other to devise ways of disobedience. The word to use their thoughts in this psalm is “vein”. As I studied this word, I found that it could be misleading. I found this comment by Albert Barnes.

Albert Barnes on Psalm 2 verse 1

“That is, which will prove to be a vain thing, or a thing which they cannot accomplish. It cannot mean that they were engaged in forming plans which they supposed would be vain – for no persons would form such plans; but that they were engaged in designs which the result would show to be unsuccessful. The reference here is to the agitation among the nations in respect to the divine purpose to set up the Messiah as king over the world, and to the opposition which this would create among the nations of the earth.”

So how much vein thinking to do I do, meaning how much do I think of that goes against God’s plans for me, thus cannot be accomplished? That stuck with me. And in that thought, I believe that when David spoke of himself, he also spoke about you and me. Again, verse one. I have looked to my north and seen those who question me not to learn more about my faith but to watch me fail in the answer, to trap me into a corner. They wait for me to say something I cannot prove to ask for proof only to fail to understand that faith is the belief in that which is not seen. They are the world. I look to the east and west and I see friends, people who claim to love and  yet they have their magnifying glasses out looking for every spot, every blemish. They point their fingers and forget about the three other digits pointing right back at them. They judge forgetting that God used some of the most broken people that have ever lived to build his church. They break my heart because I hear their words and wonder what scripture they use to support them. Their words are dressed up with support and love, yet the true intent is to break my bonds and to tear apart the cords that connect me to my God.

But then David, again, talking about his realization and giving us instruction, saves the grace of mercy until the end. In that delivery the King gives great hope, because while he talks to himself, while he instructs you and I, he talks of the salvation brought to us through the sacrifice of Christ. I am so grateful that I will forever know that my relationship with God is mine. No man, no matter how hard he tries, can interrupt my relationship with God. It is only I who can end this relationship. I am equally glad that I do not believe satan and his lies that tell me in my troubles that God forgets about his children. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him! Do not trust man, put your trust in the LORD. He will never let you down. Man will let you down. It may not be intentional, and they may beg for forgiveness, but it will happen. The ONLY one worthy of complete Faith, unbridled obedience is God Almighty. Stand strong, and do not let the enemy keep you from answering your calling.

If you stand in the mirror what will the reflection tell you about yourself, and what are you going to do about it? May the peace of God be abundantly heaped upon you and your house, straight from the cross to the Christian!

Leadership… a concept many believe they are great at. There are so many authors, so many experts who have made it their life’s mission to tell us all how to be a better leader. Did you know that the best self-help book to great leadership is the bible itself? I know many people think that the bible is all about sin and hell and rules and laws. But the Bible is loaded with principles. Yes, sometimes God comes right out and says, “Thou shall not kill.” Pretty self-explanatory if you ask me, right? But what about the principles in messages? Principles like character and integrity and honesty are at the core of God centered leadership.

 

There are many characters in the bible who God places and uses in positions of leadership. The first point of interest I would like to share is that all are human, and all but Jesus himself were sinners, and they all made mammoth mistakes. For now, I want to look at just one prophet who was an excellent leader. I want to look at the leadership qualities of Micah. Let’s put ourselves side by side with him and let’s bring in the mirror.

 

The first thing that is amazing to me, something that just rings loudly in my ear is that Micah was a poor man. He was considered a commoner, a peasant. He was not like Isaiah, who counseled kings; he was just a common ole country boy. I am a commoner, a peasant. I have nothing of great value, except for the Holy Spirit in me. I, in my flesh am not different than Micah. But Micah valued people. He had a love for mankind. Even though Micah spoke of the consequences for Samaria and Jerusalem, his heart broke for the people. Just understanding this little piece of background should already make you acutely aware of how God will use the small and the mighty to accomplish His mission. Isn’t also funny that most ‘great’ leaders have the love of people in common? To say the least, ‘great’ leaders at minimum understand and invest in the value of people. I think of General Patton. I think it may be a stretch to say he ‘loved’ people. However, he understood the value of well trained and well equipped soldiers. He understood moral and in the hardest of battles he was able to motivate them to give all they had. Micah loved people. He understood the disobedience and the need for God’s wrath, but his heart hurt for them.

 

In the first chapter we see Micah declaring God’s witness against the disobedient. We also see Micah’s mourning and grief for the people. Right now I am thinking of that old saying, “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” Micah’s prophecy was not a kind one. But then he cries out for the people. As a leader, the people are the most valuable asset. I believe God looks at His children and loves them everyone. Each of us, no matter our differences, is loved by God to an unmeasurable degree. Equally and completely loved the child is to his Father.

 

Micah 1: 2 Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord God be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. 3 For, behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. 4 And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place. 5 For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem? 6 Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof.

Micah 1: 8 Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls.

In the second chapter we see characteristics of bad leadership. We see that the leaders of Micah’s time were selfish, greedy, lovers of self, and had not affection and respect for a human. They took things that were not theirs just because they could, like land and homes. A good leader cannot be selfish. At work, there is a goal. A leader must get the team to the goal, or to accomplish the goal. A leader must also grow the employee as the drive toward the goal. A leader must be a teacher, sharing wisdom and information. Dare I say there is a difference in teaching someone what they need to know so the goal is met, and teaching someone what they need to know so they have that information all their life. A student can feel and hear the teacher’s desire to grow them in a lesson just as loudly as they can hear and feel the teacher’s cold delivery of words just to get it done. At home the man is ordained as the leader. The husband is the accountable and responsible party. We should never lead selfishly, using our family to labor toward our goal. That is not leadership, its manipulation. We should lead wanting our children to be better than us. Moving them and our wife more toward God than to us. We are not the power, we are not the authority. This is God who ordains, it is God who has power and authority. We are a servant to His power. We are to grow the family towards God.

 

Micah 2: Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand. 2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. 3 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.

 

In the third chapter we see that the leaders of Micah’s time were abusive, and that God rebuked them. When they prayed to God, he did not hear them. I think the coming of Christ brought a greater understanding of God’s love, and how we are to love one another to this world, but I don’t think it changed how God’s wrath will handle sin. I don’t think God hears an abusive leader to this very day. I continue to believe that God’s wrath is no different in concentration and strength. I think sin angers God. To this day I think that many people profess to know and love Jesus, yet fail to understand that living in sin is not acceptable. We sin daily, but the spirit convicts us. We know of our errors and the wrath of God frightens us to our knees and we beg for forgiveness. I know people who claim the blood of Jesus and live no differently than those in the world thinking that the confession is all there is. Jesus loves me and I love him. Love is all there is to it. NO!!!!!! Love, when you have it right, motivates you to do the right things, to live in submission to Christ. Love does not permit you to grieve the spirit, to abuse the temple, to live in immoral conduct. We saw this here where the leaders abused the people, being evil in their daily lives, and still expecting the comforts of God.

 

Micah 3: And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgment? 2 Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones; 3 Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron. 4 Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings. 5 Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him. 6 Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. 7 Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God. 8 But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.

 

Fast forward to chapter 6. I love verse 8. Understanding that we are all leaders, let us lead according to these principles so that our leadership finds favor in the sight of almighty God. Let us let at work, in the world, and in our homes looking to be just in all that we do, desiring from the depth of our minds to love one another and to be merciful with each other, and to be humble in our words and actions so to always have God at the head of all that we do.

 

Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

 

The final chapter of Micah, chapter 7 ends with the comfort a leader has when his leader is the LORD of all leaders. It starts with the reminders that man will fail you. Your own family will disappoint you. Your best friends will ask for gifts and seek bribes. We are instructed to have no confidence in man. Sure our daily tasks required us to have expectations in others. I think this is talking more along the lines of faith. We have expectations, me may even trust that our workers, our friends, our family will do what they need to, what they promised to but in God we put our faith of redemption in God. We pray God will protect us, and lead us. God does what no man can do because God is the divine leader who loves his people, who is the designer of morality and character, and the supplier of all mercy.

 

Micah 7: 5 Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. 6 For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house. 7 Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. 8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.

 

Micah was just in his prophecy in that he did not allow his love for people to sway his calling. But because he loved people, he was in the best position to lead by reminding the people that God will deliver Israel. God will fulfill his promises. Micah could do that because he humbly removed himself and allowed himself to be led by God.

 

So, as I look in my mirror, Micah teaches me to ask, am I just? Am I being fair or not? Do I fully understand all sides and am I making a well informed decision? Am I making sure that my people know I care about them, and not just about the mission? Do my people want to work for me? Are they motivated to want to be successful? Am I leading them to me, or to God? These questions are great questions for the employer, supervisor, manager, and even teammate. They are equally great questions for the husband, wife, dad, mom, older sibling, and even the youngest of them all.

 

If you stand in the mirror what will the reflection tell you about yourself, and what are you going to do about it? May the peace of God be abundantly heaped upon you and your house, straight from the cross to the Christian!

Release Your Grip on the Whip

The topic of our study is Forgiveness. One might think it a simple study, but I believe it is complex. First I wonder if we really understand what forgiveness is, biblically. I wonder if we meet the biblical thresh-hold of forgiveness. I wonder if we spend more time meeting the worldly definition of forgiveness. I don’t know, but I think a serious study of it is going to let us see for ourselves.

First let’s talk about some things that Forgiveness is not. It is NOT forgive and forget. I once heard a sermon by Dr. Voddie Baucham. He is one of my all-time favorite pastors to listen to. I never met him, but he has said in a number of his sermons that this idea of forgive and forget is a lie. He explained that the human brain is not designed to forget. So if the brain is forgetting it is malfunctioning. It has experienced some form of trauma, like Blunt force trauma or concussion, or disease like Alzheimer’s or dementia. It is unreasonable to expect the brain to forget a traumatic event when traumatic events are what burns a memory into the brain in the first place. Forgiveness is NOT an eraser. Forgiving does not erase the action. It does not say, “Okay, I forgive you so go ahead and go to sleep and when you wake up in the morning we will continue on like nothing happened.” NO!!! In most cases an action that has created some form of trauma has occurred. It happened!! There is no ignoring that. Because this is true, forgiveness is NOT absolution of accountability and immunity from consequence. I can forgive you, but there is still a consequence because the act really did happen. Biblically speaking, and we are going to look at some verses here soon, God is huge on accountability. If we are to be Christ like, how then can we say that there is no accountability? We cannot. There are consequences for our actions. Finally, forgiveness does not mean a relationship of any kind needs to continue. Now let’s be careful here. If you were violated, and you learned a lesson, and that lesson was that this is a dangerous person and for safety or health reasons and you are completely free of hate and animosity, it is appropriate to go our separate ways, no problem. But if you are violated, and you say you forgive and then not communicating with that person is out of anger or some form of punishment, then you have not truly forgiven. We will talk more about this, but for now let’s just say that you have to release your grip on the whip and hand that over to God as well if you are to truly forgive.

Now that we looked at some of the things forgiveness is not, let’s look at what it is. I really want to look at the biblical definition and compare it to what you think. In the bible forgiveness refers more to the act. When you forgive biblically, you are saying that you are overlooking an act. You are sending it away. The word forgive means we are overlooking the wrong, we are going to send the wrong away. But the other half of this is, “where are we sending it to?” To God!  There are many, and I mean many, verses that address forgiving others that you may be forgiven. But I love these verses in Colossians chapter 3 because it starts off by telling us a key point of forgiveness, and that is God’s wrath.

Colossians 3

6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

When we forgive we are recognizing that we are not in control, and God is. So we are going to send this away and put the act and the offender into the hands of God. We are taking everything out of our hands, and putting into the hands of God. Why would we want to do that? We want this for a couple reasons.

First, we want this because, as these verses indicate, we are to put off our wrath. Put it off to where, God’s hands. Our wrath is not perfect and not righteous. When someone hurts us, our wrath is more about the fact that we hurt than the actual act. This is why we can be okay with our response but someone else is like, ‘gee wiz, being a little harsh aren’t we?’ God’s wrath is perfectly just. We need to trust that, and defer to it. After all, His instruction to us is to be peaceful and leave the wrath up to Him.

Romans 12:

17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Secondly, we want this to happen because that’s what we want others to do to us. I don’t know about you, but I make mistakes. I am human and I admit that I have hurt people before, and as uncomfortable as this may sound, it is highly likely that I will hurt people again. I pray that they forgive me and send me and my offense to God for HIS deliberation. I pray for that because I know God is just. I know that God can see into my mind (most people use the word ‘heart’ a lot but I don’t. I think it confuses people. The heart is just a muscle that pumps blood to all parts of the body. Big job, important organ. But the truth is the BRAIN is the biblical heart. It is where thoughts, all the worldly wicked thoughts of man come from. It is the hub of emotions. It is also where the transformation takes place because repentance is to have a change of MIND on sin. Another deep lesson for another day.). He knows that while I did offend, I did not do it in malice and that I do genuinely seek forgiveness, and He knows that I am a forgiving person. So I want to be judged by the judge of all judges. If I want to be forgiven, then I must forgive. People don’t know the mind of man, but God does.  There are many verses about forgiving others if you want to be forgiven. I will provide just a few.

Ephesians 4:32

32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Matthew 6:15

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 18:33-35

33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?

34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses.

Now, I am going to step on some toes. How much more has been done to us than what this world did to Christ? I have thought that I was so violated that I was not only justified to not forgive, but to hate the offender. I was wrong. I hope that when you think of all that Jesus went through, not only in his final hours but during his years as a minister as well, you will see that your violation is small in comparison. Jesus was continuously mocked and spit on, and challenged. The man had no home; he was homeless. The savior slept on the ground and the rock was his pillow. And then yes, in the final hours he was so badly beaten and scourged that he was hardly recognizable. While on the cross, a torturous death by the way, he had a spear thrusted into his side just to see if he was still alive. And as if that was not enough, God placed the weight of all the sin in the world, all the sin that has been-is-and was yet to come, onto the body of Christ that we shall receive forgiveness. And in the course of all of this, Jesus’ prayer was that God the father forgive us because we have no clue what we were doing. This is the picture of perfect forgiveness. How much more can be done to a human being? And Christ took all the violations and put them into the hands of the father. Jesus said here, “I forgive them; I give up my right to have earthly and personal vengeance on these people. I turn them over to you. And if they can believe in you, I advocate on their behalf that you forgive them their violations against you and that you let them come home a redeemed child.”

1 Peter 2:19-21

19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.

20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.

21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

Now this is important, when we are violated and we say out loud that we just cannot forgive, what we are really saying is, “I am going through more than what Christ went through, and that because this wrong is at a magnitude never seen before, God’s wrath will not be good enough. This offender must feel my wrath. This person must not have a path to redemption; there is no forgiveness for this person. I want you to forgive me, but this person, NO FORGIVENESS! I am sorry God, but I don’t trust you to handle this to my satisfaction. I want to make sure there are no mistakes here, and that this person suffers as I have suffered and then some more. I want them to feel my pain because the pain of hell is insufficient. It’s not enough.” Now you may think that I am going a little too far with this, but I challenge you to think about it. Have you ever made a mistake, handled it maturely and begged for forgiveness and while forgiven still had to suffer consequences and maybe even long term where you wondered when will I ever be done paying for this mistake? I have and because I have I can believe very easily that God’s wrath is wholly sufficient.

In closing, forgiveness is NOT a free pass. Even the saints will meet with the LORD to discuss obedience. Remember, “EVERY KNEE WILL BOW” It only seems like bad people get away with everything. Imagine Hell, filled with those ‘bad people’. Do you still think they got away with something? This earth is not our home. It is evil and wicked. This world is not fair, and welcoming. It is not our job to give up when we get knocked down. It is our job to continue to spread the gospel, to continue to let the light of Christ shine in spite of being violated. When you don’t do that, you are suffering from idolatry. Your woes are too great to put God first, which means you must come first, right? RIGHT! Think of it this way, while you are going on about the violation, the violator is enjoying life. Sometimes forgiveness frees you from the prisons of emotions. Let’s take full advantage of God. Cast upon Him your violators and their behaviors. Forgive so you can receive forgiveness. Forgive so you can be free from the bondage of bad memories and painful emotions.

If you stand in the mirror what will the reflection tell you about yourself, and what are you going to do about it? May the peace of God be abundantly heaped upon you and your house, straight from the cross to the Christian!