Grace from A – Z: Giving Grace

In Ira Wilson’s famous Gospel song “Make Me a Blessing” the third verse goes, “Give as ‘twas given to you in your need, love as the Master loved you.” In the fullness of the grace of God, our Master laid down his life for us.  Jesus said to his disciples at the Last Supper, “Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”  It was a bold challenge to them and to His church to lay down our lives as Christ laid down His.  He did not ask us to die in a physical sense, but to die through Him to our own selfishness that we might live through Him in effective service and care to others.  He asked us to take on the form of grace and give of ourselves as we have been given.

Grace gives. Grace is giving.  That is our “G” word for grace.  God loved the world and gave His Son.  By grace we are saved.  It is His gift of salvation to all who will believe.  When God tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9 that we are saved by grace through faith, He goes on in verse 10 and says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works that He has before ordained that we should walk in them.”  We were saved to manifest the grace of God to the world.  We were saved in order that we might give unto others as He has given unto us.  As Jesus told His disciples, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” 

We will never do a good work to save our soul.  Jesus blood has done all the saving that can be done.  God’s grace was given to make it happen for our eternal salvation.  Our good works are not done for us.  They are done for Him that He might magnify the hope of His salvation to a lost and dying world.  Paul exhorts us in Titus to be “zealous for good works” and twice to “maintain good works”. He says, “Let those who have believed” do this. 

Ira Wilson didn’t just write a “sweet” song; he set the clear command of Scripture to simple singable music.  “Make me a blessing, make me a blessing, out of my life, may Jesus shine.  Make me a blessing, O Savior I pray, make me a blessing to someone today.”  As grace has been given to you, go on in the giving of grace.  

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Grace from A – Z: Forgiving Grace

In Julia Johnston’s hymn “Grace Greater Than Our Sin” she writes in the chorus “Marvelous Grace, Infinite Grace” (those are the harmony part words), then in unison, “Grace that will pardon and cleanse within.”  Every day people become overcome with despair at the depravity of their own sin. Such guilt is manifest in many negative ways.  But there is a remedy and it is found in the theme of this song and the words of the chorus.  Grace and pardon can change despair to a life filled with hope, victory, joy and everlasting peace. 

If you have ever been pulled over by a police officer for some “minor” offense, and when we commit them they are always “minor”, what are you hoping when the officer approaches your car?  The most common response is that people hope the officer will be gracious and just let them off with a warning.  People don’t want a blot on their driving record.  After all, it wasn’t really serious; it was just momentary slip of responsible driving.  Don’t let my parents know; don’t let my wife know; don’t let my insurance company know that I had this “minor” mistake today.  That is how people feel and they really want the officer to extend them a little grace and pardon for their behavior. 

What about all the other “mistakes” we make in life?  What about our complete failure to keep the two great commandments to love God supremely and love our neighbor as ourselves?  This kind of law breaking isn’t just an occasional lapse; it is engrained in our nature.  We are sinners and there is just punishment for all our sins – death. Our sins are a real offense against a holy and pure God. Whether they are “minor” to us or not, they are ugly to a holy God. 

But God in grace sent His own Son to die for our sins!  In that horrible death, Jesus Christ shed His blood and that pure blood can wash away sin.  In that blood, and that blood alone, is the full atonement for all sin and the sole means to find forgiveness.  Forgiveness means that we will not be held accountable for that sin forever.  It means that God has chosen in His power to not only forgive our sin, but He also will forget our sin forever.  By faith in Jesus Christ we stand new and pure before God and it is a forever secured position granted by God’s grace through His Son’s sacrifice.  Indeed we can sing with joy the opening line of Julia Johnston’s hymn, “Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt! Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured – there where the blood of the lamb was spilt!”  Rejoice today in God’s great forgiving grace.  Live in the joy of His abundant grace.  

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Grace from A - Z: Eternal Grace

300 years after the Scottish Psalter printed “The Lord’s My Shepherd”, John Peterson wrote a newer version of the 23^rd Psalm.  “Surely Goodness and Mercy” has become a familiar Peterson classic.  The song actually has a double chorus.  The first one repeats the phrase, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”  The second chorus, to be sung after all the verses have been sung, begins with two power phrases sung with strong emphatic power notes, “And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever” and “I shall feast at the table spread for me”.  This chorus takes us beyond the gracious care of God in this life to the eternal promise of His grace – heaven with Him forever.

In I Corinthians 15:19 Paul says, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”  This verse is set in a chapter devoted to the triumphant truth that since Jesus lives, so too shall we.  The old Gospel chorus says, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through; my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue; the angels beckon me from heaven’s open door, and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”  This world is a stopping point on the way to an eternal destiny.  If by faith we have embraced the grace of God in Christ then that eternal destiny is heaven.  Each day that we walk in this dim shadow of our hope, we have the presence and care of God’s daily grace.  But there is more, much more, to come. 

God’s grace will be fully seen as we enter heaven’s gate.  There we will see our beautiful Savior, the reflection and perfection of grace.  There we will receive the fullness of all the promises.  There will never be need or sorrow or sin or shame.  There will be the full beauty of eternal forgiveness. There will be the full embrace of eternal grace with nothing between us and our dear Savior.  As Charles Gabriel wrote in his beautiful hymn about heaven, “O that will be glory for me, glory for me, glory for me; when by His GRACE I shall look on His face, that will be glory, be glory for me.”  That is abundant grace for today and for eternity.  

The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

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Grace from A - Z: Delicious Grace

One of the oldest hymns originally composed in English and still used today is The 23^rd Psalm from the Scottish Psalter, “The Lord’s My Shepherd”.  Its graceful melody and well written meter add a rich cocoon of warmth to this most favorite of all psalms.  Some of the beautiful promises in this psalm surround a banquet we will enjoy with God in the future and of His presence with us as we feast with Him in the present.  Think for a moment how delicious the food is that is served by the Savior. 

Psalm 34:8 says, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good.”  No, we are not cannibals nibbling on God.  We are his children tasting the good things from His hand.  Those delicacies are the outpouring of His grace.  Certainly as we come to the Lord’s Table we find the great riches of His grace in the feast that is set before us there.  Consider the most costly food that you really REALLY enjoy.  The food set before us at communion is more costly and of far greater richness than anything we could have named.  How delicious is forgiveness?  How delectable is hope?  How scrumptious is the joy of being in Christ? 

But the feast that God prepares for us is also for everyday and every needful hunger in our lives.  Romans 8:32 poses a strong rhetorical question, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”  Psalm 23 points out many of these “all things”.  Count them.  Consider the tastiness of each and every morsel.  David can easily come to the point in his psalm where he says, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” 

“God,” David says, “you are good.  You satisfy me with good things abundant and overflowing.  You do it today and you promise it for eternity.  How great is your grace!” 

The Scottish Psalter, Psalm 23, Verse 4: “My table thou hast furnished in the presence of my foes.  My head Thou dost with oil anoint, and my cup overflows.”   God’s abundant grace is truly delicious.  

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Grace from A - Z: Convincing Grace

Daniel Whittle wrote another famous hymn “I Know Whom I Have Believed”.  He begins each line of this hymn with an honest statement regarding the unknown things of God.  He concludes each verse with the rousing chorus of what he does know: He is fully persuaded that Jesus Christ is able to keep whatever we have committed to Him unto eternity.  That is confidence of faith.  That is related to one of the things Whittle says he doesn’t know: “I know not how the spirit moves, convincing men of sin, revealing Jesus through the Word, creating faith within.”  The process of God is really not necessary for us to understand.  That the process has taken place, that is the issue in which we rejoice.

Whittle connects convincing of sin and producing faith in the same verse.  The first verse of this hymn speaks of grace.  All of these are really connected.  Ephesians chapter two gives us a wonderful commentary on these combined truths.  We were dead in sin. The Holy Spirit quickened us; He made us alive.  By Grace He Convinced us to place our Faith in Jesus Christ.  He awoke us from our stupor of sin and death to see and understand God’s love for us and respond in faith to the promise of forgiven sins and eternal life in Jesus Christ. 

The Greek root word for faith is a word meaning “to be convinced or persuaded”.  King Agrippa, in Acts 26:28, says to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”  It wasn’t Paul’s persuasion, however, that was needed to make Agrippa a Christian; it was God’s.  When God persuades us to believe, that is grace moving us to faith.  How the Holy Spirit works through the medium of His word to convince us of the truth regarding our need and His grace is not really our concern.  Our hope is in the effect of this convincing.  Our hope is faith in Him, His truth, His righteousness, His word and His promises.  By grace God has convinced us of saving truth.  By faith we respond.  We truly need to be thankful for convincing grace.  Then we need to sing with Daniel Whittle, “But I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able, to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day!” 

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Grace from A - Z: Beneficial Grace

Daniel Whittle’s famous hymn “There Shall Be Showers of Blessing” is a grand statement regarding the grace of God.  By God’s grace we have benefits that outdo the best any Fortune 500 company could offer.  As we alphabetize grace, Beneficial Grace, makes a good “B”. 

Psalm 103:2 says, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”  Then it lists benefits that God has provided and continues to provide.  David goes on to highlight at least seven different blessings of God.  God has saved us from sin, which David lists first, but there is so much more.  Verses 4 and 5 say, “Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies; who satisfies your mouth with good things”.  Think of that!  He places a crown of blessing on our head. 

Go to your employer today and ask him to place a crown of blessing on your head.  He would probably ask you to have your head examined.  Ask your employer to forget and forgive all your past mistakes.  He would probably want to know what all of them were so they could be properly placed in your file.  Ask your employer today if he would kindly assure you that your package of benefits will also be passed on to your children.  He would remind you that he has already asked you to have your head examined. 

Then there is God.  He has forgiven all our past transgressions.  They are not on file anywhere in the vaults of heaven.  He has promised us a crown of lovingkindness and mercy today.  For the future he has also promised blessings to our children.  Verse 17 of Psalm 103 says, “But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children's children.”  That is grace, abundant grace.  That is beneficial grace poured out to us from our loving heavenly Father.  Rejoice in His grace today and sing with Daniel Whittle, “There shall be showers of blessing; this is the promise of God. There shall be seasons refreshing, sent from the Savior of above.”  

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Grace from A - Z: Amazing Grace

Charles Gabriel begins his well known hymn “My Savior’s Love” with this line, “I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene”.  It clearly resonates of John Newton’s famous “Amazing Grace”.  As we remember that Jesus is the full personification of grace and that grace is love in motion, we can appreciate the words of Charles Gabriel.  Grace should leave us amazed.  In alphabetizing grace words, Amazing makes a really good word for “A”.

Are we daily amazed at how gracious God has been toward us?  Are we daily amazed at how gracious God continues to be toward us?  If we skip the first two questions in the Heidelberg Catechism and consider the first major point, then maybe we can reflect more fully on the amazing grace of God in Christ.  The first point deals with the misery of our natural condition as humans.  We are sinners, depraved sinners, condemned sinners, sinners who are contrary to God in our thoughts and words and desires.  We offend God every day.  Nothing we do is good or righteous in God’s pure and holy eyes.  God is holy and our sin is repulsive.  But, God in grace sent His Son to die for our sins so that He, God, could justly forgive them.  Jesus, who is perfect and holy as the true Son of God, became sin for us that we could then become the righteousness of God in Him.  That is AMAZING GRACE! 

More than that, however, after we become His child we still sin.  Yet, in grace, He still forgives us and still claims us as His own.  Peter asked Jesus if he should forgive a man clear up to seven times.  Jesus surprised him by saying up to seventy times seven times.  How many times has God forgiven us?  It is far more than seventy times seven.  That is gracious indeed.  But not only has He forgiven us He continues to bless us and care for us and watch over us.  We haven’t exhausted His grace.  That is amazing.  THAT IS AMAZING GRACE!

Today let the strains of that classic hymn “Amazing Grace” flow through your heart and mind.  Sing it; hum it; meditate upon each of its well scripted lines.  And each time that you sing it, hum it, or meditate on it, praise God for His amazing grace and reflect how you can show it to others as He has shown it to you.

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Trusting God's Wisdom

Lessons from Genesis – 25

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” Romans 11:33 NKJV

It is possible that I have skipped your favorite lesson from Genesis, and if so, I am sorry. There are so many lessons in this great book that we could never exhaust them. Today, however, we conclude the lessons from Genesis with a look at the sovereignty of God. We have been looking at the events in Genesis from the perspective of man. We have seen what man has been doing and what man has been thinking. We have seen God from man’s perspective as Savior and provider. Now we want to look at man from God’s perspective.

Joseph’s brothers had sold him as a slave. They had meant it as a truly evil act. They had hoped he would either die or rot away in some slave hovel. But God had a different plan. God has plans for us and we would be amazed if we could really see how He has them unfold. After the death of their father Jacob, the brothers were fearful that Joseph would finally exact his revenge. Instead Joseph taught them a great lesson. “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” Joseph had always demonstrated his faith in God and in God’s purpose. That should be a goal for every believer. We need to see God, the good God and caring God and loving God, at work in all the events of our life and trust that He means them for good. We need to trust the God whose mind we cannot understand to act within His character of perfection for the sheep of His pasture.

Dear Father, Help me to trust You more and more each day and to truly believe that You care for me. Amen. 

The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

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Christ Alone Can Save

Lessons from Genesis – 24

“And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations” Luke 24:47 NKJV

Joseph’s brothers had been glad to get rid of him, the troublesome dreamer. He had declared to them his superiority and they thought they had proven him wrong. But he wasn’t just a dreamer; he was a prophet. Moreover, however much they may have believed it to be true; they were not done with him either. Their evil had produced salvation for the whole world, including themselves. But it was going to take a while to bring it about for those ten spiteful brothers.

When they met Joseph they did not recognize him, just as the Jews did not recognize their Messiah. They were not honest with Joseph either. They tried to play down their wickedness and prove their own self worth to be saved by him. It didn’t work. Finally they had to fall on their faces and admit their unworthiness to be saved. They had to repent and then he revealed himself to them and gave them both bread and hope and a new home. Jesus wants us to come to Him for salvation without the pretext of our own worthiness. We are not worthy. He wants us to repent and take the new way, His way, for our eternal salvation. Then He will give us hope and a new home.

Dear Father, Thank You for offering us salvation through Jesus Christ. Help us to always understand that we are not worthy of salvation and that only Jesus can make us that way. Amen.

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"Come unto me," Jesus said. And He meant it.

Lessons from Genesis – 23

“The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” I John 4:14 KJV

After Joseph had spent years in slavery or in jail, he was finally exalted to the position as second only to Pharaoh in Egypt. In that office he was given a new name which loosely translated means “savior of the world”. That is quite a title. Then Pharaoh took an Egyptian girl, a Gentile, and gave her to Joseph as his wife. He was going to save Egyptians and all the people from the entire world who came to buy bread in Egypt. He would provide the bread of life for the whole world. He didn’t just save the Israelites; he saved all who came to him.  

What a picture we have of Jesus Christ. He was crucified, dead, buried and raised again from the dead and then declared by the apostles to be the Savior of the world. The message was taken to Jews and Gentiles alike. Jesus even took a Gentile bride (spiritually speaking) to bring all mankind into one community of faith in Him. All could come; anyone who would could come and be saved. He offered Himself as the Bread of Life to feed the multitudes of mankind. Joseph turned no one away who came to him for bread. Neither will our precious Savior. Thanks be to God for such a Redeemer as ours. 

Dear Father, Thank You for sending us the Savior of the world. Amen

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Great Expectations

Lessons from Genesis – 22

“In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NKJV

Suppose you are obeying God and someone who hates you upsets your whole life. They take your home, your job and your sense of earthly security. When you settle in a new place this happens again. You are obeying God and a hateful person upsets your whole life again and you find yourself in jail. Do you begin to wonder if God cares for you, or if God is even real? We do this because we expect God to keep us in pleasant pastures if we are good little boys and girls. But Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation.” We have no further to look for an example of this than Joseph.

Ambushed by his brothers he was thrown into a pit, sold as a slave and declared to his father to be dead. He rose from this humiliation and defeat to become the chief servant of a powerful man. Then the man’s wife spun a web of lies about him and he ended up in jail. He could have acted like many modern “so called” Christians and thrown in the towel on God. Instead he went on believing and obeying. Then one day he became master of the powerful man who had thrown him in jail and master of his conniving brothers. We may not receive the same accolades. We may have to wait until heaven to be repaid, but we will be repaid. When tribulation hits, don’t despair. Christ has overcome the world and those who live in Him have done the same. Rejoice and press on for the high mark of the calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Dear Father, You have called us to the opposite of what men crave. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on You and the certain victory that will be ours in Christ. Amen.

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The Past is Still Present

Lessons from Genesis – 21

“Be sure your sin will find you out.” Numbers 32:23 KJV

Most people would like to think that those sins we have committed in the past are in the past to stay. Yet we read quite often in the paper about someone who escaped justice twenty years ago who is now found living a respectable life believing the consequences of their sin is behind them. Still the consequences catch up and the illusion that our past doesn’t matter is shattered. While the confessed sin is forgiven with God, the human authorities might take a different opinion.

In Genesis 38 Judah is found in just such a position. First he married a Canaanite woman which was contrary to the will of God. By her he had three sons and for the first he arranged a Canaanite marriage. The first son died childless and so she was given to the second son who sinned and was slain by God. In fear for his third son’s life Judah withholds him from marriage to the same woman which was contrary to law and custom. In the meantime Judah went to visit a harlot who conceived by him. It is revealed that the harlot is really his son’s wife who was seeking her legal security. When Judah finds that she is pregnant he calls for her to be executed for playing the harlot. How is she saved? She has the token Judah gave her in payment for her services. He is exposed. His sin has found him out. It is a picture for us that with God nothing is hidden. If we don’t deal with our sins before God in this life, be sure our sins will find us out.

Dear Father, Thank You for the cross of Christ where our sins can be forgiven and forgotten by You forever. Help me to walk honestly with You regarding the sins of my daily life that I may have continued close fellowship with You. Amen. 

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A Slightly Different Look at the Christian Home

Lessons from Genesis – 20

“But his brothers hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.” Genesis 37:4 NKJV

Somehow the Christian community has become obsessed with the idea of dysfunctional homes. It would seem from Christian literature that such an institution would be the result of great failure on the part of parents who have failed to parent or children who are too rebellious to be parented. It is an unfortunate guilt trip that should be examined just a little more closely. What we actually find throughout Scripture, when home life is being discussed, is the very picture of the so called modern dysfunctional family.

Granted, our family discussed in Genesis 37 wasn’t marked by much godliness and yet they were God’s people, called by God’s promises and from whom great prophecies would be fulfilled. Jacob, the usurper, who God renamed Israel, Prince with God, was not the prime example of Christian marital partner or parent. His wives squabbled and his children hated each other. King David, the man after God’s own heart, had multiple problems with his offspring. King Hezekiah, one of the truly good kings of Judah, had a son who turned out to be the butcher of Jerusalem. Mary and Joseph had four sons after the birth of Jesus who tormented Him to no end. I am not endorsing sin as the proper choice for the Christian home. I am encouraging you to know that God cares for your home and that when it goes awry, as sinful people will do, God still cares for your home and wants the best for you and yours. Be thankful today that if you don’t meet the standards of some author’s concept of the perfect Christian home, you are still God’s child and He will still lead you on and can bring great success where today there seems to only be great turmoil.

Dear Father, Thank You for Your constant love and the hope that You can make eternal order out of our daily chaos. Amen. 

The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

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Plans for Tomorrow?

Lessons from Genesis – 19

“And when Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozra reigned in his place.” Genesis 36:33 NKJV

This is probably not the most commonly memorized verse in Scripture, but maybe it should become one of them. It contains both an absolute certainty and a very great probability. First, Bela died. The Bible says that “it is appointed on to man once to die.” In Genesis 36 we find that death hits in about every other verse starting in verse 33 to verse 43. Everyone dies. That is a certainty. For all the plans that we make, we are not permanent. For the plans we even make for tomorrow we can have no certainty of fulfilling. Jesus said of the rich man, “thou fool, tonight thy soul will be required of thee.” Death is certain, our plans are not. So, we must know the second half of the verse about death, “it is appointed on to man once to die and after that the judgment.” That is certain.

The probability in this verse is that what we have planned for our children’s children may very well not come to pass. Notice that Bela’s son did not reign after him. Another man did and after him another man from another place and family reigned after him. What we store up on this earth has no guarantee that it will go to the ones we hoped it would. The house we built will be occupied by another. The business we built will be ruined by another. The money we saved will be squandered by another. Therefore Jesus says, “Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven where the thief does not break in to steal nor the moth nor the rust will destroy.” The living we do in this life needs to be more eternally directed than we usually make it. It is a lesson from Genesis that we should learn well and apply faithfully.

Dear Father, You have given me today to know you and prepare for eternity with my soul and my goods. Help me to faithfully do so with both. Amen. 

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Forgiven!

Lessons from Genesis – 18

“And {if you} shall return unto the LORD thy God, and shall obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day . . .  that then the LORD thy God will have compassion upon thee.” Deut 30:2-3 KJV

What do I consider to be one of the greatest promises of Scripture – repentance and forgiveness? John wrote, “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” In Genesis, right after the slaughter of the Shechemites, God tells Jacob to return to Bethel and dwell there. Bethel was the spot where God had openly revealed Himself to Jacob some twenty-five years earlier as he fled from Esau. Now, after all the wandering and sin, highlighted by the recent sin as Shechem, God said to Jacob, “Return to Bethel.”

What does this mean? It means that there is plenteous mercy and forgiveness with the Lord. God is always calling His people to return to the place of rest in God. He is calling them to put away the idols of this world, to come in repentance and be restored by the grace of our caring God. Some churches have a part of the service where the pastor declares the absolution of God for the confessed sins of the people. The pastor is telling the people clearly what God has done for them – forgiven them. What greater words can we hear than that we have been forgiven? This is the call of God to Jacob, “Arise, and go to Bethel. There I will meet with you and accept you and let you know that I am your God and that you are My child.” Arise today, friends, and go to Bethel and feel the warm cleansing from the blood of our blessed Savior.

Dear Father, Thank You that we are invited to come to You for cleansing for our sins and not just to hear the anger of Your righteous judgment. Amen. 

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What is the True Church Militant?

Lessons from Genesis – 17

“Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” Romans 12:19 KJV

When Jesus told His followers to turn the other cheek, what do you suppose He meant? Too often today we don’t even quote that verse. The church militant has begun to think in terms of human instead of divine action. Is our militancy supposed to be against flesh and blood or against principalities and powers of this earthly darkness? If someone who lives under the forces of darkness were to insult my wife, am I supposed to punch him in the nose? Is that militant Christianity? If someone butchers babies in a clinic am I supposed to bomb that clinic or stalk that doctor and kill them? Is that militant Christianity?

This is not a random question. In Genesis 34 we find that Israel’s daughter, Dinah, has been raped by the prince of Shechem. Dinah was the seventh child of Leah and was probably only ten to twelve years old at this time. Her brothers, Simeon and Levi, conspired to get even, or take vengeance, on the people of Shechem and ultimately killed all the males in the city. Forty years later when Jacob is prophesying about the future of his children he had this to say about Simeon and Levi, “They are instruments of cruelty and my soul shall not enter their council nor my honor be united with them.” Since he was a prophet his words were uttered by the Holy Spirit and not just his own views. God was not happy that Dinah’s brothers took vengeance. God has called us to a walk that is hard to follow when our emotions get involved. But even then He is God and wants us to obey Him and glorify Him. That is the true church militant.

Dear Father, Help me remember You when I most want to react as me. Amen. 

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Confidence or Doubt

Lessons from Genesis – 16

“Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.” Genesis 32:24

Have you ever or are you now facing a profound crisis? First, be not ashamed at having a profound crisis as if God has abandoned you. Jesus said, “In this world you shall have tribulation.” It is common to all men and not one from which Christians are immune. All who preach that believers are supposed to be successful and prosperous are preaching a false doctrine. But now that you are in crisis, what do you do? This was Jacob’s problem. He had stolen his brother’s blessing and his brother has sworn revenge. Now his brother was coming to meet him and he had an army of 400 men with him. That was a crisis.

After sending everyone else away Jacob stayed alone by the brook Jabok. There he was met by a Man. They wrestled all night. That is a long time to be engaged in mortal combat. All night was not a “Now I lay me down to sleep prayer”. All night was the “effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man.” Does a crisis bring us to effectual fervent prayer or to ineffectual belly-aching? Does it bring us to seek God’s blessing or convince us that God doesn’t care? When morning came the Man said to Jacob, “Your name shall be called Israel, for you have struggled with God and prevailed.” With that the Man blessed him and sent him on his way. Beloved, do we wrestle with God or complain to God? Do we believe He will hear an effectual fervent prayer, or do we doubt His care? Jacob wrestled and was blessed.

Dear Father, You have given us such great promises through prayer that we often ignore. Please renew our prayer life that we might find ourselves greatly renewed in You. Amen. 

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God Remembers When We Forget

Lessons from Genesis – 15

“Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me.” Genesis 31:7

The setting for this verse is important. Jacob had cheated his brother from his birthright and had stolen his brother’s blessing. As a consequence he had been exiled from the presence of Isaac, from whom the promises of God would descend, and cast into a pagan land and married pagan wives from a pagan family. He was a lousy husband. There is not much to commend Jacob to anyone. What he does have in his favor is that he is a child of God’s promise. From an earthly perspective his abundant sins would seem to exclude him from God’s care.  But God never forgot Jacob.

Way back in Genesis 28, which is twenty years before Genesis 31, God had said to Jacob, “The land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.”At that point Jacob made a vow to God. From that occasion until Genesis 31 we never hear the name of God from Jacob’s lips. What Jacob forgot, however, God remembered. Notice that God did not pad Jacob’s life with joy and happiness for those twenty years, but He did protect him. More than that, God fulfilled the promise He had made to Jacob twenty years before. As it says in II Corinthians 2, “All the promises of God in Him are yea and amen.” “Him” in this verse is Jesus Christ who was the promised descendant of Jacob. In Christ all the promises of God to us are certain.

Dear Father, Help us not to forget You as Jacob did, but to also always remember that all Your promises are sure in Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

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Are there more wages to sin than death?

Lessons from Genesis – 14

“The wages of sin . . .” Romans 6:23 KJV

We all know the rest of our lead verse today, “The wages of sin is death.” But there are other wages of sin long before death. Genesis teaches us about consequences for the actions of our life and the decisions we make. Adam and Eve decided to disobey God. They didn’t die physically at that point, but they did die spiritually. The process of physical death began and that contains all the maladies of life that accompany aging. They also were expelled from their home and forced to live a hard life of hard work and great frustration. That mankind is a slow learner is seen in the account of Jacob and Esau.

Esau had already sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew. But Jacob was not content. Esau still had the promise of their father Abraham waiting for him. Rachel, their mother, wanted that blessing for Jacob instead so she conspired with him to trick Abraham into giving it to Jacob instead of Esau. What was the result? There was a fractured family. Esau wanted to kill Jacob. Jacob had to flee from Esau and that separated him from his mother who lost her most loved son. Jacob lived far away for twenty years and was cheated and tricked by his father-in-law multiple times. He worked day and night and ended up with an unhappy home. Oh, yes, there are wages of sin long before death. But, thanks be to God, there is also forgiveness when we come in confession and repentance to the cross of Christ.

Dear Father, Thank You for the clear teachings that your ways are best and my ways will end in disaster. Forgive me for choosing my selfish way and guide me in Yours. Amen. 

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What is heaven worth?

Lessons from Genesis – 13

“Love not this world, nor the things in this world, for the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life are not from the Father but from the world.” I John 2:15-16 paraphrase

In Genesis chapter 25 we find a brief few verses (29-34) that set the stage for some of the most dramatic teaching that will appear later in the Scriptures. These verses point out a need, an impetuosity and opportunism. We might shorten it to greed, speed and sorrow. Unfortunately the sorrow doesn’t come until much later and by then it is too late. What was the final cost of this rash act? It cost a nation, a heritage, and heaven. It reveals the true cost of setting our minds on our self and not on God.

God had told Abraham that He would pass the eternal blessing onto Abraham’s son, Isaac. But Isaac had two sons. By nature the elder should have obtained the heritage of the full promises of God. But the Bible says that this elder son, Esau, despised his heritage, the promises of God and sold them for so little as a bowl of stew! Throughout the rest of the Scripture we find Esau (the nation Edom) condemned eternally in no uncertain terms. Jacob, the younger son, though a nasty rascal in his own right, ultimately finds forgiveness and he is eternally blessed. The love of a meal and the loss of heaven is a potent picture of the high cost of loving the things of this world above the things of God.

Dear Father, Strengthen me by Your Spirit to walk in pursuit of Your will and not my own desires. Amen. 

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Thy Will, Not Mine, Be Done

Lessons from Genesis – 12

“O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day.” Genesis 24:12 NKJV

Is God just another name for Santa Claus? Many people think so. False teachers tell their congregations that God has a bag of wealth for them tap into every day. Whatever you want, they say, just ask for it. Use the magic words, “In Jesus Name” and it’s yours. I read a sermon where the invitation was this, “How many of you want to be born again to a life of prosperity?” The Bible has some very harsh warnings for such false teachers. But, does that mean that God doesn’t answer prayer? No, but even Jesus taught that there was more to prayer than just asking for things.

In Genesis 24 we find that Abraham had sent his servant to get a bride for Isaac. The first thing we see about this servant is that he obeyed Abraham and went. A lot of our prayers would be more quickly answered if we were where God wanted us to be when we asked them. The servant was in the place where he was sent and being there he faithfully prayed for God’s blessing. As Paul was going on his second missionary journey he prayed for direction. As he was going, God gave him direction. These prayers were offered up for their Master’s glory, not the selfish ambition of the person praying. This part of Genesis 24 is just a small lesson in a big story, but it is a lesson from Genesis that we should not overlook.

Dear Father, Let the aim of my heart and prayer life be Your glory and not mine. Amen.

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Serving or Sitting

Lessons from Genesis – 11

“I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do.” John 14:12 NKJV

How many of us have ever been hired by an employer so that we could just sit on our hands all day and do nothing? How many players are selected for the team and told they are not expected to train or play? Who would get a sled dog and then have that dog sit on the sled while the owner pulled the sled? Paul told Titus that he was supposed to teach the people in his churches to be zealous for good works. Too many people have come to believe that we are to come to God simply to be served by Him. They hop from church to church trying to find that church that will serve them best. Genesis teaches a different idea.

In Genesis 22 God told Abraham to take his son, his only son Isaac, and go to the mountain and offer him as a sacrifice. You see, He told Abraham he was supposed to do something and it wasn’t an easy task. While it was a task unique to Abraham, it illustrates that God calls us to “do” and not to “sit”. We are to be His servants. Jesus told His disciples that they were to be servants. Paul told the Ephesians that “we are His workmanship created unto good works that He foreordained that we should walk in them.” Genesis makes it clear it wasn’t all going to be sugar and spice, it wasn’t going to be all easy sledding; God calls us to serve Him.

Dear Father, Help me remember each day that You have called me to service and to look to You for the strength to do it. Amen.

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