Author: pastortravislv

1 Kings 3:11-14 – And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
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What would you do if God gave you a blank check? What would you ask for if God told you you could have any one thing? Would you ask for money, fame, fortune, fun, or health? Would your request be noble or selfish?

When God came to Solomon in chapter 3 of 1 Kings, he offered Solomon one request. Solomon had the chance to ask for anything his heart desired, and he asked God for a wise heart so that he could faithfully govern the people. God’s response, which we read above, shows that God was pleased by the young king’s thinking. God was especially pleased with the way that Solomon thought in contrast with the way that many would think, greedily seeking earthly comforts.

In our day, there are no lack of preachers out there who declare that God wants his children to have everything they desire. These proclaimers of health, wealth, and prosperity declare all followers of Christ to be adopted children in the family of the King of kings—a true statement. They then reason that, since we are King’s kids, we are wealthy and should live as wealthy as royalty. They instruct their followers to simply name whatever they desire (nice car, fancy clothes, large house, etc.), and God, the King, will happily give such things to his adopted progeny.

I wonder if the preachers of prosperity gospels ever pay attention to how God responded to Solomon. Yes, I am sure they notice that Solomon got wealth and prosperity; but I wonder if they recognize that he did not ask for it. Health, wealth, and prosperity teachers preach the exact opposite of what God commends in Solomon’s request. God was pleased by the fact that Solomon did not ask him for money, power, or fame. God gave such things to Solomon for the express reason that Solomon was not seeking them. Solomon wanted to please God by ruling his people well, and God rewarded Solomon by granting his request for wisdom and adding in the fame, money, and power for the fun of it.

If you want happiness and joy from God, the way to receive them is not to seek possessions or comforts in this life from him. To seek the things that God has made before seeking God is idolatry, and God will not tolerate it. The way to have a joyful and full life is not to seek earthly treasure, but to seek God. Ask for the Creator, not is creation, and he will give you what you need. But recognize that you can not scheme a reward by tricking God. If your heart is set on earthly wealth, God is not going to be fooled by your worship, full of pretense. Your heart has to change, and your desire has to be the glory and majesty of God above all. The prosperity you seek needs to be eternal prosperity in his name.

Though many preach to us that we need simply name and claim our desires, they fail to preach to us the true gospel. God does not tell you to “name it and claim it.” He instead tells us to change our earthly, fleshly, sinful desires. He tells us to stop seeking earthly treasure, and seek his Kingdom and righteousness in its place (Matthew 6:33). So it is time for the people of God to let the false preachers of prosperity gospel know that what we really want is God’s will, preachers to preach the true gospel.

Lord, I pray that you will make me aware of any way in which my life is enslaved to a desire for earthly comforts or things. I want to seek you and your kingdom and righteousness. I want to please you by asking for wisdom, discernment, righteousness, and a faithful heart. I want to have you grant me the ability to follow you with everything that I have. I want to be able to serve you on this earth until my dying breath. I want the passion to share the true gospel with the lost, and to see the lost come to know you through Christ. I also pray that you will free your people from the false preachers of a man-centered, flesh-exalting prosperity gospel. Change the hearts of your people to hearts that seek you above any of the things you created. Do this, I pray, that your name might be exalted above all things.

Hosea 3:1 – And the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.”
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In normal marriage relationships, nothing is more devastating than the betrayal of a spouse. Husbands and wives who have experienced the pain, fear, and fury that comes with the knowledge that their beloved has been with another have gone through some of the most intense emotional pain humanly possible. Thus, it is fascinating that God would use this image so vividly in the book of Hosea.

Back in chapter 1, God commanded Hosea to marry a woman who would not be faithful. In chapter 2, God drew the parallel for the nation of Israel, depicting himself as the husband of an unfaithful wife. Now, in chapter 3, God sends Hosea to bring his wayward bride back home, just as God himself was planning to bring wayward Israel home to himself in spite of their betrayal of him.

The thing that we do not want to miss in this passage is the intensity of emotion that is tied to it. People really experience the emotional distress that comes when a spouse cheats on them. It is an intense, brutal pain. God knew that when he chose this language to describe our sin before him. For the people of God to willfully live lives of disobedience to him is for them to commit adultery against him. For those who name Jesus as Lord, but who treasure the world and its toys and entertainments above him, they are as a wayward spouse meeting her lover. And, let’s remember, lest Hollywood take over and destroy our understanding of this concept, that the woman is not an abused spouse running from an unloving husband to the arms of a gentle and caring man; but she who is depicted here is leaving the most loving, gentle, perfect spouse possible for a lowlife, abusive, selfish, and evil companion.

Yes, this is an ugly thought. But God chose an ugly illustration on purpose. He wants us to recognize our seeking of our pleasures apart from him and his glory as spiritual adulteries. When we desire the creation above its Creator, we commit a grievous sin. We must recognize this, otherwise we will fail to recognize the counterpoint to the ugliness.

What could possibly be beautiful in this passage? The answer is grace. God was not only telling Hosea of the adultery of Israel against him, he was commanding Hosea to let the nation know that he was going to bring her back. He was going to be gracious to Israel, even though Israel as a people had wronged him to the greatest level possible. Even though they had betrayed him ultimately, he would offer them love instead of the judgment they deserved. And God does the very same thing for us today. Though we have sinned against him greatly, even after many of us took his name by becoming believers in Christ, God is gracious to forgive us our sins and purify us from unrighteousness. The ugliness of what we have done to our God, the faithful spouse, serves to magnify the beauty and incredible nature of his grace toward us. No, we do not sin intentionally that grace may look more gracious, but we must recognize that our sin and its darkness magnifies Gods’ grace.

Dear Lord, I recognize through this passage that my sin is a very ugly thing indeed. You have been perfect to me, and I have treated you as a whoring wife. I am so sorry, Lord, for all of the ways that I have allowed my heart to seek this world and its vanities above you. I seek your grace, and I ask your forgiveness in Christ. I thank you that you have already declared that your grace is available for all who come to Jesus in faith and repentance. I thank you that your grace looks even more gracious in contrast to my past foolishness and sinfulness. I now pray that I will live to magnify your grace, not through sinning more that grace may abound, but by living in faithful covenant obedience to you for the sake of the glory of your name.

2 Samuel 22:29-32

29 For you are my lamp, O LORD,
and my God lightens my darkness.
30 For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
31 This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
32 “For who is God, but the LORD?
And who is a rock, except our God?
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It is verse 30 above which drew my attention to this particular passage in my reading this morning. David has clearly seen the LORD’s deliverance in a battle, and this psalm is his joy-filled response to God’s faithfulness. In the middle of the song, David declares that, if God was with him, he could attack an entire troop of soldiers on his own and be victorious. He could leap over a wall, if only God would be the one to lift him up.

The question that I feel myself asking in my heart is, “Do I believe that?” Do I really believe that, in God, I could charge a troop? Do I believe that, in God, I could leap over a tall building in a single bound? Do I truly believe that God can empower me, as his servant, to do all things as he gives me strength? I had better believe these things. I had better have such a view of God that says that all things are possible through him. Because, if I do not believe such things, I have a faith that does not honor the Lord.

David’s words above sound like the words of a fired up young believer. If I heard someone make such a declaration today, I would immediately think, “young Christian.” But this faith that God can do in my life and with my life anything he wants must not be something bound up with new Christianity. Instead, such a faith is bound up in real Christianity. Real faith in God believes that all things are possible for the one who is following the Lord. Real Christianity is not jaded by worldly thinking that limits what we believe God can do even through us.

The fact is, I feel refreshed and challenged as I read this passage this morning. God wants me to remember that, in his power, I can take on the world with the gospel. In his strength and for his glory, I can see lives, families, and nations changed. By his mighty hand, I can see a church that is vibrant and alive, actively seeking him and his kingdom before anything else. Nothing is impossible for our God except to act in opposition to his character. No deed is too difficult. No circumstance is impossible for him.

Dear Lord, I thank you for this passage this morning. Here, in your living and active, inspired and holy word, you remind me that all things are possible in you. You challenge me to open my heart to trust you to accomplish the supposedly impossible. You truly are God, and no one can stand in your way. You are able to accomplish your will, because you have the power to do anything. Please forgive me for living even a single moment without the strong confidence that David displayed in these verses. Forgive me for allowing my heart to be captured by the dull thinking of this world and what the flesh believes is possible. Please break me out of such a mold, that I might declare with David that in you, I can leap over a wall, pull down a tower, charge an army, and depopulate hell for your kingdom’s sake.

Mark 8:23-25 – And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see men, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

Mark 8:31-33 – And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
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In the account of Jesus healing the blind man, I think there is more present than a simple miracle. Without question, we must never overlook the fact that Jesus had the power to do things that no human being has the power to do. He could heal diseases that no physician of his day could heal. He has the power to do anything, because Jesus is God, and he has all the power of God. But, the reason that I say that there is more here is because Jesus intentionally healed the man partially, and then he healed him completely. The question is, why?

Right after Jesus healed the blind man, he took his disciples aside and asked them who the world and they believe that he is. Peter is the one of the disciples who first answered that Jesus is the Christ, God’s promised anointed one. Then, after the disciples knew Jesus to be the Christ, Jesus explained to them that, as the Christ, he would be rejected and put to death.

Peter, for his part, then took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him as we see above. Peter did not want to hear Jesus talking about death, because Jesus is the Christ. Peter believed with all his heart that Jesus was the Christ. His problem is that he did not understand that the first calling of the Christ is not to sit on David’s throne and rule forever, but the first calling of the Messiah is to die for the sins of those who would be in his kingdom as God described in Isaiah 53. Peter rebuked Jesus, because Peter could not see God’s real plan. He was thinking about a spiritual matter from a worldly perspective.

Notice, before we apply the previous point, that Jesus rebukes Peter, but only after he turned and saw his other disciples listening in on the conversation. I wonder if Jesus would not have been able to be more gentle with Peter were there not a danger that Peter’s presumptuous words would lead astray the others following Jesus?

Now, how does the miracle with the blind man connect to this passage, and how does this passage connect with our lives? I think the two-part healing of the blind man is symbolic of two levels of understanding. Peter was about to see Jesus as the Christ, but he was going to miss completely the purpose of the Christ. This was just like the blind man seeing people, but not seeing them clearly and needing another healing. The fact is, it is very important for you to know God’s word well, and to prayerfully seek to know God’s will in his word. His purposes are important, and we can miss them if we are not careful. Those who believe that Jesus exists to meet our unmet needs and to give us a happier life may be partially right, but are really deeply missing the purpose of Christ to save us from sin and to bring glory to his own name. Let us not assume we know the purposes of God without seeing those purposes revealed with clarity in his holy and inspired word.

We also need to learn, from Jesus’ rebuke of Peter, not to think with a this-worldly focus. Peter could not imagine Jesus suffering and giving up his life. Many today can not imagine that God would ever want them to suffer or give up their lives. However, as we would see if we read the next paragraph of scripture, God’s call to his followers is a call to give up their lives here on earth. We do not live for this world or its comforts. We do not live to keep ourselves safe. We give up our lives in this world, and we gain from Christ life eternal in his eternal kingdom. Such a way of living, living the call to die, is totally contrary to the mindset of the flesh. We need Jesus to open our eyes, and to open them completely, in order that we can see the beauty in his call to turn from this life toward eternal life in him.

Lord, I come to you this morning, and I pray that you would open my spiritual eyes, and not just halfway. I ask that you would make my heart see the truth of your plan in your word. I ask that you would help me to recognize the beauty of the call to die, to give up my life here for a better eternal life. Jesus, I thank you for coming, not just to rule, but to die as the sacrifice for my sins. I look forward to the day when you will return to reign. I pray that you will set my heart on that day, and let me live in the hope of your coming kingdom instead of living for the comforts of this life. I desire to honor you, not to require your rebuke for thinking with half-opened eyes. Open my eyes, that I might see you and your will in your word for your glory.

Mark 8:15-18 – And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?”
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This exchange between Jesus and his disciples came after two important events: Jesus’ feeding of the 4,000 with 7 loaves and his encounter with the sign-seeking Pharisees. When Jesus tried to warn his disciples against the infectious and ungodly thinking of a generation that was seeking self-satisfaction over the truth of God, the disciples got lost in his metaphor about leaven. They began to worry about the fact that they only had one loaf of bread for the 13 of them.

Jesus’ response to the disciples looks a bit hard, and it rightly should have been. The disciples had already seen Jesus feed 5,000 with 5 loaves and 4,000 with 7 loaves. They should have known better than to think that they might run out of bread for the trip. Thus, Jesus rebukes them for being blind in their hearts to truth.

What strikes me is his asking them “Do you not remember?” and “Do you not understand?” This should strike us all. When we forsake the will of God for temporal pleasures, cultural norms, or the approval of men, should we not say to ourselves, “Do you not remember?” When we get caught up in worry about how we will make it from day to day, should we not ask our selves, “Do you not understand?” When we fail to view this life through the lens of the glory, power, provision, and goodness of God, we have failed to remember and understand everything that is important. We will dramatically misinterpret our circumstances if we view them outside of the plans and purposes of God.

Next time you find yourself tempted to give into cultural pressures or to try to rationalize your way out of a right action, remember. Remember that God made you, bought you at a price, loves you deeply, knows what is truly best, and is the only one who can truly satisfy your soul. Next time you are tempted to despair, remember that Jesus died to purchase your relationship with God, that God has made you his child, that God is good, and that God is certainly strong enough to overcome your greatest struggle. Next time you find yourself drawn into the world’s mold of selfishness, victim mentality, or relativistic morality, remember that God is the one who defines righteousness, who judges all humanity, who knows your heart, and who is the one for whom the universe exists.

While I do not want to belabor the point, I believe that to stop without repeating this call would be unfruitful for those who read it. Add the question, “Do I remember,” to your vocabulary. If you do not actually change the way that you think and the way that you talk to yourself, you will not actually change. When you get angry, frustrated, afraid, depressed, or disillusioned, ask yourself, even aloud if necessary, “Do I remember,” or “Do I understand?” Ask, “Am I remembering the truth of the gospel and the character of God?” Inquire, “Have I understood God’s sovereignty and his purposes in my situation?” find out, “Am I remembering truth more than feeling emotion?” then, return to God, remember what is true, understand his word, and let him change you and your actions and attitudes from the inside out.

Dear Lord, I recognize that I so often fail to remember the truth. I pray, however, that you will remind me every day. Help me to remember you by looking into your word. Prompt me, by your Holy Spirit, to understand and remember what is real in place of the false and worldly thinking that endeavors to dominate my mind. Help me to remember, and to take captive every evil and ungodly thought. Help me to honor you by thinking with an eternal perspective.

Mark 7:6-8 – And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”
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The teachers of the law had spoken out against Jesus for the way in which his disciples did not follow their traditions. Jesus’ disciples did not do the ceremonial washings in the way that the Jewish teachers wanted them to. They thought that this impugned the character of Jesus, but it was something that Jesus used to display the empty hearts of the teachers.

In his response to the teachers, Jesus pointed out that they eagerly set aside the commandments of God to follow the traditions of men. While they claimed to follow God, they would actually reject God’s word in order to follow religious-looking teaching that fit into their culture. In doing so, these men dishonored God greatly by rejecting his authority for that of their traditions.

Today, we think of ourselves as far removed from such a failure as we see in the Jewish leadership. We think that we are most certainly not the kinds of people who would reject God’s commandments for the sake of traditional ceremonial religion. But, if we examine our own lives and hearts, we will see that we need to hear this rebuke from Jesus as sharply as did the Jewish teachers. It is very tempting and very easy to blindly follow man-made tradition while ignoring the scriptures.

One example that I will give of men ignoring the word of God for our own traditions and beliefs comes in the field of my study, biblical counseling. It is very common to see, in the church, the people of God actually deny the power of God to change lives. Often Christians believe the lie that the word of God lacks the power to help someone who has a “real” problem. “Sure,” they say, “the Bible is helpful for those who need a little relationship advice, or who have a ‘religious’ problem. But let’s not think that we can send someone who is addicted to alcohol or who is actually depressed to only the Bible for help.” The statement of such people almost looks logical, but it denies the fact that God has given to us in his divine revelation (the word of God) and his Holy Spirit everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). The word of God tells us that it, the Bible, is useful—not useless—to make the person of God adequate and equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16). In contrast, the secular systems to which we are tempted to turn for help for those with “real” problems deny much of what the scripture teaches about the power of God, the sinfulness of man, and the way that people are made whole. Thus, to attempt to “fix” someone without turning to the word of God to see what a whole person should look like or to see how God commands that person to be made whole is to follow the tradition of men above the word of God.

Of course, not everybody is ready to think of counseling as a legitimate example of how we follow the traditions of men above the word of God, but there are other good examples too. Another example is in the way many people fail to take any sort of rest from labor as God commands. While I do not want to become legalistic about Sabbath regulations, I recognize that God commanded his people to live by a pattern of six days of work and one day of rest. This was included in the Ten Commandments, God’s covenant contract with Israel, along with nine other commands that we eagerly affirm as still applicable for good Christian living. How, then, do we live lives full of 7-day work weeks with no day set aside for rest and reflection on God? The way that we do this is that we have denied the word of God for our current cultural traditions. Such traditions and worldly thinking include a valuing of material possessions over obedience to God, a lack of trust in God to provide for our needs if we should rest once per week, and a selfish preoccupation with our own little worlds above a right focus on the glory of God above all things.

I asked my wife for a third example, and she brought to my attention the way that people reject God’s standards for family living for the cultural norms of the modern day. God’s word makes it clear what the roles of husbands and wives should look like in Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3. God has challenged men to exercise Christlike servant leadership in their homes. He has called women to follow their husbands as a picture to the world of the way the church follows the self-sacrificial leadership of Jesus Christ. Such roles, however, are not socially acceptable in our modern cultures, and so many Christians reject the word of God for the sake of new man-made traditions of how the family should be defined.

The fact is, we could find a thousand other examples of how we reject God’s word for the traditions of men. Every time we sin, but excuse our sin away with thoughts of what people do as opposed to what the word of God says, we deny God’s word for the traditions of men. Let’s be honest, it is easy and it is tempting. However, it is time that we put a stop to it. It is time that we live by the word of God alone as our guide for how to live rightly. The wisdom of the world, though it may look logical and progressive, is not the way that we are made right before a holy God. Instead, though it may seem right, it leads to death (Proverbs 14:12).

Dear Lord, I come to you this morning, and I ask that you will continue the work that you are already doing in my heart. Please help my life to be completely reoriented. May I learn to follow your word, and never to bow to the traditions of men who neither know you nor love you. I desire to glorify your name by obeying your word, even when that word is different than what is prescribed by cultural norms. Lord, I acknowledge that your word is everything that I need to know you. It is perfect, without error. Your word contains in it everything I need for righteous living. Please help me to live righteously by it for the sake of your name and your glory.

Daniel 3:16-18 – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
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If I were asked to make a list of the most inspirational accounts in all of the holy scriptures, this one would be very close to the top of the list. This account is that of three young men who stood their ground for the glory of God in the face of a godless king. They were never disrespectful. They were always faithful to God. They believed God could deliver them And, they were ready to deal with it if he did not deliver them.

After the king ordered that everyone present bow down and worship thee idol he had set up, these three young men, perhaps teens, though that is hardly for sure, refused to disobey the command of God not to bow down to any image. They refused to worship the king’s statue, and thus put themselves in a precarious position.

When the king addressed these men, giving them a second chance to do what he had commanded, they responded with the words we read above. What strikes me in their response is the phrase “but if not.” They knew that the God who created the world, who had established the nations, who set the stars in place could most certainly take care of them. They understood that God would have no difficulty in rescuing them from the hand of the king, though they likely did not know exactly how God would do that. However, though they knew God was able to deliver them, they did not know whether or not he would. They trusted in God, and fully had faith in his ability, but they were not presumptuous, assuming that they could say what God might choose to do. But, they were ready to die if that were necessary, rather than dishonoring God’s name by bowing to the statue.

First of two things we need to take away from this account is that we, like these three young men, dare not assume what God will do. If God has not specifically revealed it in the scriptures, we must not think that we can read his mind. For example, we know that God will never again destroy the earth by a flood, because he revealed it in the scriptures. However, we can not assume that God will not let flood waters overtake a city or two, as we have no divine revelation in that direction. We know that Jesus will return someday, because it is revealed in God’s word. We do not know, however, what that day will be. We know that God has the power to heal any diseases, as we saw in each of the Gospels; but we dare not assume that we know whether or not he will choose to heal anyone that we know today. God does not let us presume to know his will. We only know that what he will do is best. So, let us not assume we know what he will do. Let us say that he is able to deliver, but if he does not, we still will follow him.

The second thing is what followed the “but if not.” These three men were not willing to sin against God, regardless of the outcome. So many of us are the kind of people who think we have the right to sin against God if things are not going our way. “I know I said things I shouldn’t have said, but I was really upset,” we rationalize. “I know this is wrong to do, but I deserve a break,” we excuse our selves. Let us be clear, there is no excuse for us to sin against our God. His word is perfect. His law is perfect. His ways are perfect. We never have the right to sin against him, even if that sin would keep us out of trouble. Instead, we need to follow God’s will, and trust him for the outcome. And, let me be clear, that does not mean that the outcome will be easy. The “but if not” means that we may suffer because of our willingness to follow God and to not bow to the idols of the world. We may be hurt, tortured, scorned, ridiculed, or killed for the simple fact that we will not bow to what the world has set up. But let us remember that it is better to be tortured, scorned, ridiculed, or killed than it is to sin against our God who made us and who saved us.

Dear Lord, I have a deep desire to be like these three young men. No, I do not want to suffer or be put in a situation where I have to make a life or death decision. However, I want the kind of character that would make the right statement were I placed in that predicament. I pray that you will help me to choose always to risk danger above sinning against you. help me also not to assume I know your secret plans, because that is presumptuous and dishonoring to you. Help me to trust you, and to willingly suffer if that be your will. I most want to honor you. Please help me do that.