Category: devotional

Genesis 3:4-7 (ESV)

4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

 

                When reading through this passage, I found myself thinking about movies and novels that I have enjoyed, and a strange theme emerged. It is not at all uncommon to read a book or watch a movie and to find the plot revolving around issues of knowledge or truth. Often an author will make the crux of a story an individual’s right to the truth. Characters will fight against some sort of evil dictator in order to gain their freedom or to know the truth, regardless of what that truth is.

 

                Interestingly, as we look at Genesis 3, the plot of a thousand movies unfolds, but it does not go the way that Hollywood often portrays it. While the woman rebels against the one in authority, seemingly for the sake of knowledge or truth, things do not end happily ever after. Instead, the woman and her husband lose more than they could have ever imagined by demanding their perceived right to knowledge, truth, and freedom.

 

                We live among people who believe that personal autonomy, personal knowledge, and free will are the greatest goods to be desired. However, if we see the truth of Genesis 3, we cannot assume that knowledge and freedom and autonomy are always good things. On the contrary, God had given Adam and Eve a perfect place to live. No, he did not give them all knowledge—especially not knowledge of evil. However, the people were not happy to receive perfection from God. Instead, they chose to reach for a truth that was not their right. In doing so, they plunged humanity into death, darkness, and misery.

 

                As the Scriptures open to us this year, let us see that God is the ultimate good. He is better than mere truth, though he is truth. He is better than mere freedom, though he sets us free indeed. Let us not think, not for even one moment, that good will ever come to us for rebelling against him. If God limits our knowledge or our freedom, he does what is good. If we battle against him, we will be the less for it. Let us surrender our lives to the Lord who made us, who owns us, and who knows far better than us what freedom and knowledge we need.

Luke 10:8-11 – 8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’

 

                Jesus commanded his disciples to go to nearby towns to preach the gospel and heal the sick. As they went, the people could respond to Jesus in one of two ways, which is always the case. They could choose to believe the message of the disciples and repent, or they could choose to ignore the message of the disciples.

 

                What caught my attention as I read through this is the similarity of the proclamation. If the people turned from their sins and believed, they would hear from the disciples that the Kingdom of God has come. But, if they choose to ignore God’s grace, the message is the same, the Kingdom of God has still come.

 

                Here is what strikes me this morning. It is not the acceptance or rejection of God’s grace that brings the Kingdom of God. God brings the Kingdom. Those who are under God’s grace will have joy and mercy in the Kingdom. Those who, however, reject God’s grace are still going to experience the same coming of the Kingdom. For them, however, it will not be mercy but judgment.

 

                One falsehood that is often portrayed in our culture is that of God needing the faith of people to gain strength. This is not, however, the God of the Bible. God is not benefitted by our acceptance of his grace. God’s Kingdom will come, and has come, with or without our faith or our help. We have been honored by God to be allowed to join him in his eternal plan. But let us make no mistake in thinking that without us his Kingdom will not come.

 

                I’m not saying that there is no reason for us to work for God. Nor am I saying that God does not consider us important. He has stamped us with his image, and that is valuable beyond words. The point is simply that God’s Kingdom has come in Christ and will ultimately come in Christ. If you are under his grace, God’s Kingdom will be joy and eternal life for you. If you do not have God’s grace, his Kingdom will be eternal judgment for you. If you are still alive, you still have time to get under his grace, believe and repent.

 

                I think an appropriate response to this passage is to praise God for the amazing glory of his Kingdom. It is good to know that pockets of worldly resistance are not preventing God from accomplishing his plan. God is far more glorious than that. He will be glorified. His will is going to be done. His Kingdom cannot be thwarted by the faith of men or the lack thereof. Praise be to such a mighty and awesome God.

Luke 4:5-8 – 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written,

“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God,

and him only shall you serve.’ ”

 

       Ponder the above temptation. The devil offers Jesus every kingdom in the world all at once. All he wants from Jesus is one momentary compromise. Jesus can have all the pleasures, all the treasures, all the honors those kingdoms can afford. All he needs to do is bow to Satan just once.

 

       Of course we know that Jesus would not give into that temptation. Looking at it from our perspective, knowing who Jesus is and what was his mission, we are not surprised that he passed this test. He is perfect. He is God. He came to seek and save the lost. He would have all the kingdoms of the world eventually.

 

       So, to rightly grasp the surprise, put yourself in this picture. What if Satan came to you and offered you every kingdom in the world? What if he offered you every power, every pleasure, and all the prestige the world had to offer. Would you go for it even if it cost you your soul?

 

       Of course we say that we would stand up to the temptation, but do we? Satan often offers us pleasures, little tiny ones, and we bow to him, sinning against God to get them. These are the temptations to improper relationships, sneaky financial dealings, hidden gossip, unrighteous entertainment, gluttony, and so much more. One little pleasure is dangled before us. We know better. But, if we fail to have a God-centered, Scripture-filled, eternal perspective on our lives and our souls and our mission, we fail.

 

       May we learn from our Savior who overcame our temptation. He was perfect where we will never be. We want to walk like Jesus. We want to avoid and battle temptation. We also need to thank Jesus that he took our punishment for our failure and gives us God’s Spirit to defeat our temptation.

Luke 1:18-20 – 18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”

 

Luke 1:34-38 – 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

 

            Strange, isn’t it, that Zechariah and Mary both have questions for the angel Gabriel, but the questions have drastically different results when asked. When Zechariah asked Gabriel his question, Gabriel rebukes him and tells him that he will be unable to speak until Gabriel’s words come to pass. When Mary asks her question, Gabriel gives her a simple answer.

 

            A truth here to learn is that there are good questions and bad ones. God will respond with discipline for the bad ones and with grace to the good ones.

 

            When Zechariah heard from Gabriel that his wife was going to have a baby, his question was one of doubt. “How can this be?” Zechariah thought it to be impossible for God to miraculously give him a child in his old age. His question was akin to saying, “No way.” Gabriel answers Zechariah with rebuke for his unbelief.

 

            When Mary asked her question, it was more one of logistics than of doubt. Mary knew how babies were conceived. He also knew that she had not done anything to get a baby herself. So, how was she to have this child? No doubt is here, just curiosity as to what she was to do. Gabriel answers her with the promise of the miracle of Jesus’ conception and virgin birth.

 

            What kinds of questions do you have for God? Are you simply curious as to how you should follow your Lord? Do you ask in wonder, longing to know more of how God will accomplish is glorious plan? Or are you more like Zechariah, asking questions laced with doubt, with unbelief, with “Prove it” written all over them? We dishonor God when we stand before him and demand p-roof. We honor God when we stand before him believing, even when we cannot figure out all the details.

Luke 5:8

 

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

 

            God is Holy. We know this; we sing it. We call the Bible the “Holy Bible.” Yet, when it comes right down to it, our grasp of the holy is not what we see in Scripture.

 

            Take as one example the response of Peter to Jesus. When Peter recognizes that Jesus is different, superior, holy, Peter’s response to Jesus is not to shrug his shoulders and move on. Neither is it to say to his friends, “Look at Jesus. Isn’t he cool?” No, when Peter saw the truth that Jesus is holy, completely different than Peter, a sinful man, Peter was terrified. He begged Jesus to leave him. Why? Peter knew that, compared to his sin, Jesus was infinitely above him, completely beyond him. Peter knew that, to be exposed to such holiness would be deadly to a sinful man, and thus he was terrified.

 

            By God’s grace, we do not have to fear for our souls every time we consider his holiness. In Christ, we may approach God with confidence (Eph 3:12). However, the holiness of God should still cause us to tremble and to be in awe of the fact that a holy God would allow us to know him, to speak his name, to hear his word, to sing his praise.

 

            Let’s face it, we are all sinners. We deserve to be consumed by God’s holy wrath. Every last one of us has done wrong, thought wrong, or failed to do what was perfectly right. God’s infinite holiness should destroy us were it not for the grace that he has granted us in Christ. Today would be a very good day to remember this truth, to tremble at God’s holiness, and to praise him for the marvelous redemption that he has given us in Jesus.

2 Chronicles 36:22-23 (ESV)

22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: 23 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up.’”

 

        Before considering the words above, picture the context. For 70 years, your nation has been under the thumb of the Babylonian Empire. For 50 years, your temple has been nothing but a mound of rubble. For as far back as most of your people can remember, all that you have known is that you are under the rule of men who do not serve your God. You have no military strength to even consider freeing yourself from the hand of your oppressors. It appears hopeless.

 

        What happens? God puts a thought in the mind of the latest king. Cyrus the Persian has come to power. Babylon has fallen. What does Cyrus decide to do? He decides to send back any of the Jews who want to go. He sends them to Jerusalem on a mission. He tells them to rebuild the temple of God, and he even offers to fund the project. In that one simple command, a lifetime’s impossibility falls away as God shows that he can use even the thoughts of pagan kings to accomplish his glorious will.

 

        Here we sit. It is the 21^st century. O how things look hopeless. Our nation is sliding further and further from God and toward immorality. Is it even possible that God could do something to change things? Can God rescue the US? Can God redeem post-Christian western Europe? Can God reach the Muslim nations and the Communist nations of this world? Can God reach over-comfortable, white-collar Americans? Can God reach the inner cities and the rural towns?

 

        Look what God did through Cyrus. Of course God can change the world. He has the power to do anything he wants. God can set things right. In fact, he will do so. We need not despair. Instead, we need to trust him. We need to work to build his kingdom for the glory of Christ. We need to realize that God will never fail. No nation is beyond his reach. No kingdom is out of his ability to rescue. No person, no family, no state, no city is beyond God’s ability to bring under his control and use for his glory.

 

        Be encouraged, Christians. God will not lose. He can save anybody. He can change anybody. He can put in place laws that will honor him. He can bring judgment when it most glorifies him. God is unstoppable. Let us trust him and confidently obey him for all of our days.

Jeremiah 44:16-18

 

16 “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not listen to you. 17 But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster. 18 But since we left off making offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.”

 

            How do you determine right and wrong? How do you determine the will of God? Is it by circumstances? Do you look at what parallels with success and assume it to always be the right thing?

 

            In Jeremiah 44, we see a strange scene. The people of Judah have taken Jeremiah with them in their flight to Egypt. Even though God clearly commanded the people not to leave the land, they refused his commands and left for a place they felt was safer. While in Egypt, Jeremiah commanded the people to stop worshipping a false goddess, the “queen of heaven.” But, as we read above, the people did not listen.

 

            What would cause people who should have been the people of God to worship a false goddess? The answer is success. When the people were doing exactly what the Lord commanded them not to do, their lives were easy. When they were obeying god to whatever level they ever actually obeyed the Lord, they found life to be hard. So, they concluded that the right thing, the smart thing, the good thing was to refuse to worship God and to instead keep up their worship of the false goddess.

 

            While it is good not to be in the situation of those people who worshipped the goddess, it is also tempting today to follow the path of least resistance. It is easy to assume that success means that we are doing the right thing. Be careful. Often, for a time, doing what dishonors God will give a short-term success. Churches sometimes grow in numbers when they compromise. Parents who allow their children to dishonor God sometimes have less conflict with their kids. Sometimes it is easier in life not to tell the truth. But, if we are not careful, we will find ourselves like the people of Judah, led completely away from following God by apparent, short-term success.

 

            The truth is, following God has always been hard. Jesus promised us persecution if we would truly stand for him. Sometimes it requires us to take the harder road, the less obviously successful road, in order to truly obey the commands of God and glorify him. By walking the harder path, we may indeed find that we honor God more and give him greater glory as we show that he and not worldly success is our desire.

Jared Wilson cites John Piper’s powerful advice on how to make your preaching interesting.

 

Wisdom for Life has some very helpful guidelines for thoughtful Christians to consider as they use social media like Facebook. HT: Challies

 

John Nielson has some spot-on things to say to parents and churches about the discipleship of young people.

 

Brad Andrews, guest posting at Vitamin Z, shares with us 30 ways to live missionally at your workplace.

Jeremiah 17:9-10

 

9 The heart is deceitful above all things,

and desperately sick;

who can understand it?

10 “I the Lord search the heart

and test the mind,

to give every man according to his ways,

according to the fruit of his deeds.”

 

            It’s funny what happens to a person as he grows older. I find myself watching little Disney movies with my children and catching the rhetoric and worldview behind the films. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the Lion King and all the rest, but there is something strange to seeing the worldview being espoused in so much of what entertains us.

 

            One part of the worldview that is generally put forth in any movie is the counsel, “Just follow your heart.” Almost any child’s movie, at one point or another, tells the young one to do what his or her heart tells him or her to do. It seems like such safe, such wise advice. But, dear me, it is not.

 

            Gods’ word reminds us that the heart of man is deceitful, desperately sick. No man knows his own heart. No woman grasps the sickness that lies therein. No child understands how his or her little heart has been darkened by the influence of sin. The fact is, the human heart is not trustworthy; it makes a terrible guide.

 

            God knows our hearts. He can rightly judge us by both our actions and our hearts’ intents. However, this judgment does not help us. We do not even know how wicked our hearts are. We do not even recognize that, when we think we are doing things for good motives, our hearts convict us.

 

            Christians, while God has made our old and dead hearts alive, we need to recognize that our hearts still often harbor sin. We need God’s word to speak truth into them. We cannot be guided by our hearts alone. We must be guided by God’s word. There is no sin and no darkness in the word of God. It is perfect and able to make us equipped for every good work. Do not follow your heart unless your heart is first following the clear revelation of God found in his holy word.

Bill Mounce takes a look at “missing verses” and offers a very simple and clear explanation as to why certain verses do not appear in modern translations of Scripture. HT: Challies

 

Chris Castaldo writes a helpful piece discussing why evangelicals and Catholics ought not date or marry. HT: Thabiti Anyabwile

 

Doug Wolter posting at Vitamin Z’s site challenges parents to remember to communicate the gospel with their children, even when correcting them.

 

John Piper uses C.S. Lewis to remind parents not to provoke children to wrath.