Judges 7:2
The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’
Have you ever thought that God simply must do something in the way that you expect? One might think that, after a little time spent in God’s word, we would remember that we do not often get these guesses right. Looking at this passages in Judges is certainly one way to remember that God works in ways that we would not predict.
The statistics do not work well in Gideon’s favor from the beginning. There are 135,000 men set up against his 32,000. But then God tells Gideon that this group is too large (the good guys not the bad guys) for God to deliver Israel. So, God then whittles the Israelite force down to 10,000, a ratio of 13.5 to 1. Then, in the strangest move ever, God shrinks the Israelite force down to only 300 men. What in the world! Three hundred men against 135,000? That’s a ratio of 450 to 1—not winning odds.
But, God is amazing. He does things in ways we do not expect. God was not interested in simply giving Israel a military victory—that would have been too easy. No, God is interested in his top priority, his own glory. God will not allow his glory to be taken by a strong Israelite force. So, God uses only 1 out of every 107 volunteers to take on the enemy. And, God wins. God does the impossible. And in doing so, God gets all the glory.
Is your church too small? Is your family too messed up? Is your past too much to overcome? Not for God. He can rout an army with a tiny band of men. He can KO giants with small young men. He can make the sun stand still, part the sea, put a stop to rivers, and shake the mountains. God can do anything. Don’t be surprised if God might choose to use even you, in all your weakness; because using you might just be the thing that will give God the most glory.
Intermarriage, Glory, Purity, Joy, and T4G (Joshua 23:11-13)
Joshua 23:11-13 (ESV)
11 Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. 12 For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, 13 know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.
Throughout the Old Testament, God constantly reminded Israel not to intermarry with the peoples of the land. This call from God had nothing to do with modern racism, putting people down simply because of their ethnicity. Instead, God’s call not to intermarry with the people of the land was always focused on the fact that the people of the land worshipped false gods and those marriages would lead God’s people astray.
My thoughts this evening [last Saturday] are not so much focused on marriage. This is strange, as I’m actually in my van on the way home from a wedding. So, perhaps I’m just weddinged out.
Without pondering weddings, then, is there anything we can learn from the text above? How about this: God told the people that, were they to intermarry, they would be led astray and lose the favor of God that they had been experiencing. If they were to bring pagan living into their households, they were going to make themselves enemies of God. Thus, bringing false religion into their homes was tantamount to declaring war on God.
OK, here comes the pointed application—ready? What do you allow into your life on a daily basis that has the potential to lead you away from God? What do you, by your own choice, bring into your life that will dampen your love of God and your commitment to his glory first and foremost?
We live in such a culture of false beliefs, false religion, false sources of joy that it is almost impossible not to be tainted or corrupted by the faulty values espoused. Whether it is entertainment or simply the newspaper, the culture we live in sets itself in opposition to God and his law. If we allow ourselves to remain immersed in the bad thinking of the culture, we will be led astray just as much as were the Israelites who eventually intermarried with the pagans of the land.
What can you do to fix this? You cannot remove yourself from the world; you have to live here. You cannot avoid all bad input. However, you can be careful, think clearly, and set important guards up in your life to help you to avoid being led to think like the world. Besides avoiding evil, the positive side of this is to regularly fill your mind with that which honors God. Think on that which is honoring to God, and you will find yourself not enjoying the filth of the world (Phil 4:8).
[Six Days later]
Now I’m home from Together for the Gospel, and I have seen even more of the truth of my above thoughts. O how wonderful it was to take 3 days of life to be with 7,000 friends, all of whom were singing with gusto the doctrinally-driven, emotionally-rich, glory-filled praises of the Lord. We sang. We heard the word of God preached again and again and again. We talked about gospel things. As we did all of this, the darker influences of the world, the coarse humor, the sinful desires, they seemed to fade away. It was as if we who are believers were going into detox and finding ourselves cleansed, refilled with gospel joy, and set loose to bring this joy back to our churches. Christians, you will find joy as you turn from evil and fill your heart, set your mind, on that which glorifies the Lord.
An argument for the Authenticity of the Scripture (Mark 3:20-22)
Mark 3:20-22
20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.”
Here is one interesting little authenticator of the Scripture. You might have read in conspiracy-theorizing fiction (think The Da Vinci Code) that the Bible was actually written by liars who wanted to make Jesus look super good and give power to the early church. However, what we see happening right here in Mark 3 simply does not fit with such a conspiracy.
In verses 20-21, we see Mark tell us that Jesus’ own family thought he was nuts. In verse 22, we see that Mark then tells us that the most prominent religious thinkers of Jesus’ day called him demon-possessed. Simply put, if an author was trying to spin a yarn about Jesus being more than he actually claimed to be, they would not have written these things down for future consumption. The questioning nature of Jesus’ own family and the Pharisees is evidence that Mark’s gospel was written, not by a man who was attempting to convince us of something false, but rather by someone who wanted to communicate the facts, regardless of the light they shed on the characters in the narrative.
Of course a good conspiracy theorist might argue that this authenticating device is exactly the tricky little thing. Maybe Mark planted this ugly little passage in order to throw his detractors off the trail. The problem is, in those days, people simply didn’t’ write like that or think like that. It is a decidedly modern writing style that brings realistic twists and red herrings into the plot of fiction to make it look more realistic. Such devices simply were not used at the time that the biblical authors wrote. We must not translate Dan Brown’s writing style back into the first century A.D.; it just will not fit there.
By the way, I’m not mad at Dan Brown for writing a piece of fiction. I see the undo harm that books like Brown’s can do to the faith of the naive, but I do not expect anything different from a lost world that loves its conspiracies. However, an author that will raise such questions about the Son of God must repent of this and embrace Christ to be forgiven—just as all people must repent of sin and embrace Christ to be forgiven.
The point I want to make is only this: Mark’s gospel shows us clearly that it is not a sneaky little fiction designed to deceive its readers. The Marks of Mark’s writing (clever huh?) are marks of truth and authenticity. Mark would not have allowed negative light to be cast on Jesus from his family if Mark did not believe what he was writing to be true—every bit.
Good Things Gone Bad (1 Corinthians 6:12)
1 Corinthians 6:12 (ESV)
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything.
Sometimes we wish that God would have given us a list of things that are permissible and things that are not so that we would have no doubts. If we had a nice little IPod app that would allow us to look up our exact circumstances and situation so that we knew what was OK with God, we think our lives would be easier. Maybe that would have made life easier; maybe not. Either way, God did not give us an encyclopedia of situations with laws for every possible permutation. Instead, God gave us his holy word, and that is sufficient for everything we need.
Think, for example, about the text above. While it does not necessarily give us specifics on every situation in life, the verse above is extremely helpful in knowing what is acceptable for us as Christians. IN fact, the verse above leaves the door open for something to be OK for one Christian while not being OK for another. The rule is, do not be enslaved by anything.
Let’s avoid, at this point, the discussion of substances that are potentially physically addictive. That opens up a can of worms that we need not address to gain glorious truth from the verse above. Instead, let’s simply apply one standard of measure for life. Something is bad for you, enslaving to you, if one of the two following statements is true of you:
· Are you willing to sin to get what you want?
· Are you going to sin if you do not get what you want?
If either of the above is true, the item in question, whatever it may be , is a sinful thing for you.
Now, take those points, and apply them in areas other than smoking, drinking, or whatever we like to immediately put on the “bad” list. A young couple could be sinfully enslaved to the desire to have a child. That desire could actually become a sinful idol, an obsession that the couple is willing to sin to achieve. It is possible that the couple might even try giving God an ultimatum, saying they will only continue to follow him if he grants this one request. Either way, the couple has been enslaved by a desire for something that is generally good, but which in their case has become a trap for them.
Try another situation. Pastors want their churches to grow. We want numbers of people. We want to see people saved. We want to raise funds to send money to missions. We want to be influencing on our communities. Are we willing to sin to achieve this end? O I hope not. Are we going to sin if our desires are not met? Again, I hope not. Yet many in the clergy are willing to compromise to get numbers and are willing to comfort themselves with inappropriate things if their desires are not met.
We should be able to take the two points above along with 1 Corinthians 6:12 to examine just about anything in our lives. It might be lawful, but it might not be profitable. IT might be OK for some, but not for you. It might be that you need to ask God to temper your desires, as your want for something good could easily turn into a God-dishonoring lust. Make sure that God and his glory is your number one priority. Set your mind and heart on him, and be sure that nothing on earth, not even a good thing, enslaves you.
The Tooth Fairy and the Gospel (Psalm 78:5-8)
Psalm 78:5-8
5 He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
6 that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.
Wednesday, I saw a Facebook post from a friend of mine. It seems that his daughter, corrupted by a sappy cartoon, had stolen her sister’s recently pulled teeth in hopes of waking up with a bed full of cash. The funny thing about this story is that this family has intentionally refused to initiate their children into the belief in a tooth fairy. Much like my own decision in my household about Santa, my friend and his wife have decided never to tell their children that something is real when it is really not. This does much for his credibility for his future communication with his girls about something that is real, though invisible.
What fascinates me is how commenter’s on my friend’s Facebook page have gotten all over him. How dare he rob his kids of the joy of quarters under the pillow? How dare he not give his children that normal fairy tale—a part of every normal child’s life? Doesn’t he want his kids to be happy? Doesn’t’ he want his kids to be normal?
Then I read the above passage from Psalm 78. Let’s get a little perspective from it. God has given his children his word. God has told us what he has done. God has given us his law so that we might know how to follow him, how to please him, how to be saved by his grace through faith in his Son. God has also, as he points out above, given us his word so that we can teach our children to teach their children. God has given his children his word, “so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God” (7-8).
I don’t care about your tooth fairy policy (or your Santa policy for that matter). I do care, however, about your policy concerning God’s word. Don’t worry about whether children are normal. In fact, given what normal is these days, how about we avoid that altogether. Instead, do whatever it takes to teach your children to grow up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph 6:4). Teach your children God’s word and call them to follow it with all their hearts. Teach your children to fear God, to hate sin, to love Jesus, and to humbly seek God’s grace. Who in the world cares about normal?! I would a thousand times rather have nerdy, socially awkward, anti-tooth-fairy kids who love Jesus and trust God’s word than I would have normal kids who live for the idols of western culture. No, I don’t think kids have to be nerdy to be saved. My point is, I don’t care if they are nerdy; I just want to know that they are saved. No, I don’t think that telling your kids about the tooth fairy will send them to hell. If giving cash for teeth is what you do, wonderful. But it seems like we have missed something when we will criticize our brothers and sisters over their non-participation in worldly things when they expressly tell us that they do not do these things for the sake of the trust of their children in the light of much more important spiritual issues.
Why, God? Why Do Miracles? (Mark 2:6-12)
Mark 2:6-12
6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
Have you ever noticed that we seldom ask God why he performed a miracle of kindness? When things happen that we do not like, we cry out to God, saying, “Why would you let this happen, Lord?” However, when God does something amazing and good, we seldom say to God, “How could you let such a wonderful thing happen?”
We would, however, do well to think about the miracles of Jesus and their purpose. Take for example the miracle in Mark 2. We have in this chapter the famous scene of the four friends bringing their paralyzed friend to Jesus. Carrying their friend on a mat, the four discover that there is no way to get close to Jesus. So, the four creative friends climb up to the roof of the house, dig through, and lower the paralyzed man down on his mat to Jesus.
In a fascinating moment, Jesus sees the faith of these folks, and announces that the sins of the paralyzed man on the mat are forgiven. This, of course, gets the attention of the Jewish teachers, which is where our text above picks up the story. The Jews wonder just who Jesus thinks he is, declaring a man’s sins forgiven.
Jesus, for his part, chooses to heal the man on the mat of his paralysis. Why? The Jews have determined that only God has the right to forgive sins. Jesus wants them to know that he is God, and thus can do things that only God can do. Healing a paralyzed man with a command is something only God can do. Forgiving sins is something only God can do. So Jesus heals the man with a command to show that he is God, can do things that only God can do, and thus can forgive sins too.
There are at least two things that we should learn from this event. First, you should recognize that Jesus is God. Jesus did the miracle for the purpose of showing you that he is God and has the right to forgive sins against God. If you want to be forgiven of your sins, you must come through Jesus. No one will ever be put in right relationship with God who does not come to God through Jesus (John 14:6).
How about this for a second point? Start thinking about why you are asking God to do the miracles that you pray for him to do. When you ask him to heal a sick person, save a soul, or grow your local church, think about why God might want to do this. Yes, God is loving and kind, but are there more reasons? Start thinking about the ways in which the working of God in each situation might result in God being glorified for the action. Start praying for things that do not merely make you comfortable or feel good, but pray for things that will redound to the praise and glory of God.
So often our church prayer meetings are full of simple requests that honestly will have no impact on how the world sees the glory of God. Praying that little Bobby’s broken arm will mend without complication will not do a great deal to help your neighbor see that God is glorious or that Jesus is the way. However, praying for God to bring souls to Christ, that will result in his praise. Think, Christians, about how what you pray for might actually show the world that God is amazing.
Why Did God Create Evil Spirits? (Mark 1:23-28)
Mark 1:23-28
23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.
One of the common questions that I am asked, especially by children, is why God would have created the devil. Once children grasp that God made everything, and that the devil is a creation, they simply cannot imagine why God who is good and loving would make such a creature.
One answer that I have not yet given, at least not in this form, which grabs my attention is here as I read this passage. Look at what happens. An evil spirit is tormenting a person until one particular moment. Then, out of nowhere so far as the evil spirit is concerned, his power is totally and irreparably broken.
We know that God does the things that he does for the sake of his own glory. This means that God created mankind for his glory. It also means that God created the demons for his glory. This is not to make God guilty of sin or the author of evil, but rather it is to be true to the Scriptures which declare that God made all things, and apart from him, nothing was made (cf. John 1:1-3; Gen 1:1; etc.).
Looking at this instance in mark’s gospel, we see at least one reason for the existence of the evil spirit. The spirit exists for Jesus to cast out. When Jesus commanded the demon to come out of the person in mark 1, Jesus showed those around him that he indeed had the authority to command evil spirits to leave people alone. Jesus is greatly powerful, greatly to be praised. Casting out that demon showed the world that Jesus was stronger than any evil spirit. Thus, the demon, in its own unintentional way, glorified Jesus by losing to him.
It would do us all good to remember that God has indeed made everything for the purpose of shining a light on his glory. All good things, all beautiful things, all wonderful things show us those attributes in God. All ugly things, all evil things, all hurtful things contrast with the beauty of God, and they show us God’s power when he defeats them. Sin glorifies God, because when God rightly punishes sin, his justice is magnified. Sin glorifies God also because when God forgives a sinner, his grace is magnified. We ought never to intentionally sin so that grace might be displayed, but we must recognize that everything in the universe, even our sin or evil spirits, ultimately serves to display the power and glory of our God.
The Existence of Evil Argues for the Existence of God (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
I’ve recently been working through Tim Keller’s Reason for God, and I’ve been very much enjoying the process. Early in the book, I found one of Keller’s thoughts fascinating, and I’ll try to reproduce it in my own way below. As I do so, we will see how a person who leans on their own understanding (Prov 3:5) will find himself or herself missing truth.
The Faulty Understanding
Many times I have heard someone argue that if God is totally good and totally powerful, evil cannot exist. The philosopher will then conclude that, since evil does exist, God must either be not totally good, not totally powerful, or simply non-extant.
ON the surface, such reasoning is compelling, especially to someone who is looking for a way not to have to deal with the God of the Bible. Indeed, if the premise is true that a totally good God would not allow evil to exist, the argument might seem insurmountable.
A Philosophical Response
The argument above is, however, quite flawed. The flaw becomes evident in the use of the word “evil.” At this point, I have never yet read any atheistic or secular philosopher who has successfully come up with a way to define evil once the concept of the existence of God has been eliminated from the discussion. All moral relativists must eventually relinquish such a category as evil, for they ultimately lack a final authority to appeal to for a definition of what is good or evil.
Put another way, we only know what is evil or not based on the simple fact that God, the ultimate Authority, has defined evil for us,. We could not say that murder is wrong did we not have God create us with an implicit understanding that murder is wrong and reveal that truth to us. We would not know that leaving one’s spouse for another is wrong were it not told us by God. (In fact, many moral relativists would argue against the second standard vehemently, and some the first standard as well.)
If we understand that evil cannot be defined without there being a moral standard which is violated, a moral standard which cannot exist without there being an ultimate authority to whom or to which to appeal, we begin to see the problem with the argument posed above. Simply put, it requires God to define what is and what is not evil.
IF it requires God to define what is truly evil, the argument above is self-defeating. To say that the existence of evil in our world disproves the existence of God is to ultimately disprove the key premise of the argument. If God does not exist, then evil cannot exist. If evil cannot exist without God, then the presence of evil cannot be used to attack the concept of the existence of God. IN essence, the weapon that the philosopher attempts to wield against God disappears the moment he tries to use it, imploding on itself.
A Biblical Alternative
Proverbs 3:5 tells us to trust in the Lord and not to lean on our own understanding. The Bible defines God as ultimately holy, good, wise, powerful, knowing, etc. The Bible also makes it plain that, in comparison to God, our own understanding of the universe and right and wrong is rather puny (see Job and God’s response to his questions as an example). Is it not then more sensible to say that if an all-good and all-knowing God has allowed the existence of evil in our world, we can assume that God has a reason for allowing the existence of evil that is beyond the ability of our minds to understand from our earthly perspective?
Christians, we need not shrink back in fear from a difficult-sounding argument. Sometimes the answers will come easily. Sometimes the answers will be difficult. Perhaps a good secular philosopher might find holes in my reasoning above that render my arguments invalid in their present form. However, the truth remains that God is the God of truth. Jesus himself told us that he is the truth (John 14:6). God is not shaken by the darts of secular thinkers. On the contrary, the more they attack him, the more they prove his word to be true. God is. God is glorious. God is our Creator, Master, and Lord. We will either come to him as he has commanded, or we will be judged by him according to his standards. No philosophical argument will ever exculpate a person from the fact that they are a sinner before a holy God in need of God’s grace for life. Thankfully, God has offered his grace to all who will simply turn away from self-reliance, trust in him, and cry out for mercy in Christ Jesus.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
(Proverbs 3:5-6)
Obey to See God’s Provision (Joshua 2:8-11)
Joshua 2:8-11
8 Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.
In Numbers 13-14, Moses sent the 12 spies into the land to bring back a report of the lay of the land and of its produce. When the men returned to the Israelite camp, they told the people that the inhabitants of the land were too big and tough for Israel to defeat. The courage of the Israelites melted at this report, and the nation refused to follow God’s command to enter and take possession of the land.
The lack of faith of the people of God was a great offense to their Lord. God had led the people out of Egypt by his mighty hand. God had parted the Red Sea and destroyed Pharaoh’s army by his power. God had miraculously fed the people and given them water in the desert. God had proved beyond any reasonable doubt that he could indeed take care of the people. yet, the Israelites refused to follow God’s commands to take the land. In response, God forced them to wander the desert for the next 40 years while the faithless generation died and a new generation could take the land.
In Joshua 2:8-11, we learn something very interesting. As the spies that Joshua sent into Jericho spoke with Rahab, she told them that the people of Jericho knew of the power of God. They heard the stories of How God led Israel out of Egypt and how God helped Israel to defeat the pagan kings outside the land. Rahab told the spies that all the hearts of the people were deathly afraid of the Israelites, because they knew that the Israelites served the true God over heaven and earth.
What’s the point? Though the Israelites did not know it, God had caused the courage of the Canaanites to melt away. God had prepared the way for Israel to take the land. Maybe the Canaanites were big and tough, but they were terrified. Israel would be able to take the land.
Sadly, Israel also would have been able to take the land forty years earlier. God had already prepared the way. The people of the land were already afraid of Israel. They were already terrified. God had already set up things so that his people would be able to do his will for his glory. Unfortunately, the people did not trust God enough to know that God had everything worked out ahead of time. Their faith failed, and they suffered defeat because they simply refused to believe God.
Today, we serve the very same God as Joshua. The God who put trembling into the hearts of the people of Jericho is our God. That God prepared the way for his people to do his will. Maybe the people could not see the provision of God from the east side of the Jordan River, but the provision had nonetheless been made. All Israel had to do was obey, and they would see how God had worked out all the details. In just the same way, all we must do is obey our Lord to see how he has already provided everything we need to accomplish his will for his glory.
A Call To Treasure the Word (Joshua 1:8)
Joshua 1:8
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
As God anointed a new leader for the people of Israel, he gave to Joshua a very clear command and promise. If Joshua would obey this call of God, he would succeed. The call was neither complicated nor difficult. Joshua was to keep the law of God near him, meditating on it day and night. And if Joshua was careful to follow God’s commands, God would give him success.
God has made this promise to his people time and time again. The Lord made the same promise of success in his word to the kings of Israel, even calling them to write out their own copies of the word of God to study daily. In Psalm 1, God says that the man whose delight is in his law, who meditates on his law day and night, will be like a tree that flourishes and prospers. In Psalm 19, God says that his word revives your soul, makes you wise, rejoices your heart, enlightens your eyes, lasts forever, and is perfectly righteous. In Psalm 119:72, God tells us that his word is worth more than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
If God makes glorious promises of prosperity for those whose delight is in his law, why would we neglect it? If God tells us that his word is the greatest treasure that we possess, why would we treat it as a chore to open it, read it, meditate upon it, and study it? I dare say that if you believed that, this Sunday morning, if you attended church, you would hear the true voice of God, you would make it a priority to be in church. If you attend a church where the word of God is truly read and taught for what it means, you will hear the voice of God. The word of God is how he speaks to us. The preaching of his word is a way in which God has designed for his people to hear and be convicted by his word. Do not miss this opportunity.
Christians, the bottom line here is that God’s word is truly a treasure. We have the voice of God in the pages of holy Scripture. We have God’s will, God’s commands, God’s standards available to us. If we want to succeed, living lives that give us joy in the presence and glory of God, we will make his word a top priority. Do not neglect the word of god.
