Category: devotional

Micah 2:11 – If a man should go about and utter wind and lies, saying, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,” he would be the preacher for this people!
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In the middle of Micah’s rebuke of Israel, he exposes something in the hearts of the people that is a valuable lesson for us all. He describes how the people would eagerly follow anyone who preaches to them prosperity, happiness, and freedom to sin before God. They would willingly sacrifice following God and hearing truth for pleasant lies.

The question that we ought to ask ourselves is whether we would prefer a hard truth to an easy fiction. Would you rather hear what is really happening to your soul, or would you prefer to be told that everything is OK? No one who is intelligent would want their physician to lie to them, telling them everything is ok if it was not. Instead, when we go to the doctor, we want him to tell us the truth, painful as it may be, so that we can then respond to it with action.

Micah’s indictment of the people of Israel is not lost on our generation. Many churches are filled with people who would prefer not to hear hard truth, but would rather gather for themselves teachers to say what they want to hear. Paul also wrote to Timothy about such people in . . .

2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

So, clearly, the Lord has always known that there will be people who pretend to his worship, but who only desire to hear from him the things that are easy. They will gladly hear about grace, mercy, and love; but they want to hear nothing about holiness, the glory of God, justice, wrath, or sin.

If you catch yourself hearing messages from God’s word, and wanting to skip them to something easier, watch out. Beware being the person who complains that the Bible sounds too negative. It could be that you have fallen prey to the sickness of the people of both Micah’s and Paul’s days. It could be that you are preferring a friendly fiction to the truth about your own soul.

Let us devote ourselves to hearing the word of God in all truth. Let us never settle for the easy when the hard truth is there too. Let us learn as much about God’s wrath as about his love. Let us be open to hear both where we have done well and where we have failed. Let us make it a point to hear the whole counsel of God as given in his holy word, and let us receive nothing less than the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Dear Lord, I recognize that the human heart tends to shy away from hearing what is true in your word. I know that it is easy to hear compliments, and it is very difficult to hear criticism. However, I pray that you will lead me to your truth in your word, whether it be easy or hard. Help me to speak your truth to others, in love, for the glory of your name. Help me to hear your truth in your word and from others who have studied your word so that I might better honor you. I do not want my ears to be tickled. I do not want to follow any teacher preaching a false and deadly prosperity gospel. Instead, I want to hear your revealed truth, which is far better than any fanciful fiction.

*** The following is taken from a sermon I preached on Jonah 1 in the summer of 2003. (Notice that I no longer use the NIV translation for teaching, but have left it here as I originally wrote it.) ***

Jonah 1:1-2 (NIV)

1. The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai:
2. “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
. In this opening call of the book of Jonah, we see that the LORD calls Jonah to speak out in the same way that he calls all of his prophets. The language is very much the same. The word of God is given to a particular man. That man is called to go and preach a particular message of God to a particular people.

God calls Jonah to perform a simple task: get up and go preach. We know that God tells Jonah to get up and preach against Nineveh. We know that Nineveh is the capital city of Assyria, a brutal foreign empire that will eventually become the Bain of the Northern Kingdom. We know that God wants Jonah to preach against Nineveh because of the greatness of the wickedness of that city. However, in reality, this is not a great deal of detail.

The major point here is that God calls, and Jonah should obey. It is a simple and unmistakable call. Jonah ought to listen. This truth is as true for us as it is for Jonah. When God calls us to do something, he expects our obedience. For those of us who are his children, we have no right to do anything other than obey. Why is that? It is because he is our God, and if we are saved, we have been purchased by Christ for him. Paul says it this way in1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

Obedience is the appropriate response of the people of God to the commands of God. I understand that at times the commands of God appear difficult or unsavory to us. In this instance, we will discover that the command of God was unpalatable for Jonah. However, our opinion about the commands of God is irrelevant. What is relevant is that obedience is a primary tenant of being in relationship with God. Let us look at a few verses of scripture that will spell this out for us:

1 Samuel 15:22 But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

Psalm 103:17-18 But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children–with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

Matthew 28:19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

John 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

I think that this short list of verses makes it clear to us that when God commands, his followers obey. Obedience is a critical element to a relationship with God. Without it, there is no relationship. God calls Jonah. Jonah should obey. When God calls us, we too should obey.

2 Kings 5:10-12 – And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.
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Naaman, a Syrian military commander, had leprosy. After hearing about Elisha, the prophet in Israel, Naaman came seeking healing for his disease. When he arrived at Elisha’s door, Elisha, as we read above, sent a simple message to him about how he would be healed. But Naaman was very angry, because the prophet simply sent word for him to wash in the Jordan instead of coming out to perform some sort of ritual over his diseased skin. Later in the chapter, Naaman’s servants do convince him to follow the prophet’s instruction, and Naaman is healed.

But something interesting strikes me about Naaman’s anger. He is upset, because he could not imagine that the gracious healing of God could come by such a simple. Means. Naaman just knew in his heart that, if he were to be healed, it must require some sort of spectacular ceremony, incantation, potion, or sacrifice. Surely healing could not come by such a simple means. Surely the Jordan River is not the best source of water. Surely there must be more.

Naaman almost stumbled over the stumbling block of faith. In the New Testament, the cross of Christ is called a stumbling block to the Jews (1 Corinthians 1:23). Why was the cross a stumbling block? It was for the same reason that Naaman almost turned and left Israel in a huff. The Jews, and very many others, will not believe that salvation from sins can come by such a seemingly simple means as faith. Throughout the New Testament, the authors argued time and time again against people who could not believe that salvation would come via such a simple means. They called people to faith, with no religious rituals, fancy ceremonies, or outward deeds of penance. The New Testament authors preached a salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, and such a preaching actually caught many of their hearers as too good to be true.

Today, we still live in a world where people can not receive the grace of God because they refuse to believe that it is that simple. They can not imagine that God would truly forgive anyone simply based on whether or not that person has placed their trust in Jesus Christ. Some turn away from Jesus completely because of their trouble with this. Other groups attempt to add the necessity of certain rituals, sacraments, or good works to one’s faith in order for it to be saving faith (this is the Roman Catholic error). But the fact remains that the only means that God has ever given whereby the souls of men might be saved is by his grace through a simple faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Now, let me make one more application of the Naaman story to our modern age that is a little different. It is not merely the lost who fall into Naaman’s error. There is a way in which Christians look like Naaman too. God has given us his holy scriptures, fully sufficient and inspired—breathed out by God with no possibility of error. God’s holy word contains in it everything that we need to know and do his will. His word contains in itself either explicitly or implicitly, everything we need to make every moral decision. It contains everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) so that the people of God can be equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). But very many who claim Christ reject the sufficiency of the Bible. These people are out there looking for a mystical experience where God will reveal to them some new portion of his will that he did not record in scripture, because, like Naaman, they think that things just can’t be that easy. They think there should be some magical feeling, some spiritual experience, some secret formula to discerning the will of God. They think that the more flashy looking tools of secular psychology or psychiatry are what we need to use to solve our problems instead of God’s word. They turn to the opinions of men, lost men, to determine ethics regarding sexual morality or the sanctity of human life, because they think that the Bible is outdated. But all such errors look just like Naaman, rejecting God’s way for one that is more flashy, more modern, or more of the way they want things to be done.

So, how do you fall into Naaman’s error? What part of Christianity is too good to be true in your mind? Is faith in Christ not enough to save your soul? That is what God says will save you. Is the word of God not a sufficient means for you to learn his will, solve your problems, or determine what is moral? God said it is enough. Is God not enough to satisfy your soul? He claims to be enough. Today, turn from seeking something extra flashy, and follow what god has said that you need for salvation and for godly living.

Dear Lord, I thank you that following you is not all bound up in mystical experiences and ostentatious ceremonies. I recognize and acknowledge that salvation is your gift that comes to me by your grace through faith in Jesus Christ. I know that I can add nothing to faith for my salvation, and that faith is a gift from you. I pray that you will make me aware of any way in which I try to add something to faith and so dishonor Christ. I also pray that you will help me to live, as a Christian, by your all-sufficient word. Let me not turn to things outside of your revelation to determine how to live or to help others with problems. I trust that you have given me, in your word, everything I need. I do not need some extra mystical experience, because such an experience will not give me anything more than what is already recorded in your holy word. I pray that you will guide me to your truth as you have revealed it in your word, and keep me from seeking something extra like Naaman nearly did.

1 Corinthians 8:1, 11-13 – Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that all of us possess knowledge. This knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.. . . And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
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There are numerous difficult topics of debatable “freedoms” over which Christians disagree. The use of alcohol, watching certain movies, or shopping at particular stores are all examples of such issues. In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul addresses an issue of a similar ilk from the first century. His handling of that issue back then speaks volumes to how we should handle such issues today.

In Corinth, many in the culture had come out of an idol worshiping background. Part of worshiping an idol involved “offering” food to your false god. The food would be taken and set before the statue. The idol worshiper believed that the god received sustenance and pleasure from the food, though the actual piece of meat did not disappear (a belief that can still be found in many cultures today who offer food to idols or to ancestors). The meat that had been “offered” was then sold—presumably at a reduced cost—to be eaten by those who were willing to do so.

Now, it is interesting that Paul begins his argument with the issue of knowledge. He points out that we all have knowledge, but warns that there is a danger to that knowledge that we will address later. For most of the chapter, he then explains how there is nothing wrong with meat that had been offered to a statue. He declares without hesitation that there are no gods; there is only one God. Thus, the meat that is supposedly offered to a statue or to dead relatives is simply meat that has been set out. Nothing has changed about the meat. Since the false gods are nothing and since dead ancestors can not receive nourishment from food from this world, Paul argues that there is nothing wrong with eating that meat. Thus, he declares that, by knowledge, Christians have the right to eat such meat.

This type of “right” is what many Christians cling to who demand to be allowed to indulge in their freedoms. They argue, and often quite strongly, that the Bible does not forbid a particular activity. They point out that, while the Bible forbids drunkenness and sexual immorality, that standard does not preclude responsible drinking or movies that do not explicitly portray sexual immorality. So, these Christians, from their knowledge, declare themselves free to responsibly partake of these pleasures. (And let me honestly admit that I have most certainly been in this camp in times past, even writing a lengthy paper on the topic in my seminary ethics class.)

However, let us look again at the warning that Paul makes about this knowledge. Paul never denies that the knowledge is true. In fact, he affirms the truth of the statement that meat sacrificed to idols is no different than any other meat. However, he also points out that this knowledge can puff us up, make us arrogant, instead of building us up in love. Paul acknowledged the rightness of the argument of certain groups, but then said that it is more loving for them, in their particular setting, to avoid indulging their freedom for the sake of Christian love and unity. Because the exercise of freedoms by one person can have a devastating impact on the life and conscience of another believer—one whose conscience may be admittedly weaker—, Paul declares that he will willingly give up his rights and freedoms in order to build up the body in love.

The question about alcohol, movies, and certain other “freedoms” actually ought not be a question of knowledge. Instead, the question needs to be one of Christian love. If you consider yourself to be a mature believer, you need to recognize that no simple pleasure here on earth is worth doing harm to another believer, even one who might have an overly strict view of a topic in your opinion. How could you ever argue that you are behaving in a way that honors God is you, for the sake of earthly pleasure, do something that tears down the fellowship of the local church or hurts another believer? The fact is, Christian love and kindness is far more important than food, drink, entertainment, or clothing. We ought not hesitate to give up things that might be OK in our opinion in order to make sure that we can be as loving as possible toward others in the church with whom we disagree.

Let me also add that the solution to this problem is not to simply choose to indulge your freedom when you think others are not looking. This leads to a life of sneaking down the aisles in your local grocery or video rental store, hoping that no other believer with a weaker conscience happens to see you. I’m sorry, but there is no way that you can do that out of Christian love.

As my parenthetical statement above indicates, I have not always taken the position here spelled out about issues of Christian liberty. I admit that freely, and I honestly have since had to repent of my attitude. My former position was one of selfishness rather than community, of knowledge instead of love. I Argued on behalf of pleasures and perceived rights instead of on behalf of unity in the body of Christ. Part of that argument came from a deep and right desire to call people away from legalism and to a biblically informed standard of living. I still make such a call. But I also make a call for Christians to live out of love, even when that love forces you to give up what your knowledge tells you may be OK. I am sure of this: no person will ever give up a freedom here on earth for the glory of God and the sake of his church who will not be rewarded with an infinitely higher pleasure in the kingdom of God that is coming.

So, ask yourself if you allow your knowledge to do harm to the body. Are you so smart that you hurt people? Do you swing your education or scriptural understanding around as a club, desiring to bash in bad beliefs? Do you indulge in freedoms that you actually have to hide in order to not offend others? Is your driving force for how you live knowledge or is it love and the glory of God? It is time to live for God’s glory, guarding with all your might the church, the bride of Christ. If that means that you or I get rid of things which give us temporal pleasure in order to better love others, let us do so with joy, looking forward to a far greater reward from our God.

Dear Lord, I confess to you that my attitude has not always been love before knowledge. I pray that you will forgive me for any moment in my past where I have flaunted freedoms or damaged others through what I would approve. I recognize that such living is not out of love. I thank you for showing me this in your word, and I ask that you will help me to always live for your glory and for the betterment of your church. Help me to willingly give up unnecessary freedoms if that will better help me to love others in your name. Also, please help the rest of your church to learn to live out of a God first and others next before self mentality. Help us to live lives of openness, feeling the need to hide nothing from one another because all we do is loving and glorifying to you.

Amos 5:21-24 – I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
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The scripture above is an incredibly frightening section of scripture. The Lord is speaking out against the northern kingdom of Israel, and he has very little good to say to them. God expresses his feelings about their ceremonial religious behavior, and those feelings are not gentle. He says that he hates and despises there ceremonies and feasts. He says that he will not accept or even look upon their offerings. He will not even listen to their songs of worship.

Why is God so upset with Israel? There are many reasons, but the main things in Amos have to do with the evil way that the people of Israel live before him. They oppress the poor, stealing from them and taking advantage of them. They worship false Gods. And they do all these things while arrogantly believing that they can also offer their religious leftovers to the Lord. This is why God is saying that he rejects their offerings, ceremonies, and songs.

Imagine a wife who is unfaithful to her husband. She steals from the family’s bank account to go out, party, and have affairs with several men in her community. She publicly says all sorts of slanderous and degrading things about her husband, and shows no sign of wanting to turn away from her many lovers. Would you expect her husband, knowing all of this, to be happy if this adulteress woman gave him a little birthday gift? Of course not. The gift, even if accompanied by a party with nice food and decorations would by no means make up for her unrepentant adultery and her overall unfaithfulness to the husband and the family.

In much the same way, we ought never expect God to be impressed with our outward religious actions if our lives and our hearts do not match. God will not be impressed with your church attendance on Sunday if you are living like a pagan from Monday through Saturday. He will not love your songs of praise to him if you are worshiping possessions, entertainment, or simply yourself on every other day. He will not be impressed with your dropping a little money in the offering basket on Sunday if you are abusive to your spouse, cruel to the needy, stealing from your employer, or embracing sexual immorality. God hates empty and false religion. He would not accept it from Israel, and he will not accept it from you.

There is, however, another side of the coin. Let me illustrate with another picture of a marriage. I have a loving, kind, generous, and faithful wife. Mitzi is a loving mate and a fabulous mother to my child. I have no fear that she will say or do anything to bring me harm. Unlike the husband in my earlier illustration, I appreciate even the smallest gift from my wife. She does not have to plan a party or decorate a room for me to be completely joyful about a gift she gives me. She does not even have to give me a gift, but simply can say something kind to me to bring me happiness. I can enjoy and appreciate all her gestures of kindness, because I know that she loves me and is faithful to me as her husband. I do not reject her attempts to show me love, because I know them to be genuine, sincere, and pure.

In much the same way, the final call from God in verse 24 gives hope to the people of Israel if they will receive it. He calls them to turn from their evil ways, and turn to justice and righteousness. He calls them to start living in kindness and compassion toward the needy. He calls them to make their lives match their confession of faith. He calls them to live in righteousness, obeying his commands and putting away their false gods. And the understood promise here is, if they will turn from evil to righteousness and justice, the Lord will receive their worship.

If God’s call to turn to him in true worship backed up by a sincere life of obedience to his commands is a good thing for Israel, it is a fabulous thing for us as well. While God does not accept worship that is given to him out of false and empty hearts, he most certainly hears the cries of his children who are broken and penitent. If you confess your sin to him from a genuine heart, he will forgive you in Christ. If you worship him by bringing him songs, prayers, and offerings that match a life of heartfelt obedience, he will be pleased with you and receive your gifts. Let me be very clear here, this can only happen in Christ. We are all guilty before God, and we must receive his gracious forgiveness in Jesus before anything about our worship will ever be acceptable to him. But, if we are in Christ, let us also live in authentic obedience to our Lord in order that our worship might be acceptable in his sight.

Dear Lord, I pray that you will make my worship genuine and acceptable to you. I desire to honor you with my life. Please root out any inconsistencies in my words and actions. I pray that you will help me to be kind to the poor and needy. I pray that you will empower me to obey your commands. I pray that you will show me anywhere in my life that I am living for self or worldly idols instead of your glory. Help me to put away all such evil, that my worship before you might be truly good in your sight. Allow my life to please you, to match what I say I believe about you. I am yours, O Lord, and I long to worship you from a heart of genuine righteousness in Christ.