Month: October 2012

Doing Good Because You Have To

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. (James 4:17 NKJV)

We are commanded to do good. God says its sin to not do what you know you ought to do.

Refraining from doing good has its consequences.

Nabal was a very successful sheep owner.* Upon his large land, that housed 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats, is David, whom is a fugitive from King Saul. While David and his men lived among Nabal’s cattle and his workers, David protected Nabal’s property. David wasn’t asked to do it, he just did.

One day David relays a message to Nabal. He tells him about his stay nearby and how he had been watching over his property. David graciously asked if the prosperous farmer could feed him and his men.

It wasn’t wrong of David to ask Nabal to do this; after all, he had been guarding Nabal’s property without charge!

But the Bible says Nabal blew up in a quick rage and barked shamefully at David’s messengers.

While we can argue it was Nabal’s right to determine use of what’s his, God details Nabal’s action as sin, because he knew he ought to return good to David for the good David had shown him.

Nabal consequently suffered for his actions. This is the last we hear of Nabal: “after about ten days, that the Lord struck Nabal…he died.” (1 Samuel 25:38 NKJV)

Not doing good when there is opportunity is sin, and to secure obedience, God punishes sin. This especially includes God’s children!**

Don’t belittle God’s glory by refraining to show kindness when you can. Remember it’s by God’s mercy that you are even alive. From oxygen to redemption by Christ’s death, you are a product of God’s love.

When you can and as long as you can, do good.

*1 Samuel 25:2-39 follows David’s encounter with foolish Nabal.

**For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” (Hebrews 12:6 NKJV)

Following Jesus When He is Hard to Understand

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There is a lot about Jesus that you will believe but won’t understand. Following Jesus is accepting who He is, even when He is the stone in the way.*

Jesus became quiet the stumbling block in John 6:41-69. Jesus proclaimed Himself as the Bread of Life to be fed upon. He even details that to receive eternal life, one must eat His flesh and blood.

Here is a part of what He said: Then Jesus said to them,

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. (John 6:53 NKJV)

This was a harsh blow to Jesus’ popularity. Verse 66 says because of His statements, many of His followers abandoned Him.

I won’t explain this passage. This is not my point. I want to challenge you to follow Jesus even when you can’t handle what He says.

There are places in God’s Word that are just theological stumbling blocks. But they are God’s Words.

An aspect of following Jesus is denying ourselves.** It is more than a daily sever of your pull to selfish pursuits and ungodly pleasures. It is also removing your will that will want to deter from God’s hard teachings.

We who want to wholly follow Jesus must respond to Jesus as Peter did:

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. (John 6:68 NKJV)

It hard to trust what is difficult to understand. But Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life***

 

 

 

*Chris Tiegreen, The One Year At His Feet Devotional, Tyndale, 2003.

**Luke 9:23

***John 14:6

On Suicide

What you won’t see in someone taking their life: taking their life in front of someone they sincerely love.

They won’t do it.

Because two things.

(1) They are too (honestly) selfish to value the feelings of those who actually really, really do care about them. (2) And they are too proud to tell them what is burdening them to the extent that they want to take their life.

It is selfish to assume that no one on the entire earth will miss you if you died. It is proud to be “too scared” to tell someone because you will “freak” them out.

Life does suck, but I believe you have enough life in you to change it than to escape it by your own hands.

One thing about wearing a mask is that it isn’t a face. You can take it off.

If you are scared what’s happening to you, don’t endure it alone: please tell someone you trust.

For Me, I trust Jesus. Not because He’s clique. But because I can’t see Him to attempt to hide myself, but He can see me and know that I am lying with my face.

It’s confronting, but it’s also relief. The relief comes because He says things like “I will give you rest”* and “I will never leave you”**.

This relief He offers is produced by His personal extravagant love.***

I do somewhat enjoy unable to see God Jesus, because as God, He already knows everything and everything about me so my masquerade with Him is pointless; But also as a man, He understands hurt, pain, depression, loneliness, rejection, isolation, peer pressure, apathy, etc.****

You may feel too weak to carry on with life, but you bulk immense strength not to leave life early at your own will.

Life is a War that is Fought with Will.

*Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 NKJV)

**For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV)

***The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. (Jeremiah 31:3 NKJV) This also applies to you. Because God loves all of us, He has provided the “bridge” over His anger against your wrong for you to enjoy Him:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 NKJV)
Accept His free forgiveness of your sins by trusting that He did actually rid of them by dying as God on the cross for payment and coming back to life (Rom 3:23-26); And switch to His plan for your life (Rom 12:1-2)

****For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. (Hebrews 2:18 NKJV)

You Are Very Valuable to God

When it may be oblivious to most people, God see incredible value in you.

David did not fit into the profile of a king. We read the stories, and today we know David was definitely king material. I think taking your capital city in a night and slaying your enemies by the hundreds for a wedding gift is enough for a validation.

Never-mind killing a giant.

But can you believe before David became the legend, he was overlooked as a wimpy sheep herder. Even the man of God, Prophet Samuel, did not consider David his choice for King Saul’s successor. He wanted to anoint David’s eldest brother as Israel’s next leader.

Here we get that favorite verse where the Lord responds to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV)

While others saw a shepherd boy, God saw a king. You may see yourself as under qualified for God’s use, but -believe me- God has such a great value in you, and He sees the potential that He can shape and perfect.

Just trust Him. I, for one, never thought that would I reach college. I am now in my senior year.

Don’t doubt what God can do in your life by what you can’t see through your eyes.

We live a life of faith.