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Strange Things to Our Ears
Friday, March 22, 2024“For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean” Acts 17:20. His spirit provoked within him because of the rampant idolatry in the city, Paul “reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day.” He stated the case for the gospel to everyone who would listen wherever they happened to be. Today, the synagogue and market-place may have changed, but the way to reach into the spiritual darkness with the light has not. We must rea-son with the world. This is what God did in the Old Testament time with us (Isaiah 1:18) for salvation, but rea-soning of the world can also persuade us to justify sin (Genesis 3:6). Athenians were open to reason and were willing to weigh the various ideas presented to them; it was left to Paul to persuade them of the merits of the gospel. Our world today doesn’t seem to be open to the words of life. Minds seem to be made up. The voices of those who would label us ‘babblers’ or the preachers-against-what-they-want-to-hear are loud and drown out those who might consider our message. Will we proclaim it until such time that some will reason with us?
They Do Not Set God Before Themselves
Friday, March 22, 2024“For strangers have risen against me; ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before themselves” Psalm 54:3. It’s amazing how fast people fall out of favor! Because of the jealousy of Saul who quickly went from throwing spears at one he perceived as a rival in anger to relentlessly pursuing him, David’s countrymen went from praising the shepherd-turned-commander killing his tens of thousands to informing Saul of his hiding place. David certainly includes the betraying men of Keilah and the wilderness of Ziph (1 Samuel 23) in those who “have risen against me; ruthless men [who] seek my life.” But the key to his struggle is what Christians also experience today. It’s from those who call themselves ‘brother’ yet act against us: they do not set God before themselves. Ruthless men act in their own self-interest. Those of Keilah and Ziph weighed their options and believed from an earthly standpoint that Saul—no matter what David had done for them—was the better choice to go with. On Pentecost, Peter said that though Jesus’ works were known, He was “crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” Acts 2:23. But we, like David and Jesus, must set God before ourselves.
All the People Arose as One Man
Monday, February 26, 2024“And all the people arose as one man, saying, ‘None of us will go to his tent, and none of us will return to his house” Judges 20:8. As one man! When had that happened last? It had to be when God’s people crossed the Jordan at flood stage as if on dry ground when last they were united. This was just after Moses had outlined the blessings for obeying and consequences for not and then died after commissioning Joshua to lead the campaign for the Promised Land. They rallied as one man around their new leader to march silently around the fortified city for six days and then trusted God to bring them a victory with just a shout—that brought down those thick walls. Even then it was shortlived as Achan kept wealth for himself instead of devoting it to the LORD. For God’s people towards the end of the time of Judges, coming together as one man, occurring after they had been shaken from their spiritual complacency by the heinous behavior of the Benjamites, resulted in them being unified in almost wiping out an entire tribe of God’s inheritance. How serious are we as one man to take a unified stand upon God’s Word to live out His Word in His church living out unity in Christ?
Create in Me a Clean Heart
Monday, February 26, 2024“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10. We want everything in our lives to be quick and easy. We’ve got TurboTax and Lunchables. How can we cut down the amount of time we might have to wait in a drive-thru line at an already fast food place? A Calvin & Hobbes cartoon shows him looking at the box of a microwavable meal and exclaiming, “Six minutes! Who has that kind of time?” Or my favorite sign—tattoos while you wait. So it is that we want our relationship with God ‘in a hot minute’ as if the eternal Father can be hurried or made to work with our schedules. This isn’t just about the length of services or the preacher’s sermon; it’s about how we want forgiveness for our sins so we can go to heaven. When David was made aware of his sin with Bathsheba, he immediately found forgiveness, yet he was told that his child would die. Perhaps it was the longterm consequences of his sin that prompted the man after God’s heart to repent in the way he did in this psalm. Forgiveness too cheaply won leads to a worldly sorrow and a repeat of same behaviors. God helps us to develop godly sorrow that will lead us to eternal life.
Call Upon Me
Monday, February 19, 2024“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me” Psalm 50:14-15. The Almighty God is all-powerful and above all things. All things are created by Him and for Him. He does not need our sacrifices; we need to sacrifice … or offer ourselves as living sacrifices to Him (Romans 12:1-2). When we do this, then we can expect God to act on our behalf and we, in turn, will glorify Him. This is not a legal or monetary transaction where He gives us the goods if we fork over the money. No, God does not need anything (Acts 17:25). Rather, this is what two do for each other when in a healthy and loving relationship. Addressed in the second half of the psalm are the wicked who have compromised with the world and are content with justifying sin that both they and others do. They don’t even have a right, God says, to “recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips.” And yet, that’s what every lukewarm pew-warmer and cultural Christian does while identifying as His. It ends with a threat for those “who forget God” and a promise of salvation for those who “orders his way rightly.”