Monthly Archives: February 2014

The things of which we need to “take heed” (part 2)

Posted on February 6, 2014 by | Comments Off on The things of which we need to “take heed” (part 2)

mens-bible-studyAs I introduced yesterday’s devotional, I shared how I do my personal morning devotionals.  When I do my morning Bible study, I use a daily devotional, one chapter of the book of Proverbs, and two chapters of Bible reading. Yesterday morning, as I was reading in the sixth chapter of Matthew a phrase I’ve read many times suddenly caught my eye: Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 6:1; emphasis added).  As I continued my personal devotional time, I noticed that there are fifteen distinct things that the Lord Jesus Christ, the apostles Peter and Paul tell us that we must “take heed.”

Yesterday’s devotional focused on the first four verses where that phrase is found.  Before I share the next four verses where the phrase “take heed” is used, Here’s a brief summary of the first four verses that use that particular phrase, Christians have been told to take heed of:

  • Making sure we give to others as led by the Spirit without drawing attention to ourselves.  This is found in Matthew 6:1.
  • We do nothing to any child that might prevent them from accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. This is found in Matthew 18:10.
  • We do not let others lead us astray from our faith.  This is found in Matthew 24:4.
  • We need to truly listen and make sure we are careful in judgment; whatever standard we set for others will be the standard we are held to.  There is also a responsibility and duty required of us – the more we learn about our faith, the more accountable we are to do it.  This is found in Mark 4:24.
But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them (Mark 13:9).

Jesus knew that at any time and in any kingdom (or nation) on this world, there would be those who would, because of Satan’s influence, want to destroy the church and silence the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The warning from the Lord Jesus Christ continues: And the gospel must first be published among all nations. But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost (Mark 13:10-11).  It should not take us by surprise when we hear stories of Christians facing persecution for their beliefs; in fact, there is a website, www.persecution.org, filled with stories of people who face persecution and in some cases, martyrdom for the cause of Christ.  Jesus even told his early followers, The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil (John 7:7) and If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you (John 15:19).

As demonstrated by Christ’s teaching, if as people, we are called in front of our government to explain our faith, Jesus has told us that the Holy Spirit will provide us with what we need to say.  We have the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ that not only will the Spirit guide us during these times, but a reminder recorded in two of the gospels: And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do (Luke 12:5) and again, And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28). When we do come to the point to where we are brought before the governmental officials seeking out our faith, we should not fear them; sure they can order our deaths or imprison us, but that is the extent they can do.  Jesus promises his children, But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God (Luke 12:7-8).

Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is (Mark 13:33).

One thing that is clearly taught in the New Testament is that we do not know when the Lord is returning for us.  Jesus continues in this particular passage, For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch (Mark 13:34-37). As Christians, we are to be ready for his return at any moment.  Jesus taught during his earthly ministry that I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left (Luke 17:34-37).  This passage clearly shows that we all will be doing something when Jesus returns.

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The things of which we need to “take heed”

Posted on February 5, 2014 by | Comments Off on The things of which we need to “take heed”

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When I do my morning Bible study, I use a daily devotional, one chapter of the book of Proverbs, and two chapters of Bible reading.  This morning, as I was reading in the sixth chapter of Matthew when a phrase I’ve read many times suddenly caught my eye: Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 6:1; emphasis added).  I decided to do a Bible study on that two-word phrase, mainly out of curiosity, to see how it is used in scripture.  As I began to study this phrase, I began to learn some interesting lessons from that small little two-word phrase.

The phrase take heed is used fifteen times in the New Testament and is not found anywhere in the Old Testament. According to Dr. Ed Vallowe in his book, Biblical Mathematics: Keys to Scripture Numerics, fifteen is scripturally significant since it is always connected with rest.  Vallowe states that fifteen is always associated with deliverance or salvation and is a concept that is demonstrated because three times, the children of Israel rested on the fifteenth day of the month as found in the book of Leviticus 23:6-7, Leviticus 23:34-35, and Esther 9:20-22 (1). As I continued my study, I began to notice are fifteen distinct things that the Lord Jesus Christ and the apostles Peter and Paul told believers that they must take heed of. While not commonly used today, the phrase “take heed” simply means to pay special attention to or to be on the lookout for whatever is being described.  Here are the first four things of the fifteen that as Christians, we must pay attention to:

Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 6:1).

It’s pretty straightforward that we are not supposed to draw any attention to ourselves when we do give to others in their time of need.  When we make a big spectacle of our giving, we take the emphasis off of God.  Instead of God’s generosity being the focus of the gift, as demonstrated through our ability to give, we place ourselves ahead of God. In the next three verses, Jesus warns that when we place ourselves as the source of blessings, we will get the rewards (whether good or bad) of man.  

No one likes admitting they need help; often a good deed given in anonymity to them not only serves as a demonstration of God’s love for them, but it can also ease the feelings of guilt or shame associated with the need.  If that same person was given a gift by someone who would turn to brag on themselves, not only could it create a situation where the person in need feels that they owe a debt to the giver, but could also serve as the beginning for contention within the local congregation.  Jesus tells us to do them secretly and uses the image of us doing something with our right hand that the left hand does not notice – in other words, seek not the accolades of men, give in private and do not make a spectacle of your giving.  Allow God to bear witness of your deeds, the condition of your heart at the time of the gift, and allow God to be the one that openly blesses you for your obedience to Him.

Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 18:10).

It is hard to believe but some people are extremely uncomfortable around children or do not wish to be bothered by children.  Unfortunately, this attitude is carried with them throughout all that they do.  As a former volunteer and a professional with a youth-serving non-profit organization, I often heard volunteers complain about the youth of the program.  In the past, I have even been in churches where members openly complained about the youth in the church – the messes they make, the damage the older kids do, the waste of floor space in the building that a nursery causes, and so on.  Again, the Lord Jesus Christ is pretty straightforward in his teaching that as Christians, we are to do nothing that could discourage or cause children to not come to the Lord Jesus Christ.  As adults, we need to do whatever we can to bring those young children boldly to the feet of Christ.

Imagine standing in the chamber of the Great White Throne, with all the hosts of Heaven watching, while angels explain to the King of kings and the Lord of lords that some ill-spoken word, deed, or action by you said to that person brought before the throne was the reason they rejected Christ.  Imagine the brokenheartedness of the Heavenly Father as He gazes over to see you, a child of his, bought by the blood of the Lamb – and the very cause this person before Him now is awaiting the final judgment and be sentenced to the lake of fire.  It is after the Great White Throne judgment of God that the apostle John wrote, And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away (Revelation 21:4). It’s a painful reality that many of us will face as we see those who we could have shared the gospel with, could have been a better example of the love of the Lord Jesus Christ to get condemned to eternal punishment.  What a day of great sorrow that will be!

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Making the time for what’s important

Posted on February 4, 2014 by | Comments Off on Making the time for what’s important

Alarm_Clocks_20101107a

Yesterday, the community college where I work at was operating on a two-hour delay because of the recent winter weather that passed through our area.  Not having the usual routine of being at the campus by 9:00, I decided to take the morning to do some things that I’ve put off for a couple of weeks.  Although not required to keep office hours because of the two-hour delay, I went ahead and went to the campus during the normal time just so that I could be there if I had a student that wanted to see me.  When I arrived, I had a young man, a former student of mine, approach me and ask if he could talk to me.  He explained that he had been there waiting for me, knowing that I had office hours; he wanted to talk to me about a problem he was having.

When I began teaching during my graduate school years working on my Ph.D., I decided that I would always make myself accessible to students and would not limit the conversation to coursework or course related issues, but would allow the student, within reason, to feel completely open in talking to me.  Since 2006, I have regarded what I do as being a missionary; not to some far off exotic location, but a domestic missionary charged with the burden of taking the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the college campus.  It is challenging as any foreign field since I cannot openly discuss my faith.  Almost every university or college I have worked at has had a policy in place that only allows me to discuss my faith if I am asked questions about it by the student(s) and only during non-academic class time. With this in mind, I have always made my office hours longer than required by college policy and do use the opportunity to share my faith when students do ask me about it.

Knowing I was a Christian, he began to ask me questions about my faith and how I balance the demands of life with what I feel the Lord has called me to do.  As we began to talk with one another, he told me that he struggles to get everything done; he is a single father trying to raise his son on his own, has a job, and is trying to be a full-time student – all at the age of 23!  He then began to share how the Lord has laid a burden on him which he described as a spiritual calling to not only share his faith more with those around him, but to really study the Bible and to be more faithful in his church attendance.  He even began to tell me that he has felt as if he has sinned when he has gone to bed without reading his Bible or praying for the needs of others.  As I listened to this young man, I immediately thought of what the apostle Paul wrote: Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more (I Thessalonians 4:1). This young man was trying to live a life that would please God.

Within my own life I have faced a similar struggle of balancing the things that life requires, the responsibilities that I have, and the spiritual needs and callings God has placed on me.  As a husband and a father, I have the responsibility to work, provide an income, to be a friend, partner, and all else that family life calls for. As an employee, I have the responsibilities to be ready for the courses I teach, to devise my own exams and lecture materials, and to treat each student in my course no different from any other student in my class.  I have an obligation to faculty members to support their efforts, to diffuse situations where students question or openly critique other faculty members and staff.  As a sole proprietor of a small printing ministry, I have obligations to the churches and missionaries that the ministry supports.  As a Christian, I have the spiritual responsibility of daily studying the scriptures, in sharing my faith with others, lifting the needs of others to my God and King in prayer, and in teaching my daughter to do as the Lord has commanded each Christian to do: [to] love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself (Luke 10:27b). I also have the responsibility of fulfilling the call that God has placed on me to serve as a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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