Tag Archives: Jeremiah

The relevance of the Bible in today’s world

Posted on November 9, 2015 by | Comments Off on The relevance of the Bible in today’s world

holy-bibleSince our society has now entered into what the definition of marriage should be, there has been a question posed by the American mainstream media and stars from the entertainment industry. It is nearly impossible to visit the society section of Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, or any other major media website where the author of the commentary is addressing the need to either abandon traditional Biblical teachings or to abandon Christianity altogether in favor of new societal norms. There are articles all across the web that were authored by sociologists and psychologists claiming that freewill and self-determination are illusions, homophobia and being in opposition to homosexuality is a mental disorder, and even religion and the belief in God itself is a mental disorder. Some even press the notion that those driven by obedience to their faith in God to do good works are actually self-centered. With the increasing anti-Christian rhetoric and critics driven by what has become regarded as science, it is easy to understand why so many people – and Christians – question the relevance of the Bible today.

Since the days of the apostles, Christians have been told by the lost that we should not share our faith because it might offend or cause others discomfort. We’ve been told that our faith teaches intolerance, hate, racism, and any other derogatory thing they can decide that Christianity seems to promote. At the heart of the lost world’s rejection of Christianity is the faulty belief that man does not need God and a rejection of Jesus as the sole means of salvation. Christians today must stand strong on the authority and the basic teachings of the Bible because it is the foundation of our faith. Within its pages are life’s lessons, comfort during times of need, and guidance in all of life’s difficult situations. 

The Bible’s relevance: An unchanging God

The apostle Paul understood the eternalness and the changeless nature of God and explained it as he wrote, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever (Hebrews 13:8).The Bible is relevant because within its pages it contains a chronicle of the unchanging nature of God. It takes faith to believe the Bible is the word of God; it should be recognized it also takes faith to claim the world view that it is not the word of God. The Holy Spirit led Malachi to write, For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed (Malachi 3:6) as a testimony and promise of God’s unchanging nature. The unchanging nature of God is essential within the Judeo-Christian world; it is especially important to the Christian concepts of atonement and the sacrificial work of the Lord Christ Jesus. The disciple John understood this very concept and wrote, These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God (1 John 5:13).

John also testified in other writings of the unchanging nature of God and the timelessness of God’s plan for mankind’s salvation when he wrote, And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). We often approach God and matters of faith from our own particular perspective so it is hard for us to even begin to understand God’s plan for the redemption of man being the same from the very earliest days of creation. We are accustomed to living in a society where everything is fluid. We also approach God and matters of faith through our own sense of fairness, justice, and understanding, which is why God reminds us through scriptures, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9) and Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal? (Ezekiel 18:29). The scriptures contained in the Bible have testified not only about the timelessness of God’s values but about the differences between our understanding and that of the Lord. We need this testimony of God’s unchanging nature, more specifically of His unchanging grace towards mankind. It is reassuring to the believer that the same salvation offered freely to the disciples, to the patriarchs of Israel, and to those who heard the sermons of Jesus as He walked the shores of Galilee.

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God has a plan for your life

Posted on December 22, 2014 by | Comments Off on God has a plan for your life

bible_and_candle_krx5God has a plan for your life. No one has ever been born by accident or without any sort of desire by the Lord. Before any of us were even born, the Bible teaches Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself (Isaiah 44:24). Within the teachings of the Old Testament there are a handful of verses that also adds to our understanding – as Christians – of how God has a plan for each of us even before we are born! Even before the birth of Jeremiah, the prophet, God already had a plan for his life: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations (Jeremiah 1:5). Although God did have a plan for Jeremiah, it is important to understand that Jeremiah had to be surrendered to the Lord’s will before he could understand what God had planned for him.

God has a plan for all Christians

Just as God has a plan for every person ever conceived, God has a plan for every Christian who will completely surrender to His will. When I was a young-in-the-faith Christian, there was so much about my new-found faith that I simply didn’t understand. As I have shared many times, I was regularly attending a church that did have sound Bible preaching, but there was no discipleship for those, like me, who didn’t come from a Christian family. As the pastor would teach about great men of the faith such as Moses, Abraham, Billy Sunday, and even Billy Graham, I had no idea where I fit into God’s plan. All I knew was that I wanted to be used by God but I wasn’t sure if God even had a plan or purpose for my life. What I didn’t know was a simple lesson taught by Jesus himself during His earthly ministry: For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey (Matthew 25:14-15). What I didn’t understand was that I had not demonstrated to the Lord that I could be trusted with even two talents. I didn’t realize that I had not been faithful in doing the things that God had already called me to do.

God has a plan for all Christians that begins with us demonstrating we can be faithful in four simple things that all Christians are called to do. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been a Christian for two weeks or two decades, there’s no spiritual growth or other things that God will place in front of you to do if you’re not being faithful in these four basic areas of Christian service. These four areas have always been a part of His plan have been the same for those who lived in the days of the Old Testament and for everyone that has lived since the times of the New Testament. This shouldn’t surprise us because the scriptures teach us, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever (Hebrews 13:8) and He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting (Habakkuk 3:6). God’s plan has never changed and never will.

The four basics we all must do

After 2006, when I became serious about my relationship with the Lord, I began to pray daily and read my Bible with a new intensity that I had never had before. Not sure where to start in my Bible reading, I began in Proverbs, reading a chapter each morning before I began my daily routine. What I began to learn from my Bible study, the sermons of the pastor where I attended, and from the leading of the Holy Spirit is that praying and studying the Bible were two of the four things that God wants those who love Him to do. Over time, I learned that the other two things, bearing witness to others of Christ’s love and the willingness to worship God alone, when done with a servant’s heart, is where true obedience and spiritual growth begins in the life of a believer. We cannot expect the Lord to use us in any ministry or lay on our hearts a specific calling if we are not faithfully doing the very basic things of our faith. Do you want to be more than a pew-sitter within your church? Then you must be faithful in the things that God has already called you to do.

We are to be willing to read and study the Bible

David, the psalmist, wrote Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee (Psalms 119:11) and the apostle Paul left the instructions to Timothy, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Both men understood a simple truth that Paul understood well: For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). It is through our personal reading of the Bible that we truly begin to learn of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His will for our life. Regular Bible reading bears fruit and is never a waste of our time and effort. As inspired by the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul wrote, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). When we truly study the Bible on a daily basis we are opening the door for the Lord, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, to truly make and mold us into the Christian that God has called us to be.

We are to be willing to have an active prayer life

When I first became a Christian, the extent of my prayer life was in giving thanks for the meals I ate each day. After the decision was made to become more serious in my walk with the Lord, my prayer life had to change as well. I asked the pastor of the church I was attending in Carbondale the best way to do this and he offered me perhaps the best advice I ever received on the topic of prayer: Don’t worry about them – just talk to the Lord as if He is in the room with you and don’t be afraid to pour out your heart and soul to Him. This is similar advice to what the apostle Paul wrote, And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear (1 Peter 1:17). God doesn’t compare the prayers of Christians to one another but he judges our prayers according to the contents of our heart. As I have studied the psalms there’s a consistency to David’s writings. He is completely open with the Lord in all of his psalms. He tells God how he is feeling, the fears he has, the sorrows and pain, and even the joys he has. I believe that too many of us treat the Lord as if he doesn’t already know the content of our heart and we pray what we think He wants to hear from us.

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Having the proper attitude matters

Posted on December 10, 2014 by | Comments Off on Having the proper attitude matters

bible-sepiaIn Monday’s post, we shared about making the decision on becoming an obedient servant of Christ. As I was preparing the notes and scripture references for it, I began to realize that I hadn’t even covered an important part of the lesson – having the proper attitude – and already had a long post. As a part of our decision to place ourselves in the position of being a servant for the Lord Jesus Christ, we must do so with the proper attitude. Actually, this important part of our faith has a profound impact on our spiritual growth, our relationship with other Christians, our church we attend, and even our own walk with the Lord.  Our attitude affects so much more than what we sometimes like to admit.

Having the proper attitude is important as we try to live daily for the Lord. Through the leading of the Holy Spirit, And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offering and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22). The Lord counts our obedience as being more important to Him than any sacrifice that we could ever make but that obedience must be with the proper attitude. David wrote, I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore (Psalms 86:12) and I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word (Psalms 119:58). In both of these verses, we see that David has set the Lord as his heart’s desire. In spite of all David’s failings and faults, and in spite of the sins he committed, David had the proper attitude towards the Lord. He wanted to serve the Lord, to study the scriptures, and to please the Lord in all that he did.

The Bible often uses common relationships to teach some of its most simplest truths. Having the proper attitude is one of these truths. There are many passages where marriage, friendships, and even the relationship of a master and servant are used to illustrate this teaching. As any person who has been married knows, there is no such thing as just giving marriage fifty percent and it work. Personally, I believe that is why so many marriages in our nation are failing today because we enter into them with the attitude of “I’m going to give my fifty percent, do my part, and don’t expect anything more…” Ask any couple that has been married for forty or fifty years or more and a few things that each have in common: the attitude of both husband and wife is one of whatever comes up, they are in the marriage until death, they don’t keep score and there is no thing as a fifty/fifty marriage as both give all they can to one another, and everything they do, they do in submission to each other and the Lord.  They do these things not because they have to, but because they want to – they have the proper attitude within their marriage. When we read our Bible, when we pray, when we give tithes and offerings, the Lord does not want us to do these things because we have to, but because we want to out of our love for Him – we must have the proper attitude or all that we do for the Lord will come up short.

There is a story told in the beginning of the Bible that demonstrates how having the proper attitude pleases the Lord. There are two parts to the story, but the first one is And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering – God accepted the offering because it had been done with an attitude of obedience. It had been carefully prepared to meet the exact standards that God required (Genesis 4:4). God accepted Abel’s sacrifice because it had been offered in the way that had been prescribed by the Lord, but because it was offered with the proper attitude of gratefulness and worship the Lord desired. The second part of the story, And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell (Genesis 4:3, 5) shows that Cain did the opposite. He attempted to approach God on his own terms, he did not come to worship God with an attitude of obedience, gratefulness, and worship,  but an attitude of disobedience and defiance. The result was that God rejected Cain’s offering.

Within the writings of the apostle Paul, the importance of having the proper attitude is also taught in the verse,  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). Although most people associate this verse with giving of tithes and offerings, it actually applies to all that we do. Whatever we are doing for the Lord, we must have the proper attitude. It is not enough just to go through the motions of doing something for the Lord. It must come from our heart. This is really nothing new, because even during the exodus out of Egypt, the Lord told Moses, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering (Exodus 25:2). From my understanding of this verse, the Levites were only instructed to accept the offerings that came from those who had the proper attitude. Could you imagine if more people had their tithes and offerings received at the local church returned to them if their giving was out of the wrong attitude?

Again, the apostle Paul adds to this concept of having the proper attitude when giving by writing to the Christians at Corinth, For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not (2 Corinthians 8:12), clearly teaching that there must be a willing mind and not one that simply gives out of duty. So much of what we do as Christians depends on us having the proper attitude. some of the clearest warnings about the importance of the attitude are found in these verses: And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever (1 Chronicles 28:9), I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (Jeremiah 17:10), and Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart (Ephesians 6:6). So it becomes important for us to not only be an obedient servant, but whatever we do, we do it with the proper attitude.

 

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