Friday, March 30, 2018
Only One True Sacrifice
Verse of the day: Numbers 23:4 And God met Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.”
What we see here is the typical mindset of those who do not understand or know the heart of God. Our Lord has revealed enough of Himself in His Word for us to know what is acceptable to Him and what is not. Balaam’s statement to God is evidence that Balaam was clueless about who God is. It was arrogant and presumptuous. However, before we criticize him, let us stop and think how often we do this. How often do we offer God vain sacrifices, thinking that somehow this is what is pleasing to God? The unsaved religious person wastes his/her time offering God religious rituals, and feeble attempts at good works, to try and gain favor with God. As God’s children, some of us sometimes allow the line to get blurred between good works done as a result of our faith, with good works done as a bribe to get what we want. God has made it clear that His preference is not sacrifice, but obedience. In 1 Samuel 15, King Saul made a grave mistake in his thinking. After being told to utterly destroy the Amalekites, Saul spared King Agag, and the best of the animals. When confronted by the Prophet Samuel about his disobedience, Saul used the excuse that he spared the animals as sacrifices to God (1 Samuel 15:21). Samuel’s response to him in 1 Samuel 15:22 was, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” Balaam was no better than Saul in that he not only persisted in doing that which God had already forbidden, but he made the assumption that he could bribe God with sacrifices, having ulterior motives in what he was doing. How often do we disguise our desire to force God’s hand regarding something we want or an outcome we are seeking? We spiritualize it by saying that we are fasting and praying, when in reality we are trying to bend God’s will to our own. God has no desire to receive our feeble sacrifices. This is not to say that He will not call us to sacrifice our time, resources, talents and abilities. However, when He does, it is not about the sacrifice itself, it is about the faith by which we go forward to make that sacrifice (Hebrews 11:6). James 2:18 reads, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” Balaam approaches God as if He now owes him a debt just because seven altars and seven sacrifices were made. What is even worse about what Balaam was doing is that the altars were not even built by him, and the sacrifices were not provided by him. It was Balak who did it at Balaam’s command. In 2 Samuel 24 we read the account of God’s judgment on Israel as a result of King David’s sinful census. After repenting for what he did, King David wanted to build an altar and sacrifice unto the Lord, but he first offered to buy the land where this would take place from Araunah the Jebusite, who offered the land and animals for free. King David’s response to him in 2 Samuel 24:24 was, “‘No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing.’ So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.” Even when God calls us to make a sacrifice on His behalf, in being a blessing to someone else, it must truly cost us something if it is going to be a genuine sacrifice. In the case of Balaam, and King Saul, the motives of their hearts were wrong. So it is today with those who think that they can offer God of their material goods, or feeble good works, and think that this will bribe God or put God in their debt. God is debtor to no man. Romans 11:35-6 asks and answers, “‘Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?’ 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” The bottom line is that the only sacrifice that is truly acceptable to God the Father is the sacrifice made by His Son, Jesus, on the cross at Calvary. Let us give Him thanks today, for the ultimate sacrifice that was made on our behalf. It is the only sacrifice that we can claim before God that will give us favor, gain us eternal life, and make us acceptable before the LORD; not because of who we are or what we have done, but because it is founded on the righteousness of Christ Jesus alone.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Honored By God or Man?
Verse of the day: Numbers 22:37 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not earnestly send to you, calling for you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?”
We live in a world where money buys us superficial honor and short-lived status in society, but it does not buy us respect or love. It may buy us a “get out of jail free” card, but it cannot buy us a “get out of hell free” card. In the end, those who are prideful because of their material wealth, and status, will stand before God to give an account for their lives. All the money in the world will not save their souls. Jesus said in Matthew 16:26, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Here, Balak questions Balaam’s refusal to come to him on the basis of his promise to give him honor before men. Sadly, this is exactly what Balaam wants, and prefers, over honor before God. As God’s children, our desire should always be to seek that which is godly, righteous, and right before God, over that which is exalted by man. 1 Timothy 6:6-9 clearly tells us, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.” Proverbs 28:6 says, “Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich.” The fact of the matter is that many of us, who call ourselves children of God, have sold out to the world, and believed Satan’s, and the world’s, lie that having more material things and more money will bring us more joy and happiness. True joy comes from an intimate relationship with God in Christ Jesus. Seeking after this world’s “riches” and fame will cause us to do whatever it takes, whether right or wrong, to gain more and more; and the more we gain, the more we will want. Why is that? We seek more material things because there is no real satisfaction in having them. Jesus said this in Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The best way to accomplish this is not to put our eyes on that which God has chosen not to give us. Jesus went on to say in Matthew 6:22-23, “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Jesus went on to say that we cannot serve God and money because we will only be faithful to one. He then promised He would provide all our needs if we sought the Kingdom of God first (Matthew 6:24-30). What was saddest about Balaam’s life was that he was a man who God spoke to, and had the opportunity to be a great prophet for the Lord, but he traded God’s glory for man’s glory. Abraham, on the other hand, was a good example of how we should choose. He was presented with an opportunity to gain riches at the hand of the king of Sodom, yet refused it, saying this in Genesis 14:22-23, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’” What was his reward for preferring God’s honor over man’s honor? We find the answer in Genesis 15:1, “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.’” The greatest reward any of us could gain in this world is a close, intimate, relationship with God, regardless of whether or not He chooses to allow us to have the riches of this world. Stop and ask yourself, “What am I trading for intimacy with God?”
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
Donkey Vision
Verse of the day: Numbers 22:23 Now the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road.
To read this account of Balaam and his donkey is quite amazing when we stop and think about it. Here is a man, who is a prophet, a pagan one at that, whom God speaks to, and has the ability to reason; yet, his donkey was far wiser than he was. Balaam was greedy, self-centered, and lacked the vision to see the danger that was ahead of him because his sin blinded him to God’s presence. Balaam chose to disregard God’s instructions not to go with Balak’s messengers. Now, he travels on a path that God initially told him to avoid, but because of his obvious desire for filthy gain, God has set him on a path to his own destruction. Along the way, the Angel of the Lord meets him to take his life. Balaam is so determined to gain fame and fortune that he does not see that he is opposing the One Person who can not only take his life, but also destroy his soul. Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” On the other hand, we have Balaam’s donkey. Unlike Balaam, this donkey has spiritual vision that all of us need to strive for. We live in a world of spiritually blind people. They do not see Christ for who He is. They do not believe the Word of God, and mock those who believe it. The devil blinds them, and if they continue in their rebellion, God will give them up to their blindness. 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us, “Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” Romans 1:28 tells us, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting”. Note that the donkey’s eyes were opened only because God opened them. It is no different for us. The only way to have our spiritual eyes opened is for God to open them, and this can only happen in Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 clearly tells us, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” In Luke 24, Jesus joined two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus as they discussed the events that took place regarding Jesus crucifixion and the empty tomb. All the while that He was with them, they did not recognize who He was, neither did they understand what the Scriptures said about Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, until He opened their eyes. Luke 24:45 reads, “And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.” As born again believers, we must avoid being like Balaam, and model our spiritual walk to resemble that of the donkey. When the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she perceived that danger lie ahead, and sought another way. When Balaam brought her back around to the same path, she persisted in trying to find a route that would not go against the Angel of the Lord. Note also, that the donkey’s attempts to follow God’s direction earned her much persecution. The meekness of the donkey was quite admirable as well, as she could have turned around and bit Balaam when he continued to strike her for the third time. We, as God’s children, need to pray that God will open our spiritual eyes so that we can see what He wants us to do, and where He wants us to go. When He reveals it, we must not be like Balaam who try to go against what God warned him not to do. We must be like the donkey who refused to oppose God when she realized He stood in her path. When we choose to walk the path God has chosen for us, know that there will be persecution from the world, and even worldly Christians. Finally, when that persecution comes, we must not react as the world would, and we must not seek to retaliate (Romans 12:14-20). Instead, we should love, and pray for, those who stand as our enemies (Matthew 5:44). In the end, the donkey behaved more like a child of God than Balaam did. His greed, pride, and self-absorption, caused his spiritual blindness, while the donkey’s spiritual eyes were wide open. I say we all strive to gain donkey vision!
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Disguised Sinful Intention
Verse of the day: Numbers 22:22 Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the LORD took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.
Here we have another occasion in which God’s anger was stirred against one of his servants. Why was God’s anger kindled against Balaam? The matter begins deep within the heart of Balaam. Although he was a man of God, his heart was far from God. Yet, God is merciful, and gracious, in communicating with Him. Praise the Lord that He does not just give up on us, but gives us the opportunity to reconsider and do what is right before His eyes. In this instance, God’s anger toward Balaam stems from his stubbornness in pursuing something that is obviously not God’s will. Balak, in an attempt to have Israel cursed tries to hire Balaam to set the curse. However, when God’s people are under His protection, He will allow no one to come near them in such a manner (v. 12). If God chooses to bless, no one but God can remove that blessing. Nonetheless, let us not forget that we can forfeit a blessing when we go against God’s will and plan. Balaam traded heavenly blessing for the possibility of earthly gain because of his love for money. 1 Timothy 6:10 tells us, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” The first time he was approached by Balak’s messengers, he knew what they were asking of him was wrong. Yet, we see that he entertained the possibility of being able to go ahead with this evil plan when he invited these messengers to stay, rather than send them on their way (v. 8). We set ourselves up for a fall when we entertain temptation, rather than turning to the way of escape that God provides (1 Corinthians 10:13); which is what Balaam did. Now he begins to do something that far too many of us Christians do, we know in our hearts that doing certain things are wrong, but we spiritualize it by saying that we will pray about whether or not we should do it. When Balaam inquired of God, the LORD could not have been any clearer than when He said, “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed”, in verse 12. When the first attempt failed, Balak sent another set of messengers who were obviously in a position to offer Balaam more money (v. 15). Here is where the true intentions of Balaam’s heart shined. He already knew that God refused his request to go and specifically told him that what they were asking of him was wrong. Yet, Balaam, once again, goes to God, as if seeking God’s will (which was already clearly communicated), hoping to receive a different answer. Well, he certainly did receive a different answer, not because God had changed His mind, but because God had different plans, and would use Balaam’s greed, stubbornness, and disobedience to work things out for the benefit of Israel. There does come a time when God will give us up to our own desires, and the consequences can be more than we bargain for (Psalm 81:12; Romans 1:24). As Balaam goes on his merry way, against God’s will, he encounters difficulty as his donkey refuses to go forward, because of the Angel of the Lord. Sadly, today, when we venture out against what we know is not God’s will, and we encounter difficulties, we convince ourselves that the opposition we face is really the devils that are hindering us so that we do not accomplish God’s will. How easily we deceive ourselves when we seek to do that which is wrong before God’s eyes, pleasurable to the flesh, and profitable in earthly gain. Ephesians 4:22 calls those desires “deceitful lusts.” It is not until God opens Balaam’s eyes to God’s impending judgement that he repents of his perverse ways (v. 31-34). Here is where, once again, we see God’s amazing mercy and grace. Instead of just killing Balaam in His anger, God opens Balaam’s eyes, and allows him to go forward to be an instrument in God’s hand, rather than Balak’s. I cannot count how many times God’s has been merciful in allowing me to continue in His service, even though what I deserved was to be set aside. This is no new revelation about who God is in our lives. We see Him use men and women in the Scriptures who deserved to be set aside, and even killed; yet, in His undeserved goodness toward us, He blesses us with another opportunity to get it right, and continue with the privilege of serving Him. Is it because of our goodness, our talents, our abilities, or anything special about us? No, it is because of His Son, our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. It is because of His intercession. It is because of His righteousness. It is because in Christ we are His children. If you know that we are on the wrong track, but we are seeking to change God’s mind about something that is not His will for us, we need to STOP! Let us turn to Him in repentance, confess it, and allow Him to continue using us for His glory.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Monday, March 26, 2018
He Is the Cure
Verse of the day: Numbers 21:8-9 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
Jesus, in speaking to Nicodemus, and trying to help him understand what it means to be born again, compared what He would ultimately do, to what happened here in Numbers. John 3:14-15 tells us, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” The events that took place in the wilderness are a clear picture of the battle that existed from the moment sin and death entered into the perfect world God had created. The devil, that old serpent, beguiled Eve, and because Adam was disobedient in not stopping her from eating the forbidden fruit, all of creation from that point forward has felt the burning sting of that old serpent’s bite. In the wilderness, God gave Moses the cure for what would stop the poison of the fiery serpent’s bite. The cure would be one that involved faith, and complete trust and reliance on God. There was nothing they could do, humanly speaking, to avoid the results of the serpents’ deadly poison. So it is today, that the only cure for the sting of sin and death is faith. I noted something interesting in this account. The Israelites wandered the wilderness surrounded by these fiery serpents and scorpions (Deuteronomy 8:15), and after the LORD provided them with a cure for their deadly bites, He did not take them immediately out of the wilderness. Instead, they continued to walk in the wilderness among these creatures, without ever being bothered by them again while they continue their journey to the Promise Land. Note that the cure entailed making a fiery serpent of bronze and putting it on a pole for all to look upon and trust that this would be enough to cure them. The serpent that was on that pole was a picture of judgement, as bronze in Scripture is used in that manner. However, it did not contain the poison of the fiery serpent that bit the Israelites. This was a picture of our Savior who came in the likeness of man (Philippians 2:7), not born of the seed of man, but the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15). He was conceived of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18), and therefore not being stained by a sin nature, He is the only One who could redeem us. Just as death came to the Israelites by the first serpents, the cure came by the second serpent that did not contain the deadly poison. Romans 5:18-19 tells us, “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” The cure for sin and death is only found in the One, Jesus Christ, who was lifted up on the cross, and gave His life, that in Him we would have life eternal. How do we make this applicable to us today? Let us first reflect on the fact that God sent them a cure, but did not remove them from the wilderness where the fiery serpents still made their home. We are saved from eternal condemnation, if we are in Christ (Romans 8:1), but we are still in a world where devils still dwell. Jesus prayed in John 17:15 & 20, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.” “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word”. He prayed for His disciples, and for us, that we would all be protected from the evil one, Satan. When we accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord, God did not translate us out of the world. Instead, we were left here to continue the work of the Gospel (Mark 16:15) amongst people who will reject us, persecute us, and seek to harm us because of who we are in Christ. We will be involved in spiritual battles with Satan and his demons, and have to resist our own fleshly desires. Nonetheless, God has not left us without a defense. He has given us spiritual armor to put on (Ephesians 6). We are to put on Christ and make no provision for the flesh (Romans 13:11-17). As we walk through this wilderness, He will guide us, keep us, and give us victories when we put Him before us, as He takes us home. We must allow Jesus to exalt Himself in our lives, so that others may have the same opportunity to receive the cure for sin and death that only He can freely provide. As John the Baptist said in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Poisonous Discontentment
Verse of the day: Numbers 21:6 So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.
Here we go again… What exactly does it take for us (note that I included “us” in what I am about to say) to be content with what the Lord chooses, or does not choose, for us? I state it this way because it was not just the Israelites in those days that murmured against God because of discontentment. We are just as guilty today of being whiners and complainers about what God chooses to allow in our lives, or not allow in our lives. I am not just talking about material things, but about circumstances as well. God has a plan for each of us that is according to His will. In this plan, there will be things that God will provide and allow, and things that He will choose not to give us or allow to enter our lives. It seems that whatever it is that God does for us, or protects us from, we still find something to complain about. The Israelites have seen God do great things for them. We are now at a stage where the crowd is intermingled with the people that were in Egypt, as well as the next generation of Israelites. They were now closer to entering the Promise Land than they ever were. What are they doing? They are murmuring. However, notice that they are not murmuring about God indirectly by complaining about, and to, Moses; instead, the Scripture tells us “the people spoke against God and against Moses” (v. 5). What exactly did they have to be discontent and dissatisfied about? God had just given them victory over the Canaanites who came against them; a victory they asked God for (v. 1-3). God was taking care of their needs by providing manna for them to eat; yet, they called it “light bread” or “worthless bread” (v. 5). Time, and time again, God protected them and provided for them, and what He received in return was their complaints. On this occasion, God did not tolerate such insolence and immediately sent fiery serpents against them, killing many of them. It is possible that the ones who died were the ones who were from the generation that came out of Egypt, as God was fulfilling His promise, through this occasion, that they would not enter the Promise Land. How often do we miss out on seeing the blessings in our lives, whether material blessings that meet our physical needs, or spiritual blessings that come from difficult situations that God ultimately gives us victory over? Yet, because it does not come in the form or manner in which WE think best, we complain. God used the very creatures that were already inhabiting the wilderness, and from which He was already protecting them from (Deuteronomy 8:15) to teach the Israelites that the poison of discontentment is deadly. How often do we complain about what God is doing in our lives, all the while being completely ignorant of the dangers around us that He is already protecting us from? How often do we want something that God knows will not be good for us, and provides something in its stead, but we murmur and whine? Often, we determine to go after whatever it is, then lament that it brought us more trouble than it was worth. We do this with material things that put us in great debt, and then we cry out to God to help us clean up the mess. We do this with relationships that we are in that have either gone sour, or relationships that we do not have yet, but want. We go after them, only to create heartache and pain that we could have avoided if we had just left them alone. Sadly, what we end up doing is blaming God for how things turned out, choosing to be blind to the fact that God put many obstacles in our way so that we would be discouraged from pursuing them. What exactly will it take for us to change our perspective on what God does for us? What will it take for us to look for the blessing in our everyday circumstances, before we resort to complaining and murmuring about the life God has chosen for us? If we would just stop and count our blessings, regardless of how “bad” life may seem, we will realize that God has been, and is being, better to us than any of us deserve. Do we not realize that when we are dissatisfied with what God is doing in our lives, we are outside of His will? 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us, “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” The very next verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:19, tells us not to quench the Holy Spirit. When we complain, and refuse to be thankful, we hinder the work of the Spirit in our lives. We become stagnant in our growth, as the Holy Spirit is trying to work in us to produce His fruit in our lives. Galatians 5:22-23 describes this fruit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” An ungrateful heart has no joy or peace. It becomes frustrated and angry, causing it to be unkind. It becomes impatient and lacks self-control. Discontentment is a poison that will kill our faith and our relationship with Christ. The bottom line is that God has provided for us, in Christ, more then we deserve. As born again believers, let us be people who are filled with contentment and thanksgiving, and not let that old serpent, the devil, convince us that we deserve more or better than what God has already done for us in providing us eternal life in Christ!
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Friday, March 23, 2018
Costly Consequences
Verse of the day: Numbers 20:12 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
When we read God’s Word, we will encounter many instances in which God allows different levels of consequences for a person’s action or choices. In this instance, Moses suffered a costly consequence for his lack of faith. One of the greatest sins we can commit is that of unbelief. Sadly, far too many of us do not see unbelief as a sin that is as bad as murder, stealing, lying or committing adultery. Yet, like some of our more overlooked sins (such as gossip and pride), God sees them as sins that bear severe consequences if not repented of and confessed. Gossip and pride bring about division, which God hates (Proverbs 6:16-19). Unbelief, in many instances, has yielded very costly consequences for many; consequences that still affect all of us today. In the Garden, the consequences of sin and death entered into the world, not just because of disobedience. Unbelief also played a part in man’s fall. Genesis 3:1 tells us, Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” Genesis 3:4-5 also tells us, Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Satan created doubt and unbelief in Eve’s mind. What were the consequences for this unbelief? Well, we are living them today. Sarah encouraged Abraham to have a child with Hagar (Gen 16). Their actions got ahead of God’s plan because of unbelief, which we see existed from the encounter in Genesis 18:12-15. These verses tell us, Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” 13 And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh!” Today, we still feel the consequences of Sarah’s unbelief as the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac are still fighting over the land promised to Israel. In this case, unbelief cost Moses and Aaron the privilege of entering the Promise Land as God promised. So why was this case of unbelief rewarded with such a high priced consequence? In Exodus 17:5-6, God instructed Moses to strike the rock and He would bring water from it. In doing so, God was picturing Jesus’ suffering and how He was going to provide for us Living Water. The second time that God is providing water for Israel from the rock, the instructions were to speak to the rock, by faith, and receive the water. This is a picture of how we would receive life eternal, by calling upon Christ, by faith, and receiving eternal life, and Living Water, the Holy Spirit who indwells us and seals us. When Moses failed to believe God, and chose his own way of bringing forth water from the rock, he pictured the unbeliever who rejects God’s plan of receiving Living Water, choosing instead to “work and earn” their salvation; thereby, forfeiting eternal life, as God has prescribed only ONE WAY of salvation (John 14:6). Hebrew 6:4-8 describe the same thing, as one who does not believe (makes a superficial profession of faith) crucifies Christ again by their unbelief (in their mind and heart), doing those things which put the Name of Jesus to shame, and cause others to blaspheme it. Sadly, there are many today who profess to know Jesus, but are still trying to earn salvation by performing religious rituals and keep religious traditions created by men. Just like Moses was not allowed to enter the Promise Land, but see it from afar, the cost for unbelief in what Jesus did will be far more costly for those who fail to put their trust in God’s plan for salvation, Christ alone. As born again believers, we have eternal life, but our lives can be one of suffering caused by our own lack of wisdom and restraint, if we do not stop and consider the actions that stem from a moment of unbelief. Isaiah spoke it best when he said this to Israel in Isaiah 59:2, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.” Our salvation may have been sealed and secured by the Holy Spirit, in Christ, but our sins, especially that of unbelief, can cause us to put a wedge in our relationship with the Lord, and hinder our prayers (Hebrews 11:6).
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Thursday, March 22, 2018
We Are Family
Verse of the day: Numbers 20:20-21 Then he said, “You shall not pass through.” So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand. 21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.
This is an interesting account of Moses and the Israelites being refused passage through Edom. It was a simple request, made by the people of God, who offered to do no harm, but simply to pass through on their way to inherit God’s promise. We saw previous to this that God came to Israel’s defense in those times when others opposed them, but this time God appears silent. We do not read anywhere in this passage that God instructed them to go through Edom; nonetheless, God was watching and well aware of what was taking place. Later, in the Book of Deuteronomy, God addresses this incident and tells Israel how they should respond to the Edomites as a result of the way they treated them. In Deuteronomy 23:7 God told Israel, “You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were an alien in his land.” God’s response to the overreaction by the King of Edom was to tell Israel not to hold the offense against them. Why? Simply stated, “You are family.” The Edomites are the descendants of Esau, while the Israelites are the descendants of Esau’s twin, Jacob. God called them to unity for the sake of their familial roots. The hatred that existed by Esau toward Jacob still existed in their descendants; yet, God called His people, the Israelites, who knew God in a way the Edomites did not, to be the forgiving ones. God took it a step further and even told them to not hold Egyptian’s offense against them, but instead, remember their kindness during the time that Joseph was governor of Egypt. Even when they recalled their enslavement, it was to be remembered not for their suffering, but for God’s deliverance, and for His praise. It amazes me how quickly people, even Christians, forget the kindness of others the moment there is an offense. Sadly, I often see that the unsaved make more of an effort than Christians to keep family relations intact. There will be those family members that will choose to have nothing to do with us because of our faith, and there is nothing we can do about that other than to still treat them with love and kindness, in spite of their attitude. Romans 12:18 exhorts us, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Even more so than just with blood relations, God wants forgiveness and unity within His family. Galatians 6:9-10 clearly reminds us, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” As God’s children, we know that we are to love, be kind, forgive, and treat others in a way that glorifies God and shows the love of Christ. However, God exhorts us to do so, more so, toward each other as part of His family. It is truly sad when we see Christians who are not only brothers and sisters in Christ, but also blood-related (brothers and sisters, parents and children, and other family relations), who choose not to speak to each other, hold grudges against each other, and use all kinds of excuses to mistreat, ignore, and refuse to forgive one another. Not only is it sad from a human perspective, but it truly saddens our God. I have seen Christians who treat strangers better than they treat family members. This ought not to be amongst God’s people. I have seen unsaved families that make Christian families look pathetic, compared to the way they forgive and love each another. The bottom line is that it is often easier to treat people we see in short spurts with more love, patients, kindness, and so forth, because we only have to deal with them for those abbreviated moments. Yet, we have a tendency to be less patient with the people with whom we have more intimate relationships with. The offenses that happen within those relationships are often more painful because of the level of intimacy involved. This is especially true with brothers and sisters in Christ, as there is no bond greater than the bond that comes from knowing Jesus, and having the same Spirit indwell us. Let us not allow the devils to use offenses to put a wedge between us and unsaved family members who we are supposed to be winning to Christ. Let us also put our pride aside and seek unity with our eternal family for God’s glory.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Only Jesus
Verse of the day: Numbers 20:1, 12, 28 “Then the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month; and the people stayed at Kadesh. Now Miriam died there and was buried there.” 12 “But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.’” 28 “After Moses had stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar, Aaron died there on the mountain top. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.”
This chapter is filled with events that picture the whole point of the Gospel message. First, we see the death of Miriam. Later, God imposes a penalty on Moses for his unbelief in striking the rock to bring forth water, rather than speak to it, as God instructed him. Toward the end of the chapter, we see the death of Aaron. Why are these three events important? Each one of these personalities, represent an office in the Old Testament that was given to Israel to picture the coming of the Messiah. Miriam was representative of the prophets who continually foretold the coming of the Messiah. Exodus 15:21 tells us, “Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.” Aaron was the first high priest, appointed by God, representing the priesthood (Exodus 28:1). Finally, we have Moses who represented the Law, as it was given to Israel through him (Exodus 31). The death of each one occurring before they entered the Promise Land pictures the fact that the Law, the prophets, or the work of the priesthood could not, in and of itself, bring them into the rest and peace that God promised Israel. In previous events, when spies were sent into the land to survey it, only Joshua and Caleb brought back a positive report, and only these two tried to encourage the people to enter the land God had promised them. The consequence of their actions was that they would both see the Promise Land. In other words, they received God’s promise, and entered into God’s peace and rest, by faith (Numbers 13). Ultimately, it was Joshua, the Hebrew name for Jesus, who led the Israelites into the Promise Land. Knowledge of prophecy does not give us eternal life. Performing religious rituals that inflate our egos does not gain us favor and eternal life, and following Old Testament Law does not make us righteous or gain us salvation. On the contrary, it shows us exactly how sinful we really are, and how much we need the Savior. The Law condemns us so that we realize our inability to save ourselves. Joshua leading the people into the Promise Land is a picture of salvation coming by faith in Jesus, and Him alone. No one else was allowed to bring them into God’s promise. No amount of works, good deeds, or anything else, will earn us eternal life, only faith in Christ, and His finished work on Calvary. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Titus 3:4-7, “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” If you are reading this today, and you are relying on something or someone other than Jesus for eternal life, stop and put your faith and trust in Him alone. If you already know Him, praise Him for the salvation He has granted, for just as the Israelites were unworthy to enter into the Promise Land, but were led in because of the faith of Joshua; so we today have eternal life because of our faith in Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father but by Him (John 14:6).
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Prayer Soothes an Angry God
Verse of the day: Numbers 16:47-48 Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped.
What a wonderful example of the power of prayer and forgiveness. Even after God had shown His displeasure with Korah’s, and his followers’, rebellion, the people still continued to rebel against Him, Moses, and Aaron (v. 41-43). They had just seen God cause the earth to swallow these rebels alive; yet, they continued to complain and seek the lives of Moses and Aaron. God’s response to their stubbornness was swift, as a plague immediately went out against them (v. 46). What I would like us to note in this account is what Moses’ and Aaron’s response was to this rebellious people. Their immediate reaction was not to try to talk them down, or defend themselves, but to run to God (v. 43). Psalm 27:5 tells us, “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.” Psalm 31:20 also tells us, “You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.” The safest place we can run to when other come against us, and plot against us, is into the presence of God, under His protective wings (Psalm 91:4). Amazingly, Moses and Aaron do not run to God to stand by and see the people destroyed, although they would be completely justified if they had. Instead, they go before an angry God to intercede for those who falsely accused them and sought their lives. The censer and incense is a picture of prayer. Psalm 141:2 tells us, “Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” As God’s priest, the people’s representative before God, Aaron took the censer with the incense and ran into the midst of the people, between the dead and the living. First, it showed the confidence that Aaron had in his relationship with the LORD. To put himself in such a position was to risk death. What greater act of love and forgiveness can one perform than to put himself/herself in a position to suffer death for those who falsely accused us and seek to kill us? Does this remind us of another event in history where this act was repeated? Yes. Jesus, the perfect Son of God, although falsely accused, brutally beaten, and crucified, for a world who deserved eternal condemnation, allowed His life to be taken for the forgiveness our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 2:2). Aaron stood as an advocate, interceding on behalf of an unworthy people, in order that the rest, who were still alive, be spared from the plague. Today, there is a plague called sin that is consuming the human race. However, there is One who stands ready to intercede on behalf of those who do not yet know Him, if they will put their trust in Him, and call on Him. He also stands ready to hear from, and answer, those of us who are His, who will pray with this kind of urgency for our family, friends, and people we know, who do not yet have a personal relationship with Him. His Name is Jesus. I must ask…when was the last time that any of us earnestly prayed for the salvation of another? When was the last time that we prayed for, and interceded on behalf of, someone who has mistreated or harmed us in some way? Do we pray for those who seek to harm our reputation? Are we not called to be Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20)? Did not Jesus tell us to love and pray for our enemies, just as Moses and Aaron did here (Matthew 5:44)? Have we forgotten that we are to forgive as God forgave us for Christ’s sake (Ephesians 4:32)? As God’s children, let us give praise and thanks to God for the forgiveness and salvation we have in Jesus; and let us put all else aside and be diligent about praying for those who are lost. Let us not forget to pray for those who oppose us and seek to harm us because of who we are in Christ, and for those who stand as our enemies. Prayer and forgiveness are not optional for us, the born again believer, it is our duty (Luke 17:10) and the least we can do in demonstrating our love for Jesus (John 14:15).
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Monday, March 19, 2018
Hostile Takeovers
Verse of the day: Numbers 16:8-10 “Then Moses said to Korah, ‘Hear now, you sons of Levi: 9 Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the work of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to serve them; 10 and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also?’”
Here is a story that has repeatedly played out within the body of Christ. People who become disgruntled and rebel against leaders that God has called, simply because things are not happening within the church that they want to see happen. Pride has convinced many that they are more qualified and can do a better job than those that God has placed in positions of authority within the body of Christ. Sadly, these troublemakers have caused local church splits that often resulted in the local church’s light going out within that community. For those who stir up this kind of turmoil, they will give an account as God hates division (Proverbs 6:19). Today, many false teachers want to propagate their false doctrines, and lead people astray for their own personal gain. Note who followed Korah, “men of renown” or “men of reputation”. False teachers will often befriend and influence those who have the strongest following in the local church in order to give strength to their “hostile takeovers”. Jude describes them this way in Jude 1:16, “These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage.” Oftentimes, the division will come because people will favor one preacher, teacher, or “wannabe” preacher or teacher, and insist that they should be the pastor or other leader within the body. How often we forget that the church does not belong to any individual; the church belongs to God. In addressing the Church at Corinth, in 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ.’ 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” In Christ there is no division, we are all one in Him. Furthermore, it is not up to us to call ourselves into God’s service. Although we are all commanded to share the Gospel message (Mark 16:15), not all of us are called to lead within the body. Those who choose to takeover positions that they were not called to will have a lot to answer to when they stand before the Lord. James 3:1 warns, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.” The bottom line is that we have no business trying to usurp those whom God has placed in positions of leadership, especially if they are preaching God’s Word for what it is, and are doctrinally sound in their teaching. Just because a leader does not have the kind of personality we want them to have, or they do not speak with the eloquence we prefer, is not reason enough to remove the man of God or God’s teacher or elder(s), from the position God has placed them in. King David had the proper perspective when it came to dealing with God’s chosen leader. Although he knew he was called by God to be king, and although King Saul was persecuted, he would not put a hand on him to remove him from the throne, even though he had opportunities to do so. Instead, even when his followers wanted him to usurp the throne, he responded in this manner in 1 Samuel 14:6-7, “And he said to his men, ‘The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.’ 7 So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way.” To rebel against God’s chosen leaders is to rebel against God, and that is a position that we should always avoid at all cost. Instead, we should be like King David, who not only refused to rebel against God and His chosen one, but was also the voice of reason who convinced others to do what was right.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Missed Opportunities
Verse of the day: Numbers 14:40 “And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, ‘Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised, for we have sinned!’”
I cannot even begin to imagine how many opportunities many of us have missed in our walk with the Lord. We often read about the Israelites and how they rebelled against God with all their murmurings, and how often they walked in opposition to His will and plan for them. However, when we stop and think about our own relationship with Christ, we need to stop and consider how often we have done the same thing. Our lack of prayer, reading and studying of God’s Word, the method God uses to hear from us and talk to us, often positions us on a path outside of God’s will and plan for us. Other times we know what God wants from us, but our lack of faith causes us to go in the opposite direction, much like Jonah did when God sent him to Nineveh (Jonah 1:3). In Jonah’s case, God not only turned him around, but when he finally obeyed God and went to Nineveh, God was with him (Jonah 3-4). Herein lies the difference between how Jonah’s service to the Lord ended, as opposed to the disastrous attempt by the Israelites to take possession of the Promise Land (v. 45, Deuteronomy 1:44). In Jonah’s case, even though he disobeyed God’s marching orders, a vacation in the belly of a big fish brought him to a place of prayer and repentance (Jonah 1-2). Here, the Israelites went forward to do something that was attempted without true repentance, in opposition to God’s command, and in their own strength. The result was utter failure and missed opportunity with great blessing. As God’s children, we will learn that there are times when He will call us to minister and move in accordance to His timing and in accordance to His methods, which may not make sense to us, and stretch our faith. Isaiah 55:8-9 clearly tells us that His ways and thoughts are not our ways and thoughts, as His ways are much higher than ours. How we respond to God’s leading in those time will result in either receiving great blessings, or missed opportunities and blessings. If we are to be sensitive to God’s timing in our lives, then we must ensure that our level of intimacy with Him is such that we learn to trust His ways and His timing. When God commanded the Israelites to go and possess the Promise Land, they did not trust Him and brought back report of discouragement that affected them as a whole, except for Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 13-14). God closed the window of opportunity, imposed a death sentence on those who rebelled against His command (v. 26-38), and would not go with them, but they have now insisted on going ahead and attempting to possess the land. Moses’ warning to them was very clear, that they were heading for great defeat without the Lord (v. 42-43). How sad that they refused to go when they had the power and strength of the Lord on their side, but now are willing to attempt the impossible in their own strength. This pictures a more tragic event that is happening around us every day. Today, we have many who are trying to gain salvation, and acceptance, by way of their own works, and religious rituals. Sadly, many of these very people will go into eternity falling short of eternal life because they have rejected the One Person, Jesus Christ, through whom salvation is possible, only to be condemned by their own feeble attempts at being righteous enough to be accepted. So it is for us, the born again believer, when it comes to doing anything that is worthy of heavenly reward, and trying to gain that reward by operating in the flesh. We can either serve God by faith, which is pleasing to Him (Hebrews 11:6), or we can serve God in our own strength, based on our own timing, in our own wisdom, with selfish motives, and lose many great blessings (both here and when we stand before Him). The Israelites missed a great opportunity and the ultimate blessing of resting in God, because they did not believe. They further sinned against God when they decided to try to force the blessing onto themselves by going about it in their own strength, after God had closed the window of opportunity. How many opportunities to lead someone to Christ will we miss? How many opportunities to reap blessings, by being a blessing, will we miss? How often will we walk in opposition to God’s will and plan, and waste precious time, because we refused to serve God His way and on His terms? Ephesians 5:15-16 reminds us, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Let us be careful not to add transgression upon transgression by trying to force a window open that God has already closed, simply because we failed to be obedient and trust Him when He first opened the window of opportunity for us.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Unrest in Unbelief
Verse of the day: Numbers 14:11 Then the LORD said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?”
This account of Israel’s failure to enter the Promise Land, their place of rest, is tragic. However, not nearly as tragic as those who miss their opportunity to enter their Place of eternal rest in Christ. The Israelites missed a great opportunity to enter the land that God had promised them. Why? Well, let us begin back in Egypt. God sends Moses to deliver His people from Egypt and sends plagues that demonstrate His great power (Exodus 7 thru Exodus 11). He leads Moses and the Israelites out of Egypt and then parts the Red Sea for them (Exodus 14). God turns bitter water sweet for them to drink (Exodus 15). He feeds them with manna from Heaven (Exodus 16). He gives them water from a rock and victory over Amalek (Exodus 17). All the while, the Israelites see the Pillar of Fire and the Pillar of Cloud that leads them and is present with them. Now, God tells them to go on a recon mission and bring a report back to the people. Although it may seem as if God initiated this recon mission, let us go to Deuteronomy 1 to see the rest of the story. Deuteronomy 1:20-22 Moses is recounting what really happened before the Israelites went on their mission, “And I said to you, ‘You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. 21 Look, the LORD your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the LORD God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged. 22 And every one of you came near to me and said, Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.’” In reality, it was not God’s idea for them to go and survey the land before entering it, but He wanted them to trust Him and just enter the land as He had spoken to them. Their failure to enter the land was not that God failed to keep His promise, but that they failed to trust Him, even after seeing Him perform miracle after miracle on their behalf. Like Israel, what will it take, for us, to trust God? What caused their faith to waiver once again? Why did they not just go in and possess the land God had already promised was theirs? If we were to truly take inventory of all God has done in our lives thus far, each and every one of us would have to admit that we have allowed what we have seen of our circumstances and situations override our faith at one time or another. Israel took their eyes off God, and forgot what He had already done, and focused on what the people of land looked like in comparison to themselves. In Deuteronomy 13:31-33, a false report was given to discourage the Israelites from going forward, “But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.’ 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, ‘The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.’” They compared what they saw to themselves, rather than compare it to how big God is. How often do we do the same in our lives? God allows circumstances to enter our lives, or sends us on a mission to witness to someone or sacrifice something for His glory, and instead of keeping our eyes on Him, and remembering how often He has seen us through difficult times, we put our eyes on the situation, and we falter in our faith. In response to their lack of faith, God told Moses that He was going to send pestilence and disinherit them (v. 12). Today, it is just as displeasing to God when we show a lack of faith in Him. Hebrews 11:6 tell us, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” The sad result of their lack of faith was death (v. 26-29). What could have been a short trip to their place of rest ended up being a death march until all those who gave a bad report and disbelieved God died in the wilderness, except for Joshua and Caleb who gave a favorable report and tried to encourage them to go forward and take the land (v. 6-9). Today, far too many people are perishing. They are choosing eternal punishment and unrest because of their unbelief. Sadly, there are also many Christians who live a life of unrest because we put our eyes on our circumstances and compare them to what we are capable of, humanly speaking, rather than compare them to God, who is bigger. We must remember all the times that God has seen us through difficulties, and move forward in faith. Will we continue in unrest because of unbelief?
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Let Silence Prevail
Verse of the day: Numbers 12:4 “Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, ‘Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!’ So the three came out.”
All of us, regardless of who we are, will be falsely accused and criticized at some point in our lives. There will be times when what is said about us is true (whether we admit it or not), and there will be other times when the commentary will be completely false. How do we react when others speak lies about us? Do we get angry and immediately go into “defense mode”? Do we suddenly get “diarrhea of the mouth” and give them “a piece of our minds”? What do we accomplish by doing this, other than adding fuel to the fire and making ourselves actually look guilty of the falsehood? As I read this account of Miriam and Aaron speaking against Moses, the one thing that stood out was that Moses never spoke up in his own defense. In keeping silent, he gave room for God to speak on his behalf. What better defense can we have than to let God vindicate us when others have spoken badly about us? The best defense we have against gossipers and people who try to malign our name is to live a righteous life before the Lord. 1 Peter 3:13-17 tells us that we are blessed if we suffer for righteousness’ sake. 1 Peter 3:16 reads, “Having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.” John the Baptist faithfully served God, and people accused him of being possessed, and Jesus was perfect, yet, people spoke ill of Him (Matthew 11:18-19). Why would we think that people will not speak ill of us? Even when Jesus was insulted, He did not insult them in return. 1 Peter 2:23 tells us, “Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously”. In this instance, God spoke directly to Miriam and Aaron, in defense of His servant Moses. Today, if we allow God to be our defense, He will send others to who know us and who will speak on our behalf. Proverbs 27:2 reminds us, “Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” When Jesus stood before Pilate, He remained silent against the false accusations made against Him. This was recorded for us in Mark 15:3-5, “And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing. 4 Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, ‘Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You!’ 5 But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.” Not only were Jesus and Moses both silent in each of their circumstances, but when they finally spoke, their response was one that is difficult for any one of us to have, even though it is, by far, the best response to those who falsely criticize us. Verse 13 of this chapter tells us, “So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, ‘Please heal her, O God, I pray!’” Luke 23:34 tells us, “Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.’” Moses interceded for Miriam and asked God to heal her. In other words, he showed forgiveness. Jesus cried out for forgiveness during a time when He was suffering most. When we find ourselves in a place of having to defend ourselves against false accusations and criticism, we must be patient, forgive, and allow God to come to our defense, according to His timetable. When we do this, we will give silence time to prevail.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Monday, March 12, 2018
No Grounds for Racism
Verse of the day: Numbers 12:1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
The one thing I can never understand is how a Bible believing Christian could ever justify looking down on someone or rejecting someone because they are different. There is no area of Scripture where we can turn to in justifying an attitude of racism or bigotry on the basis of a person’s skin color, culture of origin, or country of origin. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, the only time God tells His people to separate from a particular group of people is when the practices of those people are idolatrous and wicked in their behavior and lifestyle. In Deuteronomy 7:3, God told the Israelites not to intermarry with the people that were in the land into which God was leading them. Why? Deuteronomy 7:4 tells us, “For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly.” Why does God tell us today not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers? 2 Corinthians 6:14 tells us, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” It has everything to do with not intermingling with anyone who will draw us away from the Lord, or who professes a different belief system than we do, as born again believers. We who are not of this world are not to be involved intimately, and intermarry, with those who are of this world. However, it is never on the basis of skin color, culture of origin, or country of origin. Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses for no reason other than that he married an Ethiopian woman. God’s response to their bigotry was that He became angry with both of them, and struck Miriam with leprosy. In this case, it appears that Miriam was the instigator in this incident, and therefore, Aaron, although just as guilty for going along with Miriam’s sinful behavior, was not punished as severely. A caution to all of us that we should never prompt or encourage others to be bigoted, and discriminate, against someone because they look different than we do. As brothers and sisters in Christ, regardless of what we look like or what our background is, we are to love one another and not hate. 1 John 2:9 tells us, “He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.” Acts 10:34-15 also reads, “Then Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him’”. So, if salvation is available to all (John 3:16), and God accepts all who come to Him, regardless of who they, what they look like, or where they came from, why would we reject someone God accepts? Regardless of what our background or where we were born, we all have the same origin, as the Apostle Paul said in Acts 17:26, “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings”. A day is coming when we will ALL, people from all nations, be before the Throne of God, lifting our voices in praise! Revelation 7:9-10 tells us, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” The bottom line is that there is nothing in God’s Word that forbids Christians from different backgrounds, cultures, or skin colors, from marrying one another, being close friends, or having any other type of intimate relationship; and shame on anyone who proclaims the Name of Christ, but hates others because of racism or bigotry. As God’s children the only thing we are called to hate is sin, because God hates sin. “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” (Romans 12:9)
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Sunday, March 11, 2018
Who Influences You?
Verse of the day: Numbers 11:4 Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat?
As we read this account in Numbers, there are details that we were not given in Exodus 16 about the plague, and what instigated Israel’s complaint. Here, we see that those that were intermingled with Israel were the instigators of all the complaining against God. This should resound loudly in our hearts and minds about the importance of who influences us in our Christian life. This was one of the reasons God did not want Israel to intermarry with other ungodly cultures, at that time, and why we are told not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). Over the years, I have heard many excuses in trying to justify being in a relationship with someone, or hanging out with friends, who are not born again believers. Yet, in just about every instance, the relationship ended badly, or the friendship led the Christian down an ungodly path. God’s Word clearly tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:33-34, “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’ 34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.” I have seen far too many Christians, in an attempt not to offend, or be seen as narrow-minded, or be called intolerant, compromise who they are as a born again believer. Sadly, what happens is we begin to slide down the slippery slope we read about in Psalm 1:1, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful”. God tells us that we will be blessed, or happy, when we refuse to make the ungodly the source of our advice, guidance, or company. The slide downward begins when we forsake godly wisdom, and prefer the advice of the unsaved, which offers nothing godly that comes from God’s Word or a relationship with, and knowledge of, Christ Jesus. The advice is driven by feelings, and personal experience, that felt good to the one giving the advice, but lacked any integrity or righteousness. The slide continues downward as following ungodly wisdom turns into companionship with the ungodly. The Christian then begins to prefer the company of the unsaved because the advice and lifestyle appeal more to the flesh, becoming more worldly, and “walking the fence”, with one foot in Christianity and the other in the world. There is the danger of now becoming lukewarm in our walk, which God hates (Revelation 3:16). As a lukewarm Christian, we begin making decisions without seeking God’s guidance. We begin to ruin our testimony, and the unsaved friends we choose do not take our faith seriously; and we constantly push the limits of what we can get away with, without any real consequences. Finally, we find ourselves at the bottom of that slippery slope when we have descended to the place where we do not flinch around those that blaspheme the Name of God. Our ways become just as wicked as the unsaved, and we are no longer distinguishable from the lost. This is a sad place for a Christians to end up. Let us follow the command in Ephesians 4:17-19, “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” As born again believers, it is best to be the person in Psalm 1:2, which reads, “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.” This is the Christian who reads, studies, thinks about the Word day and night, and diligently seeks to apply the Word of God to his/her life (Joshua 1:8; 2 Timothy 2:15; James 1:22-25). Their primary source of wisdom is God and the Scriptures (James 1:5), and they prefer the advice of those they know to be mature men and women of God (Proverbs 19:20-21). A born again believer, who truly wants the right influence in their life will seek and follow righteous and holy advice, even if it puts them in a position to be scorned or face hardship for the cause of Christ. 1 Peter 3:17 clearly tells us, “For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” As God’s children, we must truly consider who, or what, is the influence in our daily lives.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Murmuring Against God
Verse of the day: Numbers 11:1 “Now when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; for the LORD heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the LORD burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp.”
If we tell others how wonderful it is to be a Christian, and how great it is to serve the Lord, why do we complain so much? There is nothing more discouraging than hearing a Christian proclaim how great the Lord is in one breath, then go into a murmuring session with the next breath. I believe that too many of us forget how much God despises murmuring and complaining. In this chapter, we see God’s anger aroused because of the Israelites’ complaining. In this instance, as in many other instances, the complaining comes from being ungrateful in respect to God’s provision, and His leading. Although God had blessed them with manna from Heaven, the people complained because they preferred the food they had in Egypt. In response to their complaining, God provided quail for them to eat, along with a good dose of the plague (v. 33-34). How do we effectively proclaim the Good News of the Gospel if what we are known for, in our circle of influence, is our murmuring and complaining? What kind of message does that send to the unsaved world that is observing us? What impression do we give our unsaved neighbors, coworkers, family, and friends, when all they hear from us is how bad this is, or how bad that is, or why do we have to do such and such? Does this mean that we will never have a complaint about something? No, it does not. However, there is a difference between going to the Lord and complaining about some situation or circumstance, and complaining about the Lord, and what He has chosen or not chosen for us. The Israelites, in complaining about God’s provision, were complaining about God. Often, when we complain about where God has us, what He has us doing, and what He is allowing us to experience, or not allowing, what we are doing is complaining about God Himself. When we complain about those God has called to lead us, we are complaining against Him. Complaining was nothing new with the Israelites. They complained while they were slaves, and being freed from slavery, they still complained. If we are not careful, we too can become “Christian Complainers”. When God is doing something in our lives to free us from the bondage we suffered for so long, and things seem to get worse than better, we complain. The Israelites complained when God was in the process of freeing them because the labor put on them became more intense (Exodus 5). How often do we do this when the devil turns up the heat because we have crossed over from his family to God’s family? Our first inclination is to complain and wonder if it was even worth giving our lives to Christ (this usually results in going back to our worldly ways). Once the Israelites were freed, and found themselves facing a stressful, and seemingly impossible, situation, at the Red Sea, they told Moses to leave them alone (Exodus 14). How often do we do our best to follow the Scriptures, godly advice, and take the path of righteousness, only to face harsh persecution and criticism, even from those we know and love? What do we do? We complain and begin to wonder if it is even worth doing the right thing. Yet, God allows such things to happen in order to strengthen our faith, and grow our intimacy with Him. Sadly, like the Israelites, we choose murmuring and complaining rather than learning, and growing closer to the Lord. The truth of the matter is the God’s Word commands us not to murmur and complain. Philippians 2:14-15 tells us, “Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world”. When we complain, we dim the light of our testimony. The bottom line is that complaining not only makes our testimony for the Lord less effective, but it causes strife amongst God’s people. James 4:1-3 reminds us, “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” Complainers still lust after worldly things, and are often the cause of strife within the body. Let us not be ungrateful complainers. Instead, let us be thankful, as commanding in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Friday, March 9, 2018
Every Need Met
Verse of the day: Leviticus 25:21 Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years.
The longer I live, the older I get, the more I realize that I do not need as much as I thought I did. I have found that much of what I thought I needed were really things I wanted. Sadly, there were times when God provided more than I needed, but I was too busy desiring things that I wanted, showing little appreciation for what God had already given me. The Israelites were no different. While in the wilderness, God provided for them daily bread from heaven, and quail; yet, what they desired was the food they left behind in Egypt, the place of their enslavement (Exodus 16). Sadly, this is what happens with us. God follows through on His promise to provide for us what we need, and we, instead, chase after the things we want, and act as if God is keeping something from us. The same God who provided for the Israelites in the wilderness is the same God who still provides for us today. Jesus said in Matthew 7:11, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:19, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Here in Leviticus, God instructs the Israelites to allow the land to rest, in the Year of Jubilee, the seventh year of forty nine years (seven sabbaths of years times seven years). In that year they were not to work the land, and in doing so, trusting God to provide for them in that year, and the following. God’s promise to them, in obedience, and trust of His provision, was that He would provide three years worth of produce to last them beyond the eighth year, when they would once again sow the land, and reap produce on the ninth. What an awesome picture of God’s provision for us today. So often, we miss the blessing of enjoying God’s provision because we are too busy chasing our own selfish wants. We receive from God, but not as we expected, or wanted, and we completely miss the blessing. Instead, we gather, we buy, we covet, and we enslave ourselves to the debt that comes with it, being very poor stewards of what God has given us. The expectation then becomes that God is supposed to bail us out of the mess we have made, simply because we sought more than we really needed, and more than God was already providing. The mistake we make is that we seek riches, material gain, and other worldly things, more than we seek the things of God, and God Himself. Jesus said in Matthew 6:31-34, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” God’s desire is that we seek Him first, and trust Him to provide whatever it is that we need. If we have Him, in reality, what else do we need? Hebrews 13:5-6 put it best, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ 6 So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my Helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” This might seem like an easy thing when we read it, but stop and think about this; imagine that we are farmers, and we rely on our land to provide for us and our families’ needs. What if God were to say to us, “Do not work your land next year, I will provide for you and your family for the next couple of years”? How would we react to this? It is easy to say that we would trust Him, but how often do we panic about a bill that needs to be paid next month? How often do we panic because we are living paycheck to paycheck, and do not know how we are going to pay for food, fuel, or anything else? The bottom line is that we must learn the difference between a need and a want, and be better stewards of what God has already given us. When we realize that we do not really need as much as we think we do, and when we learn to trust God, see and appreciate all that He has already provided for us (the greatest being our eternal salvation in Christ) we will be more thankful, less stressed, and have more peace and joy than we could ever imagine. I will close with Psalm 37:25, “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.”
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Thursday, March 8, 2018
No Forgiveness
Verse of the day: Leviticus 24:15-16 “Then you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. 16 And whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the LORD, he shall be put to death.’”
It amazes me that some Christians can read the Old Testament Scriptures, and still not understand just how gracious and forgiving God has been toward us in this church age. When we read how intolerant God is toward sin, how can we not be grateful for the salvation, forgiveness, grace, and mercy we have in Christ? Yes, God is love, but He is also a just God who will not allow sin to go unpunished. There were many infractions of the Law for which God commanded that violators be put to death. As forgiving as our God is, there is one sin for which there is no forgiveness; that sin is the sin of blasphemy. In Mark 3:28-30, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”— 30 because they said, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’” This was in response to the Pharisees accusation that Jesus had healed many and exorcised many in the power of Satan. In doing so, they were denying what the Spirit was doing in proving, and testifying, that Jesus is the Messiah, and thereby trying to discourage others from putting their faith in Him. In Matthew 12, the account specifically tells us that Jesus healed a demon-oppressed man who was blind, and mute, that resulted in this accusation by the Pharisees. There are many sins that we commit, that in Christ we are forgiven. However, to blaspheme the Holy Spirit is a sin that is unpardonable. Why? The short answer is this, a person who blasphemes the Holy Spirit today, is one who rejects the Gospel message, and rejects Jesus as Savior. Jesus said in John 15:26, “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” In John 16:8-9 Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me”. When an unsaved person, rejects the testimony of the Holy Spirit, in respect to who Jesus is, that is unpardonable. Jesus said in John 3:18, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” This is not speaking of someone who initially rejects, but some time later comes to hear and believe the truth of who Jesus is. This is speaking of a person who vehemently rejects the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus as Savior, and dies without Christ. Once a person passes on to the next life, it is too late to accept Jesus. The punishment for this sin is eternal condemnation. Sadly, I have been reading lately that there are those who claim to believe in Jesus, and God’s Word, but reject that there is a literal hell. Yet, to say this is to contradict God’s Word and Jesus’ own words. They conveniently take the Scriptures that clearly speak of eternal fire, and eternal condemnation, and proclaim them to be “figurative”, in order to fit their crooked theology. How can we apply the word “eternal” in Scripture to eternal life, and say that we will be with God eternally; but then reject “eternal” punishment, when used in Scripture with eternal fire, and say that there is no eternal punishment and that we will only burn for a period of time? That is the devil’s theology. Jesus clearly spoke of Hell in Luke 16:19-31 (and clearly refutes the theology that says that we will just lie dormant in our graves). The rich man immediately opened his eyes in hell, and Lazarus was carried to be with Abraham in that account. In 2 Thessalonians 1:9-10 we are told, “These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.” In Mark 9:42-48, Jesus clearly speaks of a place called Hell where there is fire that shall never be quenched. In Matthew 25:41, Jesus said that there are those who will be cast into eternal fire. Revelation 20:14 clearly says that death and hell will be cast into the Lake of Fire. Amazingly, those who proclaim that there is no hell do not quote these verses; especially those that record Jesus’ own words, and write off the verses in Revelation as figurative. The bottom line is that anyone who rejects Jesus, after being convicted by the Holy Spirit, and dies without Christ, has blasphemed the Holy Spirit, and is doomed to ETERNAL punishment. If you do not truly know Him, accept Him now before it is too late!
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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