Tag: endurance

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October 11 2023 – Hebrews 3 – The Danger of a Hardened Heart

Reading through the Bible, we see many warnings about wandering from the faith. They are in both the Old and New Testaments. In Hebrews 3, we see a warning about wandering from the faith from the Old Testament example of the Israelites that were led through the wilderness for forty years.

Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, As in the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, And saw My works for forty years. Therefore I was angry with this generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they did not know My ways’; As I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ” Hebrews3:7–11NASB1995

I have said on many occasions that allowing sin to remain in our lives is dangerous. The Holy Spirit continually shows us the sin in our lives that is separating us from God. We either deal with the sin and continue in right relation with God or we choose to keep the sin and ignore the Holy Spirit. That is how we harden our hearts against God.

It is a slippery slope when we choose not to deal with sin because it allows other sins to take root in our lives. Once this begins to happen, we accelerate the hardening of our heart against God. It becomes more and more difficult to hear God speaking to us. This puts us in a dangerous condition where we can actually deny our faith in God.

The author of Hebrews gives us clear warning and we would do well to, not only listen but examine our lives to see if we are cherishing sin over God.

“Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end…” Hebrews3:12–14NASB1995

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the incredible sacrifice you made to make me right with God! Help me to listen to your Spirit and continually confess and turn from sins that harden my heart against you. Amen.

December 11, 2022 – 2 Corinthians 12 – Sufficient Grace

Exodus 22, John 4, 2 Corinthians 12

In 2 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul is defending himself and his ministry to the Corinthians. He is pretending to boast about his qualifications, because his detractors were boasting about themselves. He tells the Corinthians about a time when he was caught up to the third heaven.

“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.” 2 Corinthians12:2–4NIV

Paul had training and education. He was a “Hebrew of Hebrews.” He had an encounter with Jesus Christ on the Damascus Rd. He had these divine revelations and visions of heaven. He heard things inexpressible, “things that no one is permitted to tell.” It would be easy for Paul to become proud. He says,  “…Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” 2 Corinthians12:7NIV

Scholars debate whether this “thorn in the flesh” was a physical defect or perhaps a struggle with a particular sin. Either way, Paul wanted it to go away. He asked God to take it away three times. “But he said to [Paul], “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness…” 2 Corinthians12:9NIV

Paul goes on to say, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians12:10NIV

Paul is a perfect example for us when we discover we have a thorn in our flesh. Whatever our thorn is, we should ask God to take it away, and keep asking. However, we may realize, like Paul did, that God has a purpose for us to endure it. In bearing with it, we will realize the truth of what Paul heard from God. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness…”

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for your grace that covers my sins and weaknesses. Help me to boast only of your power in my life that is made perfect in weakness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

December 6, 2022 – Exodus 17 – Is God Among Us or Not?

Exodus 17, Luke 23, 2 Corinthians 7

In Exodus 17, the Israelites were being led from place to place by the Lord. Verse 1 says, The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. Exodus17:1NIV

The result of being led to a place that didn’t have water was trickle down complaining. The Israelites complained to Moses, and he in turn, complained to God. “…The people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” Exodus17:3NIV When they began grumbling, Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?” Exodus17:2NIV Then Moses goes and complains to God. “…What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.” Exodus17:4NIV

God comes through for Moses and the people. The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not? Exodus17:5-7NIV

Christian orthodoxy teaches us that God is Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Omnipotent. God knows everything. God is everywhere, transcending time and space. God is all powerful. Knowing these attributes of God, when we encounter difficulties in life, we have questions. If God knows everything, he knows what I need. Why don’t I have _______? If God is all powerful why didn’t he do_______? If God is with us why did _______ happen? Our questions resonate with the grumblings of the Israelites when they came to the camp without water. “Is the Lord among us or not?

Those would be valid questions if God’s goal was for us to never suffer. However, that is not God’s goal for us. God created us to know him. The Apostle Paul, in a speech to the Athenians, said, “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’” Acts17:26-28NIV

God doesn’t give us everything we need even though he knows we need it, because God wants us to realize we need him. God doesn’t do everything that we think he should to make life good, because if life were perfect we would scarcely think of him. God allows bad things to happen in life, so that we will come to him to experience peace that passes all understanding. God allows difficulties because his goal is not to make life perfect for us. Rather, his goal is for us to know him. We do just that, we come to know God as we navigate life, good times and bad, with him.

Yes, the Lord is among us!

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for your presence that has been confirmed to me through the good times and the bad times of life! Let me never forget that you are with me. Help me to never stop seeking to know and love you! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

December 4, 2022 – Luke 21 – Lift Up Your Heads

Exodus 15, Luke 21, 2 Corinthians 5

In Luke 21, Jesus is giving almost the exact same warning that is in Matthew 24 and in Mark 13… almost. There is the prophesied destruction of the temple. There is the persecution of the disciples. There are prophesied wars between nations and kingdoms.

There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Luke21:25–27NIV

That all sounds pretty scary. Luke says, “People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.” Luke21:26NIV  That will be the case for some people but not everyone. He also says, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke21:28NIV

When the Lord returns, there will be two types of people meeting him… those who are terrified at his coming and those who have been longing for it. As believers, we are supposed to know the signs and be looking for them. They are not supposed to be troubling for us. When we recognize the signs, we are to be looking up because our redeemer is coming for us!

Luke adds something else that is not in Matthew or Mark’s presentation of Jesus’ end prophesies.  In Luke 21, Jesus says, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke21:34–36NIV

We are to be careful not to get caught up in the thick of thin things of life. Jesus ends these warnings in Luke with instructions to pray… “…pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

We don’t let ourselves become distracted by the cares of the world. We pray. We look for the signs of Jesus return. As we see them happening, we lift up our heads, because our “redemption is drawing near!” Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus, come!

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for the knowledge that you are coming back one day. Help me to look for the signs that you said would indicate that day is near. Lord, I pray that I would be able to escape the things that are about to happen and be able to stand in your presence. Amen.

November 22, 2022 – I Will Be With You

Exodus 3, Luke 9, 1 Corinthians 9

In Exodus 3, Moses sees a bush burning but it isn’t burnt up. I imagine he must have stood there for a long time watching this single bush burning.  Intrigued that it continues to burn, he heads over to check it out. What he discovers is not a fiery shrub, but God. He is told to take his shoes off because he is on holy ground. It reminds me of one of my favorite songs by Southern Gospel Revival, Take Your Shoes Off Moses.

Moses is told he is being sent back to Egypt to bring God’s people, the Israelites out of Egypt. The back story is Moses killed an Egyptian and fled Egypt. Now, he is being told to go back to the most powerful person in Egypt and bring God’s people out. Moses naturally has some doubts. He says, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

God’s answer proves to be a theme throughout the Bible and one we can embrace for our lives as well. “And God said, “I will be with you…” Exodus3:12NIV  You can go to the most powerful person in Egypt, because I will be with you.

Perhaps still looking for a loophole, Moses asks, “what if the Israelites ask who sent me? What do I tell them your name is?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” Exodus3:14NIV  The God who’s name is I AM, sent Moses to Pharaoh and promised to be with him.

If you read on in chapter 3, you discover that God wasn’t just with Moses. He was with the Israelites in their hardships too. Moses is told to assemble the elders and tell them, “The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.” Exodus3:16NIV. God had been with them and watched over them.

God is with you in the good times and in the difficulties of life. He is watching over you. He has a plan for your life just as sure as he had a plan for Moses. Know that no matter how overwhelming or difficult it may be, God is with you. He will enable you to do his will if you commit yourself to God, to I AM.

Prayer:

Dear God, thank you for your presence! Thank you for calling, for sending, and for empowering when we commit ourselves to your plans for our lives. Lord, help me to put aside my fears and experience the power of your presence to do the impossible. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

November 10, 2022 – Don’t Be Deceived

Genesis 41, Mark 13, Romans 13

As a child, I watched a lot of TV. I watched mostly reruns. I loved the original Star Trek series. I watched lots of westerns… Bonanza, The Rifleman, and Big Valley. I even watched some Shock Theatre on Saturday after the cartoons ended. I also used to watch the reruns of a show called  To Tell the Truth (1956–1968). Here is a description of it from IMDb. A “Classic game show in which a person of some notoriety and two impostors try to match wits with a panel of four celebrities. The object of the game is to try to fool the celebrities into voting for the two impostors. Each wrong vote would be worth $250 ($100 in the daytime version).”

In Mark 13 the disciples are admiring the magnificent buildings and massive stones that the Temple is built with. Jesus responds to their admiration by saying the entire place will be leveled. They want to know when that will happen, so Jesus goes into prophecy about the end times and the signs to watch for. I have already talked about those a little. Today I want to focus on the warning not to be deceived.

Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many.” Mark13:5–6NIV  One of the signs to look for as we near the end is false messiahs. Jesus said many, not few, will come in my name deceiving many. History has shown many charismatic individuals have come and claimed to be Jesus and have garnered followers. Most of the time the reality becomes obvious and people stop following them. Sometimes the messiah wanna be and his followers develop into a cult with tragic consequences like for the followers of Jim Jones.

In Jesus’ description of the signs to look for as time gets closer to the actual Day of the Lord, he describes false messiahs and the false prophets that will point to false messiahs. He says, “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.” Mark13:21–23NIV  The first group that come claiming to be Jesus don’t do so with signs. These described here at the end will perform signs and wonders that will deceive, “if possible, even the elect.” Lest we think these warnings were only for those in the days of the early church, Jesus concludes the chapter with these words, “What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ” Mark13:37NIV

There are no real descriptions of who the false messiahs will be, or what they will look like, or what their teaching will be. The latter false messiahs and prophets will do some pretty convincing signs and wonders if they are able to deceive “even the elect.” How can one insure that being deceived is impossible? To Tell the Truth was only a successful show, because the celebrities did not really know the contestants. It would have been dull if they really knew the real person who was being impersonated by the other two. That is the key for us. If you don’t want to be deceived into following a false messiah, even if he performs reality defying signs and wonders, know the real Jesus Christ intimately.

Now is the time to develop that relationship! “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” Isaiah55:6NIV

Prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, Thank you for the signs of the end of time and The Day of the Lord! Thank you for your clear warnings about false messiahs. Help me to know you and love you so deeply that I will never be able to fall for an imposter. Amen