Where Are You Going?

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The idea for this post came from Our Daily Bread's devotional thought for September 1, 2016.       

     

            Paul writes to the Philippian congregation, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

            With this verse in mind, where are you going?  When you are scared, where are you going?  When you are sad, where are you going? When you are mad, where are you going? When you are happy, where are you going?  When you are nervous, where are you going?  If you are not going to God in prayer, then you are going to the wrong place.

            Sennacherib, the King of Assyria, appeared to be invincible.  He was the leading authority of the greatest world power of the day, and he had his sights set on the city of Jerusalem.  Hezekiah, the King of Judah that resided in Jerusalem, received a message from Sennacherib stating that Assyria was coming to take the city.  Considering his other victories, and the power of his mighty nation, this was a threat that probably shook Hezekiah in his boots.

The world was literally crashing down around Hezekiah and his kingdom.  Where did he go? Isaiah 34:7 tells us, “Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.” Hezekiah laid out everything to the LORD in prayer! Because of Hezekiah’s prayer, God stepped in and prevented Assyria from attacking Jerusalem.  The Assyrians were defeated before they even had the opportunity to attack.  Sennacherib would never come back to Jerusalem.

Far too often we attempt to go other places when we have issues.  So…where are you going?

3 Things You Can Learn From a Prostitute

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Yes, you read that right.  All of us can learn something from a prostitute.  In Joshua chapter 2, time has drawn near for the Israelites to begin their conquest of the Promised Land.  The first target on their list is Jericho, a mighty city with a seemingly impenetrable fortress.  As leader of the Israelite people, Joshua sends out two spies from Shittim to gather a report on the city (Joshua 2:1). 

When the spies arrive, they meet a prostitute named Rahab and stay in her home.  She was a prostitute and innkeeper whose house was built directly into the city wall (v. 15).  Rahab may have started out in life as a prostitute, but she’s living proof that people can overcome their surroundings.  She is mentioned three times in the New Testament, and all of them are positive.

The first time she is mentioned is in Matthew 1:5.  It reads, 

“and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,” (Matthew 1:5, ESV).  

 From this we can infer that she eventually gave up prostitution, married and had a family.  Her husband was a man named Salmon, and they had a child named Boaz.  Boaz married Ruth (Ruth 4:10) and had a child named Obed.  Obed then had a child named Jesse, who was the father of King David of Israel (1 Samuel 17:12).  That makes Rahab King David’s great-great grandmother and an ancestor of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

The second time she is mentioned is in Hebrews 11:31 in the so-called “Hall of Faith.” The Hall of Faith is a chapter in Hebrews dedicated to extoling the virtues of some of the Bibles most venerated figures of faith.  And this former prostitute is included! The passage reads, 

“By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.” (Hebrews 11:31, ESV)

The third and final time she is mentioned is in James 2:25 which says, 

“And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?" (James 2:25, ESV)

So this prostitute is mentioned in pretty high regard in the New Testament.  Two of the three New Testament passages note an event in her life regarding the spies in Joshua chapter 2.  It was probably this event that changed her life forever, transforming her life of prostitution into one of faithful obedience to God.

Looking at this event in her life from Joshua 2, I believe there are three things we can learn from this prostitute: (1) No matter how bad you’ve been, God can and will forgive you if you turn to him! (2) If you truly believe what God says, you will obey him.  (3) Faith requires action.

1. No sin is too great for God to forgive!

The first lesson we can learn from Rahab’s life is that no sin is too great for God to forgive.  What a wonderful promise in Scripture: 

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, ESV) 

We see living proof of this in Rahab’s story.  The Bible picks no bones about the fact that she was a prostitute.  But she didn’t stay that way.  She repented, turned to God, married, and had a family.  We see her faith emerge in Joshua 2:8-11 where she makes the following assertions: 

(a) “I know the Lord has given you the land.” (v. 9) 

(b) “We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea when you came out of Egypt.” (v. 10)

(c) “The Lord your God is God of the heavens above and the earth beneath.” (v. 11).   

No matter how bad you’ve been in your life, no sin is too powerful for God’s love and mercy to overcome if you bring it to Him!

2. If you truly believe what God says, then you will obey Him.

The second lesson from her life is this: If you truly believe what God says you will obey Him!  Rahab took in the spies and protected them when the king of Jericho came knocking at her door, demanding that she turn them over, saving them from definite execution. (Joshua 2:2-7)  If she had been caught lying to the king, she could’ve been beaten, or worse.  Yet the possibility of earthly retaliation didn’t matter much to her.  She’d heard the rumors of the God of Israel, and her faith began to grow.  She truly believed what she’d heard, and she acted on her faith.  Nothing the king could’ve done would’ve stopped her from assisting God’s people. 

The exact same thing is true for us today.  Rahab truly believed in God, therefore she acted on that belief.  If we truly believe in what God has revealed to us through His Word, then must act on it. The Apostle John quite vividly states the fate of those who do not obey God, 

“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8, ESV)   

If we truly believe that, if we truly take God at His word, then we will obey Him. 

3. Faith must be accompanied by action.

The third and final lesson we can learn from Rahab’s life is that faith must be backed up by action. When James wrote about Rahab’s story in James 2:25, he uses her actions to illustrate the truth that he’s teaching in regard to faith and action.  Faith and action go hand-in-hand.  Rahab had heard and believed in God, but she didn’t have to help save the spies from the king.  She could’ve easily acknowledged her belief in the power and nature of the God of Israel, but if she hadn’t acted on that faith, then it would’ve been a worthless faith. 

We have to act on our faith, just as Rahab did.  If we say, “I believe in you Jesus” but do nothing, then our faith is absolutely and totally worthless.  Let us all learn to have the faith and obedience of this former prostitute and wonderful woman of God!

Never Thirst Again

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In the beginning of John 4, we're presented with one of the most beautiful passages in all of Scripture. Jesus, on his way to Galilee from Judea, wearied from his journey stopped at Jacob's well in the Samaritan town of Sychar around the sixth hour. As the disciples go into town to buy food, a Samaritan woman approached the well in order to draw water. What happens next is nearly unthinkable: Jesus speaks to her, "Give me a drink." 

Jews and Samaritans weren't exactly on friendly terms. The Jews viewed the Samaritans as half-breed subhumans (they were the result of the intermarriage between the Assyrians and the remnants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel after Assyria conquered them in 722 B.C.). The ensuing conversation is one of the most comforting in the Bible that culminates with Jesus saying, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:13-14, ESV)

We all know the importance of water. The majority of the human body is water. According to the United States Geological Survey, 71% of the Earth is water. We drink water multiple times every single day and no matter how much we drink, one thing is certain: we will become thirsty again. What Jesus offers is an eternal quenching of our thirst. To those outside of Christ, there is a void that no material thing can fill. Only through Jesus Christ can we be truly complete. All humans need Jesus, regardless if they are wealthy or if they are a Samaritan woman.

That's Not How It Works!

Beatrice from the Esurance commercials.

 

You've probably all seen the E-surance Car Insurance commercial: three ladies in a living room, and you immediately notice there are an unusual amount of pictures on the wall.  Beatrice (pictured above) is proudly telling her friends how she has saved a ton of money on posted by posting all of her vacation photos to her wall (a reference to Facebook's wall).  She compares those savings to how she saved 15% in just 15 minutes on her car insurance (an obvious reference to GEICO, a competitor of E-surance). Her friend remarks, "I saved more than that in half the time!" Beatrice responds by saying, "I un-friend you!"  Her friend stands up and proclaims, "That's not how it works! That's not how ANY of this works!"

 E-surance is trying to communicate that they have set the new standard in insurance.  Poor Beatrice is portrayed as being behind the times and misunderstanding the new norm.  The chief priests, scribes, and elders at the crucifixion of Christ were a lot like Beatrice.  They didn't understand how things worked.  

"So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 'He saved others; he cannot save himself.  He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him." (Matthew 27:41-42)

It is at this time that Beatrice's friend shouting, "That's not how it works! That's not how any of this works!" would be appropriate.  The Jewish leaders of the day said that if only Jesus would save himself from the cross, they would believe.  But that is not how it works.  Jesus was meant to die that day.

"Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." (Hebrews 9:22)

The leaders of the day understood the connection between the shedding of blood and sins, but they had an incomplete view of it.  Their system up until that point had called for the shedding of blood of animals, not an actual human (despite God prophesying that the Messiah would come and shed his blood for the forgiveness of sins, cf. Isaiah 53).  It is the blood of Christ that cleanses the sin of those who are obedient to God, let us never forget that.

 

The Gift of Life

Do you enjoy getting presents?  Receiving an item that you've had your eye on for days, months, or maybe even years is always thrilling.  I believe everyone would say that is something they enjoy.  For the past two years, I have spent as much time as I possibly can learning things about Ford trucks.  I'm obsessed with them!  The probability that my next vehicle will feature a blue oval somewhere on the body is pretty high (by the way, I LOVE getting gifts, and if anyone wants to give me an F-150 you're more than welcome).  But the point of this article is not to discuss Ford trucks.  It's much more important than that.  I want to offer a new outlook on life that has helped me tremendously.

I'm not ashamed to say that throughout my life since I was about 13 I've had bouts with depression and anxiety.  I don't believe it's a stretch to assume that I'm not alone in that struggle.  As some of you probably know all too well, it can be hard to get out of bed and enjoy anything when your down in the dumps.  You, like me, have probably tried many things in a failed attempt to remedy the situation.  What I want to offer today is a new way to look at life that will, Lord willing, enrich your life as much as it has mine.

Back to my original question, I love getting gifts.  The only thing I love more than getting my favorite gift is getting more than one of it.  Two boxes of Little Debbie's are better than one.  Two F-150's are better than one (sorry, couldn't resist).  You get the picture.  What is my point?  My point is that today is a gift!  Today is the most precious and perfect gift from the Almighty God.

The average life expectancy in the United States is around 78.75 years of age (I rounded up to 79 for this illustration).  79 years of life equals 28,835 days.  That's 28,835 of the greatest gifts you could ever be given.  I would be in "hog heaven" if I had 28,835 Ford F-150s.  Something so simple as life is often overlooked.  But it gets even better.  For the majority of people, the majority of those days are filled with good health and happiness.  I get happy just thinking about it.

Psalm 118:24 reads, "This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it." We have an amazing blessing to enjoy today! Let's get to it!

Prescription Worship

If you have high blood pressure, your doctor may prescribe you Lisinopril.  That is your prescription.  Legally you are not able to get any other medicine at the pharmacy than the Lisinopril on your prescription.  If you like another blood pressure medicine better, too bad!  Your doctor prescribed Lisinopril and that is what you are to take.  You are to take the correct mg at the time he prescribed you to take it.  I think that is something we all understand fairly well.  We understand the importance of taking the prescribed medicine at the right time with the correct dose.  Why then do we feel so much liberty to change the prescribed worship of God? David Platt, in his book Radical, poses this question:

"What if we take away the cool music and the cushioned chairs?  What if the screens are gone and the stage is no longer decorated? What if the air conditioning is off and the comforts are removed?  Would his word still be enough for his people to come to worship?"

The answer is "YES!" to whether or not the Word is still enough in this day and time! Unfortunately, if you take away the entertainment value, most people would abandon the church.  As A.W. Tozer noted in the 1960's, "Church members want to be entertained while they are edified."

If you attend most "churches" today, you will see all kinds of things: drums, guitars, flashing lights, smoke machines, etc.  It's hard to distinguish a church from a rock concert in a lot of the places.  My question is simple: can you find the prescription for all of these things in the Bible?  I invite you to look through the New Testament to try and find this prescription for church worship. 

Since none of those contemporary man-made ideas can be found, what can? (1) Prayer - Acts 2:42, (2) Breaking of bread - Acts 2:42, (3) Singing - Ephesians 5:19, (4) Preaching Christ - 2 Timothy 4:2; Acts 20:7, and finally (5) Giving of our means 2 Corinthians 8:9.

We have the prescription -- why would we want to deviate from it?

3 Things About God

How often do you dwell on the God?  What I mean is his existence, character, and being.  The truth is, I don't think about God as much as I should.  I want to quickly discuss 3 truths in regards to our God.

1. God is Real

According to the latest Pew Research Poll on the demography of Religion in America, roughly 17% of the population either don't affiliate with any religion (atheist, agnostic, etc.) or don't know/refuse to identify.  Those numbers are disturbing.  What that says is that nearly 1 out of every 5 Americans have some kind of doubt about the existence of God. The good news is that we can use our logic to prove his existence.

 

Cause and Effect

Everything that happens must have a cause.  Simple enough, right? Science has all but proven that the universe has not existed forever. Dr. Robert Jastrow, a leading scientist at NASA, declared that "modern science denies an eternal existence to the universe."

If it is a fact that the universe has not always been here, then how did it come into being? We are left with 2 possibilities: (a) it created itself, or (b) it was created by something else not made of matter. Due to the Law of Conservation of Mass, we know that matter cannot be created or destroyed.  Option (a) is now off the table and we are left solely with option (b). 

 

Design

Take out your cell phone.  What are the chances, would you say, that your phone was assembled by random natural processes?  You're probably thinking, "that would be impossible, you big dummy," and you'd be right!  Our phones are based off of an intricate plan created by a designed, and then assembled by skilled workers who are familiar with the design.  Any modern luxury that we have works entirely the same way.  Why then do we try to force that illogical thinking on our universe?

 

 2. God Loves Us

For the sake of time, I will just quote one verse that says it all:

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8, ESV)

 

3. God Has Communicated With Us

We've established that God is real, and that he loves us.  It is only logical with that being the case that he has communicated with us.  He has spoken to us in two ways: (a) through nature, and (b) through his word.

 

Through Nature

We can look around and see the beauty of our Lord.  The trees and grass so green, the blue of the skies.  His glory is everywhere throughout the natural world.  The Apostle Paul took note of this great fact in Romans 1:20,

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

 

Through His Word

Think about it: the Bible is composed of 66 books united in perfect harmony and was written over a span of some 1500-2000 years with several different authors.  It is truly amazing the evidence our God has given to us for his existence.