Monthly Archives: May 2021

HOW YOU LIVE DOES MATTER

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HOW YOU LIVE DOES MATTER

“And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber because our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light.

“Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissention and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” Romans 13:11-14.

Swimming against the current is hard work. Have you ever watched the salmon navigating fast-flowing streams to reach their spawning ground? The life of a believer in Jesus is a bit like that!

Paul’s well-thought-out and thorough explanation of the gospel inevitably leads to an appeal for a response from his readers. Why did God do all this for us? He had a far greater purpose than simply rescuing us from hell and taking us to heaven. If that were all He were interested in, He would have taken us out of here the moment we put our faith in the Saviour.

He does not disqualify those who make a last-minute decision. The thief on the cross who recognised who Jesus was and submitted to Him in his dying moments, assures us that God is merciful to repentant sinners even at the eleventh hour. However, He has a far greater plan than that.

For us to experience in fullest measure the salvation of God, we must dig deeper than mere forgiveness, as crucial as that is. God’s forgiveness opens the door to His rich treasury of benefits the cross of Jesus provides for us. Not the least is access to our inheritance.

Every child receives an inheritance from his father – even though he or she may never have known him or enjoyed a relationship with him. We inherit our father’s nature and disposition towards evil and we possess our inheritance by confirming that nature in our choices and behaviour.

In the same way, when we are born of God, every son or daughter receives an inheritance from our heavenly Father. “But how,” you ask, “do we know what our inheritance is and how do we possess it?” We find clues here and there in the New Testament, summed up in Peter’s second letter.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” 2 Peter 1;3, 4.

Through believing and appropriating God’s promises, we learn to overcome the old sinful disposition inherited from our fathers, and increasingly grow towards the disposition of our elder brother, Jesus. How does this happen?

God orchestrates and permits uncomfortable or difficult circumstances in our lives in order to test us and to expose the corruption in us so that we can lay hold of His promises, not for material things but for transformation into the image of His Son (Romans 8:28-29). Why does He do this?

Since God is perfect, He has no sin and therefore He cannot die because sin leads to death. He has promised us eternal life but, in order to receive that promise, we must learn to overcome sin and become partakers of His divine nature. What we do in this life matters because it is the preparation for eternal life which is the result of holiness.

“When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become the slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:20-23.

So Paul urges: “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now, much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:12, 13, which is eternal life.

Acknowledgement

Scripture take from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NO DEBT

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NO DEBT

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; you shall not murder; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Romans 13:8-10.

Paul, you make it sound so easy! Simple, yes, but not easy.

However, this is what the law of God is all about. It was never intended to be a military code of conduct, but rather a description of what doing life together as a family of God’s children should look like.

First of all, Paul said, get out of debt and stay out of debt. There should be no reason to be in debt if we follow God’s economic system, even if we do fall on hard times now and then. That’s what the community of God’s people is all about. Whatever God has given us is not exclusively ours to be used selfishly but to be shared with others according to their need.

In the constitution God gave to regulate the lives of His people, the goal was equality, never the ever-widening gap between rich and poor. Of course, that does not sanction laziness. Rather, it fills in the gaps for those who suffer reverses in the ordinary course of events. Paul dealt with this principle in his second letter to the Corinthian church.

The believers in Jerusalem were in poverty because of famine. Paul campaigned for help from the churches in Greece and now it was time for them to make good on their promise.

“Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. Our desire is not that others be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need so that, in turn, their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: ‘The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.'” 2 Corinthians 8:11-15.

In the end, debt is a slur on the name of God for at least two reasons: firstly, because in some cases, debt is the outcome of covetousness, and covetousness is an expression of discontent. “Keeping up with the Joneses” is a covert way of telling God that He has short-changed me! He is unfair because what He has given me is less than what He has given someone else – so I remedy it by going into debt.

Secondly, I have not done my duty to God by fulfilling my responsibility to those to whom God has told me to give: to Him first because He requires the firstfruits of all my increase (which is to be given to my spiritual authority to support him and his family); my tithe to the storehouse (my local church); my family tithe to take care of my family’s future, and the poor, the alien, the widow and the orphan every third “harvest”.

Of course, sometimes debt is unavoidable, and this is where the family of God steps in to help. Unexpected illness, loss of a job, a natural disaster, whatever depletes the family’s resources is a call for the wider family to come to the rescue until the sufferers are back on their feet again.

But there is a debt that can never be repaid in full – the continuing debt to love one another. Why does Paul call it a “debt”? Why do we owe love to all people? Love is not like a sum of money which we owe someone and can repay in full. It is an ongoing debt to God because of His inexhaustible love for us. We can only repay our debt of love to Him by loving His children and, because He continues to love us, by continuing to love others as long as we have breath.

All the intricate and seemingly tedious details of the Law are intended for one purpose – to meet the needs of others at our expense. Loving others is not about being sentimental over them whether we like them or not. It’s about serving others by taking care of their needs when and where we can, regardless of who they are because that’s what God does for us. 

And it never stops…

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

OBEY – RIGHT OR WRONG

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OBEY – RIGHT OR WRONG

“But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to inflict punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants who give their full time to governing.

“Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, then pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour.” Romans 13:4b-7.

Apart from it benefitting the whole of society when we obey the governing authorities, there is another even more important reason for believers to submit to the government, good or bad – because of who we are.

We have Jesus as our example. God wants us to respond to people and situations as His sons and daughters, not because of what people do to us. Just as we used to be reactive, now we are to be responsive. That means, as Jesus responded in every situation and to every kind of person as the Son of God, representing and being a mirror image of the Father, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness, and submissive and obedient to His Father, so must we.

“In this world we are just like Jesus.” 1 John 4:17b.

According to Paul, our response is a matter of conscience. When we act like Jesus rather than rebelling and resisting because we don’t like or agree with the law or the treatment we are receiving, no matter how we are misused or treated unjustly, we will have a good conscience before God. Better to be unfairly condemned by others than to have our conscience condemn us because we have acted against God.

There is a second consideration – the matter of our tormentors. Will they misuse us and get away with it? What if God allows people to treat us badly because it is part of His discipline to refine our faith in Him? Peter speaks at length about the trials he and his readers were suffering at the hands of their persecutors, both Jewish and Roman. Why did God allow it to happen to them? 

Habakkuk struggled with the same problem. He could not understand why his people were wicked and yet, God sat on His hands. God’s response was shocking, to say the least.

“Look at the nations and watch and be utterly amazed. For I am doing something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told. I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own. They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves.” Habakkuk 1:5-7.

Habakkuk was appalled. “How can you do that to your people?” he protested. Again, God’s response was sobering but, in the end, satisfying. “Every person will carry responsibility for his own behaviour.”

“See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright – but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness.” Habakkuk 2:4.

What is God saying? You may be mistreated by godless people, but submit anyway; hang in there and continue to trust God. They will not get away with it. God is giving them an opportunity to do the right thing. If they do not, they will face His judgment for what they have done to you.

“God is just; He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8.

We can safely obey God, not matter what, and trust the outcome to Him.

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

WHO IS IN CHARGE?

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WHO IS IN CHARGE?

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God had instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good.” Romans 13:1-4a.

Now this is a really tough one! Under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul insisted that believers obey the government. What! Paul, you can’t be serious! Obey Nero’s government? Submit to Nero’s authority? But he was murdering Christians just because they refused to call him “Lord”. How right was that?

But this is not what Paul said. He wrote that believers must submit to governing authorities, not because they were right but because God put them there. But what if they were wrong? Submit! What if they were cruel? Submit! What if they were unjust? Submit! What if they were downright evil? Submit! But why? They were harming Christians.

There are some very important reasons why God calls us to obey the government, whether it is good or evil.

1. In a fallen world, it is necessary to have recognised authority structures. Since we are sinful and selfish, it is not natural for us to govern our own hearts. Unity has been destroyed and it’s everyone for himself. Without God’s delegated authority, society would destroy itself in a heartbeat. Where mob rule replaces authority and submission, a community or a country descends into chaos.

2. Wrongdoers must be removed from society because they not only prey on people but they also infect the whole community for evil. One rotten apple in a box will destroy the whole box in the end.

3. The safety of an entire community is at stake. When a serial killer or some other criminal is on the loose, for example, fear reigns until he is apprehended and removed to a place where he can no longer prey on the unsuspecting. This is only possible where people have the authority to do so.

But, you ask, what about those who suffer unjustly at the hands of God’s delegated authority, like the believers were experiencing even as Paul wrote? Why does God allow the righteous to suffer? Once again, God’s word gives us clear answers:

“Dear friends,” Peter wrote, “do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice, inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you…If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? ” 1 Peter 4:12-13; 15-17.

“So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should submit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” 1 Peter 4:19.

There are at least two outcomes of unjust suffering:

1. The faith of God’s people is purified of selfishness and self-seeking and is anchored in God alone and for His glory.

2. Those who inflict suffering are being ripened for judgment.

More of this tomorrow…

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

BE DIFFERENT!

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BE DIFFERENT!

“Live in harmony with one another Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.

“On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing so, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:16-21(NIV).

It’s all very well Paul giving instructions about how we should live, but how do we actually do it? After all, we have to contend with Adam’s old nature in us!

That’s the whole point. If it were impossible for us to be different, Paul would not have even bothered to write these words. We, who are followers of Jesus, have to ask the question, “Did the cross work?” Jesus’ life and death had a very definite purpose – to reverse all the effects of Adam’s disobedience and to set us back on course to becoming the Father’s real children once again.

This means that everything that went wrong when Adam sinned was put right when Jesus died and rose again. He not only restored us to our rightful status as sons and daughters, but He also restored the entire creation to its original perfection. Of course, it has not been put into effect yet but, when the final curtain comes down, everything will be perfect once again and everything that does not belong in God’s realm, including all lies and deception and those who subscribe to them, will be destroyed.

“At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, ‘Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’ The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken – that is, created things – so that what cannot be shaken may remain.” Hebrews 12:26, 27 (NIV).

How, then, are we to be different from the run-of-the-mill people around us and how do we carry it out?

Firstly, by what we think of ourselves. “Don’t be proud; don’t be conceited.” Get real! Who appointed you to be the model? Pride and conceit are subtle attitudes that lurk in our hearts when we compare ourselves with other people. Since when were we told to set ourselves up as the comparison for others? We have only one model – Jesus – and when we look at Him, we have to admit that there is no comparison! Whoever we are and whatever we achieve means nothing without Him.

Secondly, who made you the judge? Again, get real! Our judgment will always be flawed because it is one-sided and biased. When we leave the judgement and revenge to God, it takes the heat out of the situation and leaves us free to treat people with kindness instead of aggression because it’s no longer our fight. Like little people who look to daddy to fight their battles for them, we can look to our Abba to take care of our adversaries. He is fair, and bigger than they are.

Thirdly, the best way to subdue an enemy is to make him your friend. How can you do that? By treating him with unexpected kindness. That will take the wind out of his sails! Jesus put it this way: “Here is a simple rule-of-thumb guide for behaviour: Ask yourself what you would want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.” Matthew 7:12 (THE MESSAGE).

We have the potential to be different because God has put His nature and His Spirit in us, but it is up to us to put it into effect by making the choice and relying on the Holy Spirit to energise our action. We can only be different when we partner with the Holy Spirit to live out what the cross made possible.

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

“Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.”