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PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING – 14b

Bible Study, ,

Philippians 4:6 NLT‬
[6] “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

We have some great examples of the link between thanksgiving and prayer in Scripture. The more I read the Word, the more convinced I am that prayer is about having fellowship with the Father and receiving what He has promised rather than about asking Him to do what we want.

Abraham received God’s promise of a son decades before Isaac was born. How did he endure the waiting? He certainly didn’t become impatient or lose hope as time went by. He stood on God’s promise and grew in faith. How did he do that? It’s easy to give up when nothing is happening. Abraham kept his faith growing by “giving glory to God”. As long as he was thanking God instead of complaining or even asking, he had his eyes on God, not on his circumstances.

‭Romans 4:19-21 NIV‬
[19] “Without weakening in his faith, he (Abraham) faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. [20] Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, [21] being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”

David is also an excellent example of a man of God who knew how to pray.

‭2 Samuel 7:5, 8, 11, 17-18, 25-26 NLT‬
[5] “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord has declared: Are you the one to build a house for me to live in?…
[8] “Now go and say to my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of my people Israel….
[11]… “‘Furthermore, the Lord declares that he will make a house for you—a dynasty of kings!…
[17] So Nathan went back to David and told him everything the Lord had said in this vision. [18] Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?…
[25] “And now, O Lord God, I am your servant; do as you have promised concerning me and my family. Confirm it as a promise that will last forever. [26] And may your name be honored forever so that everyone will say, ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is God over Israel!’ And may the house of your servant David continue before you forever.”

David prayed God’s promise back to Him and God was faithful to His Word even when David’s descendants forsook the Lord and worshipped idols.

Jesus, our supreme example, thanked the Father for answering Him rather than praying for issues He confronted.

John 6:11 NIV‬
[11] “Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.”

‭John 11:41-42 NIV‬
[41] “So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. [42] I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

Against the background of His union with the Father and His obedience and submission to the Father’s will, Jesus prayed His thanks, being confident that the Father would always do what He said.

What if, instead of rushing in with our crisis prayers and requests for what we want, we take time to discern the Father’s will or at least are submitted to His ways. Thanksgiving will prepare our hearts to approach Him in humility, allowing Him to be God in all situations. We are disappointed when God does not answer according to our expectations. How much better when we embrace His will with thanksgiving, knowing, as always, that He is working in all things for our good and for His glory.

MOLLY AND ME – DEPENDENCE

Christian Life, , ,

I enjoy watching animal rescue programmes on TV, especially when the end result is a happy, healthy creature after weeks or months of abandonment or neglect.

When one has a pet, there is one thing one must never forget.

From the moment I got Molly, I became aware that it was not just myself that I had to take care of but a tiny puppy that was utterly dependent on me. I had to feed her regularly with the appropriate food, bath her, protect her and keep her environment safe, give her exercise and play with her, keep her warm at night and make sure that her toys were safe for a small puppy to chew.

I discovered that a puppy understands very little and knows nothing! I had to teach her and train her to be a dog – when and where to go to the bathroom, what was good and what was not good to chew, not to scratch or bite me in play, where to find her food and water, and so much more.

Now that she is a “teenager”, she had learnt many lessons well but, although she thinks she is independent now, she still needs me to be her “mother” because there are many things she cannot do. For instance, she can’t open the fridge and find her cooked chicken or mince for supper or her kibble in the cupboard; she knows where her treats are but she can’t get to them; she can’t open the back door to go outside to play or to use the bathroom; she can’t get in or out of the car; she can’t bath herself or clean her ears. She would not stay alive long if I did not care for her.

I have also discovered that God wants us to depend on Him for every need we have. We spend up to eighteen years training our children for responsible independence in the big world out there. It takes a lifetime and more for God to teach us that we are nothing and lost without Him. Isn’t that why Jesus told His disciples that, unless they became as little children, they would never experience God’s rule in their lives?

True spiritual maturity is not about how well we know the Bible, how often we go to church or participate in the life of the body of Christ, how good we are at practising our spiritual gifts or even how many people we have led to faith in Jesus.

The writer to the Hebrews stated simply:

Without faith it is impossible to please God… (Heb. 11:6a)

Jesus said:

Apart from me, you can do nothing… (John 15:5c) 

Like an unborn baby that gets everything it needs from its mother through the umbilical cord, we need to be attached to God through the “umbilical cord” of the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual maturity is absolute dependence on God for every detail of our lives. That’s the faith that pleases God!

A Peek Inside

Bible Study, , ,

A PEEK INSIDE

“But I think it necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.” Philippians 2:25-27.

Paul peppered his letters with little cameos of his life and his interaction with fellow believers. This is one of them.

He had a very special relationship with the people of the Philippian church. From what he wrote, we learn that they had taken care of his needs more than once, sending money to him and one of their members, possibly even a leader or elder to see to his needs in prison.

Epaphroditus could not hop on a plane from Philippi and land in Rome in an hour or two. He had to endure a long and hazardous overland journey to get to Paul. He may have contracted malaria or some other infectious disease on the way, causing him a serious and almost fatal illness. No doubt Paul and his fellow-believers in Rome must have prayed earnestly for his recovery. God was merciful and spared his life and Paul the sorrow of losing a beloved friend and companion in the gospel.

Look how Paul described Epaphroditus – brother, co-worker and fellow-soldier. He was a brother in the love that bound them together. Paul was not only the evangelist, teacher and mentor of these people. He was also their brother and they were his brothers and sisters in the bond of God’s family. Their Christian lives would have been sterile without the love that warmed them and drew them together to care for one another.

Epaphroditus was also a co-worker and fellow soldier. He was no spectator sitting in the grandstand cheering Paul on. He was right in the game with Paul, facing the dangers of the Christian life in the arena of misunderstanding, hatred and persecution at the hands of Jews and Romans. He soldiered with Paul in spreading the gospel and caring for the flock of God. Paul was not slack in giving him the honour he deserved for his willingness to labour with him.

I see in this little cameo something very precious in this church and something that is not always evident in many church fellowships. These people were held together by a deep love for Paul and for one another. Without that love they would have believed Paul’s message, come to Christ and formed a group of believers that met together and stuck together simply because they were hated by the world. It was their love for each other and for their beloved apostle which motivated them to give of their resources and themselves.

They gave their money to take care of Paul’s needs. They sent a representative to help Paul in prison. They were concerned for the wellbeing of Paul and Epaphroditus in Rome. They were certainly not indifferent to the circumstances of their “father” in the faith when he was far away. They cared and they showed their care by doing something about it.

Imagine what an impact the church would make on a world of selfish and greedy people if we truly loved and cared for one another as the Philippians did! The world largely treats the church with indifference because in many ways the church is no better than a religious “club”. There are power struggles, infightings, factions, competition among leaders, and all the sins off the world blatantly evident in the church as well.

Where is this alternative society made up of true followers of Jesus who have died to themselves and are reflecting the Master they serve as “stars in the universe”? Where are these companies of people scattered throughout the world whose love for Jesus and for one another convinces the world that they are really following Him?

How tragic that many of the big name leaders in the church are living in multi-million dollar mansions and driving the most expensive of cars with the excuse that their wealth is God’s blessing, while those who are desperately trying to reach the masses with the gospel are crying out for the funds to do so!

Come on, church! Let’s get real. Our treasure is not on this earth. It is laid up for us in heaven.

“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:17, 18.

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

 

There Was Once a Rich Man

Christian Life, , ,

THERE WAS ONCE A RICH MAN

“‘There was once a rich man, expensively dressed….wasting his days in conspicuous consumption….A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. All he lived on was…scraps off the rich man’s table…Then he died, this poor man….The rich man also died….In hell and in torment, he looked up….He called out…”Send Lazarus…”…But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember…'” Luke 16:19-31 (The Message).

A familiar story to Bible-readers, but what is the point of this parable? Hebrews read for identification. Who am I in the story? How often Jesus directed His stories at the Pharisees as a wake-up call! If God’s word is a seed, then Jesus sowed lavishly into the ears of the religious leaders, but to no avail.

This is quite a shocking story for several reasons:

Firstly, it uncovers the heart of this rich man. Jesus had no issues with his being rich. In fact, the Apostle Paul stated categorically that Jesus Himself was rich. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV). He had issues with what the rich man did with his riches.

In this case, he spent it all on himself, not just on his needs, but on a sumptuous and lavish lifestyle that made him blind to the need of the poor man at his gate. A simple but graphic description of what was known as the ‘yetzer harah’ – the evil eye or the eye of darkness – the inward-looking eye that sees no-one but self.

Secondly, Jesus shows us the destiny of greedy and selfish people. Hell is not about God getting people back for not listening to Him. It’s a consequence of a life squandered on self instead of fulfilling God’s higher purpose. It was the garbage dump of the city where worthless stuff was burnt – a terrible tragedy and sorrow for the God who gave us the freedom to choose, knowing that that freedom could cost us our eternal destiny.

Thirdly, it smashed into the Hebrew philosophy that wealth was equal to God’s blessing and poverty a curse on people who were out of favour with God. How could this rich man land up in hell if his wealth was a token of God’s favour? This must have shocked both the Pharisees and the disciples. On one occasion, a rich man came to Jesus to ask what he needed to do to have the assurance of eternal life. Jesus told him to get rid of his wealth because it stood between him and following Him. The young man refused.

Jesus’ comment puzzled His disciples. ‘How difficult it is,’ He said, ‘for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ The disciples blurted out, ‘Who, then, can be saved?’ That was a shock to them. If rich people, who were supposed to be the blessed ones, could not enter the kingdom, what hope was there for the rest?

Jesus’s story reveals something much deeper than wealth=blessing=salvation. It was not having wealth but what you did with it that revealed your heart. Wealth is a good servant but a terrible master. What we do with is it the measure of our love for God.

Fourthly, not even torment in hell changed the heart of this man. O yes, he thought about his brothers but only because he did not want them to experience the terrible end of a worthless life, which presupposed that they were living just as he had. But his attitude to the poor man had not changed. He still regarded him as less than himself. ‘Send Lazarus,’ he instructed Abraham, as though Lazarus were his servant to dispatch as he chose.

Jesus was not, for one moment, advocating good works as a way of salvation. His blood alone can forgive the guilt of our sin and cleanse us from all our unrighteousness, but He presupposed that our hearts will also be transformed so that we do not continue living self-indulgent lives. Generosity is a sure sign that our hearts and lives have been changed, If not, we need to re-evaluate so that we do not land up where the rich man did because he assumed….