Tuesday, December 16, 2014

When Doors Slam Shut

Though strange I may be, I do not consider myself particularly stranger than the rest of mankind. As the saying goes, "You're unique; just like everyone else." I have my own thoughts, hopes, desires, and dreams. By the same token, I have my own failures, limitations, frustrations, and fears. I would do myself a great disservice to consider my struggles or triumphs of any greater or lesser value than another's.

I have discovered though, that my unique blend of successes and failures are my own. Try as I might, I cannot be someone else. My academic and ministerial career is my own, and to strive to become anyone other than who God created me to be would be foolish at best. Yet for the longest time, I have done exactly that.

I remember the tremendous sense of failure and inadequacy I felt whenever I heard of how well my father did while attending Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. After all, he was a husband, a father, a student, he worked full time as campus security, served as a youth pastor, regularly preached on the radio, visited people with Pastor Green, and aced every class in which he was enrolled. Then, this amazing man graduated and began pastoring churches where he would work (at times) eighty hours a week or more. How could I ever hope to measure up to my father?

While serving as pastor and studying Pastoral Ministry through correspondence, I would often feel overwhelmed with all that had to be done. In those times, I would question what seemed to be obvious failures. I was not measuring up to my father; I was unable to properly juggle all that was taking place in my life. Something desperately serious had to be wrong with me. Why else could I not succeed?

Despite the encouragement of my mother, father, and wife, I refused to believe I was anything but a failure. "You are not your father," they would remind me in hopes of lifting my spirits. Unfortunately, my twisted sense of self always heard those words as proof of my shortcomings. I was not my father, and I never would reach that standard. Now, lest it be thought my parents in any way forced me to follow a certain path in life, let me clarify that such a thought would be categorically false. They have always claimed they would be proud of their children if we worked in a gas station as long as it made us happy and we were serving God.

With this foundation laid, permit me to share my purpose for writing today. This past spring, the church I was pastoring closed. Without going into detail, I will say the timing was unexpected for me. We knew the church was foundering, but still held out hope for revival and renewal. Then in May of this year (2014), I received a call which broke my heart. The situation had changed in an instant, and the church would not be able to remain open.

Not only was I heartbroken for a church with such history to close, but people my wife and I had come to know, love, and lift up in prayer would be losing their home church. Also, my sense of failure began to overshadow me. Though some do not believe me, I did my very best while serving in that church. I visited the sick and the well, I visited people in the local community who did not attend the church, my wife and I organized programs for children, hosted movie nights, hosted dinners, arranged for special musical nights, brought in special guests, had community bonfires through the summer, and did not take money from the church budget to do so. My wife learned to play piano to provide music for the worship services and I learned to play guitar. We often were the only ones who came to prayer meetings, but were faithful to pray for the church regardless of whether or not anyone else attended.

Everything I could possibly think of, we tried. Still, it was not enough. The church closed and I, like others, blamed myself. Surely there had to have been something else to try. If only I had done _________. If only I had thought to try __________. If only I had been perfect and never made a mistake.

I thank God for a wonderful, loving couple from that congregation. Were it not for the prayers, encouragement, and love from that couple, I likely would have given up. When some voices spoke my own fears "I never thought he should have been our pastor," that couple encouraged us and cared for us.

Still, I felt the loss keenly. I couldn't help but wonder for long months afterward if the other voices were right. Had I truly failed so spectacularly? Was it all my fault?

The way had closed for me. Since I had dedicated myself to study through correspondence while pastoring rather than following the traditional path, no church wanted me as their pastor. My education was incomplete. I felt utterly hopeless and felt like a complete failure. "If only," and "maybe if" became my laments. It seemed every door had closed and not even a window of hope could open.

Parker Palmer said it well when he wrote, "When way closes behind us, it is tempting to regard it simply as the result of some strategic error: had I been smarter or stronger, that door would not have slammed shut, so if I redouble my efforts, I may be able to batter it down. But that is a dangerous temptation."

I did not have the best attitude in the wake of the church closing. When it became clear I would not enter a new pastorate, I applied to Kingswood University to more quickly complete my education. Initially, my goal was simply to complete my degree so I could begin again in pastoral ministry. I was still trying to batter down closed doors under my own strength and understanding.

Thankfully, God has worked on my heart through the summer. Before the fall semester even began, He changed my desires and goals tremendously. With His help and the unfailing encouragement of my wife to no longer put off my ultimate dream, I set out on a new path. Instead of beating on a closed door, it finally dawned on me that there was something else God wanted for me; something else I wanted as well.

Though my initial reason for applying to continue my education was selfish and an effort to "just get it over with," everything has changed. Rather than pursuing a degree in Pastoral Ministry, I am now seeking a degree in Theology as the first of many steps toward earning my doctorate. Instead of hoping to merely survive, I am joyfully anticipating the coming years obtaining my Bachelor's degree, two Master's degrees, and my doctorate. Rather than pastoring, I hope and plan to teach.

I will freely admit this has been a painful journey to understand what I truly desire to be, but it has been worthwhile. I am finally able to realize I am not a failure. Rather, a door closed so I could be directed onto a different path. Instead of regarding all as my fault, I have finally come to realize my insistence on blaming myself was overly narcissistic; it is not all about me.

I understand this post is vastly different than my normal writing, but I felt strongly to share from my heart. I only hope by being transparent in regard to my struggles, someone may come to the realization of what God wants to do in their life. Maybe this will help someone learn to stop attempting to beat down a closed door and will help them learn to accept the new path laid out for them. If nothing else, this is praise to God for a wonderful, encouraging family and for helping me realize I am not a failure.

Be encouraged, and may God bless you!

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Supernatural Showdown

Sadly, there are many people who blame the devil for every trouble they face. Flat tire? There must have been a demon slashing your tire. Alarm didn't go off this morning? An evil spirit must have unplugged the cord. And on the other side of the coin, there is the prevailing attitude that if something bad happens to someone we don't get along with, God is punishing them. After all, EVERYTHING has to be spiritual, right?

The devil unplugged your alarm, but God is punishing that person you don't get along with by unplugging their alarm? It is utter foolishness! I'll touch more on why bad things happen later, but first I want to point out something incredibly simple that many people have difficulty understanding. That is that God is not like us.

Isaiah 55:8-9 records, “8 ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. 9 ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.’”

What you think should be is not necessarily what God thinks should be. For example, there are people who think that there should be a worse Hell for more evil people. However, the true torture of Hell is separation from God; something without degrees.

Yes, Scripture speaks of fire, brimstone, and eternal torment, but it is being separated from God with no hope that would be the worst. God says that sin is sin, and one person's sin is no worse than yours. This simple fact should show us that God's ways and thoughts are not like ours.

Maybe you're wondering where I'm going with this. Well, rest easy because I am going to tell you. Just because you think someone should be punished in a certain way, at a certain time, for a certain reason doesn't mean that God agrees with you. By the same token, there are times that God allows things to happen to us (note: ALLOWS, not MAKES) that we don't understand. I think of poor Job at times like this.

Look at how the book of Job opens: “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.” (Job 1:1)

Job was a man who was righteous, good, nice, wonderful, whatever you want to call him. He was a good man who you would expect nothing but good for. We are told some more about him.

Namely, he would even offer sacrifices on behalf of his children in case they sinned! He was a man who trusted God and did right. Yet as the account unfolds, we read of something that bodes ill for Job.

8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? 9 So Satan answered the Lord and said, Does Job fear God for nothing?

10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!

12 And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. (Job 1:8-12)

We don't like to think about this passage. Oh no, it is far easier to think that any hardship is because the devil is raging against us and any hardship our “enemies” face is because of God's judgement. The idea that God may allow things to happen to us to grow us, prove us, or even encourage others in the future is not an idea we like to consider.

Now please note that I am not saying for an instant that the devil never attacks us. Far from it! Ephesians 6:16 speaks of, “...taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Yes, there are times that the enemy rages against us.

C.S. Lewis wrote in 1951speaking of – “…two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils…. to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. [The devils] are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”

So yes, there are demons/fallen angels (one of which is Lucifer who we call Satan) and they do come against humanity. However, I do not believe for a second that there is a demon behind every bush or that every step you take is dogged by darkness. Of course, if you obsess with and consistently surround yourself with evil things, that’s a different story altogether.

There are also times that the Lord judges the wicked in this life. Deuteronomy 32:35 records, “Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them.”

Despite there being times when the Lord punishes the wicked in this life and the devil attacks the righteous, we need to stop looking to blame the spiritual realm for everything. Yes, God is the Righteous Judge of all the earth, and He will deal with us all accordingly, but He is not your hitman that will smite that person because they cut you off in traffic. He is not just sitting in Heaven waiting for people to slip up so He can strike them down.

Sometimes, bad things happen; especially so when humans are involved. Being agents of free will, we are able to make choices which affect our lives and the lives of others. Going back to the alarm clock example, if you stop plugging the cord into a loose outlet, maybe it won't be unplugged in the morning! Maybe if you checked your tires regularly, you would have noticed if they were worn in a spot or if you had picked up a nail.

Just because something bad happened to you doesn't necessarily mean that God was punishing you or that the devil was attacking you. Just because something bad happened to someone you don't care for doesn't mean that God is punishing them or the devil is attacking them.

And let me take it a step farther: what if God had allowed your alarm to become unplugged so that you would be late so that you would avoid an accident? Or if you picked up a nail in your tire so that something else more potentially devastating could be prevented?

My wife's car had the brake lines let go a short while back. Being back in university, car repairs are never enjoyable. However, it came to light because of that incident that her engine is not good. It will still work for use around town, but we were told not to take it on long trips under any circumstances.

Imagine now if the brakes had not let go and we had driven her car down to Nova Scotia (a six and a half hour drive). We could have been stranded at the least, and severely hurt or killed as the result of an accident. Am I happy that her car is in need of further repair? Absolutely not! But I am glad that we were spared tragedy.

All of that to say this: we need to stop with the bad attitude! My biggest issue with the attitude of “God, smite them” is that it totally against the attitude of Christ.

27 But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. (Luke 6:27-28)

If we could all learn to do that, posts like this wouldn’t even be necessary.

God bless,


Binyamin

Friday, September 12, 2014

Hard Words

There are certain times in life where God passes down “hard words.” These are not necessarily words that are difficult to understand, but are words that people do not want to hear.

For example, we love to hear that God is love (1 John 4:8), and it makes us giddy to hear that He has “loved us with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). However, we do not like to be reminded of the fact that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

We don’t appreciate being reminded of God being the Righteous Judge of all the earth (Genesis 18:25) or of Him being a jealous God (Deuteronomy 6:15).

Elijah was less than impressed when the brook Cherith dried up in 1 Kings 17. After all, he had been taken care of at Cherith, had been provided for, and had been hidden from his enemies. When the brook dried up though, he seemed to have become vulnerable again. He had to step out in faith when life again became difficult.

Hard words and hard times are inevitable in life; regardless of how we feel about them. What I want to draw your attention to today is a particularly hard word that was passed down to God’s people in captivity.

Jeremiah 29:4-10 - 4 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit.

6 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. 7 And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.

8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord.

10 For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place.

Oh, we love to hear verses 11-14 of Jeremiah 29. We love to hear of the plan and the purpose God has for us! Why wouldn’t we? Despite it being a promise to that particular people in that specific time, such a promise shows God’s heart and we are able to know that He wants the best for us! We know and proclaim that He has good plans for us and those plans will prosper us! Right?

I feel for poor Jeremiah. As a young man, he is called by God to spend his life declaring doom and gloom on God’s wayward children. He had the unpopular message of the day! When all the false prophets were proclaiming peace and victory, Jeremiah had to stand against them and speak what God had told him; he had to preach hard words. Words of God like:

And you, even yourself, Shall let go of your heritage which I gave you; And I will cause you to serve your enemies In the land which you do not know; For you have kindled a fire in My anger which shall burn forever. (Jeremiah 17:4)

And:

12 I also spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live! 13 Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord has spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?

14 Therefore do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they prophesy a lie to you; 15 for I have not sent them,” says the Lord, “yet they prophesy a lie in My name, that I may drive you out, and that you may perish, you and the prophets who prophesy to you.” (Jeremiah 27:12-15)

Judah would be enslaved for seventy years, and there was nothing to be done about it. They wouldn’t be able to convince God to go back on what He had declared. There was no hope of victory over Babylon. Exile was a foregone conclusion and it was time to stop listening to false prophets and stop being deluded.

Maybe you are wondering what my point is. After all, my posts are generally uplifting or hopeful. Why am I so bent on depressing you by writing of Jeremiah, the Wailing Prophet, probably the man with the most depressing message to enter the pages of Scripture?

The answer is no great theological statement. This will not be some great paradigm changing post, and maybe it will be seen as anticlimactic. Still, this is why I am writing about Jeremiah:

There are hard words and hard times we face. Instead of looking solely to the future, instead of lamenting our current lot in life, there are times when we need to learn to be satisfied with where we are.

There are times when we need to trust the Lord and be content with the hardship we are facing. That’s not a popular idea in our culture that is obsessed with peace and prosperity in all areas of life, but it is still true.

Judah was told to build homes, plant gardens, have children, give their children in marriage, and seek the peace of the city. They were to settle in and make a life in Babylon.

We have such trouble reconciling that to our picture of God! We have trouble understanding (or don’t WANT to understand) that Judah was told to make a life where they were because their circumstances weren’t going to change any time soon.

We can’t imagine being “stuck” in our troubles. We get the idea that God is going to snap His fingers and miraculously remove us from every issue, and make everything sunshine and roses.

It is almost as if we forget that sometimes we must go through “the valley of the shadow of death” and have a table set “in the presence of our enemies” (Psalm 23).

That is not to say that we will always have trouble, but we are fools if we think that everything is going to be easy! We are absolutely blind if we think that God will instantly remove us from trouble. He CAN, but that doesn’t mean that He always will.

Jesus even said in John 16:33 - These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

We can have peace and joy in God regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in, but we will still have trouble in this world! Paul perfectly speaks to my intention in writing this blog post when he speaks of contentment.

11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13)

Don’t turn a deaf ear to what God says just because it makes you uncomfortable or you don’t want to hear what He says. Don’t ignore God if He tells you to make a home where you are. As the old saying goes, “Bloom where you’re planted”.

Yes, God promises: 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive. (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

God will not forget His people, He will never leave nor forsake them, and He does care and love them. Still, we need to learn to be content with wherever He has placed us, obey Him regardless of whether or not we feel like it, and be His people.

Don’t serve God or love Him conditionally; don’t simply follow the Lord when things are good. Love and trust Him even when told to settle in Babylon. And know that He always has the best in mind for those who follow Him; even if you can’t see it right now.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

May the Lord bless you wherever you find yourself,


Binyamin

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

What Are You So Afraid Of?

Yes, I am beginning another blog post with a basic statement. You see, my basic statement this time is a statement that should not exist. There are many, many people who are afraid in this world. What I find even worse to hear though is the fact that many Christians are afraid in this life.

Whether the fear is financial, emotional, medical, spiritual, or of any other origin, people find all kinds of things to be afraid of. Now, it would be easy to say that fear is irrational or that some fears are grounded in common sense; after all, it would be foolish to jump out of an airplane without a parachute (though I think it a bit strange to jump out of an airplane anyway).

Yes, it would be easy to say one of those things however I don’t think that we, as Christians, should be afraid of anything.

2 Timothy 1:7 - For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Oh yes, I know that you are reading this and thinking, “easier said than done.” After all, what do I know about your personal fears and worries? I don’t know what it is that you are afraid of, but let me tell you a little story.

When I was younger, I used to have night terrors. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice it to say that one recurring factor was of demons attempting to drag me to Hell. Then, when I was older (but still young), my father scared me. He didn’t mean to scare me as terribly as he did, but it bothered me for a long time.

You see, he hid beneath a church pew in the dark and grabbed my leg as I walked by. In an instant, all those night terrors flooded back; all my fears came together at once. It took a long time for me to get over that, silly thing though it was and to this day, I’m still not comfortable in dark churches at night.

Why am I telling you this? Because I understand what it is to have a fear; something that may seem irrational to others but still gripped my heart in terror. So now comes the obvious question: if I don’t think Christians should be afraid of anything, then why is it I was afraid for so long? The answer is quite simple, really. I’m still human and need to remind myself of WHY I shouldn’t be afraid. I’m still a work in progress, just like you, and have not reached perfection.

Still, it is obvious to me that since God has “not given us a spirit of fear,” we do not need to live in fear. But why? What reason do we have to not fear? I don’t believe it is enough to simply say that we shouldn’t be afraid. I think we should know WHY we shouldn’t be and don’t need to be afraid. So, without further ado, let’s look at why we don’t have to fear.

Namely, we don’t need to fear because we have God on our side. Look at what Jesus said when faced with arrest in Gethsemane:

52 But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?” (Matthew 26:52-54)

Did you get that? Jesus said that He could have been provided with more than twelve legions worth of angels had He so wished. That’s impressive! How impressive? I’m so glad you asked.

A Roman Legion, a military grouping Jews of that age would have been familiar with, could comprise of up to 6,000 soldiers though the average was some 5,400. So when Jesus says that He could have called down more than twelve legions of angels to aid Him, He was indicating that He could call upon a massively overwhelming force to rescue Him from the soldiers that had come out to arrest Him. The number, in case you are curious, was (more than) 72,000 angels.

Now, I can just hear some readers thinking to themselves, “Well that’s all well and good, but that was Jesus; not me. I can’t call down one legion of angels much less twelve.” I believe Jesus would refer to you as being "of little faith." While it is true that Jesus is and was fully God and we are human, I think we forget the great truth of our new kinship with Him.

Romans 8:16-17 - 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Yes! Look at those terms:

Heir/Joint-Heirs Partakers, sharers, one gaining a portion.

We are partakers in the promise of God! We are bought with a price and brought into the family. I know that my last post was about the fact that we are slaves to righteousness, but we are also sons and daughters of the Most High God! We share the promise of God and we can know that He watches over us.

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

So, we don’t need to be afraid because God is watching over us and we are joint-heirs with Christ; we are partakers of the promise and we know that God is on our side. Additionally, we can see in John 14:12-14:

12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."

That tells me that (since God is watching over us and we belong to Him and He protects us) we can call on Him for help and know that He will provide help! ALSO, we can know that nothing happens to us without God’s knowledge and permission. Note that I am not saying that God causes bad things to happen; I am simply saying that He allows it and is aware of it.

Job 1:6-12 - 6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” 9 So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing?

10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”

12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Then in Job 2:1-7 we see:

1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

3 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.” 4 So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.

5 But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” 6 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”

7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

God is aware of what you will face and He allows it. This bothers some people, but they don’t seem to realize that God still provides a way through the hard times of life. Look at it this way: if God allows something to happen, don’t you think that He’ll also bring you through?

I am reminded of the Israelites in the desert. Exodus 15:22-25 records:

22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah.

24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.

A lot of people skim through this passage or look only at the miracle of the waters being made drinkable. What they miss is how God provides! Have you ever stopped to think about the tree? Probably not! After all, that was just a tool in the miracle, right?

What about the fact that there, in the desert, in a place with bitter water, in a place where the Israelites would one day stand in need of good water, grew a single tree? Does that seem odd to you? It sure does to me until you factor in God’s providing nature. The Lord knew that His people would one day stand at Marah needing good, clean water.

He knew that they would be in need and that a hard time would come their way. Did He remove the obstacle? No! He allowed them to face it and learn to trust in Him all the while providing the way out. He caused that tree to grow for that specific purpose. I find that amazing!

I know you’re thinking that I’ve gone off on a rabbit trail; it IS late after all. But no, I say all that to say this: God provides for you. Whatever fear you deal with, whatever situation you face, whatever uncertainty, no matter how difficult, God is with His children and will protect them.

Psalm 139:16 also says, Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.

The Lord knows what the days of our life will amount to. He has His plan and the Enemy cannot stop it. Sure, we could each shorten our days with foolish living, but God has a plan that the Enemy cannot end.

Why fear for your life? God holds it in His hand. Why fear the Enemy? He is defeated and even if that roaring lion tries to attack you, you can call on our Lord who will send him whimpering back to Hell. Why fear financial troubles? Why fear what you will eat or what you will wear?

Matthew 6:31-34 - 31 “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.

I understand that this has been a long post, and if you have stuck with it until the end, I applaud you. My point through all of this is rather simple. Don’t be afraid. When you grow afraid or anxious, remember who you are. You are a child of God; someone who has been purchased and washed in the blood; a joint-heir with Christ.

You are precious to God and can call on Him, expecting and knowing that He will deliver you. You can know that no matter what the Enemy throws at you, you can stand firm on the name of Jesus and call on the Lord. And when that happens, you know that you have the power of all Heaven backing you up.

I hope this encourages you, reminds you of who you are, and Who you belong to. I hope that you smile and feel stronger as you realize that you can call on the Lord, the Master of all, the Creator of the universe, the Mighty King, the Most High God, and know that He will take care of you.

So readers, do not be afraid. Rather, rejoice that you are saved, that you belong to God, and that all of Heaven stands ready to do battle for you at the call of Jesus’ name.

God bless you and strengthen you,


Binyamin

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Thoughts of a Slave

“I want to serve the Lord!”
“I gave my life to Jesus when I was ____ years old.”
“I’m a Christian; I serve God.”

These are examples of statements said by many a Christian over the years. I am certain that all who claim the name of Christian have said one of those things or something similar at one point or another. After all, that is what Christianity is, isn’t it? We are supposed to serve and live for the Lord.

Most likely, you are wondering where I’m going with this blog post. After all, these are very basic statements I am making. I want to address a problem with Christianity though. That problem? Claiming to serve the Lord and claiming to have the desire to serve the Lord, but proving it to be false by our actions.

Oh yes, we prove ourselves to be liars when we claim that we serve the Lord but refuse to live out that statement. You see, more often than not, what we really mean is: “I want to serve God on my own terms.”

We either fail to realize or remember that we are not our own; we do not run or own our lives. I love how Paul phrases Romans 6:17-18:

17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

That is strong language and not at all the kind of language modern Christianity is comfortable with. After all, we see slavery as wrong, awful, terrible, and something to be shunned. In the flesh, yes, slavery is wrong. In the spiritual realm though, we are slaves. Paul tells us one verse earlier that we will either be slaves to good or to evil; to sin or to righteousness.

Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? (Romans 6:16)

Whether you like it or not, you have no choice in the matter of being a slave. We are all born into slavery and we will spend the rest of our lives as slaves. Our choice though, is in whether we are slaves to Satan or slaves to God. Again, Paul tells us that we are slaves to sin or to righteousness; slaves to whichever side we obey (God’s or Satan’s).

See, this is where we prove ourselves to be liars. When we claim to serve the Lord and then serve ourselves in our actions, we prove that the words we have spoken have had no bearing on our lives.

A wise man once said, “Christians need to make a choice. We need to either start living the life for God we claim to live, or keep living for the devil and claim it boldly.”

I am not for a moment saying that Christians will be perfect and that we will never fail. I am not saying that we will not make the wrong choice and live for ourselves at times. What I AM saying is that we must realize and remember whose slaves we are. If we claim to be the servants of God, then we must live as His servants. Don’t say that you’re serving God but then refuse to do what He says.

I’ve heard Christians claim that they are serving God but when you mention witnessing or actually working for the Lord, they shy away. Why? Because it’s “too hard” or “people will think I’m crazy” or “what if they don’t listen?”

I’m going to reveal to you all a great mystery here. I will say something that will absolutely astound you. God doesn’t care about your excuses. He doesn’t care if something seems too hard for you or if people think you’re crazy. What He cares about is whether or not you will obey.

In 1 Samuel 15, Samuel confronts King Saul with the king’s sin and boldly claims:

“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. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”

You see, the Lord wants you to obey regardless of what you feel, how hard it is, or anything else. We can also see that Saul was rejected as King of Israel because he rebelled against what God had said.

It is of vital importance that we decide once and for all who it is that we serve. Do we serve God and determine to be slaves of righteousness? If so, then obey Him as your Lord and Master! If you serve Satan, then stop claiming to serve God! We must stop trying to sit on the fence, straddle the line, have a foot in the world and one in the church; we need to make a choice!

On a related note, people often wonder how we can be slaves to God if He is a God of love and if we are His children. We need to understand that our Lord is a good Master; the best Master at that.

Romans 6:22-23 goes on to tell us:

22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

He is the Master whose “yoke is easy and burden is light,” (Matthew 11:30). He is the Master that has “loved us with an everlasting love,” (Jeremiah 31:3). He is our Good Shepherd (John 10:11), our Heavenly Father (Matthew 5:48).

It is time that we realize who our God really is. Yes, He is a God of Love who cares about us and adopts us but He is also our Lord and Master and He expects obedience.

It is time we realize who we really are and that we were, we are, and we always will be spiritual slaves. It is time we choose who we will serve and follow through with it. Live what you claim and claim what you live. Be a slave to sin or to righteousness.

“And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

God bless,


Benjamin