by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
“At my first defense no one took my part; all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the message fully, that all the Gentiles might hear it.” II Timothy 4:16 – 17 Imagine yourself in a dark, musty cell, awaiting death. You have time to sit at a poorly lit table and pen a few words to your friend. What would you say? What would be your chief concern? In this letter we have a glimpse of what was uppermost in Paul’s mind; the prison is inconsequential while the message is all-important. He charges Timothy to be faithful in the sight of God. Such a charge is quite predictable; you would expect Paul to admonish his son in the faith to finish the race of life well. What is exceptional is the fact that Paul makes this charge against the backdrop of one disappointment after another. “You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, and among them Phygelus and Hermogenes.”(1) “Hymenaeus and Philetus have swerved from the truth by holding that the resurrection is past already. They are upsetting the faith of some.”(2) “As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith.”(3) ”Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.”(4) “Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm.”(5) “At my first defense no one took my part; all deserted me.”(6) Can you imagine a missionary sending agency sending out a person with this kind of record? Paul charged his friend with the need to remain faithful, for results do... read more
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
“And the children of Israel …asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment. And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. And they despoiled the Egyptians.” Exodus 12:35-36 Man’s will yields to the will of God – whether man wants it to or not. God can move man’s will, like that of a robot, to accomplish His purpose. While God inflicted plague after plague on Egypt, the Bible reminds us, “…the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart.”[1] When it was time for Israel to depart Egypt on the Exodus, God laid it on the hearts of the Egyptians to surrender their wealth to these former slaves. It does not require sanctified imagination to conclude that this act of generosity was not naturally motivated by goodness of these pagan hearts. God holds man responsible for submitting his will to Him, and God judges man when he stubbornly refuses to yield. Although these two appear contradictory, both are true. On the one hand, God will have His way, with or without your cooperation. At the same time, God grants you the freedom to bend your will to His, or rebel and reap the consequences. As His obedient servant, purpose in your heart to keep your will in complete surrender to His will. [1] Exodus... read more
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
“None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him,’” 1 Corinthians 2:8-9 Paul gives two illustrations of reason’s inadequacy. First, if the rulers and intellectual giants during the days of Jesus Christ understood who He is, they would never have crucified Him. The best that the world had to offer, when meeting Jesus, was that He should be destroyed. Just as human reason did not stop these people from killing the Savior, so it cannot help you find God. Paul’s second illustration of reason’s inadequacy is seen in your ability to understand the future. Your reason cannot give you a clear picture of heaven. All you can know about it is what God has revealed. You only know the ways of God to the degree that He reveals them to you. Even after you have come to know Christ as your Lord and Savior, reason can take you no further than revelation. Develop convictions from your understanding of revelation, but take them no further; do not make absolute what the Bible does not make absolute. For example, a great deal of what many Christians believe about heaven is what they want heaven to be like rather than what Scripture promises. Be content to live within biblical limits, believing no more and no... read more
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
“And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, ‘Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.’ And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation.” John 11:49-51 Political expediency at the expenses of what is right is an abomination to God. Probably the most blatant illustration of this in Scripture is found in what Caiaphas and the rest of the Jewish leadership did regarding the crucifixion of Christ. The end can justify the means as long as you don’t violate God’s commandments, but never at the expense of His Word. For example, the surgeon opens the chest of his patient and stops the heart, in order to repair the heart valves. The dentist drills a hole in your tooth in order to stop the decay. Any time you compromise what you know to be right to accomplish a goal, however, even if you are sure that it is a worthy goal, you know that you have sinned against... read more
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
“Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say…” Matthew 23:16 There is more than one kind of blindness. Jesus charged the religious establishment of His day with spiritual blindness; they could see with their eyes, but remained blind concerning spiritual truth. Commenting on this, the Apostle Paul said, “…for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” I am unable to comprehend the horror of meeting God, only to realize that I lived my life in spiritual blindness. God, speaking through His prophet Isaiah said He will, “… open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.” Those who are blind and acknowledge the same, to them God gives sight. God wants His people to see reality as He sees it. The world, insisting that it can see without God’s assistance, refuses to come to the Light. Thus, thinking that they see, they live in darkness. How can you know if you see or are blind? Scripture says indicators include an eager heart to obey all God commands, acknowledging that His will is “good, acceptable, and perfect.” Anytime you resist His will you can conclude you are blind, living in... read more
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
“But when he heard this he became sad, for he was very rich. Jesus looking at him said, ‘How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.'” Luke 18:23-25 Jesus will test you at the point of your weakness. For the rich young ruler, the issue was not wealth, but rather the limits of his commitment to Christ. Jesus understood that the limits of this young man’s commitment included his net worth, so Jesus tested him. Christ has an uncanny way of identifying any area of life not under his lordship, and you can count on His demanding a decision. For the committed follower of Christ, surrendering temporal goods eliminates the responsibility of stewardship. Thus Peter says, “We have left all and followed Thee”. Luke 18:28 The fear of whether Christ will adequately supply Peter’s needs replaces the tension of stewardship. Your Heavenly Father wants you perpetually vulnerable and dependent. Preparation for your time of testing includes solitude with God where you systematically give to Him all that you deem precious. Begin with surrendering your spouse and children. “God I cannot guarantee that I will not weep if You take them, but I do covenant not to fight You in this matter.” From here move to your health, the absence of pain, the ability to read, think, talk, etc. Then dreams, hopes and aspirations must be given over to His lordship. Anything less than total commitment places... read more
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.” Numbers 14:19 The spies, sent by God to recon the Promised Land, returned with news of the giants. The Israelites complained that God did not treat them properly. Charging God with wrong ensured His judgment. Moses, realizing that the people had sinned, interceded with God on their behalf. God responds with the promise, “…I have pardoned according to thy word.” Numbers 14:20 When Moses said, “Pardon … as Thou has forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now,” God did not forgive them in the past, as seen in His sending a plague. Numbers 11:31-33 So too, God says He will pardon them, when in reality He forces the nation to wander forty years in the wilderness, ensuring the death of those who complained, prior to God bringing them into the Promised Land. Obviously, “pardon” and “forgive” do not mean the absence of accountability, but rather the promise of maintaining His covenant with them; they still had to suffer the consequences of their unbelief. If you are not careful, you can easily confuse God’s “pardon” and “forgiveness” in your life as well; God’s pardon does not eliminate the consequences of... read more
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
“For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10 The word “save” is a beautiful word filled with emotion. A child trapped in a burning building fills the onlookers with fear and apprehension. The fireman, risking his life, rushes into the flames and returns with the child in his arms. People cheer as someone cries, “the child is saved!” A pleasure craft capsizes inthe ocean and the Coast Guard comes to the rescue. The next day the headlines in the newspaper read, “The Coast Guard Saves All.” Few words thrill the soul like the word “saved.” Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. In this context the word “save” becomes an affront to many people. They resent hearing it because it implies that they are in danger and need saving. Some people, like those floating in the ocean hoping for rescue, know that they need saving. Others live in danger and do not know it. For example, aviators talk about experiencing vertigo, a phenomenon in which you lose your sense of direction. The instruments on the aircraft may indicate that you are losing elevation while your instincts tell you the opposite. Such people need saving and do not know it. Never lose your thrill when hearing the word “saved.” And never be shy about telling others the good news. When Jesus said He came “to seek and to save the lost,” he meant that there are two kinds of people in the world: those that know they need saving, and those that don’t. When people are offended by your telling them... read more
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
“The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8 How do you control the wind? Jesus says that the work of the Holy Spirit is analogous to the wind; you hear and see its effects, but cannot tell its origin or destination. How often you would like to reach inside another and alter their perception of reality. You say to yourself, “Why can they not understand this simple message of redemption?” But they cannot, and you cannot force it. Unless the “Wind” has His way, they remain blind and dead in their sin. Man is never more insecure than when he cannot create, measure, and control. The work of man can be created, measured, and controlled, but the work of God cannot. If you try you will inevitably become abusive in your interpersonal relationships, trying to force people into meeting your expectations so that you can accomplish your objectives. The work of God requires a walk of faith. When you apply the template of your business on your church, calling your pastor to the same business techniques you use in the marketplace, you pressure him into trying to do the impossible. The cause of Christ is best served when you allow God to create, measure, and control, and you give yourself, by faith, to the task of investing in the lives of others. Let God do with your investment what... read more
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015
“And the land was defiled, therefore I did visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land vomited out her inhabitants.” Leviticus 18:27-28 Leviticus 18 expresses God’s standards regarding sexual purity. Among His prohibitions, He includes incest, bestiality, adultery, and homosexuality. Note the interdependence of the people and the land; when the people defiled the land, the land “vomited out her inhabitants. God revealed to Abraham that his descendents would spend 400 years in Egypt, after which God would return them to the Promised Land. “And in the fourth generation they shall come back hither; for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.” The Amorites lived in the land God promised to Israel, and He had to wait until the iniquity of the Amorites was complete before removing them. There comes a point when the sexual immorality of a people crosses a threshold and the land “vomits” them out. I have no idea where that threshold is, but God does. It has nothing to do with God’s election, nor with whether or not the inhabitants are His chosen people; when Israel crossed the line God sent them into captivity in Babylon. In our country where we sanction divorce, homosexuality, and all manner of immorality – where the dormitories at our universities have become dens of licentiousness – I fear we may be getting close to crossing this threshold, if we have not already done so. Lord God, have mercy on us! We dare not forget that although investigation and experimentation in the intellectual realm leads to excellence, when applied to the moral realm it leads to depravity... read more
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