by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015 | Articles
“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...
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015 | Articles
“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...
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015 | Articles
“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...
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015 | Articles
“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...
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015 | Articles
“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...
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015 | Articles
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...
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