“Lord, Your testimonies are completely reliable.” (Psalm 93:5) “Lord, Your statutes stand firm.” (Psalm 93:5 NIV)
The NIV version of the Bible uses the word “statutes” rather than “testimonies” as in the HCSB. So what is a statute? It is a word about God, about His standards, and His expectations. Thus, it testifies to some truth about God. These testimonies are “reliable.” That means they are firm, trustworthy, and believable.
So, what testimonies is the psalmist talking about?
Consider Matthew 15:31, “So the crowd was amazed when they saw those unable to speak talking, the deformed restored, the lame seeing. And they gave glory to the God of Israel.” Many might read this verse and just focus on the miracles and say, “Isn’t that great?” But this crowd went beyond to Jesus’ intent for His miracles: they glorified God. The purpose of miracles is to glorify God. They testify to His glory.
Consider Ephesians 3:21, “To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Paul prayed for the Ephesians. He prayed that: 1) they would be strengthened, 2) that Christ would dwell in their hearts, 3) that they would be able to comprehend the full extent of God’s love, 4) that they would know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, and 5) so that they would be filled with all the fullness of God. Paul wanted this for us, the church, so that we would glorify God. We sing, “For the glory of the Lord shall come.”
So, what is the purpose of miracles? Their purpose is to glorify God, to reveal His glory. What is the purpose of our walk with God? To glorify God. Miracles and this life of redemption, which is miraculous in itself, are testimonies to the glory of God. They are invitations to faith, which also serves to glorify Him.
Lord, May our lives be testimonies to Your glory throughout the day. Amen.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Persistent Faith
“Then, Jesus replied to her, ‘Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.’ And from that moment her daughter was cured.” (Matthew 15:28)
The interaction between Jesus and this Canaanite woman is fascinating.
Following a confrontation with the Pharisees over the tradition of the elders, Jesus led His disciples away from Galilee on a teaching and training tour. He led them to the seacoast commercial city of Tyre, and there a Canaanite woman (some translate this as “Syro-Phoenecian” woman) heard Jesus was there. How she heard this, and how she knew of His capabilities, we do not know. The Bible tells us that her daughter was demon-possessed. Somehow this woman learned where Jesus and His disciples were staying and made her way there. She came and continually cried out to Jesus, addressing Him as, “Lord, Son of David.”
Initially, Jesus made no response. He kept silent. His disciples urged Him to send her away, but the fact that He did not tells us that He saw a teachable moment, almost as if to say to His disciples, “Watch this!”
The response Jesus finally gave seems cruel. He said He was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. What we must note, however, is that He did not say “no” or “go away.” He was baiting her. She saw the open invitation and knelt before Him and asked Him to help her. Jesus put some more bait out. “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs.” She took the bait, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the table.” Jesus then knew He had His teachable moment for His disciples. “Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And it was.
Jesus took this approach not to be hurtful to this lady, but to show His disciples what real faith looks like. Faith that is real is persistent.
Lord, May our faith in You be as persistent and “bulldoggish” as this woman’s was. Thank You for letting us also learn from her today. Amen.
The interaction between Jesus and this Canaanite woman is fascinating.
Following a confrontation with the Pharisees over the tradition of the elders, Jesus led His disciples away from Galilee on a teaching and training tour. He led them to the seacoast commercial city of Tyre, and there a Canaanite woman (some translate this as “Syro-Phoenecian” woman) heard Jesus was there. How she heard this, and how she knew of His capabilities, we do not know. The Bible tells us that her daughter was demon-possessed. Somehow this woman learned where Jesus and His disciples were staying and made her way there. She came and continually cried out to Jesus, addressing Him as, “Lord, Son of David.”
Initially, Jesus made no response. He kept silent. His disciples urged Him to send her away, but the fact that He did not tells us that He saw a teachable moment, almost as if to say to His disciples, “Watch this!”
The response Jesus finally gave seems cruel. He said He was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. What we must note, however, is that He did not say “no” or “go away.” He was baiting her. She saw the open invitation and knelt before Him and asked Him to help her. Jesus put some more bait out. “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs.” She took the bait, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the table.” Jesus then knew He had His teachable moment for His disciples. “Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And it was.
Jesus took this approach not to be hurtful to this lady, but to show His disciples what real faith looks like. Faith that is real is persistent.
Lord, May our faith in You be as persistent and “bulldoggish” as this woman’s was. Thank You for letting us also learn from her today. Amen.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Sky Witness
“His offspring will continue forever, his throne like the sun before Me, like the moon, a faithful witness in the sky.” (Psalm 89:36-37)
The psalmist rehearsed the commitments God made to Israel in Psalm 89, and to David, and then launches into a rather surprising confrontation with God over his sense of abandonment. He was basically say, “God, you did some great works in the past and gave us many promises, but right now we’re in danger, and it doesn’t seem like You’re there. You have abandoned us.” This is the context of the verses above which point us to the covenant of God with His people. In addition to this, though, these verses reveal a little “side truth” to us.
The writer calls the moon “a faithful witness in the sky.” Have you ever thought of the moon as a “witness?” Witness to what?
Most of us have learned the scientific realities of the moon. It is essentially a small planet that revolves around the earth. Because of the way it revolves, we only see one side of it. It has no water, no air, no life on it. But, it’s always there, and its light services as a kind of God-provided “night light.”
The moon, like the sun, the stars, the planets, and all of nature, serves to bear witness to a Creator. Understanding its science, while a good thing, only goes so far. Seeing it, we eventually must ask, “How did it get there? How was all this created?” Such questions take us inevitably toward a conclusion: there must be a Creator.
The next time you see the moon, remember that it is a witness to God our Creator.
Lord, We thank You that You have placed everything in the universe as a testimony, as a witness to You. When we see Your creation, cause it to direct our minds and hearts to You. Amen.
The psalmist rehearsed the commitments God made to Israel in Psalm 89, and to David, and then launches into a rather surprising confrontation with God over his sense of abandonment. He was basically say, “God, you did some great works in the past and gave us many promises, but right now we’re in danger, and it doesn’t seem like You’re there. You have abandoned us.” This is the context of the verses above which point us to the covenant of God with His people. In addition to this, though, these verses reveal a little “side truth” to us.
The writer calls the moon “a faithful witness in the sky.” Have you ever thought of the moon as a “witness?” Witness to what?
Most of us have learned the scientific realities of the moon. It is essentially a small planet that revolves around the earth. Because of the way it revolves, we only see one side of it. It has no water, no air, no life on it. But, it’s always there, and its light services as a kind of God-provided “night light.”
The moon, like the sun, the stars, the planets, and all of nature, serves to bear witness to a Creator. Understanding its science, while a good thing, only goes so far. Seeing it, we eventually must ask, “How did it get there? How was all this created?” Such questions take us inevitably toward a conclusion: there must be a Creator.
The next time you see the moon, remember that it is a witness to God our Creator.
Lord, We thank You that You have placed everything in the universe as a testimony, as a witness to You. When we see Your creation, cause it to direct our minds and hearts to You. Amen.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Prayer Mine
“I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength.” (Ephesians 1:17-19)
Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is like a gold mine ready to be worked, with numerous veins of gold streaking through solid rock. There are two primary veins. First, Paul prays that God would give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation. Wisdom means to have the ability to comprehend a situation and determine the best course of action in response. Revelation means to “pull back the cover,” so that what is inside is thus revealed. This, too, deals with understanding and comprehension. So, Paul wants us to have this wisdom and understanding so that we can fully know the Lord. Wisdom and revelation are nothing unless they help us to know God.
The second vein of Paul’s prayer is that the eyes of our heart may be enlightened. The heart can often be translated in the Bible as “will.” Paul metaphorically speaks of the heart as having “eyes,” meaning that it is possible for our “will” to see the truth when it is illuminated by the light of God. When the light of God pours into our hearts, into the place where our wills are determined, it has three impacts: 1) we see God’s hope for what He did through His Son, that is, His hope that we will come to repentance and faith, 2) we see the Lord’s inheritance among the saints, that is, His status as the firstborn in preeminence in the creation, and 3) we see His power which has no limitations.
So, here are the gold nuggets from this prayer mine: God wants to know us and wants us to know Him, God wants us to understand His truth, and God wants us to rely on His strength for living this life.
Lord, May we today grow in our understanding of You and Your truth, and may we fully rely on Your strength for this day. Amen.
Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is like a gold mine ready to be worked, with numerous veins of gold streaking through solid rock. There are two primary veins. First, Paul prays that God would give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation. Wisdom means to have the ability to comprehend a situation and determine the best course of action in response. Revelation means to “pull back the cover,” so that what is inside is thus revealed. This, too, deals with understanding and comprehension. So, Paul wants us to have this wisdom and understanding so that we can fully know the Lord. Wisdom and revelation are nothing unless they help us to know God.
The second vein of Paul’s prayer is that the eyes of our heart may be enlightened. The heart can often be translated in the Bible as “will.” Paul metaphorically speaks of the heart as having “eyes,” meaning that it is possible for our “will” to see the truth when it is illuminated by the light of God. When the light of God pours into our hearts, into the place where our wills are determined, it has three impacts: 1) we see God’s hope for what He did through His Son, that is, His hope that we will come to repentance and faith, 2) we see the Lord’s inheritance among the saints, that is, His status as the firstborn in preeminence in the creation, and 3) we see His power which has no limitations.
So, here are the gold nuggets from this prayer mine: God wants to know us and wants us to know Him, God wants us to understand His truth, and God wants us to rely on His strength for living this life.
Lord, May we today grow in our understanding of You and Your truth, and may we fully rely on Your strength for this day. Amen.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Live-Follow
“If we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25)
When Paul writes “if” above, he is not raising a question. He is not questioning whether we are made alive by the Holy Spirit. Rather, he is building on the assumption that the Spirit has made us alive. You could almost translate the “if” as “since.”
The point Paul is trying to make is in the second half of the sentence. The idea is that because we are made alive by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit. Since the Spirit makes us alive, we must follow Him.
Another part of the idea is that not to follow the Spirit, since He is the One who has made us alive, makes no sense at all. Paul is almost saying, “It goes without saying that since the Spirit made us alive, we are to follow Him as He leads.” It’s sort of like a child born to parents belongs to the parents and stays with them.
And how do we know if we are following the Spirit who makes us alive? It will be seen in the fruit that is produced. Paul named some of them: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faith, and self-control. Fruit that is oriented more to the flesh, by the same token, indicates that someone is not following the Spirit’s lead.
So, the call of God to us today is to live by and follow the Spirit.
Lord, We recognize that by Your Spirit we are born again. Help us therefore to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit in the way we live, not as the product of self-effort, but simply by the Spirit’s work in us. Amen.
When Paul writes “if” above, he is not raising a question. He is not questioning whether we are made alive by the Holy Spirit. Rather, he is building on the assumption that the Spirit has made us alive. You could almost translate the “if” as “since.”
The point Paul is trying to make is in the second half of the sentence. The idea is that because we are made alive by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit. Since the Spirit makes us alive, we must follow Him.
Another part of the idea is that not to follow the Spirit, since He is the One who has made us alive, makes no sense at all. Paul is almost saying, “It goes without saying that since the Spirit made us alive, we are to follow Him as He leads.” It’s sort of like a child born to parents belongs to the parents and stays with them.
And how do we know if we are following the Spirit who makes us alive? It will be seen in the fruit that is produced. Paul named some of them: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faith, and self-control. Fruit that is oriented more to the flesh, by the same token, indicates that someone is not following the Spirit’s lead.
So, the call of God to us today is to live by and follow the Spirit.
Lord, We recognize that by Your Spirit we are born again. Help us therefore to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit in the way we live, not as the product of self-effort, but simply by the Spirit’s work in us. Amen.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The Lord’s Ways
“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you except to fear the Lord your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, and to worship the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 10:12)
Does God ask of us today what He asked of Israel? We say that we are on this side of the cross, that we are in “the new covenant” of grace with God rather than the Law. And so we are. Does that mean no Old Testament expectation of Israel or admonition applies?
Well, what did God ask of Israel? Moses sums it up for us in the verse above. There are three basics. God asks first that we fear Him. As in “be totally afraid of?” No, not so much that kind of fear. This kind of fear means to respect, to revere, to honor, and to be in awe of. We show this by walking in “the ways” of God, that is, in the way of right living, integrity, and right relationships. Is this any different in the New Testament?
The second thing God asks of us is that we love Him. He is our heavenly Father. What father wouldn’t want his children to love him, mainly because he loves them? So, is that different in the new covenant?
The third thing God asks of us is that we worship Him with all our heart and all our soul. Because He somehow needs it to sustain Himself? No, nothing like that at all. He asks that of us because we are the ones who need it. Is this any different in the New Testament?
God wants us to be in full awe of His glory, to love Him genuinely, and to worship Him because these actions bring out a greater realization and actualization of who we are in Christ. It draws us toward a greater fulfillment of God’s divine design for us – a personal walk with Him.
Lord, Today may we walk fully in Your ways, that You may be honored in and through our lives. Amen.
Does God ask of us today what He asked of Israel? We say that we are on this side of the cross, that we are in “the new covenant” of grace with God rather than the Law. And so we are. Does that mean no Old Testament expectation of Israel or admonition applies?
Well, what did God ask of Israel? Moses sums it up for us in the verse above. There are three basics. God asks first that we fear Him. As in “be totally afraid of?” No, not so much that kind of fear. This kind of fear means to respect, to revere, to honor, and to be in awe of. We show this by walking in “the ways” of God, that is, in the way of right living, integrity, and right relationships. Is this any different in the New Testament?
The second thing God asks of us is that we love Him. He is our heavenly Father. What father wouldn’t want his children to love him, mainly because he loves them? So, is that different in the new covenant?
The third thing God asks of us is that we worship Him with all our heart and all our soul. Because He somehow needs it to sustain Himself? No, nothing like that at all. He asks that of us because we are the ones who need it. Is this any different in the New Testament?
God wants us to be in full awe of His glory, to love Him genuinely, and to worship Him because these actions bring out a greater realization and actualization of who we are in Christ. It draws us toward a greater fulfillment of God’s divine design for us – a personal walk with Him.
Lord, Today may we walk fully in Your ways, that You may be honored in and through our lives. Amen.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Child of Freedom
“Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.” (Galatians 4:31)
In a witnessing encounter, a young Buddhist man said, “I am Buddhist because I was born a Buddhist. If you had been born in Japan, you would be a Buddhist, too.”
There is at least some truth in what he said. A lot of people tend to become religious adherents to the religion that is dominant in a given locale. That doesn’t mean they are committed necessarily; only that they are adherents.
Paul suggested a similar idea in his discussion with the Galatians about law and freedom. He asked them to think about Abraham, who had two sons, one by a slave woman named Hagar, and the other by his wife, Sarah, a free woman. Paul says that one is born into slavery and the other into freedom. He uses this as an “illustration” to make a point. It looks like more of an allegorical use of this example, but he calls their example a “tupos,” which is Greek for “type.” Literally, the word means “shadow.” Still, it’s basically just an illustration.
Paul suggests that Hagar corresponds to Mount Sinai and to the current Jerusalem, both of which were law-related. He says that Hagar’s children are thus those who are still in bondage to the Law. He goes on to say that the children of Sarah are those who are born in freedom as part of “the Jerusalem above.” He seems to be referring to a heavenly Jerusalem. Is it possible he saw the “New Jerusalem” John saw in Revelation? Whether that is true or not, Paul’s point is that Christians are not children of slavery but children of freedom.
That foundation laid, Paul challenges us then to stand firm in our freedom and never again submit to a yoke of slavery, either to the Law or to sin or to anything that would keep us for walking in the Spirit and by the Spirit.
Lord, We thank You today for the freedom we have in Christ. Help us to walk in this freedom in the ways that most glorify You. Amen.
In a witnessing encounter, a young Buddhist man said, “I am Buddhist because I was born a Buddhist. If you had been born in Japan, you would be a Buddhist, too.”
There is at least some truth in what he said. A lot of people tend to become religious adherents to the religion that is dominant in a given locale. That doesn’t mean they are committed necessarily; only that they are adherents.
Paul suggested a similar idea in his discussion with the Galatians about law and freedom. He asked them to think about Abraham, who had two sons, one by a slave woman named Hagar, and the other by his wife, Sarah, a free woman. Paul says that one is born into slavery and the other into freedom. He uses this as an “illustration” to make a point. It looks like more of an allegorical use of this example, but he calls their example a “tupos,” which is Greek for “type.” Literally, the word means “shadow.” Still, it’s basically just an illustration.
Paul suggests that Hagar corresponds to Mount Sinai and to the current Jerusalem, both of which were law-related. He says that Hagar’s children are thus those who are still in bondage to the Law. He goes on to say that the children of Sarah are those who are born in freedom as part of “the Jerusalem above.” He seems to be referring to a heavenly Jerusalem. Is it possible he saw the “New Jerusalem” John saw in Revelation? Whether that is true or not, Paul’s point is that Christians are not children of slavery but children of freedom.
That foundation laid, Paul challenges us then to stand firm in our freedom and never again submit to a yoke of slavery, either to the Law or to sin or to anything that would keep us for walking in the Spirit and by the Spirit.
Lord, We thank You today for the freedom we have in Christ. Help us to walk in this freedom in the ways that most glorify You. Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)