Your works - they're following you!

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Revelation 14-16; Psalm 45

TO CHEW ON: "Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, 'Write: "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on."' '"Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labours and their works follow them."'" Revelation 14:13

In the midst of the mayhem and chaos of Revelation 14, the thunderous voices and the smoke of everlasting torment comes the reassuring benediction of our focus verse to those who "die in the Lord."

Though death is something we all try to avoid, here the heavenly voice tells John to call them "Blessed."

["The word "blessed"  comes from the root "mak" meaning large or of long duration. "It suggests happy, supremely blessed, a condition in which congratulations are in order. It is a grace word that expresses the special joys and satisfaction granted the person who experiences salvation" "Word Wealth," New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1296.]

These dead are blessed for more than just the reason the cynical author of Ecclesiastes gives — because oppressions of life are finally over. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 lays out in detail why death for the believer is so hope filled. It's because Christ conquered death. Since He rose from the dead, we too can looking forward to resurrection — a life that goes on into eternity (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

In Revelation 14, the Spirit refers to death as "rest." The time for working is done. But the effects of that work go on.

There are some interesting examples of after-death influence in the Bible:

1. On her death, Dorcas's friends mourn and show Peter her very tangible "work" — the tunics and garments she made (Acts 9:39).

2. Jesus predicted that the act of the woman who poured oil on His head would be retold wherever the gospel was preached (Matthew 26:6-13).

3. Perhaps one of the most curious examples is of  after-death influence is the story Elisha's. When a dead man was hurriedly buried in his tomb (the rush because of approaching raiders) on touching Elisha's bones, the man sprang to life (2 Kings 13:21).

4. However, it is clear that our works will follow each one of us to a final day where their quality will be revealed:

"...for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is..." 1 Corinthians 3:13.

What a challenge to consider carefully how we live, what we live for, and the eternal reverberation potential of the common things on which we spend our time each day!

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to live mindful of how significant are the everyday choices I make. Help me to not to waste time or fritter away opportunities to do lasting work, work that will follow me, in any case, into eternity. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 45

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Would anyone want your mantle?

 "Elijah Taken to Heaven" 

Illustration from Treasures of the Bible 

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Kings1-3; Psalm 101

TO CHEW ON: "And Elisha saw it … He also took up the mantle of Elijah…" 2 Kings 2:12,13.

On reading of the story of Elijah, and how God took him away, two questions come to mind:

1. What was the significance of Elisha seeing Elijah taken from him? For Elijah said that whether or not Elisha got his last request (a double portion of Elijah's spirit) hinged on him witnessing that event - 2 Kings 2:10.

2. Do mantle hand-downs (and by that I mean more than inheriting a piece of physical clothing) still happen today?

First the seeing bit
 
The old commenter, Matthew Henry, gives two possible explanations. He suggests Elijah:

1. Was telling Elisha to pay close attention to his last minutes, as a student attends his teacher.

2. Was naming this sight condition as a sign of God's favor.

I side with the latter. Elijah understood the spiritual rigor of being a prophet, the faith it demanded, and the need for spiritual sight. I believe Elisha recognized it too—indeed hoped it would be included the "double portion" of Elijah's spirit he requested - 2 Kings 2:9.

The writer of my Bible's notes on 2 Kings defines the "spirit of Elijah": "… is either an indirect or direct reference to the Holy Spirit" - Larry D. Powers, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 483.  

That Elisha was a candidate for that spirit (Spirit) was made clear here when he did see Elijah leave. And he certainly got a good measure of that sight:

• He saw his servant following Naaman, then lying to get some of the money and clothes he coveted - 1 Kings 5:25,26.

• He saw and heard the actions of the Syrian King and army, though he wasn't present - 1 Kings 6:12.

• He saw the heavenly army that surrounded the city - 1 Kings 6:17. 

What a powerful inheritance Elijah named for Elisha in "sight"! 

The mantle

My Bible's study notes define mantle as "a symbol of the authority he (a prophet) had been given by God" - Powers, Op Cit. p. 484.

When Elijah first called Elisha to be his successor, Elijah threw his cloak (or mantle) around Elisha (1 Kings 19:18). It's clear from Elisha's actions following that, that he knew what this meant.

Talk of inheriting or having someone's mantle fall on one is still a teaching in some churches. My daughter experienced such an event as a teenager and I believe it changed the course of her life (for the good).

What spiritual inheritance do we long for?  What mantle would we hand down? Would anyone want it?

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for these spiritual giants Elijah and Elisha. Please help me to give Your Spirit greater access to my life. My desire is leave a worthwhile spiritual legacy. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 101

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A legacy of dysfunction

Mandrake roots (Source: Wikipedia)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 30:1-24

TO CHEW ON: "Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, 'Give me children or else I die.'" Genesis 30:1


Jacob's harem was not a happy place. Rachel envied Leah's fruitfulness and blamed Jacob for her lack of conceiving. This provoked Jacob's anger. The rivalry between the sisters soon drew their maids into the competitive struggle and enlarged the circle of bigamy. In these women's eyes, even God chose sides, favoring one and then the other with sons. This all sunk to a new low when Rachel and Leah showed their superstitious side as they haggled over some supposedly aphrodisiac mandrake plants for a night with the man.

Some thoughts on this depressing installment of the story:

1. We see the wisdom of God's design of one man + one woman (Genesis 2:24) by the mess in homes where men had several wives (like this one and see also the story of Elkanah, Peninnah and Hannah - 1 Samuel 1:1-7).

2. Individual sinful tendencies and family strife are readily passed from one generation to the next. The tensions of Isaac & Rebekah's relationship are only magnified in Jacob's family.

Do we find such generational weaknesses in our homes too? Probably, to some extent at least. But do they have to carry on? How can we put a stop to such a  legacy of dysfunction? Here are some ideas. Can you think of more?

• Ask God to show us where we are duplicating the sins of our fathers. We may be blind to these and need to grow sensitive again. One way is to read and apply what God's word says about attitudes to avoid (Exodus 20:1-17; Galatians 5:17-21) and those to cultivate (1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Galatians 5:22-26). Another way to gain insight is to ask close friends and family members what they see in our relationships and homes.

• We need to beware that kids interpret  "normal" from what they see at home, and by God's grace set a different example than, perhaps, we saw in our own homes growing up. Emulate the good; reject the bad.

• Remember that with God there are new beginnings.

" … put off … the old man … and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness" - Ephesians 4:22-24.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" - 2 Corinthians 5:17

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me not to make excuses for sinful attitudes and tendencies which have been part of my family. With Your enabling, I'm never too old to change. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The impression of a life

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Acts 13:1-12


TO CHEW ON: "As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, 'Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul to the work to which I have called them.'" Acts 13:2

Some Bible characters are depicted in more glowing terms than others. Barnabas is one of those about which it's hard to find anything bad.

He first appeared early in Acts as one of the believers who sold his property and gave the money to the apostles. Perhaps it was this lightness of possessions that made it possible for him to play the prominent role he did in the early church. Here are some other things we discover about him as we follow him through the New Testament:

• His brand was encouragement.

Right from the outset he was known as an encourager with his real name Joses replaced by the nickname Barnabas - "Son of Encouragement" - Acts 4:36-37.

• He championed the cause of the outsider.

He brought Saul/Paul into the fellowship in Jerusalem when everyone else was afraid of him (Acts 9:27). Then he encouraged a Gentile church plant (Acts 11:22-24).

• He was trustworthy.

He was chosen by the Antioch church to courier an offering to famine-stricken believers in Judea (Acts 11:30).

• He was useful for the spread of the gospel.

In our reading today, we see that the Holy Spirit singled him out, with Paul, for a special assignment - Acts 13:1-2.

• He was tough.

He endured persecution, and gladly - Acts 13:50-52. In fact he had a reputation for risking his life for Jesus and the Gospel - Acts 15:25-26.

• He wasn't a free-loader.

He labored, along with Paul, at a day-job to cover his expenses - 1 Corinthians 9:6.

• He was content to let his student shine.

He went out of his way to get Paul involved in the church, but once Paul came into his own, Barnabas let him take the limelight as the chief speaker - Acts 14:12.

But even Barnabas wasn't perfect.

• He was stubborn determined

Because he was fixed on his plan to take his cousin John Mark with them on a second missionary journey (JM had proved himself a quitter by leaving them on a previous trip), the Paul-and-Barnabas-duo split up - Acts 15:36-39.

• He could be influenced by the wrong crowd.

He let himself be swayed by those Christian leaders who counseled that they separate themselves from uncircumcised Gentiles — a move that Paul labeled hypocritical - Galatians 2:13.

All in all, though, this overview of Barnabas leaves us with the impression of a life well lived. It brings me to the question what would the various snippets of my life add up to if someone gathered them into a list of characteristics, as I have done with Barnbas's? What about yours?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Bible characters like Barnabas, whose human failings assure me that You use even the imperfect. May the final impression of my life be as positive as Barnabas's is. Amen.

MORE: The Feast of St. Barnabas

Today is the Feast of St. Barnabas. The liturgy for today begins with this collect:

"Grant, O God, that we may follow the example of your faithful servant Barnabas, who, seeking not his own renown but the well-­being of your Church, gave generously of his life and substance for the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Upside down consequences

"Mordecai receives the king's ring" 
Engraving by Bernard Picart & Matthys Pool

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Esther 8:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet and implored him with tears to counteract the evil of Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had devised against the Jews."  Esther 8:3

Though Haman himself had been put to death, his evil legacy lived on. The law encouraging a day of Jewish slaughter still stood. Esther again took her life in her hands to plead for her people.

The king was sympathetic. But even he couldn't push back circumstances to the way they were before. He  made Mordecai in charge of crafting a new law. It gave the Jewish people power to band together and fight back.

However Haman's vicious decree had seemingly awakened much anti-Semitism for if we read ahead, we discover that the Jews defended themselves against a lot of attackers. They killed 500 in Shushan on the first day, 300 on the second, and in the provinces slaughtered a total of 75,000 enemies (Esther 9:12, 15, 16).

What a lesson in consequences. Even Haman's death couldn't cancel Haman's actions, although the victims of his law were not the people he had planned.

Let's respect the power of consequences in our lives and leave legacies of life not death, love not hate, light not darkness.


PRAYER: Dear God, what a sobering story illustrating the power of choices and actions. Please remind me to consider my choices and actions in the light of the consequences they will bring. Amen.

MORE: Quotes about consequences

"How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it." - Marcus Aurelius

"While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions." - Steven Covey

"Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences." - Robert Louis Stevenson

Sources:
Consequences quotes
Proverbia.net

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.