Wisdom's lens

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Proverbs 1-3; Psalm 148

TO CHEW ON: "The fear of the lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7

My first thought as I read this key verse at the beginning of Proverbs is 'worldview.' It seems that Solomon is saying that the knowledgeable, wise, educated-in-what-is-true person sees life through what we call a worldview of the fear of the Lord.

What is a worldview? Nancy Pearcey talks about it in her book Total Truth:

"... understanding how worldviews are formed, and how they guide or confine thought, is the essential step toward understanding everything else. Understanding worldview is a bit like trying to see the lens of one's own eye. we do not ordinarily see our own worldview, but we see everything else by looking through it. Put simply, our worldview is the window by which we view the world and decide, often subconsciously, what is real and important or unreal and unimportant" - Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth, Kindle Location 425.

What does it mean to have a 'fear of the Lord' worldview? Leslyn Musch describes it well in her "Truth-In-Action-Through Proverbs" article:

"Learning to walk in the fear of the Lord is learning to live in awe and reverence of God. It is foundational to our walk of faith. God is loving and full of grace and mercy, but He is also all-powerful, awesome, holy, righteous and sovereign over all things" - Leslyn Musch, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 842.

We can test whether or not we have a fear-of-the-Lord worldview by looking at the way we live our lives, and answering questions like:
- Who are we more concerned about pleasing, the people around us, or God?
- Which road do we choose when the path of following God splits from the path of pleasing self or others?
- On what do we spend our time and money?

Is it possible that we don't fear God as much as we think or say that we do?

PRAYER: Dear God, please open my eyes and inform my understanding in the things that offend You and please You. Help me to see where I am kidding myself, saying I fear You but living differently. Then help me to line up my attitudes and actions with the truths in the Bible. Amen.

MORE: Examples of Bible characters who feared / didn't fear God.

• DID: Nathan the prophet feared God as shown by his obedience to turn around and change his message to David when God told him he had said the wrong thing - 1 Chronicles 17:1-15.

• DIDN'T: David neglected to follow God's instructions when moving the ark, putting it on a cart instead of having the priests carry it on their shoulders in the way God had said. When a man touched the ark to steady it, he was killed - 2 Samuel 6:1-9

• DID: When the Jewish leaders told Peter and John to stop talking about Jesus and preaching in His name, they expressed their fear-of-God worldview clearly: "'We ought to obey God rather than man'" - Acts 5:29.

Can you think of more?

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 148

The Bible Project VIDEO: Proverbs (Read Scripture Series)






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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. 

Do we have "high places"?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Micah 1:1-16

TO CHEW ON: "For behold the Lord is coming out of His place;
He will come down
And tread on the high places of the earth." - Micah 1:3

"Prophecies of Christ make Micah's book glow with hope and encouragement," says Willard Elijahson in my Bible's introduction to Micah (New Spirit-Filled Bible, p. 1202). It's a great book to read as we look forward to the season of Advent that begins in a few weeks' time.

Micah, the man, prophesied alongside Isaiah. Historians date his writings between 704-696 B.C. during the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. His message is directed to inhabitants of Samaria and Jerusalem.

He begins his message by announcing the coming of the Lord. We get the picture of someone coming from elsewhere: "...the Lord is coming out of His place; He will come down..." - Micah 1:3.

The place God chooses to visit is noteworthy—the "high places of the earth." Though we might read this as elevated land masses (mountain peaks perhaps, which would give a good view of all the surrounding area) the people of that time would probably have understood high places to mean elevated pagan altars. God was coming to check out their disloyalty—the places they compromised, flirted with, and gave in to idols. Awkward! Embarrassing! Incriminating!

The picture of God coming down to check out the high places of Judah prompts me to ask, what if I applied this image to my society, my life? What would God find?

Dennis McCallum in his book Unlocking the Mysteries of Satan explains how, at the fall, Satan took charge of the world system or kosmos. He says:

"Perhaps the definitive passage on kosmos is 1 John 2:15-17.

'Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.'

Accordingly the kosmos is primarily a system of values. The lust of the flesh refers to living for ungodly pleasure. The lust of the eyes refers to owning beautiful things or gaining control over beautiful people. The boastful pride of life refers to the way humans try to establish identity and importance by competing with each other for attention, power, and admiration" (Kindle Location, 871).

McCallum goes on to suggest that the church and we as individual Christians have gone easy on many of these attitudinal sins:

"Many Christians think of 'worldly' things as gross sins like wanton sex, for example .... Many of the same Christians, however, would never recognize the world-system when looking at the Harvard University green or the Sears Tower. A glossy magazine advertisement showing a family luxuriating in a hot tub in Tahiti or a shiny new SUV would not ring the kosmos bell in their minds" - KL 887.

Are we in these ways building our own high places? As I imagine God coming to me, I ask, what high places is He finding in my life? Is He finding some in yours?

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to see my attitudes from Your point of view. Show me where I have bought into the world system and perspective. Amen.

MORE: Throwing down 'high place' attitudes

"Instead of arguing with Satan, Christians must learn to share the Word of God with him, like Jesus did. To match up with someone this smart, we need the help of someone even smarter, and God is infinitely smarter than Satan" - McCallum, K.L. 767.

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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.

Sometimes seeing is not believing

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Matthew 12:38-50

TO CHEW ON: “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, ‘Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.’
But He answered and said to them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.’” Matthew 12:38,39

I have often thought it would have been wonderful to live in the time of the Israelites to experience the exodus miracles, or the time of Jesus and see all the wonders He did firsthand. Then, I tell myself, I would have no trouble believing—in God, His existence, His power, His goodness, His ability to keep me.

The scribes and Pharisees were witnesses too. They had seen many of Jesus’ signs. Yet they still resisted believing in Him. It’s like they had a set mold in their mind of how things must be, of how Messiah would look and what He would do. Jesus didn’t fit into that mold and as a result, all their rationalizing abilities were spent on explaining how He could not be who He claimed to be (including the claim that He was doing miracles by the power of Satan - Matthew 12:24).

All the grumbling and mistrust of the Israelites (despite what they’d seen and experienced), as well as this passage remind us—faith didn’t necessarily follow sight.

I would submit we moderns aren’t so different. If, for example, we have ruled out the possibility of a creator, then any evidence of intelligent creation is tossed out, to be replaced by theories that are far more fanciful and far-fetched than any creation story, and demand a lot more faith. (You could call it ABC faith—Anything But Creation faith.)

The sign Jesus left the Scribes and Pharisees with (His resurrection - Matthew 12:40), was, not surprisingly, also rationalized away by them (Matthew 28:11-14).

The question we might ask ourselves on reading this passage is, "How is faith conceived and kept strong with or without signs?"

Based on the stubborn disbelief of these religious leaders, it’s my conviction that faith in God and Jesus is first a decision to open our minds to His existence and all that that implies (as described in the Bible). When we do that, so much of history and modern life falls into place.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to see and live life through the lens of Your existence, death, and resurrection, that is, through faith. Amen.
 
MORE:
 
"Sometimes the very presence of God is barred by our presuppositions and our intense and constant desire for triumph." - Ravi Zacharias (Source: Brainy Quotes)


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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.

Eternally settled, exceedingly broad

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 119:81-96

TO CHEW ON: "Forever, O Lord,

Your word is settled in heaven....

Your commandment is exceedingly broad." Psalm 119:89,96

Asking one to accept the eternal verity of any set of facts or truths in our day of advancing knowledge and shifting values seems nervy. Yet that's what the psalmist declares here — the eternal certainty of God's word.

Contrast this with the way standards change all around us. For example, when I was growing up there was no whisper of the possibility of homosexual people marrying. Now you can lose your job if you take a stand against such marriages. That's only one example of others we could give.

In contrast to the shifting and changing of "truth" around us, God's words are "forever...settled in heaven." J. I. Packer says God's words to us "...are the index of reality. They show us things as they really are, and as they will be for us in the future according to whether we heed God's words to us or not" - Knowing God, p. 124.

The second verse I've picked to focus on says that God's words are also "exceedingly broad." Broad enough to speak to every aspect of life? I would say yes.

Nancy Pearcey says:

"To say that Christianity is the truth about total reality means that it is a full-orbed worldview. The term means literally a view of the world; a biblically informed perspective on all reality. A worldview is like a mental map that tells us how to navigate the world effectively. It is the imprint of God's objective truth on our inner life....God's word becomes a set of glasses offering a new perspective on all our thoughts and actions" - Total Truth, p. 23,24

Whether we are aware of it or not, each one of us has a worldview. Let's be watchful that ours is based on the truth of God's eternally settled, exceedingly broad word.


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your word. Help me to study it, understand its implications for my life, and then apply it in obedience. Amen.


MORE: Thinking Christianly

"'Thinking Christianly' means understanding that Christianity gives the truth about the whole of reality, a perspective for interpreting every subject matter. Genesis tells us that God spoke the entire universe into being with His word — what John 1:1 calls the Logos. The Greek word means not only Word but also reason or rationality, and the ancient Stoics used it to mean the rational structure of the universe.

Thus the underlying structure of the entire universe reflects the mind of the Creator. There is no fact/value dichotomy in the scriptural account. Nothing has an autonomous or independent identity, separate from the will of the Creator. As a result, all creation must be interpreted in light of its relationship to God. In any subject area we study, we are discovering the laws or creation ordinances by which God structured the world" - Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth, p. 34.

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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.

Tempted to linger

Lot and His Family Flee Sodom - Artist Unknown

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 19:1-22

TO CHEW ON: “And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.” Genesis 19:16

Lot is an interesting character. If we follow his story, we discover his own father (Haran) died before his grandfather Terah, and that as a family his uncle Abram (& wife Sarai), Uncle Nahor (& wife), Grandfather Terah and Lot moved form Ur to Canaan (Genesis 11:27-31).

When God told Abram to move from Haran (the town) in Canaan to a place He would lead, Lot came along - Genesis 12:4.

When both men prospered so that their herds became to big for the available grassland, Abram offered Lot the choice of where to go. Lot “chose for himself” what looked like the best territory - Genesis 13:10,11.

In our reading today we discover Lot was hospitable and aware of the disturbing social customs of the city’s men, so that he insisted these visitors who came to him from Abram, stay the night with him. In fact, the spiritual climate bothered him (2 Peter 2:7,8). But not enough.

He callously offered his daughters to the lecherous and clamouring men. His sons-in-law didn’t take his warning seriously. And when the angels insisted he come with them, he “lingered” with his family so that the angels had to literally drag them out of the doomed city - Genesis 19:12-16. Lot had become spiritually dull.

Contrast Lot’s behaviour with Abraham’s (name changed by God - Genesis 17:5). He took the angelic messengers so seriously, he risked the LORD’s anger by begging for the preservation of the city and the lives of the righteous with in it (Genesis 18:23-32).

I would submit that the “city” we live in spiritually can also cause us to become spiritually dull or remain sharp and attuned to God. Do we spend time with other believers who help us see life through the lens of faith? Do we regularly read the Bible and meditate on it? Do we listen and watch music, programs, podcasts, and shows that build our faith?  Or do we give all our attention to the natural world around us—the political news, our society’s entertainment and sports, getting and caring for more of this world’s stuff for ourselves?

Let’s do what it takes to stay spiritually sharp—even if that means, like Abraham, we need to live apart from the populated Sodom's and Gomorrah’s of our time.

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to recognize and flee the things of this world that tempt me to linger with them instead of going with You. 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 "spiritual" Christian

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Corinthians 2:1-16

TO CHEW ON: “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” 1 Corinthians 1:12.

My Bible’s study notes suggest three categories when it comes to how people understand and respond to the gospel (1 Corinthians 2:14-3:4):

1. The Natural Man (1 Corinthians 2:14) is unregenerate and devoid of the Spirit, has no appreciation for the gospel.
2. The Spiritual Man (1 Corinthians 2:15,16)  is regenerate and possessing spiritual maturity as seen in freedom from sectarian strife (1 Corinthians 3:3,4).
3. The Carnal Man (1 Corinthians 3:1)  is regenerate but living much like an unregenerate, is a believer with childish ways as seen in a jealous and sectarian spirit” - Donald Pickerill, study notes on 1 Corinthians,  New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1582.

I want to be the "spiritual man" (woman) don’t you? Paul names some characteristics of this spiritual person in our reading.

• The spiritual man/woman does not live by the wisdom of this age (1 Corinthians 1:6).

In our day, as in Paul’s, we can imagine a list of values inherent in such wisdom would include worldly beauty, wealth, and power. Those are not our highest values.

• The spiritual person is privy to a “mystery” (1 Corinthians 2:7).

“'Mystery' in the NT does not mean mysterious or difficult to understand but denotes a truth hidden in God’s mind until He chooses to disclose it … Believers live by a secret, the essence of which is Christ and His glorious purposes for the world” - Pickerill, Op. Cit. (emphasis added). 

• Spiritual people get spiritual wisdom, discover and understand this “mystery” through the Holy Spirit - 1 Corinthians 2:10-13.

• Spiritual people “judge” or evaluate “all things” through this spiritual lens - 1 Corinthians 2:15.

When I put myself into the mindset of the spiritual man/woman, so much of what I see in Jesus’ life makes sense. It’s His stance when He withstands Satan’s temptation (Matthew 4:1-11). His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5,6,7) illustrates the values, motivations, and actions of the spiritual person. Later writers like Paul catch its essence in passages like 1 Corinthians 13.

And the beauty of it is that living in this spiritual man / woman way does not have to be a stressful, effortful thing. For if we believe the gospel and have invited Jesus into our lives, we are connected to Him and this spiritual wisdom flows in an organic way; His life flows into us as sap flows from the vine to the branch - John 15:1-8,26.

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to be a "spiritual" woman by Paul's definition here, living by Your values, sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s life in me, able to discern and live with good judgment. 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.

A mind set on "flesh"

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Romans 8:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit." Romans 8:5


Paul talks about two opposing states of being here—in the Spirit and in the flesh. In another meditation on this passage, I focused on what it means to be set on the Spirit. Today let's look at what a flesh setting looks look. Of course, we're all still in the flesh physically. But being in the flesh (carnal) also has soul and spirit connotations.

To start with, our passage gives us some clues:
- There is spiritual condemnation for those who live by the flesh alone - Romans 8:1.

- It is its own law - Romans 8:2.

- In God's eyes, Jesus' death in the flesh—His perfect flesh—is the substitutionary death for us sinners and fulfilled God's righteous requirement that sin be punished - Romans 8:3,4.

- As people who have accepted Christ's death in our stead, we become people of the Spirit and now have the freedom and right to set our minds on the things of the Spirit; to live in the Spirit- Romans 8:5.

However, Paul's emphasis on the necessity of this and the possibility that even people of the Spirit may still be living under the tyranny of the flesh alerts us to that possibility for us.

A walk through scripture helps us understand what a carnal (fleshly) mindset and life looks like in attitude and behavior.

- It prefers the tangible to the intangible.

• Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of food - Genesis 25:34.

• The Israelites were ready to exchange their freedom to be able to again fill up on that fabulous Egyptian food - Exodus 16:3.

- It is controlled by appetite. Numbers 11:4 calls it "intense craving."

- It is sacrilegious.

• God scolds Eli for not correcting his sons, who treated the sacrifice elements with disdain - 1 Samuel 2:29.

• Paul brings up the same attitude to the Corinthians in regard to the Lord's Supper - 1 Corinthians 11:21.

- It resents God's restrictions and pushes His limits - Psalm 78:18; 106:14.

- It has no thought of anything past this life - Isaiah 22:13; Matthew 24:38; Luke 17:27; Philippians 3:19.

- Its repentance is insincere - Hosea 7:14.

- It finds reassurance in false prophecy - Micah 2:11.

- It seeks God for His benefits - John 6:26. Fleshly pastors (shepherds) are in ministry to benefit themselves - Zechariah 11:16.

- It is characterized by worry over the things of this life - Matthew 6:25. Those cares choke out the working of God's word - Mark 4:19.

- It is a captive of sin - Romans 7:14.

• In the Christian who has tasted the Spirit life, this results in internal conflict - Romans 7:23, 24.

• This conflict can lead to discord with other believers - James 4:1-5.

- When the flesh wins, the end result is a love of the world - 1 John 2:15,16.

- It is living the "works" of Galatians 5:19-21.

- The sobering end of someone who lives life solely in the flesh is spelled out in Revelation 18:9-18, i.e. they will someday find that all they had put their hopes in has burned up.

Do you find elements of your self described in the above list? Sadly, I do. Let's heed the advice of Paul and carefully guard the set of our minds, moving it off "Flesh" to "Spirit" whenever necessary.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for making a life set on the Spirit possible. Please alert me to when my mind slips into its old flesh setting of worry, envy, jealousy, anger etc. I want the Spirit setting to be the habit of my life. 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.

What is truth?

Jesus brought before Pilate - A. Bida

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 18:28-38a

TO CHEW ON: "Pilate therefore said to Him  'Are you a king then?'
Jesus answered, 'You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.'
Pilate said to Him, 'What is truth?' " John 18:37-38.

Jesus gave an odd answer to Pilate's question "'Are you a king then?'" We would expect Him to say that He was born to establish a power base and to conquer and rule over a land. Instead He says He was born and came "'...to bear witness to the truth.'" He appears to be saying, I came to be the king, not of earthly power, but of truth.

Of course this description of His kingdom agrees with what He said to Pilate just a little earlier: "'My kingdom is not of this world … My kingdom is not from here'" - John 18: 36.

His next sentence reveals more of His thinking along this line: "'Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.'" It's like He's claiming to be some sort of Pied Piper of the Kingdom of truth. He explains, describes, talks, and lives truth. Some ("'...everyone who is of the truth...'") observe His life, hear and recognize His truth words. By that very act of hearing (and if their hearing is real, it will also involve actions like faith, acknowledging His claims, repentance etc.) they show themselves to be His subjects, the citizens of His kingdom.

I think we can safely say that, at this point at least, Pilate is not one of them. His question: "'What is truth?'" still hangs in the air today.

People who analyze world views have separated ways of seeing and interpreting truth into three eras. An article on the Summit.org site describes it well:

"Pre-modern era was one in which religion was the source of truth and reality. God’s existence and revelation were givens in the culture.

In the modern era, science became the source for truth and reality. During this period, religion and morality were arbitrarily demoted to the subjective realm.

In the present, postmodern era, there is no single defining source for truth and reality beyond the individual. Postmodernism simply radicalized relativism and individualism and then applied them to all spheres of knowledge — even science" - Steve Cornell, "What Does Postmodern Mean?",  emphasis added.

However, across the years, even as the definition of truth has shifted from religion to science to self, Jesus' Kingdom of Truth claims continue to exert their magnetic pull. If we have heard His voice and become His disciples, we're part of that kingdom, no matter how our society currently defines truth. However, the acknowledgement of Jesus as truth puts us out of step with our culture—something that I'm sure is not news to you and me.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, Your claims of being truth challenge me to dig deeper into their meaning and discover more fully how they should work themselves out in my life.

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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.

Getting a friend-of-God mindset

TODAY'S SPECIAL: James 3:13-4:10

TO CHEW ON: "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you now know that friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." James 4:4


These are stern words for us who, as Christians, may already feel sidelined and snubbed by our culture. But, according to James, this is how it's meant to be.

A sidebar article in my Bible comments on the "world" and what our relationship with it should be:

"The spirit of the world (Greek: aion) is one of the perennial enemies of the believer. "World" refers to the world system—to its values, mind-set, philosophies of life, and priorities that run contrary to the will and way of God. … Romans 12:2 provides a strategy to combat the pull of the world through the renewal or 'reprogramming' of our minds. The Holy Spirit's power can transform our minds (Philippians 2:5,13; Titus 3:5) and redirect us toward the things of God (Philippians 4:8)" - Kenneth C. Ulmer, "Growth Inhibitor," New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1756 (emphasis added).

Romans 12:2 says;
"And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Jack Hayford's sidebar article "Renewal of the mind" fleshes out the concept:

"To 'renew' is 'to renovate' implying restoration to freshness or to an original state. … Being 'transformed' by the renewal of the mind indicates a literal 'change in the form or formulas of thought or being.' This describes redemption's provision of power to instil godliness in us—a power that transforms
1) our thoughts, which lead to formulating
2) our purposes, which proceed to dictate our actions; and thus
3) our actions become character-determining habits, shaping the life and setting the course for the future" - Jack Hayford, "Renewal of the Mind," New Spirit-Filled life Bible, p. 1569 (emphasis added; formatting changed a bit from the original).

Nurturing a friendship with God or the world starts out as such a small, private matter. Our thoughts are invisible and silent to all but ourselves and God. However these thoughts—these inhabitants of our minds—eventually set the course of our lives.

I ask myself, am I allowing God access to my thoughts, through His word, godly speakers, uplifting music? Or have I invited enemy-of-God stuff into my mind through what I look at, read, listen to? Do I understand the gravity of this and how it can jeopardize my friendship with Him and the renovating work He wants to do in my mind and thus my life?

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to understand how crucial my mind and thoughts are to my friendship with You and the direction of my life. Amen. 

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New King James Version (NKJV) Used with permission. The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Hated

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 John 3:11-24

TO CHEW ON: "Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you." 1 John 3:13

There is within the DNA of the gospel, something that "the world" finds intrinsically offensive. I'm not sure if I can put my finger on it exactly but it seems to have something to do with:

• Jesus' claims of uniqueness ("'I am the way the truth and the life.'" John 14:6) and Christianity's tone of certainty about Jesus as the only way to God ("Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” Acts 4:12).

• Jesus' certainty about the fate of anyone who doesn't believe in Him (" 'He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.' ” John 3:36)

• God's authority versus our human dislike of anyone being the boss of us (Satan tapped into that when, in answer to Eve's objection to eating Eden's forbidden fruit, he contradicted God and said " 'You shall not surely die' " - Genesis 3:4,5)

• The way the gospel cancels out our human efforts to save ourselves ("But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away" - Isaiah 64:6).

Though western societies have long tolerated, even upheld Christian beliefs, a new definition of "tolerance" is chilling the atmosphere toward Christians. Increasingly attempts to defend a lifestyle that corresponds with the Bible's standards are even labeled hate speech (in that such defenses are seen as intolerant of alternate lifestyles). (For an exposé of this new intolerant tolerance, read Albert Mohler's interview with theologian D. A. Carson after the release of Carson's new book The Intolerance of Tolerance.)

To those of us who have grown up at a time and in a place where Christian ideas were mainstream, this is a shock. We're not used to being disliked, ridiculed, made fun of, even hated. But in the grand scheme of history, love of Christianity and Christians is the exception rather than the rule.

What do we do about this? Our gut reaction—my gut reaction—is to pray that things will change, that the climate toward Christians will warm. But that's not what the early Christians did. Look at how they prayed after Peter and John were imprisoned, then hauled before the Jewish rulers and told to shut up or else:

"And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus” Acts 4:29-30 NLT

Do we dare pray the same way?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I love such boldness in the face of persecution. Help me to have the mindset that isn't cowed by criticism and hatred, but takes courage in who You are and what You can do. Please give me New Testament boldness. Amen.

MORE: D. A. Carson says...

"...I want to argue that people have the right to believe or not to believe, to believe what they want, and yet the secular wants our beliefs to be so privatized that they have nothing to say to the public arena. ...But Christians can’t live that way. ... What Christians cannot allow is to keep their voices silent just because they’re Christians" - D. A. Carson, "Tolerance on Trial: A Conversation with D. A. Carson.

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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.

Israel, God's servant

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 49:1-13

TO CHEW ON: "And He said to me,

'You are My servant, O Israel

In whom I will be glorified.'" Isaiah 49:3

Chapters 49 to 55 of Isaiah talk much about the Servant of God. They are sometimes referred to as Servant Songs. In answer to the question, who is the servant, Halley's Bible Handbook says:

"In some passages the Servant seems to be Israel, the Nation, and in other passages the Messiah, the ONE in whom Israel would be Personified. And the passages are pretty well blended, the context itself indicating which is meant" - Halley's Bible Handbook, p. 303.

Taking Mr. Halley's comment as permission to interpret who the Servant is by context here, it appears that the first two verses of Isaiah 49 refer to the Nation-of-Israel-Servant. In them, Isaiah mentions things about Israel that help explain the large role this nation has and is playing in world events:

• God has called her into existence:

"The Lord has called Me from the womb

From the matrix of My mother He

has made mention of My name"

(Got to love the NKJV alliteration—the humming sound of all those 'm's. I count eleven!)

• Her influence is powerful, far exceeding what one would expect from such a small nation: "And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword."

• Her defense has been unusually effective: "(He has) made Me a polished shaft"

• She experiences God's protection: first nurtured within the womb, then "...hidden in the shadow of His hand ... in his quiver."

• Her existence and role have and will serve God's glory: "You are My servant, O Israel, In whom I will be glorified."

Israel is much in the news these days. I am writing this the day after Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the U.S. Congress, against the wishes of President Obama.* He, with others, is in negotiations with Israel's enemy Iran. In his speech Netanyahu laid out what Israel fears from a nuclear-equipped Iran, whose leaders have openly stated they want her destroyed.

As those who have read the end of the book, we believe that Israel will not be destroyed. In the interim, let's:

1. Interpret world events through the lens of the Bible, realizing that God is sovereign and not puzzled or confounded by any of the things happening in the Middle East or on the world stage.
2. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6) and for wisdom for her current leader, Benjamin Netanyahu.
3. Continue to give Israel—the "apple of God's eye" (Zechariah 2:8-9) our political and moral support.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your plans in which the nation of Israel has played and is playing a vital part. I pray for wisdom for her leaders and protection for her people. May You get the glory from Your servant Israel. Amen.

MORE: Following events in the Middle East

If you are interested in following events in the Middle East and getting help with interpreting them from a biblical perspective, author and speaker Joel Rosenberg is a great resource. On Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog (Tracking events and trends in Israel, Russia and the epicentre) Rosenberg posts links to current articles and opinion, keeping readers in the loop about world events in ways that the mainstream media never will.

He has also written numerous books—fiction and non-fiction—that deal with Israel and end-time prophecy.

If you have an opportunity to attend one of his lectures or simulcasts—take it. I attended one last year; it was excellent.

* How significant that Netanhayu addressed Congress on March 3rd, the day before Purim (March 4-5, 2015), when Jews celebrate their deliverance from an ancient threat to their existence, brought about by the courage and obedience of Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai - Esther 9:20-22.

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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.

We will not bow

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Daniel 3:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "But let it be known to you, O King, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up." Daniel 3:18

This incredible story of God coming to the rescue of Shadrach, Meshech and Abednego has always been one of my favourites. I find it interesting that in it, their friend and former spokesman, Daniel, wasn't with them. It was he who got them into this pickle, in a way. Because when he was promoted to governor in Babylon, it was at his request that his friends got the jobs and profile that they had (Daniel 2:49).

However, these three young men were stalwarts in their own right. They never for an instant considered bowing to that image. Their answer made it clear that they had counted the cost: "The God whom we serve is able to deliver us.... But if not, let it be known....we do not serve your gods nor will we worship the gold image" - Daniel 3:17-18.

Their chutzpah outraged the king who then commanded the penal fire, already prepared for anyone who dared defy his order, be heated seven times hotter.

He lost three "mighty men of valour" in the fire toss and then witnessed a miracle of selective burn. For though SM&A had been thrown in "bound in their coats, their trousers etc." now they were "loose, walking in the midst of the fire..." And a holy creature was with them so startlingly different in His appearance, Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged Him as the "Son of God."

As I read this story and look for parallels in our own lives, I can't help but think how, in many ways, that golden image is for us, the church of the 21st century, a good public opinion.

For years Christianity has been the worldview of the majority of  Canadians and we in the church were in sync with our culture. That's no longer the case. Our culture has changed to the degree of accepting, indeed promoting, many things that, if we insist on living by the Bible, we must reject. For example:
- The world "created" without God (through evolution).
- All religions leading to God.
- Homosexuality as normal, right, and good.
- Abortion.

Society has a fiery furnace too. Its threats if we don't bow to their current norms include fines and jail time, taking away the church's tax-free and charitable donation status, and maligning us in the media.

What is our response?

• Have we thought it through beforehand like SM&A had so that when society's minions insist on compliance we can reply "Your threat means nothing to us" (Msg).?
• Are we as faith-filled as these three young men were when they said: "Our God.... is able to deliver us"? 
• Could we see ourselves adding something like, "Whether God delivers us or not, let it be known to you, O society (of Canada, the US, Europe, China, India, Africa...) we do not serve your gods nor will we capitulate to the standards you have set up"?

PRAYER: Dear God, I read this story and feel convicted. Help me to have the resolve to worship only You that these men had. May I exhibit their reckless abandonment to Your care as I seek to uphold Your standards and live in ways that please You. Amen.

MORE: A church that bows

The United Church of Canada has been in the vanguard of Canadian churches that have synchronized their beliefs and practices to fit with the changing mores of society. A recent article in the National Post profiles their denomination (not glossing over their current dwindling and confused state). Read "The Split in the United Church."

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Newly released from Word Alive Press: Destiny's Hands.

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Word-directed living

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 119:121-144

TO CHEW ON: "Direct my steps by Your word

And let no iniquity have dominion over me." Psalm 119:133

The decision to take direction for our steps — our living — from God's word is a crisis, one-time, turn-in-a-new-direction decision, and a daily decision as we face everyday life.

It's easy to say, yes, I will love my neighbour and forgive my enemy, for example, when all my neighbours are sweet and my enemies are laying low. But try living in a tight suburban cul-de-sac or townhouse complex where neighbours are everywhere. When their kids are playing ball hockey right beside your flower beds, or doing skateboard tricks on the newly laid asphalt, or playing loud music at all hours, or swearing at you when you're on council and it's your responsibility to enforce common property rules, then to direct your steps by God's word becomes a very real moment-by-moment decision. How easy it is to rationalize that its principles are fine in theory but in practice...?

Nancy Pearcey talks about the challenges of living by the truths in the Bible in her book Total Truth:

"For the nonbeliever sitting in the naturalist's chair, all that exists is a closed system of natural causes. The very definition of what counts as knowledge is limited by naturalism and utilitarianism. But for the believer sitting in the supernaturalist's chair, the natural world is only part of reality. A complete perspective includes both the seen and the unseen aspects of reality. Christians are called not merely to assent intellectually to the existence of both parts of reality but also to function practically on that basis. Day by day, they are to make choices that would make no sense unless the unseen world is just as real as the seen world....


It means we sometimes act in ways that seem irrational to those sitting in the naturalist's chair, who see only the physical world. It means we do what is right even at great cost, because we are convinced that what we gain in the unseen realm is far greater than what we lose from a worldly perspective" - p. 361.

When we live by God's word, we acknowledge the reality of that "unseen realm." We live by faith that the kingdom of heaven we've been exploring for the last few days is real and that there are values beyond getting our way, winning the argument, appearing to come out on top, and getting revenge.


PRAYER: Dear God, please make me aware of how Your word applies to my circumstances, and then help me to have the courage, faith, and humility to live by it. Amen.

MORE: More Pearcey:

"Sadly, many Christians live much of their lives as though the naturalist were right. They give cognitive assent to the great truths of Scripture but they make their practical, day-to-day decisions based only on what they can see, hear, measure, and calculate. When confessing their religious beliefs, they sit in the supernaturalist's chair. But in ordinary life, they walk over and sit in the naturalist's chair, living as though the supernatural were not real in any practical sense, relying on their own energy, talent, strategic calculations. They may sincerely want to do the Lord's work, but they do it in the world's way — using worldly methods and motivated by worldly desires for success and acclaim" - Nancy Pearcey in Total Truth, p. 36

We will not bow

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Daniel 3:8-25

TO CHEW ON: "But let it be known to you, O King, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up." Daniel 3:18

This incredible story of God coming to the rescue of Shadrach, Meshech and Abednego has always been one of my favourites. I find it interesting that in it, their friend and former spokesman, Daniel, wasn't with them. It was he who got them into this pickle, in a way. Because when he was promoted to governor in Babylon, it was on his request that his friends got the jobs and profile that they had (Daniel 2:49).

However, these three young men were stalwarts in their own right. They never for an instant considered bowing to that image. Their answer made it clear that they had counted the cost: "The God whom we serve is able to deliver us.... But if not, let it be known....we do not serve your gods nor will we worship the gold image" - Daniel 3:17-18.

Their chutzpah outraged the king who then commanded the penal fire, already prepared for anyone who dared defy his order, be heated seven times hotter.

He lost three "mighty men of valour" in the fire toss and then witnessed a miracle of selective burn. For though SM&A had been thrown in "bound in their coats, their trousers etc." now they were "loose, walking in the midst of the fire..." And a holy creature was with them so startlingly different in His appearance, Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged Him as the "Son of God."

As I read this story and look for parallels in our own lives, I can't help but think how, in many ways, that golden image is for us, the church of the 21st century, a good public opinion.

For years Christianity has been the worldview of the majority of  Canadians and we in the church were in sync with our culture. That's no longer the case. Our culture has changed to the degree of accepting, indeed promoting, many things that, if we insist on living by the Bible, we must reject. For example:
- The world "created" without God (through evolution).
- All religions leading to God.
- Homosexuality as normal, right, and good.
- Abortion.

Society has a fiery furnace too. Its threats if we don't bow to their current norms include fines and jail time, taking away the church's tax-free and charitable donation status, and maligning us in the media.

What is our response?

• Have we thought it through beforehand like SM&A had so that when society's minions insist on compliance we can reply "Your threat means nothing to us" (Msg)?
• Are we as faith-filled as these three young men were when they said: "Our God.... is able to deliver us"? 
• Could we see ourselves adding something like, "Whether God delivers us or not, let it be known to you, O society (of Canada, the US, Europe, China, India, Africa...) we do not serve your gods nor will we capitulate to the standards you have set up"?

PRAYER: Dear God, I read this story and feel convicted. Help me to have the resolve to worship only You that these men had. May I exhibit their reckless abandonment to Your care as I seek to uphold Your standards and live in ways that please You. Amen.

MORE: A church that bows

The United Church of Canada has been in the vanguard of Canadian churches that have synchronized their beliefs and practices to fit with the changing mores of society. A recent article in the National Post profiles their denomination (not glossing over their current dwindling and confused state). Read "The Split in the United Church."