Study from God’s Word… John, Chapter 7: 2 – 8: 11 … Passage for Reflection: John 8: 6-8 … NIV But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.
My Journal for Today: This story, i.e., the one in today’s highlight text, is a perplexing one, isn’t it? Rereading it today and studying it in the past, questions arise for me, like … Why did the accusing mob of Pharisees bring only an adulteress before Jesus in an attempt to trap Him; … why was the man involved not brought to Jesus also? And … what did Jesus write in the ground, which apparently had a deep impact on the Pharisees, who bolted quietly and left the scene of their accusations?
It would sure help me to be able to have the answers to these questions; but like many things in the Bible, it’s not what we don’t know or understand from Scripture that convicts us or directs us, it’s what is clearly written and understood that most often gives us the most convicting and directing application for our lives.
Dr. Smith, the editor of my study Bible this year and the author of The Daily Bible Devotional, from which I am influenced to write these daily journal entries, reports that what Jesus said to the Pharisees during this scenario is often extracted, out of context, when prideful believers are accusing others of being judgmental. How often have many a Christian, noting unforgiveness in others, have thought, at least privately if not publicly, what our Lord said to the Pharisee that day. Jesus, with the adulteress in front of Him and all the people that day, looking at the Pharisees, said, ”Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
And in this age of cultural hyper-tolerance you may have even heard non-Christians use that biblical phrase to justify their reported non-judgmental attitudes. The “tolerance crowd” in our world today would want us to not judge anyone from the standpoint of our Christian held values. Because if we, who hold Jesus up as our Savior and the Bible as our standard for life, are right, those who claim “tolerance must rule” are looking into a mirror of truth and seeing themselves as being far from one who can cast that first stone. And isn’t it interesting that those who so loudly preach TOLERANCE these days are so rabidly intolerant when it comes to Christianity.
Whatever Jesus wrote in the dirt that day must’ve been a mirror for those who wanted to have Jesus join with them in stoning the sinner caught in adultery. And when Jesus spoke his revealing exhortation to the Pharisees about casting the first stone, as well as them seeing what The Messiah wrote in the sand, it caused them to walk away in apparent personal guilt and deep condemnation.
So, what do you and I take away from this story. And maybe Dr. Smith’s closing question for the day is one upon which we all should meditate. He writes … ”Am I privately as outraged at my own moral failure as I am publicly outraged at the sins of others?” If you’ve been reading here with me this year, you’ve no doubt read me write an old adage on several occasions; and it’s one which Dr. Smith repeats today: When we point a finger of blame at someone else, three fingers from our own hand are pointing right back at our own accusing self.
And with that, I guess I need write no more today.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to right myself before I ever reach out to help others be right in Your eyes. Amen
Showing posts with label judgment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label judgment. Show all posts
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
2010 – August 10 – No Safety for Sinners
Study from God’s Word… 2nd Kings 24: 6-9 [2nd Chron 36: 8-9]; Jer. 22: 24-30; 2Kgs 24: 10-12 [2Chron 32: 10 and Dan. 1: 1]; 2Kgs 24: 13-16 [Dan. 1: 2]; 2Kgs 24: 17-18 [2Chron 36: 10-11 and Jer. 37: 1, 52: 1]; 2Kgs 24: 19-20 [2Chron 36: 12, 13-16 and Jer 37: 2, 52: 2-3] … Passage for Reflection: Jeremiah 22: 24 … NIV 24 "As surely as I live," declares the LORD, "even if you, Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off.
My Journal for Today: As you can see by the historical readings I was led to read from God’s word on this date, if you read these passages, you would read of God’s justice and judgment being worked out as Nebuchanezzar was allowed to take Jehoiachin, the very young successor of his father, Jehoiakim, the King of Judah, captive … along with tens of thousands of Judeans. And in today’s highlight text we read just how serious God’s judgment was as God’s word uses the word picture of the King’s signet ring to signify just how wrong Judah’s actions had been in those days.
The signet ring for the king in those days was his honor and his seal of power. When a king in those times used his ring to seal a judgment or a decision, it was a “done deal!” There are a number of such instances in Scripture, as described by Dr. Smith in his devotional for today; … as when King Darius sealed the den where Daniel was place with his own ring so that the judgment against Daniel could not be altered [see Daniel 6: 9]. And in today’s passage, we read just how much God regretted the actions of Judah and their kings, saying that the Lord’s honor and “signature” had been besmirched to the point where God, the King of kings, would pull off His signet ring.
I hope you join me this morning, any co-readers here, in realizing what Dr. Smith helped me remember; … that Jesus Christ is God’s ultimate “signet ring” of both judgment and/or salvation. And anyone who comes under the seal of God’s Holy Spirit, the sign of His signature of salvation, has been sealed unto eternity and glory by the blood of Lamb of God. And anyone who does not carry this seal will be cast aside into hell by the sealed judgment of God.
As the saying goes, my eternal life is “signed, sealed, and delivered.” Because I have repented, confessed my sins, and received the seal of my Lord and Savior, my eternity carries the sealed signature of God’s Spirit. However, anyone who will not, as the king of Judah was so unwilling, repent and come to obedience to receive God’s signet grace of salvation will be cast aside into the judgment of eternal separation for God.
Oh, I pray that all who read this carry the signature impression of God’s Spirit on their souls.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I come with humble gratitude for sealing my eternal life with Your blood, shed for the remission of my sin and the redemption of my soul. I pray that all who read this prayer are so sealed for eternity. Amen
My Journal for Today: As you can see by the historical readings I was led to read from God’s word on this date, if you read these passages, you would read of God’s justice and judgment being worked out as Nebuchanezzar was allowed to take Jehoiachin, the very young successor of his father, Jehoiakim, the King of Judah, captive … along with tens of thousands of Judeans. And in today’s highlight text we read just how serious God’s judgment was as God’s word uses the word picture of the King’s signet ring to signify just how wrong Judah’s actions had been in those days.
The signet ring for the king in those days was his honor and his seal of power. When a king in those times used his ring to seal a judgment or a decision, it was a “done deal!” There are a number of such instances in Scripture, as described by Dr. Smith in his devotional for today; … as when King Darius sealed the den where Daniel was place with his own ring so that the judgment against Daniel could not be altered [see Daniel 6: 9]. And in today’s passage, we read just how much God regretted the actions of Judah and their kings, saying that the Lord’s honor and “signature” had been besmirched to the point where God, the King of kings, would pull off His signet ring.
I hope you join me this morning, any co-readers here, in realizing what Dr. Smith helped me remember; … that Jesus Christ is God’s ultimate “signet ring” of both judgment and/or salvation. And anyone who comes under the seal of God’s Holy Spirit, the sign of His signature of salvation, has been sealed unto eternity and glory by the blood of Lamb of God. And anyone who does not carry this seal will be cast aside into hell by the sealed judgment of God.
As the saying goes, my eternal life is “signed, sealed, and delivered.” Because I have repented, confessed my sins, and received the seal of my Lord and Savior, my eternity carries the sealed signature of God’s Spirit. However, anyone who will not, as the king of Judah was so unwilling, repent and come to obedience to receive God’s signet grace of salvation will be cast aside into the judgment of eternal separation for God.
Oh, I pray that all who read this carry the signature impression of God’s Spirit on their souls.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I come with humble gratitude for sealing my eternal life with Your blood, shed for the remission of my sin and the redemption of my soul. I pray that all who read this prayer are so sealed for eternity. Amen
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
2010 – May 12 – Praying for Wisdom
Study from God’s Word… 1st Kings 2: 13 – 46; 1st Kings 3: 1; 1st Kings 9: 16; 1st Kings 3: 2 – 3, 4 [2nd Chron. 1: 2 – 6]; 1st Kings 3: 5 – 14 [2nd Chron. 1: 7 – 12]; 1st Kings 3: 15 [2nd Chron. 1: 13]; 1st Kings 3: 16 - 28 … Passage for Reflection: 1st Kings 3: 9 … NIV 7 "Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart [i.e., wisdom] to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"
My Journal for Today: The reading – or in this case today, my rereading – of these passages of Solomon’s decision-making when he came to sit on the throne of David, his father, reminds me of the importance of having and using WISDOM in the scheme of life.
Solomon did some pretty clever – but very HUMAN - things to insure the stability of his throne. Some of them were pretty cut-and-dried, like assassinating some of his potential rivals; but when he was confronted – by God Himself – to ask for anything the new young king might need or want to rule God’s chosen people, Solomon somehow knew to ask for discernment (i.e., wisdom); and God honored him for that by giving him not only all the human discernment possible for any man in those days but also the wealth and power which any king would covet to have as a ruler.
And God’s word even gives us – as He did for the people under Solomon’s rule – a shining example of Solomon’s wisdom when the story of Solomon deciding the fate of a little baby where two prostitutes had laid claim to this child. You know the story of how Solomon wisely ordered that the baby be cut in half by a sword; and the real mother showed herself by giving up the baby so that it would live; and Solomon, knowing he had determined forthrightly who was the child’s mother, was able to make the “wise” choice to give over the babe to his rightly determined mother.
Now that’s wisdom! And, as Dr. Smith points out in today’s devotional, that’s being able to make black-and-white out of a very grey scenario; and that’s the kind of human discernment one would need to be a good and effective leader of God’s people. And it’s always been interesting for me to see how much HUMAN wisdom God gave to Solomon; but the Lord never put a damper on the very HUMAN and fleshly impulses in Solomon which later led to him making some very ill-begotten decisions such as taking on hundreds of wives and concubines as well as doing things as a king which openly and defiantly went against what God had put in place as the rules for those who were under his anointing as king. Yes, Solomon was given a tremendous amount of HUMAN discernment and wisdom; but that doesn’t mean he was able to overcome his own, very HUMAN flesh as his kingship unfolded in time.
We, as very HUMAN creatures, need to recognize that God may bless us with the prophetic ability – maybe even the Spirit-given gift – to discern good and evil; but we still must seek after God’s Spirit and His empowering grace to overcome our own nature and make decisions which are unnatural, overcoming the flesh which is so powerful in our lives (see Jer. 17: 9). And that is why, even with the human wisdom of a Solomon, we need to seek after GODLY wisdom to overcome our HUMAN flesh.
That is why James – the man who became the very wise leader of the Church in Jerusalem after Jesus’ departure into heaven - gave us God’s exhortation (in James 1: 5-6 – linked here) to seek after God’s mind through His Spirit so that we could see God’s way more clearly, avoiding the double-mindedness which is so apparent when we try to make decisions in the flesh.
I challenge myself – and you - to remember that even a Solomon can fall and fail if he doesn’t seek after GOD’S way and GOD’S purpose and seeking after these, as James declared, with single-minded faith, knowing that God, primarily through His word (in our lives) will give us the right way as He had also promised through His word [see Psalm 119: 105] and from His love for His children (see Proverbs 3: 5 – 6).
As a reader here with me, I really hope you know – and potentially have internalized – the truths of James 1: 5 – 6, Psalm 119: 105, and Proverbs 3: 5 – 6; because if we Christians have those truths solidly in our minds and implanted – by faith – in our hearts, we will know to go to God’s word to find God’s way and to reveal His will for our future, allowing us to see His purposes for our lives, and avoiding the human pitfalls which eventually trip up even the wisest of humans (i.e., noting Solomon).
My Prayer for Today: Lord, shine the light of truth and give me discernment from Your word so that I can make decisions which follow You and avoid me. Amen
My Journal for Today: The reading – or in this case today, my rereading – of these passages of Solomon’s decision-making when he came to sit on the throne of David, his father, reminds me of the importance of having and using WISDOM in the scheme of life.
Solomon did some pretty clever – but very HUMAN - things to insure the stability of his throne. Some of them were pretty cut-and-dried, like assassinating some of his potential rivals; but when he was confronted – by God Himself – to ask for anything the new young king might need or want to rule God’s chosen people, Solomon somehow knew to ask for discernment (i.e., wisdom); and God honored him for that by giving him not only all the human discernment possible for any man in those days but also the wealth and power which any king would covet to have as a ruler.
And God’s word even gives us – as He did for the people under Solomon’s rule – a shining example of Solomon’s wisdom when the story of Solomon deciding the fate of a little baby where two prostitutes had laid claim to this child. You know the story of how Solomon wisely ordered that the baby be cut in half by a sword; and the real mother showed herself by giving up the baby so that it would live; and Solomon, knowing he had determined forthrightly who was the child’s mother, was able to make the “wise” choice to give over the babe to his rightly determined mother.
Now that’s wisdom! And, as Dr. Smith points out in today’s devotional, that’s being able to make black-and-white out of a very grey scenario; and that’s the kind of human discernment one would need to be a good and effective leader of God’s people. And it’s always been interesting for me to see how much HUMAN wisdom God gave to Solomon; but the Lord never put a damper on the very HUMAN and fleshly impulses in Solomon which later led to him making some very ill-begotten decisions such as taking on hundreds of wives and concubines as well as doing things as a king which openly and defiantly went against what God had put in place as the rules for those who were under his anointing as king. Yes, Solomon was given a tremendous amount of HUMAN discernment and wisdom; but that doesn’t mean he was able to overcome his own, very HUMAN flesh as his kingship unfolded in time.
We, as very HUMAN creatures, need to recognize that God may bless us with the prophetic ability – maybe even the Spirit-given gift – to discern good and evil; but we still must seek after God’s Spirit and His empowering grace to overcome our own nature and make decisions which are unnatural, overcoming the flesh which is so powerful in our lives (see Jer. 17: 9). And that is why, even with the human wisdom of a Solomon, we need to seek after GODLY wisdom to overcome our HUMAN flesh.
That is why James – the man who became the very wise leader of the Church in Jerusalem after Jesus’ departure into heaven - gave us God’s exhortation (in James 1: 5-6 – linked here) to seek after God’s mind through His Spirit so that we could see God’s way more clearly, avoiding the double-mindedness which is so apparent when we try to make decisions in the flesh.
I challenge myself – and you - to remember that even a Solomon can fall and fail if he doesn’t seek after GOD’S way and GOD’S purpose and seeking after these, as James declared, with single-minded faith, knowing that God, primarily through His word (in our lives) will give us the right way as He had also promised through His word [see Psalm 119: 105] and from His love for His children (see Proverbs 3: 5 – 6).
As a reader here with me, I really hope you know – and potentially have internalized – the truths of James 1: 5 – 6, Psalm 119: 105, and Proverbs 3: 5 – 6; because if we Christians have those truths solidly in our minds and implanted – by faith – in our hearts, we will know to go to God’s word to find God’s way and to reveal His will for our future, allowing us to see His purposes for our lives, and avoiding the human pitfalls which eventually trip up even the wisest of humans (i.e., noting Solomon).
My Prayer for Today: Lord, shine the light of truth and give me discernment from Your word so that I can make decisions which follow You and avoid me. Amen
Thursday, October 01, 2009
2009 – Day 273.Oct 1 – Found Faithful
Blogger’s Note: Beginning a new month; but Chuck Swindoll still has a few more days in the Book of Job for his readers; and then we’ll be on to the New Testament and the life of the Apostle Paul. So, stay with me for just a few more days with Job.
=============================
Passage of the Day: Job 42 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: Have you ever come into contact with someone who is extremely wealthy? What was your immediate thought, even though you may not have any inside information about this person? Unfortunately, our default, human nature has a tendency to be envious of such a person; and we often think that such a person must have gotten their wealth from selfishness and greed.
But if we’ve read and studied God’s word, we know that some of God’s favored Saints were blessed by God with wealth. And as we’ve been studying Job, we certainly see one such person. Job was mega-wealthy before his series of horrible losses; and here in Chapter 42 he was restored to double what he was blessed after God restored him two-fold what he had had before. And there were other very blessed and favored Saints in the Bible; and I’d almost wager you’re thinking of the likes of Abraham or maybe Solomon … or even Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, in the New Testament. All of these men were blessed by God with much temporal wealth; and they did nothing underhanded to be so blessed. Neither were they greedy or took advantage of others to have what they were given by God.
Swindoll’s point this morning is that we should not compare our life with others and judge someone negatively just because they seem to have more than we do. Envy is one of those very natural, but very sinful, reactions when we see someone with a lot more than we have; and we can tend to question God’s intent in allowing someone to have so much, especially when we think we’ve done all we can to be a good Christian and honor God with our time, talents, and treasures and we don’t seem to be as blessed as others we see with a lot of temporal blessings.
And so, today, I echo Swindoll’s devotional intent with my own conviction and confession here that I have a tendency to judge others and think of them as being naturally greedy when I see them blessed by a lot of obvious “stuff,” even when I know not how they procured such temporal wealth. Because, if I were privileged to know more about them, I might find out that God had actually allowed such wealth into their lives to test them and to break them of the attitude of greed. Jesus showed us, in the Sermon on the Mount or with the story of the rich young ruler, that being rich can be a curse if we hold on to the desire to have a lot of things in life. And one we see in life with a lot of wealth may need to learn that truth.
And then, if we knew more about the wealthy person, as we’ve been able to see into the life of Job, we may find out that they have been blessed by God with much because they have been found faithful. And if you know anything about the various Spiritual gifts we are given when we come to Christ, we learn that the Spirit-given gift of giving also comes along with the gift of getting. So, judge not, my friend, when you see someone who’s mega-wealthy. That person just may be giving 80-90% of his wealth to God’s kingdom and God is blessing him because he can effectively give so much to God’s glory.
Yes, my friend, having a lot requires that we give a lot; and wealth can be stumbling block to becoming like Christ. However, we shouldn’t judge one on the surface negatively just because God has given one person a lot when we don’t appear to be so blessed. Perhaps that person’s wealth is being used by God, like it was for Job, to duly favor that one; and it actually is is part of God’s plan for His own glory. Wait, my friend; and let’s see the fruit on the tree of the wealthy man’s life before we pass judgment.
Better yet, leave the judging to God. He’s better at that anyway. ;>)
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to wait when I see You favor others with temporal gain. And thanks for all you’ve given this humble servant, … a very rich man. Others may not see me as rich; but You know, as do I, that I am. I have all I need and more, … much more. Am
=============================
Passage of the Day: Job 42 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: Have you ever come into contact with someone who is extremely wealthy? What was your immediate thought, even though you may not have any inside information about this person? Unfortunately, our default, human nature has a tendency to be envious of such a person; and we often think that such a person must have gotten their wealth from selfishness and greed.
But if we’ve read and studied God’s word, we know that some of God’s favored Saints were blessed by God with wealth. And as we’ve been studying Job, we certainly see one such person. Job was mega-wealthy before his series of horrible losses; and here in Chapter 42 he was restored to double what he was blessed after God restored him two-fold what he had had before. And there were other very blessed and favored Saints in the Bible; and I’d almost wager you’re thinking of the likes of Abraham or maybe Solomon … or even Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, in the New Testament. All of these men were blessed by God with much temporal wealth; and they did nothing underhanded to be so blessed. Neither were they greedy or took advantage of others to have what they were given by God.
Swindoll’s point this morning is that we should not compare our life with others and judge someone negatively just because they seem to have more than we do. Envy is one of those very natural, but very sinful, reactions when we see someone with a lot more than we have; and we can tend to question God’s intent in allowing someone to have so much, especially when we think we’ve done all we can to be a good Christian and honor God with our time, talents, and treasures and we don’t seem to be as blessed as others we see with a lot of temporal blessings.
And so, today, I echo Swindoll’s devotional intent with my own conviction and confession here that I have a tendency to judge others and think of them as being naturally greedy when I see them blessed by a lot of obvious “stuff,” even when I know not how they procured such temporal wealth. Because, if I were privileged to know more about them, I might find out that God had actually allowed such wealth into their lives to test them and to break them of the attitude of greed. Jesus showed us, in the Sermon on the Mount or with the story of the rich young ruler, that being rich can be a curse if we hold on to the desire to have a lot of things in life. And one we see in life with a lot of wealth may need to learn that truth.
And then, if we knew more about the wealthy person, as we’ve been able to see into the life of Job, we may find out that they have been blessed by God with much because they have been found faithful. And if you know anything about the various Spiritual gifts we are given when we come to Christ, we learn that the Spirit-given gift of giving also comes along with the gift of getting. So, judge not, my friend, when you see someone who’s mega-wealthy. That person just may be giving 80-90% of his wealth to God’s kingdom and God is blessing him because he can effectively give so much to God’s glory.
Yes, my friend, having a lot requires that we give a lot; and wealth can be stumbling block to becoming like Christ. However, we shouldn’t judge one on the surface negatively just because God has given one person a lot when we don’t appear to be so blessed. Perhaps that person’s wealth is being used by God, like it was for Job, to duly favor that one; and it actually is is part of God’s plan for His own glory. Wait, my friend; and let’s see the fruit on the tree of the wealthy man’s life before we pass judgment.
Better yet, leave the judging to God. He’s better at that anyway. ;>)
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to wait when I see You favor others with temporal gain. And thanks for all you’ve given this humble servant, … a very rich man. Others may not see me as rich; but You know, as do I, that I am. I have all I need and more, … much more. Am
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
