Bad things happen to good and godly people. That is part of life in this fallen world. All of us have a inbuilt desire to feel good, be free from pain and have a comfortable life. Sooner og later we realise that life can be very difficult, and often not comfortable at all. We face pain and hardships. Sometimes we have to go through sufferings and tough struggles. Often life is not easy, but very challenging.
Category: Biblical teaching
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I trust in the all-sufficient cross of Christ alone
I have started to read Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians again. This is a letter filled with divine revelation and insight. Paul is starting by telling that he has been divinely appointed according to the plan of God. The letter is addressed to the community of God throughout the city of Corinth, and to the people of God everywhere. He is writing that we have been made pure and set apart in the Anointed One. We have been invited to be God’s devoted and holy people.
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Covenant duties
The issue of covenant was forced on me a short time ago. There are so many misunderstandings about being a covenant person. Even many Christians have very little understanding of what covenant is all about. They question the idea of covenant duties or covenant obligations. Therefore I have chosen to share something I wrote some years back on being a covenant keeper, on being a person who understands the implication of covenant living. Covenant is love put into practice!
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What is faith?
I was reading Romans 10 this morning in the Passion Translation. Vers 17 contains a very interesting definition of faith. When we try to explain what faith is, we normally quote from the eleventh chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews. But the definition of faith found in Romans 10, caught my heart this morning. Therefore I like to share it with you. Faith is actually a gift given to us by God, for it was only because of his wonderful grace that we believed in Jesus Christ in the first place (Eph 2:8).
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A loving and loyal servant
In his letter to the Romans the apostle Paul is introducing himself as a loving and loyal servant of the Anointed One, Jesus (Rom 1,1 TPL). When I read what Paul was writing about himself, his words struck me. What a sound self-image. What a wonderful self-esteem. What a bold statement about himself: I am a loving and loyal servant!
First of all he wants to tell that he is a servant of the Anointed One, Jesus the Messiah. He had been called and chosen by Jesus Christ to be a servant. He was set apart with a mission. As a servant he was a sent one, an apostle. His mission was to reveal the wonderful news of the Kingdom of God. He was to bring people out of darkness and ignorance into the light and understanding of the Good News of what God had done through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That was his mission to bring insight to people, to help them grasp the eternal plan and purpose of Christ. He was never disobedient to this heavenly vision. He was a servant of Jesus Christ his entire life. The heavenly vision made him a servant.
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Living in the shining place
I am fascinated with the Psalms. Especially the Psalm of David. They cover all of life. We find all kinds of emotions in all kinds of situations. I can relate the content of the Psalms to my own life and emotions. The Psalms teach me that I can bring everything before God because he cares about every detail of my life.
Lord, who dares to dwell with you? Who presumes the privilege of being close to you, living next to you in the shining place of glory?
They are passionate and wholehearted, always sincere and always speaking the truth – for their hearts are trustworthy.
They refuse to slander or insult others; they'll never listen to gossip or rumours, nor would they ever harm another with words.
They will speak out passionately against evil and evil workers while commending the faithful ones who follow after truth. They make firm commitments and follow through, even at great cost.
They never crush others with exploitation or abuse and they would never be brought with a bribe against the innocent. They will never be shaken; they will stand firm forever.
This text is taken from Psalm 15 in The Passion Translation. This translation is one of my favourite translations at the moment. Perhaps this psalm was sung by the choir David appointed to sing prophetically and minister to the Lord day and night in his tabernacle. This song describe who will live in God's holy presence and who dwell with him in his shining place of glory. Actually it is a prophetic description of the perfect man, Jesus Christ, and all those who are transformed into his image by the Holy Spirit.
In this psalm we find parallells to the Lord's sermon on the Mount. If we will live in the holy place of God, there must first be a holy place in our hearts where the Spirit of holiness dwells. We must submit to the holiness of God. Only those with a pure heart can see God and dwell in the shining place of his glory.
But who is capable of this? Who is able to meet these holy requirements? Who is competent of this life?
In our own strength we are not capable at all. Our true competence flows from God's empowering grace. When we are overcome by our many sins, his sacrifice covers over them all! Farther than we can describe with words he removes our guilt from us. Only because of his tender mercy we may live in the shining place of his glory.
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Sure and pure words
In Psalm 12 David is crying to God for help. He lives in a terrible situation. King Saul ordered the death of 85 godly men who wore the priestly robe. The killing rampage continued until an entire community of priests had been slaughtered with their women and children. This great evil marked David from that day forward for they were killed because of the help they had given him. David is complaining to God. He is desperate as he sing this song for a new day: Help, Lord! Save us!
The godly ones are swiftly disappearing!
Where are the dependable, principled ones?
Where are the truthful?
The godly seemed to be a vanishing breed in his life time. The people were proudly speaking with twisted tongues and lying lips. Then the Lord spoke a comforting word. He promised to rise to defend the poor. He said he would rescue and protect those who were plundered, the oppressed, and the needy who groan for help.
In the day of persecution and great evil, David take hold on the word of God. He believes the promises of God.
Every word God speaks is sure and every promise pure. His truth is tested, found to be flawless, and ever faithful. It's as pure as silver refined seven times in a crucible of clay. Ps 12: 6 (The Passion Translation)
Even if the godly ones are disappearing, the principled ones are difficult to find, and the truthful is not visible in the media, we will put our trust in our righteous and faithful God. He will keep us safe forever. Even in the day of evil he will keep us out of the reach of the wicked. Even if the ungodly strut and prowl, tolerating and celebrating what is worthless and vile, God will still lift up those who are humble and merciful.
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The timings of God
The Bible says that there is a season for everything and a time for every matter. There is an appointed time for everything and a right time to every purpose. The great challenge in life is to understand the timings and seasons of God. To me this is often a big mystery. I believe I am doing or saying the right thing, only to discover that it was the wrong time and wrong place. Therefore my actions did not produce good fruit.
I have had many prophetic words and promises from God spoken to me. Many of them have been fulfilled. Some have partly come true and others are still to be fulfilled. Understanding the timings of God has been a big challenge. In my younger years I despised those who talked on waiting on God, for I believed that God waited for us, that he waited for our response and actions. I still belive in obeying the word of God. I do believe in acting on prophetic words. I believe we need to be quick to act when God speaks. Finding the balance between waiting for God's timing and acting out the word immediately is not easy.
When Moses was forty years old, he acted and expected his own kin to understand that God was using him to rescue them, but they didn't! He acted according to his divine calling, but not at the right time and probably not the right way. Only forty years later he became the leader and deliverer sent them by God. At that time both Moses and the people were prepared by God for the fulfilment of the promise. Now the timing was right.
"The time drew near for God to fulfil the prophetic promise he had made to Abraham" (Acts 7:17). When it was time for God to keep the promise, things were set in motion for the people be be set free from slavery. In the prophetic word to Abraham God had told him about the time: after 430 years. The promise was clearly concerning the future. When the time drew near God acted to fulfil his word.
When Daniel was studying the prophetic word of Jeremiah, he specially pondered on the numbers of years it would take to complete Jerusalem's desolation according word of the Lord. It was seventy years. He realised that the time was near. Then he turned his face to God, asking for an answer with prayer and pleading. While he was still praying the angel Gabriel appeared to him to give him insight and understanding. The quick answer came because his prayer was given at the right time.
There is a time for waiting and there is a time for acting. There is a time for planting and a time for uprooting what was planted. There is a time for tearing down and a time for building up. There is a time for searching and a time for losing. There is a time for speaking and a time for keeping silent.
Lord, help us to wait on you and walk with you and always do your will!
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Song of the clouded dawn
Not every dawn is colourful or beautiful. Some dawns are clouded and dull. Sometimes the mornings are heavy and dark. But the dawn always bring light. Even a clouded dawn bring light. The new day may be rainy and stormy. Dark clouds are covering your abode. It is not always easy to rejoice, but we don't need to be filled with joy to come before God. We can come as we are.
It is a good thing to make it a habit to conduct a morning watch before the face of God. We can call on God to listen to our passionate prayer. "Lord, can't you hear my groaning? Don't you hear how I am crying out to you?" At each and every sunrise I will let God hear my voice. Even on the clouded dawn I will sing to God. Every morning I will make it an habit to bring my sacrifice of prayer to my God. Whether the dawn is sunny or clouded I will lay out the pieces of my life on the alter. And I will wait for your fire to fall on my heart. I need your fire each and every day of my life.
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They began to understand the effect Jesus had
Acts 4:13 says: The council members were astonished as they witnessed the bold courage of Peter and John when they discovered that they were just ordinary men who had never had religious training. They began to understand the effect Jesus had on them simply by spending time with him (Passion Translation).
This last sentence struck me when I read it this morning. The council members were struck with astonishment when they saw and heard Peter and John. The apostles had been arrested and was brought before the Jewish council to explain a miracle that had taken place through their hands. God had used them to heal a man that had been crippled from birth. The Jewish leaders, the religious scholars, and the elders of the people had arrested Peter and John and made them stand in front of the council as they questioned them: "Tell us, by what power and authority have you done these things?"
Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered them. Boldly he proclaimed the truth to them, charging them of crucifying the Lord Jesus Christ, whom God had raised from the dead. With great conviction he declared that there is no one else than Jesus who has the power to save: "There is only one name to whom God has given the power by which we must experience salvation: the name of Jesus!"
It was then the members of the council began to understand the effect Jesus had on the disciples. Even though they were just ordinary men, simply spending time with Jesus had an effect on them. They had no religious training. They never attended any seminary. They never had any university degree. But simply spending time with Jesus had a deep and profound effect on them. The members of the council could not deny the effect Jesus had on those ordinary people who simply spent time with him.
May people around us began to understand the effect Jesus has on our life when we simply spend time with him. The secrete is to spend time with Jesus. It has an effect that people will begin to understand more and more.