Pray for all those impacted by the tragic shooting of five Army soldiers at Camp Liberty in Iraq. The shooter, an American soldier, has been taken in to custody. Pray for chaplains and others who now work to encourage and comfort all who have been impacted by this tragedy. Pray also for the families of those who were killed as they learn the news and mourn their loss, asking God to draw near and bring deep comfort...
Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
set these once-broken bones to dancing.
Don't look too close for blemishes,
give me a clean bill of health.
"When he speaks of his bones as having been broken, he alludes to the extreme grief and overwhelming distress to which he had been reduced. The joy of the Lord would reanimate his soul; and this joy he describes as to be obtained by hearing, for it is the word of God alone which can first and effectually cheer the heart of any sinner."
For myself, I totally agree with this. I find more comfort in the Bible than anywhere else that I can look. When I am angry or depressed, or just beaten down, even when I don't feel like doing my devotions, after I spend even a few minutes in the Bible, I feel better, emotionally and spiritually.
(Commentary from Heart Aflame: Daily Readings from Calvin on the Psalms)
"The Law and the Lawless"
1 Timothy 1:9-10
understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,
The Law is not to be used for "vain speculations," but, rather to confton rebelliousness. "The wickedness described in these verses is broadly equivalent to the deeds prohibited in the portion of the Ten Commandments that deals mainly with the treatment of one's neighbors."
Note that Paul says that the Law is not "laid down for the just..." What this means is that the final effect of the Law in Christians is not fear of punishment, as it is in the unregenerate. The Spirit uses the Law to cause us to desire to please the Lord in holiness. For the unjust, though, the Law is a totally different animal, producing fear and judgment.
The false teachers in Ephesus were not using the Law for either purpose, but, rather, were using it as an endless source of speculation.
Today, people still abuse the Law. "Some try to find a secret code by counting letters and numbers. Some try to base a weight-loss program on the food laws in the Torah. Others read the Law's promises to Israel apart from the New Testament and look fo today's headlines to match what it predicts or says." How do we read it? We should be looking to the Law to see where we have fallen short and let it bring us to repentance.
Week 4/Monday "Never Directly"
Hebrews 10:19
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
Right on the heels of the discussion about Law, we have this...
"Pharisee-type believers unconsciously think they've earned God's blessing through their behavior. Guilt-laden believers are sure they've forfeited God's blessing through disobedience or lack of discipline. Both have forgotten the meaning of grace--God's unmerited favor to those who deserve only His wrath."
I tend to fall in the second group most of the time. But I firmly believe that we need this balance between the ideas on the Law and grace. Yes, the Law exists to point out our failures, BUT not to produce fear of punishment (the Tabletalk article was clear on this point, as well). The impact the Law should have on believers should always be positive, never negative. It should produce a desire to please God, not a sinking feeling of guilt.
Here's an important statement (the title comes from it) that could be easily misconstrued. "God never intended that we relate to Him directly." I can see some brows furrowing. "The only way we can relate to Him is through the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ." It's true.
But the beauty of this is that it frees us to be completely hones with ourselves and with God. "We can call sin exactly what it is, however ugly and shameful it may be, because we know Jesus bore that sin in His body on the cross. He have no reason to hide from our sins anymore."
All you zombies, show your faces...
Jesus tells the parable of the soils in chapter 4. When I was younger, I used to think that there was a problem here, in that some of the soils represented people who received Christ, then fell away. I no longer believe that, because I believe in the "perseverance of the saints." Now, I believe that only one of the soils represents someone who is truly "saved." That would be the last group, the one that yields "thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." The other three soils were never truly saved.
There is also something else that is very important to me in this parable. The soil can do nothing! The soil cannot change it's own nature. It is the way it was made, and cannot change that! Only God has the power to do that. I cannot become good soil, just as a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Why is this important to me? It confirms my belief that we are all chosen by God and created the way we are by God for a purpose.
In chapter 5, Jesus heals the demoniac in the Gerasene country. This is the one where he sends the "legion" of demons into a herd of pigs. The people of the area beg Jesus to leave! Can you believe that? Upon first reading it might appear that they were angry over the loss of their livestock. However, the Bible says they were "afraid." They saw this demon-possessed man sitting clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. They saw that the legion of demons that inhabited this man literally cowered before Jesus!! The demons begged Jesus!! They knew him.
Will we let our fear of what we may not understand keep us from following Jesus?
After this, Jesus encounters Jairus, a leader in the synagogue, whose daughter is very ill. He agrees to go with him to touch his daughter. But he is delayed along they way by the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years, who thought she could sneak a touch of his robe to get healed. By the time he got to Jairus's place, the daughter had died. But Jesus said these words, "Do not fear, only believe." What volumes those five words speak! Do not fear, only believe. If we could obey that statement, I believe we would have far less struggle in our lives. I believe we would have far less illness, because I believe most of our illnesses are caused by stress and anxiety.
Oh, yes. Lest I forget. Jesus healed the girl. Even after being laughed at by the "professional mourners."
In chapter 6, John the Baptizer is beheaded for daring to criticize the king. He was politically incorrect. He dared to say that the king shouldn't be sleeping with his brother's wife. Herodias (maybe the brother's wife?) had a grudge against John and wanted him dead. Her daughter went and and allegedly did a strip-tease for him, which got him so...um...so..."hot and bothered?"...that he promised her anything at all, up to half the kingdom. The poor girl asked her mother what she should ask for, so her mother told her to ask for the head of John the Baptizer on a plate. He didn't want to do it, but since he had promised, "in the heat of the moment," he went ahead and granted her wish.
What do I get from today's reading?
First, that I am who God made me, and I give him praise that he chose to make me "good soil." Well, relatively speaking, anyway...
Second, I need to "do not fear, only believe," in all circumstances of my life. All of them. This short sentence could be the remedy for all our troubles. I'm not a "name it, claim it" person, and I never will be. Nevertheless, this statement holds great riches in it.
Last, being politically incorrect can get us beheaded. But, in response to that, see the above statement. Do not fear, only believe. There may come a time in my life when I have to proclaim the truth, even at the threat of death. I pray that God will give me the strength and courage to do so.
I thank you that you have chosen me to be your son. I pray that you work my "soil," that I might produce much fruit, and honor and glorify you.
Most of all, right now, I pray that you give me the faith to obey the words of Jesus, when he said, "Do not fear, only believe." I cry out, as one father in the New Testament, "I do believe! Help my unbelief!" I also pray that, when the day comes that I have to proclaim your truth at the risk of my life, that I will not fail to do so. Give me courage in the face of "political correctness."
Let us call on the LORD for our strength and protection.
Grace and peace, friends!