Category Archives: Loving God

Stop Seeking Heaven

Posted on by
Reply

Over the past several months, I’ve thought a lot about how much the church talks about heaven. A lot of our songs are about heaven. Pastors preach about heaven. When we evangelize, we focus on helping people find their way to heaven. We talk about the pearly gates, the streets of gold, the peace and joy we will experience, and that God will wipe away every tear. And we can’t wait until we get there!

However, I noticed that people talked about the place called heaven, but there was little mention of the God of heaven. There is an emphasis on being saved to spend eternity in heaven, but very little is mentioned about spending that eternal life with God. It seems that we have separated heaven from God. A. W. Tozer wrote in his book, The Pursuit of God, “Christ may be ‘received’ without creating any special love for Him in the soul of the receiver. The man is ‘saved,’ but he is not hungry nor thirsty after God. In fact he is specifically taught to be satisfied and encouraged to be content with little.”[1]

I liken this to going to an Airbnb. About every three years, we get together with our boys and their families for a large family vacation. We found that it worked well for us to rent a large home where we had plenty of room to sleep, relax, eat, and visit. And, everywhere we stayed, we always enjoyed the PLACE but never met the PERSON who owned the place. In the same way, we may be guilty, as Tozer says, of receiving salvation and looking forward to going to the PLACE called heaven but have not developed a special love for the PERSON of God.

And I have concluded that our focus is on the wrong thing for we cannot truly experience heaven without having a relationship with God. There is no heaven without God. We cannot separate the two. It is only in the Presence of God that we can experience the blessings and joy of heaven. It is only when we hunger and thirst for Him that heaven becomes a reality not only in the future but even here and now.

Therefore, I want to challenge you (and myself) to stop seeking the place of heaven and begin seeking the God of heaven. Ask the Holy Spirit to stir your heart to hunger and thirst for Him and the closer you grow in your relationship with Him, the more of heaven you will experience in your life.

[1] Tozer, A. W. 2013. The Pursuit of God. Minneapolis, MN. Bethany House: 23.

Servant or Friend

Posted on by
Reply

Our church has been reading through the Bible together and I noticed something interesting in the first four verses when we recently read through the book of 1 John. John begins his letter by writing:

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.”

Do you notice how much he talks about his “experience” with Christ? He mentions several times how they saw him, looked upon him, touched him, and how Jesus, who was with the Father, was made manifest to them and now they can have fellowship with the Father through him. And, because of what he experienced, he can now honestly and authoritatively proclaim the truth of eternal life.

I believe the point John was making is that his message of salvation and eternal life is not just theory or religious ideals that may not be different from any other religious teachings. He is stating that his message instead comes from a true life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. John is making a distinction between religion and a relationship.

John emphasizes this difference several times in his letter when he says, “If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:6). Also, “If anyone claims to be in the light but hates his brother, he is still in the darkness” (1 John 2:9). Or “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20).

In short, John is saying that a true follower of Jesus Christ is not merely one who says he is or who performs religious activities or duties. Instead, a true follower of Jesus Christ is one who had a tangible encounter with Jesus that brought about a real transformation in his life. We could even add that, in the verses listed above, John states that if there is no transformation in the person’s life, there is no real relationship with Christ.

Of course, this is God’s desire for each of us. He does not want us just to know ABOUT Him: to obtain information about Him and then try to live out that knowledge in our lives through “good works” in our own strength. This is what all other religions focus on. Instead, God wants us to KNOW Him intimately. He wants us to have such a deep relationship with Him that we can hear His heart, experience His Presence and love, and know His will for our lives. In other words, we can have an encounter with Jesus Christ similar to what John was referring to in this letter. And it is through these encounters that our lives are transformed.

Jesus alludes to this in John 15:15 when He tells His disciples, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (ESV). The Greek word for servant used here is doulos which means someone in bondage, a slave who is obedient but does not have any rights or will of their own. They just do what they are told to do. The word for friend, though, is philos which refers to an acquaintance, a beloved associate or trusted confidant, someone who is held in a close bond of personal affection, a companion.

Jesus is saying that the disciples’ relationship with Him is moving from a slave where they just do what they are told to do without knowing or understanding the reason for it, to one of a close friend: a companion with whom He shares His thoughts and desires. Even as a friend, though, we are still required to obey His commands (John 15:14). The difference, however, is that as a servant we obey out of duty or obligation, while as a friend, we know the Master’s heart and we obey out of love for Him. The picture presented here is that the servant represents religion—those who have information about God and obey Him out of duty. The friend, on the other hand, has had an encounter with God and experienced His love and grace. His life is being transformed and he obeys God’s commands because he loves God and because of the transformation that is taking place in his life.

 So, the question is, how can we move from being a servant to becoming a friend of God? I would recommend two things: First, follow God’s advice in Ps. 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” When you pray, don’t do all the talking. Set some time aside to just be still. Quiet your heart and mind and allow the Spirit of God to speak to you. You’ll be amazed how much God wants to share His heart with you.

Second, allow Him to fill you more with the Holy Spirit. In John 16:13-15, Jesus teaches us that the Holy Spirit will reveal Jesus to us and guide us into a deeper understanding of the truth. This is connected to the first point of being still in our prayer time. When we quiet our hearts before God, we are allowing His Holy Spirit to “saturate” us like a tea bag in water. The more time we spend in His presence, the more His Spirit works in us and transforms us more and more into His image. We become like Him as we build that relationship with Him.

So, which one are you? Are you a servant or a friend? Are you religious or are you in a relationship? Are you merely saying that you are a follower of Jesus, or have you had a real encounter with Him that has transformed your life? If you conclude that you are more a servant than a friend, I encourage you to “Be still” and allow the Holy Spirit to bring you into a true experience with the glory of God.

Live Out Your Love

Posted on by
Reply

In Matthew 22:34-40, one of the Pharisees, an expert in the law, tested Jesus by asking Him what the greatest commandment was in all the Law. Jesus responded by quoting Deut. 6:5 which says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Jesus then added Leviticus 19:18, “Love your neighbor as yourself” as the second greatest commandment stating that these two commandments form the foundation for all the Law and the Prophets.

Jesus did not randomly select these verses. The passage in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 is one that every Jew would have memorized from early childhood. It is called the Shema and is an important prayer Jewish people would have prayed every morning and every evening: and still do. The prayer begins with “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” (Deut. 6:4). The first word Hear is the Hebrew word Shema from which the prayer gets its name. However, Shema means more than taking in sound through our ears. It includes the idea of acting upon what is heard. Therefore, God was not just telling Israel to listen and pay attention. He was telling them to act upon what they hear and obey His words. He was telling them to be doers of His word and not hearers only (James 1:22).

This is also true of many Hebrew verbs: they are not merely mental activities but encompass action as well. For example, when the Bible tells us to believe or have faith in God, it means more than mentally acknowledging certain facts or information about God. It includes believing in God enough that we are willing to put our faith into action and obey what He tells us to do as when Noah built the ark at God’s command because he believed Him.

The word love is another example. We often think of love as an emotion: having good feelings towards someone. But, although love can involve our emotions, it is better to see it as an act of kindness. We love someone when we do loving things for them. Therefore, when God commands us to love our enemies, He is not telling us to develop an emotional attraction for them. Instead, He is telling us to do acts of love for them even if we don’t feel loving towards them. We’ll discuss this more later.

The next key word in the prayer is the word Echad which is often used to mean “one” in the sense of singular. Therefore, the common translation of the phrase is, “The LORD our God, the LORD is one” meaning that there is only one God as compared to the many gods of the other cultures. This would, then, be a statement of belief: that we believe in only one God and He is Jehovah. However, another way the word Echad can be translated is “alone” which would change the phrase to “The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.” Lois Tverberg, in her book, Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus, states that this translation is becoming widely used and that scholars believe that this is more likely the original sense of the word Echad. If this is true, then this would change the purpose of the Shema. Instead of being a command to adhere to a particular belief about monotheism, it is calling the person to pledge allegiance to God. It is a twice-daily recommitment to worship and serve God and God alone.

Following the command to hear God’s word and obey it, and to recommit ourselves to worship and serve God alone, we are commanded to love God. Remember, the word love in Hebrew involves more than emotion. After all, how can you command someone to love someone else? You can’t. Therefore, the command is not to develop loving feelings towards God but to demonstrate our love to God through the way we live. Let’s look at how this works.

First, God is commanding us to love Him with all our heart. We usually think of the heart as the seat of our emotions, which is why we view love as an emotional feeling. But in Hebrew, the word for heart (levav) also includes one’s mind and thoughts. This is why God says in verse six, “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts”. This also fits with verse eight where God says, “Tie them (His commands) as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.” In other words, all our thoughts and all our actions are centered on the Word of God. Therefore, we demonstrate our love for God by constantly meditating on His word and using it to guide our actions by “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”. (2 Cor. 10:5)

Next, we are to love God with all our soul. The word for soul is Nephesh which means life or being, the part of us that exists while we have breath. Tverberg states that “the Jewish interpretation of this line is that you are to love the Lord with all of your life, meaning with every moment throughout your life” (2012, 48). Therefore, we demonstrate our love for God by giving Him every moment of our life as long as we have breath, and not just a few moments a week or when it is convenient.

 Finally, we are commanded to love God with all our strength. The word used here is Meod, and has nothing to do with power, might, or strength. The word means muchness, abundance, or very. According to the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, it expresses the idea of magnitude or degree. It is a common adverb used to intensify adjectives such as when someone says they are very well. It is the word used in Gen. 1:31 when God says that His creation is “very good”.

So, how does this apply to loving God? Randall Buth, a Hebrew scholar, reads this phrase as saying that we are to love God with all our oomph (Tverberg 2012, 51)! In other words, we demonstrate our love for God by loving Him heartily, earnestly, with much zeal, with every fiber of our being, and with everything we’ve got! Maybe as David did when he brought the ark into Jerusalem and he “danced with all his might before the LORD” (2 Sam. 6:14).

In summary, when God commands us to love Him, He is not commanding us to have warm, fuzzy feelings towards Him. He is commanding us to demonstrate our love to Him by hearing His words and obeying them, by committing our lives to Him and Him alone, by bringing all our thoughts and actions into submission to His word, by worshipping and serving Him as long as we have breath, and by serving Him heartily and zealously. In other words, if we love Him, we will obey His commandments (John 14:15).

Based on the Shema in Deut. 6:4-5, I’ve put together my version of the prayer. LORD, I hear Your words and I will obey them. I recognize that You are the LORD, and I commit myself to You alone. I will demonstrate my love to You by submitting my thoughts, my will, and my actions to Your will. I will love You by dedicating every part of my life to You as long as I have breath. And I will love you heartily: with all my “oomph!”

Tverberg, Lois. 2012. Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewish Words of Jesus Can Change Your Life. Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

Do You Fear God or Are You Afraid of Him?

Posted on by
Reply

The Bible talks a lot about the fear of God, but I would guess that most of us don’t understand what it means. Usually, when we hear the word fear we think of being terrified of something. Therefore, since we don’t want people to think that they should be afraid of God, we soften the word and say that the fear of the Lord only means that we should be in awe of Him and revere Him.

However, the word used for “fear” in both the Greek (phobeo) and Hebrew (yirah) can mean to have a fear or dread, to be terrified, or to be in awe and show reverence. So, the question is, does the fear of the Lord mean only to revere God or does it include dread and terror? Of course, many books and articles deal with this subject at length, and it is not my intention to delve into the subject that deeply here. I do, however, want to present some thoughts on the fear of the Lord that might help bring some clarity.

First, let’s begin with Exodus 20:18-21. In this passage, God had just revealed Himself to Israel on Mt. Sinai with thunder, lightning, trumpet soundings, smoke, and verbally giving the Ten Commandments. The people’s response is that they “trembled and stood afar off” (verse 18). They also told Moses to not let God speak to them again because they did not want to die (verse 19). Moses’ response was “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin” (verse 20). Here, Moses is saying that God does not want them to be afraid of Him, but He wants them to fear Him, and he uses a form of the same word (yirah) in both instances. What is the difference? How can we tell if we are afraid of God or if we fear Him? One way we can tell is by looking at the responses of Moses and Israel to God’s presence on Sinai.

Israel, because they were afraid of God, drew back from the presence of God because they were afraid of dying. Their focus was on “What will happen to me?” so they didn’t want to go any further with God. Moses, on the other hand, drew closer to God (verse 21). His desire was to experience more of God’s presence and was not concerned about his own life (see Ex. 33: 12-23). A person who is afraid of God is not concerned about growing closer to God but only about what will happen to him, but one who fears the Lord will hunger for more of God’s presence.

Second, in Isaiah 6:1-7, Isaiah had a vision of the Lord on His throne. He saw the glory of God and the angels crying, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” Isaiah’s response was one of humility and repentance. He cried out “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips…” His experience in the holy presence of God made him aware of his sinfulness and he repented and was cleansed (verses 6-7).

Compare this with what Jesus says in John 3:16-21. Here, Jesus talks about God sending Jesus as a light into the world to save the world. However, some do not receive the light because they love their sin more than they love the light and they don’t want their sin to be exposed (verse 19-20). A person who is afraid of God, then, does not want to grow closer to God because they don’t want to give up their sins, while a person who fears God is willing to humble themselves and repent whenever the light of God’s presence exposes their sin because they love God more then they love their sin.

Finally, let’s consider Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10:1-3. God gave Aaron specific instructions about the altar of incense (Ex. 30:1-10). The altar of incense was to be dedicated for incense only and not for any other offerings (Ex. 30:9), and the fire for the incense was to be taken from the altar of burnt offering outside the sanctuary (Lev. 16:12). Nadab and Abihu, however, did not follow God’s direction but used unauthorized fire for the incense. Because they did not revere God enough to follow His directions, fire from the Lord came down and consumed them. God responded by saying that anyone who comes near Him must regard Him as holy and He must be glorified before all the people (Lev. 10:3).

We see a similar situation in Acts 5:1-11 when Ananias and Sapphira sold some of their property to give the money to the apostles to be used for the needy. However, they kept back part of the money for themselves and lied about the amount that they received for the land (verse 3). Again, just as with Nadab and Abihu, Ananias and Sapphira did not recognize how awesome and majestic God is nor value Him enough to treat Him with the honor and respect He deserves that they thought nothing of lying to Him. They devalued Him and did not take sin or God’s judgment seriously.

Wouldn’t doing this mean, though, that they were not afraid of God because they were not afraid of what He would do to them? Actually, this is a result of being afraid of God. When a person is afraid of God, they don’t want to face who He truly is. They don’t want to face His power because it is far more than they could imagine, and it frightens them. They don’t want to face His holiness because they don’t want their sins to be exposed. They don’t want to face His righteousness and judgment because they would have to obey Him and could not do what they wanted to do. Therefore, because they are afraid of who God really is, they create a milder, less powerful, less threatening god. Their focus is on saving themselves. A person who fears God, though, has had an encounter with the glory and holiness of God and, instead of backing away, they hunger for more of His presence. They allow His holiness to expose any sin that would hinder them from growing closer to Him, and they humbly confess those sins allowing Him to cleanse them. They also recognize His power and majesty and give Him the honor and reverence He deserves through their praise and obedience. Their focus is on knowing God and glorifying Him.

Why Are You a Christian?

Posted on by
Reply

Our church has been reading through the Bible together this year, and as we read through the Book of Numbers, I couldn’t help but think how blessed the nation of Israel was. Numbers 10:33-34 says, “So they set out from the mountain of the Lord and traveled for three days. The ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them during those three days to find them a place to rest. The cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they set out from the camp.” Imagine having a visible Presence of God in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night leading you as you travel (Num. 9:15-23).

The Lord also provided manna every morning during their forty-year journey (Ex. 16:13-21). He miraculously brought water out of a rock (Ex. 17:1-7) when they were thirsty. Their shoes and clothes never wore out (Deut. 29:5), and God gave them victory over all their enemies (Ex. 17:8-16; Deut. 20:1-4). When one considers all that God did for Israel, one would think that they would be grateful and respond to Him with love, appreciation, and obedience.

However, as we read through the books of Moses (Genesis through Deuteronomy), we see that Israel was not grateful at all. Instead, they were constantly complaining. They complained about the manna God was miraculously providing every morning stating that they longed for the food they had in Egypt (Num. 11:4-6). They constantly complained about the lack of water (Num. 20:2-5). And, they complained about the leadership: Miriam and Aaron felt Moses was too prideful and that God could speak through them also (Num. 12:1-4). Korah desired Aaron’s position (Num. 16:1-3, 8-11). And Dathan and Abiram felt that Moses made promises that he wasn’t fulfilling. Their expectations were not being met (Num. 16:12-14).

What was the reason for all the complaining instead of being grateful for all God had done for them? I believe it was a lack of trust. Their relationship with God was second-hand with Moses as the mediator (Ex. 20:18-19; Deut. 5:5, 23-27). As a result, they did not know God intimately and they were not able to build a relationship of trust as Moses had. They only saw God as the One to rescue them from their problems, take care of them, meet their needs, and bring them into a better place. In other words, they followed God, not because they wanted to be with Him as Moses did (Ex. 33:1-3, 12-16), but only because they thought He could make their lives better. But, when those needs were not being met as they felt they should be, or their expectations were not being met, they questioned God and began to complain about the job He was doing. Many of them even gave up and wanted to return to their former life of slavery back in Egypt.

This brings up the question that I posted in the title of this article. Why are you a Christian? Are you, like Israel, following God only because you were told that He can save you from your problems, take care of you, and bring you to a better place? Or do you follow Him, as Moses did, because you want to be with Him whether you receive any blessings from Him or not? You see if we are only following God for what He can do for us, then it is easy to fall into the trap of grumbling and complaining when His performance does not match our expectations. We can even feel that following God is not worth it and decide to return to our old life. However, if our desire is to be in His Presence, then it doesn’t matter what happens to us so long as we are with Him.

In Exodus 33, God told Moses to take the people of Israel from the mountain and go to the land of promise. He would send an angel before them to drive out the inhabitants of the land, and they would experience God’s promised blessings. However, His Presence would not go with them (Ex. 33:1-3). Moses interceded for the people, though, and said, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here” (Ex. 33:15). Right after this, Moses asked God to show him His glory (Ex. 33:18). You see, Moses’ desire was for God Himself and not just for what God could do for him. I would challenge you to sincerely ask yourself, why am I a Christian? Why am I following God? Do you follow Him because you want to be with Him, or only for what He can do for you? If you truly want to experience His Presence as Moses did, then do what Moses did—pray for God to reveal His glory/Presence to you. Ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit and to give you a passion for more of Him. Draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you (James 4:8) because that is what He wants also.

A New Look at the Sermon on the Mount

Posted on by
Reply

In the past, my understanding of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 has been that it was a compilation of sayings or nuggets of wisdom much like the Proverbs. However, when I recently read through the sermon again, I noticed three themes that laid a foundation for Jesus’ message.

However, before we look at the sermon itself, let’s back up a couple of chapters to look at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. From Matthew 3:13 to 4:11, Jesus starts preparing for His ministry. He is baptized by John and is anointed by the Holy Spirit (3:13-17). After this, He is led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness and fasts for forty days and nights. Following this time of fasting, Satan tempts Him three times, but Jesus overcomes the temptation by remaining faithful to God (4:1-11). Jesus then begins His ministry by preaching the Kingdom of God (4:17) and demonstrating the power of the Kingdom by healing the sick and casting out demons (4:23-25). Immediately large crowds from the entire region began to follow Him, and when He saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and began to teach them thus bringing us to the Sermon on the Mount.

As I mentioned above, I saw that Jesus’ sermon can be divided into three themes. The first one is found in chapter five. He begins His message by discussing attitudes that people of the Kingdom of God should have. He says that people should consider themselves blessed if they are poor in spirit, meek, merciful, and hungry for righteousness. He even says they should feel blessed if they are persecuted. He then talks about us being the light of the world and the salt of the earth, and having a righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees. From here He discusses certain topics such as murder, divorce, and adultery. In each of the topics, He begins by saying “You have heard that it was said…,” and describes the common teaching on that topic. He then adds, “But I tell you…,” and presents a higher standard for each subject mentioned. I imagine the people hearing this sermon were confused because everything He was saying went contrary to human nature and the teachings of their culture.

The key verse which sums up this entire chapter is found at the end in verse forty-eight: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”. The word translated perfect means complete, mature, and lacking nothing. When Jesus was baptized by John, He was anointed by the Holy Spirit to reveal the character of God, proclaim the message of the Kingdom, and demonstrate the Kingdom’s power. Everything He said and did went contrary to the culture which amazed the people and upset the leadership. In the same way, we are to be so filled with the Spirit of God that we can also demonstrate the nature and character of God to the world. We are not to follow the world’s standard but instead, we are to live by the higher standard of the Kingdom. We are to be the influencers—the salt of the earth and the light of the world that attracts people to God just as Jesus had been doing.

Chapter six presents the second theme. Jesus teaches that we are not to seek attention or earthly praise when we help the poor or in our times of prayer and fasting. Our focus should not be on building up rewards or accolades here on earth. Instead, our emphasis should be on humbly building the Kingdom of God. Jesus adds that our concern should not be on how much wealth we can accumulate in this world, but on storing up “treasures in heaven” (Matt. 6:20). The key verse in this chapter is verse thirty-three: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (NIV). The principle Jesus presents here also goes against the world’s thinking. He is submitting the idea that we should develop such a passion for the Kingdom of God that the wealth, fame, or treasures this world has to offer are not important to us. He is also advocating that when we put His Kingdom first, we can have the confidence that He will provide for all our needs.

Jesus demonstrated this principle when He faced Satan’s temptation. He was faithful to God and so dedicated to fulfilling the work of the Kingdom that the worldly enticements Satan presented to Him had no effect. The Kingdom of God was first and foremost in His heart, demonstrate and He knew His Father would provide for all He needed (see Matt. 4:1-4).

The third principle is found in Matt. 7:24-27. Here, Jesus is teaching how important it is to build our life upon the Word of God. Throughout this chapter, He talks about making sure our life is in line with God’s Word before we start pointing out the faults of others (7:1-5). He reminds us that we fulfill the Law when we treat others with love and respect (7:12). He also warns us that just saying that we are a follower of Jesus is not enough. We must show it by obeying His Word and demonstrating godly character (7:15-23). It is only when we are committed to the Word of God in our life that will we be able to share the Word with wisdom and power and be able to see the power of God work through us through signs and miracles as Jesus did (Matt. 4:17,23-25). In summary, when Jesus began His ministry, He was anointed by the Holy Spirit and empowered to reveal God and the life of the Kingdom to the world. He was committed to the Father and the work of the Kingdom so that Satan was not able to distract Him with the attractions of the world. And the Word of God was the foundation of all He did (Matt. 5:17-18). These principles are what Jesus taught in His Sermon on the Mount, and are principles that we, as people of the Kingdom, should be incorporating into our lives. We should make the Word of God the foundation of our life, develop a passion for the Kingdom that overshadows any allurements of the world, and be so filled with the Spirit of God that we live by a standard that is higher than and contrary to the culture of the world. If we do this, we can become the salt of the earth and the light of the world that will draw people to Jesus.

Wisdom is Calling

Posted on by
Reply

In Proverbs 8, Solomon gives wisdom a voice. He personifies wisdom as a woman who is describing herself and the benefits we can receive if we follow her advice. Some of the things we can learn about wisdom from this monologue are—Wisdom is the application of truth and righteousness (vss. 7-8). Wisdom is more valuable than silver, gold, or precious jewels (vss. 10-11). Those who follow wisdom experience blessings and peace (vss. 18-21), and they receive life and favor from God (vs. 35). Just and righteous kings rule with wisdom (vss. 15-16). And God created all things through wisdom (vss. 22-31).

In summary, one could deduce from this Proverb that wisdom is the right application of truth and humbly doing the right thing at all times. It should be valued above even the most precious things such as silver or gold. And, when followed, will bring honor, blessing, peace, and order to their life instead of chaos, fear, or stress (see Matt. 7:24-25).

So, where can we find wisdom if wisdom is so precious and should be sought after? Solomon answers that question in Proverbs 9:10. He says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” The next question is what does he mean by “the fear of the Lord”? Are we supposed to be afraid of God if we want wisdom? No, but to understand what Solomon means we need to examine the word “fear” more closely.

The word translated “fear” in this passage is the Hebrew word yirah and it has a wide range of meanings. It can mean having dread or terror from something such as when Israel was afraid of God when He appeared on the top of Mount Sinai (Ex. 20:18-19). Some feel this type of fear is self-centered because the focus is on “what will happen to me?” This is exactly Israel’s response to the Presence of God— “But do not have God speak to us or we will die” (Ex. 20:19).

The word yirah, however, can also mean to revere, be in awe, respect, or worship. In this case, the emphasis is not on what happens to the person, but on God’s glory, power, and majesty. And, instead of causing us to draw away from God as it did with Israel, it compels us to move closer to Him and motivates us to please Him like Moses (Ex. 20:21). When we encounter the power and glory of God, it humbles us and brings us to repentance because we recognize our sinfulness in the presence of His holiness (Job 42:1-6), but it also fills us with an awe-inspired love for God. We desire to grow closer to Him and learn from Him. We recognize that His laws are for our benefit because they teach us how to live, and a wise man out of this fear (awe, respect, reverence) for the Lord will put them into practice.

This type of fear of the Lord can be developed and I would challenge you to begin to discipline yourself to grow in the fear of the Lord and wisdom. First, pray for God to put a hunger in your heart to experience the Presence of God (Matt. 5:6). Ask Him to give you a passion for more of His glory (Ex. 33:18). Then, when you read your Bible, don’t read it merely to gain information about God. Instead, read it with the fear of the Lord. Read it with awe, wonder, and reverence (Ps. 19:7-11) as you sit down with the Almighty Creator of the Universe and listen as He speaks to you. Following this, go through your day with the fear of the Lord. Worship the Lord as you think about His power and glory (Ps. 63:1-4) and realize that He is always with you so that you want to please Him in everything you do (Col. 3:22).

Wisdom is calling, encouraging us to develop a true fear of the Lord that will make us aware of His awesome glory and will put a hunger in us to draw closer to Him. She then helps us apply God’s word to our lives so that we can find true life, blessing, honor, and favor from God. Will we listen?

Remember Lot’s Wife

Posted on by
Reply

In Luke 17, the Pharisees asked Jesus about the coming of the Kingdom of God (Luke 17:20). Jesus responded by comparing the coming of the Kingdom of God with the days of Noah and Lot—that people will be going about their daily activities when judgment will overtake them suddenly. Then, during His description of the day of the coming of the Kingdom, Jesus admonishes the people to remember Lot’s wife (17:32). Of course, the people Jesus was speaking to knew immediately the story of Lot’s wife, as I’m sure you do as well. It is a very familiar story. But, before we look at the reason for Jesus’ reference to this story, let’s go back to Genesis 19 and review it again.

We know from Genesis 18-19 that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was so grievous that God could not ignore it any longer (18:20; 19:13), and He had no choice but to destroy not only those cities but the entire valley as well (19:24-25). Following His conversation with Abraham, God sent two messengers (probably angels) to the city of Sodom. Once the wickedness of the city became apparent during the night (19:1-11), the messengers told Lot to take his family and leave the city because they were going to destroy it. Then, taking Lot, his wife, and his two daughters by the hand, they led them outside the city and told them to flee to the mountains not looking back or stopping in the valley (19:15-17).

My previous understanding of the action from this point on is that, while Lot and his family were fleeing from Sodom, God began to rain down fire and brimstone upon the cities. And, as they were running away, Lot’s wife turned around to glance at the destruction and turned into a pillar of salt. However, after reading the passage a bit closer, I don’t believe that is exactly how it happened.

I recently noticed that when the messengers took Lot and his family to the edge of the city and urged them to flee, they said, “Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there” (19:22 emphasis mine). Then, in the next two verses, we read that, “The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. THEN the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah…” (emphasis mine). In other words, the destruction did not begin until after Lot and his family arrived safely at their destination.

However, when we get to verse 26 and read, “But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”, it becomes a little confusing as to when this actually occurred. There are different viewpoints on this, but my feeling is that Lot’s wife did more than merely glance behind her when she turned into a pillar of salt. The word “looked” in verse 26 is the Hebrew word nabat and it means to behold, gaze, observe, look intently on, or regard with pleasure, favor, or care.

I believe that, as they were fleeing, Lot’s wife, who was following behind Lot and their daughters, began to think back with pleasure on Sodom. Maybe she thought of her other family members or friends and didn’t want to leave them, or wanted to try to convince them to escape with her. Or maybe she remembered something she left behind and wanted to go back to retrieve it. For whatever reason, I believe she returned to Sodom while Lot and his daughters, not realizing that she was not with them, continued to Zoar. Once they arrived at Zoar, God began the destruction, and Lot’s wife was caught in it and became a pillar of salt along with everyone else in the cities. God provided a way of escape from the coming judgment, but Lot’s wife’s heart was still attached to Sodom. She chose the world, and it destroyed her.

This explanation of events fits with Jesus’ reference to Lot’s wife in His description of the coming of the Kingdom of God. In Luke 17:28-33, Jesus compares the coming of the Kingdom of God to God raining fire and brimstone on Sodom. He then says that when the Son of Man comes those who are on the housetop or in the field should not turn back to gather their goods from the house (17:31). He admonishes them to remember Lot’s wife (17:32) and concludes with a warning that if we seek to preserve our life we will lose it, but if we are willing to lose our life, we will keep it (17:33).

The point Jesus is making, and the lesson for us is that if we hold on to our old life, as Lot’s wife did, it will destroy us. Instead, we should be willing to give up our old life and the things of the world so that we might obtain the life of the Kingdom of God. He should be our desire above everything else, and He should be more valuable than anything the world has to offer. This is why the Bible tells us to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Deut. 6:5; Mark 12:29-30).

Therefore, it would be good to develop a daily habit of praying David’s prayer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Ps. 139:23-24). Or “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit” (Ps. 51:10-12).  Lord, search our hearts so that there is nothing that is drawing us back to the world and hindering us from fully following you. Help us to set our heart on you so that we desire you above everything else. And help us to remember Lot’s wife!