Friday, December 31, 2010

Matthew 28:20

"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."

     This verse is the tail end of what is commonly known as the Great Commission, where Jesus instructed His disciples to spread the gospel. I just love the fact that Jesus was not short-sighted. Even when giving important instructions He was mindful of human weakness and spoke of the promised provisions He made.
    Have you ever had a really big job to do and felt like there was no way you could get it done? Have you ever felt intense guilt because of it? Imagine how much more severe those feelings are when the work you have to do has eternal consequence. Jesus knows how the devil plans to work on your emotions.
    As a child I had many opportunities to learn how to work. I often remember that my work was always easier, even enjoyable, when I had someone to help me. That is exactly what Jesus promised here. Even better is the promise that He isn't leaving either. He promises, "I am with you alway."   
    This promise also deals with the feelings a believer experiences when doing the Lord's work and sharing the gospel. The devil would have you to think it is all up to you and your skill set. Read the gospels, search it diligently, and see if Jesus ever just tagged along with His disciples waiting for them to make decisions. The reality is He didn't. As they did His work, Jesus was beside them to provide wisdom and ability to do it right. When you do His work, He not only promised to be with you, but He is also prommising to give you wisdom and power so that it is done right.
  

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

I Peter 5:6

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:”


I am amazed at how many promises from God are conditional. It would do us well to take note. Much of the “more abundant life” He wishes to give us hinges on our willingness to obey. Here God promises to exalt you in due time. Again we can see that God has precise timing and He also has a time planned for you to be lifted up.


The key to being exalted is simply humility to God and His will for your life. Pay special attention that it isn’t just humility, but humility under God and His power. When we do this we are assured God will take care of us, even when it seems as though others have an advantage over us.


This promise reminds me of the contrast within my own life. Shortly after I got saved I began intense study of the Bible. God was faithful to teach me, even though I tried to wrestle others (believer or not). I had become lifted up in what I knew. The result was many hours of discourse, which yielded no peaceable fruits of righteousness. Unfortunately, several people no longer cared to engage in spiritual conversation and needless to say their opinions of me did not allow me an exalted place in their minds or hearts.

After a period of time, much longer than I care to admit, God got through to me. I began to learn how to humble myself under His power. The result has been that God has given me opportunity to share His wonderful truth. Today people have great confidence in my walk with God and seek me for Godly counsel. This “exalted” position is God’s doing, not my own. What people are drawn to, what is exalted, is the very character of God that is reflected in my life. This only happens as I humble myself to Him.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Psalms 32:8 part 3

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”




The third explicit promise in this verse pertains to eye contact. Flashback to your childhood. Do you remember “the look?” You know, the one your parents flashed you when something needed to be changed. That simple act communicated volumes without a word ever being spoken. Somehow, their eyes told you exactly what to do or where to go.

The reason it works is due to your relationship. You knew them; hence you knew what they were telling you to do. That is what God has promised you. When you are saved you will have a close personal relationship with Him. It will be so close that you will be able to “see’ God’s eye.

God is not saying a pair of eyeballs will follow you around, nor is it like those freaky paintings where the eyes always seem to be staring at you. His eyes are manifested in many forms. Often it is in His word but it may also be a spontaneous flow of thought or counsel from another person that prompts you toward what is right. The important thought is that God will let you know what you need to do.

The last bit of promise hidden in here is the fact that God will lead with His eye. It is singular because that is God’s focus. He is not going to confuse. The other part is that it is His. He is not leaving the job to an assistant. God wants you to follow His eye, not what someone says about His eye. The only question that remains is, Do you see God’s eye?

Friday, December 17, 2010

Psalms 32:8 part 2

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”




The second look at this promise will focus on God’s methodologies; how He does what He does. God has promised to “teach” you. This reminds me of the little story I learned when I was studying education in college. In the story Mr. Smith came into the copy room and complained to the other teachers saying, “I taught and taught all day and the kids learned absolutely nothing.”

The point of the story is that there is a difference between talking and teaching. God has promised to teach, not just talk. Teaching is to cause one to learn by example or experience. Can you see the beauty in what He has promised? He will do what is necessary for you to learn and understand.

Part of learning is discovery. Just because God appears silent doesn’t mean He has left the room or isn’t teaching you. There are times in your education when God provides a safe situation for you to explore, experience and discover. Don’t fret. It is all part of the plan. You can be assured that God will provide an opportunity for you and Him to debrief.

In school you always hear the question, maybe you even asked it yourself, “When will we have to use this in real life?” When you get older it morphs into, “Why do I have to go through this?” The answer to your question is because it is part of your education. God knows what He is doing. The sooner you realize it, and start asking “How” instead of “Why” the sooner you will know the answer to both questions.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Psalms 32:8

 “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”

This verse, like many of the psalms, is packed with explicit as well as implicit promises. Let’s begin with the fact that God has promised to “instruct” you in the way. Did you happen to notice the incidental promise? God has a plan for you. There is a way He would like your life to go.


Landing the Space Shuttle on the moon seems easy enough. However, the degree of accuracy is equivalent to standing two football fields away from a measly house-fly, then shooting it in the eye! Have you ever considered the heavens? They are full of bodies of planets, stars, asteroids, comets, and cosmic “stuff.” To complicate matters, everything is moving. It all seems impossible until you realize they have ordained patterns, which they methodically follow.

Now look at the meat of the first explicit promise; instruction. Instruct means to impart knowledge in a methodical manner. When God instructs you He will be methodical. He is not like a scatter-brained teacher you had in high school who lost your papers or seemed to talk about the most random and unrelated events. God is a God of order and that is what He is promising to bring to your life if you are willing to accept His instruction.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”


Do you remember growing up vowing you would never be like your parents? Do you remember the first time you realized you did it anyway? I often catch myself doing things just like my parents taught me; most of the time out of learned instinct. It is due to a God ordained principle.

This promise is a comfort to Godly parents who teach their children what is right. While it doesn’t guarantee they will stay saved it does promise they will not forget. What parents teach their children will affect the way they think when they are older. That is why the Jesuits used to say, “Give us a child until he is seven and we will return unto you a man.”

This promise is also meant as a comfort to us who are saved. If we are allowing God to be our Father then as we grow we shall be more like Him. That means as I mature as a Christian I have an assurance I can be like God and not have to depart from what He has instilled in me. Don’t forget that maturation within Christianity doesn’t depend on your age or amount of time you have been saved. It is based on experience with God.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

I John 5:18

 “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

We have already looked at the protection promise in this verse, now we want to look at the power promise in this verse. Like the protection, the power promise is conditional. The condition you must meet is to be born again. That means you have asked God to forgive your sins, confessed His divinity and ownership, and repented of your old ways. God is telling you that He will grant power to you so that you will not have to sin again.


I grew up around a bunch of people who used vile and dirty language. Naturally, I began to curse as they did, but never in front of my parents. I really didn’t like the taste of soap, getting beat with a switch, or causing my parents to think less of me as a person. As a grew into adulthood it became a habit that ruled me. Over a 5-month period of time I tried repeatedly to stop, only to realize 5 days was the best I could muster before being overpowered.

I honestly felt helpless in my life. In simplistic faith I told God, “If you will help me quit cussing I’ll think about getting saved.” God answered my prayer and took the habit away and I haven’t cussed since 1997! God did such a work that I don’t even think of those filthy words anymore. This is the type of power God promises to those who are born again. Do you have that power working in your life? If not, God is telling you it is available if you will allow it.

Friday, December 3, 2010

I John 5:18

We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

I recall a time as a kid when one of my cousins and I were playing around. We would often tease each other and one particular day he took it to far. Fortunately for him, I was not as fast of a runner and he beat me into the house where he hung out by his mom. Like a dog circling a treed cat, I would circle looking for an opportunity to hit him. Standing behind her back, He would silently taunt me with ridiculing antics. He was living proof of what M.C. Hammer sang; “Can’t Touch This.”


Here, God grants us understanding of a conditional promise concerning our safety. The devil has great power, but only as God permits. God is telling us we can be safe if we’ll just have enough sense to do what my cousin did. Keep yourself in the presence of the one who has more authority than the one trying to harm you and you can sing “Can’t Touch This.”

Your safety is already guaranteed, but it hinges on two important aspects. First you must be born of God (saved). Secondly, you must keep yourself. Specifically, keep yourself in God’s will. This requires obedience, but the reward is the promise of unfailing protection.