Consider This...

Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever! (Psalm 111:10 NLT)

If You want to "grow in wisdom" just start obeying what God says! There are at least two reasons why this works: 1. You have to read God's word in order to obey it and the result is that you grow wise through an ever increasing knowledge of the Truth. 2. You gain wisdom through your life experiences that comes while obeying the Truth. Wise people recognize that God sees things from a different perspective and know that what He commands us to do is always right.

Survivor (Part #3)

2 Kings 20:1-11; Isaiah 38:9-20

Sometimes it feels as if life “piles on” the troubles and problems. That was the case with Hezekiah who was battling a life threatening illness during the same period of time that he was dealing with the  Assyrians who were advancing on Jerusalem.

• Hezekiah was sick with a life-threatening disease.
• Isaiah delivers a message to Him that he should get his house in order and prepare to die.
• Hezekiah prays to God and asks Him for healing.
• God hears/answers his prayer and gives Hezekiah an additional 15 years to live.
• He asks Isaiah if there will be a sign given him confirming his healing.
• God moves the sun back 10 degrees on the sundial.

Some believe this was a local miracle and others believe it was a worldwide miracle (“...in the land” can mean either: cf. 2 Chronicles 32:31).

• A traditional remedy was applied to Hezekiah’s boil, but it was God who healed him.
• Hezekiah composes a psalm of praise (Isaiah 38:9-20) to sing to God in thanksgiving.

Sometimes we “survive” not by DOING anything special, but by KNOWING some special things. What we don’t know can hurt us! Understanding certain truths enables us to survive through the many crises in our lives.

Things to remember:
1. God wants us to enjoy life and live it to the fullest.

• Hezekiah wanted to live, not die. That’s the desire of us all, if we’re honest about it. Fundamentally, there’s nothing wrong with that desire.

Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. (1 Timothy 6:17)

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

J. Vernon McGee tells the true, but comical story about a crisis moment in his life: “When I was taken to the hospital, I had no idea what the outcome of my illness would be. The nurse had to help me get into bed because I was so weak. I was not physically weak—I was frightened; I am a coward. She asked, ‘Are you sick?’ I replied, ‘No. I am scared to death!’ She was a Christian nurse, and she smiled at that. I asked her to leave me alone for awhile, and I turned my face to the wall, just as Hezekiah did, and I cried out to God. I told Him that I did not want to die—and I didn’t want to die.

“...Well, an acquaintance wrote me a letter in which she said, ‘I am not going to pray that you get well because I know that you are ready to go and be with the Lord. I am praying that He will take you home.’ I got an answer back to her in a hurry. I said, ‘Now look here. You let the Lord handle this. Don’t try and tell Him how I feel. I don’t want to die. I want to live. I want to live as long as I can...’”

2. God alone holds the power of life and death in His sovereignty.

• Job had no idea of the events going on in the heavenlies, but Satan had no ability to inflict pain on Job beyond what God allowed.
• James/Peter met different fates, but God was sovereign over both situations. (Acts 12)

Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints. (Psalm 116:15) i.e., No one touches God’s saints until He says so!

3. God is always looking and listening whenever we are praying. (2 Kings 20:5)

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. (James 5:16-18)

And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians. (2 Chronicles 16:12)

4. God can use traditional means to work supernatural miracles. (2 Kings 20:7)

• We should think about doctors as ministers of God to the sick. (ex. Romans 13)

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. (James 5:14-15)

There are a number of reasons for understanding this application of oil as medicinal rather than sacramental. The [Greek word for “anoint”] is not the usual word for sacramental or ritualistic anointing. James could have used the [sacramental word] if that had been what he had in mind...Furthermore, it is a well-documented fact that oil was one of the most common medicines of biblical times...Josephus (Antiq. XVII, 172 [vi. 5]) reports that during his last illness Herod the Great was given a bath in oil in hopes of effecting a cure. The papyri, Philo, Pliny, and [a prominent ancient Roman physician-Golen] all refer to the medicinal use of oil. [The physician] described it as “the best of all remedies for paralysis.” ...It is evident, then, that James is prescribing prayer and medicine. --Expositor's Bible Commentary

5. God is teaching us spiritual lessons whenever we are suffering. (Isaiah 38:17)

Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word...It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes. (Psalm 119:67,71)

6. God wants us to praise Him in life or in death. (Isaiah 38:9-20)


Conclusion:
Sometimes the disasters of life seem too big to handle. But then we hear of those who survive.

“A man who has been pulled alive from the rubble of a marketplace in Port-au-Prince may have been trapped since the devastating earthquake struck the Haitian capital 28 days earlier on, January 12, 2010.
.
“The 28-year-old, identified as Evans Muncie, was found under the remains of the Croix Bossal market where he sold rice. He had not been seen since the 7.0 magnitude earthquake leveled the city killing over 200,000 people.

"Mr Muncie was discovered by people who had been digging at the marketplace. He was taken to an American field hospital in Port-au-Prince where he was treated for severe dehydration and malnutrition…

"Despite the Haitian Government calling for an end to search and rescue operations on January 23, survivors continued to be pulled from the rubble in the following days.”

The next time it seems like life is hopeless or that problems are overwhelming, remember that God is bigger than anything you face.

Consider This...

But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word he said. (Luke 19:48 NLT)

When was the last time you "hung on every word" Jesus says. He's still speaking, you know! Every time you open your Bible you are hearing the voice of God communicating with you. When your pastor/teacher stands to read or speak about God's Word He's talking to you. If it seems like God has gone silent in your life it may be that there is too much noise around you to hear His voice. Jesus found it necessary to disengage from those around Him to spend time with His Father. That's exactly what many of us need to do until we become familiar with His voice again and can make it out even amidst the noise. As His children, we should be the ones that are hanging on His every word!

Consider This...

Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender. (Proverbs 22:7 NLT)

The marketing experts have convinced us that if we don't have their latest product and we don't have it now, that our lives are empty and incomplete. Greed drives many, if not most of the purchases we make and takes us deeper into debt. Many politicians in Washington believe that the way to improve the country is to keep borrowing more money from other nations. Pay attention to the wisdom of Solomon when he says, "...the borrower is servant to the lender." You might not like his straightforward terminology, but once you're in debt above what you can repay you'll soon learn the truthfulness of his wisdom!

Consider This...

The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. (Luke 15:16 NLT)

Sin will take you farther than you wanted to go. It will keep you longer than you wanted to stay. It will cost you more than you wanted to pay. And, when you are down and out with nothing left to claim as your own, except your own depravity, all those that befriended you along your selfish sinful journey...will abandon you! You may call the people you party with your friends, but when you really need them, that riotous crowd won't want anything to do with you except to heighten your misery. Thank God the prodigal son finally "came to his senses" to remember the One that really cared for him! Your Heavenly Father is waiting for you to come to your senses, too!

Consider This...

No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the LORD. (Proverbs 21:30 NLT)

How crazy is it for individuals or governments to think they can stop God? He always prevails in and over every circumstance no matter how arrayed in opposition people and forces are to Him. Where people refuse to allow God to rule, He will overrule whenever He is pleased to do so. Those who think they are smarter and stronger than Him will be made to look foolish and their utter weakness exposed. Stop fighting with/against God! His plan is better than anything you could ever devise or implement!

Consider This...

And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:27 NLT)

No first century Jewish/Roman citizen would have misunderstood the meaning of this powerfully graphic display. Criminals carried their crosses (or at least the patibulum) to the place of their crucifixion. It was an act that required them to bear the shame of their crime and to announce their impending death. Followers of Jesus who aren't willing to identify with His "shame" even to their deaths, can't be His disciples! That doesn't mean you can't go to Heaven, it just means you can't know the fulness of a daily experience with Him. Christianity isn't about convenience or comfort, it's about crucifixion...dying to yourself so you can "know" God more fully (Philippians 3:8) and serve Him more powerfully!

Survivor (Part #2)

2 Kings 18:13-21

On April 27, 2011 an F-4 tornado tore a path across central Alabama, including the big cities of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. This 190 mph monster had a maximum width of 1.5 miles and caused damages totaling $2.2 Billion. When all was said and done, direct injuries from the storm numbered 1500, and 64 people lost their lives.

Angie Richardson is a retired employee of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. She, along with her son Zachary, are the caretakers for her disabled husband, Stewart. Even before the tornado, 2011 was a tough year for Angie. Her mother’s health was taking a turn for the worse, and her daughter was struggling with a difficult pregnancy. Angie was hoping for a change, but on that morning of April 27, she never anticipated how many challenges she still had to face.

None of us knows the challenges and storms (or how many) that await us in the coming days/years. As the clouds gather around us possibly foretelling the ominous events of our personally, unknown future, we begin to fear the outcome and how we will survive.

That’s very much how Hezekiah must have felt as he saw the Assyrian army marching toward him and his capital of Jerusalem under siege.

Let’s recount the biblical story and the gathering storm in Hezekiah’s day so that we can learn from him how to be a survivor of the storms/challenges of life.

The Assyrians had conquered numerous cities of Judah in a campaign to ultimately conquer Jerusalem, the capital city of the Kingdom of Judah.

• Hezekiah diverted the water supply outside the city to prevent the Assyrians from having access to it.
• Hezekiah had the city wall repaired and added an outer wall in some locations.
• Hezekiah had weapons and shields made for a potential attack.
• Hezekiah encouraged the people to be strong and trust the Lord.
• The, an apparent and temporary failure. He capitulated to the Assyrian king by offering to pay him tribute money.
• The tribute money was accepted, but it did not stay the Assyrians from their siege of Jerusalem.
• The king of Assyria threatened Judah through his emissaries in an attempt to coerce the surrender of Hezekiah and the city of Jerusalem.
• He even shouts his message in Hebrew to those along the wall of Jerusalem to frighten them into surrender.
• The Assyrians even suggest that they have been sent by God to capture the city.

How did Hezekiah respond:
1. He humbled himself. (19:1; cf. Isaiah 37:1)

• “...God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

• “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)

• Satan was cast out of Heaven because of pride. (Isaiah 14:12-15)

• King Nebuchadnezzar was humbled for his arrogance (Daniel 4:28-35).

• Hezekiah knew that he needed God’s help and that meant he must humble himself before God...not exalt himself. Hezekiah is not running from his enemy, he is re-focusing and seeking the help of His God! Some battles don’t even require you to lift a weapon or endanger a life. Such will be the case for Hezekiah!

• Don’t misunderstand, there’s no problem with having confidence...when it’s in the power of your God and your response is according to HIs will. (cf. 1 Samuel 17:45)

2. He sought counsel from the godly. (19:2; cf. Isaiah 37:2-7)

• I’ve been reading the book proverbs once a month and it has MUCH to say about receiving counsel!

• “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14)

• “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” (Proverbs 12:15)

• “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” (Proverbs 13:20)

• “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22)

• “Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.” (Proverbs 20:18)

• Not only did Hezekiah seek counsel...he sought it from God’s prophet because he wanted God’s wisdom! You can find someone that will tell you what you want to hear! Or, you can find the right one (counselor) that will tell you what God wants you to hear!

3. He prayed to the God of Heaven. (19:14; cf. Isaiah 37:14-35)
God can move heaven and earth through prayer!

• Asa

In 2 Chronicles 14, Asa must lead his men against the Ethiopians (Cushites). Asa prays to God saying, "there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty." God then struck down the Ethiopians and they fled.

• Jehoshaphat

Jehoshaphat also prayed to God when it seemed they were up against an unbeatable army. Judah brought together all the people of Judah in 2 Chronicles 20 and everybody prayed. The Lord answered and told King Jehoshaphat and his people to not be afraid or discouraged for the battle was not theirs, but God's. When the battle came Judah and the people of Jerusalem sang and praised and the Lord.

• Elisha

In 2 Kings 6, the king of Syria sends chariots and horses to surround Elisha in Dothan. Elisha prays and asks God to blind the Syrians (Arameans) so that he may be able to trick them and God answers Elisha's prayer. Elisha then leads the Syrians directly into Samaria.

• David

In Psalm 116, David talks about how the "cords of death entangled me." The rest of the chapter goes on to say that if I cry out "O Lord, save me" he will, because He is full of grace, righteousness, compassion, He protects the simple hearted and when you are in great need he will save you.

4. He waited on God to work. (19:35-37)

“Come, behold the works of the Lord,  how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;  he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah” (Psalm 46:8-11)

“...but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Conclusion:
With God’s help, you can survive the storms and challenges that come in life!

Author Gerald L. Sittser writes:
"Two years ago, I wrote a book about suffering. I have received many letters from people who wanted to tell me their own stories of suffering. I have asked permission from a few to tell their stories to others. One woman, Mary, was in a terrible automobile accident when she was only five years old. Her grandmother, aunt, and only sibling-a younger brother-were killed. She, the only survivor, was trapped in that chamber of death for more than an hour before an emergency crew could get her out. It took her parents, who were touring Europe at the time, three days to get home. By the time they arrived, she had retreated into a cocoon of silence that lasted for nearly two years. Gradually, she emerged from her silence and returned to normal, or so it seemed.

Mary forgot the accident, but the memory of it did not forget her. She was married in her 20s and had a baby. When her little son reached the age of her brother at the time of his death, the memories flooded back. She had a nervous breakdown... That experience set her on a journey of pain, healing, and redemption.

She was well on her way to emotional and spiritual health when she wrote to me. She concluded her letter by admitting the obvious: She would never have chosen what had happened to her. 'Let this cup pass from me,' she would have said to God. But she did not have a choice.

She came to realize over time that her suffering had a good effect. It served God’s redemptive purpose. She understood the tension in which Christians must live-- the tension between human weakness and God’s strength, life’s afflictions and God’s redemptive plan, catastrophic suffering (which she surely faced) and spiritual victory. She was living what Paul wrote: "We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed. At all times we carry in our mortal bodies the death of Jesus, so that his life also may be seen in our bodies" (2 Cor. 4:8-10, TEV)...”

We, also, live in that tension between “human weakness and God’s strength, life’s afflictions and God’s redemptive plan, catastrophic suffering and spiritual victory.” And, we CAN survive with God’s help!

Consider This...

“If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26 NLT)

Clearly, from the testimony of many other scriptures, God doesn't want us to "hate" (in the sense we think of the word) those dearest to us. But, there can be no rivals to the love we have for Him. Our passion for Him must supersede all other passions in this life or the other competing passions become idols hindering our relationship with Him. When compared to the love we have for Christ, no other love should even come close!

Same-Sex Marriage

It was really no surprise to most of us when President Obama "came out" in favor of homosexual marriage in an interview with a national news reporter. What is incredibly alarming, though, is that in the same context of endorsing same sex marriage he spoke of himself as being a "practicing Christian," but apparently finalized his decision after discussing it with his wife and two children. You would think that a "practicing Christian" would be informed by the Scripture rather than his political base or even his dearest family. 

As a "practicing Christian" there really is no way to miss this unless you willfully miss it! If you believe the Bible...homosexuality is wrong and if it is wrong then you must conclude that homosexual marriage is also wrong. To arrive at any other conclusion is a logical (and more importantly a spiritual) fallacy!

The time for Christians to engage in the discussion is now and we must do it with poise, politeness, and much prayerfulness. An excellent blog post by Rev. Kevin DeYoung points out five reasons Christians cannot be silent on this issue and must let their voices be heard. I challenge you to consider his points and to not avoid the conversation many are having around the proverbial "water-cooler" today. It will mean being ridiculed by some of your friends, but to say nothing at all is just wrong. Kevin DeYoung explains why we cannot be silent:

1. Every time the issue of gay marriage has been put to a vote by the people, the people have voted to uphold traditional marriage. Even in California. In fact, the amendment passed in North Carolina on Tuesday by a wider margin (61-39) than a similar measure passed six years ago in Virginia (57-42). The amendment passed in North Carolina, a swing state Obama carried in 2008, by 22 percentage points.We should not think that gay marriage in all the land is a foregone conclusion. To date 30 states have constitutionally defined marriage as between a man and a woman.
2. The promotion and legal recognition of homosexual unions is not in the interest of the common good. That may sound benighted, if not bigoted. But we must say it in love: codifying the indistinguishability of gender will not make for the “peace of the city.” It rubs against the grain of the universe, and when you rub against the grain of divine design you’re bound to get splinters. Or worse. The society which says sex is up to your own definition and the family unit is utterly fungible is not a society that serves its children, its women, or its own long term well being.
3. Marriage is not simply the term we use to describe those relationships most precious to us. The word means something and has meant something throughout history. Marriage is more than a union of hearts and minds. It involves a union of bodies–and not bodies in any old way we please, as if giving your cousin a wet willy in the ear makes you married. Marriage, to quote one set of scholars, is a "comprehensive union of two sexually complementary persons who seal (consummate or complete) their relationship by the generative act—by the kind of activity that is by its nature fulfilled by the conception of a child. So marriage itself is oriented to and fulfilled by the bearing, rearing, and education of children." This conjugal view of marriage states in complex language what would have been a truism until a couple generations ago. Marriage is what children (can) come from. Where that element is not present (at the level of sheer design and function, even if not always in fulfillment), marriage is not a reality. We should not concede that “gay marriage” is really marriage. What’s more, as Christians we understand that the great mystery of marriage can never be captured between a relationship of Christ and Christ or church and church.
4. Allowing for the legalization of gay marriage further normalizes what was until very recently, and still should be, considered deviant behavior. While it’s true that politics is downstream from culture, it’s also true that law is one of the tributaries contributing to culture. In our age of hyper-tolerance we try to avoid stigmas, but stigmas can be an expression of common grace. Who knows how many stupid sinful things I’ve been kept from doing because I knew my peers and my community would deem it shameful. Our cultural elites may never consider homosexuality shameful, but amendments that define marriage as one man and one woman serve a noble end by defining what is as what ought to be. We do not help each other in the fight for holiness when we allow for righteousness to look increasingly strange and sin to look increasingly normal.
5. We are naive if we think a laissez faire compromise would be enjoyed by all if only the conservative Christians would stop being so dogmatic. The next step after giving up the marriage fight is not a happy millennium of everyone everywhere doing marriage in his own way. The step after surrender is conquest. I’m not suggesting heterosexuals would no longer be able to get married. What I am suggesting is that the cultural pressure will not stop with allowing for some “marriages” to be homosexual. It will keep mounting until all accept and finally celebrate that homosexuality is one of Diversity’s great gifts. The goal is not for different expressions of marriage, but for the elimination of definitions altogether. Capitulating on gay marriage may feel like giving up an inch in bad law to gain a mile in good will. But the reality will be far different. For as in all of the devil’s bargains, the good will doesn’t last nearly so long as the law."

Keep in mind what Solomon said the next time you think of the continuing decline of the moral values of this country: "When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability." (Proverbs 28:2 NLT)