THE CHOICE IS YOURS

Genesis 6:9 “Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless man living on earth at the time. He consistently followed God’s will and enjoyed a close relationship with him."

A recent newspaper article had this headline, “Bankruptcies Blamed on Easy Credit.” In this economy, a record number of 1,300,000 families filed for bankruptcy. The article quoted lawyers and credit counselors as saying that the availability of easy credit and a tendency to shirk responsibility had played a major role in many of these bankruptcies.

Have you noticed? Our society has produced people who ignore responsibilities and then blame others for their problems. “If I get into financial trouble, it’s not my fault; it’s because of easy credit. And the government needs to do something to protect me.”

Again, “If I develop lung cancer from smoking, it’s not my fault. I blame the cigarette companies, and they need to pay.” Or, “If I go into a rage and grab a gun and start shooting people, I’m not responsible. It’s in my genes, and I just can’t help it.” And again, “If I practice sexual perversion, it’s not my fault; God made me this way.”

As a society, we have become adept at blaming others. People are blaming heredity, environment, chemical imbalance, job pressures, poverty, prejudices, abuse, and anything else they can think of for their problems today.

But God teaches that as human beings we’re created higher than plants and animals, and we make choices. We can choose to be good or to be bad. We can choose to obey God or to disobey. You can be God’s man or God’s woman, if that’s your choice. But always remember, we’re responsible for the choices we make.

Our scripture offers a glowing report of Noah. He was a man that remained righteous during wicked times. He found favor in God’s sight. He was a righteous man. He was blameless among the people. Then it says that “…he enjoyed a close relationship with God.” I think that means he was so close to God that he always felt his presence. When he was walking, when he was standing, when he was sitting down – whatever he was doing, he was close to God.

But let me ask you. If you had taken a poll of the people in Noah’s day and asked them, “What do you think of Noah? Do you think he is good or bad? Do you think he is wise or stupid?” What kind of answers do you think you would have gotten?

I think people would have said, “Noah’s an eccentric. He’s bigoted. He’s intolerant. He’s politically incorrect. Noah just doesn’t fit in.” But yet he was a man who found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

You see, Noah understood that the choice to live right before God was his. He would not be forced by his surroundings to be a certain way. The choice was his alone. It was not a popular choice. He was ridiculed and shunned. Be he was a man who loved God.

When you read the story of Noah – be encouraged. You can make it. You can rise above the influence of wickedness that is around you today. You can, like Noah, live differently from what the world demands. It starts by committing to follow the will of God and enjoying a close relationship with him.

TEMPTATION

Genesis 3:6 “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.”

In some overseas areas, a pigeon is a game bird. Here is an account from an English Sportsman – “They roosted on the cliffs of the eastern side of the island in the morning and would fly across to the western cliffs around the middle of the day. When I hunted them, I knew their pattern. The problem was, they flew so high and fast, they were nearly impossible to hit. The hardest thing was to get the first one. You’d have to be almost a perfect shot to get the first one. But once you got one, it was easier to get the second one. See, once you got one, you’d leave it lying in the field like a decoy. Then the next one flying by would slow down, bank, and fly a little bit lower to see what his buddy in the field was doing. And then he got to join him. Once there were four or five in the field, it was so easy it almost wasn’t sporting anymore. The unsuspecting birds would look down, see the bait and take it. They were tempted, succumbed to the temptation and my 12-gauge made sure they paid the price.” -- That is the basics of temptation, isn’t it? And it’s really no different than the way we’re tempted every day. See, the basics of temptation have never changed.

Temptation doesn’t come from God. James 1:13 says, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.” God does not tempt us. But he does test us. The Bible is full of examples of God testing man. As you go through Genesis, the bitter water of Mara was a test. The Manna was a test. Even the giving of the Law was a test. In the New Testament when you look at Jesus’ temptation, how did that begin? It began by the Holy Spirit leading him into the wilderness where he would be tempted by the devil. God does not tempt—he tests. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a test. God placed the tree in the midst of the Garden and told Adam not to eat of it. He placed it there as a test of Adam’s obedience. Now the interesting thing is that in the original language, tempt and test is the exact same word. So what is the distinction? When God placed a tree in the Garden and made a rule for the sole purpose of seeing whether or not Adam obeyed it… what makes that a test and not temptation? Because even though the original word is the same, the intent is different. That’s how translators came up with two different English words.

The intent behind a test is that God wants us to obey his will. The intent behind temptation is that Satan wants us to rebel against God’s will. God placed the tree in the Garden seeking Adam’s obedience to his command. Satan took God’s command and twisted it seeking Adam and Eve’s rebellion and destruction. God’s tests seek obedience. Satan’s temptations seek rebellion. That’s the difference.

What does temptation look like? All too often, we can’t answer that question until after we’ve succumbed to it. Then we look back and say, “Why didn’t I see that coming?” Well, the truth is, most of the time we can see it coming. And if we can’t we should be able to. Because Satan hasn’t changed his tactics in over 6000 years. Why should he? They seem to work awfully well. His first tactic is to question God. The result of temptation depends on how we respond. We know how Adam and Eve responded. They gave in. They succumbed to the temptation. Of course, when they succumbed to the temptation, sin entered the world.

We know what temptation looks like. It questions God. It twists his Word. And it is appealing to our desire for control. Are you trying to be in control of your life? Or are you submitting your wants and desires to God’s control? Finally, we know what temptation results it. It either results in our succumbing to it or resisting it. Are you resisting the temptations that have been coming your way? Or have you been giving in to them? A calloused spirit is a hard thing to overcome, but you can overcome it by simply confessing your sins before a loving and merciful Jesus.

STRENGTH IN WEAKNESS

2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.”

Often the world considers trouble to be a terrible intruder into life. For many people the problems of life are viewed as nothing more than minus factors. But the Christian perspective of trouble is not pessimistic. Paul experienced a thorn in the flesh, and this weakness made him strong. He learned how to be strong in the broken places. His weaknesses did not destroy him. With God’s help he gained strength out of his weaknesses. Thus, there seems to be two alternatives: Problems can either keep us down or make us strong. Let us learn from one who was broken and made strong how we may benefit from the weaknesses of life.

The apostle Paul had a great faith in the Lord. His faith was not just an ascent to religious beliefs. His faith was a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. His favorite expression to describe this relationship was "in Christ." Only a genuine faith in God is adequate during the weaknesses of life. Faith is no casual nod to God. It is allowing God to join our lives. The presence of the Lord helps during times of weaknesses.

Paul had other concerns on his mind more than the agonies caused by the thorn. Paul had two overwhelming purposes in his life. First, he wanted every person in his world to accept Jesus Christ as Savior. Second, he wanted every believer to be Christ like in thoughts and actions. Paul refused to let the thorn detour him in his purposes. Being consumed with the larger purposes of life overshadows the weaknesses. A person’s lack of mission forces him or her to focus on selfish discomfort. When we are possessed by a great mission, selfish discomforts will become secondary.

Paul was able to help others because of his thorn in the flesh. He was able to empathize with a greater intensity. He knew what it was to suffer. As he found strength from God during his weaknesses, he told others who were hurting where to find help. People who have been hurt and have been helped prove to be good helpers.

Paul looked beyond the weaknesses to a greater time. The thorn did not cause Paul to have a pessimistic view of life. Instead, in the midst of his weaknesses he loved life. Part of his great love for life was his optimistic view of the future. He believed that God would ultimately remove the thorn. "This mortal nature must put on immortality" (1 Corinthians. 15:53 RSV)

There is a greater hope for believers. The weaknesses of life may last for a lifetime, but they will not last throughout eternity. The believer will receive a body that is immune from physical and emotional disorders.

The weaknesses of life do not have to make us weaker. By God’s help we may gain strength during the times of weaknesses.

Don’t forget that our weaknesses simply serve as a constant reminder that without God, we are nothing. It is his strength that allows us to live, breath, and have our being. So, the next time you feel weak, be thankful that God is strong and that his power strengthens us every day.

HE DESERVES OUR BEST

Malachi 1:6 “If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" says the Lord Almighty.”

After listening restlessly to a long and tedious sermon, a 6-year-old boy asked his father what the preacher did the rest of the week. “Oh, he’s a very busy man,” the father replied. “He takes care of church business, visits the sick, works on his sermon, counsels people…and then he has to have time to rest up because speaking in public isn’t an easy job.” The boy thought for a moment and then said, “Well, listening ain’t easy, either!” The words of Malachi the prophet could not have been easy to hear, but they were surely necessary.

Let me remind you of the situation that Malachi is addressing. The Jews have returned to their land after living in modern-day Iraq for 70 years. The Temple has been rebuilt and the worship of God has been reestablished. But things are not easy. While outwardly everything seems okay, on the inside a cancer of complacency is eating away at their commitment. As God’s final spokesman at the end of the Old Testament, Malachi comes on the scene to challenge them, and us, to give God our best.

If we want to give God our best we must first embrace authenticity. We must stop just going through the motions, refuse to play church, and do whatever it takes to keep the fire burning. We can fall into a trap of dishonoring God and counting him contemptible when we try to live on what Charles Swindoll calls, “three dollars’ worth of God.” He writes, “Some of us would love to buy three dollars worth of God. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine…I want ecstasy, not transformation. I want the warmth of the womb, not new birth. I want a pound of the eternal in a paper sack. I want three dollars worth of God, please.”

God deserves priority over our possessions. These people were more concerned with keeping what they had than they were in giving God their best. Their hearts were not in it any longer. They were still coming to church but it was just a meaningless ritual to them. They had accepted mediocrity in their lives and their leaders did nothing about it. God tells them to try and offer their junk to the governor as payment of their taxes and see if he would accept them. The bottom line is they thought God didn’t care what they did. After all, they were middle class people who had worked hard. They had high taxes, bills to pay, and they didn’t have a lot of extra cash.

As hard as this may be to hear, God does not need our sacrifices. He’s saying to us today, “Don’t you dare allow me to be represented as some lifeless religious icon. I’d rather you shut everything down than have you continue in a phony religious ritual. If you’re not prepared to give me every inch of your life, then you can’t play church because I’m closing the doors.” These stings, but no worship at all is better than halfhearted sacrifice. God doesn’t need us to give him anything.

Are you giving God your best with your time, with your talents, and with your treasures? Are you giving Him what is left, or what is right? If we’re going to give Him our best, we must first grasp His greatness and embrace an authentic faith.

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT

Isaiah 60:1 “"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.”

Imagine living in the little town of Barrow, Alaska. It’s located on the farthest northern tip of the state of Alaska, above the Arctic Circle. In Barrow Alaska, the sun sets in the afternoon on November 18, and it doesn’t rise again until January 24. 65 days of darkness. 65 days when the sun doesn’t shine. Up there, the earth is tilted in such away that the sun never shows itself for over two months out of the year. But when the sun does rise for a moment on January 24, the whole town comes out to celebrate, because finally, there is light again.

Our scripture is speaking of a different kind of light and darkness. And when this special light that God speaks about begins to shine through that ugly darkness, the results are much more spectacular and joyful than anything you could experience in northern Alaska.

God pictures our world as a very dark place. Spiritually dark. You can see evidence of spiritual darkness by looking around you. Yes, “thick darkness is over the peoples, but…” God says, “…but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.” The birth of the Lord, Jesus Christ, is described in the Bible as the rising of the sun on a very dark place. The sun rises and the darkness disappears. What happens to the darkness of your sin and guilt when Jesus rises in your life? It disappears. Jesus shines his forgiveness and grace into your life, and the darkness in your soul disappears.

If you feel guilt in your life, guilt from committing sin after sin, guilt from trying to make things right with God, even though you know you can never do enough, then you are someone who is trapped in darkness. But then you learn that Jesus Christ was born into the world. You learn that he came for the sole purpose of doing what you could not do – making everything right between you and God. You learn that your sins are freely forgiven because Jesus has died for all of your sins on the cross. You can feel your guilt melt away. It is as though the sun has risen for you. Finally you can see that, because of Christ, everything is good between you and God. You have gone from darkness to light.

And no matter how dark the world becomes, the light of Jesus Christ will never stop shining for you. Don’t feel too sorry for the people of Barrow, Alaska. While it is true that for those 65 days, the sun never rises there, soon the earth will tilt a different way, and then, in Barrow, Alaska, the sun will never set. From May 10 until August 2, for almost three months, the sun will not stop shining in Barrow. People call that place “the land of the midnight sun.”

And so it is with your soul. Once the grace and mercy and forgiveness of Jesus Christ rises in your life, it will never stop shining. No matter how dark the world gets around you, Christ’s love will always shine in your life. Spiritually, right now, you live in the “land of the midnight sun.” Let this be for you a time when you see ever more clearly the glory of your Savior, Jesus Christ.

BLESS AND KEEP

Numbers 6:24 “The Lord bless you and keep you.”

These are words that God instructed the priests to say over the people of Israel.

We learn from Leviticus that the priests were to say these words with their hands held up above their heads. This was to signify that the words weren’t just being uttered by the priests, but were coming from God himself to the people. The priest was the mediator, not the initiator. When the people gathered for worship, the priest would offer the sacrifices to establish them in fellowship with God, and then he would raise his arms and pronounce the blessing.

What did it mean to say, “The Lord bless you”? The Hebrew word literally means “on bended knee”. It describes a servant kneeling out of respect for his master or a lover kneeling to ask his beloved for her hand in marriage. There is a wonderful moment near the end of “The Return of the King” when the four hobbits are stunned that the newly crowned king of men, Aragorn, kneels to honor them. That is something like what this passage has in mind. In this blessing, God is offering to come to his people “on bended knee” – that is, to come to serve them, to love them, to share himself with them.

The second part of the first phrase of the Aaronic blessing calls upon God to “keep” his people. The Hebrew word for “keep” is used to describe the way shepherds would use thorn bushes to build a protective enclosure for the sheep, to keep them safe from predators. “To keep” literally means “to build a hedge around”. Thus, the key idea is that of protection from harm, putting around you and your life a sort of fence to keep out enemies that would snatch away the blessings that God has given you, and to keep you from wandering off.

What an amazing thought. That the supreme and almighty God, who dwells in eternity, the creator of and ruler over all things, would get down on one knee as a servant to sinful and rebellious people like us. That he would then take the trouble to build a protective hedge around us to keep us safe. Yet that is exactly what the Bible says he instructed the priests to call on him to do.

Most people do not think of God like this. Yet, even more than the people of Israel, we should be able to see that this is how God has revealed himself. His coming “on bended knee” was most completely put into action in the incarnation of God the Son. Jesus in the manger is God on bended knee; Jesus eating with sinners is God coming on bended knee; Jesus living as one of us, then giving his life on the cross is God on bended knee. Jesus ascending to heaven and sending his Spirit as our Comforter is God at work keeping us secure, for as Peter wrote, “we have an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, kept in heaven for you.”

Truly, God has shown himself to be a God who has a heart to bless and keep his people.

GOD BREATHED

2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

There are many people who will say that the Bible is merely a collection of myths and legends. There are even some who will say that it is made up completely of lies. And then there are those of us who believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are true and trustworthy because they are the very words of God.

Mark Twain once said, "(The Bible) has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and some good morals; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies." On the other hand, Woodrow Wilson once said, "When you have read the Bible, you will know it is the Word of God."

What would persuade Woodrow Wilson to come to a different conclusion about the Bible than Mark Twain? For that matter, why should anybody believe what Christians believe about the Bible at all? How do I know the Bible is true?

Paul says that Scripture is "God breathed," that is, it finds its source and origin in God. Just as I breathe out the words that I speak, the words of the Bible are the very words of God himself. This having been said, we need to make it clear that the Bible didn’t just fall from heaven. Rather, the Lord moved upon men to write, communicate and transcribe his Word. This very fact, ironically, offers the greatest evidence that the Bible is truly inspired by God himself.

You see the Bible is not one book. The Bible is a compilation of 66 different books written by 40 different authors from 3 different continents in 3 different languages and written over a period of 1500 years. The 66 books of the Bible, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament, contain different literary forms or genres, such as historical writings, poetic writings, prophetic writings, gospel biographical writings and the letters. Yet, within each of the 66 books, we read an incredible unity of themes from Genesis through Revelation, progressively revealing God’s plan to restore his creation.

The difference that the Bible makes in the lives of those who sincerely seek to apply its message points to its trustworthiness.

When the American army stormed across Okinawa, soldiers found villages of unbelievable poverty, ignorance, and filth. But Shimmabuke, a small obscure community, was different. Homes and streets were clean, the villagers poised and cultured, enjoying a high level of health, happiness, intelligence and prosperity.

Why was Shimmabuke different? Thirty years previously an American missionary on his way to Japan had stopped there. Before he moved on he made two converts, left a Bible, and passed on. From that day the people of Shimmabuke had seen no other missionary, had no other visit with any Christian person or group. But in those 30 years the inhabitants had made the Bible come alive. The two converts had taught the villagers its truth until everyone became a Christian.

Then came the American army. Clarence Hall, a war correspondent wrote the following: "I strolled through Shimmabuke one day with a tough old Army sergeant. As we walked he turned to me and whispered hoarsely. "I can’t figure it, fellow--this kind of people coming out of only a Bible and a couple of old guys who wanted to live like Jesus!" Then he added what was to me an infinitely penetrating observation: "Maybe we’ve been using the wrong kind of weapons to make the world over!"

The Bible clearly guides us on how to receive and live life to the fullest, both now and for all eternity.