Resolved 08, which I spoke at a couple weeks ago, had a sobering theme: Heaven and Hell. In my preparation, I dug up this contrast between Clark Pinnock and Dorothy Sayers.
Clark Pinnock, a Canadian theologian who has moved far from his evangelical roots, wrote:
I was led to question the traditional belief in everlasting conscious torment because of moral revulsion and broader theological considerations, not first of all on scriptural grounds. It just does not make any sense to say that a God of love will torture people forever for sins done in the context of a finite life.... It's time for evangelicals to come out and say that the biblical and morally appropriate doctrine of hell is annihilation, not everlasting torment. (Theological Crossfire: An Evangelical/Liberal Dialogue, 226-7)
Dorothy Sayers, who died in 1957, speaks a wise and faithful antidote to this kind of abandonment of truth.
There seems to be a kind of conspiracy, especially among middle-aged writers of vaguely liberal tendency, to forget, or to conceal, where the doctrine of Hell comes from. One finds frequent references to the "cruel and abominable mediaeval doctrine of hell," or "the childish and grotesque mediaeval imagery of physical fire and worms." ...
But the case is quite otherwise; let us face the facts. The doctrine of hell is not "mediaeval": it is Christ's. It is not a device of "mediaeval priestcraft" for frightening people into giving money to the church: it is Christ's deliberate judgment on sin. The imagery of the undying worm and the unquenchable fire derives, not from "mediaeval superstition," but originally from the Prophet Isaiah, and it was Christ who emphatically used it.... It confronts us in the oldest and least "edited" of the gospels: it is explicit in many of the most familiar parables and implicit in many more: it bulks far larger in the teaching than one realizes, until one reads the Evangelists through instead of picking out the most comfortable texts: one cannot get rid of it without tearing the New Testament to tatters. We cannot repudiate Hell without altogether repudiating Christ. (A Matter of Eternity, 86)
by John Piper www.desiringGod.org
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
The Hound of Heaven!
By: Greg Herrick Th.M., Ph.D.
The Hound of Heaven and a Young Russian Agnostic
He had slipped away hoping to take a Bible for himself. What he did not know was that he was being pursued by the "Hound of Heaven." What he found shook him to the core.
The inside page of the Bible he picked up had the handwritten signature of his own grandmother. It had been her personal Bible. Out of the thousands of Bibles still left in that warehouse, he stole the very one belonging to his grandmother-a woman, who throughout her entire life, was persecuted for her faith.
No wonder he was weeping-God had powerfully and yet tenderly made Himself known to this young man.1 Such was his divinely appointed meeting with the sovereign Lord of the universe, the "Hound of Heaven" who had tracked him down to that very warehouse! Remember Jeremiah's words: "`Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?' declares the Lord. `Do not I fill both heaven and earth?' declares the Lord." (Jer 23:24).
The "Hound of Heaven" and You.
Jesus is truly the ever-present, all-seeing "Hound of Heaven." He can track us down wherever we're hiding! And once on the trail, he sets his heart with relentless zeal and undivided focus to the pursuit-a zeal that originally led him directly to the ignominy of a Roman cross!
Choosing to leave behind the luxuries of Heaven's golden palaces and the unrivaled joy of the Father's presence, Jesus willingly descended into the ghetto of this present world-the realm of sin and Satan-in order to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). Through the brutality of his suffering, climaxing in his voluntary death, he secured a startling triumph over hostile forces arrayed in battle against Him (and us). Having earned a once-for-all victory for His people, and having been resurrected to an indestructible life, He has returned to Heaven and His Father, where he continues to seek and to save that which was lost (Heb 7:25). The young Russian man knows what this means. So does his grandmother. Do you?
You see, Jesus is still pursuing people through the message of the cross. The message of the cross rises above the myriad of voices and the noise in our culture, seizing our consciences by the throat and laying bare the depth of our selfishness and estrangement from God. If Jesus Christ was God Almighty incarnate, and His death was necessary to quell my rebellion, then I guess I know God's estimate of my sinfulness. "Oh wretched man that I am," says the apostle (Rom 7:24). But the good news is-for those who love Him-that all our filth has been transferred to Christ who willingly bore the guilt and pollution of our sin, death, and shame.
Thus, the message of the cross not only instructs me concerning the disastrous consequences of my rebellion, it also faithfully imparts the priceless knowledge of God's "other worldly," all conquering love-a love that changes "rebel" into "reconciled" and whose intensity can only be likened to a blood hound hot on the trail.
Like a major landmark enroute to the place where God lives, the cross shows you and me the way home into the arms of our Father. It does not repel us from Him; on the contrary, it leads us confidently into His presence. Surely if He would suffer to this extent for us, then He must love us thoroughly.
In short, the cross calms my agitated, nervous heart and is like a smiling, gracious butler, who sees plainly that I am not clothed properly, but who nonetheless incessantly pleads with me to enter God's home where the real party never ends. Through the cross God himself has provided the wardrobe appropriate for the festivities! He called our young Russian friend and now he calls you. Won't you come in?
The Hound of Heaven and a Young Russian Agnostic
Andrea Wolfe, on staff with the CoMission office in Raleigh, North Carolina
tells the following story:
In the 1930's Stalin ordered a purge of all Bibles
and all believers. In Stavropol, Russia, this order was carried out with
vengeance. Thousands of Bibles were confiscated, and multitudes of believers
were sent to the gulags-prison camps-where most died, unjustly condemned as
"enemies of the state."
The CoMission once sent a team to Stavropol. The city's history wasn't
known at that time. But when the team was having difficulty getting Bibles
shipped from Moscow, someone mentioned the existence of a warehouse outside of
town where these confiscated Bibles had been stored since Stalin's day.
After the team had prayed extensively, one member finally mustered up
the courage to go to the warehouse and ask the officials if the Bibles were
still there. Sure enough, they were. Then the CoMissioners asked if the Bibles
could be removed and distributed again to the people of Stavropol. The answer
was "Yes!"
The next day the CoMission team returned with a truck and several
Russian people to help load the Bibles. One helper was a young man-a skeptical,
hostile agnostic collegian who had come only for the day's wages. As they were
loading Bibles, one team member noticed that the young man had disappeared.
Eventually they found him in a corner of the warehouse, weeping.
He had slipped away hoping to take a Bible for himself. What he did not know was that he was being pursued by the "Hound of Heaven." What he found shook him to the core.
The inside page of the Bible he picked up had the handwritten signature of his own grandmother. It had been her personal Bible. Out of the thousands of Bibles still left in that warehouse, he stole the very one belonging to his grandmother-a woman, who throughout her entire life, was persecuted for her faith.
No wonder he was weeping-God had powerfully and yet tenderly made Himself known to this young man.1 Such was his divinely appointed meeting with the sovereign Lord of the universe, the "Hound of Heaven" who had tracked him down to that very warehouse! Remember Jeremiah's words: "`Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?' declares the Lord. `Do not I fill both heaven and earth?' declares the Lord." (Jer 23:24).
The "Hound of Heaven" and You.
Jesus is truly the ever-present, all-seeing "Hound of Heaven." He can track us down wherever we're hiding! And once on the trail, he sets his heart with relentless zeal and undivided focus to the pursuit-a zeal that originally led him directly to the ignominy of a Roman cross!
Choosing to leave behind the luxuries of Heaven's golden palaces and the unrivaled joy of the Father's presence, Jesus willingly descended into the ghetto of this present world-the realm of sin and Satan-in order to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). Through the brutality of his suffering, climaxing in his voluntary death, he secured a startling triumph over hostile forces arrayed in battle against Him (and us). Having earned a once-for-all victory for His people, and having been resurrected to an indestructible life, He has returned to Heaven and His Father, where he continues to seek and to save that which was lost (Heb 7:25). The young Russian man knows what this means. So does his grandmother. Do you?
You see, Jesus is still pursuing people through the message of the cross. The message of the cross rises above the myriad of voices and the noise in our culture, seizing our consciences by the throat and laying bare the depth of our selfishness and estrangement from God. If Jesus Christ was God Almighty incarnate, and His death was necessary to quell my rebellion, then I guess I know God's estimate of my sinfulness. "Oh wretched man that I am," says the apostle (Rom 7:24). But the good news is-for those who love Him-that all our filth has been transferred to Christ who willingly bore the guilt and pollution of our sin, death, and shame.
Thus, the message of the cross not only instructs me concerning the disastrous consequences of my rebellion, it also faithfully imparts the priceless knowledge of God's "other worldly," all conquering love-a love that changes "rebel" into "reconciled" and whose intensity can only be likened to a blood hound hot on the trail.
Like a major landmark enroute to the place where God lives, the cross shows you and me the way home into the arms of our Father. It does not repel us from Him; on the contrary, it leads us confidently into His presence. Surely if He would suffer to this extent for us, then He must love us thoroughly.
In short, the cross calms my agitated, nervous heart and is like a smiling, gracious butler, who sees plainly that I am not clothed properly, but who nonetheless incessantly pleads with me to enter God's home where the real party never ends. Through the cross God himself has provided the wardrobe appropriate for the festivities! He called our young Russian friend and now he calls you. Won't you come in?
Does Truth Matter if You Are Godly, But Wrong?
DadsDevoted!
Since there are some Arminians who are more godly than some Calvinists and some Calvinists who are more godly than some Arminians, what is the correlation between true knowledge of God and godliness?
The best of both groups have historically admired the godliness of those in the other group. Whitefield, the Calvinist, said of Wesley, the Arminian, “Mr. Wesley I think is wrong in some things; yet I believe...Mr. Wesley, and others, with whom we do not agree in all things, will shine bright in glory” (Wesley and the Men Who Followed, 71).
But the sad thing about our day, unlike the days of Whitefield and Wesley, is that many infer from this that knowing God with greater truth and fullness is not important, since it doesn’t appear to be decisive in what produces godliness. Those who know what the Bible says will be protected from that mistake.
Paul correlates knowing and doing in a way that shows that knowing profoundly influences doing. Fourteen times Paul implies that our sinful behavior would be different if we knew the truth more fully. For example,
When a more godly person believes something erroneous about God, among other true things, it is not the error that God uses to produce the godliness.
And when a less godly person believes something true about God, among other false things, it is not the truth that his sin uses to produce the ungodliness.
There are various reasons why a person with a more true view of God may be less godly, and the person with a less true view of God may be more godly:
© Desiring God
By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org
Since there are some Arminians who are more godly than some Calvinists and some Calvinists who are more godly than some Arminians, what is the correlation between true knowledge of God and godliness?
The best of both groups have historically admired the godliness of those in the other group. Whitefield, the Calvinist, said of Wesley, the Arminian, “Mr. Wesley I think is wrong in some things; yet I believe...Mr. Wesley, and others, with whom we do not agree in all things, will shine bright in glory” (Wesley and the Men Who Followed, 71).
But the sad thing about our day, unlike the days of Whitefield and Wesley, is that many infer from this that knowing God with greater truth and fullness is not important, since it doesn’t appear to be decisive in what produces godliness. Those who know what the Bible says will be protected from that mistake.
Paul correlates knowing and doing in a way that shows that knowing profoundly influences doing. Fourteen times Paul implies that our sinful behavior would be different if we knew the truth more fully. For example,
You yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers! Or do you not know
that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? (1 Corinthians
6:8–9)
Flee from sexual immorality.... Or do you not know that your body is a
temple of the Holy Spirit?
(1 Corinthians 6:18–19)
Each one of you know how to control his own body
in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not
know God. (1 Thessalonians 4:4–5)
All godliness is owing to truth, that is, to God as he is truly known. Truth,
known with the mind and loved with the heart, is the way God produces all
godliness. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free (John 8:32).
When a more godly person believes something erroneous about God, among other true things, it is not the error that God uses to produce the godliness.
And when a less godly person believes something true about God, among other false things, it is not the truth that his sin uses to produce the ungodliness.
There are various reasons why a person with a more true view of God may be less godly, and the person with a less true view of God may be more godly:
Therefore, let us humble ourselves. There are views so obscured by error that the God on the other side of the glass is not the true God. So the measure of truth in our views matters infinitely. But also, there is no guarantee that right thinking will produce right living. There is more to godliness than having clear views of God. Trusting him and loving him through those views matters infinitely.1. The person with a less true view of God may nevertheless be more submissive
and more powerfully influenced by the smaller amount of truth that he has, and
the person with more truth may be less submissive and less influenced by the
truth he has. The Holy Spirit (the Spirit of truth) always makes truth an
instrument in his sanctifying influences, but he does not always do it in
proportion to the amount of truth present in the mind.
God’s revealed will is
that we grow in the knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18), because in that way the
Spirit can make our holiness the manifest fruit of what we know of Christ, so
that Christ is more clearly honored (John 16:14). But the Spirit is free to make
little knowledge produce much holiness, lest those with much knowledge be
proud.
2. Two persons with radically different personalities and backgrounds
may have more or fewer obstacles to overcome in the process of sanctification.
Therefore, the one with fewer obstacles may respond in godly ways to less truth,
while the one with more obstacles may struggle more, even though he has more
truth.
3. A person with much truth may lag behind in godliness because there
are hindrances that arise between the truth in the mind and the response of the
heart to that truth. These hindrances may include loss of memory; ease of
distraction; blind spots that keep one from seeing how a truth applies to a
long-held pattern of behavior; mental disorders (mild or profound) that create
disconnects between thoughts and volitions; confusion and ignorance about the
way sanctification is meant to work; or hidden rebellion of the heart that
covers itself with a veneer of orthodoxy.
© Desiring God
By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Strange Fire in Worship Today!
The church today, possibly the Emerging Church and even many that do not claim the emerging title to their name are using "strange fire" in their services and calling it "worship". I want to speak about this topic in this post on a very serious note. Our churches today have lost the seriousness, holiness, purity, and worthiness in the worship of God with our church services today.
If you are at all concerned about the about truly honoring God in "worth-ship" worship, then read on.
God had never warned these two men nor can we find anything concerning this prior to this account. God simply made His judgement known on the spot when the "strange fire" emerges from the temple. What could this strange fire have been I have often wondered. Is God this specific about worship towards Him that He will kill someone for worshipping Him in a wrong way? Is this Old Testament account obsolete with the ushering in of the New Testament? What does God think about the so called "worship" that goes on in many churches today? What is true worship anyway? Is God really this serious about how we worship Him? If God an orderly God or does He just allow us the freedom to worship Him however we see fit?
God has told us here in the Old Testament that "I will be sanctified..." The Greek form of this is "hallowed" which is "holy". He alone is to be worshiped. He is to be worshiped correctly, not by any means we humans think we want to worship Him. He is not immused by the entertainment styles of worship today. He is not amused at all in the entertainment musicial worship of today's churches. So, how are we to worship as to not create this "strange fire" in the prescence of God Almighty? We need to be very careful in our quest to be relevant in church services. Creating worship services that are "user friendly" or "seeker friendly" is not biblical from what I can find.
"I will be sanctified." This means that God will have His people demean themselves and carry themselves so as to hold forth their acknowledgement of His holiness, so that by their carriage God may appear to be a holy God. If we are not willing to sanctify God with our worship, if we are not willing to make God's name appear to be holy, and if we are holding back His glory due Him, then God says He will demean us and carry Himself towards us so that by His actions He will make it very clear what a holy God He really is. God is not willing that we go through life living unholy lives while supposedly worshipping Him as well.
God is sanctified by the holiness of His people in their actions and worship towards Him by holding forth the glory of God's holiness. Remember that the saints of God snactify the Lord in their hearts by fearing God as a holy God with reverence to Him as a holy God.
God also sanctifies Himself in ways of judgement on those who do not want to sanctify His holiness or His name in holiness. Read Ezekiel 28:22 as God speaks. God wants His people to draw near to Him which is far better, but He will draw near to us as well in order for His sanctification to be fulfilled.
Now, dealing with worship in church these days we must realize that we are there to honor a most holy and righteous God. We are not there to feel better! We are not there to worship in whatever manner we fill we can! We are not there to let loose and be ourselves! When at worship we are there to lift up the holy name of God, Elohim and Adonai. We are to approach the throne of God in holy reverence with the highest fearful respect that God requires and deserves. God is not to be mocked, yet many thinking they are worshiping God are merely mocking the name of Christ with the entertaining games, rock n roll music, and flipent ways of worship. Music is not exclusive to worship.
You can worship in praise music, you can certainly worship in hymns, you can worship with only the message of God presented by the pastor, you can worship simply in prayer. Music is not the only act of worship. This seems to be an issue with churches today as the music must take up an hour of the service, then leave about 15 minutes for a very surface topical message that does little to sustain the listener for more than a one hour lunch on Sunday.
Something everyone needs to understand is that God killer two upstanding young men that were the sons of Aaron and Nephews of Moses for worshipping with a "Strange Fire"...what would we think if God treated those worshipping in the church today this way? We have the Word of God to stand firm upon. We do not have to wonder what direction we are to take. We do not have to wonder what the truth is. We can rest upon the truth that is found in the Holy Bible from our youth into eternity.
Be very careful presenting ourselves before God in holy worship to Him. Although Aaron's sons came with the right incense to present to God, but it was the strange fire that God was not accepted by God. Worship is not to be altered to be more seeker friendly folks. Worship is about God not the worshiper per say. Worship is our expression of bringing holiness to the name of God because He is worthy.
Each week we can go to church to hear glorious music, sing glorious music, and hear a wonderful message. Is it near the same "routine" each week? That is perfectly fine. There is nothing wrong with it being similiar week in and week out.
Worship:
-Music
-Instruments
-Expository message each week
-Glorious Special music in service
-Focus on God not seekers or believers
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Worship in truth-worship in faith!
-Scott Bailey 2008
God is worth our time, our efforts, our best, our minds, our hearts, our bodies, and our all. Today's church has reduced this to something very strange that is called "worship", but resembles that of a Saturday night program on the Las Vegas strip. The church has so diluted "worship" that true worship seems strange to most people. The "seekers" certainly do not know what true worship is, because in these Emerging or similar churches true "worship" has never existed.Psalm 29:2 "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name."
If you are at all concerned about the about truly honoring God in "worth-ship" worship, then read on.
This was what Moses told Aaron after Aaron's two sons, Nadab and Abihu were struck down by God in the temple. Why did God strike the two upstanding young men to their death? They entered the temple and worshiped with "strange fire". The sin these two committed according to all we find in scripture is that they offered upon the burning alter "strange fire". THe command was that the alter would burn constantly without going out...the same fire all the time. Now, in Exodus 30:9 we see that they were forbidden from offering strange incense, but nothing concerning "strange fire". Could it have been the strange incense that created the strange fire? The claim is they brought the proper incense to the fire, but the fire was not right.In Leviticus 10:3 "Then Moses said to Aaron, 'This is that the Lord spoke
saying, 'I will be sanctified in them that come near Me, and before all the
people I will be glorified...then Aaron held his peace.'"
God had never warned these two men nor can we find anything concerning this prior to this account. God simply made His judgement known on the spot when the "strange fire" emerges from the temple. What could this strange fire have been I have often wondered. Is God this specific about worship towards Him that He will kill someone for worshipping Him in a wrong way? Is this Old Testament account obsolete with the ushering in of the New Testament? What does God think about the so called "worship" that goes on in many churches today? What is true worship anyway? Is God really this serious about how we worship Him? If God an orderly God or does He just allow us the freedom to worship Him however we see fit?
God has told us here in the Old Testament that "I will be sanctified..." The Greek form of this is "hallowed" which is "holy". He alone is to be worshiped. He is to be worshiped correctly, not by any means we humans think we want to worship Him. He is not immused by the entertainment styles of worship today. He is not amused at all in the entertainment musicial worship of today's churches. So, how are we to worship as to not create this "strange fire" in the prescence of God Almighty? We need to be very careful in our quest to be relevant in church services. Creating worship services that are "user friendly" or "seeker friendly" is not biblical from what I can find.
"I will be sanctified." This means that God will have His people demean themselves and carry themselves so as to hold forth their acknowledgement of His holiness, so that by their carriage God may appear to be a holy God. If we are not willing to sanctify God with our worship, if we are not willing to make God's name appear to be holy, and if we are holding back His glory due Him, then God says He will demean us and carry Himself towards us so that by His actions He will make it very clear what a holy God He really is. God is not willing that we go through life living unholy lives while supposedly worshipping Him as well.
I have heard it often put this way, "He will be glorified in our life or He will
be glorified in our death..either way He will be glorified."
God is sanctified by the holiness of His people in their actions and worship towards Him by holding forth the glory of God's holiness. Remember that the saints of God snactify the Lord in their hearts by fearing God as a holy God with reverence to Him as a holy God.
God also sanctifies Himself in ways of judgement on those who do not want to sanctify His holiness or His name in holiness. Read Ezekiel 28:22 as God speaks. God wants His people to draw near to Him which is far better, but He will draw near to us as well in order for His sanctification to be fulfilled.
Now, dealing with worship in church these days we must realize that we are there to honor a most holy and righteous God. We are not there to feel better! We are not there to worship in whatever manner we fill we can! We are not there to let loose and be ourselves! When at worship we are there to lift up the holy name of God, Elohim and Adonai. We are to approach the throne of God in holy reverence with the highest fearful respect that God requires and deserves. God is not to be mocked, yet many thinking they are worshiping God are merely mocking the name of Christ with the entertaining games, rock n roll music, and flipent ways of worship. Music is not exclusive to worship.
You can worship in praise music, you can certainly worship in hymns, you can worship with only the message of God presented by the pastor, you can worship simply in prayer. Music is not the only act of worship. This seems to be an issue with churches today as the music must take up an hour of the service, then leave about 15 minutes for a very surface topical message that does little to sustain the listener for more than a one hour lunch on Sunday.
Something everyone needs to understand is that God killer two upstanding young men that were the sons of Aaron and Nephews of Moses for worshipping with a "Strange Fire"...what would we think if God treated those worshipping in the church today this way? We have the Word of God to stand firm upon. We do not have to wonder what direction we are to take. We do not have to wonder what the truth is. We can rest upon the truth that is found in the Holy Bible from our youth into eternity.
Be very careful presenting ourselves before God in holy worship to Him. Although Aaron's sons came with the right incense to present to God, but it was the strange fire that God was not accepted by God. Worship is not to be altered to be more seeker friendly folks. Worship is about God not the worshiper per say. Worship is our expression of bringing holiness to the name of God because He is worthy.
Each week we can go to church to hear glorious music, sing glorious music, and hear a wonderful message. Is it near the same "routine" each week? That is perfectly fine. There is nothing wrong with it being similiar week in and week out.
Worship:
-Music
-Instruments
-Expository message each week
-Glorious Special music in service
-Focus on God not seekers or believers
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Worship in truth-worship in faith!
-Scott Bailey 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
The Providential Power of God Helps His People!
"Providence-there is a great mystery here that we may never fully understand. Though God is not the author of sin, yet He allows for sin and directs every sin and act of evil for His own glory (purposes). He is sovereign!"
I know that today many of us are experiencing troubles that we never thought we would ever have to deal with. In such a time it is such a great comfort to know and understand that we serve a providential God. He works all things for good for those of us in Christ Jesus.
God speaks through prevailing prayer! "He will call upon me, and I will answer HIm." (Psalm 91:15)
In the Webster dictionary it defines prevail as "to produce or achieve the desired effect; to be effective; succeed." How do we achieve this desired effect with God....by being in good fellowship with Him. In this way He speaks to us and answers our prayers. Something that we don't think about much is listening to God first and then pray based on what He said. This will change the perspective of our prayers. We might find that when we first kneeled down to pray it was all about us. However, after listening to God and meditating on His word, we direct the focus of the prayer on Him and His glory no matter what our circumstances are.
As Christian dads and husbands we must continue in a spirit of prayer at all times. Jesus said, "Men ought always to pray and not to faint..." (Luke 18:1) This does not mean we walk around with our hands folded, but just in each quiet moment whether it is short or long we can simply just speak to God about that moment...whatever that may be.
God assures us through His precious promises! "Whereby are given unto us exceedingly great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature." (2 Peter 1:4)
Many of us tend to forget the promises of God for some reason. We trod along daily without much thought of His promises. He has promised not to forget about us, yet we set around whining about how God has forgotten us. We are forfeiting the benefits of God by doing this. Memorize the promises of God on a daily basis.
Some of His greatest and most used promises are His protection and provision. His provision is every moment of our lives, men. He has not seen anything that shocks Him or catches Him by surprise. If you find yourself today without a job, He knew about it before the foudnations of the earth. This was not an event that caught Him off guard and now He must react to it.....He is working His perfect plan in our lives at all times. God never sleeps!
Review, reflect, and rely on the promises of God. This is what gives us men our assurance for our families success. He helps us at every turn of our lives.
Our personal peace in God is calming! "Peace I leave with you, my peace I
give to you." (John 14:27)
Guys we are all searching daily for meaning and purpose. We are searching for that personal peace. If we are not searching God's word for this peace then we will come up empty everytime. Our world is overrun with illicit sex, drug abuse, and even terrorism. These are unsuccessful attempts to find that peace. Real and lasting peace is found in Jesus Christ and only in Jesus Christ. He offers us this peace if we are obedient to His calling and trust Him for all the results of our lives. Guys our kids will turn out alright by God's grace inspite of us. We are all bent out of shape trying to make sure we do everything right. Dads we are simply to do as God would have us do and leave the results of our kids up to Him.
Jesus said, "My peace I give to you." (Joh 14:27) We need to accept His personalized peace in our lives today. This seems much easier to say than do, I know, but it is the only way.
God assist us through His providential power! "And we know tha tin all things God works for the good of those who love Him." (Romans 8:28)
All of us dads and husbands are subject to various trials, troubles, and testings just like anyone else. We are not exempt from this. As a matter of fact God has told us we will encounter various trials and tribulations. Why is it that we are constantly trying to escape them as though we should be put above everyone else on a cloud? The trial is not evidence that God hates us...He is shaping us as a tool for His kingdoms glory.
God works by helping His people through providential means. He works everything, good or bad, together for their benefit and His glory. We miss out on His benefits if we do not encounter trials and testings. This is when we see our God at His most powerful it seems. Bringing each us through these times as we labor and suffer through the pain is a means to display His massive providential power.
Often we will experience God's rescue of His saints. He uses His angels to assist us and rescue us many times. I can remember numerous times that I have been about at the end of my rope and ready to check out when this peaceful ringing in my head will calm me down so I can think rational and focus back on His promises to me. It is a battle, a struggle. This is not a cake walk, gentlemen. This is life as a Christian. (Psalm 91:11)
God is at work, guys! You can trust this statement. He has not forgotten any of us that are laboring here and it will not be a labor in vain.We can trust in His word at a time when the world seems to have checked out on His word, including the church. Sing His praises. Sing the Hymns of old and study the deep transforming testimonies that are embedded in those hymns. God inspired those like any other song written to Him. I encourage you to read the songs, read God's word and meditate on His promises for a successful life in Christ.
-Scott Bailey (c) 2007
"...the rise of the Nazi Third Reich, the death of Able, the boils of Job, even
the presidency of Bill Clinton and the horror of 9/11 were all providential
events." -Doug Phillips 2003
I know that today many of us are experiencing troubles that we never thought we would ever have to deal with. In such a time it is such a great comfort to know and understand that we serve a providential God. He works all things for good for those of us in Christ Jesus.
"Our love to God arises out of our want: His love to us is out of His
fullness." -C.H. Spurgin
God speaks through prevailing prayer! "He will call upon me, and I will answer HIm." (Psalm 91:15)
In the Webster dictionary it defines prevail as "to produce or achieve the desired effect; to be effective; succeed." How do we achieve this desired effect with God....by being in good fellowship with Him. In this way He speaks to us and answers our prayers. Something that we don't think about much is listening to God first and then pray based on what He said. This will change the perspective of our prayers. We might find that when we first kneeled down to pray it was all about us. However, after listening to God and meditating on His word, we direct the focus of the prayer on Him and His glory no matter what our circumstances are.
As Christian dads and husbands we must continue in a spirit of prayer at all times. Jesus said, "Men ought always to pray and not to faint..." (Luke 18:1) This does not mean we walk around with our hands folded, but just in each quiet moment whether it is short or long we can simply just speak to God about that moment...whatever that may be.
God assures us through His precious promises! "Whereby are given unto us exceedingly great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature." (2 Peter 1:4)
Many of us tend to forget the promises of God for some reason. We trod along daily without much thought of His promises. He has promised not to forget about us, yet we set around whining about how God has forgotten us. We are forfeiting the benefits of God by doing this. Memorize the promises of God on a daily basis.
Some of His greatest and most used promises are His protection and provision. His provision is every moment of our lives, men. He has not seen anything that shocks Him or catches Him by surprise. If you find yourself today without a job, He knew about it before the foudnations of the earth. This was not an event that caught Him off guard and now He must react to it.....He is working His perfect plan in our lives at all times. God never sleeps!
Review, reflect, and rely on the promises of God. This is what gives us men our assurance for our families success. He helps us at every turn of our lives.
Our personal peace in God is calming! "Peace I leave with you, my peace I
give to you." (John 14:27)
Guys we are all searching daily for meaning and purpose. We are searching for that personal peace. If we are not searching God's word for this peace then we will come up empty everytime. Our world is overrun with illicit sex, drug abuse, and even terrorism. These are unsuccessful attempts to find that peace. Real and lasting peace is found in Jesus Christ and only in Jesus Christ. He offers us this peace if we are obedient to His calling and trust Him for all the results of our lives. Guys our kids will turn out alright by God's grace inspite of us. We are all bent out of shape trying to make sure we do everything right. Dads we are simply to do as God would have us do and leave the results of our kids up to Him.
Jesus said, "My peace I give to you." (Joh 14:27) We need to accept His personalized peace in our lives today. This seems much easier to say than do, I know, but it is the only way.
God assist us through His providential power! "And we know tha tin all things God works for the good of those who love Him." (Romans 8:28)
All of us dads and husbands are subject to various trials, troubles, and testings just like anyone else. We are not exempt from this. As a matter of fact God has told us we will encounter various trials and tribulations. Why is it that we are constantly trying to escape them as though we should be put above everyone else on a cloud? The trial is not evidence that God hates us...He is shaping us as a tool for His kingdoms glory.
God works by helping His people through providential means. He works everything, good or bad, together for their benefit and His glory. We miss out on His benefits if we do not encounter trials and testings. This is when we see our God at His most powerful it seems. Bringing each us through these times as we labor and suffer through the pain is a means to display His massive providential power.
Often we will experience God's rescue of His saints. He uses His angels to assist us and rescue us many times. I can remember numerous times that I have been about at the end of my rope and ready to check out when this peaceful ringing in my head will calm me down so I can think rational and focus back on His promises to me. It is a battle, a struggle. This is not a cake walk, gentlemen. This is life as a Christian. (Psalm 91:11)
God is at work, guys! You can trust this statement. He has not forgotten any of us that are laboring here and it will not be a labor in vain.We can trust in His word at a time when the world seems to have checked out on His word, including the church. Sing His praises. Sing the Hymns of old and study the deep transforming testimonies that are embedded in those hymns. God inspired those like any other song written to Him. I encourage you to read the songs, read God's word and meditate on His promises for a successful life in Christ.
-Scott Bailey (c) 2007
Come to the Lord With An Obedient Heart!
Selfishness has invaded our society unlike we have ever seen or heard of. However, selfishness is not anything new. It is refreshing as the fresh whitest snow in the middle of a cold winter day in the Rockies to speak with or read about someone that was absolutely selfless in his prayers and actions.
King Solomon was such a man. Although he was king, Solomon did not take that position lightly. As God said He would give Solomon anything he asked for. With that opportunity I can only imagine the thoughts running through your minds as you read this. "Oh boy, I want riches, glory, honors galore, houses, land, cars, stuff, stuff, stuff...that is what I would ask for." King Solomon simply asked that God would grant him the wisdom to lead and advise His chosen people. He thanked God for trusting him with day to day judgements upon His people. Solomon did not ask for any possessions, honors, glory or anything of the such. Solomon even equated himself to a mere servant of the Lord.
I found four ideas rolled out before us in King Solomon's prayer that can be a guide for us when we set down to pray in the morning. By no means is this a system of praying or some magical list of do's. However, we can use Solomon's great example of praying selflessly to our most sovereign Lord.
1. Come to the Lord thankfully, full of praise, and with a sincerely humble heart. Picture in your mind that you are prostate before your almighty sovereignn God. He listens to the hearts of His people as they cry out to Him in humble adoration.
2. Pray to the Lord in true humility. We cannot come to God with an ounce of arrogance on our breath or it will be a sour stench to the nostrils of our most holy Lord. He is looking to favor those who's heart has the truth that flows freely, trust worthiness, humility, and honesty to pour out what God wants to hear. He is looking for that desire of an obedient heart...He can see straight through our outward actions to the heart. God is looking for those David like hearts...not perfection.
3. Come to God as we really are...servants of the most awesome Lord. It does not matter our title, whether that be President of this great country, president of a large company, King of some distant country, pastor of mega-church, house keeper, house wife, trashman, doctor or whatever the title....before our God we are all mere servants called out to serve Him. We cannot for one instance boast to this world or God of something we have done or said that is of our own power that is of any good to God. Our glory and honor rest in our Savior and Lord. Anything that is good and glorious that our energy has done was from the power of the Holy Spirit at God's instruction.
4. Ask how we can bless God's elect, His chosen people with our gifts, talents and life. This is all we have to offer...this empty vessel that needs to be filled with God's mighty power on a daily basis. Pray for wisdom, courage, strength, and knowledge that comes only from God Himself. When someone puts you on a pedestal, get right back down again. Never allow yourself to stay up on that pedestal for long or you will start to believe what everyone is telling you and somehow inch your way to feeling as though God cannot live without you. You will receive many praise from caring people, but always divert that praise to God immediately so that your head does not swell with greatness.
We need to all remember that obedience is what delights our Lord...obedience from His chose ones is the sweetest smell He loves. He looks all across our world looking for those souls that are His, with humble tender hearts, that want nothing less than to be obedient to Him regardless of the cost. Obedience will not be easy, glorifying, and many cases joyful....no matter, it is in pleasing our sovereign Lord with our obedience that is of most importance.
-Scott Bailey (c) 2008
King Solomon was such a man. Although he was king, Solomon did not take that position lightly. As God said He would give Solomon anything he asked for. With that opportunity I can only imagine the thoughts running through your minds as you read this. "Oh boy, I want riches, glory, honors galore, houses, land, cars, stuff, stuff, stuff...that is what I would ask for." King Solomon simply asked that God would grant him the wisdom to lead and advise His chosen people. He thanked God for trusting him with day to day judgements upon His people. Solomon did not ask for any possessions, honors, glory or anything of the such. Solomon even equated himself to a mere servant of the Lord.
I found four ideas rolled out before us in King Solomon's prayer that can be a guide for us when we set down to pray in the morning. By no means is this a system of praying or some magical list of do's. However, we can use Solomon's great example of praying selflessly to our most sovereign Lord.
1. Come to the Lord thankfully, full of praise, and with a sincerely humble heart. Picture in your mind that you are prostate before your almighty sovereignn God. He listens to the hearts of His people as they cry out to Him in humble adoration.
2. Pray to the Lord in true humility. We cannot come to God with an ounce of arrogance on our breath or it will be a sour stench to the nostrils of our most holy Lord. He is looking to favor those who's heart has the truth that flows freely, trust worthiness, humility, and honesty to pour out what God wants to hear. He is looking for that desire of an obedient heart...He can see straight through our outward actions to the heart. God is looking for those David like hearts...not perfection.
3. Come to God as we really are...servants of the most awesome Lord. It does not matter our title, whether that be President of this great country, president of a large company, King of some distant country, pastor of mega-church, house keeper, house wife, trashman, doctor or whatever the title....before our God we are all mere servants called out to serve Him. We cannot for one instance boast to this world or God of something we have done or said that is of our own power that is of any good to God. Our glory and honor rest in our Savior and Lord. Anything that is good and glorious that our energy has done was from the power of the Holy Spirit at God's instruction.
4. Ask how we can bless God's elect, His chosen people with our gifts, talents and life. This is all we have to offer...this empty vessel that needs to be filled with God's mighty power on a daily basis. Pray for wisdom, courage, strength, and knowledge that comes only from God Himself. When someone puts you on a pedestal, get right back down again. Never allow yourself to stay up on that pedestal for long or you will start to believe what everyone is telling you and somehow inch your way to feeling as though God cannot live without you. You will receive many praise from caring people, but always divert that praise to God immediately so that your head does not swell with greatness.
We need to all remember that obedience is what delights our Lord...obedience from His chose ones is the sweetest smell He loves. He looks all across our world looking for those souls that are His, with humble tender hearts, that want nothing less than to be obedient to Him regardless of the cost. Obedience will not be easy, glorifying, and many cases joyful....no matter, it is in pleasing our sovereign Lord with our obedience that is of most importance.
-Scott Bailey (c) 2008
Modesty in Girls Comes From Home!
Today, our society including the church have become very loose with our dress, speech, spending and much more. Women and girls run along the walk ways in our neighborhoods hardly dressed and what they do have on is very tightly revealing. As a man wo really would like to focus on the road has trouble with this sometimes. As natural as it seems, for me to keep my eyes on the road and not take a quick look is a battle. I am sure many other men and/or dads fight the same battles every day as I do.
I heard someone quote President John Adams,
How prophetic those words have been. To a great extent the war with Islam that America faces has been greatly inhanced by the trampy dress of our females and carrying on the way they do...this is directly forbidden in that religion. I have seen some very vile things on the internet and tv before and am convinced that many women (not all) today show no boundaries at all. They will do anything that makes them feel good, look good, and for the right amount of money. For us dads this poses a tremendous challenge for us to raise our daughters to be modest according to biblical standards. Yes, we are free...free to glorify God in our dress, actions, and attitude. Not bending to the way the world thinks a person should dress or conduct themselves..."it is no longer I that lives, but Christ lives in me..." This is not to say that girls should zip up in a suit from neck to toes or wear tent jumpers all the time. I believe they can be very beautiful in the way they dress without appearing to be a very "loose" person. Another quote I heard gave a very broad explanation of how women and girls should decide to dress for each day.
So, dads look out for your wife and daughters when they leave the house. Care enough about them to tell them if something needs to be changed. If they have something on that might make another man think these gals are wanting much more than just a quick hello, it is time to speak up. I know I battled this in our home at times, but our daughters are starting to understand the reason behind glorifying Christ with everything they do, say, and wear. It is a direct reflection upon the parents and especially on dads/husbands, but most importantly it reflects directly on the kind of God you serve...if us dads are not willing to speak up then who will?
I am challenging dads to help their girls to understand the purpose of modesty so it can help us guys to remain pure at heart and mind by not tempting us by dressing provocatively...beautifully is one thing, but trampy is another. Keep the mystery about how trully beautiful you are for your wedding night...this creates something special that you and your husband will never forget. This is how God's word does address this...
-Scott Bailey (c) 2007
I heard someone quote President John Adams,
"When women in our country become immodest, then our government and nation will suffer greatly."
How prophetic those words have been. To a great extent the war with Islam that America faces has been greatly inhanced by the trampy dress of our females and carrying on the way they do...this is directly forbidden in that religion. I have seen some very vile things on the internet and tv before and am convinced that many women (not all) today show no boundaries at all. They will do anything that makes them feel good, look good, and for the right amount of money. For us dads this poses a tremendous challenge for us to raise our daughters to be modest according to biblical standards. Yes, we are free...free to glorify God in our dress, actions, and attitude. Not bending to the way the world thinks a person should dress or conduct themselves..."it is no longer I that lives, but Christ lives in me..." This is not to say that girls should zip up in a suit from neck to toes or wear tent jumpers all the time. I believe they can be very beautiful in the way they dress without appearing to be a very "loose" person. Another quote I heard gave a very broad explanation of how women and girls should decide to dress for each day.
"Women's clothing should be tight enough so that we can tell they are a women
and loose enough for us to know that she is a ‘lady'." -Unknown Quoter
So, dads look out for your wife and daughters when they leave the house. Care enough about them to tell them if something needs to be changed. If they have something on that might make another man think these gals are wanting much more than just a quick hello, it is time to speak up. I know I battled this in our home at times, but our daughters are starting to understand the reason behind glorifying Christ with everything they do, say, and wear. It is a direct reflection upon the parents and especially on dads/husbands, but most importantly it reflects directly on the kind of God you serve...if us dads are not willing to speak up then who will?
I am challenging dads to help their girls to understand the purpose of modesty so it can help us guys to remain pure at heart and mind by not tempting us by dressing provocatively...beautifully is one thing, but trampy is another. Keep the mystery about how trully beautiful you are for your wedding night...this creates something special that you and your husband will never forget. This is how God's word does address this...
"In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest dress..."
-1Tim 2:9
-Scott Bailey (c) 2007
Thursday, June 26, 2008
What Is Truly Valuable to You?
"We live in a world that knows little about what’s truly valuable. People all around us are pursuing things that have no lasting value. That pursuit is ably treated by Anton Chekhov in his classic short story The Bet. This story gives us great insight into the value system of most people.
The plot involves a wager between two educated men regarding solitary confinement. A wealthy, middle-aged banker believed the death penalty was a more humane penalty than solitary confinement because “an executioner kills at once, solitary confinement kills gradually.” One of his guests at a party, a young lawyer of twenty-five, disagreed, saying, “To live under any conditions is better than not to live at all.”
Angered, the banker impulsively responded with a bet of two million rubles that the younger man could not last five years in solitary confinement. The lawyer was so convinced of his endurance that he announced he would stay fifteen years alone instead of only five.
The arrangements were made, and the young man moved into a separate building on the grounds of the banker’s large estate. He was allowed no visitors or newspapers. He could write letters but receive none. There were guards watching to make sure he never violated the agreement, but they were placed so that he could never see another human being from his windows. He received his food in silence through a small opening where he could not see those who served him. Everything else he wanted—books, certain foods, musical instruments, etc.—was granted by special written request.
During the first year the piano could be heard at almost any hour, and he asked for many books, mostly novels and other light reading. The next year the music ceased and the works of various classical authors were requested. In the sixth year of his isolation he began to study languages and soon had mastered six. After the tenth year of his confinement, the prisoner sat motionless at the table and read the New Testament. After more than a year’s saturation of the Bible, he began to study the history of religion and works on theology.
The second half of the story focuses on the night before the noon deadline when the lawyer would win the bet. The banker was now at the end of his career. His risky speculations and impetuosity had gradually undermined his business. The once self-confident millionaire was now a second-rate banker, and it would destroy him to pay off the wager. Angry at his foolishness and jealous of the soon-to-be-wealthy lawyer who was now only forty, the old banker determined to kill his opponent and frame the guard with the murder. Slipping into the man’s room, he found him asleep at the table and noticed a letter the lawyer had written to him. He picked it up and read the following:
MacArthur, John: Alone With God. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1995
I have been studying and meditating and reading through Matthew 6:9-11. This model prayer or the world calls it "The Lord's Prayer" is a true model of how we as followers of Christ should pray. Yet, how meaningless we have lifted up prayers on a daily basis. Our prayer are full of all our wants from financial security, to health beyond any-ones dreams, to a large house, to a car, to more and more and more stuff. Why is it that after years and years we have ever figured out that our prayer life is all about God and not about us. This is the time to spend verbalizing what God wants us to declare from our hearts that is in one accord with His heart. When Jesus said "ask and you shall receive" He was not saying to ask for all the worldly junk that has no place in the Kingdom of God. If it is not from the heart and mind of Christ then do not ask for it. Most of us can understand at least this minimal amount of our prayer life.
Who is our Father in heaven? Is He an old white bearded man on dusty throne pointing His golden staff in the air sentencing some to death, some to prosperity, some to judgement, some to prison, some to starvation, etc.? This is what has been pictured for centuries and is not even closely accurate. Our Father in heaven, who is God Almighty, one part of the Trinity, is our glorious God, most loving Father, protecting Lord, and reigning King! He is the parent that all of us wish we could be towards our children. He is the most perfect parent of all.
In Heaven is the abode of God. This is an eternal place that exist in continuance and is where God the Father resides. This is the most royal realms we could ever imagine and I doubt our imagination could even come close to understand what it is like where God lives. However, we can only catch a small glimpse from scripture of where the future abode of God will be and we will be a part of it.
Revelation 21:10-27 (NIV):
a That is, about 1,400 miles (about 2,200 kilometers)
b That is, about 200 feet (about 65 meters)
c Or high
d The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.
The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Re 21:10-27
Just think this description does not even come close to the splendor of our future eternal home. For now, we are living in a trash heap compared to the Holy City or New Jerusalem to come. However, in our prayer life we can prepare ourselves for this future home in heaven. Jesus left us with this model prayer in order to prepare us, not so that we can dump our laundry list on God everyday and then blame Him because nothing came true on our wish list. This is juvenile praying.
Some might ask, "What is hallowed be thy name"? That sounds like a foreign term for movie flick, yet, it is profound. "Hallowed" means holy and "thy name" is God Almighty. It is the "Holiest Name of All". There is no other name in heaven or on earth that is more holy than Elohim and Adonai and Jehovah and any other name that is strictly reserved for our God. When we enter into prayer we are speaking to the holiest person that will ever exist or has ever existed. As a believer in Christ Jesus we have access to the most important being ever. Do you understand the meaning of this? You do not have to go through a priest on earth or any other person on this earth....Jesus Christ is our high priest and it is through Him that we go before our heavenly Father. He wants to hear directly from His people, not from another fallible man on earth.
As the prayer goes on to ask that God's will be done. This is the key to the entire prayer. This is the key to our prayer life. We must pray that God's will be done and not our own. One of the difficulties that most of us struggle with in our prayer life is getting to the point to where we desire God's will over our own. This is a huge nail in the coffin of our Free Will over God's Free Will. Our prayer life will go no where as we exercise our will, but rather once we understand that our prayers are to be reflecting the will of our heavenly Father, then our prayer life takes on new meaning that experiences results. As men we are so result oriented anyway...we have a drive that compels us to get results. This is a God-given drive. However, Jesus is telling us how results are achieved here...the achievement is not in ourselves nor is it about ourselves. The achievement is getting to the point that we prefer God's will to reign above our own desires and will. In short, God's will becomes our will and God's will becomes the desire of our heart. It is at this moment we stop bleeding selfishly and start bleeding righteously for the glory of our heavenly Father. To further the Kingdom of God, our prayers need to reach a higher place that is high above the earthly mindset.
We should set our minds on heavenly things in order to be of some earthly good. The wrong saying is "Don't be so heavenly minded that you become no earthly good". That is incorrect! If this earth is to improve, believers must become more heavenly minded to be of some earthly good.
What is truly valuable to you? In your prayer life, what is it that you pray for the most, yourself, your family, happiness, joy, money, job security, groceries, devine revelation, safe travel, an easy life, and so on? I know that none of us pray for a car accident tomorrow, marrital troubles in June '08, to loose our job in the Fall! That would be crazy, but why do we pray in defense of these types events in our lives? All we need to focus on is God in our lives at any given moment regardless of the circumstance. Come to grips with the fact that the only thing secure for us on this earth as believers is our salvation in Christ Jesus....nothing else is secure. We must live the remainder of our life outside of that committment in total faith that God will see us through to the other side into eternity.
-Scott Bailey 2008
The plot involves a wager between two educated men regarding solitary confinement. A wealthy, middle-aged banker believed the death penalty was a more humane penalty than solitary confinement because “an executioner kills at once, solitary confinement kills gradually.” One of his guests at a party, a young lawyer of twenty-five, disagreed, saying, “To live under any conditions is better than not to live at all.”
Angered, the banker impulsively responded with a bet of two million rubles that the younger man could not last five years in solitary confinement. The lawyer was so convinced of his endurance that he announced he would stay fifteen years alone instead of only five.
The arrangements were made, and the young man moved into a separate building on the grounds of the banker’s large estate. He was allowed no visitors or newspapers. He could write letters but receive none. There were guards watching to make sure he never violated the agreement, but they were placed so that he could never see another human being from his windows. He received his food in silence through a small opening where he could not see those who served him. Everything else he wanted—books, certain foods, musical instruments, etc.—was granted by special written request.
During the first year the piano could be heard at almost any hour, and he asked for many books, mostly novels and other light reading. The next year the music ceased and the works of various classical authors were requested. In the sixth year of his isolation he began to study languages and soon had mastered six. After the tenth year of his confinement, the prisoner sat motionless at the table and read the New Testament. After more than a year’s saturation of the Bible, he began to study the history of religion and works on theology.
The second half of the story focuses on the night before the noon deadline when the lawyer would win the bet. The banker was now at the end of his career. His risky speculations and impetuosity had gradually undermined his business. The once self-confident millionaire was now a second-rate banker, and it would destroy him to pay off the wager. Angry at his foolishness and jealous of the soon-to-be-wealthy lawyer who was now only forty, the old banker determined to kill his opponent and frame the guard with the murder. Slipping into the man’s room, he found him asleep at the table and noticed a letter the lawyer had written to him. He picked it up and read the following:
'Tomorrow at twelve o’clock I shall be free . . . but before leaving this room .
. . I find it necessary to say a few words to you. With a clear conscience, and
before God, who sees me, I declare to you that I despise freedom and life and
health and all that your books call the joys of this world. . . . I know I am
wiser than you all. . . . And I despise all your books, I despise all earthly
blessings and wisdom. All is worthless and false, hollow and deceiving like the
mirage. You may be proud, wise and beautiful, but death will wipe you away from
the face of the earth, as it does the mice that live beneath your floor; and
your heirs, your history, your immortal geniuses will freeze or burn with the
destruction of the earth. You have gone mad and are not following the right
path. You take falsehood for truth, and deformity for beauty. To prove to you
how I despise all that you value I renounce the two million on which I looked,
at one time, as the opening of paradise for me, and which I now scorn. To
deprive myself of the right to receive them, I will leave my prison five hours
before the appointed time, and by so doing break the terms of our compact.'
The banker read the lines, replaced the paper on the table, kissed the
strange, sleeping man and with tears in his eyes, quietly left the house.
Chekhov writes, “Never before, not even after sustaining serious losses on
change, had he despised himself as he did at that moment.” His tears kept him
awake the rest of the night. And at seven the next morning he was informed by
the watchmen that they had seen the man crawl through a window, go to the gate,
and then disappear.
Some people have to learn the hard way what is of value,
and there are some who never learn."
MacArthur, John: Alone With God. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1995
I have been studying and meditating and reading through Matthew 6:9-11. This model prayer or the world calls it "The Lord's Prayer" is a true model of how we as followers of Christ should pray. Yet, how meaningless we have lifted up prayers on a daily basis. Our prayer are full of all our wants from financial security, to health beyond any-ones dreams, to a large house, to a car, to more and more and more stuff. Why is it that after years and years we have ever figured out that our prayer life is all about God and not about us. This is the time to spend verbalizing what God wants us to declare from our hearts that is in one accord with His heart. When Jesus said "ask and you shall receive" He was not saying to ask for all the worldly junk that has no place in the Kingdom of God. If it is not from the heart and mind of Christ then do not ask for it. Most of us can understand at least this minimal amount of our prayer life.
Who is our Father in heaven? Is He an old white bearded man on dusty throne pointing His golden staff in the air sentencing some to death, some to prosperity, some to judgement, some to prison, some to starvation, etc.? This is what has been pictured for centuries and is not even closely accurate. Our Father in heaven, who is God Almighty, one part of the Trinity, is our glorious God, most loving Father, protecting Lord, and reigning King! He is the parent that all of us wish we could be towards our children. He is the most perfect parent of all.
In Heaven is the abode of God. This is an eternal place that exist in continuance and is where God the Father resides. This is the most royal realms we could ever imagine and I doubt our imagination could even come close to understand what it is like where God lives. However, we can only catch a small glimpse from scripture of where the future abode of God will be and we will be a part of it.
Revelation 21:10-27 (NIV):
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed
me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone
with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious
jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve
gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names
of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on
the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had
twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the
Lamb.
15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure
the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as
long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000
stadiaa in length,
and as wide and high as it is long. 17 He measured its wall and it was 144
cubitsb thick,c
by man’s measurement, which the angel was using. 18 The wall was made of jasper,
and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city
walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was
jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the
fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl,
the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth
amethyst.d 21 The twelve
gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of
the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.
22 I did not see a temple
in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The
city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God
gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light,
and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will
its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor
of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it,
nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose
names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
a That is, about 1,400 miles (about 2,200 kilometers)
b That is, about 200 feet (about 65 meters)
c Or high
d The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.
The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Re 21:10-27
Just think this description does not even come close to the splendor of our future eternal home. For now, we are living in a trash heap compared to the Holy City or New Jerusalem to come. However, in our prayer life we can prepare ourselves for this future home in heaven. Jesus left us with this model prayer in order to prepare us, not so that we can dump our laundry list on God everyday and then blame Him because nothing came true on our wish list. This is juvenile praying.
Some might ask, "What is hallowed be thy name"? That sounds like a foreign term for movie flick, yet, it is profound. "Hallowed" means holy and "thy name" is God Almighty. It is the "Holiest Name of All". There is no other name in heaven or on earth that is more holy than Elohim and Adonai and Jehovah and any other name that is strictly reserved for our God. When we enter into prayer we are speaking to the holiest person that will ever exist or has ever existed. As a believer in Christ Jesus we have access to the most important being ever. Do you understand the meaning of this? You do not have to go through a priest on earth or any other person on this earth....Jesus Christ is our high priest and it is through Him that we go before our heavenly Father. He wants to hear directly from His people, not from another fallible man on earth.
As the prayer goes on to ask that God's will be done. This is the key to the entire prayer. This is the key to our prayer life. We must pray that God's will be done and not our own. One of the difficulties that most of us struggle with in our prayer life is getting to the point to where we desire God's will over our own. This is a huge nail in the coffin of our Free Will over God's Free Will. Our prayer life will go no where as we exercise our will, but rather once we understand that our prayers are to be reflecting the will of our heavenly Father, then our prayer life takes on new meaning that experiences results. As men we are so result oriented anyway...we have a drive that compels us to get results. This is a God-given drive. However, Jesus is telling us how results are achieved here...the achievement is not in ourselves nor is it about ourselves. The achievement is getting to the point that we prefer God's will to reign above our own desires and will. In short, God's will becomes our will and God's will becomes the desire of our heart. It is at this moment we stop bleeding selfishly and start bleeding righteously for the glory of our heavenly Father. To further the Kingdom of God, our prayers need to reach a higher place that is high above the earthly mindset.
We should set our minds on heavenly things in order to be of some earthly good. The wrong saying is "Don't be so heavenly minded that you become no earthly good". That is incorrect! If this earth is to improve, believers must become more heavenly minded to be of some earthly good.
What is truly valuable to you? In your prayer life, what is it that you pray for the most, yourself, your family, happiness, joy, money, job security, groceries, devine revelation, safe travel, an easy life, and so on? I know that none of us pray for a car accident tomorrow, marrital troubles in June '08, to loose our job in the Fall! That would be crazy, but why do we pray in defense of these types events in our lives? All we need to focus on is God in our lives at any given moment regardless of the circumstance. Come to grips with the fact that the only thing secure for us on this earth as believers is our salvation in Christ Jesus....nothing else is secure. We must live the remainder of our life outside of that committment in total faith that God will see us through to the other side into eternity.
-Scott Bailey 2008
Raise A Spartan Warrior for Christ!
A Challenge: Raise A Spartan Warrior For Christ!
“Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth”–Psalm
127:4
You may be thinking right now that I am crazy for using Spartan Warrior within Christianity, but read the entire piece before passing judgment. Spartan Warriors were fierce fighters. They would fight to the death for their family, king, and kingdom. They were ruthless and unconventional in their process and training. However, my research on Spartan Warriors turned up better qualities for these fighters that many of us as Christian men need to pay attention to. These warriors were trained from the very young age of 7 to be fierce in battle. The meaning of Spartan is to be “totally devoted to one cause, self-deprived or stripped down to nothing, but the bare essentials, undoubting and courageous”. They were trained to give their lives without hesitation. These warriors did not think anything about danger and always expected to win or die trying to win. These were dreaded men in battle.
Gentlemen, I am here to inform you that if you did not know this before now, we are in the battle of our lives and the lives of our families…time to wake-up! I am afraid that unless we as Christian fathers do not began to train our young men to be like these Spartan Warriors, the future looks very dim. We need to be training up our boys to be fierce when in battle and this battle takes place daily. Young men that will not back down from authority that makes rulings in direct conflict with the scriptures. We need young men that do not mind being ridiculed when they stand up for the under-dog or under-privileged or as they share the gospel to a neighbor or friend. In some cases this may mean taking up arms to defend our nation and our families from the enemies abroad or even within our midst. On a daily basis, we need to equip these young fighters with the Truth of God’s Holy Word above all else… God’s Holy Word is not found in the Koran!
Within the pages of the Bible are many fierce warriors who fought bravely like King David as one example. The Lord helped him fight with full control of himself and bravely. David fought mightily with the hand of God on his life…”And David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of hosts was with him.” 2 Samuel 5:10 (NAS) He as a warrior for the Kingdom of God and Spartan Warriors in ancient Greece were courageous and self-sacrificing. The crusade I am speaking of today is for the minds and hearts of our young people. Many Christians have already given up this crusade long ago and have decided to just blend in with the rest of the world in order to have peace. They may go to church and bible study, but nothing is different in their lives or the lives of their kids. We have bought into the society belief that we can be immersed in the life style of the world and still maintain an effective evangelical witness.
Titus 2:12(NIV) says, “It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly
passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present
age…” In John 15:9(NIV) it states, “If you belonged to the world, it
would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have
chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”
Just hoping our kids will turn out alright is not the answer. Our adversary, Satan, would like nothing else than for parents to take this approach. Of course by the grace of God some do turn out alright and frankly that is how we all turn out alright. However, these kids are placed in our hands for a short time for training and preparation for the future and we do not want to let them down if at all possible. The battle for the heart and mind of our children today include homosexuality, pornography, drunkenness, illegal drug usage, over eating, moral relativism, unfaithfulness, theft, lying, and so on. This corruptness is being taught in nearly every public forum and institution in America as being “right”. Our children are being taught that there is no sin and there is no right or wrong. Their cry is that we all need to be more tolerant of each other. They are taught that Adam can marry Robert and Eve can marry Laura and it is “ok”. The truth is that homosexuality is sin and it is not “ok”. This sin is as forgivable as over eating, as is drunkenness and so on. Glory to God that they are forgivable, but I do not want this deviant trash taught to my children and grandchildren as being “ok”. Pornography is down played as just a natural thing that men and women desire and it is “ok”. Christian men are not immune to this. Men it is not “ok” even in the privacy of your own home. What we put in our minds has a direct impact on what comes out of our life each day. Much of the violence against women today stems from pornography. If this kind of trash goes into the mind then I can guarantee you that vile trash will come out in some form of your life. Drunkenness is very accepted these days as well, although it is nothing new to the ages. Drunkenness is mind altering and you will do and say things that will not honor God in any way and will bring shame upon your family.
Psalm 23:33 says about too much wine, “Your eyes will see strange things, and
your mind will utter perverse things.”
God has always spoken out against drunkenness in His Word. I said here, “drunkenness”, not a glass of wine at dinner…I just wanted to clarify that. A trendy activity nowadays is to go to church on Sunday and raise your hands and sing in what is perceived to be praising and worshipping God. Then the rest of the week live as you wish and on the weekend get stumbling drunk with your buddies and come to church on Sunday to be holy again. Is this truly grace in action? What a mockery to the glory of Jesus Christ! Does this show a deep love for our Savior? Does raising our hands to the “bouncy” music in the churches today that stirs up the emotions really make us spiritual and holy? I am not attacking praise worship music entirely, but in observing the true impact of this movement that has forgotten the testimony of the hymns of old, I have witnessed people actually growing more vile in their lives rather than a closeness to the Lord as the music stirs up emotions rather than a deep seeded devotion to worshipping Christ in the music and message of the pastor.
Men, take a hard look into your heart….is that burning desire to know Jesus and love Jesus really there? What is your reason for going to church or reading your Bible? Another hot trend within the world today is embracing the Muslim or Hindu or Buddhism religion as another way to heaven…that we should be tolerant. We are told that there are many ways to God.
Matthew 7:13-14 speaks of those broad roads and narrow gates,
“Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads
to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small,
and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.”
We are taught to believe they should have equal access to the minds of our children, our culture, and we should move over for their ways and embrace their teachings. I will make this statement as clear as I can, men, NO ONE has the right to access the mind and heart of my children other than God Himself. God gave those children to me and my wife to love, nurture, train and protect. The liberal left does not have the right to them, the Communist left wingers do not have a right to them, the Muslims, Hindu’s, or Buddhist do not have rights to them, the homosexuals do not have rights to them or the legalist within the church today do not have the rights to them, or any other kind of evil that permeates this dark world we live in today. If I sound a bit combative in this, I am combative. This is no powder puff football game we are in, people.
So, I am declaring today that we must start raising our sons ,as the Spartan Warriors of the 21st century, that will carry on these truths that are in God’s Word and do it unashamedly. We need a crusade where young men will give their lives so that our future generations can survive without having to bow to the vile images that are so prevalent in our culture today or be subject to the horrific views and taunting by the homosexual leftist agenda. A desire must exist for young men to train themselves to be satisfied with only the bare essentials as Spartan Warriors were disciplined to be and not raised under pampered lives like so many of the Christian and worldly kids of today. These young men need training to buffet their bodies and keep their actions under control regarding women, children, money, alcohol, politics, and the things of this world. Our world is groaning for young men who have a deep seeded desire to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.
Can we train up young men that will carry as their motto, “Give me Christ and Christ alone”? We long for young men who are willing to die for the cause of Christ. This does not come naturally…it comes as we battle forward immersing ourselves in God’s word and let Him develop in our hearts and minds a “biblical world view”. God is sovereign! He has never moved or changed His mind. He is not surprised by the darkness that envelops the world we live in today. He created this universe and every living or non-living being in it. He is not bashful about war, battle, death or even love. So, our challenge today as fathers of sons is to bring up a new generation of young men that will fit the image of God, like a warrior for truth, justice and become a loving family man. Steve Farrar put it very plainly with this quote from his book,
“Standing Tall”:
“Gentlemen, we are raising our kids in this sewer of moral
relativism.
If your kids buy into this philosophy, it will ruin their
lives.
Here’s the deal, guys. Our kids won’t know anything unless they
see it in our lives. Our kids won’t know that there are moral absolutes
unless they absolutely see those truths lived out in our lives.”
-Steve Farrar, “Standing Tall”
1994
This is what I am talking about. The training is about walking and talking God’s truth daily. It does not mean we are perfect, but that we are able to show our weaknesses as well as our strengths. We need to show our kids that God creates strength from our weaknesses. There is a loud voice trying to wake up our countries Christian fathers. I am afraid though we have ear plugs in or are ignoring this loud call.
“The Christian world is in a deep sleep.
Nothing but a loud voice can
waken them out of it.”
-George Whitefield, 1739
Guys, I cannot tell you what to do or how to raise your kids. I cannot make you do anything you are not entirely willing to do from your heart. This is not a legalistic set of rules or point of view even though it is my opinion. I abhor legalism in all of its form when it comes to the scriptures and the life God would have each of us live. However, I am simply challenging you to rethink how you are training your children, especially the boys and how you are living as an example for them today. Is it with sacrifice or from a life of pure luxury? At the age of 7, are you training warriors to do battle for their future wives, children, countrymen, and ancestry or just over educated athletes in hopes of landing that multi-million dollar contract so they can buy more boats, larger houses, more jewelry and filthier women? What is their view of supporting the ministries that abound in their area today? Do they have a worldly view or a biblical world view? Can you see a servant’s heart or a future adult that will be demanding and hard to live with? Think about what is important in this life that enhances your eternal life and the eternal life of others. Out of your actions and training which of those give glory to the Lord? Does baseball, football, basketball, the finest schools, dances, an exotic vacation, or other activities like these have an eternal purpose? They could have, but just think for a moment how it is coming across to the kids. Does giving them every single toy they ask for prepare them for the battles ahead in life? Does saying yes to their every plea really give them a proper outlook on the future? Does taking their side in every argument truly help them in preparation for debating the liberal left wing of this world? Do they see you react to a problem with prayer and digging into your Bible or do they observe you speaking harshly of that person or problem and vow your revenge?
Men, I am not bringing this message from an attitude of having all the answers or that I always do it right, because that would be a bold face lie. I battle the same sins and problems you do. I battle the same pride and ego that every man fights. But the truth is what it is, guys. I cannot speak totally from example, but simply from God’s truth. We need fighters, warriors, kids that grow up knowing the Bible and believing that the Bible is completely true as the inspired word of God and fall in love with their Lord Jesus Christ. Our world can stand young men that will be devoted to their wives, children, and country and see them as a blessing upon their lives rather than a curse.
Today, I encourage you to pray sincerely about all that you have read here. Reach down deep into the pit of your heart to find that which God placed in your heart years ago. Lift up your family, co-workers, in-laws, and enemies in prayer. Dress down spiritually and put it all on the table, guys. Leave it with the Lord…all of it…the hurt, the pain, the tears, the stress, the financial problems, sexual problems, weaknesses, family problems…all of it. Leave nothing behind to carry on with you. Then take a long deep breath and set there for a while in silence to listen to hear if God will speak to you. It may take Him days, weeks, months or years to speak, but He will speak to you. See if He speaks, not audibly, but spiritually, through His word, through His people, and through the circumstances. It is better to not move a muscle until you hear God speak then to do anything that would be in direct disobedience to His calling upon your life.
“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is
any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these
things.
The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me,
practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with
you.” Philippians 4:8-9 (NAS)
Guys think on a few questions this very day:
-Would the Lord have you change anything about your life, the treatment of your wife and children and then the training of your children?
-What change can you make today that would be positively noticeable to your family when you got home from work that would inspire them to want to follow you and serve the Lord more?
What changes would bring glory to Christ today?
-Do you have a servant’s heart like Christ or is pride and ego in the way?
-Why do you go to church, bible studies, and other “religious” functions?
-What kind of men do you hang around with everyday?
-Most importantly, do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ or are you just playing church or religion because it is the cultural thing to do?
This is serious guys…your life and the lives of our children and grand-children depend on the decisions we make today….tomorrow may be too late.
-Scott Bailey 2007 ©
*In no way am I against sports, athletes, vacations, or money. Joe Lewis, the late great boxer, once said that “no, money isn’t everything, but it sure ranks right up there with air…try to live without for a day.” Each of us have a God given purpose in life and is according to what God’s desire for our lives are and we should be obedient to Him in that purpose if we want to live a successful life. That could mean a pro baseball career for example or using your income to provide for families in need that live around you. So, please reread this with an open heart and mind and look at it from God’s side as to what He might be seeing in us right now. He wants us to be completely devoted to Him in all things and my heart felt belief is that we have missed this as dads on nearly all accounts…I am as convicted of this in my heart as anyone else.
May God bless you as you go out each day to provide for your family and as you work hard to make that much needed time to spend with your wife and children.
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