May_23

SHARING BREAD

⁴⁷ “As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him.  For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.”

John 12:47 (NIV)

Simply put, Jesus came to save, to make whole, and to preserve from danger those who would trust in Him.  He came speaking God’s word to the people who had “ears to hear”.  We find in Hebrews:

¹ In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. ³ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.   Heb 1:1-3 (NIV)

Moses had prophesized regarding the great Prophet who would come and speak for God ending the prophecy with the command that we were to listen to Him.  Furthermore, God stated that if they did not listen to His Words He Himself would call them into account:

¹⁵ The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. ¹⁶ For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.” ¹⁷ The LORD said to me: “What they say is good. ¹⁸ I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. ¹⁹ If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.   Deut 18:15-19 (NIV)

 

None would be like Moses until the Mediator of the New Covenant, Jesus Christ, arrived on the scene.  Jesus came with God’s Words on His lips and salvation in His hands – providing deliverance for the people.  In Acts, Peter explained that their search for the great Prophet should have stopped with Christ Jesus:

²² For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. ²³ Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.’   Acts 3:22-23 (NIV)

Jesus’ Words in our verse for today indicate that His first Advent was not for judgment rather one of salvation – not to punish and smite as a conqueror but to heal and save as the Great Physician.  Wicked as unbelief was, He did not come first to punish rather He came to save. This, of course, had the Jews confused as they thought He was coming to set up His earthly kingdom in which He would have judged His enemies.   John tells us:

 ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.   John 3:16-18 (NIV)

This certainly does not mean that Jesus came and saved all men from hell – the dangerously held, widely acclaimed and very palatable universal salvation doctrine – which would flatly contradict many plain passages of Scripture – rather it means that He first came to provide salvation.  He made the world savable by dying for its sins.  Yet no one would benefit from this salvation except that they believe.  Christ’s first advent was to set up the throne of grace while His second a throne of judgment.   Perhaps that is why both Moses and Peter emphasize the point that we are to both hear and heed our Lord’s Words.   No one receives Christ’s benefit of salvation unless they believe and true belief effects behavior as we will always live what we truly believe.    

“In our presentation of the Gospel we often focus on what Jesus can do for us.  Now don’t misunderstand, Jesus does do much for us.  He forgives us, reconciles us with God, gives us meaning and eternal life.  But the most important thing about Jesus is He gives us Himself.  We have so emphasized the rewards of following Christ that we have forgotten that following Him, being with Him, knowing Him, and calling Him ‘Friend’ and ‘Elder Brother’ are far more wonderful and important than anything else.”   Steve Brown

 

¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.    John 1:10-13 (NIV)

 

What I glean from this:

• The first advent, Jesus came to save – setting up a throne of grace; the second to judge – setting up a throne of judgment.
• I am to hear and heed Jesus’ Words.
• Belief in Christ changes my behavior.

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March_31

SHARING BREAD⁴⁶ Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them. Luke 11:46 (NIV)The “experts” of the law had so burdened the people with “ceremonial observances rigorously exacted and increased by human traditions” (New Testament Lexical Aids Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible).  Placing these heavy loads upon men’s shoulders sans their help brought ire to Jesus’ words.  I think that there is a lesson here for us too.  In Matthew we find these words showing us the very heart of the issue:² “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³ So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. ⁴ They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. ⁵ “Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; ⁶ they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; ⁷ they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’   Matt 23:1-7 (NIV)I think that we have a serious case of the “Big Dog Syndrome” here!  Barking out rules and regulations to others that they were unwilling to keep themselves, these “experts” loved being “experts”!  Jesus states that their authority (Moses) should be recognized but their practices (hypocritical) should not be followed.  In an excellent book on the passing of our faith called Handoff, Jeff Myers writes:  “I teach what I know, but I reproduce who I am.  I seek genuine influence, not as a burden to carry but as a gift to give away.” As believers, we come in the authority of Jesus offering the greatest gift to give away.  Are our practices hypocritical or are they worthy of being reproduced.  We are told in Matthew:¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”   Matt 28:18-20 (NIV) I love Amy Carmichael words: “We cannot ask another to do what we have never done or are not willing to do.  The leaders must climb it first.” “Amy felt that the world had far too many run-of –the-mill Christians, cool, respectable, satisfied with the usual, the mediocre.  Why bother to lay down one’s life to multiply the number of those?”  A Chance to Die, Elisabeth Elliot   (Ouch!)We are to be intentional about reproducing disciples of Christ (we were discipled to disciple!) and we are to be careful to live out our lives worthy of this high calling.  Another wonderful quote from Amy Carmichael regarding our teaching and influencing by example follows: “Be the first wherever there is a sacrifice to be made, a self-denial to be practiced, or an impetus to be given.”  Elisabeth Elliot goes on to say about Amy’s life:  “It was no empty pedantry.  Her own life made the truth visible to her children.  The word became flesh and lived with them.”  Jesus tells us that this is how others will know that we are disciples of His – if we have love for one another:  ³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  John 13:34-35 (NIV) It is a worthy calling to reflect the life of our Master and it is the key to joy, satisfaction and meaning to this life.  It is our purpose from God – we are to be like Jesus. “The purpose of life is a life of purpose.”  Robert Byrne  “The future of civilization depends on our overcoming the meaninglessness and hopelessness that characterizes the thoughts of men today.”  Albert Schweitzer  What I glean from this: 

• It matters not as much as what I say as who I am.  Generations will reap what I sow.  I can pass down a curse or a blessing to those I may never know.
• I reproduce who I am.
• The purpose of my life is to reflect the life of Chirst.

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March_28

SHARING BREAD⁴⁵ One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.” Luke 11:45 (NIV)Ever heard of the expression “If the shoe fits, wear it”?  Surely Jesus must have been tempted to say this!  Aren’t we always the first ones to be shocked when conviction comes our way?  The “experts” of the law found themselves a bit aghast at Jesus’ piercing words.  We must always remember the deceitfulness of our own hearts.  Scripture tells us: ⁹ The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? ¹⁰ “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”   Jer 17:9-10 (NIV)Beware of no man more than of yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us.   Charles Spurgeon

God is the only One who can correctly discern our hearts; unfortunately, we are so often deluded.  Quite frankly, we can make excuses for anything – and believe them ourselves!  Like the teachers of the law in our verse for today, we are insulted and feel highly affronted when our weaknesses are brought to light. This is not the correct response for a child of the King (to say the least!).  Scripture tells us to guard our hearts:

²³ Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.   Prov 4:23 (NIV) “Put everything you have into the care of your heart, for it determines what your life amounts to.”    Dallas WillardHave you ever noticed when someone has been convicted in their spirit and not willing to change they become very defensive?  They may say that they are sorry; they may even admit that what they have done is wrong, yet there always seems to have a “BUT” added to their apology.  Beware of the “BUT’S” in your repentance.  Godly repentance is accompanied with sorrow – a grief over missing the mark; a sadness over displeasing our Savior.  A owning of our own sin.  Like Peter who wept bitterly after denying his Lord, demonstrating to us the proper posture of true repentance. Adding “BUT’S” is merely making excuses trying to soften the sharp shards of our behavior and not genuine repentance. I wonder if God ever feels pillaged by our apathy regarding our cavalier attitudes towards our sins.¹⁰ Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. ¹¹ See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.    2 Cor 7:10-11 (NIV) We should be striving as the Corinthians for a clear conscience before God.  When the Spirit convicts we are to quickly repent – like Joseph who turned and fled from even the temptation to sin.  We are to be broken over the depravity that is found within us.  Paul tells us in Acts: ¹⁶ So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.   Acts 24:16 (NIV)He also goes on to say in I Corinthians:³ I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. ⁴ My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. ⁵ Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.   1 Cor 4:3-5 (NIV) The Lord is the judge of our hearts and the motives behind our actions.  Man is quite easy to fool yet God is never fooled.  God speaks to us through His Word, giving us wisdom through the Holy Spirit to discern it and His gentle whisper in our hearts is constant:“There is hardly ever a complete silence in our soul.  God is whispering to us well nigh incessantly.”   Frederick William Faber   The writer of Hebrews states:¹² For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.   Heb 4:12-13 (NIV) What I glean from this: ·         My heart can deceive me; I must beware and guard it with diligence.  “When remembrance of God lives in the heart….then all goes well.” Theophan the Recluse·         My actions are a manifestation of what actually lies within my heart.  “Our actions disclose what goes on within us, just as its fruit makes known a tree otherwise unknown to us.”  Thalassios the Libyan·         When convicted, I must obey not excuse.  “Holy obedience…mortifies our lower nature and makes it obey the Spirit.”  “Holy obedience puts to shame all natural and selfish desires.”  Francis of Assisi “Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.”  Winston Churchill “No one overcome the corruptions of his heart except by the enabling strength of the Spirit of God.”    Jerry Bridges  **************************************************************************

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March_14

SHARING BREAD³⁴ Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. Luke 11:34 (NIV)Where is our gaze?  Upon what is our focus fixed?  What are we looking at longingly?  It matters, you know.  If it is placed on light (righteousness), Jesus tells us, our whole body will be full of light, bringing forth light to others; if darkness (labor, sorrow, pain, evil), then darkness.  In fact, in Matthew Jesus adds that it is indeed a “great” darkness! ²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!   Matt 6:22-23 (NIV) Interestingly, the above verse is “sandwiched” between two verses dealing with where our treasures lay, greed and on Whom or what we serve. If we gaze longingly on the temporal, desiring what will never make it through the fire; we are in fact the big losers!  The light within us is darkness hurting ourselves and influencing others for harm.  We do not want to go there.  Like Lot’s wife, it will only leave a salty taste in our mouths! ²⁶ But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.  Gen 19:26 (NIV)I am reminded of Hebrews chapter 12:¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ² Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  Heb 12:1-3 (NIV) Proverbs gives us additional wisdom regarding our focus: ²³ Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. ²⁴ Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. ²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. ²⁶ Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.
²⁷ Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.   Prov 4:23-27 (NIV) “Proverbs provides both a goal and route. The goal is successful living and the route is the way of wisdom.”   Robert L. Alden.   Lastly, in Psalm 141 David sets forth a worthy example for us all to follow: 
⁸ But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge–do not give me over to death.   Psalms 141:8 (NIV) “So then, turn your eyes upon Him, look full into His face and you will find that the things of earth will acquire a strange new dimness.”  Anonymous Helen H. Lemmel wrote nearly 500 hymns during her lifetime.  She became blind as a young adult and was subsequently deserted by her husband.  She struggled with multiple heartaches during midlife.  As she advanced in years, though destitute, she was spoken of as an amazing person because of her joy and enthusiasm.  When asked how she was doing she would reply, “I’m doing well in the things that count.”  One of her most famous hymns is “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”.  The words, printed below, make a fitting ending for our “Bread” today. “O soul, are you weary and troubled?  No light in the darkness you see?  There’s light for a look at the Savior, and life more abundant and free! Thro’ death into life everlasting He passed and we follow Him there; over us sin no more hath dominion for more than conquerors we are!     His word shall not fail you He promised; believe Him and all will be well; then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell! Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” What I glean from this: 

• It is important where my focus is fixed.
• I must not long for the temporal but for the eternal.
• Like David, I am to keep my eyes fixed on the Sovereign Lord.

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March_12

SHARING BREAD ³³ “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.  Luke 11:33 (NIV) I love the way Jesus states the above verse in Matthew in the Sermon on the Mount: ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.  Matt 5:14-16 (NIV) A light is meant to shine and give direction, radiating and pointing others to the proper path.  So how are we doing with this command?  Does the light within our lives point others to the proper path or does it lead them to spiral down heading into a world of darkness and depravity?  I am reminded of the Prophet Jeremiah’s words: ¹⁶ This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Jer 6:16 (NIV) The prophets of old were like watchmen, those assigned to watch for and warn a city of impending danger.  Carrying the light to his day, Jeremiah urges the people to walk in the good way so that they would find rest for their souls.  Believers today have much the same job.  We are to carry the light of Christ to those living in darkness being faithful to this task and leaving the results up to God.  Jesus tells us in John: ¹² When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  John 8:12 (NIV) Paul tells us in Ephesians: ⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord. ¹¹ Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. ¹³ But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, ¹⁴ for it is light that makes everything visible.   Eph 5:8-14 (NIV) Our behavior as believers should correspond with our positions as children of the King.  We are no longer to live in darkness, gratifying the desires of our sinful nature, but rather we are to walk in the light as He is in the light.  The sinful nature is contrary to the Spirit.  As we live according to the Spirit, we will manifest Jesus to others.  Scripture gives us insight to the Spirit’s fruit: ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.   Gal 5:22-25 (NIV) Ultimately, this “fruit” is the life of Christ fleshed out in a Christian through the power of His Holy Spirit and propelled by His love for us. Paul states in 2 Corinthians: ¹⁴ For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.  2 Cor 5:14-15 (NIV)Paul lived the way he lived because Christ lived the way He lived, demonstrating to us a wonderful example of I John 2:6:⁶ Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.  1 John 2:6 (NIV) Remember what Jesus said:  ³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 (NIV) “Our great honor lies in being just what Jesus was and is.  What greater glory could come to any man?”  A.W. Tozer We shine our lights so that others will see our good deeds and glorify God – not us!  The light points to Christ alone.  “Earth’s truest heroes hold their lives lightly, ready to peril all for other’s gain.  Thinking but little of the joy hereafter, only absorbed in soothing this world’s pain.” What I glean from this: ·         I am the light of the world.  “The oil of the lamp in the temple burned away in giving light; so should we.”  Robert Murray M’Cheyne·         My life should manifest the fruit of the Spirit in ever increasing measure.·         Christ’s love for me compels me.  **************************************************************************

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March_26

SHARING BREAD ⁴⁴ “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without knowing it.” Luke 11:44 (NIV)Coming into contact with an unmarked grave brought instant impurity for the Jew.  We find in Numbers:¹⁶ “Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death, or anyone who touches a human bone or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.   Num 19:16 (NIV) In our verses for today Jesus is again speaking to the religious leaders of the day – the Pharisees – stating yet another “Woe”!  Describing them as those bringing impurity to others caught unaware.  This is a warning for us also!  Does our influence lead others to impurity, perhaps suffering harm for being in our company?  I love Paul’s statement to the Corinthians: ¹⁴ I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. ¹⁵ Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. ¹⁶ Therefore I urge you to imitate me. ¹⁷ For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.   1 Cor 4:14-17 (NIV) And again he tells us: ¹ Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.   1 Cor 11:1 (NIV) 

Paul practiced what he preached.  He sought to follow Christ’s lead so that others could see Jesus “fleshed out” before their eyes.  This is our call too (ouch!).  Why on earth would anyone follow what we espouse yet fail to practice?  Why would anyone bother?  If it is not good enough for us then it is certainly not good enough for them either.  Furthermore, Paul later states:

  ²⁰ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.   1 Cor 4:20 (NIV)Basically he is stating, “Show me the money” or better yet, “Show me the power”.  You claim Christ, now then live it. We are also told:   ⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹ For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. ¹² So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.   2 Cor 4:7-12 (NIV)Do we bring life to others?  Do we leave the “aroma of Christ” in all of our encounters or the aroma of death?  The message of salvation and the ensuing results it produces are both glorious and divine. Mere mortals, like we are, carry around this great treasure in our “jars of clay”             demonstrating God’s all-surpassing power.  This shows that salvation is the work of God and not men.  We are told in I Corinthians:   ³ I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. ⁴ My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, ⁵ so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.  1 Cor 2:2-5 (NIV) I am reminded of a quote by Wales Goebel regarding our influences as Christians: “Every Christian life ought to be a force among men, a witness for Jesus and an influence for blessing and good. I know that there are few people like Billy Graham, whom God calls to do great things for Him. For men like me, and perhaps you, the best thing that we can do in the small time allotted to us in this world is to live out a genuine, simple, beautiful, strong Christian life. In our little measure we can repeat the life of the Lord Himself, doing in our imperfect way a few of the wonderful things He would do if He were Himself in our place.”  Wales GoebelMay it be Lord. What I glean from this: 

• I can be an influence for evil or for good.
• I am to follow the example of Christ.
• I am to leave behind the “aroma of Christ” in every encounter.

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March_24

SHARING BREAD ⁴³ “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Luke 11:43 (NIV)Pride is aptly described as an insidious monster taking captive its prey unaware and leading them down the path of destruction.  Believer, beware!  Jesus comes down hard on the Pharisees lofty attitude of themselves.  As the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees were held to an even higher standard.  They were those to whom the Israelites looked as their examples to follow.  It is no wonder Jesus blasts them for their poor behavior.  We find His words in Matthew getting right to the heart of the exact same issue:⁵ “Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; ⁶ they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; ⁷ they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’ Matt 23:5-7 (NIV) ¹¹ The greatest among you will be your servant. ¹² For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. ¹³ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.   Matt 23:11-13 (NIV) Pride, Scripture tells us, God hates and rightly so: ¹³ To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.  Prov 8:13 (NIV) I love what Paul tells the Corinthians: ⁷ For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?   1 Cor 4:6-7 (NIV) Humility is the only acceptable posture for human flesh.  Lest we begin to think too much of ourselves, Jesus describes to us in the Sermon on the Mount just a few of our many inabilities – we cannot turn even a hair white or black (except, of course, from a bottle!) or add a single hour to our lives.  Job also was shown by God, no less, his true essence of “dust and ashes” in light of the great “I AM”.  The last five chapters of Job are well worth our reading if we begin to sense pride creeping in our lives!  They start out with God asking Job the following question: ¹ Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: ² “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? ³ Brace yourself like a man; I will question you,
and you shall answer me.   Job 38:1-3 (NIV) Then God begins the long list of where were you when I did……..to which Job had no response except to repent in dust and ashes!  This is a good point for us to ponder.  Pride is even more repugnant among the religious circles.  I ran across a quote from Oswald Chambers nailing this point: “The true character of the loveliness that speaks for God is always unnoticed by the one possessing that quality.  Conscious influence is prideful and unchristian.  If I wonder if I am being of any use to God, I instantly lose the beauty and the freshness of the touch of the Lord.  ‘He who believes in Me….out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’ (John 7:38).  And if I examine the outflow, I lose the touch of the Lord.  Who are the people who have influenced us most?  Certainly not the ones who thought they did, but those who did not have even the slightest idea that they were influencing us.  In the Christian life, godly influence is never conscious of itself.  If we are conscious of our influence, it ceases to have the genuine loveliness which is characteristic of the touch of Jesus.  We always know when Jesus is at work because He produces in the commonplace something that is inspiring.” ² When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.  Prov 11:2 (NIV)²³ A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.  Prov 29:23 (NIV)“Beware of any belief that makes you self-indulgent or self-gratifying; that belief came from the pit of hell itself, regardless of how beautiful it may sound.”  Oswald ChambersWhat I glean from this:

• Pride is insidious – it can take hold of me unaware!  I am to beware!
• God hates pride in me and rightly so.
• Pride brings me low – a lowly spirit brings me up!

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March_21

SHARING BREAD ⁴² “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.” Luke 11:42 (NIV)Ever smugly tithed thinking that we were flat “it on a stick” for being ever so pious in our own estimation?  Jesus has one word for us – “Woe”!  Not to take away from tithing at all, as Jesus tells us we are not to leave that undone, we are also not to neglect justice and the love of God.  In many respects writing a check is a much simpler thing.  Scripture tells us:⁸ He has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.   Micah 6:8 (NIV) I love what the Bible Knowledge Commentary states about the above verse: “Micah then told the nation (O man means any person in Israel) exactly what God did desire from them. God did not want them to be related to Him in only a ritualistic way. God wanted them to be related inwardly—to obey Him because they desired to, not because it was a burden on them. That relationship, which is good (beneficial), involves three things: that individuals (a) act justly (be fair in their dealings with others), (b) love mercy (µese¼, “loyal love”; i.e., carry through on their commitments to meet others needs), and (c) walk humbly with… God (fellowship with Him in modesty, without arrogance). “Humbly” translates the verb ƒ¹na± (which occurs only here in the OT); it means to be modest. (The adjective ƒ¹nûa± occurs only once, in Prov. 11:2.)” God is not into a ritualistic religion.  He is relational and desires that our obedience to Him flows from our love for Him.  The way to love Him more is to know Him better.  The more that we know Him, the more we will love Him and the more that we love Him the more we will be obedient to His commands.  As we walk with Him we will find Him trustworthy and faithful knowing His decrees are always for our good and never for our harm. “When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don’t get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better.  God didn’t put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list.  He’s more interested in what I am than what I do.  That’s why we’re called human beings, not human doings.    Rick WarrenDeuteronomy states:¹² And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³ and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?   Deut 10:12-13 (NIV)We all want things to go well for us do we not?  While we live in a fallen, sinful world and difficulties do abound, I would like for those difficulties to be the only ones that abound not those that are caused by my own poor choosing.  We can prevent some things by the choices we make.  For instance, when we flagrantly disregard God’s revealed will (His written word – The Bible) we can expect consequences for our actions – that is, of course, if we are His child!  Hebrews 12 tells us to expect discipline:“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
⁶ because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” ⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.   Heb 12:5-8 (NIV)Just as sure as there are blessings in obedience, there are consequences to sin. If we are glaringly living in opposition to God’s revealed will and have suffered no consequences we should consider if we are indeed His child.  This is what Scripture teaches us. “Discipline is a proof of our sonship.”  Erwin Lutzer  “All true knowledge of God is born out of obedience.”  John Calvin 

What I glean from this:

• God desires for me to act justly to others, to be merciful to others and to walk humbly with Him.
• God is more concerned with my relationship to Him than ritualistically following a set of rules.
• God’s commands for me are always for my best.

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March_19

SHARING BREAD³⁹ Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. Luke 11:39 (NIV)What a great verse for the week of Easter!  We are usually so busy scurrying around finding our Easter frocks and finery to be “dressed to the nines” on Easter Sunday that unfortunately, more often than not, we give little heed to our heart’s condition.  We become far too concerned with the “outside of the cup” rather than the inside!  Jesus gives us a slap on the wrist for doing such!  I am reminded of God’s words to Samuel when perusing Jesse’s boys for God’s selection of Israel’s next King:⁷ But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”   1 Sam 16:7 (NIV) Do you want to please God?  Get the inside right!  When the inside is right, the outside will follow!  I love the words from The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” “But the eyes are blind.  One must look with the heart….” Scripture is replete with verses regarding guarding our hearts.  Proverbs gives it to us so succinctly: ²³ Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.   Prov 4:23 (NIV) Within our hearts lie the motivation behind our thoughts, our words, and our actions.  The heart also encompasses our values.  Protecting it faithfully is the starting point of health, vitality and prosperity.  The Bible also teaches us to beware because the heart is deceitful, all the more reason for us to guard it diligently.  We can convince ourselves of anything to support our poor behavior: ⁹ The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
¹⁰ “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct,
according to what his deeds deserve.”   Jer 17:9-10 (NIV) Peter gives us great insight too regarding our priorities between our “outsides” and our “insides” in his address to women: ³ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. ⁴ Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. ⁵ For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.  1 Peter 3:2-5 (NIV) The powerful purity of a godly life can turn even the stoniest heart.  “In God’s sight” is a very important phrase.  I am afraid we are all too often more concerned with “man’s sight” rather than “God’s sight”!  Paul had a great response to this: ¹⁰ Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.  Gal 1:10 (NIV)  This is a difficult point for sure but it is the path we must follow as we follow our Savior.  He was always about His Father’s business always seeking to please the Father:  “For I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”   John 5:30 (NIV) Indeed, even the Pharisees and the Herodians took note of this in Jesus’ life: ¹³ Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. ¹⁴ They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.   Mark 12:13-14 (NIV) Lastly, recorded in John, Jesus states: ⁴¹ “I do not accept praise from men,”   John 5:41 (NIV) We would do well to follow His lead; seeking to please the Father, having our hearts lined up with His will – guarding them with all diligence as the very essence of our lives and loving Him with all our heart and soul and mind. What I glean from this: ·         I should be paying more attention to my “insides” than my “outsides”!·         My heart can deceive me – I must be on guard.·         I should not fret over what man thinks but rather be concerned about what God thinks!  “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.
⁷ The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them.  Surely the people are grass. ⁸ The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God stands forever.”  Isaiah 40:6-8 (NIV)**************************************************************************

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March_17

SHARING BREAD³⁵ See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. ³⁶ Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.” Luke 11:35-36 (NIV)Jesus gives us a command here that is well worth our attention (aren’t all of His commands that way???)  The wording He uses here prior to stating the command actually means contemplate, give attention to, and focus upon what I am about to say.  We are not to let the light within us become spiritually darkened which implies ignorance or error to the Truth of God’s Word.  Scripture is full of such admonitions pointing to the importance of knowing and heeding what is written within its pages.  This is a wonderful reminder for our day and time as we often let other things crowd out the soaking up of God’s spiritual food.  “Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.”  Winston Churchill When we have feasted upon His Word, and our cups are filled to overflowing, the light within us is indeed akin to “a city on a hill” – it simply cannot be hidden.  This is a very good thing!  I am reminded of Paul’s words in II Timothy:¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.   2 Tim 2:15 (NIV)We want to be examined and proved genuine; we want to pass the test so to speak.  That is what approved means – to be accepted, to be proved real.  “Correctly handles” in the above verse actually means to cut or divide skillfully.  It is an indication of one who is a correct discerner of God’s Truth.  It is also a marvelous advantage over the lies of Satan.“The best protection against Satan’s lies is to know God’s truth.”  AnonymousI love what Proverbs has to say concerning this wisdom:¹ Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.  ² I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. ³ When I was a boy in my father’s house, still tender, and an only child of my mother, ⁴ he taught me and said, “Lay hold of my words with all your heart;  keep my commands and you will live. ⁵ Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. ⁶ Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. ⁷ Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. ⁸ Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. ⁹ She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor.”  Prov 4:1-9 (NIV) Solomon here is speaking about instruction from his earthly mother and father, David and Bathsheba.  Yet, this directly corresponds to God’s command to the Jews in Deuteronomy called the “Shema” meaning “Hear”.  This is the basic confession of faith in Judaism given to the Jews by Moses: ⁴ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. ⁵ Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.   Deut 6:4-9 (NIV) The command was to love God and that was to pervade every area of their being and their lives.  He was to be their life just as Paul tells us in Colossians: ¹ Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.   Col 3:1-4 (NIV) As believers we are to be bringing heavenly direction to our earthly duties fixing our attention decisively toward things above.  I love what the Bible Knowledge Commentary states about these verses: “Paul was saying that life in this world will be better if it is lived by a power beyond this world, the power of the resurrected, ascended, glorified Christ.”  I have been told that one can be so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good.  I have come to the realization that quite the opposite is true.  We can be no earthly good if we are not heavenly minded.  Certainly we can have no eternal impact if our minds are entrenched in the here and now.  Our lives are to be the sermon pointing others to our Lord.  This is what brings true benefit to others – everything else is just a welfare check; immediate relief yet very little, if any, lasting value.  Remember “This world is our passage, not our portion.”  Matthew Henry  What I glean from this: 

• I am to give attention to the truth of God’s Word.  “Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth.”  A.W. Tozer
• God’s truth is to pervade every area of my being – making me “shine like the stars in the universe”.  “The Christian should stand out like a sparkling diamond.”  Billy Graham
• My life should be a sermon pointing others to Christ.

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