The Lottery

"Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed" Luke 12:15. "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness" 2 Peter 1:3.

So many aspire to "winning" the lottery and other forms of gambling. They see the jackpot as the answer to their problems. What a contrast to the Lord's straightforward instruction in our first verse. "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed"

Jesus continues to speak to those who will listen: "Watch out!", He warns. That should get our attention. The word used means "to discern clearly". We sure need that don't we? What lack of discernment is used by those who stand in long lines hoping their "investment" will bring them the illusory pot of gold promised by the lottery. We need to be on our guard. Greed is an insidious form of idolatry Colossians 3:5, which many maturing believers battle against.  The world screams in our ears in a variety of ways, "YOU DON"T HAVE ENOUGH!"

But God says in His Word, "My grace is sufficient" 2 Corinthians 12:9 and "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness" 2 Peter 1:3. I especially find richness in the phrase "everything we need". Who will you believe today?

Is the "everything we need" that was absolutely sufficient for Peter's original readers also sufficient for us who live in 2016?  

Saving Face.

It was not you that sent me here but God.  Genesis 45:8

Joseph's brothers listen in amazement as he says, "It was not you that sent me here, but God." Is he serious? "God did it'?" This takes forgiveness to a new level! Saving face that's what God lets us do! With full knowledge of our sinful past and our present struggles, He covers us with grace. And He expects us to do the same for others. You can make a friend for life by allowing someone to save face.

Reading the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew, Chapter 1, you might think the sin of adultery between David and Bathsheba was part of the divine strategy all along. Of course it wasn't, and David paid a high price. Yet Matthew records these events as though they were supposed to have happened in just that way.

For the one who really forgives from the heart, there's no place for self-righteousness. We are able to forgive because: 

(a) We remember what we ourselves have been forgiven of.

(b) We acknowledge what we're capable of. 

(c) We see God's hand at work in the bigger picture. 

(d) When we come through it we're wiser, stronger and more Christlike. 

So Joseph wasn't being condescending or patronizing; nor was he thinking, "I will be admired for being so gracious." No. During his years 'In prison God had operated on his heart and changed his attitude. So when he said, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" Genesis 50:20, Joseph did mean it. And that is real forgiveness!

I will not be confounded

"For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed" Isaiah 50:7.

Are you thankful for the many folks you meet in life who put their hand to the plow and never look back. In a sense Isaiah expresses this same attitude in this verse. Contextually it is considered by commentators to be part of a Messianic prophecy concerning Christ, but I also find an application for all who steadfastly follow Christ. Let us consider four phrases with each building on the preceding:

  

1) "For the Lord God will help me." Have you accepted this truth in your life? Are you living with the peace that such knowledge brings? The underlying Hebrew word for "help" has a root meaning which is "to surround, i.e. protect or aid."  A foundational assurance we have as God's children is that of His constant help and care. Psalm 121:1 states, "I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."

2) "Therefore shall I not be confounded." "Confound" is a word rarely used in our vocabulary today. It's an old word that means to become confused or perplexed. It has an underlying meaning of being wounded and other versions translate it insulted, disgraced, ashamed. There's a lot about life that can be confounding and as we face a new year this is a powerful proclamation

3) "Therefore have I set my face like a flint." What a proclamation of determination based on the preceding two truths! There are far too many weak-kneed, wavering, wimpy professing followers of Christ. The word "flint" conveys hardness. Jesus demonstrated this in a passage Luke records, "As the time approached for Him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem" (9:51).  Though the "people there did not welcome Him" and He had "no place to lay His head" He was resolute in doing the complete will of His Father. He never looked back to His pre-incarnate state but "for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising its shame..." (Hebrews 12:2). Likewise, we too must set our affection and sights beyond our present difficulty to the eternal joys of heaven if we are to remain firm and stay the course.

4) "I know that I shall not be ashamed." Now that's a faith statement. Notice the confident assurance Isaiah expresses in the words, "I know". He indicates that this attitude is not only for the present (I am) but for the future (I shall not be), no matter the circumstances. An interesting word study is the various uses of the word "ashamed" in Paul's letters:

• "For I am not ashamed of the gospel" (Romans 1:16).

• "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed" (Philippians 1:20).

• "So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord" (2 Timothy 1:8).

• "A worker who does not need to be ashamed" (2 Timothy 2:15).

Today, I encourage you as we enter the second full week of 2016 that the Lord God will help you; therefore you will not be confounded, as you set your face like a flint, you will not be ashamed. 

A Guilt Trip

Be not angry with yourselves for selling me.  Genesis 45:5 

Imagine the guilt that the brothers must have felt as they stood before their brother Joseph. But Joseph said: "Be not angry with yourselves or God did send me before you to preserve life" Genesis 45:5. Why do we guilt trip others? Because we've forgotten the grace we ourselves received when we didn't have a leg to stand on.

Our forgiveness is worthless unless it makes it possible

for others to forgive themselves. Self-forgiveness was Paul's hurdle! Listen: "I wasted the church" Gal. 1: 13). After imprisoning and beheading Christians he now preaches to them. And who's in the audience? The widows! The orphans!

The ancient Persians punished murderers by strapping the victim to their back. It dragged them down, identified them with their past, the smell of it drove others away and eventually it robbed them of their very life. Was this what Paul had in mind when he said: "Who will rescue me from this body of death?" Romans 7:24  Nothings heavier than guilt It will: 

(1) Drag you down and turn living into merely existing; 

(2) Cause you to leave a bad taste wherever you go. Even your friends will become exhausted and say, "Get over it;" 

(3) Destroy every new relationship you've got. Who wants a person having an affair with a corpse? You would only be using the new to numb the pain of the old; 

(4) Shorten your life because you aren't built to carry it. Cut it loose! Cry if you need to, but when the grieving is over bury it and move on. And that is what real forgiveness does for others!

The Part is Yours

Jeremiah told God, “I cannot speak, for I am a youth”   Sound familiar?  Have you been saying, “I don’t have what it takes?  God told Jeremiah, “Do not say, I am a youth, for you shall go to all to who I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.  So not be afraid of their face for I am with you.”  After actors audition for a part, the director conducts what are know as “callbacks.”  At that point the actor either gets the part or it goes to someone else. But when and actor is experienced and well known, sometime the director will offer the part without an audition.  Understand this; God doesn’t do auditions and callbacks.  That’s because He’s already designed a role for you that nobody else can fill.  Even if others were to study you endlessly they still couldn’t by you.  When God says, “I know you by name and you have found favor with me,” be careful about responding to any other call except the one that comes from Him.  Since God designed you with the built in qualifications you need, you don’t have to compromise your convictions, manipulate, drop names or do special favors.  The part is yours!  And don’t be jealous or intimidated by anyone else no matter how talented they are.  In God’s eyes there are no other contenders; you are it!  You are the only one who can fill the slot because He created it with you in mind.  When you feel insecure and unqualified, remind yourself, I have been called by God Himself.”

Launching out

Launch out into the deep.   Luke 5:4

Mediocrity is just the best of the worst, and the worst of the best. Is that what you want? No? Then be willing to forfeit the safety of being where you are, in order to go where God wants you to be. Helen Keller said, "Security is a myth. The reason we don't experience it is because it doesn't exist. Avoiding danger or failure is no safer in the long run than outright risk. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." Smart lady.  She also said, "The only thing that's worse than being blind, is having sight but no vision."

The danger in not wanting much, is that you usually get it. So ask yourself, "What do I want this year, that's worth risking everything for? Like 30 minutes less sleep in the morning in order to pray, read my Bible and work on my relationship with God? To pursue my degree, or business opportunity? To work on my marriage? To break this destructive habit?"

"Launching out" means: 

(1) Setting goals, establishing a, plan to reach them, and becoming accountable; 

(2) Staying tuned to God's "leadings;"

 (3) Confronting old fears and discovering the incredible rewards on the other side of them; 

(4) Looking in the mirror and respecting what you're becoming; 

(5) Devoting your life to something greater than yourself, and being blessed in doing it; 

(6) Having a "You art with me" attitude, and attempting even greater things for God. So, are you ready to "launch out" this year?