What can be said with confidence is that the Baal worshipers attributed to Baal attributes that David knew belonged exclusively to the Lord. The Lord was G.o.d of creation and Baal was not. Therefore, David exhorted worshipers to recognize that athe voice of the Lord echoes above the sea. The G.o.d of glory thundersa (Ps. 29:3). These words pointed out that in nature, particularly in the violent storms common to Palestine, there is a reminder that athe voice of the Lord is powerful: the voice of the Lord is full of majestya (29:4).
Reverent souls recognize that the Lordas hand is to be seen in all his handiwork, and his voice is to be heard in the mighty and subtle sounds of nature. Such souls have no difficulty turning their hearts to worship. In Davidas case, he encouraged the angels to join him in giving ahonor to the Lord for his glory and strength,a and he called on both angels and mortal beings to aworship the Lord in the splendor of his holinessa (29:2).
We need more men who, resenting aother G.o.dsa being honored with the honor due only to the Lord, will unabashedly give him glory and will insist that others join in the worship. Why should the devil have all the best tunesa"and why should false G.o.ds get all the glory?
September 11
TO READ: Matthew 10:16-42
Roses Have Thorns
A student is not greater than the teacher. A servant is not greater than the master.
Matthew 10:24
Public figures and advertisers often make their p.r.o.nouncements in such a way that negatives are obscured by positives. We are well aware of this, and we greet much of what we are told with skepticism. We inquire, aWhereas the catch?a The p.r.o.nouncements of Jesus were refreshingly different. There was no small print, no obscuring of the downside. He made it clear that anyone who became his disciple could expect the same kind of treatment that was being meted out to him. He warned, aA student is not greater than the teacher. A servant is not greater than the mastera (10:24). Not only would his disciples be subjected to hara.s.sment and persecution, but much of it would come from those nearest and dearest to them (10:21-22, 34-36).
Despite the costs, millions through the centuries have chosen to follow Jesus. They have discovered a cause to live for in a world that lacks meaning and significance. They have believed that Christ is the worldas only hope, and to be identified with him and his cause is to be part of the only lasting solution to human ills. They have taken seriously his words, aDonat be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; they cannot touch your soula (10:28). They have discovered that the downside Jesus predicted is manageable because he also promised the empowering of the indwelling Spirit. They have taken great comfort in the fact that G.o.d, who keeps inventory on sparrows and records hair loss on men (10:29-30), will not let any eventuality escape his attention. And when it is all over they antic.i.p.ate a promised reward of eternal proportions!
Sometimes life doesnat treat us as kindly as we fondly imagine it should. We are often told, an.o.body said life would be a rose garden.a But in a very real sense Jesus did say this! Rose gardens are full of both roses and thorns. Roses and thorns are what he predicted, and that is exactly what his followers experience. He gives us the roses of his love and grace, but we also experience the thorns of adversity and opposition. You canat have the former without the latter.
When you feel the sharpness of adversityas thorns, remember that Jesus felt the pain of the cross to purchase for you the sweet fragrance of his salvation. He regarded his thorns as necessary and worthwhile in order for the roses to bloom. So should we. So smell the roses and look out for the thorns! He promised you both.
September 12
TO READ: Matthew 10:28-42
Hair Loss
Donat be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only G.o.d, who can destroy both soul and body in h.e.l.l. . . . The very hairs on your head are all numbered. So donat be afraid.
Matthew 10:28, 30-31
If we are to believe television advertis.e.m.e.nts, hair loss is a matter of grave concern for men. When bald spots appear and hair lines recede, men spend anxious moments peering into their mirrors, anxiously monitoring hirsute progress (or regress!), worrying about lost youth, and trying desperately to sh.o.r.e up their flagging spirits and their depreciating self-worth. But advertis.e.m.e.nts tell us that, given the right kind of treatment, their hair can grow again, youth and vigor will be restored, and with luxuriant locks in place they can face the world again, confident and carefree.
If men are concerned about their hairstyles, G.o.d is even more so. Jesus indicated that heaven shows surprising interest in a manas hair. He said, aThe very hairs on your head are all numbereda (Matt. 10:30). The significance of what Jesus was saying cannot be overemphasized. He wanted men to know that they are so precious in G.o.das sight that their lives are divinely monitored. What this means is they should be able to approach lifeas vicissitudes with confidence, not so much because their hairline is in place, but because their hairs are numbered, meaning the minute details of their lives are known to G.o.da"and he cares about them. How much does he care? Changing the picture slightly, Jesus said, aNot even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. . . . So donat be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrowsa (10:29, 31). As the old spiritual says, His eye is on the sparrow.
And I know he watches me!33 Life can be unnerving, and circ.u.mstances can be disconcerting. But the worries of life must be placed in their proper context. Losing your head matters a whole lot more than losing your hair! But even more important than losing your head is losing your soul. Jesusa comment on this is noteworthy: aDonat be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only G.o.d, who can destroy both soul and body in h.e.l.la (Matt. 10:28).
So, next time you look in the mirror to monitor your hairline, remember that every hair is inventoried in heaven, because every detail of your life is infinitely precious to G.o.d. And donat forget that one day your hairline wonat mattera"the only thing that will matter is heaven or h.e.l.l!
September 13
TO READ: Matthew 13:1-23
The Seed and the Soils
My job was to plant the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was G.o.d, not we, who made it grow.
1 Corinthians 3:6
The Churchas mission is to spread the gospel. This has been done with varying degrees of effectiveness through the centuries, but recently more attention has been given to communicating the Good News to different kinds of people in ways that they will understand and embrace. Jesus had something to say on this subject.
Middle Eastern farmers of the first century sowed their seed as they walked up and down their land with a basket of seed on their hips, scattering seed in a sweeping arc. The seed would fall on all kinds of soil. Some would flourish, and the rest would never produce at all. Jesus used this common occurrence as an ill.u.s.tration of what happens when the Good News of the kingdom is spread abroad by his disciples.
G.o.das word is like seed. When it is presented to men and women, it meets with a variety of responses. Some hearers are so well prepared that they eagerly respond. They receive the message, believe it, and embrace it, and new life begins to show (13:23). But sadly, other hearers are so hardeneda"perhaps disinterested or antagonistica"that the truth is quickly lost on them (13:19). Some hearers respond shallowly with intellectual a.s.sent and even a glad acknowledgment of the truth that hides an unchanged heart (13:20-21). Others fail to recognize the unique significance of the message, its importance lost among all the other things that clutter their lives (13:22).
What does this mean for the disciple who is eager to propagate the Good News? First, he should have confidence in the power of G.o.das word, just as the farmer has confidence in the ability of his seed to produce. Second, the disciple must recognize that he is responsible to communicate the truth, but he cannot control the response. The farmer is responsible to sow the seed, but he cannot ensure a good harvest, no matter how much preparation he makes. Third, the disciple will meet people who want to evaluate the message, while in fact it is aevaluatinga them! The soil doesnat aevaluatea the seeda"itas vice versa! Fourth, the disciple must remember that people by nature are spiritually blind and deafa"they need G.o.das miraculous intervention in their lives (13:12, 15).
Paul got it right when he said, aMy job was to plant the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was G.o.d, not we, who made it growa (1 Cor. 3:6). We are responsible for the sowing, but G.o.d is responsible for the growing.
September 14
TO READ: Luke 11:29-36
The Sign of Jonah
As the crowd pressed in on Jesus, he said, aThese are evil times, and this evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign. But the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.a Luke 11:29
People who struggle with faith sometimes say that, if they could have actually seen Jesus at work and heard him with their own ears, they would not have any problems believing. As understandable as this may be, it is probably not true. Some of the people who saw Jesus at work and who heard him speak still struggled with believing! They argued with him over what he had said, they were dissatisfied with the miracles he performed, and they kept asking him for more miraculous signs.
Jesusa response to their lack of belief is enlightening. He saw their att.i.tude not so much as a struggle to believe, but as a symptom of aevil timesa and an aevil generationa (Luke 11:29). He was convinced that his contemporaries had been given more than enough evidence that he was who he claimed to be. Their unbelief was not an unfortunate or unavoidable lack of faitha"it was an outright act of wickedness. They chose not to believe and demanded further signs.
One day, Jesus said that there would be no more signs except onea"athe sign of the prophet Jonaha (11:29). Jesusa listeners were familiar with the story of the prophet. When G.o.d commissioned Jonah to head in an easterly direction to preach to the city of Nineveh, Jonah intentionally headed west to Tarshish. But not for long! G.o.d hurled a storm at the ship, and Jonah was hurled overboard by the reluctant crew when they discovered he was responsible for their plight and when rowing and praying hadnat worked for them. Then a large fish swallowed him and regurgitated him three days later. When G.o.d again told Jonah to go to Nineveh, there were no arguments! Jonah arrived in Nineveh and preached as he had been told. He made quite a stira"revival swept the city.
Perhaps some of Jesusa listeners understood what Jesus meant by the asign of the prophet Jonah,a but many of them certainly did not. So to give them another hint, Jesus added, aSomeone greater than Jonah is herea (11:32). He was referring to himself. And the sign that he would bringa"the sign to end all signsa"would be like what happened to Jonah. Jesus would go down into death (rather than into the sea), would be buried for three days (in a tomb rather than in a fish), and on the third day would rise from the dead (by his own power rather than by being spit out). Thereafter he would show himself openly and preach the Good News of the kingdom. That was the final sign, which in Jesusa opinion is more than adequate as a basis of faith for all men at all times.
The issue for men today becomes, aHow do I respond to Jesusa resurrection from the dead?a Christianity stands or falls on this tenet of the faith. If Christ is risen, he is all he said he wasa"the Messiah, the Son of G.o.d, the eternal king. If he isnat risen, heas deada"and irrelevant. Either way, we donat need more signs. We need to choose to believe what the evidence clearly shows. To refuse to believe is simply wickedness.
September 15
TO READ: Luke 12:1-12
Public Life, Private Life
Jesus turned first to his disciples and warned them, aBeware of the yeast of the Phariseesa"beware of their hypocrisy. The time is coming when everything will be revealed; all that is secret will be made public.a Luke 12:1-2
Character and reputation should never be confused. A manas reputation is what people think he is. His character is what G.o.d knows he is. Living as we do in an image-conscious society, great emphasis is placed on how we appear in public. So business men are told how to dress for success and are encouraged to wear the right kind of power suits and ties. Politicians listen to focus groups and watch polls carefully to monitor any changes necessary in their aimage.a Even teenagers, ever conscious of peer pressure and acceptance, insist on the right kind of gear in order to be the right kind of cool. Image, public persona, reputationa"these are what really matter to our culture. What a man is in private, what he is in the eyes of G.o.da"his charactera"is not given as much attention. In fact, we are told repeatedly that private life is of no concern to anyone other than the individual. So public image is of concern to the ma.s.ses, but private life is of concern only to one. Right? Wrong!
Jesus knew full well that public image can be a projection of what is palpably false. In fact, he had in front of him a clear example of this. So he warned, aBeware of the yeast of the Phariseesa"beware of their hypocrisya (Luke 12:1). The Pharisees were masters of image; they were practiced at projecting a piety that was not a reflection of inner reality. Jesus had a name for it: He called it hypocrisy. Their lives were an act, a charade, a travesty.
Jesus went on, aThe time is coming when everything will be revealed; all that is secret will be made publica (12:2). The barrier between private and public will be breached. The gap between what people think we are and what G.o.d knows we are will be bridged. There will be no difference between private and public lifea"everything private will be made public. We will be known as fully as G.o.d knows us.
So how should a man respond? He should be more concerned about how he appears to G.o.d than about how he is viewed by people. What he is in privatea"his charactera"should take priority over how he appears in publica"his reputation. Reputation is not insignificant, but it can be inaccurate. Good people are sometimes given a bad name, while rogues are often praised to the skies. But it will not be so in heaven. What the world needs is men of sound character who earn a solid reputation. Their character pleases G.o.d, and their reputation blesses humanity.
September 16
TO READ: Luke 14:25-35