Jim Wilson's Blog, page 3

Slow to Anger, Abounding in Love

One of the great self-declarations by God concerning Himselfwas the one given to Moses on his second trip up the mountain in Exodus 34:6-8.

“And he passed infront of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate andgracious God, slow to anger,abounding in love andfaithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness,rebellion, and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishesthe children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third andfourth generation.’”

We see here the truth that upset Jonah:

“But Jonah was greatlydispleased and became angry. He prayed to the Lord, ‘O Lord, is this not what Isaid when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. Iknew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, O Lord, take away mylife, for it is better for me to die than to live’” (Jonah 4:1-3).

God was not angry. Jonah, however, was angry because God was not.

In the New Testament, we see the same slowness to anger as arequirement for Christians:

“My dear brothers,take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about therighteous life that God desires” (James 1:19-20).

Normally, anger is not a virtue. It should not be impetuous, itmust be over by sundown, and it must be gotten rid of.

“‘In your anger do notsin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry…. Get rid of allbitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with form of malice” (Ephesians4:26, 31).

This post coordinates with today's reading in the Tothe Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Charlie Kirk, Christianity, and Going to Church

If Charlie Kirk’s death and his memorial service have youthinking about Christianity, church, or the Bible, then this post is for you.

Here is what Christians believe: “Now, brothers, I want toremind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which youhave taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved… For what I received Ipassed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins accordingto the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third dayaccording to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to theTwelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers atthe same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all heappeared to me also…” (1 Corinthians 15:1-8).

The good news, the gospel, is defined here in terms of whoJesus is and what He did.

1. He is the Christ.

2. He died for our sins according to the Old TestamentScriptures. We have all sinned. We need to be saved from our sin, and we cannotsave ourselves. If you’ve really messed up in life, don’t worry about that—that’swhy Jesus came to save us. No matter what your sins are, He offers you forgivenessand salvation. 

3. He was buried. The burial of Jesus confirms the death ofJesus. The burial of Jesus confirms the resurrection of Jesus.

4. He rose from the dead on the third day according to theScripture.

If you want to have the life you saw in the Christians atCharlie’s memorial, the way is simple—tell God that you believe these things,and ask Him to save you. Then thank Him for saving you.

Start reading the Bible every day, and start looking for agood church to attend every Sunday.

If you are not ready to become a Christian today, and youjust want to know more about it, start by reading the Gospel of John in theBible.

If you are a Christian and would like a good Bible readingplan, you can find one at http://TotheWord.com.It's already started for this year - if you’ve never read the Bible before andaren’t familiar with it, I would recommend starting the plan at the beginning,not just jumping into the middle of it. It will make more sense if you startwith Genesis and John. If you know the Bible a little, go ahead and join theplan on today’s date. You can read what you missed when the plan starts overnext year.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Eye for an Eye: No Justification for Vengeance

Dear Friend,

When I was with you recently, I heard several references tothe phrase “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” We didn’t talk about itat the time, but I thought it merited a few special comments. That is reasonfor this letter.

The first time the sentence occurs is in Exodus 21:23-25: “Ifany harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth fortooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe forstripe.”

The actual context is in reference to men who are fightingand, in the process, a pregnant woman is hurt, and she has a miscarriage. Thisis in the law that God gave to the people of Israel the same time He gave the TenCommandments.

This is not teaching vengeance; it is a law given forjudges. It is putting upper limits on what a judge can do in sentencing.It seems very harsh, but in reality it was humane. If a man lost an eye in afight, vengeance would say, “I will kill him.” Even an unjust judge might allowfor the death penalty for losing an eye. But God said the most a man canbe punished is the same as he inflicted; that is, an eye for an eye, not deathfor an eye.

In the middle of the 1700s in England, there were over 200crimes for which you could be hanged. God was saying in Exodus that thepunishment should fit the crime. God was not teaching vengeance. He was settingan upper limit for punishment for crimes. It should not be greater than thecrime itself. Most of us would not vote for “eye for eye” laws. Some of ourlaws are easier; some are harsher. In either case, it is not an authorizationfor personal vengeance.

“When a man causes disfigurement in his neighbor, as he hasdone it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth fortooth, as he has disfigured a man, he shall be disfigured” (Leviticus 24:19-20).

Deuteronomy 19:15-21 tells us very clearly the determinationof this “eye for eye” is the responsibility of the judges, not theresponsibility of the injured person.

Jesus really made it clear when He said, “You have heardthat it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say do notresist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn tohim the other also; and if anyone would sue you and take your coat, let himhave your cloak as well; and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with himtwo miles” (Matt. 5:38-41).

There are related paragraphs in the Bible, like Romans12:14-21.

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmonywith one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people oflow position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Becareful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as faras it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dearfriends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine toavenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy ishungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this,you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, butovercome evil with good.”

Some of you are in prison because you took vengeance intoyour own hands, or you returned evil for evil. At the time, you felt justifiedin doing it. If you thoroughly reject the false view of “an eye for eye,”you will find it easier to confess to God your own sin and so be forgiven. Ifyou confess your sin with a belief that you had God’s endorsement for it, ofcourse you will not be forgiven, and you will stay unhappy.

Neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament teachesrevenge. Don’t ever quote “an eye for an eye” as an excuse for revenge. That ismisquoting Scripture. That is trying to get God to endorse your actions.

Your friend in Christ,

Jim Wilson

This post coordinates with today's reading in the Tothe Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

From Everlasting to Everlasting

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout allgenerations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth andthe world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:1-2).

“But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s loveis with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’schildren” (Psalm 103:17).

God’s everlastingness has been extended to us whobelieve. It includes everlasting joy and everlasting kindness. “His loveendures forever.” Thank God!

This post coordinates with tomorrow's reading in the Tothe Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Prayer & Praying

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for eachother so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful andeffective” (James 5:16).

“This service that you perform is not only supplying the needsof God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God” (2Cor. 9:12).

“All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that isreaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the gloryof God” (2 Cor. 4:15).

These three verses have something in common. It is prayer.

James 5:16 tells us of the quality of prayer or, rather,the quality of the man who prays for healing. The next two verses tell of the quantityof men who thank God. 2 Corinthians 9:12 speaks of God’s people who aregrateful, having had their physical needs met by those who had given. Thisresults in “overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.”

2 Corinthians 4:15 is speaking of the salvation of more andmore people. This causes “thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.”

Praying for the sick, giving to the poor, preaching the Gospelto the lost! The church on the whole is weak in all these areas.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

How to Become a Christian

If you are not a Christian, you have a nature that is proneto sin. In order to get rid of it, you need a new nature. You cannot get one byyourself. It can be done only by God.

If you want to be a Christian, here is your part:

1. You need to want to be set free from the guilt andjudgement for your sins and from the pow­er of sin.

2. You need to know that you are helpless in this want. Youcan’t set yourself free.

3. Know that being good and not be­ing bad will not set youfree, nor will any other means of self-effort.

4. Know that God has already accom­plished this deliveranceby sending the Lord Jesus to earth to die for you. “You see, at just the righttime, when we were still pow­erless, Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6).

Three days after this death for our sins, the Lord Jesusrose from the dead in order to make us righteous. “He was delivered over todeath for our sins and was raised to life for our justi­fication” (Rom. 4:25).

“Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel Ipreached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. Bythis gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you asof first impor­tance: that Christ died for our sins according to theScriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day accordingto the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve” (1Cor. 15:1–5).

5. The Holy Spirit is now drawing you to turn from your sin,to call upon the Lord Jesus for forgiveness and salvation, trusting Him, Hisdeath, and His resurrection. “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is withyour mouth that you profess your faith and are saved . . . for, ‘Everyone whocalls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Romans 10:9–10, 13). Tell Himyou don’t want to live the way you’ve been living anymore, and ask Him to saveyou. He will do it.

Now that you have called upon the Lord Jesus, thank Him for savingyou, for forgiving your sin, and for giving you everlasting life.

Now, in the joy of your forgiveness, tell some­one what Godhas done for you.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Our Responsibility for the Poor

Today, I want to bring to your attention several relatedpassages that are clearly directed to individuals or households, not tothe whole church.

“There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore Icommand you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needyin your land” (Deuteronomy 15:11).

“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled,the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you,you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:13-14).

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultlessis this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneselffrom being polluted by the world” (James 1:27).

“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and dailyfood. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:15-16).

We have managed to evade these clear teachings by delegatingthe responsibility to the state, the deacons’ fund at our church, or tocharitable organizations. Even if we give to these organizations, it is not thesame as inviting the poor home to dinner. Or we get involved at Thanksgiving orChristmas and feel good about it, apparently not realizing that these peoplewould like to eat daily. Our response is that there are too many poor people.Yes, but that is not an excuse for not taking care of one of the many. When thestate takes care of the poor, the money may be there but the love is not.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

A Severe Blessing

This post was a ministry letter from Barb Friedman.Originally written November 2003.

About two months ago, I met a mother and her blind and autisticson, his younger sister, and his baby sister. This family had previously been inAmerica and had returned to their homeland. Now they were back in the States fortheir son’s sake. The schools in their homeland were not equipped for children withdisabilities like his. The family knew that in America their son could get the helphe needed. America attempts to make it possible for those who are handicapped tolive as if they were not.

The mother asked me if God was punishing her because her son wasborn bind and with autism. Immediately I thought about that Jewish man inJohn’s gospel who was born blind:

“As he went along, he saw a manblind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or hisparents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed inhis life’” (John 9:1-3).

After Jesus miraculously healed this Jewish man, he believed thatJesus was the Messiah, the one God promised to come, and received eternal life.His blindness from birth, rather than being a curse was “a severe blessing.” Itled to his salvation.

“The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent” (John6:29).

“No, God is not punishing you,” I told this mother. “Rather, hehas given you this son as a very special gift. Though all children are gifts fromGod, a child with a disability is even more so.”

She looked at me with surprise, disbelief and “with all ears.”I told her that children born with disabilities are not the norm—they are not common.Therefore, this makes these children special gifts. I expressed that God reallyintended to bless her and the family when he gave them this son with his handicaps.What many would consider a curse was really meant to be “a severe blessing.”

I anticipated this mother’s needs. Surely children born with disabilitieswill require special care and treatment, as well as much more love, muchmore patience, and much more wisdom. I explained that when God entruststo a family one of these special gifts, He certainly wants to give them all the“much mores” they will need in order to do what is best.

Then I compared human love, patience, and wisdom, which have limits,to God’s love, patience, and wisdom, which have no limits. This mother was wellaware of her limits, her inadequacies and shortcomings related to her son and hisdisabilities. “Your son’s needs have caused you to have needs that will requireGod’s help as well as His comfort. When you believe in God and in Jesus, God willgive you all the much more love, patience, and wisdom that you need in order todo what is best for your son and family. And to do it with joy! When you believe,this will be the first blessing your son will bring to the family.” She smiled atme.

At our next meeting, this mother asked, “What exactly is sin?”At our third meeting, she asked, “What really happened when Jesus died on the cross?”She was already in Heaven’s harbor waiting to dock. Well, she got docked! May Goduse her peace and joy and her new life in Christ to draw her family and others tothe living God and the love of God.

Recently, she told me how others feel so sorry for her becauseof her son’s situation and the suffering it must bring to the family. She said tome, “But we are not suffering because of our son. We have peace and joy.” I toldher to use this as an opportunity to explain how she came to believing in the livingGod because of her son and how her son really has been a gift from God and a blessingfrom God.

“Praise be to the God and father ofour Lord Jesus Christ, the father of compassion and the God of all comfort, whocomforts us in all our trouble…. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow overinto our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).

If any of you are in some difficulty or having trouble of thekind that seems too much, too big, too awful for you, remember that God gives overflowingcomfort. There is no suffering that is too much, too big, too awful that God’s comfortcannot drown. He is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.”

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

The Christian Walk: Being vs. Doing

When it comes to living as a Christian, there is a differencebetween being and doing.

“God is love” (1 John 4:8). That is who He is.

“God so loved the world that He gave…” (John 3:16). That iswhat He did. God did out of who He is.

Like God, we also do out of who and what we are. “Forout of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). When we put theemphasis on what we do instead of what we are, we have thingsbackwards.

Jesus said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your HeavenlyFather is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). That is a “be” command, not a “do” command.

Here is another “be” command: “But just as He who called you isholy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written, ‘Be holy,because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

The model for being perfect and being holy is God. This beingprecedes our doing.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

For the Busy Student: Two Important Things

Dear Sam,

Your friend told me of the visit you had together. He saidthat you were very busy with classes and in getting involved with your job. Iknow he appreciated it, but was concerned as I am that it might take time awayfrom two very important things—private time with God reading in the Scriptures,and fellowship with other believers. This fellowship includes such things asprivate one-on-one fellowship with another Christian, and certainly a goodchurch.

If you have not read the New Testament, I really encourageyou to read it through, covering about 3 to 4 chapters a day. By reading 4chapters a day you will finish the New Testament in two months; two chapters aday—a little over four months. But the months go by anyhow, and you might aswell have read it all. Your faith will increase. Your anxiety will lessen. Itwill be very good for you.

If you have read the New Testament through already thisyear, I encourage you to do something like this: take one of the books, preferablyone of the short books like 1 John, which has five chapters, or 1 Peter, whichhas five, or James, and just read the book through every day for a week. Youwill get so much out of it the first time you read it, then more the secondtime because it will reinforce what you read the day before, and you will seesome additional truths. This is a very good way to study. Read and reread rightin order, and you will begin to grasp and understand the meaning, and theteaching of the book will become part of you—not just in your head, but reallypart of your life. So when it comes to decisions or actions you make, they willbe biblical ones; they will be right ones.

In addition to this study, here is a plan for reading thewhole Bible through in the course of the schoolyear. It starts today.

God has looked after you so far, and I know that He willcontinue to do so.

In Christ’s Love,

Jim Wilson

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships