Jim Wilson's Blog, page 8

What the Bible Says About Giving

“Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandmentsand teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom ofheaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called greatin the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousnesssurpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainlynot enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to the peoplelong ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’…Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember thatyour brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of thealtar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer yourgift” (Matthew 5:19-21, 23-24).

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to bearrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to puttheir hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous andwilling to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as afirm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life thatis truly life” (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

The Bible has a lot to say about giving. Please take time toread the following:

1 Corinthians 9:1-23 and 2 Corinthians 8 and 9.

Here are a few short passages on giving:

“The elders who direct the affairs of thechurch well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work ispreaching and teaching. For Scripture says, ‘Do notmuzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,’ and ‘The worker deserves hiswages’” (1 Timothy 5:17-18).

“[False teachers] have an unhealthyinterest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife,malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between people of corruptmind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a meansto financial gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For webrought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if wehave food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to getrich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desiresthat plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a rootof all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from thefaith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:4-10).

“I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewedyour concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity toshow it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to becontent whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I knowwhat it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in anyand every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or inwant. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Yet it was good ofyou to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the earlydays of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, notone church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except youonly; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once whenI was in need. Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more becredited to your account. I have received full payment and have more thanenough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus thegifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasingto God. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of hisglory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:10-19).

“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).

“But now that there is no more place for me to work in theseregions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you, I plan todo so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to haveyou assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for awhile” (Romans 15:23-24).

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

Partial Obedience, Partial Repentance, Partial Belief

In recent days,* I have been struck again by the partialrepentance of the kings of Israel and the partial repentance of the kings ofJudah. Here are two examples from many.

Israel:

“Yet Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the LORD, theGod of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins ofJeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit” (2 Kings 10:31). The lastsentence was said of every king of Israel.

Judah:

“He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not ashis father David had done. In everything he followed the example of his fatherJoash. The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued tooffer sacrifices and burn incense there” (2 Kings 14:3-4). This last sentencewas said of Amaziah and his son, his grandson, and his great-grandson. Amaziahwas one of the good kings of Judah.

Hezekiah, his great-great-grandson, turned things around:“He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David haddone. He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down theAsherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up tothat time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was calledNehushtan.)” (2 Kings 18:3-4).

Are we guilty of partial obedience, partial repentance,and belief in a partial Savior who gives partial forgiveness?

*Written November 2006.

This post coordinates with today's and tomorrow's readings 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

Your Dwelling Place

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, evenfaints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (Psalm 84:1-2).

“One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple” (Psalm 27:4).

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

“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23:6).

“No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and ofthe Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will seehis face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night.They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the LordGod will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 22:3-5).

The dwelling place of the Lord is lovely, desired, andeverlasting.

The years fly by. Daily we are closer to being with Himforever. It is the blessed hope, the glad anticipation.

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

What God Says about Idolatry

I have been overwhelmed this last year* with God’sexpressions of His view of idolatry:

Disobedient: “You shall have no other gods before me.You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven aboveor on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to themor worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing thechildren for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of thosewho hate me” (Deut. 5:7-9).

Stupid: “But their idols are silver and gold, made bythe hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannotsee; they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell; they havehands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a soundwith their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all whotrust in them” (Psalm 115:4-8).

Demonic: “Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered toan idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices ofpagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to beparticipants with demons” (1 Cor. 10:19-20).

Definition: “Put to death, therefore, whateverbelongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desiresand greed, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5).

Vile: “He behaved in the vilest manner by going afteridols, like the Amorites the LORD drove out before Israel” (1 Kings 21:26). “Hewalked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in thefire, following the detestable ways of the nations the LORD had driven outbefore the Israelites” (2 Kings 16:3).

Detestable: “For you have spent enough time in thepast doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness,orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry” (1 Peter 4:3).

Worthless: “He walked in all the ways of Jeroboam sonof Nebat and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit, so that theyprovoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger by their worthless idols” (1Kings 16:26).

Not Saved: “Idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord,jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy;drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those wholive like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:20-21).

God has not changed His view. We should not differ with Him.There are billions of idolaters in the world today. God is not tolerant ofidolatry or idols. 

“Dear children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John5:21). 

“Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry” (1 Cor.10:14). 

“For they themselves report what kind of reception you gaveus. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and trueGod” (1 Thess. 1:9).

*Written November 2007.

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

Doers of the Word

 

This post was written by Matt Meyer, CCM board member and director emeritus.

“Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law plead against them” (Proverbs 28:4).

After a number of weeks of coming for counseling, a youngChinese woman recently* called on God to forgive her sins. For several weeksbefore that, she was sure that God was real and good and that she was a sinner,but she was having a hard time connecting her sin with the death of Christ onthe cross. When she was asked to describe what she meant by “being a sinner,”it was clear that her focus was horizontal instead of vertical. She thought shewas sinning against her husband, her family, and herself. When she finallyunderstood that our sin (or lawlessness as John describes it) is first againstGod, the lights came on. “I’ve broken God’s laws,” she repeated numerous timesas the realization finally hit home.

Do we have the same sense that we are breaking God’s lawswhen we avoid Bible passages that hit too close to home or perhaps are just alittle too inconvenient?

This woman had a number of good questions that followed herprayer of confession. What church should I attend? Do I need to support thechurch now? How do I pray? How often should I pray? I’m such a little baby, andI need to learn so much.

As we worked through the Lord’s teaching on prayer, we alsoturned to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everythinggive thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Instead of worrying about everything in the Bible, wesuggested that she start by just practicing these three verses diligently.

“But this is impossible,” she responded. 

We assured her that this was the point. If you really try togive thanks for everything, you will find yourself praying continually—eitherconfessing your sin of thanklessness, or asking God to help you be thankful, orpraising Him with thanks. Then, when you are thankful, rejoicing will surelyfollow.

Like this new believer, we need to be diligent that our joyis not burdened by active disobedience or unconfessed sin.

“Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those whokeep the law plead against them” (Proverbs 28:4).

In the Living translation, the second half of this versereads: “those who obey the law fight against evil.” Like much of the Bible,this verse is much more understandable and applicable than we would at firstthink.

Isn’t it enough to have just read or even memorized thepassage? No. James commands us to “become doers of the Word, and nothearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

Matt Meyer

*Written January 2007.

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

A Holy Estate

“‘Haven’t you read,’ he replied, ‘that at the beginning theCreator “made them male and female,” and said, “For this reason a man willleave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will becomeone flesh”? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joinedtogether, let man not separate’” (Matthew 19:4-6).

The marriage service says that marriage is a “holy estate.” Christianmarriage is more than physical, economic cohabitating and child-bearing andrearing. It is a spiritual fellowship; it is an earthly picture of Christ andHis body, the Church. 

“Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For thehusband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body,of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wivesshould submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, justas Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy,cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her tohimself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, butholy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives astheir own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself” (Eph. 5:22-28).

In the last two years,* I have seen eight Christianmarriages break up after over twenty years of marriage. I am watching severalmore in the process. Is there an attempt to stop it? Yes! However, there isencouragement for divorce from counselors, attorneys, family members, andChristian friends.

Intruding, teaching, and discipline may be in order, butwhat is really needed is the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. Each of youknow friends of yours who are in this situation. Pray for the heavy hand of Godto be upon them until there is repentance. 

If there is any sign of trouble in your marriage, repent toGod and call for help from the saints. 

In case this all sounds too discouraging, we know of severalmarriages that have been wonderfully saved through prayer.

*Written in 2004.

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

There Is No Other

“Dear children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21).

You would think this should not be a difficult piece ofadvice to follow. The voice of God thundered from Sinai in the second command:

“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anythingin heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall notbow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God,punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourthgeneration of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations ofthose who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:4-6).

Within the month, the people of Israel were busily buildingan idol, a golden calf. It did not last long.

Rachel, Jacob’s wife, stole her father’s household gods. Allof the sons of Jacob had idols.

“So Jacob said to his household and to all who were withhim, ‘Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves andchange your clothes.’ … So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had andthe rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem” (Genesis35:2, 4).

King David’s wife, Michal, had an idol.

“Then Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed, coveringit with a garment and putting some goats’ hair at the head” (1 Samuel 19:13).

Jeroboam built two golden calves, one in Bethel and one inDan.

In this age of tolerance, we have accepted foreign idols aslegitimate, alternative forms of worship. To speak against the idolatry of otherreligions is considered bigotry, intolerance, and hatred of other people. Theresults of speaking against the secular culture are even harsher.

“Gather together and come; assemble, you fugitives from thenations. Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to godsthat cannot save. Declare what is to be, present it – let them take counseltogether. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past?Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God anda Savior; there is none but me. Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of theearth; for I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:20-22).

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

The Greatest Gift

“My little children, I am writing these things to you sothat you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with theFather, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, andnot for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2).

God commands us to obey Him. If we do not keep His commands,He has the ability to forgive us. It is either obey or confess, and He has madeprovision for both.

Christmas is coming up soon. We can think of it as a time ofgiving or as a time of getting. The basic expression of love is giving.The basic expression of selfishness is getting. If you think of everyoneaccording to God’s commands, we are to love the Father, we are to love ourneighbors, we are to love the brothers, we are to love our enemies—and theconclusion is that we are to give to these people we love. We are to give forwhatever is the highest good of the person we are giving to. We are not to givein order to get; we give because they need what we are giving. This is love.

So as we think of Christmas, think of Jesus Christ who wasthe greatest gift to all of us, and give in terms of that.

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

Struggling

I would like to draw attention to a few scriptures about ourenemy and our relationship to him.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, butagainst the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this darkworld and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”(Ephesians 6:12).

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightenedin order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches ofhis glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for uswho believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which heexerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his righthand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power anddominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age butalso in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:18-21).

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of theruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who aredisobedient…. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in theheavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:1-2, 6).

My point is that though our struggle is against the 1)rulers, 2) authorities, 3) powers of this dark world, and 4) spiritual forcesof evil in the heavenly realms, and although we were once dead intransgressions and sins and followed the ruler of the kingdom of the air, weare now seated with Christ in the heavenly realms, far aboveall rule and authority, power and dominion.

In other words, our struggle with spiritual evil is onewhere we are with Christ, far above our opponents. Our struggle is not one ofdefeat.

“We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with allwisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor,struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me” (Colossians1:28-29).

I often hear Christians say that they are “struggling.” Theyusually mean that they are being defeated. But “struggling” in the Scripture iswinning, not losing.

The struggle here seems to be more intense. The attacks onthe saints are heavy, but we are on the winning side.

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

Trustworthy

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trustedwith much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonestwith much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, whowill trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy withsomeone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?” (Luke16:10-12).

Stealing is a common characteristic of the natural man. Itis sin (Exodus 20:15), and in most states and nations it is also a crime. Whenwe think of it as crime, then we are grateful that we have not been caught.When we think of it as sin, we know that we are always caught.

Most stealing is not through burglary or hold-ups orshoplifting. It is being dishonest in very little and being dishonest in much.Crime is measured in petty larceny and grand larceny. Petty larceny is amisdemeanor, and grand larceny is a felony. The penalties are proportionate tothe crimes.

Sin is also measured in size; however, the size does notaffect the penalty. The wages of sin is still death. And the very littlesins lead to the great sins.

We are naïve to think that the dishonesty present in any majorfinancial scandal started out with big sin. If what Jesus said was true, thenthe guilty ones had not been trustworthy in little matters. They had beendishonest in little things first.

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