Can You Trust Your Conscience? 1 Timothy 1:5-7
Let your conscience be your guide. This bit of folk wisdom seems to make sense since our conscience is designed to help us discern right from wrong. However, people cannot always trust their internal radar to steer them correctly; this is the case particularly with unbelievers, who don’t have the Holy Spirit to reveal truth and offer guidance for wise decisions. And while Christians do have God’s indwelling Spirit, they should be careful not to harbor sin in their lives, as that can interfere with the way their morality sensor functions.
A trustworthy conscience is programmed with scriptural teaching. Believers build a stable and sensitive spiritual radar system by applying God’s truth to their lives. They are committed to thinking and acting in ways that honor and please the Lord. Then, when sinful thoughts or choices come across that radar, it will deliver a sharp warning.
A person with a reliable conscience will have a strong desire to obey God. He won’t settle for what feels right or looks good, but instead prayerfully seeks the Lord’s will. In other words, he does not rely solely on his conscience but incorporates all of the Holy Spirit’s tools into his daily life: Scripture, prayer, etc. Moreover, when his spiritual radar sounds the alarm, he is quick to draw back and reject unwise choices.
A conscience isn’t designed to beour guide; it is a tool of theGuide. The Holy Spirit not only convicts us of sin, but He also brings to mind godly principles and leads us on a righteous path. He uses a variety of tools to conform us to the likeness of Christ (Rom. 8:29).
Devoted to God
Psalms 62:1-2
Having been saved by faith in Christ, we express our love and gratitude through devotion to Him. Regular Bible study and prayer will be an integral part of our daily lives. In addition, our commitment to the Lord will be revealed through a passion to obey, a spirit of humility, and a servant's heart.
This man after God's own heart was devoted to his Lord. He sought to know Him and longed to carry out His will. David's actions reflected His humble attitude of servanthood and his longing to please his heavenly Father. Take steps each day to be sure your life expresses commitment to Jesus.
God Uses the Wicked
Genesis 37
When we don't understand what God is doing or why, His ways can seem perplexing. The times when ungodly people seem to triumph over the righteous make us scratch our heads and wonder why the Lord doesn't intervene. But the truth is, He often uses the wicked to accomplish His purpose.
Joseph faced one hard-hearted individual after another during his years in exile. His brothers shipped him off to Egypt. His boss's wife accused him of an unspeakable crime. And even those he helped, like Pharaoh's cupbearer, forgot about him (Gen. 40:23). The actions (or seeming inactions) of God make little sense at this point.
But once the story of Joseph's life was written in full, it was clear that everyone who harmed or neglected the young man contributed to God's plan. The Lord used numerous people across several years to bring a humbled young Hebrew unexpectedly to power at the right moment to spare his family--who were the Messiah's ancestors--from the effects of famine.
In our circumstances, we can see God's actions only from the limited vantage point of our humanness. We experience the events He has allowed or caused but can't discern what He is thinking. Often the Lord's goals and purposes are hidden from us until His plans come to fruition.
God is sovereign over all the earth. We may wonder at the strange or even terrifying turns our lives take, but we can be certain that He is in control and at work. The wicked may triumph for a season, but the final, eternal victory belongs to Christ and His righteous followers.
Spiritual Ugliness
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.” (Matthew 23:27)
“Beauty is only skin deep” seems to be the modern secular equivalent of this “woe” in Matthew 23. The corresponding Old Testament statement is probably this: “As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion” (Proverbs 11:22). This principle has lasted for millennia simply because it is easily observed in all cultures. Our Lord’s application to the scribes and Pharisees was particularly pointed: “Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (Matthew 23:28). God is not interested in the “pretty outside” but in what’s on the inside. “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
Hypocrisy and iniquity are the two attributes of “uncleanness” identified by Christ. The core of hypocrisy is the intent to deceive others, either with actions or words. And the core of the biblical teaching about deception is the false teacher—those who look like and talk like God’s people, “but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15). Iniquity is the biblical term for “without law.” Such a person has no desire to submit to authority, and is both willing to do evil and is dangerous to be around. Cain murdered Abel, the Bible insists, “because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous” (1 John 3:12).
Such a condition should never plague us. Jesus “gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14). HMM III
Spiritual Self-Condemnation
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.” (Matthew 23:29-30)
This final “woe” in Matthew 23 is the most awful of all eight of them. Although this builds from verse 25, the conclusion demonstrates the result of such duplicitous behavior—ultimate and eternal separation from the Creator God and His holiness. “Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:31-33).
Here is the principle: “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:37). This is no small issue. Our speech is a direct reflection of what is important to us. So much so that we will be held accountable, for “every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36).
Those passages ought to give all of us pause. Just what is it that consumes our conversation throughout the day? Is it sports, movies, shopping, gossip, slander, or sowing “discord among brethren” (Proverbs 6:19)? Or is it “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report” (Philippians 4:8).
Our mouths are connected to our hearts (Matthew 15:18). What we talk about most of the time is a definite indicator of where our hearts are. Perhaps we should listen to ourselves. That is a pretty good marker of what we love most. “Stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5:8). HMM III
Sound Doctrine
“Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 1:13)
When Paul wrote to his two young disciples, Timothy and Titus, he stressed again and again the vital importance of maintaining sound doctrine in their churches.
“If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome [same word as ‘sound’] words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness” (1 Timothy 6:3; see also 1:10). “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3). “That he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers” (Titus 1:9). “But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1; also 2:8).
If the great apostle was so concerned that his pastoral disciples guard the doctrinal integrity of their first-century churches, he would surely be even more exercised today. These are times when false doctrines are rampant, and when sound (that is “healthy” or “whole”) doctrines are often the object of compromise and distortion, or (even more commonly) simply ignored, even in evangelical churches.
Paul’s command was to “hold fast the form” of sound words. Not only the so-called “spirit” of the words in Scripture, but the words themselves.
Such strict guarding of doctrine is vital for the spiritual health of the churches. Furthermore, such doctrinal integrity does not lead to cold orthodoxy, as some would allege, but is centered in the “faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” It is “the doctrine which is according to godliness.” It is doctrine that is not only sound in the faith, but also “in charity, in patience” (Titus 2:2).
After all, it is the doctrine of Christ Himself, who is not only “the truth,” but also “the way” and “the life” (John 14:6). HMM
Without the Camp
“And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.” (Exodus 19:17)
This is the first of more than 30 references to events that took place outside the camp of the Israelites in the wilderness under Moses. In this first mention, it was “without the camp” that God first met with His people and gave them the Ten Commandments. The first temporary tabernacle was also “pitched . . . without the camp” (Exodus 33:7).
However, when the regular tabernacle was established, it was placed in the midst of the camp, and the camp was considered holy before the Lord. “For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp . . . therefore shall thy camp be holy” (Deuteronomy 23:14).
Accordingly, anything unclean was commanded to be banned from the camp (vv. 10-13), including even “the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp” (Hebrews 13:11).
Sad to say, however, the camp and the sanctuary did not remain holy, and God, in judgment, finally had to remove it from its place. Before its final removal, however, He whose blood had been foreshadowed by all the sacrifices did come personally to His people “to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26). This sacrifice, however, could no longer be offered in the defiled sanctuary. “Wherefore Jesus also . . . suffered without the gate” (Hebrews 13:12).
Now again, as in the beginning, God must meet with His loved ones personally, outside the camp. The organized “camps” of religion generally treat His disciples as misfits, and so, like outcasts, they must seek Him outside the camp. “Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach” (v. 13). HMM
Better Than a Multimillionaire - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
Let your conscience be your guide. This bit of folk wisdom seems to make sense since our conscience is designed to help us discern right from wrong. However, people cannot always trust their internal radar to steer them correctly; this is the case particularly with unbelievers, who don’t have the Holy Spirit to reveal truth and offer guidance for wise decisions. And while Christians do have God’s indwelling Spirit, they should be careful not to harbor sin in their lives, as that can interfere with the way their morality sensor functions.
A person with a reliable conscience will have a strong desire to obey God. He won’t settle for what feels right or looks good, but instead prayerfully seeks the Lord’s will. In other words, he does not rely solely on his conscience but incorporates all of the Holy Spirit’s tools into his daily life: Scripture, prayer, etc. Moreover, when his spiritual radar sounds the alarm, he is quick to draw back and reject unwise choices.
A conscience isn’t designed to beour guide; it is a tool of theGuide. The Holy Spirit not only convicts us of sin, but He also brings to mind godly principles and leads us on a righteous path. He uses a variety of tools to conform us to the likeness of Christ (Rom. 8:29).
Devoted to God
Psalms 62:1-2
This man after God's own heart was devoted to his Lord. He sought to know Him and longed to carry out His will. David's actions reflected His humble attitude of servanthood and his longing to please his heavenly Father. Take steps each day to be sure your life expresses commitment to Jesus.
God Uses the Wicked
Genesis 37
When we don't understand what God is doing or why, His ways can seem perplexing. The times when ungodly people seem to triumph over the righteous make us scratch our heads and wonder why the Lord doesn't intervene. But the truth is, He often uses the wicked to accomplish His purpose.
Joseph faced one hard-hearted individual after another during his years in exile. His brothers shipped him off to Egypt. His boss's wife accused him of an unspeakable crime. And even those he helped, like Pharaoh's cupbearer, forgot about him (Gen. 40:23). The actions (or seeming inactions) of God make little sense at this point.
In our circumstances, we can see God's actions only from the limited vantage point of our humanness. We experience the events He has allowed or caused but can't discern what He is thinking. Often the Lord's goals and purposes are hidden from us until His plans come to fruition.
God is sovereign over all the earth. We may wonder at the strange or even terrifying turns our lives take, but we can be certain that He is in control and at work. The wicked may triumph for a season, but the final, eternal victory belongs to Christ and His righteous followers.
Spiritual Ugliness
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.” (Matthew 23:27)
“Beauty is only skin deep” seems to be the modern secular equivalent of this “woe” in Matthew 23. The corresponding Old Testament statement is probably this: “As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion” (Proverbs 11:22). This principle has lasted for millennia simply because it is easily observed in all cultures. Our Lord’s application to the scribes and Pharisees was particularly pointed: “Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (Matthew 23:28). God is not interested in the “pretty outside” but in what’s on the inside. “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
Hypocrisy and iniquity are the two attributes of “uncleanness” identified by Christ. The core of hypocrisy is the intent to deceive others, either with actions or words. And the core of the biblical teaching about deception is the false teacher—those who look like and talk like God’s people, “but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15). Iniquity is the biblical term for “without law.” Such a person has no desire to submit to authority, and is both willing to do evil and is dangerous to be around. Cain murdered Abel, the Bible insists, “because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous” (1 John 3:12).
Such a condition should never plague us. Jesus “gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14). HMM III
Spiritual Self-Condemnation
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.” (Matthew 23:29-30)
This final “woe” in Matthew 23 is the most awful of all eight of them. Although this builds from verse 25, the conclusion demonstrates the result of such duplicitous behavior—ultimate and eternal separation from the Creator God and His holiness. “Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:31-33).
Here is the principle: “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:37). This is no small issue. Our speech is a direct reflection of what is important to us. So much so that we will be held accountable, for “every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36).
Those passages ought to give all of us pause. Just what is it that consumes our conversation throughout the day? Is it sports, movies, shopping, gossip, slander, or sowing “discord among brethren” (Proverbs 6:19)? Or is it “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report” (Philippians 4:8).
Our mouths are connected to our hearts (Matthew 15:18). What we talk about most of the time is a definite indicator of where our hearts are. Perhaps we should listen to ourselves. That is a pretty good marker of what we love most. “Stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5:8). HMM III
Sound Doctrine
“Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 1:13)
When Paul wrote to his two young disciples, Timothy and Titus, he stressed again and again the vital importance of maintaining sound doctrine in their churches.
“If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome [same word as ‘sound’] words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness” (1 Timothy 6:3; see also 1:10). “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3). “That he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers” (Titus 1:9). “But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1; also 2:8).
If the great apostle was so concerned that his pastoral disciples guard the doctrinal integrity of their first-century churches, he would surely be even more exercised today. These are times when false doctrines are rampant, and when sound (that is “healthy” or “whole”) doctrines are often the object of compromise and distortion, or (even more commonly) simply ignored, even in evangelical churches.
Paul’s command was to “hold fast the form” of sound words. Not only the so-called “spirit” of the words in Scripture, but the words themselves.
Such strict guarding of doctrine is vital for the spiritual health of the churches. Furthermore, such doctrinal integrity does not lead to cold orthodoxy, as some would allege, but is centered in the “faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” It is “the doctrine which is according to godliness.” It is doctrine that is not only sound in the faith, but also “in charity, in patience” (Titus 2:2).
After all, it is the doctrine of Christ Himself, who is not only “the truth,” but also “the way” and “the life” (John 14:6). HMM
Without the Camp
“And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.” (Exodus 19:17)
This is the first of more than 30 references to events that took place outside the camp of the Israelites in the wilderness under Moses. In this first mention, it was “without the camp” that God first met with His people and gave them the Ten Commandments. The first temporary tabernacle was also “pitched . . . without the camp” (Exodus 33:7).
However, when the regular tabernacle was established, it was placed in the midst of the camp, and the camp was considered holy before the Lord. “For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp . . . therefore shall thy camp be holy” (Deuteronomy 23:14).
Accordingly, anything unclean was commanded to be banned from the camp (vv. 10-13), including even “the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp” (Hebrews 13:11).
Sad to say, however, the camp and the sanctuary did not remain holy, and God, in judgment, finally had to remove it from its place. Before its final removal, however, He whose blood had been foreshadowed by all the sacrifices did come personally to His people “to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26). This sacrifice, however, could no longer be offered in the defiled sanctuary. “Wherefore Jesus also . . . suffered without the gate” (Hebrews 13:12).
Now again, as in the beginning, God must meet with His loved ones personally, outside the camp. The organized “camps” of religion generally treat His disciples as misfits, and so, like outcasts, they must seek Him outside the camp. “Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach” (v. 13). HMM
Better Than a Multimillionaire - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ. - Jude 1:1
I heard about a woman who went to the bank where she had her accounts and said, "I want to open up a joint bank account."
"Who would you like to open it up with?" the employee asked.
"A multimillionaire," she answered. "Do you know any?"
If you're a Christian, you have a joint account with someone better than a multimillionaire. You have a joint account with the Creator of the universe.
The psalmist wrote, "I will lift up my eyes to the hills-from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber" (121:1-3 NKJV). The Lord is your keeper.
We find this in the New Testament as well. In 1 Peter 1:5 we read that we are "kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (NKJV), and Jude 1:1 says we are "called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ" (NKJV).
"Preserved in Christ" is an interesting phrase that means "continually kept." In the original language it refers to a continuing result of a past action. Let's say you've made the final mortgage payment on your house. You don't have to keep paying the bank. It's your house. Just enjoy it.
In the same way, your salvation is bought and paid for. You are not going to lose it, so enjoy it. You are kept by God.
If there is something you value, you tend to keep your eye on it. And if there is someone you value, you keep your eye on them.
God will keep you. He will keep you to the end.
Know and Walk in Truth
�Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.� (1 Timothy 1:5)
Much of modern, self-oriented Christian preaching and writing has tended to downgrade biblical �doctrine� in favor of an emphasis on �love� and �fulfillment,� the �pursuit of happiness,� �sharing and caring,� and other such sentiments. Some popular religious leaders major on �confident living,� �self-improvement,� �personal success,� and the like.
Doctrine is thus downgraded in favor of practice, and �works� are considered more important than the Word. But this type of emphasis places the cart before the horse and can never succeed for very long. �Doctrine� is simply �teaching,� and true teaching must come from God�s infallible Word, whether that teaching relates to great divine truths (creation, atonement, sanctification, etc.) or to the daily Christian walk.
As the apostle Paul reminds us, �evil communications corrupt good manners� (1 Corinthians 15:33). �Profane and vain babblings . . . increase unto more ungodliness� (2 Timothy 2:16). We cannot escape being taught doctrine somewhere. If we will not receive true doctrine from God�s Word, we will inevitably become indoctrinated with the world�s humanistic deceptions, for these impinge upon our thinking continually, from classroom and journal, from television and (unfortunately) sometimes even from the pulpit.
If we are really concerned about love and happiness and such things, we must acquire them from the right source, the doctrinal truths of the Word of God. It is knowing and obeying the commandment, as our text says, that generates pure love, a faithful heart, and a daily life that supports a clear conscience.
When we �know the truth� (John 8:32), then and then only can we �walk in truth� (3 John 1:4). HMM
�Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.� (1 Timothy 1:5)
Much of modern, self-oriented Christian preaching and writing has tended to downgrade biblical �doctrine� in favor of an emphasis on �love� and �fulfillment,� the �pursuit of happiness,� �sharing and caring,� and other such sentiments. Some popular religious leaders major on �confident living,� �self-improvement,� �personal success,� and the like.
Doctrine is thus downgraded in favor of practice, and �works� are considered more important than the Word. But this type of emphasis places the cart before the horse and can never succeed for very long. �Doctrine� is simply �teaching,� and true teaching must come from God�s infallible Word, whether that teaching relates to great divine truths (creation, atonement, sanctification, etc.) or to the daily Christian walk.
As the apostle Paul reminds us, �evil communications corrupt good manners� (1 Corinthians 15:33). �Profane and vain babblings . . . increase unto more ungodliness� (2 Timothy 2:16). We cannot escape being taught doctrine somewhere. If we will not receive true doctrine from God�s Word, we will inevitably become indoctrinated with the world�s humanistic deceptions, for these impinge upon our thinking continually, from classroom and journal, from television and (unfortunately) sometimes even from the pulpit.
If we are really concerned about love and happiness and such things, we must acquire them from the right source, the doctrinal truths of the Word of God. It is knowing and obeying the commandment, as our text says, that generates pure love, a faithful heart, and a daily life that supports a clear conscience.
When we �know the truth� (John 8:32), then and then only can we �walk in truth� (3 John 1:4). HMM
Focus on the Task at Hand by Max Lucado Life is tough enough as it is. It�s even tougher when we�re headed in the wrong direction.
One of the incredible abilities of Jesus was to stay on target. His life never got off track. Not once do we find him walking down the wrong side of the fairway. He had no money, no computers, no jets, no administrative assistants or staff; yet Jesus did what many of us fail to do. He kept his life on course.
As Jesus looked across the horizon of his future, he could see many targets. Many flags were flapping in the wind, each of which he could have pursued. He could have been a political revolutionary. He could have been a national leader. He could have been content to be a teacher and educate minds or to be a physician and heal bodies. But in the end he chose to be a Savior and save souls.
Anyone near Christ for any length of time heard it from Jesus himself. �The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them� (Luke 19:10). �The Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people� (Mark 10:45).
The heart of Christ was relentlessly focused on one task. The day he left the carpentry shop of Nazareth he had one ultimate aim�the cross of Calvary. He was so focused that his final words were, �It is finished� (John 19:30).
How could Jesus say he was finished? There were still the hungry to feed, the sick to heal, the untaught to instruct, and the unloved to love. How could he say he was finished? Simple. He had completed his designated task. His commission was fulfilled. The painter could set aside his brush, the sculptor lay down his chisel, the writer put away his pen. The job was done.
Reconciling Love and War
Luke 6:27-31
One area of confusion about war is the apparent discrepancy between Jesus� words and God�s approval of battle in the Old Testament. Can such dissimilar teachings be reconciled? How can the God who told Israel to destroy the Canaanites be the same one who said, �Love your enemies,do good to those who hate you� (v. 27)?
To clarify this issue, we must distinguish between commands issued to nations and instructions given to individuals. The Lord has bestowed certain responsibilities upon governments. He calls them ministers of
God for good and entrusts them with avenging evil (Rom. 13:4). But to individuals, He says, �Never take your own revenge� (12:19).
People are killed in war, but this isn�t the same as murder. A soldier on the battlefieldcarries out his duties under the authority of his government (Rom. 13:1-2). Murder, on the other hand, is an individual�s vengeful response to anger or jealousy and is motivated by a desire to destroy another person.
When governments avenge wrong, innocent people are protected, but when individuals seek their own revenge, they destroy themselves and others. In Luke, Jesus was speaking about personal conflicts, not national wars. He knows that loving our enemies is the only way to protect ourselves from bitterness.
Would we prefer to turn the responsibilities around�are we quick to fight personal battles, but slow to affirm the avenging of evil nationally? Sometimes the only way for a country to have peace is to go to war, but we�ll never experience inner peace if we battle with individuals who wrong us.
One of the incredible abilities of Jesus was to stay on target. His life never got off track. Not once do we find him walking down the wrong side of the fairway. He had no money, no computers, no jets, no administrative assistants or staff; yet Jesus did what many of us fail to do. He kept his life on course.
As Jesus looked across the horizon of his future, he could see many targets. Many flags were flapping in the wind, each of which he could have pursued. He could have been a political revolutionary. He could have been a national leader. He could have been content to be a teacher and educate minds or to be a physician and heal bodies. But in the end he chose to be a Savior and save souls.
Anyone near Christ for any length of time heard it from Jesus himself. �The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them� (Luke 19:10). �The Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people� (Mark 10:45).
The heart of Christ was relentlessly focused on one task. The day he left the carpentry shop of Nazareth he had one ultimate aim�the cross of Calvary. He was so focused that his final words were, �It is finished� (John 19:30).
How could Jesus say he was finished? There were still the hungry to feed, the sick to heal, the untaught to instruct, and the unloved to love. How could he say he was finished? Simple. He had completed his designated task. His commission was fulfilled. The painter could set aside his brush, the sculptor lay down his chisel, the writer put away his pen. The job was done.
Reconciling Love and War
Luke 6:27-31
One area of confusion about war is the apparent discrepancy between Jesus� words and God�s approval of battle in the Old Testament. Can such dissimilar teachings be reconciled? How can the God who told Israel to destroy the Canaanites be the same one who said, �Love your enemies,do good to those who hate you� (v. 27)?
God for good and entrusts them with avenging evil (Rom. 13:4). But to individuals, He says, �Never take your own revenge� (12:19).
People are killed in war, but this isn�t the same as murder. A soldier on the battlefieldcarries out his duties under the authority of his government (Rom. 13:1-2). Murder, on the other hand, is an individual�s vengeful response to anger or jealousy and is motivated by a desire to destroy another person.
When governments avenge wrong, innocent people are protected, but when individuals seek their own revenge, they destroy themselves and others. In Luke, Jesus was speaking about personal conflicts, not national wars. He knows that loving our enemies is the only way to protect ourselves from bitterness.
Would we prefer to turn the responsibilities around�are we quick to fight personal battles, but slow to affirm the avenging of evil nationally? Sometimes the only way for a country to have peace is to go to war, but we�ll never experience inner peace if we battle with individuals who wrong us.
Unity or Truth? - by Greg Laurie -
He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. -Ephesians 4:16
It amazes me what people in the church will get upset about and even divide over. They don't like a certain song or think the worship is too loud-or not loud enough. We've become worship critics and sermon connoisseurs. Meanwhile, we have brothers and sisters in Christ living in other parts of the world who would count it the highest privilege to sing any Christian song and hear any message from God's Word.
It's okay to have opinions, but we should never sow disunity. What a horrible witness it is to a lost world when Christians are divided and bickering. And what a powerful witness it is when people see Christians loving one another. There's a great statement attributed to Augustine that says, "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity [love]."
There are essentials we can't budge on. For example, if you were to say to me, "Greg, I don't really believe the Bible is the Word of God or that Jesus Christ is the only way to God," then we probably won't be hanging out together all that much. We need unity in the essentials, in the basic truths of the Christian life. There is no fudging.
But then in nonessentials, there is liberty. Maybe you have a different view on end-times events. You don't think the Rapture could happen at any time; you think it could happen halfway through the Tribulation period. That is a nonessential. I have friends who are pastors, and we don't agree on every little theological point. But they're very good friends of mine because we have a lot in common.
Unity is not as important as truth, however. I'm all for unity. But truth is more important than anything else, because if we lose that, we lose everything.
Philosophy and Vain Deceit
�Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.� (Colossians 2:8)
It is bound to be significant that in the only place where the Scriptures even mention philosophy, we are warned to beware of it! Likewise, the only philosophers mentioned were evolutionary humanists who called the apostle Paul a �babbler . . . because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection� (Acts 17:18).
The word �philosophy� literally means �love of wisdom,� and every philosophy�ancient or modern�is essentially a humanistic devotion to man�s wisdom for its own sake.
But such wisdom is false wisdom. It derives in type from �the tree of knowledge,� through the �vain deceit� of Satan, who tries to persuade us that partaking of it would �make one wise� and that �your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods� (Genesis 2:17; 3:5-6). It has �indeed a shew of wisdom� (Colossians 2:23), but �the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God� (1 Corinthians 3:19), and eventually all �the wisdom of this world, . . . [and] of the princes of this world, . . . [will] come to nought� (1 Corinthians 2:6).
Genuine wisdom, on the other hand, is as our text reminds us �after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power� (Colossians 2:8-10). For in Him �are hid [literally �stored up�] all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge� (Colossians 2:3).
The Lord Jesus Christ is �the truth� (John 14:6), and is both �the power of God, and the wisdom of God� (1 Corinthians 1:24). This true wisdom is freely available to all who desire it. �If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God . . . and it shall be given him� (James 1:5). Therefore, we need never waste our God-given time on human philosophy. HMM
�Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.� (Colossians 2:8)
It is bound to be significant that in the only place where the Scriptures even mention philosophy, we are warned to beware of it! Likewise, the only philosophers mentioned were evolutionary humanists who called the apostle Paul a �babbler . . . because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection� (Acts 17:18).
The word �philosophy� literally means �love of wisdom,� and every philosophy�ancient or modern�is essentially a humanistic devotion to man�s wisdom for its own sake.
But such wisdom is false wisdom. It derives in type from �the tree of knowledge,� through the �vain deceit� of Satan, who tries to persuade us that partaking of it would �make one wise� and that �your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods� (Genesis 2:17; 3:5-6). It has �indeed a shew of wisdom� (Colossians 2:23), but �the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God� (1 Corinthians 3:19), and eventually all �the wisdom of this world, . . . [and] of the princes of this world, . . . [will] come to nought� (1 Corinthians 2:6).
Genuine wisdom, on the other hand, is as our text reminds us �after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power� (Colossians 2:8-10). For in Him �are hid [literally �stored up�] all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge� (Colossians 2:3).
The Lord Jesus Christ is �the truth� (John 14:6), and is both �the power of God, and the wisdom of God� (1 Corinthians 1:24). This true wisdom is freely available to all who desire it. �If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God . . . and it shall be given him� (James 1:5). Therefore, we need never waste our God-given time on human philosophy. HMM
Refined by Fire 1 Peter 1:6-7
God is always at work in our lives. Even during seasons of adversity, He wants to accomplish something powerful and good. How should this knowledge affect our response? Today's passage teaches us to choose to rejoice during difficult times. This doesn't mean we have to be happy about the hardship itself. Instead, joy comes from drawing close to the Lord and believing steadfastly that through His redemptive power, He is growing and preparing us. If your usual response to trials is anxiety, anger, or depression, the idea of having joy in the midst of a negative situation might not seem logical. However, if you look beneath the surface, you will discover that this biblical directive makes sense for several reasons.
Often, our natural reaction to pain is to run in the opposite direction, and as fast as possible. However, God wants to teach us endurance--much like a long-distance runner builds up strength in training--so that we can fully benefit from what He is doing in our hearts. He uses trials as a refining fire to purify us like gold and bring us to greater spiritual maturity. As we realize that we are actually being made more complete through our adversities, we'll begin to face challenging times with confidence that He always has our best interest in mind.
While a worldly viewpoint sees hope and joy in the midst of dark times as na�ve, a spiritual perspective discerns that we're really progressing on a journey toward life at its fullest. We can be filled with supernatural joy, knowing that the Lord is making us into world-changing spiritual warriors.
Why You Should Be Part of the Church - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
God is always at work in our lives. Even during seasons of adversity, He wants to accomplish something powerful and good. How should this knowledge affect our response? Today's passage teaches us to choose to rejoice during difficult times. This doesn't mean we have to be happy about the hardship itself. Instead, joy comes from drawing close to the Lord and believing steadfastly that through His redemptive power, He is growing and preparing us. If your usual response to trials is anxiety, anger, or depression, the idea of having joy in the midst of a negative situation might not seem logical. However, if you look beneath the surface, you will discover that this biblical directive makes sense for several reasons.
While a worldly viewpoint sees hope and joy in the midst of dark times as na�ve, a spiritual perspective discerns that we're really progressing on a journey toward life at its fullest. We can be filled with supernatural joy, knowing that the Lord is making us into world-changing spiritual warriors.
Why You Should Be Part of the Church - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. -John 20:24
I heard about a one hundred-year-old man who was celebrating his birthday at the church where he had attended since he was a boy. They threw a big party for him with cake, ice cream, and lots of birthday cards. Then his great-grandson walked up to the microphone to say a few words. Turning to his grandfather he said, "Great-Grandpa, we know you can barely hear or see, but tell us, why do you still go to church every Sunday?"
The man replied, "Because I love Jesus with all my heart, and He commanded me to be here." Then he paused for a moment and added, "And I just want to show everybody whose side I'm on."
After Jesus rose from the dead, a skeptical, disillusioned Thomas wasn't there when Jesus appeared to the group of Christians who were gathered together. When they told Thomas what had happened, he effectively said, "I'll believe that when I can put my hand in the wound on His side and touch the holes in His hands."
But the next time they met, Thomas was there. And guess who showed up again? Jesus. Thomas missed out when he separated himself from other believers. And he received so much more when he joined them. In the same way, when we isolate ourselves from other believers, we lose perspective. We can become fearful, confused, angry, and bitter.
The psalmist Asaph grappled with an age-old question: Why do the wicked prosper? But he gained perspective when he worshipped with God's people in God's house (see Psalm 73:16-17).
We should be a part of the church, because it is where we hear the Word of God. It is where we worship the Lord. It is where we receive untold spiritual benefits. It is where we encounter God.
Defeating the Devil's Strategies John 21:15-19
All of us make tracks through the valley of failure. Then the key question is, What we will do next? Sadly, many believers who stumble give up a vibrant kingdom-serving life for a defeated existence. But failure can also be a chance for a new beginning of living in Christ's strength.
In pride, Peter thought his faith was the strongest of all the disciples' and swore that even if the others left Jesus, he never would (Mark 14:29). Yet when the time of testing came, he denied even knowing Christ--and did so three times (Matt. 26:69-75). Satan hoped the disciple would be so wounded by his own disloyalty that his faith would be undermined by shame, condemnation, and despair.
Likewise, when the Enemy sifts believers today, his goal is for us to become shelved and ineffective for God's kingdom. That's why he goes after our strengths, especially the areas in which we proudly consider ourselves invincible. But if we're willing, the Lord can use our failures to do spiritual housecleaning, as He did in Peter's life. After the resurrection, Jesus met with the disciple personally and restored him, preparing him to become a great leader in the early church. He made it clear that Peter's potential to serve was defined, not by failure, but by his unwavering love for Christ.
Peter laid down his pride, received the healing Jesus offered, and put on courage with the Holy Spirit's help. He then risked his life fearlessly to further the gospel, and many came to Christ through his example. Failure was the catalyst that grew in him a stronger, more authentic faith.
The world or the Word? - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
All of us make tracks through the valley of failure. Then the key question is, What we will do next? Sadly, many believers who stumble give up a vibrant kingdom-serving life for a defeated existence. But failure can also be a chance for a new beginning of living in Christ's strength.
In pride, Peter thought his faith was the strongest of all the disciples' and swore that even if the others left Jesus, he never would (Mark 14:29). Yet when the time of testing came, he denied even knowing Christ--and did so three times (Matt. 26:69-75). Satan hoped the disciple would be so wounded by his own disloyalty that his faith would be undermined by shame, condemnation, and despair.
Peter laid down his pride, received the healing Jesus offered, and put on courage with the Holy Spirit's help. He then risked his life fearlessly to further the gospel, and many came to Christ through his example. Failure was the catalyst that grew in him a stronger, more authentic faith.
The world or the Word? - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
The Daily Jot began nearly 13 years ago with a simple mission: to use current events to equip and encourage people to evangelize the word of God. You may not always agree with what the Daily Jot has to say, but there may always be something in it to talk to others about or to take action. Some just get angry or don't want to think about the way events are shaping up prophetically or the way they are having an impact on society. We, as Christians, cannot afford to ignore the world around us. The issues will not go away if we look the other way. In fact, when Christians are not engaged with their family, their community, their state, their country, everything goes the way of the world, not the way of the Word.
Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." He said in Mark 16:15, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Romans 10:13-15 says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?
If you receive The Daily Jot, you are hearing and you are being sent. You are called to action. You have current event to use to share the Word of God. As written in 1 Peter 2:9, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." James 1:25 says, "But whoso looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." As Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
It's not always easy. Many people find sharing the word uncomfortable in this day and age. But we are not charged to be comfortable, but to take up our cross and follow the Lord. That means it's not chocolate and roses, or rolexes or checks in the mail or nice cars or whatever material things modern preachers are preaching about. It's not really about you or me. It's about Jesus and him being preached. 2 Corinthians 8-13 says, "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsake; cast down, but not destroyed...We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak." So let us speak boldly as we ought to for if you are reading this you are equipped and encouraged to do so.
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