Tag: Choices

Devotional

Consequences

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Philippians 2

Have you ever thought about the consequences of your choices? Scripture is very real to life, describing the human follies that not only implicate life in the present, but life down through generations of time. For example, Christians, Jews, and Muslims are all impacted by the decision of Abram and Sarai, to use Hagar as a surrogate mother for Abram’s child. To this day there is rivalry between Jews and Arabs over the land God promised to Abraham (Genesis 12:7), the land Christians call the Holy Land, because it is the birthplace of Christ!

Even farther back – to the very beginning, we find the choice Adam and Eve made in the Garden of Eden inflames mankind today, bound with the consequences of innate sin. Father Adam’s choice to believe the devil’s lie caused our DNA to be tainted with sin (Romans 5:12, 17). Thankfully, the choices another man made provide us with new life. More about that later.

David, King of Israel made various decisions that caused dissension within his family. He had too many wives, so the rivalry between his sons could be described in today’s language as dysfunctional. However, in his heart David worshiped God, writing some of the most beautiful songs (Psalms) used by the Church today. Therefore he, like Abraham, is described as a “friend of God” (James 2:23), or “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22). He became the forefather of the Babe who is famous for being born in the City of David.

With God there is always room for forgiveness, no matter what we have done. The Bible teaches us that it’s never too late to ask for God’s forgiveness. Take the thief on the cross as an example. His eternal destiny was determined by a last-minute choice and the consequence was that He is spending eternity with Jesus (Luke 23:43).

It is not only the choices made by the rich and powerful that touch the heart of God. An unnamed woman put everything she had into the temple treasury. We don’t know what prompted her to do so. She didn’t look for recognition for her sacrificial giving but Jesus was sitting there, watching her (Luke 21:1-4). Two thousand years later the consequence of her devotion to God challenges every Christian, regarding giving to the work of God!

A baby was born and laid in a manger. It’s easy to forget this baby was fully human. Called the “Holy Babe of Bethlehem” by lyricists and authors, Jesus was both God and man. This made Him vulnerable to temptation. However, He chose not to give in to Satan when tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). He chose not to give in to His human frailty when faced by the cross when He sweated it out in prayer, in Gethsemane (Mark 14:32). The consequence was that He paid the penalty for sin – yours and mine.

Reflection:

Since you and I are only human, let us thank God He had a plan that gives hope to every situation, despite the consequences of our choices. Thank God we do not have to pay the penalty of our foolish indecision or even our rebellious disbelief, if we recognize Jesus as Saviour and Lord of our lives. We may reap the benefit of Jesus’ choice to give up His glory in order to become a man who walked this earth as our example. Praise God! What will you do with Christ and what will be the consequences?

Devotional

Why?

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Jeremiah 22:1-8

There are many difficult questions arising from scripture. For example: Why did God put trees in the middle of the Garden of Eden that He did not want man to touch? We might imagine what was in the mind of God, but really there is no concrete answer to this question. This is why we need to talk about faith.

What defines our faith? Is it a temporal thing such as believing a chair will hold us when we sit down on it, or is it something much deeper? In the instance of the chair, how would we explain why we believe the chair will hold us? Is it because we can see it has 4 evenly positioned legs? Is it because it is made of sturdy material that we feel will support our weight? Is it what some would describe as blind faith, believing that anything in the form of a chair was made for the purpose of weight-bearing, and therefore we can trust it?

Think about it. What do we actually see that proves there is a God? How does God impact our hearts, our feelings? How do we know there is a God whom we can trust?

Back to the garden….Adam and Eve walked and talked with God in the perfect place He had created to be their home. Visually, audibly they knew God. Suddenly they demonstrated the reality of a new knowledge – the knowledge of evil. For the first time they experienced guilt and fear after disobeying God, a significant change from their previous pleasure in His presence. Sadly, removed from their beautiful garden home their faith was no longer visual or companionable. Their social contact with God was limited. Why?

They were separated from Him by their sin. And they knew it. By virtue of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil they now recognized evil. They had experienced perfection, but that was gone forever. No wonder God was so upset by their independent thinking, their desire for control, their disregard for His wisdom and plan. Now living in different circumstances the question asked by King David applied to their situation: “Why do the heathen rage?” (Psalm 2:1). David unveiled the resolution of world leaders to rebel against the Lord. How like today this is!

Jeremiah poses the same question “Why”? In context the Lord was warning the Israelites that people of other nations will ask “Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?” (Jeremiah 22:8), when God destroys it. “If” – that big little word so full of meaning, is used twice in this chapter to discuss the consequences of obedience or disobedience.

Reflection:

God gave humankind the ability to choose. Why? That ability distinguishes us from other created beings. Our “will” identifies us with the God in whose image we are made. Capable of kindness, compassion and forgiveness, man is indeed unique. Why then is man, through scientific research today trying so hard to identify us with the animal kingdom? Is it not another ploy of the Evil One? Why do we choose to grieve the Holy Spirit by our indifference to His direction, by our rejection of Jesus’ love, by our disobedience of God’s laws? Many questions remain beginning with “Why?”

by Marilyn Daniels (MarilynDaniels.net)

Devotional

Contending for the Faith

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Jude

It never hurts to review the basics of our faith. Let us take a look at the over-all picture that necessitated Jude’s letter. His first love was the gospel. His intention was to write about the salvation they shared. I wondered, when was the last time I shared the joy of my salvation with another believer? So often we think of sharing as a witness to the unsaved, but in reality it is a discussion that we can more truly enjoy when we share with other believers what Jesus is doing in our lives, today.

However, Jude’s heavy burden regarding false prophets in the church became his focal point. He was energized by an awareness of evil, and the harm it could do to the reputation of the church. Therefore, he strongly advised the church to contend for the faith. In our world today we might advance the same concerns, for similar reasons.

To substantiate his theme, he reviews patterns in history: Sodom and Gomorrah giving in to the evils of their day, fell under God’s judgment (:7). God released His chosen people from bondage and provided for their needs in the wilderness, but eventually had to punish those who did not believe (:5). Even some angels fell under God’s condemnation, by willfully giving up their positions of authority (Ephesians 6:11-12). Their eternal punishment still awaits; at present they remain bound in chains (Jude :6).

With such a history Jude might rightly fear what will happen to the church of his day, already influenced by Godless men. They know the history, but have they learned from lessons of the past? Have we? Are we standing guard against the infiltration of evil into the congregation of the righteous? To be inclusive is a good thing, but it can be carried to a dangerous extreme if it involves compromise.

Without doubt we face some very difficult choices in the church today. “Be merciful…snatch others from the fire and save them…show mercy, mixed with fear” (:22-23). How do we balance righteousness with the desire to see all people come into fellowship with God? God has a standard. Jude writes about the return of the Lord for the purpose of judging everyone’s acts, words and self-interest, according to that standard (:15-16).

Then Jude offers a solution. Each individual Christian bears a covenantal responsibility. By asking for forgiveness of sin we enter into a covenant relationship with God. We are to keep ourselves close to God by building ourselves up in our most holy faith (:20) Jude fills our minds with God – His character, His goals, His protection, His love! Jude testifies to the depth of knowledge and experience he has as a believer. Do our lives bear such a witness to our world today?

Reflection:

It may seem simplistic to say we do that by reading the Bible, but what does that entail? Is it just a religious exercise? Or – do we read it to learn how we might best please God, how to recognize evil when we see it, to accept its rebukes for our personal sins, to gain comfort in our distresses, to experience the very mercy, peace and love that form the basis of our testimony to others?

Learning comes through repetition. Therefore it is imperative that we meditate, mull over, ask questions about what we have read. How does this apply to our world today? To me? “Think on these things” (Phil.4:8).

Are our choices and decisions a result of fervent prayer in the Spirit. In the Spirit? What does that mean? Do we pray for what we want, or do we search to know the mind of God and pray He will accomplish His purposes in and through us? How then do we know the mind of God? By observing His principles for Godly living contained in Scripture. Then we are prepared to contend for our faith!

(MarilynDaniels.net)

Devotional · Uncategorized

Forfeit and Loss

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Matthew 16:24-28

Forfeiture is the loss of rights to one’s property and most often occurs because one has neglected one’s duty. Jesus cautioned His disciples against forfeiting something that is infinitely precious…one’s soul. The soul is not referred to much today. Many people want to be known as “spiritual” but where does the soul enter the picture? Why would these words of Jesus matter to people living in the 21st century? Is the soul something precious?

First of all, what is the soul? The dictionary defines it as the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being, that which is immortal, which will live forever. Where does this idea come from? In Genesis, in the Garden of Eden, God breathed life into Adam and he became a living soul (KJV).

This soul is of great value to God, for it is with the soul one worships God (Psalm 103:1), loves God (Deuteronomy 6:5), serves God (Joshua 22:5), yearns for God (Psalm 42:1), clings to God (Psalm 63:8) and so forth. The soul finds rest in God alone, according to the Psalmist (Psalm 62:5) and Jesus reiterated that in Matthew 11:29. The connection of our soul with God is unique to human beings who were made in His image.

 

When some part of the body is amputated, there is significant pain. When we ignore the needs of the soul or neglect to nurture it, our spirits become vulnerable to spiritual pain. Without recognizing it, this may become the most severe form of separation anxiety. We are choked by the cares of this world (Mark 4:19) and slowly the soul loses its vibrant life-force. We may even try to fill the void by using artificial limbs, but nothing can take the place of the real thing. Jesus identifies the frustration of such an attempt. “What can a man give in exchange for his own soul?” What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world yet forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).

 

What happens to lost souls? Jesus is coming again. “He will reward each person according to what he has done” (Matthew 16:27). On the surface that might appear to be achievable…by our works we can then enter into heaven. Right? Wrong. God looks deep into the soul, judging it on the motivation for its deeds. The superficial action may look good to other people, but how does God see our hearts? Do we seek to bring Him glory by what we do? Has this good deed cost us anything? (Matthew 16:24).

 

Today so many are suffering spiritual pain – anxiety, depression, unresolved anger. Jesus longs to give these people rest. The man known for his wisdom wrote: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30). A principle is spelled out by Jeremiah: “Stand at the crossroads and look [this is where we make choices]…ask where the good way is and walk in it and you will find rest for your souls”(Jeremiah 6:16).

Reflection:

Jesus, challenging His followers then and now, references our choices. Do we want to save our lives, do we fear death at the hands of our enemies so much that we might renounce the gospel? There are modern martyrs being beaten and imprisoned, and even put to death because they have refused to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ.

Or – are we willing to lose our lives in order to save them for eternity in heaven with Him, by remaining true to our faith? (Matthew 16:25).

Visit Marilyn at http://www.marilyndaniels.net