God Uses the Least Likely

God called Jeremiah to be his prophet to the kingdom of Judah in the days of Josiah their king. His ministry continued for about 40 years, even unto the destruction of Jerusalem and the deportation of the Jews into Babylon. Scholars believe that based on the internal evidence of his prophecy that Jeremiah was a young man, perhaps in his upper teens when God charged him to “go to all that I shall send thee and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak” (Jeremiah 1:7).

Jeremiah did not readily accept this remarkable privilege. Rather, he immediately cried “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak for I am a child” (Jeremiah 1:6). His own impression of his skill sets was probably fairly accurate. That didn’t matter to God. God uses the weak, the foolish (from the world’s perspective), the broken to accomplish his purposes. What God looks for is a willing heart – he provides all the rest.

The stories of God using the least likely means to show forth his power and to make known his glory are repeated over and over in the Scriptures. Moses told God “I am not eloquent…I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue” (Exodus 4:10), yet God used him to lead two million Jews out of Egypt. Gideon questioned God’s plan to use him saying “Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh and I am the least in my father’s house” (Judges 6:15). But God used Gideon with a band of 300 men carrying pitchers and lamps to defeat thousands of Midianites. David, a young shepherd boy, used a sling and stone to defeat the Philistine’s champion, Goliath. The list could go on and on.

God delights to use those who are small and unworthy in their own eyes. Recall the record of Christ feeding the 5,000 men with women and children from five loaves and two fishes. The disciples looked at what the lad had to offer and said “what are they among so many?” (John 6:9). Christ looked at what the boy had and knew it was enough. Suffice it to say that God uses the least likely avenue to supply his grace so that he alone might receive the glory.

There are many tasks that from our vantage point appear to be beyond our reach. We shrink from them because we are convinced that we are simply not sufficient to see them done in our own strength or ability. Yet that is exactly the position God would have us in that he might show himself strong on our behalf. These words of Christ have been proven over and over again by countless believers: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).  It is one thing to discount our own abilities, but it is another thing entirely to discount the Lord’s. If you are small in your own sight, God can use you! “For all these things hath my hand made…but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Isaiah 66:2).

Eating Meats Offered to Idols

The believers in Corinth questioned Paul in the matter of eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols.  Corinth was a city given to idolatry.  Often the meat remaining from the temple sacrifices was sold in the temple district markets for consumption. There were different viewpoints among the believers as to whether or not they should purchase meats that had been used in pagan worship and they asked Paul. He wrote unto them, “As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one” (I Corinthians 8:2).

His answer was straight forward enough and, consequently, easy to apply in the strictest sense. The idols that men worship are nothing (of no consequence). Therefore, the meats offered unto them have not spiritual value.  He pointed out that “meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse” (I Corinthians 8:8). You see, it was not the meat that mattered, but how the meat was viewed by others.

While Paul asserted that an idol is nothing, he was quick to point out that “there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol and their conscience being weak is defiled” (I Corinthians 8:7). Some of these believers had been saved out of the paganism that characterized the city and its inhabitants.  They likely had brought meat sacrifices to these temples. Some could not separate these past idolatrous practices from their new life in Christ while others rested and rejoiced in the freedom Christ gave them from their former walk.

Paul admonished these brethren to “take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak” (I Corinthians 8:9). He was admonishing those who knew they could eat freely of such sacrifices to nonetheless be mindful of the weaker brother whose conscience would not permit him to do so. For their eating could embolden the weaker brother to eat, violate his own conscience and sin against God in so doing. Paul concluded “if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend” (I Corinthians 8:13).

The principle that we draw from this record is the necessity of restricting the exercise of our own rights for the benefit of others, especially when it comes to matters of conscience.  This practice is not often seen in much of professing or modern Christianity.  We have become a people of “rights.” That is, it is my right to do this or that and, consequently, I will do this or that.  Putting others first even at the expense of our own rights is both biblical and Christ-like. Such selfless behavior is the very essence of love.  Paul wrote to the believers in Rome, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbor, therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10).

Do Right!

Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (I Corinthian 10:13). There are three clear takeaways embedded in this statement.

First, the invitation to sin is not unique. We often are tempted to think that our circumstances are different than anyone has ever had to face. Somehow our temptation is different, stronger, greater than anyone else has ever confronted. In such circumstances it is very understandable, even expected, if we give in to the temptation. But the Scriptures teach us that it simply isn’t so! No temptation exists that is not common to man. We are not alone in this matter. Therefore, don’t yield to temptation – do right!

Second, God never allows us to be tempted above our ability to overcome the temptation. Yet in the midst of temptation, we become convinced that the temptation is too great. We weaken what little resolve we have by reasoning that others would not find fault with us for giving in to so great temptation. We find it easier to believe a lie than to stand firm in the truth. But be assured that God’s mighty arm is behind every one of his promises.

Recall the occasion the Lord came upon a man with a withered hand in a synagogue on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:10-13). He simply spoke to the man “Stretch forth thy hand.”  The Scripture goes on to say that “he stretched it forth and it was restored whole, like as the other.” The man could not move his hand at all.  It simply hung limp at his side.  Yet at Christ’s words he was able to lift it up and reach out.   In like manner, that is, at his word, we overcome temptation!

Third, the Bible records that there is a way to escape. Every time that we are confronted with a temptation to do wrong, there is an avenue to do right. We may think we have no other alternative but to give in to sin. That is a lie. There always exists a path to follow that yields itself unto righteousness.

Christian, we are tempted to sin and our temptation is neither unique nor insurmountable. God has a path of righteousness for us to follow and his mighty strength provides the enabling. Don’t give in to sin, but do right. One voice from years gone by speaks to us, “Do right ‘til the stars fall!”

There may be those reading this who are dealing with not just the power of their sins, but the guilt of their sins as well. Christ has both broken sin’s power and paid sin’s price with his shed blood. He is the answer to all of sin’s problems. Come to him and find peace. The Bible tells us he “gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from this present evil world” (Galatians 1:4).

If the Foundations Be Destroyed…

Paul warned Timothy that “in the last days perilous times shall come” (2 Timothy 3:1). The Greek word for perilous is also translated fierce when describing the demon-possessed men that Christ healed of the country of the Gadarenes (Matthew 8:28). The fierceness of these two men was so great that “no one could pass that way”. Fear had immobilized the local community. This additional adjective gives more insight to what Paul had in mind when he spoke of perilous times.

I don’t think it would be a stretch to assert that our society is experiencing a season of peril or fierceness in our present day. Wickedness seems to have the upper hand and wherever we look righteousness is being attacked. Evil is called good, truth is ridiculed, and men are frozen with fear. To speak out against falsehood is to invite attack upon one’s self. The fact that there is no need for me to cite examples confirms the truth of what I am saying. Every reader can affirm that what I am saying is true.

David, the king of Israel, knew what it was to face the brazenness of wickedness. He wrote “For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot the upright in heart. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:2-3). The foundations were threatened, the wicked had the upper hand, the righteous were invited to “flee as a bird to your mountain” (Psalm 11:1).

And so it is in our day. Things that are and have always been true are now turned upside down. We are asked to believe that men can be women and women can be men. We are instructed to embrace a culture that expects men and women to apologize for the color of their skin instead of judging them by their character. We are asked to accept lawless behavior as the just outcome of past mistreatments and economic disparities. The foundations indeed are threatened and we find ourselves asking as well, “what can the righteous do?”

The answer is just as David found it in his day. “The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth” (Psalm 11:4-5). There is no escape for the wicked from the judgement of God. He notes every wrong attitude, word, action. Though chaos may seem to have its day, God remains on his throne. As Abraham asked rhetorically, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25).

What the righteous can do is go to the Lord in prayer and find refuge and rest in him. The Psalmist reminds us of our course when things are upside down. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea” (Psalm 46:1-2). Do the events of our days trouble you? Rest in the Judge of all the earth.

Do Not Rest in Privilege

A privileged position provides no protection from the chastening hand of God. Paul sought to convince the Corinthian believers of this very truth using the example of God’s earthly people, the Jews. He points out that the children of Israel all enjoyed God’s divine presence, power, and protection in departing from Egypt and marching through the wilderness. “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink” (I Corinthians 10:1-4).

The children of Israel were led by the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day. They all did pass through the Red Sea as on dry ground. God gave them Moses, the great man of God, to lead them on their journey.  And, finally, they were fed with manna from heaven and drank water from the rock in the wilderness. Certainly, they enjoyed great privileges as God’s people. Yet Paul points out that “with many of them God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness” (I Corinthians 10:5).

The Israelites, in spite of the great privilege they enjoyed, were disobedient to God on multiple occasions which resulted in his judgement throughout their 40-year wilderness experience. Paul notes that on various occasions they were guilty of lusting after evil things, idolatry, fornication, tempting Christ, and murmuring (vs. 6-10). In every instance God judged his people for their disobedience. Yet Paul notes that “all these things happened unto them for an example and they are written for our admonition” (I Corinthians 10:11).

The faithful character of God is on display through his dealings with the children of Israel. We learn that he is always faithful to judge sin, even in his own earthly people. He had redeemed them out of Egypt and made them his own people. Even so, he would not pass over their sinful affronts to his holy being. The warning to us is clear as Paul writes, “Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (I Corinthians 10:12).

As a child of God, I dare not take sin casually. I cannot follow after it and be safe. God sent his Son to take away our sins (I John 3:5). He desires that we depart from our sins and though we are often tempted to sin, he graciously provides a means of overcoming in every occasion! “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer (or permit) you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (I Corinthians 10:13).

Again, it is God who is faithful. We can depend on him to assist us in every temptation. He desires our best and it is always for our best that we overcome sin and its destructive results. Dear child of God, trust him to help you in your battle with sin. Resist, flee (if need be), and overcome.

Male and Female

The sports apparel giant, Nike, has let its voice be known in the transgender athlete controversies that are storming our land. The company chose to employ a transgender activist in promoting its women’s sports apparel. Not surprising, there were those who called for a boycott of the Nike brand. Nike in response called upon its customers on its Instagram account to “Be kind…be inclusive” promising to delete comments “not in the spirit of a diverse and inclusive community”.

What does Nike mean when it tells its customers to “be inclusive”? Before we answer that question let’s hear from another voice in this matter, the voice of God through his word. The Scriptures remind us that “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). Children are from the Lord for we read further that “The fruit of the womb is his reward” (Psalm 127:3). He causes conception and oversees development. Speaking of Ruth, we read that when Boaz, Ruth’s husband, “went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception” (Ruth 4:13). He reminds Jeremiah, the prophet, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee (Jeremiah 1:5). And Isaiah testifies that the Lord “giveth breath unto the people upon it [the earth], and spirit to them that walk therein” (Isaiah 42:5).

I am here today as a male by the determinative work of God. He gave my mother conception, formed me in the womb, brought me forth and gave me breath. That is true for every person ever born on this earth. We do not “assign” a gender at birth nor can we choose a gender different than what we were born. There are only two sexes, male and female. God did not make a mistake in my gender.

Now back to the question, what does it mean to be inclusive. It is a much used word today. Though it sounds charitable, it essentially means to embrace falsehood and perpetuate a lie. It means to make room at the table for that which is patently false even in the face of objective and absolute truth. To be inclusive in this context is to willingly lay aside our sensibilities and give credence to a lie.

Furthermore, when we willingly reject that which we know to be true, we sear our conscience and render ineffective our ability to discern truth from error. When we embrace falsehood, we become easy prey to more falsehood. Society functions on truth. We should not surrender it so easily. 

Nike has given its voice to this matter, but so has God. There is a story in Babe Ruth folk lore how that on one occasion he was called out on a third strike. Immediately the fans in Yankee Stadium began to “boo” the umpire. Hearing this, the Babe turned to the umpire and said, “There are 50,000 people who have a different opinion about that last call.” The umpire glibly responded, “That is true, but mine is the only opinion that counts!” Be assured that God’s is the only opinion that counts though all others would lead you to believe otherwise. Be careful whom and what you believe.

Three Truths About the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

It is fitting on Easter Sunday to rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Actually, we commemorate that historic and life-altering event every Lord’s Day.  But Easter marks the specific day in the calendar upon which our Savior rose from the dead and so it receives special observance.  I want to share three important truths tied to his resurrection to add fuel to our rejoicing and stir our contemplations.

The resurrection of Christ confirms that God the Father was propitiated.  Propitiation is an infrequently used word, but important in the matter of forgiveness.  Men, because of their sin, stand separated and alienated from an all-holy God (Isaiah 59:1-2). The only remedy for their sin is death (Romans 6:23; Ezekiel 18:4).  But the Scriptures teach us that God himself “sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (I John 4:10). That is, Christ died for our sins in our place (I Corinthians 15:3-4).  He was “delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25; emphasis added). Because Christ was sinless his death had merit before God as an acceptable sacrifice.  God’s wrath was propitiated, meaning satisfied, by the offering of Christ and, consequently, God is able to forgive any and all who believe on him.  The debt of sin having been fully paid, the Father is able to justify the repentant sinner.  We can know our sins have been forgiven because the Father has been propitiated!

The resurrection of Christ confirms that death has been conquered.  When standing at the tomb of his friend, Lazarus, the Lord gave Lazarus’ sister, Martha, great hope.  He made this remarkable statement, “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26).  The believer need not fear death because Christ has overcome death.  He testified to John, the Apostle, “I am he that liveth and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, amen; and have the keys of hell and death” (Revelation 1:18).  There is no such thing as soul sleep for the believer.  When a Christian closes his or her eyes in death, they go immediately to be with the Lord (Philippians 1:23) and when Christ returns “the dead in Christ shall rise first…and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (I Thessalonians 4:16-17). Death holds no power over the believer in Christ!

The resurrection of Christ confirms that he shall one day judge the world.  This truth should put fear in the hearts of those who have rejected the claims of Christ.  Paul was greatly burdened for the men of Athens who worshipped many gods and had even gone so far as to make an altar “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD” (Acts 17:23). He testified to them that God “now commandeth all men everywhere to repent because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:31; emphasis added).  Christ will someday judge all men and this promise is affirmed by his resurrection.  “It is appointed unto all men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).  Be assured God will keep his promise!

Do All to the Glory of God!

The City of Corinth was permeated with the practice of pagan idolatry. Paul had warned his audience against eating of the sacrificial offerings made in these temples in the temple district itself.  To do so in such close proximity to these pagan temples would suggest the believers were sharing in the idol worship therein. He admonished, “I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils” (I Corinthians 10:20-21).

The sacrifices offered in these temples did, however, result in such meats sold in other places of the city. The Corinthian believers had questions about the propriety of the purchase and consumption of the meats in these places and Paul gave his counsel. “Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” (I Corinthians 10:25).  The issue was not the meat itself nor the condemnation brought by consuming it. Rather, the issue was whether eating the meat identified the consumer as one who worshipped the pagan idol.

Paul amplified his teaching. “If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice to idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof: conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other” (I Corinthians 10:27-29). Putting it briefly, if you go to someone’s house for dinner, eat what they give you and be thankful. If they tell you it was part of the temple offering, decline, not for your conscience, but for theirs.

The lesson here for the Corinthian believers and for us today is that we are to regulate our actions by love and not by liberty. The believer in this setting is at perfect liberty to eat the meat set before him or her. Paul had previously taught that idols were nothing. But to eat when the host clearly understood the significance of the meat and the temple sacrifice would have made the believer a participant in that worship.

Paul closes this discussion of meats offered to idols with a principle that transcends the situation and is at play in every venue of a Christian’s life. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (I Corinthians 10:31). This command finds profitability in every situation where uncertainty colors the course of action. Choose what glorifies God. Do what will bring him honor. Practice that which is pleasing in his sight. If Christians today lived by this principle, their lives would be marked by peace and joy.

Dealing with Sexual Sin

One of the reasons that Paul wrote to the church in Corinth was to address sexual sin that was tolerated by the fellowship.  He wrote “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.  And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from you” (I Corinthians 5:1-2).  Instead of grieving over this sin, the Corinthians actually were “puffed up” (i.e. proud) with their accommodation of this immoral behavior.

The specific sin addressed is incest and Paul reminds his audience that even the surrounding community was not guilty of such immorality.  The word for “fornication” in the text is the word from which we get “pornography” and is used for every type of sexual sin in the Scriptures.  One wonders if this would raise an eyebrow in our churches today.  Sexual immorality is a way of life for much of American society today and, frankly, much of that societal behavior and acceptance has found its way into the church.

Paul takes no time in revealing the mind of Christ about both this sin and the attitude of the believers in Corinth.  The next time they met as a group of believers they were “with the power (i.e. authority) of the Lord Jesus Christ to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (I Corinthians 5:4-5).  Notwithstanding the questions pertaining to delivering one unto Satan, this professing believer was to be put out of the church, i.e. the body of Christ.  The purpose was to maintain the purity of the body and provoke the erring brother to repent and be restored to fellowship.

This kind of action by a church body seems highly unlikely, even foreign, in our present society.  The modern church does not take sin very seriously even though Christ, the Head of the church, has not changed in his attitude since Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit about the sale of their property (Acts 5:1-5).  Paul admonished the Corinthians with “Your glorying is not good.  Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened.  For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us” (I Corinthians 5:6-7). 

The believers took pride in looking the other way instead of confronting the sin as needed.  But sin demands confrontation and confession.  Lest we get too smug and shake our heads at this early church, we are every bit as guilty in the modern church.  Surrounded by fornication of every kind and from every medium, we have lost our capacity to be embarrassed at the sexual wickedness that abounds in our society.  Gratification of the flesh is king and the sexual intimacies intended between a husband and wife have been stripped of the sanctity stamped on them by their Creator.  Now that which was honorable in its design and context is nothing more than cheap, fleshly trade between any willing parties. But know this that “whoremongers and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4).

Count It All Joy!

James, the Lord’s half-brother, wrote a letter to Jewish believers that were scattered beyond Jerusalem in an effort to encourage them and instruct them in their faith.  The epistle that bears his name in our Bibles is that letter.  He opened that letter with “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:2-4). 

The word for temptations here is not that which refers to being tempted to do wrong.  Rather, the word simply refers to trials or difficulties.  Note that James says “when” because it is not a matter of “if” such trials and difficulties should come for they will indeed come.  Sickness, financial reversals, strained relationships, the death of a loved one to list a few are all common events in our battered existence in this sin-cursed world. 

From our perspective, we “fall” into these difficult circumstances.  None of us plan to go through these things deliberately.  They simply come upon us and overtake us much like driving on an icy road. Though mindful of ice on the road, when the skid begins we are powerless and go wherever it takes us.  We almost feel at that moment as a spectator.  The seeming random occurrence of these difficulties make them all the more unsavory and hard to swallow.  What is truly remarkable, however, is that James tells his audience to count it all joy! 

The key to counting it all joy lies in “knowing” that these chafing experiences though seemingly indiscriminate and inescapable come from the hand of a loving and all-wise heavenly Father for an eternal purpose.  They are measured unto us in weight, longevity, and frequency by a sovereign God for the purpose of “trying of our faith.”

James adds that the trying of our faith “worketh patience” and it is this patience that leads to “experience,” Paul’s word to describe the cultivation of Christ-like character in the life of the believer (Romans 5:1-5).  Consequently, we rejoice in the purpose behind the difficulty knowing that it is framed exactly to serve our highest good and God’s eternal glory.

Child of God, the next time you encounter trial or difficulty let these truths govern your thinking and “let patience have her perfect work.”  Do not resist what your heavenly Father has designed for your good, but receive it willingly.  Indeed, count it all joy!