To wait is not merely to remain impassive. It is to expect - to look for with patience, and also with submission. It is to long for, but not impatiently; to look for, but not to fret at the delay; to watch for, but not restlessly; to feel that if He does not come we will acquiesce, and yet to refuse to let the mind acquiesce in the feeling that He will not come.
- Andrew Bruce Davidson, Waiting Upon God
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." - Proverbs 16:9 (NIV)
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails." - Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)
"A man's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?" - Proverbs 20:24 (NIV)
Therefore,
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
Monday, 10 May 2010
Sunday, 9 May 2010
Freedom in Christ
I'm reading the Bible in one year and the Wisdom reading for May 29 is Psalm 68:15-20.
"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Saviour, who daily bears our burdens." - Psalm 68:19 (NIV)
The Burden of Sin
"Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." - Isaiah 53:12 (NIV)
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."" - Galatians 3:13 (NIV)
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." - 1 Peter 2:24 (NIV)
If God in Christ bore the burden of our sin, how much more will He bear the burden of our sanctification!
"Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." - Romans 5:9-11 (NIV)
"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" - Romans 8:32 (NIV)
"The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" - Hebrews 9:13-14 (NIV)
Slaves to Righteousness
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey - whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Romans 6:15-23 (NIV)
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." - Galatians 5:1 (NIV)
We are no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness!
If God in Christ freed us from the penalty of sin, how much more will He free us from the power of sin!
The Way Out
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)
"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." - Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Saviour, who daily bears our burdens!
"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Saviour, who daily bears our burdens." - Psalm 68:19 (NIV)
The Burden of Sin
"Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." - Isaiah 53:12 (NIV)
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."" - Galatians 3:13 (NIV)
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." - 1 Peter 2:24 (NIV)
If God in Christ bore the burden of our sin, how much more will He bear the burden of our sanctification!
"Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." - Romans 5:9-11 (NIV)
"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" - Romans 8:32 (NIV)
"The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" - Hebrews 9:13-14 (NIV)
Slaves to Righteousness
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey - whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Romans 6:15-23 (NIV)
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." - Galatians 5:1 (NIV)
We are no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness!
If God in Christ freed us from the penalty of sin, how much more will He free us from the power of sin!
The Way Out
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)
"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." - Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Saviour, who daily bears our burdens!
Saturday, 8 May 2010
May 1 to 7
May 1: "This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him." - John 2:11 (NIV)
May 2: "Not one of all the LORD's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled." - Joshua 21:45 (NIV)
May 3: "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." - Joshua 24:15 (NIV)
May 4: "Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."" - John 4:13-14 (NIV)
May 5: "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." - John 4:34 (NIV)
May 6: "Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed." - Psalm 57:1 (NIV)
May 7: "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." - John 5:24 (NIV)
May 2: "Not one of all the LORD's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled." - Joshua 21:45 (NIV)
May 3: "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." - Joshua 24:15 (NIV)
May 4: "Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."" - John 4:13-14 (NIV)
May 5: "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." - John 4:34 (NIV)
May 6: "Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed." - Psalm 57:1 (NIV)
May 7: "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." - John 5:24 (NIV)
Friday, 7 May 2010
A Molinist View of (the UK General) Election
Although I'm not a UK citizen, being a Commonwealth citizen I could vote in yesterday's UK general election. And I'm a Molinist.
According to Molinism,
1. Knowing what tempts us and how much grace we need (to not be tempted beyond what we can bear), God gives us the ability to resist temptation (by His grace) or resist His grace.
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
2. God knows whether (and under what circumstances) we would resist temptation or resist His grace.
For example, Jesus knew that 'if the miracles that were performed in [Korazin and Bethsaida] had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes' (Matthew 11:21, NIV). Of course, the point is not that the miracles that were performed in Korazin and Bethsaida were not performed in Tyre and Sidon. The point is that even if the miracles that were performed in Korazin and Bethsaida were not performed in Tyre and Sidon, Tyre and Sidon - under the circumstances which did obtain - could have chosen to repent but nevertheless chose not to repent.
Indeed, God knew that Judas would betray Jesus under certain circumstances. Again, the point is not that Judas might not have betrayed Jesus under different circumstances. The point is that even if Judas would not have betrayed Jesus under different circumstances, Judas - under the circumstances which did obtain - could have chosen not to betray Jesus but nevertheless chose to betray Jesus.
3. Knowing whether (and under what circumstances) we would resist temptation or resist His grace, God works all things according to His will.
Knowing that Judas would betray Jesus under certain circumstances, God created a world in which these circumstances would obtain and Judas would betray Jesus - leading to Jesus' death and resurrection for our justification.
Turning to the UK general election,
1. God gives us the opportunity to vote - and vote freely!
2. God knows whether (and under what circumstances) we would vote - and which party we would vote for!
3. Knowing all of the above, God works all things according to His will.
"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." - Romans 13:1 (NIV)
*****
Molinism places mystery where it should be located, i.e. in God's infinite attributes rather than in his character. Critics of Molinism, particularly open theists, contend that the Molinist fails to give an adequate explanation of how it is that God infallibly knows what choices free creatures are going to make. This is generally known as "the grounding objection", because it questions whether Molinism provides any grounds or basis for God's middle knowledge.
Molinists generally reply by arguing that God innately knows all things by virtue of his omniscience, and that it is simply in the nature of God to have infallible knowledge of all things. The Molinist advocate affirms, but may not be able to explain to everyone's satisfaction, that God has exhaustive foreknowledge of what creatures with libertarian freedom will do.
If Molinists have to appeal to mystery at this point, it is doing so at a better and more reasonable point. I'd rather have the Molinist difficulty of not being able to explain how God's omniscience operates, instead of the Calvinist difficulty of making God appear to be the author of sin. In other words, Molinism's difficulties are with God's infinite attributes rather than his holy and righteous nature.
Implicit in the grounding objection is the denial that God has the ability to create creatures with libertarian freedom (of the morally significant kind). This places a surprising constraint on the scope of God's sovereignty. The Molinist embraces a richer conception of God's sovereignty, since God exercises meticulous providence despite the existence of free creatures!
One of the things we understand the least about God is how his infinite attributes operate - his omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence. So why place the mystery of reprobation in God's character? Molinists do not claim to know God's purposes exhaustively, but one of the things most clearly revealed about God is his holiness, righteousness and goodness. Would we not rather place the mystery within the transcendent, infinite, inexhaustible omniscience of God rather than the revealed character and purposes of God?
- Kenneth Keathley, A Molinist View of Election or How to be a Consistent Infralapsarian
Links: A Molinist View of Relationships (19 May 10), The First and Ultimate Matchmaker (4 Jun 10), A Molinist View of Samson's Marriage (30 Jun 10)
According to Molinism,
1. Knowing what tempts us and how much grace we need (to not be tempted beyond what we can bear), God gives us the ability to resist temptation (by His grace) or resist His grace.
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
2. God knows whether (and under what circumstances) we would resist temptation or resist His grace.
For example, Jesus knew that 'if the miracles that were performed in [Korazin and Bethsaida] had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes' (Matthew 11:21, NIV). Of course, the point is not that the miracles that were performed in Korazin and Bethsaida were not performed in Tyre and Sidon. The point is that even if the miracles that were performed in Korazin and Bethsaida were not performed in Tyre and Sidon, Tyre and Sidon - under the circumstances which did obtain - could have chosen to repent but nevertheless chose not to repent.
Indeed, God knew that Judas would betray Jesus under certain circumstances. Again, the point is not that Judas might not have betrayed Jesus under different circumstances. The point is that even if Judas would not have betrayed Jesus under different circumstances, Judas - under the circumstances which did obtain - could have chosen not to betray Jesus but nevertheless chose to betray Jesus.
3. Knowing whether (and under what circumstances) we would resist temptation or resist His grace, God works all things according to His will.
Knowing that Judas would betray Jesus under certain circumstances, God created a world in which these circumstances would obtain and Judas would betray Jesus - leading to Jesus' death and resurrection for our justification.
Turning to the UK general election,
1. God gives us the opportunity to vote - and vote freely!
2. God knows whether (and under what circumstances) we would vote - and which party we would vote for!
3. Knowing all of the above, God works all things according to His will.
"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." - Romans 13:1 (NIV)
*****
Molinism places mystery where it should be located, i.e. in God's infinite attributes rather than in his character. Critics of Molinism, particularly open theists, contend that the Molinist fails to give an adequate explanation of how it is that God infallibly knows what choices free creatures are going to make. This is generally known as "the grounding objection", because it questions whether Molinism provides any grounds or basis for God's middle knowledge.
Molinists generally reply by arguing that God innately knows all things by virtue of his omniscience, and that it is simply in the nature of God to have infallible knowledge of all things. The Molinist advocate affirms, but may not be able to explain to everyone's satisfaction, that God has exhaustive foreknowledge of what creatures with libertarian freedom will do.
If Molinists have to appeal to mystery at this point, it is doing so at a better and more reasonable point. I'd rather have the Molinist difficulty of not being able to explain how God's omniscience operates, instead of the Calvinist difficulty of making God appear to be the author of sin. In other words, Molinism's difficulties are with God's infinite attributes rather than his holy and righteous nature.
Implicit in the grounding objection is the denial that God has the ability to create creatures with libertarian freedom (of the morally significant kind). This places a surprising constraint on the scope of God's sovereignty. The Molinist embraces a richer conception of God's sovereignty, since God exercises meticulous providence despite the existence of free creatures!
One of the things we understand the least about God is how his infinite attributes operate - his omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence. So why place the mystery of reprobation in God's character? Molinists do not claim to know God's purposes exhaustively, but one of the things most clearly revealed about God is his holiness, righteousness and goodness. Would we not rather place the mystery within the transcendent, infinite, inexhaustible omniscience of God rather than the revealed character and purposes of God?
- Kenneth Keathley, A Molinist View of Election or How to be a Consistent Infralapsarian
Links: A Molinist View of Relationships (19 May 10), The First and Ultimate Matchmaker (4 Jun 10), A Molinist View of Samson's Marriage (30 Jun 10)
Thursday, 6 May 2010
The Son of God and God
The guiding intuition is the Aristotelian idea that it is possible for an object a and an object b to be "one in number" - that is, numerically the same - without being strictly identical...
We believe in things that are very plausibly characterised as hylomorphic compounds whose matter is a familiar material object and whose form is an accidental property. For example, we believe in fists and hands, bronze statues and lumps of bronze, cats and heaps of cat tissue, and so on. Why we should believe all this but not that sitting down is a way of replacing one kind of object (a standing-man) with another (a seated-man) is an interesting and surprisingly difficult question.
- Jeffrey E. Brower and Michael C. Rea, 'Material Constitution and the Trinity' in Michael C. Rea (ed.), Oxford Readings in Philosophical Theology Volume 1: Trinity, Incarnation, Atonement
How can Jesus be 'the Son of God' and 'God' at the same time?
That's like asking, how can a lump of clay be 'a lump of clay' and 'clay' at the same time?
We believe in things that are very plausibly characterised as hylomorphic compounds whose matter is a familiar material object and whose form is an accidental property. For example, we believe in fists and hands, bronze statues and lumps of bronze, cats and heaps of cat tissue, and so on. Why we should believe all this but not that sitting down is a way of replacing one kind of object (a standing-man) with another (a seated-man) is an interesting and surprisingly difficult question.
- Jeffrey E. Brower and Michael C. Rea, 'Material Constitution and the Trinity' in Michael C. Rea (ed.), Oxford Readings in Philosophical Theology Volume 1: Trinity, Incarnation, Atonement
How can Jesus be 'the Son of God' and 'God' at the same time?
That's like asking, how can a lump of clay be 'a lump of clay' and 'clay' at the same time?
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
A wife of noble character who can find?
York CU is studying Ecclesiastes in small groups this term. We were looking at the start of Ecclesiastes yesterday and I was reminded of Proverbs 31:10 on the opposite page of my Bible.
"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." - Proverbs 31:10 (NIV)
Of course, no one can find (or be) a wife of noble character on his (or her) own. It is God who gives life; it is God who gives growth; it is God who 'in all things... works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose' (Romans 8:28, NIV).
"Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD." - Proverbs 19:14 (NIV)
Links: The Proverbs 31 Woman (14 Feb 09), The Wife of Noble Character (14 Feb 10), The Man of Noble Character (6 Sep 10), The Psalm 112 Man (9 Sep 10)
"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." - Proverbs 31:10 (NIV)
Of course, no one can find (or be) a wife of noble character on his (or her) own. It is God who gives life; it is God who gives growth; it is God who 'in all things... works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose' (Romans 8:28, NIV).
"Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD." - Proverbs 19:14 (NIV)
Links: The Proverbs 31 Woman (14 Feb 09), The Wife of Noble Character (14 Feb 10), The Man of Noble Character (6 Sep 10), The Psalm 112 Man (9 Sep 10)
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Trusting in God as a Means vs Trusting in God as an End
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
- Luke 18:9-14 (NIV)
Not an Overt Legalist
As far as we know, this Pharisee was a total advocate of the sovereignty of God. As far as we know, he would have said, "Not I but the grace of God in me has worked this righteousness." He says, "I thank you, God, that I have this righteousness." That was not his mistake. His mistake was that he trusted in this apparently God-produced righteousness for justification.
- John Piper, Did Jesus Preach the Gospel of Evangelicalism?
The point is not that the Pharisee did not trust in God. The Pharisee did trust in God. The point is that the Pharisee trusted in God in order to trust in the fact that he trusted in God.
Simply trusting every day
Trusting through a stormy way
Even when my faith is small
Trusting Jesus, that is all
Trusting as the moments fly
Trusting as the days go by
Trusting Him, whatever befall
Trusting Jesus, that is all
"To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." - Jude 24-25 (NIV)
"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
- Luke 18:9-14 (NIV)
Not an Overt Legalist
As far as we know, this Pharisee was a total advocate of the sovereignty of God. As far as we know, he would have said, "Not I but the grace of God in me has worked this righteousness." He says, "I thank you, God, that I have this righteousness." That was not his mistake. His mistake was that he trusted in this apparently God-produced righteousness for justification.
- John Piper, Did Jesus Preach the Gospel of Evangelicalism?
The point is not that the Pharisee did not trust in God. The Pharisee did trust in God. The point is that the Pharisee trusted in God in order to trust in the fact that he trusted in God.
Simply trusting every day
Trusting through a stormy way
Even when my faith is small
Trusting Jesus, that is all
Trusting as the moments fly
Trusting as the days go by
Trusting Him, whatever befall
Trusting Jesus, that is all
"To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." - Jude 24-25 (NIV)
Monday, 3 May 2010
To obey is better than sacrifice
I'm reading the Bible in one year and the Old Testament reading for May 24 is 1 Samuel 14:24-15:35.
"But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams."" - 1 Samuel 15:22 (NIV)
After defeating the Amalekites in battle, 'Saul and the army spared Agag [king of the Amalekites] and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs - everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed' (1 Samuel 15:9, NIV). This was contrary to the LORD's instructions to 'attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys' (1 Samuel 15:3, NIV).
God does not desire dead sacrifices. He desires living sacrifices - our obedience to His will!
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
"But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams."" - 1 Samuel 15:22 (NIV)
After defeating the Amalekites in battle, 'Saul and the army spared Agag [king of the Amalekites] and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs - everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed' (1 Samuel 15:9, NIV). This was contrary to the LORD's instructions to 'attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys' (1 Samuel 15:3, NIV).
God does not desire dead sacrifices. He desires living sacrifices - our obedience to His will!
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
Saturday, 1 May 2010
Thus far has the LORD helped us
I'm reading the Bible in one year and the Old Testament reading for May 20 (I'm slightly ahead in my readings) is 1 Samuel 5:1-7:17.
"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us."" - 1 Samuel 7:12 (NIV)
After subduing the Philistines at Mizpah, Samuel established an altar to praise the LORD for delivering the Israelites from the hands of the Philistines.
For various reasons, the 1st of May seems like an appropriate time for me to raise my Ebenezer, to remember what the LORD has done in the past and give thanks for what He will do in the future.
The best is yet to be!
Thank you Father, that if it is Your will, You will bring it to pass at just the right time, and Your will is exactly what I would desire if I knew all the facts.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."
- Isaiah 55:8-11 (NIV)
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young.
- Lamentations 3:19-27 (NIV)
Thank you Father, that if it is not Your will, Your grace is sufficient for me, and Your will is still exactly what I would desire if I knew all the facts.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28 (NIV)
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." - 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV)
Here I raise my Ebenezer
Hither by Thy help I've come
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood
Links: Wait (29 May 10), Here I raise my Ebenezer (2 Jun 10), Hither by Thy help I've come (9 Aug 10)
"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us."" - 1 Samuel 7:12 (NIV)
After subduing the Philistines at Mizpah, Samuel established an altar to praise the LORD for delivering the Israelites from the hands of the Philistines.
For various reasons, the 1st of May seems like an appropriate time for me to raise my Ebenezer, to remember what the LORD has done in the past and give thanks for what He will do in the future.
The best is yet to be!
Thank you Father, that if it is Your will, You will bring it to pass at just the right time, and Your will is exactly what I would desire if I knew all the facts.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."
- Isaiah 55:8-11 (NIV)
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young.
- Lamentations 3:19-27 (NIV)
Thank you Father, that if it is not Your will, Your grace is sufficient for me, and Your will is still exactly what I would desire if I knew all the facts.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28 (NIV)
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." - 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV)
Here I raise my Ebenezer
Hither by Thy help I've come
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood
Links: Wait (29 May 10), Here I raise my Ebenezer (2 Jun 10), Hither by Thy help I've come (9 Aug 10)
Apr 22 to 30
Apr 22: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
Apr 23: "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." - Luke 22:31-32 (NIV)
Apr 24: "Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." - Luke 22:46 (NIV)
Apr 25: "The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not enquire of the LORD." - Joshua 9:14 (NIV)
Apr 26: "Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last." - Luke 23:46 (NIV)
Apr 27: "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." - Psalm 51:10-12 (NIV)
Apr 28: "But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever. I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints." - Psalm 52:8-9 (NIV)
Apr 29: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." - John 1:14 (NIV)
Apr 30: "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"" - John 1:29 (NIV)
Apr 23: "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." - Luke 22:31-32 (NIV)
Apr 24: "Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." - Luke 22:46 (NIV)
Apr 25: "The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not enquire of the LORD." - Joshua 9:14 (NIV)
Apr 26: "Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last." - Luke 23:46 (NIV)
Apr 27: "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." - Psalm 51:10-12 (NIV)
Apr 28: "But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever. I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints." - Psalm 52:8-9 (NIV)
Apr 29: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." - John 1:14 (NIV)
Apr 30: "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"" - John 1:29 (NIV)
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