THE LORD SPOKE (September 7)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Proverbs 14-16

“Temper, temper, temper!” Remember when Mom used to say that to you in an attempt to help you with an attitude check?

“Temper, temper, temper!” Remember the last time the Holy Spirit whispered those words to you as he prodded you to slow down, back off, and think before speaking? Don’t need to think back too far, do you? That’s because our temper is usually not far below the surface and often needs to be checked.

Proverbs has a lot to say about our temper:

• 14:17a - A quick-tempered man does foolish things.
• 14:29b - A quick-tempered man displays folly.
• 15:18a - A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension.
• 26:21 - As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
• 29:11 - A fool gives full vent to his anger but a wise man keeps himself under control.
• 29:22 - An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins.

When we come to the New Testament, one of the qualifications of the man whom God uses is that he “must be blameless - not over-bearing, not quick-tempered” (Titus 1:7).

Do you remember the character Nabal in the story of David? He was “surly and mean in his dealings” (I Samuel 25:3). He was a quick-tempered man that most people tried to stay away from. Though David helped him with his harvest during a busy time, though David’s men provided very valuable protection from local bandits, and though Nabal’s wife Abigail gave him very wise counsel, still he only hardened in his hot temper and got worse instead of better. Finally, “his heart failed him and he became like a stone” (25:37) and a few days later he was in a pine box. When he died, people said, “Praise the Lord!”

Now is that the kind of legacy you want? Is your surliness and quick temper really that valuable to you that you just can’t give it up? Life is complicated but all spiritual problems have a very simple, straight-forward solution:

1. Give it to the Lord. Ask for His help.
2. Read the Scriptures. Just like you can’t get well physically if you don’t eat good food, so you can’t get well spiritually if you don’t feed yourself regularly from God’s Word.
3. Confess your sin (I John 1:9). Do it every time you sin.
4. Ask forgiveness of those you’ve offended. Do it every time you offend. After awhile you’ll tire of going back again and again to ask forgiveness for the same thing. Eventually it will be easier to just not do it again.
5. When you fail, and you will, repeat the process.

Simple? Yes! Easy? Not one bit! Right? Without a doubt! Worth it? Why not find out?


New Testament: Revelation 13

It’s a trinity of evil. In a vile duplication and thinly camouflaged replica of the holy Trinity, this diabolic three-some sets out to multiply its power and authority over the earth. The two words, “power and “authority”, occur a combined total of ten times in this little chapter.

The dragon, exalting himself to the position of God the Father, is Satan. This is something he’s been trying to do since the beginning of his existence. In this, his final attempt to overthrow the Kingdom of Righteousness, he gives his power and authority to the first beast (Rev. 13:1-10) who rises out of the sea. The imagery of Revelation 13 matches that of Daniel 7:2-7 and represents the Antichrist, that evil secular authority that blasphemes God and makes war against the saints.

He is supported by “another beast, coming out of the earth” who has a religious authority and performs “great and miraculous signs” by which he deceives the inhabitants of the earth. This false prophet causes them to worship the Antichrist, even to the point of energizing an idol that can kill any who refuse to do so. The people seem more than willing to go a step further. They will submit to being physically branded with the mark of the beast. They will pledge their allegiance to the very epitome of evil and everything that stands contrary to God.

These three - Satan, the Beast or Antichrist, and the False Prophet - unleash their full fury upon the earth for the remainder of the Tribulation. At the end they are captured. The Beast and the False Prophet are “thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur” (Rev. 19:20) and Satan is bound in prison for 1000 years (Rev. 20:2-3,7).

If only that were the end of it. But remember, they had many willing followers. Those multitudes are still in rebellion and the judgments that follow will fall upon them with the fullness of God’s fury (read ahead to Rev. 14:9-11).

In stark contrast are those who resist the trinity of evil. The 144,000 are God’s faithful band who’s job it will be to proclaim “the eternal Gospel...to those who live on the earth - to every nation, tribe, language and people” (Rev. 14:6). And they will be effective witnesses to His glory. That multitude will sing the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb (Rev. 15:3-4).

Ready to tune up?