THE LORD SPOKE (July 15)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Nehemiah 7-8

It was a great day! After the 52 days of wall construction everyone came together to celebrate the conclusion of the project. Beginning on "the first day of the seventh month" (Neh. 8:2), it coincided with Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) or the New Year's Day of the civil calendar. Both Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Sukkot (Tabernacles) fall in the same month and are alluded to here as well (see Neh. 8:14-18 and Neh. 9:1-2).

Interestingly, Ezra is the one brought to the front to lead the ceremony. That tells you something about Nehemiah. He could have made a case for it being his party but he didn't. And did you notice? There's no mention of King Artaxerxes and his proclamation. There is however lots of mention of God and His Word. Check it out:

• they had it open and placed in front of the people (Neh. 8:1,2)
• they made sure everyone could see and hear (Neh. 8:5)
• the people stood up and listened attentively (Neh. 8:3, 5b) - literally, "they had their ears to the book"
• besides being read out loud so everyone could hear, they gave the explanations so everyone could understand (Neh. 8:8)
• specially trained instructors took it from there (Neh. 8:7,9)
• the result was repentance and confession of sin (Neh. 8:9; c.f. 9:3)
• another result was "great joy because they now understood the words (Neh. 8:12)
• they dug in deeper yet (Neh. 8:13) and found more (Neh. 8:14) and this continued "day after day" (Neh. 8:18)
• they didn't keep it to themselves but went "to proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns" (Neh. 8:15)

Study it carefully, think of it prayerfully,
‘Till in thy heart its precepts dwell.
Slight not its history, ponder its mystery;
None can e’er prize it too fondly or well.

Accept the glad tidings, the warnings and chidings,
Found in this volume of heavenly store.
With faith that’s unfailing and love all-prevailing,
Trust in its promises of life evermore.

May this message of love from the Father above
Unto all nations and kindreds be given;
Till the ransomed shall raise joyous anthems of praise,
Hallelujahs on earth and in heaven. (author unknown)


New Testament: I Timothy 6

A man of God is one who follows God’s ways. Paul has a lot to say to and about a man after God’s own heart and this chapter is one of the best. A genuine man of God is known by:

1. what he flees from (I Tim. 6:9-11),
2. what he follows after (I Tim. 6:11b),
3. what he fights for (I Tim. 6:12), and
4. what he is faithful to (I Tim. 6:14).

One area that deserves and gets special attention is money. There is no sin in possessing riches - sin comes in being possessed by them. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Mat. 6:24). Paul cautions Timothy (I Tim. 6:6-10) that a love of money will bring temptation and ruin. It’s a trap. It leads to many other foolish and harmful desires. Those who become eager for money are likely to wander from the faith.

“Money is one of the most unsatisfying of possessions. It takes away some cares, no doubt, but it brings with it quite as many as it takes away. There is trouble in the getting of it. There is anxiety in the keeping of it. There are temptations in the use of it. There is sorrow in the losing of it. There is perplexity in the disposing of it. Two-thirds of all the strife, quarrel, and lawsuits in the world, arise from one simple cause - money.” - J.C. Ryle, Practical Religion

Paul’s admonition is to pursue “godliness with contentment”. That’s a winning combination that will “treasure up for [you] a firm foundation for the coming age” (II Tim. 6:19). How can we pursue “godliness with contentment” with regards to money?

1. Reach a clear personal understanding of what your needs are. Define what you genuinely need. Paul mentions specifically “food and clothing”. There are probably some other legitimate needs (shelter, community, etc.) but by honestly considering and then narrowing down your own range of genuine need, you will discover just how much is extra.
2. Turn your mind away from money. Money isn’t the problem, it’s the love of money that is a cause of every kind of evil. By dwelling on money, or the lack thereof, we focus on all the wrong things. No wonder the result is grief and a wandering away from the faith.
3. Learn to live with less. You really don’t “need” to stuff your garage with ever more toys and unfinished projects. Practice some discipline. Learn to say no to more stuff. (By the way, it will have an affect on your eating habits too.)
4. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Make yourself a list and check yourself against it daily. Start with this one given by Paul in the next paragraph. How are you doing in these areas? Is there some visible progress? Keep at it!
5. “Take hold of eternal life.” That’s how Paul says it (I Tim. 6:12). Fix your eyes on eternity and all the stuff of this life will quickly lose most of its significance. Don’t put your hope in wealth because it won’t be there when you really need it (I Tim. 6:17).
6. Be rich in good deeds...be generous and willing to share (I Tim. 6:18). That is what creates real treasure!

THE LORD SPOKE (June 27)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: II Chronicles 11-13

The following chapters will have a lot to say about a theme which is expressed in II Chronicles 11:16. That theme has to do with those who "set their hearts on seeking the Lord". Here in chapter twelve, there is an interesting development in Rehoboam's life. Verse one tells us that when "he had become strong...[he] abandoned the law of the Lord." Actually, not just he, but all of Israel with him! That's the great responsibility of anybody in leadership. While it's always true that we never sin alone - my sin always affects other people - it's all the more true of any person who is in a position of leadership and influence. Rehoboam's unfaithfulness to the Lord (II Chron. 12:2) brought His wrath upon all Israel in the form of an attack from King Shishak of Egypt. The destruction came right up to the doorstep of Jerusalem (II Chron. 12:3-4).

But when the king and leaders of Israel humbled themselves (II Chron. 12:6), God relented and removed the threat of destruction. However, He did still allow Shishak to subject them "so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving...[anything or anyone else]". In this case it was serving Egypt, a country that already had a 500-year history of being a hard taskmaster for Israel.

Why did this situation come about? Scripture tells us that "he did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord" (II Chron. 12:14). That's it! It takes a conscious and sustained determination to follow God's way. That commitment can sometimes grow weak due to...

Passage of Time. Sometimes our vision grows dim just because we have moved so far beyond that moment of encounter with the Lord that we've let the flame go out. We need to walk with Him daily, even hourly, so that doesn't happen. We need to remember where we left the Lord's presence behind and go back there once again. We need to go back and plead with him, like Jacob, "I'm not leaving, if you don't go with me."

Presence of Troubles. Sometimes we let the problems of life blur our vision because we don't stay focused on His presence and power to overcome our momentary crises. We need to keep our eyes on Him, the author and finisher of our faith, so we don't fall into that trap. We need to return to our source of strength and tap into His resources. We need to rise above the momentary difficulties and say, like David, "Shouldn't someone be doing something about this?"

Perpetual Tasks. Sometimes the busy-ness of life clouds our vision because we don't lift up our heads to see beyond the immediate job that is clamoring for our attention. We need to focus on why we do what we do, so we don't miss the main point of it all. We need to spend time with Him and access His sustaining grace. We need to, like Mary, "choose that better part, which will not be taken away from [us]".

Rehoboam lost it. But then he regained it through submitting himself once again to the Lord.

Do you have 20/20 vision right now? It is time for a check-up and maybe a new set of lenses?


New Testament: Philippians 4

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.... (Phil. 4:11-12)

That’s not easy to say. It’s harder yet to do. Elsewhere Paul elaborates on this a bit more by saying, “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (I Tim. 6:6-8).

Therein lies the secret. Contentment is the result of godliness. It is great likeness to God that brings balance to life. It is seeing things from His point of view that adjusts our own value system. It is through knowing Him that we know ourselves and see everything else in the proper perspective.

It’s worthy of note that Paul also speaks of contentment in the midst of plenty. It’s not just the man who has to do without that needs to learn contentment. In fact, it’s more often necessary for the man who has everything. Having lots of stuff does not naturally produce contentment. On the contrary, it’s generally true that the more you have, the more you “need” or, as wise Solomon discovered, “as goods increase, so do those who consume them” (Eccl. 5:11).

We’re back to godliness as the key. In whatever state you find yourself, the secret of being content is your constant walk with God. When you consistently seek Him you experience that sweet fulfillment that does not come from things.

So let us develop and maintain a constant walk with God. Do it through daily Bible reading, through prayer, and through fellowship with others who have the same desire. You might also want to sing about it, making a melody in your heart will accompany you throughout the activities of the day. Here’s one that might help:

O to be like Thee! blessed Redeemer;
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I'll forfeit all of earth's treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

O to be like Thee! Lord, I am coming,
Now to receive th' anointing divine;
All that I am and have I am bringing;
Lord, from this moment all shall be Thine.

O to be like Thee! While I am pleading
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love.
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit for a life which Thou wouldst approve.

O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!
Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.