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Daily Bible thoughts 901: Monday 15th June 2015: Jeremiah 8: 8-17: True wisdom.

Jeremiah 8: 8-17: True wisdom Please click here for passage

In the late 1970’s I visited St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, and climbed up as high as you could go. Whilst at the top of the building, I met a robed verger, a young man, who cheerfully asked me what I was doing. At the time I was coming towards the end of my Bible College training. He too was going to train for the Anglican ministry. I think he may already have been in some form of preparation. Although initially pleasant, his tone quickly degenerated towards sarcasm. He questioned my belief in miracles, and suggested that if I believed what I did, I should throw myself off the building. He almost became menacing in his tone, and I proceeded to remove myself from him, and a conversation that wasn’t going anywhere. But if he ever did get into the ministry, what would he do with the Bible? I pray he had a change of heart!

You don’t need a ‘’pen’’ (8) to tweak the teaching of Scripture. You can make adjustments with your tongue. Satan still slithers into the ‘garden’ with a query: ‘’Did God really say..?’’ (Genesis 3:1), and many preachers are willing to stand up and say, ‘No, He really didn’t mean that at all.’ The Scribes were teaching that people could go on in their rebellious ways towards God and get away with it (11). They were very wrong, and everyone paid the price for their error filled messages (10a, 12b, 13; see Leviticus 26:31-33). God will especially punish teachers who lead people astray. They have been given greater privileges and carry greater responsibility (Luke 12:47, 48; 17:1,2; 2 Timothy 2:15; James 3:1).

A ministry that moves away from the Bible is inevitably superficial. It does not carry the radical answer to the bleeding need of the wounded heart (11): ‘’they put on band-aids…’’ The Message. I think every preacher should examine themselves in the light of this eleventh verse. ‘Is this in any way true of me?’ Preaching that does not take sin seriously cannot take the gospel remedy seriously.

Real wisdom is found in God’s Word (9). This is different to the accepted wisdom of the world (Proverbs 1:7; 2 Corinthians 2:6-14). It is ‘’the wisdom that comes from heaven’’ (James 3:17). It is the work of Christian leaders to help people see what the Bible says, and all it says. We cannot change the script because it is unpopular or difficult. This is not our prerogative.

People’s ultimate health and well-being is bound up with their acceptance or rejection of God’s truth. If we reject the written Word of God, we also reject Jesus the living Word who is its centre and substance. If we reject Jesus, what hope can we have?

Finally, here are three things that can bring a preacher down (but it’s not an exhaustive list):

  • Greed for money etc. (10);
  • Lack of personal integrity (10);
  • A seared conscience (12), no longer sensitive towards God or sin.

Prayer: Lord God, I recognise that people need your ‘medicine’, however unpalatable it may seem to some. Please help me to never ‘dilute’ what you have put in the gospel ‘bottle’.

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Daily Bible thoughts 900: Friday 12th June 2015: Jeremiah 8: 4-7: Warning Light.

 Jeremiah 8: 4-7(please click here for Bible Passage): Warning Light.

‘’Each pursues his own course like a horse charging into battle.’’ (6b).

I discovered that next to this passage I had written a note: ‘’How often do we cling to what, deep down we know to be wrong, but want to be right?’’

Many years ago, I was embarked on a particular course of action, when it felt like a huge warning light came on inside. I knew that something was wrong. But the urge to continue with what I was doing was greater than my very real sense of unease. So I did carry on. It did not take long to realise why that ‘light’ had appeared on the ‘dashboard’ of my soul. Although the decision I took did not destroy me, it did cause much heartache and aggravation for a time, and it was damaging.

The pursuit of our own ‘course’ tends to go hand in hand with clinging ‘’to deceit’’ (5b). We are quite happy to believe lies that permit us to carry on with our plans, and just close our eyes to what we do not want to see; and shut our ears to uncomfortable truth. The problem is that, as we have already seen in these readings, when we get what we want we don’t necessarily want it. We certainly don’t want all the bad stuff that comes with having our own way. There is One who loves us; a Father who knows better than we do. We should listen to Him instead of stomping off down the forbidden road. He wants to protect us from ourselves.

‘’They stubbornly hold on to their illusions, refuse to change direction…They just kept at it, blindly and stupidly banging their heads against a brick wall.’’ The Message.

God clearly wanted His people to return to Him. He was longing for their repentance (6). ‘’I listened carefully but heard not so much as a whisper. No one expressed one word of regret. Not a single ‘’I’m sorry’’ did I hear.’’ The Message.

His complaint was: ‘’Cranes know when its time to move south for winter. And robins, warblers, and bluebirds know when it’s time to come back again. But my people? My people know nothing, not the first thing of GOD and his rule.’’ The Message. It was the season for mass ‘’migration’’ (7) back towards God and Home. If ever there was a time to return, this was it. But the people of Judah did not seize the moment of opportunity.

Thankfully, although it is self-destructive to plot our own route through life, such self-will is not beyond forgiveness.

‘’We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.’’ (Isaiah 53:6).

As the prophet Isaiah foresaw, hundreds of years in advance, when the Messiah came, He took the punishment for our reckless pursuit of our own agendas. We may not be protected from the consequences of all our self-centred choices, but we can be forgiven for them through faith in Christ, who died in our place. This is very good news indeed! The time to turn to Jesus is now. This is the ‘season ‘ for movement towards Him. But will we? Will you?

Prayer: Whenever I see your warning light come on, give me the courage to heed it.

 

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Daily Bible thoughts 899: Thursday 11th June 2015: Jeremiah 8:1-3

Jeremiah 8:1-3

This is a continuation of the message begun in the previous chapter. ‘’At that time’’ (of the fall of Jerusalem) certain things will happen. It’s a terrible scene depicted. Imagine being told that one day your body, along with the bodies of many other people from your community, will lie unburied on the ground; that there will be a landscape littered with corpses.

Verse one shows the comprehensive nature of the judgment to fall. ‘’I’ll see to it that they dig up the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of the princes and priests and prophets, and yes, even the bones of the common people.’’ The Message. The leaders had led the way in ungodly living, and they led their nation to destruction. The bad shepherds took their flock over the cliff edge with them.

The various words used in verse 2, such as ‘’loved and served and…followed and consulted and worshipped’’ point to what the people had lived for; what they had given themselves to. Someone said, ‘’Beware of what you set your heart on for it will surely be yours!’’ There will be a return on the investment of your life, and many people will find that they don’t get the return they desired. If you give your life over to any ‘god’ other than the Lord; if you devote yourself to any purpose other than the one your Maker intended, you will deeply regret it. We will reap what we sow and many ‘farmers’ will not like their harvest. ‘’They’ll dig them up and spread them out like a congregation at worship before sun, moon, and stars, all those sky gods they’ve been so infatuated with all these years, following their ‘lucky stars’ in dog-like devotion. Their bones will be left scattered and exposed, to reenter the soil as fertilizer, like manure.’’ The Message. The truth is that when we get what we want, we don’t necessarily want it. We have many experiences of this during our life time. How much of what we long for disappoints us. To lie unburied was considered a terrible disgrace. Their beloved ‘gods’ failed them when they needed them most They could not save their worshippers.

This short section comes to a terrible end. Even for those who survive this judgment, they will wish they were dead (3). ‘’Everyone left – all from this evil generation unlucky enough to still be alive in whatever godforsaken place I will have driven them to – will wish they were dead.’’ The Message. As I understand the Bible, there will come a day when even those who are dead will wish that they were truly dead (i.e extinct). The people who have lived for other gods will find themselves forsaken by the true God. They have rejected Him, and He will respect their choice. But death would be preferable to being without Him forever. Remember that Christ, upon the cross, experienced the God-forsakenness of Hell, so that we will never have to. We simply have to trust Him and what He has done for us.

(The word ‘’refuse’’ in (2) reminds me that a common word used in the New Testament for Hell, is the same one for the constantly burning rubbish heap just outside Jerusalem.)

Prayer: O God have mercy on me, and on all I love. Save us from self-destructive lifestyle choices that exclude you.

 

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Daily Bible thoughts 898: Wednesday 10th June 2015: Psalm 118:1-16

 Psalm 118:1-16

If you believe it, say it!

There are certain things that we who believe should ‘’say’’ (2-4). If we are convinced about certain Biblical truths, there are times when we should declare them – to ourselves, to others and to the powers of darkness. It is good to ‘’say’’ what we believe about God, in prayer to God.

This Psalm was written by someone who had experienced God’s love in answered prayer. He had come near to defeat (13), but with God’s help he had been the winner against all odds. He had learned by experience that it is ‘’better’’ to trust God than any human being, however strong and capable they may seem (8, 9).This was his repeated theme:

‘’His love endures for ever.’’

Karl Barth, a great Swiss theologian who had a mighty intellect, was once asked, ‘What is the greatest truth you have ever learned. His simple reply was: ‘’Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.’’

God’s love ‘’endures’’. It is not like human love. Our love can be akin to a bubble in a bath, beautiful but fragile. There one moment, but gone the next; pretty but fickle. God’s love, on the other hand, stays the course with people, whatever they are like. God loved me when I wasn’t a Christian; he loves me still when I don’t behave as a Christian should; I know He will always love me. His love ‘’endures’’. Because ‘’the LORD is with me’’ (6, 7), I know that His love is with me. ‘’God is love’’ (1 John 4:16).

God’s love ‘’endures’’ in all circumstances. The Jewish people sing Psalms 113 – 118 at Passover, so this must be one of the songs Jesus sang before He went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray (Matthew 26:30). In the face of great adversity, let us follow the example of Jesus in declaring God’s love.

God’s love ‘’endures for ever.’’ In fact, the essence of heaven will surely be the greatest possible realisation of the love of God. We will experience His love perfectly. We will be enveloped in an ocean of infinite love

God’s love is supremely seen in Jesus. ‘’There is no love like the love of Jesus.’’ says an old hymn. I once heard a preacher quote the saying about ‘’wearing your heart on your sleeve.’’ He said, ‘’God wore His heart on a cross.’’ In the desperate cry of the psalmist for Divine help, I catch an echo of where each of us has to get to. We need Jesus to save us from our greatest enemy, which is our sin. This He will do for us if we trust in Him alone (8, 9). He will ‘’become’’ our ‘’salvation’’ (14). Have you come to that point yet where you ask Jesus to rescue you? Has He become your salvation? It doesn’t just happen. You have to ask for His help. Then He will as surely come to rescue you as He did the psalmist in many days gone by. How up to date and relevant is the Bible!

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Daily Bible thoughts 897: Tuesday 9th June 2015: Colossians 2:20-23.

Colossians 2:20-23.

All that we need is all that He is!

Let’s be wary of living our lives by any form of teaching that is not Biblical. Man-made rules will not change us. At times they can be appealing, but they just don’t work. They might seem to for a time, but they are not radical enough (23). They don’t go sufficiently deep.

Some professing Christians have rules for themselves and they are zealous about trying to impose these on their fellow believers. God made you and they have a wonderful plan for your life! Their mission is to make you in their own image.

But true religion is not about rule-keeping; it’s about Jesus. It’s about keeping company with Him; ‘abiding’ in Him; drawing from Him all that is in Him. All that we need is all that He is. That’s the message of Colossians, as we’ve been seeing. We will not grow by keeping human rules but through vital ‘’connection’’ with Christ our Head (19). Only the Lord Himself can deal with our flesh life; our own going struggles with ‘’sensual indulgence’’ (23). Strict rules will never cure the real sickness of our souls.

‘’If the Colossians were to fall victims to the false teaching and voluntarily place themselves under rules and regulations…which were imposed by the principalities and powers, then this would be to go back into slavery again, a bondage to the very powers of the universe from which they had been freed when they died with Christ in his death. Not all Christians are free from superstition, which can exert more influence than their faith…The taboos left untouched the problems of sensual indulgence.’’ Peter T. O’Brien: ‘New Bible Commentary’, p.1271.

‘’Pleasure in God is the power for purity. The vice-grip the pleasure of sin exerts on the human soul will be broken only by trusting God’s promise of superior pleasure in knowing Jesus. The only way to conquer one pleasure is with another, greater and more pleasing pleasure.’’ Sam Storms: ‘One thing’, p.128.

The Christian life is not about following rules, but abiding in Christ.

All that we need is all that Jesus is.

Prayer: Let there be no going back, for me, to that futile realm of religious rules and works. Jesus you have set me free. Thank you.

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Daily Bible thoughts 896: Monday 8th June 2015: Colossians 2:16-19: Focussed on Christ

Colossians 2:16-19: Focussed on Christ

Here are some further reasons to keep your focus on Jesus:

The ‘reality’ we find in Him (17). The Old Testament ceremonies, rituals and symbols were but ‘’a shadow’’ of things to come. But Jesus Christ is the substance. All these things find their fulfilment in Him. Let’s not allow ourselves to get preoccupied with secondary matters, but always concentrate on Jesus. He is central. The so-called ‘Colossian heresy’ was taking people back into the shadows from the brilliant Sunlight of noonday. Would you rather have the shadow of the man you love, or the man Himself?! Now the Colossians had Christ, surely they would not let Him go for lesser things? Religion is no substitute for reality.

Verse 16 is interesting. You can’t stop people judging you. We are almost incurably judgmental, even though we shouldn’t be (see verse 18 also.) One sign that you have lost vital connection with the Lord Jesus (19) is that you start to try to do His job for Him. You want to run other people’s lives; tell them what to do. The judgmental people Paul writes about here were, of course, heretics. But you don’t have to be into heresy to be judgmental. (Verse 16 shows that there was a Jewish flavour to this heresy. But the eighteenth verse reveals that there was also an esoteric quality. There were people who were asserting their spiritual superiority over others on the grounds of heightened spiritual experiences. They were into visions; they believed they had joined in with the angelic worship of God. In short, they regarded themselves to be in the ‘first class compartment’ of spirituality, and proudly looked down on others who didn’t have what they had. They were the spiritual elite.)

He is the Head of the church (19a). Therefore He is your Head. Let Jesus run your life; allow Him to tell you what to do. Get your orders from Him. ‘’So don’t put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days…Don’t tolerate people who try to run your life, insisting that you join their obsession with angels and that you seek out visions. They’re a lot of hot air, that’s all they are.’’ The Message.

Growth comes as you keep connection with Him (19b). The growth of the church (and of individual Christians) is God’s work. God gives the growth (1 Corinthians 6, 7). God causes you to grow, but it’s all about ‘’connection’’ with Jesus. As you ‘’abide’’ in Him (John 15) you will grow.

Don’t lose touch!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to never move away from you

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Daily Bible thoughts 894: Thursday 4th June 2015: Colossians 2:6-12: Sitting on a fortune.

Colossians 2:6-12: Sitting on a fortune.

Many years ago I heard a story about an old lady who lived in poverty in a simple cottage. Someone visiting her, who knew that her son was a successful business man, asked, ‘But doesn’t he ever send you any money?’ ‘No’, replied the poor woman, ‘but he does send me pretty coloured pictures from all over the world. Would you like to see them?’ Her friend was intrigued, and replied that she would. So the elderly lady disappeared into another room, and then returned carrying a big cardboard box which she proceeded to place on the coffee table. As she removed the lid, her visitor could see that the ‘pretty coloured pictures’ were currency notes from many different countries where her son had travelled. The old lady was sitting on a fortune whilst living like a pauper!

Now whether the above story is true, partially true or apocryphal, it makes an important point. We Christians are incredibly rich, spiritually speaking, yet we may not realise what we have ‘in the bank’, and fail to draw on it in our day to day lives. We are richer than millionaires but appear like tramps!

If two verses can be used to sum up ‘Colossians’, then surely (2: 9, 10) get the job. Paul’s concern was to focus the attention of these Christians on Jesus. He was saying to them, ‘Christ is all you need.’ ‘Everything you need is to be found in Jesus.’ The false teachers, who were having some influence in the churches of that region, were arguing that you need Jesus plus certain other things. Paul’s counter-argument involved an adamant ‘NO!’ to their message. ‘All that you need is in Jesus’, he taught.

  • In Jesus you get started as a Christian, and it’s in His strength that you will grow in this joyful, thankful Christian life (6, 7; 11, 12). Notice that the metaphors ‘’rooted and built up’’ (7) are drawn from agriculture and architecture. They both speak of growth and progress. Conversion is Christ’s work in us (11, 12). It involves being baptised, in which we totally identify with Jesus in His death and resurrection.
  • By looking to Jesus you can be protected from erroneous doctrine. Keep your eyes on Him (see also 3:1-4)
  • Through Jesus we can be winners (10b). He is ‘’the head over every power and authority.’’ This has implications for us. A song says, ‘Jesus is the Winner Man’. In Him we also can be winners. We can say ‘No’ to the fierce pull of temptation; we can overcome in every battle.

Every good thing is ours in Jesus, and In Him we find all we need to live the Christian life.

As I sit in my house right now, I know that I am surrounded by great (potential) power, through the electrical wiring system. But I cannot benefit from it without having to do something: put a plug into a socket and flick a switch. Something similar has to happen with us on an on-going basis. Otherwise we may find that, although we live close to immense power we do not benefit from it.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, teach me all that I am and have in Jesus.

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Daily Bible thoughts 893: Wednesday 3rd June 2015: Jeremiah 7: 30-34: Call it what it is!

Jeremiah 7: 30-34: Call it what it is!

Call it what it is! We have a habit of attempting to pretty up bad things by giving them nice names. But ‘a rose is a rose by any other name.’ This also applies to evil, ugly things; they remain evil and ugly however we label them. Listen to these words: ‘’ ‘’But soon, very soon’’ – GOD’s Decree! – ‘’the names Topheth and Ben-hinnom will no longer be used. They’ll call the place what it is: Murder Meadow.’’ The Message. Can you imagine a situation so wicked that people were actually burning their children as sacrificial offerings to false gods? (30-31). It is no wonder that this society was going to come under judgment. (In fact we sacrifice our children to our’ gods’ in other ways that look more acceptable and civilised. But we are nevertheless destroying them.) If we cover evil practices with a veneer of religion we may feel that this ‘coat of religious paint’ makes it look better. But God sees everything and He knows the truth. He knows that the house is ramshackle and about to fall down.

Use it as you should! The people of Judah had misused the Temple, set up for the honouring of God’s Name: ‘’In deliberate insult to me, they’ve set up their obscene god-images in the very Temple that was built to honour me.’’ The Message. According to the second big section of the Bible, the New Testament, a local gathering of Christians is God’s Temple (1 Corinthians 3), and so also is the physical body of a Christ follower (1 Corinthians 6). So it is important that in all we do in church life, and in our personal lives, that we should aim to honour God who made us for Himself and for His own glory. Let’s not misappropriate the ‘temple’ for our own uses.

Believe it because it’s true! As we read the Old Testament prophetic books we may find all the stuff about God’s anger and judgment a bit distasteful. But in everyday life we can find food that is good for us to be unpalatable. In a recent letter to the church in the U.K. the well-known preacher/writer R.T. Kendall pointed out that Jesus affirmed the Old Testament and was not ashamed of the God of the Old Testament. He called Him ‘Father’. Here are some key lessons we learn from the Bible about God:

  • He is Holy;
  • He hates all sin/wrongdoing/the breaking of His law;
  • He will judge and punish all evil;
  • He is also loving and gives ‘sinners’ many opportunities to repent;
  • In His love and justice, He gave Himself up for us all on the cross, in the Person of His Son; He took His own anger/judgment against sin, dying in our place. Therefore,
  • All who repent of their wrongdoing and trust in Christ will be saved;
  • All who reject Jesus will bring judgment on themselves.

This truth about judgment will not go away, and it is not for any theologian or preacher to re-write the Bible.

Prayer: Lord help me to swallow the parts of your Word that I find ‘tough’ meat along with the other bits that I find ‘tender’.

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Daily Bible thoughts 889: Monday 1st June 2015: Jeremiah 7:9-15

Jeremiah 7:9-15

‘’But I have been watching! Declares the LORD.’’ (11b).

‘’I’ve got eyes in my head. I can see what’s going on.’’ The Message

It can be a comfort to know that God is watching. How good it is to know that He watches over us. ‘’For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous…’’ (Psalm 1:6b); ‘’…he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you…he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.’’ (From Psalm 121:4-8). These, and similar words in Scripture, encourage us as we consider God’s watchfulness. ‘’Thou God seest me.’’ (Genesis 16:13).

But it is also a challenge to know that God is watching. That is the import of the words in today’s passage. God sees everything that goes on in His church (temple). Nothing escapes His notice. Jesus has ‘X-Ray vision’ (Revelation 1:14b) and He inspects everything. Psalm 1:6 concludes: ‘’…but the way of the wicked will perish.’’ God sees and knows what they are up to as well.

  • The Lord sees the sin of His people (9, 10) – and He calls them to repent. He warns them of the consequences if they will not (15. Isn’t this the essence of Hell?) In (9) mention is made of the breaking of 5 of the 10 commandments (Exodus 20:3, 13-16). If we cherish sin in our hearts God will not listen.
  • The Lord sees the complacency of His people (10). No one is ‘’safe’’ who rejects God’s Word and pushes away His Son. It is a tragedy and a travesty that there are many false preachers who tell people they are safe when they are not. The people were no better off than ‘’robbers’’ who hide in caves, but who sooner or later will be caught (11).
  • The Lord sees the misplaced trust of His people (14). As we saw on Friday, their confidence was in the temple itself. They thought (and many of their ‘prophets’ had encouraged them to believe this) that because the temple was in Jerusalem it would protect them. They were so misguided. Unless our trust is in the Lord alone we will never be safe. Salvation is found in Jesus only. We should not look anywhere else. Centuries earlier (before the Jerusalem temple was built), the Lord’s tabernacle had been located at Shiloh (Josh.18:1), and at that time the Lord allowed Shiloh to be destroyed (although the Tabernacle itself wasn’t). But now the temple would be destroyed, and not just the place.

‘’Get smart! Your leaders are handing you a pack of lies, and you’re swallowing them! Use your heads! Do you think you can rob and murder, have sex with the neighbourhood wives, tell lies nonstop, worship the local gods, and buy every novel religious commodity on the market – and then march into this Temple, set apart for my worship, and say, ‘’We’re safe!’’ thinking that the place itself gives you license to go on with all this outrageous sacrilege?’’ The Message.

Pray: Lord God, your grace is amazing, but help me to not take it for granted and become careless about how I live.

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