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Daily Bible thoughts 873: Friday 8th May 2015: Jeremiah 5:26-31

Jeremiah 5:26-31

Make no mistake it, when rich and powerful people make their money on the backs of the vulnerable poor and needy, these are ‘’evil deeds’’ (28a). It angers God and it will incur His Judgment. When those who should ensure that there is justice for all, are prepared to sell it to the highest bidder, Heaven notices and will respond. For a time, wicked people may seem to get away with their wickedness, but it is only for a time.

‘’My people are infiltrated by wicked men, unscrupulous men on the hunt. They set traps for the unsuspecting. Their victims are innocent men and women. Their houses are stuffed with ill-gotten gain, like a hunter’s bag full of birds. Pretentious and powerful and rich, hugely obese, oily with rolls of fat. Worse, they have no conscience. Right and wrong mean nothing to them. They stand for nothing, stand up for no one, throw orphans to the wolves, exploit the poor. Do you think I’ll stand by and do nothing about this?’’ GOD’s Decree. ‘’Don’t you think I’ll take serious measures against a people like this?’’ The Message.

In Judah and Jerusalem in those days, a clear line could be drawn from the pulpit to the pew. What was going wrong in the community was linked to what had gone so badly wrong in ‘the church’. The preachers weren’t preaching the truth. There were time-servers and hirelings being appointed to the ministry. The leaders told lies and followed their own rules, in flagrant disregard of God’s Word. What’s more, the people ‘loved it’ that way (31b). It was right up their street. In the same way, it’s not unusual to hear some parishioners today rallying around a popular ‘priest’/minister who is living an immoral life, and doesn’t have much of a belief system. ‘But we love him (or her),’ they say. ‘He’s a great priest – so kind and loving, and fun to be around.’ There is very little challenge going to come to their lives from his life and words, if any at all: ‘’…and my people love it this way.’’ (31).

‘’Unspeakable! Sickening! What’s happened in this country? Prophets preach lies and priests hire on as their assistants. And my people love it. They eat it up! But what will you do when it’s time to pick up the pieces?’’ The Message.

‘’But what will you do in the end?’’ (31). That is such an important question. Where does all this lead? To a sick and broken society (‘’horrible and shocking’’ things happening in the land: verse 30), and ultimately to the devastation of judgment. Only Jesus can save us from such an end, and we need our pulpits to be filled with people who truly do believe and live the gospel. We need a band of faithful preachers who do not lie, but point to Jesus who alone is ‘’the way, and the truth, and the life.’’ (John 14:6). ‘’People need to think about the end of their lives; it will help them make better choices while they are living.’’ Tom Hale: ‘The Applied Old Testament Commentary’, p.1086.

Prayer: Holy God, in your mercy, deliver us and protect us from an unbelieving ministry.

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Daily Bible thoughts 872: Thursday 7th May 2015: Jeremiah 5:20-25

Jeremiah 5:20-25

‘’There are none so blind as those who will not see.’’ (See verses 20, 21).

As we have seen, the people of Judah did not want to see the uncomfortable truth (12, 13), but preferred false teaching that made it easy on them (30,31). Before we jump in to condemn, let’s realise that we can be similarly obtuse.

‘’What is your attitude when you come into God’s presence? We should come with fear and trembling (that is, awe and respect) because God sets the boundaries of the roaring seas and establishes the rains and harvests. God had to strip away all the benefits that Judah and Israel had grown to respect more than him, with the hope that the people would turn back to God. Don’t wait until God removes your cherished resources before committing yourself to him as you should.’’ The Life Application Study Bible, p.1291.

Leaders/preachers can be given extremely tough assignments. They can have a script put in their hands that their listeners will not want to hear (20ff.) But we must be faithful to our calling.

‘’Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God…’’ (Romans 11: 22).

God, in His ‘common grace’ shows His loving kindness to all He has made (Matthew 5:44, 45).God’s kindness should move us to fear Him; to love, honour and worship Him. But if we do not respond to His overtures of kindness, we will come into contact with His sternness.

Prayer: Lord God, open our blind eyes and deaf ears.

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Daily Bible thoughts 871: Wednesday 6th May 2015: Jeremiah 5:12-19

 Jeremiah 5:12-19

‘’It’s not the parts of the Bible I don’t understand that bother me, but the bits I do.’’

Note 4 things in today’s passage:

  • They contradicted the message (12): They did not like the words of threatened judgment and calls to repentance. They loved how they were living and did not want to change. Like many today, they wanted to have their ears ‘tickled’. They wanted to go to ‘church’ and be entertained. The just wanted to have fun. It’s interesting how we can rationalise more pleasant alternative interpretations of heart-searching Scripture passages. When we contradict what the Bible clearly says we are actually lying about God.
  • They abused the messengers (13): They didn’t like the message and so they ‘shot’ the messengers. ‘Let these bad things happen to them’, they said, ‘Not to us!’ (There were other messengers whose sermons they did love: verses 30, 31. There were people preaching a false and powerless message. God saw this as ‘’horrible and shocking’’, but the majority of the people loved it. No wonder a former great leader of Methodism asked, ’’What evil have I done that all men speak well of me?’’)
  • The rejected message does not lose its power because it has been rejected (14-17). It will come back to bite those who have slammed the door in its face. If someone tells you that there’s an escaped lion in your garden, but you refuse to believe them, your ‘unbelief’ will not prevent the animal having its way with you when you step outside. As we read earlier (6), the Babylonians were going to come and ‘’devour’’ (15-17).
  • There is hope (18, 19). As we have seen over and again, even amidst deep darkness a bright light shines.

There are ‘hard’ sayings in the Bible. Be careful that you don’t deliberately soften them; that you don’t dilute them to taste. If you twist the plain message of Scripture you will be lying about God (2 Peter 3:16). Just because we don’t like the preaching of judgment doesn’t mean we won’t have it to face. We can mock the preachers all we like, but we will be ‘burned by their words (14).

I understand the Bible to teach that we cannot reject Jesus in this world and be accepted by Him in the next. This is a truth to face, and not push away.

Prayer: Lord God, please give me the willingness to listen to all you have to say, and respond as you desire.

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Daily Bible thoughts 869: Monday 4th May 2015: Jeremiah 5:1-9

Jeremiah 5:1-9

I have found, at times, that people can use pious language but live far from God. This was so in Jeremiah’s day (2). Some hypocritical people freely use religious language, but they can’t hide from God. He sees through the cloak of their verbal ‘fig leaves’. These opening verses depict a desperate scenario. God’s city was full of injustice. Here was behaviour to befit pagans. That’s what the people had become at heart (8, 9). Virtually the entire population was corrupt.

God is longsuffering. He sends preliminary warnings, prior to the main event of judgment (2 Peter 3:8, 9). The people to whom Jeremiah was preaching had not responded to God’s chastisements, other than by hardening their hearts. We should not be surprised if some set themselves against the gospel, the good news of Jesus. It will sadden us, but it ought not to surprise us. Although God is patient and merciful and gives repeated calls for repentance, not everyone will turn from sin and trust in His dear Son.

The leaders had greater knowledge and therefore greater responsibility (4-6). But there was not a flicker of an appropriate response from them either. ‘’Then I said to myself, ‘’Well, these are just poor people. They don’t know any better. They were never taught anything about GOD. They never went to prayer meetings. I’ll find some people from the best families. I’ll talk to them. They’ll know what’s going on, the way GOD works. They’ll know the score.’’ But they were no better! Rebels all! Off doing their own thing.’’ The Message. So Babylon would become the agent of God’s judgment (6). The Babylonians are pictured here as wild animals.

Idolatry lay at the centre of all that was wrong in the land (7-9). The sexual imagery speaks of the fact that the people had abandoned the Lord, their true ‘Husband’ and deserted Him for other ‘lovers’ (gods). They were spiritual adulterers. It also underlines the point that promiscuous sex was part of the religion itself. Their corrupt worship erupted in this terrible lava of immoral behaviour, flowing down to cover and destroy society. Their sin against God was a sin against Love. ‘’I satisfied their deepest needs, and then they went off with the ‘sacred’ whores, left me for orgies in sex shrines! A bunch of well-groomed, lusty stallions, each one pawing and snorting for his neighbour’s wife.’’ The Message.

Throughout this passage you get a feeling of the heart-broken, yearning love of God. The Lord is longing for His people to turn to Him and live right. He doesn’t want them to experience the punishment that is now available. But there does come a point where it is too late to change. ‘’…the people’s sins are piled sky-high; their betrayals are past counting.’’ The Message. If you keep pushing away the good news about Jesus who has come to save us; if you keep rejecting Him rather than receiving Him, there will come a point of no return.

‘’Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?’’ (9b). Probably the people of every nation should examine themselves in the light of this question.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for your patient love. Enable me to not take you for granted.

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Daily Bible thoughts 868: Friday 1st May 2015: Proverbs 24:5-14

Proverbs 24:5-14

‘’It’s better to be wise than strong; intelligence outranks muscle any day. Strategic planning is the key to warfare; to win you need a lot of good counsel.’’ The Message.

Before taking on an appointment with a Christian organisation, a well-known Bible teacher asked permission to consult with some trusted friends. He quoted (6): ‘’In the multitude of counsellors there is wisdom.’’ Furthermore, wisdom is sweet (13, 14). But not everyone tastes it (7): ‘’Wise conversation is way over the head of fools; in a serious discussion they haven’t a clue.’’ The Message.

It certainly is unwise to be a ‘’schemer’’ (8).

Trouble is a revealer of character (10): ‘’If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn’t much to you in the first place.’’ We usually don’t know what strength we have until trouble comes knocking on the door. Then we discover that we are stronger than we thought – or weaker.

The next verses (11, 12) remind me of the evangelistic responsibility of the church:

‘’Rescue the perishing: don’t hesitate to step in and help. If you say, ‘’Hey, that’s none of my business,’’ will that get you off the hook? Someone is watching you closely, you know – Someone not impressed with weak excuses.’’ The Message.

‘’If we know someone is in mortal danger and do not try to save him, God will judge us. This applies to those who are in spiritual danger as well; this is why Christians are called to share the Gospel with unbelievers (1 Corinthians 9:16). We may invent excuses for not doing so, but God weighs our heart (Proverbs 21:2); He will repay us according to what we have done (Psalm 62:12; Romans 2:6) – and also according to what we should have done but didn’t (James 4:17).’’ Tom Hale: ‘The applied Old Testament Commentary’, p.957.

In our church small groups this week we learned about ‘the good Samaritan’ and how we are to be a ‘neighbour’ to anyone in need. We must not ‘pass by on the other side’ but, like the Samaritan, go to where the need is. There are no excuses.

Prayer: Lord give us growing hearts of compassion.

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Daily Bible thoughts 867: Thursday 30th April 2015: Philippians 4:21-23

 Philippians 4:21-23

‘’But God’s word is not chained.’’ (2 Timothy 2:9b).

The final words in Philippians disclose the amazing insight that the gospel had penetrated as far as ‘’Caesar’s household.’’ It is believed that this letter was written from Rome, where Paul was a prisoner. As Romans 16 shows, the church in the capital city of the Empire was made up of a diverse group of people. There were Jews and Gentiles in the congregation; the wealthy and the poor; those who were influential (in worldly terms) and those who were slaves. Here we see that there were even believers in the Emperor’s own household. We can add this titbit of information to what we already saw in (1:12, 13): ‘’I want to report to you, friends, that my imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered. All the soldiers here, and everyone else too, found out that I’m in jail because of this Messiah. That piqued their curiosity, and now they’ve learned all about him.’’ The Message.

There are no locked doors to the risen Jesus (see John 20:19-23). The gospel is unstoppable. It will triumph in this world (2 Timothy 2:9).The Romans had not actually conquered the world, only a part of it. They ruled over the then known world we might say. But here are the first fruits of what is to come. ‘’Caesar’s household’’ and all it represents (i.e. every other world power system) is going to be replaced by the Kingdom of God. His Word and His will are going to prevail, while everything else crumbles to dust Daniel 2:34, 35, 44 and 45).

As we come to the end of our journey through the ‘epistle of joy’, I want to share in Paul’s closing greeting and speak it to you:

‘’The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.’’

‘’Receive and experience the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, deep, deep within yourselves.’’ The Message.

Only by God’s grace will we be able to live out the truth we have discovered in Philippians, and be a joyful people in all circumstances. Thank God for His amazing grace, because it is available to you and me.

Prayer: Thank you Lord that out of Paul’s suffering you brought something as beautiful as this gem of a letter. It sparkles with joy and makes me want to be a praising, thankful person always.

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Daily Bible thoughts 866: Wednesday 29th April 2015: Philippians 4:14-20

Philippians 4:14-20

‘’You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours….’’ The Message.

I had often heard the famous nineteenth verse quoted out of context, but a light came on for me when a lecturer in Bible College pointed out that we must not take this ‘jewel’ out of its ‘setting’. It is not a carte blanche promise to all Christians. It was, in the first instance, a statement made to generous Christians; those from Philippi who had given bountifully to help Paul (18; see also 17).

Jesus Himself said:

‘’Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.’’ (Luke 6:38).

‘’Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.’’ The Message.

A man who gave away a lot of money, but still had a lot was asked by someone how this could be. ‘’Well,’’ he replied, ‘’I keep shovelling it into the Lord’s garden and He keeps shovelling it back into mine. But He’s got the bigger shovel!!’

Here are some further thoughts on today’s Philippians passage:

  • If people have blessed you let them know you appreciate them (14; see also 15, 16). Gratitude should not go unspoken. As God remembers our good deeds, so let us hold in mind the goodness of others towards us (Hebrews 6:10). Expressions of appreciation oil the wheels of social interactions. People can feel taken for granted more quickly and easily than you may imagine. Paul wanted his benefactors to be blessed and rewarded for what they had done (17). ‘’Not that I’m looking for handouts, but I do want you to experience the blessing that issues from generosity.’’ The Message.
  • We can ‘’share’’ in people’s troubles by helping them in practical ways. (It doesn’t necessarily mean that we will have the same troubles.) Here is a way to get alongside people and help them. We can put our hands into our pockets and give.
  • Realise that missionaries need support (15, 16). (At the same time, we know that Paul learned to prove the sufficiency of Christ in such lean times: 10-13.)
  • Christian giving is an act of worship (18b). They had given to Paul, but fundamentally they were giving to God. He was pleased with their ‘’sacrifice’’. It smelled good to him. ‘’The gifts you sent with Epaphroditus were more than enough, like a sweet-smelling sacrifice roasting on the altar, filling the air with fragrance, pleasing God no end.’’ The Message.

A Bible text is like a grand old house. We need to view it in relation to its grounds; its surroundings. We cannot expect to prove the truth of (19) if we are stingy!

Prayer: Help me Lord to be a generous person, worshipping you with my giving.

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Daily Bible thoughts 865: Tuesday 27th April 2015: Philippians 4:10-13

 Philippians 4:10-13

The Philippian church had supported Paul financially, and this letter was, at least in part, a ‘thank you’ note to them.

The Christian life does not necessarily move in a straight line. We can have ‘ups and downs’ on the chart. I realised a little while ago that I had always thought about Paul as a poor man. But in fact he said, ‘’I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.’’ (12) ‘’I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little.’’ The Message.

Now I’m sure that Paul’s ‘plenty’ was significantly less than mine, and that his ‘need’ was more severe than anything I have ever known. But I resonate with his words to some extent. Like many, I’ve known times when it was a struggle to ‘make ends meet’. One church I served could give little financial support. It was a joy to serve them, and as I was a single man, living in a small one room bed-sit, I didn’t need much at all. In later years God has blessed in ways I could never have asked or imagined. But in some ways I found it easier to be the relatively poor man with little than the more affluent person with plenty. Paul says here that whatever our financial or material circumstances, whether we are abounding or in shortage, the only way to face the situation is ‘’through him who gives me strength.’’ (13)

If you’re in a place in life (or a ‘season’) where money is tight, you can look to Christ to be your sufficiency, and to provide what you need (18). You will face those tough times in and with Jesus. You’re not alone.

But if we have an abundance (and let’s face it, most of us in the West have) we need the help and strength of Jesus to steward it wisely; to use it as He directs. The challenge is to live generously, sharing our bounty so that we can glorify God and help build the church. We don’t have to apologise for what God has given us, but we do need to realise that we will be held accountable for its use. So may Jesus strengthen us to invest His money wisely.

Paul was grateful for the Philippians’ concern for him. He didn’t want them to think otherwise. But he wanted then to know that whether they were able to get gifts through to him or not, he was ‘’content’’ in the Lord Jesus. But contentment doesn’t come naturally. It is something we have to learn. Such learning comes through the help of Christ.

‘’But godliness with contentment is great gain.’’ (1 Timothy 6:6.)

Prayer: Thank you Lord that whatever my outward circumstances, you are always there.

 

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Daily Bible thoughts 864: Monday 26th April 2015: Philippians 4:4 -9

Philippians 4:4 -9

In a French lesson, at school, we read a story entitled ‘the naïve peasant.’ It was about a simple man who was walking down a lane, carrying a heavy pack on his back. A passer-by, on horse and cart, offered him a lift. After a while of travelling along in silence, this kind man turned to his companion and saw that he still had the bag over his shoulder. ‘My friend, why don’t you take that heavy load off and lay it on the cart?’ The peasant replied, ‘Because I do not want to tire your horse!’ We can be like this with prayer; giving our burdens to the Lord, yet retaining them at the same time. (See 1 Peter 5:7. You can’t ‘’Cast’’ your anxiety and keep it at the same time. If you’ve ‘cast’ it, then you’ve let it go.)

This passage shows important ways in which we can overcome anxiety:

  • The most obvious way is by thankful prayer (6, 7). The message seems to be, ‘Give God your heavy load of cares and He will give you His own indescribable peace. ’’Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life.’’ The Message.

However, there are other verses around this that indicate how we can live peacefully:

  • Choose joy (4): We can’t necessarily choose our circumstances, but we can choose attitude. Choose a ‘count your blessings’ kind of life. Cultivate an ‘attitude of gratitude’. This message is so important it is worthy of repetition (see 3:1). ‘’Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! ’The Message.;
  • Be gentle (5a): You tend to reap what you sow, and gentle people don’t normally trigger storms around them. Some people create lives of stress and tension for themselves by being aggressive and belligerent and harsh. They live in ‘bad weather’ conditions because, to a large part, they create them;
  • Recognise the closeness of Jesus (5b): His presence is near; His coming is near;
  • Think clean (8): Your mind matters. As you think, so you will be. Watch where you allow your thoughts to alight. ‘’Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.’’ The Message.
  • Live right (9): Choose holiness; follow good examples. Godliness and peace go together (Romans 8:6)

There is a way to cruise, free of turbulence, in blue skies, above the storm clouds of worry. We don’t find it easy to reach that ‘altitude’, but the Bible says we surely can.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for your prescription for living without worry. Help me to use it.

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