Basin and Towel

How Hardness of Heart Impacts You

2026-11-01T06:37:51.404-08:00

"Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God." -Hebrews 3:12

How Hardness of heart impacts you-

In Prayer:

Restlessness produces an inability to focus

Self-reliance produces an inability to trust

Hardness obstructs the Holy Spirit's inability to produce fruit.

In Scripture Reading:

Hardness impedes regular reading and over time God's Word is stolen from our minds and hearts.

Reading becomes rote exercise, not allowing the Holy Spirit to work conviction or encouragement.

In Obedience:

Hardness creates a distance from my enjoyment of God.

Hardness opens the door to my own priorities and appetites.

In Worship:

Worship becomes self-centered.

Worship becomes increasingly external activity rather than from the heart.

It becomes an increasingly unsatisfying and empty effort.

In Relationships:

Hardness decreases my desire to spend time with fellow believers.

Hardness increases conflict with other believers as selfish ambitions rise.

Time spent with believers becomes minimal and other relationships take priority.

"Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." -Hebrews 3:15

Where Do You Loiter?

2026-02-20T04:21:00.000-08:00

“I have seen among the simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man lacking sense,
passing along the street near her corner,
taking the road to her house,
in the twilight, in the evening,
at the time of night and darkness.”
(Proverbs 7:7–9)

Wisdom and folly are found in very different places. Wisdom stands on the street corners and lifts her voice to all who will hear: “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?” Her invitation to the fool is a call to change direction: “If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you” (Proverbs 1:22–23).

Wisdom is portrayed as easy to find, and her message is clear. Why, then, aren’t the simple flocking to her invitation from every corner of the city square?

The simple are loitering somewhere else.

They wait at the gate of folly. Night is falling. The businesses of the city are closing their shutters, and the folly of the night has begun. The fool knows the danger he is in, but he wonders how close he can come without getting burned. His loitering is rewarded by the arrival of temptation—her words, her dress, her perfume. All at once, he follows her. The trap is sprung, and his life is changed forever.

Why does he loiter?

The work of the day is finished, and as soon as his time is his own, he goes to wait by her door. His free time—his leisure—is spent awkwardly standing or pacing, watching at her house. How foolish is his heart, how oblivious to the danger! His heart longs for the temptation, the excitement, the enticement. He does not mean to go all the way—just a little further. Yet he sets himself on a trajectory that will bring his ruin.

So ask yourself plainly: Where do you loiter?
Not where you fall, but where you linger. Not the sin you commit, but the door you stand near. Wisdom calls in the daylight, but folly waits patiently for the evening. The heart is shaped long before the act.

Do not be deceived—no one stumbles suddenly. We drift by standing still. If you would walk in wisdom, then do not loiter at the threshold of sin. Turn your feet while it is still day, and order your time, your thoughts, and your desires toward the voice that gives life.

Glory and Influence

2026-01-03T04:56:00.000-08:00

King Lemuel’s mother was a wise instructor (Proverbs 31:1–9). She warned her son not to spend his strength—his time, money, spiritual capital, and moral authority—on self-indulgence. Instead, she called him to use his position as king to influence the plight of those who could not speak for themselves.

Kings possess glory (Hebrew: kābôd)—majesty and honor made visible. People are drawn to a king’s power, wisdom, and judgment. A good king therefore stewards not only his strength, but also his glory and, by extension, his influence. Lemuel’s mother exhorts him to “open his mouth”—to act publicly and justly on behalf of the poor and the needy.

Like strength, glory and influence must be stewarded. Any man must guard his character, both in public and in private, if he is to retain moral authority. Glory can be wasted—traded away for approval, comfort, or the avoidance of conflict. But a faithful king spends his influence differently. He aligns himself publicly with what is good, right, and true. He speaks with moral clarity. He expends his influence downward, on behalf of those who cannot repay him.

Spending glory and influence in this way may cost comfort, safety, relationships, and even reputation for a season. Yet men who desire to fulfill the dominion mandate and to steward their strength and influence wisely must listen to Lemuel’s mother. God gives strength and influence not merely to possess, but to deploy. They may be squandered, hoarded, or spent—but only when they are spent wisely are they used for the glory of God.

Making New Year's Resolutions

2025-12-31T15:31:00.000-08:00

Two phrases stand out in the book of Haggai. The first calls the people of Israel to honest self-examination. The temple had remained unbuilt for sixteen years, and their familiar excuse—“The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord”—was wearing thin. “Consider your ways,” Haggai declares. The judgment of God surrounded them, if only they were willing to see it.

The second phrase—“Consider from this day onward”—invites them to move from examination, to repentance, to intentional change. Following this progression, Haggai offers enduring wisdom for the way we think about New Year’s resolutions.

1. Let Your Resolutions Be Biblically Informed

Make resolutions that move you toward greater obedience. God’s Word has a way of exposing the places where we fall short and clarifying the path forward. Listen carefully to what it says, even when it confronts you.

2. Make Repentance the First Step Toward New Obedience

Repentance allows the past to truly become the past. But repentance is not the final step. Do not waste time wallowing in remorse or shame. Turn instead in a new direction. Repentance clears the ground so that obedience can grow.

3. Anchor Your Resolutions in the Promises of God

What has God promised? Forgiveness. Peace. Security. Hope. In the New Testament, we are also given the promise of the Holy Spirit—His active presence and power enabling new direction, new strength, and lasting change. “Consider from this day onward.”

After the preaching of Haggai, the temple was rebuilt in five years. God’s Word, received with repentance and obedience, brought renewal where there had been long delay.

So consider your ways. And then, consider from this day onward.

The Intervention of the Word of God

2025-12-31T11:11:00.000-08:00

The word of Haggai stands at the center of the story of the second temple. The entrance of the prophetic word is the pivot point of the narrative. Everything changes at that moment. The people respond in obedience and resume the work of rebuilding. God’s message, delivered through His prophet, becomes both correction and encouragement, moving the hearts of the people from repentance to obedience and from discouragement to renewed vision.

Haggai’s message unfolds in two distinct phases. First comes the command: “Consider your ways.” It is an invitation to moral reflection—to examine their circumstances and honestly reckon with the consequences of their disobedience. Then comes a second pair of calls to consider: “Consider from this day onward.” What grace and mercy are contained in those words. The message moves from judgment to hope, from rebuke to promise.

God’s encouragement takes concrete form.

“Fear not.”
Fear had been the original distraction that brought the work on the temple to a halt. Now God redirects their focus. When He is restored to the center of their lives and worship, fear no longer governs their decisions.

“In this place I will give peace.”
The Jews had been threatened with conflict over the rebuilding of the temple by the people of the land. God responds not with escalation, but with assurance. He promises peace in the very place of tension. The sovereign care of God transforms their outlook.

“From this day onward I will bless you.”
No more wages disappearing like money in a bag with holes. No more clothing that fails to warm. Blessing replaces barrenness. Restored fellowship with God brings not only security and peace, but abundance. What they reap will now far exceed what they sow.

The Word of God—and our response to it—is always the turning point. Repentance is never the end; it is the beginning. It opens the way to renewed hope, renewed vision, and renewed promise.

“Consider from this day onward.”

Consider Your Ways

2025-12-30T10:36:00.000-08:00

Twice the prophet Haggai tells the Jews to “consider your ways.” He calls them to look around, examine their circumstances, and honestly read the consequences that have flowed from their actions. Their situation was not mysterious. If they were willing to reflect, at least three realities would have been evident.

The Law of Diminishing Returns

Haggai points to several areas of life where the Jews were already experiencing God’s judgment. Because worship had not been restored to its central place in the community, loss had become a defining feature of their labor. They sowed much but reaped little. They ate and drank, but were never satisfied. Their clothing failed to keep them warm. They worked hard, yet their wages slipped through their fingers—like money placed in a bag with holes.

Haggai describes their experience as a drought. Everything dries up, and whatever remains is blown away. The judgment was not sudden, but it was unmistakable. Over time, the blessing of God had leaked away. This is the law of diminishing returns: much effort, little fruit.

The Law of Misplaced Priorities

The Jews had stopped building God’s temple because of opposition from the people of the land. In response, they turned their attention to tasks they could accomplish. They built their own homes, secured their financial well-being, and even constructed houses adorned with paneled walls. Gradually, they came to believe their own justification: “The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.”

But opposition is not an excuse for disordered affections. Instead of pressing forward toward the primary goal, they devoted themselves to secondary concerns—wealth, leisure, relationships, and security. These are good gifts, but never when they displace worship. Good things, when elevated to ultimate things, become idols. Haggai calls them to reorder their loves and to give God once again His rightful place at the center.

The Law of Declining Expectations

When I place myself in the position of these Jews, I understand the temptation. If temple construction was impossible for the moment, it would seem reasonable to busy oneself with other responsibilities until circumstances changed. After all, they faced political, social, and physical opposition. Fear and discouragement were real.

The pain is understandable. But sixteen years is a long time.

Over time, discouragement lowered expectations. The dream faded. What once felt urgent became optional. Obedience was quietly postponed. And so God sent Haggai—not merely to comfort them, but to confront them.

Diminishing returns. Misplaced priorities. Declining expectations.

Can we see these same forces at work in our own spiritual lives? Haggai’s word to them is God’s word to us still:

“Consider your ways.”

Restoring the Centrality of Worship

2025-12-29T12:55:00.000-08:00

Sixteen years were wasted.

The people had started well. They began rebuilding the temple, and the foundation was laid. But then the opposition came. The people of the land offered to help rebuild, and when they were rebuffed, they turned hostile. Fear followed. Discouragement set in. Threats were made.

The final blow came with a decree from Artaxerxes. After searching the records, it was determined that Jerusalem was a rebellious city, and the work was ordered to stop. The opposition came “with haste,” and “by force and power made them cease.”

That was sixteen years ago.

The temple project was never resumed. Opposition had led to distraction. The people told themselves the work would continue someday—but now was not the time. Other matters demanded attention: building their own homes, caring for their families, stabilizing their finances. And who could blame them? With pressure and resistance all around, shifting priorities felt reasonable.

It was at that moment that God sent a prophet.

Haggai confronted their misplaced priorities with piercing clarity. Twice he tells them to “consider your ways.” Why had they worked so hard and yet failed to prosper? Why did satisfaction elude them? The problem was not a lack of effort, but a lack of worship. God called them back to what had once been central—to the restoration of His house and the renewal of their first love.

The Word of God moved them to repentance.

Then Haggai calls them to “consider” two more times—but now with hope: “Consider from this day onward.” Repentance led to renewed obedience. The people began to build again. What sixteen years of delay could not accomplish, faithful obedience soon completed. Worship and sacrifice were restored in Israel.

The lesson is not hard to see.

It is easy for our priorities to shift. Distractions creep in, often under the guise of responsibility. Our affections become disordered. While our primary pleasure is meant to be found in God alone, secondary goods—work, money, family, comfort, even ministry—can quietly become idols.

And without noticing, time passes.

Do not let sixteen years slip by. Consider your ways. Restore the priority of worship. Place God again at the center, and let everything else find its proper place around Him.

Postmodernism and Biblical Interpretation

2025-11-23T14:16:00.000-08:00

Culture seeps into every nook and cranny of our lives, shaping us in ways we often don’t notice. It even influences how we interpret Scripture. Postmodernism—with its pervasive skepticism and suspicion of truth-claims—produces some familiar postures in interpretation:

“You only hold that view because you’re a Baptist.”
“You say that because you were born into a patriarchal culture.”
“Paul only wrote that because he was a misogynist.”
“You believe that because you’re a fundamentalist.”

C. S. Lewis famously called this mistake Bulverism—the habit of “situating” a view instead of answering it. Bulverism assumes someone is wrong and then tries to explain why they are wrong, rather than demonstrating that they are wrong. It replaces argument with suspicion, psychology, and motive-assigning.

Here’s how Bulverism distorts biblical interpretation:

1. It replaces exegesis with motive-judging.

Instead of engaging the actual text, Bulverism says, “You only interpret the passage that way because you’re liberal,” or “because you’re conservative.” This conveniently avoids the hard work of genre, grammar, and context.
Our goal must be the author’s intent, not the interpreter’s psychology.

2. It undermines the authority of Scripture.

Bulverism assumes the biblical authors held wrong motives or cultural biases, then dismisses their arguments on that basis alone.
But biblical authority rests in the text, not in speculative reconstructions of the authors’ subconscious motives.
The question is always: Does the argument hold, and is it consistent with the rest of Scripture?

3. It poisons the well between Christians.

Labeling someone’s interpretation as “Calvinist,” “Baptist,” or “fundamentalist” as a way of dismissing it frames disagreement as a moral or psychological defect. This blocks the humility and charity essential for good interpretation.

4. It avoids the hard work of exegesis.

Interpreting Scripture can be difficult. Bulverism removes the need to defend your reading with textual evidence. Why wrestle with counterarguments when you can simply dismiss the critic?

5. It fosters confirmation bias.

Bulverism encourages us to find what we want to find. When motive-assigning replaces argument, interpretations are never tested—against the text, against opposing readings, or against our own potential misreading.

6. It violates biblical justice.

Bulverism is, at its heart, judging without evidence. Scripture warns us against:

judging motives (1 Cor. 4:5),
bearing false witness (Ex. 20:16),
showing partiality (Deut. 1:17), and
engaging in foolish, unprofitable disputes (2 Tim. 2:23).

In a postmodern world saturated with suspicion, Christians must resist Bulverism and return to the patient, humble work of exegesis. God’s Word deserves nothing less. If we seek the author’s intent with integrity, we will not only interpret Scripture more faithfully—we will treat one another more justly.

The Sons of Issachar

2025-11-23T06:12:00.000-08:00

The Sons of Issachar

“Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do…”
— 1 Chronicles 12:32

The times were changing in Israel. Saul and Jonathan had fallen in battle. David—already anointed by Samuel—was now gathering momentum as God’s chosen king. The elders of Israel were making their way to Hebron to pledge loyalty to him. Tribe by tribe, the mighty men were assembling around David.

Among them were the sons of Issachar, men who recognized in the shifting events the sovereign movement of God. They saw David’s divine anointing, his rising influence, and the loyalty of the fighting men as signs of the Lord’s direction. These clues told them what Israel ought to do: acknowledge David as king.

In our own day, we desperately need believers with this same discernment—men who can read the times. They must know the Word of God deeply and recognize the fingerprints of His providence in the circumstances of our nation. And they must understand how we should respond, both individually and corporately.

Holiness, wisdom, and discretion are essential. But how do we learn to read the times with Issachar-like clarity?

1. Know Our History

Patrick Henry once said he knew no better way to judge the future than by the past. Those who ignore history lose the ability to understand the present.

2. Know the Histories Told in God’s Word

Scripture not only reveals God’s character—it shows us His ways. The patterns of His dealings with humanity repeat through the ages. The more deeply we know biblical history, the more easily we recognize those patterns around us.

3. Walk in Repentance and Faith

A humble, repentant heart is tuned to hear the Spirit’s voice in God’s Word. Faith clears the fog of pride and self-interest, allowing us to perceive God’s movements with greater clarity.

4. Practice Obedience

Obedience to Scripture sharpens discernment. Each step of faithful obedience prepares us to understand God’s ways the next time He speaks or moves.

May God raise up men and women of wisdom and discernment in our generation.
The church needs leaders who understand the times and know what God’s people ought to do.

The Royal Psalms: 10 Key Take-aways

2025-10-19T06:36:00.000-07:00

In our survey of the royal psalms, we tried to look at them from three perspectives: What they meant at a time to David and his sons as kings in Israel, what they mean to us as we try to use our leadership and influence in the wider culture (Salt and Light), and finally, Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of all that we surveyed. He is King of kings and Lord of lords and He is both our refuge and deliverer.

Let’s review the lessons we learned as we looked at the following psalms:

Psalm 101

1. Influence begins with character.

2. We must choose carefully those counselors to whom we listen.

Psalm 18

3. The intervention of God on behalf of His people is extraordinary.

Psalm 20-21

4. The people have a responsibility to pray for their leaders, the people who have influence in our culture. We pray for-

a. Justice

b. Protection

c. Provision of abundance

5. God answers prayer in an extraordinary way.

Psalm 2

6. God’s purposes will never and can never be thwarted.

7. If you find your decisions on the wrong side of a Sovereign God, kiss the Son.

Psalm 110

8. Christ is both priest and King. What a cause for rejoicing!

Psalm 72

9. Use your influence for justice, provision, and expanding God’s glory over the nations.

Psalm 144

10. God is the efficient cause of all our victories. He trains us to be His instruments (the instrumental cause) of that victory.

The Glory of Young Men is Their Strength

2025-09-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

"The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old."
(Proverbs 20:29)

How are the sexes to be distinguished? Some argue they shouldn't be — that each individual stands on their own as self-sufficient and unique. It’s true that both men and women share equally in bearing the image of God. Together, we are called to take dominion over God’s creation.

But gender is not merely incidental or interchangeable. Ask the Olympic boxer who stepped out of the ring after facing a transgender opponent: “I’ve never been hit that hard in my life.” At the very least, one defining characteristic of manhood is physical strength. Men have, on average, ten times the testosterone of women. This biological reality has a purpose — and it's not arbitrary. It’s rooted in the dominion mandate (Genesis 1:26–28).

Men are built to protect and defend, to labor and build, to take responsibility for those under their care. But this strength isn’t given for selfish purposes — it’s a stewardship. Strength is not just a gift; it’s a charge.

"I am writing to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one."
(1 John 2:14)

Young men must learn to harness their strength with wisdom. Physical power alone is not enough — it must be governed by the Word of God, rooted in what is good, right, and true. One writer helpfully defined manhood as “the glad assumption of sacrificial responsibility for the sake of those under a man's care, for the glory of God.”

This is the lesson King Lemuel’s mother taught him. A man can waste his strength, as Samson did, on lust and promiscuity — a path that leads to destruction and disqualified leadership. He can squander his strength on self-indulgence, on strong drink, which distorts judgment and breaks trust with those who depend on him.

But there is another way: strength can be invested. A man can stand up for the rights of the poor and afflicted. He can speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. He can channel his power in service of others — not to dominate, but to bless.

God is glorified when a man uses his strength for the very purpose He gave it: to protect, to provide, to lead, and to love with courage and conviction.

Boaz and The Art of Personal Management (Ruth 2)

2025-03-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

Chapter One of the Book of Ruth saw the testimony of Naomi and her bitterness at the circumstances of her life. God’s providence had been of no comfort to her. When Boaz enters the picture at the time of the Barley harvest, the mood shifts. Naomi is able to see more of the goodness of God. She is able to find hope again in her circumstances. What was it about the words and actions of Boaz that made the difference?

If we wrote a book based on his actions, we might call it “The Art of Personal Management.” What would Boaz teach us?

1. 1. Develop a culture of blessing with words. The opening words of Boaz to his workers “The Lord bless you” and their equivalent response was more than formality. It expresses their mutual respect and care for each other.

2. 2. Show interest and concern for those under your care. When Boaz inquires after the stranger in his field, the foreman offers more detail because he knows Boaz will have listening ears. Nabal, at the time of sheep-shearing, was never this approachable or this interested in the welfare of others. Ruth and her plight have caught the interest of the foreman and he shares that information with Boaz because he knows that Boaz will do something.

3. 3. Be generous in ways that honor the image of God in man. Gleaning provides work and profit for the poor. Boaz respects the need for work. But, he tells his men to drop stalks of grain along the way on purpose. Ruth’s work will now be exceptionally profitable. Her hard work from morning until dusk will be rewarded with his generosity.

4. 4. Assign roles and tasks to those in your employ that are meaningful and will help to get the work done in a timely manner. Boaz must organize the harvest to get done in time for the wheat harvest. He has young men for harvesting and bringing water for the workers. He also has young women in the fields gathering grain. He also has a foreman, managing the affairs of the harvest in the field. Everyone works with skill toward one end.

5. 5. Allow those under your care to be generous and honoring as well. The young men can now be as generous as they choose to be toward Ruth. We can imagine that some drop more and some drop less. The workers are actively involved in the generosity of Boaz.

6. 6. Touch the lives of others in such a way that when they leave your presence, they bless your name (and praise God). The abundant fruit from gleaning and the countenance of Ruth are enough to change the bitterness of Naomi. The actions of Boaz lift the chin of Naomi so that she can see the blessing of God as well.

7. 7. For Boaz, His vocation and his faith were wed. We are not meant to compartmentalize our faith. All of our lives are lived before God’s face. We give account for our worship. We give account for our work lives. God is to be glorified in every area of our lives. In doing so, in both subtle and obvious ways, we mirror God’s glory.

Talking to Ruth: Finding Covenant Faithfulness in a Foreigner (Ruth 1)

2025-03-27T13:20:00.000-07:00

As much as the dialogue of Ruth One expresses the bitter circumstances of two widows, Ruth’s words represent commitment to Naomi in the face of uncertainty and continuing poverty. Listen to her faithfulness:

· *Do not urge me to leave you or return from following you.

· *Where you go, I will go.

· *Where you lodge, I will lodge

· *Your people will be my people

· *Your God will be my God

· *Where you die, I will die and there will I be buried.

· *Ruth even adds an oath to the end of her commitments: “May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

Naomi sees herself as a victim under the stern sovereignty of God. Ruth’s words are commitments and choices she is making underneath the providence of God. She is not a victim. What could we say to encourage Ruth?

1. 1. Thank you for your “hesed”- your loyal love and faithfulness for Naomi. Bitterness can isolate and you would not let her push you away.

2. 2. Thank you for looking hardship in the face and accepting it. The plight of two widows in the ancient world is severe and you accepted your own situation and then took on the care of Naomi as well.

3. 3. Thank you for your wholesale commitment to Israel and to Israel’s God. Yours is the freedom and joy of Peter: “Lord, we have left everything to follow you.”

4. 4. Welcome home.

Talking to Naomi: How to Deal with Bitterness (Ruth1)

2025-03-25T13:20:00.000-07:00

So much of the vitality and intimacy we feel as we read the Book of Ruth is communicated through the dialogue. When Naomi tries to convince her daughters-in-law to return to their families, you hear her agony- “It is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” The words of Naomi show that she has been backed into a spiritual corner. The circumstances of her life, difficult as they are, have made her bitter. Listen to her words:

· “Call me Mara” (her name means “pleasant” but she prefers “bitter” because of her resent experience.

· “The Lord has dealt very bitterly with me”

· “I went away full and the Lord has brought me back empty.” All of her phrases show her being acted upon from the outside- the object and victim of God’s providence. Only here do we have Naomi as the subject of her sentence- she describes her husband and children as fullness before the calamity.

· “The Lord has testified against me.” To her it seems a friend has betrayed her in court.

· “The Almighty has brought calamity on me.”

Notice that the text never blames Naomi or makes her circumstances the consequences of sin. She is left without explanation for her distress. What could we say to encourage her?

1. 1. Thank you for your faithfulness. In your bitterness, you have never denied your Lord. Chemosh has never been an option.

2. 2. You have been a witness. Ruth is watching, learning, trusting. It is amazing after all you have been through that Ruth says “Your God will be my God.”

3. 3. Your return will be your salvation. In returning and rest will you be saved, in quietness and confidence will be your strength. (See Isaiah 30:15)

The Non-Prayer of Simon the Pharisee for the Tearful Woman at Jesus' Feet

2024-08-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

Mourning can teach us how to pray for a wayward relative or a wayward culture. Because we don't want to wallow in misery and regret, consider the following as you mourn in prayer for another.

1. Mourning: By understanding the ways of God and the rebellion of man, you can pray with greater focus and intensity. Learn to walk with that person through the consequences of sin, feel their pain, ask for their repentance.

2. Yearning: As I pray for my friend or my nation in the predicament of judgment and sin, let me yearn for something more. They were made to reflect the character and glory of God. They were made in His image. The relationship with God that could bring them contentment and satisfaction has eluded them. What a blessing it would be for them to find Christ, to turn from their ways, and to reflect His glory!

3. Worship: Now my prayer turns from my friend to the God who made them, their Creator, Redeemer, and Judge. God's justice is impartial and perfect. His offer of forgiveness through Christ, His grace and mercy are beautiful. O That all people might wonder after such a God as this!

4. Intercession: Having seen my friend as he is, and God as He is, I long that they find each other. I intercede on behalf of my friend. I know that "the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord and God turns it however he pleases."

I can imagine in my mind, if Simon had been a different sort of religious man, that he might have prayed for the sinful woman, the tearful woman at Jesus' feet. He could have left us a pattern, how to pray for our wayward child, our wayward nation. He might have prayed:

(Mourning) "Ah, Lord, do you see the condition of my friend? She is trapped in her sins and she can't get out. The consequences of her actions have brought her open shame. Her iniquities have isolated her from you and from others. She is alone in her grief. Her tears are just the outward evidence of the pain in her heart.

(Yearning) "Lord, you made her for more than this! The image of God within her can shout your glory. She is made for a relationship with you. She needs to know your love and compassion, your forgiveness and healing. What a difference you could make in her life!

(Worship) "O God, You are a great and compassionate God. I have known your love and forgiveness. Your healing has brought me joy. Your justice has been vindicated at the cross and I have been healed. If only my friend could see your Fullness, which are my joy and delight.

(Intercession) O Lord, heal my friend. Dry her tears. Heal her wounds- the ones we can see and the ones we cannot see. Grant her repentance. Call her to Yourself. Make her whole. We long to see in her what only You can do. What you did for me, please do for her...

Sermon on the Mount: Mourning, Wisdom, and the Religion of Simon

2024-08-21T13:04:00.000-07:00

Solomon echoes the sentiment of Jesus in this second beatitude. "It is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting" (Ecc. 7:2). Why is mourning better? Here are my thoughts.

1. To mourn properly, the wise man must understand the ways of God. What is God like? What is the effect of His righteousness in the world? How has God constructed His world in a moral sense? Good Theology will help us here. Bad Theology will leave us mourning in the wrong places and for the wrong reasons.

2. To mourn properly, the wise man must understand the rebellion of man. Every sin, however slight, is cosmic treason to a perfect, holy God. Rebellion gathers sins as it rolls down the hill toward destruction. The wise man learns to see the traps and pitfalls of temptation. More than once has he heard the snap of a trap around neck of the unwary. More than once has he shouted warnings to the fool, but to no avail. In this, he mourns.

3. To mourn properly, the wise man must empathize with the sinner because he himself has taken that path. He watches helplessly, but for prayer, as the sinner or the sinning nation blindly enters into the consequences of sin and God's righteous judgment.

At the dinner in Simon's house, the tearful woman is condemned by Simon. She might have been helped if he had truly known the character and ways of God. If he had remembered his own rebellion and its sinful consequences, he might have been in a position to understand the plight of the woman and point her to God. As it was, all of his religious training did her no good (him either).

The Rabbi at the meal, however, was wise. He understood the character and ways of God because He was God. He also knew the weakness of man, his temptations and the path of rebellion. He was tempted in all ways, like as we are, yet without sin." He was also loving, moved to forgive the woman who met Him with tears. And just like the many surprising reversals in Jesus' teaching, the one we expect to be forgiven is condemned and the one condemned by the crowd, walks away clean.

Sermon on the Mount: Mourning and the Pharisee

2024-08-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

"This man receives sinners and eats with them" was the common complaint of Jesus' religious critics. Yet, he ate with Pharisees as well (Luke 7:36ff). Simon the Pharisee invited Jesus for dinner and he accepted. At the meal, the house filled with interested observers, looking for a glimpse of the up and coming rabbi.

One person was drawn to the meal who was not wanted. She immediately felt the judgment of the crowd. "Put her out of the camp, stone her, see that she is removed from polite society." The crowd, and Simon, condemned her.

The sinful woman, unnamed in Luke's account, came in tears. Her shoulders bore the weight of her sin and its consequences. She had no illusions regarding her standing with God or with society. Her tears were the pain of desperation. Her spiritual poverty drew her to Jesus.

Simon became critical of Jesus because she wept at his feet, anointed them with oil, and wiped her tears with her hair. She was in mourning for her sin and the consequences that had led her to this hour. This was not a parable of Jesus. The tearful woman, the mourner, walked away comforted. Simon, who sat in condemnation, found himself judged.

Sermon on the Mount: What Does It Mean to Mourn?

2024-08-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

The first two Beatitudes are an interesting pair. To be poor in spirit is to be spiritually bankrupt, having nothing of merit to commend ourselves before God. If we do not receive the grace of God, we are loss. To recognize that bankruptcy is to be poor in spirit.

The second Beatitude is like it. To mourn is to grieve the nature and impact of sin in ourselves. We see the consequences of sin in our own lives and we mourn the destruction. It leads us to repentance. Paul writes, "For godly grief produces repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death" (II Cor.7:10). There is deep regret for our own waywardness- our sinful, self-destructive tendency to do our own thing, to act as if God did not exist.

When we mourn our own sin, it leads us to repentance. It is not the morbid preoccupation with our own inadequacies. I am not to wallow in discouragement for the rest of my life. Mourning for sin leads me to my Savior. Jesus takes my sin upon Himself and gives me His righteousness. The task of mourning is finished with regards to my sin and its consequences. Now, faith grabs hold of God's promise of forgiveness and cleansing. To continue to wallow as a kind of penance is to deny the promise of God.

Another king of false mourning is the kind of mourning seen in the lives of Saul and Cain. Saul is confronted by Samuel for his sin and he responds by admitting his transgression. Yet, he wants to still be honored before the people. There is no regard for the sin against God. Cain, after God confronts him for killing his brother says "my sin is more than I can bear." He decries his punishment, but does not repent of his sin. That's not mourning.

We mourn our own sin, and we mourn the sins of others. David mourns, "My eyes shed streams of tears because people do not keep your law" (Psalm 119:136). God regards those who mourn for public, corporate sins: "Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it" (Ezekiel 9:4).

Finally, the ministry of mourning is temporary, a part of this life. Comfort is for eternity. Note the order: Mourning is first; comfort comes after. Beware of reversing the order: Luke warns "Woe to you that laugh now..." Only in the final state of glory will our comfort be complete.

Sermon on the Mount: What Does it Mean to be Blessed?

2024-08-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

In the Sermon on the Mount, there are eight blessings pronounced by Jesus upon His followers. What does it mean to be blessed?

It could mean an abundance of wealth. Yet, Solomon says there is a difference between having wealth and being given the power to enjoy it. Paul writes that we can be blessed by God "and he adds no trouble to it." Riches, by themselves, do not have the power to satisfy our souls.

It could mean simply "happiness"- those events of life that bring us joy and pleasure. We know, however, that such happiness may not last. Solomon even says that good things and trouble sometimes happen together. Simple happiness doesn't last. Our souls remain discontent.

Our hearts truly long for more: Contentment, Satisfaction, Well-being, Fulfillment. We want happiness on the inside, where the events of the hour cannot change it. We want happiness that is permanent, that carries over into eternity. Can true happiness be found even in the midst of pain and misery?

"Blessed" is a word that describes God Himself. He is the happiest being because all things are ordered by His wisdom. He is in control of all things. His righteousness and glory are displayed. Nothing can mar his joy. It is the life and joy shared among the members of the Trinity that amazes the psalmist:

"Awesome is God from his sanctuary, the God of Israel- He is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!" (Psalm 68:35)

"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be His glorious name forever, may the whole earth be filled with His glory! Amen and Amen! (Psalm 72:18-19)

The kind of blessing envisioned in the Beatitudes is the kind of blessing that invites us into relationship with an eternally happy God. We are, according to Peter, invited to share as "partakers in the divine nature," to enter into the same bliss in which God Himself resides. It is permanent and unwavering. Every nook and cranny of our souls pleads for filling. God pours Himself, and His happiness, into our hearts and the image of God in us shouts for joy. "Increase, O Lord, our capacity to glorify and enjoy You!"

The Place of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew

2024-08-07T13:51:00.000-07:00

The Sermon on the Mount is part of the early ministry of Jesus in Galilee. Matthew sandwiches the Sermon on the Mount between two refrains:

"And he went through all Galilee teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people." (Matthew 4:23)

"And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction." (Matthew 9:35)

These verses both mention two ideas: Jesus was proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom and what the Kingdom would be like. He was also demonstrating the power in that Kingdom. Teaching and proclaiming on one hand, and healing every disease on the other.

These two ideas help us to understand the material between these verses. At every synagogue He passed Jesus announced the coming of the Kingdom of God and what it would be like. The Sermon on the Mount is a part of the teaching. After the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7), we have the power of that Kingdom demonstrated. Aspects of Jesus' healing ministry follow in Matthew 8-9.

Matthew is making the argument that the Word of Christ and the witness of Christ go together. The Sermon on the Mount explains the power of the miracles. The miracles demonstrate that the Kingdom of God has truly come. The witness of the words and the miracles were unmistakable. God was walking among them and calling mankind to Himself.

Sermon on the Mount: The Pronouncement of Blessing (Mt. 5:2)

2024-08-06T13:02:00.000-07:00

Jesus opens the Sermon on the Mount with series of Beatitudes- each describing the kind of person who is blessed in the Kingdom of God. Each Beatitude has three parts: 1)The Pronouncement of Blessing, 2) The Condition or Character of the Recipient, and 3) the reward that awaits them. Each Beatitude features a surprising reversal. Culture taught that the rich and powerful were influential because they were given the blessing of God. Jesus reverses that narrative: Those who are blessed, with eternal happiness and joy, are the poor, the meek, the humble.

We might be excited to be blessed by a famous person- we might get an autograph or a picture to show our friends. But the famous person doesn't know us, who we are or what we need. We might be blessed by a rich person, but riches falter. And who knows whether the riches given would actually be good for us? The rich man may not have that kind of knowledge. We could be blessed by a close friend or relative. They might have the advantage of knowing us intimately and knowing what we need. They would be glad to bless us if they only had the power and authority to make the blessing a reality.

The Sermon on the Mount offers us something more. In Jesus, we have someone who knows us better than we know ourselves. He cares for us in ways we may never fully understand (watch Christ as He sets His face like a flint for the cross). He cares, He is willing, and He has the power and authority to make the blessing happen. What would you be willing to do in order to assure the blessing of Jesus?

We are not responsible for great achievement in order to win the blessing of Jesus. His blessing is not out of reach. It can be bought with a measure of humility. Trading pride and self-sufficiency for meekness, learning to hunger and thirst for what is in line with Christ's character, are what is needed. We must empty ourselves of our own sufficiency so that we may receive the blessing of Christ. The pronouncement of Blessing is matchless grace. The Kingdom of God is being offered to us. Don't settle for anything less.

Marriage is a Secondary Pleasure

2024-08-05T14:16:00.000-07:00

Because God has set eternity in the hearts of men, only God can fill the void. Solomon pursues wealth and power and sex and achievement as objects of primary satisfaction, but nothing can hold the water. Death levels the playing field. “You fool, tonight your soul will be required of you!”

Solomon has taken great pains to rip everything out of our hands that could be an idol. None of it worth selling your soul for. We dare not worship even good things. “Fear God and keep his commandments.” Only God matters. At the point when our heart surrenders, God is gracious. Now that He is alone as our primary pleasure, He- as the Father of lights and the Giver of good gifts, begins to restore what has been taken.

But those pleasures have been transformed. The good gifts, wealth, food, and sex, are no longer vying for supremacy in our lives. Instead, God does two things, according to Solomon:

1. He gives us these secondary pleasures because they have finally learned their place in our lives. We recognize them as coming from the hand of God.

2. He gives us the power to enjoy them. In Solomon, the gifts from the hand of God and the power to enjoy them are two different things.

Eating, drinking, working, and marriage are listed by Solomon as those things that come as secondary pleasures from the hand of God. Marriage, then, is a secondary pleasure. When it occupies the primary position, it is an idol.

How can marriage be an idol? Whenever we love or worship the gift more than the Giver, we have traded the creature for the Creator. When we make the relationship an end in itself, we forget that all things must point to God or they detract us from real purpose. Christian culture must uphold the dignity of marriage as part of the creation ordinances, but be careful not to make it a god.

Marriage after all is for life “under the sun.” Jesus told the those who denied the resurrection that men and women will not be given in marriage in eternity. Marriage is the shadow for which our relationship to Christ, is the substance. Christ’s relationship to the church is not like marriage, but marriage is like the church’s relationship with Christ. Marriage here foreshadows the eternal relationship: That relationship is the ultimate reality.

When we make marriage primary, we make single believers second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God. But Paul commended singleness for its singular passion for Christ and His mission. In Isaiah, God promises to give Eunuchs and foreigners “a memorial and a name” better than sons and daughters. Jesus said, there are three reasons that people are Eunuchs: They are born that way, they are made that way by the hand of men, or they choose to remain single for the Kingdom of God. We must not minimize their service for God as second-rate. Marriage is a gift. So is singleness. Both come from the hand of God as blessing for the believer.

Christopher Yuan tells the story of Ken and Floy Smith, a couple whose life of ministry resulted in the conversion of Rosaria Butterfield. When Floy died, Ken was comforted by this thought: “Our marriage was not interrupted (by death), but fulfilled. So I took my ring off. Marriage completed. Interestingly enough, this brought me immense comfort, peace, and thanksgiving.”

The Sermon on the Mount: The Rabbi Takes His Seat (Matthew 5:1-2)

2024-08-05T13:51:00.000-07:00

There are two groups of people who gather to hear Jesus speak. The inner circle is the disciples, recently called from their occupations to follow Christ. Daily they listen to Jesus' words, daily they marvel at his works and his character. They have opportunity to ask questions out of their own need and to listen as Jesus shares both wisdom and compassion with his disciples.

The outer circle is the crowd, already gathering to hear his words and marvel at his works. The crowd will be amazed at his teaching. He will reverse many of their religious assumptions, like who is truly blessed by God and what kind of person is called to inherit the Kingdom of God. Soon enough, the crowd will divide into followers and critics, people who want bread and people who want life.

If you were called to follow Christ, you would follow behind, listen to his daily advice, conversation, and informal instruction. It was the custom, however, that when the rabbi took his seat, the disciples would quickly gather at his feet and listen with rapt attention. It was time for more formal instruction. Matthew underscores this by using a Hebraism: "He opened his mouth and taught them saying..." The phrase indicates that what follows from the lips of Jesus comes with a significant measure of deliberateness and sobriety. It is time to listen.

What Really Matters?

2024-07-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

What really matters? Man has a peculiar kind of longing, a yearning for spending life in a way that matters. Purpose and meaning are bound up in the way we are made. The image of God, stamped onto every living soul, demands permanence. But in this world of transient things, what is permanent?

Solomon is on record with a full investigation into the world and its affairs. The Book of Ecclesiastes is a search for a purpose strong enough to engage a man's soul. God has put eternity into man's heart. No temporal affair matters, ultimately and finally. All of life, under the sun, is transient, ephemeral, like the wind. Nothing has the permanence of eternity. All that we think, say, and do will pass away. No inheritance lasts. It is enough to bring us to despair at our toil (Ecclesiastes 2:20) if that were the end of the story.

Solomon has an answer and he has been waiting to tell us. He has been careful to arrange his book to give us a full, lasting glimpse into man's transient world. He has taken great care to communicate- choosing words of delight (Ecc. 12:9), specific images that will stick with us. The words, the proverbs, the mood and the genre were all a product of Solomon's care. He weighed out and studied and arranged his proverbs to communicate truth.

Solomon describes his writing in two images (Ecc. 12:11): His words are goads. A goad was a long stick used for guiding oxen when plowing. We will feel the sting as he directs us to the one thing that matters. His words are also firmly fixed nails: Solid, dependable words we can build our lives on. These goads and nails are not just the work of Solomon. His wisdom is sourced in the wisdom of the Shepherd. God Himself has overseen the work.

We have been reading the words of a master. Ecclesiastes has all been assembled for the sole purpose of guiding us to true purpose, true permanence. Qoheleth has wrestled out of our hands all the vanities I might have sold my soul for. Without his warning, I could have lost everything. I could have wasted my life.

The sage is now the evangelist. His wisdom has brought us empty-handed to the edge of eternity. What matters, what lasts, is God Himself. Only God matters. Our relationship with Him lasts. Solomon's comprehensive survey of all that matters boils down to one command: Fear God. Fearing Him, obeying His commands is our duty and our delight. We come to God because a relationship with the Creator is eternal. It is the purpose for which we are created in His image. The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Every deed will be brought into judgment.

Some writers have described the last paragraphs of Ecclesiastes as postscript, an addendum added by another author from another time or another place. This section is not an addition. It is the whole point.

Risk, Uncertainty and the Will of God

2024-07-08T05:29:00.000-07:00

How do we face uncertainty? I want to do the will of God. I want to try new things. But, is now the right time? Will my venture meet with success or failure? Should I wait until I am sure? Anxiety over God's will stems from this uncertainty. These are the kinds of questions Qoheleth wants to address.

Ecclesiastes 10:8-11 describes the uncertainty in our daily affairs. Sometimes the uncertainty stems from our own actions, sometimes its unavoidable. We fall into a pit we have just dug. We work in danger when we work with wood or stone. If we try to charm a snake, well, you get the picture. How do we keep this uncertainty from paralyzing us?

Solomon would remind us that while uncertainty exists from our point of view, all things are certain to God. Where clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth (11:3). Where a tree falls, there it lies. Who knows how the spirit joins the body of a baby in conception? There is so much we don't know. It is a comfort then that God orchestrates all things and will dispose the day. Why doesn't He tell us what He's doing?

There is gravity in the uncertainty of our world. We don't know what disaster will fall upon the earth (11:2). We don't know what will prosper, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well (11:6). This uncertainty can breed sloth: He who observes the wind will never sow and he who regards the clouds will never reap (11:4). Proverbs makes this point as well: The sloth excuses his inactivity by fearing "There is a lion in the streets- I will be slain in the public square." I suppose there is a lion outside his door somewhere, but what are the chances it's anywhere near?

If uncertainty is built into life, then faith in God is essential. Watch how faith works in the face of uncertainty:

"So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there were there with great, fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord has said." (Caleb, Joshua 14:12)

"If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. Be of good courage and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God and may the Lord do what seems good to him." (Joab, II Samuel 10:11-12)

"O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Daniel 3:16-18)

"Go gather all the Jews in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will fast as you do. Then, I will go into the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish." (Esther, Esther 4:16)

"Some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish." (Jesus to His disciples, Luke 21:16-18)

"Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring... Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." (James 4:13-16)

Some Bible expositor might say: "To move from your place without a sure word from God is reckless presumption." Solomon would respond by saying that risk and faith are related. If uncertainty is built in, then faith in God is essential. Good and bad happen together. Light and darkness are a part of life. The proper response is to rejoice in all our years, remembering that the many days of darkness are unavoidable.

Solomon shares three pieces of advice for managing uncertainty and the element of risk. First, cast your bread upon the waters: Invest your life wisely even when there is no promise of immediate reward (11:1). Second, give a portion to seven or eight- diversify (11:2). Finally, be diligent: The merism "morning and evening" means to consistently invest your life- not everything will succeed, but not everything will fail. Keep working.

Man was made to take dominion over God's creation, to care for the garden and to bring more order and beauty to God's world. Solomon wants us to get after the goals we have set: Follow your heart, but know for all this God will bring you into judgment. If your plans are good and true, pray about them and then step out. We are called to be faithful. Success comes from God. Don't let uncertainty stand in your way. Risk in order to take dominion, to advance the kingdom of God, is good. Perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this.