The Christian’s Biggest Temptation

Perhaps what I'm going to say in this article is not the BIGGEST temptation for a Christian, but who would read a note with a title "One of the Top Eight to Twelve Temptations for a Christian in"?

This year, I've continued to learn to wait upon the LORD because His timing is perfect! One of our biggest temptations as believers is to try to manipulate situations in order to bring about what we perceive to be God's will. This, however, is wrong!

Since God is sovereign, He is completely control of every situation, and we must learn to wait on His will as well as His perfect timing. Joseph never would have been ready to be second in command of Egypt when he first came to the country - - years of servitude in Potiphar's house and slavery in a dungeon taught him the skills that he needed to run a country. Moses spent forty years herding livestock in the very desert in which he would lead the people of Israel - - his experience during those four decades was invaluable to the task that God had set before him. David learned to shepherd sheep before he shepherded a kingdom. God uses the situations of our past to prepare us for serving Him in the present, and what we saw as our greatest periods of suffering actually was our greatest periods of spiritual training.

Here are some suggestions, in no particular order, for serving Christ:

1. No matter how lowly you think the task is, do it with all of your strength for the glory of God!
2. God knows where you are - - He hasn't forgotten your address and will exalt you in due time according to the plan that He has for your life!
3. Make sure that you are sure of God's will before you change a job, ministry position, etc. Stay where you are until God's direction is clear!
4. Don't live in the past or the future - - the present is the only time that we have to serve the LORD.
5. Live each day as if it were your last day to serve God - - no one is promised another day!

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: Realize that Christ is ALL that you need! When we look for joy or happiness in situations or other people, we will never find it.

2012

These days, people are both curious and worried about the future. With the sagging economy and a morbid interest in the Mayan Calendar’s prediction of a 2012 cataclysm, many wonder if the end is near. Consider the following verses:

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10)

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Mark 13:32)

Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. (Matthew 24:42)

We must remember the following things:

1. No matter what happens, God is in control

2. No one knows when Jesus will return

3. We must be ready for Jesus’ return

If you have rejected your sin and have trusted in Jesus as the resurrected Son of God as well as your Boss, you have nothing to fear because you belong to Him. No Jesus, no peace. Know Jesus, know peace!

Akhenaten and Egyptian Monotheism

During the Eighteenth Dynasty, a Pharaoh named Amenhotep IV (Amenophis IV) came to power. He  rejected the traditional gods of Egypt and renamed himself Akhenaten. Aten, a sun god represented as a solar disk with stylized rays of light emanating from it, became Akhenaten's deity. A number of critical scholars who place Moses in the Nineteenth Dynasty during the reign of Ramesses II suggest that the Israelites were monotheistic because they were influenced by the monotheism of Akhenaten. This is untrue for at least a couple of reasons.

First, biblical evidence suggests that the Exodus occurred during the Eighteen Dynasty, years before Akhenaten became the Pharaoh of Egypt. According to 1 Kings 6:1, the Exodus occurred in 1446 B.C., decades before Akhenaten’s reign.

Second, Akhenaten made an intriguing statement that appears to reference the ten plagues with which the LORD struck Egypt: “From two talatat [bricks] in the fill of Horemheb’s tenth pylon we have retrieved – admittedly on only the most fragmentary form – the text of a speech by Akhenaten declaiming that the other gods have somehow failed or ‘ceased’ to be operative."[1] Akhenaten rejected the hundreds of Egyptian gods because they failed to protect Egypt. Almost certaintly this is a reference to God demonstrating His sovereignty over the false religious system of the ancient Egyptians.

In other words, Akhenaten did not influence Israelite monotheism. Rather, the religion of the sons of Israel, coupled with the LORD's supremacy over the false gods of Egypt, influenced Akhenaten. One more, archaeology demonstrates the veracity of the Bible!

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[1] Donald Redford, “The Monotheism on the Heretic Pharaoh: Precursor of Mosaic Monotheism or Egyptian Anomaly?” Biblical Archaeology Review 13, no. 3 (May-June 1987): 25.

I Believe I Can Touch the Sky!

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

In my opinion, the short text found in Philippians 4:13 is one of the most misunderstood and wrongly-applied passages in the New Testament. Often, we treat the verse as a blank check, taking it to mean that God has promised us that we can do whatever we set out minds to do.

Does this mean that if I purpose to play for the NBA team the Memphis Grizzlies that I can expect to be on their roster sooner or later? (Perhaps that is a bad example since often the Grizzlies need all the help that they can get!) Frankly, many believers (myself included) have treated Philippians 4:13 as an R. Kelly song, practically humming the tune “I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky” as they make their plans for the future.

We must consider the verse in context. In Philippians 4:10-23, Paul speaks of God’s provisions. Verses 11-12 summarize the section: Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

Paul explained that through God’s power, he was able to do whatever God had called him to do regardless of the problems that he experienced in life. In the same way, we can be confident that we are able to do whatever God has called us to do because He empowers us to accomplish His task. What more could we ask for?

The Invisible Adversative Particle

The title of this post implies that the article will address a technical issue, but nothing could be farther from the truth. In reality, the adversative particle is nothing more than the word “but.” I jokingly chose the title “The Invisible Adversative Particle” because often we make issues more difficult that they actually are. Often, the message of the Bible is crystal clear, but we ignore the teaching or try to make it more unclear than it actually is.

What am I getting at? Let me give you an example:

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14). Sometimes, a believer who is contemplating marriage to an unbeliever will hear this clear verse that prohibits such a union and respond, “Yeah, but . . . .” In other words, the believer understands what Scripture teaches, but is unwilling to accept the message and is looking for a loophole.

2 Corinthians 6:14 is not a unique text - - we run the risk of treating any biblical passage in the same way when we do not submit ourselves to God’s Word and determine to obey Him no matter what.

Let’s refuse to use the word “but” when we approach Scripture, but proclaim “thus says the Lord” and commit ourselves to live according to God’s Word instead of twisting to suit our purposes!

Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak, Slow to Anger!

Humans love to hear the sound of our own voices. That is why we talk so much! Often, we speak when we should be listening, not giving others a chance to contribute to the conversation. Furthermore, when we speak in anger, we tend to say things that we later regret. The German side of my family jokes about their “Yount temper,” while my Scottish side laughs about their “Nipper temper.” But regardless of our family roots, speaking out of turn because of anger is an issue with which we all must deal.

Many scholars agree that the Epistle of James is the first New Testament book to have been written. The epistle is full of practical instruction regarding day-to-day living and godly conduct. Consider the following verses:

This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. (James 1:19-20)

1. We should be quick to listen

When we have conflict with somebody, it is easy to be slow to listen and quick to speak, but the Bible directs us to be quick to hear and slow to speak. Often conflict arises because we do not listen as we should.

2. We should be slow to speak

 

The rabbis referred to the “third tongue,” for it slays three persons–the speaker, the spoken to, and the spoken of. The old saying “think before you speak” is applicable to Christians because every time we say something, we represent Jesus Christ!

The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; the one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin (Proverbs 13:3).

3. We should be slow to anger

Anger is not necessarily a sin because Paul teaches: Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger (Ephesians 4:26). We must, however, be careful how we respond when we are angry. When God instructed Moses to speak to a rock from which He purposed to bring forth water for the thirsty sons of Israel, Moses struck the rock twice because he was furious with the people (Numbers 20:11-12). For this one moment of anger, God barred Moses from entering the Promised Land. Things that we do in anger can affect us for the rest of our lives, so we must be slow to anger and remember our Christian testimony.

The words that James wrote almost two thousand years ago are as up-to-date as tomorrow’s newspaper and applicable to every believer. May we inscribe the words of James 1:19-20 on our hearts and be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger!

A Note on the Biblical Word "Hope"

In the English language, the word “hope” usually refers to that which someone desires to occur. For example, I might say, “I hope that it doesn’t rain tomorrow,” or “I hope that Glenda makes steak for dinner.” Because the English word “hope” refers only to one’s longings, the longings may or may not become reality. Even though I might hope that it doesn’t rain tomorrow, it still may rain. I may hope that Glenda makes steak for dinner, but she may make chicken. The English term “hope” is an uncertain word indeed!

The Greek word “hope,” however, often refers to “confidence, “that which is certain.” Consider the following New Testament texts, substituting the word “confidence” every time the word “hope” appears:

• indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us (2 Corinthians 1:9-10).

We have set our confidence in Christ, so we don’t have to wonder if we are truly saved or not. If we know Him, there is no doubt that we possess eternal life!

• Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope (1 Timothy 1:1)

As believers, our only confidence is in Jesus Christ - - He will never let us down.

• looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus (Titus 2:13)

We don’t have to wonder if Jesus will return for believers one day - - Jesus’ appearance is a certainty!

Thank God that the New Testament word “hope” means “confidence.” As believers, we can be confident about the present and future because of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!