Today's verse is Matthew 5:6."Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (NIV)
It is not a natural thing to be hungry for anything that is not physical food or to thirst for anything that is not physical water. It is therefore interesting for the Lord Jesus to speak highly about a different kind of hunger and thirst in today's verse.
Psalm 42:1 says, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God." The deer in that song had not drank water for a long time and if it could not drink water it would die. When it saw a stream of water, the deer began panting like a dog. It desired the water desperately - a matter of life and death.
There are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness in such a manner. Their lives reflect a hungry pursuit and a thirsty desire for a right relationship with God. In everything they do, they serve God, worship Him, and pray to Him as if their hearts are always bowed down in His presence. This is the desperate hunger and thirst for righteousness that Jesus talked about in today's verse.
Righteousness is the spiritual condition wherein a person is spiritually healthy. A person who is right with God is in a state of spiritual health. God nourishes such a person with an invigorating, life-sustaining relationship with Him; he is filled with God's righteousness.
This was the original spiritual state of Adam when God created him. But this original condition of righteousness changed because of Adam's sin. Consequently Adam and Eve realized that their confidence and ease in God's presence suddenly turned into fear. From their original consciousness of God, they became self-conscious. They became enslaved to being self-conscious about their own appearance and their feelings of fear and doubt. Suddenly they were ashamed of their nakedness; previously their nakedness didn't bother them at all.
This self-consciousness (the fear, the doubts, and the shame) has been passed down from generation to generation. Since the time Adam disobeyed, he and his descendants, who include us, have not been right with God. Thus, Man is now unrighteous by nature. Disobeying God is now the natural tendency of man. Given a choice, man would choose to please himself rather than obey God.
Adam’s disobedience caused him to be unrighteous, and the unrighteousness we inherited from him caused us to be disobedient. Thus there is now the vicious cycle of our unrighteousness causing us to disobey God and our disobedience causing us to be not right with Him.
Some were able to break this vicious cycle in their lives. They did it by consistently trusting and obeying God. One such person was Abraham. The Bible describes him as trusting God enough to obey Him. And God counted Abraham's trust and obedience as righteousness on Abraham's part. Those who were able to see this vicious cycle of unrighteousness and disobedience broken in their lives are like Abraham. They trusted God enough to obey him.
The Bible says that those who say they are believers of Jesus Christ should be doers of the word and not just hearers. When they merely hear God's word and do not obey, they are deceiving themselves.
The nation Israel, the people God called His own, has always had this problem of hearing and not obeying. They knew the word of God but they habitually disobeyed. Even for Christians today, this is a prevailing condition.
Man’s prevailing condition of hearing and not obeying can be likened to the condition of Satan. The devil knows God and understands the reality of God more than any of us. He is even allowed to communicate with God and to hear God. But does he obey God? No, and we must not be like him.
We must be like Christ.
Jesus was obedient even when it was difficult to do so. His obedience was such that He humbled Himself and became obedient to the Father even to the point of death. Even to the death on the cross. Jesus willfully went through it all even though He knew it would be very painful. He heard the Father and He obeyed.
We, who carry His name as Christians, must pattern our lives, our desires, our ambitions, and even our problems to the ways of Jesus.
When the times come that our desires and pursuits bring us against the words of Jesus, and a conflict arises between our desire and the desire of God, what are we going to do? We hear God and we understand what He wants us to do.
If we obey God, we are being like Christ. But if we do not obey, doesn't that make us like the devil who hears God but does not obey? Following Jesus, by serving Him, worshipping Him, and bowing down everything in our lives unto Him is the true pursuit of righteousness. If we don't follow Him, there would be no real hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Just a word of caution. Whenever we try to obey God, Satan could try to confuse our thoughts with other God-like commands. Satan may try to derail our obedience in many ways.
Sometimes Satan may bring our thoughts to some contrary verses in Scripture. For example, when Jesus was tempted in the desert for 40 days, Satan used biblical verses in order to tempt Him. Strange as it may seem, biblical verses can be used to veer us away from pursuing righteousness.
Other times, Satan might try to hinder our obedience with a false sense of values. For example, God might tell us to refuse a particular transaction because it is crooked, dishonest, or displeasing to Him. Satan might then try to bring us to a false sense of guilt: "He who does not provide for his family is worse than the unbelievers". So which should we obey? God's command to refuse a crooked deal or the sense of guilt which says we should do everything to provide for the family?
The correct way is to hunger and thirst for righteousness. Trusting and obeying God above all else. If that desperate hunger and thirst are not satisfied, our spirits die. The vicious cycle of unrighteousness and disobedience will then remain unbroken.
But those who desperately pursue righteousness will be filled.
God bless us all.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
LOVE? WHAT'S THE POINT? *
(Mark 12:28-34)
A Jewish teacher of the law once questioned Jesus, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" We get this to mean as -- "Which is the most important commandment among all the laws that God had given man?”
A Jew would most probably presume that Jesus would pick one of the 10 commandments which God had written with His own hands on the stone tablets He gave to Moses. Surely those 10 commandments were the best known.
But let us read Jesus' answer in Mk 12:29-31.
"The most important one", Jesus answered,"is this: `Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (NIV)
Jesus' answer was none of the 10 commandments. Jesus' answer was first, "Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength", which is taken from the book of Deuteronomy. This was understood to be part of the implementing guidelines for the 10 commandments. The second part of the answer was, "Love your neighbor as yourself", taken from the book of Leviticus and which was also an implementing guideline for the 10 commandments.
In a parallel account in Matthew, Jesus added, "On these two commands hang the whole law and all the prophets". Actually, these two commands would summarize all of the ten commandments. The first four commandments could be summarized as, "Love God with all your heart .…….." The rest of the commandments could be summarized as, "Love your neighbor as you would yourself".
Now how do we apply these two commands into our lives? Let us take another look at this so that we might have a better understanding.
Very plainly, to love is to delight in the object of one’s love; to take great joy and great pleasure at the one that we love.
Let's take for example a nursing mother. No matter how tired the mother would be, no matter how hard up her life might be, she would submit her breast to this baby so it may suck milk. She would endure all her pains and hardships with no complaints and still gaze at that breastfeeding baby with so much affection, with so much inner joy, and with so much love.
This is the same way God delights in the objects of His love, most specifically those whom He calls His children, those who give their lives to God, those who trust and obey Him. Still, there is a peculiar side about God's love that is often overlooked.
Let's read about it in Zephaniah 3:17. The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. (NIV)
God Almighty, in all His omnipotence, unlimited power and strength, is in our midst and is taking great joy in us, just like the breastfeeding mother delights in the small baby on her bosom. He quiets down our fears and soothes our doubts with His love.
Most of all, God rejoices over us with singing. This great King (God Himself) is among us and is singing love unto us. That's how God rejoices over the object of His love.
It is therefore a big contradiction for Christians to be sad and forlorn when God is actually in their midst, delighting in them, singing with great joy and love for them. Those of us who trust in Him should rejoice, shouting for joy. If He is for us, who can be against us? Let us delight in Him the way He delights in us. Let us take pleasure in Him more than in anything or anyone else: with all our hearts, all our minds, all our souls, and all our strength.
What about loving our neighbor as ourself? Let us read 1 John 4:11-12. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.
Stephen, the first martyr, was empowered to love his neighbor by the knowledge of God's love for him. Jesus pointed out this love to his disciples, among whom was Stephen. Jesus often exemplified God's love by loving others so that his disciples may see and follow.
When Stephen was being stoned to death, he uttered out, "Lord, do not charge this sin on them." Stephen was following the example of Jesus who similarly prayed when He was dying on the cross: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Jesus loved His neighbor this way. So did Stephen.
Love must not intend harm. Love wills good towards the object of love. But we must guard ourselves against fear. Love is often denied because of fear. People tend to withhold their love when their hearts and minds are gripped by fear: of loss, of pain, of rejection, of shame, of death..…..
Fear can even overwhelm a weak faith. It can influence man's mind to abandon his trust in God. Remember the apostles on a boat one stormy night? Fearing for their lives, they lost their trust in Jesus who was sleeping on that boat. When Jesus awakened and calmed the storm, He remarked about their lack of faith.
Likewise, fear can cause us to lose sight of the reality that God is in our midst, delighting in those who trust Him, even singing over those who love Him. Don't let our fears fool us into forgetting this.
Today's verses hold one more important reminder for us. The teacher of the law had a remarkable reaction towards Jesus' answer. Let's read about it in Mark 12:32-34. "Well said, teacher", the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than any burnt offerings and sacrifices."
When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask Him any more questions.
May our reaction be the same. May we delight in trusting and submitting obediently to the words of Jesus just like that teacher did. God bless us all.
A Jewish teacher of the law once questioned Jesus, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" We get this to mean as -- "Which is the most important commandment among all the laws that God had given man?”
A Jew would most probably presume that Jesus would pick one of the 10 commandments which God had written with His own hands on the stone tablets He gave to Moses. Surely those 10 commandments were the best known.
But let us read Jesus' answer in Mk 12:29-31.
"The most important one", Jesus answered,"is this: `Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (NIV)
Jesus' answer was none of the 10 commandments. Jesus' answer was first, "Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength", which is taken from the book of Deuteronomy. This was understood to be part of the implementing guidelines for the 10 commandments. The second part of the answer was, "Love your neighbor as yourself", taken from the book of Leviticus and which was also an implementing guideline for the 10 commandments.
In a parallel account in Matthew, Jesus added, "On these two commands hang the whole law and all the prophets". Actually, these two commands would summarize all of the ten commandments. The first four commandments could be summarized as, "Love God with all your heart .…….." The rest of the commandments could be summarized as, "Love your neighbor as you would yourself".
Now how do we apply these two commands into our lives? Let us take another look at this so that we might have a better understanding.
Very plainly, to love is to delight in the object of one’s love; to take great joy and great pleasure at the one that we love.
Let's take for example a nursing mother. No matter how tired the mother would be, no matter how hard up her life might be, she would submit her breast to this baby so it may suck milk. She would endure all her pains and hardships with no complaints and still gaze at that breastfeeding baby with so much affection, with so much inner joy, and with so much love.
This is the same way God delights in the objects of His love, most specifically those whom He calls His children, those who give their lives to God, those who trust and obey Him. Still, there is a peculiar side about God's love that is often overlooked.
Let's read about it in Zephaniah 3:17. The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. (NIV)
God Almighty, in all His omnipotence, unlimited power and strength, is in our midst and is taking great joy in us, just like the breastfeeding mother delights in the small baby on her bosom. He quiets down our fears and soothes our doubts with His love.
Most of all, God rejoices over us with singing. This great King (God Himself) is among us and is singing love unto us. That's how God rejoices over the object of His love.
It is therefore a big contradiction for Christians to be sad and forlorn when God is actually in their midst, delighting in them, singing with great joy and love for them. Those of us who trust in Him should rejoice, shouting for joy. If He is for us, who can be against us? Let us delight in Him the way He delights in us. Let us take pleasure in Him more than in anything or anyone else: with all our hearts, all our minds, all our souls, and all our strength.
What about loving our neighbor as ourself? Let us read 1 John 4:11-12. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.
Stephen, the first martyr, was empowered to love his neighbor by the knowledge of God's love for him. Jesus pointed out this love to his disciples, among whom was Stephen. Jesus often exemplified God's love by loving others so that his disciples may see and follow.
When Stephen was being stoned to death, he uttered out, "Lord, do not charge this sin on them." Stephen was following the example of Jesus who similarly prayed when He was dying on the cross: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Jesus loved His neighbor this way. So did Stephen.
Love must not intend harm. Love wills good towards the object of love. But we must guard ourselves against fear. Love is often denied because of fear. People tend to withhold their love when their hearts and minds are gripped by fear: of loss, of pain, of rejection, of shame, of death..…..
Fear can even overwhelm a weak faith. It can influence man's mind to abandon his trust in God. Remember the apostles on a boat one stormy night? Fearing for their lives, they lost their trust in Jesus who was sleeping on that boat. When Jesus awakened and calmed the storm, He remarked about their lack of faith.
Likewise, fear can cause us to lose sight of the reality that God is in our midst, delighting in those who trust Him, even singing over those who love Him. Don't let our fears fool us into forgetting this.
Today's verses hold one more important reminder for us. The teacher of the law had a remarkable reaction towards Jesus' answer. Let's read about it in Mark 12:32-34. "Well said, teacher", the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than any burnt offerings and sacrifices."
When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask Him any more questions.
May our reaction be the same. May we delight in trusting and submitting obediently to the words of Jesus just like that teacher did. God bless us all.
Friday, September 19, 2008
FIVE SHORT PARABLES CONCERNING FAITH IN MATTHEW CHAPTER 13*
Jesus once told a parable of the mustard seed. Let us read about it in Matt.13:31-32. He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." (NIV)
In this parable, our Lord Jesus tells of a man who took a mustard seed and planted it in his field. Jesus points out that the mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds; but when it grows, it becomes a huge tree. It is such a wonder that a seed so small and insignificant can attain the size of a big tree. With its hugeness and strength, it can sustain and assist the lives of other creatures. Jesus mentioned the example of the birds which come to its branches and perch there, even building nests on it. This is like the seed of FAITH. In Matt.17:20 Jesus also compared FAITH with the small mustard seed by saying that if we had faith, even as small as a mustard seed, we could command a mountain to move from its place and it will indeed move. In the verses that we read, Jesus says that if we plant this small seed of faith in our lives, it would grow big enough to benefit others, just like the birds which benefitted from the branches of the grown mustard tree. Such was the small faith of Moses whom God used in order to benefit the Israelites ( Exodus chapters 3-4 ). Such too was the small faith of Peter whom God used to benefit the new believers in Acts chapter 2.
The next parable that Jesus used is similar to this. It is called the parable of the leaven. Let us read Matt.13:33.
He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough." (NIV)
The baking of bread was a common task in the time of Jesus. Thus, leaven was something familiar to His audience. Everyone who was listening understood the powers of leaven and how it functioned in the baking of bread. They knew that the leaven ( or YEAST as more popularly known today ) when added to kneaded flour would change the nature of the flour. It would TRANSFORM the flour and make it " rise ". Unleavened bread which was made without the benefit of leaven did not " rise ". Leaven is similar to our faith. If we put even a small amount of faith ( COMPLETE TRUST IN GOD ) and applied it to our lives, our lives would be transformed. With faith in Jesus Christ our minds are changed and our hearts are brought into subjection to the will of our Heavenly Father. " A little yeast leavens the whole lump ", as Paul said in Gal.5:9. Just like the little mustard seed that was planted in the ground, a little faith could have remarkable effects in our life.
In the next two parables, Jesus likens faith to earthly riches. Let us take a look by reading Matt.13:44-46.
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (NIV)
Jesus tells us of a man who discovered a hidden treasure in a field. In the immense joy at his discovery, the man sells all his possessions; and with the money he received, he buys the field that had this hidden treasure. It is like a man who discovers the great hidden treasure of trusting God, otherwise known as FAITH. Such a man would forsake all of the many other things in life in order to pursue a life of trusting God : to walk hand in Hand with our Creator. Jesus knew that, as He taught, there would be those who would seriously conduct a search for spiritual treasures. They would not merely be casual searchers but serious searchers who would give up much in order to benefit from spiritual treasures. This illustration and the next parable were meant for them. The next parable is very similar. It spoke of a pearl merchant who came across a " pearl of great value ". It was such a good investment that he went and sold all that he had in order to buy that one pearl. He sold off all his other investments for the sake of ONE GREAT INVESTMENT. Faith is our greatest investment. No other investment has as great value as faith. Throughout history we have seen men of wealth and power forsake everything just to lead a life of trusting and obeying the will of God. Abraham, Moses, Paul, Mark who wrote this gospel, and Matthew the apostle — they all gave up their wealth and power in order to pursue a life of obedience to God. Such is the value of faith. All other investments for the sake of ONE GREAT INVESTMENT.
Now we come to the last parable of the chapter, the parable of the dragnet. Let us read this in Matt.13:47-50.
"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (NIV)
Jesus at this moment was teaching by the sea where there were fishing vessels. These boats utilized dragnets in order to catch and haul in the fishes. Jesus teaches that the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that is cast into the sea. Various types of fishes are caught in the dragnet. And when the dragnet is full, it is pulled towards the shore where the fishes are then sorted out. The good ones are kept but the bad ones are thrown away. Our Lord’s teaching in this parable is very plain and clear. He even gives its explanation. When the gospel is cast into the sea of humanity, many people will be " caught " in the dragnet and brought into God’s shores. Some have been truly converted and their lives transformed. Others will be merely professing Christians without true faith, and their lives not transformed. The true ones will be separated from the untrue; the transformed from those not transformed; the good from the bad. And the untrue ones will be thrown into a " furnace of fire; there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth ". EXTREME SUFFERING. TORTURE WITH NO END.
God bless us all.
In this parable, our Lord Jesus tells of a man who took a mustard seed and planted it in his field. Jesus points out that the mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds; but when it grows, it becomes a huge tree. It is such a wonder that a seed so small and insignificant can attain the size of a big tree. With its hugeness and strength, it can sustain and assist the lives of other creatures. Jesus mentioned the example of the birds which come to its branches and perch there, even building nests on it. This is like the seed of FAITH. In Matt.17:20 Jesus also compared FAITH with the small mustard seed by saying that if we had faith, even as small as a mustard seed, we could command a mountain to move from its place and it will indeed move. In the verses that we read, Jesus says that if we plant this small seed of faith in our lives, it would grow big enough to benefit others, just like the birds which benefitted from the branches of the grown mustard tree. Such was the small faith of Moses whom God used in order to benefit the Israelites ( Exodus chapters 3-4 ). Such too was the small faith of Peter whom God used to benefit the new believers in Acts chapter 2.
The next parable that Jesus used is similar to this. It is called the parable of the leaven. Let us read Matt.13:33.
He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough." (NIV)
The baking of bread was a common task in the time of Jesus. Thus, leaven was something familiar to His audience. Everyone who was listening understood the powers of leaven and how it functioned in the baking of bread. They knew that the leaven ( or YEAST as more popularly known today ) when added to kneaded flour would change the nature of the flour. It would TRANSFORM the flour and make it " rise ". Unleavened bread which was made without the benefit of leaven did not " rise ". Leaven is similar to our faith. If we put even a small amount of faith ( COMPLETE TRUST IN GOD ) and applied it to our lives, our lives would be transformed. With faith in Jesus Christ our minds are changed and our hearts are brought into subjection to the will of our Heavenly Father. " A little yeast leavens the whole lump ", as Paul said in Gal.5:9. Just like the little mustard seed that was planted in the ground, a little faith could have remarkable effects in our life.
In the next two parables, Jesus likens faith to earthly riches. Let us take a look by reading Matt.13:44-46.
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (NIV)
Jesus tells us of a man who discovered a hidden treasure in a field. In the immense joy at his discovery, the man sells all his possessions; and with the money he received, he buys the field that had this hidden treasure. It is like a man who discovers the great hidden treasure of trusting God, otherwise known as FAITH. Such a man would forsake all of the many other things in life in order to pursue a life of trusting God : to walk hand in Hand with our Creator. Jesus knew that, as He taught, there would be those who would seriously conduct a search for spiritual treasures. They would not merely be casual searchers but serious searchers who would give up much in order to benefit from spiritual treasures. This illustration and the next parable were meant for them. The next parable is very similar. It spoke of a pearl merchant who came across a " pearl of great value ". It was such a good investment that he went and sold all that he had in order to buy that one pearl. He sold off all his other investments for the sake of ONE GREAT INVESTMENT. Faith is our greatest investment. No other investment has as great value as faith. Throughout history we have seen men of wealth and power forsake everything just to lead a life of trusting and obeying the will of God. Abraham, Moses, Paul, Mark who wrote this gospel, and Matthew the apostle — they all gave up their wealth and power in order to pursue a life of obedience to God. Such is the value of faith. All other investments for the sake of ONE GREAT INVESTMENT.
Now we come to the last parable of the chapter, the parable of the dragnet. Let us read this in Matt.13:47-50.
"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (NIV)
Jesus at this moment was teaching by the sea where there were fishing vessels. These boats utilized dragnets in order to catch and haul in the fishes. Jesus teaches that the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that is cast into the sea. Various types of fishes are caught in the dragnet. And when the dragnet is full, it is pulled towards the shore where the fishes are then sorted out. The good ones are kept but the bad ones are thrown away. Our Lord’s teaching in this parable is very plain and clear. He even gives its explanation. When the gospel is cast into the sea of humanity, many people will be " caught " in the dragnet and brought into God’s shores. Some have been truly converted and their lives transformed. Others will be merely professing Christians without true faith, and their lives not transformed. The true ones will be separated from the untrue; the transformed from those not transformed; the good from the bad. And the untrue ones will be thrown into a " furnace of fire; there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth ". EXTREME SUFFERING. TORTURE WITH NO END.
God bless us all.
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