[Food for Thought] Jesus and Political Power

Jesus was rejected as the Messiah primarily because He shunned political power (John 6:15 & 18:36). Why then do so many of His professed followers embrace/crave it?

[Devotional] Prepare the Way

Here's another Christmas devotional from Bible Gateway.  Enjoy.

Prepare the Way
by Nancy Guthrie

What happens at your house when guests are coming? Do you clean up things that are messy, fix things that are broken, make plans for how you will welcome your visitors? As God prepared to send his Son into the world, he sent someone to get things ready. He had promised to do that, so some people were watching for this special individual.

Two Old Testament prophets (Malachi and Isaiah) had prophesied that before the Messiah would come, God would send a messenger to prepare the people. Malachi wrote, "Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.... Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah" (Malachi 3:1, 4:5). Isaiah had written, "Listen! It's the voice of someone shouting, 'Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!'" (Isaiah 40:3). Mark recorded, "This messenger was John the Baptist" (Mark 1:4). Luke wrote, "He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly" (Luke 1:17).

John the Baptist was the person God sent to prepare his people for Jesus. It wasn't food or beds that needed to be prepared; it was hearts. It was John's mission to call people to repent--to leave behind their sin and turn back to God. John prepared the people for Jesus by helping them get their hearts ready to receive him.

God knows our hearts need to be prepared to receive Jesus. During December we tend to get very busy preparing for Christmas with parties and programs and presents. But the most important preparation we need to make is to prepare our hearts to welcome Jesus in a fresh, new way. We do this by cleaning out the clutter of sinful attitudes and selfishness so that we look expectantly for Jesus to make himself known to us.

Prayer

Right now, Lord Jesus, our hearts are being prepared to receive you. Show us what must be removed, the sin that must be repented of, so that our hearts can fully receive you.

[Devotional] The Joy of Giving

Here's another one of those devotionals that I first mentioned in my previous post.  Be blessed.

The Joy of Giving
by Mary Southerland

Today’s Truth

2 Corinthians 9:7 (NCV): "Each one should give as you have decided in your heart to give. You should not be sad when you give, and you should not give because you feel forced to give. God loves the person who gives happily."

Friend to Friend

One of my favorite authors, Richard Foster, writes, "Giving with glad and generous hearts has a way of routing out the tough old miser within us. Even the poor need to know that they can give. Just the very act of letting go of money, or some other treasure, does something within us. It destroys the demon greed." God loves to see us give for no other reason than the joy of giving.

The true story is told of a self-made millionaire who had lived in New York City his entire life. Born and raised in a ghetto, he worked hard and achieved much. Anyone who knew this man would testify to the fact that he was generous--to a fault, some would say. One year, the man was disturbed by an attitude of selfishness and greed that seemed to pervade the Christmas holiday season and everyone around him. Not one to condemn, the millionaire decided that since he had been given so much, it was up to him to do his part in combating greed and came up with an unusual plan. Wearing a disguise, this man stuffed his pockets with $100 dollar bills and set out for a walk on the streets of New York City. When he saw someone in need, he whipped out one of the bills, pressed it into that person's hands and with a "Merry Christmas," made his way down the street. "It was the most wonderful part of my holiday season," the man reported, and he has been doing it every since.

God is much more interested in our motive for giving than in the gift itself. If that motive is tainted with greed, the gift simply does not count. A powerful way to guard against greed is to choose joy over greed. Giving with joy is Kingdom giving! Before you give, ask yourself, "What’s in it for me?" If the answer is "nothing," then go ahead and give the gift.

When our children were in middle school, we owned what I affectionately called a "Mini-Gym." It was a set of bar bells, a weight lifting bench and a few free weights. Both Jered and Danna loved their "gym" and used it almost every day. When Christmas rolled around, we learned that two of their good friends, Jeff and Jeremy, were not going to have much of a Christmas because their dad had lost his job. Jered came up with a plan. "Mom," he said, "Danna and I have talked about it. We think that Jeff and Jeremy would love to have the gym. But we don’t want them to know we gave it to them, because they might be embarrassed. What do you think?" I thought I was in the presence of two joyful givers and quickly joined them in their plan.

A few days before Christmas, Jered and I took the gym apart and loaded it in our car while Danna found a huge red bow. Together, we made a sign that read, "Merry Christmas! We love you!" Danna blew up balloons while Jered dug out some Christmas lights. We enlisted the help of a neighbor who had a key to our friend’s house and joined in the fun by agreeing to find out when the coast was clear, unlocking the back door and letting us in. At the designated time, off we went, laughing and singing Christmas carols. We parked down the street until the neighbor called, giggling, to let us know she was all set. Once we were inside, we raced to assemble the gym, post the sign, tie the balloons and tape the lights to the front door, leading our friends to their Christmas surprise on the back porch. We then high-tailed it home as if the FBI was hot on our trail! The neighbor reported that just minutes after the boys returned, she heard shouting and "whooping and hollering." The joy of that Christmas still lingers today. Greed doesn’t hold a candle to joyful giving!

Greed is never satisfied and never at rest. There is always something more to be gained and someone else to outdo. Take sheep, for example. Sheep are dumb enough to eat until they are sick. They simply do not know when to stop. A heart that is filled with greed behaves the same way. I am afraid our heart motives are all too frequently self-serving when it comes to giving. Our pride is at stake, so we give to impress others. Perhaps, we give out of fear and guilt, hoping to buy God's forgiveness from our sin. People are watching, so we give in order to gain their approval. What is the solution? Giving! Giving is a powerfully effective deterrent to greed when we give for no other reason than the joy of giving.

Proverbs 11:24-25: "Some people give much but get back even more. Others don’t give what they should and end up poor. Whoever gives to others will get richer; those who help others will themselves be helped."

I once read an article that described three types of givers. The first kind of giver is the "flint." To get anything out of a flint, you have to hammer it, and even then, you only get chips and sparks. A second kind of giver is the "sponge." You have to squeeze it and the more pressure you use, the more you will get. The third kind of giver is the honeycomb. It just overflows. What kind of giver are you? Experience the joy of Christmas when you experience the joy of giving. Merry Christmas!

Let's Pray

Father, thank You for all You have given me. Help me to be the kind of giver that points people to You. I choose against my pride or any wrong motive for giving Christmas gifts this year. I choose to keep my eyes on You and my glance on the world. I love you! In Jesus' name, amen.

Now It's Your Turn

We make a living by what we get out of life, but we make a life by what we give and how we give it. Beecher wrote, "No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. The heart makes a man rich. He is rich or poor according to what he is, not according to what he has." How do these words relate to your life this Christmas?

Take inventory of your "stuff." Make an actual list. Then set aside a time of prayer and solitude during which you give each one to God.

Consider giving an anonymous gift and recruit your family to help.

A Matter of Life and Death

Courtesy aviancaflight52.com

Sometimes saying the right thing can make a difference between life and death.

On January 25, 1980 Avianca Flight 52 crashed into Cove Neck, Long Island because it ran out of fuel after a series of delays related to the weather.  One of the main reasons the flight ran out of fuel was that in its communication with the air traffic controllers the Avianca crew used the word "priority" instead of  "emergency".  The air traffic controllers had no idea as to the seriousness of the situation, and the airliner crashed into the countryside killing 73 of the 158 people on board.

Words Matter

This situation came to mind when I was thinking about how the words we use not only can make concept easier or more difficult to understand, but also can affect the way we live our lives.  I'm referring mainly to words that have similar, but not exactly the same, meanings.  Regarding the explanation of concepts, the word difficult is better than hard because hard has a broad set of definitions while difficult has a more narrow set.  In regards to how a word can affect the way in which we live our lives if we view problems as challenges then it frames the situation in a more positive light.

Spinning Until We're Sick

When typing that last sentence I couldn't help but think about what are commonly referred to as "spin doctors".  A spin doctor's job involves putting things into a more positive light than they truly are to help maintain the public image of a person or corporation.  I'm not talking about becoming like that where like a little child on a playground merry-go-round we want to spin faster and faster until we can't see straight and ultimately fall flat on our face (or worse yet, vomit, then fall).  I would classify such language as a euphemism where we make things sound nicer than reality.  What I am encouraging people to do is instead of making things seem better than they are, simply don't make them worse.

Making Canyons out of Culverts

Let's face facts, life on this earth can be quite discouraging.  To simply gloss over reality is not only annoying to most people, but also can be dangerous to our well-being because if everything is sunshine and rainbows then we won't seek help for the various situations in which we find ourselves.  In addition, "seeing the bright side of things" can be too much to ask of many people.  So as a first step, let's simply not to make things seem worse than they need to be.  However, as you probably expect, there is much more to it than that.

Speaking Faith

The 19th century Christian author E.G. White once wrote the following words.

"Take the word of Christ as your assurance. Has He not invited you to come unto Him? Never allow yourself to talk in a hopeless, discouraged way. If you do you will lose much. By looking at appearances and complaining when difficulties and pressure come, you give evidence of a sickly, enfeebled faith. Talk and act as if your faith was invincible. The Lord is rich in resources; He owns the world. Look heavenward in faith. Look to Him who has light and power and efficiency."  Christ's Object Lessons pg. 146

 "By the exercise of living faith you can separate from everything that is not in accordance with the mind of God, and thus bring heaven into your life here below. Doing this, you will have sunshine at every step. When the enemy seeks to enshroud the soul with darkness, sing faith and talk faith, and you will find that you have sung and talked yourself into the light"  Counsels to Parents, Teachers and Students pg. 233

That second quotation hit me especially hard (in a good way).  If we sing and talk faith, we can sing and talk ourselves out of the darkness and into the light, or from death unto life.  So let's make our words agents of life for ourselves and for all who will listen to us.

Of Freedom and Squeaky Wheels

Photo courtesy peasandhappiness.com

Those who profess to follow Jesus should not be like those who do not, especially in regards to whining and complaining.

I had to run a quick errand last night and as I was doing so I turned on the car radio.  I tuned in part way through an interview with an Iranian man who talked about the various death threats he had received and how he was living in hiding in Germany.  It turned out this situation came as a result of a song he had written and performed.  Yes that's right, the Iranian officials were so offended by a song (that the artist stated was simply meant as satire) that they sought to kill the one who performed it.

This lack of freedom was especially contrasted to the abuse of freedom I saw yesterday where people cussed and complained ad naseum because the propositions and politicians that were passed and elected were not the ones who they wanted passed and elected.  Now I do not know the profession of those who had posted all this vitriol, but I sincerely hope that they were not professed followers of Jesus.

The prevalent philosophy in this world seems to be based on the old adage "The squeaky wheel gets the grease" which means that if we make enough noise (i.e. complain) we will eventually get what we want.  However, such a philosophy is in direct contradiction to the way Jesus lived His life when He was on this earth.  He took all sorts of abuse, but not once do you see Him muttering to Himself or venting to His disciples, "Those stupid blankety-blank Pharisees . . ."  If anyone had an excuse to complain it would have been Him because being God, He had the unusual position of always being right.  How much less room to we as flawed human beings to complain when people do not agree with us and our views.  Maybe they are right and we are wrong, or maybe both of us are wrong and the correct view is held by someone else.

So next time we are tempted to complain, maybe we should follow a not-so-old saying and check ourselves before we wreck ourselves.


Have you had an experience where complaining only made the situation worse?  Feel free to share your story in the comment section.

[SAHD] Diaper-Changing Song

For some reason I often have this song in my head when I'm changing a diaper.  I guess I saw too many reruns of the Bunch while I was growing up.



There's actually a lot of truth in the lyrics, which go as follows.

Autumn turns to winter,
And winter turns to spring.
It doesn't go just for seasons you know,
It goes for everything.

The same is true for voices,
When boys begin to grow.
You gotta take a lesson from Mother Nature,
And if you do you'll know.

[chorus]
When it's time to change, then its time to change
Don't fight the tide, come along for the ride, don't you see
When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange
who you are into what you're gonna be.

Day by day, it's hard to see the changes you've been through
A little bit of living, a little bit of growing all adds up to you
Every boy's a man inside, a girl's a woman too
And if you wanna reach your destiny, here's what you've got to do

[chorus]

Autumn turns to winter,
And winter turns to spring.
It doesn't go just for seasons you know,
It goes for everything.

The same is true for voices,
When boys begin to grow.
You gotta take a lesson from Mother Nature,
And if you do you'll know.

Hope you enjoyed your trip down memory lane, and have groovy day.

[Featured Post] I have an anger issue: I don’t get angry enough..

This featured post comes from Mark Brown's blog Journey Deeper Into God's Word.  Enjoy.

I have an anger issue: I don’t get angry enough..

Posted on 28 September 2011 by admin

Click the play button below to check out my latest time in the Word. I explore anger, what does it mean to be angry?  If you can’t see the video on email click here:  VIDEO



God bless,
Mark Brown


What kind of things get you angry?  Tell us your story in the comments section.

Going Nowhere Fast

Image: siraphat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 A lesson I have learned about time from using a GPS unit has spiritual as well as practical applications.

Someone once said that speed is the only truly modern sensation, and you don't have to look far to verify that statement.  The more modern a civilization, the faster we want to get places.  That's why we have made speed boats, high-speed trains, and supersonic jetliners.  Then, of course, let's not forget the automobile.

The first true automobile (a vehicle that could travel with passengers using its own power) was a steam-powered tricycle that traveled 2.25 miles (3.6 km) per hour.  Now we have modern production cars such as the Bugatti Veyron SS with a top speed of  267 mph (430 km/h).  Even the more recent emphasis on fuel economy has not deterred automakers from building electric race cars and hybrid supercars.  Even though we may not own such a speedy means of transportation, we often drive as though we do.  However, what do we actually accomplish when we go fast?  According to my experience with a GPS device, not much

The Illusion of Speed

For those of you unfamiliar with GPS (or Global Positioning System), GPS units receive signals from multiple satellites circling the planet then use some fancy math to determine the location and speed of the receiver.  A key element in automotive GPS units is the Arrival Time feature.  This feature uses information on the speed limits of the roads that you will travel to get from Point A to Point B, and gives a time when you will arrive at your final destination.  This time can be earlier or later depending on how fast or how slow you travel.  I discovered that in the only reliable way to make the arrival time earlier is to leave earlier, going faster makes little or no positive difference. 

Sure by going 10 or even 20 mph(km/h) faster you may gain a couple of minutes on your arrival time, but that gain quickly evaporates at the first red light, fuel stop, or encounter with law enforcement.  Aside from the potential criminal penalties, going faster burns more fuel and therefore increases the amount of money that literally goes up in flames (and you don't avoid that if you drive an all-electric car given this nation's penchant for using coal-burning power plants).  So by driving fast you feel as though you are accomplishing something, but that accomplishment is an illusion.  This principle translates well into the area of spirituality, but then the losses are much more serious.

Spiritual Speedsters

People, especially devout Christians, can be fooled into thinking that they need to make rapid spiritual progress in order to be a successful believer, but that couldn't be further from the truth.  The Bible often speaks about endurance and patience being positive traits.  The apostle John in the book of Revelation goes so far as to combine the two traits into the term "patient endurance"  In Jesus' parable of the sower, the seed that sprouted up quickly ends up dying off quickly representing believers who cannot endure persecution.


Rapid spiritual growth feels good.  We feel as though we are getting somewhere, that we are not being left behind.  However, like speeding in a car, it's an illusion.  This growth comes at a price.  We become unable to deal with unexpected troubles, and probably even more dangerous, we take the risk of becoming spiritually proud.  We tend to look down upon those who have not been growing so quickly, and we add condemnation to our superficial spirituality.  Our lives can quickly spiral out of control and if we come to our senses, it is only because we have hit rock bottom.

So do us all a favor and slow down.  Trust me, you will be glad that you did.


Have you had times that you paid the price for going too fast?  Tell us your story.

The Divine Hitman

The Death of Jezebel
Courtesy Orientalism in Art

Truth may not always be stranger than fiction, but it can be as dramatic.

The horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, “This is what the king says: ‘Do you come in peace?’”
   “What do you have to do with peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.”
   The lookout reported, “The messenger has reached them, but he isn’t coming back.”  2 Kings 9:18

As I am reading through the Bible, I am constantly amazed at how many great stories exist in the Old Testament.  Those who neglect that portion of the Scriptures miss out on many stories involving colorful characters.  Jehu is one such character.  There are two Jehus in the Bible, the first one, Jehu son of Hanani, was a prophet, and while I'm sure that he had an interesting life, the one I'm talking about is Jehu the son of Nimshi, who was a military leader who became king of Israel.

Jehu son of Nimshi comes onto the scene during the time when Elijah was the main prophet in Israel.  Shortly after the Mount Carmel experience, God gives Elijah a "to do" list which involves anointing two kings and his prophetic successor.  Apparently, Elijah didn't complete the list before being taken to heaven, so we find Elisha being the one to set Jehu's reign in motion.

I'm not going to retell Jehu's entire story (which you can read in 2 Kings 9-10), but I will say that his story reads like some sort of action movie (hence the provocative title for this post).  After being anointed king by an anonymous young prophet described as a "maniac", Jehu, formerly a military commander, becomes the leader of what amounts to a death squad hunting down and eliminating all those connected with the now-deceased evil king Ahab and the worshipers of the false god Baal.

One of my favorite parts of this story shows that there was something special about Jehu (if I was making a movie, this clip would be in the trailer).  As he was approaching the hideout for number one on his hit list, Ahab's son Joram, Joram sends out a messenger to see if Jehu has come in peace, and as all good action-movie stars go, he has definitely not come in peace.  Jehu had such a way about him (I would compare him to Leonidas of Spartan fame), that with two short sentences (see text above), he convinces not one, but two of Joram's messengers to switch sides and fight against their former leader.

After eliminating Joram and Ahaziah, Jehu goes after the prophet-killer Jezebel, Ahab's widow.  What happens next says something about both Jehu and Jezebel.  When Jezebel heard that Jehu was on his way, she did her hair and put on makeup, and stood by a window waiting for him.  When he arrived she asked him if he came in peace (you know the answer to that question), and once again, with a few words, Jehu was able to convince some on the other side to do his bidding.

The remainder of the story involves more action as Jehu makes his way through his divine hit list (incidentally, nobody after this point asks if he came in peace), and God commends him of his services even though Jehu didn't get everything right.  While I am not advocating the glorification of bloodshed, I'm writing about Jehu's story for the purpose of getting people to pay more attention to the entire Bible.

So if you take the time and read some of the great stories of the Old Testament, you will find that the truth in the Bible can be as interesting as the fiction you'd find elsewhere.

What is In Your Hand?

Courtesy Pitts Theology Library

We make a lot of excuses not to follow God's plan for our lives, and those excuses mean very little to God.

Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?”   Then the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
   “A staff,” he replied.
  The LORD said, “Throw it on the ground.”
   Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.  Exodus 4:1-3

I had to laugh a little bit when I read that text, and I'll tell you why.  God told Moses via the burning bush that He had decided to deliver His people from Egyptian bondage, and that Moses was to be the one to tell Pharaoh that this was going to happen.  Moses wasn't excited about this new assignment, so he tried to convince God that He should look elsewhere.  (You can find the entire conversation in Exodus 3 & 4.)  One by one Moses kept making excuses, and one by one God kept knocking them down.

• Moses:  Who am I to go and say these things to Pharaoh?   
• God:  You won't be alone.  I will be with you.
• Moses:  What if the Israelites ask "What is this God's name?"   
• God:  Tell them "I AM has sent me to you."
• Moses:  What if they don't believe that You actually sent me?   
• God:  Throw your staff on the ground, and it'll turn into a snake then back into a staff.  If that doesn't work, put your hand in your cloak and it will become leprous and then be healed.  And, if those two don't work, take some river water and pour it on the ground and it will become blood.
• Moses:  You know, I've never been a good speaker.   
• God:  Who made your mouth?  I will help you speak and teach you what to say.
• Moses:  I still would feel better if you sent someone else.   
• God:  Oh, alright!  Take your brother with you.  He's already on his way to meet you, and he will speak for you.

We may not be called like Moses to help deliver a nation from slavery, but we all could be doing more in regards to following God's plan for our lives.  God has already promised that He will be with us.  So stop making excuses, and do what He has asked you to do.

Featured Post: Seven Better Questions You Can Ask in the Midst of Adversity

I'm starting another addition to this blog.  Every so often I will feature a post from someone else's blog that I'm currently following.  This post comes from Michael Hyatt, Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers.  You can find the original post here.

SEVEN BETTER QUESTIONS YOU CAN ASK IN THE MIDST OF ADVERSITY

Ihave several friends who are going through enormous uncertainty right now. Some are out of work. A few others are on the precipice of divorce. Still others have been diagnosed with cancer—one who is pregnant. In these situations, most of us ask, “Why is this happening to me?”

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/Yuri_Arcurs

Years ago, two months after I became the publisher of one of our book divisions, we lost a major author to a competing company. This had a significant negative impact on our bottom line. At first, I was angry. Then I became discouraged. Finally, I realized I was asking the wrong question.

Instead of asking “Why did this happen?” I started asking, “How can this make us better?” Immediately, I sensed a shift in my spirit. It began energizing me. In retrospect, losing the author was one of the best things that could have happened to my division. We grew from the experience in ways that would have never happened otherwise.

I learned a valuable lesson: the answers we get are often determined by the questions we ask. If we ask bad questions, we will get bad answers. If we ask better questions—empowering questions—we will get better answers.

If you are going through a difficult, uncertain time, here are seven better questions you can ask yourself and your team:

1. What if this isn’t the end but a new beginning?
2. What if the answer to my prayer is just over the next hill?
3. What if this is necessary in order for me to be prepared for the next important chapter in my life?
4. What if God knows exactly what I need at this particular time?
5. What if God is speaking to me through means I would not have chosen for a blessing I cannot see?
6. What does this experience make possible?
7. What will I be telling my grandchildren that I learned was so valuable in this season of my life?

How is this related to leadership? As I have written numerous times before, leaders must lead themselves first—even when they don’t feel like it. Sometimes it just starts with a better question.

Time to Act

Psalm 119:121-128 

Ayin

 ¹²¹ I have done what is righteous and just;
       do not leave me to my oppressors. 
 ¹²² Ensure your servant's well-being;
       let not the arrogant oppress me.
 ¹²³ My eyes fail, looking for your salvation,
       looking for your righteous promise.
 ¹²⁴ Deal with your servant according to your love
       and teach me your decrees.
 ¹²⁵ I am your servant; give me discernment
       that I may understand your statutes.
 ¹²⁶ It is time for you to act, O LORD;
       your law is being broken.
 ¹²⁷ Because I love your commands
       more than gold, more than pure gold,
 ¹²⁸ and because I consider all your precepts right,
       I hate every wrong path.

We must know when to act and when we should leave the actions to God.

Even though I quoted the entire ayin section above, I will focus mainly on verse 126. The psalmist, as we can ascertain from reading the rest of the psalm, was a person who had a close relationship with God, and had very high esteem for His law. Even though much of Psalm 119 is devoted to talking about the psalmist's actions in regards to the law, such is not the case in verse 126. Here the psalmist states that it is time for God to act, not himself. That is an attitude that we all should spend more time developing.

Too many people have the mentality that they should be defenders of the faith. I did a simple word search for the word "defend" and found only one reference that talked about a human being defending the gospel. The rest were either God defending us or us defending other people.

What I get out of this is that we should spend less time thinking about how to defend God and His law from attackers, and spend more time thinking about how to proclaim His message to a dying world. God and His Word have stood the test of time well before we came on the scene. He is much better at defending such attacks than we could ever be. So with this in mind, let us remember that there are times when we should act and there are times when we should leave the actions to God.

The Voyage and Shipwreck

We should be ready to witness for God in any situation.

As you may have guessed from the title, this chapter is another one that is full of adventure. E.G.White is sure to let the reader know that travel at that time was no easy matter.

In the first century of the Christian Era traveling by sea was attended with peculiar hardship and peril. Mariners directed their course largely by the position of the sun and stars; and when these did not appear, and there were indications of storm, the owners of vessels were fearful of venturing into the open sea. During a portion of the year, safe navigation was almost impossible. pg. 439

Regardless of those facts, everything was going well. The authorities allowed Paul to have companions on his journey, so Luke and Aristarchus joined him. They traveled a little while, but the winds soon became unfavorable and they were now somewhat stuck at a place called Fair Havens. Paul strongly suggested that they stay there until the travel season opened up, but the majority of the people wanted to go Phenice, which was a nicer place to be. Therefore the ship sailed to Phenice.

They soon encountered severe weather, and after fourteen days of the storm, people were starting to lose heart. Paul earnestly prayed that everyone's life would be spared, and God granted his request.

Taking advantage of a lull in the tempest, Paul stood forth on the deck and, lifting up his voice, said: "Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island." pg. 443

In the following days Paul survived the shipwreck, made it to shore, and even survived being bitten by a poisonous viper. In fact everyone involved survived and did quite well because of Paul.

During the three months that the ship's company remained at Melita, Paul and his fellow laborers improved many opportunities to preach the gospel. In a remarkable manner the Lord wrought through them. For Paul's sake the entire shipwrecked company were treated with great kindness; all their wants were supplied, and upon leaving Melita they were liberally provided with everything needful for their voyage. . . . pg. 446

If I had been in a similar situation, would I have acted and reacted in a similar way? Crises are great opportunities to witness, and they are also great opportunities to be selfish. May our faith be strengthened so that we can have such a positive influence in negative situations.

"Almost Thou Persuadest Me"

We shouldn't be afraid to witness to those in a higher social status than ourselves.

In this chapter, Paul was not immediately sent to Rome, and this gave him some time to witness to more people in Caesarea. The most prominent person was King Agrippa II, the last in the line of the Herods ("Herod" is not so much a name as a title much like "Caesar" or "Pharaoh"). Festus told Agrippa about Paul, and the king was interested to see the prisoner. E.G. White paints the picture of the contrast between the king and his prisoner.

In honor of his visitors, Festus had sought to make this an occasion of imposing display. The rich robes of the procurator and his guests, the swords of the soldiers, and the gleaming armor of their commanders, lent brilliancy to the scene. 

And now Paul, still manacled, stood before the assembled company. What a contrast was here presented! Agrippa and Bernice possessed power and position, and because of this they were favored by the world. But they were destitute of the traits of character that God esteems. They were transgressors of His law, corrupt in heart and life. Their course of action was abhorred by heaven. 

The aged prisoner, chained to his soldier guard, had in his appearance nothing that would lead the world to pay him homage. Yet in this man, apparently without friends or wealth or position, and held a prisoner for his faith in the Son of God, all heaven was interested. Angels were his attendants. Had the glory of one of those shining messengers flashed forth, the pomp and pride of royalty would have paled; king and courtiers would have been stricken to the earth, as were the Roman guards at the sepulcher of Christ. pgs. 434, 435

Paul then then took the time to talk about Jesus: His life, death & resurrection. He continued by saying how that he was compelled to witness for Him, and that it was for this reason that the Jews had arrested him.

This got me thinking as to what I would say if I were to have an audience with some of the world leaders of today. Even though many political leaders have done away with much of the pomp and display of the kings of old it can still be an intimidating experience. Yet Paul was not intimidated to the slightest degree. He knew that all of this in reality meant nothing. I think that we need to overcome the concept of seeing people in higher levels differently. I do not mean that we should be rude or impolite, but to simply view people as people regardless of how many times we may have seen them on T.V., magazines, or billboards. If more people would have this attitude that Paul had, the gospel would go out much faster than it is now.

Of course, as in this case, such boldness does not always bear fruit.

Festus, Agrippa, and Bernice might in justice have worn the fetters that bound the apostle. All were guilty of grievous crimes. These offenders had that day heard the offer of salvation through the name of Christ. One, at least, had been almost persuaded to accept the grace and pardon offered. But Agrippa put aside the proffered mercy, refusing to accept the cross of a crucified Redeemer. pg. 438

May we all have holy boldness regardless of the outcome. 

Paul a Prisoner

Paul ended up in chains, but it was the Jewish leaders who were truly prisoners.

This chapter details the events that led up to Paul becoming a prisoner. I found this chapter to be quite interesting because the story told here is filled with danger and intrigue, but it was disappointing to read that all these events could have been avoided.

What started these events in motion was that the leaders of the Christian church in Jerusalem were stuck in their old ways of thinking.

In the earlier years of the gospel work among the Gentiles some of the leading brethren at Jerusalem, clinging to former prejudices and habits of thought, had not co-operated heartily with Paul and his associates. In their anxiety to preserve a few meaningless forms and ceremonies, they had lost sight of the blessing that would come to them and to the cause they loved, through an effort to unite in one all parts of the Lord's work. Although desirous of safeguarding the best interests of the Christian church, they had failed to keep step with the advancing providences of God, and in their human wisdom attempted to throw about workers many unnecessary restrictions. Thus there arose a group of men who were unacquainted personally with the changing circumstances and peculiar needs met by laborers in distant fields, yet who insisted that they had the authority to direct their brethren in these fields to follow certain specified methods of labor. They felt as if the work of preaching the gospel should be carried forward in harmony with their opinions. pg. 400

I had mentioned in an earlier post about the need for God's workers to adapt there methods to their target audience. These leaders refused to change, and deceived themselves into thinking that their way was the best way to do things.

These men had lost sight of the fact that God is the teacher of His people; that every worker in His cause is to obtain an individual experience in following the divine Leader, not looking to man for direct guidance; that His workers are to be molded and fashioned, not after man's ideas, but after the similitude of the divine. pg. 401

The leaders that asked that Paul go through a process in which he should become ceremonially pure so as to not arouse negative feelings among the Jews. Paul wanted so much to reconcile these parties that he went through with this needless process, and it was while he was doing this that things really went awry.

 Those who advised Paul to take this step had not fully considered the great peril to which he would thus be exposed. At this season, Jerusalem was filled with worshipers from many lands. As, in fulfillment of the commission given him by God, Paul had borne the gospel to the Gentiles, he had visited many of the world's largest cities, and he was well known to thousands who from foreign parts had come to Jerusalem to attend the feast. Among these were men whose hearts were filled with bitter hatred for Paul, and for him to enter the temple on a public occasion was to risk his life. For several days he passed in and out among the worshipers, apparently unnoticed; but before the close of the specified period, as he was talking with a priest concerning the sacrifices to be offered, he was recognized by some of the Jews from Asia. pg. 406

This recognition brought about a flurry of events that included his binding in chains, ministering to the mob, a hearing in front of the Sanhedrin, avoiding forty Jewish assassins, and being transported out of the city by heavy Roman guard.

E.G. White writes a sobering epitaph for those Jewish leaders.

. . . Had the leaders in the church fully surrendered their feeling of bitterness toward the apostle, and accepted him as one specially called of God to bear the gospel to the Gentiles, the Lord would have spared him to them. God had not ordained that Paul's labors should so soon end, but He did not work a miracle to counteract the train of circumstances to which the course of the leaders in the church at Jerusalem had given rise. pg. 417

 Then she had this to say about us in modern times.

The same spirit is still leading to the same results. A neglect to appreciate and improve the provisions of divine grace has deprived the church of many a blessing. How often would the Lord have prolonged the work of some faithful minister, had his labors been appreciated! But if the church permits the enemy of souls to pervert the understanding, so that they misrepresent and misinterpret the words and acts of the servant of Christ; if they allow themselves to stand in his way and hinder his usefulness, the Lord sometimes removes from them the blessing which He gave. pgs. 417,418

Lord help us to appreciate those who sacrifice themselves for Your work.

Raising the Poor

Psalm 113:5-9  ⁵ Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, ⁶ who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? ⁷ He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; ⁸ he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people. ⁹ He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the LORD.

We should always follow God's example in our dealings with other people.

This psalm, like the previous one, can be classified as a praise psalm. In fact, even more so because it not only begins with a Hallellu Yah, it also ends with one. The aspect of God that the author focuses on is His willingness to help those who are in low situations, which in comparison to Him is, well, everyone. Even though God is enthroned in heaven, He takes the time to look upon this pale blue dot in the universe. He goes beyond that and raises up the poor and the needy as well as gives children to the barren woman.

Now we may not be able to literally raise needy people to the level of princes, etc., but we can have a change in attitude. We can view needy people at the level of princes, and not look down upon the woman who is unable to have children. We can give people the benefit of the doubt and not expect the worse from them. Something I read recently stated that thought better than I could.

Charity "doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil." Christ-like love places the most favorable construction on the motives and acts of others. It does not needlessly expose their faults; it does not listen eagerly to unfavorable reports, but seeks rather to bring to mind the good qualities of others. -- The Acts of the Apostles pg. 319

So as we go about our days, let us follow God's example and raise people up to a higher level.