Brass for Gold (1 Kings 14:25-27)

Each year, my family tries to get away on vacation and go to the eastern seashore.  There we try to relax, forget about all of the busyness of life and enjoy the ocean.  For just one week, all the cares of work, bills, house repairs, and everything else that is burdensome is put on the shelf.

However, for the Christian this type of escaping can never happen. For the Believer, each day is yet a continuation of the battle that was experienced the day before.  Regardless of where you go or what you try to do to escape it can never be accomplished.  There is a battle everyday.  The Christian life is not a life of ease, but it is definitely better than the life without God.

There are times when the believer does not experience victory.  This can happen because of yielding to sin or by the believer trying to fight the battle on his own.  When we are losing the battle, the enemy is able to gain an advantage and not completely take over.  They are just able to get a foothold into the Christian's life.  If their foothold is not recognized, more ground will be gained in future battles until the heart of the believer is completely turned against God.

The first ground taken or foothold gained occurs when the enemy steals away the treasures of the Christian.  For King Rehoboam, the treasures of the temple along with the shields of gold were taken away by Shishak of Egypt.  

And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem: And he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. And king Rehoboam made in their stead brasen shields, and committed them unto the hands of the chief of the guard, which kept the door of the king's house. (1 Kings 14:25-27)

For the believer, his treasures are joy, happiness, the blessings of God and the peace which passes all understanding.  Once these are taken, he lives the substitute life.  Rehoboam replaced the gold with brass.  It looked similar, but it wasn't.  It was just a substitute.  The believer who is beginning to lose the battle, struggles to put on the joy, happiness and peace that he once had.  At best his shows the substitutes.  His smile isn't real, his shout is weak and he stumbles in his walk.  All the while, his heart is deceiving him.

For this reason, we must continue to read God's word so that he can pierce our hearts, show us our condition, grant us repentance and restore us again with his blessings.  We must continually yield ourselves to him so that he can guides us back to himself.

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An Evil Servant (Matthew 24:48-49)

During a discourse with the disciples, Jesus spoke of a wise servant contrasted him with an evil one.  The wise servant treated his household well, but the evil beat his fellow servants and began to drink with the drunken.  Why?  Why would the evil servant turn against fellow servants and begin to beat them?

But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall  begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; (Matthew 24:48-49)

One possible reason could be that the evil servant saw the other servants as less than him.  All of the people were servants, but he was given the responsibility of the household.  At some point, pride must have entered his heart and his view towards them changed.  Because he saw them as less than himself, he began to treat them lower than how he expected to be treated himself.

He may also have beaten them out of frustration.  As the servants failed to perform to his expectations, he may have become angry.  Instead of dealing with the servants' short comings in a proper manner, he took out his anger on them.  Because of their failures, his anger and frustration, he beat them in an attempt to get them to perform as expected.

The unwise servant may also have beaten his fellow servants in an attempt to get more out of them than their potential.  He was not satisfied with what they could do and therefore tried beating them to get more out of them.

He did all of this because he failed to focus on the return of his Lord and to recognize that the work was not his but, The Lord's who gave him the responsibility.

Ministers should never act in this manner.  They should never attack those who look to them for leadership nor take out their frustrations upon the sheep.  They are given the responsibility of leading fellow sheep and should never fail to recognize that they are equal to those that they lead.  They may be give a position and responsibility greater than other sheep, but they still are sheep.  Sadly to say, there are some who strive to build works greater than The Lord expects from them and in their attempt, they drive their people to accomplish more than what even The Lord expects from their.  They may not beat them physically, but their actions are just as wrong and hurtful.  Ministers should strive to keep their perspective of God's work equal to God's perspective.

Parents can fall into this same error.  Out of anger and frustration they can treat their children in wrongful manners because they see them as possessions instead of people for whom they have  been given a great responsibility.  They also error in the treatment if their children by driving them to accomplish their expectations instead of the Lord's.

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Repentance Doesn't Make Everything Right (Matthew 27:3)

How many of us have done something wrong and afterwards greatly regretted it.  Sometimes what was done could be undone.  Actions were reversed, thoughts were changed or isolated acts which did not affect anyone were never committed again.  However that is not always the case.  There may be words that were said that cannot be taken back.  Actions committed by us may hurt people deeply and regardless of how much sorrow we have, the hurt cannot be removed.  Sadly to say, the latter is more often the situation.

Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, (Matthew 27:3)

Such is the case with Judas.  He decided that he was no longer going to be a follower of Jesus and sought opportunity to betray him. So when the occasion arose, he turned Jesus over to the chief priests.  However after his trial and sentencing, Judas repented of his work against the innocent one, Jesus.  Regardless of his great sorrow and earnest desire to undo what he had done, he was helpless.

What brought about the repentance or change of heart?  We cannot be certain as to why his heart changed, but at least one option can be recognized.  What enabled Judas to be willing to betray the person by whom he saw many miracles performed?  In Luke 22:3, we see that Satan entered into Judas.  While under Satan's control, Judas performed actions that he would soon greatly regret.  After accomplishing what he wanted to do to Jesus, Satan no longer had any need for Judas.  So he departed from him.  It was then that the deceit which was upon Judas' heart left as well.  His eyes were open and he recognized the innocent one.  He repented for what he had done, but his repentance was too late.

Although it appears from scripture that a saved person cannot be possessed with an evil spirit, they can be oppressed by them.  Oppression occurs when evil spirits move against our hearts by waging a battle with our minds. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)  They put thoughts into our minds in an attempt to turn us against God, his guidance and his word.  It is at these times that we think, speak or act in sinful ways that we later regret.  However as with Judas, our repentance may come too late.  We may have the greatest level of sorrow possible, but sorrow and repentance cannot undo what we have done.  Relationships may be destroyed, lives may be shattered and homes broken without any hope of restoration.

It is for these reasons that we must walk with God so that we may abide in him and not be uprooted by the oppressive onslaught of the enemy.  It isn't reading the Bible that we need, but instead getting something from God through his word.  It isn't praying a list that will keep us unmoved, but talking with God.  The battle rages daily.  Take heed because repentance may not make everything right.

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What Does God Expect From Me (Matthew 24:45-46)

When it comes to my relationships with people, what does God expect from me?  I have heard many messages on this topic and each seems different from the others.  Their answers seem to reflect a combination of opinion and scripture.  If I am supposed to love God and live a life that pleases him, how should it be?

Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.  (Matthew 24:45-46)

This passage reflects God's will for how we should treat and interact with those whom God has brought into our lives.  God has set each of us over a household.  Household does not necessarily refer to those living under the roof of a house.  It comes from the word therapeia, which is similar to the words therapy or healing.  Therefore, God has set each of us over a group of people and has given us the responsibility of providing meat or nourishment, which is what they need to heal as believers.  Healing from hurt, pain, sorrow, worry, and fear is what God wants to do in each of their lives.  God chooses to use people in his work and he requires that we be faithful in fulfilling our responsibilities in this work.  Our "household" may consist of our family, a Sunday school class or an educational classroom.  It can include coworkers, peers, neighbors and those in our community.  We have been given by God all that we need to provide what they need to fulfill his plan for their lives.

Those who conscientiously live recognizing this responsibility towards others and strive to be used of God to meet their nourishment needs for healing will be called wise and faithful.  Additionally, God says that they will be supremely blessed.  We must stop focusing on just one entity of our household, but instead focus on the whole.

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Do You Push People From Jesus? (Matthew 20:31)

In some cities, the people brought the sick into the streets and sought The Lord to heal them.  And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole. (Mark 6:56)

However as Jesus left Jericho, two blind men were crying their hearts out for him to come and heal them, but the people rebuked them and told them to hold their peace (Matthew 20:31).  Why was it that the people in one city shunned the needy, but people from another city brought them to Jesus?

There are two reasons why this could occur.  The first cause would be that the people who shunned away the needy had a distorted view of Jesus: who he was and what he could do.  Those who had this diminished or wrong view of Jesus failed to see his willingness and ability to heal or save those who would come to him.

Another possible  reason why people pushed the needy away from Jesus was because they had a selfish view of him.  They didn't care about those who lived around them, but instead were concerned only about what they needed or desired and what they could get from Jesus.

We aren't any different today.  What we believe about Jesus determines what we will do with him.  If we recognize Jesus' ability and purpose, we will strive to aid him in his work at reaching out to the needy.  However if we fail to see this, our view will be what can Jesus do for me?

How do you see Jesus?  The question can be best answered with another question.  What are you doing with Jesus?  Are you sharing with others how you have experienced his love, forgiveness, strength and mercy or do you simply hoard what you get from Jesus?

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I Am Tired Of Forgiving (Luke 17:3)

I have been in the same church for over 30 years.  I have many friends in the church: with some I am very close while others are a little distant.  I have worked together with many of them on projects, ministry outreaches, and missions trips, but not without incidents or problems.  Some problems were worked out quickly because all in involved applied biblical principles.  However many situations arose where problems occurred that did not get resolved as expected.  Feelings were hurt, people refused to communicate with each other, resentments grew, which resulted in words and actions of anger.

Why?  I thought that the church was supposed to be a wonderful place where believers could experience a little bit of Heaven on Earth.  The church is a wonderful place, but it is made up of believers that still have their sin natures and many do not always act and respond to problems as stated in the scriptures.

The Lord admonishes us about forgiving our brothers.  In fact, he tells us that if a brother sins seven times in a day, repents and asks for forgiveness, we are to forgive. 

Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. (Luke 17:3)  

With this passage many focus on and teach that we must continually forgive those who repent and seek forgiveness for sin, but this passage teaches more than that.  It reveals that brothers and sisters in Christ, who truly repent of sinful actions, can quickly fall back into that very sin.  We must understand that some believers are in a great battle with anger.  While others battle to bridle their tongue and engage in this battle continually.  People can become bound in more sins than just alcohol, drugs and pornography.  These people, that we love and who continually fall into sin and seek forgiveness, are just as bound.  As we deal with each other, we must remember this and exercise longsuffering, mercy and compassion.

When we understand the battle with sin that others are experiencing, it makes it much easier to forgive.

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Ye Hypocrites (Matthew 22:18)

What is a hypocrite?  If you asked the average person to define a hypocrite, they would state something along the lines of a person who states how people should live and does not live that way.  At first glance it sounds good, but in reality it is wrong.  For those of us who are familiar with the scriptures, we know exactly how a person should live.  We know what the bible says about anger, forgiveness, pride, greed, lust, covetousness, fear, faith, compassion and the list goes on, but do you know anybody who always lives up to the biblical standard to which they know?  I'll be the first to admit it.  I don't live up to what I know.  There are times I should respond to people with mercy and compassion, but instead I have become angry.  There have been countless times when I should have had compassion towards others, but I acted in response to my own desires and needs.  All of us fall into this same situation, but does that makes us hypocrites?

Because of this thought about hypocrisy, many live their lives feeling like a hypocrite.  One of their greatest desires is that one day they will be able to live like they know they should live.  Their life is one of guilt and personal shame.  But we must stop and ask ourselves something, "Does God see them as hypocrites?"

In this passage, Pharisees and Herodians came to Jesus with the pretense that they believed that he was good, a teacher of God and not biased in his dealings with people, but it was a disguise so that they may trick him with their question about Caesar and taxes.  Jesus responded to them with the accusation of them being hypocrites. (But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?  Matthew 22:18). These people actually were hypocrites because a  hypocrite is defined as an actor under an assumed character.  In other words, he is a person who pretends to be something that he is not.  They pretended to believe in Jesus, but in actuality they did not.

Are you a hypocrite?  Do you disguise yourself to be a lover of The Lord Jesus and pretend to act as if you strive to live for him?  If so, you are a hypocrite.  However, if you love The Lord, long to please him and strive to guard the commandments in your heart so that even the words of your mouth and the meditations of your heart are acceptable in his sight and yet fall to temptation, you are not an hypocrite.  You are a sinner saved by grace.

Stop and think!  Did Jesus call Peter a hypocrite after he denied him three times?  In light of David's sins, was he considered a hypocrite?  No, he was a man after God's own heart.  Just because you struggle with sin and fall to temptation does not make you a hypocrite.  A hypocrite plans to be one.  He disguises himself to be something that he knows he is not.  You know what you are.  You are saved.  You love The Lord and you strive to live for him.  Hold your head up.  You are not a hypocrite.

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Repentance Precedes Believing (Matthew 21:32)

How do people get to the point of believing?  As sinners, our nature led us away from God and opposed him in every way.  All the while our deceitful hearts blinded us to our condition.  As the truth of the gospel was given to us, light illuminated our darkness exposing our true condition.  In order for us to believe the gospel and be saved, repentance needed to take place.  Repentance occurs when the heart of man ceases to resist God and yields in agreement with God's view about him being a sinner and in need of a savior.  At this point, pride, the root of all sins, has left the heart of man allowing truth from the word of God to create faith.

This same series of events works in believers after salvation as well.  When trials or even troubles from sin occur, we usually try to deliver ourselves.  When all else fails, we turn to God and ask for deliverance, but fail to see results.  We either accuse God of not listening to our prayer or wait for some feeling or sign that we have enough faith to pray for the needed answer.  What we fail to do is repent of our prideful acts of self deliverance.  Until repentance and confession occur, we will not have the faith needed.

Jesus pointed this out to the Pharisees.  They did not believe in the Lord, but then had the opportunity to see the miraculous works of salvation in the lives of publicans and harlots, but even after that, they would not repent of their beliefs about him so that they might believe in him.

For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.  (Matthew 21:32)

So, as you faces trials, troubles or consequences of sin, stop and look to see what efforts you are doing to deliver yourself.  Repent of these so that the Holy Spirit may do a work of grace in your life and enable you to believe and experience his deliverance.

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The Error of Solomon (1 Kings 11:6)

Many are familiar with Solomon and how he took the daughter of Pharaoh as his wife.  In time, he continued to love other women until he had accumulated 700 wives and 300 concubines.  In the end, the scriptures tell us that these women turned his heart away from God.  (Solomon clave unto these in love. 1 Kings 11:2-3)

A great lesson can be learned from Solomon.  Some think that it was women that turned his heart away from God, but that is an inaccurate conclusion.  It was his for love the women that enabled them to turn his heart.  What is important to note is that what you love can be used to turn your heart away from God.  It could be gold, power, recognition, career advancement or anything for which your heart has affection.  The New Testament admonishes us so that we may not fall into this trap.  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:2)

If we allow our hearts to be turned away from God to pursue other affections, we fall into the same evil as Solomon did by worshipping idols.  (And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father. 1 Kings11:6)

We can overcome following the wrongful longings of our hearts by making sure that no other loves or affections enter.  As Solomon was instructed to keep from going into the heathen, we should keep away from that which can influence or draw our hearts away from God. (1 Kings 11:2)  This thing may in and of itself not be wrong, but it may strongly tug upon your heart and lead your affection away from God.

As you walk with The Lord and experience his goodness, your hearts will long for him.  Fellowshipping in God's word and in praying will enlarge your heart for Him as well.  Your heart also will be drawn to him as you experience his power in ministry to others.

Between shunning the things that allure and drawing close to God,  you can keep from the error of Solomon.

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Faith In The Storm (Matthew 14:28)

Quite a few years ago, I was fishing on the Delaware Bay.  It was a fairly calm day with only small waves and while sailing along, I asked myself, "Would I be willing to step out of this boat and try to walk on the water?"  Needless to say, my answer was no.  In fact, I found that it would be very difficult for somebody to persuade me even to get out of the boat.  What amazes me is that Peter asked The Lord to bid him to come onto the water?  Why would he do such a thing?

A possible reason could be that there was great trouble in the ship in spite of their toiling, but Jesus was safe on the waves.  Peter recognized that where Jesus is there will be safety.  His belief was somewhat true, but he also found that even with Jesus there will be storms and waves. 

Jesus' presence will bring safety, but there also will be storms.  When in storms, it takes faith to go to Jesus and it takes even greater faith to stay with Jesus.  Greater faith is not more faith, but faith that endures longer.  

How long does you faith in God last?  If your response to trials is complaining or words of fear, you have little faith.  If you endure trials, but experience struggles and times of nearly quitting, you have more faith.  If you walk through trials and seldom waiver, you have much faith.  Great faith belongs to those who not only endure trials unwaveringly, but also encourage the faith of others.

How is your faith?

Faith Is A Persuasion (Matthew 9:21)

Faith is a condition in the heart of man that occurs when he is persuaded to believe that certain events will transpire.  It is not directly tied to God or the scriptures.  Both lost and saved men exercise faith on a daily basis.  The difference between the two is that one has their faith fixed in truth while the other's faith is misplaced in error.

In Matthew 9:21, a woman approaches Jesus and is completely persuaded that if she but touches the hem of his garment, she will be healed.  When I read the passage, I am forced to ask myself, "Do I have this magnitude of faith in my life?"  To be honest, I must confess that I usually have a mixed response.  My faith is firmly fixed on Jesus and because I have trusted only him for salvation, I have been redeemed from sin, adopted into his family, received his righteousness and will at some time meet him either in Heaven or in the air, but does God expect more from you and me?

Does he want your life to be a life of faith?  God wants you to live looking to him in a way that shows you are persuaded or convinced that he will perform expectedly.   Are you persuaded that God will always be faithful to you?  Are you persuaded that regardless of how circumstances may appear, God is good and he will always act in a manner that is for your good?  Are you persuaded that God will supply strength for your trials?  His strength may come to you through various methods, but it will come.  Are you persuaded that God's word is true and his manner of dealing with life's problems--as addressed in the scriptures--is always right?

Are you convinced or persuaded that you will always be acceptable to God?  Do you believe that you don't need to measure up or perform?  You can't measure up or perform to his desired level anyway.  in Jesus you are accepted.  Are you persuaded that God will not allow you to wander away in sin?  If you do, God, as a loving father, will bring correction into your life to bring you back.  

Faith is vitally important in salvation and and in daily living.  We should be persuaded about the finished work of Christ on the cross and also that he will be faithful to us.  Are you convinced?  Are you living the persuaded life?

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Mercy Is The Key (Matthew 9:13)

Mercy is the key to helping people.  This is best exemplified by Jesus when he was dining with Publicans and sinners.  The religious Pharisees questioned why Jesus would do such a thing.  They thought it best for a person to cut themselves off from those who fall short and miss the mark.  From Jesus's response, we can learn that the method for dealing with people is something that needs to be learned.  We need to learn it because it goes against our natural response or view about life.

Mercy is so vitally important for dealing with and helping people.  Cutting off those who fall short and are missing the "spiritual mark" will only enable them to struggle even more so and fall further away from God.

When God found each of us, we were missing the mark and falling terribly short.  Had he cut us off from himself until we brought our lives into line with his expectations, we would have remained dead in our sins and without hope.  However because of his mercy, he reached out to us, provided the healing that we needed and enablement to live for him.

Many believers have fallen into sin and away from God.  Their only hope is for us to reach out in mercy.  We must put compassion into action and by doing so, we can help the fallen stand strong again.  

Do you know anyone who has fallen?  Is there somebody from your church that you haven't seen in weeks?  Has anybody reached out to them in love and mercy?  If not, why not you?  Remember the words of the Apostle Jude, And of some have compassion, making a difference: (Jude 1:22).

You can make the biggest difference in a person's life, just by providing the compassionate mercy that they need.

Why Do We a Fear? (Matthew 8:26-27)

Fear is something all of us have experienced and hope to avoid.  Sometimes we face trials in life without fear and at other times, fear controls our actions, robs us of the pleasures in life and is the cause for many sleepless nights.  Why do we fear?  What can we do to keep from fearing?

Fear is the emotion that we experience when we face situations that present harm to us or impending doom.  Our two natural responses are to fight the situation or to run away.  Running from fear may be the best option.  If your house is on fire, run.  If you find your self crossing the street and an inattentive driver is speeding your way, get out of the way.  If you get attacked by an individual, your best response may be to fight your way out.  Fighting and running away are good responses, but they will not work for us as we face trials in life.  Believers can experience high levels of fear in their lives as they face trials.  Running away from problems does not work.  Fighting trials creates more trials such as anxiety, depression, resentment, anger, bitterness and the list can go on.  The reason people fear is because they do not understand or recognize the Lord's power or plan to deal with the situations that they are facing.  (Matthew 8:26-27)

In the Gospel of Matthew, the disciples experienced fear as they faced the storm at sea with the waves coming over the sides of the boat.  Granted they did wake The Lord and asked him to save them, but they were also amazed when he spoke the sea into calmness.  What did the disciples expect Jesus to do when they awoke him?  Did they expect him to aid in bailing out the water?  Did they expect him to provide to them an extra measure of ability to fight the storm?  Looking back at the event reveals that he had neither intention.  The disciples had fear because they did not understand the power that The Lord possessed.  Later in their lives they would grasp this understanding and willfully place their lives on the line as they spread the gospel to the entire world.  But at this time, their knowledge was limited.  Fear also comes when a person fails to grasp the sovereignty of God and recognizes that he is in control and can work all things together for good (Romans 8:28).

When facing trials, do not fight your way through or run from them.  Instead, look to The Lord.  Pray for him to guide your steps through the trial.  Cast your care upon him and let him know that you are depending on him to resolve the issue or to give you strength to endure the trial (1 Peter 5:7).  The victory will always come through him and not from ourselves.  If you have any comfort or confidence in your plans of action, you are most likely facing the trial alone because you have not yet relinquished control of the trial to The Lord.  It is important to remember that if you do respond to problems correctly, the trial may not necessarily disappear as quickly as it came.  Trials are for a purpose and until the purpose is attained, the trial will continue.  Your faith may need to be displayed before many people before the trial ends.  Until that time arrives, God wants you to experience peace in the midst of your trial.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)

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