GOD HAS THE ANSWERS YOU ARE LOOKING FO

Have you ever had a question or a problem that seemed to not have an answer, and you were unsure where to look? I have! And let me tell you, it’s frustrating. But Oh, the joy and relief when you finally figure it out; it feels as if someone suddenly switched on a light bulb in your head.

King David had a similar experience many years ago. For many years, he had watched the wicked prosper despite their wickedness. As evidence of their prosperity, their riches had multiplied, and they enjoyed a life of ease. In comparison, he had observed that the godly had constant trouble, himself included. For surely there must be something wrong with that picture, he thought.

The situation frustrated him, and he became envious of the wicked. He figured if the wicked prosper, then the righteous should prosper even more.  Perhaps out of frustration the king questioned the value of his faith: “Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason? I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain” (Psalm 73:13-14). To the Christian, the Word cautions, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I [Jesus] have overcome the world” (John 16:31).

In his discouragement, King David set out to learn the secret behind the success of the wicked. He asked, “Why do the wicked prosper?” (Ps 73:16) He discovered rather quickly that his research wasn’t going to be easy. Nevertheless, he did not give up his search; he stayed on task until he found the answers, right there in the house of God: “I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked” (V 17). His pursuit for insight was finally over, and he had learned some valuable lessons about himself, the wicked, and about God.

About himself:

The king learned that his heart was evil and from it came evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying and slander (Matthew 15:19). He learned his heart was bitter, he was torn up inside, he was foolish and ignorant; he was envious of the wicked. That sounds like the rest of mankind! Our hearts are desperately wicked just like the Scriptures say (see Jeremiah 17:9).

Like the king, we worry needlessly about things we don’t understand instead of going to the Lord in prayer. Fretting and worrying are proof that we don’t completely trust God, and wish we were in charge of situations ourselves, rather than leaving things in His hands. But like the king, we should turn to the Lord with our questions and concerns, trusting Him for the answers. It’s good to know that through challenges, we learn valuable lessons and gain knowledge that we’d otherwise not acquire. King David learned his lessons so well that, in his old age, he was able to say, “Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25).

About the wicked:

The wicked have no regard for the Lord, but He is patient with them and does not want them to perish; He is giving them time to repent. But because God is just, He will judge and destroy them if they don’t repent (see Ps 37:18-20; Ps 75:2, 8, 10). Unlike the king, let’s not envy the wicked, thinking they’re getting away with murder, because they are not. Instead of envying them, they need our love and prayers.  

About God:

The king learned that God is in charge at all times and in all situations; He knows and sees all, and nothing takes Him by surprise. His holiness demands that sin be punished; He has plans to reward the righteous and to punish the wicked. But because He’s not willing for any to be destroyed, He is exercising patience to give them time (see 2 Peter 3:8-9). His patience makes it appear the wicked are free to do as they please, but their day is coming if they don’t repent. We need to share the gospel with them and lead them to a saving faith in Jesus.   

Whatever your dilemma, do what King David did; go to the Lord in His sanctuary (Bible and prayer), and you’ll come out with answers that will calm your heart and sustain you through your difficulties.  

Ps: All quotes are from the New Living Translation (NLT).
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GOD’S HEART IS YEARNING TO BLESS YOU!

God loves us so much; He can’t wait to bless us! He desires to bless us non-stop. And of course we desire to be blessed, but what’s stopping Him from blessing us? The answer is simple—our disobedience!

I can literally hear and feel the pain in God’s voice when He says things like, “Oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!” (Psalm 81:13) He can’t contain Himself at the thought of all that He’d do to bless us: “How quickly I would then subdue their enemies! How soon my hands would be upon their foes!” (Verse 14)

In verse 8, He calls out, “Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings. O Israel, if you would only listen to me!” God is hurting over the fact that there are so many ways He could bless us, but He is unable to, because of our dull ears and hearts. We don’t listen, and when we listen, we don’t obey. How sad! He is pleading with us sinners: “Listen to me!” 

He even found it necessary to reintroduce Himself to them (us): “It was I, the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt.” Then He quickly added, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things” (verse 10). What are we waiting for? Why is it so hard for us to obey? Don’t we understand the price He paid to redeem us? The apostle Paul admonishes us, “God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world” (1 Corinthians 7:23). We are that precious in His sight. A mother would spend her last penny on her child, demonstrating that even we sinners know how to give good gifts to our children. God cannot do any less (see Matthew 7:11). He is waiting to bless us!

The blessings He promised include: “Now I will take the load from your shoulders; I will free your hands from their heavy tasks” (verse 6). “I would feed you with the finest wheat. I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock” (verse 16). What more do we want? Our God is able; the whole world belongs to Him, including us. He has given us freedom to choose so we can love, serve, and obey Him by choice, not by compulsion. He could make us obey Him, but that wouldn’t be fun or satisfying.

After all the failed coaxing, He declared: “But no, my people wouldn’t listen. Israel did not want me around. So I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas” (verse 11-12). How sad and disappointing!

God is longing for a meaningful relationship with us, His children. Let’s respond with the same kind of yearning. This world is passing away, and only those who do the will of God will abide forever. My heart’s cry is, “Lord, I love you; help me love you more through obedience.” What’s your heart’s cry today? Moses was called the friend of God. Why? Because Moses yearned to know God: “Show me your glorious presence” (Exodus 33:18). Do you know God enough? Are you content with where you are in your walk? If not, then let’s put worldliness behind us and seek after Him earnestly, with all our hearts. That’s the only way we are going to be happy and satisfied in our Christian walk, and the only way God is going to open the windows of heaven and pour His countless blessings on us.      

Here is a promise we can live by: “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). May God help us to seek after Him with all our hearts!   

Ps: All quotes are from the New Living Translation (NLT).

YOU ARE CALLING GOD A LIAR IF…

Nobody appreciates being called a liar, and most people will do whatever it takes to disprove an accusation like that, including children. Even people who intentionally lie under oath like to be believed. Before accusing another person of lying, though, we need to have proof to that effect. Calling someone a liar should never be based on the fact that we don’t like what they’ve said.

Have you ever heard anyone call God a liar? I haven’t, but we imply that when we choose not to believe what He says. We usually imply that when we object or refuse to accept His valuation of us or anything else. For example, “If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts” (1 John 1:10). Calling God a liar is an indication that we don’t know who He is. God is the Creator of the whole universe; power belongs to Him, and so does knowledge. He makes the rules, and they come with rewards for obedience and punishment for disobedience. He does not need anybody’s help to make anything happen; after all, He called the world into existence.

You are probably not aware that you’ve ever implied that God is a liar. But here are some examples:

Would you agree that you are a sinner? Maybe, maybe not, but this is what God says: “Everyone [including you] has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standards” (Romans 3:23). 

Would you agree that you are wicked? God says, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

Would you agree that you are corrupt and do nothing good? Here’s what God says, “The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone seeks God. But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one” (Psalm 14:2-3).  

If you disagree with any of these, you have non-verbally called God a liar! You see, His Word is true, and whatever He says is true. He never tells a lie; in fact, it is impossible for Him to lie (see Hebrews 6:18).

Do you believe what God says about you? If so, what have you done about it, or what do you intend to do about it? Maybe explaining the implications of what God says about you might help you decide on the right course of action.

God has declared that we’ve all sinned; we are wicked, and not a single one of us does any good. Ouch! Since God is just, He has to punish sin; but He has told us ahead of time what the punishment will be, to allow us the opportunity to make an informed decision. He says, “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). This means the punishment for sin is eternal separation from God at the end of this life, but if we repent and put our faith in Jesus, He’ll forgive us, and we’ll get to spend eternity with Him in heaven.

 So, now that you know your options, what will it be for you? Which one will you choose: eternity away from God in hell or eternity with God in heaven?

It’s possible you’re thinking to yourself, “I’ll take care of this matter later.” What time frame do you consider later? No matter how you answer this question, I’d like to caution you; you are not in charge of time or your life. In other words, your life could be required of you any time. I encourage you to make this decision now; that way you’ll be sure God will have a place for you in heaven, no matter when you leave this life. Don’t play the procrastination game, because you cannot repent after you die; it will be too late. I’d hate for you to hear God say to you at that time, “I do not know you; get away from me.”

Choosing where to spend eternity is the most important decision anyone will ever have to make in this life. Eternity never ends, so choosing to go to hell means choosing a forever existence of pain and torment. Please don’t call God a liar: agree with Him today, repent, and escape hell!  

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?

There is a sad behavior in society that needs to be addressed; it’s gone on far too long. We need to stop pretending to be God! We each need to ascertain the implication of what we do or plan to do before doing it. If we heed this admonition, we wouldn’t do some of the things we might otherwise do.

What behaviors do I have in mind? Those that question who God is, His power, ability, wisdom, right, and ownership.

Starting with ownership and right, the Bible says God created the world and all that is in it; He owns it all!

●      “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him” (Psalm 24:1). God is the owner!

●      “When he [God] spoke the world began! It appeared at his command” (Psalm 33:9). God created it, and therefore, He is the owner!

●      “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it” (Psalm 50:12). God is the owner!

Have you ever created anything? If so, wouldn’t you be the owner and also claim the rights to it? And if you were the owner, would you need another person’s permission to do with it as you please? How would you feel and respond if, without your permission, people took it upon themselves to make changes to what was legally yours?

And when it comes to power and ability:

My mind goes all the way back to what happened around the time Moses was born. A new pharaoh, who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done for Egypt in the past, came to power. Fearing the rapid growth of the Israelites, this pharaoh made changes that negatively affected God’s people. One of those changes was authorizing midwives to kill all Jewish baby boys at birth. He feared the Israelites would someday serve as allies to the enemies of Egypt if war ever broke out (see Exodus 1:8-22).

What right did this pharaoh or his officials have to reduce the male population? None! But most likely, it didn’t dawn on them that they were overstepping their boundaries; they were out of line. By their actions, they implied that God didn’t know what He was doing when He created baby boys; instead, He should have created girls.

Many years later, this attitude is still prevalent; innocent babies are aborted because the parents might be inconvenienced in some way by the baby’s existence. Some of the excuses for abortions for teenagers are: the parents are too young, need to finish school, or have no money. And for adults, the excuses include:  the parents already have enough children and can’t afford to feed another mouth, or their jobs are too demanding; another child would be a burden.

If the world and everybody in it belong to God, what right does anybody have to be killing these babies? How would you like someone barging into your house and throwing out your furniture because you have too much? Who do you think should make the decision as to how many pieces of furniture you should have, and how many are too many in your house? The last time I checked, it should be you, the owner, making such decisions!

How about the racial tension that goes on in society? God created all the races for His pleasure, enjoyment, and purpose. He did not assign any group as superior or inferior. In fact all races descended from the same couple, Adam and Eve! With the exception of color, everything else is the same in all humans. And when God says all have sinned, He meant all people --in all races (see Romans 3:23). And when He sent His Son Jesus to die, it was for all people (see John 3:16). All who are saved through Christ will be in heaven, no matter their racial background, and those who remain unsaved will spend time together regardless of their racial background (see Matthew 25:31-41).

Now those who have a problem with the existence of one race or the other imply that God made a mistake in creating that race, and that the world would have been better without them! And those who think the population of certain races should be reduced are putting themselves above God! How dare they? God will reduce the population when He wants to! He gets to decide when, how, and why; after all, “Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes” (Psalm 115:3). 

This reminds me of the devil’s aspiration: “I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13-14). Since then, he has been in competition with God, and is the power behind those who are all puffed up, thinking they know better than God and can and will fix His ‘mistakes.’ How rude, and how arrogant! These people are claiming authority that has never been offered to them; they are assuming a role that strictly belongs to God. 

Are you caught up in this behavior? What do you think you are doing when you mess with another person’s property? You are being disrespectful, proud, and arrogant! Let’s stop messing with God’s property, and mind our own business; enough is enough! It is okay to notice and even comment on differences like complexion, accent, etc., but please, stop interfering with God’s property! He does not need you going behind Him to undo or redo His work!

You’ve never created a human, and until you do, choose to be okay with God’s creation. Keep your hands off His property; He does not need you to grade His work or okay it! If He should ever need your input, He’ll let you know; He knows where to find you. Meanwhile, if you are so unhappy with this world, feel free to go build your own!

ARE YOU THE PERSON YOU CLAIM TO BE?

Many of the claims we make are questionable. For instance, did you really make that grade? Was that person your friend or an acquaintance? How about that quote: is it original with you or with someone else? How do people respond when they find out the truth about your claims? You might be wondering, “How would they find out anyway?” Most claims can be verified, that’s how!

Are you a Christian, or do you just claim to be one? Let’s make sure! How did you become a Christian? I hope you claim to be a Christian because at some point in your life, you understood that you are a sinner, and that if you remain in that state much longer, you’d go to hell when you died. But you also learned that Jesus died to pay for your sins, and so you repented, asking God for forgiveness through Jesus. He forgave you and gave you the assurance that you are His child: “To all who believed him [Jesus] and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God” (John 1:12-13). If you took this step sincerely, you are a Christian!

On the other hand, if your claim is based on anything other than what I just said, then you are not a Christian. You cannot base your claim on being good, having a church-going family, or anything else. If you’d like to be a Christian, I encourage you to do what I just described above. God loves you and is waiting to hear your prayer of repentance.

Now that we’ve settled the issue of how to become a Christian, let’s figure out how you can be sure and how others can see and attest to your claim that you are a Christian. First thing, as a Christian, the Holy Spirit comes to indwell you at the moment of salvation, and that identifies you as a child of God. It also serves as the down payment for all the promises He has made: “He has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us” (2 Corinthians 1:22). Second, the Scriptures tell us we experience a transformation when we become Christians: “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Because, “God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his footsteps” (1 Peter 2:21).

Third, the change is gradual, but it is nevertheless a change. The change will become more evident as you read and study the Word of God, and obey it through the help of the Holy Spirit. The Word of God is your spiritual food; feed on it: “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness” (1 Peter 2:2-3).

So if you are nourishing your new nature, you should notice a change in your thinking, desires, actions, priorities, etc. Would you like to be sure you have a personal relationship with God? Here’s the test for you: “We can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims ‘I know God,’ but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him” (1 John 2:3-5). Are you obeying Him?   Others should also notice over time that you are a changed person (not perfect). If you claim to be a Christian but demonstrate no change, people will question that claim, and for good reason.

What are some of the things that will make your claims questionable?

Living contrary to Christ’s nature (our new nature) casts doubts on our claims. “God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth” (1 John 1:5). Also, our attitude towards other believers proves or disproves our claim: “If anyone claims ‘I am living in the light,’ but hates a fellow believer, that person is still in darkness” (1 John2:9). Expressed more earnestly, John says, “If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them” (1 John 3:14-15).

When we don’t live according to the standards of the Word of God, we are in essence saying we are not God’s children, which means we are children of the devil: “Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are the children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God” (1 John 3:9-10).

So are you the person you claim to be—a Christian? Well then, let it show! Being a Christian means you love God, and “Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith” (1 John 5:3-4). Seek fellowship with other believers, share your faith with others, and be a living testimony for God’s glory!