THE PURPOSE OF THE SCRIPTURES

 

The Scriptures are the inspired Words of God; it’s a compilation of what was written down by many inspired individuals at different times. It’s impressive that, even though many people were involved in getting us the Bible, the books complement each other beautifully with no contradictions. The earlier prophecies have each come true; the unfulfilled ones will be when the time is right. The age of the Scriptures doesn’t seem to affect its integrity or application; it works for and applies equally to every generation.

If one wonders why God gave us the Scriptures, the Scriptures themselves tell us why; it tells us: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16). So, in short, the purpose of the Scriptures is to direct our Christian walk and equip us to minister to others.

In directing our Christian walk, the Scriptures give us reasons to trust God as our faithful Father who never goes back on His Word. This knowledge keeps us grounded in our faith. And as the Church, we can and should confidently encourage one another by what we learn from the Scriptures and how applying it enhances our walk.

The Scriptures expose our innermost thoughts and desires as God sees them (see Hebrews 4:12-13), whether good or bad; this allows us to ensure our heart is in line with God’s plan.

Dear Christian, what have you learned from the Scriptures so far, have you been applying it, and is it transforming your life? The scriptures tell us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

I hope you’ve learned that your life, now and later, depends upon that knowledge; the devil, our enemy, like a roaring lion, is doing all he can to cause us to fail in one way or another. He will not give in or give up; neither should we. Let’s focus on Jesus Christ, our Savior, and trust Him to direct us through the Holy Spirit.

The purpose of the Scriptures is to guide us to live godly lives in this life and prepare us for eternity, where we’ll see Jesus, our Savior, face-to-face. And oh, we’ll hear Him say to us: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21). He will wipe away our tears, and there’ll never again be mourning, crying, or pain (see Revelation 21:4).

May the promises of the Scriptures help us live in anticipation of Jesus’ return to take us home so that where He is, we may also be (see John 14:3).    

The benefits of the Scriptures Based on Psalm 119:

∙        It’s a privilege to know the Word of God; not all people do (see v. 29).

∙        God’s Word is trustworthy; it extends to all generations (see v. 89-91, 96, 128, 138, 140, 152, 160).

∙        It’s more valuable than earthly treasures (see v. 111,127, 162).

∙        We need God’s Word to direct our path in a foreign land-the world we live in (see v. 19, 105, 133).

∙        We need the Holy Spirit’s help gleaning what we need to know (see v. 18, 27, 32, 66).

∙        It cautions us when we face sin (see v. 9, 11, 34, 39, 61, 101).

∙        We gain wisdom and understanding from studying the Word (see v. 24, 32, 98-100, 104).

∙        Understanding the Word brings us joy, hope, and comfort (see v. 35, 43, 49, 52, 76, 77).

∙        It helps us understand and accept His corrections (see v. 67, 71, 75).

∙        It encourages community with other believers (see v. 63, 74, 79).

∙    We should honor, love, meditate on, and obey His Word (see v. 48, 55).

∙        God honors and gives long life to those who love and obey His Word (see v. 58, 65, 93, 122).

∙        The purpose for living is to obey Him (see v. 146, 175).

SIN HAS CAUSED US MORE THAN WE BARGAINED FOR

  

What is a bargain? It is an agreement between two people or groups in which each party promises to do something in exchange for something else. Bargaining happens quite often between employers and employee unions. In this instance, the employer might agree to pay hikes if employees agree to work on certain holidays.

As a retired nurse, I know a bit about bargaining; we had a union at the hospital where I worked for years. We threatened to strike if specific demands weren't met; the needs included pay raises and better patient-nurse ratios. Some negotiations ended well, where both parties agreed, and strikes were averted. 

On one occasion, though, most of the nurses went off the job to picket, leaving only a few to take care of the patients. To the nurses' surprise, the problem was not resolved as quickly as expected; they were out for about three weeks without pay. Ouch! They did not get what they had bargained for.

Have you ever bargained for anything? How did it go?

Our original parents, Adam and Eve, got more than they bargained for. They chose to disobey God, who had clearly warned they'd die if they ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (see Genesis 2:15-17). Instead of obeying God, they followed the devil because he assured them they wouldn't die and would be wise like God if they ate the fruit (Genesis 3:4-5). They had a decision to make; either eat the fruit and be wise (not die) or stay away from the fruit and definitely live but not be as wise. What a dilemma!

Sadly, they chose to eat the fruit, but what they got wasn't what they bargained for; they got death—separation from God and not wisdom as the devil had promised. It was too late to undo their deed of disobedience. God's pronouncement prevailed; they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden to go and fend for themselves. And with that came all kinds of evil and suffering passed on to us, their descendants.

If they had obeyed God and stayed away from that fruit, we wouldn't be in our current predicament of sickness (diseases with names we can't pronounce), suffering, early death, the aged losing their memory, unbelievable violence, and on and on.

When I look at all these consequences, my heart aches; all I say to myself is sin has brought us more than our ancestors bargained for; it has brought us pain and suffering: not the wisdom they expected.

But, thank God, our pain and suffering will not follow us into eternity unless we reject God. The suffering in this world should be enough to make each person desire a better life in eternity, but some people are not paying attention. How sad it will be to suffer in this life and then die, only to experience a second death—hell.

To escape the second death, one must repent of one's sins and ask God for forgiveness through Jesus. The Bible tells us, "God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood … He declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus" (Romans 3:25-26). If you've never taken this step, please do it today; time is running out.

For the Christian, there is hope that our pain won't go on forever; we will spend eternity in heaven where there will be no evil, sickness, death, crying, or pain (see Revelation 21:4, 27). We will see Jesus face-to-face, and His name will be written on our foreheads; we'll be praising and worshiping Him forever (see Revelation 22:4).

If you are reading this, you have time to change your destiny; wait no longer!

OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS

 Occupational hazard is a very common expression in our society that refers to potential risks, dangers, or perils associated with one’s job or profession.  For example, people who work with asbestos risk developing lung cancer later on in life; roofers run the risk of falls and injuries. In general, most professions, if not all, have associated risks. 

So are there associated risks with Christian Service (Ministry)?  The answer is a resounding yes! There are associated risks for being a Christian; Jesus warned, “In this world, you will have trouble” (John 16:33 NIV). The early Church was bitterly persecuted, and the hymnist captured it this way, “Mocked, imprisoned, stoned, tormented, sawn asunder, slain with sword.” The Church today still faces persecution in horrible ways, including isolation and being disowned by loved ones. Persecution and the like, as harsh as they sound, are not the worst hazard associated with Christian Ministry.

The worst I believe, is DISCOURAGEMENT, which can happen to any Christian, no matter how spiritually matured. How does one arrive at discouragement? Discouragement creeps into our lives for various reasons and at different times. Discouragement can result when there’s insufficient support or cheering on (encouragement), insufficient supplies to work with, obstacles and threats in the way, and the absence of fruit. Discouragement, if not appropriately addressed can lead to despondency and throwing in the towel.      

First King 18 recaps for us the contest between the prophet Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Elijah challenged those prophets to call on Baal to send down fire to consume their sacrifice, which of course didn’t happen. On the other hand, God answered Elijah’s prayer! When he called, fire came down from heaven, burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and licked up the water in the trench. After demonstrating that “The Lord--He is God! The Lord--He is God!” (1 Kings 18:39 NIV), Elijah had Baal’s prophets killed. King Ahab’s wife, Jezebel swore to kill Elijah in revenge. So what did Elijah do? He ran for his life; he went into hiding! He was so discouraged he wanted to die. His prayer was, “I have had enough, Lord, take my life; I am no better than my ancestors” (1 King 19:4 NIV).

Elijah was exhausted, persecuted, and afraid, which then led to discouragement, to the point of wishing he were dead. Could it be that he had no prayer support? Maybe! Before Elijah was discouraged, he was fine.  He had challenged the people, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21 NIV). He had also challenged the king without fear of punishment, telling him he and his father’s house had made trouble for Israel (see 1Kings 18:18), and then taunted the prophets of Baal about their god who could be asleep, deep in thought, busy, or traveling (see 1 Kings 18:27). Discouragement however, changed everything for him; he threw in the towel!

Discouragement can be a serious occupational hazard in Christian Ministry.  Let us remember to pray for one another, for our Missionaries, and for our pastors. Let us cheer them on, and if at all possible, make sure they have all they need to get the job done.

ETERNAL LIFE STARTS ON EARTH

 

Some synonyms of ‘eternal’ are: without end, everlasting, endless, unending, and perpetual. According to Scripture, for the Christian, eternal life starts here on earth, goes through this earthly life, and continues into life after death when we see Jesus face to face. Hence eternal life is a life that goes on without ever coming to an end. It is essential to mention that unbelievers will face eternity as well: their eternity, however, will be without Christ, and their existence will not be life, but death-which is the second death mentioned in Revelation (see Rev 20:14-15). As sad as it sounds, their eternity will be with the devil and his angels in hell. That is why they need to believe in Jesus now while they have time.

It is reasonable to assume that eternal life is futuristic, after death or after we see Jesus face to face. Scripture, however, does not teach that. Jesus defines eternal life this way, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” John 17:3 NIV).

Again, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has (not will have) eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over From death to life” (John 5:24 NIV). About His sheep in John 10:28, Jesus said, “I give (not will give) them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. Also, “I write these things
to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have (not will have) eternal life” (1 John 5:13 NIV). Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus? If yes, your eternal life has already started; it started the minute you believed. John also says in John 3:36, “Whoever believes in the Son has (not will have) eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

Since we already have eternal life, how should we live? We must live with gratitude, assurance, confidence, humility, excitement, and expectation. Not all of God’s promises of heaven can be realized now because we still live in our old tents of sin. But that day is coming when we will be clothed with immortality, and we can experience everything the Father has promised us. Until then, let us practice some of the heavenly life as much as we can in these our mortal bodies. Praise, worship, joy, and obedience will keep us focused on our heavenly home. Amen!