THIS WEEK I'm blogging kind of late in the day, but it's because I just got back from an amazing event called Campus Harvest all the way in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina - 7 hours away! Campus Harvest is an annual conference for Christian college students and high school seniors from many states (and even a few different countries). It was an inspiring and transformative experience like I've never had before.
Going into this experience, I had this one verse in my heart. I was already thinking about it before I left, and on the long van ride up north I read the chapter it comes from. I'll give it to you with the verse that comes before, to put it in context.
Hebrews 12:28-29 "[28] Therefore, since we are receivign a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. [29] For our God is a consuming fire."
Read that again - "our God is a consuming fire." That's very assuring. It means that God is personal and near, and that it is His heart's desire to light us aflame with a desire for His will to be done. Having such a desire for the glory of His name, for righteousness, and for the advancement of His kingdom is called being holy. God tells us to be holy, for He is holy.
My desire as I anticipated Campus Harvest was to be consumed by this consuming fire. I want to hear what God says and just know that I am near Him. I can confidently say that I got what I was looking for.
The theme of this year's event was "Transformation." I would be blogging for way too long tonight if I went into detail on every amazing aspect of Campus Harvest. It would be too much to recount the awe-inspiring testimonies of salvation I heard from people who had been as lost and anti-Jesus as people could be; the true stories of faith healings that I'm surprised weren't on the News; the brilliance of the words spoken in the seminars we attended; the quiet confidence of the small group discussion in my hotel room; the mighty, holy thrill that illuminated in our worship; and the vast crowds of people milling forward either to be saved by the grace of God or to declare that they have been called toward evangelism. I simply do not have time to tell everything, although I wish I could.
I'm careful with the word 'awesome.' This was awesome. It's just so amazing to see these many hundreds of young adults all expressing such sincere devotion to the God we worship. It makes me think, maybe the world isn't doomed. There is hope in the name of Jesus, by whom all men can be saved, and here is a lively, youthful multitude whose faith is resulting in actions. Sparks are flying, and they will cause wildfires.
The greatest thing I remember was the worship. We arrived at church yesterday around 7:00 PM, and we started worshipping around 8:00. We did not stop until midnight. But it wasn't just singing either. People sought God. We shouted and screamed praise to Him, we prayed together, we begged God to fill us with His Holy Spirit. I had an image of a clay pot left outside in the rain, how it gets full to the brim with water when the rain comes down. I prayed we would be filled with the Spirit the same way. Many people prophesied or spoke in tongues, and many were baptized - including my friend Ebun Bolujo! Once, I joined a prayer circle of people I don't know and just shouted my prayers to God. I made a new friend who was born in Ukraine.
Earlier this very week, I attended Engage the Spirit - an awesome event at my church where we worship God expressively and with reckless abandon, just to draw near to Him. This time of worship was somehow even greater than that. Maybe it was the great length of the session: I don't think I've ever worshipped for so long all at once in my life. Maybe it was the baptism of over 200 people. Maybe it was the intensity of the worship - I'm very surprised I didn't lose my voice with all the shouting I did! The Spirit of God was definitely in that place, so surely that I can't imagine who wouldn't be saved, or at the very least deeply touched, staying in that Sanctuary for those hours while we praised God.
This weekend God taught me a few things. Firstly, He helped me expand the boundaries of my worship. I'm even louder and more passionate now than I was before! Not that it's the volume that makes the worship, but I just feel like I get into it even more than I already did. I love worship to begin with.
Secondly, He encouraged me to take away all the remnants f bitter feelings I have kept toward people that I have grievances against. Everybody gets hurt or offended sometimes. But when we forgive completely, God pours out blessings on us abundantly and extravagantly. He just loves it when we forgive others as He has forgiven us. He spoke to me through Ephesians 4:31-32 : "[31] Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. [32] And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." I know that's extremely hard sometimes, but by God's grace alone it is possible. And more importantly, it is necessary. One of the speakers, Josh McDowell, pointed out that when we don't forgive, we are only hurting ourselves. So I have resolved to finally forgive all the hurts I remember.
Finally, He helped me understand what He was telling me last week. God isn't trying to confuse us. In fact, He wants us to seek Him for understanding when we get confused. If you read my post last week you'll remember that I heard Him encouraging me to get better at evangelizing. Now, through a seminar I attended taught by Rice Broocks (co-author of The Purple Book!) He helped me understand that I am not being called right now to be an evangelist, but to "do the work of an evangelist." At this seminar, called "Are You An Evangelist?" I heard that God has called some people to be evangelists, but He has called all of us to make disciples and share the gospel. Evangelizing is part of our faith, for all of us, and He wants me to get better at this. Yet He has given a special gift of evangelism to certain people, while He gives other gifts to others. I have resolved to jump on any chance I get to share the gospel. I don't want to miss the chances I get.
I got what I wanted out of this amazing weekend. I am grateful for this experience, because I truly feel confident that I have begun to be consumed by this God who is a consuming fire. It was a weekend I will not forget. A multitude of college-age youths got together and sought God for a few days, many of us far from home, and we left transformed.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Evangelism is Actually a Good Thing.
THIS WEEK I think I've heard God telling me something very specific. I need to get better at evangelizing.
I made a list not too long ago of some of the things I want to make sure I do in my lifetime. The first thing on that list was to make at least one convert. Of course, I hope to make many more. But I want to start doing this because I understand that it is very important.
Evangelizing is a part of Christianity that I fear too many of us disregard. Maybe we think it would be rude to tell someone that his beliefs are wrong. Maybe we think it's not important. If you look in the Bible, Jesus tends to disagree. The last thing He did before leaving the earth after His resurrection was give us the very clear and emphatic Great Commission.
Matthew 28:19-20 "'Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the nme of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen."
We cannot disregard Christ's words as conditional or irrelevant. He did not give us a command to do something wrong. In giving us this task He hasn't told us to go forth and be judgemental and mean - that's not what evangelism means. He wants us to do this because He wants to save people's lives like He has saved ours. He wants us to be a part of this plan, so He put His shining light insight of us to show the world. It's not a crime against our friends' rights to their beliefs if we show love to them.
God spoke to me through my youth pastor at church on Wednesday night. The sermon was about the importance of evangelism and of our willingness to obey God's will. I find that this subject is on my mind sometimes at school already, but I never really know what to do about it. Pastor Ryan showed us a video that I've seen a few times before. This really impacted me because I was already thinking about part of it earlier this week, and I hadn't seen it in a couple years.
This is a link to a video of the magician Penn Jillette discussing the concept of evangelism.
This man is a very determined atheist, but he can see that evangelism is a good thing. I was thinking about his metaphor about the truck earlier this week. Many people are offended by evangelism or would feel rude doing it, but think about it like Mr. Jillette does: if your friend was about to get hit by a truck, and you knew it, you would have to hate him not to make him get out of the way. So evangelism is only rude if it is also rude to push your friend bodily out of the way of a racing truck.
Now, we aren't called to make evangelism into an aggressive or hateful business, as I've seen some people do. It's not our job to judge and scare people, but it is our job to love them. And sometimes loving them involves being willing to tell them they're wrong if it's going to save their lives.
Like my grandma was telling me earlier this week, we shouldn't feel like failures if we meet somebody who is not saved and then don't share the gospel with him. It is our responsiblity, however, to listen to God. If He is opening the door and pushing on our hearts to say something, we should not keep it to ourselves. After all, God loves everybody, and He hates sin. He wants us all to come back to Him. And evangelism is one of many important ways to show Jesus' love: we should also be charitable, considerate, kind, and understanding like He is.
On the morning after that video was played at church, my friend Sarah Davis brought something wonderfully relevant to share at FISH club. It was a passage from 2 Corinthians 5. Two verses in particular stand out to me.
v. 17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
That's a Christian's life! It's freedom from fear. It's the promise that in God's eyes our yesterdays are dead and He will look no more on the sin that used to separate us from Him. He has taken in away by bearing the punishment for it in our place. And we cannot give a better gift to the people in our lives than the good news that we can all be made new.
v. 20 "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God."
Think about the people in your life. We have been blessed with having people in our lives. They are fearfully and wonderfully made children of God, just like everyone. Many of them are intelligent or talented or loyal or brave. People need to be loved.
In response to the way God has brought this subject to my attention this week, I have resolved to keep my eyes open for every chance I have to share the gospel, or to share love in any way. The result of evangelism isn't always conversion, but doing God's will is never in vain. Mr. Jillette was not saved when he rescieved that Bible, but as you saw, he was very deeply marked by the experience. God's love is a foreign concept to the world that really captures people's attention.
What will you resolve to do? Pray about it, and look around to see if anybody is about to get hit by a truck. This is improtant to Jesus, because people are important to Him. Let's make them important to us too.
I made a list not too long ago of some of the things I want to make sure I do in my lifetime. The first thing on that list was to make at least one convert. Of course, I hope to make many more. But I want to start doing this because I understand that it is very important.
Evangelizing is a part of Christianity that I fear too many of us disregard. Maybe we think it would be rude to tell someone that his beliefs are wrong. Maybe we think it's not important. If you look in the Bible, Jesus tends to disagree. The last thing He did before leaving the earth after His resurrection was give us the very clear and emphatic Great Commission.
Matthew 28:19-20 "'Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the nme of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen."
We cannot disregard Christ's words as conditional or irrelevant. He did not give us a command to do something wrong. In giving us this task He hasn't told us to go forth and be judgemental and mean - that's not what evangelism means. He wants us to do this because He wants to save people's lives like He has saved ours. He wants us to be a part of this plan, so He put His shining light insight of us to show the world. It's not a crime against our friends' rights to their beliefs if we show love to them.
God spoke to me through my youth pastor at church on Wednesday night. The sermon was about the importance of evangelism and of our willingness to obey God's will. I find that this subject is on my mind sometimes at school already, but I never really know what to do about it. Pastor Ryan showed us a video that I've seen a few times before. This really impacted me because I was already thinking about part of it earlier this week, and I hadn't seen it in a couple years.
This is a link to a video of the magician Penn Jillette discussing the concept of evangelism.
This man is a very determined atheist, but he can see that evangelism is a good thing. I was thinking about his metaphor about the truck earlier this week. Many people are offended by evangelism or would feel rude doing it, but think about it like Mr. Jillette does: if your friend was about to get hit by a truck, and you knew it, you would have to hate him not to make him get out of the way. So evangelism is only rude if it is also rude to push your friend bodily out of the way of a racing truck.
Now, we aren't called to make evangelism into an aggressive or hateful business, as I've seen some people do. It's not our job to judge and scare people, but it is our job to love them. And sometimes loving them involves being willing to tell them they're wrong if it's going to save their lives.
Like my grandma was telling me earlier this week, we shouldn't feel like failures if we meet somebody who is not saved and then don't share the gospel with him. It is our responsiblity, however, to listen to God. If He is opening the door and pushing on our hearts to say something, we should not keep it to ourselves. After all, God loves everybody, and He hates sin. He wants us all to come back to Him. And evangelism is one of many important ways to show Jesus' love: we should also be charitable, considerate, kind, and understanding like He is.
On the morning after that video was played at church, my friend Sarah Davis brought something wonderfully relevant to share at FISH club. It was a passage from 2 Corinthians 5. Two verses in particular stand out to me.
v. 17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
That's a Christian's life! It's freedom from fear. It's the promise that in God's eyes our yesterdays are dead and He will look no more on the sin that used to separate us from Him. He has taken in away by bearing the punishment for it in our place. And we cannot give a better gift to the people in our lives than the good news that we can all be made new.
v. 20 "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God."
Think about the people in your life. We have been blessed with having people in our lives. They are fearfully and wonderfully made children of God, just like everyone. Many of them are intelligent or talented or loyal or brave. People need to be loved.
In response to the way God has brought this subject to my attention this week, I have resolved to keep my eyes open for every chance I have to share the gospel, or to share love in any way. The result of evangelism isn't always conversion, but doing God's will is never in vain. Mr. Jillette was not saved when he rescieved that Bible, but as you saw, he was very deeply marked by the experience. God's love is a foreign concept to the world that really captures people's attention.
What will you resolve to do? Pray about it, and look around to see if anybody is about to get hit by a truck. This is improtant to Jesus, because people are important to Him. Let's make them important to us too.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
David Defeats Goliath
THIS WEEK I was reading the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. My Bible study group had read it on Moday morning, and on Monday afternoon I was reviewing it again. Do you know that story? A young man named David stood up against the champion of the Philistine army because he mocked the armies of God, the Israelites. Goliath was a giant and a warrior, and David was only a little shepherd boy who was good with a sling. He stood up against Goliath when nobody else would because he loved God, and the giant dishonored Him.
David came armed with a sling and a bag of stones, and no armor, since the armor available did not fit. He was a funny sight. When Goliath was finished with his merciless mocking, David replied with boldness, demonstrating that his confidence was not in his own skill or strength but in God. While you read his words, try to imagine the powerful phrases coming from the mouth of a little shepherd boy with only a sling and a bag.
v. 46-47 "[46] This day the Lord will devliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. [47] Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands."
Do you see the power in these words? Only David among all the Israelites was bold enough to oppose Goliath. David was only able to stand up with such boldness because he knew God was on his side. The result was that he defeated Goliath with one shot, and the Israelites were victorious over the entire Philistine army after he fell.
v. 49 "Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth."
Did you know that this story is still relevant today? Anywhere that there is an obstacle and a person (or group) with enough faith to believe God is stronger than the obstacle, there is another David and Goliath. We can tell this story to remind each other that nothing is insurmountable to God.
Immediately after I finished my Bible study, I got the chance to share this encouraging story. My friend Katie called asking me for verses to help her friend Mary prepare for a speech at her church. She needed verses about bullying, and here I was with David and Goliath open in front of me. So I was blessed with the opportunity to share this reference as well as another reference about dealing with enemies.
But I also got another chance to apply this to my life this week. On Thursday I had a very important Calculus test that I needed to do well on, and I was nervous. I studied until about 1 AM on Wednesday night. But I resolved to work at Calculus "as unto the Lord," (Colossians 3:23-24) and I claimed God's promise that He is able to make us victorious over our obstacles. It also helped that my friend Jenny White texted me her prayer for me over this test, making reference to Isaiah 26:3.
Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind in stayed on You, because he trusts in You." This means that when we trust in God, He honors our faith and gives us peace regardless of our circumstances.
So I went in to take that test, my Goliath. I had one chance, one throw of a stone, to defeat it. But I trusted that no assignment would be able to bring me to destruction as long as my trust is in God, and I had peace in my heart because I trusted Him. I think the test went very well.
This promise is true for all of us. God is true, and He promises truly. When we claim the things He has promised in His word, our faith will never be misplaced and we will not be disappointed.
Proverbs 30:5, "Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him." From this we learn that His promises are true and that it is worthwhile to trust Him. He always comes through and He is strong enough for anything.
As He was there for David, whom he even made into an anscestor of Jesus Christ, He will be there for anybody who trusts in Him. And when He gives us the victory, even if it doesn't look like a victory from where we stand, it is the least we can do to praise Him for it. Let's remember that the death of Jesus looked like an enormous defeat - how the demons must have cackled! - at least until He rose up again on the third day. God doesn't lose.
I'm praising Him that I'm so quickly approaching my goal in raising money for my mission trip to Peru in June. My friend Jade is praising Him that she is receiving a $32,000 scholarship from the University of Florida, which means she's going to school with me. He is moving everywhere and demonstrating His power, pouring blessings on the lives of those who trust Him.
What are you praising Him for right now? It may be a big turning point in your life, or it may be the light of another day. He is worthy to be praised in all seasons, and the substance of true faith - which He honors and rewards greatly - is to trust Him even when it is hard.
Now, we don't always get what we want. But we do always get what God wants, when we put our trust in Him instead of in ourselves. Let's pray that His will will be done, and that we will hear Him when He calls, so that when He says to stand up and face our giants we will be willing to obey Him. It doesn't matter whether we are strong enough. We probably wont be. But God is. God loves showing His trustworthiness and strength by using the weak to accomplish His purposes.
Paul wrote of Jesus in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
David came armed with a sling and a bag of stones, and no armor, since the armor available did not fit. He was a funny sight. When Goliath was finished with his merciless mocking, David replied with boldness, demonstrating that his confidence was not in his own skill or strength but in God. While you read his words, try to imagine the powerful phrases coming from the mouth of a little shepherd boy with only a sling and a bag.
v. 46-47 "[46] This day the Lord will devliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. [47] Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands."
Do you see the power in these words? Only David among all the Israelites was bold enough to oppose Goliath. David was only able to stand up with such boldness because he knew God was on his side. The result was that he defeated Goliath with one shot, and the Israelites were victorious over the entire Philistine army after he fell.
v. 49 "Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth."
Did you know that this story is still relevant today? Anywhere that there is an obstacle and a person (or group) with enough faith to believe God is stronger than the obstacle, there is another David and Goliath. We can tell this story to remind each other that nothing is insurmountable to God.
Immediately after I finished my Bible study, I got the chance to share this encouraging story. My friend Katie called asking me for verses to help her friend Mary prepare for a speech at her church. She needed verses about bullying, and here I was with David and Goliath open in front of me. So I was blessed with the opportunity to share this reference as well as another reference about dealing with enemies.
But I also got another chance to apply this to my life this week. On Thursday I had a very important Calculus test that I needed to do well on, and I was nervous. I studied until about 1 AM on Wednesday night. But I resolved to work at Calculus "as unto the Lord," (Colossians 3:23-24) and I claimed God's promise that He is able to make us victorious over our obstacles. It also helped that my friend Jenny White texted me her prayer for me over this test, making reference to Isaiah 26:3.
Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind in stayed on You, because he trusts in You." This means that when we trust in God, He honors our faith and gives us peace regardless of our circumstances.
So I went in to take that test, my Goliath. I had one chance, one throw of a stone, to defeat it. But I trusted that no assignment would be able to bring me to destruction as long as my trust is in God, and I had peace in my heart because I trusted Him. I think the test went very well.
This promise is true for all of us. God is true, and He promises truly. When we claim the things He has promised in His word, our faith will never be misplaced and we will not be disappointed.
Proverbs 30:5, "Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him." From this we learn that His promises are true and that it is worthwhile to trust Him. He always comes through and He is strong enough for anything.
As He was there for David, whom he even made into an anscestor of Jesus Christ, He will be there for anybody who trusts in Him. And when He gives us the victory, even if it doesn't look like a victory from where we stand, it is the least we can do to praise Him for it. Let's remember that the death of Jesus looked like an enormous defeat - how the demons must have cackled! - at least until He rose up again on the third day. God doesn't lose.
I'm praising Him that I'm so quickly approaching my goal in raising money for my mission trip to Peru in June. My friend Jade is praising Him that she is receiving a $32,000 scholarship from the University of Florida, which means she's going to school with me. He is moving everywhere and demonstrating His power, pouring blessings on the lives of those who trust Him.
What are you praising Him for right now? It may be a big turning point in your life, or it may be the light of another day. He is worthy to be praised in all seasons, and the substance of true faith - which He honors and rewards greatly - is to trust Him even when it is hard.
Now, we don't always get what we want. But we do always get what God wants, when we put our trust in Him instead of in ourselves. Let's pray that His will will be done, and that we will hear Him when He calls, so that when He says to stand up and face our giants we will be willing to obey Him. It doesn't matter whether we are strong enough. We probably wont be. But God is. God loves showing His trustworthiness and strength by using the weak to accomplish His purposes.
Paul wrote of Jesus in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Good
THIS WEEK I have some encouraging words about the difference between good and evil.
Think for a moment about all the horrible things you heard about on the news this week. Then again, don't think about it. It's too awful. They really throw some sad stuff at us, don't they? The world is not in a good condition. It's not uncommon for us to ask ourselves why it is that the world is so evil, since God is so good. It's a common objection among atheists to say that a good God wouldn't have created a world like this.
In a sense, they're right. God is good, but He didn't make the world like this. He made it all good. If you read the first chapter of Genesis you can see Him look at everything He makes one at a time and call it good, and the finished product "very good." And if you look at the things that we haven't managed to mess up, for example, the complex functions of the human body and the regular spinning of the twinkling universe, you can see that the way He made it, it's all very good indeed.
So what went wrong?
I read the answer in Bible Study recently. In Romans 1 the apostle Paul talks about people rejecting God, and the consequences.
v. 20 "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His external power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." This means that because we see the way He made things (good) we can clearly see what He is like (good). But people in the world have rejected Him by sinning: worshiping other gods that cannot save, choosing all the things He tells us to avoid for our own good.
v. 24-25 "[24] Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, [25] who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen."
So what is the result?
v. 28 "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting."
That's really scary, isn't it? People rejected God. In return, He did not reject people but He let them run off and do what they wanted because He they did not want to be with Him. But being our heavenly Father, you can imagine that made God very sad. So what did He do? He didn't go far away. He sent His Son Jesus to make a way for us to come back to Him, and He is calling us individually, ceaselessly, to come back home, and love Him, and be loved forever. His own creation walked away, and yet He still loves us. That's why we worship God.
I saw Psalm 73 this week, which offers another aspect of the discussion of good and evil. This psalm is about a man who becomes envious of evil people because they seem to have a pretty sweet deal despite their ways. He sees them getting what they want and having enough of everything because of their corruption, and he is confused because he doesn't understand why they have it so good.
v. 5-6 "[5] They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like other men. [6] Therefore pride serves as their necklace; violence covers them like a garment." Isn't that just like the things we see on the news? Don't we all sometimes wonder why evil people live long lives and always get what they think they deserve? Why do they get to trample on the weak?
That's the question the psalmist asked, and he got a very good answer.
v. 16-17 "[16]When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me - [17] until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end." I've experienced the way this works: if we come to church or look into the Bible just seeking God for the answers to our concerns, He does answer us. Look at the answer the psalmist received:
v. 18-19 "[18] Surely You set them in slippery places; you cast them down to destruction. [19] Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors."
The psalmist learned that we shouldn't envy the wicked, because even if it looks like they are having a great time, they are on very thin ice. Their lives aren't founded on the unshakeable righteousness of God, so they are actually very destructible and vulnerable.
This reminds me of Romans 6:23. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." This means that sinners, that is, all of us, deserve to die. But the point of God's grace, His gift to us, in that we get to live forever with Him instead because His sinless Son Jesus paid the cost for us. This means that all the people whom He "gave over to a debased mind" are nevertheless eligible for salvation. It means that God is willing to save anybody who believes and repents and just comes back to Him.
My favorite part of Psalm 73 is the part about the psalmist's repentance. He was a man who obviously loved God, but even he did wrong. His wrong was that he foolishly envied the wicked, whose end, he learned, is destruction. But God stayed with him.
v. 22-24 "[22] I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. [23] Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. [24] You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory."
I think one of the thinks I love most about God is His faithfulness. Do you see how much He loves us? Because He is our heavenly Father, He loves when we see our mistakes, say were sorry, and make a change. And He is completely unwilling to let us go, even by an inch. God loves goodness, and He loves us. But He hates sin because it keeps us from Him. Wouldn't any good father hate something that keeps his children from him? All He wants from us is for us to love Him and trust Him, and this means that we will come back to His arms.
When we do this, we find that things go back to the way He intended them to be: good.
Isaiah 60:2 "For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you."
Think for a moment about all the horrible things you heard about on the news this week. Then again, don't think about it. It's too awful. They really throw some sad stuff at us, don't they? The world is not in a good condition. It's not uncommon for us to ask ourselves why it is that the world is so evil, since God is so good. It's a common objection among atheists to say that a good God wouldn't have created a world like this.
In a sense, they're right. God is good, but He didn't make the world like this. He made it all good. If you read the first chapter of Genesis you can see Him look at everything He makes one at a time and call it good, and the finished product "very good." And if you look at the things that we haven't managed to mess up, for example, the complex functions of the human body and the regular spinning of the twinkling universe, you can see that the way He made it, it's all very good indeed.
So what went wrong?
I read the answer in Bible Study recently. In Romans 1 the apostle Paul talks about people rejecting God, and the consequences.
v. 20 "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His external power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." This means that because we see the way He made things (good) we can clearly see what He is like (good). But people in the world have rejected Him by sinning: worshiping other gods that cannot save, choosing all the things He tells us to avoid for our own good.
v. 24-25 "[24] Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, [25] who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen."
So what is the result?
v. 28 "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting."
That's really scary, isn't it? People rejected God. In return, He did not reject people but He let them run off and do what they wanted because He they did not want to be with Him. But being our heavenly Father, you can imagine that made God very sad. So what did He do? He didn't go far away. He sent His Son Jesus to make a way for us to come back to Him, and He is calling us individually, ceaselessly, to come back home, and love Him, and be loved forever. His own creation walked away, and yet He still loves us. That's why we worship God.
I saw Psalm 73 this week, which offers another aspect of the discussion of good and evil. This psalm is about a man who becomes envious of evil people because they seem to have a pretty sweet deal despite their ways. He sees them getting what they want and having enough of everything because of their corruption, and he is confused because he doesn't understand why they have it so good.
v. 5-6 "[5] They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like other men. [6] Therefore pride serves as their necklace; violence covers them like a garment." Isn't that just like the things we see on the news? Don't we all sometimes wonder why evil people live long lives and always get what they think they deserve? Why do they get to trample on the weak?
That's the question the psalmist asked, and he got a very good answer.
v. 16-17 "[16]When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me - [17] until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end." I've experienced the way this works: if we come to church or look into the Bible just seeking God for the answers to our concerns, He does answer us. Look at the answer the psalmist received:
v. 18-19 "[18] Surely You set them in slippery places; you cast them down to destruction. [19] Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors."
The psalmist learned that we shouldn't envy the wicked, because even if it looks like they are having a great time, they are on very thin ice. Their lives aren't founded on the unshakeable righteousness of God, so they are actually very destructible and vulnerable.
This reminds me of Romans 6:23. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." This means that sinners, that is, all of us, deserve to die. But the point of God's grace, His gift to us, in that we get to live forever with Him instead because His sinless Son Jesus paid the cost for us. This means that all the people whom He "gave over to a debased mind" are nevertheless eligible for salvation. It means that God is willing to save anybody who believes and repents and just comes back to Him.
My favorite part of Psalm 73 is the part about the psalmist's repentance. He was a man who obviously loved God, but even he did wrong. His wrong was that he foolishly envied the wicked, whose end, he learned, is destruction. But God stayed with him.
v. 22-24 "[22] I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. [23] Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. [24] You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory."
I think one of the thinks I love most about God is His faithfulness. Do you see how much He loves us? Because He is our heavenly Father, He loves when we see our mistakes, say were sorry, and make a change. And He is completely unwilling to let us go, even by an inch. God loves goodness, and He loves us. But He hates sin because it keeps us from Him. Wouldn't any good father hate something that keeps his children from him? All He wants from us is for us to love Him and trust Him, and this means that we will come back to His arms.
When we do this, we find that things go back to the way He intended them to be: good.
Isaiah 60:2 "For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you."
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