by Greg Barolet

As I consider Matthew 20, I find that the laborers complained because they worked all day and received a certain wage. Then those who worked just part of the day received the same amount as the ones who gave it their all throughout the day. They grumbled because “they thought they would receive more” (v. 10). I can see them digging, wiping the sweat from their eyes, muscles aching with pain, saying to themselves or to those who worked the same amount of time: “I deserve a great deal more money today then those who worked just a few hours.” Can you see their faces when each worker received the same pay?

I have been a Christian now for twenty-eight years, and I can attest to the fact that I and others act the same way as these laborers. Why? Because we forget to do all things to the glory of God, we forget to emulate Christ who said, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and give His life a ransom for many” (v. 28). He gave us His all, even His life. He was last, but God the Father made Him the first.

“The last will be first and the first will be last” (v. 16). Jesus said that many times, to be sure. Jesus came to do the Father’s will, and we are to do the same without grumbling and complaining. How do we do that? By being in the Word. The Word of God is a transforming agent in our lives. If we have a desire to be first in notoriety, we will have our reward in full here, not in heaven. We may grumble because of hardships we might be enduring. But this only shows that our thinking is askew. We think we don’t deserve difficulties. Yet if we don’t put Jesus first, we will be bitter, not better, when the bumps in the road come our way.

We are to do all things unto the Lord whether or not we get recognition, and the joy of the Lord is surely felt when we serve others. But how do we endure hardships and discipline from the Lord? We understand that it is for our good (James 1:2–4). God is transforming us into the image of Christ. We therefore glorify God by being last, even though the world will not understand this, because God’s ways are contrary to the ways of the world.

First Peter 2:7 speaks of the believer’s affection for Christ as contrasted to an unbeliever’s rejection of Him. The first part of that verse could be translated, "To you who believe, He is precious." "Precious" means "valuable," "costly," "without equal," or "irreplaceable." Christ is all that, but only believers recognize His supreme value and regard Him with affection. Affection for Christ is the bottom-line characteristic of true believers. Believing in Him and loving Him are inseparable.

In John 16:27 Jesus says, "The Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed." In Matthew 10:37 He says, "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." Believers have a compelling and surpassing love for Christ.

To His antagonists Jesus declared, "If God were your Father, you would love Me"(John 8:42). Anyone who truly loves God will love Christ.

Those antagonists claimed to be children of God, but their deception was revealed when they tried to kill Jesus for preaching God’s truth. They were in fact children of the devil (v. 44).

In John 14 Jesus adds, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. . . . He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him. . . . If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words" (vv. 15, 21, 23- 24).

Many people are confused about what it means to be a Christian. But you have the privilege of clarifying the issue as you esteem Christ highly, love Him deeply, and demonstrate your love by obeying His Word. May God bless you richly as you pursue that goal today.

So these nations feared the LORD and also served their carved images. Their children did likewise, and their children’s children did likewise, and their children’s children – – as their fathers did, so they do to this day. (2nd Kings 17:41)

It is dangerous to be kept in a land that is full of idolatry. The people of the land will quickly notice if you do not pay homage to their gods. They will actively seek to make sure that you bow to their gods. However, the believer is under obligation to obey the commands of the one true God who has given clear commands: “You shall not fear other gods or bow yourselves to them or serve them or sacrifice to them, but you shall fear the LORD.” When the believer is kept in foreign lands he will be pressed to submit to strange gods or to honor the one true God.

In this passage of Scripture we find that the people of that day do what many of this day attempt to do. They took the route that claims to fear the LORD, but at the same time they continued to serve their idols and the sad tragedy is that they corrupted their families in the process. In America, religion seems to be a popular fad that helps people to look good in society. Church buildings are as common as gas stations and there is one available for whatever taste a person may have. People who go to the buildings once a week are considered to be those who fear the LORD. However, the great populations of those who claim to worship God are deeply committed to their idolatry.

If the truth be known the amount of money spent on hobbies far exceeds what is given to the LORD. The number of hours given to personal interest far exceeds the time spent in the Word of God. The amount of sporting facts memorized far exceeds the number of verses in Scripture memorized. The songs of the world are on the heart of the confessing believer far more clearly than the Psalms of David. The excitement for the events of the world far exceeds the excitement of the proclamation of the Word. The fervor for gluttonous eating far exceeds the feasting upon the things of God. The desire of the heart will reveal who is the true God.

Dearly beloved, it is undoubtedly true that many in the church today claim to fear the LORD, but in reality they have not abandoned their idols in the least degree. This text ought to urge you to search your own heart for idols and by the power of the Spirit to tear them down. Oh, that you would fear the LORD and serve him only.

J. Randall Easter, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Briar, Azle, TX.
II Timothy 2:19

“A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God’s truth is attacked and yet would remain silent.” –John Calvin

URL:http://apprising.org/2010/07/06/false-fears/

As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And set me before Your face forever.
Psalm 41:12

Joseph was a righteous man who had cultivated a reputation for godliness in his community. Then word spread across the community that Mary, the woman to whom he was engaged, was expecting a child. There would be many who would assume the worst of this apparently scandalous situation. Joseph probably experienced gossip from some, ostracism from others. Yet he was a man of integrity, aware that God knew the truth of his relationship with Mary.

At times, God will be the only witness to your righteous behavior. Sometimes God is the only one who will understand your motives. Sometimes you will do all you know God has asked you to do, only to face ridicule from others. At such times all you can do is maintain your integrity, trusting that God always keeps His eyes on you. God looks favorably upon those who walk with integrity, doing what they know is right, regardless of how others perceive their actions.

The most important thing is not that people know the truth. The most important thing is that you are a person of integrity before God. When no one seems to understand why you have done something or when others question whether you have done all you should have done, your confidence should not be in the hope of vindication in the eyes of others. It should be in the knowledge that God keeps you in His sight. If you have this confidence, it will be enough to sustain you.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

1st Kings 5:1-3
1 When Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his envoys to Solomon, because he had always been on friendly terms with David. 2 Solomon sent back this message to Hiram:

3 "You know that because of the wars waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build a temple for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD put his enemies under his feet. 4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster. 5 I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the Name of the LORD my God, as the LORD told my father David, when he said, ‘Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.’

Concerning the agreement between Solomon & king Hiram of Tyre, Matthew Henry writes …(commentary courtesy of Biblegateway)

Here is Solomon’s design to build a temple. There is no adversary, no Satan, so the word is; no instrument of Satan to oppose it, or to divert from it. Satan does all he can, to hinder temple work. When there is no evil abroad, then let us be ready and active in that which is good, and get forward. Let God’s promises quicken our endeavors. And all outward skill and advantages should be made serviceable to the interests of Christ’s kingdom. It Tyre supplies Israel with craftsmen,

Israel will supply Tyre with corn, Ezekiel 27:17. Thus, by the wise disposal of Providence, one country has need of another, and is benefited by another, that there may be dependence on one another, to the glory of God. (1st Kings 5:10-18)
(commentary courtesy of Biblegateway)

Hiram was from the Phoenician culture which practiced the pagan worship of Molech, the star –god Saturn, & Asherah (or Atorte) the fertility goddess. Though Hiram praises the God of Israel for the wisdom He has given to Solomon (1st Kings 5:7); there doesn’t seem to be a clear indication that Hiram actually followed the God of Israel. The NIV Study Bible suggests:

NIV Study Bible Comments ref: 1st Kings verses 5-7:

In polytheistic cultures it was common practice for the people of one nation to recognize the deities of another nation. (see: 10:9;11:5) and even to ascribe certain powers to them see: 2nd Kings 18:25; see also 2nd Chronicles 2:12)

Assuming that the commentary I read was an accurate reflection of the dealings between Israel and some of it’s neighbors, it springboards some other thoughts and questions.

So here we have Solomon a man of God and full of wisdom having this business association with pagans. On the surface the conclusion to draw might be to say that its “not right” to partner up with pagans, especially with something as sacred as the Temple. After all doesn’t Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 6…?

14Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."

 2nd Corinthians 6:14 was used in a sarcastic manner in hopes of helping to illustrate a point or two. Paul’s command to the Corinthians of “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers" is addressing the issue of Christian having sexual relations with an idolater (not that two unwed Christians should be “hooking up” either).

As is the case with any portion of Scripture, the intent (the spirit of the text) can be misunderstood, thus an improper conclusion is drawn. One misunderstanding; a common I suspect, is to ascertain that  the command from Paul instructs the Christian to not have any dealings with unbelievers. However! Considering Jesus’ giving of The Great Commission (“…go and make disciples of all nations…"); Paul’s commands become antagonistic to Jesus and The Great Commission if that command is believed to be an all inclusive statement vs having a narrowly defined criteria. Looking back to Christ though, let’s survey several instances where He engaged sinners.

• Jesus and the faith of the Syrophoenician woman – Mark 7:24-30
• Jesus being anointed by a sinful woman – Luke 7:36-50
• Jesus & Zacchaeus the tax collector – Luke 19:1-9

Given the past examples from Christ, it seems clear then that a Christian will almost surely have to engage unbelievers/”sinners” in some form or another which, brings us back to 1st Kings 5:1-3.

Reading the text from 1st Kings 5:1-3, I began to wonder as to what is the significance of the Bible mentioning Hiram’s respective relationship with David and Solomon. "What’s the big deal with
this pagan being the supplier of lumber for the building of the Temple?"

First, glory to God the Father and the Holy Spirit because I’m just not too sharp on my own to figure this out. So it occurs to me that an implication to conclude from the text is that just as David and Solomon “partnered” up with a pagan to accomplish their respective God-given tasks; Christians today may find themselves in a similar situation. No not speaking of building a temple, rather in a broader  view such as the participation of the building up of God’s Kingdom.

See? I think that sometimes we turn our faith in Jesus into  a religion of our own making by imposing restrictions upon ourselves that God has not instituted. What I’m driving is that it’s not uncommon for denominational “rules”, a faulty understanding of Scripture, or a legalistic attitude to create spiritual blinders. These spiritual blinders (prejudices) can then inhibit the Christian from accomplishing the work that God has planned for us.

Ephesians 2:1-10
1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Riding on that last idea, final thoughts that come to mind revolve around the gospel itself. I suppose  with regard to the previous thought it could be considered a principal or something or practical value (in a Christian context).  Principles and practicality aside there is I believe, a Gospel implication that rides underneath the account of Solomon and Hiram’s agreement.  “What’s to say that partnering up with a non-believer for an mutual material benefit  isn’t also part of the Lord’s way of providing the non-believer an opportunity to hear the Gospel; and you the Christian an opportunity to preach the Gospel to them?” (see also: Luke 16:1-14)

Grace and peace be with you.

~ Justin Taylor

Only one book is absolutely essential to save us, to equip us to obey God’s will, and to glorify Him in whatever we do. Only one book gives us undiluted truth — the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Only one book serves as our ultimate and final authority in all that it affirms. That book, of course, is the Bible, God’s Holy Word. No wonder John Wesley once exclaimed, “Let me be homo unius libri” — a man of one book!

And yet the irony is that if we use only this book, we may in fact be in disobedience to it. We should count good teaching about the Bible — whether through commentaries, books, sermons, study Bibles, and so on — to be a gift from God for the good of His church (see Ephesians 4:11; James 1:17). So what may look pious on the outside (“Just me and my Bible!”) can actually mask pride on the inside.

Acts 8 describes a story that might help us think through this. An Ethiopian eunuch — a God-fearing Gentile who served as treasurer to the Ethiopian queen — had  made a five-month journey by chariot to Jerusalem in order to worship God. During his return trip he was puzzling out loud over the Isaiah scroll that he held in his hands. And the Holy Spirit appointed Philip to help him understand the meaning of the Bible.

Philip first asked this man if he understood the passage that he was reading (chap. 53). The Ethiopian responded, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” (v. 31). After inviting Philip to sit in his chariot, he asked him about whom this passage spoke. “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus” (v. 35). Soon after, the eunuch insisted they stop the chariot in order to be baptized by Philip in obedience to his new savior and king, Jesus Christ.
To be sure, this is a historical narrative recounting an event. The purpose is not necessarily to guide believers today in how to read their Bibles or how to think about the teaching of God’s Word. But the elements within it nonetheless correspond to some wise principles we can adopt as our own. So let’s work through the passage again, letting the various points serve as triggers for our own reflection on understanding the Word of God and those who teach it.

First, the Ethiopian wrestles with and labors to understand the meaning of God’s Word. He doesn’t wait for help; he first tries on his own to figure out what the text is saying. He is not content merely to skim the Scriptures, putting a check mark next to his reading in the scroll for that day. And so it is with us — we must spend time in the Bible, working hard and trusting God for insight into its meaning. Paul expressed this as a command followed by a promise: “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (2nd Timothy 2:7).

Second, the eunuch humbly acknowledges his own insufficiency and lack of understanding. He desires to understand what the Word says, he admits that he needs help, and then he asks for it. We should approach God first remembering that He wants to be asked and that He promises to assist us: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5). And what should we pray? Psalms 119 provides many examples of how to pray for understanding and application. For example, verses 33–36:

Teach me, O Lord, the way of
your statutes; and I will keep
it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may
keep your law and observe it with
my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your com-
mandments, for I delight in it.
Incline my heart to your testimo-
nies, and not to selfish gain!

Third, the eunuch asks a good, clear, relevant question based upon his own wrestling with the meaning of the text. Asking good questions is evidence of good thinking. If you don’t ask good questions about the text, you won’t engage your mind and you won’t be able to evaluate the answers.

Fourth, he listens carefully to the Christ-centered, gospel-focused teaching before him. Jesus warned that we must take care how we listen (Luke 8:18), and the Ethiopian eunuch does just that. For many of us, our inclination is to talk first and listen second, but Christ-followers must be “quick to hear” and “slow to speak” (James 1:19).

Finally, he puts into practice what he has just learned from the Word and from his commentator. Philip had told him “the good news about Jesus” (Acts 8:35), which probably included the teaching that members of God’s covenant community will publicly identify with Christ in the act of baptism. So the Ethiopian official models for us James’ command to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22).

So let us be the sort of people who prayerfully and carefully immerse ourselves day and night in God’s Word (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2). Let us also be the sort of Berean-like people who receive good teaching about God’s Word “with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11).

http://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/teachable-spirit/

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1st King 1:1-4
1 When King David was old and well advanced in years, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. 2 So his servants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to attend the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.”

3 Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The girl was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no intimate relations with her.

I emphasized verse 4 of 1st Kings 1 because it was a section of the text that happened to gnaw at me during my preparation and, it became an unanticipated subject of much  discussion one Sunday morning.   During preparation I put verse 4 on the back burner and let it marinate a while ie; trusting the Lord to open my mind and eyes to the deeper things at His discretion instead of me trying to will my own understanding or spin on the text.

As part of the study, we would jump back to David’s adulterous affair with Bathsheba, discussing how the consequences of his sin played out as it related to 1st Kings. As noted earlier,the interaction between King David and Abishag in 1st Kings 1 ended up being a slight detour; some folks expressing skepticism(?) about David’s non-relations relationship with Abishag.

2nd Samuel 11:1-5
1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.

2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home. 5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”

A peripheral thought that occurs to me is that of how cynical attitudes can creep in and corrupt our professed belief that Scripture is inerrant (2nd Timothy 3:16-17).  It’s cynicism in that when we consider the multiple wives and concubines that David had, plus his affair with Bathsheba, it would seem that the natural perception of king David is that he “loved” his women.  The problem is not in making that assessment of king David’s earlier character; where we have a problem Houston, is when we’re convinced through our cynicism that this aspect of David’s character never changes.

I’m convinced however by a few things from Scripture, that David was a changed man with respect to his perceived “love” for women.  Firstly by 2nd Timothy 3:16-17, meaning God doesn’t contradict Himself nor does His word.  Riding on that thought then is the belief that God meant exactly what He said when He tells us that “…the king had no intimate relations with her.”

In addition to those thoughts however, I’m further convinced that by His wisdom God reveals something about David.  Have you ever read Scripture and wondered why something is said or some Biblical character is mentioned which doesn’t really seem to have much relevance like… Abishag for instance? As I read 1st Kings 1, I was curious as to what was the point of telling us about Abishag, this bed warmer for the king and; why does the Bible make a point to tell us that David DID NOT have “relations” with her?

Earlier, I mentioned that we did some jumping, back and forth between 1st Kings and  2nd Samuel as we discussed David, his sins, consequences, Adonijah’s plot etc;.  A point that I missed, or rather had not been revealed to me at the time was a common thread and the contrasting results of David’s interaction with these two women in his life.  David’s fall was a result of lusting over a beautiful woman (Bathsheba), whereas with Abishag  the Bible tells us that David doesn’t try to fulfill any desires he might have had for this beautiful girl.  There’s a certain twist of irony if you will in the sense that the same thing that ensnared David is also the the same thing that points to God’s sanctifying process and power in the life of David.

“…the king had no intimate relations with her.”

Grace and peace be with you.

Discipleship is personally transferring the full dimensions of your relationship with Christ to the person you are walking with.  It is not the imparting of spiritual disciplines as much as it is acquainting another with a Person you love.  Paul said that he would teach and urge with all his strength that every person God placed in his life would come to a complete experience of the person of Christ (Colossians 1:24-29).  He was not satisfied with people becoming partially like Christ.  He would not rest until those around him were perfect, or complete, in Christ.  That is, that the fruits of the Spirit were being fully expressed through each life and the character of Christ was reflected in each person (Galatians 5:22-25).

We can mistake Christian activity with becoming like Christ.  Christian activity and Christlikeness are not the same things.  We must not assume that because our friend attends church and reads her Bible, she is growing as a Christian.

Christian activities are an important expression of your relationship with Christ.  They can lead you to a relationship, but the danger is assuming that your religious activity is the relationship.  If you are only encouraging those around you to attend Christian activities, then you have not "discipled" them the way Paul did.  You do your fellow Christians an injustice by teaching them that Christian activity is equal to Christian maturity.  Do not rest until those around you have become "perfect" in Christ.  If God has put new Christians under your care, you have an obligation to "stay with them" until they have reached Christian maturity.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day