08/25/10

Micah 6.8, “He hath shown thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

We live in a world of high-speed information.  Things that, during my childhood, would take days to transmit around the world now are transmitted in seconds – almost instantaneously.

Not more than 10 years ago, when I would work up a word-study devotional, I would lay out numbers of volumes of commentaries and dictionaries as reference tools. Today, all of those tools are on my hand-held device that I can take anywhere (among other study helps it includes 18 translations, 12 multi-volume commentaries, and 16 dictionary/word studies).  Information is available – exceedingly and abundantly available.

The problem in Christianity today is not that we need more commentaries, more seminars, more translations of the Bible, or even better teachers and preachers.  We don’t even need more churches or better and more improved methods. What we need to do is to put into practice the things we do know.  Micah wrote, “He hath shown thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee…” “He hath shown thee…”  Someone once said that the truly blind person is the one who is not willing to see.

So what has the LORD (Jehovah) shown (“made conspicuous”) and what is it He requires?

He requires us to “do justly.” This means we are to have a right judgment over all situations.  So often we allow feelings to creep in and blur our spiritual vision.  The one who puts his faith in Christ for salvation is allowed no such faltering – feelings have never been and never shall be a faithful guide. Only the written Word of God as applied by His Spirit can be trusted for accurate judgments.

He requires us to “love mercy.” One commentator says this means, “A kindly abatement of what we might justly demand, and a hearty desire to do good to others.” Even though the line is straightly and distinctly drawn concerning God’s will and His requirements, we are to show mercy – an extension of God’s own mercy laced with His loving-kindness.  Mercy should be the first thing on the Christian’s mind – prior to judgment (getting even).

He requires us to “walk humbly (in lowliness of mind) with…God.” We are not required to exact payment on God’s behalf, but to lead people to the One who can bring about real change in their lives.  The believer is not to strut about proudly concerning his Christian life, but to live in meekness and holiness realizing that each of us is a sinner deserving the worst; however, God, in His mercy, offered each of us a way of salvation – a way we neither deserved, nor could obtain without help – His help.  All of our boasting is in what God has done – not in our own accomplishments.

But, you know that.  We all know that. We need no one to tell us. We simply need to do the right thing.

Rev. John H Hill

08/11/10

There has never been a more urgent need for proper foundations.  Foundations are those things upon which the superstructures of life are erected.  Without a proper foundation, there is no stability and certainly no integrity of structure.

In ever sports rule book, there is a chapter on definitions.  Unless an official knows the definition of a “horse-collar” tackle, his enforcement of the rule will be, at best, hap-hazard. Unless an official knows when a player becomes a shooter, he cannot properly and consistently enforce a penalty awarding free throws.

Many people have gone away from the foundations of the Christian faith.  While many still use the name Jesus, that name may not mean what the Bible expresses.  A recent fad of wearing a WWJD wrist band was a statement – but, not everyone was saying the same thing. It is not uncommon at our church for young people to come to our Wednesday teen groups or children’s ministries who have only heard the name Jesus used as an expletive.

So, who is Jesus?

The Bible states with conviction that He is the “Word” of God who was in the beginning with God. (John 1.1-5) It further states that He is God manifested in the flesh – co-existent and co-equal in every respect with the Father and Spirit (John 10.30, “one” = “of one essence, one and the same”). The expression “was in the beginning with God” requires the Jesus was already there, not that He was the first of Creation. Paul writes and expresses the fact that all creation was brought about by Him (Colossians 1.16, 17)

Not only is/was He God; but, He became (was made) flesh. (John 1.14) The author of Hebrews expresses this clearly when he writes, “a body hast thou prepared me.” (Hebrews 10.5) Thus, Jesus was not the “only Son” or the “unique Son” (as some modern translations maintain), but He was the “only begotten” Son of God.

The word “begotten” carries the idea of being physically born.  That is exactly what happened when the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and she conceived (Luke 1.35) – Jesus was physically conceived and was born.  Jesus, God from eternity past, received a body of flesh through which He would perform the work of the Sacrificial Lamb – the shedding of His blood in payment for sin.

This foundational truth is only one of many required for a proper understanding of the Bible. When Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14.6), that is exactly what He meant. When Luke recorded the words, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4.12), that is exactly what he meant.

Smudging foundational truths into a dingy gray only weakens the structure of the Gospel. When discussing Jesus, lay proper foundations – know of whom you speak.  Accept no fuzzy conversations, but stand firmly on the foundational truths of God’s Word.

Rev. John H Hill

08/04/10

“He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.” (Psalm 10.6)

Arrogance has no bounds.  That part of a person’s belief system seems to be associated with their view of the world around them and how they believe they fit into it.

For example, in the world of sports a common chant is, “We’re number one!”  So zealously they shout it that it’s almost believable – at least until the other team gets onto the field.  I have seen teams who have been utterly routed, and while the scoreboard shows their terrible defeat the cheerleaders and fans are shouting to the top of their lungs, “We’re number one!” Remember that there can only be one number one.

I suppose the fire ant thinks of his world as being all there is – to this little creature this is the center of the universe.  The colony of small creatures builds their nests under the ground – in their own world, leaving the signs of their success above the ground in another world.  If you inadvertently step on their mound, you will experience their wrath; however, just as inadvertently a lawn mower may clip the top of their domain and cause quite a scurry, disrupting their very existence.

From the human’s perspective (the one causing the problems for the ants), the ant is a tiny, insignificant creature that is more a nuisance than an integral part of the world.  The human looks down, feels a bit superior and in control as he drops some poison on the mound to rid his lawn of the pest.  He is in control. He stands with great pride that he has once again conquered his territory.

It seems not to matter what your domain happens to be; we all tend to express the same arrogance in some way or another. “This is my car.” “This is my life; you won’t tell me how to live it.” “This is my house. You will live by my rules.” “You can’t tell me what to do.” “I’m in charge – you will answer to me and do as I say!”

Do any of those sound familiar?  The ant believes he is the greatest.  The mom or dad believes he is the greatest.  The husband believes he is the greatest. The prize fighter believes he is the greatest. The company CEO believes he is the greatest. The dictator believes he is the greatest. And, it goes on. This is the spirit of antichrist – to be in charge of one’s life with no restrictions – in submission to no one. The “great one” stands before God with his fist raised in defiance saying, “This is my domain; you can’t move me!”

Tragically, we make our own domain and live in it without considering there is Someone greater than we.  At the top of this world’s future history, a man will arise who will be the supreme dictator of the world – ruling the greatest possible domain ever conceived of by human definition; however, there is Someone above that.

“The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.” (Psalm 10.16)

No matter how arrogantly someone stands within their own domain, God is greater. At some point in the future, every knee shall bow before the King of kings and Lord of lords. (Romans 14.11) It behooves each of us to submit our domain to the One who is truly in charge – the One who has the victory already won – the One who can both show us the perfect way to live and the perfect way to eternal life.

John H Hill