March 24
Read: Judges 13
It is interesting to reflect on the various birth records recorded in the Bible. Given the number of such accounts in Scripture, one would be forced to conclude children, even infants, are very important to God. In fact, many times God gives specifics about a child before he or she is even conceived.
Judges 13 is one such instance. The angel of the Lord appears to a previously barren woman (her name is never mentioned), tells her she will bear a son and gives instructions concerning his raising. Her husband, Manoah, requests confirmation of the message and details concerning the raising, which the Lord graciously provides. The son is to be a Nazirite from the womb and a special servant of God. The young man in question was Samson; a judge of Israel.
One can easily call to mind other such instances such as Isaac, the son of Abraham’s old age and Hannah’s son Samuel. In the New Testament, there are John the Baptist and Jesus. God told Jeremiah directly that he was specially chosen of God. In Jeremiah 1:5 the Bible records God’s words: “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”
In each of the cases above, God not only had a specific plan and purpose for each life, He revealed it prior to conception. Every one of these children had a place in the plan and mind of God before they were ever conceived. Every child has a place in the plan and mind of God! David wrote in Psalm 22:10, “I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.” He who knows the beginning from the end and who created all things for his glory has a purpose for every life. Wow. Just think of it. Red, yellow, black, white, wanted, unwanted, loved, unloved, rich, poor, whole or sick, every one of us has a place in God’s plan.
Are you in your place? If not, why not?
Just a servant,
Bro. Tom
Showing posts with label glory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label glory. Show all posts
Glory in the Lord
March 2
Read: 2 Corinthians 10
In a world of more and more extremes, the use of superlatives has become so common as to render them virtually meaningless. One of my favorite contemporary examples is an explosion of Chinese restaurants called, “Number 1 Chinese Restaurant” or “Best Buffet”. The owners have obviously picked up on the tendency of diners to gravitate to award winning establishments. In order to attract paying customers, they just went ahead and awarded themselves the title of “best” or “number one” from the outset.
Believers can easily fall victim to the same mind set. Paul describes this in 2 Corinthians 10:12. He writes, “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” It seems there were a number of believers who spent much of their time comparing individual walks with God. This judgement relies on a number of purely superficial indicators, such as how often I go to church, whether I say “amen” in the service, how I dress, whether I read my Bible, and other similar. This is not to say that any of these are not important for the believer. Every Christian should attend services regularly, pay attention to the preaching of the Word, dress in a way that would please the Father, study the Word, and pray. But its possible to do all these things and have a heart as wicked as the devil himself. I can’t judge what’s on the inside of you, and that’s where the most important work is done.
These folks were looking at these externals in others, comparing them to the same externals in themselves, and deciding how “spiritual” they were. They were measuring themselves by themselves. Paul says simply that in doing so they are not wise. He talks briefly of his own ministry in verses 13-16, then sums up the whole discussion in verses 17-18. “But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.”
Beloved, let’s be careful not to evaluate our own spirituality in terms of others. Each and every Christian is a particular and specific work of the Holy Spirit whose goal is to make each like Christ. We all come to the process with a unique set of weaknesses and strengths, talents and handicaps. When we compare ourselves with others we can almost always find an area in which the other has a weakness, thereby accentuating our strength. The ultimate result is spiritual pride.
The standard to which we attain is not our neighbor, but Christ. He alone is a model worth emulating. He alone is perfection in every aspect of his being. If you must have a goal, make it Jesus.
Also, we should always remember the limitations that exist in our ability to judge. Just as God told Samuel, “Man looks on the outside, but God looks on the heart”. Verse 18 tells us clearly that what we say (or think) or ourselves is not nearly as important as what God thinks of us. The key to living a successful Christian life is not “Am I better than John?” but “Am I pleasing to God?”
Just a servant,
Bro. Tom
Read: 2 Corinthians 10
In a world of more and more extremes, the use of superlatives has become so common as to render them virtually meaningless. One of my favorite contemporary examples is an explosion of Chinese restaurants called, “Number 1 Chinese Restaurant” or “Best Buffet”. The owners have obviously picked up on the tendency of diners to gravitate to award winning establishments. In order to attract paying customers, they just went ahead and awarded themselves the title of “best” or “number one” from the outset.
Believers can easily fall victim to the same mind set. Paul describes this in 2 Corinthians 10:12. He writes, “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” It seems there were a number of believers who spent much of their time comparing individual walks with God. This judgement relies on a number of purely superficial indicators, such as how often I go to church, whether I say “amen” in the service, how I dress, whether I read my Bible, and other similar. This is not to say that any of these are not important for the believer. Every Christian should attend services regularly, pay attention to the preaching of the Word, dress in a way that would please the Father, study the Word, and pray. But its possible to do all these things and have a heart as wicked as the devil himself. I can’t judge what’s on the inside of you, and that’s where the most important work is done.
These folks were looking at these externals in others, comparing them to the same externals in themselves, and deciding how “spiritual” they were. They were measuring themselves by themselves. Paul says simply that in doing so they are not wise. He talks briefly of his own ministry in verses 13-16, then sums up the whole discussion in verses 17-18. “But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.”
Beloved, let’s be careful not to evaluate our own spirituality in terms of others. Each and every Christian is a particular and specific work of the Holy Spirit whose goal is to make each like Christ. We all come to the process with a unique set of weaknesses and strengths, talents and handicaps. When we compare ourselves with others we can almost always find an area in which the other has a weakness, thereby accentuating our strength. The ultimate result is spiritual pride.
The standard to which we attain is not our neighbor, but Christ. He alone is a model worth emulating. He alone is perfection in every aspect of his being. If you must have a goal, make it Jesus.
Also, we should always remember the limitations that exist in our ability to judge. Just as God told Samuel, “Man looks on the outside, but God looks on the heart”. Verse 18 tells us clearly that what we say (or think) or ourselves is not nearly as important as what God thinks of us. The key to living a successful Christian life is not “Am I better than John?” but “Am I pleasing to God?”
Just a servant,
Bro. Tom
Changed into His Image
February 25
Read: 2 Corinthians 3
The apostle Paul, inspired scribe of the Holy Spirit, gives us a truly beautiful picture in 2 Corinthians 3:18. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
In the verses prior, Paul references the veil Moses placed over his face after descending from Mount Sinai. He had been with God, and his face shone with the reflection of God’s glory. The image was so striking and disconcerting to the Israelites Moses had to cover his face when he spoke with them. Later, when he spoke with God, the veil was removed.
In 2 Corinthians, Paul compares the law administered by Moses with grace administered by the Spirit. The law given on Sinai condemns us. The Bible refers to it as the “ministration of death”. And yet, in spite of its function, it was a glorious law given by a glorious God. Even though the covenant of law was temporary, to be superceded by grace, Paul affirms its glory, so much that the Israelites could not bear to look on even the reflection of it on Moses’ face.
By comparison, consider the covenant of grace and the work of the Spirit. In verse 9 we read, “For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, how much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory?” He goes on to write that when we come to Christ in grace and forgiveness, the veil is done away, and we behold the glory of the Lord face to face.
But wait, there’s more. In verse 18, we are told not only do we see the Lord as if looking in a mirror, but that the Spirit of God is changing us to look just like Him. Moses was a mere reflection of the glory of God. We, the children of God by faith in Christ, are destined to be not a reflection, but a true manifestation of His wonderful glory. Day by day as we look upon Him the precious Holy Spirit is remaking us into His image, and the glory He has possessed from eternity past is given to us. What an exciting thought, to realize that as I am recreated to be like Him, His glory in me shines brighter and brighter. It is precisely as Solomon wrote in Proverbs 4:18, “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”
Just a servant,
Bro. Tom
1 Corinthians 15:49 “And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.”
Read: 2 Corinthians 3
The apostle Paul, inspired scribe of the Holy Spirit, gives us a truly beautiful picture in 2 Corinthians 3:18. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
In the verses prior, Paul references the veil Moses placed over his face after descending from Mount Sinai. He had been with God, and his face shone with the reflection of God’s glory. The image was so striking and disconcerting to the Israelites Moses had to cover his face when he spoke with them. Later, when he spoke with God, the veil was removed.
In 2 Corinthians, Paul compares the law administered by Moses with grace administered by the Spirit. The law given on Sinai condemns us. The Bible refers to it as the “ministration of death”. And yet, in spite of its function, it was a glorious law given by a glorious God. Even though the covenant of law was temporary, to be superceded by grace, Paul affirms its glory, so much that the Israelites could not bear to look on even the reflection of it on Moses’ face.
By comparison, consider the covenant of grace and the work of the Spirit. In verse 9 we read, “For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, how much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory?” He goes on to write that when we come to Christ in grace and forgiveness, the veil is done away, and we behold the glory of the Lord face to face.
But wait, there’s more. In verse 18, we are told not only do we see the Lord as if looking in a mirror, but that the Spirit of God is changing us to look just like Him. Moses was a mere reflection of the glory of God. We, the children of God by faith in Christ, are destined to be not a reflection, but a true manifestation of His wonderful glory. Day by day as we look upon Him the precious Holy Spirit is remaking us into His image, and the glory He has possessed from eternity past is given to us. What an exciting thought, to realize that as I am recreated to be like Him, His glory in me shines brighter and brighter. It is precisely as Solomon wrote in Proverbs 4:18, “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”
Just a servant,
Bro. Tom
1 Corinthians 15:49 “And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.”
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