Scripture: Galatians 5:13-25
As next week is the 4th of July, and I won’t be with you, it seems all the more appropriate that we focus on the 5th chapter of Galatians. Verse 1 begins with these words “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” Interesting thought, isn’t it – Freedom for freedom’s sake!
But freedom to do what? To be what? Where should that freedom lead us? Are we free now to follow our own “conscience”? Are we free to live a life that pleases us? Are we free to “find” ourselves within the context of this world?
Verse 1 continues “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Perhaps it is as simple as that – that we are freed from the slavery of this life. And of course, any freedom can never come without cost – it cost Christ a great deal, and if we are to truly live in Christ’s freedom, it will, indeed, also cost us. Our freedom cost Jesus Christ great pain and suffering, and that same freedom will cost us a life of persecution.
Frederick Douglass, the 19th century abolitionist wrote “Those who profess to favor freedom, yet deplore agitation, are men who want crops without plowing the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning; they want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.”
Freedom comes at a cost. Whether it is civil and social freedom, or the spiritual freedom that is offered by the Lord, there will always be others who will not want us to have that freedom, and will do everything in their power to take it away. They will want us to wear their yoke of slavery! But we need to resist their yoke, and when we do, there will always be agitation.
Read Galatians 5:13-15
But we are called to show the world a better way – instead of earthly slavery, we are to live in Godly servanthood! Now some may tell you that there is no difference between the two – slavery is slavery. They want you to believe that unless you are living a life of “personal determination”, then you are enslaved.
v.15 “If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”
The slavery of personal freedom can lead us nowhere but into destruction! “Personal freedom” will always infringe on the personal freedom of someone else, but the freedom that comes from our walk with Jesus Christ – now that’s totally different! It allows us to serve each other, to care about each other, to put the needs of others ahead of ours,
to “love each other as we love ourselves”.
Read Galatians 5:16-18
When we yoke our self with Christ, when we choose to live in the Spirit, the worldly life, by all reason, must fall away. This freedom is not one that allows us to choose our own way. It is the one that allows us to live in a way that is right in God’s eyes, not in the eyes of the world! The way of the Spirit brings hope and purpose and direction by following the One who created freedom!
The author J. Walter Cross tells of flying a kite with his son Jay in southern Florida during some windy weather. The wind was strong, and the kite grew smaller and smaller as it tugged against the string. The harder it blew, the higher it rose. Then there was a sickening snap!
The string had broken. The kite was free, but it was no longer soaring higher. It was tumbling, falling crazily to dash itself against the ground or become tangled in the trees. What kept the kite airborne was the restraint of the string. When that was lost, the kite was unable to fly. We are never freed until we are restrained by something that [allows us to soar]higher and higher. It is not the absence of restraints that makes us free.
There is no freedom in life until one belongs to God. Every other form of it is an illusion. We find the freedom to achieve the greatest desires of our lives only when we live in that relationship. When Christ binds us to himself, then we are free.
-- J. Walter Cross, Bradenton, Florida, 23 January 1994.
The kind of life that the world calls us to can only dash us against the earth or entangle us in the obstacles that we create – it can only result in a sinful existence that leads us further and further away from God.
Read Galatians 5:19-21
“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious:” – don’t you wish they really were? Don’t you wish your friends could see the sinful nature for what it truly is – that it is nothing less than the ultimate bondage? A life in Christ’s Spirit frees us from this destruction and brings us to a true freedom – a freedom to live in the Lord’s nature! And what is His nature?
Read Galatians 5:22-25
When we crucify our sinful nature, the fruit of the Spirit become obvious in us.
This all rings so very true for me. The Saturday night that I claimed Jesus Christ as my Savior could have been perfectly described by Frederick Douglass’ words. There was agitation in my spirit, a “plowing” of my soul, spiritual thunder and lightning all around me, and the roar in my heart was nearly deafening.
And when I returned to work on Monday, several people commented that I must have had quite a weekend, and that was before I told them anything about it! And even though my “sinful nature” had been crucified, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t try to sneak back in from time to time. But now sin has become obvious to me! Hallelujah! It wasn’t before!
Our walk with Christ not only brings us a freedom unlike anything we have ever known before, it also brings about a clarity in our vision. Keeping in step with the Spirit brings us release, certainly, but it also reveals the truth about sin – that it can only bring us a life that is nothing more than a kite without the tether.
As we approach July 4th, with all of the celebrations of liberty, remember what freedom is truly all about. It has been won by great sacrifice and by an even greater love. It frees us from oppression and condemnation. It opens our lives to unbelievable opportunities. It doesn’t mean that there will always be smooth sailing, but it does mean that we are headed in a glorious direction and that any misdirection in our journey will be caused by nothing more than our own lack of vision.
Celebrate freedom in Christ. Celebrate walking in step with His Spirit. Celebrate the connection that we have in Christ that allows us to soar as on wings of eagles. Now that, my friends, is true freedom!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
“Sow the Good Seed”
Scripture: Galatians 6:1-16
This portion of Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia is, in itself, about the church. He writes about what we are and what we aren’t, about what we are to do and what we must avoid doing. As we read these passages, we need to remember that the Body of Christ is two-fold in design.
First, we are to be one in Christ. In other words, the church is to be about unity. In Galatians 3:28, he tells us that “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” It isn’t that we all do the same things - rather we work for a common purpose, and that is to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord. No one is better than another, no one is more important than another, no one is more precious to God than another. We are all loved deeply, and are welcomed into the Kingdom with the same rejoicing.
Second, even though we are one in Christ, we are also uniquely made. Each of us has our own responsibilities, our own gifts, and even our own failures and weaknesses. We respond to Christ in our own way, using the gifts that we have been given, and God touches each of us in a unique way. In Jeremiah 31, we discover that the laws of God have been written on our heart – not on a tablet of stone, not on some general informational bulletin board, not in some general way – but in a very personal way.
There is both unity and uniqueness in the Body of Christ.
Read Galatians 6:1-6
A Christian must be active, both in unity and in uniqueness! Verse 2 tells us to carry each others burdens, and verse 5 tells us to carry our own burdens. On the surface, this seems to create a conflict, but in reality, it is describing the fullness of being in Christ.
“Carry each other’s burdens ..” We have a responsibility to help each other to see the errors and failures of life. Many people tend to see the call to reveal the sinful acts of others as a mandate to be brutal! “Aha! I caught you, and you had better change your ways!!” is not what Paul would have us do! An attitude of superiority will never convince another person that you are acting as Christ’s representative to them! Paul tells us to be gentle in our demeanor, and loving in our correction. We have a calling from Jesus to challenge each other to live a holy life, and to leave the things of earth behind.
But we are also told that “.. each one should carry his own load.” While we are to be discerning of all sin in the world, we have the sole responsibility for our own sin. Don’t even try to play the “blame game”, even though people have been doing it since Adam blamed Eve, nd she tried to blame the serpent for the fruit thing in the Garden! It didn’t work then, and it doesn’t work now. Sin - our burdens – is our fault, not someone else’s. Dealing with our sin is a good seed. Dumping them on others is not.
Unity and uniqueness! Responsibility and compassion! These are “good seeds” of the Church.
And Paul makes one more point in this passage – if you think that you are “someone” when you are really “nothing”, you are deceiving yourself! And I might point out the converse – if you think you are worthless to God, you are also being deceitful! In other words, don’t be judgmental toward others, while ignoring the sin in your own life. Matthew 7:3 – “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” We are all sinful and deserve condemnation, while at the same time, we have all been declared worthy of Christ’s great mercy.
And once we come to this reality, we can move on and truly work together as Christ’s Body in the world.
Read Galatians 6:7-10
We reap what we sow. If we are harsh in our judgment of others, then we will be judged harshly. If we are soft on sin, and condone the sin of others, we will receive judgment for the sins that others commit (Romans 1:32 – “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”) Not only will we reap what we sow, we also reap the sinful nature that we condone in others! Bad “seeds”!
But when our actions are pleasing to God, we reap eternal joy. Now be careful here – this does not mean that our good works will gain us salvation! It does not say that! On the contrary, the acts that are pleasing to the Spirit are those associated with claiming Christ as Redeemer and Savior, and sharing our witness to His salvation with others. The act of putting ourselves aside and putting Christ first - that is what gains eternal life and eternal joy!
But we can’t forget the “doing good” part, can we? That is also a part of the good harvest, and it brings a harvest of other souls, as well as the Lord’s great pleasure. It fulfills Matthew 25’s call to reach out to those who are in need; it fulfills the call of Matthew 28 – the Great Commission – to make disciples for Jesus, and to lead them into a closer relationship through baptism and teaching; it follows in the footsteps of the Acts of the Apostles in sharing the good new of Jesus Christ with every single person who will listen.
This is what sowing “good seed” is all about. It’s about going beyond what is comfortable, and safe, and easy. It’s about reaching out, not only to our friends, but also to the stranger. It’s about giving a helping hand to those who “aren’t our kind”! It’s about letting “the unloved” know that God loves them dearly, and that we do too! It’s about being Christ to the world, and not just each other! It’s about going to “them”, and not waiting until “they” come to us.
We are called to sow the good seeds of God’s law and love, and not the seed of humanity.
Read Galatians 6:11-16
Paul is talking about a fairly common theme of his – circumcision of the body. Jewish members of the new church were still holding fast to the old ways, and he is trying to tell them that the Jewish traditions have nothing to do with their salvation. But in Romans 2, he is a little more explicit than he is here.
Read Romans 2:28-29
When we combine these two passages, we see that circumcision of the flesh can only be a sign of faithfulness if our heart has been circumcised of worldliness. Otherwise, the removal of flesh is only that – a human excision, and not one of the Spirit, not one of God.
Galatians 6:15 – “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.”, or, if you will, a new seed! That is what comes from a heartfelt and spirit filled circumcision – we become a new creation that produces new fruit. And when we become new, the church becomes new.
1 Corinthians 13:11 – “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.” A familiar passage – is it about childhood? About the young? Actually, it’s not! It’s about childish attitudes and actions. “Childliness” is an immaturity, a self-centeredness, a life filled with fear of the unknown. “Adulthood”, on the other hand, sets all of those things aside, and allows us to take a huge leap into the arms of faith, knowing full well that our Lord will catch us and carry us.
Are you prepared to do that? Are you willing to do that? Will you provide food and a cool drink to Christ? Will you clothe His nakedness, care for Him in sickness, visit Him when He is lonely and imprisoned, even when He has the form of an ugly, sickly, repulsive human? Will you actively make committed disciples for Jesus, and then show them and teach them what that truly means?
Will you be Christ to the world, sowing good seed, and seeing a rich harvest of souls for the kingdom? Will you? If we don’t, who will?
This portion of Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia is, in itself, about the church. He writes about what we are and what we aren’t, about what we are to do and what we must avoid doing. As we read these passages, we need to remember that the Body of Christ is two-fold in design.
First, we are to be one in Christ. In other words, the church is to be about unity. In Galatians 3:28, he tells us that “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” It isn’t that we all do the same things - rather we work for a common purpose, and that is to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord. No one is better than another, no one is more important than another, no one is more precious to God than another. We are all loved deeply, and are welcomed into the Kingdom with the same rejoicing.
Second, even though we are one in Christ, we are also uniquely made. Each of us has our own responsibilities, our own gifts, and even our own failures and weaknesses. We respond to Christ in our own way, using the gifts that we have been given, and God touches each of us in a unique way. In Jeremiah 31, we discover that the laws of God have been written on our heart – not on a tablet of stone, not on some general informational bulletin board, not in some general way – but in a very personal way.
There is both unity and uniqueness in the Body of Christ.
Read Galatians 6:1-6
A Christian must be active, both in unity and in uniqueness! Verse 2 tells us to carry each others burdens, and verse 5 tells us to carry our own burdens. On the surface, this seems to create a conflict, but in reality, it is describing the fullness of being in Christ.
“Carry each other’s burdens ..” We have a responsibility to help each other to see the errors and failures of life. Many people tend to see the call to reveal the sinful acts of others as a mandate to be brutal! “Aha! I caught you, and you had better change your ways!!” is not what Paul would have us do! An attitude of superiority will never convince another person that you are acting as Christ’s representative to them! Paul tells us to be gentle in our demeanor, and loving in our correction. We have a calling from Jesus to challenge each other to live a holy life, and to leave the things of earth behind.
But we are also told that “.. each one should carry his own load.” While we are to be discerning of all sin in the world, we have the sole responsibility for our own sin. Don’t even try to play the “blame game”, even though people have been doing it since Adam blamed Eve, nd she tried to blame the serpent for the fruit thing in the Garden! It didn’t work then, and it doesn’t work now. Sin - our burdens – is our fault, not someone else’s. Dealing with our sin is a good seed. Dumping them on others is not.
Unity and uniqueness! Responsibility and compassion! These are “good seeds” of the Church.
And Paul makes one more point in this passage – if you think that you are “someone” when you are really “nothing”, you are deceiving yourself! And I might point out the converse – if you think you are worthless to God, you are also being deceitful! In other words, don’t be judgmental toward others, while ignoring the sin in your own life. Matthew 7:3 – “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” We are all sinful and deserve condemnation, while at the same time, we have all been declared worthy of Christ’s great mercy.
And once we come to this reality, we can move on and truly work together as Christ’s Body in the world.
Read Galatians 6:7-10
We reap what we sow. If we are harsh in our judgment of others, then we will be judged harshly. If we are soft on sin, and condone the sin of others, we will receive judgment for the sins that others commit (Romans 1:32 – “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”) Not only will we reap what we sow, we also reap the sinful nature that we condone in others! Bad “seeds”!
But when our actions are pleasing to God, we reap eternal joy. Now be careful here – this does not mean that our good works will gain us salvation! It does not say that! On the contrary, the acts that are pleasing to the Spirit are those associated with claiming Christ as Redeemer and Savior, and sharing our witness to His salvation with others. The act of putting ourselves aside and putting Christ first - that is what gains eternal life and eternal joy!
But we can’t forget the “doing good” part, can we? That is also a part of the good harvest, and it brings a harvest of other souls, as well as the Lord’s great pleasure. It fulfills Matthew 25’s call to reach out to those who are in need; it fulfills the call of Matthew 28 – the Great Commission – to make disciples for Jesus, and to lead them into a closer relationship through baptism and teaching; it follows in the footsteps of the Acts of the Apostles in sharing the good new of Jesus Christ with every single person who will listen.
This is what sowing “good seed” is all about. It’s about going beyond what is comfortable, and safe, and easy. It’s about reaching out, not only to our friends, but also to the stranger. It’s about giving a helping hand to those who “aren’t our kind”! It’s about letting “the unloved” know that God loves them dearly, and that we do too! It’s about being Christ to the world, and not just each other! It’s about going to “them”, and not waiting until “they” come to us.
We are called to sow the good seeds of God’s law and love, and not the seed of humanity.
Read Galatians 6:11-16
Paul is talking about a fairly common theme of his – circumcision of the body. Jewish members of the new church were still holding fast to the old ways, and he is trying to tell them that the Jewish traditions have nothing to do with their salvation. But in Romans 2, he is a little more explicit than he is here.
Read Romans 2:28-29
When we combine these two passages, we see that circumcision of the flesh can only be a sign of faithfulness if our heart has been circumcised of worldliness. Otherwise, the removal of flesh is only that – a human excision, and not one of the Spirit, not one of God.
Galatians 6:15 – “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.”, or, if you will, a new seed! That is what comes from a heartfelt and spirit filled circumcision – we become a new creation that produces new fruit. And when we become new, the church becomes new.
1 Corinthians 13:11 – “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.” A familiar passage – is it about childhood? About the young? Actually, it’s not! It’s about childish attitudes and actions. “Childliness” is an immaturity, a self-centeredness, a life filled with fear of the unknown. “Adulthood”, on the other hand, sets all of those things aside, and allows us to take a huge leap into the arms of faith, knowing full well that our Lord will catch us and carry us.
Are you prepared to do that? Are you willing to do that? Will you provide food and a cool drink to Christ? Will you clothe His nakedness, care for Him in sickness, visit Him when He is lonely and imprisoned, even when He has the form of an ugly, sickly, repulsive human? Will you actively make committed disciples for Jesus, and then show them and teach them what that truly means?
Will you be Christ to the world, sowing good seed, and seeing a rich harvest of souls for the kingdom? Will you? If we don’t, who will?
Sunday, June 13, 2010
“New Life Out of Old”
Scripture text: 1 Kings 17:17-24
As we began to see last week, the 17th chapter of 1 Kings is about a battle between life and death.
First, there is the drought that Elijah calls down on Judah. The rains quit falling, streams and wells dry up, and even the morning dew ceases to be. And it would go on for 3 years. Death becomes the watchword for the faithless king Ahab and his nation.
Next, we see life in the midst of the death. Elijah goes to a gentile widow in Sidon, and through God’s benevolence, her family, as well as the prophet, are fed, one day at a time, until the rains come again and renew the land.
Today, we see the victory of life in God’s grace, a blessing that overcomes the death of a child. The widow blames her son’s predicament on Elijah, who, without animosity, takes the boy and turns to God and asks Him directly – “Did you cause this boy to die?” And apparently, even though the Lord’s answer isn’t reported, we can assume that Elijah comes to know that this death is not the will of God. And so, in faith, Elijah cries out “O Lord, let this boy’s life return to him.” And after three pleas, the boy breaths again.
So what are we to learn from this passage? I believe that it contains four lessons for us:
The first lesson is this - that it is never wrong to ask the Lord if a particular situation is His desire or not! A sense of God’s will is always important in our efforts to know how to pray and what to pray for!
The second lesson is – ask the Lord for whatever you believe is His will. Elijah was very direct and intentional in asking that the boy’s life be restored! If this is what both God and you want to happen, don’t be afraid to ask! How can you loose?
“You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:14)
“Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)
Never hesitate to ask!
The third lesson - the faithfulness of one person can bring God’s provision to another who does not yet know the Lord. Elijah’s trust in God sustained the woman and her family, and our faith in Christ can bring strength and healing to another who is still in that far off land. Ask on behalf of those who do not yet believe.
And the fourth lesson is this – never give up! Nowhere in scripture are we told to ask once, and if the prayer doesn’t seem to be answered, quit! Elijah asked for the boy’s life 3 times. The “persistent widow” in Luke 18 never gave up in her search for justice, and she must have been after the judge for a good, long time! Even if your desire doesn’t seem to be God’s will, keep asking until He either answers your prayer, or lets you know what you should be praying for!
Never, ever stop praying for God’s goodness!
The bottom line in our lesson for today is that our God is the only God who triumphs in life over death!
Life is God’s desire!
Healing is God’s desire!
Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that the plan He has prepared for our lives is about prospering -not harm, not failure - and it is about a hope and a future that can never fail!
“You can ask anything in my name, and it will be given!”
Come, and we will ask together!
(At the conclusion of the message, a healing service was held.)
As we began to see last week, the 17th chapter of 1 Kings is about a battle between life and death.
First, there is the drought that Elijah calls down on Judah. The rains quit falling, streams and wells dry up, and even the morning dew ceases to be. And it would go on for 3 years. Death becomes the watchword for the faithless king Ahab and his nation.
Next, we see life in the midst of the death. Elijah goes to a gentile widow in Sidon, and through God’s benevolence, her family, as well as the prophet, are fed, one day at a time, until the rains come again and renew the land.
Today, we see the victory of life in God’s grace, a blessing that overcomes the death of a child. The widow blames her son’s predicament on Elijah, who, without animosity, takes the boy and turns to God and asks Him directly – “Did you cause this boy to die?” And apparently, even though the Lord’s answer isn’t reported, we can assume that Elijah comes to know that this death is not the will of God. And so, in faith, Elijah cries out “O Lord, let this boy’s life return to him.” And after three pleas, the boy breaths again.
So what are we to learn from this passage? I believe that it contains four lessons for us:
The first lesson is this - that it is never wrong to ask the Lord if a particular situation is His desire or not! A sense of God’s will is always important in our efforts to know how to pray and what to pray for!
The second lesson is – ask the Lord for whatever you believe is His will. Elijah was very direct and intentional in asking that the boy’s life be restored! If this is what both God and you want to happen, don’t be afraid to ask! How can you loose?
“You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:14)
“Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)
Never hesitate to ask!
The third lesson - the faithfulness of one person can bring God’s provision to another who does not yet know the Lord. Elijah’s trust in God sustained the woman and her family, and our faith in Christ can bring strength and healing to another who is still in that far off land. Ask on behalf of those who do not yet believe.
And the fourth lesson is this – never give up! Nowhere in scripture are we told to ask once, and if the prayer doesn’t seem to be answered, quit! Elijah asked for the boy’s life 3 times. The “persistent widow” in Luke 18 never gave up in her search for justice, and she must have been after the judge for a good, long time! Even if your desire doesn’t seem to be God’s will, keep asking until He either answers your prayer, or lets you know what you should be praying for!
Never, ever stop praying for God’s goodness!
The bottom line in our lesson for today is that our God is the only God who triumphs in life over death!
Life is God’s desire!
Healing is God’s desire!
Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that the plan He has prepared for our lives is about prospering -not harm, not failure - and it is about a hope and a future that can never fail!
“You can ask anything in my name, and it will be given!”
Come, and we will ask together!
(At the conclusion of the message, a healing service was held.)
Sunday, June 6, 2010
“The Blessings That Never Run Out”
Scripture text: 1 Kings 17:7-16
Have you ever had one of those days when you just felt all dried up - no energy, no focus, no direction, and seemly, no hope?
That your showers of blessings had been taken away and that they were now raining down on someone else?
Read 1 Kings 17:7-12
This widow in Zarephath was in deep trouble. She had no husband, only one child, no one to care for her, no blessings left. Or at least, she thought that there were no more blessings! The truth is that the Lord was with her, and was sending a great man of God to see her through some very trying times.
The drought is causing a huge problem throughout the region, and of course, the woman doesn’t realize that it was Elijah who called on God to dry up the rains – and that this was in response to King Ahab’s idolatry. She apparently had only a little water left, and only enough flour and oil to make one small loaf of bread. She fully expected that she and her son were going to starve to death.
But the Lord had other plans. Neither she nor her son were going to die, and the food that would have only lasted for 1 more skimpy meal would feed them until the rains came again to nourish the earth. Not a lot of flour at any one time, but enough for each and every day – and not only the woman and her family, but also for this Godly visitor.
Read 1 Kings 17: 13-16
Doesn’t that remind you of Israel’s journey from Egypt to the Promised Land? Manna and quail came every day for 40 years, and each batch would only last for one day. Without the manna, Israel would have perished in the desert, and without the flour and oil, the woman and her son would have perished in the drought.
There are times when our own lives seem like this, don’t they? Over the past 2 years, many people have watched as their financial security dried up as quickly as those streams of Israel did. Many have lost their homes,
their retirement, their jobs, their savings, and felt that they had nothing left to lean on. Many looked to the government for help, and there has been some help from that quarter, but others didn’t put their entire hope in that source, and they surrendered their trials to God. There have been several of you who were in this quandary, and in giving it over to the Lord, you were cared for. Some of the help came from our church, but most of it just came. There weren’t a lot of extras, but every need was met.
Both Israel in the desert and the widow in Zarephath were required to do nothing more than to have the simple faith that the great Jehovah would provide for their every need. And the widow wasn’t even a Hebrew! In truth, she lived in Baal country and, very possibly, had even worshipped this false god. But she now stands in sharp contrast to another follower of Baal – the wife of King Ahab, Queen Jezebel, who was also from Sidon. The destitute widow receives God’s blessing, and the other does not. Baal – the god of fertility and rain has been rendered impotent, while the true God continues to give blessing upon blessing to those who will acknowledge him, and place their and trust in Him.
The widow had told Elijah “As surely as the Lord your God lives, I have no bread and very little else.” She wasn’t blessed because she had nothing left – she was blessed because she proclaimed that Elijah’s God “is live”!
That is the faith that we need – to know for certain, even when our life seems to be falling apart, that our God is not some hard, immobile statue, that He is not aloof and remote, not cold and uncaring, nor is He a god that only demands honor and gives nothing in return.
Our God is alive!
Our God is loving!
Our God is giving!
.. and only asks that we acknowledge that He is our living God!
Because of Israel’s faithlessness, and their worship of the stone cold god Baal, they were to discover what famine – both physical and spiritual - was all about. But the one who acknowledged that the God of Heaven was alive and real, would be fed miraculously for several years. And people today are still discovering that this same God is still real and still living, and still giving. He doesn’t give us a lot of extras during our time of need, but He fills our every need.
Remember the words of Psalm 146 that we read in our Responsive reading?
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long. Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.
The writer Gordon Aeschliman gives us these words:
Don't give us blessings; give us grace to be obedient to your every command and desire.
Don't give us status; give us a place to serve.
Don't give us things for our use; use us.
Don't give us good jobs; put us to work.
Don't give us pleasure; give us perspective.
Don't give us satisfaction; teach us sacrifice.
Don't give us entertainment; enable us.
Don't give us good salaries; give us strength to do your will.
Don't give us a mansion to live in; give us a springboard to take Christ's love to the whole world.
Our great joy is in pleasing our Lord; no other joy in life is comparable.
--Gordon Aeschliman
Trust in Him and him alone, and every day, joyfully proclaim that our God gives, and that our God lives, that our God reigns!
Have you ever had one of those days when you just felt all dried up - no energy, no focus, no direction, and seemly, no hope?
That your showers of blessings had been taken away and that they were now raining down on someone else?
Read 1 Kings 17:7-12
This widow in Zarephath was in deep trouble. She had no husband, only one child, no one to care for her, no blessings left. Or at least, she thought that there were no more blessings! The truth is that the Lord was with her, and was sending a great man of God to see her through some very trying times.
The drought is causing a huge problem throughout the region, and of course, the woman doesn’t realize that it was Elijah who called on God to dry up the rains – and that this was in response to King Ahab’s idolatry. She apparently had only a little water left, and only enough flour and oil to make one small loaf of bread. She fully expected that she and her son were going to starve to death.
But the Lord had other plans. Neither she nor her son were going to die, and the food that would have only lasted for 1 more skimpy meal would feed them until the rains came again to nourish the earth. Not a lot of flour at any one time, but enough for each and every day – and not only the woman and her family, but also for this Godly visitor.
Read 1 Kings 17: 13-16
Doesn’t that remind you of Israel’s journey from Egypt to the Promised Land? Manna and quail came every day for 40 years, and each batch would only last for one day. Without the manna, Israel would have perished in the desert, and without the flour and oil, the woman and her son would have perished in the drought.
There are times when our own lives seem like this, don’t they? Over the past 2 years, many people have watched as their financial security dried up as quickly as those streams of Israel did. Many have lost their homes,
their retirement, their jobs, their savings, and felt that they had nothing left to lean on. Many looked to the government for help, and there has been some help from that quarter, but others didn’t put their entire hope in that source, and they surrendered their trials to God. There have been several of you who were in this quandary, and in giving it over to the Lord, you were cared for. Some of the help came from our church, but most of it just came. There weren’t a lot of extras, but every need was met.
Both Israel in the desert and the widow in Zarephath were required to do nothing more than to have the simple faith that the great Jehovah would provide for their every need. And the widow wasn’t even a Hebrew! In truth, she lived in Baal country and, very possibly, had even worshipped this false god. But she now stands in sharp contrast to another follower of Baal – the wife of King Ahab, Queen Jezebel, who was also from Sidon. The destitute widow receives God’s blessing, and the other does not. Baal – the god of fertility and rain has been rendered impotent, while the true God continues to give blessing upon blessing to those who will acknowledge him, and place their and trust in Him.
The widow had told Elijah “As surely as the Lord your God lives, I have no bread and very little else.” She wasn’t blessed because she had nothing left – she was blessed because she proclaimed that Elijah’s God “is live”!
That is the faith that we need – to know for certain, even when our life seems to be falling apart, that our God is not some hard, immobile statue, that He is not aloof and remote, not cold and uncaring, nor is He a god that only demands honor and gives nothing in return.
Our God is alive!
Our God is loving!
Our God is giving!
.. and only asks that we acknowledge that He is our living God!
Because of Israel’s faithlessness, and their worship of the stone cold god Baal, they were to discover what famine – both physical and spiritual - was all about. But the one who acknowledged that the God of Heaven was alive and real, would be fed miraculously for several years. And people today are still discovering that this same God is still real and still living, and still giving. He doesn’t give us a lot of extras during our time of need, but He fills our every need.
Remember the words of Psalm 146 that we read in our Responsive reading?
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long. Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.
The writer Gordon Aeschliman gives us these words:
Don't give us blessings; give us grace to be obedient to your every command and desire.
Don't give us status; give us a place to serve.
Don't give us things for our use; use us.
Don't give us good jobs; put us to work.
Don't give us pleasure; give us perspective.
Don't give us satisfaction; teach us sacrifice.
Don't give us entertainment; enable us.
Don't give us good salaries; give us strength to do your will.
Don't give us a mansion to live in; give us a springboard to take Christ's love to the whole world.
Our great joy is in pleasing our Lord; no other joy in life is comparable.
--Gordon Aeschliman
Trust in Him and him alone, and every day, joyfully proclaim that our God gives, and that our God lives, that our God reigns!
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