HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN?

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.  (1 Corinthians 16:13) 

Today is a day to remember the worst terrorist attack on American soil.  We are too quick with the passing of time to move on with our lives.  Darryl Worley’s haunting lyrics remind us: 

They took all the footage off my T.V.
Said it's too disturbing for you and me
It'll just breed anger that's what the experts say
If it was up to me I'd show it everyday
Some say this country's just out looking for a fight
Well, after 9/11 man I'd have to say that's right

Have you forgotten how it felt that day?
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still inside going thru a living hell
And we vowed to get the one’s behind bin Laden
Have you forgotten? 

Behind this terror attack—and all evil in the world—is that which was launched in heaven when Satan led a third of the angels in rebellion against God.  It is a war that shifted theaters to earth.  This conflict is not with bullets and bombs, but fought with the weapons of truth and love.  It is a struggle for the souls of men and women, for the direction of a nation, and ultimately, for the freedom to share the Gospel with the world.  There was a time Christians sang enthusiastically, “Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war with the cross of Jesus going on before.”  Much Biblical imagery testifies to this truth.  The verse before us does. 

DON’T FORGET WE ARE SOLDIERS OF VIGILANCE: “Watch….”  Christians are sentries posted in the camp.  Jefferson said, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”  Until the end of time, there will always be foes to face and forces to fight.  The enemy will probe our defenses and we dare not drop our guard.  He sneaks in behind the church’s walls with a Trojan Horse of compromise—doctrinally or morally—with disastrous consequences. 

DON’T FORGET WE ARE SOLDIERS OF VERACITY: “stand fast in the faith….” Veracity means, “habitual observance of truth…conformity to truth.”  That is what Paul demands.  He is not speaking of faith as a belief in truth, but THE faith as a body of truth.  It is the system of doctrine that had been once for all delivered to the saints.  We cannot waver in the withering assault of heresy and apostasy—from the cult that adds to the Word and the liberal that subtracts from it.  Dig in your heels.  “The B-I-B-L-E, yes, that’s the Book for me; I stand alone on the Word of God, the B-I-B-L-E!” 

DON’T FORGET WE ARE SOLDIERS OF VALOR: “be brave….” Courage enabled Noah to stand alone against an unbelieving world as he successfully got his family on the ark.  Courage led Moses’ mother to hide her son contrary to Pharaoh’s decree.  Courage provided a boy named David with victory over a giant, armed only with a slingshot.  Courage stiffened the spines of three Hebrew lads willing to be cast into a fiery furnace rather than bow to an idol.  It is a clarion call to courage that we need in these days. 

DON’T FORGET WE ARE SOLDIERS OF VIGOR: “be strong.”  God never said it would be easy.  What He promised is the power of Christ to equip us.  The old hymn reminds us, “Stand up, stand up for Jesus, Stand in His strength alone.”  That is all the power we need. 

Let us never forget these truths!

THE KING IS COMING!

And they anointed David king over Israel.  (2 Samuel 5:3b) 

The life of David is prophetic of the life of the Son of David—Jesus Christ—in many ways.  David’s life can be divided into two parts: the first was one of humiliation and rejection of David the shepherd; the second part was one of exaltation and reign of David the sovereign.  So, Jesus came the first time as the Good Shepherd—in humiliation and rejection.  In his second advent, He will come as the Chief Shepherd—in exaltation and reign.  There are some parallels in the fifth chapter of 2 Samuel between David’s coronation and the Son of David’s eventual one.  Of course, we do not have to wait to enthrone Christ, but can do so now in our heart.  His kingdom can come to the individual and extend to every facet of life—and it should.  If Jesus is not Lord of all, then He is not Lord at all! 

Let us note the coronation of a shepherd (v.1-5).  David was readied for his reign by humble service.  He shepherded his father’s flock in preparation for leading the people of Israel.  All those experiences of being despised by his brothers, hated by the leaders, and marked out for death were preparing him to wear the crown.  Jesus would wear a crown in His first coming, but it would be a crown of thorns.  The Good Shepherd would be misunderstood by his own brothers, rejected by both the secular and spiritual leaders, and sentenced to death.  Yet, as with David—in God’s time—He will be crowned with glory, as His forefather was crowned with gold.  Those who will be subjects of that coming kingdom must have a coronation of Christ in submission now.  This happens when we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Just as the Jews became tired of their old master (Saul) and bowed to a new master (David), so we spurn our old master (sin) and surrender to the new Master (Jesus) in repentance.  As David forgave those who rejected him at the first, so Jesus forgives and welcomes former rebels. 

We next observe the conquest of a stronghold (v.6-10).  Jerusalem seemed an unconquerable fortress, but the city would be taken and be known hence as “the City of David.”  When Christ comes to a heart fortified by sin, where the Devil is firmly entrenched, we know He can overcome and capture our heart, as He drives out the enemy.  Ultimately, the city that withstood Christ’s offer of peace at His first coming, will become the place of His reign at His second coming.  Jerusalem that rejected Him first, will receive Him as Lord! 

Finally, we see the confirmation of a sovereign (v.11-12).  Other kings would recognize David’s sovereignty.  In this example, it is Hiram, the king of Tyre.  When Christ comes to reign in our hearts, His rule extends to every area. This anticipates the time when Christ returns as King of kings and Lord of lords.  Then, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord!  What a day that will be!  My heart cries, “Come, Lord Jesus!” 

When Christ returns, some will bow madly—enemies forced to bow; some will bow sadly—who meant to become His subjects but continued to serve sin.  Hell will be a place for each, where both teeth are gnashed in anger and wails are raised in anguish.  I will bow gladly in eternity, for I have submitted to Christ on earth.  Have you?

STOOPING TO SERVE

After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.  (John 13:5)

We expect people to bow at the feet of a king.  It is shocking that a King would bow at the feet of His subjects—and even more remarkable would wash their dirty feet.  Yet, that is exactly what Jesus did in the thirteenth chapter of John’s Gospel.  When Mary bows at the feet of Jesus and anoints those feet with oil in the previous chapter, we are stirred by her love for her Lord, but when Jesus bows at the feet of His disciples in this chapter, we are shocked by His love for His own.  Will we be the Body of Christ showing His love to our world?  That is His example and exhortation.  Jesus stooped to serve and He calls on us to do the same. 

Consider that stooping to serve ELEVATES HUMILITY (v.1-5).  With God, the way up is down.  The humble are exalted.  The example of Jesus here elevates the virtue of humility as a character quality all of us are to aspire to possess.  Ours is a world that prizes power, position, a name in lights, and fame in headlines.  Sadly, this spirit has infiltrated the church.  It is nothing new.  The disciples regularly debated as to which of them would be greatest in the kingdom of heaven—and they were even bickering about it in the upper room, as Jesus silences them with this act of humility.  Imagine, the King of Glory stooping to wash dirty feet!  Why?  His love motivated Him (v.1).  It is why thirty three years before this He rose from His throne in heaven, laid aside his royal robe, took the towel of our humanity and came to lowly earth to wash away our sins with His blood. 

Furthermore, stooping to serve EFFECTS HOLINESS (v.6-10).  To be holy means to be set apart for God.  There are two dimensions of this:  we are holy through our position in Christ.  Then we are to become holy through our progression in faith.  A dramatic illustration of these twin truths is presented in these verses.  Peter didn’t need a bath.  That happens at salvation—we are washed from our sins.  Still, we walk every day in a dirty world, and even the holy people of God can become defiled.  We need the cleansing of confession. 

Note that stooping to serve EXPOSES HYPOCRISY (v.10-11).  Judas had never had a bath!  He was not saved and that night’s events would expose his hypocrisy.  He wasn’t a believer, but a make-believer.  If you stop and compare the actions of Peter and Judas that night, were they so different?  Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, and Peter denied Jesus to save his own skin.  Both men wept bitterly because of what they did.  Yet, one is in heaven and one is in hell.  That’s because one was washed in salvation and the other was still dirty.  Peter was a backslider, but Judas was an apostate.

Stooping to serve EXPRESSES HAPPINESS (v.12-17).  The old KJV says, “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”  Have you washed anyone’s feet lately?  What ministry are you serving in?  We go through life trying to find something or someone to make us happy and we search in vain.  Instead we ought to seek to make others happy—and an amazing thing happens—we discover joy!  Stoop to serve someone today!

LOVING CHRIST

Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.  (John 12:3)

Of the three virtues that will outlast the world--faith, hope and love--the Bible declares that the greatest of these is love.  Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all our being.  Love is the all-encompassing command.  It distills all God’s expectations down to one word.  The content of Scripture can be summarized as God loves us, we are to love Him, and if we love Him, then we love those made in His image.  John 12:1-8, in the act of Mary, provides a beautiful illustration of loving Christ.

THE LIFE THAT LOVES IS MARKED BY FULLNESS.  She had a pound of luxurious oil and she didn’t spare an ounce, lavishing it all on the Lord.  Such love is extravagant (v.3-5).  The price was equivalent to a year’s salary.  My love for my wife moves me to buy her roses, to take her to a fancy restaurant, and to place gold and diamonds on her fingers.  If we love Christ, we will be willing to give extravagantly of our time and treasure in serving Him.  When was the last time it cost you to serve God?

The fullness of such love is also exclusive.  Mary only poured the oil on Jesus.   She did not share it with the disciples.  My wife and I have exchanged vows of fidelity.   If we would give ourselves to another that would be adultery!  Jesus, likewise, demands our exclusive affection—or it is spiritual adultery!

THE LIFE THAT LOVES IS MARKED BY FRAGRANCE.  The perfume permeated the place.  Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 14-16 that we are the fragrance of Christ—a perfume to believers and a stench of death to the wicked.   Such a life produces attraction. Writing the account years later, John can still smell the aroma in his memory.  We are drawn to this story like bees to nectar.  We do not know what Mary looked like in face and form, but there is a beauty that is heavenly in her soul that is eminently attractive.  So our lives need to draw people to God.  We need to be winsome in order to win some.  This kind of life further produces antagonism.  The self-centered Judas is repulsed by Mary’s deed.  He thinks this is fanaticism.  Those who despise Christ will denigrate those who love Him.  People may be attracted by our testimony or angered by it—they won’t be apathetic to it!  The life that loves Christ makes a difference.

THE LIFE THAT LOVES IS MARKED BY FELLOWSHIP.  What are the features of such fellowship?  Note her position.  She kneels at His feet.  We submit to Him as Lord, when we truly love Him.  Also, there is her perception.  Only Mary perceived the message of the cross and resurrection that Jesus had been teaching about, and so she anointed Him for burial.  Intimate fellowship brings deeper insight into the ways of God.  Further, this love life features her passion.  Christ was her life!  Our love for Him cannot be tepid—it demands to be aflame.  Then, we see her praise.   In Mark’s account, Jesus says, “Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”  (14:9)  We are fulfilling that again today.

Will we respond to Jesus like Mary did?

MEMBERS OF THE BODY

Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.  (1 Corinthians 12:27)

In a day when many are minimizing the significance of the local church—even among “Christians,” it is important to be reminded of what Scripture teaches—the local church is how God gets His work done in the world.  Through the assembly of believers, they are ministered to that they might be on mission for God.  It is there that truth is taught, where we are equipped, that accountability is provided, mission is conveyed, and supplication is offered together in a powerful way.  We are called to be members of a congregation—we are members of the body of Christ.

Of course, there is the church universal—all believers from Pentecost onward—a host dwelling in heaven and millions scattered through the earth today.  Most of the time, however, the New Testament uses the term, “church,” to describe an assembly of saints, meeting at a particular place, gathering for worship under the guidance of pastors and deacons.  That is how Paul is speaking of the body of Christ at Corinth in chapter twelve of his first epistle to them.

Before these Corinthians were born into God’s family and became members of Christ’s church, they were pagans (v.1-3).  Coming to Jesus meant that the Spirit of God had come to indwell them.  Each member had the Spirit residing in them, enabling them to confess that Jesus is Lord.  That is the joint confession which is made powerfully when we gather with others who have experienced salvation in the local church.

The Spirit imparts to the members gifts according to His sovereign will (v.4-11).  Each believer has received at least one spiritual gift, some have several, but none have them all.  These gifts are not to puff us up in pride, but to be employed for the edifying of the body.  The list of spiritual gifts here is not exhaustive, but representative.  There are other gift “lists” with variation.  The particular ones listed here were perhaps most visible in Corinth.  It is the decision of the Spirit of God as to what gifts we have, and not a matter of our desire for one or the other.

The Apostle uses the illustration of a human body to explain how the church should operate (v.12-31).  Just as our various organs have a specific function in relation to the health of our physical being, so the different members of Christ’s body have particular purposes—and diverse ones—cooperating together in a healthy church.  Every member is essential.  These differences, however, can become a source of strife—and it had in the Corinthian church.  Members were comparing the nature and number of their gifts with one another and what God meant for good, the Devil was using for evil.  It is like an auto-immune disease that some have today—where the body’s defense system starts attacking healthy cells and organs, thinking them to be a virus.  Just as this is harmful, and potentially deadly to our physical being, it will be to the church.

Let us discover, develop, and deploy our gifts for the good of the entire church.  This happens when love is the dominant force in our lives.  It is the, “more excellent way,” Paul refers to in verse thirty-one, and that he will describe in the great love chapter that follows.

The church is headquarters for God’s work.  Let’s plug in and get busy!

DYING TOO SOON

So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day.  (1 Samuel 31:6) 

We have heard this: “You won’t die before your time.”  From heaven’s side, that is true in that God is sovereign.  He is the Lord of life, death, and eternity.  God sets the boundaries of our existence and decrees the day of our end.  He is all-knowing and cannot be mistaken.  Yet, from the human side, we can lengthen or shorten our days according to our willingness to walk in God’s will.  There is no fatalism, where we say, “Whatever will be, will be.”  Should I take unneeded risk, I can abbreviate my days.  If I engage in unhealthy activity, I can shorten my lifespan.  By disobedience, I can commit the sin unto death (see 1 John 5:16-17).  Likewise, there have been those who have lived beyond what appeared to be the end.  King Hezekiah experienced an extension of life—insofar as he knew—though certainly not a surprise to God what He would do in response to the monarch’s prayer (read 2 Kings 20:1-11).  Fifteen years were “added” to his life. 

Saul and his sons died too soon.  Their life on earth was cut short in judgment.  The king had given himself to disobedience of God’s law, yielded himself to demonism in seeking a witch, and descended into death at the end of that downward spiral.  He dragged his family—particularly his faithful son, Jonathan—into that blackness with him.  Jonathan was too young to die, with too much potential squandered.  Many a brave soldier died on the battlefield that day because of the folly of their leader.  No man is an island.  We do not live—and sin—in isolation.  There is a ripple effect when we fall.  Like a stone plunges into the water, and the ripples begin to extend in ever-widening circles outward, we do not understand how far-reaching the effects of our decisions—for good or bad—may be. 

Such was the decision of General George Armstrong Custer, when the acclaimed Civil War hero, led his troops to Little Big Horn.  In his vanity, the golden-haired soldier, would fall along with his men at the hands of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho, under the direction of Crazy Horse and others.  Several of the soldiers killed were Custer’s kin, including two brothers and a nephew.  Their bodies were mutilated. 

Thousands of years before, King Saul has his “Little Big Horn.”  The Israeli forces were routed, Saul was mortally wounded, and lest he be tortured by the Philistines, he falls on his own sword and dies.  It is a shameful end to a squandered existence. 

There is a sober warning for us all.  You can start strong and finish in shame.  The late President of Moody Bible Institute, William Culbertson, was known to pray, “Lord, help us to end well.”  The great British preacher of yesteryear, F.B. Meyer, stated, “I don’t want my life to end in a swamp.”  The Apostle Paul disciplined himself lest he be disqualified and come to an untimely demise (1 Cor.9:27).  That way he was able to testify at the close of his life, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”  (2 Tim.4:7-8)  Let us make that our goal!

PROFANING THE HOUSE OF GOD

 

 

 

Furthermore He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, to make Me go far away from My sanctuary? Now turn again, you will see greater abominations.”  (Ezekiel 8:6)

How carelessly we take holy things!  How casually we approach a holy God!  Reverence seems to be an unknown concept—our familiarity with the eternal has made us flippant.  The pendulum had perhaps swung too far toward seeing God as virtually unapproachable, austere, and harsh in a former day.  Now, it has swung too far in the opposite direction where God is viewed as an old permissive grandpa who winks and laughs at our antics.  If the former is a distortion, the latter is a desecration!

In the eighth chapter of Ezekiel, we find the abominable profaning of the house of God described.  God shows up as a consuming fire, and shows His prophet the filth that had been brought into the sanctuary (v.1-2).  Four specific examples of these abominations are shown to Ezekiel—each worse than the last.

·         An idol had been erected at the door of the inner court at the north gate (v.3-4).  It is an “image of jealousy,” for God who demands exclusive love is jealous for His glory and His people.  The Jews, however, were giving their hearts to an idol.  We must wonder whether our hearts are given to passion for God when we gather in the house of God, or if man-made forms and ritual have supplanted our devotion to the glory of God.

 

·         Idolatrous images had been painted on the walls inside the house of God (v.5-12).  They burned incense in the darkness—in clandestine ceremonies.  The very elders who were charged to be vigilant against such evil, were guilty of it!    If one has to engage in secret rituals in the dark—in hope none can observe it—then why would we want to be involved in it?  Do we really think we can hide anything from God?

 

·         Women were at the entrance of the temple weeping for the Babylonian idol Tammuz (v.13-14).  Tammuz was a fertility god whose worship involved sexual orgies.  Sensuality and carnality take our focus off the spiritual and eternal.  Still, the worship of many today is filled with “Jesus is my boyfriend” type songs, along with music, video, and light effects that appeal to the sensual and not the spiritual dimension.  The feminization of the church has broadened that appeal.

 

·         Men were actually daring to enter the inner court of the temple—reserved for priests—and turn their backsides to God while bowing before the rising sun (v.15-16)!  How many turn their backs on God to pursue worship of the creation and not the Creator.  They ignore the Lord’s House on the Lord’s Day, all the while claiming, “I don’t need the church to worship God.  I feel close to God here at the beach or by the brook.”  You can indeed worship God anywhere and anytime—you should—but, if it leads you to neglect the assembly of the saints, then that form of spirituality is only idolatry.  It is pantheism—gods in the woods and waves—rather than the God of the woods and waves!

God asks, “Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here?”  He does not count it so and promises judgment on such people (v.17-18).  Let us return to the fear of God and repent of profaning the holy!

 

 

 

THE HATRED OF THE WORLD

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him.  (John 7:1)

It is a short distance from the penthouse to the doghouse.  You can go from hero to zero in a heartbeat.  Popularity is a fleeting thing because people are fickle creatures.  Jesus had fed 5,000.  The throngs that pressed upon Him wanted to make Him their king!  That was in chapter six.  In the next chapter, the masses are missing.  The acclaim has changed to anger.  In about six months’ time, His life is in danger.

What happened?  Jesus identified the problem in John 7:7, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.”  The sinful world hated Him for exposing their evil.  They hated Jesus for the same reason an obese person hates a mirror.  The life of Jesus was a light that shone into the darkness revealing their wicked hearts and habits.  The lessons of Jesus confronted them with God’s Holy standard and their need of repentance.  Even those considered models of morality in those days—the Pharisees—were not spared His searching gaze and scathing indictment.  They were what we all are apart from grace—criminals in violation of God’s law and deserving condemnation.

The reaction of the religious leaders was not humble confession, but to form a hateful conspiracy.  They look at Jesus with a critical eye; they listen to Him with a condemning spirit—trying to entrap Him with His words.  They whisper and plot behind His back.  “And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.”  (7:12a) 

Although the world’s hate focused on Jesus at the time—His followers would eventually suffer for His sake.  When they could no longer reach Him with their venom, they would sink their fangs into His followers. 

Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’  If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.  If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.  (John 15:20)

The church that is faithful to Christ will be attacked.  The Christian who holds to the truth will be assailed.  If we denounce sin as Jesus did and dare to speak the “intolerant” words that only Christ can save a man or woman, then it is not popularity but persecution we will know.

Let us stand and speak truth nonetheless.  Our Savior stands with us, even if all men forsake us.  The cross precedes the crown and suffering paves the way to glory.  Far better to have the Father’s embrace even if it means the world’s exclusion.

TRAINING FOR TRIUMPH

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize?  Run in such a way that you may obtain it.  (1 Corinthians 9:24)

Athletes who excel are talented—but, they are also trained.  There are many skilled athletes that are not successful athletes.  Winners are workers—they train for triumph.  The Apostle Paul uses this truth to illustrate spiritual success.  Every child of God has the potential for victory because of the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Despite this, we can see that few excel in their spiritual race.  Why?  We must work out what God works in.  The Apostle lists three essentials in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 for excelling in our efforts.

We must have DRIVE.  “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize?  Run in such a way that you may obtain it.”  (v.24)  You cannot be content with a participation ribbon—you must have the drive to attain the championship trophy!  Don’t be happy with being on the track—strive for triumph!  Paul had that kind of passion.  He was a man who was driven.  There was no half-heartedness about him.  How driven are you in the things of God?  Apathy is affecting many in the church—and it is appalling.  We have the potential to shake the world and shape our culture, but instead we are shaky about what we believe and the culture is shaping us!  What will rekindle our passion for Christ?  Take a trip to Calvary.  Kneel at the cross.  See the puddles of blood.  Look up into the eyes of love.  Stay there until your heart is ignited with a renewed zeal for Him who gave His all that you might give your all!

We must also have DIRECTION.  “And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.  ‎ Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty.  Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.”  (v.25-26)  The athlete who wins looks beyond the present price of training for the prospective prize of winning.  Playing football in high school demanded two-a-day practices in full pads under the hot sun of August.  The toil was meant to toughen us as we looked forward to walking off the field in victory later.  We listened and learned from our coaches’ direction.  The Christian life is to be lived with purpose.  Paul says that he is running for the goal—his eyes fixed on the prize.  He isn’t engaged in shadow boxing, but has put on the gloves, climbed into the ring, and has his eyes fixed on the enemy in front of him—to deliver a knockout to the Devil!

Finally, we must have DISCIPLINE.  “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”  (v.27)  You must practice the principles of training in order to triumph.  Let me suggest a few.

• ·        EAT RIGHT.  A daily intake of God’s Word provides the needful nutrition for spiritual vitality.  Refuse to consume the world’s junk-food that harms you.
• ·        BREATHE RIGHT.  A championship athlete expands his or her lung capacity in order to have stamina.  As you pray consistently, exhale your sin by confession, and inhale God’s power by faith.
• ·        WORK OUT.  You can’t develop muscle by being a coach potato—or a pew potato!  Get busy serving Christ and sharing your faith!

Now, stop whining and start winning!

THE BREAD OF LIFE

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  (John 6:35)

There is within every human heart a hunger for God.  God and God alone can satisfy that longing of our soul.  Sadly, many turn to the world to seek to fill that gnawing void.  It is like trying to quench thirst by drinking water from the ocean—the more you drink of that brine, the thirstier you become.  To go into eternity in that condition is to be in a place of unending thirst—without so much as one drop of water to cool the tongue.  Since only God can fill that emptiness, should a man or woman choose a life without God, then He will at death saturate their existence with His absence.  What a horrible thing to contemplate!  It is our choice.  God makes Himself available.  We may feast on Him and have life, but He will not cram Himself down our throats.  We must reach out a hand of faith, take His life into our own—feed upon Him and live forever in heaven with Him.

The Bread that God gives is His Son.  Jesus plainly said that He is the Bread of Life.  In the first century, bread was the basic food staple—the stuff of life.  You could not run to the grocery store and find shelves stocked with a wide variety of food.  The Jews would have equated the two—you have bread and you live; you do not and you starve.  If we feed upon Christ we have eternal life.  He promises to meet the heart hunger and fully satisfy the thirst in our heart—for He is likewise the Water of Life—a Well that never runs dry.  Bread and water—we can survive on that!

It is the privilege of the believer to daily feed upon that Bread of Life.  We come to Him and receive nourishment and strength to sustain us on our journey.  The Psalmist beckoned,

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”  (Ps.34:8)

For eighteen years of my life, I sought satisfaction in this world.  I consumed all I could which appealed to my carnal appetite.  It seemed so sweet to the taste, but was a poison in my soul.  The momentary pleasure of sin that made me salivate with anticipation could never deliver all it promised.  In fact, when the waiter brought the bill for what had been consumed, it cost far more than what it was worth—the high cost of low-living!  In a sense of desperation, I turned to Christ.  I tasted the Bread of Life—and I am so glad I did!  I have found Him to be all that I longed for, and all I could ever need.

Dear reader, please, if you have not received Him, do so today—not as some morsel to sample among a wide-variety of delicacies that this world offers—but as He truly is—life itself!  You will never hunger and never thirst again!

UNEQUALLY YOKED

The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail.  And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings.  (1 Samuel 25:3)

I have known too many young people—especially ladies—who have attempted missionary marriage.  They meet some old boy—they think him charming and good looking—and are attracted to him.  The spiritual side of the equation is set aside as the romance develops.  They decide they can charm him into receiving Christ.  Her (and sometimes his) thought is, “If I marry them, I will get him (or her) to go to church with me.  I’ll pray real hard.  God will save him (or her) and we will have a Christian home!”  That seldom happens.  Usually, rather than pull the unbeliever toward Christ, the unbeliever pulls the Christian down.  It is a recipe for strife and sorrow.  This is why God in His infinite wisdom warns in His Word, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.  For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness?  And what communion has light with darkness?”  (2 Cor.6:14)

There are other occasions where two unbelievers wed, and then one comes to faith.  It was a situation fairly common in the first century as the Gospel came to the Gentile world.  The question then arose, “Should I stay in the marriage?”  Paul addressed that in 1 Cor.7:12-16, essentially saying that if the unbeliever will remain in the marriage, then the Christian should be faithful to his or her vows.  The Christian may in this instance be the channel of grace to win the unbelieving mate to the Lord.  Even if not, the child of God is to honor their marriage, unless the unbeliever decides to divorce.  Then, you let them go.

Marriage can be a messy business.  Even at its best, there will be challenges in fusing two individuals into a single unit.  When there is an unequal yoke, then the difficulties can be exponential.  An Old Testament illustration of this is found in 1 Samuel 25.  We read of a charming woman of character by the name of Abigail, who wed a self-centered, arrogant jerk named Nabal.  His name meant, “Fool,” and was an appropriate description.  Yet, Abigail remained faithful to him and trusted God to work things out.

When Nabal mistreats David, and the future king of Israel is on his way with a band of warriors to kill Nabal and all the males of his household, Abigail intercedes for her husband.  It would have been easy to sit back and say, “Let the fool get what he deserves!”  That is not the nature of love, and she shows the sacrificial nature of true love.  There will be those occasions where a believer’s intercession for God to spare their sinful spouse the judgment they deserve will lead to that person’s eventual salvation.  If you are unequally yoked don’t stop praying!

Abigail not only shows love, but she demonstrates faith.  She does the difficult thing because it is the right thing—trusting God to take care of her.  God does!  When the drunk Nabal sobers up and realizes how close he was to death, he has a stroke, becomes paralyzed and dies within days.  Abigail was then free to remarry, and David knows a good thing when he sees it!

If you are considering a marriage to an unbeliever—don’t!  If you are married to one already—stay!  Love them and trust God—faithful to your commitment to Christ and your vows.