timewithgod.blog-city.com — November 2010
Matthew 17 -- The Extent Of Our Unbelief
Jesus, Peter, James, and John had been on the mountain and the three disciples had witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus. That awesome story trumps what had been happening at the base of the mountain. The rest of the disciples had been t
Jesus, Peter, James, and John had been on the mountain and the three disciples had witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus. That awesome story trumps what had been happening at the base of the mountain. The rest of the disciples had been tending the crowd and healing the sick, with one notable exception. A man who had an epileptic son had brought him there for healing, but no healing had taken place. The man bowed before Jesus when He returned and said, "Lord, have mercy on my son ... I brought him to Your followers, but they could not cure him."
Jesus' answer must have shamed the disciples: "O unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me." I looked up the Greek word for unbelieving here, and it didn't mean "lacking in enough faith" but instead "faithless or infidel". In other words, it seems that the disciples must have looked at the boy, seen his seizures, and decided, "This one's out of our league, surely!"
Calling them "perverted", Jesus seemed to be indicating that lack of such faith should not be normal. Instead, God had intended for us, since Creation, to come to Him with our needs, believing that He loves us and wants His best for us. Sin had changed us all, and the generation of people living then had sunk to about the lowest point possible. Jesus stated that He was having to practice restraint with them because of this perverted belief.
That led me to imagine what the difference would have been, and what it would be today, if we in fact lived each day knowing these facts about our God, expecting him to be fully able to meet our needs. It's our belief (or lack thereof) that hinders His work, just as it did in several of the locations where He ministered.
Father, please don't let my lack of belief ever hinder You from blessing me or others. Help me to fix firmly in my own mind and heart the absolute certainty that nothing is beyond Your power to correct. Nothing is impossible for You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Matthew 18:1-14 Protect My Sons
Jesus' disciples were starting to jockey for position in what they perceived to be the coming kingdom. Anxious to know more, they asked Him, "Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" To correct their thinking, He did somet
Jesus' disciples were starting to jockey for position in what they perceived to be the coming kingdom. Anxious to know more, they asked Him, "Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" To correct their thinking, He did something unusual: "Jesus called a little child to Him and stood the child before His followers." That little child only knew that this wonderful Man who so obviously loved him needed his presence, and he willingly obeyed. Standing in front of the thirteen there, he most likely felt self-conscious and therefore humble. Unknowingly, he made the perfect example for Jesus' reply: "The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven is the one who makes himself humble like this child." Not a forced, feigned humility, but an honest ‘what am I doing here?' humility. After all, sinners that we are, isn't it amazing that God should choose to use us to further His kingdom? That's amazing grace.
My commentary said that Jesus moves from the subject of a natural child to a spiritual child of God in verse 5, and that causing or seducing a believer to sin brings enormous condemnation. "It is bad enough to sin against oneself, but to cause a believer to sin is to destroy his innocence, corrupt his mind, and stain his reputation."
As I watch my two sons growing up, I am reminded of myself at their ages, and I so remember discovering the existence of the sinful things of this world, and the temptations that followed for both myself and my friends. I know that what Jesus describes here could easily become a reality for them as so-called friends attempt to gain themselves some company in the misery of their new-found sinfulness. Innocence so quickly can become tarnished at their ages, and I want so very much for them to come through it unscathed and unbent.
Father, please help me to equip my sons and their friends with the tools they need to say "no" to the world and "yes" to obedience to You. Give them discernment and a desire to please You more than their flesh. Give them wisdom to know that they are being sold a lie. I love them so much!
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Matthew 18:15-35 The Most Often Ignored Command Of Jesus?
What to do if a fellow believer sins against you - caring enough to confront. God is in the business of reconciliation. He wants relationship restored. I agree with my commentary that more often than not we want to broadcast our hur
What to do if a fellow believer sins against you - caring enough to confront. God is in the business of reconciliation. He wants relationship restored. I agree with my commentary that more often than not we want to broadcast our hurt, and we do so by gossiping, which has the effect of multiplying the strife. Jesus' explicit instructions are for us to handle the matter privately. "If the offender acknowledges his guilt, reconciliation is achieved ... If he does not listen, then the wronged one should take one or two others with him, seeking his RESTORATION." This follows Deuteronomy 19:15, which mandates two or three witnesses to a charge against another. It also serves to "emphasize the mounting seriousness of his continued unbrokenness."
If, despite all the testimony of the witnesses, the offender still refuses to confess and apologize, we are to go before the local church where both attend, not to the courts. 1st Cor. 6:1-8 says that the Christian is forbidden to go to law against another believer. Needless to say, things have gotten serious up to this point, and if the church hears the charges and agrees, and if the defendant refuses to admit his wrong, then "he should be barred from the privileges of the local church," my commentary says. "Though he may be a true believer, he is not living as one, and should therefore be treated accordingly ... The purpose of this is to bring him to his senses and cause him to confess his sin." That goes back to when the witnesses were taken to him - seeking his restoration and not his doom.
Until the defendant comes to his senses and confesses his sin, "Believers should treat him courteously but should also show by their attitude that they do not condone his sin and cannot have fellowship with him as a fellow believer. The assembly should be prompt to receive him back as soon as there is evidence of godly repentance."
This is tough stuff. I cannot recall ever seeing it done in our church in the half-century I've been attending. And I don't know that that's a good thing, either. How many believers have simply left the fellowship of the church, and possibly all churches, still in their sin, unforgiven and unforgiving because we fail to obey Jesus on this one command?
Father, show us if we've failed in this area. Remind us that You are a God of grace and we are to be like You, but You also cannot tolerate sin. You love us too much to leave us as we are, and we should also show that love.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Matthew 19:1-15 Called And Given Special Grace
The Pharisees again tried a little politics to try to trap Jesus. "They asked if divorce was legal on any and every ground. No matter how He answered, He would infuriate some segment of the Jews," my commentary said. Je
The Pharisees again tried a little politics to try to trap Jesus. "They asked if divorce was legal on any and every ground. No matter how He answered, He would infuriate some segment of the Jews," my commentary said.
Jesus plainly stated with authority that God originally intended for a man to have only one living wife. That in itself would have led them to cite several guys in the Old Testament who had many wives, like King David, I'm sure.
"God's ideal is that this divinely ordained union should not be broken by human act or decree," my commentary said. Throwing Moses' decree about divorce in His face, they probably thought they had him. But He replied that Moses had permitted divorce due to the absolute sin-sickness of the Jewish nation at that time. My commentary noted, "God's ideal was that there be NO divorce. But God often tolerates conditions that are not His directive will."
Jesus changed all that by declaring that from that point forward the only valid grounds for divorce would be sexual infidelity. Their society had migrated so far from God's will on this point that a man could divorce his wife for burning his dinner. Hearing Jesus' words, His disciples went to the extreme of saying, "It would be better not to marry at all!" (That translates to: "If the only reason I can divorce is her involvement in an affair, then You're leaving me no other outs if I change my mind about her later!")
Jesus knew that most of the human race was set on marriage and actually needed it. That was by God's design, after all. According to my commentary, verse 11 says that Jesus reminded them that the ability to remain celibate was not the general rule; only those to whom special grace was given could forego marriage. "They cannot live a continent [able to restrain sexual desires and passions] life unless they are called to it," my commentary said. "Not all men can live such a life; only those divinely empowered."
Father, I know that until we hear differently from You, we are to keep doing the last thing You told us to do, as Henry Blackaby said in Experiencing God. That's what I've been doing, and I thank You this morning for pointing out to me the special grace You give. Please help me to continue to hear Your voice and to respond when You speak. Let me never disappoint You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Matthew 19:16-30 More Of The Rest Of The Story
I loved the way my commentary fleshed out the conversation between Jesus and the rich man. There's more going on here than a casual reader notices: "Good teacher, what good thing must I DO to have eternal life?" He
I loved the way my commentary fleshed out the conversation between Jesus and the rich man. There's more going on here than a casual reader notices:
"Good teacher, what good thing must I DO to have eternal life?" He was ignorant of both the true identity of Jesus and the way of salvation. He spoke of gaining eternal life as a debt rather than as a gift.
"Why do you call Me good? There is no one good but God. But if you want to have life forever, obey the commands." Jesus was providing him with the opportunity to say, "That's why I call You good - You are God." And about salvation, Jesus was not implying that we can be saved by keeping the commandments. Rather, He was using the law to produce conviction of sin in the man's heart. The man still believed he could do something to earn eternal life. Therefore let him obey the law which told him what to do.
"I HAVE obeyed ALL these things. What ELSE do I need to DO?" I noticed that he was left feeling unfulfilled after doing all that he believed the commandments required. That proves that they cannot produce salvation. They are made to make us feel empty when we realize just how far short we fall. Blind to his own selfishness, the man boasted that he had always kept the commandment.
"Go and sell your possessions and give the money to the poor." Jesus exposed the man's failure to love his neighbor as himself by this command. Jesus never meant that he could be saved by doing just that. But in order to be saved, a man must ACKNOWLEDGE that he has sinned and fallen short of God's holy requirements. The rich man's unwillingness to share his possessions showed that he didn't love his neighbor as himself. He should have said, "Lord, if that's what is required, then I'm a sinner. I cannot save myself by my own efforts. Therefore, I ask You to save me by Your grace." If he had responded to the Savior's instruction he would have been given the way of salvation.
My commentary had a few other nuggets as well: Riches tend to become an idol. It is hard to have them without trusting in them ... Hoarded wealth condemns us as not loving our neighbors as ourselves.
Father, thank You for helping me to understand and believe what Jesus said in John 14:6 - "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me." I owe a debt to Him that I can never pay. Yet He freely gave Himself for me, to make me right with You. How appropriate it is, then, that I try to outgive You. It's an absolutely impossible task, but is one that helps me to remember that all I have is Yours, not mine.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Matthew 20 -- He's Fully Trustworthy
As I read the parable of the workers hired at different times of the day, I couldn't help but think about the conundrum that government and union lawyers would find themselves in while defending the various groups of workers against such an unfai
As I read the parable of the workers hired at different times of the day, I couldn't help but think about the conundrum that government and union lawyers would find themselves in while defending the various groups of workers against such an unfair employer. J
"The first hired bargained for a denarius a day and got the wage agreed on. The others cast themselves on the farmer's grace and got grace. Grace is better than justice. It is better to leave our rewards up to the Lord than to strike a bargain with Him," my commentary said.
I could just see those lawyers putting God on the stand and having Him give this answer: "I is not lawful for Me to do what I wish with My own things?" (Their immediate answer would probably be, "No, because You weren't fair about it. That's why we're here." Truth is, God is sovereign. He can do whatever He pleases, and to each individual "What He please will always be right, just, and fair," my commentary noted.
Sure, if you based the claims on their implied hourly wage, it might seem unfair. But there's an underlying current here. The men hired later and later in the day were probably less skilled and less able therefore to find work. The first hired most likely would be the fittest and the best at getting the job done. They most likely found work every day. Therefore, their need was not as great as those hired last. "The farmer knew that all these men needed money, so he paid them according to need rather than greed," according to my commentary. "The first men were hired as a result of a bargaining agreement; all the others left the matter of pay to the landowner." I think that shows how badly they needed the money and also just how much they trusted the landowner to be fair. I don't know that there was any trust with the first group hired.
Father, You taught me long ago to never worry about any reward from You. Your economy is so vastly different from ours. I'd rather have Your grace any day. Thank You for being such a wonderful Master.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Matthew 21:1-22 The One Different Miracle
God really seemed to draw me to verses 18 & 19. Jesus was walking from Bethany back to Jerusalem early one morning. He was hungry - because not only was He fully divine, but also fully human. He spotted a fig tree along the road
God really seemed to draw me to verses 18 & 19. Jesus was walking from Bethany back to Jerusalem early one morning. He was hungry - because not only was He fully divine, but also fully human. He spotted a fig tree along the roadside, and checking for fruit, He found none - only leaves. He stated, "You will never again have fruit." The tree immediately dried up.
My commentary said this was the only miracle in which Christ cursed rather than blessed - destroyed rather than restored life. So there has to be an important message in this for us.
I think it is important that Jesus expected to find fruit on the tree; otherwise He wouldn't have stopped to look. Mark tells us it wasn't the season for figs, but my commentary mentions an early fig that appears even before the leaves. If a tree fails to produce these early figs, it's a harbinger that no regular season figs will appear. Our Sovereign Lord is perfectly capable of calling forth fruit from a tree in any season, and in fact all of Creation should be waiting with baited breath for His call. This tree had done nothing and Jesus could see that. He therefore plainly stated that it would remain fruitless. Upon hearing its future from the Master, the tree died right then and there.
The lesson I think it tells us is that Christ wants our availability to produce fruit for Him. His calling is our enablement, but there is also our responsibility to respond to that call. If we refuse to answer it, we are like the fruitless trees in the parable of the vineyard, which are pulled up and burned to make way for the fruitful trees.
Our salvation was never meant to be "fire insurance". It is also a call to a fruitful life and a life of obedience. Otherwise, we could not truthfully call Him "Lord".
Father, please help me to be fruitful for You. Direct me to those I am to touch. Show me where I am to be Your hands and arms and feet on this earth. Use my mouth to speak Your words of encouragement where needed.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Matthew 21:23-46 Lip Service Only?
Lip service - those two words kept coming to mind as I read verses 28-32. Jesus starts out: "Tell Me what you think about this." With that short sentence He both invites us to explore what He is about to relate and command
Lip service - those two words kept coming to mind as I read verses 28-32. Jesus starts out: "Tell Me what you think about this." With that short sentence He both invites us to explore what He is about to relate and commands us to answer from our hearts. Once we've heard these verses, He's commanding us to take a side, either against Him or against ourselves.
Jesus tells of two sons who were told to go work in their father's vineyard. They could not have responded more differently than they did. The first said, "I will not go," but later changed his mind and showed up for work. The second politely said, "Yes, sir. I will go and work." But he never showed up.
Jesus asked the priest and leaders, "Which one of the two sons obeyed his father?" They correctly answered, "The first son."
What an affront they must have felt when He then said, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God before You do. John came to show the right way to live. You did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes believed him. Even after seeing this, you still refused to change your ways and believe him."
Our multi-part question becomes: "What has God commanded us to do?" and "Have we done it?" If not, we are no better than they.
Last Sunday's youth Bible study covered Jacob's return to the Promised Land after working for his father-in-law for 20 years. In preparing to return to Bethel, he relayed God's instructions to his family members to turn over all the pagan idols in their possession, and he buried them. I saw that in these verses as well. God commands us to rid our lives of everything that flies in the face of His commands. As Christians, we should have already done that, just as Jacob's family should never have OWNED idols in the first place!
Jesus calls us to admit to Him that we really haven't been obeying after all - that we've held on to things not of Him. Did we say, "Yes, sir," and do nothing, or did we at first say no but then give in to His truth? Lip service or action? How can we resist?
The words to the song "How He Loves":
He is jealous for me.
Love's like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy...
Father, bring on Your hurricane of love. Bend me in compliance to You. I don't want to be guilty before You of giving lip service only. I don't want to be like the second son.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Matthew 22 - A Daily Checklist
There was again so much good stuff to choose from, but God seemed to focus me on verses 37 & 38, where Jesus answered the question regarding which was the greatest commandment. His answer: "You shall love the Lord your God with a
There was again so much good stuff to choose from, but God seemed to focus me on verses 37 & 38, where Jesus answered the question regarding which was the greatest commandment. His answer: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind." In Mark, the phrase, "with all your strength" is also listed.
I liked the way my commentary broke all that down:
"This means that man's first obligation is to love God with the TOTALITY of his being. As has been pointed out: the heart speaks of the emotional nature, the soul of the volitional nature (our will); the mind of the intellectual nature, and strength of the physical nature."
I had to stop right there and "check all the parts" -- my emotions, my will, my intellect, and my fleshly body.
Did I love God yesterday by the way I reacted to things emotionally? Did I love Him by yielding my stubborn will? Did I love Him by keeping a diet of the mind, not allowing my thoughts to linger on ungodly things? And what about my physical body? Not just staying away from fleshly sin, but also keeping it in a state that will keep me available to do everything He asks of me?
Father, help me to review this checklist daily. After all, Your Son said it is important!
Matthew 23 -- Notice The Repeats
Jesus says here: "You are hypocrites! You close the door for people to enter the kingdom of heaven. You yourselves don't enter, and you stop others who are trying to enter.... You make him more fit for hell than you are ...
Jesus says here: "You are hypocrites! You close the door for people to enter the kingdom of heaven. You yourselves don't enter, and you stop others who are trying to enter.... You make him more fit for hell than you are ... You guide the people, but you are blind ... You are blind fools! ... You are blind! ... You are hypocrites! ... You don't obey the really important teachings of the Law - justice mercy, and being loyal ... You guide the people, but you are blind! ... You are blind! ... You are hypocrites! ... You are full of hypocrisy and evil ... You are hypocrites! ... You are snakes!..."
Wow, that doesn't fit our usual idea of a peace-loving Jesus, does it? He surely gets His point across! And just who was the target of His withering fire? The religious leaders of His day. He pretty much summed up everything with this: "They tell you to do things, but they themselves don't do them. They make strict rules and try to force people to obey them, but they are unwilling to help those who struggle under the weight of their rules." In other words, they loved to condemn. Because of that, it didn't suit their purpose to help anyone out of their sin.
They made an outward show of religiousness and morality but their hearts were filled with extortion and self-indulgence, my commentary said. Jesus plainly tells us to make sure our hearts are cleansed through repentance and faith, and my commentary zeroed in on our main problem:
"There is a difference between our person and our personality. We tend to emphasize the personality - what we want others to think we are. God emphasizes the person - what we really are. He desires truth in the inward being."
That's why Jesus said all He said here. And perhaps the reason He said it so many times was that we often build up a wall around ourselves that begins to function as blinders, and we can reach the point where we cannot see the enormity of the discrepancy between our person and our personality.
Father, I want my inward and outward selves to be the same. That doesn't have to mean that I parade my sin, but instead that with the help of Your Holy Spirit I can starve the sinful inner self and make it comply to Your will. I know I can't do it alone. I need You. Please help my talk to equal my walk.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
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