There are specific things in our lives we would like to remain secret. Not all these things are of a sinful nature, referred to as secret sins, but also certain matters of embarrassment we rather not be made public. I can recall many dumb and embarrassing things I have done in my life I’d rather be left in the memory of those who have witnessed them. True friends will keep the secret, but others are not so obliged in revealing the episode to others. There is not much you can do after the fact except hope it will not be used against you as a butt of a joke or even worse to make sport of you to harm you.
Some people are good at keeping certain areas of their lives extremely private and secret. This is not to condemn one who does, but for whatever reason you choose not to share and keep secret, there is one who knows everything. God the Father knows every detail and the deep dark secrets of our lives. We are unable to keep any secret from God. He even knows what we are thinking, or what we are about to think. But God will not reveal what He knows about us to anyone. God can keep a secret.
Although God can keep a secret, He will never allow us to get away with any sin in our lives unconfessed. And there will be a day when all Christians will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of our lives, both public and private. 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.” (NLT) May we keep in mind even though God forgives us of our sin, and can keep a secret, “that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.” (Rom. 2:16 NLT)
“……give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God.” Matthew 22:21 NLT
“Christianity never should be identified with any political party or social theory, but Christians ever should take their stand for loyalty, for order, and for law.” Charles R. Erdman
Photo FreeBibleimages.org
During Jesus’ ministry on earth, there were two influential groups who hated Him and wanted Jesus dead. One group were the Pharisees, or the Jewish religious rulers of the day. The other was known as the Herodians, supporters of Herod backed by the Roman government. These two groups hated each other, but they had a common enemy Jesus that brought them together. Their goal was to trap Jesus in questioning the legitimacy of paying taxes to the Roman government headed by Caeser. In answering, yes or no, each party would be able to claim Jesus’ disloyalty either to Rome as an act of treason, or to the Jewish nation. Jesus’ answer not only settled the matter then and there, but also set precedent for all Christ followers from that day forward.
Jesus said very simply to give Caeser what he is owed and give God what He is owed. The Roman government, although harsh especially to the Jews, were the authority figure that provided protection and law and order in the land. Maintaining infrastructure of the region is also a reason to support the authorities for what is owed to them. God also demands what is owed to Him. God is owed the dedication of our lives through obedience, service, and worship to Him.
The Pharisees and the Herodians had it all wrong. They calculated Jesus had to answer one way or the other sealing His fate. Jesus’ answer to them was in perfect harmony. We are obedient to God when giving to the government what is owed as a God-ordained authority, Ceaser included, and we are obedient to God when surrendering our lives to Him. An appropriate lessons for us to heed during the upcoming tax season is to stand for loyalty, law, and order as good citizens of our country, and to stand in obedience to God as citizens of heaven for Jesus gave us a law of perfect harmony for all time!
“The king was furious when he heard this, and he ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be executed. And because of the king’s decree, men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends.” Daniel 2:12-13 NLT
Living in a godless society is like walking on eggshells for God-fearing people. It’s walking a tightrope high above a sea of debauchery. One false move and you either fall into it willingly and participate in the corruption, or you call on the Lord to sustain you through it. Christians often find themselves needing to choose between conforming to the accepted norms of the culture or take a stand for the Lord and the truth of His Word. We saw last week in our Biblical Insights on the book of Daniel, the stand Daniel took in refusing to eat the king’s food in violation of the Hebrew law. Offering a plan B to the king’s chief of staff to replace the food with vegetables and water was blessed by God. Daniel and his friends were well nourished and appeared healthier compared to the other trainees in Nebuchadnezzar’s court. This week we highlight the Lord’s blessing on the value of prayer while living in Babylon.
Christians living in a godless culture may also find themselves guilty by association in a whimsical moment to convict all in a certain group whether guilty or not. Chapter 2 begins with Daniel in the royal service of King Nebuchadnezzar who has a disturbing dream that kept him up all night. “He called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers, and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood before the king, he said, ‘I have had a dream that deeply troubles me, and I must know what it means.’” (Dan. 2:2-3 NLT) Needless to say, his so-called pagan wizards and astrologers had no clue. They needed the king to first tell them his dream and then they would conjure up something that sounded good to please the king. The king threatened to have them all executed if they couldn’t tell him the dream and then interpret it. The astrologers tried to convince Nebuchadnezzar by saying it was impossible for any human to tell beforehand a person’s dream. The pagan king then ordered the execution of all the wise men which Daniel was one.
Living in Babylon, a pagan culture, is not without hope. Daniel had seen the Lord’s hand at work in placing him and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah in the king’s service. He knew they were not without hope for the Lord was with them. Daniel requested more time from the king, which was granted, and he and his three friends prayed to the God of heaven and sought His help in telling and interpreting the dream. The Lord answered by revealing the dream to Daniel and its interpretation in a vision that night. God does not forget those who are in His service even when placed in Babylon.
Daniel was then brought before King Nebuchadnezzar confirming what the others had told him, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future.” (Dan. 2:27-28 NLT) Daniel then preceded to tell the king his dream providing the interpretation. The king’s dream is a prophecy partially fulfilled of all the world kingdoms from King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon to the final kingdom to come of Christ’s kingdom at His second coming. Daniel completed by saying “The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.” (Dan. 2:45b NLT)
The Lord once again blessed Daniel by his promotion to ruler over the province of Babylon and chief of all Nebuchadnezzar’s wise men. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were also appointed over all the affairs of Babylon while Daniel served in the king’s court. There is a lesson for us today as we live in Babylon. The Lord can and will raise up those who are faithful to Him when faced with adversity or get pronounced guilty by association. A life of prayer is a must when living in a pagan culture. Daniel and his friends were in high positions in godless government system. Their example teaches us it is possible to live in the light of God’s Word living in Babylon as we continue to take a stand and bring everything before Him in prayer.
“God says, ‘At the time I have planned, I will bring justice against the wicked.’ ……It is God alone who judges; he decides who will rise and who will fall.” Psalm 75:2, 7 NLT
There seems to be more heartbreaking news every day. The world in which we live is being shattered by evil, injustice, war, and natural disasters. Adding to the problem is the political unrest around the globe, a failing economy with rising prices, and a secular worldview that disregards any mention of the God of the Bible in solving our problems. There is no safe haven in which to turn, or so we think. But there is, for the Christian and the non-Christian alike, it is the Lord God, the God of the Bible.
Psalm 75 in the Old Testament can easily be applied to today’s world. Israel’s security as a nation was in jeopardy by godless worldly forces. Being threaten by outside nations Israel put their trust in God in this thanksgiving psalm. The psalmist begins by praising God and is assured by God in the next verse of His plan. “God says, ‘At the time I have planned, I will bring justice against the wicked.’” (Ps. 75:2) As Israel depended on the God of the Bible thousands of years ago, we can still depend on Him to bring about justice in our world that has gone awry.
The foundations of the world are held safely by God. He is the one who has firmly planted them. No natural catastrophe, war, or political chaos will be able to upheave them. (Ps. 75:3) Those who shake their fists at God over such events are warned by God Himself not to be boastful and proud. Their defiant arrogant speaking is both evil and foolish. God is still in control of the events in this world, and He will judge according to His righteous judgement. (Ps. 75:4-7)
The Lord will pour out His fury, His righteous judgement, on the wicked. All who do evil will not escape the justice due them by a Holy God. (Ps. 75:8) The world’s safe haven is in the God of the Bible who will bring about true justice. Those deserving His righteous judgment will experience God’s wrath, and those in need justice from the wicked will be rewarded God’s favor. “For God says, “I will break the strength of the wicked, but I will increase the power of the godly.” (Ps. 75:10)
Take heart in the news of the day remembering that God is in control and that He is the one who said, “At the time I have planned, I will bring justice against the wicked.”
“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Romans 8:26 NASB
Most people find it hard to pray, let alone pray intelligently. Sometimes we lag searching for the right word or the correct sequence in expressing our concerns to God. We tend to think if not spoken correctly God may misunderstand what we are praying for. We’re afraid of missing some important details of our request due to our many distractions squashing the whole prayer. Even the most experienced prayer warriors discover distractions, lapses in concentration, and the never-ending mind wandering as part of their prayer time. But through all the distractions and trying to find the best way to express ourselves to God, we are assured we can pray intelligently.
Praying intelligently is not having all the i’s dotted and the t’s crossed, or systematically referenced for comprehension, but having the Holy Spirit guide you and speak for you when you don’t know what to say or how to say it. Paul writes in Romans, “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words.” (8:26 NASB) We can take comfort in knowing the Holy Spirit knows and understands what we want to say and brings it before the Father. There are times when we find it difficult how to pray for a situation, the Holy Spirit is aware of that, and then there are times when we simply can’t pray at all, the Holy Spirit knows that too.
Our heavenly Father wants us to come before Him in prayer. As a father He desires the best for His children and wants to have quality time with us. We need to remember God knows what we need before we ask Him, and what we are going to ask Him before we ask. So why don’t we spend some quality time with our Father with the Holy Spirit as our helper and pray intelligently.
“For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.” Hebrews 6:10 NLT
The following is from the Barna Group, April 27, 2022, “As of March 2022, the percentage of pastors who have considered quitting full-time ministry within the past year sits at 42 percent. Over half of pastors who have considered quitting full-time ministry (56%) say ‘the immense stress of the job’ has factored into their thoughts on leaving. Beyond these general stressors, two in five pastors (43%) say ‘I feel lonely and isolated,’ while 38 percent name ‘current political divisions’ as reasons they’ve considered stepping away.” (1)
No doubt, being a pastor is no easy job. It’s not a profession to pursue seeking to become rich, for most anyway, but is a calling to preach the gospel and minister to the church family. Pastors today encounter a host of problems and concerns that their predecessors never dealt with or even thought possible. With that being said God called them both in their time to minster to their generation.
Of the many reasons given by pastors who have considered leaving the ministry, the most disturbing may be the feeling of loneliness and isolation. It is hard to imagine that those who care for so many by personal contact would feel this way. But that is the case for 43% who answered the survey. Perhaps some of these feelings come from a sense of ingratitude and/or of being taken for granted, after all it is the pastor’s job. This should be an eyeopener for all us in the church to be more supportive of our local pastors.
A word of encouragement for all pastors from the writer of the book of Hebrews, which I’m sure you are familiar with, “For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.” (Heb. 6:10 NLT) And when Christ returns, he will bring with Him your crown of glory to lay at His feet. “And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” (1 Pt. 5:4 ESV) Yes, your work will never be forgotten by the Lord.
“I am the LORD, and I do not change.” Malachi 3:6a NLT
Our cell phones and computers have a way of reminding us how things have changed in our lives by the occasional pop-up feature ‘reminders of this day.’ A pop-up this morning made me realize how much the back of our property had changed along with our neighbors’ property over the last fifteen years. Pictures of the aftereffects of a snowstorm that year reveal a maple tree still standing before we had it removed. Truth be told, I was tired of racking all the leaves in the fall, but now miss the comfortable shade they brought in the summer. My nephew parked his car on our property during his high school days, he is now married with three children. There are many changes to our neighbors’ properties as well revealing the fact that nothing stays the same, especially over time.
It is also said that change is good, and that is very often true. Time alone forces change upon us whether we like it or not. The key is how do we welcome that change in our lives. Our world today is constantly changing and changing rapidly almost daily. Greek philosopher, Heraclitus of Ephesus is quoted as saying “change is the only constant in life.” It is inevitable, change will come, and we need to be ready for it.
Change is perceived as the only constant in life. We say the only thing that doesn’t change is change, it’s always changing. But the irony is to deal with change effectively you need a constant in your life, and that constant is God. God Himself said, “I am the LORD, and I do not change.” (Mal. 3:6a NLT) The Lord is aware of all the changes about to influence your life. You can count on Him to be there with His unchanging love, wisdom, protection, understanding, and help when needed. God will help you deal with all the changes in your neighborhood even when you make a mistake and cut down a shady maple tree.
“But when Jesus touched her hand, the fever left her. Then she got up and prepared a meal for him.” Matthew 8:15 NLT
Many families have a tradition of gathering together after Sunday church services either in the afternoon or evening. One of my fondest childhood memories is going over to our grandparents’ house after Sunday evening services. She would always have plenty of food and snacks ready for us. It would always be a good time with my brothers, sister, and cousins, especially listening to my uncle’s jokes. The gatherings have changed over the years in different forms, over distances, and certainly not as frequent. Families today will recall their own memories of their gatherings after Church services as the tradition continues.
During Jesus’ time on earth things were not all that different. People would gather together after being at the synagogue. The gospel of Mark tells us, “After Jesus left the synagogue with James and John, they went to Simon and Andrew’s home.” (Mk. 1:29) When they arrived at the home they found Peter’s mother-in-law sick with a high fever. No doubt this caused some anxious moments for the family as guests would be soon arriving. They spoke with Jesus about her condition and Jesus touched her and she was healed immediately. Scripture confirms, “Then she got up and prepared a meal for him.” (Mt. 8:15b)
Jesus’ healing hand was all that was needed to restore Peter’s mother-in-law to full health and strength. It wasn’t a gradually healing by getting her back on her feet and being able to feel one hundred percent in a couple of days. No, she was totally healed and was able to prepare a meal. Our Lord Jesus is the great physician and still works miracles of healing today according to His will. However we gather today with friends and family, as we are together may we remember His Healing Hand.
“But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply.” Matthew 22:11-12 NLT
Most of us possess clothes while wearing them are very comfortable. Sometimes we regret even the need to remove them for washing, but it must be done. Physical clothing may not be the only clothing that is comfortable, our garments of intellect, financial success, good looks, and popularity never want to be removed even for something better. Jesus gave us parable to show us the terrible consequences of holding on to our comfortable clothes in place of what He has to offer, eternal life with Him.
The parable is ‘The Parable of the Great Feast,’ or the ‘Wedding Feast.’ A king prepared a wedding feast for his son. After all the preparations were made, he sent out his servants to gather all those who were invited, but they all refused to come. The king was very angry and sent his servants out again to invite others, in fact they were to invite everyone they saw. “So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests.” (Mt. 22:10 NLT) Jesus told this parable in reference to the Jewish religious rulers who had rejected Him as the Messiah. The king in the parable represents God the Father, the son is Jesus the Messiah, and those invited were the Jewish people of the nation Israel.
God further extended His invitation of salvation to all people for John 1:11 says, “He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.” (NLT) Every person of all ethnicities, Jews included, male and female, black and white are invited to the wedding feast. But there is one caveat, you must remove your comfortable clothes and put on the wedding clothes the Lord has provided for you.
In the parable, those invited the second time were given wedding clothes (God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ His Son), but some refused it as the previous invited guests had done. They were too comfortable in the clothes they were wearing and felt no need to change. In their minds the clothes they had on were good enough and they were good enough to attend the wedding feast. But the king gave the harsh reality of rejecting His Son, Jesus Christ, “Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Mt. 22:13 NLT) It’s time to throw away your old comfortable clothes, they are not good enough.
“But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods.” Daniel 1:8 NLT
During the next seven weeks in our Biblical Insights of Word for the Soul, we will be looking at the Old Testament book of Daniel. Our theme will be ‘Living in Babylon.’ There are many insights we can glean from pages of the book of Daniel which correspond to our day and age for Christians. In 605 B.C. Jerusalem was besieged by the Babylonian empire under the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. Most of the residents of the city were taken captive and carried off to Babylon, their new home for the next seventy years.
The Jewish people were now living in captivity in a pagan culture due to their rebellion and sin against the Lord their God, but God had not abandoned them. The Lord told them to have families, raise crops and seek the welfare of the people and the city of Babylon while they were there. Life for the Jews was difficult in Babylon for there was no mention of the God of the Bible, as many foreign pagan gods were the subject of worship. The culture was anti the true God with reminders of that at every turn, however this was now their home, and the Lord said He would be with them. Christians around the world, particularly in the United States, are living today in Babylon, a culture which is also anti God of the Bible. But as the Jews in Babylon, God has not abandoned us either.
Nebuchadnezzar took full advantage of the strong, healthy, intelligent, and gifted young men among the captives. He ordered they be trained in the language, literature, and customs of Babylon to serve in the king’s royal palace. Doing so would wash away any reminders of their homeland or the God of heaven, or so they thought. The first phase of the brainwashing was to assign them new names to represent the gods of the Babylonians. The book of Daniel specifically lists four young men taken into training for the king’s service. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah are their Hebrew names, we know them better as Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, their pagan Babylonian names.
An insight for us to see is the effort to remove any remaining thought of previous life and to assimilate into a new culture. Our current secular world culture is the modern-day Babylonian empire forcing their way into the lives of God-fearing people to assimilate to the culture. Daniel and his friends experience this firsthand at the very beginning of living in their new surroundings and cemented an example for us to follow.
Naturally the newly acquired students in training for the king’s service were fed proper meals to ensure continued health and strength. They were given prepared meals from the king’s own kitchen and the best wine from his table. But there was one problem for Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, the food and wine were offered to pagan gods. The Mosaic Law forbidden the consumption of food or wine sacrificed to a pagan god. Participating in eating this food would go against God’s holy standards for His people. The Bible says Daniel took a stand and was determined he was not going to defile himself with this pagan food and drink.
So, what are Christians to do when faced in compromising positions to assimilate to the culture when accepted is a violation of God’s standards. Daniel determined he would not defile himself with what he knew was sinful against the Lord God. Daniel and his three companions assimilated to their surroundings in every way that was not in violation of God’s laws. They were very successful in the service of the king and the government in Babylon for obeying God.
The Lord does not want us to hide ourselves disengaging from the culture but to assimilate for the progress and welfare of those around us. But Christians are not to compromise by assimilating to and accepting sinful practices as the current culture demands. The Lord will not abandon us, as He did not leave His people in Babylon to fend for themselves but honored their commitment to Him with blessings of fruitfulness in a land and culture not their own. We can experience the same today by being determined not to defile ourselves with the king’s food.
Word for the Soul 