At the onset of His Sermon on the mount, known by many as the Beatitudes, Jesus made this declaration: “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9) You know, I love the many verses in the Bible which are self explanatory. This is one of them. What else can a “peacemaker” be other than being a person who not only makes peace, but one who is at peace with everything and everybody, beginning with God. One notable minister of the gospel has said: “When one has the peace of God, it is because he has peace with God.”
In these beatitudes, Jesus painted a picture of the character of the genuine children of God. They are humble, meek, tenderhearted, merciful, pure in heart, and of course, people of peace. If Jesus is indeed the Prince of Peace, it stands to reason that His followers will be a little bit like Him. It is out of character for a child of God to have running feuds with others, be in severed relationships, or hold grudges, especially with fellow Christians. In fact, anyone who wants to serve the Lord but often gets into quarrels is disqualified. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul wrote: “A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.” (2 Tim. 2:24 New Living Translation) Personally speaking, if I knew someone had something against me and I had made no effort to do something about it, or if I knew I had offended someone and had not asked his or her forgiveness, I would find it extremely difficult to even write a blog message.
To be a peacemaker is to have the wisdom of God. James 3:17 reads: “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” Are you at peace today? Is your heart at rest? If you can’t answer “yes” and you are a child of God, may I encourage you to run to the Prince of Peace? He will surely help you.
God’s promise for today: (Philippians 4:7) “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Before His date with the cross of Calvary, Jesus was a guest in the house of a man known as Simon the leper. It is reasonable to believe that this man, no longer a leper, healed by Christ Himself, invited Him into his house as a token of his appreciation. While He was in the house, a woman came and poured a expensive ointment on His head. In those days, such an act was a sign of great respect and many bible scholars believe the woman was Mary, Lazarus’ sister, since it happened in their hometown of Bethany. This act of love and devotion did not go well at all with the Disciples because they thought that such a costly perfume could have been sold with the proceeds going to the poor. In other words, they viewed it as a waste. What they couldn’t understand yet was that in anything that is done for Christ, what matters most is the intent of the heart. In fact, in any good work that is done for Christ or for others because of love for Him, God always looks at the heart. Because that is true, Jesus corrected His Disciples’ position by saying: “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me.” (Matthew 26:10) Three verses later, we read that He also said: “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.”
Today, our entire nation is honoring those who have or are serving in the military branches, and rightfully so, in particular those who paid the ultimate price. I am glad that someone long ago was wise enough to set apart a particular day every year to honor our veterans. After God, we have what we have because of their sacrifice. Think about this: If Jesus commanded that the story of the woman who poured an expensive ointment on His head be told alongside the gospel message, can you imagine how He feels about those who have given their lives for others? May we never forget to honor and be grateful to them.
By the same token, I trust you will never forget this eternal truth: Anything you do for Christ or for others because of your love for Him, is worthy to be memorialized by Him. In other words, He will never forget it. And like the woman in the story, once in a while what you do for the Lord will not only be misunderstood by others, it may be criticized as well. Please don’t let that stop or discourage you. In fact, maybe someday, what you have done in His name may also become a story many will share for many generations.
God’s word for today: (2 Corinthians 5:14) “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died.”
As I was reading yesterday in the 12th Chapter of John, these two verses caught my attention: “Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” (verses 20-21) Devout Jews from all parts of the world had gathered in Jerusalem for the impending Feast of the Passover. Among those in the city on that particular day were some Greeks. It is not known if they were Jews from Greece or just Gentile worshippers who were there for the festivities. Regardless, they wanted to see Jesus and they approached Philip, one of the Disciples, to see if he would grant them their wish.
If these were Jews who were qualified to participate in the feast, they may have wanted to see and hear Jesus in advance for themselves being aware that, for whatever reason, the Jewish religious leaders of the day not only opposed Him, they hated Him as well. If they were Gentiles, they knew they were not allowed in the temple but since they had heard so much about Jesus, they may have come to Jerusalem for that very reason, to see if they could meet and know Him. However, this is the part of the story I want to focus on. It is Philip. For one reason or another, these Greeks came to the one man who they were sure could lead them to Jesus. Neither do I know if they were sure he was one of the twelve, but obviously they knew he had been with Him. I am a very simple minded person and when I read that the first word they said when they approached Philip was “sir”, to me it simply meant that he had displayed qualities that demand respect. Remembering yesterday’s blog, they liked Philip as a person even though they may have still been unbelievers. I repeat the bottom line to yesterday’s blog: If people in the world like us, it should not alarm us. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
If you are like Philip and have had the experience of people approaching you requesting prayer, advice, questions about the bible or life in general, know what church you attend, or just want to know how come you’re so different than most people, I commend you. This would mean that, just like Philip, people around you either know or suspect that you belong to Christ. Whether we are like Philip or not, perhaps we can consider making this one of our prayers to God: “Lord, I want to be like Philip.”
God’s word for today: (Philippians 3:10) “that I may know Him (Jesus) and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”
There is a misconception among God’s children that it is a bad sign when people in the world like us and don’t say anything negative about us. One pastor I know has often remarked “I would be very worried if everybody in the world likes me.” Perhaps he, and many other Christians feel this way because of their interpretation of certain bible verses. Here are two examples: “Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” (James 4:4) “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” (John 17:14) These two verses could be seen as a confirmation to that belief, so it is understandable that some would feel uneasy if most people in the world like them. However, just like stories, every issue has two sides. Let’s take a look at the other one.
In the 15th Chapter of John, we have the account of Jesus’ discourse with His Disciples. Here, He was announcing His death, resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit as well as preparing them for what was to come. This was one of the things He told them: “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (verses 18-19) I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “If is a very big word and sometimes changes everything” And I’m also sure you noticed that the first word Jesus used in this declaration was the word “if.” Of course, there will be times when we share the gospel with others that they will not like what they heard. If they resent it, they may resent us as well.
Consider this too: When advising Timothy of the qualifications of the church’s ministers, here was one of them: “He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, (the world) so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.” (1 Timothy 3:7) The truth is that if we display Christlike qualities many people in the world will like us, even if they don’t believe or accept the gospel. One noteworthy verse regarding the priest and prophet, Samuel, says this: “And the child Samuel grew in stature, and in favor both with the Lord and men.” (I Samuel 2:26) So we see that a child of God can find favor even among the people in the world. Bottom line: It is not necessarily a bad thing if people in the world like us. In fact, Jesus said that if we let our light shine before men, (the world) they will see our good works and glorify Him. (See Matthew 5:16) Lets make a good effort to glorify the Lord.
God’s promise for today: (Daniel 12:3) “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”
Malachi 3:10 is a bible verse which is very often misunderstood. Because of it, it is not very popular among it’s readers. The reason it is misunderstood is because many people view it as an indictment and condemnation. The truth is that it is the opposite. It is God’s invitation to a blessing. Here’s what it says: “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” (Malachi 3:10)
Many will present the argument that Malachi’s message was given specifically to God’s people in his time but one thing that can not be disputed is God’s unchanging character. He still blesses those who give their offerings faithfully. In fact, Jesus said in New Testament times: “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38) This, just like the previous verse, is an invitation to a blessing. If you give, you will receive.
There are many good people who don’t give to their church or for the Lord’s work simply because they are afraid they won’t have enough left to live on. Please understand that God does not want us to give what we don’t have; neither does He want us to give our tithes and offerings if it is not in our hearts to do so. And while it is true that God loves a cheerful giver, (See 2 Corinthians 9:7) those who take Him at His word and give will be blessed indeed. One more thing: It is obvious that God is a generous and giving God. That being the case, God’s children should be generous and giving as well. Don’t be afraid! Take a step of faith. You’ll be glad you did.
God’s word for today: (Psalm 33:12) “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance.”
Even though we, as God’s children, know better, our human nature kicks in more often than it should when it concerns prayer. Tell me if you have said or heard similar phrases such as these: (1) “Oh no, I never ask prayer for myself. I’ve already bothered the Lord too much with my many prayers for my family and friends.” (2) No, I never ask the Lord for any little thing that comes to my head. That would be selfish” (3) “God has bigger and more important things to worry about in this world. He’s too busy to pay attention to my unimportant prayers.” (4) “Why should I ask God for anything? He should know already what I want and need.”
Here are some bible truths that dispel these foolish ideas: (1) A great prophet of old once said: “Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.” (Jeremiah 32:17) Does it matter that we have already prayed for all the people we know? Does God not have the power to answer the prayer of every person in the world at the same time? (2) Proverbs 3:6 says that we should “In all our ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct our paths.” To me, this means that we can ask His help in anything. (3) Jesus said: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.” (Matthew 10:29) If a little bird’s life is important to God, imagine how much more important you are to Him. Regarding prayer, I tell our church members often: “If it is important to you, it is important to God.” (4) A blind man by the name of Bartimaeus was brought before the Lord and “Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.” (Mark 10:51) I’m sure you know that Jesus knew in advance what this blind man needed. Yet, He wanted to to hear his petition. Is it any different with you and me? Does He not know what we need even before we ask? Even so, He wants us to ask Him. May we never forget that God always wants to hear from us and may we never find an excuse not to pray.
God’s word for today: (1 Thessalonians 5:17) “Pray without ceasing.”
Three men were traveling by car to an out-of-town engagement. One of them said: “Hey, we’ve been on the road for over four hours, don’t you think its time to stop somewhere to eat?” The driver said: “Yes, I’m hungry too, but can we stop somewhere where we can get something cheap? We’re paying for our son’s college education and frankly its drained our finances and we can’t afford too many things.” The man on the passenger side said: “Oh how I wish my son would want to go to college.” To that, the man in the back seat replied: “Boy, how I wish I had a family.” After he heard that, the driver felt ashamed that he had complained about having to pay for his son’s education and said: “You guys choose where you want to eat; I’ll pay.”
Very few people are willing to admit it but our basic human instinct is to grumble, complain, and be selfish. If anybody wants to protest and say I’m not like that, you may be 50%right. You may be thinking “I’m not selfish because Jesus lives in my heart.” If that’s the case, good for you. Nevertheless, because God knows how easy it is for us to forget who we are from time to time, He chose to put this word of advice in the bible: “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interest of others.” (Philippians 2:4) In other words, don’t be selfish and never think you’re the only one who has troubles.
I was reminded of this issue earlier this morning. I remembered that yesterday afternoon, I was upset that my wife and I missed a traffic light cycle because we had to pull over and get out of the way of a fire truck behind us. Then I heard this morning about the young fireman who lost his life in a fire last night in San Antonio. I felt ashamed and even more convicted when I saw the heartbreaking images of his fellow firefighters standing in a row saluting him as his ambulance took him away. I’m pretty sure I will remember that the next time I see a fire truck racing to a call. Think hard: the last time you grumbled or complained about somebody or some situation, was it justified? I thought so.
God’s word for today: (Isaiah 53:6) “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him (Christ) the iniquity of us all.”
I am not as big a fan as I used to be, but boxing is still one of my favorite sports. In fact, as strange as it may sound, I’ve learned a lot about life and human nature in general by the countless fights I’ve seen throughout the years. Recently, in a highly publicized championship fight, I was reminded of one objective I see often in many boxers. I am referring to those whose primary goal in the match is to keep from being knocked out. They may be beaten badly but if they can avoid a KO, it will be a personal triumph for them and one day they’ll be able to say they went 12 rounds with the champion of the world. Can you see what is wrong with this kind of thinking? They are fighting for the championship of the world but instead of striving to win, they are content with just surviving. To me, that is similar to a football or basketball team which concentrates almost entirely on playing defense. Bottom line: if they don’t score, they can’t win.
Sadly, that same mindset is demonstrated in the lives of many Christians in regards to sin. They are so focused on avoiding sin that they forget we have also been equipped to wage spiritual warfare. I John 3:9 says: “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” With this bible verse in mind, many Christians make it their primary goal to avoid sinning at all cost. To them, to see sin in their lives make them wonder if they are really saved in the first place. In the original Greek text, this verse clearly spoke of those who continue to sin. In other words, they practice it. Those who practice sin on a regular basis are clearly not God’s children. Keep in mind that John also wrote: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) Of course God wants us to avoid sin. In no way do I want to minimize it’s importance. But because we fall into it from time to time, God also has made provision for our forgiveness, cleansing, and restoration.
What does this mean for you and me? In general terms, God wants our lives to be balanced. To use a sports term, He wants us to play both defense and offense. If you remember the process in Ephesians, Chapter 6, we have the spiritual armor of God as our defense, but we also have “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (vs. 17) for our offense. To avoid sin is very important, but equally important are God’s Word and the spiritual gifts He has bestowed upon us. Besides striving to live a life that honors and pleases our Heavenly Father, let’s use the Word, love, and the gifts God has given us to serve and benefit those around us.
God’s word for today: (Psalm 37:3) “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.”
As a man and his family went on vacation, their neighbor promised to keep an eye on their cat while they were gone. Three days into their vacation, the neighbor called the man and said: “your cat is dead.” The news jolted the man but he was also very angry at his neighbor’s bluntness and lack of common sense. When he asked for all the details, the neighbor gave all the steps that led to the cat’s demise. After lecturing his neighbor on the proper way of breaking bad news to people. He said: “Look, this is how you should have broken the news to me: Your cat was up on the roof last night and some dogs noticed and started barking at her. She got spooked so she jumped off the roof but landed right where the dogs were. They got a hold of her, chewed her up, and killed the poor thing.” The neighbor thanked him for the good advice and hung up. Two nights later he called his vacationing neighbor again. This time he started the conversation by saying: “Ken, your mother-in-law was up on the roof last night………” you get the picture. Right?
To the bad-news-calling neighbor’s defense, with some people you have to tell them everything clearly or else they won’t get it. You may remember the time when Jesus told His disciples about the death of their friend, Lazarus. They didn’t get it at first because he told them he was “sleeping.” They knew that Lazarus had been ill so when they heard he was sleeping, they said: “Lord, if he sleeps he will get better.” That’s when Jesus had to tell them plainly “Lazarus is dead.” You can read the whole story in the 11th Chapter of John.
As far as God’s children are concerned, we should always be clear in our messages and conversations, especially when we're sharing the gospel. When we speak to others, we should not beat around the bush. Some of you that know today’s Mexican culture, have probably heard the words “chifletas” or “indirectas.” In the English language they are called “innuendos.” If not our common sense, God’s grace can help us get our point across to others when we have to tell them something or get something off our chest. Paul, In his letter to the Ephesians, wrote that, as God’s children, we should be mature and that by “speaking the truth in love” we will grow up to be more like Christ. (See Eph. 4:11-15) Next time you have to tell somebody something important, make it as clear as possible. And if you pray about it beforehand and “speak the truth in love”, everything will work out fine.
God’s word for today: (Galatians 6:1) “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.”
Reading in the 2nd Chapter of Peter earlier this morning, I came upon this timely word of advice: “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.” (verse 15) It is really a part of a bigger set of instructions to God’s children about the way we should conduct ourselves in the world. If there is one thing that repels the criticism and false accusations God’s people face on a regular basis, it is right living. Whether we like it or not, all eyes are upon us, so it behooves us to ask God constantly to help us to be good representatives of Christ. Jesus said: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14)
The moment you declare, even hint, that you are a Christian, those around you will keep a closer eye on you than before. When you don’t live up to their concept of what a Christian should be, they’ll be the first ones to bring it to your attention. I had a co-worker many years ago who provided that service for me. I told him once to bring it to my attention anytime he would see me doing or saying something “unchristian.” He faithfully complied and anytime he would suspect that I was getting out of hand, he would say “Hey Sam, settle down!” He knew my middle name is Samuel and by calling me that he was suggesting that I was straying just a bit. The truth is that it benefits us if we have such people in our lives, those who warn us when are being “unchristian” even if they themselves are not believers.
So the next time someone calls us out for speech or behavior that is not in line with godly character, lets thank God for it. Whether the accusation is true or not, and whether it was done with good or bad intentions, it will be a reminder to us that the world is watching us. It will also remind us that by what we do and say, we can either be a blessing and benefit to others, or else we may push them farther away from Christ.
God’s word for today: (Ephesians 5:8) “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”
