- araratchurch
- Aug 6, 2024
- 4 min read
““You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”
Matthew 7:13-14 NLT
A story my father liked to tell involved two very different men coming to the banks of “chilly Jordan” (death).
One man had been very prosperous in life and had attained great riches. He had lived a life of pleasure and power. Even now as he faced death, he held tightly to his great riches. As he stepped into the waters of death, going deeper and deeper, he came to a place where he could no longer hold his head out of the water. Now those riches that had proffered him ease in this life, became like an anchor, holding him under. He could not cross over into eternal life. His end was destruction.
Now, there was another man who had lived his life for the Lord. He had picked up his cross and was even now carrying it faithfully. Wherever he went, the cross was with him acting as a burden as he tried to navigate the challenges of his life. He experienced many rejections because of the load he would not lay down. Now, he too has come to the banks of chilly Jordan. He begins to walk into the water, still dragging the cross with him, refusing to let it go. But, when he got to where he could no longer keep his head out of the water, suddenly, the cross that had been a burden, now begin to float on top of the water. Now he was no longer dragging the cross. Rather, it had become a life-raft on which he clung as he floated over into eternal life.
I remember hearing this story when I was very young; and I knew—even then—that I did not want to be like that man who clung to his riches and was destroyed.
Of course, this story brings to mind the inescapable choice Jesus presented to His disciples.
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”
Matthew 16:24-26 NLT
In no uncertain terms, the Lord made it clear that the only thing we should cling to, is our cross. Failure to do so, causes us to forfeit eternal life.
Jacob had spent years wandering from one place to another. At one point, God called him to go back to Bethel, back to the place where he and the Lord had exchanged vows.
However, there was one problem with going back to Bethel. The people had adopted heathen ways and had entered into idolatry. So, before going back to the place where they would find rest, they had to divest of all their worldly ways.
“Then God said to Jacob, “Get ready and move to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau.” So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.” So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shechem.”
Genesis 35:1-4 NLT
In our opening scripture we again see Jesus presenting a clear and inevitable choice.
Many people follow their own way, clinging to their own stuff. Therefore, the road they can access leads to destruction.
But those who are willing to divest and go alone to follow the Lord, will be able to access the narrow way that leads to eternal life.
Child of God, eternity is a long time to forfeit just to hold onto some temporal stuff now.
The narrow way that leads to eternal life reminds me of a natural attraction in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, called “Fat Man’s Squeeze.” Here, the walking path comes to two very large rock formations between which is a narrow way to walk. Now, I imagine the name tells you everything you need to know about whether or not it’s a path you could access.
Whereas the trail that comes to “Fat Man’s Squeeze” can be avoided with an alternate path going the same way, the narrow path on the road to following Jesus, has no detour.
Let’s lay aside anything that keeps us from being able to fit into the narrow way of following our Lord. Clinging to the things of this world, costs dearly.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Aug 5, 2024
- 4 min read
“He said to them, “You are the leaders of the Levite families. You must purify yourselves and all your fellow Levites, so you can bring the Ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. Because you Levites did not carry the Ark the first time, the anger of the Lord our God burst out against us. We failed to ask God how to move it properly.” So the priests and the Levites purified themselves in order to bring the Ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to Jerusalem. Then the Levites carried the Ark of God on their shoulders with its carrying poles, just as the Lord had instructed Moses.”
1 Chronicles 15:12-15 NLT
After the stunning defeat of the local population at Jericho and AI, a group of the local people, the Gibeonites, decided that rather than trying to defend themselves against the children of Israel, they would trick them into making a treaty with them.
You see, they would have to trick them because the Lord had ordered that as they conquered the Promised Land, the children of Israel should make no treaties with the local people.
“When the Lord your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you.”
Deuteronomy 7:2-4 NLT
So, the Gibeonites made themselves look like they came from a far away place. They did this by doing such thing as wearing worn out clothes and shoes, carrying moldy bread, old wineskins, etc., so that they would be successful in their ruse to make Joshua believe that they were from a distant land.
Well, long story short, the ruse worked.
“They replied, “We are your servants.” “But who are you?” Joshua demanded. “Where do you come from?” They answered, “Your servants have come from a very distant country. We have heard of the might of the Lord your God and of all he did in Egypt. We have also heard what he did to the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River—King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan (who lived in Ashtaroth). So our elders and all our people instructed us, ‘Take supplies for a long journey. Go meet with the people of Israel and tell them, “We are your servants; please make a treaty with us.”’ “This bread was hot from the ovens when we left our homes. But now, as you can see, it is dry and moldy. These wineskins were new when we filled them, but now they are old and split open. And our clothing and sandals are worn out from our very long journey.” So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord. Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath.”
Joshua 9:8-15 NLT
The reason the Gibeonites were able to pull off this ruse is found writ large in this statement: “So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord.”
You see, having examined the supplies of these people, Joshua believed that it was obvious that they were who they said they were. But asking the Lord His opinion of a situation, only when we think we don’t know the way to go, is very dangerous. As we discussed on Day 12 of “One Simple Truth,” our understanding can fail us.
Now, there is a saying that goes, “It’s better to ask for forgiveness, than to ask for permission.” That is, if there’s something you really want or need to do, and you think an authority figure or entity (like governmental agencies) might not give you the permission to do what you want or need to do, then you go ahead and do it, and if caught, you ask forgiveness.
I will say that no matter what you think of that type of approach, it should never be applied to how we deal with the Lord.
In our opening scripture we see the story of David’s returning of the ark to Jerusalem. In his first attempt to bring it back, it was apparently done against what God had ordered, and was done without inquiring of the Lord, with tragic results.
However, after David sought the Lord concerning what went wrong at the first attempt, he was able to bring it successfully into Jerusalem. (Indeed, we have seen that when David did things without consulting the Lord, it always turned out disastrously.)
Child of God, at times we may assume that the way we should go is so clear that we may fail to submit the decision to the Lord for His approval. But, it is critical that no matter what we think we know, or how sure we are that there is something we should or should not do, we must always submit every decision involving the direction of our lives, the operating of our affairs, to the Lord.
Now, I am as grateful as you may be that we have a God Who forgives, that we have a God Who abundantly pardons. However, we should never allow His mercifulness to cause us to err by not asking His permission for our decisions.
Be assured, when it comes to our being and doing, the Lord’s permission is much better than His forgiveness. The Lord sustains what He ordains, and when we move without seeking Him first, we may—although finding forgiveness—have to deal with the longterm consequences of acting outside of His approval.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Aug 4, 2024
- 3 min read
“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”
Matthew 10:7-8 NKJV
When my father was a youth he knew a man who was extremely rich. My father told with great consternation that this very rich man once said to him: “As long as there is one dollar bill out there I don’t have, I won’t be happy.”
You see, my father was a very generous person who could not understand that someone—though very rich—was still grasping to get more.
Now, I have seen that people who do not have a generous spirit, never receive enough of whatever it is they want, to the point of contentment. Even much less likely, is that these people will ever freely give anything to anybody.
The proverbial writer notes that giving freely results in abundance; whereas stinginess results in loss.
“Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”
Proverbs 11:24-25 NLT
Given, we might look at that scripture and immediately think of some very stingy person/people we have known who always were rich, never losing anything.
As well, we may also know people who are very generous, but never seem to receive back what they have given.
However, what we must understand is that following the way of being and doing prescribed to us by the Lord (righteousness), brings wealth and prosperity of soul, as well as eternal reward.
Now, we may never see a stingy person in poverty in this present life. As well, we might see a generous person, never rich in this life. But, we can be sure that God is a good bookkeeper and He will remember our generous acts (or lack of the same).
Indeed, whether or not a “return” is seen in this life, those who freely give as God has given them, will definitely gain the riches of Heaven in the life to come. But I will add that in this life, those who are generous before God, can expect to experience soul-peace, spiritual power, and yes, even receive their daily bread.
“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.””
Luke 6:38 NLT
As we see in our opening scripture, Jesus, sending His disciples out to minister among the people of Israel, charges them to remember that the gifts they have been given—the authority in the Spirit they have been given—did not come from themselves, but was a gift from God. Therefore, their ministering to others should be with the same attitude of generosity with which the Lord has given to them.
Child of God, when we’re feeling pressed in one way or another, it’s easy to become very self-centered in terms of our own needs. As such, we can become blind to those around us who we could and should bless.
Sometimes, if we think we don’t really have anything to give, then we don’t even try. But let us be reminded that what we give to others, isn’t always in monetary form (though certainly, sometimes it is). A kind word, a sincere prayer of agreement, a helping hand, etc., can go a long way to allow what God has poured into us, to be poured through us to others.
Make no mistake, God does not intend for us to be reservoirs of His blessings. Rather, we are to be conduits, freely giving what we have freely received. And I will tell you this: Those who withhold without giving to others, may fill their personal storehouse with all the goodies they ever wanted. But someday, they will have to give an account before God. Then, what will their “balance sheet” look like?
“Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.””
Luke 12:16-21 NLT
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!