Category: Knowing God

The God of Second Chances

In golf it is called a Mulligan. When playing games with friends it is a “do over.” We mess up something and we are given another chance to do it right. In our spiritual lives God gives us a chance to be reconciled to Him when sin separates us from Him. He forgives and gives us another chance to live pleasing to Him. Thankfully, He continues to give us opportunities to succeed after we fail.

When God brought the flood predicted in Genesis 6, He cleansed the world of wickedness and began recreating the world anew. The thoughts of men were on evil continually. They were lustful and violent and God was sorry that He made man. He was pleased with Noah and instructed Noah to build an ark to save his household and animals that would repopulate the earth. God gave men a chance to repent at Noah’s preaching but they ignored him, 2 Peter 2:5. By destroying the wicked unrepentant sinners God gave the world a second chance. Sadly, mankind has returned to violent and lustful thoughts and dwelling on evil continually. God has promised that He will destroy the world for good but is giving men an opportunity to repent even now, 2 Peter 3:9-13

Spiritually, we are cleansed from the filthiness of sin when we are immersed in water for the remission of sins, Romans 6:1-11, 2 Peter 3:21. We enjoy a new life in which Christ lives in us. The lustful and wicked body of sin is crucified and dead to us. God gives us a second chance to live a life pleasing to Him. The encounter between Jesus and the woman caught in adultery, recorded in John 8:1-11, demonstrates the merciful pardon that Jesus gives to those who sorrow for their sins and the exhortation to “sin no more.”

When we sin after becoming a child of God, we have the promise of God’s forgiveness if we repent, 1 John 2:1.  When Peter denied the Lord he wept bitterly for his betrayal. Yet Matthew 26:30-35, 65-68 records how Jesus forgave Peter. Peter became very useful in the kingdom of God and did not deny His Lord again. We can have complete forgiveness when we repent, 1 Corinthians 6:8-11.

If you have been forgiven by God and are His child, don’t waste your second chance. If you are not a child of God, come to Him in obedience so your sins can be washed away and you can enjoy a new life in Him.

Psalm 40: The God Who Rescues

Imagine being trapped in quicksand with no friend to help. The situation seems hopeless but you do not give up hope. Then, out of the forest, a rescuer frees you from the trap and brings you to safety. You feel relief and gratitude and thank your rescuer for saving you. This is the message of Psalm 40 except the quicksand is a miry bog of destruction and God is the rescuer.

Trust in God

Although God is in control of all things, he allowed David to fall into peril. God is our rescuer but He allow us to fall into trials to test and strengthen us. Occasionally we need difficulties and trials to test our faith in God and develop trust in Him. While in the pit he faced a crisis: put his trust in God (v.1) or man (v.4)? David knew that men would fail him so he waited on the Lord for deliverance. He trusted that God would not abandon him. That trust was well placed because God drew him out of the pit, placed him on solid ground, and put a new song in his mouth. This new song is likely a new song of praise about this recent deliverance. One more thing for which he could thank God.

Obedience to God
His trust in God was not based on the ritual of his worship but obedience from the heart. He did not have a superstitious view of God where the person who performed the right rituals would please God regardless of his lack of faith or insincerity. Today some people have a superstitious faith believing they can live immoral lives but go to church (at least on special days of the year) or give a regular contribution and God will accept them. Malachi 1:6-14 records God’s displeasure with those who think they please Him by going through empty rituals. God’s desire was that they shut the doors and quit pretending.

David’s focus was obedience from the heart. Such obedience, that included worship, was his delight. God’s law was written on his heart. It was an integral part of who he was, not just something he did.

Proclaim God’s Goodness
Having been delivered by God, he shared the good news of his deliverance with others. Of course, sharing the good news of deliverance from the mire of destruction is what the Christian does when he proclaims the gospel to others. Consider how David proclaimed the glory of mercy and salvation and how we should follow his example with the gospel:

  • He proclaimed the news with unrestrained lips (v.9). The greatest hindrance to the spread of the gospel is not oppression of enemies who want to silence us under threat of death but of Christians who restrain the gospel from leaving their lips for fear of embarrassment or ridicule.
  • He did not hide the news of his deliverance within (v.10). He did not keep the good news to himself. When we discover a great song, movie, phone app, or book we are eager to share it with others, post it on Facebook, and enthusiastically recommend it. The greatest news of all, that should be enriching every part of our life, can sadly become the best kept secret in a Christian’s life. Do not put your light under a bushel but on a stand that it may light the way for others! (Matthew 5:15)
  • He did not conceal God’s love and faithfulness in his life from the congregation (v.10) and proclaimed His great deeds (v.5). We must remind fellow Christians of God’s goodness and faithfulness during our difficult times. Other Christians may be going through difficult times and need to be reminded that God will deliver them even though they may have to suffer for a little while longer.
Although he praised God for deliverance, he knew that other evils would encompass him again (v.12). However, since he trusted in God and obeyed Him, he trusted that God would deliver him from future trials as well. The result of deliverance is not freedom from trials but more trials, more deliverance, and more reasons to praise God.
The trials provide opportunities for God to demonstrate his mercy, love, and faithfulness (vv.11-15). Our illusions of self-sufficiency fade and we realize that we need God all of the time. David closed with a hope that others would trust God just as he did and share his joy in a relationship with a loving and caring God.
As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!
(Psalm 40:17 ESV)

Turning Spiritual Defeats Into Victories For God

Samson, the once mighty warrior of Israel, was enslaved and blinded by his enemies. The Philistines who once feared him now mocked him. They made him turn the grinding wheel at the mill, a job usually performed by beasts of burden. And when they gathered for a feast, they brought him from the prison to embarrass him and make fun of him for their entertainment.

Perhaps when Samson lost his eyesight his insight increased. If it did, he would have reflected on how his impulsive choices and passion for the wrong things continued to get him in trouble. His poor choice of women, based on their physical beauty not character, caused him problems and ultimately led to his current tragic situation. It may be that he realized that his divinely given strength, which was now lost, was from God and that he should have had strong spiritual strength to match his physical power. What we do know is that in the final moments of his life, he trusted in God’s ability to  use him for good even in this desperate condition.

When the Philistines were holding a feast in the temple of the idol Dagon, they brought Samson from the prison to humiliate him for their entertainment. As Samson stood near the supporting pillars of the temple, he asked God to give him strength like he had before. God granted the request and Samson pushed away the pillars of Dagon’s temple killing more of the Philistines as he died than he did while alive. God brought a victory over the Philistines through the humiliation and defeat of Samson.

Christian Defeat

Christians know the pain of defeat. We did or said something wrong. We knew what was right but did wrong anyway. We felt the sting of disappointment and the shame of sin. But as Christians we also were comforted when we knew God would forgive us for our transgression. Perhaps we had a hard time forgiving ourselves even when we knew God forgave us. Although God gives us victory over sin through the blood of Jesus, there are often other victories that God can give us in this defeat.

Warn and Rescue

If you have been delivered from a sin, addiction, or other destructive behavior then you know how to help others who are in that situation. A person who has been delivered from drug addiction or alcoholism can help another addict in a special way because they have practical advice, gained from experience, to help rescue the person. They know the thinking and attitudes that must be overcome to break the addiction. Those who have committed fornication can warn others of the guilt and consequences that accompany such sin.

When Peter wrote, in 2 Peter 3:17, “You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked”, wrote from experience. Perhaps he could still hear himself tell Jesus “even if all the other disciples deny you, I never will deny you” and the people in the courtyard, “I do not know the man.” When Peter warns us not to be arrogant about our ability to remain faithful in temptation, he speaks from experience. He was able to use his defeat, the denial of Jesus, to teach others to remain faithful.

Teach Others of God’s Grace

When we have made shameful and disgraceful choices, the peace we have from God’s forgiveness can be an important message to share with others. While passing through Samaria, Jesus talked with a woman who was embarrassed about her marital choices (John 4). When she was convinced Jesus was the Messiah, she went to the people of her town and invited them to meet Jesus. Consider the testimony she used to invite them to see Jesus: “Come see a man who told me all things I ever did.” The things she did were nothing to brag about, and likely the people knew well that she had no pride in her choices, but she used her defeat to bring souls to the one who could give them all victory over Satan.

We do not need to sin so we can gain experiences to help others. God wants us to live pure and holy lives in the midst of a wicked world. But when we do sin and are defeated by Satan, we can use our experiences to help others out of the same kind of sin and demonstrate what a loving, merciful, and forgiving God we have.

How Can Christ Be The Firstborn?

Of the names of Jesus in the New Testament, one of the most curious is “firstborn.” It seems to imply that Jesus was a created being, like man, and not the eternally existent God. In fact, some religious bodies have seized on this title to assert that Jesus is not God but at best, a god. A Jehovah’s Witness publication says, “According to the customary meaning of ‘firstborn,’ it indicates that Jesus is the eldest in Jehovah’s family of sons.” (Reasonings. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society: Brooklyn, 1989. p.408).

Although firstborn can mean the first child or first son born in a family (Exodus 11:5; Matthew 1:25), the scriptures also use it to indicate prominence. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia notes, “The laws and customs of all nations show that to be “firstborn” means, not only priority in time, but a certain superiority in privilege and authority.” (ISBE. “First-begotten”). God uses the title to indicate a special relationship with Israel and the tribe Ephraim in Exodus 4:22 and Jeremiah 31:9, respectively. Ephraim was not the oldest son of Jacob (Israel), in fact, he was a grandson of Jacob, a son of Joseph, but the name became synonymous with Israel in many prophetic writings.

Another example of how “firstborn” indicates prominence, not order, is the reference to Jesus as the firstborn from the dead. Jesus was not the first person raised from the dead. Elisha raised a young boy from the dead and a dead man thrown into Elisha’s grave came back to life. Jesus raised Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter, and many dead rose when Jesus died. Jesus was certainly not the first to come back from the dead but He had the most prominence for in His resurrection, He conquered the power of death and seized the keys of death, 1 Corinthians 15:20-26; Revelation 1:5, 18.

Jesus is also called the firstborn over creation, Colossians 1:15. Since we know that firstborn does not always mean the first in order, we must conclude that Jesus is prominent over all creation. He was not created but is the creator of all things, John 1:3. John said that Jesus was in the beginning with God and was God, John 1:1-2. In the book of Revelation, he writes that Jesus is the first and the last, Revelation 1:8, 17. Jesus Himself acknowledged His deity when He called Himself the I AM , John 8:58 (see Exodus 3:14). Jesus was not created but lived in the flesh like the creation and died that our corruptible natures might inherit incorruptibility. He is the source of life and our every breath depends upon Him. Truly He is the firstborn, or the greatest, over creation.

Jesus is also the firstborn among brethren, Romans 8:29. This final title also indicates the superiority of Christ. He is the head of the body, the church. We, as children of God—brethren—answer to Jesus as Lord. Jesus intercedes with the Father on our behalf. He is not the first brother of many brothers but is the firstborn—the preeminent one—among all the brethren because it is through His sacrifice we can become God’s children, Isaiah 53:10; 1 John 3:1. In Romans 8, Paul emphasized that God predestined us to be conformed to the image of Jesus.

Jesus is the firstborn—or greatest—over all creation, over all who have risen from the dead, among many brethren. Let us consider His greatness and worship Him daily.

In God’s Time

As a self-proclaimed leader of God’s people, Moses was very frustrated. Having been raised in the palace of Pharaoh, he saw from a protected distance the oppression of his Israelite brethren. When he was 40 years old,  he murdered an Egyptian taskmaster beating an Israelite and the next day tried to negotiate a peace between quarreling Israelites. Moses supposed that his brethren would understand that he would deliver Israel from their oppression but they did not (Acts 7:25). Instead, he fled from Egypt alone fearing for his life. It seemed that Moses would live as an exile in Midian and forgotten to history. But God had other plans. Forty years later, God called Moses at Mt. Sinai to deliver Israel from slavery.

Moses resisted the call of God initially. Perhaps the sting of the rejection of Moses by the Israelite slaves 40 years before haunted him. He doubted himself and whether the Jews would believe him. Yet God commanded Moses to go and promised that he would be successful in leading the people from slavery into the Promised Land. Moses failed the first time because he tried to deliver the people through his power and at a time of his choosing. He succeeded the second time because he delivered God’s people on God’s schedule using God’s power.

Of course Moses didn’t have the benefit of God’s plan and schedule, but he didn’t need it. We don’t need to know His plans either. We must trust that He will accomplish His plan and the best for us if we trust and obey Him. This doesn’t mean He will give us everything we want or even make events in life turn out like we want, but He will make all things work out for the best.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

The difficult part is trusting in God when we don’t see how God can bring good out of our current circumstances. I had this confusion in many things when I was younger but as I have reflected on my life, I see how things worked out for the best even of what were very trying times. There were destructive tendencies in my personality and attitude that have been corrected through trials and what, I perceived to be setbacks at the time. There were life situations that seemed like dead ends that actually became important in helping me receive good things later.

Sadly, some people become impatient with God, follow worldly passions and materialism, and do not submit to Him. They sacrifice long-term growth and treasures for temporary pleasures and trinkets. To have “all things work together for good” you have to love God and trust Him.  Sometimes the full blessings one can have in life are limited because of the consequences of foolish living. God can still create a good life out of a damaged past and heal the damage of sin but it may take longer and some scars may be difficult to heal. If we live by God’s will, His plan revealed in the New Testament, we will have the best possible life on earth though it may take time to realize that God did accomplish good in His time.