God Uses "People," Not "Perfect People"

Samson was now very thirsty, and he cried out to the LORD, “You have accomplished this great victory by the strength of your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of these pagans?” So God caused water to gush out of a hollow in the ground at Lehi, and Samson was revived as he drank. Then he named that place “The Spring of the One Who Cried Out,” and it is still in Lehi to this day. [Judges 15.18-19] 

On this date in 2016, I penned the article Nazarite Gone Wild. As I reviewed today what I wrote on this day, 9 years ago, I found great encouragement for my circumstances today. God is good.

Most people who've spent any time around Christians and the Bible know the story of Samson. It is, in many ways, a confounding story for sure. 

Samson's God-given physical strength as a judge and deliverer for Israel is undeniable. And yet, the young man made some real stupid decisions, the most blatant of which has yet to be seen (as the One Year Chronological Bible readings go) in his relationship with Delilah.

Let's just get straight to the heart of the matter: how could God use Samson in all his unruliness?

Each of us has the answer to this question within our own life story. I think it safe to say, we have all enjoyed at least some blessing from God at one time or another and, some have even been fortunate enough to be used by God to accomplish some facet of God's good will. But that does not mean we have lived perfect lives! For earthly matters, God uses "people," not "perfect people."

Notice I said "earthly matters" in the previous sentence. In contrast, there are "heavenly matters." The stories of Old Testament men and women (like Samson and Jephthah from today's OYCB reading) are no different than the stories of New Testament men and women both recorded in the Bible and lived out in this modern day (by you and me); we all, to some degree, don't quite live up to perfection. And yet, God can and will use us if we purpose to be used by Him. How can this be?

The simple answer is because of Jesus.

But you know what else? God can and will use us even if we purpose NOT to be used by Him! The fact is, God uses people to accomplish His plans on earth whether they think so and are willing or not. How can this be?

The same simple answer is also because of Jesus. However, the difference between those who please God and those who do not is faith.

Jesus suffered and died so Samson could do God's will and Jesus suffered and died so Pharoah (and every Bible villain including every person even up to today) could do God's will. Whether they were "good" or "bad" was irrelevant. Stay with me... The only deciding factor about their eternal condition is wrapped up in the simplicity of Jesus Christ and whether they looked forward in faith to Him or look backward in faith to Him.

God's will WILL be accomplished on earth. He will continue to use imperfect people to do so. But it's not about God using people but instead about people believing in God. The redemption of ALL people (good people and evil people alike) is up to Jesus. Jesus paid the price so every person could be saved but there is one caveat: believing (faith) in Jesus is required.

I apologize if this seems confusing, but there is revelation in what is said here if we can and will see it. 

We are ALL being used by God right now to accomplish His story in the earth of redemption for mankind. Humble faith in Jesus Christ is the only deciding factor in where our eternal existence after death is spent. That's it. Regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in (whether the result of good decisions or bad decisions), faith in Jesus Christ affects our outcome. But it must not be overlooked that faith in Jesus also progressively affects our life on earth too (bad decisions will eventually give way to good decisions). But faith in Jesus is the key.

Yes, it seems like Samson was an idiot but he cried out to God. His cry out to God was his faith that would translate into faith in Christ when Jesus later preached to those held in death for such an occasion. Samson indeed made the "hall of faith" in Hebrews 11!

Will our personal story, complete with all our goof-ups, land us in the "hall of faith" like Samson? The goof-ups are not the deciding factor, but faith in Jesus Christ is!

Father, if I may today, I simply cry out, "Jesus!" I believe in Jesus. May my faith however manifest in my actions increasingly more as I go. So be it.

We Need A Reckoning

Again the Israelites did evil in the LORD’s sight. They served the images of Baal and Ashtoreth, and the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and Philistia. They abandoned the LORD and no longer served him at all. [Judges 10.6] 

It might be said that idol worship is a downward spiral; there comes a point where the bottom is reached. Israel reached that "bottom" of not serving God at all. They had eventually and completely given themselves and their trust over to idols without regard for God.

Idol worship is, on one hand, a blatant choice of turning away from God. In this abrupt way, a conscious decision is made to reject God's way. Usually, there is a euphoric adrenalin rush associated with such disobedience not unlike that of forbidden sex. However, as was the case with Israel, the initial euphoria goes away and the people would repent and return to God.

On the other hand, idol worship can be much more covert and sinister. As was initiated through the sin of Balaam (Numbers 31.15-20), and, ironically following the "forbidden sex" analogy above, Balak learned through Balaam to infiltrate Israel with sex by convincing the Midianite women to seduce the Israelite men into sexual relations AND FROM THERE lure them into worshiping false gods - idols. This method was highly successful.

There is however, a third hand (if you will) of idolatry, invisible to all but those who specifically look for it. It is the idol of self. This idol is manifest in singular ("me") form as well as its plural ("us"). The identifier of this most dangerous idol is that it justifies itself based on God's generous character of love. However, it conveniently does so without accountability to God's less popular characteristic of justice. It reasons that God wants "me" and "us" to have everything we want but without accountability to Him and His Word. In fact, this idol of self unrepentantly provides its own remedies to curses that otherwise indicate and implicate sin. Man designed for himself debt, insurance, medicine and technology to remediate difficulties the Bible specifically calls curses in Deuteronomy 28.15-68 and generally implies curses elsewhere. And, what do all of these "conveniences" appeal to? Self love and preservation. "Get what you want even if you don't have the resources to afford it. Mitigate tragedies without you having to question why it happened. Get physical relief for yourself without dealing with the sin associated with the curse. And, get for yourself every possible tool to make life easier for you." After all, God gave these things because He loves us, right?

Every sincere Christ follower should experience the fear of God when they understand that Judges 10.6 could easily be speaking prophetically of the Church today: They abandoned the LORD and no longer served him at all. The abundance of curses upon the earth that are equally present in the Church should bring a sober reckoning through Galatians 3.13:

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” [Galatians 3.13]

Have we, like Israel, been lured away from God by idols that promise pleasure, convenience and comfort but without accountability before God (repentance)? Have we, like Israel, completely given ourselves and our trust over to these idols convincing ourselves they are from God?

Oh, we need a reckoning!

Father, may these words not fall on deaf ears or calloused hearts. May they penetrate our cocoon of self-preservation that is without repentance: the cocoon of idols that we have erroneously believed were from You when, in fact, they isolate us from You. May we have eyes to see and ears to hear the truth of Your Word as it is revealed here. So be it.

God-Pleasing Faith

The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength. [Judges 7.2]

There is an inherent problem in mankind. That problem is that man tends to trust in himself instead of God. God is not undecided about He feels about this problem!

“You must not have any other god but me. [Exodus 20.3]

If this tendency was problematic for ancient Israel, how much more of a problem is it for modern Christianity with man's vast knowledge and extraordinary inventions?

What if Gideon had said, "Well, God gave us 32,000 warriors, so we are trusting in Him if we all go to battle against Midian."? We can be sure he would have received a severe rebuke from God because, in God's omniscience, He knew their trust would have been in their own strength and NOT in His (even though they could argue that God gave the 32,000 warriors and therefore the strength)! 

Let it be stated clearly here that what man calls faith and what God calls faith are not the same (and God's definition of it is the correct one).

Here is what most Christians call faith today: utilization of debt, insurance, medicine and technology. Christians argue that if God gave these "blessings" (like Gideon's army of 32,000) then it is "faith" to use them. In contrast, if Gideon's story conveys any indication whatsoever of how God feels about it, then man's inventions of debt, insurance, medicine and technology can all too easily be idolatrously trusted instead of God. God-pleasing faith would therefore severely limit the utilization of these things as a declaration of faith in God alone and not the things.

Here's the real question. If God Himself doubted Israel's faithfulness to Him alone in their large army, how much more does a Godless world doubt our faith in God alone in our utilization of man's inventions?

Christians today religiously speak of faith in God, but God and the world both know it is nothing more than faith in man's many inventions.

God-pleasing faith is not disputably plural and abstract. God-pleasing faith is indisputably singular and real.

How incredibly foolish was it for Gideon to ever think 300 soldiers could face the hoards of Midian?

Father, I am faced today with my religious faith versus God-pleasing faith. May I be found in God-pleasing faith even if it means "foolishly" rejecting man's inventions. So be it.

Over And Over

After Ehud’s death, the Israelites again did evil in the LORD’s sight. [Judges 4.1] 

The names change, but the action remains the same. The book of Judges records numerous times that Israel betrays God.

As I begin reading Judges again this year, I find myself almost wearily bracing for the stories of Israel's repeated failures. How could anyone be so persistent in sin when God moves so mightily on their behalf?

And then, I a reminded of myself and all God has done for me, ...and the fact that I so fail Him over and over again.

Father, help me to see myself as I read the book of Judges again. May pride and arrogance be identified in me and overcome by Your Holy Spirit and the grace You bring as I repent. Yes, may I be found repentant always, and, in that repentance realize Your power in every circumstance. So be it.

There Must Be A Distinction

So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and they intermarried with them. Israelite sons married their daughters, and Israelite daughters were given in marriage to their sons. And the Israelites served their gods. [Judges 3.5-6] 

A year ago today, I wrote the article Intermarried With The World and it remains an unapologetic assessment of the condition of the Church today.

Never has the call to "come out from among them" been more appropriate.

Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. [2 Corinthians 6.17]

The distinction that be made between believers and unbelievers is one of faith and not to be misconstrued as one of race or nationality. There are those who believe in Jesus Christ and those who do not; those who please God with faith, and those who do not. There should be no overlapping of the two and there should be no comingling of the two. And, there should certainly be no marriage (intimacy) between the two.

The necessary distinction between believer and unbeliever serves to indicate where the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to be shared. Without this distinction, there is simply no way to know "who" to evangelize.

There is something else of significance that must not be ignored as well. The necessary distinction between believer and unbeliever is manifest in the love believers share for one another. This internal charity for one another serves to attract outsiders into the fold.

Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” [John 13.35]

The love God has for the world is not the same as the love He has for His own. His love for the world (which His followers are to have) is NOT an embrace of everything everyone does! God's love for the world is a focused invitation out of the world and into His Kingdom where there is faith, spiritual fellowship, growth and protection. The love of God compels all to come into this realm but does not extend this realm to all outside that setting. Jesus said it best:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” [John 3.16-21]

There is GREAT reason to lovingly invite people into the Kingdom of God! However, there should be great warning against mitigating the curse upon a non-believer's life while they are outside God's Kingdom. When Jesus performed spectacular miracles on unbelievers, He used that circumstance to point them to the Kingdom:

But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” [John 5.14]

Paul said it like this:

Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? [2 Corinthians 6.14] 

Bottom line: there is a difference, and therefore should be a distinction, between believers and unbelievers. To blur the lines is to invite idolatry. The difference between believers and unbelievers is faith in God alone through the work and person of Jesus Christ.

Father, help believers today to live in the distinction of their faith. Help us to distinguish ourselves in our love for one another and in the faith Jesus taught and demonstrated that also distinguished Him from the world. Help us invite others into the Kingdom without dwelling outside the Kingdom ourselves. So be it.

First-Time Obedience (It's A Big Deal)

Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, started a war against Israel. He summoned Balaam son of Beor to curse you, but I would not listen to him. Instead, I made Balaam bless you, and so I rescued you from Balak. [Joshua 24.9-10] 

Balaam's story recurs yet once again in Israel's history. It was evidently a big deal.

If Balaam's story recurs in the Bible, there is surely something we must learn from it besides the account of his donkey talking.

If we take all the recurring negative comments about Balaam into account (the original story found in Numbers 22-23), we must conclude that Balaam, even though he blessed Israel, was evil. From what today's passage reveals, Balaam's only righteous act was his very first refusal to go with Balak's people who summoned him. Once Balaam allowed a second guess (Numbers 22.18-19), it was obvious his heart was not fully committed to the LORD and, at that point, God proceeded to use Balaam just as He did Pharoah and other evil people to accomplish His purpose.

Balaam's "question" of God's will after God had already made it clear provided a storyline that made Balaam famous, but for all the wrong reasons. From the point Balaam gave Balak's envoy a second hearing, he was in rebellion just like Pharoah. God made the decision at that point that He would glorify His name through Balaam, but it would not be to Balaam's good credit. Balaam died in his sin and rebellion against God and Israel (talking donkey and all). 

What could Balaam have done differently? He could have simply and definitively refused to entertain the second plea by Balak's people.

So here's the sobering thought: how many times have we clearly known God's will concerning direction in our lives and yet allowed outside pressure to cause us to ask again? Just because we think "God is using us" because of powerful prophecies and miraculous events (like a talking donkey) does not mean we are right with God!

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’ [Matthew 7.21-23]

Think of the shame of it. Balaam prophesied magnificently with the talking donkey as a spectacular miracle but Balaam was slaughtered along with all the others who had fought against Israel.

Obedience is a holy thing. Disobedience, on the other hand, potentially puts a person in the damnable position of doing God's will, albeit outside of God's favor (like Pharoah and like Balaam).

Whatever God tells us to do first is what we should do. If He wants us to do something different, He will say it. Otherwise, we might find ourselves saying and doing "all the right things" (prophesying and performing miracles) but for all the wrong reasons.

I cannot help but believe Balaam's story is a stern warning because, after the Numbers 22-23 account of it, it is referred back to in Deuteronomy, Joshua, Nehemiah, and Micah in the Old Testament, and in 2 Peter, Jude and Revelation in the New Testament. Unquestioning first-time obedience is a big deal; Old Testament and New Testament alike.

Father, as I write this article today, I am compelled to review my life for first-time obedience. Jesus' warning about those who "thought they were in" but actually were not gives me every reason to make this review daily in my own life as it pertains to my obedience to Jesus' call upon every believer. May I be found obedient to Your first call upon my life. So be it.

It's Not The Amount, But The Priority

Then the leaders of the tribe of Levi came to consult with Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the other tribes of Israel. They came to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said, “The LORD commanded Moses to give us towns to live in and pasturelands for our livestock.” So by the command of the LORD the people of Israel gave the Levites the following towns and pasturelands out of their own grants of land. [Joshua 21.1-3] 

Following yesterday's article, What A Man Possesses vs. What Possesses A Man, it is noteworthy to consider today that the Levites were not without possessions; at least, not without livestock and houses.

Let's fast-forward this principle to modern Christianity in light of the following passage again:

He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. [Revelation 1.6]

What we must understand is that God neither intended that ancient Levites nor modern Christ-followers (as priests) be a burden upon their respective societies as much as a blessing. The thing is, to be a blessing, the Levites could not be encumbered with great possessions distracting them from the work of ministry assigned to them. A dwelling and some livestock were the most basic of necessities for the Levites. Beyond that, their potential for distraction greatly increased.

Armed with this knowledge, we can safely conclude that, as priests in God's Kingdom, God has no intention for us to do without basic necessities, but instead, that we simply not become controlled by those possessions. There is a difference.

At the point a person's possessions determine his or her steps, possessions have become that person's master. It takes honest introspect for any person to make this determination, whether he or she possesses much or little. A person is enslaved not by the amount of his or her possessions, but by the priority those possessions are given in their life.

If God is Provider to one, God is Provider to all. This includes those who serve in ministry past and present. However, the true servant of God makes no allowance for encumbrances that limit their service in ministry. It's not a possessions-issue, but a heart-issue.

Father, please help all who identify with You in Christ to understand that Your call to salvation is a call to service. May all who serve You avoid slavery to possessions, whether many or few, so that service to You and to all mankind is unencumbered with distractions. So be it.