Reflections in The WORD

Latest Posts

Trials Teach True Tenderness

2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

“In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.” ~Psalm 77:2

God shows mercy to us by not leaving us to suffer alone, and not letting us suffer the full consequences of our sinfulness. Instead, in the midst of our troubles, He comforts us.

God comforts us, but He doesn’t remove our troubles. Because, it is in tribulation that we can best appreciate the tender love that God has for us. Without troubles, we easily wander away from God and slip into the illusion of self-sufficiency. But the difficulties of life sharpen our focus on God and heighten our sensitivity to His loving touch.

Furthermore, it is God’s plan that, our experience of His love, during our sufferings, transforms us into channels through which that love flows to others in need.

In other words, the grand design of tribulation is to draw us closer both to God and to our brethren. No matter how desperate our trials become, God loves us and plans to use us to love others.

What Kind of Builder are You?

Published by reflectionsintheword

Nehemiah 3: 5, 12, 20
5 …next… the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their LORD.
12 …next… repaired Shallum… he and his daughters.
20 …Baruch… earnestly repaired the other piece…

NOTES

The Size of your Ego limits the Size of your Service.
Don’t be Overcome, be an Overcomer.
Only our best is good enough

CHORDS

The third chapter of Nehemiah consists of a list (mainly of clans, families and others groups) of those who participated in the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Though the list is long and might seem laborious, it contains some instructive snippets. One such is the theme of builders, to wit, Nehemiah makes special note of three kinds of builders:

The Overinflated: Had no excuse, BUT did not work hard
The Overcomers: Had an excuse, BUT did work hard
The Overachievers: Had no excuse AND did work hardest

The Overinflated

Nehemiah pointedly notes (Nehemiah 3:5) that the nobles of the Tekoites didn’t apply themselves fully to the building of the wall. It should be noted that the regular Tekoites seemed to be a hard working clan: they are mentioned as building another section of the wall in Nehemiah 3:27; one of only three groups (the Tekoites, the Priests, and Meremoth) mentioned as working on more than one project. However, the Tekoite nobles obviously considered the work unworthy of their status: this was work for the commoners. There was nothing physically preventing them from working hard; they had no excuse not to give their absolute best. What stood in their way was their overinflated pride.

“Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.” ~Luke 10:2

The real work of the Kingdom of God is menial and unglamorous. We often focus on the seemingly glamorous jobs of preachers, evangelists, worship leaders, etc. However, the bible shows us a different story. Jesus told us to go into the world and teach (Matthew 28:19-20).

Teaching/Disciple-making then and now was often a one-on-one relationship in which a more experienced believer would pass on what knowledge he had to a less experienced believer or to an interested unbeliever. This would happen as the two interacted with each other both formally (e.g., in a bible study) and informally (e.g., hanging out). This is about as unglamorous as it can get: no audience, no video, no stage, no spotlight; just an ordinary one-on-one relationship.

Nevertheless, disciple-making is hard work. It means taking the time out of our schedules to help a new believer get to understand what it means to serve Christ. Or taking the time to actually share our faith with an unbeliever: by bringing them into our lives, instead of just handing out a tract. To be effective, we also have to take the time and effort to prepare ourselves, so that we know what the Bible says.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: ~1 Peter 3:15

Teaching/Disciple-making takes real effort and time, so much so that the apostles were consumed by it and could do nothing else (Acts 6:1-4). Regrettably, most of us will not find the time to make disciples, like the Tekoite nobles we have “better” things do with our time. We will want to spend more time on our careers, our hobbies, our toys or the television. Like the Tekoite nobles our service in the kingdom is half-hearted, we will do just enough to “get by”. The grunt work is for others to do; our agenda is already packed, filled to the brim with our overinflated egos.

The Overcomers

Shallum was an important leader in Jerusalem and it would have been expected that his family contribute to the rebuilding effort. However, with only daughters and no sons, the Shallum family (unlike the Tekoite nobles) had a legitimate excuse not to work. Only Shallum himself would have been expected to do what he could for the project, because in that society, women were not expected to engage in this sort of labor.

Nehemiah, however, shows that this excuse was never given. Shallum didn’t have sons, so he called on his daughters to participate in the work, which they did. Indeed, these are the only women mentioned as builders in the book of Nehemiah.

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” ~Philippians 4:13

The lesson for us is that a disability doesn’t have to disable us; a disadvantage does not mean defeat. Many of us have legitimate hindrances to service, such as finances, living situations, transportation issues, felonious histories, physical disability, etc. But the man without shoes can carry the man without feet. The woman with no money can encourage the woman with no hope. An old man with a criminal past can steer a young man away from a criminal future. We don’t have to be overcome by our limitations no matter how real they are.

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ~2 Corinthians 12:9

Ye are of God… and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. ~1 John 4:4

Instead, we can be overcomers by the grace and power of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

The Overachievers

It wasn’t enough for Baruch to work on rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. It wasn’t even enough for Baruch to work hard on rebuilding the walls. Baruch was not concerned with how his work matched up with others. He wasn’t concerned with his status, whether the work was suitable for his station in life. As far as Baruch was concerned, he had nothing better to do. And so Baruch gave his all to the job; Baruch gave his best (Nehemiah 3:20). The name “Baruch” means “blessed”. Blessed is also well translated as happiness: specifically, the happiness that arises from feeling the hand of God. It’s the happiness a child feels when his father’s hand rests reassuringly on his head. Baruch gave his all, because he could feel the hand of God on his life.

“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” ~1 Corinth. 9:24

Likewise, the Lord desires our earnest effort in building His Kingdom. It is not enough to barely do what is needed “get by”, like the Tekoite nobles. It is not even enough to be a hard worker in the Kingdom of God. God wants our all and His is not satisfied with less.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. ~Romans 12:1

Our reasonable service to God is to give Him our all: to sacrifice ALL of our life to service in His Kingdom. God wants EVERYTHING: every part of us every moment of every day. God wants us to overachieve, to go far beyond the norm, far beyond the expected, far beyond just “good”. It is when I have given my all that I can tangibly feel His hand resting on my head, reassuring me that I have done our best… and He is proud of me. Feeling His comforting hand makes me happy, makes me blessed, just like Baruch, the overachiever: earnestly working in the Kingdom of God.

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. ~Hebrews 12:1-4

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: ~2 Timothy 4:7

…These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ~Revelation 7:14b

CODA

Do you have enough time to spare some for building the Kingdom of God?
Is God’s strength strong enough to overcome your weaknesses?
How much of your life does God deserve?
What kind of Builder are you?

From Victim to Victor

Published by reflectionsintheword

Matthew 18:15
Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

In this verse Jesus tells us how to deal with a “brother” who wrongs us in some way. To understand this verse, it is important to first note that by using the word “brother” Jesus was specifically referring to one believer offending/hurting another believer. Instructions on dealing with offenses of unbelievers (the world) on Christians were given earlier in Matthew 5:38-48.

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” ~Galatians 6:1

The key feature of the verse, however, is that it focuses on the rescuing the offender instead of on recompensing the offended. Jesus is telling us that the wronged should be more concerned about the spiritual state of the wrongdoer than the wrong done.

Typically, our focus is exactly the opposite. We are usually concerned with the victim’s rights. We want to make sure that the person that was hurt is recompensed, reimbursed, or in some other way compensated for their loss/pain; especially when we are the victims. Indeed, the whole world thinks this way and all worldly justice systems are based on that principle. But, Jesus wants His followers to take a different approach.

In the verse, Jesus turns our conventional thinking upside down. He instructs the offended person to SEEK out the offender to “gain” (i.e., to rescue or recover) him/her. So the mission of the victim is NOT to gain justice for themselves, NOT to regain what was taken away, NOT even to gain an apology. The mission of the injured is to rescue the injurer. In other words, Jesus is saying that the loss of my brother, spiritually, to sin is more important than whatever my brother did to sin against me.

Jesus is challenging us to take our eyes away from ourselves, from our feelings, from our hurts. Jesus is challenging us to examine which person is in the worse spiritual state. The victim remains in a righteous relationship with God, but the offender is out of fellowship with God until he/she repents.

This change in perspective is a great hurdle for us to overcome, because we are usually so preoccupied with ourselves, so determined to defend and secure our rights. However, God values the spiritual state of a person more than anything else. That is why Jesus died on the cross: so that we could be made righteous through His blood and have fellowship with God. Consequently, when a believer sins, God is concerned with the spiritual restoration of that believer.

“Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” ~James 5:19-20

To be clear, God does care about our hurts; He does care about justice; God IS just.

“…there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.” ~ Isaiah 45:21b

BUT, He has told us to leave the execution of justice to Him, because, ultimately, all sin is against God; even those sins done to us.

“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” ~ Romans 12:19

Instead, God’s purpose is to use me to help my brother, who has sinned against me, to see his wrong and come back into fellowship with God and with me. God loves us, even when we sin against Him and, similarly, God expects us to love our brother even when he sins against us. When we sin against God, He doesn’t make us pay Him back… for we couldn’t. Instead, God entreats us to repent and return to fellowship with Him. So, whenever a brother sins against us… God expects us to follow His example.

Lending to the Lord

Published by reflectionsintheword

Proverbs 19:17
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." ~James 2:14-17

This verse reminds us that God repays our acts of kindness to those in need. But we often find it easier to agree to His words than to live them. We find it easy to ignore people around us who are in need than to help them.

The verse also challenges us to assess whether or not we trust God enough to “lend to Him”; whether or not we think God will default on His debt.

It is easy to SPEAK of our belief in God and His goodness. But if we really do believe that He is trustworthy, then why do we find it so hard to give generously to those in need? God says He will repay us, do we believe Him or not?

Friends, our actions reveal what we truly believe. Let us ask God to grow our faith in Him so that we will be blessings, channels of His love, to our brothers and sisters… especially when they are in need.

Forgiveness is Conditional

Published by reflectionsintheword

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." ~Proverbs 28:13

Though God’s love is UNCONDITIONAL, God’s forgiveness is CONDITIONAL. His forgiveness only comes AFTER our confession.

To confess our sins means we see them as God sees them, we see ourselves in the mirror of His Word not the mirror of our pride.

We can’t see our sins until we accept what the Bible says about them, instead of what the world says about them:

We can’t come to God on our own terms!

Four Steps For Spiritual Restoration

Published by reflectionsintheword

2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

“…Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” ~Matthew 6:9

During the Dedication of the newly constructed Temple, Solomon prayed to God, asking Him to forgive and restore the people of Israel when they sinned (2 Chronicles 6:12-42). God then told Solomon (in the verse above) that, when the Israelites sinned, they would be restored after going through a four-step process. God’s Word is eternal; therefore, this four-step process has unequivocal application to Christians today. Christians ARE God’s people called by His name.

STEP 1: Humility

The first step in spiritual restoration is humility. To start the restoration process we must first recognize our nothingness before an Almighty God. I have neither rights nor commendation before God. On my own, I am both guilty and unworthy to be in his Holy presence. God is everything; I am nothing.

…the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him. ~Habakkuk 2:20

STEP 2: Prayer

The second step in spiritual restoration is prayer. Prayer is an act of humility. Prayer is NOT presenting God with a list of desires. God DOES care about our needs and He instructs us to “cast all our cares on Him” (1 Peter 5:7).

“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” ~Matthew 6:10

However, Jesus showed us that the primary purpose of prayer is to prepare persons to perform the perfect will of God (Matthew 6: 9-13, Luke 22:42).

And he… prayed, Saying, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” ~Luke 22:41-42

After we humble ourselves before God, we then seek to discover His will for our lives through prayer.

STEP 3: Communion/Fellowship

The third step in spiritual restoration is communion with God: ‘seeking God’s face’. To ‘seek God’s face’ is to live in His presence: to commune/fellowship with Him. Prayer is the doorway through which we enter into communion with God. Scripture instructs us to seek God, and to do so “continually” (1 Chronicles 16:11, Psalm 27:8, Psalm 105:4). To commune/fellowship with God is to live one’s life every second as if serving before God’s throne in heaven. It is to be in constant dialogue with God. It is to be intimate with God: talking with Him “face-to-face”:

“Give us this day our daily bread.” ~Matthew 6:11

And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend… ~Exodus 33:11a

To “seek God’s face” is to walk with God as Enoch did: in such close fellowship that the line between earth and heaven becomes blurred. When Moses communed with God he came so close that after the experience his face shone (Exodus 34:34-35). Paul communed with God and was caught up in the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:1-3). God wants to lead us from humility into prayer; and from prayer into communion with Him.

STEP 4: Repentance

The fourth and final step in spiritual restoration is repentance: turning from “wicked ways”. Repentance is the offspring of communion. This is not the same “repentance” that is a prerequisite for salvation (Acts 3:19), because this passage was addressed to “my people, which are called by my name”. So, God was addressing those who are already in the fold. Repentance for believers is described in Romans 12:2 as transformation by a renewing of our minds.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…” ~Matt. 6:13a

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” ~Romans 12:2

God intends to bring us from humility into prayer, from prayer into communion with God and finally communion gives birth to repentance (mental renewal): a change in mindset allows us to turn from our “wicked ways”.

Start… and You Will Finish

These four steps of spiritual restoration, though sequential, are not independent of each other. The believer that humbles himself before The Almighty God will pray, because he recognizes that he must submit to the will of the Lord of Hosts. The believer that discerns the will of God through prayer must also ‘seek God’s face’, because to walk in the will of God is to walk in communion with God. And the believer that walks in communion with God cannot help but have his mind renewed.

Encounters with Jesus: The Taxers, the Taxed and the Taxa

Published by reflectionsintheword

“And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?” ~Matt. 22:20

And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words. And when they were come, they say unto him,”Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give?”

But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, “Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it.” And they brought it. And he saith unto them, “Whose is this image and superscription?”

And they said unto him, “Caesar’s.”

And Jesus answering said unto them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marvelled at him. ~ Mark 12:13-17

NOTES

Image = Ownership, Title = Value
The rolling coin gather’s no loss
Must Melt Material for Molding

CHORDS

Image = Ownership, Title = Value

In the passage, Jesus is accosted by (Roman) government (the Herodians) and anti-government (the Pharisees) supporters. (Politics really does make strange bedfellows!) Working together they sought to trick Jesus into making an error so they could either (a) arrest Him or (b) make Him unpopular with the people. If Jesus said paying taxes was bad, the Herodians could have him arrested for treason. Conversely, if He said paying taxes was good, the Pharisees could paint Him as pro-Rome/anti-Jew, thereby making Him unpopular with the common people of Judea.

However, Jesus turned the tables on both groups, by pointing out the importance of image and title/superscription: He asked “Whose is this image and superscription?”. This question would naturally please the secular Herodians, but what Jesus was also asking the Pharisees (the religious leaders) and the others within earshot was, whose image and title/superscription is on YOU?!!?

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” ~Genesis 1:27

Caesar’s image on the coin indicated it was owned by the Roman government; while the title/superscription on the coin showed its assigned value. The Roman government made the coins and setup the fiscal system, they were the earthly rulers of the day, therefore setting taxation rates (however onerous) was also their prerogative. If they wanted their money back, they could have it for citizens of the Kingdom of God didn’t need it! Only citizen’s of the world had to worry.
God’s image is on His children

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion… over all the earth… ~Genesis 1:26

…men, which are made after the similitude of God. ~James 3:9b

And God assigns our value

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: ~Psalm 8:4-6

On most forms of money (esp. modern), the value is determined solely by the image and superscription. The actual paper and ink used to make a US$1 note has about the same value as that used to make a CAN$1 note. The only difference between the two are the image(s) and title/superscription.

The images on the currency tell the ownership: US or CAN. The titles on the currency tell the value assigned by the owner. Likewise, our ownership and value are determined by whose image and title is on us. Sin removes God’s image and title from us and replaces it with the world’s image and valuation. But Salvation through Jesus Christ re-imprints God’s image on our lives and we are re-titled as Sons.

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” ~2 Corinth. 3:18

For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. ~Zechariah 3:9

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: ~Colossians 3:10

Therefore, just like the coins/money belong to Caesar/government, the saved belong to God! Caesar can do whatever he wants with his money. By submitting to God, we afford Him the same privilege. God, unlike Caesar, does not force us to serve Him. God makes us in His image, but we have the choice to remain in that image or choose to reject His ownership and go our own way (self determination, rebellion).

God sets our worth, in His value system, at an extremely high price (it cost Him His son to buy us back). But we can choose to be valued on the world market, according to the world’s value system. The world only has Taxers and the Taxed, winners and losers, Jesus shows us another way, we can be part of a different group (Taxa): the saved.

The Rolling Coin Gathers no Loss.

The health of an economy is measured by the exchange of currency. The more currency being exchanged, the healthier the economy. We are the currency of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God thrives when we are in action, serving God, doing His will. The Kingdom of God stutters when we are stored away. Jesus puts it this way:

“Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life…” ~Philippians 2:14-16a

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. ~Matthew 5:13-16

To keep the Kingdom of God healthy believers must be actively traded: we must minister to the society around us. God used Jesus to purchase our salvation. God wants to use us to purchase the worlds attention. When light is shined into darkness everyone in the darkness notices and receives an opportunity to come to God.

Must Melt Material for Molding.

Caesar’s coins were made by heating up a metal till it melted and then pouring it into a mould in the shape of Caesar’s image. Likewise, God first melts us through trials and tests and tribulation. Then he pours us into a Christ-shaped mould that conforms us to the image of of His Son.

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. ~Romans 8:29

Break me, Melt me, Mould me, Use me… Spirit of the Living God, Fall afresh on me

Our challenge is to allow Him to pour our lives into the mould of Christ and not conform ourselves to the world’s mould.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. ~Romans 12:1-2

CODA

Whose image is on you?
Who do other’s see when they look at your life?
Who sets the value for your life?
Does your value depend on your job? Your degrees? Your status?

Encounters with Jesus: Bad News

Published by reflectionsintheword

Luke 13:1-5
…Some… told Him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, “Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

Rain Rightly Falls on the Rebellious… and the Righteous

In these verses, Jesus makes it clear that tragedies, mishaps, or pain in a person’s life are NOT necessarily a measure of their standing with God. Without repentance we are ALL in jeopardy of God’s Judgment. It is NOT comfort, ease of life, safety, or even health that separates the righteous from the rebellious. The only thing that separates the saved from the unsaved is REPENTANCE.

“Blessed be… the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” 2 Corinth. 1:3-4

Indeed, Jesus said:

…for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45

Bad things happen to good people and evil people alike. Good things happen to both the saintly and the satanic.

Let us resist the temptation to look at the suffering others have to endure and misjudge them. Instead, let us submit ourselves to God, so that His love can flow through us to help those who are hurting.

Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

Work-Wrought Worship

Published by reflectionsintheword

Nehemiah 3:1
Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel.

The focus of a Christian’s work, in the Kingdom of God, is to enable the Worship of God. Led by Eliashib, the High-Priest, the first group to start working on the Wall was the priests. And the first part of the wall that they built was the Sheep Gate.

“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” ~John 10:9

Before entering the Temple to worship God, the Jews would carry the animals they brought for sacrifice to the Sheep Gate where the priests would then take them into the Temple for sacrifice. Unacceptable (i.e., blemished) animals were to be turned back at the Sheep Gate, only acceptable (unblemished) animals were allowed in. If the sacrifice was accepted, then the offerer would go to the Temple to worship. The Sheep Gate then was symbolic as a point of repentance and forgiveness. An accepted sacrifice confirmed that forgiveness was given and worship was now possible.

However, the sacrifices could never pay the real price for man’s rebellion against The Holy God. And they could never effect true change in the heart of the sinner. So the separation between God and man remained.

“For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” ~Psalm 51:16-17

“Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” ~Micah 6:6-8

“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work… behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.” ~John 4:34-36

Jesus came as the ONLY sacrifice valuable enough to pay the price of sin and the ONLY sacrifice powerful enough to able to change the sin-stained heart of a sinner. Hence, as the priests in Christ’s Kingdom today, Christians must have the same approach to doing the Work of God as Eliashib and the priests did. ALL of Christian work is to be focused on enabling the genuine worship of God. Our job/work is to get the message out that The Sacrifice has been accepted by God and is available for all. So, the only thing one needs to bring to the ‘Sheep Gate’ now is a repentant heart.

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” ~Acts 3:19

First we bring our repentant hearts to our High Priest, Jesus, and then we will be ready to worship God, in Spirit and in truth.

Therefore, everything a Christian does, each facet of our lives, every fiber of our being must be focused on delivering, to the people around us, the truth of salvation through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.

Reflections in Nehemiah: Not Everyone Is Going to Heaven

Published by reflectionsintheword

Nehemiah 2:20
Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”… “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”… “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” ~Matthew 7:21, 10;32-33, Mark 8:36

As Nehemiah rallied the Jews to start building the wall, their enemies mocked them and derided the project. Nehemiah’s response was both strong and instructive. Essentially, he told them that God’s plans would be accomplished and those who participated in it would have a blessing. Conversely, those who refused to take part in God’s work would have no reward. This principle is still true today, and will last until eternity: NOT everyone is going to heaven!

God has made Heaven available to ALL through Jesus, but those who reject Jesus on earth cannot expect to be welcomed into Heaven when they die. Surely, those who consider the Christian way of life foolishness now will also think Heaven is foolishness after they die. Those who have no use for God before death will have no use for Him after death. If Heaven is not real for you now, it DEFINITELY will not be ‘real’ for you when you die.

But there is one more thing…

Jerusalem’s wall wasn’t built by people too lazy to do anything. Jerusalem’s wall was built by people who toiled daily till the job was done. Believers are called to do the same. Jesus gave us a job to do:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. ~Matthew 28:19-20

“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” ~John 9:4

Let’s rise up daily, working brick-by-brick, person-by-person; teaching the Gospel as we build up the Kingdom of God. Only those who are willing to work in the Kingdom of God shall inherit the Kingdom of God. Everyone’s not going to heaven.