Everything is God's. Nothing is ours.

In Matthew chapter 19, a young man claims to have obeyed all of God's commandments. Jesus tells this seemingly-righteous person (ESV),

If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.

In response, the person goes away depressed, because he had many possessions.

Jesus is demonstrating to the young man that, although he has obeyed the letter of the law, his mind is in the wrong place. He views his earthly possessions as his, or even perhaps as rewards for his ability to keep the commandments. But as Psalm 24:1 (ESV) tells us,

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.

Do we view our homes, bank accounts, careers, families, cars, and even our bodies as our own? We shouldn't--they are blessings from God! Keep Psalm 24:1 on your mind as you pray. Memorize it. Recite it over and over. And do so without ceasing!

David's Census: Taking Pride in One's Achievements

I posted previously about David's affair with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband. In that story, David's sins are obvious.

But turning to 2 Samuel 24, we find David sinning again in ways that are less obvious. In that chapter, God commands David to conduct a census. (In 1 Chronicles 21, it is Satan, presumably under God's command, who orders the census.) For reasons that aren't clearly stated, God then becomes angry with David. Why?

I suspect that David's sin was not the census itself, but rather David's attitude toward the census. David likely took great enjoyment in conducting a formal measurement of the extent of his power. Wouldn't we all! But David's achievements were not due to his own cleverness or abilities. Rather, he had humble faith in God, and, therefore, everything in his possession came from God. By taking pride in his earthly achievements, David sinned against God.

Are we guilty of similar sins? Do we count our achievements and attribute those to our own hard work and/or intelligence? If so, we're falling into the same trap as David. Yes, some careers require maintaining up-to-date resumes listing accomplishments and/or awards, but if you have such a career, recognize that those achievements are blessings from God, not trophies representing your cleverness.

To David's credit, he realized his sin and humbled himself before God, 2 Samuel 24:10 (ESV),

But David's heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly."

Simply put, don't take pride in earthly achievements. Like Solomon wrote, they are vanity. Rather, in everything, give thanks to God.

God Does Not Forget

David is one of the most celebrated individuals in all of humanity, but that doesn't mean he was perfect. One of the most famous, and unsavory, stories in the Bible occurs in 2 Samuel 11. The chapter describes how David sets his sights on the beautiful, but married, Bathsheba. David impregnates Bathsheba, and after some unsuccessful attempts to cover it up, David arranges for the murder of Bathsheba's husband.

The second-to-last sentence of the chapter reads (ESV),

And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son.

Problem solved, right? It seems as if David has managed to brush this problem under the rug, now that Bathsheba's husband is out of the way.

However, we then arrive at the last sentence of the chapter (ESV),

But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.

That sentence, which contain the first mention of God in 2 Samuel 11, should send chills up our spines. God doesn't forget our sins, and he especially detests when we smugly convince ourselves that we're "good." To David's credit, he later confesses in the truly beautiful Psalm 51 (ESV),

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgement.

What a prayer! What a confession! Is it any wonder that David, despite his sins, stands as such a remarkable example of humble faith. So the lesson: Don't wait for God's wrath. And don't try to push sin out of your mind. Acknowledge your sins before God. It sure worked for David!

There is none good but God

Matthew Chapter 19 contains a strange conversation, and different Biblical translations present the conversation in different ways. According to the KJV, someone addressed Jesus as "Good Master," to which Jesus responds,

Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God.

As John Gill explains, Jesus was not denying his "goodness." Rather, the person, at this point in time before the death and resurrection of Jesus, clearly viewed Jesus not as divine, but rather as a skilled teacher and theologian. Jesus simply tells the man that no earthly being is truly "good."

An important point to emphasize in our prayers is that we are sinful creatures. Even Job, a seemingly "good" man, eventually was brought to his knees (Job, 42: 2-6, ESV),

I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted ... I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know ... I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

None of us comes close to Job's goodness, and look at how he humbled himself! We should seek to mimic such humility in our prayers. Try it. As difficult as such prayers are, you'll feel a remarkable sense of joy from humbling yourself before God!

Everything Under the Sun is Vanity

On the surface, the book of Ecclesiastes, attributed to Solomon, is the most morose book in the Bible. Yet, taking a step back and absorbing its main message, we can find something comforting and uplifting.

The book consists of 12 chapters, but I believe the book's main point can be ascertained from reading chapters 1, 2, and 12. First, at the beginning of chapter 1 (ESV),

All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?

That word "vanity" comes up a lot in Ecclesiastes. (Some less-literal translations use words such as "meaningless" or "useless.") Solomon is saying that everything we do, everything we see, everything we pursue, everything we desire, and everything we find satisfying are ultimately empty and meaningless. So what's the point of even living? Morose, indeed!

In chapter 2, Solomon describes his life's journey seeking fulfillment. He mentions riches, land, houses, vineyards, treasures, alcohol, female companionship, esteem, and power. He had it all. Reflecting upon these pursuits in verse 11 (ESV),

I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

The book continues with this theme. So if nothing "under the sun" provides fulfillment, what should we do? The answer finally comes in the final two verses of the end of the book (12:13-14, ESV),

Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

It's a simple, yet powerful, message. Do not become distracted by the ways of this world. Yes, we must work, but we shouldn't let professional success (or lack thereof) define our lives. Yes, we may enjoy sports, music, or politics, but if not properly prioritized, those pursuits can distract us from our reason for existing.

Simply, fear God and obey him. Let that be the foundation for your never-ceasing prayer.

Proof of Jesus' Resurrection? 1 Corinthians 15

Christians and non-Christians alike agree that the validity of Christianity hinges on the resurrection. Now, being strong in faith means that we shouldn't need unequivocal proof of that event. In fact, in the 20th chapter of John, Jesus (lightly) rebukes Thomas for demanding such proof.

But, unfortunately, we all face times in which our faith wavers. And when we face such wavering, there's no better place to turn that the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians. It's arguably the most important chapter in the entire Bible. Importantly, 1 Corinthians 15 was written before any of the gospel accounts, making it the earliest written account of Jesus' resurrection. Further, Paul mentions in verse 8 that he actually encountered the resurrected Jesus. (Of course, Paul is referring to the famous Road to Damascus event.)

For a moment, let's view Paul's claim of seeing Jesus through the lens of a skeptic. Let's consider two possibilities.

First, perhaps Paul was insane, or misinterpreted what he saw. This seems unlikely, because in verses 5-7 (ESV), Paul notes that the resurrected Jesus appeared to lots of other people,

He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

For the insanity/misinterpretation theory to hold water, all of those eyewitnesses must similarly have experienced insanity or misinterpretation. That seems unlikely.

Second, perhaps Paul was lying, most likely for his own personal gain. However, even a casual reading of Paul's letters marks this theory as even less likely than the insanity/misinterpretation theory. Before encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul was fairly high up on the pecking order of Jewish intellectuals. He was living the good life! But after encountering Jesus, as Paul comments in Philippians 3:8 (ESV),

I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.

Paul also notes in 1 Corinthians 9 that he intentionally avoids reaping material gain from his preaching, lest such rewards compromise the validity of his testimony. So Paul gained nothing of earthy significance, and, in fact, lost everything, including, eventually, his life. That's quite a price to pay for some alleged deception!

So it seems unlikely that Paul was insane or misinterpreted his experience, and it also seems unlikely that he was engaged in deception. By process of elimination, it seems likely that Paul was telling the truth about the resurrected Jesus!

All of which brings us to the final verse in 1 Corinthian 15 (ESV), a verse that should remain on the forefront of our minds as we pray,

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Nineveh Listens to God: The Story of Jonah

Jonah might be the most fascinating of all the Old Testament prophets. It's not a long book, so it's worth reading the whole thing.

A consistent theme throughout the Bible is that, despite out sinful natures, if we listen to God and repent of our ways, God will forgive us. In the story of Jonah, God sends Jonah to warn the people of Nineveh: repent of your ways or face destruction. Jonah's message can be summed up in chapter 2, verse 8 (ESV),

Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.

In contrast to much of the Old Testament, the people of Nineveh take this message to heart, and they repent! As Jesus notes in Matthew 12:41 (ESV),

The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

So the question for us is: Do we "pay regard to vain idols"? That is, even if we believe in God, do we push God out of our minds to focus on earthy matters, such as money, career, gossip, immorality, etc.? Worse, do we try to justify such behavior on earthly terms? If so, we are forsaking God's love and peace. In our prayers, we should repent of these ways and make God our priority.

Jacob Wrestles with God

Few Biblical passages hold mystery quite like Genesis 32, in which Jacob wrestles throughout the night with God. What is going on in this chapter?

(I once heard Jack Graham give an interesting sermon on Genesis 32. What I write in this post borrows from that sermon.)

Prior to Genesis 32, Jacob's life consists of less-than-noble behavior. He selfishly demands his brother Esau's "birthright." He deceives his father, Isaac, into giving him, rather than his brother, the blessing commonly bestowed upon the eldest son. Fearing Esau's wrath, he flees to a relative, Laban. His time wish Laban is full of more deception, with each man deceiving the other. Eventually, Jacob flees from Laban.

To put it mildly, all of this deception and fleeing does not seem to befit the father of all Hebrews!

And then we reach Genesis 32, where Jacob enters territory controlled by Esau's army. Seemingly in big trouble, Jacob prays a simple, yet beautiful, prayer in verses 10-11 (ESV):

I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant ... Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau ...

Prior to this point, the Genesis record offers no indication of Jacob humbling himself before God. That same night, during their wrestling match, God injures Jacob's hip, leaving him permanently limping.

Yet it's obvious that, as a result of his newfound humility toward God, Jacob has undergone a transformation. In fact, no longer will he be called "Jacob," but rather "Israel." Sure, he's lost his healthy hip, which means he won't be fleeing any more. But he's gained something much more valuable: his soul!

In our own lives, do we behave similarly to Jacob? Do we deceive and flee, and then repeat. When God tries to speak to us, perhaps by (figuratively) injuring our hip, do we recognize that message and transform our lives?

Try a simple, humble prayer like Jacob's. And then listen for God response!

What God Wants and Doesn't Want: Isaiah 66

Isaiah is one of the most dense and thought-provoking books in the entire Bible. In this post, I discuss the very last chapter of Isaiah. I encourage you to read it in full.

But I particularly enjoy the first few verses of Isaiah 66, because it summarizes, in concise fashion, exactly what God wants and doesn't want from us.

First, what God wants, from verse 2 (ESV),

This is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word.

And then, what God doesn't want, from verse 4 (ESV),

When I called, no one answered,
when I spoke, they did not listen; 
but they did what was evil in my eyes
and chose that in which I did not delight.

Simply put, God desires a "humble and contrite" heart. And when he speaks to us, we must listen and adjust our lives accordingly. How does he speak to us? One way is through the scriptures. That is, those verses are written to us! God is telling us, in verse 4, to live in his spirit, not in pursuit of earthly pleasures and treasures.

So as your prayer (without ceasing!) today, keep these powerful verses in mind.