Lincoln’s Providence

 

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! (Romans 11:33)

Abraham Lincoln, who was born on this day in 1809, remained skeptical, and at times even cynical, about religion into his forties. So, it is a most striking thing how personal and national suffering drew Lincoln into the reality of God, rather than pushing him away.

In 1862, when Lincoln was 53 years old, his 11-year-old son Willie died. Lincoln’s wife “tried to deal with her grief by searching out New Age mediums.” Lincoln turned to Phineas Gurley, pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington.

Several long talks led to what Gurley described as “a conversion to Christ.” Lincoln confided that he was “driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I have nowhere else to go.”

Similarly, the horrors of the dead and wounded soldiers assaulted him daily. There were fifty hospitals for the wounded in Washington. The rotunda of the Capitol held two thousand cots for wounded soldiers.

Typically, fifty soldiers a day died in these temporary hospitals. All of this drove Lincoln deeper into the providence of God. “We cannot but believe, that He who made the world still governs it.”

His most famous statement about the providence of God in relation to the Civil War was his Second Inaugural Address, given a month before he was assassinated. It is remarkable for not making God a simple supporter for the Union or Confederate cause. God has his own purposes and does not excuse sin on either side.

Fondly do we hope — fervently do we pray — that this mighty scourge of war might speedily pass away. . . .

Yet if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man’s two hundred years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid with another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago so still it must be said, “the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether.”

I pray for all of you who suffer loss and injury and great sorrow that it will awaken for you, as it did for Lincoln, not an empty fatalism, but a deeper reliance on the infinite wisdom and love of God’s inscrutable providence.

The Best Form of Slavery

 

He who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ. (1 Corinthians 7:22, my translation)

I would have expected Paul to switch the places of “Lord,” which means Master, and “Christ,” which means Messiah.

He correlates our liberation with Jesus being our Master (“a freedman of the Lord”). And he correlates our new slavery with Jesus being our Messiah (“a slave of Christ”). It seems strange because the Messiah came to liberate his people from their captors; and masters take control of their slaves’ lives.

Why does he say it this way? Why correlate slavery (rather than liberation) with Messiah, and liberation (rather than slavery) with Master?

Suggestion: The switch has two effects on our new liberty and two effects on our new slavery.

On the one hand, in calling us “the liberated of the Lord,” he secures and limits our new liberty:

His lordship is over all other lords; so our liberation is uncontested — absolutely secure.

But, free from all other lords, we are not free from him. Our freedom is mercifully limited. Jesus is our Master.

On the other hand, in calling us the “slaves of Christ,” he loosens and sweetens our slavery:

The Messiah lays claim on his own in order to bring them from the confines of captivity into the open spaces of peace. “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end” (Isaiah 9:7).

And he makes them his own to give them the sweetest joy. “With honey from the rock I would satisfy you” (Psalm 81:16). And that Rock is Christ, the Messiah.

So, Christian, be glad in this: “He who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord” — the Master. “Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ” — the loosening, sweetening Messiah.”

A LIFE WELL LIVED!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2023.

SUBJECT : A LIFE WELL LIVED!

Memory verse: "But David, after he had served his own generation by the Will of God, fell asleep..." (Acts 13 vs 36.)

READ: Acts 13 vs 20 - 23:

13:20: "After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.

13:21: And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

13:22: And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.' 

13:23: From this man's seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus

INTIMATION:

God created all things to serve His purposes. You and I are created for some purposes. Those who lived purposefully for God were remarkably acknowledged by Him, and that is, "A life well lived." In our memory verse, the Bible strikingly said about David, "But David, after he had served his own generation by the Will of God, fell asleep..." David, in his generation served remarkably in the Will of God. He had, "A life well lived."

In the passage we read today, It is then not surprising that God testified of David, called him a man after His own heart. The Scripture said, "And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My Will." God is “All knowing,” He knows the end from the beginning, hence His testimony is sure. And David lived up to God’s testimony about him.

There is no greater compliment than that statement. Imagine such epitaph chiseled on your tombstone: ‘That you served God's purpose in your generation.’ My prayer is that people will say that about me when I die. It is also my prayer that people will say it about you, too. The phrase is the ultimate definition of "A life well lived."

A life well lived is all about a “purpose-driven life,” doing God's Will in the world that earns you eternal glory—to live with Him forever. God created you, at this time in history, for a purpose. Neither past nor future generations can serve God's purpose in this generation, but only we in this generation can do that. Like Esther God created you "for such a time as this" for His predetermined purposes. (Esther 4 vs 14.)

God is looking for people to use. The Bible, in Second Chronicles 16 vs 9, says, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him...." Will you be a person God can use for His purposes? Will you serve God's purpose in your generation? Will God say of you, "He will live his life well, serving My purpose in his generation?"

Any Christian chasing after a life well lived would heed the counsel of the apostle Paul recorded in First Corinthians 9 vs 24 - 27: "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."

Paul said that he ran straight for the prize set before him with purpose in every step. His only reason for living was to fulfill the purposes God ordained for him. He was so sure of himself that he said, "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1 vs 21.) He was not afraid of either dying or living. Either way, he would fulfill God's purposes. If he lived, it was for good of others whom he labored to teach the ways of Christ. And if he died, he would join Christ to live in eternity with Him. Either way he wins.

The sports race illustration used by the apostle Paul above, explains the required purpose and discipline for believers. As Christians, the required life to live takes hard work, self-denial, and grueling preparation. We are running toward our heavenly reward. The essential disciplines of prayer, Bible study and meditation, and worship, equip us to run with vigor and stamina. Don't merely observe from the grandstand; don't just turn out to jog a couple of laps each morning. Train diligently as your spiritual progress depends upon it.

One day history will come to a close, but eternity will go on forever. When fulfilling your purposes seems tough, don't give in to discouragement. Remember your reward, which will last forever. The Bible says, "For our light afflictions, which is for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." (Second Corinthians 4 vs 17.) Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." 

Imagine what it is going to be like one day, when we have achieved, with all of us standing before the Throne of God presenting our lives in deep gratitude and praise to Christ. Together we will sing, "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for You have created all things, and for your pleasure they are, and were created." (Revelation 4 vs 11.) We would praise Him for His plan, and haven achieved, according to His plans and purposes for us, would live with Him forever!

Prayer: Abba Father, eternity with You is my utmost heart desire. Help me by Your grace in my quest to lead a life pleasing to You, according to Your plan and purpose for me, and that I may come boldly to the Throne of grace, and obtain Your crown of glory, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Saving Faith Isn’t Easily Satisfied

 

If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. (Hebrews 11:15–16)

Faith sees the promised future that God offers and “desires” it. “As it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.” Dwell on this for a moment.

There are many people who water down what saving faith is by making it a mere decision with no change of what one desires and seeks. But the point of this text in the great faith chapter in the Bible — Hebrews 11 — is that living and dying by faith means having new desires and seeking new satisfactions.

Verse 14 says that the saints of old (who are being commended for their faith here in Hebrews 11) were seeking a different kind of country than this world offered. And verse 16 says they were desiring something better than what a present earthly existence could offer. “They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.”

They had been so gripped by God that nothing short of being with God would satisfy.

So, this is true saving faith: seeing the promises of God from afar, and experiencing a change of values so that you desire and seek after and trust in the promises of God above what the world has to offer.

GODLINESS IS PROFITABLE FOR ALL THINGS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 10, 2023.

SUBJECT : GODLINESS IS PROFITABLE FOR ALL THINGS!

Memory verse: "For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” (First Timothy 4 vs 8.)

READ: Mark 10 vs 29 - 30:

10:29: So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My sake, and the gospel's,

10:30: who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.

INTIMATION:

Godliness is to be devout; it’s that piety which is characterized by a Godward attitude. It’s doing that which is well-pleasing to God. The power to lead a godly life comes from God. God allows us to be partakers of the divine nature (Second Peter 1 vs 3) in order to keep us from sin and help us live for Him. When we are born again, God by His Spirit empowers us with His own goodness. 

The heart of the gospel is the “mystery of godliness” (the secret of how we become godly). Godliness cannot be possible in the life of a believer without the help of Christ. We can’t please God on our own; we must depend on Christ, and His divine nature. As a man, Jesus lived a perfect life, and so He is a perfect example of how to live. As God, Jesus gives us the power to do what is right. It is possible to live godly life through following Christ. 

The Bible says, “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (Second Peter 1 vs 3 - 4.) The power to lead a godly life comes from God. Because we don’t have the resources to be truly godly. God allows us to be partakers of His divine nature in order to keep us from sin and help us live for Him. When we are born again, God by His Spirit empowers us with His own goodness.

Godliness must be expressed in our behavior, not just in appearance. A pious or godly look can be deceitful. The appearance of godliness includes; going to church, knowing Christian doctrine, using Christian cliches, and following a community’s Christian traditions. Such practices can make a person look good, but if the inner attitudes of belief, love, and worship are lacking, the outer appearance is meaningless. The apostle Paul warned us not to be deceived by people who only appear to be Christians at first, but their daily behavior will give them away. 

In following God there is great reward. The apostle Paul, in his letter to Timothy (his true son in faith) noted that godliness is profitable for all things both here, and in eternity. The benefits of loving God is here now, and in the future. However, you can’t follow God if you don’t love Him, and Jesus said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” (John 14 vs 23.) Imagine where you have God the Father and the Son make their home with you! Life definitely will be at its best.

Jesus told the disciples that no follower of His will ever lose anything at the end. For whatever loss we have suffered in following Him, we will undoubtedly recover several times over at the end. Knowing all these, what will ever stop anybody from following Him. Godliness is key to spiritual growth and personal fulfillment. We should honor God and center our desires on Him, and we should be content with what God is doing in our lives.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to follow You to the end, for by You all things consist, and with You all things are possible. Endue me with the spirit of complete obedience to You in all things, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Better Than Money, Sex, and Power

 

Do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. (Hebrews 10:35)

We need to ponder the superiority of God as our great reward over all that the world has to offer. If we don’t, we will love the world like everyone else and live like everyone else.

So, take the things that drive the world, and ponder how much better and more abiding God is. Take money or sex or power and think about them in relation to death. Death will take away every one of them. If that is what you live for, you won’t get much, and what you get, you lose.

But God’s treasure is vastly superior, and it lasts. It goes beyond death. It’s better than money because God owns all the money and he is our Father. We are his heirs. “All [things] are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (1 Corinthians 3:22–23).

It’s better than sex. Jesus never had sexual relations, and he was the most full and complete human that ever will exist. Sex is a shadow — an image — of a greater reality, of a relationship and a pleasure that will make the most exquisite sex seem like a yawn.

The reward of God is better than power. There is no greater human power than to be a child of the almighty God. “Do you not know that we are to judge angels?” (1 Corinthians 6:3). “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne” (Revelation 3:21).

And so it goes on and on. Everything the world has to offer, God is better and more abiding.

There is no comparison. God wins — every time. The question is: Will we have him? Will we wake up from the trance of this stupefying world and see and believe and rejoice in and love what is truly real, and infinitely valuable, and everlasting?

BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 09, 2023.

SUBJECT : BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS!

Memory verse: "And the LORD said to me, “The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them: they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart.” (Jeremiah 14 vs 14.)

READ: First Kings 13 vs 13 - 18:

13:13: Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him and he rode on it, 

13:14: and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. Then he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.”

13:15: Then he said unto him, “Come home with me, and eat bread.”

13:16: Then he said, “I cannot return with you, nor go in with you: neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place:

13:17: For I have been told by the word of the LORD, “You shalt not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.”

13:18: He said to him, “I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.” (He was lying to him.)

INTIMATION:

False messages from supposed prophets and prophetesses (men and women of God) have always been a source of concern in Christendom. Many Christians are not conversant with the Scriptures, and are easily confused with false doctrine. The false messages of men and women of God are self-serving with the underlying aim of exploiting their audience materially and/or financially. Their messages are either often appealing to the expectations and desires of their audience or scary and targeted at getting you to part with money or materials for their own benefits. 

Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” (Matthew 7 vs 15.) Beware of those whose words sound religious but who are motivated by financial and material benefits. Some are desirous of achieving fame hence they tell people what they want to hear, but they lead people away from God. If we encourage false prophets, we are guilty as they are. Most times their messages or predictions hardly come true, and it is common amongst them to reverse their predictions to fit what has already happened. They usually utilize small sections of the Bible to the neglect of the whole. 

The apostle Peter says this about them, “By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgement has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.” (Second Peter 2 vs 3.) They will rightly be judged, and their destruction await them. The Bible called them, “grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage.” (Jude 16.)

In the passage we read today, a prophet had been given strict orders from God not to eat or drink anything while on his mission (First Kings 13 vs 9). He accomplished his mission, delivered the message God gave him to King Jeroboam. He obeyed the instructions of the Lord and refused the king’s invitation for refreshment and reward. But he was deceived into disobeying the Lord when another prophet gave him a false message from the Lord.

He suffered the consequences of his disobedience and died because he listened to a man who claimed to have a message from God. It’s possible that the old prophet was unhappy that the message had come to the king through another prophet while he was in town, and lured him to disobey God’s command. His action was self-serving—to put a rivalry out of the way. Always trust what God’s Word says rather than what someone claims is true, and disregard what others claim are messages from God if their words contradict the word of God. Human flattery does not bring God’s approval. 

God warns us against false prophets who prophesy out of their own hearts, whose messages are not from God but are lies intended to win popularity by saying whatever made the people happy. Beware of people who bend the truth in their quest for money, popularity, and power. Lies are always attractive and liars may have large followings. Today, for instance, some spiritual leaders assure us that God promises His followers health and material success only. This is comforting, but is it true? God’s own Son did not have an easy life on earth. Make sure the messages you believe are consistent with what God teaches in His Word.

Be very careful who you believe. Do not believe someone simply because he or she sounds like an authority or says words you like to hear. Sometimes their messages contradict what the Bible says about God who is not an author of confusion; He cannot give you the command not to kill, and turn around to give you a message that you should ensure that your uncle in the village dies because he is the source of your problems, and your freedom is tied to his death. 

Jesus Christ gave His disciples a principle to guide their actions as they minister to others; “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10 vs 8.) Jesus has not changed: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13 vs 8). Jesus has been and will be the same forever, therefore, in a changing world, we can put our absolute trust on our unchanging Lord.

Mind you, evil and evil doers prevail, and there are satanic and demonic operations, but the apostle Paul says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6 vs 12.) The remedy for the wiles of the devil he stated thus; “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able withstand in the evil day...” (Ephesians 6 vs 13.) Study the Scripture for the whole armor of God detailed in Ephesians 6 vs 14 - 18.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with discerning spirit that I may know the truth from You and not follow after false prophets or messengers, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!