First and Second

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

FIRST AND SECOND

Prov 18:17

17 The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him.

NIV

It seems most of our scholars of old are convinced this speaks of the court of law. It would appear that a witness gives testimony that seems to be the facts of the case until the opposing attorney cross examines the testimony of the witness and in so shows the falseness of it. But that is so sterile, so non personal or gives no insight into either correcting, rebuking, teaching or training in righteousness. We know from our studies that all scripture is God-breathed and is for one or all of those purposes in the lives of believers. If this only applies to cases in court or matters of law, how often do we find ourselves having to apply this truth? What if this speaks to our everyday lives in the words we speak on a regular basis? Of course we would also think of the truth that iron sharpens iron which Solomon will give that truth later in the 27^th chapter. When we make a statement about the truth of God and believe we have the facts of it, we are then made aware by another our facts could be seen in another light, or in essence we could be wrong in our interpretation. This certainly applies in our daily lives as well. Whoever speaks first might well believe they are speaking the truth of a matter until someone else speaks and we find we did not understand the truth of the matter as we thought. This gives us cause not to be hasty in our speaking. It might also give us a reason to research all the information we can before expounding on a subject. It may well be said it is better to be a man of few words then one who uses more than needed. On the other hand we might be the second speaker making corrections to a misunderstanding of the truth. This would need to be applied with love, rather than with harshness or an overbearing prideful spirit. It also shows us there could be many times when two sides of a story, situation, or truth of God are seen. When we are alone, it would be fair to say we only see one side of those things and believe that side is right. But when we are in a community whether secular or spiritual, several sides emerge. It is in those times we need be aware of others and be open to their expression, or belief or side of the story, situation or truth of God. Open discussion often brings us to the real story, which is that iron sharpening iron concept. We should not be so entrenched in our understanding that we are not open to new or different thoughts. This is where that correcting, rebuking, teaching and training in righteousness could happen. If we never speak of such topics with others then we will always be sitting in our own pew, or own thoughts, our own beliefs which could be seen as being without growth. So let us speak first and second, but with respect, honor and love. 

A bribe

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

A BRIBE

Prov 18:16

16 A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great.

NIV

This seems to be somewhat of a strange saying. We are not sure if this gift could be seen as simply a gift or a bribe. It would seem within the context of making way for the one who offers a bribe to get into a place they are not qualified to be, the gift would then be seen as a bribe. This is surely the way of the world and should have nothing to do with the community of faith. We are certain there is no way we can enter the presence of God with a bribe. Surely the gift of our heart makes way for us into his presence, as we surrender it to him. But Solomon is not speaking about the gift of self to God and the reward of eternal life. This is speaking to getting ahead in life by crooked means. Men offer favors in order to gain entrance to having their way in a situation. We accept this is the way some business or political people operate. It would seem both Wall Street and Washington are filled with this type of behavior. But are we, within the community of faith, guilty at all of this? Do we use gifts, or bribes in a sense, to get us ushered into the presence of the great. What would that look like? Maybe we might think because we give large sums of money on either tithes or offering we should then be in some important position in church. It might have nothing to do with our qualifications because of being gifted by God. Maybe we think because of our worldly qualifications we should gain entrance to that important position in church. The truth is the world system does not work in the kingdom of God. No amount of money or education, skill or talent brings a person any position in the body of Christ. We are all gifted by God for his purpose. He puts us in the place within the body best suited for his plan for both us and the rest of the body. Can the ear tell the hand it is more important? Can the hand tell the eye it is better? But it seems many churches, many pastors are influence by the giver of bribes. They are pampered, or catered to because of their large giving. This should not be. We must live as equals in the assembly of the righteous. All gifted by God for his purpose is the only way it should be. Let us live, not in the way of the world, looking to enter into greatness, but in the way of Christ, looking to be a servant to those we live with. 

More

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

MORE

Prov 18:15

15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out.

NIV

When do we have enough? In a culture which promotes the idea that we always need more or newer of the material things of life, it is difficult not to want them. We are forever being tempted to have more things. We are always told newer is better, upgrade to the newest model of whatever. Some women simply cannot have enough shoes. Some men cannot have enough tools. Some people cannot have enough money. But here we are told it is  more knowledge that we should always be in pursuit. We are to strive for knowledge, but not that of the world, but of God. We cannot ever come to a point in our lives that we say we know enough about God, that we have all the answers. This is a life-long pursuit. Solomon uses both the ears and the heart here for a specific reason. It is with our ears we hear and with our heart we believe. There is a mixture of knowledge and faith which makes the heart discerning and desires the ears to seek out the wisdom from God. It is the heart of faith which wants this knowledge. Those who have a heart bent toward evil have no desire for the knowledge of God. In fact we are told this very truth.

Rom 1:21-23

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

NIV

Of course we would have to include the whole of this chapter to get the completeness of it, but this still makes the point that those who do not seek God, become fools. Their hearts are not discerning, but darkened, because their ears, their minds became futile in their thinking. We cannot ever allow our minds to become futile in our thinking. This futility of thinking would include believing we have enough knowledge about God. We are told it is with our mouth that we confess and with our heart we believe. It is the heart, the essence of our character which drives us to learn more about God. Although in the physical sense our mind controls the heart, but in the spiritual sense our heart controls the mind. It is the desires of our heart which makes it discerning and wants the mind to know more about God. Let us continually be in pursuit of more. 

Hope

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

Hope

Prov 18:14

14 A man's spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?

NIV

The spirit of a person when it is in good conscience or sound mind gives such a person the ability to sustain themselves through the most difficult of situations in life. When we are sick or under the pressures of life we make our way through them. Many books have been written about a positive mental attitude. It would seem even without a firm relationship with God a person can withstand the most difficult of times. We believers have even a greater advantage then those who do not believe. When we face the greatest of difficulties whether they be of some physical infirmity or financial setback, our trust in God gives us a strength to endure through them all. When we consider the great situation Adam and Eve were in living in the Garden of Eden, having everything they would ever need as well as being able to walk and talk with God, it must have been a wonderful time. Even when they were disobedient and were cast out of the most perfect situation their spirit was able to sustain them and Adam was able to toil the ground all the days of his life for his sustenance.  He did not break under the pressure of life. But when the spirit is crushed it is a different story. This crushing of the spirit is caused by the weight of sin. No man can bear up under this kind of crushing. Sin cannot be endured by the spirit of man alone. This is when man needs God.  How can we, by our own spirit, our own positive attitude, our own strength and fortitude save ourselves from the penalty of sin? Even Adam as his spirit was able to sustain him, was not able to enter paradise again unless he sought the forgiveness of God. Although we can endure anything this world has to offer we cannot endure the penalty of sin, we will perish. We need God. This is why Jesus said unless we are born again we cannot see the kingdom of God. A crushed spirit under the weight of sin cannot enter the kingdom of God and so it must die and a new spirit is born when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. When this new spirit is born it no longer is crushed by sin. Now we can endure death of the body as well as all this life has to offer. We live because he lives. We live with all the hope and joy Jesus brings to us. We live with confidence and without fear because we not only have a new spirit who is able to live rejoicing in this life, but one who will rejoice in eternal life. Because he lives we can face tomorrow. 

To be humble

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

TO BE HUMBLE

Prov 18:12-13

12 Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.

13 He who answers before listening — that is his folly and his shame.

NIV

Pride is certainly not the desired trait or attitude a believer in Jesus Christ should have. What seems to be the theme here is when a man is prideful he believes more in himself than in God. We are told to humble ourselves before the Lord.

James 4:9-10

 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

NIV

The prideful man cannot humble himself before God and therefor he will not be lifted up but will experience the downfall. This might well have a significate meaning in the sense that those who are lifted up are those who will raise in the air to meet our Lord and be with him for all eternity. Those who refuse to accept Jesus, those who have pride in their hearts, believing in their own abilities, will be cast down to everlasting perish. Although this might be the central theme of these two sayings, which we will connect, it is also possible the humble can have a level of prideful attitudes. We can think more highly of ourselves then we ought to. We can think how we are so knowledgeable in the scriptures, or how important we are in the body of Christ. This kind of thinking would fly in the face of preferring others over ourselves, or the concept of being a servant. But let us see the connection between those who have a prideful heart and a quick tongue. Again it is the man who gives his answer before hearing all the facts is the man who believes in his heart he has all the facts. This could be applied to those who refuse to listen to all the gospel message, and quickly refuse to listen, stating they don’t believe all that stuff. Without hearing all the information how can any intelligent person make a qualified choice or decision? It comes back to the idea of being humble rather than prideful.

1 Peter 5:5

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble ."  

NIV

Those who have a prideful heart oppose God and therefor he opposes them. But if we humble ourselves, admitting we are weak, unable to do anything without him; first, not being able to save ourselves, secondly, not being able to sustain ourselves and thirdly not being about to serve him or others without the help of the Spirit, then he gives us grace. It is interesting that Peter is quoting Solomon.

Prov 3:34

34 He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble

NIV

This word used for grace in the Old Testament carries the meaning of graciousness, kindness or favor. God shows favor to those who humble themselves to his mighty hand.

1 Peter 5:6-7

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

NIV

The prideful heart cannot do this, it refuses to accept the fact it is not able to do for itself, yet in doing so it is filled with anxiety. The prideful heart gives answers before it hears all the facts, it has no room for more than it has. This also applies to believers. When we think we have all the answers we leave no room for growth. The scriptures are profitable for correction, rebuking, teaching and training us in righteousness. It is when we are humble, understanding God has more for us to understand, more for us to learn, more for us to grow in our relationship with him, he lifts us up, he gives us more insight, more abilities, more ways in which we can serve him. Just as in prayer, it is far better to listen then to speak. It is also better when speaking to use few words, for it is the prideful who enjoy the sound of their own voice. Let us listen, ponder, reflect, and then humbly speak. This applies both to our prayer time with God and our conversation time with men

Strong tower

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

STRONG TOWER

Prov 18:10-11

10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall.

NIV

Here we have a comparison of the righteous and the foolish. The righteous are described by God as those who look to him for all safety and security. He is the sufficiency for those who put their trust in him, both for salvation and for security in this life. He is the strong tower which represent a place the enemy cannot penetrate. Although the enemy may lay siege against us, if we are in this strong tower he will never be able to scale the walls and overtake us. The wealth of the rich man is not that strong tower. Here Solomon compares the rich man as one who does not run into the name of the Lord. That would imply those who put their trust in their wealth instead of the Lord for safety and security. We would think this would be the comparison of the saved and the unsaved, however that is not always the case. It is more a comparison of those who trust in God and those who trust in wealth. This might include those in the Christian community. The idea is the rich man only imagines his wealth is unscalable, whereas the strong tower actually is. The rich man believes his wealth will provide him safety and security, but it is not safe from being overtaken by the enemy. Wealth and riches can he lost in a moment, we have no control over them and we should certainly not put any trust in them. We have been admonished not to. We have been told we cannot serve both God and money. How can we run into the name of the Lord and still imagine our wealth as a fortified city? This is not a grey area, this is black and white, either or, one or the other. We but only have to visit the tombs of the Pharaohs and emperors of China to see all their wealth left behind. It did not provide them with true safety and security. Oh, sure wealth in this life brings us the ability to have things, to feed our desires for stuff.  But God has told us that if we run into his name, the strong tower, seeking first and foremost his kingdom, he will add all these things all the stuff the rich man imagines his wealth will be to him. God does not desire we be destitute, although there may be some believers who are. We do not know the reasons, but we know running into the name of the Lord is a strong tower and it brings us safety and security. We do not have time for imaginary safety, it is a waste of our energy. Yes, we need to work for our sustenance, which is a command of God. We cannot be lazy in our life. We just saw earlier how we should do whatever we do as to onto the Lord, to work one hundred and ten percent in all our labor both in the secular world and in the community of faith. But we cannot put our trust in our work for safety and security. We cannot put our trust in something that can disappear at a moment’s notice. All this world offers, wealth is just imaginary and is not an unscalable wall. Let us keep our focus on running into the name of the Lord. That almost seems like we are running from the imaginary wall into the strong tower. 

No slacking

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

NO SLACKING

Prov 18:9

9 One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.

NIV

We are once again seeing a two-fold meaning or what could be seen in two areas of life. First in the arena of business and second in religious affairs. When we think of work and being slack in it, we are reminded of being told to do our work as onto the Lord.

Col 3:22-25

 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

NIV

Although it is true we receive compensation in the form of money for our work, there is far more things of importance at stake. First we have been told by God, being the offspring of Adam that we are to toil the ground, work all the days of our lives for our sustenance. Secondly, in being obedient to that command, we are then working for the Lord, not for men. Because of our working onto him, he gives us a reward far superior to any paycheck. Therefor the whole of the idea is to work to the best of our ability at all times. We are to give all we can to advance the cause of who employs us. Of course our ultimate employer is the Lord, as he is the who we are supposed to be working for. Whatever we do, give it all, leave nothing behind, and do not slack off for one minute. We can see in our place of work those who take longer breaks or lunch then they are allotted. This is a sign of disrespect to both their employer and fellow workers. We cannot ever allow that in our lives, we cannot slack off, we cannot give in to that kind of behavior. Those who are slackers are brothers to those who destroy. This has been seen as two people, but it is only the same person. When we slack off we destroy the reputation of God. That of course is only applicable if those we work with know we are believers, followers of Jesus. Now the second area this saying can apply to is in our service to the Lord, in the community of faith. Once again that command given in whatever we do, work at it with all our heart, applies to how we live and serve the Lord within the community of faith. Do we slack off, just attend church, not giving of ourselves to some ministry, some area of service? It is true we cannot do everything, but we must do that which we have been not only called to do, but gifted to do. The Lord has gifted each believer according to his purpose, none have been left out. Therefor we all have the responsibility to apply our gift with all our heart.

Eph 6:7

7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men,

NIV

Although this mainly refers to our secular work, it also applies to our service in the body of Christ. But more importantly than all that, we should never slack in our relationship with God. That would mean in our prayers which indicate both petitions and listening. If we are slackers in our time with God, then it might well cause damage, destruction to our soul. Slacking in our time with God can certainly lead to being more susceptible to yielding to temptation. Continual yielding leads to a seared conscience, which leads to destruction. We cannot afford that kind of attitude in our relationship with God. Sure, we will never attain total freedom from sin, but we cannot be slack in seeking forgiveness. When we are slack in our relationship with the Lord we are in danger of thinking as the world thinks in regards to every aspect of our lives. This cannot be. We simply cannot afford to slack off. No slacking.    

Gossip

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

GOSSIP

Prov 18:6-8

6 A fool's lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating. 7 A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul. 8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts.

NIV

It would seem right to connect these three together as they are a progression of conduct and response. Again it comes down to the idea that words matter. There are timed when we all might say something we wish we could take back, but this describes a person who is continually a quarrelsome speaker. It is not about honest debate however. There is always room for civil disagreement among those who are in search of the truth. To continually be in agreement simply to avoid any conflict would not be the opposite of the lips of this fool. The whole of the idea of these fools lips are their speaking gossip. Gossip will bring strife to the one who gossips. These types of words invite a beating, perhaps not physical, but a strong rebuke. That is to say when gossip is on the lips, the speaker of such words should be rebuked, being told it is inappropriate to share information of that nature as the truth is not known, it is just gossip. However we can also see the gossip will be undone, their soul is snared, and who is the best to snare a man’s soul? The answer is Satan, the father of all lies, which gossip would fall into that category. Sure it might be true that which is spread by the lips of a gossip, but it also might be true those lips embellish, adding fiction to fact. A saying we know not its origin clearing would put an end to gossip, “It we are not part of the problem or the solution, we have no need to know the story”. Yet it is the third part of this saying of Solomon which tells the truth of the heart of man. Gossip is a choice morsel, or dainties, it is gulped down into the innermost parts of man’s nature. There is not only the willingness to listen, but an inner desire to know the dirty little secrets of another’s trouble, mistake, or indiscretion. Some would thrive on hearing those words of gossip. The multimedia has provided us with that ability of voyeurism, a visual gossip of sorts. Facebook is a prime example that can be used as the ultimate gossip page, just as those papers in the checkout lanes. It seems there is a need to know about what everyone else is doing. No, gossip is just gossip and it should have no place in the life of us believers. Again, if we are not part of the problem and we are not part of the solution then we have no business with the situation of another’s life. That is not to say we should not live our lives together openly with each other, sharing our concerns and our joys. But it is when the third party brings news, it is when the lips of the gossip speak, we are admonished to rebuke them, not to swallow their tale. This would also speak to our own hearts not to allow our lips to speak gossip, not to be a fool who brings contention. These types of words bring hurt and pain, both to the one who is spoken of and to the one who hears, but it also brings hurt and pain to the speaker. When gossip is revealed it always brings pain and suffering to all concerned. Let us not allow our lips to work that kind of response.  

Favoritism

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

FAVORITISM

Prov 18:5

5 It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the innocent of justice.

NIV

Favoritism is not permitted by God, in fact he tells us he does not how favoritism.

Rom 2:11

11 For God does not show favoritism .

NIV

There are also other scriptures which directly instruct us not to show this type of favoritism to our fellow man. This proverb has a direct connection to the Law God gave to Moses.

Lev 19:15

15 "'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.

NIV

The idea here as we know full well has certainly been forsaken by the wicked. We see in our cultural people of great wealth or position get away with crimes any normal person would be convicted guilty of and incarcerated for. Their money buys them influence to pervert the laws of our country. At the same time our society allows the poor and indigent relieve from some criminal behaviors. The homeless or poor panhandle alone the roads without penalty. There is a perversion to this whole idea of not be partial for one reason or another. Although Solomon may be focused on justice or the judicial system of metering out sentencing for crimes against humanity, it also brings us to the idea of not showing any favoritism in other ways. Some churches may be guilty of this behavior in preferences given to those who give large sums of money in the offering. Do we believers seem to give more credence to those who have either more wealth or education, knowledge, or degrees then those with less of those things or to the beautiful people and ignore the not so beautiful. Is that not showing favoritism? Of course we are not saying they are wicked just because of wealth or degrees or beauty. But this favoritism does have a way of its way into our thinking. As far as crimes, we should as a society seek the same justice for both the wealthy and the poor. As far as being unfair with who we share the gospel with, we should seek justice, fairness without partiality, all who are in need of hearing the opportunity to finding eternal life. When it comes to our interactions with the community of faith, we should also be fair in our service, our ministry or our gifts. We must not show partiality in our service to others. All men are equal in the eyes of God. He desires all men to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. How then can we see other people in any different light? We are all sinners saved by grace. Yet here we are finding those who do give more credence to those who either have more wealth or education then to those with less. How do we handle that? What is our responsibility? Should we join the crowd or follow God? It seems it is just the way of humanity to show favoritism, it is a natural effect of being human. But we are instructed against it. Would then showing favoritism be a sin? Certainly we are told to lift others up, to prefer them over ourselves. But that is to be done without partiality. We are also told to love our neighbor as ourselves. Do we do that equally? It would seem any form of favoritism is a result of our looking at the outward appearance of others. God sees a person’s heart and judges them accordingly. In the end the judgement will be all about a person’s heart, whether it is bent toward God or toward wickedness, whether they have given their heart over to Jesus or refused Jesus. God will not show any favoritism in his justice. Let us render ourselves as being impartial in our way of seeing others.  

Words mean something

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

WORDS MEAN SOMETHING

Prov 18:4

4 The words of a man's mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

NIV

Once again it seems we could see a saying of Solomon in a sort of two fold twist. It could be seen as one thought about wisdom or a comparison of language of folly and wisdom. We think the second is the intent of Solomon. The deep waters relate to that which is deep or that which is absent of light. As we are familiar from recent exploration of the depths of the oceans we know at a certain depth darkness overtakes any penetration the light has in the water. There are even discoveries of some species of fish who have no eyes as they have no need of them living in the darkness of the waters. We could say that the words of a man’s mouth have great depth. That is people of great intellectual prowess speak of very weighty matters. But it may be nothing more the physio-babble because those words lack the insight of the Spirit as well as this would agree with the idea of great darkness. No, the words of a man’s mouth without the insight of the Holy Spirit are just simply filled with darkness. They are therefore void of any light, they have nothing which benefits either themselves or others.  However, the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook which is clear and running through the land giving life to everything that lives along it shore. Jesus has referred to himself as the spring of living water.

John 4:10

10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water ." 

NIV

John 7:37-39

37 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."  39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

NIV

The prophet Jeremiah spoke of him well in advance of his coming.

Jer 2:13

13 "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water , and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

NIV

We also know from our research the 1^st Psalm as well as Jeremiah both refer to the spring of living water which the tree sends it roots into and its leaves remain green and it never fails to bear fruit. All this points to the truth that with the Spirit who leads us into all truth our words should be a well spring, a fountain of wisdom which gives life to all who live by our shore. This would imply all the people we live our life with, those we encounter throughout our daily lives. Those who have the streams of living water flowing from within us give life to others, our words give encouragement, and they give the words which lead people to this stream of living water, Jesus. This is true wisdom, the word of God. There is no greater wisdom then knowing Jesus. What supposed wisdom of this world can give a person eternal life? All the knowledge of this world, all the words of man can only bring darkness, but the wisdom that flows from God and from the mouths of those enlightened by the Spirit give life, eternal life.

Ps 19:14

14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

NIV

Contempt

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

CONTEMPT

Prov 18:3

3 When wickedness comes, so does contempt, and with shame comes disgrace.

NIV

Does this proverb have a double meaning? Is Solomon speaking about those who have contempt for God? Those people who by the very definition of God, are wicked also have a great deal of contempt for him because they would rather live without the need to be accountable for their wicked ways. It might also be they do not even consider their ways to be wicked, but merely doing what comes natural to the human spirit. Yet by the definition of God, those people who refuse to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior are the wicked. We on the other hand, because we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, are considered by God as the righteous. It certainly is not because we are without sin, but it is because Jesus is and we in Christ. Whenever the wicked come into the presence of God which would be us, if we are being Godly, speaking about God, about Jesus, with reverence, they will have some level of contempt for us. They also may experience a certain level of inner shame and disgrace because God has put the knowledge of himself into every man.

Rom 1:18-23

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

NIV

It is clear every person has had the opportunity to accept the truth of God, but some determine to refuse because of their desire to serve their own passions and thus they have contempt for God and for anything or anyone that is about God. In the other sense, could it be possible that we, who God considers as righteous, demonstrate a level of contempt for him when we disobey him and yield to temptation thus sinning? This type of behavior also brings us shame. We feel shame when we disappoint God. It seems uncomfortable to accept the fact we are human and thus will never attain perfection and thus feel it is a bad thing to yield to temptation. It is not right that we sin, we are told we should not go on sinning so God’s grace may increase. But how do we not sin? How can we be without sin? So then when we do sin, are we demonstrating contempt toward God and when we do sin are we filled with shame and thus feel a level of disgrace? Would that show a lack of faith? Not the sin, but the feeling of shame and disgrace? Even though we might have faith enough to move mountains, we are still going to find ourselves yielding to temptations. Our faith in Jesus who covers us with his blood should be enough to put away shame and disgrace. However, when we do sin we do have to accept his forgiveness. Do we need to seek forgiveness each and every time we fail? It seems that is the correct response, but then that could imply we are feeling guilty and thus feel shameful for our behavior, however we still would be righteous and not wicked. Nor would it mean we feel contempt for God. We love him, and desire to please him, yet we fail to live as pure and holy as we think we should. So let us consider our lives being set apart for God. We are not the wicked, who refuse God, nor are scornful at him. We are not ashamed of God, and his call upon our life. Let us always be aware of God and his forgiveness in our lives so not to ever feel contempt in any way for his working in our lives, showing us the error of our ways, correcting us, rebuking us, teaching us, and training us in righteousness. 

Forward

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

FORWARD

Prov 18:2

2 A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.

NIV

A difficult saying in one sense but yet so simple and plain to see the truth of it. What we first need to come to grips with is what exactly is meant by understanding. It is related to intelligence is some sense but also to the argument, or the ability to discern and discuss issues of importance to life. This would be a person according to one scholar of old as one who does not love his book, his business, his bible, and his prayers but only plays the fool with his sports. This would indicate those who find no pleasure in the important issues of life have no purpose, no meaning, and no substance to their character. They may have a charming personality but not a shred of substance of character. The concept of steel sharpens steel is one that Solomon states later in the 27^th chapter of Proverbs. The idea is the same here in the sense that if we but only are content with our own opinions in life, then we never move forward, advance, become deeper in character and most importantly our relationship with God. This carries the implication of one being content with milk when there is meat to eat. An infant has but one desire, its own need for milk, he has no desire to learn anything else. But as a child grows he absorbs all the information he can get. He puts everything in his mouth, wants to know about this thing, how it tastes, what is the texture, is it soft, or hard. But something happens in adulthood. Some would become stagnant in their thinking, in their learning being content with what opinions they have about every aspect of life. It is when we engage in social intercourse with others that we are faced with ideas which either cause us to retreat to the self-indulged, self-arrived opinions or we consider the idea, research to find if any validity is in it, and perhaps revise our understanding of a particular topic. This certainly holds true in our thoughts about the truth of scripture. The varied denominational stands on certain aspects of scripture reveals some believers may well be content in their own opinions and refuse to consider another rendering of the truth. This may also be a result of approaching the truth with perceived opinions or filters which hinder finding truth. We are told if any of us lack wisdom we should ask God.

James 1:4-8

 5 If any of you lacks wisdom , he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

NIV

This would also imply that once we have petitioned God for wisdom and have received a generous portion of if, we should not be open to every wind of doctrine that comes along the pipeline of life. Humankind is always trying to find a new tread, a new way, and this is not isolated to the unbelieving world. The Christian community has been subject to a varied of false teachers and preachers as well as trying to develop newer more contemporary methods to satisfy those who desire the milk rather than the meat. That sounds harsh and is not meant as a judgement, but merely an observation. We cannot be content with what we have always known, we must continue to grow in our understanding of how God desires us to live. Yes, we may be set in our ways to a certain point, but that is because of the revelation of God. If we seek wisdom from God, as he reveals his wisdom then we grow to that wisdom and then live according to it until more truth is revealed. This may occur as we engage in discourse with other believers in search of the wisdom of God. Let us not sit idle in our own opinion, or pew, it is then we would simply just stink. 

A tale of two meaningss

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

A TALE OF TWO MEANINGS

Prov 18:1

An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defies all sound judgment.

NIV

Having done many of these Proverbs already at some time ago we should remind ourselves once again that Solomon was considered and still supposed the wisest man who ever lived. We would think some men today would argue that fact and think themselves far wiser then this old biblical character. But the fact remains the scriptures testify of his wisdom.

1 Kings 4:29-34

29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon's wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite — wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.

NIV

So then it would behoove us to try to gain some understanding from the words of the Lord that came to Solomon. When we look at the original or interlinear text it is unclear the translators have done this saying justice. It could be seen in two different lights. The first as it is translated. This is to say if we isolate ourselves from the knowledge and consul of others it is due to our wanting nothing but our own selfish ways. This would imply we do not want to ask advice from another regarding any decision we are faced with. This might also imply we do not even want the consul of God, but just want to do it our way, when we want to do it. This would imply then a person who is unfriendly and not wanting to seek as much wisdom as possible in order to make a sound judgment regarding the course of their life is a fool. However there is another way to understand this saying from looking at the original way of the word order. It could mean that a person who does not mingle with the unwise, the foolish ways of human understanding, but isolates himself from them, seeks the wisdom that comes from God. This should be the desire of our hearts, whether he is selfish is slightly up for interpretation. The original word implies a longing. If we long for God and his wisdom rather than for man and his wisdom we might well be unconsidered unfriendly. Although we make some arguments about the King James version and its old style of language, it does make this second concept plausible.

Prov 18:1

1 Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.

KJV

Because we separate ourselves from others, from the world, we then seek and intermeddleth with all wisdom. There is some discussion in our mind as to what this interemeddleth means. One concordance sees it as obstinate, which would then make the first idea correct. The other Greek lexicon sees this word as to disclose or lay bare. This would imply that as we separate ourselves from the world and seek God, we lay bare all wisdom, we are exposed to the wisdom of God. Certainly from our studies in the New Testament we know we should not be unequally yoke. That is we should not partnership with unbelievers. This certainly would imply in the material sense, as being in business partnership with them or in the sense of spiritual or intimate conduct such as marriage or behaviors of a physical nature. But it would also indicate that we should not partnership or be unequally yoke with their wisdom. The first Psalm makes that clear.

Ps 1:1

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners

NIV

So then should we not be friendly with the world so that we can focus on God? Of course we are to be friendly with them in order to share the gospel with them. But the idea here is about what kind of wisdom we want. The idea this translation conveys is that by being isolated we defy sound judgment. But then sound judgment might also mean that judgement the world considers sound. Either way we know without a doubt that we should not reflect the world, but rather we should reflect God. If that means we are unfriendly with the world in order to seek our selfish ambition to know God, then let us defy that sound judgment of humanity.

Authority

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

AUTHORITY

Matt 28:16-20

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

NIV

These are the last words of Christ as recorded by Matthew. Other accounts have some additional encounters and exchanges between Jesus and his disciples. However without revisiting those accounts and making observations from them, we should remain focused on this account and these words Christ spoke. Matthew does make reference to some doubting. This could mean Thomas who has been given a bad reputation or name as doubting Thomas, but he was also the first disciple who proclaimed to Jesus, “My Lord and my God”. Some scholars are of the opinion this doubting Matthew records has nothing to do with Thomas, but as Jesus was approaching them from a distance some of them were not convinced it was Jesus until he was close enough for them to know for sure it was him. That is all conjecture on their part and it really does not matter much as all of them became great evangelists and spread the gospel and stood the test of their faith unto death, except John. We would believe John was spared death for his faith by the will of God so that he could receive and record the revelation given to him later in his life. What is the greatest point of discussion in the last words of Jesus are two points. First, that all authority has been given to him in heaven and on earth. The Father has given the Son all authority over all things, seen and unseen. This would be liken to an earthly father leaving all his estate to his son. Everything he owns now belongs to his son. This may usually be done upon the death of the father, but it need not be. This is the case with Jesus and the Father. God certainly is not dead, but at the same time he has given all authority over to Jesus. All throughout the Old Testament the Father dealt with his creation. He descended and walked in the garden with Adam. We see him speaking directly with Noah, Moses, Abraham, Jacob, Isaac as well as the prophets. We see God the Father working miracles in the lives of people and directing their paths. All this contact with his creation is now under the authority of Jesus, which means we now go through Jesus in order to have access to the Father. When Jesus told us that no one goes to the Father except through him this is what is meant by all authority.

John 14:6-7

 6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." 

NIV

This is absolutely crucial to being able to attain eternal life. This is also absolutely the only way to every see the Father. Jesus is the only way. Those religions of the world which do not accept Jesus as the one and true Son of God and acknowledge him as the Savior are lost and without any hope of eternal life. This is not the opinion of men, but of God. Because Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth, therefor we must acknowledge that Jesus has all authority in our lives. This would then mean we do not have the authority over our own lives. This takes us to the conclusion we should not, because we do not have the authority, to make our own decisions or choices regarding any aspect of our lives. Where we live, where we work, where we fellowship, where we do whatever comes under the authority of Jesus. This would imply we are not just living our lives as we determine and incorporating Christianity into our way of living. This would be like our children living in our home, but doing so without any oversight by us. They simply do whatever they please, whenever they please, but expect we will pay their way through life. They do not recognize our having any authority over their lives. This would never work in any normal family, nor should it work in the family of God. We are his children, his sheep, he is the Good Shepherd, he leads us to green pastures, he makes us to lie down beside calm waters, and he restores our soul. How can we expect to live a happy, content, fulfilled life if we do not yield all authority to Jesus? Sometimes we want to work out our own lives based on human understanding and logical methods which we think makes sense. That is not the way of God and it defies his word.

Prov 3:5-8

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.   7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

NIV

If we would like to live this happy, healthy, content life, then do as the word proclaims and give our lives over to the authority of Jesus.

 Of course we would be remiss if we did not include the fact that as we yield our lives to the authority of Jesus we must then follow through by sharing this truth with everyone we contact. Many believers see this going to all the nations as being fulfilled by sending missionaries supported by the church. But if we look at this within the context, the disciples were not told to send others, but to go themselves spreading the truth, teaching people about the truth of God and baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Was this just for those disciples? Not hardly, it is a call to all believers. We not only have the authority to teach others about Jesus, but we have the authority, as commanded by Jesus, to baptize people in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is all about our living by the authority of Jesus. When we yield our lives to his authority we can be assured he will never leave us alone, he will be with us until the end of the age, or forever. 

Falsehoods

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

FALSEHOODS

Matt 28:11-15

11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

NIV

Although Matthew states the story of Jesus being moved by his disciples has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day, which meant the day in which Matthew wrote his version of the gospel, it has not stopped being circulated at all. There are people today who are under the impression that Jesus was simply a great prophet which means they believe he was but a man. They refuse to accept the fact that Jesus was the Son of God in the sense that he was God. Even being the Son of God does not mean he was divine by their calculations. They can conceive of some sort of God like force the may or may not have created the earth and all that is on it. But they cannot believe in a God that came to earth as a man, died and rose from the dead and then ascended back to the place he was before everything was created. That is just way to far-fetched even for those who enjoy science fiction. We are told the Jews paid off the soldiers to make up the story that Jesus was not alive, but that his disciples took his body and hid it somewhere. It sure makes the point that the love of money is the root of all evil. Money overrides the truth here. Certainly we cannot fault the poor soldiers. They most likely did not make much money being a Roman soldier. Yet the elders devised this evil plan and tempted these soldiers, not with some, but a large sum of money. Surely the soldiers did not care one way or the other about what actually happened, except they were assured their ranking officer did not find out they fainted at the sight of an angel. However they were willing to say they did not keep watch as they were instructed, for they were to say they fell asleep. Lies are never the best method to live by, but money can produce some pretty good ones. However this passage is not about the soldiers and their willingness to lie for money. It is about men willing to do anything to keep the truth from being told. This bears true in so many ways even to this day. The truth of the gospel, many would devise plans to refute or keep from getting out. This whole evolution concept is just one plan devised to keep Jesus as just a man who died and whose body was never found. Certainly the Jews are making a hay day and large sums of money, hosting hordes of Christian tourists to a sight they claim was the tomb of Jesus, who they do not believe was the Messiah. There are so many non-truths being circulated about Jesus. We have to be the voice in the wilderness, proclaiming the coming of the Lord. We cannot allow men, with their devised plans to silence our voice. We cannot allow them to have a greater influence on people’s lives then the gospel. If we remain silent, not putting our voice in the conversation, we, by default, allow people we know to lose the opportunity of eternal life. If we merely associate with other believers, we then must make sure the truth is not perverted either by denominationalism or traditionalism. The truth must always prevail. Our voice must be the one who puts an end to falsehoods. Although it is true each could say they are the voice of truth, even if they are not, it is the Spirit who will lead men to the truth. He will be the voice which puts all falsehoods to rest. If we are listening we will hear his voice and we will not be a part of falsehoods, no matter the plan devised by men. If we listen to the voice of the Spirit, we will always know the truth. At least, if nothing else he will make sure we are not deceived by falsehoods. 

Because he lives

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

BECAUSE HE LIVES

Matt 28:1-10

28:1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.   3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." 

NIV

He has risen, he has risen indeed! The grave could never hold God, which would just be totally out of context of any concept of God.  Although all other religions of the world do not have a living triune God, or acknowledge the living triune God who created all that was created, we do. Yes, Jesus was a man, or the Son of God who came to earth in the form of a man, but he was also fully divine, fully God. This may be considered a mystery by some, but it is a fact we accept by faith. We do not have to be proved of this fact, we merely accept it totally on faith. We are not convinced that it was the Father who resurrected Jesus, or it was Jesus who resurrected himself.

John 2:19

19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days ." 

NIV

We have no actual scripture which indicates it was the Father who raised Jesus from the dead, however we do have the words of Christ which tells us that he would raise his life again in three days. This may not be the focus of this portion of scripture, but it is very interesting to see the power of Christ. Although the body that he dwelled in was in the grave because of its death, Christ was not dead, God cannot die. Some Christians have taken some verses to determine while his body was in the grave he descended into hell to preach to the dead. Although Peter does tells us that Jesus was made alive by the Spirit although his body was still dead, he went to the spirits in prison. He was talking about those who died as a result of the flood in the time of Noah.

1 Peter 3:18-22

18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also — not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand — with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

NIV

It was the water that killed those souls, but it is the water which gives us life. This is the point Peter was making about the flood, water of death and baptism, water of life. This does not say he went into hell, or hades, or purgatory or what other name we use to describe this temporary place of those who died without accepting Jesus. What Peter says is that Jesus went only to those who died in the flood, those who disobeyed long ago in the days of Noah. It is a little confusing why we think he went to hell and preached to all the dead. Nevertheless he was not dead at the time his body lay in the tomb. This is proof he was not fully man or that we too are more than a body, which is the truth of it. Although because of some reason, we too must lay down this life, this body, put it to rest, give it over to the grave, we will not be dead but be made alive by the Spirit and go to be with our Lord. Those who do not accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior will not go to be with the Lord but go to some other place called hell or hades. This is seen in the passage about the death of the rich man and of the beggar Lazarus. So we do have several places the living aspect of our being goes after the death of the body. This is the truth of Jesus. It was his spirit or living essence that returned to his body after the given time of called three days. Is this the same type of resurrection we are to expect? Will our living essence, our spirit return to the dead body in the grave? Some who have been dead for years, for centuries or those who have been cremated are not simply a dead body only three days in the grave. There has either been a great deal of decomposition as proved by opening old graves, or no body whatsoever as with cremation. How then can we return to this form? How can we raise up from the grave? Yet that is what we will do. Those who are alive will not precede those who have died in Christ.

1 Thess 4:13-18

13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

NIV

All this is wrapped up in the fact Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to his people.  He is alive, he lives, and Christ Jesus lives today. This was not just an ordinary resurrection. The earth shook, an extra ordinary angel came and rolled back the stone. It is not that Jesus needed the stone rolled back to exit the tomb, but so that Mary could see with her own eyes Jesus was not there. It was so Peter and John could go into the tomb and see the burial cloth empty. Jesus could have walked through the stone as he appear in a locked room to his disciples. The stone was rolled away to show the power of God at work for the people. There is also another interesting concept. The two guards were so filled with fear they dropped as if dead. God brings hope and joy to those who believe in him, but fear and trembling to those who do not believe.  When the day of our resurrection occurs there will be a great deal of fear and trembling by those who rejected him as Lord and Savior. Jesus told the woman to go tell his disciples to go to Galilee, that there is where they will see him. He tells us that he has gone to prepare a place for us that where he is we will be also.

John 14:1-4

14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going." 

NIV

We should live so encouraged, without fear and trembling, but with joy and peace in our hearts because he lives, so will we. 

Deception

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

DECEPTION

Matt 27:62-66

62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first." 65 "Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

NIV

It seems interesting that the unbelievers were more aware of the fact Jesus was going to rise from the dead then his disciples were. The disciples were hiding for fear of being found out and maybe being punished as Jesus was. Even after Jesus was resurrected there was some doubt as the woman asked where had his body been taken and even after he appeared, Thomas was not going to believe until he touched the scares in his hands. But here are the chief priests and the Pharisees remembering he said he would rise in three days. Of course they were calling him a deceiver all the while they were the ones doing the deceiving. It is also interesting they were concerned his disciples would steal the body and at first after his resurrection Mary had thought someone had stolen his body. The Pharisees did not actually believe he would rise from the dead, but they were not going to take any chances that if his body was gone, it would cause such a stir they would lose complete control over the people. Yet it is also interesting because of their actions getting guards posted and the entrance or stone sealed in some fashion, that it gave even more proof Jesus was resurrected rather than his body being moved somewhere else. Many times it is the unbeliever who gives proof of the reality of Jesus. We have also heard of some unbelievers who set out to disprove Jesus and find the truth and become a believer. But this was not going to be the case with the chief priests and the Pharisees. Their own self-interests far outweighed them finding any truth concerning Jesus. They had all the knowledge of the scriptures, the prophets pointing to Jesus. They had all the signs that Jesus did, proving his position as the Messiah. Yet they were convinced he was deceiving the people. If his followers could pull of the removal of his body from the tomb, the deception would then get really out of hand. How difficult it is for some people to believe. But is there portions of the scriptures, truths in the word of God the believers had a difficult time believing? Have some believers dismissed certain truths as having disappeared from the modern church? Have some believers forfeited certain truths because of disbelief or having been deceived by denominational bias. All scripture is God-breathed and profitable for correcting, rebuking, teaching and training in righteousness. Therefor not one truth should be dismissed as being for some believers of thousands of years ago and no longer for believers of today. Every truth is for the believer to embrace fully without reservation. We cannot allow either some unbeliever to forge some deception to disprove the truth about Jesus. We cannot afford some believers to convince us we should dismiss all the truth of the scriptures. The Pharisees were concerned about people being deceived. We too should be concerned about people being deceived, but not about the truth, but rather about the many false teachers and preachers who would deceive many for their own personal gain. We need to not just live by the truth, but stand up for the truth, speak up for the truth, not tolerating any form of deception.  

The tomb

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

THE TOMB

Matt 27:57-61

57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

NIV

It may be time again to consider the timing of all these events as we are now witnessing or reading the account of Jesus being removed from the cross and taken to the tomb. As evening approached on Friday this would be just before the Sabbath began. To the Jew their Sabbath started on sundown of Friday and lasted until sundown on Saturday. It would be unlawful for men to be on the cross during Sabbath. This is why we saw the need to break the legs of the two robbers in order they would be dead before the beginning of the Sabbath. But Jesus had not had his legs broken for he already gave up his spirit. Great discussion has occurred among all the scholars of old and even some of new regarding the timing of the death of Christ, the Passover and the Sabbath. Again, the Passover is tied to the appearance of first new moon after the vernal equinox. We are under the impression that Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples which was not the Sabbath, but at the time the new moon appeared. This was considered the true pasis or the true timing of the new moon. The importance of noting this is because history reveals to us the senate or the high consul of the Sanhedrin determined or fixed the pascal calendar and in fact fixed the wrong day of the Passover. Without a very in depth explanation to fix all this in our minds, it was rightly the Passover day which Jesus ate with his disciples. History also tells us the Jewish law permitted the Passover meal to be eaten that year from the evening of Thursday through the evening of Friday. There is one point we should consider our scholars have thought. Because of the number of Jews in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, there would have been some 256,000 Pascal Lambs that were needed to be sacrificed. This would have taken much time and therefor it was begun on Friday in preparation for the date set by the senate for the Passover. The interesting concept of this is the same time the priests began to slaughter the Pascal lambs, Jesus the Lamb of God gave up his spirit. Now, in order to not break the law concerning the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea asks Pilate if he could remove Jesus from the cross. Other accounts tells us that Nicodemus accompanied Joseph in this request. We should note both of them were rich men and perhaps secret disciples of Jesus. Where were his followers, his disciples, the ones who profess they would die with him rather than leave him? Although it is true they did get it, after Jesus appeared to them in the locked room and then after he sent the Spirit and they were filled with the power of the Spirit, at the present time they were not to be found. Two men who may have never openly profess their faith in Jesus were now the two who cared for his burial. At least this is the general consensus among many Christian scholars. It is also possible these two men were faithful Jews and needed to make sure he was not on the cross at the beginning of the Sabbath, sundown on Friday. But according to the gospel of John, Joseph is identified as a secret disciple of Jesus. So it is he would cared for Jesus because of his love for him.  A tomb that he had prepared for his own body was the only place he would think to take Jesus. A tomb that had never been used before, suitable for Jesus. We are not sure how tombs were used in that day, but it would seem they were reused after a certain time, being a limited amount of space for tombs. Carving a tomb out of the rocks was not an easy task. Nevertheless Joseph offered his to Jesus. We should note it was not unlawful for followers of Jesus to be rich. Both the rich and the poor can be followers of Jesus. People of all walks of life can be followers of Jesus. What we see here is that they were wanting to care for Jesus. Now because of the rush of sunset, there was no time to do the whole burial rights, the preparing the body with spices, etc. But both Marys witnessed the placing of Jesus in this tomb, which we are going to see later how they come to do the rest of the preparation for burial. What is interesting is although Jesus kept telling them he would not stay in the grave, they all were of the opinion he was going to be dead like everyone else. Joseph sealed the grave with a stone and now it was over. Jesus had died, he was buried and now they could get on with whatever they were doing before he arrived. We are not sure what they all did in the meantime before his resurrection. The disciples had already eaten their Passover meal with Jesus. But had Joseph or Nicodemus eaten theirs? Perhaps being a part of the Sanhedrin Nicodemus would have considered the timing fixed by the senate and thus went to his home to partake in the Passover. What about Joseph? What was going on now that Jesus was in the grave? We never have to experience the loss those people must have felt. Their hope was gone. Their feelings of a new life was over. They were now back under the same conditions they had always been. Their hopes and dream crushed as Jesus laid in the tomb. They eventually were overjoyed and their hopes were renewed and they became a force to be reckened with, a force forged by the Spirit. Because of them the gospel message has been recorded for many people in including us. But like them, we have no reason to loss hope, to feel alone and without our Lord. Like them, we do not have to fear. Unlike them, we know the end of the story. We know Jesus rose from the grave. We know he ascended to the right hand of the Father. We know he is forever making intercession for us. We know he is the Lamb of God. We know we have an eternal home waiting for us in his presence. Therefor we should never have to be worried about today, tomorrow or forever. We never have to be anxious or fearful of anything this life brings our way. Our lives can be full of peace and joy because we serve a risen Savior. He lives, he lives, Christ Jesus lives today, he walks with me, he talks with me, along lives narrow way, you ask me how I know he lives, he lives within my heart. Joseph may have place him in the tomb, but we can sing, Up from the grave he arose. All our hope is in Him. Because he lives we can face tomorrow. Let us always face tomorrow with all the hope and joy Jesus gives us. Because of Jesus there is no tomb.

Women

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

WOMEN

Matt 27:55-56

55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

NIV

Other accounts tell us that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was there. Her sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and  Mary Magdalene were also there. This Mary the wife of Clopas is the mother of James, Joses or Joseph and Salome. What is interesting is these women were watching from a distance. This might refer to they had come a distance to watch, coming from Galilee. It also could refer to the fact that Jesus would have been naked as was the way men were crucified as another form of humiliation. The women might have wanted to respect his modesty. However from other accounts we know Jesus spoke to his mother, telling her that John was now her son and to John he said that she would now be his mother. So we know they were close enough for that exchange of words and at least John the beloved was there with the women. We do not know about the other disciples. Now it also could be that being Jesus, even if the women and John were some distance from him, he could speak to them in their hearts, or spirits. But it is recorded he spoke words to them so they had to be close enough. What does appear to be the point of this account of Matthew is the fact women had been taking care of the needs of Jesus and perhaps the disciples. Women caring for his needs. This would imply they took care of his necessary subsistence. It might also imply they were there to care for his body in preparation for burial, as these were the same women who carried the spices to the tomb. However the point here is that even though his disciples retreated from his presence in fear of coming under the same punishment, the women were at his side. We might think we have good friends in life that will stick with us through the hardships life might bring our way, but friends can easily desert us. They might be likened to rats leaving a sinking ship. At least this might apply to us men. Not sure if women behave in this same manner toward each other. However what we see here is where friends disappeared, the women did not. Women have a deeper sense of loyalty them men it would appear. It may appear in our post-modern era women, in general, have taken on this equality issue. However it is also interesting God never intended for anything less than equality. He created both man and woman. Yes, the way in which he created each was different, but nevertheless he created them both and he did so in order they would become united. However because of sin, God did tell the woman she would desire her mate but also have pain with child birth. God put that desire in woman to be the care giver, to desire, to care for the needs of her man. The man was told to toil the ground all the days of his life, to care for the needs of his woman, provide for her all the days of his life. There is a special bond between man and woman. We see this bond in these women standing watch over Jesus, caring for his needs, as he provides for their eternal life. Because the men deserted him at this time and the women did not, we can come to the conclusion women have a great deal more strength of character then many men have. Their faith may well also be stronger. Their resolve to stay with Jesus shows us the fortitude and determination of women. If women ever think they are less then equal to men, it is only due to the culture of our human society. It is not because God sees them as less. He has demonstrated the faith and openness of showing it of women throughout the scriptures. There have been books written about great women of faith. Women are indeed a blessing to humankind. These women showed courage when the men failed. These women showed faithfulness when the men failed. These women showed their love for Christ when the men failed. Now having said that, the men did find their courage, their love and faithfulness to Christ. All of them but John were crucified for their faith, it is recorded the Peter would not allow himself the same benefit, but insisted he be crucified upside down. Yet let us simply conclude here that women are of great importance in the kingdom of God. As such, we men should give them the respect they are due.