Moments volume21pdf

Governing Authorities “Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities.”

(Romans 13: 1*) It is reported that a leader of a religious denomination once stated, “We believe it is a Christian duty to disobey unjust laws.” We do not desire to second-guess the reason for the statement, except to point out the danger that a literal acceptance of the remark could bring.

The remark can lend encouragement to the actions of professing Christians who, for some reason, are not in harmony with the laws coming from our appointed leaders (Governing authorities). Being a Christian should not give anyone the license to become a law breaker. God’s word seems not to support such a position.

As we look at the Apostle Paul, we recall that he is credited with having one of the keenest legal minds of his time. Scripture tells us that he was a student of a well-respected teacher of the law.

“Educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God” (Acts 22:2*) It appears that Paul was well qualified, as far as secular training was concerned, to speak on matters of the law with authority.

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“Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those who which exist are established by God. Therefore, he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not causes of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will receive praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil. Wherefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor" (Romans 13: 1- 7*).

At another time and place, Paul told Titus to exhort Christ’ followers to, “be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient” (Titus 3:1 *) Peter told the people, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by himself for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondservant to God. Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.” (I Peter 2: 13– 17 *) Our present world system, under the influence of the evil one, is still running its course. We are well advised to “put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.”

Jesus left good advice, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God's" (Matthew 22: 21 *).

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Jesus did not oppose the secular powers hired by the religious leaders of His day to put Him to silence. His arrest and subsequent trial were surely unjust but, yet, He did not become belligerent in attitude toward the authority of Rome. While being questioned and given opportunity to defend Himself, Jesus told Pilate. “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm" (John 18: 36 *).

Jesus told the leaders that He had, “twelve legions of angels” at His disposal. Scholars say that one legion included 6,000 so that there were 72,000 angels available, should Jesus desire to oppose the unjust efforts ultimately leading to His death.

However, Jesus did oppose the religionists who did not declare the word of God, but taught instead “traditions of the elders.” Following Jesus’ example, it seems that we are justified in opposing the demands imposed upon us by spiritual leaders whose teaching is not in harmony with God’s word.

Until the God declares otherwise, it seems it is our responsibility to uphold the laws throughout the land and be in subjection to the governing authorities. After all, “The king’s (governing authority) heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes. Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart" (Proverbs 21: 1-2 *).

In our land, we still have the opportunity to change the ones that rule over us. When we are ready to uphold God’s laws in our teaching, we will have started to prepare the right kind of leaders who will have the necessary understanding to see the changes that are needed in our laws.

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Think for a moment of the mess our land would be in if professing Christians did actually disobey all the unjust laws enforced by the ones who rule over us!

Consider our tax systems and imperfect way in which we elect our leaders. The unjustness in almost every area of national life bears witness to the fact of deep evil.

Anyone who thinks will recognize that the leaders elected to positions in government include people void of what God’s word teaches regarding their responsibilities.

Paul was clear in his message that governing authorities are ministers of God, for God is the author of all righteous law and the final Judge of all who choose to transgress it. We all know of some individuals in high office of government at every level, for whom we have little respect and whose direction we find difficult to follow.

Similarly, we know of others whom we respect, perhaps admire, and offer to them our best cooperation in civil obedience.

God requires us to see the human legitimacy and to honor the office, even when disclosures make it impossible to honor the person who holds the office. Judgment beyond human exposure rests finally in God’s hands. There in nothing hidden that will not be made known in God’s time. That is all up to God, and He will do what is necessary in His own good time!

We believe that it is the professing Christian’s duty to protest lawfully and encourage reform, but certainly not to willfully disobey the law.

Where there is no respect for law, there is anarchy. The answer is personal regeneration, and it must start within our own hearts. * New American Standard Bible

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Strife “One who spreads strife among brothers.” (Proverbs 6:19 *) The wise king warned of the things that the LORD hates and considers them to be an abomination. “There are six things which the LORD hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to Him" (Proverbs 6: 16 *). Notice that the despicable habit of spreading strife among brothers is right up there, in God’s eyes with murder, “hands that shed innocent blood” (Verse 17) Ways of spreading strife include character assassination and carrying tales that should not be carried. Someone said that there are many ways of slaying a person besides taking a gun and killing the body. Perhaps more painful for the victim is when a person, unwittingly or otherwise, begins to slay another person’s good name or repeats tales that are nobody’s business.

If we have been around for a few years, we have probably seen or been a victim of such stories told about us. Someone, even unintentionally, just has to tell another person what Sister Susan did.

On the other hand, perhaps it was Brother Raymond. Perhaps the story is about the awful thing that happened to Susan or Raymond.

Don’t’ we realize that Susan or Raymond has enough on their plate?

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Out on the highway, we have all been tied up in traffic because the “rubber-neckers” just had to slow down and gawk at the unfortunate victims of an accident. To help speed up traffic, and if we are really concerned about the poor folks involved, would it not be better to keep on going, keep traffic moving and utter a prayer on their behalf? Do we really have to tell the first person we meet about the accident?

Your servant is reminded of a time when a youngster was riding in the back seat when the family came upon a minor accident on the highway. The child, wise beyond his years, talked briefly about what he saw, and then his reaction was to put a prayer request in place for the accident victim. Didn’t Jesus say we must become as innocent children?

The wise king had much to say about those who just can’t wait to tell someone, anyone, about what they just heard. “He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy conceals a matter" (Proverbs 11:13 *).

An associate once told me that in his experience, there were those who come to prayer meeting, and became loose with their lips. That person was harmed by the thoughtless action of others and as the consequence kept away from prayer meetings. Where was the one who would conceal the matter? What a pity!

With the awesome responsibility to intercede on behalf of others with our Father comes an equal responsibility to “button up” our lips on these matters. It is no one’s business but God’s, the person who is seeking His help at the moment and the one(s) doing the interceding.

We are aware of folks who do not ask for help in time of temptation or dire need because of their past experience with others. They have told others, asked for confidence, but soon, the whole church was aware of the situation and the one who asked for prayer is left with no confidence in others who would help, if given an opportunity.

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The king goes on to tell us that, “The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the body" (Proverbs 18: 8*).

Can’t we just hear, “Don’t tell anyone I told you, but..." in a quiet whisper? That can’t be God’s spirit!

The king was so anxious to get the message to those who would hear, that he repeated the exact same words at Proverbs 26:22. As the student of the Bible knows, when God causes the same thing to be spoken more than once, He wants His people to listen!

We are well advised to, “Watch over our heart (mind) with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life" (Proverbs 4:23 *).

What comes out of our mouth is what is in our heart (mind).

God, help us to be on guard so that our conversation includes nothing that should be kept to ourselves.

The Apostle Paul, when writing to the little church at Ephesus, gave good advice to those who listened. He said, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:23 *) We perhaps need to ask ourselves, “is what I am about to say, going to be a word of grace and will it help edify the one who is listening?” If the answer comes back to our spirit that it is neither, we may want to re-think just what we are saying. We are warned that we should not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by what comes out of our mouth. (Verse 30) 7

One day the Apostle James was led to include in his writings, illustrations of the power of our tongue and the need for us to do our best to control ours.

He likened the tongue to a bit in a horse’s mouth, and went on to explain how the bits control the horse.

Then he said, “So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. Behold how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire. “ “And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.”

“For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed, and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a reckless evil and full of deadly poison.”

“With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it, we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth comes both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way" (James 3: 5-10*).

God can and will help us take to heart the things we have heard, and what we should do about what we have just read. God will help us, “watch over our heart with all diligence” when we ask in faith, believing that God is right, and we are wrong. Amen

* New American Standard Bible

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Full of Joy “You will receive, that your joy may be made full” (John 16: 24 *) Is God dead? A casual observer may think so if they look at certain individuals. Some who profess friendship with God fail in their attempts to grow a relationship with God. They may find it difficult to remember the last time God blinked an eye or lifted a muscle in response to their reaching out for help.

As we talk with such folks and perhaps become better acquainted with them, we begin to see that their lives are filled with the same problems facing all mankind. If we look deeper, we may see that they are up to here in unanswered prayers. Their professed friendship with God is about as productive as trying to push a piece of string! However, Jesus said, our joy may be made full.

It seems that few professing Christians are getting much of a thrill out of life. We perhaps are enduring but not producing. Jesus told his followers that, “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13 *) One living salt-free, knows that food is tasteless without seasoning.

Similarly, what contributions are we making to the welfare of the world by way of encouraging people to put their trust in God?

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Should not God’s blessing, visibly evident in our lives, encourage others to trust Him? What kind of testimony are we, if there is no difference in our lives and our lives are also barren, and lacking the joy that Jesus promised?

Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say to you, if you shall ask the Father for anything, He will give it to you in My name. Until now, you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full" (John 16:23-24 *).

For a second witness Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, it shall be opened" (Matthew 7: 7-8 *).

Why do so many of us lack joy and fail to get what we seek? Is it because Jesus never made promises?

Did His disciples give a false report on what He said? Did Jesus make the promises and is now failing to make good on them? Was He a loud-mouth who deliberately sought to deceive? It seems we need to find an answer somewhere. Could the blame lie within us and the genuineness of our profession? Are we truly what we profess to be in our relationship with God? What is wrong?

God wants us to succeed! He wants us to be full of joy and share it with others. We are living in a very material oriented age where the measuring stick by which we gauge success is calculated in dollars and cents. Forsaking that, can we take God’s promises at face value or are they merely figments of our imagination?

One such promise comes to mind, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.” Moreover, “Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it may not destroy the fruits of the ground, nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes.

Malachi 3: 10 – 11 *)

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Did God speak the truth? If He did, why aren’t we cashing in on the promise? If we can’t believe this promise, how in the world can we believe any of God’s promises? Either God’s word is true, or it is not!

God, in another place said, “Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.”

(Isaiah 40: 31 *) God’s people should be among the most stable, optimistic, dependable and positive in their outlook upon life, of all His creatures.

Our lives should be free of the anxiety, worry and frustration pushing others around us into despair. The tiredness on their faces should be missing from ours. We should accept life’s many challenges and treat each as a new opportunity to let the indwelling Holy Spirit honor the Father by our attitude. Because we are God’s child, the world should be quick to note the difference. Instead of complaining, griping, or living in the negative, our response should be, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13 *).

Each of us, professing ourselves as the recipients of the priceless salvation purchased by Jesus Christ at Calvary, has a personal responsibility to our fellow man. We no longer belong totally to ourselves. We are God’s purchased possession, bought and paid for, “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (I Peter 1: 18-19 *) After God took over ownership of our lives, He, “committed to us the word of reconciliation” (II Corinthians 5:19 *) – a message that Jesus Christ was made sin for us so that we are made righteous in God’s sight! We were given the privilege of telling other the “Good News”.

We have a message filled with hope, encouragement, and joy. God help us share it with enthusiasm. Let our faces be beautiful with joy!

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The whole world needs to hear our message and share our joy with which He promised to fill us. Others are watching us, listening to either our praise or complaint, searching our lives for some encouraging evidence that God is alive. They want to see that His promises are true, and His life indwells us.

Have we ever reasoned that God’s promises are for right now? The Bible is full of His promises, and they are for us to inherit and enjoy now! If God cannot prove Himself to us, if His power can’t be felt and His help available on this side of the grave, why should we take seriously what He spoke regarding the other?

We need His help now. If we don’t make it here, what hope do we have for tomorrow? As God proves Himself to us, we are proving ourselves to Him. Can we get to the place where we fear nothing but instead accept each new day with its challenges, knowing that they offer God opportunity to prove Himself anew, to us and all who are watching?

Some of us have lived a long time and gone many miles from our birth place. We have tasted of the water of life, enjoying the good days and enduring the bad. Some battles we have won, and others we lost.

Being honest with ourselves may reveal that the defeats were of our own making and happened because we were still learning that we are the product of our own thoughts. If we don’t believe in ourselves, others won’t believe in us.

When we surrender our will to God, things change and life begins to make sense. We begin to be full of joy.

Dear reader, we encourage all to take God at His word and make the necessary adjustments. If we can ever be of any help, please do not hesitate to give us the opportunity to do so. Thanks. * New American Standard Bible

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Spare Tire “While He was praying, the appearance of His face became different” (Luke 9:29 *) It has been said that prayer for many is like the spare tire in our automobile- something to be used when the others go flat. We make plans, work to earn the money to do them and then when things don’t turn out as we hoped, we seek to get God’s attention.

We want God to join our team and help us get the ball into the end zone. In our forgetfulness, we have left God off the team, and then when the opposing team presents its defense, we call God’s number and hope to get Him to give us the help we seek. By our very nature we are ambitious and assertive. Sometimes we take this same attitude of “survival of the fittest” into our prayer life.

On the other hand, when we find the secret of effective prayer, we will learn that prayer isn’t always about asking God for something and waiting to get it. Prayer is about becoming quiet in soul body and spirit as we feel His presence and begin to receive God’s Spirit and Power into our lives. We turn off the distractions and listen.

“Cease striving and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10 *)

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As we get older, we begin to notice things that we may have overlooked. Have we ever taken the time to listen to one of God’s children tell of the quiet times they spend just enjoying God’s presence in the morning? They tell us of the beautiful cloudless sky and evidence of God’s handiwork in all of nature. They watch God’s creatures move back and forth, perhaps picking up morsels from the bird feeders.

It is at such times that we may lack adequate words to express our thanks to the living God for all that He has allowed us to behold and enjoy. Our entire being silently thanks the God of all creation Who has taken time for us!

Of course every day is not like that. We may get up after hours of wrestling with ourselves in the spirit and feel that we are not equipped to handle the day’s responsibilities. On such occasions we know that a Power greater than ourselves is working in us. Perhaps we didn’t sleep well because, within ourselves, we know that we did not accept a responsibility that was ours, or perhaps we are aware of the half-hearted response we made to a call for help by others.

Sure, we made the call, but, we didn’t do it God’s way. The others were satisfied but God troubled us and disturbed our sleep.

The personal guilt dimmed our eyes to the beauty of other days when we were more in harmony with God’s ways. The feeling of shame stopped any feeling of praise that may otherwise have been present. God knew the truth and He has a way of entering our lives and making His Presence felt.

Prayer in Jesus’ life was a powerful force! The change that came over His whole being was seen by those around Him. One day Jesus took three of his Apostles and went up on the mountain to pray. “And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming.”

(Luke 9:29*)

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Jesus knew the importance of frequent contact with the Father.

Many times He, “Himself would often slip away to the wilderness to pray” (Luke 5: 16 *) Jesus did not wait until the Light went out. When He recognized It growing dim, He withdrew and sought intimate fellowship with God. As happens when friend meets friend with a hug, their faces expressing their joy, so did the face of Jesus change when He made contact with His Father and ours. If, as some say, the face is the mirror of the soul, there can be a physical change when we get off our knees.

Prayer is a way of communicating intimately with the creator of the universes! The purpose of prayer is not telling God about us…He already knows more about us than we do! When we stop striving and give God the courtesy He is due and receive His Spirit and Presence into our calmed mind and minds, God can open our eyes to the cause of our situation.

Forget our problems for the moment. Let’s center our minds upon Almighty God and hallow His Holy Name in our consciousness. Let us praise Him for Who and What He is! Let us repeat His blessings and thank Him for the promises even if yet future. We need with, God’s help, to pray in the positive!

Instead of filling our minds with problems, we can fill them with determined awareness of His Power. Instead of thinking of our sins, let us rejoice in His forgiveness. We can ignore the things we think impossible and glory in His salvation. Let us turn our back to fears and magnify His strength which He promised to share with us. Let stop looking at ourselves and, instead, look into God’s face- away from failures, faults, weaknesses and needs.

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God already knows what we are and what we have done. He knew that before we were, that we would do it. Let us talk about what God has promised to make out of us and thank Him for Jesus Christ. We should be looking at the supplier instead of the need.

When God is the center of our prayer, it is then that we can pray without becoming discouraged and take our eyes off ourselves.

“The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace.” (Isaiah 26: 3*) “For as he thinks within himself, so he is” (Proverbs 23: 7*) The negative, “For what I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me” (Job 3: 25*) can become the positive, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe…and be made well” (Luke 8:50*) “The things impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27*), therefore, “Jesus answered saying to them, Have faith in God’” (Mark 11:22*) God and His Word are inseparable in that His Word is the expression of God’s mind. We receive God’s Presence into our hearts and minds by receiving His Word and meditating upon it. Our attitude toward God’s Word is, in reality, our attitude toward Him. By focusing on God and His greatness in our prayer life, perhaps we can forget the old spare tire!

* New American Standard Bible

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