What about Tithing? (Pt.2 - Radio / Podcast)

Listen to the audio or you might get the wrong idea. The New Testament teaches grace giving. We will first look at the concept of tithing as seen in the Old Testament, and then discuss how this relates to the New Testament, and what it teaches about giving and stewardship in general.

Genesis 28 – principle of stewardship (vs.13-15, 20-22)

• Jacob recognizes that all he has been blessed with has been given by God.

• God owns it, we use it, and we give some directly for God’s use.

• It is not a transfer of wealth, as if we give God a tenth of what is ours, it is an acknowledgement of who is the actual owner, not that we have produced, but that God has given us these gifts.

• We worship with what we have been given, for it is all from God. God entrusts us with all He has given us, and we recognize the giver and His control by giving off the top.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

What about Tithing? (Pt.1- Radio / Podcast)

Listen to the audio or you might get the wrong idea. The New Testament teaches grace giving. We will first look at the concept of tithing as seen in the Old Testament, and then discuss how this relates to the New Testament, and what it teaches about giving and stewardship in general.

Genesis 14 – principle of thankfulness (vs.18-20)

• Abraham gives a tenth to the priest Melchizedek in light of the victory he had just experienced. Abraham is giving as a response to God. (cf. Hebrews 7:1-4)

• However, it is not suggested here or mentioned anywhere else that we are to give a tenth because of some victory.

• It is not mentioned anywhere at all that we give a tenth to stir God to give us a victory or to spur Him to some action on our behalf.

• Compare Abraham’s response to the King of Salem vs. the King of Sodom (vs.21-24)

• It is about a grateful heart for what God has already done, and in Christ, we have been given the blessing of Abraham, blessed with all spiritual blessings, etc…

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Dead Men Can Dance (Radio / Podcast)

How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God…
(Genesis 28:17)

The modern versions of the Bible use the word awesome where the King James Version uses the word dreadful, and the old rendering gives a better sense, in a sense, because the majesty of God is indeed a dreadfully awesome thing. Think of Isaiah 6, or the many angelic encounters we see recorded in scripture. When faced with the hosts of heaven, men fall to their knees in worship, reverence, or just plain fear, and probably a combination of all three.

However, in our churches today, we have replaced the majesty of God for the marvels of the world. We have all the latest technology, sound equipment, you name it, we are as state-of-the-art as any amusement park out there, in some respects, and certainly as powerful as any theater, in many cases. Now using technology and visual, audio, etc. is not in itself a bad thing, only if it distracts from the real reasons we are to be at church. Too many have been blindsided by the spectacle and not awed by the holiness, the otherworldliness, and instead have met only the majesty of the worldliness we can muster up. Today many could be in the presence of God but like Jacob they would not know it (vs.16). We have taken things that the world would call “awesome” and have Christianized or baptized them into sanctity. But they are merely spectacular in a worldly sense. They would say “awesome” to its worldly counterpart as well.

So what is the net effect? They liked the experience but they could get that anywhere. They didn’t experience God they had a sensory overload, a soulish delight, not a spiritual awakening or enlightenment. What we need is not bigger and better versions of the world’s diversions we need something that the world cannot duplicate. We need the honest to goodness real thing, the presence of God in our midst. A holy fear of God among us is the fruit of such an encounter, and the response not “wow how cool was that” but “wow what a fool I’ve been”.

It is a matter of emphasis and priority. The emphasis is on entertainment instead of ministry. The priority is on the fun of fellowship instead of the exhortation and encouragement. Hebrews 10:24 says we are to stir each other up to love and good works in the assembly, not stir ourselves up to laughter and enjoyment as our key to building each other up. Instead of just accepting the world’s culture we need to line them up, learn them up, and lift them up (1 Thessalonians 5:14).

When we have special events that aren’t as focused on the proclamation of the Word, these things are not necessarily bad. But ask yourself why we have more people attend, especially those people who don’t normally “do church”? Of course some naïve minister or immature congregant will tell you, “Oh we should do this all the time, we get people who otherwise wouldn’t be here”. That is the point, they will come if it is entertaining, but if it is seeking God’s face in worship they want no part of it. They want a safe place but not a sanctified one. They act Christian without conviction. They can praise but they can’t truly worship.

We think that we can play the worlds songs with just a little Christian tuning up and things will be all right. It seems to work, doesn’t it? Well, we think that just because we get them coming to us, just because we get them moving with us, and just because they begin to act like us that we have converted them, but only God converts, friend. They may be active with their flesh but in their spirits they are still dead men. You see, we could even have them dancing in the aisles, but when the tune is on the same frequency as the world, even dead men can dance.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Let the Garment Go (Radio / Podcast)

she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.
(Genesis 39:12 – ESV)

Sometimes we will never be validated, justified, or recognized as being right by anyone but God. The scriptures depict many righteous men and women being falsely accused. Sometimes they are vindicated, and sometimes, from an earthly perspective, they are not.

Consider Joseph. Potiphar’s wife had accused him, but he was an innocent man. Yet, she had his garment, and he had probably been seen running away. She was royalty, he was a slave – it would be her word against his. So there was a claim by a more credible person of reputation, there was the physical evidence, and perhaps other personal witnesses to his fleeing the scene of the supposed crime. By all appearances, it would seem Joseph was guilty.

We always talk of how Joseph was vindicated, how he rose to fame and power, how he got out of the pit, out of the prison, and into Pharaoh’s highest courts. He was vindicated before his father and his brothers. However, we may have forgotten that Potiphar never saw him as right. There may be people who you will never look right to, no matter what you do with your life. Sometimes, you might have to let the garment go.

People saw him run away and saw she had the garment. You may say, “Well Joseph got out of that prison”. Yes but it was from the hand of Pharaoh, not Potiphar. It was likely that Potiphar held the charge against Joseph his whole life, but Joseph had to let the garment go and let God take care of it. He went to prison just like he went into the pit, an innocent man. God got him out, yet he wasn’t vindicated in the way he might have wanted to be had he wanted to hold onto the garment. God may not redress the matter now but He will judge the matter and deal with it righteously in the final analysis.

There are some things we cannot control. In the Christian life we may have to let go of friends, family, fame or fortune, if it will ensnare us in sin. Are you holding onto your self respect and worried over the views of others when you are accused wrongly for the sake of Christ? Do you feel that you must be justified and that the garment justifies you and your case? Are you concerned that God might allow you to look bad and get fired or lose your reputation?

This is not a license to not care about what others think at all. Yes, we are indeed to avoid all appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22), but sometimes it is out of our control, and God is proving whether we will flee from sin or try and hold onto the garment of our own self vindication. Sometimes, it is best just to let the garment go.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

The Trouble with Togetherness (Radio / Podcast)

…and they shall become one flesh
(Genesis 2:24 – ESV)

Have you ever wondered why men and women who work together in a movie fall in love so often? Or why people who work together at the job fall for each other so often? Or why when you start helping a friend out, working together to solve a problem, and you do it together and it works out good, then you want to fall for them? Well think about it. What is the same in all these scenarios? The people work together toward a common solution, and doing this has bonded them together for a common cause. Both are in unison and harmony about it. They both have different talents but they combine them, they work together to achieve something.

Think hard now about the words “work together” and their meaning. Work together, work together, working or coming together. See? Not just working side by side but working into togetherness, into a unit. You share a significant event in your life together. You overcome something by being together, and that is what good marriages are made of and good relationships are made of. It is no wonder if people aren’t processing things well, or they aren’t in a relationship, or the current one is not going well, for them to want to come together with that person they have already bonded with successfully. What do you expect?

People should be able to work together without working themselves together. We must mature to the point that the trouble with togetherness doesn’t enter into our lives, else we cannot partner and accomplish things we might be able to do otherwise. We must remain closely knit to our spouses as one flesh so that people can work with us together, but no one else can work their way together with us. If your relationship has depth you won’t drown in these shallow waters.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

What about Tithing? Part 2

USE THE PLAYER ABOVE TO LISTEN TO THIS POST

Listen to the audio or you might get the wrong idea. The New Testament teaches grace giving. We will first look at the concept of tithing as seen in the Old Testament, and then discuss how this relates to the New Testament, and what it teaches about giving and stewardship in general.

Genesis 28 – principle of stewardship (vs.13-15, 20-22)

• Jacob recognizes that all he has been blessed with has been given by God.

• God owns it, we use it, and we give some directly for God’s use.

• It is not a transfer of wealth, as if we give God a tenth of what is ours, it is an acknowledgement of who is the actual owner, not that we have produced, but that God has given us these gifts.

• We worship with what we have been given, for it is all from God. God entrusts us with all He has given us, and we recognize the giver and His control by giving off the top.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

What about Tithing? Part 1

USE THE PLAYER ABOVE TO LISTEN TO THIS POST

Listen to the audio or you might get the wrong idea. The New Testament teaches grace giving. We will first look at the concept of tithing as seen in the Old Testament, and then discuss how this relates to the New Testament, and what it teaches about giving and stewardship in general.

Genesis 14 – principle of thankfulness (vs.18-20)

• Abraham gives a tenth to the priest Melchizedek in light of the victory he had just experienced. Abraham is giving as a response to God. (cf. Hebrews 7:1-4)

• However, it is not suggested here or mentioned anywhere else that we are to give a tenth because of some victory.

• It is not mentioned anywhere at all that we give a tenth to stir God to give us a victory or to spur Him to some action on our behalf.

• Compare Abraham’s response to the King of Salem vs. the King of Sodom (vs.21-24)

• It is about a grateful heart for what God has already done, and in Christ, we have been given the blessing of Abraham, blessed with all spiritual blessings, etc…

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

The Trouble with Togetherness (with audio)

USE THE PLAYER ABOVE TO LISTEN TO THIS POST

…and they shall become one flesh
(Genesis 2:24 – ESV)

Have you ever wondered why men and women who work together in a movie fall in love so often? Or why people who work together at the job fall for each other so often? Or why when you start helping a friend out, working together to solve a problem, and you do it together and it works out good, then you want to fall for them? Well think about it. What is the same in all these scenarios? The people work together toward a common solution, and doing this has bonded them together for a common cause. Both are in unison and harmony about it. They both have different talents but they combine them, they work together to achieve something.

Think hard now about the words “work together” and their meaning. Work together, work together, working or coming together. See? Not just working side by side but working into togetherness, into a unit. You share a significant event in your life together. You overcome something by being together, and that is what good marriages are made of and good relationships are made of. It is no wonder if people aren’t processing things well, or they aren’t in a relationship, or the current one is not going well, for them to want to come together with that person they have already bonded with successfully. What do you expect?

People should be able to work together without working themselves together. We must mature to the point that the trouble with togetherness doesn’t enter into our lives, else we cannot partner and accomplish things we might be able to do otherwise. We must remain closely knit to our spouses as one flesh so that people can work with us together, but no one else can work their way together with us. If your relationship has depth you won’t drown in these shallow waters.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Dead Men Can Dance (with audio)

USE THE PLAYER ABOVE TO LISTEN TO THIS POST

How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God…
(Genesis 28:17)

The modern versions of the Bible use the word awesome where the King James Version uses the word dreadful, and the old rendering gives a better sense, in a sense, because the majesty of God is indeed a dreadfully awesome thing. Think of Isaiah 6, or the many angelic encounters we see recorded in scripture. When faced with the hosts of heaven, men fall to their knees in worship, reverence, or just plain fear, and probably a combination of all three.

However, in our churches today, we have replaced the majesty of God for the marvels of the world. We have all the latest technology, sound equipment, you name it, we are as state-of-the-art as any amusement park out there, in some respects, and certainly as powerful as any theater, in many cases. Now using technology and visual, audio, etc. is not in itself a bad thing, only if it distracts from the real reasons we are to be at church. Too many have been blindsided by the spectacle and not awed by the holiness, the otherworldliness, and instead have met only the majesty of the worldliness we can muster up. Today many could be in the presence of God but like Jacob they would not know it (vs.16). We have taken things that the world would call “awesome” and have Christianized or baptized them into sanctity. But they are merely spectacular in a worldly sense. They would say “awesome” to its worldly counterpart as well.

So what is the net effect? They liked the experience but they could get that anywhere. They didn’t experience God they had a sensory overload, a soulish delight, not a spiritual awakening or enlightenment. What we need is not bigger and better versions of the world’s diversions we need something that the world cannot duplicate. We need the honest to goodness real thing, the presence of God in our midst. A holy fear of God among us is the fruit of such an encounter, and the response not “wow how cool was that” but “wow what a fool I’ve been”.

It is a matter of emphasis and priority. The emphasis is on entertainment instead of ministry. The priority is on the fun of fellowship instead of the exhortation and encouragement. Hebrews 10:24 says we are to stir each other up to love and good works in the assembly, not stir ourselves up to laughter and enjoyment as our key to building each other up. Instead of just accepting the world’s culture we need to line them up, learn them up, and lift them up (1 Thessalonians 5:14).

When we have special events that aren’t as focused on the proclamation of the Word, these things are not necessarily bad. But ask yourself why we have more people attend, especially those people who don’t normally “do church”? Of course some naïve minister or immature congregant will tell you, “Oh we should do this all the time, we get people who otherwise wouldn’t be here”. That is the point, they will come if it is entertaining, but if it is seeking God’s face in worship they want no part of it. They want a safe place but not a sanctified one. They act Christian without conviction. They can praise but they can’t truly worship.

We think that we can play the worlds songs with just a little Christian tuning up and things will be all right. It seems to work, doesn’t it? Well, we think that just because we get them coming to us, just because we get them moving with us, and just because they begin to act like us that we have converted them, but only God converts, friend. They may be active with their flesh but in their spirits they are still dead men. You see, we could even have them dancing in the aisles, but when the tune is on the same frequency as the world, even dead men can dance.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Let the Garment Go (with audio)

USE THE PLAYER ABOVE TO LISTEN TO THIS POST

she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.
(Genesis 39:12 – ESV)

Sometimes we will never be validated, justified, or recognized as being right by anyone but God. The scriptures depict many righteous men and women being falsely accused. Sometimes they are vindicated, and sometimes, from an earthly perspective, they are not.

Consider Joseph. Potiphar’s wife had accused him, but he was an innocent man. Yet, she had his garment, and he had probably been seen running away. She was royalty, he was a slave – it would be her word against his. So there was a claim by a more credible person of reputation, there was the physical evidence, and perhaps other personal witnesses to his fleeing the scene of the supposed crime. By all appearances, it would seem Joseph was guilty.

We always talk of how Joseph was vindicated, how he rose to fame and power, how he got out of the pit, out of the prison, and into Pharaoh’s highest courts. He was vindicated before his father and his brothers. However, we may have forgotten that Potiphar never saw him as right. There may be people who you will never look right to, no matter what you do with your life. Sometimes, you might have to let the garment go.

People saw him run away and saw she had the garment. You may say, “Well Joseph got out of that prison”. Yes but it was from the hand of Pharaoh, not Potiphar. It was likely that Potiphar held the charge against Joseph his whole life, but Joseph had to let the garment go and let God take care of it. He went to prison just like he went into the pit, an innocent man. God got him out, yet he wasn’t vindicated in the way he might have wanted to be had he wanted to hold onto the garment. God may not redress the matter now but He will judge the matter and deal with it righteously in the final analysis.

There are some things we cannot control. In the Christian life we may have to let go of friends, family, fame or fortune, if it will ensnare us in sin. Are you holding onto your self respect and worried over the views of others when you are accused wrongly for the sake of Christ? Do you feel that you must be justified and that the garment justifies you and your case? Are you concerned that God might allow you to look bad and get fired or lose your reputation?

This is not a license to not care about what others think at all. Yes, we are indeed to avoid all appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22), but sometimes it is out of our control, and God is proving whether we will flee from sin or try and hold onto the garment of our own self vindication. Sometimes, it is best just to let the garment go.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

All But One

"Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?"
(Genesis 3:1 – ESV)

Satan tempted Eve with a focused plot, “we never have enough unless we have it all”. It was Satan’s sin, covetousness. God hadn’t said “not any”, He had said “all but one”, but when focused upon, that one forbidden thing seemed as important as anything. It continues today. It is now a part of our fallen nature; the one thing we can’t have is the one thing we must have.

This truth applies in many areas, but let us consider one “hot topic” from this perspective. If a woman is not supposed to be the leader at home, and the home is a model for Christianity and the Christian life, why then would that change for the church, a model itself? Is this Christlike? Jesus was equal with the Father but He functionally subordinated Himself for the sake of His role (1 Corinthians 15:27-28 / Philippians 2:6), and so wouldn’t it be more Christlike for a woman to do the same? Wouldn’t the biblical idea of submitting to not being able to be a pastor / elder / teacher of men (1 Timothy 2:12), in spite of our gifts, be an opportunity for Christlikeness not an obstacle to it?

You might say, “But I have these talents; and God has given them to me, so why shouldn’t I use them?” Indeed, you should, but in the way that God wants you to, and this is defined by His Word, not by His giftings. The temptation is great, but consider something first. Sure, you could preach and teach men and perhaps do it more effectively than any man in history. However, Christ had all the power of the Godhead, but in His role as Messiah, He was limited in using that power. He could have demonstrated His power by jumping off the Temple. To come down off that Temple would have been a powerful witnessing tool to proclaim His role as Messiah, but it would have been out of God’s will.

Just because you have the power to do something, or you could be effective at doing something, more effective than the current way of doing things, well this doesn’t make it right. The temptations of Christ in the wilderness teach us that it is not about what you can do, it is about what you should do. God allows us to be rebellious and out of order, but to be godly and Christlike is to be in order, as the Word of God defines it. Practical benefit is not the measure. If Christ would have turned the stones to bread, the next thing Satan would have said is “now feed the world!” The world may have been fed, but with ill begotten bread. Is this what you want?

When God says that there is something we cannot have, Satan says it is the one thing that we must have. When God says all but one, Satan says all or none. Then in a way, so does God. Think about it.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

The Long Walk of Faith

So Abraham called the name of that place, "The LORD will provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided."
(Genesis 22:14 – ESV)

The journey to Moriah took three days, like Jesus spending three days in the tomb before the resurrection. Abraham walks three days to deliver his son as a sacrifice. Jesus walks three years to deliver Himself as a sacrifice. Abraham and Isaac are a type of the sacrifice of Christ, but their faith was no match for the Son of God. They were they type; He is the antitype, the fulfillment.

We can be in situations and we can realize that we are being tried, tested, and proven (1 Peter 1:7). If everything you have, everything you hold on to, everything that means anything is being taken away, you still have Jesus (Hebrews 13:5). He will not leave, He cannot be taken away, and we have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Christ has made the journey. He has perfected the walk. He has made the sacrifice.

Jesus had to taste the torment of knowing He was going to be giving up His own life, but more than that, He tasted death for all men (Hebrews 2:9). This was not simply the physical pain of the cross but also having to drink the cup of the wrath of God against the sin of you and me, of all God’s children. Jesus suffered torment, not just of having done it his own way and then having to walk the long road, as Abraham had to do. Christ had never done it His own way, but He only ever did it His Father’s way, and yet He had to walk that long road, and taste death for all our sins.

By this type God’s people were to be trained to look for Christ. The Tabernacle and then the Temple were also pictures of the Ultimate Sacrifice seen in the death of Jesus. We can now look back and see God’s grand design and His masterful work in painting us pictures of redemption.

Now it is our chance to live as portraits of His grace, pictures of redemption, living sacrificial lives that point to our Master and the Maestro behind it all. Does you life point to the beauty of Christ? Does it glorify Him? Are you on that path? Are you keeping your eyes on Him even as the pressure may mount? Are you learning to trust Him and treasure Him above all else?

Look to Christ, learn of His greatness, His glory, of His love for you, and you will learn to love Him, and loving Him, you will learn to live like Him. The sound you will hear, the song that will move you, is the sweet sound of salvation, which is the Master Plan from the Maestros hand. We know that we will have tough and trying times in this life but our God is working it out according to His plan, and we can rest assured in Him (John 16:2-4, 2 Peter 3:14-18).

The introductory verse of Genesis 22:1 helps the reader understand that God never intended to allow the sacrifice of Isaac to come to full fruition. The test was not known to Abraham but God was known by Abraham – this is also what we see with Job 13:15, Daniel 3, Matthew 10:25, Luke 12:4-5. When you know the character of God you will trust Him, when you know the love of God you will treasure Him.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

What about Isaac?

When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
(Genesis 22:9 – ESV)

How would God fulfill His promise to Abraham that Isaac would have many descendants, one of these being the Messiah, if he was supposed to kill him? Abraham could only speculate, but he trusted God, because he knew God. Abraham drew a conclusion; "God will raise Isaac back to life" (Hebrews 11:17-19).

How did Abraham “know” that God would not allow the seed, Isaac, to be destroyed? God had promised a seed from Sarah, and God had delivered in spite of Abraham having gone against the plan of God, thinking he was going for the plan of God, in having Ishmael. God made it right even though Abraham had messed up, so that is why he could trust this time when asked to offer up Isaac. We make mistakes, we still sin, we think we are following God and we are not at times, but even when you have done wrong you can trust Him to make it right if you will walk on the right path now, and when you fall down again, you get back up and trust again.

Now we often look at the faith of Abraham, but what about the faith of Isaac? He must have known he was the promised seed. He must have been able to stop his old father from sacrificing him, but he went along with it. We cannot know for certain what age he was, but we do have some clues. Isaac was given the task of carrying the wood for the impending sacrifice, enough wood to consume a human body when set on fire. Joseph is called a lad at the age of seventeen (Genesis 37:2) and at the age of thirty (Genesis 41:12, 46). The men with him are also called by the same Hebrew word. It would seem he was at least a young man, and not a child.

Abraham didn’t know exactly what was going to happen but on he went anyway, as did Isaac. An altar was constructed, wood arranged, and Isaac bound, a process that probably took 2-3 hours. What discussion must have been happening? Isaac had heard his father tell the servants that they would return, and he had also asked Abraham, basically, “Hey, what’s going on here?” (Genesis 22:5-8). His father replied that God would provide a sacrifice, and Isaac had to trust his fathers, both heavenly and earthly, as he allowed himself to be bound on the altar of sacrifice. Like Isaac we need to have faith in our Heavenly Father even when it seems as if we are on the chopping block. Abraham’s trust that God will provide doesn’t reduce his agony, agony grips his every step up the mountain. Isaac also trusted that God would do what was right even if it meant he would be the sacrifice.

It is interesting that some Jewish commentaries state that Isaac with the wood on his back is like a condemned man, carrying his own cross! Of course we know it to be a type of the Messiah, Jesus (John 19:17). It is also interesting in that we also have a cross to bear so that we may identify with Christ. He does the work but we carry the name and bear the cross, and share in His sufferings, but also His comfort. Abraham had to have faith for the “long haul”. Isaac had to have faith right in the most intense moments. We go through both.

It is hard to stay committed to something we don't value. We might think we value God, but increasing trials point to the truth. Is God increasing in value to us? He must be if we are to face increasing trials. Is future grace and God’s glory more of a treasure to you than pleasure or temporal relief of pain, especially as the pressure mounts? Sometimes we aren’t certain about what is going on, but we can know for certain that God will make everything work to our own good even if we have to suffer the details while we are on the way (Romans 8:28). We must learn to value our relationship with God, and this will increase our spiritual vision.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Dead Man Walking

On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.
(Genesis 22:4 – ESV)

In this scene it starts out hard but gets harder every step of the way as the details are filled in. Abraham had been walking with God, he had been given the promise, and he had received the seed, the one that started the line that would give us the Messiah, though whom the whole world would be blessed. But now he is being asked to destroy the dream, and he had already thrown Ishmael out of the camp.

Imagine that night before; Abraham must have had restless sleep, if any. In the early morning hours, instead of having his servants saddle his ride, or cut the wood, he did the work. When he got up early and got everything together, including Isaac, what did Sarah think? What did Abraham say to her? We do not know.

Imagine the walk, and how hard it was to keep his eyes on God and His will. He could have turned back or taken some other way, no one else would have known, no one else would have thought him to be doing anything wrong. It was a long walk alone with God and the knowledge of what he was about to do, but it still was about the walk with others as well. There was plenty of time to turn back, three days at least, and then it was still far off, the long climb to the certain death of his son, it would seem. Oh the temptations to turn back, or stand still or not to finish it out, and no on else would even have to know! How often this has been us!

From other narratives we know that Abraham did reason with the Father about things he didn’t understand, although he would still submit to them. He made his case, and said, in effect, not my will but thine be done. In Genesis 15:2-3, he raised an objection to God's promise; in 15:8, he raised a doubt; in 17:17 and following, he tries to get God to bless him his own way; and in 18:23-33, he reasoned with God on the basis of God's character.

Above all, fellowship with God was what Abraham treasured. Abraham wasn’t sending the promised seed to its destruction, even if Isaac had to die. No, he wasn’t abandoning the promise; he was fulfilling it, taking it one step at a time. Not in his own strength, but in faith, with the power of God, as a soldier in the Lord’s Army.

God has promised to be with us every step of the way (Psalm 23:4), but we aren’t promised that we will see every step along the way. That is what dying to self, and walking in faith is about. We think that we cannot do it, but the Bible begs to differ. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed (1 Peter 2:24). We can see the far future, and we know the end result will be to our good and God’s glory (Romans 8:28-30), but for now we must be as dead men walking.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Right Here Now

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I."
(Genesis 22:1 – ESV)

The text says that God was testing Abraham “after these things”. What things? The background to this is helpful in our understanding of this scenario as it goes forward. Specifically he had just sent Ishmael from the camp (Genesis 21:14). Abraham had done it his way, and now, having lost Ishmael, he would have to seemingly let go of Isaac also! Was Abraham supposed to just let go of God’s promise? Why would God now tell Abraham to sacrifice Isaac?

Imagine how difficult this whole event must have been. We only see the resolve to do what was commanded, and this is to drive the point home, no other words are given so as not to dilute the potency of the pressure which must have been palpable. Looking at the text and comparing it to events in our lives, we can all feel it. It was tangible; Abraham could taste the torment of those moments, as he drove Ishmael out of the camp, as God told him he would have to sacrifice Isaac, as he took the long journey up the mountain, all the while knowing what was about to happen. Abraham had to be fully committed right then in the now, or he would fail in the near future. In a sense, it isn’t hard to see our own lives within this story.

We often have to go through a long haul and often against heavy odds, and have to suffer many stresses and struggles, loss and anguish, to follow after God when it seems He is actually coming against us. This passage teaches us that we must still have faith; we must still trust God even when our eyes see things that tell us not to. We must truly surrender our hearts to God. We must let go of our own way, of trying to help God out, not wanting to wait, not wanting to have to go through any pain, not wanting to sacrifice something we worked so hard and so long for, not wanting to throw it all away, not wanting to admit it was all wrong. We must stop trying to justify ourselves or our actions, stop trying to add our works to His words, and stop trying to hide behind some pretense to good motives. It is time for full commitment, right here now.

After these things, this is when the test comes. After having done it our way, now we try and do it God’s way, and it seems to be getting worse. The life we dreamed about and we think God has promised us is being torn apart by God Himself! This text should help us to stop guessing about why some things just don’t seem to go the way we think they are supposed to. We abort our assignments because we think God is going to abort our dreams. However, if Abraham, who is our father in the faith (cf. Romans 4:1) had to learn to fully commit then so do we. Abraham kept on believing God, and that is why he could keep on going forward in faith.

We are often asked, “Why does it always seem like everything goes wrong, even when I try and follow God?” Sometimes it is because we just try God on a trial basis. We will follow until it doesn’t go our way, but that is the problem, we still want to go our way. We want God to make the path nice and easy and then we will follow; we will only repent and obey to the extent that it satisfies our own desires. Instead God must be what we learn to desire, what we learn to place our value in, and then as we treasure Him above all else we will pass the tests, we will learn God, love God, and live God, and not worry so much about our own agenda. Then when it rains we won’t complain, when we lose things we gain God, and we will press on in faith.

It is time to stop pretending and time to be repenting. Just because they are spelled with most of the same letters doesn’t mean you can get the order wrong. It is time to stop trying to get God on our agenda, and time to start getting on God’s agenda, no matter what we might have to do. We have to give up our right to govern ourselves according to our tired old selfish nature. Partial commitment will lead to part time Christianity, with the eventual downgrade, back into the old way you never really left from. Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered (Proverbs 28:26). We need to commit, or else we will quit. It is time to let our Lord be our Lord, for real. Things may seem cloudy in the short term, but we need to have a long term vision about what God is doing in us and where He wants to take us, and learn to value it, even when we are made to change course, or we won’t act right. Here. Now.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

The Trouble With Togetherness

…and they shall become one flesh
(Genesis 2:24 – ESV)

Have you ever wondered why men and women who work together in a movie fall in love so often? Or why people who work together at the job fall for each other so often? Or why when you start helping a friend out, working together to solve a problem, and you do it together and it works out good, then you want to fall for them? Well think about it. What is the same in all these scenarios? The people work together toward a common solution, and doing this has bonded them together for a common cause. Both are in unison and harmony about it. They both have different talents but they combine them, they work together to achieve something.

Think hard now about the words “work together” and their meaning. Work together, work together, working or coming together. See? Not just working side by side but working into togetherness, into a unit. You share a significant event in your life together. You overcome something by being together, and that is what good marriages are made of and good relationships are made of. It is no wonder if people aren’t processing things well, or they aren’t in a relationship, or the current one is not going well, for them to want to come together with that person they have already bonded with successfully. What do you expect?

People should be able to work together without working themselves together. We must mature to the point that the trouble with togetherness doesn’t enter into our lives, else we cannot partner and accomplish things we might be able to do otherwise. We must remain closely knit to our spouses as one flesh so that people can work with us together, but no one else can work their way together with us. If your relationship has depth you won’t drown in these shallow waters.