Don't Be Unequally Yoked.....But If You Are

 

 

I’ve always been disturbed by the last two chapters of Ezra. The problem began with the people marrying unbelievers. I’m thrilled that Ezra and others were very upset with this practice that has always been against God’s plan for marriage, but I’m very disturbed about how they handled it. Their solution was to divorce the pagan wives. To bust up their families and leave any of the children fatherless.

 

Why did God let them get away with this? I don’t know. Why did He allow David and Solomon to have so many concubines and wives? Again, I don’t know. What I do know is whether or not they got away with it, multiple spouses and pagan spouses are not God’s will for marriage.

 

The first question couples with marriage on their mind should ask is this: “Are you a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ?” And then very carefully observe the fruit in the lives of their prospective spouse concerning their faith walk to make sure it is the real deal..

 

Why is this so important? It’s important because marriage is first and foremost suppose to be an example to the world of the relationship between Christ and His church. This is the “mystery” that Paul speaks of in his letter to the Ephesians where he addresses the relationship of man and wife in a biblical marriage.

 

Eph 5:31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."  32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

As Christ is joined to the believer so husband is to be joined to wife. How is such a union possible when an unbeliever is in the mix? 2Co 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?  15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?

 

A second priority of marriage is the charge to raise up godly offspring. Speaking about marriage, the prophet Malachi had this to say: Mal 2:15 But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring.

 

It’s hard enough raising godly offspring when both husband and wife are on the same spiritual page, how much more difficult for the mixed marriage!

 

Nonetheless, mixed marriages happen and when they do, are they grounds for the divorce action taken by the people in the days of Ezra? No! A thousand times no! This matter is addressed in the New Testament in 1Co 7:10-16, “Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband.  11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.  12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her.  13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. 15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?

 

“How do you know?”  You might be the very vessel that God uses to bring your spouse to Christ and isn’t salvation of souls God’s number one priority?

 

1Pe 3:1 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives,

 

There is much more that can be said about the subject of the “permanence of marriage” in relation to the Word of God. But that passage from 1 Cor 7 should give us plenty to chew on. Let’s face it, we could all do a better job at this thing called marriage.  And if we have messed up, remember God forgives. Receive that forgiveness and draw a line in the sand, and from this day forth, seek to follow the guidelines for marriage that God has spelled out in His Word.

Have You Tried Skipping Lunch?

 

 

When Jesus gave His “sermon on the mount,” He mentioned three spiritual disciplines that will mark His followers. Those disciplines are praying, giving, and fasting. He said in Matthew chapter 6, “When you do a charitable deed, (v3)and when you pray, (v5) and when you fast. (v17) He didn’t say if!

 

Most of us have no problem praying, some may struggle a bit with giving, but fasting????? What’s that? I’ll tell you what it is, it is a lost discipline that we in the church would do well to resurrect, especially in these times of national and worldwide calamity.

 

In case no one has told you, the bridegroom has gone away and we are awaiting His return. And Jesus had this to say what His disciples will do when after HE ascended into heaven "But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days." (Luke 5:35)

The spiritual benefits of fasting are manifold, (and there are a few physical benefits as well) Today, I want to spend a little time on one of the spiritual benefits.

 

Have you ever arrived at a place in your life when you have to make a decision? Perhaps it’s a move to another part of the country. Maybe it’s a career change? Maybe a major purchase. You’ve done all the work, weighed the pros and cons, but find yourself stuck like a deer in the headlights, not sure of your next move.

 

Have you tried skipping lunch? It’s what Ezra did and God answered in spades!

 

Ezra was about to escort his family and a contingent of Jews back to Jerusalem for the purpose of resettlement. He had been bragging about God and His power to the king and felt ashamed to ask for an armed escort from the king, so Ezra decided to call for a fast. We read about it in  Ezr 8:21-23, “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, "The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him." 23 So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.

 

We aren’t told how God answered that prayer that had been accompanied by fasting, but God delivered a spiritual “TripTik far better than Triple A could offer. Ezr 8:31 says, “Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambush along the road.

 

God delivered!

 

I remember when I was faced with the decision to leave my job at Cub radio in Manitowoc and take the position at WEMI. It was more difficult than I thought it would be. It’s not easy picking up your tent pegs when you have school age children. Well, I hemmed and hawed and then stumbled across this account in Ezra. So I fasted, and lo and behold eventually the answer became clear and we made the move, confident that this was where the Lord wanted us to be.

 

So how about you? Need some direction in your life. Follow the lead of Ezra and fast. See where the Lord will lead. He will never lead you in a way that will contradict His will as spelled out in His Word!

I Vote Pro-Life

 

I vote pro-life. It is my first consideration before casting my ballot. I’m not ashamed of that litmus test because it’s also the first issue brought up in our Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

 

For the aborted unborn child, there is no life, and without life, there is no liberty, and certainly no happiness to pursue. I vote pro-life.

 

At this point, I implore you to save your argumentative comments for another platform. Social media is no place to debate anything. The Proverbs are rife with the challenge for Christians to guard their mouths, and I find that once the comments start, strife is not far behind. Pr 15:1 say7s, “A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

 

Being a pro-life voter, you can easily see that I was disappointed in the results of our presidential election, but then, I’ve been disappointed before. When disappointment creeps in, I turn to Romans 13 and remind myself who is in control:

Ro 13:1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

 

God’s got this, as He has had every presidential race. In His wisdom, He gives us either what we need, or what we deserve. Win, lose, or draw, I have seen my part in the aftermath of any election summed up in 1Ti 2:1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

I will not spend the next four years of my life trashing the President of the United States or Congress, rather I will pray for them.

By the way this New Testament admonition is not without precedent. I was reading the Book of Ezra this morning, In chapter 6 we read a decree issued by King Darius concerning his blessing on the Jews as they had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. Listen to what he said in Ezr 6:9,10, “And whatever they need-young bulls, rams, and lambs for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the request of the priests who are in Jerusalem-let it be given them day by day without fail,  10 that they may offer sacrifices of sweet aroma to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and his sons.

Then look at the results of these prayers! Ezr 6:22 And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for the LORD made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

Sounds an awful lot like the quiet and peaceable life of the church mentioned in  

1 Timothy doesn’t it?

 

I know there is much more that can be said about this subject, but time and space do not permit it. Suffice to say, that the purpose of this blog today was to challenge you to pray for those in authority, and to show you that such prayers are not a new thing as we read in Ezra. And to remind you that maybe our country could use a little peace and quiet right now, so we, the church can get on with the business of sharing the Gospel! That’s the real answer to our woes anyway!

By the way, President Trump is still in office....lift him up in prayer!

Stupid

 

 

Have you ever called someone stupid? You know, that driver that cut you off on the road the other day, and you just blurted it out! “Stupid! Watch where you’re going!!” Or someone makes a bonehead move at work that delays getting your work done, and you refer to them as that “stupid” co-worker. My favorite use of the word “stupid” is when I bang my head on a door jamb. “Stupid door jamb!” Nothing like a brainless inanimate object to bring forth such wrath on my part. Upon further review I have to admit maybe it wasn’t the door jamb that was “stupid,” maybe it was me for not ducking my head! (LOL)

 

I don’t like to use the word to describe people, and I don’t think God wants me to use it that way either. How did Jesus put it? "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. (Mt 5:22)

 If anyone is going to call someone “stupid,” let it be God! Did you know that He regards some people as stupid? He says in Pr 12:1, “Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, But he who hates correction is stupid.”

 

Whoa! That’s strong! But God’s Word is full of instruction that is designed to help us live in the way God created us to live. It helps us to avoid sin and all its damaging effects. It is corrective in nature and helps us to stay on the right path. It keeps us from banging our heads on the door jamb of life. To ignore it, (according to God’s Word) is “stupid.”

 

Think of the Ten Commandments. Disregard any one of them and see where that leads. It leads to pain in your life, pain that could’ve been avoided if you would have followed it’s intended correction. So, my friend, don’t be “stupid.”  Love God’s correction, don’t hate it. You’ll have a lot less self-inflicted headaches if you do!

Not Blowing Smoke

 

When I write or speak about the sin of abortion, I always make it a point to remind people that there is no sin that Jesus did not pay for on the cross. There is no sin that God won’t forgive. I include that message because given the statistical evidence, there’s a strong possibility that someone who reads or hears my messages has had an abortion, and consequently struggling with receiving God’s forgiveness. Truth is, we are all sinners in need of the blood of Jesus!

 

But am I just blowing smoke? Am I just trying to make someone feel better or does God really forgive this sin? Let me assure you, I am not blowing smoke. Let me tell you about Manasseh to prove the point that God is more than willing and able to forgive!

 

Manasseh was the son of the good king Hezekiah, but when he took over the reins of the kingdom, he had gone bad…..very, very, bad.  This in itself serves as a reminder that even though our children are born and raised in God-fearing homes, there is no guarantee that they will stay on the straight and narrow.

 

How bad was Manasseh? Let’s read all about it from 2 Chron 33.

 

2Ch 33:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.

 2 But he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.

 3 For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, and made wooden images; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.

 4 He also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem shall My name be forever."

 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.

 6 Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.

 7 He even set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever;

 8 "and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers-only if they are careful to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses."

 9 So Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.

 10 And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen.

 

Idolatry, occultism, desecrating the temple, sacrificing his children and encouraging others to do the same. 2Ki 21:16 tells us: Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin by which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD.

It’s not just his personal sins, but he sought to seduce others to sin as well. Note too, that the Lord spoke to Manasseh through the prophets, but he would not listen. (Another lesson here. Speak the truth even if people won’t listen, who knows if the words of these prophets weren’t used as seeds for repentance later on in Manasseh’s life)

 

At any rate, this was one hard-hearted sinner. Could God forgive such a person? YES!

 

Sin has consequences for sure, and Manasseh’s consequence was God allowed him to be carried off into captivity by the Assyrians. It was a painful experience to say the least.

 

2Ch 33:11 Therefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon.  12 Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,

 13 and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.

God often uses the consequences of our sin, to get our attention. He sure had Manasseh’s. And in Manasseh’s affliction, he humbly cried out to the Lord for forgiveness, and God, “received his entreaty!”

When Manasseh returned to Jerusalem, this forgiven saint set about correcting all his wrongs. It was not lip service repentance; it was the real deal.

 

Manasseh’s name is often used as a reference point for evil in the Bible. Few people could match the wretched state of this king, yet when he humbly confessed his sin, God forgave.

 

When I say that God forgives sins, even those sins that the devil would try to convince you that God won’t forgive, I am not blowing smoke. Just ask Manasseh, and if you have any sin, hanging over you and afflicting you, humbly call out to God for His forgiveness. 1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The Lamps Are Still Lit

 

The Lamps Are Still Lit

 

My typical devotional routine consists of reading three chapters of the Bible every day, followed by a Psalm, and then a Proverb. If you’ve been following along, you know that I am currently in the Book of 2 Chronicles.  It’s kind of frustrating reading the “good king….bad king” scenario that threads its way through the book. I mean, can’t you people see? When you have a king that follows hard after God, things go well, when you have a king that chases after other gods, things go south in a hurry! Why don’t you get it? Why don’t we get it?

 

Well, today I was in chapters 29 through 31, and it’s all about the good king Hezekiah. A king that really “gets it”! It’s pure joy! First of all, he decides to clean up the temple. I imagine up to that point going to the temple to worship was like going into an old attic with all sorts of junk piled up. We are told the lamps had been put out, and no incense was being burned or offerings in any shape or form being made to the One true God. Oh beloved, now more than ever, in the midst of this pandemic, keep the lamps burning!

 

The temple had become a stuffy prayerless, Holy Spirit-less junk yard of mixed religion. (Something we need to be on guard against even today!)

Then Hezekiah restored proper worship in the temple. Yes, they had a liturgy to follow, (don’t all churches have a set pattern of worship?) Burnt offerings were offered for sin, incense was burned (prayers) and we are told in 2 Chron 29:27 that when the burnt offerings began, “the song of the Lord also began,”

I find myself wondering, what was the song of the Lord? My educated guess would be a refrain of worship oft repeated in the Old Testament: “”Praise the Lord  For His mercy endures forever!” Or maybe it’s the song found in Re 5:12, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!"  13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"

Then Hezekiah “kept the Passover.” The foreshadowing of what we call “the Lord’s Supper.” And we are told in 2 Chron 30:26 that there was “great joy in Jerusalem.”

Finally the people left the temple, left the Passover feast with  service to the Lord on their mind. 2Ch 31:1 Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke the sacred pillars in pieces, cut down the wooden images, and threw down the high places and the altars-from all Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh-until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned to their own cities, every man to his possession.

The people didn’t just repent of their sins and receive God’s forgiveness. They did something about the idolatry that had been their way of life.

 

Hezekiah! What a refreshing break from the string of kings in 2 Chronicles. As many of us gather for worship in person or virtually tomorrow. Let us joyfully thank and praise God for His mercy that endures forever. Let us come with appreciation that in spite of the pandemic, the lamps are still lit!

Whatever Happened To Civility?

 

 

Good king…..bad king…..good king…..bad king. It’s the kind of pattern we see with  the rulers of Israel’s Southern Kingdom (Judah) as we go through the Book of 2 Chronicles.  It certainly was not an ideal way to be governed. Much like living on a yo-yo! The Northern Kingdom (Israel) did not have such a pattern; they were all bad kings!

 

Today, let’s talk about the good king Jotham’s successor, the bad king Ahaz. We pick up his story in 2Ch 28:1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD, as his father David had done. 2 For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made molded images for the Baals.  3 He burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.  4 And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.  5 Therefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria. They defeated him, and carried away a great multitude of them as captives, and brought them to Damascus. Then he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who defeated him with a great slaughter.

 

This wicked king sacrificed (killed) his own children! Note what the Lord calls this! It is an abomination, (something utterly detestable) to the Lord. Something utterly detestable has been taking place with the consent of the governed in the United States since January 22,1973 when the Supreme Court of the land gave the green light to abortion on demand. Since that time over 62 million defenseless unborn children have been sacrificed on the altar of convenience.

 

We rightly decry the lack of civility in recent events in our nation’s capital, but no one wants to talk about the lack of civility that has taken place in the womb for these past 48 years!

This week’s events in Washington D.C. were yet another low point in our nation’s recent history, but we shouldn’t be surprised. The seeds of an uncivil nation were planted long ago and now we are seeing some of its fruit.

 

2Ch 28:19 tells us how the Lord dealt with the morally declining nation of Judah. “For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the LORD.”

 

“Brought low.”  How much lower do we have to be brought before we repent of our moral decline in this nation? For that matter, will we repent? Or will we be like Ahaz who in the time of his distress became “increasingly unfaithful.” (2 Chron 28:22) and provoked the anger of God! It’s a choice God ever places before us.

 

De 30:19 "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;  20 "that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."

 

Let me add that there is no sin, no abomination, that Jesus didn’t pay for on the cross and if you are struggling with guilt over a past sin, know that God heals and forgives. Believe the promise found in 1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.