Is it as Easy as Baking a Cake?

Discovering God’s will for your life is not as complicated as we make it out to be. We all have been engaged in conversations about God’s will, and most of walk away from the conversation more confused than before. One of the first Bible studies that I joined when I became a Christian was Henry Blackaby’s Experiencing God series. One of the most unforgettable insights that I drew from my study was Blackaby’s point that God takes the initiative to reveal Himself in our lives. That was such a drastic change from my perspective. I was thinking that I needed to be out there (somewhere) hunting down God’s will for my life. I was looking for a roadmap, but I found out that God’s will is wrapped up in a relationship. Often we see God as this Cosmic Being playing hide-and-seek with His creation. After studying the Scriptures and checking my conclusions with other writers who have thought longer and harder on this subject than I, I have come to the conclusion that we do not seek God, but God seeks us. He longs for us to know His will. I am fond of the way that Ray Pritchard puts it, “If you want to know what Discovering God’s Will is for Your Life is all about, here it is: God wants you to know his will more than you want to know it, and therefore he takes personal responsibility to see that you discover it…The secret of knowing God’s will is the secret of knowing God; and as you get to know God better, he will reveal his will to you” (Discovering God’s Will is for Your Life,19,32).

Are we truly loving one another?

Since the beginning of the year I have been teaching an expositional study through the book of Ruth on Sunday mornings. Last Sunday we examined Ruth’s relentless and untiring devotion to her mother-in-law Naomi. Her poetic words resound with commitment and loyalty:

But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me." (Ruth 1:16-17)

To experience the flavor of her words, you must remember the context of Ruth. She is a Moabite widow and living in a patricentric society. Unlike our culture where women possess value and worth, Ruth’s culture was a male-dominated society. Women found their identity only within a realm connected to a man. When Ruth decided to take this leap of faith and follow Naomi, she is facing a life of possible rejection. Not only will she be despised by the Jews, but she has rejected her family, people, and religious roots.

Trible aptly writes, ““Ruth stands alone; she possesses nothing. No God has called her; no deity has promised her blessing; no human being has come to her aid. She lives and chooses without a support group and she knows that the fruit of her decision may well be the emptiness of rejection, indeed of death. Consequently, not even Abraham’s leap of faith surpasses this decision of Ruth. And there is more. Not only has Ruth broken with family, country, and faith, but she also has reversed sexual allegiance. A young woman has committed herself to the life of an old woman in a world rather than search for a husband…One female has chosen another female where life depends on men. There is no more radical decision in all the memories of Israel. Phyllis Trible, A Human Comedy, 173.

I wonder how many times you and I have ever been this dedicated to another person. I must admit that I am a fragile person with many scars. Past relationships have taught me lessons about totally trusting and giving myself to another person. I have been bruised and hurt so many times that I refuse to allow anyone to get that close to my heart. I do not mind being transparent, but am I really vulnerable. How often do I really share my heart with another person? Unless you come to this point in your life where you love someone else more than you love yourself, I dare say that you have truly loved.

George Mueller: Prayer Warrior

One of the mightiest men of prayer of the last generation was George Mueller of Bristol, England, who in the last sixty years of his life (he lived to be ninety-two or ninety-three) obtained the English equivalent of $7,200,000.00 by prayer. But George Mueller never prayed for a thing just because he wanted it, or even just because he felt it was greatly needed for God's work. When it was laid upon George Mueller's heart to pray for anything, he would search the Scriptures to find if there was some promise that covered the case. Sometimes he would search the scriptures for days before he presented his petition to God. And then when he found the promise, with his open Bible before him, and his finger upon that promise, he would plead that promise, and so he received what he asked. He always prayed with an open Bible before him.

-R. A. Torrey on George Müeller

Coming Home Empty

She said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.”I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lrd has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?"

How many of us would be this brutally honest in our Christian walk?

Jehovah Witnesses: Another form of Christianity?

Related to the Word of God
* Jehovah Witnesses (JW) teach that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, but they argue that the Bible can only be interpreted properly by the Watchtower Society.
* The Bible teaches that the Word of God is “inspired by God…” (2 Tim 3:16) and was written by “men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:21).

Related to the Person of Jesus Christ
* JW teach several things about Jesus Christ: 1) He was just a perfect man; 2) He existed in three stages (Archangel Michael, the man Jesus of Nazareth, and the new, recreated (not resurrected) Michael); 3) He is “a God” but not “the God;” therefore, Jesus is not coequal and coeternal with the true God.
* The Bible teaches clearly teaches the deity and resurrection of Jesus Christ. John and Paul taught that Jesus was fully God (John 1:1; Colossians 1:9-20; 2:9). Jesus even taught that he was an agent in his own resurrection (John 2:19-21).

Related to Salvation
* JW teach that salvation is based on the death of Jesus Christ but with stipulations. Based upon which class you are in will determine the method of salvation. Each JW, including the 144,000, must earn his or her salvation through good work and merit.
* The Bible explains that man’s righteousness and good work are like “filthy rags” (Is 64:6) and describes man as an enemy to God unable to “please God” (Rom 8:7-8). The Bible is clear—there is no salvation given to man except through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).

Related to the Trinity
* JW reject and deny the teaching of the Trinity. JW argue that there is only one God who is limited to a specific location.
* The Bible teaches that each Person of the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is eternally God in person, nature, and being.

Related to Man
* JW teach that man was created by God but denies any teaching that man was created in the image of God. Because man is not an immortal being, death is a final annihilation of the body.
* The Bible teaches that man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). God designed man with intelligence, will, and emotion and designed him to have an eternal relationship with his Creator.

Related to Afterlife
* JW do not believe in an eternal hell. All bodies of unbelievers will be annihilated. JW teach that the true followers of Jehovah will be recreated and either reign with Him in heaven or remain on earth.
*The Bible teaches that hell is a place of “eternal destruction, away from the presence of God” (2 Thess 1:9) and is described as lasting forever (Isa 33:14; Matt 25:41, 46).

The Touch of the Master's Hand

'Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But held it up with a smile.
"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,
"Who'll start the bidding for me?"
"A dollar, a dollar. Then two! Only two?
Two dollars, and who'll make it three?"

"Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;
Going for three..." But no,
From the room, far back, a grey-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow;
Then wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening the loosened strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet,
As a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said: "What am I bid for the old violin?"
And he held it up with the bow.
"A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?
Two thousand! And who'll make it three?
Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice,
And going and gone," said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,
"We do not quite understand.
What changed its worth?" Swift came the reply:
"The touch of the Master's hand."
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd
Much like the old violin.

A "mess of pottage," a glass of wine,
A game -- and he travels on.
He is "going" once, and "going" twice,
He's "going" and almost "gone."
But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the touch of the Master's hand.

-- Myra Brooks Welch

I love this Book!

This book contains: the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrine is holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be saved, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter. Here heaven is open, and the gates of hell are disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. Follow its precepts and it will lead you to Calvary, to the empty tomb, to a resurrected life in Christ; yes, to glory itself, for eternity.

John F. MacArthur, Jr.