Words of the Wicked

Have you ever seen someone give up before they have even tried? I have seen it happen over and over again. There is a temptation to give up when things get really tough. What we say during those times can cause even greater damage to not just the one saying it but those who hear it.

Wicked Witnesses

The children of Israel murmured/whispered against Moses often in the period of wilderness wandering. Their lack of trust in the Lord predated even their going out of the land of bondage. They said, “Is not this the word that we spake unto thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness (Ex 14:12). How will we respond when the elders say we have great work to do or when the sermon always involves a call to action? The children of Israel were witnesses of all the signs and wonders that God worked as He liberated them. Even after all that, they still went back to their mindset of bondage. We do not want to sound like the Israelites that did perish in the wilderness, not because God wanted them to fail, but because they failed to trust God.

A Wicked Companion

Job’s wife is another example of what not to say. She told her own husband to give up. “Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God, and die (Job 2:9).” When we suffer together this is the time that we need each other’s encouragement the most. When we face trials and stressful situations, we can either call our loved ones to the Lord or to curse God and give up. We do not want to sound like Job’s wife who stood against God and not with God and her husband.

Wicked Spies

The wicked spies sent out by Moses gave a bad report to the people of Israel. They had been sent into the land of Canaan to spy out all that God was going to give them, but they came back with no trust in the Lord. “But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature (Num 13:31-33).” We do not want to sound like the wicked spies, because, rather than showing faith in the Lord, they caused the faith of the people to weep.

Confident in the Lord

Our speech is so important. The New Testament church needs to be confident in what the Lord has done, what He is doing, and what He will do. There is so much pessimistic fearful speech in the world. We are not citizens of the world. We are citizens of the eternal kingdom (Dan 2:44). If we are citizens of that kingdom, our speech must reflect that status. The Lord has promised to us salvation as the reward for our endurance (cf. Mark 13:13), a crown of life even for our willingness to even die for our faith if that should so happen (cf. Rev. 2:10). Speak with confidence in the Lord, and do not give up before you even tried.

Grace and Peace,

R.D. Beavers

Don't Raise an Ahaz

Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah his God, like David his father. But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations, whom Jehovah cast out from before the children of Israel. And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree . 2 Kings 16:2-4 When was the first time you drove a car? What about the first time you jumped off a diving board or gave a speech? After that first time, it certainly became easier. What about the first lie you told? Did it become easier? King Ahaz of Judah was evil and far from the example of David. Ahaz was the first to offer child sacrifices to t...

At the Feet of Jesus

How amazing it must have been to sit at the feet of Jesus. Have you thought much about that? What would it have been like to be around the Master? It was obviously life altering for His disciples, the majority of which (by historical accounts) would go on to violent deaths. Christians would go on to be persecuted throughout the centuries. Why? Jesus is worth the shame (Acts 5:41). Jesus is worth it all, because “there is no other name, under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). It is for this very reason we think about how amazing it would have been to personally sit at the feet of Jesus. To Talk to Him Must Have Been Tender Talking to Jesus must have been so tender. We know that He would tell people what they needed to hear, and sometimes that was rather forthright (see Matt. 23), but he was loving and compassionate to those who wanted to learn from Him. Remember when parents were b...

Hanging On

Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God Hebrews 12:1-2 In order to hang on, you must let go. This seems counterproductive at first glance. If we let go, we might fall and get hurt. If we let go, we might hurt someone else, and we might even hurt ourselves. Yet, letting go can also allow us to hang on to what matters. We can hang onto the righteousness of God. This helps us to run with patience. When the race is long and arduous, and when life doesn’t end up as we planned, we can look forward to letting go of the doubts and sins that tell us to quit, give up, and stop running...

Ironworks

Search This Blog