“And there came certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. 20. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. 21. And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch.”
What does a football team do after they lose a game? Do they get together in the locker room afterward and declare to never play football again? No! They pick up and go again. They go out the next week and practice even harder. This is sort of like what Paul did after he had been stoned (had rocks thrown at him in order to kill him) and was left for dead. One would think that Paul would have surmised that this “Christian thing” was just too dangerous. That’s not what he did. He picked up and went again. In fact, they went back to the cities they had preached in and even went to Lystra, where Paul had been stoned. There is a good lesson for us here. We need to learn to “pick up and go again.” When we are going through periods when it seems that nothing will ever go right again for some reason or other, we need to take that as a challenge and go forward instead of quitting. I know that life can hand us some hard blows, but even the hardest of blows cannot keep us down if in our hearts and minds we do not intend to stay down. When I was seventeen-years-old, I quit high school, at the end of the tenth grade, and went into the Navy. Needless to say, I did not feel like a great winner, but something was awakened in me, which was of the Lord, and I stopped being a “high school dropout” in my own mind, and started to go forward. It certainly was not “ever onward” from then on, but I recovered from it. I don’t mean to brag on myself, because without Jesus it would never have happened, and I would probably be dead now - having drowned in self-pity. The Lord gave me a good swift kick where I needed it, and awakened me to a better life. Like I wrote a few lines back, it was not ever onward, but those backsets gave me a chance to “get up and go again.” Which I, obviously, did! Bro. (Dr.) Joe Beauchamp
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“And there came certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. 20. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. 21. And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch.”
What does a football team do after they lose a game? Do they get together in the locker room afterward and declare to never play football again? No! They pick up and go again. They go out the next week and practice even harder. This is sort of like what Paul did after he had been stoned (had rocks thrown at him in order to kill him) and was left for dead. One would think that Paul would have surmised that this “Christian thing” was just too dangerous. That’s not what he did. He picked up and went again. In fact, they went back to the cities they had preached in and even went to Lystra, where Paul had been stoned. There is a good lesson for us here. We need to learn to “pick up and go again.” When we are going through periods when it seems that nothing will ever go right again for some reason or other, we need to take that as a challenge and go forward instead of quitting. I know that life can hand us some hard blows, but even the hardest of blows cannot keep us down if in our hearts and minds we do not intend to stay down. When I was seventeen-years-old, I quit high school, at the end of the tenth grade, and went into the Navy. Needless to say, I did not feel like a great winner, but something was awakened in me, which was of the Lord, and I stopped being a “high school dropout” in my own mind, and started to go forward. It certainly was not “ever onward” from then on, but I recovered from it. I don’t mean to brag on myself, because without Jesus it would never have happened, and I would probably be dead now - having drowned in self-pity. The Lord gave me a good swift kick where I needed it, and awakened me to a better life. Like I wrote a few lines back, it was not ever onward, but those backsets gave me a chance to “get up and go again.” So get up and go again. If I could do it, you can also do it.. Bro. Joe “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
There is one thing that we learn as we grow into adulthood: We will always have to deal with people – all sorts of people. We have to deal with them at work, at church, and in the communities in which we live. But there is one main person that we have to deal with and this is ourselves. This is the person that we have to deal with twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This is the person that we look at in the mirror every day. Our relationships with others will depend a lot on how we deal with self. Paul gives us some advice on this business of dealing with self. First, he tells us “not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think." That is, that we should not be conceited and think that we are better than everyone else. In order to keep from being conceited we need to not think of ourselves more often than we should think. If we aren’t careful, we will find our days consumed with thoughts about ourselves, and everything that we think or do, has to do with how things will affect “me.” To a certain extent this is natural, but when we think of self too much, we will spiritually and emotionally alienate ourselves from other people. Self preservation is a natural instinct, but to be obsessed with self preservation is not only unspiritual, it is unhealthy. Everything is not about us and how things affect us. Preoccupation with self interferes with our fellowship with each other. Take a little time and consciously try to think of yourself less and others more. Try not to make everything about yourself. Second, he tells us to “think soberly” about ourselves. This means that we should give serious thought to ourselves and be honest with ourselves about ourselves. We should take an honest look at ourselves, and if we are thinking about ourselves too highly or too frequently, we should ask God to help us to have a healthy view of self. I know from personal experience that it is sometimes difficult to look at ourselves honestly and to tell ourselves the truth about ourselves. It will horrify us sometimes that we are as preoccupied with ourselves as we are. Jesus is certainly our example here. I think that Jesus had a healthy view of Himself, and He certainly wasn’t hampered with feelings of inferiority, but He always took time to think about and minister to other people. Even when Jesus tried to get away and spend some time alone, He would always end up ministering to the people who came to Him. He looked with compassion on other people. It is at this point that we need to ask ourselves if we are compassionate toward other people, or if we just tolerate them. Think honestly, now, about your relationships with people. Does “self” keep getting in the way? Third, he told us to think “soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.” God has given us a “measure of faith” so that we can look at ourselves soberly and put ourselves in line with what faith is demanding of us. In the Bible, people like Peter, Andrew, James, and John had to think soberly about themselves. Would their faith enable these ordinary men to give up their occupation as fishermen, follow Jesus and become “fishers of men”? It was by faith that these men surrendered “self” to Jesus and went about doing what He would have them do. Maybe it is time that we took a look at ourselves and ask ourselves what difference our faith is making in our lives pertaining to decisions that we make about service for the Lord. Bro. Joe “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house (temple); his hands shall also finish it; and you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me unto you. 10. For who has despised the day of small things? For they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.”
Many of the Israelites were disappointed because the temple being rebuilt by Zerubbabel was not as large as Solomon’s temple. Zechariah wanted them to know that the size of the new temple was not important. (After all, the God of the temple was as large after the Babylonian Captivity as He was before.)The point is that small things are as important to God as large things. This includes people and churches. Let’s look at the importance of small things. It is true that small things are often of great importance. Evidently, scientists know this, because the microscope was invented to combat small germs that can cause great harm. Naturalists know this, because they know that great oak trees grow from small acorns. Do you remember what Jesus said about the tiny mustard seed? Firemen know this, because they know that large fires often are the result of a tiny spark. In the same way, small churches can do great things for the Lord. Individual Christians might seem inconsequential to the world, but we can accomplish great things for the Lord. After all, we serve a great God who can take small things and use them mightily. Do you remember David and Goliath? Do you remember that Jesus started His church with twelve men who were small in the eyes of the world? Do not consider yourself too small to serve our great God! Did you know that Jesus knew the value of small things? In Matthew 10:29-31, Jesus spoke of the tiny sparrow. If God looks out for small sparrows, surely He cares for us as well. At least Jesus thought so. He said: “You are of more value than many sparrows.” In Mark 12:41-44, Jesus spoke of a widow who put only two mites into the treasury. This appeared to be a small gift, but Jesus didn’t think so. Here is what Jesus said about it: “Verily I say unto you that this poor widow has cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury, for they all cast in out of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. In the fourth chapter of John, Jesus took a little meal of five small loaves of bread and two fish and fed 5,000 people. Small things become large things in the hand of Jesus, and that includes you and me. We need to know the value of small things. You might think that you are only one small, inconsequential person, but the Lord who valued the widow’s mite and five loaves and two fish, values your life, and your input, as well. You might think that your church is only a small church and not able to do great work for the Lord. Remember that the God of your church is as great as the God of the largest church in the world. The Jesus who fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish is the Jesus of your church! You can do great things right where you are, if you will put yourself at His disposal. Do you get the point? As a small temple was not a detriment to God’s work among the Israelites, small people and small churches are not a detriment to His work. Small things are useless only when they are content to do small things!!!!! Bro. Joe “And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord: 19. Remembering my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. 20. My soul has them still in remembrance and is humbled in me. 21. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. 23. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul: therefore will I hope in Him. 25. The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him.”
The book of Lamentations, written by Jeremiah after the fall of Jerusalem and the exile of the Israelite people in Babylon, is exactly what the title implies – it is a lament about the suffering of God’s people in exile. It is not what one would call a “happy read.” It is filled with doom and gloom. Yet in the midst of this gloom and doom, eight verses rise up as from the ashes and reveal the hope and faith that Jeremiah still had in those dark times. Like everything else in the Bible, it is a word of hope for us as well in the midst of our crises. Verse 19 tells us of Jeremiah’s suffering: “Remembering my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.” (Wormwood and gall refer to his bitterness.) Yet even as Jeremiah lamented Israel’s pitiable condition at the time, there arose in his heart and mind the hope that only God, as we know Him in Christ, can give. He wrote: “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.” In the midst of his gloom, Jeremiah had a thought, I think from God, that because of God there was still hope. In verse 22, he wrote of the “mercies” and “compassion” of God He recalled that the people of God were defeated, but they were not consumed. After all, Jeremiah himself had written of the hope of post-exilic times that God’s people would rise from the ashes and again rejoice. This is the same Lord that we worship. He is still merciful and compassionate. He has not stopped loving us, though we might be going through dark times. In the midst of whatever gloom we may face, the radiance of God shines forth in our hearts and reminds that we are still loved by our merciful and compassionate God. The Babylonians had the temporary victory, but Jeremiah’s, and our, hope lies in the hands of the eternal God who loves us and is compassionate towards us. These verses are especially relevant today. As I write this there is a worry about the dreaded Covid19 virus. There is the incessant news about "wars and rumors of wars." Besides these things, there are the earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and floods that have always been bad news for people. But the message of the Bible is that these dreadful things that we face today, and whatever dreadful things will be in the future, are not surprising or unbeatable as far as the eternal God is concerned. We have to remember that we live in a fallen world. We have never been promised a utopia on this side of heaven. We do have, however, the promise that God is aware of all of the things that are happening and that in the midst of it all, He is present with mercy and compassion. Our hope lies, not in the fallen world, but in the eternal God who created it all and oversees it all. It is still true that, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are (still) new every morning: great is (His) faithfulness.” Remember the words of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 11:28: “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Whatever is weighing heavy on your mind today let the reality of the Living Lord lift the weight and give you the freedom to rejoice in His great name. Do it! Bro. Joe "36. Incline my heart to thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. 37. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken me in thy way. 38. Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear."
The three verses written above spoke to my heart. What they said to me was that the Psalmist deeply desired a life of substance. He did not want his life to be shallow and vain. This is a good goal for us to consider. In our affluent society it is easy to live a covetous life. First, he wanted his life to be built on the decrees, testimonies, or word of God. He did not want his life to be based on material gain, which comes from a covetous heart. We can really use this advice today. He wanted the testimonies of God to drive his life's decisions. This is one reason why we should spend some time each day in the Bible where we can find many examples of the reward of serving the Lord and many examples of the futility of failing to serve God. Second, he did not want to go through life looking at vain things, things that have no eternal meaning. Most of the things that people really care about today do not amount to a hill of beans in comparison to eternity. The HCSB translates it this way: "Turn my eyes from looking at what is worthless; give me life in your ways." Think of how many worthless things we look at today. We can't live lives of substance if we spend our time observing what is worthless. What we need is to live the way God wills us to live. Third, he wanted what he concentrated on to lead him to greater reverence for God. HCSB: "Confirm what you said to your servant, for it produces reverence for you." He wanted to really hear in his heart what God was saying to him so that he would have greater reverence for God. We will reverence what we concentrate most on. Pay attention to these verses for they can lead you to a life of substance. Bro. Joe "There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, Who rides upon the heaven in thy help, and in His excellency in the sky. 27. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms, and He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say destroy them."
Moses reminds Joshua that he has formidable help in conquering Canaan. In fact, he has eternal help. "Jeshurun" is another name for Israel. Israel's God was on their side and they could win. Take comfort in the fact that God is on your side in your life's struggles. He is not out to defeat you, but to enable you in your endeavors. Believe that God is on your side and that even His discipline is for your benefit. Verse 27 contains one of the most dynamic promises in the Bible: "The eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms." If this was true in Moses' day it is true in our day. We can take refuge in God and forge ahead doing His will. It is a great comfort to me that I have an eternal resource in my life's endeavors. He is also an eternal resource for you in your life's endeavors. Trust your life to the eternal God and forge ahead. And we are reminded that "underneath are the everlasting arms." I just saw the ad on TV that says, "You are in good hands with Allstate." Moses is telling Joshua, and us, that we are in good hands with God. We just need to trust Him, realizing that "underneath are the everlasting arms." The "everlasting arms" are still there for you. I do not know what challenges you are facing in your life, but I do know that you do not have to face them alone. Really believe that God wants the best for you, but you also need to want the best for yourself. Trusting God, you can meet your life's challenges and come out ahead. You can take Moses' word for this, and you can also take the word of those who experience the "everlasting arms" today. Believe that the "everlasting arms" are "underneath" you. Hey, it's in the Bible---believe it. Bro. Joe "And the Lord called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage for you must go with this people unto the land which the Lord has called them; and you shall cause them to inherit it. 8. And the Lord, He is that doth go before you; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee; nether forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed."
Our text is the command that God gave Moses to give to Joshua when he was about lead Israel in to Canaan. First, he told Joshua to be "strong and of a good courage.". He was not to be cowardly and afraid, but was to lead the people with courage. This is a call to us to face our days with courage. I once read that courage is fear that has said its prayers. We go forth in spite of our fears. We should not be ashamed to be afraid, but we should be ashamed to let fear rule our decisions about our lives. Second, he told Joshua that God would go before them, and be with them as He had through their whole journey through the desert. Jesus has promised us that He will not forsake us, and there is no reason for us to suspect that He has gone back on that promise. He is with me as I write this, and with you as you read it. This is a promise that we need to hold close to our hearts; "He will be with thee...." Believe it! Third, he told Joshua: "He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee." I have found this to be true during my years in Christian ministry. There were times when I was tempted to quit, to give it up, but giving up was not an excuse that God gave me when He called me into the ministry. Moses wanted Joshua to know that this journey was not just about him, but about what the Lord was doing with His people. I have told myself many times: "It's not about me." It is also not about you. The Lord Who led Moses and Israel, would still lead them and not forsake them. Israel's journey through the desert should have taught them that. God would not fail or forsake them! I hope that you believe that this is true in your life. Fourth, he told Joshua to "fear not, neither be dismayed." "Dismay" is defined in my Webster Dictionary as to "lose courage and resolution." I can look back over my own failures and see the shadow of dismay. Satan says, "Why don't you just give it up. You are hopeless and these people are hopeless." In God's service that is always a lie straight out of hell. Satan wants us to be dismayed, but God has called us to be resolute with a strong backbone and to not give up. Have you felt like quitting lately? God did not tell you to quit. It was Satan trying to dismay you. Moses knew that if Joshua became dismayed, he would not lead the people strongly. It is also true of us, that when we give in to dismay, we will not be resolute in our faith. We should also remember that dismay is not caused by God. I think that you will agree that this is a good message for us today. Take it to heart! Bro. Joe “Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope.”
The Greek word that is normally translated as hope, and is true of our text, is “elpis” and it means to have a great expectation of something that is certain. We usually use the word “hope” to mean something like, “Gosh, I hope so and so happens, but it might not.” The basis of our hope should be certain – not maybe. In the beginning of his letter to Timothy, Paul wrote of “Christ Jesus” as our “hope.” Jesus is the real eternal basis for our hope. I love the opening words of the old hymn, The Solid Rock: “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” I’m not sure what a “sweetest frame” is, but I think it is something, or someone, in this world that we might lean on instead of Jesus. I’m not saying that there is nothing in this world to lean on. What I am saying is that the basis of our hope, and the One to whom we should entrust all of life and all of eternity to is Jesus Christ. This is what Paul meant in 1 Timothy 1:1 and what I mean when I ask you what is the basis of your hope? If your hope is built on anything less than Jesus, you are leaning on a weak hope. There is no other basis of hope that has lived from “everlasting to everlasting,” gave up a home in heaven, died on the cross to save you from sin, arose the third day, ascended to the “right hand of the Father,” is making intercession for you and has promised to return to take you home to heaven. (Wow, that was a long sentence.) Some people put their hope in politics. Be sure that I have my political opinions and I could bore you to death for hours discussing them, but my hope is not in politics. I have lived long enough (from FDR to DT) to know that politics is too tenuous to be a basis of hope. Who is in control in Washington is too tenuous to be a basis for hope. I have seen the political spectrum switch from “pillar to post” in my years on this earth. We Americans are really fickle when it comes to who is to be in control in Washington. We will try one party for eight years and then try another - ad infinitum. You can be deliriously happy that your candidate won, but the years will go by and the delirium will turn to dismay, then the other party will be in control. I just can’t put my hope in politics. I read a lot about politics and there are people on all ends of the spectrum who really and truly put their hope there, but I don’t want to be one of them. I do not want my hope to be on something that the fickleness of human beings can destroy. We will just live our lives, and be happy or grin and bear it, until the next election. Politics cannot take the place of Jesus. Some people put their hope in their bank accounts. That’s why some rich people committed suicide at the beginning of “the Great Depression” in 1929. They just could not take not being rich. Hey, I want my fair share, so to speak, but I can’t put my hope in it. There are any number of things that can serve as the basis of your hope, but if the basis of your hope is not Jesus, you are leaning on something, or someone, that is a poor basis for hope. If Jesus is not your hope, put your faith in Him now, and trust Him here and for all eternity. Do it! Bro. Joe "That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, that thou mayest obey His voice and that thou mayest cleave unto Him, for He is thy life, and the length of thy days, that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham to Isaac, and to Jacob to give them."
I saw in this challenge that Moses gave to the Israelites prior to their entering Canaan, a good challenge for us to accept in our commitment to God. The first challenge is to "love the Lord thy God." This seems like a no-brainer, but we need to ask ourselves if we really love God? We say that we love Him, but do our lives show that we love Him. Do we spend time talking to Him in prayer? Do we spend time worshipping Him? Do we spend time reading His word? Does our stewardship of time, talent and money reflect that we really love Him? If we love the Lord, do our lives reflect that love? The second challenge is to "obey His voice." Does the way you live your life show that you obey Him? Do you obey His command to witness to other people? Do you obey His command to give at least a tithe of your income? Do you obey His command to assemble with His people in worship. Does the way you treat people reflect that you obey God in human relationships? Do you obey His command to love other people whether they love your or not? In what ways does your lifestyle reveal your obedience to God? The third challenge is to "cleave (cling) unto Him." What do you cling to in order to have hope in life? Do you go immediately to God in prayer when you meet the challenges of life? Do you really believe that when you call upon Him that He hears you and will answer you? Do you cling to Him the first thing in the morning as you face life, and do you cling to Him before you go to sleep at night, expecting Him to care for you and your family? Do your cling to Him in faith when you come across the challenges of your life? Let's accept the challenge to really love God, to obey Him and to cling to Him. if you are already doing these things, can you do a better job of it? Accept the challenge. |
AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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