ear – Praying Pint

46.w. “Wilderness” – 11.b. “He who planted the ear, does he not hear?”

Num 12:1  Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the LORD heard it.

Psalms 94:7-9   and they say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.”  Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise?  He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?

Ezekiel 35:12-13   And you magnified yourselves against me with your mouth, and multiplied your words against me; I heard it.

Of course, God heard it. God always does, and He hears according to truth, not according to mere appearance. Miriam and Aaron accused Moses of pride, the very same sin that motivated them to make the accusation. (Guzik)

The patience of Moses was tried in his own family, as well as by the people. The pretence was, that he had married a foreign wife; but probably their pride was hurt, and their envy stirred up, by his superior authority. Opposition from our near relations, and from religious friends, is most painful. But this is to be looked for, and it will be well if in such circumstances we can preserve the gentleness and meekness of Moses. We have reason to be afraid of saying or doing any thing against the servants of God. And those are presumptuous indeed who are not afraid to speak evil of His servants. (Henry)

Do you ever truly think about the thoughts that you allow to occupy time in your mind? Do you ever truly believe God is able to hear these thoughts? What kind of thoughts do you allow that are because you are being influenced by news outlets, social media, and other sources? Surely you might not say out loud these base thoughts but you allow them to run their course though your mind. Now what do you think will happen if these thoughts are given just enough time to take root in your heart? What kind of watering will it take to grow these thoughts into words or actions? What seeds of discourse and discontentment will come from the fruit of these thoughts?

Remember this:

God knows every thought that you allow to fester and grow in your mind.
Neglect of God’s Word makes you complacent and affects your thought life.
Being complacent toward things of God leads toward paths of self-reliance, self-approval, self-worth, etc….
Every word spoken and every action taken begins with our thoughts.
God knows your thoughts.
God hears your words.
God sees your actions.
Nothing is hidden from God.

How are you to recognize good thoughts from bad thoughts? Is it not by knowing, understanding, and applying God’s Word? What manner of person should you be in light of who God is? What thoughts are allowed into your mind because you have become complacent and neglectful of the Word of God and the Things of God? What would your life be like if the Word of God and Things of God were permeating every space in your heart and mind?

Oh, that our minds would be soft to hear the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit on this. I fear that we allow too much of the things of this world to influence our thought lives. Can you imagine talking to someone and they said; “I read this verse in the bible today” when speaking in a normal conversation, rather than; “did you hear what is in the news”, or “Did you see what was on the news today”, or “I saw this posted on social media”?

Our thought life reflects our true commitment to God’s Word and the Things of God.

“He who planted the ear, does he not hear?” “He who formed the eye, does he not see?”

34.f. “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.”

Matthew 24:15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

Daniel 10:12-14   Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.  The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia,  and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.”

Hebrews 2:1    Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

Revelation 1:3     Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

Revelation 3:22    He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Mark 13:20    And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.

Romans 11:25-31    Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

For centuries, there was only a small Jewish presence in Judea and Jerusalem. Their presence in the region was definite, and continuous, but small. It was unthinkable that this weak Jewish presence could rebuild a temple. Therefore the fulfillment of this prophecy was highly unlikely until Israel was gathered again as a nation in 1948. The restoration of a nation that the world had not seen for some 2,000 years is a remarkable event in the fulfillment and future fulfillment of prophecy. Through the centuries, the most common interpretive approach to the predictions Jesus made in this chapter is to see them all or mostly all fulfilled in the great destruction that came upon Jerusalem and Judea in A.D. 70. This approach is attractive in some ways, especially in that it makes the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:34 easy to understand. Yet the approach that sees this chapter as all or mostly all fulfilled in A.D. 70 is completely inadequate in its supposed fulfillment of the abomination of desolation. In this approach, the abomination of desolation is almost always understood to be the Roman armies or the ensigns they carried. Yet when we understand the importance and what is said about this event – the abomination of desolation – we must give priority to this event, even more than the easiest interpretation. Taking these passages in their most plain meaning, the abomination of desolation cannot be the Roman armies or the ensigns they marched under; it cannot be totalitarian governments or any other conjecture. The abomination of desolation must be some kind of image of the Antichrist set in an actual temple, and is the decisive sign for the end. This means that for the most part, Jesus’ predictions in Matthew 24 have not been fulfilled; or at least that the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 was a foreshadowing fulfillment, even as the desecration of the temple under Antiochus Epiphanies was a foreshadowing of the ultimate abomination of desolation. (Guzik)

The preceding verses foretold the signs of the destruction of Jerusalem, that is, the circumstances which were to be the forerunners and attendants of that great event: we now proceed to those verses which respect what happened during the siege, and after it. Never was a prophecy more punctually fulfilled: and it will tend to confirm our faith in the gospel to trace the particulars. Daniel’s expression is, The abomination that maketh desolate. By which term is intended the desolating Roman armies with their standards. To every legion was a golden eagle with expanded wings, grasping a thunderbolt. These eagles, with the standards of the cohorts, ten in each legion, were objects of worship among the Romans, and therefore were an abomination to the Jews. We learn from Josephus, that after the city was taken, the Romans brought their ensigns into the temple, and placed them over against the eastern gate, and there sacrificed to them. Let them flee as fast as they can from the fortified cities and populous towns into the wilderness, where they will be secure. This important advice the Christians remembered and wisely followed, and were preserved. It is remarkable, that after the Romans, under Cestius Gallus, made their first advance toward Jerusalem, they suddenly withdrew again, in a most unexpected and impolitic manner. “This conduct of the Roman general,” says Macknight, “so contrary to all the rules of prudence, was doubtless brought to pass by the providence of God, who interposed in this manner for the deliverance of the disciples of his Son.” For, at this juncture, the Christians, considering it as a signal to retire, left Jerusalem, and removed to Pella and other places beyond the river Jordan, so that they all marvellously escaped the general ruin of their country, and we do not read anywhere that so much as one of them perished. Of such signal service was this caution of our Lord to his followers! (Benson)

The meaning of this is, when you see the Roman armies standing in the holy city or encamped around the temple, or the Roman ensigns or standards in the temple. Josephus relates that when the city was taken, the Romans brought their idols into the temple, and placed them over the eastern gate, and sacrificed to them there. (Barnes)

Now our Lord observes, that when they should see the Roman armies encompassing Jerusalem, with their ensigns flying, and these abominations on them, they might conclude its desolation was near at hand; and he does not so much mean his apostles, who would be most of them dead, or in other countries, when this would come to pass; but any of his disciples and followers, or any persons whatever, by whom should be seen this desolating abomination. when therefore this that Daniel, under a spirit of prophecy, spoke of should be seen, standing in the holy place; near the walls, and round about the holy city Jerusalem, so called from the sanctuary and worship of God in it; and which, in process of time, stood in the midst of it, and in the holy temple, and destroyed both; then whoso readeth, let him understand: that is, whoever then reads the prophecy of Daniel; will easily understand the meaning of it, and will see and know for certain, that now it is accomplished; and will consider how to escape the desolating judgment, unless he is given up to a judicial blindness and hardness of heart; which was the case of the greater part of the nation. (Gill)

Among the many explanation; of this passage which have been offered, two only seem worthy of consideration. (1) The desolating abomination is referred to the Roman armies encamped around Jerusalem (Luke 21:20), of which the symbol was the legionaries’ eagles, regarded with reverence by the soldiers. But in opposition to this view it may be said, if the holy place, without the article, signifies the Holy Land, then the presence of the Latin forces would be no new sign to the Jewish people, as they had been familiar with such a sight for many years. If the temple itself is meant, it is plain that it would be too late to fly from that doomed city when the Roman eagles were already in the hallowed courts. (2) The alternative interpretation, which has seemed to many more probable, explains it of the sanguinary deeds of the Zealots, who, after the war had been carried on for some years, seized the temple, put a stop to the daily sacrifice, deluged the sacred courts with blood, and were guilty of most hideous crimes and excesses, which, as Josephus testifies, were the immediate cause of the city’s, ruin (see Josephus, ‘Bell. Jud.,’ 4:03, 7, etc.; 5:1, 2; 6:3; 5:9, 4; 6:2; and Wordsworth’s note on this ver. 15). The presence and acts of these ruffians were to be the signal for the escape of the Christians. I must confess that neither of these explanations satisfies me. (unknown)

I realize this has been a rather long read, but I want you to see the various thoughts/interpretations that have surfaced through the last 300 years. I do not claim to understand this fully as these who have historical reference and understanding. It is important to note that other than the first reference by (Guzik) the other bible scholars had not known of the 1948 event where the Jewish nation returned. I have to think these older scholars would have expounded greatly on this fact and it could explain some of the differences if not some of the confusion.

The key for me is “Let the reader understand”, for this verse and others like it, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” We will do well to read and listen for the enlightening guide of the Holy Spirit in our lives so that we rightly divide the Word of Truth and are able to rightly apply it with a willing heart that seeks and desires to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we think, say, and do.

33.m. “For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy”

Matthew 15:25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Ephesians 2:12    remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Daniel 9:18    O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.

Psalms 145:19    He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.

The woman responded with great faith. She admitted her low estate, and did not debate the issue when Jesus called her one of the little dogs. She did not demand to be seen as a child; but only to be blessed as a dog. Her response is especially meaningful in light of the increasing rejection of Jesus by the Jewish religious leaders. It was as if the woman said, “I’m not asking for the portion that belongs to the children, just the crumbs that they don’t want.” In the flow of Matthew’s gospel, there was more and more that the Jewish religious establishment did not want to receive. These were two faith-filled words: Yet even. She accepted Jesus’ description and asked for mercy despite it – or perhaps because of it. (Guzik)

Take note that the mother prayed “Help me”. Her daughter was afflicted and we would think the prayer would be “Help my daughter”, but this woman, distressed about her daughter, has heard of this Jesus who healed many, and more than likely has attempted every worldly remedy for her condition has taken on this burden of her daughter as her own. It is good for us to continually ask the Lord to help us, as we take from a night’s sleep, as we set out on our day, as we walk into work or other destinations, as we read His Word, as we try to understand and apply His purpose in our lives, and I have to imagine many of us do this more often than not. But, to love and care so deeply for a person that our prayer would seem empty if asked “Help my child” instead of “Help me”, is a one that both shows great love and great faith. To carry the burden of another person so deep in our heart that our prayer is for our help is hard for me to understand even though it is very clear this is just what this mother did. It does bring a scripture to mind; “Love your neighbor as yourself”. We do well to seek this type of love to permeate out of our thoughts, words, and actions as we live to honor and glorify Jesus Christ.

33.k. “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Matthew 15:10 And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

Isaiah 55:3    Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live;

Titus 1:15    To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.

Isaiah 60:21   Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified.

Isaiah 56:10   His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge; they are all silent dogs; they cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.

Isaiah 28:9-10   “To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast?  For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”

Proverbs 10:32   The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse

Jeremiah 17:9   The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Revelation 21:27   But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

In the heart and mind of every person resides the root of their intents. Lust, anger, hate, envy, lies, gossiping, selfishness, self-worthiness, and self-reliance seeds are planted, rooted, watered, cultivated, and harvested within the heart and mind and manifest in thoughts, words, and actions that reveal a person’s path in this life. When the gospel of Jesus Christ is rejected the fertile ground within our hearts and minds will raise and harvest crops that do not honor and glorify Jesus Christ. When the Word of God is rejected and neglected the harvest is surely not God-honoring or glorifying.

We don’t have to be around people very long to see what is planted and being harvested within their hearts and mind. Their words and actions reveal their intended harvest. How is a person to know what it is that is planted, growing, and being harvested from within their hearts and minds? The Word of God will lay wide open a person’s heart and mind, exposing the thoughts, intents, and actions stemming from within. Without the Word of God it is clear – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Human discernment apart from God’s Word will never understand the thoughts and intents of the heart. Their understanding is blind and deaf because there is nothing planted from which good crops can be harvested in either thoughts, words, or actions. Oh, they can do good things according to cultural and social norms, but the intent is self-serving, not God-honoring and glorifying. People will blindly accept their life without God in it and give no thought to their eternal destination. As they age and approach the time in their life where death is closer than their birth, they may give some thought to death and eternity. They may ask themselves; where is my eternal destination? Are heaven and hell real? Have I been good enough to be allowed into heaven? These questions all reveal a heart and mind that has never humbly repented, surrendered, believed in, and trust Jesus Christ for their forgiveness, redemption, and salvation. The good news is that it is never too late, nor is a person too old, nor is a person too unforgivable. Jesus Christ came into the world to save the sinners. He died on the cross, bearing all their sins so that they might have eternal life if they would just humbly repent, surrender, believe, trust, and rely on His sacrifice alone and apart from any good works they may have done. It is in this humble repentance, surrender, belief, trust, and reliance in Jesus Christ that a person is born again and eternal life promised. These lost souls will find rest for their souls and peace of mind for their hearts.

I have seen the intents of the hearts and minds of “Christians” revealed in their words and actions. We are not immune to the seeds of destruction being planted, rooted, and harvested in our lives. These seed thoughts are being planted all the time by what we read, what we watch, what we are exposed to, and what we allow to reside in our hearts and minds. Paul addressed this very clearly when he said; “take every thought captive”. We are to be able to discern what is right, holy, good, pure, and acceptable. How can this be if we neglect and become complacent with the Word of God? God’s Word is the seed, fertilizer, and water for all that is right, true, holy, good, and acceptable. Discernment is a result of desiring and seeking God’s Word with the intentional choice to know what is right, true, good, pure, holy, and acceptable for the single purpose of being able to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we say, think, and do.

Do you want to discern what is in your heart, continually expose it to God’s Word with an expectant mind that God will reveal it. David had such a heart – “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

22.n. Continuation of Saturday’s devotion – I His Word only

1 corinthians 12:15 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

22.c. “Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom”

1 Corinthians 2:6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

Do you ever wonder who the “among the mature” is referring to? Some may argue that it is related to age. Others would say saved and unsaved or mature and immature believers. Paul did use mature in Ephesians and Philippians as believers who had grown from the elementary concepts of salvation, redemption, and forgiveness to personal application and food for everyday growth, understanding, and knowledge in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. These mature would grow in discernment (wisdom) and understanding. In this, the mature would understand the world and culture they lived in and how it was always trying to draw them away from honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ. They would clearly see the separation from things of God and things of this world. They would discern what was proper and right for their soul. The immature (baby) Christian would put anything into its mouth and would follow after anything that was pleasing to the flesh. The immature would be easily swayed toward things that were not God-honoring. Ignorance does not exempt them from the expectation of growth in their life.

The Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not the end of wisdom but rather the beginning of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, power, grace, love, mercy, courage, strength, joy, and peace.

21. “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”

Psalm 34:11 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Proverbs 4:1   Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight,

2 Timothy 3:15    and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Proverbs 8:17    I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.

Isaiah 28:9   “To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message?

Proverbs 22:6    Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Ecclesiastes 12:1   Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”;

Ecclesiastes 11:9-10   Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.  Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.

Psalms 32:8   I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Psalms 111:10   The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.

Proverbs 1:7    The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 2:1-9     My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you,  making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;  yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,  if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,  then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.  For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;  he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,  guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.  Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path;

Think about how much time we invest in learning in our modern society. We begin with one year of kindergarten, then twelve years of graded school, then four years of college, then up to five years of graduate school. Then, for some professions, like the medical field, there are three to seven more years of specialty training. Some people spend twenty years or more learning because education is valuable and usually contributes to greater success in life. But how often do we think about learning to fear the Lord? That is, do we consider growing deeper and deeper in our relationship with Him as a “curriculum” of sorts? A curriculum that lasts a lifetime? This was a common theme in the nation of Israel. Citizens of Israel were expected to be taught how to fear the Lord—how to honor Him, trust Him, love Him, worship Him, and more. And the main vehicle for that learning was the Word of God—the words of His law (Deuteronomy 31:12-13). When you read and study your Bible, think of it as learning to fear the Lord—a curriculum that lasts a lifetime. (David Jeremiah)

It is foolish to think a person could or would become a doctor, lawyer, electrician, plumber, engineer, teacher, or another profession, by the mere fact of stating that you are. To become one of any of these requires an intentional choice to begin to learn, continue to learn, and gain the knowledge and understanding and the necessary and on-going skills to apply it. People are tested and certified as competent and given licenses to practice in various fields of study and vocation. Some specialize and become experts in a particular vein of their field of study. It all takes time, commitment, and dedication. Some may even commit to continual learning in their field until the day they die. This commitment and dedication are viewed as having been beneficial to society in some way, either to the whole or to a group, as in an engineer who works for a company that designs and builds medical equipment, or a lawyer who works for a firm that defends the rights of the abused, or a teacher/professor who instructs on a particular requirement for a degree, etc…. They have committed to having an impact in others’ lives by their commitment to knowledge and understanding in their field of expertise.

Oh that it was so with Christians, where continual commitment, dedication, and seeking to understand and gain knowledge of how to live to honor, glorify, follow, trust, rely and obey God all of their days. When people commit to a job or profession they start by learning precept upon precept and continue this process until they have achieved the minimum requirements to gain certification or licensure. Too often Christians believe they have obtained the minimum requirements to gain eternal life and they stop their dedication and commitment to gaining understanding and knowledge of God. How foolish would it be for a person to think that after completing kindergarten that they have learned it all and there is no longer any more understanding or knowledge to be gained? Yet, some Christians believe this to be true. Likewise, how foolish would it be to graduate from college after 4-8 years of study and then not continue to grow, learn, and stay on top of new developments within their field? And, even more, foolish is the person who does not apply or make any effort to apply the knowledge and understanding they have taken the time to gain. To end our lives in a state of neglect and complacency toward understanding and knowledge of God is to enter eternity with disregard for God and Jesus Christ His Son. Don’t end your life with this disregard. Spend time in His Word. Seek and desire to know more and more about how to honor, glorify, worship, follow, trust, and obey Him. Certainly, The creator of all there is, is worthy of all we have and all we do.

19.q. “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked”

Romans 6:21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

Proverbs 1:30    Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.

Proverbs 5:13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors.

Jeremiah 17:10     “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Romans 1:32  Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Galatians 6:7-8    Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.  For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

The fruit of disregard, disobedience, indifference, and careless neglect of God, God’s Word, and things of God will fill the stomach of the hungering soul of the self-serving, self-worthy, and self-reliant. In their heart, they feed on that which is pleasing to themselves without a single thought of God’s ways. They determine within their own minds what is an acceptable and right way to live. The driving force behind every decision is to bring pleasure and satisfaction and purpose to themselves. They can appear to be good people and have others’ best interests behind their motives. Yet deep down there is no thought of God, God’s Word, or things of God. They are slaves to sin, their sinful nature, and to worldly passions. Paul sends this letter to Roman Christians and tells them; “What fruit did you reap while you were pleasing the desires of your sinful nature? You know very well that since you have come to the saving grace knowledge of Jesus Christ you became aware of how much you were enslaved to sin and when you look back at how you were living, you see it clearly and are ashamed of how selfish, self-reliant, self-worthy, and self-righteous you were.”

It is very hard to tell a slave to live like a free man, but certainly, you can tell a free man to keep from living as a slave. We should not revert back to sinful thoughts and actions. We have been set free from the bondage of sin. We have been set free to live to honor and glorify Jesus Christ. We have been set free to rely on, cling to, and trust in Jesus Christ. We have been set free to find purpose and satisfaction in Jesus Christ. We have been set free to find peace, hope, and joy in Jesus Christ. We have been set free to know the difference between things of God and things of this world. It is in this freedom we choose what master we will serve. We have been set free and we would do well to ask God every morning to expose what He sees in our heart that is not pleasing or honoring to Him, and to lead us on single-purpose paths away from sin and toward bringing Him honor and glory.

13.b. ‘The Lord Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.’”

Zechariah 1:1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo: “The Lord was very angry with your ancestors. Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the Lord. Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live forever? But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your ancestors? “Then they repented and said, ‘The Lord Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.’”

Jeremiah 11:6-8    And the LORD said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: Hear the words of this covenant and do them.  For I solemnly warned your fathers when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, Obey my voice.  Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.”

Jeremiah 13:9-10    This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing.

Jeremiah 26:5     and to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently, though you have not listened,

Jeremiah 36:23-24   As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot.  Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid,

Jeremiah 44:16    “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you.

Job 21:14-15    They say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of your ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?’

Psalms 73:8-9    They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.  They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.

There are to responses that can be given to warnings from God. One is; Turning away from the way you are living and turning toward and following after God. The second is; not listening, not hearing, refusing to hear, not being afraid, or fearing God. There are those that are active in their defiance and denial of God. They actively oppose, resist, subvert, and openly disregard God. Then there are people who are passive in their walk with God. They are inactive, nonparticipating, uninvolved, and dormant. In this passive state, they walk around indifferent, unmoved, unresponsive, and unconcerned. Passivity in our walk with God is very dangerous. It will come into our lives unseen and slowly rob us of the joy, peace, and rest that can only be found in and through an active walk with Jesus Christ. Do you ever wonder what warnings God might give to draw the unbeliever and the passive toward Himself? Could He cause a worldwide pandemic? Could He cause confusion and fear? Could He cause division and hatred? What will take to hear the warnings and call of return to Him?

7.p. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.

Revelation 13:1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear: If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

Think of all of the ruthless, charismatic, cruel, and cultic rulers there have been over the course of history. Some of these are recent and some more distant. One thing is for sure they despise God and think of themselves as “god-like”. The antichrist will rise to power through Satan and he will be worshiped by the masses. He will persecute those Christians who have come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ during the tribulation period. He will kill many but he will also take great pleasure in tormenting them physically, financially, and mentally. He will do supernatural things so that multitudes of people we flock to Him. He will have a way of convincing people to follow Him and allow how he is treating Christians.

This will not be a time you would want to live through and most definitely would not want this to be what opens your heart to the message of Jesus Christ. Now is the time to repent and come to Him. Now is the time of salvation. Now is the time to live for Him. Seek and desire Him more than the things that are keeping yours for giving Him your whole heart, mind, and soul.