EddieHolmes.com

Youthful and Fruitful

Eddie — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 15:21:51 +0000

The righteous flourish like the palm tree
       and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
   They are planted in the house of the LORD;
       they flourish in the courts of our God.
   They still bear fruit in old age;
       they are ever full of sap and green,
   to declare that the LORD is upright;
       he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
(Psalm 92:12-15 ESV)

Have you noticed over the years the media drives the desire of people to be youthful; this facial creme, this exercise plan, this supplement, etc.?

The Lord desires that we serve Him for as long as we live. Even in our old age, believers have the privilege of obeying God and ministering to other people — sometimes in ways a younger person us unable to.

As always, God’s Word can supply us with insight into the attitudes and actions that keep Christians productive and young at heart.

In verse 12, note the righteous (godly) are compared to the palm tree and the cedar tree. Other points to meditate on:

“flourish in the courts of our God” (v. 12) – the godly will enjoy a close relationship with the Father.
“bears fruit in old age” (v. 14) – growing Christians serve the Lord all their days.
“They will stay fresh and green” (v. 14) – believers should be actively and creatively serving the Lord.

So how do we stay youthful and fruitful all our days? Here are some suggestions:

Keep Learning – acquire new skills or knowledge that stimulates our minds.

Keep Loving – having caring relationships with spouse, family or friends are more likely to stay young at heart. (If your spouse is deceased, deepen or broaden relationships with other family members.)

Keep Laughing – (Proverbs 15:13: “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.”) A healthy sense of humor gives our life a sense of vitality.

Keep Leaving – (1 Peter 5:7: “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”) It is important to keep leaving our burdens (pains of the past, sins, emotional baggage) with the Lord.

The Lord desires for us to be fun-loving, life-giving people that others enjoy knowing. We can choose to grow old early or remain youthful all our days. Listen to the God’s voice and obey Him in every situation.

A Believer’s Attitude Toward Evil – Part Two

Eddie — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 13:56:00 +0000

This is the second installment on this topic adapted from “The Cross of Christ,” by John R. W. Stott

Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. (Romans 12:9 NIV)

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. (Romans 12:17 ESV)

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21 NIV)

For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good…They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. (Romans 13:4 NIV)

It appears that these verses clearly define what our Christian attitude to evil should be:

1) Evil is to be hated. God hates evil because his love is holy love; we must hate it too.

2) Evil is not to be repaid. Revenge and retaliation are absolutely forbidden to the people of God. Instead we are to do what is right.

3) Evil is to be overcome. Hating evil is one thing; refusing to repay it is still another. It is still better to overcome/conquer it. A few verses prior to verse 21, namely verse 14, Paul wrote “Bless those who persecute you.” In verse 20 he writes, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him.” Clear echoes of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). This is how evil is conquered. The supreme example of this is the cross!

4) Evil is to be punished. Stott points out if we stop with the first three we will be very much out of balance. In these passages and their context we are instructed to not avenge ourselves, God will do that. We are told to NOT repay anyone evil for evil; God will repay. Vengeance and retaliation is God’s prerogative, not ours.

How does God punish evil? …next time.

A Believer’s Attitude Toward Evil – Part One

Eddie — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 13:34:18 +0000

The following is adapted from “The Cross of Christ,” by John R. W. Stott

I could not resist sharing this with whomever visit this page. It is rich and “right-on.” The same could be said for the entire book! I enthusiastically commend it to the reader!

Does the cross of Christ commit us to a non-violent acceptance of all violence?
Does it invalidate the process of criminal justice and the so-called just war?
Does it prohibit the use of every kind of force, so that it would incompatible for a Christian to be a soldier, police officer, magistrate or prison officer?

We turn to Romans 12 and 13 for our answers. Our answers to these questions do not come from the wisdom of humanity for there is a buffet selection of answers presented there and one is left confused. Our authority is from God’s very Word!

The first eleven chapters have seen Paul unpack God’s mercy both in giving his Son to die for us and in how he has graced us with full salvation by that death. With that said, what should be our response?

Present our bodies to God — a living sacrifice. With renewed minds we are to discern and do his will (12:1-2).
Be level-headed in our thinking about ourselves; not flattering nor despising ourselves (12:3)
Love each other, using God-given gifts to serve each other and living together in harmony and humility (12:4-13, 15-16)
Bless our persecutors and do good to our enemies.

So when God’s mercies envelop us, it will transform our relationships: we obey God, understand ourselves, love one another and serve our enemies. Reflect on the life of Christ Jesus in all these areas!

The focus of the next several posts will be concerning the fourth relationship. We assume there will be opposition from non-believers. The cross is a stumbling-block to unbelievers for it is an offer of salvation that involves no aspect of human effort and is simply and undeserved gift. The command to love God and neighbor leaves no room for self-love (that’s a tough one!). The call to take up our cross seems threatening. All of these arouse opposition from the unbelieving world to Christ and His Gospel.

You have people who persecute you (Romans 12:14), who do “evil” to you (Romans 12:17), who may even be labeled an “enemy” (Romans 12:20).

What should our attitude be? ….next time.

Majesty…Father Almighty…Maker….Saviour

Eddie — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:43:41 +0000

The following are excerpts from chapter 23, “The Open Secret”, in The Knowledge of the Holy, by A.W. Tozer

“But the God we must see is not the utilitarian God who is having such a run of popularity today, whose chief claim to men’s attention is His ability to bring them success in their various undertakings and who for that reason is being cajoled and flattered by everyone who wants a favor. The God we must learn to know is the Majesty in the heavens, God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, the only wise God our Saviour.

“Knowledge of such a Being cannot be gained by study alone. It comes by a wisdom the natural man knows nothing of, neither can know, because it is spiritually discerned. To know God is at once the easiest and the most difficult thing in the world. It is easy because the knowledge is not won by hard mental toil, but is something freely given”…”But this knowledge is difficult because there are conditions to be met and the obstinate nature of fallen man does not take kindly to them.”

See the the chapter for the details of the conditions to which Tozer refers. I present the introductory statements with these conditions which “as taught by the Bible and repeated through the centuries by the holiest, sweetest saints the world has ever known:”

We must forsake our sins. The belief that a holy God cannot be known by men of confirmed evil lives is not new to the Christian religion.
There must be an utter committal of the whole life to Christ in faith. This is what it means to “believe in Christ.”
There must be a reckoning of ourselves to have died unto sin and to be alive unto God in Christ Jesus, followed by a throwing open of the entire personality to the inflow of the Holy Spirit.
We must boldly repudiate the cheap values of the fallen world and become completely detached in spirit from everything that unbelieving men set their hearts upon, allowing ourselves on the simplest enjoyments of nature which God has bestowed alike upon the just and the unjust.
We must practice the art of long and loving meditation upon the majesty of God. This will take some effort, for the concept of majesty has all but disappeared from the human race.

Tozer closes the chapter and book with this statement: “There is a glorified Man on the right hand of the Majesty in heaven faithfully representing us there. We are left for a season among men; let us faithfully represent Him here.”

Oh, Father, with the time I have remaining here, let me faithfully represent you!

In Everything Give Thanks

Eddie — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 15:40:36 +0000

Have you ever come across a passage in the Bible and wondered, “Could God really mean that?” Like, “present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice” (Romans 12:1), or “let love be without hypocrisy” (Romans 12:9), or “Children obey your parents” (Ephesians 6:9), or how about “Bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). Does God really mean what he says? Well either He means what He says in these undisputed passages or we can’t trust him with passages pertinent to salvation, heaven or hell! Here is another passage:

“give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV)

This is a tough one! One, I am still learning.

“You mean I’m suppose to give thanks if…

my marriage is falling apart?
my bank account is zapped?
I’m constantly chomping at the bits with the dead-heads I work with?
people are spreading false rumors about me??

…there is no “except” in the passage.

Let’s look at the passage carefully:

“give thanks” – in the original language this is a present imperative, simply meaning this is a command to make it a habit to give thanks. The work “thanks” means to show gratitude. In other words friends, this is a mandated lifestyle of a believer, even if I don’t feel like it.

We need to make this a part of our worship experience. It should be evident in our family life: children thankful for their parents, parents thankful for their children, husband grateful for his wife, wife thankful for her husband. We should be thankful for our jobs. If I take this passage for face value it means I should be thankful even if I have abusive, negligent parents, children who are walking terrors, a wife that nags and complains, a husband that takes advantage of me, and a boss who always ridicules my work.

This is about giving thanks in spite of our feelings. It seems we feel we have to have a bubbling brook of gratitude in our soul if we are to be genuinely thankful. However, that is not the case. We to be obedient: give thanks in everything!

So how is this possible? Giving thanks is based on God’s perfect wisdom. God understands how an attitude of gratitude can influence our lives and those around us. There are three things that are true when we choose to give thanks. It is a choice:

It keeps us aware of God’s presence as we sense our helplessness. We are not alone! He is with us! Our problems are His too!!
We are more sensitive to His work of redemption in the midst of our trials. We have His help, His presence, we can bring our troubles to Him. He is there to listen, comfort, and strengthen us.
We’re motivated to seek His purpose for our problems. We may not realize why we are having troubles and trials in the next day or two. It may be months or years. But we must trust Him that He has a purpose and He will show us one day. God delights in us trusting Him!! He gets the glory for it!!

Giving thanks because God is working out His plan in our lives. Nothing can thwart His plan. Recall the story of how Joseph was sold into slavery and he later told his brothers, the perpetrators, “You meant it for evil, God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).

God is bending our will toward His will. His will is best for our lives. As we learn submission, we are demonstrating our faith in and to God’s Word. This helps our will mesh with His!

We are also reminded of His sufficiency. We completely depend on Him as He alone can deliver us from our troubles.

As we give thanks we are recognizing and affirming His control. Our times, our successes and our failures are all in His hand–within His master plan.

Finally, giving thanks strengthens our trust in God. It is the most difficult when we don’t understand the reasons for our pain and affliction. It does become the highest expression of trust when we don’t have the answers. Let’s stand firm in our faith. He will hear and help in His time.

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 ESV)

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble (Psalm 107:1-2 ESV)

Not to Us Oh Lord

Eddie — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:04:14 +0000

Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! (Psalm 115:1 ESV)

After reading this passage, my mind thinks of how many times I am tempted to seek the glory. Now I try at times to convince myself that it is for the Lord whom I serve. But, as Jeremiah says, my “heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it?” When I intently investigate, there are times when it becomes apparent that it is for selfish reasons I do some of the things I do!

This passage brings humility back into my life and mind. The psalmist said it twice: “not to us, O LORD, not to us.” Oh my! That is how I feel right now. Lord, if not for your steadfast love and your faithfulness where would I be? Your name, O Lord, I give glory for all that is ever accomplished through me. It is all about YOU!

Don’t You Care?

Eddie — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 12:31:08 +0000

Jesus Calms a Storm
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:35-41 ESV)

This is one of those events in the life of Jesus we remember from childhood. The account of Jesus in the boat asleep when a storm comes up and terrifies the disciples. Matthew and Luke also carry this account, but Mark includes a statement the disciples made to Jesus that the other two writers did not include. They asked Jesus, “do you not care…?” Oh, there have been storms occur in my life and at times I wondered if the Lord even cared that this was happening to me. But He did care and He did get me through the storm. I ask myself, “Why didn’t the disciples get Jesus sooner? Why did they wait until it appeared they would capsize?” They were probably like me in my storms: “I can tough it out!” “I can handle it!”

“Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more,
Till the clouds roll forever from the sky;
Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand,
Keep me safe till the storm passes by.”

Knowing God’s Will – A Matter of Enviornment

Eddie — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 14:44:42 +0000

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, (Colossians 1:9 ESV)

So Paul’s prayer passion for the Colossian church was asking God that they may be filled with the knowledge of His will, in an environment of spiritual wisdom and understanding. Here is how it breaks out:

To know God’s will for my life I must have His mind about my life.
Knowing God’s mind about my life must come from spiritual resources.
Those resources will operate effectively based on the environment I place myself in.

We must place ourselves in an environment of spiritual wisdom and understanding in order to tap into the resources which will allow me to have the mind of Christ that will fill me with the knowledge of God’s will. Where is that environment of spiritual wisdom and understanding? We must make it! Examples:

A personal time alone with the Lord.
Being in regular worship and under sound, Biblical preaching.
Be Biblically trained in practical living.

If we look carefully enough we’ll probably find that our churches offer such an environment. However, since we can’t be there all the time, we must make that environment happen in other places and ways:

In the car, going to work or school. What do you listen to on the radio or CD? Is it an environment of spiritual wisdom and understanding? If you have older children in the car, do you lead them to develop such an environment from time to time?
That personal time with the Lord; how much of Facebook time or internet surfing time could be converted into a time with the Creator of the universe, who may have some guidance for your life He wants to dispense?

Wisdom and spiritual understanding is critical in this day and time. There are many voices of “wisdom” emanating from the world and the sinful nature that come from well meaning people, even other Christians!

Spiritual wisdom and understanding is not only a goal, but it is a way to obtain the knowledge of God’s will. But it depends on our environment! In what environment does your Christian life find itself?

Heavenly Father, You are Sovereign God! May Your Name be hallowed not only on our lips but also in our hearts and lives. Put in me a greater desire to know your will for my life. Help me to develop the right environments so that I can hear! In Jesus Name, Amen.

Knowing God’s Will

Eddie — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 15:35:25 +0000

Paul’s prayer in Colossians 1:9 is that ” you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding”. (Colossians 1:9 ESV)

Basically there are three types of knowledge: 1) knowing facts, 2) acquaintance knowledge (knowing someone or something directly) and 3) know-how.

It is clear from the language here that Paul does not have in mind knowing facts about God’s will. Nor is he saying that we should have the “know-how” about God’s will. Rather, the language Paul uses reflects his desire that for us to know directly (i.e. experience) God’s will.

Paul is praying that we be acquainted with God’s will. God is interested in what is going on in our life — personal, relational, spiritual, etc. In the next post, we’ll look at what Paul says about how this is obtained.

Filled with the Knowledge of God’s Will

Eddie — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 01:42:31 +0000

A church I pastored in Mississippi back in the late 80s had a very effective communication tool. It was called a prayer chain. A member could call in a request to the focal point person and that individual would then send it down the chain so many could be praying about an urgent matter.

Wouldn’t it be great to have Paul on your prayer chain? If Paul called in something to be sent through the prayer chain what would it be?

In the first chapter of Colossians, Paul has conveyed to the members his thankfulness to God for God’s goodness in their lives and of his own continued prayers in their behalf. Notice Paul’s specific prayer to God for the Colossians:

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:9-10 ESV)

Notice he is asking God that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

The be filled has the sense of completion. In the same sense as Philippians 4:19: “And my God SHALL SUPPLY all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” So, what was Paul interested in them being complete in? The Knowledge of His Will. (more tomorrow!)