In all fairness, and the spirit of full disclosure, I had not planned on posting this article. It is in fact an article that I wrote for the hand of help newsletter, that will go out to those of you who receive it shortly. At the behest of staff and friends alike however, I have decided to post it on the blog. Thank you all for your prayers, and your words of encouragement. They mean more than you will ever know.
One need only look at the history of the church within the last generation or so, to see that our resolve has been weakened, and is almost nonexistent when it comes to defending the truth, or standing up for what we know to be just and right. For most people, silence and retreat is more acceptable than the defense of truth, because chances are very slim that one will get wounded while retreating. We weigh the matter judiciously, conclude that it’s too small a thing to get worked up about, and back away slowly as to not stir the attention of the enemy. We don’t like making waves and the enemy knows this. We have an aversion to being marginalized, to being mocked, to being ridiculed, to being persecuted, and so we would rather slink away in the middle of the night than confront the enemy. We have taken it upon ourselves to become negotiators, when we have been called to be messengers, to be spectators when we have been called to be soldiers. We have become passionately passionless, and purposefully purposeless for fear of offending the unregenerate and unrepentant.
With every retreat the enemy gains more ground, with every omission, with every act of cowardice on our part the enemy gets that much bolder, and continues his steady march.
For some reason we’ve come to believe that the enemy will simply stop short of our citadels, that he will stop short of besieging the towers if we just give up enough ground. Surely the enemy will be content with a partial victory, surely his desire is not to overrun the entire house of God. If this is what you believe, if you believe that the enemy will stop short, than you don’t really know the enemy we face. His desire is the utter destruction of God’s house, and he will not stop short of his goal. This is why we must stand, this is why we must boldly proclaim the truth and defend even those things we consider as insignificant or of little importance.
There is a passage in first Chronicles that details what I’m attempting to convey. At the beginning of David’s reign, the Chronicler of the time took a census of David’s mighty men, and among them was a man named Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite.
1 Chronicles 11:13-14, “He was with David at Pasdammim. Now there the Philistines were gathered for battle and there was a piece of ground full of barley. And the people fled from the Philistines. But they stationed themselves in the midst of that field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. And the Lord saved them by a great deliverance.”
Here was David and Eleazar, defending what amounted to a piece of ground full of barley. It wasn’t like they were defending a city, it wasn’t like they were defending Jerusalem, it was just some barley in a field. All of the people had fled, the Philistines were on their way, and they came to the conclusion that it was easier to let the Philistines have the piece of ground full of barley, than to risk their lives in order to defend it. David and Eleazar however, decided to stay and fight, they decided to make their stand for a piece of ground full of barley, and even risk their lives in order to defend it.
What we must understand, is that it wasn’t the barley they were defending and risking their lives for, it was the principle of giving up ground to the enemy. David’s principle was simple. We leave nothing to the Philistines. Whether a patch of earth or a handful of barley, David and Eleazar decided and purposed in their hearts, that they would give nothing to the enemy.
The spiritual principle that we learn from this exchange is as simple as it is profound. We must not be willing to leave anything for the enemy. If it comes to it, we must be ready and willing to go to war with Satan himself, even over something small, something that the world would look at and mock us for defending. Leave nothing for the enemy to exploit!
The sad and lamentable truth, is that the church in our modern age has given up allot of ground. Those who ought to have been mighty men, those who ought to have been warriors, decided it wasn’t worth fighting over a patch of earth, it wasn’t worth defending a handful of barley, so they simply retreated, and gave up ground. We refused to defend the small things because we thought them unworthy of our efforts, and the more ground we gave up, the bolder the enemy became. Soon enough, here the enemy stood at the castle walls, and now the church has gotten so used to running it has gotten so used to giving up ground, that it is having a difficult time mustering up the courage to defend the city itself.
Those of you with spiritual eyes and ears know exactly what I am talking about!
The last part of the verse we read is also worth repeating, because it reveals a second essential spiritual truth. When we stand our ground, when we defend the truth of God’s word, when we are willing to put our reputations on the line for the sake of Christ, and suffer the mocking and scorn that will surely come from the godless, it is the Lord that will fight alongside us; it is the Lord who will ensure our victory.
All they had to do was stand and fight, all they had to do was be determined that they would not retreat, that they would not back down, that they would not give up ground to the Philistines.
The Word is very clear as to who gave David and Eleazar the victory.
“And the Lord saved them by a great deliverance.”
It’s not that the church is continually suffering defeat; it’s that it hasn’t even made its stand yet. Between those who prefer to be mere spectators, and consider that taking a stand for the truth isn’t really for them, because well, they just want to preach a positive message, and be positive and create an atmosphere of positivity, and those who surrender to the enemy before the first sword is drawn or the first bow is strung, the number of true warriors, the number of those who are willing to defend the truth and make their stand is small indeed.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, I do not trust men who call themselves warriors yet have no scars. I do not trust men who call themselves warriors yet their armor is in pristine condition, as though they had it pressed for a military funeral rather than scarred and worn as though they were standing on the front lines.
Make no mistake, we are at war, and this spiritual war is one in which there can be no spectators. There are only three options. We either flee from before the enemy, surrender to the enemy, or make our stand against the enemy.
I realize full well that some continue to be under the misconception that they can strike a truce with the enemy and somehow coexist. The only problem is that the enemy never honors your terms of surrender, and you will be a slave, and subject to his whims. Knowing that the enemy is merciless, ruthless, vile and heartless, his whims will always gravitate toward creating an environment of pain, sorrow and heartache for those who surrender and give up the fight.
When we are faithful, when we honor God in the little things, when we look upon a patch of land and a handful of barley as David and Eleazar did and say in our hearts it is not dispensable, it is not expendable, it is worth defending and worth standing our ground over, we know that God stands with us, and though the enemy might outnumber us, it is the Lord who will save us by a great deliverance.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Integrity
There are some who have a romanticized view of the past who contend that men absent of integrity have only started sprouting up like mushrooms after a spring rain within the past few decades. The truth of the matter however, is that there have always been men lacking in integrity, or otherwise completely absent of integrity, and even men such as Apostle Paul had to contend with them from time to time.
Now when I speak of integrity, I do not speak of it in broad terms such as business dealings, or dealing with the world at large, but in the more focused arena of rightly handling and dividing the Word of God. Men who would pervert, or otherwise twist the word of God for personal gain have always existed, and Paul did his best to both disassociate himself from such men, and rebuke their conduct.
2 Corinthians 2:17, “For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.”
Most theologians and learned men agree that the second epistle to the Corinthians was written some time during the latter end of 56 A.D. It had not been long since Jesus had walked among them, it had not been long since the death and resurrection of Christ, yet as Paul pens these words, he feels the need to point out that he along with Titus and the other man with whom he entrusted this epistle, were not as so many, peddling the word of God.
A handful of years had passed, yet already there were many who were peddling the word of God, many who adulterated and twisted it for gain. It is not a new phenomenon, but one that the word warns us will only grow in intensity. The Word speaks of a future time, when false teachers will abound and secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
What the Word once spoke of in future tense has now become the present, and as the Word forewarned, many are following these destructive heresies, and because of these men who have brought them in, the way of truth is being blasphemed.
2 Peter 2:3, “By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.”
What we are seeing in this present age, is that men who call themselves preachers, pastors, and evangelists, are actively denying the divinity of Christ, and also exploiting the sheep of God’s house by promoting an envious eagerness to possess something. In short, these men are using greed, to manipulate the innocents of God’s house.
So the question that we must ask ourselves as individuals, is are we part of the many who are peddling the word of God, or part of the few who out of sincerity speak as from God, and in the sight of God in Christ?
When it comes to handling and rightly dividing the word of God, we must have absolute and unwavering integrity. We cannot choose to have integrity only when it suits us, we cannot choose to employ integrity only when it is profitable to us, but in perpetuity, regardless of the aftereffects we might be confronted with.
The written word of God has a single purpose on this earth, that of bringing the wayward man into the heavenly Father’s house, to remake him in the image and likeness of God after these were lost due to man’s fall. The written word of God reveals the Christ to us, the one by which man might be saved. In the Word we see the Son of God in all His glory, and all His humility. We behold Him as he pays the ultimate price for our redemption and as he ascends into heaven to take His rightful place.
John 20:30-31, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”
A believer in possession of integrity will always bring Christ to the forefront, and present Him to those who are willing to hear. It is not difficult to identify those who are peddling the word, if you know what to look for. When someone speaks more about themselves, their possessions, their exploits or their recent acquisitions of high end items than they do about Jesus, chances are they are counted among the many that do nothing more than peddling the word of God for personal gain. When someone omits certain scriptural and fundamental truths for fear of offending or being deemed an extremist or a zealot, they are doing nothing more than peddling the word of God.
It would seem many today are struggling not to lift high the name of Christ, or to preach Jesus, but to distance themselves as far as humanly possible from certain affirmations that Jesus Himself made.
It was Jesus who said that He is the way, the truth and the life. It was Jesus who said that no man comes to the Father but by Him, but some are taking it upon themselves to question the veracity of Christ’s affirmations, or denying this truth altogether. Those who are questioning or outright denying these words of Jesus, are neither atheists nor worldly men, but the selfsame men that stand behind pulpits and call themselves the mouthpieces of God.
This is just one of many examples, one of many issues that need to be confronted and dealt with within the house of God. There is simplicity in integrity, but there is also power and conviction.
2 Corinthians 1:12, “For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.”
In the life of every believer, the most steadfast and consistent watchman, second only to the Word of God, is the conscience that has been enlightened by the Holy Spirit. When our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world by the grace of God, in simplicity and godly sincerity, it gives us boldness and courage in our confession. It is also when we walk in simplicity and godly sincerity that we learn not to trust in our own wisdom, our own intellect or our own abilities. We learn that earthly wisdom can do nothing when it comes to reaching the hearts of men, and drawing them toward truth and light. We lean on the wisdom of God, we trust in the power of God, and we walk in the grace of God. When we speak with sincerity, as from God, and in His sight, we have the unshakable trust that God will be faithful in watering the seed that is planted by the simple words we utter, and the good news of the gospel that we present.
Walk in integrity, and you will walk in wisdom. Walk in integrity and you will walk in victory. Walk in integrity, and you will walk in the knowledge that God will fight on your behalf, and touch the hearts of those with which you share. Yes, there are many who peddle the word of God, but there are still those faithful few who will not compromise the truth, who will stand on the word of God, and who will boldly proclaim the name of Christ. Pray for such individuals, and aspire to be such individuals. As an old adage so aptly puts it the greater the darkness the greater the need for light; and the greater the deception, the greater the need for truth.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Now when I speak of integrity, I do not speak of it in broad terms such as business dealings, or dealing with the world at large, but in the more focused arena of rightly handling and dividing the Word of God. Men who would pervert, or otherwise twist the word of God for personal gain have always existed, and Paul did his best to both disassociate himself from such men, and rebuke their conduct.
2 Corinthians 2:17, “For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.”
Most theologians and learned men agree that the second epistle to the Corinthians was written some time during the latter end of 56 A.D. It had not been long since Jesus had walked among them, it had not been long since the death and resurrection of Christ, yet as Paul pens these words, he feels the need to point out that he along with Titus and the other man with whom he entrusted this epistle, were not as so many, peddling the word of God.
A handful of years had passed, yet already there were many who were peddling the word of God, many who adulterated and twisted it for gain. It is not a new phenomenon, but one that the word warns us will only grow in intensity. The Word speaks of a future time, when false teachers will abound and secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
What the Word once spoke of in future tense has now become the present, and as the Word forewarned, many are following these destructive heresies, and because of these men who have brought them in, the way of truth is being blasphemed.
2 Peter 2:3, “By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.”
What we are seeing in this present age, is that men who call themselves preachers, pastors, and evangelists, are actively denying the divinity of Christ, and also exploiting the sheep of God’s house by promoting an envious eagerness to possess something. In short, these men are using greed, to manipulate the innocents of God’s house.
So the question that we must ask ourselves as individuals, is are we part of the many who are peddling the word of God, or part of the few who out of sincerity speak as from God, and in the sight of God in Christ?
When it comes to handling and rightly dividing the word of God, we must have absolute and unwavering integrity. We cannot choose to have integrity only when it suits us, we cannot choose to employ integrity only when it is profitable to us, but in perpetuity, regardless of the aftereffects we might be confronted with.
The written word of God has a single purpose on this earth, that of bringing the wayward man into the heavenly Father’s house, to remake him in the image and likeness of God after these were lost due to man’s fall. The written word of God reveals the Christ to us, the one by which man might be saved. In the Word we see the Son of God in all His glory, and all His humility. We behold Him as he pays the ultimate price for our redemption and as he ascends into heaven to take His rightful place.
John 20:30-31, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”
A believer in possession of integrity will always bring Christ to the forefront, and present Him to those who are willing to hear. It is not difficult to identify those who are peddling the word, if you know what to look for. When someone speaks more about themselves, their possessions, their exploits or their recent acquisitions of high end items than they do about Jesus, chances are they are counted among the many that do nothing more than peddling the word of God for personal gain. When someone omits certain scriptural and fundamental truths for fear of offending or being deemed an extremist or a zealot, they are doing nothing more than peddling the word of God.
It would seem many today are struggling not to lift high the name of Christ, or to preach Jesus, but to distance themselves as far as humanly possible from certain affirmations that Jesus Himself made.
It was Jesus who said that He is the way, the truth and the life. It was Jesus who said that no man comes to the Father but by Him, but some are taking it upon themselves to question the veracity of Christ’s affirmations, or denying this truth altogether. Those who are questioning or outright denying these words of Jesus, are neither atheists nor worldly men, but the selfsame men that stand behind pulpits and call themselves the mouthpieces of God.
This is just one of many examples, one of many issues that need to be confronted and dealt with within the house of God. There is simplicity in integrity, but there is also power and conviction.
2 Corinthians 1:12, “For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.”
In the life of every believer, the most steadfast and consistent watchman, second only to the Word of God, is the conscience that has been enlightened by the Holy Spirit. When our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world by the grace of God, in simplicity and godly sincerity, it gives us boldness and courage in our confession. It is also when we walk in simplicity and godly sincerity that we learn not to trust in our own wisdom, our own intellect or our own abilities. We learn that earthly wisdom can do nothing when it comes to reaching the hearts of men, and drawing them toward truth and light. We lean on the wisdom of God, we trust in the power of God, and we walk in the grace of God. When we speak with sincerity, as from God, and in His sight, we have the unshakable trust that God will be faithful in watering the seed that is planted by the simple words we utter, and the good news of the gospel that we present.
Walk in integrity, and you will walk in wisdom. Walk in integrity and you will walk in victory. Walk in integrity, and you will walk in the knowledge that God will fight on your behalf, and touch the hearts of those with which you share. Yes, there are many who peddle the word of God, but there are still those faithful few who will not compromise the truth, who will stand on the word of God, and who will boldly proclaim the name of Christ. Pray for such individuals, and aspire to be such individuals. As an old adage so aptly puts it the greater the darkness the greater the need for light; and the greater the deception, the greater the need for truth.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
What Matters Most
I realize it has been some time since my last post, but there is a perfectly good explanation. First, my little brother Daniel got married, so I had to fly to Romania and attend his wedding, and I've been living with my parents in law ever since then. It has been some time since I've lived in a group setting, and if you throw in the barking dogs and other distractions, it is not at all an environment conducive to deep thought and reflection.
As a sidebar, please keep the children at the hand of help orphanage in your prayers, as well as the staff, and their families. As yet we have been spared any malady, such as the swine flu, or what is being leaked out of the Ukraine as something akin to the plague of the early 1900's. Botosani, the area where we live, has had the most confirmed cases of the swine flu in the entire country in the past few days. Thank you for your understanding, and your prayers.
We are all, from the moment of our birth until the day our aged flesh goes into the earth, subjected to our own dreams and flights of fancy. It would seem we are all born with aspirations, our dreams taking on wings of their own, and soaring high above our current circumstances. Although we peer into an uncertain and unknown future, as far as we as individuals are concerned, most of us daydream about the best possible outcome, looking down the tunnel of future time and seeing our teeth straighter absent the use of braces, and the weight having melted off absent the facilitation of neither diet nor exercise.
As adolescents, we dream of bicycles and slingshots, as teenagers of fast cars and cool clothes, then as the march of time matures us, perhaps of a wife or a husband, of our children moving into their own homes, and eventually of retirement, and not having achy joints or rheumatoid arthritis in the twilights of our lives.
We all dream to a greater or lesser degree and the dreams of some are more realistic and attainable than of others. In the gospel according to John, there was a man whose dreams had been reduced to nothing more than receiving enough change from those passing by, to buy himself a loaf of bread. For thirty eight years this man had been suffering the same malady, and as we all know there is nothing more certain than an infirmity to bring us back to the real world, to replant our feet firmly upon the ground, and cause us to stop dreaming dreams. This man’s dream was to be normal, to be healthy, to have some vitality in his body, to stop depending on others for his daily care, something we all take for granted on a daily basis. He lay by the pool at Bethesda, waiting for the angel to come and stir the waters, hoping against hope that someone would have the heart to help him into the water. The chances of this happening were very slim, because multitudes gathered at this pool, some less frail and sickly than this man, others who had family and friends to help them, and all desiring to be the first one in, because only the first one into the pool after the angel stirred the waters would be made well of whatever disease they had.
It would have taken the kind of selflessness that only one Man throughout history has shown, to help another into the pool knowing they would be made well instead of you, or your loved one. Yes, the man was lame, yes the man was pitiable, yes the man was there alone, watching as others leapt out of the pool, exuberant and ecstatic, having been made whole, dreaming what for him was most likely an impossible dream, that of being made whole himself, that of someone sacrificing their own wellbeing, their own comfort, their own healing, for his own.
As it so happened, one day Jesus was passing by Bethesda, and as He beholds the multitude of sick, suffering from an array of incurable infirmities such as blindness, paralysis, and lameness, this one man catches His eye. This one man stands out in the crowd.
Their interaction was by no means long or laborious, and there was no drawn out conversation. In fact, Jesus spoke a total of fourteen words to the man, but they were words that changed his life, and allowed him to dream again.
John 5:5-6, “Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’”
John 5:8, “Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.”
Within the span of these fourteen words there are three fundamental truths that Jesus imparts, three necessary realizations that we as individuals must come to, that are as relevant and impacting for us today, as they were for the lame man two thousand years ago. In fact we will be focusing on seven words that Jesus spoke, three of which were action verbs that demanded an action and a reaction from the lame man. These three truths are the essence of the message of the gospel, and what matters most when it comes to having a right heart, and a right spirit that we might receive the truth, and be transformed by it.
The first of three truths or realizations that we must come to terms with is the present circumstance or situation that we currently find ourselves in.
This man knew that he was lame; this man knew that he was helpless; this man knew that he needed help. So often our pride will not allow us to admit our shortcomings, or the fact that we need help, we need prayer, and we need encouragement. This man had come to terms with the reality of his present circumstance, and when Jesus told him to rise, he didn’t say that he was perfectly fine where he was at, or that he didn’t really need any help, but was broken enough and humble enough to know he needed to be saved and restored.
If you happen to be reading these words, and are not saved, you too have certain truths with which you must come to terms with.
The first is that you are a sinner. You are weak, you are blind, you are proud, and you are lame. Your sin has rendered you helpless and you lay on the ground as this man did, unable to save yourself.
The second truth you must come to terms with, is that you are living in an exceedingly sinful and evil world. No matter what country you hail from, in your country, and at this very moment babies are being murdered in their mother’s wombs, the bars are overflowing with patrons desiring to drown their hopelessness and despair, the courts are full of divorce cases waiting to be tried, and sin is marching on largely unopposed by those calling themselves Christians. This is just the reality of the world we are living in.
The third truth that you must acknowledge is that you desperately need a change. Many today believe that change will come about by way of educating the masses, yet there is not a single day without war in a world full of universities and edifices dedicated to higher learning.
Another popular theory is that we are all products of our environment, and if we can change people’s environment we will surely transform their character. This theory is largely nullified when taking into account the countless exceptional parents, who provided a loving and positive environment, yet are largely forgotten and left to wither away into nothingness in hospices and senior care facilities, sent there by their own blood and offspring.
Not even religion is able to bring about the change we need, since much blood has been shed in the name of God, and putting two men of different denominational affiliation in the same room is likely to result in a heated argument if not outright violence.
Another reality that you cannot circumvent or otherwise ignore is that a price was paid for you. Whoever you are, however irrelevant you might consider yourself to be, know that the greatest ransom in the history of the universe was paid for you. The Word tells us that we were not bought with anything perishable, or with easily attainable things such as silver or gold, but with the blood of the only begotten Son of God. During the reign of Pontius Pilate, on a fateful day that will forever be remembered, Jesus Christ paid the price in full for you and for me. God gave the best He had, and what was most precious to Him, that we might have life in Him and through Him.
The last thing you must come to terms with, and acknowledge if as yet you have not received Christ in your heart, and made Him Lord of all, is that there is a future judgment. I realize no one wants to hear the word judgment; it has become as unwelcome even in Christian circles as the word plague, but future judgment is as tangible a reality as the sun rising every morning.
Romans 2:5-6, “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds.’”
Why am I so certain of future judgment? I am certain of this truth because the Bible speaks of it often, and because judgment is the essence of God’s righteousness and holiness, as well as the manifestation of His justice.
After commanding the lame man to rise, Jesus commanded him to pick up his bed. Spiritually speaking, this is a command to renounce and turn our back on our old life, and everything it entailed. Everything that could have reminded the lame man of his previous hopeless existence had to be removed and done away with. True repentance and a true Christian walk is not changing the congregation you attend, but changing your life. It is replacing your old life, with the new life you’ve been given in Jesus.
Too many today have come to believe that repentance is the adaptation of divine faith to the old life. The popularity of teachings that insist that one can have the best of both worlds, that one can live in sin and yet infuse faith into their lives is more popular today than ever before. Such teachings however, are as wrong today as they have ever been. True repentance, is the cross, true repentance is the yoke of Christ, and these things presuppose a separation from our old lives, and from the world itself.
The old thoughts, the old desires, the old vocabulary, the old conduct, and the old lifestyle must all be done away with, and never again revisited. Once you take up the cross of Christ, once you take upon you the yoke of Christ, you are forever changed and transformed. Peter never did return to his fishing business, Matthew never did resume his work as a tax collector, and Luke never again opened a clinic. They were men transformed, men renewed, men that had received a new purpose and desire for their lives.
The last command that Jesus gave the lame man, was to walk. From a spiritual perspective, this means to begin living a new life. The danger of becoming a static Christian is ever present in our lives. God has no use for, nor does He desire us to be some fragile thing, placed upon a mantle, only to be dusted once in awhile, like some Faberge egg that no one can touch or handle. God desires us to be a new creation in Him, that is as visible in a sinful world as a light is in the midst of darkness. As living testimonies of the power and presence of God in our lives, we must possess a new mind, a new heart, new priorities and a new hope, that all would see Christ in us and working through us.
Rise, take up your bed and walk! These words are as powerful and life changing for us as individuals today, as they were for the lame man some two thousand years ago. The only questions that remain to be answered, are do we have ears to hear, and will we obey Christ’s command?
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
As a sidebar, please keep the children at the hand of help orphanage in your prayers, as well as the staff, and their families. As yet we have been spared any malady, such as the swine flu, or what is being leaked out of the Ukraine as something akin to the plague of the early 1900's. Botosani, the area where we live, has had the most confirmed cases of the swine flu in the entire country in the past few days. Thank you for your understanding, and your prayers.
We are all, from the moment of our birth until the day our aged flesh goes into the earth, subjected to our own dreams and flights of fancy. It would seem we are all born with aspirations, our dreams taking on wings of their own, and soaring high above our current circumstances. Although we peer into an uncertain and unknown future, as far as we as individuals are concerned, most of us daydream about the best possible outcome, looking down the tunnel of future time and seeing our teeth straighter absent the use of braces, and the weight having melted off absent the facilitation of neither diet nor exercise.
As adolescents, we dream of bicycles and slingshots, as teenagers of fast cars and cool clothes, then as the march of time matures us, perhaps of a wife or a husband, of our children moving into their own homes, and eventually of retirement, and not having achy joints or rheumatoid arthritis in the twilights of our lives.
We all dream to a greater or lesser degree and the dreams of some are more realistic and attainable than of others. In the gospel according to John, there was a man whose dreams had been reduced to nothing more than receiving enough change from those passing by, to buy himself a loaf of bread. For thirty eight years this man had been suffering the same malady, and as we all know there is nothing more certain than an infirmity to bring us back to the real world, to replant our feet firmly upon the ground, and cause us to stop dreaming dreams. This man’s dream was to be normal, to be healthy, to have some vitality in his body, to stop depending on others for his daily care, something we all take for granted on a daily basis. He lay by the pool at Bethesda, waiting for the angel to come and stir the waters, hoping against hope that someone would have the heart to help him into the water. The chances of this happening were very slim, because multitudes gathered at this pool, some less frail and sickly than this man, others who had family and friends to help them, and all desiring to be the first one in, because only the first one into the pool after the angel stirred the waters would be made well of whatever disease they had.
It would have taken the kind of selflessness that only one Man throughout history has shown, to help another into the pool knowing they would be made well instead of you, or your loved one. Yes, the man was lame, yes the man was pitiable, yes the man was there alone, watching as others leapt out of the pool, exuberant and ecstatic, having been made whole, dreaming what for him was most likely an impossible dream, that of being made whole himself, that of someone sacrificing their own wellbeing, their own comfort, their own healing, for his own.
As it so happened, one day Jesus was passing by Bethesda, and as He beholds the multitude of sick, suffering from an array of incurable infirmities such as blindness, paralysis, and lameness, this one man catches His eye. This one man stands out in the crowd.
Their interaction was by no means long or laborious, and there was no drawn out conversation. In fact, Jesus spoke a total of fourteen words to the man, but they were words that changed his life, and allowed him to dream again.
John 5:5-6, “Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’”
John 5:8, “Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.”
Within the span of these fourteen words there are three fundamental truths that Jesus imparts, three necessary realizations that we as individuals must come to, that are as relevant and impacting for us today, as they were for the lame man two thousand years ago. In fact we will be focusing on seven words that Jesus spoke, three of which were action verbs that demanded an action and a reaction from the lame man. These three truths are the essence of the message of the gospel, and what matters most when it comes to having a right heart, and a right spirit that we might receive the truth, and be transformed by it.
The first of three truths or realizations that we must come to terms with is the present circumstance or situation that we currently find ourselves in.
This man knew that he was lame; this man knew that he was helpless; this man knew that he needed help. So often our pride will not allow us to admit our shortcomings, or the fact that we need help, we need prayer, and we need encouragement. This man had come to terms with the reality of his present circumstance, and when Jesus told him to rise, he didn’t say that he was perfectly fine where he was at, or that he didn’t really need any help, but was broken enough and humble enough to know he needed to be saved and restored.
If you happen to be reading these words, and are not saved, you too have certain truths with which you must come to terms with.
The first is that you are a sinner. You are weak, you are blind, you are proud, and you are lame. Your sin has rendered you helpless and you lay on the ground as this man did, unable to save yourself.
The second truth you must come to terms with, is that you are living in an exceedingly sinful and evil world. No matter what country you hail from, in your country, and at this very moment babies are being murdered in their mother’s wombs, the bars are overflowing with patrons desiring to drown their hopelessness and despair, the courts are full of divorce cases waiting to be tried, and sin is marching on largely unopposed by those calling themselves Christians. This is just the reality of the world we are living in.
The third truth that you must acknowledge is that you desperately need a change. Many today believe that change will come about by way of educating the masses, yet there is not a single day without war in a world full of universities and edifices dedicated to higher learning.
Another popular theory is that we are all products of our environment, and if we can change people’s environment we will surely transform their character. This theory is largely nullified when taking into account the countless exceptional parents, who provided a loving and positive environment, yet are largely forgotten and left to wither away into nothingness in hospices and senior care facilities, sent there by their own blood and offspring.
Not even religion is able to bring about the change we need, since much blood has been shed in the name of God, and putting two men of different denominational affiliation in the same room is likely to result in a heated argument if not outright violence.
Another reality that you cannot circumvent or otherwise ignore is that a price was paid for you. Whoever you are, however irrelevant you might consider yourself to be, know that the greatest ransom in the history of the universe was paid for you. The Word tells us that we were not bought with anything perishable, or with easily attainable things such as silver or gold, but with the blood of the only begotten Son of God. During the reign of Pontius Pilate, on a fateful day that will forever be remembered, Jesus Christ paid the price in full for you and for me. God gave the best He had, and what was most precious to Him, that we might have life in Him and through Him.
The last thing you must come to terms with, and acknowledge if as yet you have not received Christ in your heart, and made Him Lord of all, is that there is a future judgment. I realize no one wants to hear the word judgment; it has become as unwelcome even in Christian circles as the word plague, but future judgment is as tangible a reality as the sun rising every morning.
Romans 2:5-6, “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds.’”
Why am I so certain of future judgment? I am certain of this truth because the Bible speaks of it often, and because judgment is the essence of God’s righteousness and holiness, as well as the manifestation of His justice.
After commanding the lame man to rise, Jesus commanded him to pick up his bed. Spiritually speaking, this is a command to renounce and turn our back on our old life, and everything it entailed. Everything that could have reminded the lame man of his previous hopeless existence had to be removed and done away with. True repentance and a true Christian walk is not changing the congregation you attend, but changing your life. It is replacing your old life, with the new life you’ve been given in Jesus.
Too many today have come to believe that repentance is the adaptation of divine faith to the old life. The popularity of teachings that insist that one can have the best of both worlds, that one can live in sin and yet infuse faith into their lives is more popular today than ever before. Such teachings however, are as wrong today as they have ever been. True repentance, is the cross, true repentance is the yoke of Christ, and these things presuppose a separation from our old lives, and from the world itself.
The old thoughts, the old desires, the old vocabulary, the old conduct, and the old lifestyle must all be done away with, and never again revisited. Once you take up the cross of Christ, once you take upon you the yoke of Christ, you are forever changed and transformed. Peter never did return to his fishing business, Matthew never did resume his work as a tax collector, and Luke never again opened a clinic. They were men transformed, men renewed, men that had received a new purpose and desire for their lives.
The last command that Jesus gave the lame man, was to walk. From a spiritual perspective, this means to begin living a new life. The danger of becoming a static Christian is ever present in our lives. God has no use for, nor does He desire us to be some fragile thing, placed upon a mantle, only to be dusted once in awhile, like some Faberge egg that no one can touch or handle. God desires us to be a new creation in Him, that is as visible in a sinful world as a light is in the midst of darkness. As living testimonies of the power and presence of God in our lives, we must possess a new mind, a new heart, new priorities and a new hope, that all would see Christ in us and working through us.
Rise, take up your bed and walk! These words are as powerful and life changing for us as individuals today, as they were for the lame man some two thousand years ago. The only questions that remain to be answered, are do we have ears to hear, and will we obey Christ’s command?
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Friday, October 23, 2009
The True Christian Life
There are many churches today that keep a strict accounting of how many people they drew to Christ, whether through street witnessing, evangelistic crusades, or other means of outreach. This is all well and good, but too few keep an accounting of how many people they turned off to the gospel of Christ, by not living what they preach, by focusing more on the things of this earth than the kingdom of God, and by not being a living testimony of the grace and work of Jesus.
One of the most subtle and destructive works of the enemy, is that of taking sincere souls and convincing them to practice a false Christianity, a hyper spirituality that has nothing to do with the work of God in their lives, but that is simultaneously close enough to doctrinal truth that they feel justified in their practice.
Before going any further, I need to make two points that I realize will not sit well with some. First, true Christianity does not require a publicity agent, and it does not require a public relations campaign; true Christianity requires true Christians, devoted Christians, humble Christians, and obedient Christians. Second, there are clear signs, unmistakable signs that define and characterize a true Christian, living a true Christian life.
In defending his apostleship and his authority to the church of Corinth, the Apostle Paul presents four clear signs, four unmistakable characteristics of a true Christian living a true Christian life.
2 Corinthians 2:14, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.”
The first sign that an individual is living a true Christian life is undying optimism. Now before anyone starts rolling their eyes thinking I’ve switched camps and will soon start giving you the ten secrets to living prosperous lives, I did not say undying positivity, I said undying optimism.
Although the two words might seem similar, in their definition they are quite different.
Positivity is defined as a quality or state characterized by certainty or acceptance or affirmation and dogmatic assertiveness.
Optimism however is defined as the belief that in the end all is going to turn out well or that good will eventually triumph over evil.
In spite of all the hardships, in spite of all the persecution, in spite of all the trials and tribulations that Paul endured, the most dominant note in this particular verse is one of thanks.
“Now thanks be to God” because we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, and those who are called according to His purpose.
“Now thanks be to God” because although today I might be hurting, today I might feel helpless, today I might be tried, I know that I have already obtained the victory, I have already overcome in Jesus and through Jesus.
“Now thanks be to God” because although the world might see me as an outcast, as a nuisance, as a strange thing worthy of scorn and pity, God sees me as His beloved child, and He cares for me and loves me more than I can say.
This is not the kind of thanks that comes from a pious heart, which doesn’t really believe what it is saying. These are words penned by a man who endured more than we can imagine, a man who was rejected by his contemporaries for his faith in Jesus, a man whom God had to bring low in order to remake, and through it all, he is able to stand and say, “Now thanks be to God.”
A true and authentic Christianity feels pain, it feels hurt, it feels rejection, it feels isolation, but it also knows that if God allowed these things, He has a plan, and in the end it will work together for good. Our optimism isn’t rooted in earthly things, it isn’t rooted in men or in ourselves, it is rooted in the promise of God, and the omnipotence of God.
When Paul and Silas found themselves in prison, their feet fastened in stocks, with an uncertain future before them, they were able to sing, they were able to rejoice, they were able to praise God because of their undying optimism and belief that it would all turn out well. They had received no special revelation as to what was to occur, but because they trusted God they were able to praise Him.
The second defining characteristic of a true believer, and one who is living a true Christian life, is the certainty of success.
“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ.” It’s not occasionally, it’s not some of the time, it isn’t even most of the time that God leads us in triumph in Christ, but always. When Paul speaks of this triumph, he speaks of a constant, unchanging, consistent and invariable triumph.
These words were not penned by a pastor of a mega church, they were not penned by someone living in a mansion with an indoor pool and chauffeured limo service, they were penned by a man who was beaten, persecuted, shipwrecked and whipped, but one who knew that every obstacle becomes an opportunity. This does not mean that Paul’s plans always came to fruition; it does not mean that Paul’s goals were always realized, but it does mean that the will of God was always done. Paul was in prison, yet the gospel of the kingdom of God was still being preached.
Philippians 1:12-14, “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”
Even in his shackles, Paul discovered freedom, and even led those of the house of Caesar to Christ. Hearing of his imprisonment other brethren also became more confident, preaching the gospel fearlessly, with boldness and conviction.
What amazes me, is that it’s not the churches Paul planted while he was free that remained, it is not what he did in his freedom that stood the test of time, but the epistles he wrote while in prison. These are what remained to this day, and will remain in perpetuity.
The impact that a true Christian makes in the lives of those they encounter is unforgettable. As Paul so aptly puts it, we to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. A true Christian leaves a mark, a Christian life makes an impact. When a true Christian is encountered by one in the world, that one cannot remain neutral concerning the things of God.
There is an incontestable reality in one who not only talks the talk, but walks the walk of a believer. Their lives are visibly transformed, and they are no longer as they once were, slaves to sin and corruption. It is not calling ourselves Christians that produces these qualities, these visible fruit, but living the life of a believer.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
One of the most subtle and destructive works of the enemy, is that of taking sincere souls and convincing them to practice a false Christianity, a hyper spirituality that has nothing to do with the work of God in their lives, but that is simultaneously close enough to doctrinal truth that they feel justified in their practice.
Before going any further, I need to make two points that I realize will not sit well with some. First, true Christianity does not require a publicity agent, and it does not require a public relations campaign; true Christianity requires true Christians, devoted Christians, humble Christians, and obedient Christians. Second, there are clear signs, unmistakable signs that define and characterize a true Christian, living a true Christian life.
In defending his apostleship and his authority to the church of Corinth, the Apostle Paul presents four clear signs, four unmistakable characteristics of a true Christian living a true Christian life.
2 Corinthians 2:14, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.”
The first sign that an individual is living a true Christian life is undying optimism. Now before anyone starts rolling their eyes thinking I’ve switched camps and will soon start giving you the ten secrets to living prosperous lives, I did not say undying positivity, I said undying optimism.
Although the two words might seem similar, in their definition they are quite different.
Positivity is defined as a quality or state characterized by certainty or acceptance or affirmation and dogmatic assertiveness.
Optimism however is defined as the belief that in the end all is going to turn out well or that good will eventually triumph over evil.
In spite of all the hardships, in spite of all the persecution, in spite of all the trials and tribulations that Paul endured, the most dominant note in this particular verse is one of thanks.
“Now thanks be to God” because we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, and those who are called according to His purpose.
“Now thanks be to God” because although today I might be hurting, today I might feel helpless, today I might be tried, I know that I have already obtained the victory, I have already overcome in Jesus and through Jesus.
“Now thanks be to God” because although the world might see me as an outcast, as a nuisance, as a strange thing worthy of scorn and pity, God sees me as His beloved child, and He cares for me and loves me more than I can say.
This is not the kind of thanks that comes from a pious heart, which doesn’t really believe what it is saying. These are words penned by a man who endured more than we can imagine, a man who was rejected by his contemporaries for his faith in Jesus, a man whom God had to bring low in order to remake, and through it all, he is able to stand and say, “Now thanks be to God.”
A true and authentic Christianity feels pain, it feels hurt, it feels rejection, it feels isolation, but it also knows that if God allowed these things, He has a plan, and in the end it will work together for good. Our optimism isn’t rooted in earthly things, it isn’t rooted in men or in ourselves, it is rooted in the promise of God, and the omnipotence of God.
When Paul and Silas found themselves in prison, their feet fastened in stocks, with an uncertain future before them, they were able to sing, they were able to rejoice, they were able to praise God because of their undying optimism and belief that it would all turn out well. They had received no special revelation as to what was to occur, but because they trusted God they were able to praise Him.
The second defining characteristic of a true believer, and one who is living a true Christian life, is the certainty of success.
“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ.” It’s not occasionally, it’s not some of the time, it isn’t even most of the time that God leads us in triumph in Christ, but always. When Paul speaks of this triumph, he speaks of a constant, unchanging, consistent and invariable triumph.
These words were not penned by a pastor of a mega church, they were not penned by someone living in a mansion with an indoor pool and chauffeured limo service, they were penned by a man who was beaten, persecuted, shipwrecked and whipped, but one who knew that every obstacle becomes an opportunity. This does not mean that Paul’s plans always came to fruition; it does not mean that Paul’s goals were always realized, but it does mean that the will of God was always done. Paul was in prison, yet the gospel of the kingdom of God was still being preached.
Philippians 1:12-14, “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”
Even in his shackles, Paul discovered freedom, and even led those of the house of Caesar to Christ. Hearing of his imprisonment other brethren also became more confident, preaching the gospel fearlessly, with boldness and conviction.
What amazes me, is that it’s not the churches Paul planted while he was free that remained, it is not what he did in his freedom that stood the test of time, but the epistles he wrote while in prison. These are what remained to this day, and will remain in perpetuity.
The impact that a true Christian makes in the lives of those they encounter is unforgettable. As Paul so aptly puts it, we to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. A true Christian leaves a mark, a Christian life makes an impact. When a true Christian is encountered by one in the world, that one cannot remain neutral concerning the things of God.
There is an incontestable reality in one who not only talks the talk, but walks the walk of a believer. Their lives are visibly transformed, and they are no longer as they once were, slaves to sin and corruption. It is not calling ourselves Christians that produces these qualities, these visible fruit, but living the life of a believer.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Friday, October 16, 2009
A servant's affliction
Servants are not born, they are made. When God chooses an individual to be a servant, He begins by forming them, molding them, and chiseling them, that they might be vessels of honor in His hands. The more a servant experiences the presence and work of God in their life, the more they comes to view their present circumstances as the means by which God is purifying and renewing them. A servant views trials and affliction in their life very differently than the world does, because a servant is continually and fully trusting of the Master and His plan for their continued growth in both faith and grace.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “For our light affliction, which is but a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
No words can more adequately portray the two ideas of affliction and glory than these written by Paul some two thousand years ago. These words are altogether powerful and appropriate, preparing the heart for the possibility of affliction, but encouraging it by highlighting the aftereffects and positive aspects of what affliction will produce.
It is as though Paul is taking a scale, and placing the weight of affliction on one side, counterbalances it with the glory that is soon to follow. The difference is staggering. The weight of our afflictions, when counterbalanced with the eternal weight of glory, is both momentary and light, not worthy of mention or contemplation.
I realize afflictions and hardships are never easy, and that no matter how light, suffering is always a serious concern. I am not attempting to minimize heartache, affliction or suffering, or their affect but rather to open your eyes to the reality that if the foundation from which you perceive hardship is shifted from the physical to the spiritual, you will not perceive it as a catastrophe, but as a light and momentary occurrence that soon passes giving way to a far more exceeding and eternal glory.
Without faith, without hope, even the smallest setback seems like the end of the world, so much so that it doesn’t take an earth shattering event to bring some to the edge of hopelessness and despair.
In the midst of trials and hardships, faith sees the means by which God sends His blessings and makes us fruitful. Absence of faith looks upon trials and hardships as enemies whose singular desire is to destroy one’s life. Afflictions compel us not to trust in the things that are seen, but rather in those things that are not seen. It is in our times of distress, in our times of hardship that we press in, and discover the greatness of God’s love, and it is when we are surrounded by greatest of darkness that we see all the more clearly His brilliant light.
As believers, as servants of God, we do not seek out affliction, but when it comes, we are at peace knowing that we rest in the embrace of our heavenly Father. We know by faith, that God has prepared a blessing for us, even though momentarily we see only the affliction, we know that by way of the cross, we will enter into His providence. Affliction and victory go hand in hand, and if we have victory without affliction it only means that others suffered the affliction in our stead. By the same token, if we experience affliction without victory, may we take strength in the knowledge that those who will follow after us will obtain the victory of our afflictions.
No matter the circumstance, no matter the affliction or the hardship, a servant of God, and a follower of Christ sees them as profitable and worthwhile experiences. As an elderly preacher once said, affliction is the plough that tills the soil of the soul in preparation for receiving eternal truth, and removes the stones in its path that the glory of God might have no obstacles standing in its way.
Affliction forms us, and seeing the aftereffects, the finished product, the growth and the maturity that God worked in us gives us confidence and strengthens our faith. True faith has open eyes by which it perceives and seeks after spiritual things. There is an inconsistency in the lives of many who call themselves believers today, because while they claim to be followers of Christ, they are wholly given over the seeking after and desiring temporal and earthly things. When someone claims to have faith, yet ignores the spiritual in favor of the physical, then their faith is either a false faith, or an immature faith that as yet has not had its eyes open to the beauty of the kingdom of God.
Those who have not had their eyes opened to the beauty of God’s kingdom, are impatient and unwilling to wait that they might receive eternal joy, the only joy that remains, and so go about attempting to manufacture joy here on earth, a joy that is fleeting and illusive. Whatever joy some might find in sin, it is only temporary, followed by the pain and heartache of its consequences. But like impatient children, who are unwilling to wait for the grapes to ripen on the vine, the world today takes fistfuls of unripe grapes and hungrily eats them, only to be left with a sour taste in their mouth, and an uneasy feeling in the pit of their stomach.
Even in the midst of affliction a servant of God retains his joy, because his joy is cocooned in hope, and protected from the direct affects of hardship and trial. Our hope comes by way of knowing fully and wholeheartedly that whatever hardship or affliction we might be going through, God has a purpose and a plan.
It is with eyes of faith that we see beyond our present circumstance, it is with eyes of faith that we see past our present afflictions, and with full assurance that when the glory of God is revealed in us, when we journey from the valley and ascend to the mountaintop, we will count these afflictions as light and momentary.
Our goal is eternity, the final destination for every faithful servant and believer. Come what may in this life, come what may in this fleeting existence on this earth, we must view it in contrast with the home that Jesus went to prepare of us. When we view this present life in light of the life to come, when we view our present affliction as ways and means by which God is molding and chiseling us, we will continue to have hope, we will continue to rejoice, we will continue to give glory to God, not because of our circumstances but in spite of our circumstances. This is one of the great differences between the servants of God, and those still shackled by the things of the world. The children of God do not require a life of ease and opulence on this earth in order to have joy, we do not require the absence of trials and afflictions in order to posses peace, but we have joy and peace in spite of the hardships we endure, because we know that God stands with us, and in His love He is forming us into that true and faithful servant that He desires us to be.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “For our light affliction, which is but a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
No words can more adequately portray the two ideas of affliction and glory than these written by Paul some two thousand years ago. These words are altogether powerful and appropriate, preparing the heart for the possibility of affliction, but encouraging it by highlighting the aftereffects and positive aspects of what affliction will produce.
It is as though Paul is taking a scale, and placing the weight of affliction on one side, counterbalances it with the glory that is soon to follow. The difference is staggering. The weight of our afflictions, when counterbalanced with the eternal weight of glory, is both momentary and light, not worthy of mention or contemplation.
I realize afflictions and hardships are never easy, and that no matter how light, suffering is always a serious concern. I am not attempting to minimize heartache, affliction or suffering, or their affect but rather to open your eyes to the reality that if the foundation from which you perceive hardship is shifted from the physical to the spiritual, you will not perceive it as a catastrophe, but as a light and momentary occurrence that soon passes giving way to a far more exceeding and eternal glory.
Without faith, without hope, even the smallest setback seems like the end of the world, so much so that it doesn’t take an earth shattering event to bring some to the edge of hopelessness and despair.
In the midst of trials and hardships, faith sees the means by which God sends His blessings and makes us fruitful. Absence of faith looks upon trials and hardships as enemies whose singular desire is to destroy one’s life. Afflictions compel us not to trust in the things that are seen, but rather in those things that are not seen. It is in our times of distress, in our times of hardship that we press in, and discover the greatness of God’s love, and it is when we are surrounded by greatest of darkness that we see all the more clearly His brilliant light.
As believers, as servants of God, we do not seek out affliction, but when it comes, we are at peace knowing that we rest in the embrace of our heavenly Father. We know by faith, that God has prepared a blessing for us, even though momentarily we see only the affliction, we know that by way of the cross, we will enter into His providence. Affliction and victory go hand in hand, and if we have victory without affliction it only means that others suffered the affliction in our stead. By the same token, if we experience affliction without victory, may we take strength in the knowledge that those who will follow after us will obtain the victory of our afflictions.
No matter the circumstance, no matter the affliction or the hardship, a servant of God, and a follower of Christ sees them as profitable and worthwhile experiences. As an elderly preacher once said, affliction is the plough that tills the soil of the soul in preparation for receiving eternal truth, and removes the stones in its path that the glory of God might have no obstacles standing in its way.
Affliction forms us, and seeing the aftereffects, the finished product, the growth and the maturity that God worked in us gives us confidence and strengthens our faith. True faith has open eyes by which it perceives and seeks after spiritual things. There is an inconsistency in the lives of many who call themselves believers today, because while they claim to be followers of Christ, they are wholly given over the seeking after and desiring temporal and earthly things. When someone claims to have faith, yet ignores the spiritual in favor of the physical, then their faith is either a false faith, or an immature faith that as yet has not had its eyes open to the beauty of the kingdom of God.
Those who have not had their eyes opened to the beauty of God’s kingdom, are impatient and unwilling to wait that they might receive eternal joy, the only joy that remains, and so go about attempting to manufacture joy here on earth, a joy that is fleeting and illusive. Whatever joy some might find in sin, it is only temporary, followed by the pain and heartache of its consequences. But like impatient children, who are unwilling to wait for the grapes to ripen on the vine, the world today takes fistfuls of unripe grapes and hungrily eats them, only to be left with a sour taste in their mouth, and an uneasy feeling in the pit of their stomach.
Even in the midst of affliction a servant of God retains his joy, because his joy is cocooned in hope, and protected from the direct affects of hardship and trial. Our hope comes by way of knowing fully and wholeheartedly that whatever hardship or affliction we might be going through, God has a purpose and a plan.
It is with eyes of faith that we see beyond our present circumstance, it is with eyes of faith that we see past our present afflictions, and with full assurance that when the glory of God is revealed in us, when we journey from the valley and ascend to the mountaintop, we will count these afflictions as light and momentary.
Our goal is eternity, the final destination for every faithful servant and believer. Come what may in this life, come what may in this fleeting existence on this earth, we must view it in contrast with the home that Jesus went to prepare of us. When we view this present life in light of the life to come, when we view our present affliction as ways and means by which God is molding and chiseling us, we will continue to have hope, we will continue to rejoice, we will continue to give glory to God, not because of our circumstances but in spite of our circumstances. This is one of the great differences between the servants of God, and those still shackled by the things of the world. The children of God do not require a life of ease and opulence on this earth in order to have joy, we do not require the absence of trials and afflictions in order to posses peace, but we have joy and peace in spite of the hardships we endure, because we know that God stands with us, and in His love He is forming us into that true and faithful servant that He desires us to be.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Playing the Pharisee
Long before the Pharisees became an institution, long before they were the premiere religious power brokers of their time, there was the pharisaical spirit. The pharisaical spirit was alive and well long before the Pharisees attempted to bait Jesus hoping He would say something wrong or misspeak, and although the Pharisees are long gone, the spirit of the Pharisee is alive and well to this day.
The one defining trait of the pharisaical spirit is that when it asks a question, it expects the answer it had already established in its own heart and mind. When a modern day Pharisee asks a question, just like the Pharisees of old, it does not ask desiring to learn truth or to be taught the Word of God, but to be affirmed and agreed with.
Whenever we find something in the Word that does not suit our preconceived notions, whenever we hear a sermon that convicts us, we love to play the Pharisee and look for loopholes or ways by which we can reject the entire scripture or sermon.
It is rare, but there have been instances when the entire nation has played the Pharisee, not with any one man, but with the very God they claimed to serve and worship. Although it might seem inconsequential or irrelevant to some, this is a necessary topic of discussion, because there are many today, claiming to be children of God, who choose to adopt the mindset and spirit of the Pharisee, and dictate the terms of their worship and service to God. They do not inquire of God, desiring to know His mind, heart, and will, but rather that God would merely confirm, and rubber stamp their decisions and the conclusions to which their logic took them.
One of the most glaring examples of a pharisaical heart is played out during the twilight of the Prophet Samuel’s life. As Samuel grew old, and was nearing retirement age, the people of Israel sent the elders on their behalf to have a heart to heart with the man whom God had appointed as the leader of Israel.
After living his entire life in the service of God, and as the messenger of God for the people of Israel, it would have done Samuel’s heart good for the elders to have come to him, and conclude that it was a noble thing to live under the guidance and leadership of God. It would have done Samuel’s heart good for the elders to have approached him, and thank him for his years of service, and ask him to inquire of the Lord who the next prophet would be, and whom God had chosen as his successor to convey direction and truth to them.
Instead, the elders came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, ‘Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make for us a king to judge us like all the nations.’
Although these are the words that Samuel heard the elders speak, in his hear the understood what they meant. It wasn’t that he was getting old that was their main issue, their singular desire was to come out from under the direct leadership and guidance of God. After so many years of teaching the people that they had to belong to God in their entirety, after so many years of teaching them that they had to submit to the authority of God, the conclusion the people came to was that it would be better for them not to remain under the direct guidance and authority of God.
This is the provocation of scripture for every individual, regardless of the century or generation they are living in. God expects us to live under His authority and guidance, not just some of the time, but all of the time. He will not accept being a part time God, He will not accept being the God of your difficult days, He will not accept being your God only long enough to get you through the valley, His expectation, and demand is that He be your perpetual God.
If He is God, then He is God of your entire life, every minute of every hour, every hour of every day. He is not interested in being your emergency contact person in case everything goes horribly wrong, but your Lord and God in good days and bad.
When God calls us into covenant and fellowship with Him, it is not only on major holidays, certain days of the week, or during the feasts. God calls us to live in obedience of Him, in permanence.
Just as Israel however, there are countless souls today who desire to come out from under God’s guidance and lordship, and although they won’t come out and say as such, they concoct all manner of excuses and justifications in order to accomplish just that.
When we are tempted to play the Pharisee, may it not be with unfounded and baseless motivations. Consider that the best motivation for Israel wanting a king was that Samuel was old. They did not say that he was lame; they did not say that he no longer knew the law of God; they did not say that God no longer spoke to him; they did not say that he was no longer able to discern between good and evil, their only motivation, their only reason for wanting a king, was that Samuel was getting old. Samuel’s age in no way inhibited him, or rendered him incompetent for service toward God.
Their second motivation for wanting a king was the fact that Samuel’s son did not walk in his ways. Granted, this was a valid objection, but rather than encourage Samuel to replace his sons, or compel them to change, they concluded that their best course of action as a king.
The true heart of the elders of Israel, and by association the people of Israel themselves was revealed in the last few words that they spoke to the aging prophet.
‘Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.’
This was their motivator; this was the secret desire of their hearts that came to the surface upon confronting the prophet Samuel. It wasn’t that they thought Samuel was incompetent; it wasn’t that they believed no one else could replace him as the messenger of God, the people of Israel just wanted to be like all the other nations.
Israel had begun to investigate other nations, they saw how they were organized, and they came to the surprising conclusion that of all the nations of the world, they were unique. Every nation that surrounded them had two functioning systems in their societies. They had a social system a governing body that tended to maintaining order, and a religious system that tended to the spiritual aspects of the citizenry. These two systems traveled very different paths.
The people of God realized that there was only one law, one system among them that dictated the way they ought to live, that God personally established through those whom He chose. Israel beheld the other nations, and comparing themselves to them, became dissatisfied with the leadership of God.
So often, rather than submit to the sovereignty of God in our lives, we would like to shape Him into something other than what He is. We look at those around us, and the way they live and organize their lives, and for an instant we fall into the snare of comparing ourselves to them, concluding that while they revel in their ignorance, we must submit to God.
What’s more frustrating for some is that most often God doesn’t work the way we would like Him to work. When we think He ought to be more merciful, He is stricter, when we think He ought to act quickly, He takes His time, when we think He ought to judge, He pardons and forgives.
It’s interesting how some people won’t touch a Bible for months, and then overnight they become Bible scholars trying to justify a sin in their lives. They find that one verse that can be twisted just so, that one scripture that can be taken out of context, to give them the illusion of liberty in following the desire of their heart.
God sees the hearts of men. He looks beyond the feigned offense, the furrowed brows, and crocodile tears, the emotional defenses that if only the preacher would have condemned the sin more lovingly perhaps it would have made an impact, and recognizes that we simply chose disobedience, and in order to mask our true hearts we chose to play the Pharisee.
Although Israel tried to soften the blow, although they said, innocently enough that they just wanted a king to judge them, God knew the true intent of their hearts, and spoke as much to Samuel: “they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.”
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
The one defining trait of the pharisaical spirit is that when it asks a question, it expects the answer it had already established in its own heart and mind. When a modern day Pharisee asks a question, just like the Pharisees of old, it does not ask desiring to learn truth or to be taught the Word of God, but to be affirmed and agreed with.
Whenever we find something in the Word that does not suit our preconceived notions, whenever we hear a sermon that convicts us, we love to play the Pharisee and look for loopholes or ways by which we can reject the entire scripture or sermon.
It is rare, but there have been instances when the entire nation has played the Pharisee, not with any one man, but with the very God they claimed to serve and worship. Although it might seem inconsequential or irrelevant to some, this is a necessary topic of discussion, because there are many today, claiming to be children of God, who choose to adopt the mindset and spirit of the Pharisee, and dictate the terms of their worship and service to God. They do not inquire of God, desiring to know His mind, heart, and will, but rather that God would merely confirm, and rubber stamp their decisions and the conclusions to which their logic took them.
One of the most glaring examples of a pharisaical heart is played out during the twilight of the Prophet Samuel’s life. As Samuel grew old, and was nearing retirement age, the people of Israel sent the elders on their behalf to have a heart to heart with the man whom God had appointed as the leader of Israel.
After living his entire life in the service of God, and as the messenger of God for the people of Israel, it would have done Samuel’s heart good for the elders to have come to him, and conclude that it was a noble thing to live under the guidance and leadership of God. It would have done Samuel’s heart good for the elders to have approached him, and thank him for his years of service, and ask him to inquire of the Lord who the next prophet would be, and whom God had chosen as his successor to convey direction and truth to them.
Instead, the elders came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, ‘Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make for us a king to judge us like all the nations.’
Although these are the words that Samuel heard the elders speak, in his hear the understood what they meant. It wasn’t that he was getting old that was their main issue, their singular desire was to come out from under the direct leadership and guidance of God. After so many years of teaching the people that they had to belong to God in their entirety, after so many years of teaching them that they had to submit to the authority of God, the conclusion the people came to was that it would be better for them not to remain under the direct guidance and authority of God.
This is the provocation of scripture for every individual, regardless of the century or generation they are living in. God expects us to live under His authority and guidance, not just some of the time, but all of the time. He will not accept being a part time God, He will not accept being the God of your difficult days, He will not accept being your God only long enough to get you through the valley, His expectation, and demand is that He be your perpetual God.
If He is God, then He is God of your entire life, every minute of every hour, every hour of every day. He is not interested in being your emergency contact person in case everything goes horribly wrong, but your Lord and God in good days and bad.
When God calls us into covenant and fellowship with Him, it is not only on major holidays, certain days of the week, or during the feasts. God calls us to live in obedience of Him, in permanence.
Just as Israel however, there are countless souls today who desire to come out from under God’s guidance and lordship, and although they won’t come out and say as such, they concoct all manner of excuses and justifications in order to accomplish just that.
When we are tempted to play the Pharisee, may it not be with unfounded and baseless motivations. Consider that the best motivation for Israel wanting a king was that Samuel was old. They did not say that he was lame; they did not say that he no longer knew the law of God; they did not say that God no longer spoke to him; they did not say that he was no longer able to discern between good and evil, their only motivation, their only reason for wanting a king, was that Samuel was getting old. Samuel’s age in no way inhibited him, or rendered him incompetent for service toward God.
Their second motivation for wanting a king was the fact that Samuel’s son did not walk in his ways. Granted, this was a valid objection, but rather than encourage Samuel to replace his sons, or compel them to change, they concluded that their best course of action as a king.
The true heart of the elders of Israel, and by association the people of Israel themselves was revealed in the last few words that they spoke to the aging prophet.
‘Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.’
This was their motivator; this was the secret desire of their hearts that came to the surface upon confronting the prophet Samuel. It wasn’t that they thought Samuel was incompetent; it wasn’t that they believed no one else could replace him as the messenger of God, the people of Israel just wanted to be like all the other nations.
Israel had begun to investigate other nations, they saw how they were organized, and they came to the surprising conclusion that of all the nations of the world, they were unique. Every nation that surrounded them had two functioning systems in their societies. They had a social system a governing body that tended to maintaining order, and a religious system that tended to the spiritual aspects of the citizenry. These two systems traveled very different paths.
The people of God realized that there was only one law, one system among them that dictated the way they ought to live, that God personally established through those whom He chose. Israel beheld the other nations, and comparing themselves to them, became dissatisfied with the leadership of God.
So often, rather than submit to the sovereignty of God in our lives, we would like to shape Him into something other than what He is. We look at those around us, and the way they live and organize their lives, and for an instant we fall into the snare of comparing ourselves to them, concluding that while they revel in their ignorance, we must submit to God.
What’s more frustrating for some is that most often God doesn’t work the way we would like Him to work. When we think He ought to be more merciful, He is stricter, when we think He ought to act quickly, He takes His time, when we think He ought to judge, He pardons and forgives.
It’s interesting how some people won’t touch a Bible for months, and then overnight they become Bible scholars trying to justify a sin in their lives. They find that one verse that can be twisted just so, that one scripture that can be taken out of context, to give them the illusion of liberty in following the desire of their heart.
God sees the hearts of men. He looks beyond the feigned offense, the furrowed brows, and crocodile tears, the emotional defenses that if only the preacher would have condemned the sin more lovingly perhaps it would have made an impact, and recognizes that we simply chose disobedience, and in order to mask our true hearts we chose to play the Pharisee.
Although Israel tried to soften the blow, although they said, innocently enough that they just wanted a king to judge them, God knew the true intent of their hearts, and spoke as much to Samuel: “they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.”
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
A Thankful Heart
Before I get into what God has put on my heart for today, I need to make a small correction:
The Truth For Today will be airing on INSP Tuesdays at 9:30 PST rather than Wednesday. Just thought I'd point that out.
We live in a world, and amidst a generation that suffers from chronic and habitual thanklessness. Whether it is children toward parents, husbands toward wives, wives toward husbands, mankind towards God, it would seem we are perpetually lacking any reason whatsoever to be thankful.
What I find noteworthy as well, is that among the list of things that Paul describes as the epidemics within the church during the end times, those who are unthankful have a prominent spot between those who are disobedient to parents, and those who are unholy.
The cry of our heart has not been ‘thank you Lord for your many blessings’ for many years now. On the contrary, we look up to heaven with dismay and irritation if we are not daily amazed and bowled over by the myriad of blessings that befall us. The appetite of the church for material things only continues to grow, and the current examples of the futility of earthly treasures that have been making the news lately seem to have had little to no effect. One brow arched in a quizzical look, we look to the skies, as though impatient with God for not filling our pockets and our wallets, dismissing the greatest gifts of all as though they are something we are entitled to, and rightly deserve.
The tragic truth is that if we had thankful hearts, we would see the countless things we ought to be thankful for, and the myriad of blessings bestowed upon us. Alas, these can only be perceived by spiritual eyes, and who has the time to seek spiritual insight nowadays? No, we’re too busy trying to maintain that which we attained by overreaching in the first place, and grow exceedingly bitter toward God for not getting us out of the hole we dug for ourselves.
If only some of us would have heeded, if only some of us would have sought first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, perhaps our lives would be allot less cluttered today, perhaps stress wouldn’t be killing us from the inside out, and adding years to our countenance in a manner of weeks.
I wanted to write about the many reasons we have for being thankful, and somewhere along the way I got severely sidetracked.
Returning to my original reason for this essay, I want to relay, in no particular order all the reasons we should be thankful to God. Yes, even if we are struggling in our finances, even if we’re having difficulty making ends meet, even if we have physical ailments in our bodies, we still have a myriad of reasons to be thankful to God.
Regardless of the trials you might be going through today, notwithstanding the valley you might be traversing at this present time, we must continually be thankful for the goodness and the mercy of the Lord.
Psalm 118:29, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”
God is good in perpetuity, and His mercy endures forever. Even though with eyes of flesh we sometimes fail to see His goodness, even though in the physical we sometimes fail to acknowledge His mercy, when we come in possession of spiritual eyes, and a spiritual heart, we will continually give Him thanks for His goodness and mercy toward us.
Another reason to give thanks to the Lord is for all of His wondrous works.
Psalm 75:1, “We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.”
Everywhere we look, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear, we see the fingerprints of God. His works are truly wondrous, and if at times it might seem that we’re not hearing Him, it’s not because God isn’t speaking. If at times we feel as though we can’t see Him, it’s not because He isn’t there. So often and in so many ways, we can be likened to the man who standing in his front yard one day, before going off to work, looked up to heaven and said, “Lord speak to me” and a meadowlark began to sing, but the man paid it no mind.
When in his opinion the man perceived that nothing had happened, once more he cried out, “Lord speak to me!” and a rolling thunder boomed across the clear sky, but the man paid no attention.
After some time the man lifted his face toward the heavens again and said, “Lord if you won’t speak to me, let me see you” And a bright star shot across the heavens, but the man didn’t look at it.
Once more the man cried out and said, “If you won’t speak to me, or show yourself to me, at least let me see a miracle” and a newborn baby, somewhere on this earth took its first breath, but the man did not know this.
On the precipice of frustration, the man finally cried out, “Lord at least touch me that I might know You hear me, and that you are here”
And God bent down and touched the man who had cried out, but all the man did was wave off the butterfly that had landed on his shoulder, and continued his journey.
God is continually speaking to us through His creation, He is continually speaking to us through His Word, He is continually speaking to us through His Son, but like the man, we refuse to listen, we refuse to see, and we fail to acknowledge the touch of God when we feel it. The Lord’s works are truly wondrous, and they declare that His name is near, for this we must give thanks.
God is not as some view Him, up in heaven wearied and weighed down by the passage of time, unconcerned and unaffected by the prayers and supplications of His children. Our God is a loving God, He is an engaged God, He is a God who answers prayer, He is a God who speaks to His children, He is a God who comforts them, and holds them close to His heart.
A wise man, one whose heart has been regenerated, also knows to give thanks for God’s salvation. When I speak of salvation, I include both the salvation of the soul, from the grips of darkness and death, and also the rescue or deliverance of our person from the countless trials and attacks of the enemy.
Psalm 118:21, “I will praise You, for you have answered me, and have become my salvation.”
There is no rest, there is no comfort, there is no sense of security for the soul that does not learn to trust in God. When we walk in our own wisdom, when lean on our own understanding, when we attempt to overcome the enemy in our own strength, we suffer defeats and setbacks on a regular basis. When we cry out to God however, He will be faithful to answer, and He will be our salvation.
There are many things we overlook, or take for granted every day of our lives, refusing to acknowledge that they are the providence and blessing of God in our lives. From His protection, to our daily bread, to our physical health, or physical healing, we tend to have an attitude of entitlement, as though God owed us these things, and so fail to thank Him.
We must daily consider that there are people in this world who are starving, there are people in this world who are suffering in their bodies, there are people in this world who have reached the breaking point and have succumbed to hopelessness, and if we are still standing, may we glorify God and be ever thankful.
We must also thank God for the victory He has given us in Christ Jesus over sin and death.
1 Corinthians 15:56-57, “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Although we sing songs such as ‘thank God for Jesus’ we often gloss over the fact that through our Lord Jesus Christ we have been given victory over sin. In recent years there has been a great debate within Christian circles over the Law of Moses, some dismissing it altogether, while others making it the central theme of their walk. The Word tells us that the law of Moses is holy, good and just.
Romans 7:12, “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandments holy and just and good.”
The law however, is the light that shows us the true face of sin, in all its ugliness and wretchedness. As long as the law did not exist, man did not know the true face of sin, for he had no light by which to see. When the law came, man realized the enormity of his sin by its light, yet was unable to wholly resist it. The law gave man the light by which to see his sin, but not the power to overcome it. When Jesus came, He gave us the victory over sin. We are no longer slaves; we are no longer bound by sin, but have victory over it by the blood and power of Christ Jesus.
It is not due to our own wisdom, or our own strength that we obtain victory over sin and death, but due to God who sent our Lord Jesus that we might have this victory. We have everything we need in order to live a holy, fruitful, and victorious life, through Jesus Christ.
Of all the great blessings that God has bestowed upon His children, this is perhaps the most underrated, yet simultaneously the most important in the life of the believer.
When we acknowledge all that God has done for us, we as thankful and obedient children will inevitably be ‘giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Ephesians 5:20)
A thankful heart knows the price that was paid for its redemption, a thankful heart knows the love God has for His children, and a thankful heart is perpetually humbled by the mercy and grace that the heavenly Father extends to us on a daily basis. May we have thankful hearts!
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
The Truth For Today will be airing on INSP Tuesdays at 9:30 PST rather than Wednesday. Just thought I'd point that out.
We live in a world, and amidst a generation that suffers from chronic and habitual thanklessness. Whether it is children toward parents, husbands toward wives, wives toward husbands, mankind towards God, it would seem we are perpetually lacking any reason whatsoever to be thankful.
What I find noteworthy as well, is that among the list of things that Paul describes as the epidemics within the church during the end times, those who are unthankful have a prominent spot between those who are disobedient to parents, and those who are unholy.
The cry of our heart has not been ‘thank you Lord for your many blessings’ for many years now. On the contrary, we look up to heaven with dismay and irritation if we are not daily amazed and bowled over by the myriad of blessings that befall us. The appetite of the church for material things only continues to grow, and the current examples of the futility of earthly treasures that have been making the news lately seem to have had little to no effect. One brow arched in a quizzical look, we look to the skies, as though impatient with God for not filling our pockets and our wallets, dismissing the greatest gifts of all as though they are something we are entitled to, and rightly deserve.
The tragic truth is that if we had thankful hearts, we would see the countless things we ought to be thankful for, and the myriad of blessings bestowed upon us. Alas, these can only be perceived by spiritual eyes, and who has the time to seek spiritual insight nowadays? No, we’re too busy trying to maintain that which we attained by overreaching in the first place, and grow exceedingly bitter toward God for not getting us out of the hole we dug for ourselves.
If only some of us would have heeded, if only some of us would have sought first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, perhaps our lives would be allot less cluttered today, perhaps stress wouldn’t be killing us from the inside out, and adding years to our countenance in a manner of weeks.
I wanted to write about the many reasons we have for being thankful, and somewhere along the way I got severely sidetracked.
Returning to my original reason for this essay, I want to relay, in no particular order all the reasons we should be thankful to God. Yes, even if we are struggling in our finances, even if we’re having difficulty making ends meet, even if we have physical ailments in our bodies, we still have a myriad of reasons to be thankful to God.
Regardless of the trials you might be going through today, notwithstanding the valley you might be traversing at this present time, we must continually be thankful for the goodness and the mercy of the Lord.
Psalm 118:29, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”
God is good in perpetuity, and His mercy endures forever. Even though with eyes of flesh we sometimes fail to see His goodness, even though in the physical we sometimes fail to acknowledge His mercy, when we come in possession of spiritual eyes, and a spiritual heart, we will continually give Him thanks for His goodness and mercy toward us.
Another reason to give thanks to the Lord is for all of His wondrous works.
Psalm 75:1, “We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.”
Everywhere we look, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear, we see the fingerprints of God. His works are truly wondrous, and if at times it might seem that we’re not hearing Him, it’s not because God isn’t speaking. If at times we feel as though we can’t see Him, it’s not because He isn’t there. So often and in so many ways, we can be likened to the man who standing in his front yard one day, before going off to work, looked up to heaven and said, “Lord speak to me” and a meadowlark began to sing, but the man paid it no mind.
When in his opinion the man perceived that nothing had happened, once more he cried out, “Lord speak to me!” and a rolling thunder boomed across the clear sky, but the man paid no attention.
After some time the man lifted his face toward the heavens again and said, “Lord if you won’t speak to me, let me see you” And a bright star shot across the heavens, but the man didn’t look at it.
Once more the man cried out and said, “If you won’t speak to me, or show yourself to me, at least let me see a miracle” and a newborn baby, somewhere on this earth took its first breath, but the man did not know this.
On the precipice of frustration, the man finally cried out, “Lord at least touch me that I might know You hear me, and that you are here”
And God bent down and touched the man who had cried out, but all the man did was wave off the butterfly that had landed on his shoulder, and continued his journey.
God is continually speaking to us through His creation, He is continually speaking to us through His Word, He is continually speaking to us through His Son, but like the man, we refuse to listen, we refuse to see, and we fail to acknowledge the touch of God when we feel it. The Lord’s works are truly wondrous, and they declare that His name is near, for this we must give thanks.
God is not as some view Him, up in heaven wearied and weighed down by the passage of time, unconcerned and unaffected by the prayers and supplications of His children. Our God is a loving God, He is an engaged God, He is a God who answers prayer, He is a God who speaks to His children, He is a God who comforts them, and holds them close to His heart.
A wise man, one whose heart has been regenerated, also knows to give thanks for God’s salvation. When I speak of salvation, I include both the salvation of the soul, from the grips of darkness and death, and also the rescue or deliverance of our person from the countless trials and attacks of the enemy.
Psalm 118:21, “I will praise You, for you have answered me, and have become my salvation.”
There is no rest, there is no comfort, there is no sense of security for the soul that does not learn to trust in God. When we walk in our own wisdom, when lean on our own understanding, when we attempt to overcome the enemy in our own strength, we suffer defeats and setbacks on a regular basis. When we cry out to God however, He will be faithful to answer, and He will be our salvation.
There are many things we overlook, or take for granted every day of our lives, refusing to acknowledge that they are the providence and blessing of God in our lives. From His protection, to our daily bread, to our physical health, or physical healing, we tend to have an attitude of entitlement, as though God owed us these things, and so fail to thank Him.
We must daily consider that there are people in this world who are starving, there are people in this world who are suffering in their bodies, there are people in this world who have reached the breaking point and have succumbed to hopelessness, and if we are still standing, may we glorify God and be ever thankful.
We must also thank God for the victory He has given us in Christ Jesus over sin and death.
1 Corinthians 15:56-57, “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Although we sing songs such as ‘thank God for Jesus’ we often gloss over the fact that through our Lord Jesus Christ we have been given victory over sin. In recent years there has been a great debate within Christian circles over the Law of Moses, some dismissing it altogether, while others making it the central theme of their walk. The Word tells us that the law of Moses is holy, good and just.
Romans 7:12, “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandments holy and just and good.”
The law however, is the light that shows us the true face of sin, in all its ugliness and wretchedness. As long as the law did not exist, man did not know the true face of sin, for he had no light by which to see. When the law came, man realized the enormity of his sin by its light, yet was unable to wholly resist it. The law gave man the light by which to see his sin, but not the power to overcome it. When Jesus came, He gave us the victory over sin. We are no longer slaves; we are no longer bound by sin, but have victory over it by the blood and power of Christ Jesus.
It is not due to our own wisdom, or our own strength that we obtain victory over sin and death, but due to God who sent our Lord Jesus that we might have this victory. We have everything we need in order to live a holy, fruitful, and victorious life, through Jesus Christ.
Of all the great blessings that God has bestowed upon His children, this is perhaps the most underrated, yet simultaneously the most important in the life of the believer.
When we acknowledge all that God has done for us, we as thankful and obedient children will inevitably be ‘giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Ephesians 5:20)
A thankful heart knows the price that was paid for its redemption, a thankful heart knows the love God has for His children, and a thankful heart is perpetually humbled by the mercy and grace that the heavenly Father extends to us on a daily basis. May we have thankful hearts!
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
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