Virtual Vitamins

Job 36:5 “God is mighty, but does not despise men;
he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.

This is a very interesting verse in Japanese, that experience has taught me is probably much closer to the original than the NIV is. The first half of the verse is interesting because it contradicts what many people, and even many religions, think. Their concept of God is that He looks down on people, barely tolerating them. In contrast, Elihu affirms that God is God, in all power and majesty, but says that He does not look down on people. This actually paves the way for John 3:16, because God would certainly not send His Son to die for those He looked down on. The second half of the verse is where the wording of the Japanese gets very interesting. It says, “The power of His understanding is strong.” I don’t know how firm a grasp of God’s omniscience Elihu had, but in a sense this fits the modern proverb, “Knowledge is power.” The fact that God indeed knows everything, down to the number of hairs on our heads, (Matthew 10:30) makes a big difference. No one can sneak anything by Him! He not only knows physical details, He knows our hearts and motives. (Mark 2:8) The amazing thing is that knowing our hearts and motives, He still doesn’t look down on us! His love and grace are indeed amazing.

I have been aware of God’s omniscience ever since childhood, but that hasn’t kept me from sinning as it should have. Perhaps I focused too much on the knowledge of His love! However, that is making light of His grace, which certainly doesn’t honor and glorify Him. As a pastor, I need to communicate the whole package, helping people understand God’s power and love, His holiness and His grace. I can do that only with the help of the Holy Spirit, and only if I am walking in that awareness myself. It is possible to teach by bad example, so people will avoid imitation, but I certainly don’t want to do that! My life needs to be a demonstration of God’s gracious power. By very definition I can’t accomplish that on my own, because it’s God’s power, not mine. I need to seek and be submitted to Him at all times, so that His Spirit may flow through me to accomplish His will for His glory.

Father, thank You for the depth and breadth and height of Your love for me. I continue to learn more of that every day! Help me communicate to others that You love them just as much, so that they too will turn to You to receive that love with gratefulness and joy. Thank You for the experience of loving my grandsons despite all their imperfections and messes. It’s a very good illustration of Your love for us all. Help me express Your love to them, and help them to understand that love so that they may grow to let that love flow through them fully, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Job 32:8-9 But it is the spirit in a man,
the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.
It is not only the old who are wise,
not only the aged who understand what is right.

IQ does not equal wisdom. It has been demonstrated scientifically that age does confer a degree of wisdom because it creates a greater backlog of experiences on which to base decisions, but ultimately, true wisdom and knowledge reside with God, and are received only as He gives them. Paul said that spiritual things, that is, eternal things that underlie and go beyond the temporal things our senses deal with, cannot be grasped without the help of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:14) That is why Elihu’s statement is correct: age alone doesn’t guarantee anything but age. Sadly, that applies to spiritual age as well as physical. There are Christians who, though born again, have not progressed in their faith. Essentially, they have told God, that’s enough, and haven’t received the spiritual riches of understanding that He has desired to give them. Being a disciple means pressing into God to receive all that He has for us, as much and as fast as we can absorb it. God is never stingy, so the limiting factor is always on our side. If we will acknowledge our need and turn to Him, He will pour out more than we could ask or imagine. (James 1:5, Ephesians 3:20)

It was such a relief to finally realize that God’s smart and I’m not. However, I now have the danger of pride in having received that revelation! True wisdom always calls for humility. I am not to deny the revelation God has given me, but as soon as I become puffed up about it, I have lost wisdom. I am to use and share what God has given me to build others up, not to inflate myself. As I tell others consistently, God’s gifts are never for the direct recipient alone. They are always intended to draw others to God, build up the Body of Christ, and give God glory. That certainly applies to wisdom, as well as to abilities and material possessions. I am to be submitted to God in every area, so that His purposes may be fulfilled in everything pertaining to me. That is true wisdom.

Father, thank You for Your grace. I have done so many foolish things! Help me rest, relax, and rejoice in You at all times, allowing Your Spirit to flow through me unhindered, in word and action, so that I may be an effective instrument of Your will, Your kingdom, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Job 12:7-9 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done thins?”

Job was saying this rather sarcastically to his friends who were telling him platitudes, but there is real truth hidden here. Nature does indeed know its Creator, not with the conscious will of man, but on a deeper level. Paul said in Romans 8:19 that nature “waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.” The other side of that is that we can indeed learn a lot about God by studying nature, though many scientists today seem to have forgotten that. I forget which of the early modern scientists – Linaeus, Newton, or who – said that scientific study is “discovering God’s footprints.” If we are open to God, He will teach us and disciple us through everything about our environment, both natural and social. The point, then, is to look for God’s lessons and learn from them, so that God won’t have to use more forceful methods to teach us what we need to know. A gentle word of correction or instruction is far more pleasant than the alternative!

At times I have been responsive to gentle correction and instruction, but at times I have been remarkably stubborn. The results have not been pleasant, for me or for those around me. I need to be active in looking for God’s hand, listening for His voice, in every detail of my life, and I need to teach the believers to do likewise. Yesterday’s message was a step in the right direction, but as I said in that message, I need to do more than just dump truth on them. Just as I need to be sensitive to how God wants to teach me, I need to be sensitive and available for however He wants to use me to teach others. I must not get proud and think of myself as The Teacher, but rather make myself available as a teaching aid, much like a flip chart or even a piece of chalk. I have been gifted and called as a teacher, but I must always remember the Source of all truth, and seek Him as I give Him the glory for all He does through me.

Father, thank You for speaking through me yesterday. I pray that Your Holy Spirit would unpack the message in the hearts of all who heard, because I didn’t really have the time to go into even a fraction of the implications of it. Thank You for Your promise that the Holy Spirit will indeed lead us into all truth (John 16:13). May I follow His leading and encourage others to do likewise, so that together we may be Your disciples indeed, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

This description of Ezra has a lot to teach us about a disciple. Word order in the sentence is very different between Japanese and English, but the first point is that he had made a heart commitment. You can’t be a good disciple of Christ without that, and that is precisely where many Christians fall flat. Receiving God’s grace just for the sake of the blessings is not becoming a disciple! Ezra’s commitment was both to investigate and to put into practice the Law of the Lord. I have had people who walked away when they found out they were actually supposed to learn what was in the Bible, and many more who showed little interest in actually living out what the Bible says. No wonder Jesus said to “make disciples!” Churches that are filled with genuine disciples don’t have the problems that plague most churches, because the members are all committed to following Christ. Ezra went one step further in his commitment, and that was to teach the Law of the Lord to others. In other words, he was committed to making more disciples. That is very much the picture the NT paints of a true disciple of Christ.

I think I fit this picture at this point, but that’s nothing to take personal pride in. I’ve certainly taken long enough to get here! My calling and commission are to bring as many people as possible along with me, and hopefully they will do so faster than I did it. At the same time, like Paul I recognize that I am far from having arrived, and I need to keep pressing into Christ myself. I need to paint an attractive, but at the same time unvarnished, picture of what it means to be a disciple, so that as many as possible may make the same commitment to press in. I cannot force anyone into discipleship, but I can admonish, encourage, and love them in that direction.

Father, thank You again for this series You have us in on discipleship. Thank You for the message You’ve given me for this morning. May I fear no one and nothing, but rather be fully available and faithful to You. May Your Word flow through me unhindered, touching hearts with Your Truth and setting them free to follow You in true discipleship, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

2 Chronicles 17:9 They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the LORD; they went around to all the towns of Judah and taught the people.

Ignorance can be fatal. Jehoshaphat recognized that there was no hope of the people of Judah being obedient to God if they had no idea what God was asking of them. The list of the names of the men sent to teach the people seems like a jumble of sounds to us, but I’m sure those men received their reward in heaven. The point is, they didn’t just go around saying, this is what you are to do, they took copies of the Law of the Lord with them and taught it carefully. In most countries today Bibles are readily available. In some parts of the US, most homes have multiple copies! In spite of that, there is a profound ignorance of what the Bible really says. The printed Bible is treated more like a good luck charm than as a practical guide for every-day living. A disciple of Christ is going to treat the Bible as his instruction manual, as well as a love letter from his Lord. The Holy Spirit will speak to us even if we aren’t familiar with Scripture, but He has a far easier time of getting through to us when we are. A major point of discipleship is our attitude toward the Bible. When we are commanded to make disciples of all nations, that means we need to help them get the Bible into their hearts, not as academic facts but as the living Word of God. I agree fully with my grandfather’s contention that any individual’s Bible is only as big as the portion of the Word he has appropriated into his heart to do, in obedience to God.

When my grandfather felt that way, it’s not surprising that I grew up in a home that loved God and His Word. That leaves me with less excuse than most for my lapses in obedience to God! As a pastor today, I need not just to inform people of what the Bible says, but how to take it in, apply it, and love the God who said it. So much of discipleship is wrapped up in that! I was moved to tears of gratitude several years ago when one of the believers here said I was “addicted to the Bible,” speaking from experience because he had been an alcoholic. However, it’s not enough if I’m addicted, I need to spread the addiction around! In my preaching and teaching I need to be careful to express the Word in practical terms, as something to be applied and lived. There are far too many “paper Christians” who have never really applied the faith they profess.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the fax that came in from a neighbor yesterday that I only just saw this morning. Dealing with that is going to be an exercise in applying my faith! I ask for wisdom, so that everyone involved may be drawn to You. I pray that every part of my life may accurately demonstrate Christ and illustrate the truth of Your Word, so that all with whom I interact may be drawn to repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

2 Chronicles 15:2 He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.”

This prophecy seems very simple, yet it is profoundly so. It is so obvious as to be overlooked. The whole point of being a disciple is to be close to God. Of course, in a physical sense we are all close to God, because He is infinite, which logically means that we exist inside Him, just as it says in Acts 17:28. However, as many are aware, there is a wide range of experiencing closeness to God. Frankly, you have to taste it to know how good it is, (Psalm 34:8) and quite a few people really don’t want it. Most people at least have the concept that being close to God brings protection and blessing, but their daily lives show no understanding of the basic truth of this verse. If we want God to be close to us in protection and blessing, we need to draw close to Him in humility, gratitude, and obedience. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is good news because He is the way to God the Father (John 14:6), enabling all who will to draw close. “Post Christian” societies, like much of Europe and America, have forgotten the reality of this verse, thinking they can enjoy protection and blessing without humility, gratitude, and obedience. It doesn’t work that way!

I’ve certainly experienced this on a personal scale, and I see it all around me. God is a God of grace, certainly, or none of us would stand a chance, but we must not forget that attitudes and actions have consequences. That truth in itself is widely ignored these days! I need to keep watch over my own attitudes and actions, and I am called to help others recognize what they are doing as well, so that they may repent and turn to God. I am not to let fear of bragging make me draw back from expressing my closeness to God, because most people really don’t know that it’s possible. I missed a good opportunity Wednesday afternoon for precisely that reason. I am to make the most of the opportunities the Lord gives me to let people know that He is real, personal, and cares about them, because most of them simply don’t know that.

Father, thank You for pointing this out to me this morning. The lady I was talking to Wednesday has been touched by such things as our Christmas caroling, so her heart was prepared, but even though I recognized the opening I didn’t take it, not wanting to say that You talk to me. If I don’t tell people that, how will they expect You to talk to them? Forgive me for being worried about how I would be perceived. May I express Your Gospel in fullness, with no hesitation for any reason, so that as many as will may receive, repent and believe, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

1 Kings 8:33 “When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you…

This verse and several others don’t say if the people sin, they say when the people sin. This is very much in line with Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:10, and various other NT passages that speak of universal human sinfulness. That we have sinful natures is a fact, but it must not be used as an excuse, as it often is. “After all, I’m only human.” There’s even a well-known proverb: “To err is human, to forgive, divine.” That attitude ignores two glorious NT realities. The first is that God’s grace is enormously expensive; it cost Jesus His life. We must not treat it cheaply, taking it for granted and presuming on it. The second reality is that anyone who is in Christ is no longer “only human,” because Christ lives in them by His Spirit. Paul dealt with that thinking in 1 Corinthians 3:3-4. On the contrary, the mystery of the Gospel is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27). The point of all of this in relation to being a disciple and making disciples is that we are not to be surprised by sinfulness, but neither are we to be satisfied with it. When we sin, it should be a matter of “Lord, I did it again. Forgive me, cleanse me so that I may live appropriately as Your child, Your disciple.” It is implicit in the idea of a disciple, (at least in the Japanese term, which also means apprentice) that they are going to make mistakes. We need to accept that idea, in ourselves and others, while at the same time striving for the full likeness of Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

I’m certainly aware of my own imperfection! However, at the same time, I tend to demand perfection of others, and that makes for all sorts of problems. I need to rejoice in the grace of God without cheapening it, extending it to others even as I appropriate it for myself. Particularly as I make disciples for Christ. I am not to focus on the negatives (though I am not to ignore sin), but rather encourage to greater devotion and obedience. I have seen too much legalism and license in the Church, with some preachers focusing on the negatives and others saying anything goes. I think both are repulsive to God, and I need to seek His heart at all times. 

Father, this is a good reminder, with a couple of young grandsons arriving tonight! I am not to be overly indulgent, but neither am I to be a tyrant. Help me learn from this experience how better to deal with believers who are young in faith, encouraging, correcting, and admonishing them, steering them the right way without squashing them, so that together we may be the disciples You desire and intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

2 Samuel 22:28 You save the humble, but Your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.

Pride is a major disqualifier for a disciple. This verse calls to mind Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, where He said a number of things that go against normal human expectations. The rest of this passage (26-37 – the whole chapter is repeated as Psalm 18) speaks of some of the blessings of following God, but anyone wanting to enjoy them must remember that they come only from God. This goes double for anyone wanting to make disciples, because if we succeed in making them our disciples without making them Christ’s disciples, we’ve not only not done them good, we’ve done them grave harm. Jesus gave a rather pithy description of that sort of thing in Matthew 23:15. Pride is simply asking to be brought down. As it says in Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” English doesn’t distinguish particularly among different types of pride, whereas Japanese does. Being proud of your children, for example, isn’t the same as being haughty (to use the word from Proverbs). Satisfaction in a job well done, for example, if it includes recognition that God was the one who gave the ability and made it possible, is certainly not condemned in the Bible. However, conceit and pride of position (others are inferior because they aren’t me) are uniformly condemned. Submission and obedience are prime characteristics of a disciple.

I’ve certainly had my troubles with this one! From experience, I can say that conceit is often rooted in inferiority. I used to put people down for not having my intellect because I was so painfully aware of being inferior in sports. Frankly, that benefited no one, and least of all me. Conceit and self-hatred alike ignore God. He is the one who says we are worth dying for! The more we understand God’s love, the more we understand the value of every human being, but pride puts up a wall against that love. I live in a culture that demonizes conceit, but in the process forbids parents from praising their children, husbands and wives from praising each other. That is as much a distortion of God’s plan as the American tendency to puff yourself up. I need God’s wisdom and grace to help people of all cultures break free of their cultural mind traps in order to see themselves and others as God does. We have several cultures represented in this church, and each has its strong and weak points, I need, we need, to focus on being Christ’s disciples, Kingdom citizens, learning and expressing Kingdom culture, with no pride (conceit) but great gratitude.

Father, it’s difficult to write what You are showing me, because words get in the way. Help me be an open channel so that Your Spirit may communicate Your truth through me in ways that people can receive it and be set free, according to Your Word and not my words, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

2 Samuel 7:14 “I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men.”

It is very clear that this isn’t talking about David’s most famous son, or descendant, because it speaks of his sinning. I don’t know the Hebrew grammar here, but the Japanese carries the nuance of becoming Father and son, whereas Christ was the Son of God from before Creation. With that clear, the most interesting thing about this verse is the statement that God uses human instruments to punish us. We don’t like to hear that. For many people, the thought that an oppressive boss might be God’s instrument of correction is not a happy one. Paul makes clear that police, for example, are God’s instruments (most of the time), so the next time you get pulled over for a traffic violation, submit to God and thank Him for His correction! There are of course times when we must disobey human authority, as Peter made very clear (Acts 4:19; 5:29), but those are actually quite rare. In general, a rebellious person is rebelling first against God, and only then against His human agents.

I’m as guilty as the next guy here. I can remember several times in my life that God has used human instruments to “apply the board of education to the seat of learning,” so to speak. Interestingly, those who come to mind aren’t my parents (though they did correct me), but school teachers and trusted friends. In my life and ministry I have seen many, many rebellious people who reacted strongly against the idea that God might be using the people around them to provide needed correction. As a pastor and teacher, I am often called on to correct people in one way or another. I must be careful to do so in submission and obedience to God, or to human authority over me, such as in my school teaching. With grandchildren coming to visit for a couple of weeks, I’m going to have plenty of opportunity to apply correction! I must remember always to act in the love and grace of God, being both firm and gentle. Dealing with my grandsons will be good training in applying correction in all sorts of situations.

Father, thank You that You don’t waste any detail of our lives. Help me be fully submitted to You so that I may receive the full benefit of all that You allow me to experience. May I be an open channel for Your love, grace, and authority to flow through me, accomplishing Your will in me and in those around me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

1 Samuel 12:23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.

The first rule in disciple-making is prayer. We’ve got to start with prayer, continue in prayer, and finish in prayer. (Though there really is no finish to growth as a disciple on this earth.) There is no way that anyone can do personally all that needs to be done for anyone entering the path of a disciple, so we are driven to our knees asking God to take care of it. The good news is that He will! One thing about this verse that is particularly important is that the failure to pray is sin. We don’t think a lot about sins of omission, but they are just as real and just as much in need of repentance and forgiveness as sins of commission. Again, no single individual could possibly pray about all the things that call for prayer in their church, much less their city, nation or the world. We’ve got to let the Holy Spirit show us what and how to pray and not feel guilty about not praying for every Tom, Dick, and Harry, but we have specific responsibility to pray for those whom we are leading into discipleship.

This is an area where I still have a lot of room for growth. As a pastor I have responsibility for everyone in the church, but the sheer volume of prayer that is called for is overwhelming. At times I have escaped into relative prayerlessness, and that certainly isn’t the answer! The gift of tongues is a real blessing, and I need to exercise it more and more, allowing the Holy Spirit to pray through me the many things I have no idea how to pray. I also need to be more focused in my prayer for the specific individuals I am currently mentoring. I have absolutely no excuse for any failure to pray for them! I desire that this be a house of prayer indeed, and I’ve got to set the example and lead the way, so that we may indeed grow in every area to match the blueprint God has for us, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the truly blessed day yesterday, not just the gorgeous weather for the church picnic but especially for the beautiful fellowship and openness to one another and to You. Our differing gifts make for friction sometimes, but all those gifts are needed. Help me pray accurately and effectively for each person and help them pray for each other, and for me, so that nothing may hinder what You desire to do and are doing in and among and through us, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!