Burning Coals

I love the book of Proverbs. It has a way of making something seemingly complex, quite simple. In the New Testament, Jesus tells us to love our enemies. And in Proverbs we learn that when we do good to our enemies, or those who hate us, it is like heaping burning coals on their head. Proverbs 25:21-22 reminds us of that and takes it even a step further. It says:

“If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.”

I’m not sure if you have any enemies. I can’t think of a single person that I know personally whom I’d consider an enemy. But the Bible encourages us to treat those who treat us poorly with love. In Proverbs, it says that we are to give our enemies food to eat and water to drink if they are hungry or thirsty. If we do, it really plays with their head. But what is even better, it says that the Lord will reward you. You may be like me and can’t identify a single enemy in your life. But think about this, if we’re supposed to treat our enemies this way, shouldn’t we, all the more, make every effort to extend love and aid to those who are not our enemies?

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God wants us to love our enemies. Solomon reminds us in Proverbs, and Jesus does as well in the gospels. It may be difficult to wrap our mind around how different than the world we are supposed to be. Loving our enemies goes against our human nature. But that is what we are called to do. It may be difficult, but there is a dual benefit. By doing so it is as if we are heaping burning coals on their head. In other words, our kind acts will frustrate them because they expect, and probably even want, anger and hatred from us in return for their hatred, not love. But better than the burning coals is that the Lord will reward us. Giving food or water to someone in need is an act. We don’t have to like it when we do it. We just have to do it. If in your heart you don’t feel like extending a helping hand to your enemy, it may help to remember that you’re doing it out of obedience to our Lord. It may take time for the Holy Spirit to teach you how to experience and project sincere love in the process, but in the meantime, simply performing the act might be enough.

Know For Yourself

One thing that has always bothered me about many Christians I know, is that most of what they claim to know about the Bible comes from what they have been told or how they were raised. To me, it is shocking that some will base their core beliefs on second-hand knowledge. And consequently, some things that I hear them say about the Bible, doesn’t really line up with what it actually says. In Matthew chapter 7, verse 24 Jesus tells a parable encouraging us to build our house on a rock. It says:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a rock.”

Truly knowing the words of Christ are best learned by reading his words for ourselves. Believe me, I appreciate our pastors, Christian books, Christian music, Christian friends or anything that can positively influence our Christian walk. But why do so many of us depend on the words of others to base our faith? I can’t encourage you enough to read the words of the Bible for yourself. You may find that much of what you were taught is absolutely correct. Yet others, though well-meaning when shared with you, may not be completely true. Even these words that you’re reading right now should be filtered through the word of God. After all, how can we build our house on the words of Jesus if we’ve never really read them for ourselves?

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Jesus encourages us to build our house on a rock, and that rock is the truth found in the Holy Bible. But how can we build our house on that rock, when we depend only on what others tell us about the Bible? I believe that every believer should be a student of the Bible. We should study it as if it were the actual words of God to us – because it is! Think about it, the Bible is God’s one and only written word to us. Why wouldn’t we learn everything we could about what is in it? Unlike many unfortunate brothers and sisters around the world, most of us have the privilege of owning our own Bible. We’re able to read directly from the scriptures. So please, don’t depend on what others tell you about the Bible and accept it as truth. Read the word of God for yourself, and let the Holy Spirit reveal the truth to you first hand. You may find that it supports and affirms what you’ve heard all of your life, or you may find that some of what you’ve been taught doesn’t really lined up with what the Bible says.

From Within

As I consider what it means to live a pure life in Christ, I realize that it all really comes down to one thing… the heart. God looks at our heart, because it is the heart that truly reveals who we are. The Bible teaches us that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. And Jesus reminds us that it isn’t what we put into our body that makes us clean or unclean, but it is what comes out of the heart that makes us clean or unclean. So, everything starts there. Jesus goes on to explain in Mark 7:20-23:

He went on: “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’”

One biblical proverb tells us to guard our heart for it is the wellspring of life. I believe the heart can be cultivated and molded through good things or evil things. We feed our heart good things when we think on heavenly things, as the Bible tells us to do. When we consider things like scripture from the Holy Bible, God’s blessings in our life, or our future with him after we die, our heart flourishes. But when we think on sinful things, or indulge in things that corrupt our heart, it births sin. So, as Jesus says, it isn’t what physically goes into a man that makes him unclean, such as the food he eats or whether he washes his hands before eating, but it is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean.

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It is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean. There may be sinful things in our environment, which we can’t control, that find their way into our hearts; things we see and hear by just going about our daily lives even if we’d rather avoid them. And there may also be sinful things that we willingly put in our hearts; things that may influence our heart and make us callous and sinful. In Mark 7, Jesus gives us a list of evil things that can come out of a man’s heart. But I believe that if we are living right before God and man, good things can come out as well. So, I encourage you to guard your heart.

Promise to the Faithful

Being a Christian can be difficult at times, especially if you live in a country where it is illegal to worship Jesus. But wherever you live, being a believer means denying yourself certain indulgences and restructuring priorities in a way that looks different than that of an unbeliever. We’re often called to sacrifice these things, even if they are not sinful in and of themselves, for the sake of Christ. In Matthew 19 verses 28 and 29, Jesus reminds the disciples, and as an extension he reminds us:

“I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”

The twelve thrones are reserved for the twelve disciples. But I believe the other promise is for any believer. He says that for those of us who leave our family or our livelihood for him will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. I don’t believe God is calling all of us to leave our family or our job, but our priority should be our dedication to God even above these things. And it could be that at some point they are in conflict. If that ever happens, Jesus is telling us to choose him. If we do, we will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. We, as believers, should be ready to follow wherever God leads, even if it means forsaking those we love on earth. As I said, it can be difficult being a Christian, but the reward is well worth it.

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God has called some believers to leave their family or job for his sake. Forsaking Islam and becoming a believer in Christ can mean turning your back on your family for Jesus. Or being a missionary in a foreign land could mean quitting your job for the cause of Christ. He may not be calling you to these extremes, but I believe that every believer should purpose putting him above all else so that if he were ever to call us to let go of something we love for him, we’d be ready to do it. It may not be easy, but Jesus never said the life of a believer would be.

Full View

You may have heard the saying, “everyone has secrets”, and in so many cases, I would argue that this saying is true. I watched a true crime television episode last night and was shocked to learn the secrets of a youth pastor that had come to light. Though his congregation and the people around him didn’t know what was going on behind closed doors, God certainly did. And likewise, for all of us around the world; young and old, rich and poor, righteous and sinful; though secrets can be kept from men, everything is in full view of God. Proverbs chapter 5 verse 21 reminds us:

“For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all his paths.”

I only mention the true crime story because I watched it recently and it came to mind when I was considering this verse. I certainly do not mean to imply that every church has evil lurking in the leadership. But I mention it to highlight the fact that even those whom we mistakenly think are blameless may be adept at fooling us, but they can’t keep their deep dark secrets from God. Nothing we do or say is hidden from him, so we should live our lives with this truth in mind. The Bible tells us that we’ll be judged according to what we say and do. And here we learn that our ways are in full view of the Lord. So, when God ultimately judges our actions, there won’t be a need for a spiritual investigation. There will be no “he said, she said” argument or confusion. There will be no need for eye witnesses or forensic evidence because God sees it all first hand.

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“For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all his paths”. Whether we want to think about it or not, God knows the things we do in secret, the things we’re ashamed of, and the things that quite frankly could send us to hell if it weren’t for the blood of Jesus. But the good news is that he still loves us in spite of knowing the worst about us. And for those who think that they’ve got it all together and that they have nothing to hide, remember that our righteousness is as filthy rags in God’s sight. None of us are clean, but this scripture should help to keep us on the straight and narrow. Reminding ourselves that God is watching everything we say and do should change our actions and behavior for the better.