Our Vows

I would guess that a lot of Christians aren’t fond of reading the Old Testament; especially chapters like Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. But I think that as you become more comfortable with the Bible, you should really take a look at these books as well. Though things have changed, and many of the practices the Israelites had to perform are obsolete, through these books we’re able to understand more about our God. We learn about his character and how he thinks. One such example is from Numbers chapter 30, verse 2 which says:

“When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.”

In our culture, we are not ones who generally take our vows very seriously. We may promise God that if he gets us out of a jam then we’ll do something for him in return, but don’t follow through. We also flippantly promise things to people as if our words aren’t binding. Some people don’t even take their marriage vows seriously. But here in Numbers we learn that God takes our vows (or promises) very seriously. He says that if we make a vow to him, we must not break it. And if we believe that God is the same yesterday, today and forever, we should also believe that his character doesn’t change. God wants us to honor our words to others, but even more importantly, we are to honor our words to him. James reminds us that it is better if we don’t promise anything; that we should just say “yes” or “no” and let our words be our bond, even though they aren’t sealed with a promise. That is always the safest bet. 

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The Bible teaches us time and time again that what comes out of our mouth shouldn’t be taken lightly. It teaches us that our words can be used to build others up or to tear them down; to heal or to destroy. Numbers reminds us that, likewise, our vows (or promises) are important too. God expects us to honor our promises, especially those we make to him. And James reminds us that it is better if we don’t promise anything at all. Just let your “yes” or “no” stand for itself. Any way you look at it, we really need to consider what we say before we say it, because our words have the potential to get us into a lot of trouble. If we are able to consider what we say before we say it, we have a better chance of vetting what comes out of our mouth, thereby minimizing the chance of regretting what we’ve said, or promised.

Nation Repent

I’ve been spending a bit of time in the Old Testament lately, and as I read, my heart continues break for our country. God is holy; so holy that even the Israelites had a hard time existing in his presence, and their culture had God at its center. Ours, sadly, does not. Isaiah prayed a prayer that I believe should be extended to our country as well. He prayed on behalf of the chosen people, but now that we have been grafted in, I hope that God will acknowledge this prayer on our behalf as well. Isaiah 64, verses 5 through 9 says:

“You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved? All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all of our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and made us waste away because of our sins. Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Do not be angry beyond measure, O Lord; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look upon us, we pray, for we are all your people.”

This is part of the prayer Isaiah prayed on behalf of his people. And this is the prayer I pray on behalf of ours. We need to humble ourselves before our holy God – those of us who call him Lord. I like when Isaiah says, “do not be angry beyond measure, O Lord; do not remember our sins forever”. We do serve a God who is slow to anger and abounding in love, but even his patience has limits. I encourage you to pray for our country; especially for those who call themselves believers in Christ. We are God’s clay, and I believe that he can use people like you and me to spark a change in our nation.

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I believe that we, as believers, have a responsibility to those around us. In the Old Testament, an entire nation could be judged as one group, even if some of the people in that nation were innocent. In America, a lot of godlessness has, and is, taking place. For Christians to be passive bystanders is not what I believe God wants from us. If nothing else, we should be on our knees for our country. Anyone with eyes can see where we’re headed. While it is day, before the night comes, we need to do all we can to shine the light of Christ in dark places. I encourage you to pray for our nation, and to ask God how he can use you in his master plan.

Testimony Building

I recently recorded an episode of the television series, “Christian Music Videos”, highlighting the portion of scripture that I’ll be sharing with you today. This past Sunday my pastor preached on it, and over the weekend as I thought more on these verses in James, I began to see an even deeper meaning in them. James chapter 1, verses 2 through 4 says: 

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Have you ever heard the term “building a testimony”? If we continually remember all of the amazing things that God has done in our lives, especially in the difficult times, then when we have an opportunity to share Christ with others we have examples, or a testimony, of our experiences as proof of God’s faithfulness. As I re-read James, I began to realize that it is through trials where we have persevered that we build testimonies. If we are able to put our trust in God when trials come, and leave everything in his hands, then any positive outcome can only be attributed to him. And in that, we have built a testimony with which to share with others if they want to know why we put our faith in Christ. I’m a big believer in testimonies. I try to put myself in the shoes of the unbeliever when they are told about Christ. How can they believe without any proof? I understand that it all comes down to faith, and that ultimately it is the Holy Spirit who will draw them unto himself, but wouldn’t it be exceedingly helpful if you had examples of how God came through in your life when explaining to others why they should put their faith in him? We don’t follow Christ because of what we can get from him, but identifying times when he has come through for us bolsters our faith and helps us share with others how we have seen his hand at work.

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We build testimonies in our lives by recognizing what God has done for us and sharing it with others. It is more than just bragging on Jesus, which is awesome in and of itself. But it can be a tool to build faith in others as they hear your story of how faithful God was in a trial that you went through. No one invites trials in their lives, but they are bound to come. When they do, as James says, count it pure joy. Because as your faith is tested and you persevere, you grow more mature in the faith. Another benefit is that you have a testimony to share with others during their trials, or during their search for Christ.

The Real World

I remember when I first saw the blockbuster movie, “The Matrix” back in 1999. I was blown away by the original story and the ground breaking special effects. Now, almost two decades since its release, I still think about a phrase Morpheus tells Neo when he first pulls his consciousness out of the matrix. He says, “welcome to the real world”. When I consider that phrase, I’m reminded that we are in somewhat of a matrix; a world that isn’t as real as the one we will see after we die. The real world is the heavenly realm. Ephesians makes reference to it, and we can also find a story in second Kings that fleshes it out. In second kings chapter 6 verse 17, it says: 

“And Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

In the story, the servant was afraid because he saw an army of Arameans soldiers surrounding them, preparing to attack. Elisha wasn’t afraid because he knew that God would protect him. He says to the servant, “Don’t be afraid, those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” When God opened the servant’s eyes so that he could see the army of God, it was almost as if God were saying “welcome to the real world”. Like Elisha, I believe that believers should always keep in mind that there is a world more real than the one we are currently living in; a spiritual realm that we can’t yet see, but we will one day. So, remember that God is at work within this spiritual realm, and even when we can’t see it with our own eyes, we should have faith.

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One day our eyes will be fully opened as if we are being told, “welcome to the real world”. Until then, we get to play in this physical realm where we are locked within these physical bodies and can only see with our physical eyes. We are limited by the laws of science, nature and time as we exist in the here and now. But we should never forget about the spiritual world, because Ephesians tells us that our battle isn’t against flesh and blood people that we can see in this physical world, but it is against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. If we don’t believe there is a spiritual world then what do we do with a portion of scripture like this? I encourage you to give it some thought.

Unity In Spirit

Every New Year, I encourage you to make every effort to rekindle, or further stoke, your relationship with God, as well as your relationships with others - especially those in the church. The Bible encourages us to do that, and to never forget that all Bible-believing Christians are one in the Spirit. It says in Ephesians chapter 4, verses 3 through 6:

“Make every effort to keep in unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

That portion of scripture focuses on the oneness of our faith; one body, one Spirit, one Lord and one faith. American culture generally fosters individuality; that we can be fulfilled in our self-centeredness. Many of us have fallen into a pattern of going to church where there may be many believers, yet remaining isolated in our own lives, cares and troubles. But it isn't that way in many other cultures around the world. In some cultures, there is a "Global village" mentality, that we are all connected and our lives enrich one another’s with love and relationship as we intertwine them on a daily basis. Ephesians reminds us that we should be a "global village", spiritually speaking. We are one, and as one of us hurts, we should all hurt. And as one of us rejoices, we all as one body should rejoice. It is a difficult paradigm to embrace in America. We, as a culture, typically limit our relational bonding to family and close friends. I encourage you to expand your sphere of influence and include others in your life, remembering that we are all one in Spirit.

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Ephesians reminds us that we should maintain unity in the Spirit; that we are one body with one spirit, serving one God. If this is true, we should act and function as though we are one. We should care about one another, pray for one another, get closer to each other, and help each other. In essence, we need to love one another as we love our own families - in as much as that is possible, of course. This may not mean that we open our houses to everyone we meet, but it may mean that we become more sensitive to the Spirit and more open to his direction when it comes to who we should spend time with and who we should show special love to; who we should pray for and who we should reach out to. And maybe, even without knowing it, we will be exercising the principles of this scripture.