Have you ever heard exciting news and discussed it with a good friend? Growing up my cousins and I would enjoy long walks on dusty country roads talking about the latest news in our lives. The Bible recounts a story similar to this. Walking a road with Jesus without knowing who He was until He was revealed at their table, they found their lives were forever changed by the encounter. The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus Two disciples of Jesus were walking down a road toward Emmaus, a village about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were discussing the events that had unfolded in the past three days. Suddenly the two were joined by a stranger. The stranger inquired what all the excitement was about. "Can you be the only one who hasn't heard what happened in Jerusalem?" they exclaimed. "Tell me," the stranger said. The two friends excitedly told the stranger about the Christ. Sad Faces, Shocking News With sad faces they explained what had happened. He had been crucified three days earlier, but now some women claim to have seen angels at His tomb, saying He has risen. They said He had risen from the dead! They told the stranger they had hoped that Jesus was the one to redeem Israel. A Bible Study on the Road At this, the stranger called them foolish and slow to believe what had been predicted for so long by Moses and the prophets. Point by point He explained how this had been prophesied and showed the excited disciples where Scripture said so (Luke 24:27). Jesus Revealed: From the Road to the Table Arriving at their destination they convinced the stranger to stay with them for dinner. When He broke bread at the table they were amazed to realize they had been talking with Jesus Himself the whole time. As soon as they recognized the stranger as Jesus, He disappeared. What We Learn from the Emmaus Encounter The disciples noticed their hearts had burned inside when He explained the Scripture to them (Luke 24:32). They felt this was a sign that should have made them realize who they were talking to. Because they heard and understood they could see Jesus clearly . Immediately they left and went to Jerusalem to tell the others what had happened. We learn several important lessons from this encounter. Jesus is always with us. Jesus can come to us anywhere, not just church, but even a dusty road in the middle of nowhere. He can come to us in the most unexpected of ways. The disciples didn't rush on with their journey; they took time to listen and invite the stranger to dinner. Do we rush ahead with our own plans and disregard moments where God gives us insight or conviction because we think we don't have time? Jesus valued the Scriptures and so should we. This is how we get to know Him, by reading and studying the Word. Jesus should be invited into every part of our lives. We should walk and talk with Him every day. Oh what wisdom and knowledge we can learn from Him when He is present. Because of His resurrection, He is present to each of us. Jesus was truly and physically resurrected. In the same way as we who belong to Him will be. Jesus comforts these men with the hope He brings them. He wants to comfort us too when we are enduring sorrowful times. Jesus listens to their story. When we open our hearts to people, we often open the door for God to speak through us or to us. Do we listen to others who want to share their pain or life experiences? Jesus lived in a culture where hospitality was highly valued. Do we spiritually treat Jesus with the true hospitality that these disciples did? Let's set aside time each day for prayer, Bible reading, or meditation, not waiting for God to “show up” but deliberately inviting Him into our schedule. Why Did Jesus Reveal Himself This Way? Among His first appearances, Jesus chose to reveal Himself to women, but now a relatively unknown disciple named Cleopas and another unnamed disciple have seen Him. Not the sort of people you would think would be the first to have Jesus reveal Himself to if you were trying to convince others that your story was true. And why does Jesus only reveal Himself in the breaking of bread at the table? Why wait so long to let them know who they had been talking to? Perhaps they needed time to really think about everything that He had explained to them in the Scriptures. Maybe if He had revealed Himself earlier they wouldn't have listened to the Scriptures that foretold what happened. Or perhaps this echoes back to the Last Supper with His disciples when He said, " Take and eat; this is My body. " Now after shared conversation with Him, they understood better who Jesus really was. Or maybe He thought revealing Himself in such an ordinary way to His disciples would show them that He was approachable, accessible, a God who shared their lives with them and would continue to. Jesus revealed Himself through Scripture from the dusty road to the shared table. Peace in the Midst of Fear Let's return to the story. As these two men were sharing their story with the other disciples the Lord suddenly appeared in their midst. Startled and afraid the first thing He told them was, " Peace be with you. " Always the Lord of Peace , He assures them He is no ghost. Still doubting, our Lord asked for food. As He ate it in front of them He reminded them He had showed them these things in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. Opening Minds to the Scriptures Then it says something that may surprise you. " He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures " (Luke 24:45). "What?" you may ask. You mean the disciples did not understand the Scriptures even though Jesus had walked and taught with them for three years? He opens our minds in the same way through the action of the Holy Spirit. This is not just a simple understanding of the words but a deep, spiritual connection to the One who is the truth.  From Misunderstanding to Faith The disciples may have believed they understood the Scriptures. And in their own way they did, but it was full of preconceived ideas of how the Messiah would come and how He would reign. They were looking for a worldly king, a political Messiah, not the Suffering Servant prophesied by Isaiah. Their belief in the resurrection was limited to the end of all things when man would be judged. Only then was the resurrection, in their understanding, to take place. They knew the Scriptures but Jesus didn't seem to fulfill them in the way they thought He should. Jesus, by opening their minds, allowed them to understand the Scriptures with faith. Spiritual Deconstruction through Scripture Today many people need Jesus to open their minds to understand the Scriptures. Numerous people are proclaiming they have undergone what they call a "spiritual deconstruction." This expression means that as Christians they began to doubt things about their faith. They began to doubt God. Many times this doubt has led them to completely abandon their faith. The disciples doubted the resurrection of Jesus because that is not what they were expecting. Jesus wasn't the conquering Savior they expected to rescue Israel. Today we have also inherited certain views of God or denominational teachings we may come to question during times of suffering, unanswered prayer, or cultural changes. What we see in Jesus is someone willing to listen to the doubts they had. He graciously showed them the truth by unpacking the Old Testament Scriptures in ways they had not thought of before. Their misguided faith was reborn by a fresh understanding of Scripture. Their beliefs were now founded on Scripture, not just traditional views or emotional understanding. When we feel prone to "deconstruct" our faith, let's focus prayerfully on Jesus in the Bible and ask Him to open our minds to truly understand. God’s Word, Opened by the Spirit Have we read or heard the Bible and understood the words but not the power and the deep spiritual truths it contains for our life? Have we ever thought, "Well, I'm just not smart enough to understand the Bible"? When Jesus opens our minds, how smart we are doesn't matter so much. It is the power of God, not ourselves, that brings understanding. There is a difference between belief and true faith . The Old Testament Foretells the Christ Jesus explained that the Scriptures told them He must suffer and rise from the dead on the third day. Many Old Testament Scriptures point to His suffering including: Isaiah 52:14, Psalm 69:20-21, Psalm 22:14, 18, and Isaiah 53:7-9. Scriptures about His resurrection include Psalm 16:10, Psalm 22, Psalm 118:17-18, and Isaiah 53:10-12. Jesus Himself referred to His resurrection as the "Sign of Jonah" who was in the belly of the fish for three days (Matthew 12:40). We find a pattern of rising on the third day in many places in the Old Testament. The Great Commission Begins in Jerusalem Jesus told His followers that " repentance for the forgiveness of sin " would be preached to every nation, not just Israel, and it would begin with them in Jerusalem (Luke 24:47). He lets them know they won't be alone. He will send them what has been promised. Without the Holy Spirit they must wait, for without Him there would be no power. Luke ends with Jesus ascending to Heaven before them, leaving them to praise God continually in the temple. Empowered to Share the Gospel Have we attempted to share the Gospel but without the leading and power of the Holy Spirit? Have we prayed sincerely that God will use us how He sees fit to spread the word of repentance? If we try to do it alone it will fail. Without the power of the Holy Spirit we will not be successful. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us! From the Dusty Road to the Greatest Mission We can imagine the joy of the disciples when they finally understand, deeply understand, what their Master had been trying to teach them for so many years. From the little-known disciples on the dusty road to Emmaus to His closest followers in Jerusalem, He revealed Himself as the true and living God, raised from the dead, who left them with the greatest mission in human history: to tell the world He lives and He lives to save us from our sins.

When the Righteous Suffer Without Cause You may have heard the story of Job, and come away somewhat depressed. Poor Job, robbed of everything—wealth, family, and health—he seems to lose all hope. And this was a man described in Job 1:1 as " blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. " If such a man as Job loses everything, including his hope, then what of me? How can I find hope and peace through suffering and faith ? Job’s Despair and the Misjudgment of Friends In chapter 14 of Job, we read Job's inner feelings, how hopeless he became before God. This follows a series of painful conversations he had with his friends. They completely misunderstood his suffering, believing it to be caused by some sin he had committed. Have you ever felt hopeless about a tragic situation? Have you had friends who felt your suffering was due to your own failures, when you knew it wasn't? The book of Job is one of the oldest stories recorded in the Bible for a reason. Pain and suffering are not unique to him but is the story we all experience to a lesser or greater degree. A Flicker of Hope in the Midst of Pain In this chapter, Job alternates between total hopelessness and the glimmer of hope that maybe things are not quite the way he believes they are. In the first few verses of this chapter Job compares life to a fading flower and a shadow that quickly disappears. Life is short and full of pain. At this point in Job's story that is all he sees. Job’s Struggle with the Afterlife and Resurrection But then Job thinks about a tree, " For there is hope for a tree, If it is cut down, that it will sprout again " (Job 14:7). Wracked by grief he sadly believes that a tree can be renewed but a man dies and isn't. When we read this we should remember the Old Testament's view on the resurrection. Job's understanding of the resurrection and those of other writers in the Old Testament were incomplete. Only with the resurrection of Jesus was the hope of eternal life with God fully understood. Jesus Corrects Our View of the Resurrection Jesus addresses this in Mark 12:24-27. Here he explains to the Sadducees (a Jewish religious sect who did not believe in the resurrection), that they are mistaken because they " don't know the Scriptures nor the power of God. " Jesus plainly tells them how mistaken they are because as He says, "He is the not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. " Did Job Believe in Life After Death? Even later in Job 19:25-27, when Job says he believes that he will see God and be vindicated, he was not talking about the resurrection as we know it, but it does suggest a longing to see God beyond death. As Christians we look back on these Scriptures with a knowledge of the resurrection that Job did not have. Indeed for Job, while he was still living he was vindicated by God and he did see Him, although in a spiritual sense, not literally (Job 42:5). We know, however, that Job is cautiously hopeful that there may be something more after death, because in Job 14:14 he asks, " If a man die, shall he live again? " Job has to wonder, like many people do, "Is this all there is?" Sadly, there is no confident answer. Later Old Testament texts like Daniel 12:2 and Isaiah 26:19 provide more understanding, but Job's view is understandably limited. Job and Jesus: Finding Hope Through Suffering and Faith In many ways, Job foreshadows Christ. Job was blameless as Christ was sinless. Jesus was accused of sin unjustly as Job's friends accused him of being punished for his sin unjustly. Job's suffering reminds us of Jesus' ultimate suffering. Job prayed for his friends who accused him of sin (Job 42:8-10), just as Jesus prayed for those who " despitefully used Him ." Where Job was sorrowful and questioned God, Jesus was also grieved but fully submitted to God's will. Job and Jesus: Finding Hope Through Suffering and Faith is not just a summary of their stories. It is the thread of faith through Scripture that helps us understand how righteous suffering can reveal God’s greater purpose . Job points forward to the only one who could answer his question—Jesus. Christ: The Answer to Job’s Ancient Question So long Job and others had to wait for the answer to this question. Jesus tells us what truth is in John 11:25, " I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. " This resurrection hope answers Job's ancient question and transforms our view of suffering. McClaren's Exposition addresses these two texts this way, "Weary centuries rolled away; but at last the doubting, almost despairing, cry put into the mouth of the man of sorrows of the Old Testament is answered by the Man of Sorrows of the New. The answer in words is this second text which may almost be supposed to allude to the ancient question. The answer, in fact, is the resurrection of Christ. Apart from this answer there is none." Faith Despite Limited Understanding James mentions Job in James 5:11 telling us Job was blessed because he was steadfast before God. So even without a clear understanding of the resurrection, Job chose God. Abraham and David also had a limited understanding of the resurrection. Hebrews 11:13 explains that these Old Testament faith heroes saw the promises from afar and embraced them by faith. They did not see the possession of the land of Canaan or the promised Messiah but they never lost hope. Because of Job's steadfast faith, God blessed him and returned double to him the things that had been taken from him. We have no guarantee, however, that we will see our suffering rewarded in this life. The Purpose of Suffering for Believers Suffering in the book of Job is seen as a test of his devotion and righteousness. Job helps us realize that suffering happens to the good and the bad alike. It helps us understand how we should respond to suffering. Job makes us understand how limited our knowledge of God is. How can we question what happens to us, when we cannot begin to fathom the ways of God? Since Jesus, suffering has taken on a deeper meaning. How Christians Can Endure Suffering Today When Christians suffer, as everyone does, how do we understand it? We understand that Jesus, even though sinless, redeemed us by His suffering on the cross (1 Peter 2:21). We may suffer in this life, but we will live eternally with God in His glory . We have the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27)! Suffering often leads us closer to God. Through suffering we can understand God better (Romans 5:3-5). As Romans 8:17 tells us, " And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs wit h Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him ". We suffer with Christ so that we can also experience His glory. Because of Jesus our suffering is not for nothing, it shapes us into His likeness. The Future Reward for the Righteous Psalm 58:11 says, “ Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely He is God who judges in the earth. ” When we look around us many times we see evil and unrighteous people seemingly being rewarded. They may have power, wealth, popularity, or what seems like a perfect family but the righteous have a reward coming to them. The reward of the righteous may be in this world, but surely it will in the next. The reward of the faithful is to live eternally with their loving Father. The evil and unrighteous will be judged accordingly. Job saw his reward both in this world and the next because His God is the God of the living. From Suffering to Rejoicing in Christ When we face suffering, we may struggle at times just like Job. Job wondered what he did to deserve his suffering. The answer was that he did nothing to deserve it, just as our Savior did not deserve His own suffering. The suffering of this world, though it can be heart breaking beyond measure at times, will give way to rejoicing. Thank you Jesus for this promise. Thank you Jesus for loving me! Waiting in Hope for the Lord So what do we do when we suffer without understanding why? We remember Christ, who suffered not for His sin, but for ours. Through His resurrection our suffering has an eternal purpose and gives our life unshakeable hope. When you are suffering let us say with the prophet Micah, "But as for me, I will watch in hope for the LORD, I will wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me" (Micah 7:7).

Paul reminds us that God is with us and if we have God no one can stand against us. "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? " Romans 8:31 We often, however, overlook a word that is in this scripture. That word is "If". Do we really know that God is for us? Often people who have no doubts that God is for them are the ones who are, sadly, the most wrong. The people of Jeremiah's time knew God was for them but they were sent into exile anyway. When Jesus walked the earth, the Jews knew that God was for them but they saw their temple destroyed by the Romans. The Pharisee praying in the temple and thanking God for not being like the publican (Luke 18: 9-14) knew God was for him and yet his prayers went unheard. The Illusion of Self-Righteous Security We don't want to be wrong. We don't want to be like the examples above of people who knew that God was for them when in fact He was not. How can we be sure then that God is for us? Someone might think that doing what is right would be one way to know. God stands with the righteous. Take the story again of the Pharisee in the temple. We would certainly sympathize with the Publican. We would be on his side, the right side. But what of the Pharisee? How do we view him? Would we consider him evil and unworthy of God's love or would we pray for him with love that he would find his way to God? We often want to tell others about all the things we do for God in hopes of finding our security. We sound like the Pharisee loudly proclaiming all the good we do. We tithe, we give to the poor, we are kind to strangers, we hold our tempers, but all this goodness that we do pales in comparison to the holy, righteousness of God. When we see ourselves as God sees us, we know there is no hope for our goodness to be enough. Fruit Is Evidence, Not a Guarantee Sometimes we look to our own actions to find proof that God is with us. We check for fruit, love, joy, peace, patience, and that’s not necessarily wrong. But we have to remember that fruit is evidence of God’s work in us, not the reason He loves us. The moment we start trusting the fruit instead of the root, we get off track. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us what the true living fruit of the Spirit looks like, but we have to remember that it's His fruit, not ours. We don't produce it on our own. When we see spiritual growth, it should lead us to praise God, not to pat ourselves on the back. Our fruit confirms His presence, it doesn’t replace it. True Security in Christ Alone Paul says we can't rely on doing right to find security with God. We may have done things that other people can never forgive or maybe we can't forgive ourselves, but what does that matter? God forgives us. God justifies us. We have joy because we know we don't have to rely on ourselves to be good enough. God's gift of His blessed Son on the Cross provides a way through, a way to knowing that God is truly on our side. Paul reminds us that God justifies and Christ makes intercession for us. Nothing can remove us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:33-35). Paul had sins in his past that many probably could never forgive him for. He had held the coats of those who stoned Stephen to death (Acts 7: 54-60). He had hunted Christians. Paul knew that because of Christ; however, he was no longer condemned. Paul knew that if God is for us, nothing can come against us. Christ Is Still Interceding for Us When Paul tells us in Romans 8:34 that Christ makes intercession for us, we should take great comfort in that. Jesus didn’t just die and rise again. He continues to stand on our behalf before the Father. He is our Advocate, the One who pleads for us when we fail. Hebrews 7:25 says that He “ ever lives to make intercession ” for those who come to God through Him. That means Jesus is still praying for us even when we feel unworthy or unsure. It’s not our strength that keeps us secure, it’s His constant advocacy. When Satan accuses us, Jesus stands in our place and says, “That one is Mine.” What more assurance could we possibly need? Boasting in the Cross & Daily Discipleship Paul boasts of the cross in Galatians 6:14. He does not glory in his personal successes but believes that anything he has achieved is because of Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross. Only if we are insecure in our relationship with Christ would we boast or brag about our good works. That insecurity makes us want the world to see and know all the good we do. But Paul says no to this. All we as Christians can rightfully do, he tells us, is boast in the cross. Any good that we do is only good because of the righteousness of the One who died for us on the cross. If God is For Us Time after time, I've realized that nothing I do can ever measure up to the righteousness of Christ. If God is truly for us, then even our failures and insecurities are covered by His love. God knows us and loves us still. Jesus calls to us and tells us to rest in Him and what He has done for us. Living Out Our Daily Commitment If God is for us, then every day we must take up our cross and die to the world. Every day we must choose to serve a risen Savior. Every day we must find our security in His faithful love and forgiveness. Every day we must stand amazed in His presence and wonder how He could love us, a sinner condemned, unclean. Enjoy the beautiful hymn, I Stand Amazed in the Presence , performed by Celtic Worship. If God is for us, who can be against us? Inspiration for this post came from the book, What is Faith? by J. Gresham Machen.

One of the most beautiful songs of praise to God is in Psalm 29 . David tells us in this Psalm to " Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. " In Hebrew, the word for worship is 'kadesh ', which means to 'make holy'. It comes from the root word ' shachah, ' which means to literally 'bow down', or the root word ' sachah, ' which literally means 'to swim in' or 'be surrounded by'. Taken letter by letter, it means to join with God by opening a door to His immense love. We are to give the Lord all the glory that is due Him because of His holy nature. When we worship Him we surround ourselves with Him, with His nature, which is love. Different Expressions of Worship You and I, as Christians, clothe ourselves in the holiness of Christ (Galatians 3:27). It is His beauty that God sees, His perfection, when we approach God with our worship. Each of us has a different manner of worshipping. We experience the great outpouring of God's love to our souls in different ways: some through music, some through prayer, others through quietly studying His word and praising Him. Our different forms of worship are what unites us with God. Our end goal is the same, to acknowledge that God is far above us in every aspect and in every way is worthy of worship, honor, and glory. Psalm 29: The Beauty of Holiness What is the meaning of Psalm 29 and the beauty of holiness? Holy means to be set apart for a purpose. The beauty is a heart set on God. A heart that only desires Him. Each of us has a beautiful purpose given by God. His holiness becomes our holiness . The evil of sin is the opposite of the beauty of a life transformed by Christ for God. Don't you find it interesting that there is a nearly universal understanding of what beauty is? There is also an understanding of ugliness. Habakkuk 1:13 tells us that God cannot look on wickedness. We often hear sin referred to as ugly. Why? Because sin is the opposite of God. The Voice of the Lord: A Powerful Presence In this Psalm, David poetically describes the voice of the Lord. It is " over the waters ", "powerful" , "full of majesty" , it "shakes the wilderness" and "divides the flame of fire." The voice of God controls all of nature. It is the power of the Holy Spirit to create. We see God's grandeur in all of nature. From the destructive power of an earthquake to the cry of our first child. This same Holy voice can be heard throughout Scripture. In Revelation 14:2, John describes a voice from Heaven like the sound of rushing water and loud thunder. It is the voice that brought Noah's flood and the one who, at Jesus's baptism, revealed His true nature. It is the voice who brings judgment and the voice who brings healing and blessings. God's Majesty in Nature and His Voice David tells us the God of Glory thunders. There is none like Him. Was David watching a storm when he wrote this hymn of praise? Did he see the clouds gathering, the lightening flashing and the thunder growling? Did he see the symbols of God's work in all of creation and rejoice that this is the God he served? This God who sets us apart, who desires that we are holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). Our God is mighty in power. Nothing ever was, is or ever will be, as mighty as He. The Thunderous Glory of God "Oh Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds thy hands have made." Indeed, how great Thou art! He is King forever (Psalm 29:10). Our Redeemer from everlasting (Isaiah 63:16). Gills' Exposition of the Bible puts it this way: "He is King of the whole world, over angels and men, and even the kings of the earth; and he is also King of saints, in whose hearts he reigns by his Spirit and grace; ... and this will more appear in the latter day glory, when the Lord shall be King over all the earth; and after which the Lord Christ will reign with his saints here a thousand years, and then with them to all eternity, and of his kingdom there shall be no end." As the eternal King, He is worthy of all our praise, honor, and glory. God’s Eternal Kingship and Power It is this same Lord who, we are told in Psalm 29:11, gives us His strength and blesses us with His peace. When the storms come and danger surrounds us, we don't fear the God of Glory for He is our Father. We run to him as chicks run for protection under a mother hen's protective wings (Psalm 91:4). He is our ark, our refuge. We may fear war, disease, political change or any of the other uncertainties of life, but we should not. Those outside of His protection, however, have much to fear. They have no truly safe place. No genuine strength and no calm peace. God's Peace: Our Refuge in Times of Trouble In times past, this was a favorite Psalm to read to your family during storms. In those days people couldn't rely on meteorologists to warn them of storms. Psalm 29 gave people peace and reminded them that God is always in control. The storms were a symbol of His great power. Today, when we face storms of any kind, both literally (physical storms) and figuratively (troubles and trials), Psalm 29 reminds us that the Lord is due glory and honor from all creation. Creator of all that is, He has the power to bring us peace. Psalm 29: God's Peace in the Midst of Storms As the Psalm began, with thunder and flames of fire, so now it ends with the promise of His peace. The storm is past and the rainbow is in the heavens, declaring His faithfulness to those who serve Him. " And in His temple everyone says, Glory! " (Psalm 29:9). Just as in John's Revelation, in 5:13, we see all of creation singing: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”

The Basis for Unity Christians obviously don't always agree on every issue. So how do we respond when we disagree with others in the faith. Paul has a lot to say about this in Romans 14. Paul explains that we are not under the requirements of the law anymore. We are not bound by its ceremonial or dietary laws, but we are bound by the heart of the moral law of the Ten Commandments, as Jesus summarized in Matthew 22:37-40. Jesus fulfills, but does not abolish the Ten Commandments. Understanding the Weaker Brother But Paul explains to us that there may be some who still hold to those rules. He calls them the 'weak in faith' (Romans 14:1) or as they are sometimes called the 'weaker brother'. This is not a moral judgment but an issue of spiritual maturity. Judging One Another Rightly The weaker brother should not be judged by those of us who know those rules no longer apply. Nor should the weaker brother judge us for not following those rules. Why? Because everything we do should be done for God. And God alone will judge us in the end for what we do and why we do it. Our job is to show love to our brothers and sisters in Christ under all circumstances. We are to encourage and build each other up . However, we are allowed to lovingly reprove each other if it is needed (Matthew 18:15). If they feel something is wrong to do then when we are around them we should not do that thing. We Don’t Live to Ourselves As Paul states in Romans 14:7, "For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself." We don't live in a vacuum. We live amongst others who see how we walk with God and so we want to avoid a situation where someone sees us doing something they consider sinful. We often use the example of a glass of wine at dinner. Do you believe drinking is sinful? If so, and I invite you to dinner, to keep the peace then I should not offer you a drink nor should I drink. I shouldn't cause you to stumble, as Paul says. Righteousness Over Rules Paul tells the Romans that the kingdom of God doesn't revolve around what you eat or drink but the righteousness, peace, and joy that the Holy Spirit brings to us ( Romans 14:17). If a person lives what most would call a "strict" Christian life then they might judge someone who drinks the glass of wine or eats the meat as spiritually slack or compromising. While the "free" Christian may show contempt because they view their brother as too legalistic, a goody-goody, as we used to say. Don’t Compromise, But Do Consider Paul is not encouraging compromising with sin. He's calling believers to act with love when issues are not clearly commanded or forbidden in Scripture. If eating meat or drinking wine causes a brother to stumble, then we shouldn't do it in love, not out of obligation. The Judgment Seat of Christ Paul says we all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Only He judges. This judgment seat, known as the bema seat, doesn't determine your eternal fate but instead determines your reward for the life you have lived (2 Corinthians 5:10). So he says we should not judge, nor should we cause our brother to fall. We should pursue peace with each other. And we should have faith that what we do is the will of God. What Comes from Faith Paul concludes the chapter by reminding them that whatever is not from faith is sin. If something that you do bothers you, if you feel the convicting of the Holy Spirit about it, and you still do it then it is most likely sin (Romans 14:23). It is easy to justify what we do by saying we are not under the old law, but often that is just an excuse to continue doing something we know is wrong. Avoid Foolish Disputes Titus 3:9 tells us to avoid foolish disputes and contentions. In Romans 14:1 Paul says not to dispute over doubtful things. Let's look at our thousands of denominations. Jesus prayed that we would be one as He and His Father were one (John 17:21-23). His desire is unity, not division. Are there important differences among denominations? Of course. Are These Disputable Matters? But often we criticize other groups for minor reasons; they are too quiet or too loud, they light candles in church or don't ever light candles, they sing modern songs or they only sing Psalms, for example. Ask yourself if these are " doubtful things " or " foolish disputes ". These are not worthy of arguing about. However, topics like predestination or baptism are not " foolish disputes " but serious disagreements. Predestination involves debates over God’s sovereignty versus human free will, while baptism raises questions about its role in salvation. Judging Without Knowledge While some differences may seem minor, we often find fault with other denominations' beliefs without truly knowing them. We may have seen a video or heard a sermon from someone who criticized another denomination. But do we know for sure if what they said was accurate? Sometimes people talk about the so-called heretical beliefs of their childhood church that they no longer attend, but I often wonder how many young people who leave one denomination for another are really motivated by doctrine. As a young person, did most of us fully understand what our church taught? Are we judging without knowledge? Shared Beliefs Across Denominations So much of what divides us today could be softened if we remembered how much we actually share in common. 1 John 4:1 tells us it is important to test the spirits and make sure that a teacher is advocating God's truth. Across the centuries, creeds like the Nicene and Apostles’ Creed have expressed the core beliefs that unite believers in Christ. Their purpose was to make sure people understood what true Christianity believed. What “catholic” Really Means In the creed we say that we believe in one catholic church. What the word catholic means in that sentence is not the Roman Catholic church, but the universal church. We believe that there are true believers all over the world in many different churches. In Heaven we will find that there will be many there who we disagreed with on earth. Why Creeds Were Written Creeds often are recited because they were put together in a time when most people could not read. Some churches believe what is in a creed but don't recite them. Creeds were developed to protect against heresy and to simply state what Christians believed. They helped unify the early church. The Nicene Creed dates from 325 A.D. and the Apostle's Creed appeared around the 4th century. Though not Scripture, they capture the core of Christian belief. Who Accepts Which Creeds Orthodox, many Protestant churches, and the Catholic Church recite creeds, while some Baptist and Pentecostal groups believe in their content but don't recite them, and others like the Amish and the Quakers completely reject them. Churches don't recite creeds because they say the Bible doesn't require it. Some are concerned that the summaries are incomplete. The Quakers reject creeds because they believe God's will is directly revealed to people through an "inner light." When Christians Disagree: Unity Without Compromise Our belief in Jesus makes us one with Him and with other Christians, regardless of their church affiliation. There are many legitimate things that churches differ on but so much that we also agree with. The question to ask ourselves is should we be focusing so much on the differences or more on the similarities. Do we love Jesus and do we love others? The Big Picture of Division Over the centuries the Lord's church has been split into three major groups: the Orthodox, the Roman Catholic, and the Protestants. Within some of these groups there are many more divisions. In all things we are called to truth, but also to humility. None of us know it all. It is possible for any of us to be wrong on certain issues. It is important to acknowledge that Christian denominations are often divided by more than just minor preferences or traditions. There are huge theological, doctrinal, and interpretive differences, like beliefs about salvation, the role of sacraments, or the authority of scripture. These aren't small matters; they have fueled centuries of debate and remain non-negotiable for many because they are rooted in deeply held convictions about truth. Yet, even with these irreconcilable issues, we are still called to approach one another with love and respect. Unity among Christians doesn't mean erasing these differences or pretending they don't matter. It means operating in grace and humility, trusting that only Christ holds ultimate judgment over our hearts. Speak the Truth in Love When we look back at Paul's writings we are warned in numerous places to guard against heresy, and also to avoid needless disputes. Certainly, no church should accept sin without addressing it. Sinful actions need always to be condemned but again from a place of grace, knowing that each of us still sins at times, and has been forgiven by Christ. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is at the heart of everything a Christian believes. We cannot compromise on foundational issues nor should we. Build Up, Don’t Tear Down Even when we disagree legitimately with others however, we should reflect the heart of Christ. Peace is of God, chaos is not of God . And if we speak about another's beliefs, we should do so accurately and respectfully, or not at all. In the end, when Christians disagree, the goal is not to all have identical beliefs, but unity without compromise. We stand firm on truth, while showing grace to those who see things differently. In all things, whether food, drink, or doctrine we should pursue peace and build one another up (Romans 14:19), showing love even when our convictions on important matters differ. People Also Ask What does the Nicene Creed say? What does the Apostle's Creed say? I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

Two Men, Two Fates: A Stark Contrast Imagine, if you will, two men, one quivering with fear, a mighty man of war struck down to his knees with dread. The other man, a simple, unassuming man, faces the same day, but this man stands strong, maybe stronger than he ever has before. This man smiles, is at peace, singing and full of joy. What day could these men be facing? The Day of the Lord. Why such a difference? One man has trusted Jesus as His Savior; one man has placed his trust in himself. What Is the Day of the Lord? What is this Day of the Lord? The expression is used 28 times in the Bible. The Day of the Lord will establish God's sovereignty over all of creation. It will bring lasting peace and will eliminate evil once and for all. It is a day that will bring righteous judgment to the earth, to those who have been His enemies and the enemies of His beloved, His children. Terror for the Unbelieving For the man who has scoffed at God and thought that he was sufficient alone to attain Heaven, this Day will be the most fearful day of his life. It is described using words like fire, cataclysm, war, and sacrifice. Hiding in caves, both the rich and powerful, the weak and insignificant, will call out to the mountains to come down on them and hide them from the wrath of God. On that day they will say, " Who is able to stand ? " (Revelation 6:15-17). The Fate of the Proud and Rebellious Isaiah 13:6-8 describes those facing that day as having limp hands, hearts that melt, and they will be very afraid. The haughty (proud) and lofty ones will be brought low on that day (Isaiah 2:12-17). Imagine the great people of the earth, the people who thought they never needed God, their faces drained of color (Joel 2:6). Our Lord tells us in Luke 21:26, that the heart's of men will fail from fear because of what's coming on the earth. On that day, only the Lord will be exalted (Isaiah 2:17). Multitudes in the Valley of Decision In Joel 3:14, we read, "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision". But who is it that is making the decision here? It is the Lord, and He has already decided the fate of these terrified multitudes before Him. And they know it! Because they had no use for Him, they did not recognize Him as Creator and Savior, so therefore their fate is sealed. They will go down to everlasting punishment, having rejected the greatest love ever known. At this point there is no longer the option to repent. The Lord is there to announce his decision as to their fate. It is sadly sealed and unchangeable. They had opportunities, many, to follow Jesus and chose not to. Now, in this Valley of Decision it is God who announces the verdict—doom. Facing the Day of the Lord: Judgment and Hope Even though the fate of those who turn away from God is painted in terrifying detail, there's a sharp contrast for those who trust in Him. For those who reject His ways, judgment is inevitable and fierce. But for the faithful, facing the Day of the Lord brings not only righteous judgment but also hope. When we stand on the promises of Jesus, His protection and grace shine through even in the darkest moments. Come, Jesus, Come And on that day, what of the man who stands without fear? Why is he not trembling with fear of judgment? Joel 3:16 tells us that the Lord will be a shelter for His people. Those of us whose " mind is stayed on You " will be kept in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). We can stand without fear because as Ezekiel 37:26 says, God will make an everlasting covenant of peace with His people and His sanctuary will forever be in their midst. A Glorious Day for the Faithful On that day according to 2 Thessalonians 1:9-10, some will go down to everlasting destruction, but on that same day God will be glorified and admired by His saints. 2 Peter 3:14 tells us that this is a day that we should be looking forward to. Malachi 4:2 explains that for those who fear the Lord there will be healing in His wings. Zephaniah 3:14 tells us to sing and shout, be glad and rejoice! We are God's precious people . "In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak. The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:16-17 Our God, Our Shelter and Judge Our God is a warrior (Isaiah 24:8) and a roaring lion (Hosea 11:10) to His enemies but to His people, as we just read, He will quiet us with His love. Paul says a curse is on those who do not love the Lord, but he responds, Maranatha (1 Corinthians 16:22)! This Aramaic word means come Oh Lord Jesus. It is not a day for Christians to fear. Our Lord has taken the punishment on Himself. We look forward to eternity with Him because of this. Revelation 22:20 repeats this: come quickly blessed Lord Jesus! A Judgment for Believers Our fate has been decided. We no longer face condemnation (Romans 8:33). We belong to the Lord. Yet we also face a judgment—the judgment seat of Christ. This judgment will look at what we have done with the life we have been given. We won't stand with those sad, fearful souls in the Valley of Decision, but we will be offered different blessings or rewards. Paul explains this in 2 Corinthians 5:10, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” Whatever gracious gift God gives us, we can and will be happy and grateful for, knowing that we deserve none of it. Our joy will be in our Savior! A Call to Decide While There Is Time As I write this the Lord has not returned yet. The great and terrible day of the Lord is not yet upon us. For those who aren't sure if they want to place their trust in God , know this: one day, you will stand before Him. It can be a terrifying day or it can be a joyous day. Either way it is your choice. For the moment there is still time. Of course our lives can end at any moment and judgment will come. Do we want to rest in the arms of our Savior or will we be crying out for the rocks to hide us from His gaze? Decide while you can. For further reading on the judgment Christians will face, go here .

God is holy. God saves us. God cares for us. God judges us. What God do you worship? Do we worship the God of the Bible or the God we have created in our mind? This is why it is so important to try to know God. In Psalm 145: 8-9 and 13-14, the Lord is described as being gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, loving, good to all, faithful to His promises, upholding those who fall and lifting up the oppressed. Is this the God you know? Moralistic Therapeutic Deism - what is it? I heard a phrase recently that attempted to describe the way many people understand God. It is called moralistic therapeutic deism . This term was first coined in a 2005 book called, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers (Oxford University Press). People who believe this way usually have five main beliefs - 1. A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth. 2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions. 3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself. 4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem. 5. Good people go to heaven when they die. I know many people, including professing Christians, who believe this way. They will accept that God created the world. They believe that as Christians their main responsibility is to be nice. They often think other religions teach 'niceness' as well. They believe that happiness is the most important goal in life; happiness the way the world defines it. They don't see God active in their life except when they need help: like healing, finding a job, dealing with marital problems or making a hard decision. Finally, they think that being good is what determines your fate when you die. What God Do You Worship? Doesn't this sound like the message that many "feel good" modern preachers teach? They teach that we should be nice, they teach that worldly happiness is our main goal, they teach God is there to solve your problems and they many times teach that your goodness indicates your destination after death. What a comforting God that sounds like. Sort of sounds like a lucky rabbit's foot, or a Santa Claus version of God. What God do you worship; this one, or the God of the Bible? The God of the Bible Do we really know the God of the Bible or is He just a comforting creation of our imagination? Certainly God created the world, certainly God wants us to be nice; but His goodness is not like the goodness found in other religions. What brings us happiness ? Happiness for a Christian, according to Psalm 144:15, belongs to people whose God is the Lord. God promises joy - in Him (Romans 15:13). Certainly God is there for us when we have problems, but He is also there when times are good. Certainly He cares for our needs, but God has expectations - obedience, repentance, a changed life, a life of love. Cultural Goodness When the culture we live in determines what is good then calling something a sin might be considered not nice, while tolerating sin may be viewed as nice. Our culture wants us to put ourselves first and then be nice to others. God says put others first and humbly submit to Him (Philippians 2: 3-4; 1 Peter 5: 6-7). What is Love? Love is not just being nice. True love may express itself in ways that actually might make us unhappy, as the world defines it. True love means giving more than we want to of ourselves to others, maybe even dying for them. True love means putting others above ourselves, dying to self and speaking truth. Who do we really love ? Do All the Nice People Go to Heaven? How many funerals have we gone to where the pastor speaks of the loved one being in Heaven? Nearly all of the ones that I can remember attending. It is a comforting thought for those left behind, but is it true? Does Aunt Ethel really go to Heaven because she donated $5/month to the food bank or because she baked me cookies every time I went to her house? Aunt Ethel goes to Heaven only because she had faith in God. She showed her faith by expressing her love for others. No one is good enough to go to Heaven. As the Bible says, " All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ."(Romans 3:23) This is why Christ's sacrifice on the cross is so important because " He himself bore our sins ." (1 Peter 2:24). Fear Falling into the Hands of God Have you read the Bible? God is slow to anger but there is a just punishment for us when we sin repeatedly and do not repent. The God of the Bible is not this feel good, Santa Claus in the sky who provides for our every need just so we can be happy. The God of the Bible says that without love for others the things we do are meaningless. The God of the Bible is long suffering and patient with us but only up to a point. As the author of Hebrews reminds us in Hebrews 10:31: " It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Defining Moralistic Therapeutic Deism One More Time Going back to the phrase, moralistic therapeutic deism , who determines your morality? Who says what is right or wrong? Is your goodness defined by the culture around you? Do you determine what is moral yourself or does God alone say what is right and just? Therapeutic - is God there just to be your therapist when you're down? Deism - is a term that means that God exists but in some sort of far off, not involved sort of way. A Famous Deist One of our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, was a famous Deist. He owned a Bible and in it he marked out all of the miraculous events that occurred. Why? Because in his belief, God did not work in the world personally. It's as though God created the world and then left for vacation. True Deists don't believe God ever intervenes in His creation. American Churches and Moralistic Therapeutic Deism This belief system permeates American society and American churches. It isn't taught so plainly but the essence of it is there. Talk to your children. What do they believe about God? What are they, and we, learning at church? Many of our churches fail to share the true God of the Bible. How many times do we go to church and hear sermons on repentance? How many times do we go to church and hear about sacrificial love , or suffering or sin? Yes, God is a God of love but loving God may require sacrifice, it may require suffering and it always requires repentance. We must repent and turn from sin. Get to Know God Be careful how you view God. Think about what you truly believe about Him. Open your Bible and get to know Him, every aspect of Him. Make sure the God you believe in is the one in the Bible, and not the one you see in the mirror. What God Do You Worship?

Unraveling "Dark Sayings" When you hear the expression " dark sayings ", what is the first thing that comes to mind? It might make you think of some occult practice or voodoo ritual, but in the Bible that is not what it means. The expression translated as dark sayings means something that is explained in an obscure way, like a riddle. Riddles can be frustrating to people who don't like them, but oh so much fun to figure out for those who do. Riddles are usually difficult to understand without putting out a lot of effort, as is true of the Bible's "dark sayings." Old Testament Context – Moses and Unique Revelation We see this expression used in the Old Testament in Numbers 12:8. Miriam and Aaron complain to God about Moses' new wife from Ethiopia. God spoke to all three in a pillar of cloud, explaining that His faithful, humble servant Moses was the only one of the three to whom He spoke without dark sayings. Moses' direct access to God reinforced his role as mediator of the Old Covenant, just as Jesus would later mediate the New Covenant. For the others there were visions, dreams, or what we would call parables, but only to Moses was their direct and unambiguous truth told. Aaron and Miriam's pride clouded their judgment toward Moses. No other prophet of God was blessed in this way. The Bible contains many parables and dark sayings, unveiling biblical wisdom for those who seek to understand. In Psalm 78:2-3 we read: "I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us." New Testament Fulfillment – Jesus’ Parables Explained In the New Testament, Jesus explains that He is the fulfillment of this prophecy from Psalms. Depending on how you define parables, the Bible contains approximately 250 parables. Jesus, again depending on your exact definition, declared between 30 and 45 parables. Some of these parables He explained, but only to His disciples in private. Parables and Dark Sayings: Unveiling Biblical Wisdom Parables were a common teaching style of the time. Rabbis, teachers, would take an everyday example in life and use it to explain a complex teaching about God. They often, as Jesus did, answered questions with a question. Why? To make people think more deeply, question themselves, seek an answer—not just have it spoon-fed to them. Even the disciples were somewhat confused as to why Jesus would teach in parables (Matthew 13:10). Jesus answers them in Matthew 13:13: "Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." But again what does this actually mean? If we look at Matthew 7:7-8 we get a better understanding. In this passage, Jesus explains that if we seek, we will find, if we knock, it will be opened, and if we ask, we will receive. The parables were a way to separate those who genuinely wanted to understand His message from those who we would call "posers" today. A poser is someone who pretends to be something they are not. Spiritual Discernment and Revelation Many of those who heard Jesus speak were Pharisees who were only listening so they could challenge Him. They were posers. They did not want to really learn deep spiritual truths from Him. Those who listened with a willing and open heart were promised understanding, but those who didn't really want to know the deeper things of God were blocked from understanding. The same is true today. We have the benefit of the whole Bible available to us. As Christians we have the benefit of the Holy Spirit as well. These gifts enable us to understand some of the deeper, more difficult teachings of Jesus, but again, only if we are serious about wanting to know more. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 says that the only ones to whom the gospel is " veiled " are those deceived by the god of this world (Satan), only to those who do not believe. Christ Removes the Veil of Understanding Without Christ and His sacrificial offering on the cross, the entire Old Testament loses its purpose and ultimate meaning. It is Christ, raised from the dead for our sins, that explains so much of the Old Testament. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:14-16 that the veil over the Jews understanding of the Old Testament is only lifted by Christ. Only after turning to Christ is that veil removed. Atheists today show us what it is like to have understanding veiled. Atheists often complain that the Bible is unduly hard to understand, that it is vague and full of contradictory meanings and so Paul has explained to us why this is. If they want to understand they must be genuinely seeking God, genuinely knocking at the door so to speak. They may have real questions they want answered, but without a genuine desire to seek God, the answers will stay hidden. So how can we help those who struggle with understanding God's word? One practical way to help skeptics understand Scripture is to pray for them that the Holy Spirit will convict their hearts and bring understanding. We can also use real-life analogies that make biblical ideas more relatable. Instead of overwhelming them with doctrine, we can connect important biblical teachings to everyday experiences like forgiveness, justice, or love. For example, grace can be explained through the analogy of a judge who pardons a guilty person because someone else pays their fine—just as Christ paid for our sins (Romans 6:23). Encouraging open discussion and answering questions with patience can also help atheists understand the Bible’s truths and relevance for their lives. Spiritual Wisdom Comes Through the Holy Spirit Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 2:7-8 that " we ", the disciples, are speaking the " hidden wisdom of God ". He explains that if the Jews had understood this wisdom properly our Lord would have never been crucified. He goes on in verse 10 to say that it is the Spirit of God who reveals things to His people. Because we have this Spirit living in us, understanding is possible. In verse 14 Paul tells us: "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Our spiritual discernment helps us receive the things the Spirit of God has for us. Without the Holy Spirit we can't understand them, in fact we think they are foolish. Many times I have listened to people insult Christians, proclaiming how idiotic and foolish they are for believing the Bible. Another reason Jesus taught in parables was that often there are no simple answers to questions about the meaning of life or our place in God's creation. To give a simplistic answer to such profound questions would be deeply unsatisfying. John 16:13 explains that because we have been given the Holy Spirit, it is He who guides us into " all truth ". The Holy Spirit unfolds truth to us as we are capable of understanding it. Spiritual Wisdom Comes Through the Holy Spirit The more truth we understand, the more we are able to understand by God's grace when we are humble (James 4:6). It is like explaining gravity to a first grader. We begin with an illustration, an apple falling to the floor, but by the time we are in college we are learning formulas that explain the attraction of one body or thing to another. Our faith and our understanding builds with our desire to know. We grow in grace and knowledge . 2 Timothy 3:7 describes people who are always learning but in spite of that they never seem to have any knowledge of the truth. Leaning on our own understanding is a mistake. They learn more and more science—which in itself is certainly not a bad thing—but they are blinded, they look at the world and foolishly don't see God in His creation (Romans 1:20). While science helps us explore God's creation, some don't want to acknowledge His hand in it, despite the evidence all around them. God's creation is the universal language of the glory of God. These people are without excuse Paul says. The Call to Embrace Divine Understanding Isaiah prophesies in Isaiah 6:10 of a time when, as punishment for their sin, the people's hearts grow fat. This literally means that their hearts, their minds, will be dull, slow and stupid. The truth proclaimed to people like this will only irritate and provoke them. As Pascal has said, " One must love divine things in order to understand them ". This highlights a key spiritual truth: rejecting God’s love blinds people to truth. As John tells us, " We love because He first loved us " (1 John 4:19). It is only through experiencing God’s love that our hearts are softened, making true understanding possible. When we read the parables of Jesus we have to want to truly hear Him speak. We need to ask God for wisdom and understanding . We need to seek Him with our whole heart and then we will find the answers we are looking for. Understanding parables requires study, thought and obedience to God. Those people who don't want to truly understand, never will. I will leave you with one last scripture from Psalm 119: 147-148: " I rise before the dawning of the morning, and cry for help; I hope in Your word. My eyes are awake through the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word." I have often found that many times I only think I understand a passage of scripture. But when I take the time to prayerfully study it, then I see that there was so much in it that I had not seen before. Will you cry for help? Will you hope in His word? Will you stay awake and meditate to seek His understanding and His truth? I pray that you will.

What Does “Thus Says the Lord” Mean in the Bible? " Thus says the Lord. " Four hundred and thirteen times we see this expression used in the Bible. The person saying it is a prophet. A prophet of God speaks only the words God has given him or her. They were 100% accurate in their predictions. Most predicted near-term events but some spoke of things to happen at the end of the world. Why Were Prophets in the Bible Persecuted? To be a prophet meant you were set apart for a special purpose. Prophets often lived difficult lives. They were abused and ridiculed. Sometimes, like Isaiah, they were murdered because many times they spoke of impending judgment. This was not what people wanted to hear. Think of Jeremiah crying out from the well (cistern) he had been thrown into by the people. But as the prophet Micaiah says, “ As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell only what the Lord tells me ” (1 Kings 22:14). Every prophecy made had to be 100% accurate (Deuteronomy 18:22) because God never lies. How to Tell a True Prophet from a False One in the Bible One of the signs that a prophet was false was that they spoke what the people wanted to hear, not what God was really saying. Even today, we may prefer to hear words that just " tickle our ears " rather than be convicted by the Holy Spirit . Often their predictions were wrong. Many times they were deceptive so they could further their own agendas. In Matthew 7:16, Jesus says we will know a prophet is real by examining his fruit. Books of Prophecy in the Bible: Major and Minor Prophets Some prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah wrote books that we find in the Bible, but many did not. There are 17 prophetic books in the Old Testament and only one in the New Testament. We also have what are known as Major and Minor Prophets. This doesn't indicate the importance of their message, but simply that Major Prophets wrote longer books that had a broader scope, while the writings of Minor Prophets were shorter and more focused. Prophets didn't end with the Old Testament. We see several mentioned in the New Testament as well. Jeremiah’s Prophecy of the New Covenant Explained Jeremiah is an example of a prophet who spoke for the Lord. In Jeremiah 3:12-18, Jeremiah says, " Thus says the Lord " as he called for true repentance and a return to the Lord. God promised to restore their land and promised a New Covenant. Jeremiah 31:31-34 reiterates the promise of a New Covenant. This was partially fulfilled when the Jews returned from captivity in Babylon, but more completely fulfilled with Jesus as our High Priest and the formation of the New Covenant . Ezekiel’s Heart of Flesh Prophecy and Its Fulfillment at Pentecost Ezekiel is another example of one who spoke for God. " Thus says the Lord " in Ezekiel 11:19-20, God promised a new heart and spirit to replace their hardened hearts with a heart of flesh. What does it mean to you for your heart to be made of flesh instead of stone? Many scholars believe this prophecy was fulfilled at Pentecost with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on believers, both men and women, thus fulfilling Joel's prophecy (Joel 2:28-29). In each believer, over the centuries, this promise of the Holy Spirit is still being fulfilled. Now let’s look at how women also served as prophets in both Testaments. Female Prophets in the Bible: Old and New Testament It may surprise you to learn that prophets were not only men. In the Old Testament five women were described as a prophetess: Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, Noadiah, and one unnamed. There are also women prophets in the New Testament. Anna, at the presentation of Jesus in the temple (Luke 2:36-38) and Philip's four daughters are all described as prophetesses (Acts 21:9). These daughters were just some of several women mentioned in Acts that were important to the early church. Let's look now at one key Old Testament prophetess. Thus Says the Lord: Huldah’s Role in Scripture’s Canon One prophetess you may not have heard much about was Huldah. Have you ever wondered how holy scripture was preserved? Huldah's story helps answer that question. Huldah is found in two places in the Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 34:22-28 and 2 Kings 22:14-20. Why is she so important? Because when God's word declares: "Thus says the Lord", Huldah's role in scripture's canon becomes clear. Our Bible might not look the same without her. How the Book of the Law Was Rediscovered in Josiah’s Day We know just a little about Huldah. Her husband worked in the king's court as a " keeper of the wardrobe ". The King at the time was Josiah, the last good king Judah would ever have. In the midst of renovating the temple, the High Priest Hilkiah found the Book of the Law. Most scholars believe the Book of the Law had been lost between 55 and 80 years. Imagine if the gospels were lost to us for a generation! The Book of the Law, most scholars agree, was the book of Deuteronomy. This book was the very foundation of the Jewish religion and their entire system of government. Judah's apostasy was so bad, their God so neglected, that they literally didn't know where it was for all those years. King Josiah’s Reaction to the Rediscovered Book of the Law Upon finding the book, the high priest gave it to a scribe who read it to King Josiah. Josiah was devastated to hear the words from the book. He tore his clothes and said, " ...great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book " (2 Chronicles 34:21). Huldah’s Prophecy: God’s Judgment and Mercy for Judah Who do you turn to when you need to know if what you've heard really comes from God? Josiah turned to Huldah. Josiah sent five of his men, including the High Priest Hilkiah, to seek out Huldah and inquire what the Word of the Lord was concerning the rediscovered book. This was the respect and esteem that Huldah was held in. They knew she spoke God's truth. Huldah told the men to go back and tell King Josiah that God's wrath would indeed be poured out on the people for worshipping false gods and forsaking Him. How King Josiah Received Mercy After Hearing God’s Word But for the King, she said, because his heart was tender and he humbled himself before God, he would live and die in peace. God would have mercy on him. He would not see the judgment that was to come. Josiah needed the counsel of the Lord in this matter, just as we sometimes do. Why Seeking Godly Counsel Still Matters Today Have you ever asked someone for Godly advice? They may not be a prophet, but when we are blessed with Christian brothers and sisters who are walking in the Spirit we can certainly go to them for counsel. It takes humility to ask someone for advice. The Bible encourages us to seek counsel from those who are spiritually mature (Proverbs 11:14 and 15:22). Whom have you asked for wisdom, and did their words point you back to scripture? How King Josiah Led Israel in Spiritual Renewal The words that Huldah spoke greatly influenced Josiah because he knew they came from God. The truth she shared with them that day verified the fact that the Book of the Law that was discovered was really the Word of God. The same word that you and I read today. In response to hearing this, he read the Book of the Law to the people and made a covenant to the Lord to be obedient to everything that was in the book. He caused the children of Israel to work diligently to serve God. He removed all the abominations from the entire country; all the idolatry and practice of pagan religions. How Huldah Helped Confirm the Biblical Canon Without her validation, the Book of the Law (Deuteronomy) might have been lost to history. Because of her Deuteronomy is recognized as inspired by God. When a book is part of the Bible, it is said to be in the Canon of Scripture. The Canon of Scripture is the specific books that we recognize as being inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. The Old Testament canon was decided on between approximately 200 B.C. to 200 A.D. The finalization of the Old and New Testaments was decided on mainly by various church councils. An important aspect in deciding if New Testament books were inspired was their connection to the apostles and how they described God. All 27 of the New Testament books were written in the first century. Can We Trust the Bible? Confidence in God’s Word Today Today, when we read our Bibles we know it is the inspired Word of God. This is thanks, in part, to people like the prophetess Huldah. The Bible in essence, in its entirety is, " Thus says the Lord. " Those words don't lie because God doesn't. Remember Paul's words in 2 Timothy 3:14-15: "But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." People Also Ask Were any prophets, at least initially, loved and respected? Yes, while many faced persecution, there were some who were respected or admired during their lifetime by some people Moses - often considered the greatest of the prophets. He was admired for his close relationship with God and his leadership skills for the people of Israel. Samuel - widely respected as a prophet and judge in Israel. 1 Samuel 3:19-20 tells us that all of Israel recognized him as a prophet of the Lord. He was admired for both his integrity and leadership. Others were Elisha and Daniel.

Dangers of Trusting Your Own Judgment All too often we trust our own judgment above the Lord's. Scripture warns us how dangerous that can be. The Jews in Jeremiah 17 trusted in themselves instead of God. When we "do what is right in our own eyes", which means making choices without the guidance of God, our sinful decisions become etched on the tablet of our hearts (Jeremiah 17:1). Sin Etched on the Heart Tablets are made of stone, so to engrave on them requires something even harder—the iron pen with a diamond point. This writing doesn't go away on its own. But there is one who can remove it. Ezekiel 36:26 says God can remove our stony heart and replace it with one of flesh. With this new heart, we can be obedient to God and walk in his statutes. Our desire as Christians is that instead of stony tablets we are a letter from Christ , written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:3). Lifelong Regret: Remembering Sin However, If anyone has ever failed and done something terrible in their life, they will remember it. They may remember that sin with great regret or they may look back longingly, on it but it will be there in their memory, as Jeremiah 17:1 says, "The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with the point of a diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart..." That is part of the tragedy of doing what is right in your own eyes. Idolatry of Judah Because of the idolatry of Judah, they are told they will be taken into a far country. The Lord is angry with them. They have abandoned Him. The Lord then pronounces a blessing and a curse (Jeremiah 17:6-8). Jeremiah 17:6–8 Blessing and Curse Explained The curse is on those who put their trust in man and the blessing is on those who trust in God. When man does "what is right in his own eyes," their trust is in themselves or others, but we are to trust in God and do what is right and good, "so all will go well with you." (Deuteronomy 6:18). The cursed man is like a barren, fruitless tree while the blessed man is compared to a productive tree, planted by waters, and neither anxious nor afraid. Putting our trust in other men is foolishness because as Jeremiah reminds us, "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). The Lord looks at the heart and knows us like only He can. Even as Christians, our own heart is not to be trusted unless it is set firmly on God. Proverbs 21:2 explains, "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts." We like to believe that what we are doing is right, but God sees the truth in our hearts even if we can't. The Deceitful Heart Warning - Isaiah 5:20 How do we know this? Because wicked men who trust in themselves call good evil, and evil good (Isaiah 5:20). They are deceived by sin. Even believers need to examine their hearts (2 Corinthians 13:5). Don't think yourself too wise because worldly wisdom is foolishness (1 Corinthians 3:18). When Doing What’s Right in Your Own Eyes Fails When we do what is right in our own eyes, we trust ourselves to make good decisions. We believe our way is the best. We rarely seek advice and rarely ask God what He wants us to do. When doing what’s right in your own eyes fails, there are often painful consequences. The Lord tells us what happens when we do this. In Proverbs 14:12, we are told that doing what is right in our own eyes leads to death. Proverbs 12:15 tells us, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes." Isaiah 5:21 says "Woe" to people who are this way. In Proverbs 3:5-6, we are told not to lean on our own understanding, but to trust and acknowledge God. If we do, it is He who will guide us. How many decisions have we made without ever seeking to know God's will in the matter? Even when we seek God's will, do we really mean it? Do we decide God's will is our will, no matter what? Gideon’s Trust Test: Obeying God Against Odds It is hard to trust God sometimes. Look at the story of Gideon in Judges 6. Gideon, a mighty man of valor, had gathered an enormous army to crush the Midianites, but God told him to reduce it to 300. Then God said to make noise to scare the enemy. Confused and frightened, they fell upon each other. Gideon's tiny army defeated the Midianite army of 135,000 men. God's way seems to make no sense to us at times. Yet, if Gideon had done what was right in his own eyes, his army would have been defeated. Joseph’s Rise: God Uses the Unlikely God often picks people to accomplish His will that don't seem up to the task. They probably aren't—at least not without God. Look at the story of Joseph in Genesis. Joseph was the youngest in a large family. His brothers hated him and certainly didn't believe he would grow up to be a great leader. But Joseph trusted God's way and in turn was blessed to become a powerful man in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. God's way brings fulfillment and a sense of peace. David’s Worship: Responding Rightly When David learned of his son Absalom's rebellion against him, whose way did David choose—God's or what he thought was right? 2 Samuel 15:31-32 says that the very first things David did were to pray and worship God. If David had chosen his own way, he probably would have gotten angry or perhaps depressed, but no, David chose God's way. Jesus Seeks His Father's Will Jesus teaches us to have total dependence on God. John 5:30 in part reads, "I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me." How much more blessed would we be and how much more God would be glorified if we also did not seek our own will. It is through Christ that we become His letters. It is the Holy Spirit who turns our stony heart into one of flesh. When we don't seek His will there is often a price to pay. Regrettable Outcomes of Selfish Choices Doing what is right in our own eyes often leads to the regrettable consequences of sin. The decision to have sex, "just this once," can lead to pregnancy. The decision to take just a little money from the cash drawer at work may land you in prison. The decision to marry someone who doesn't love God might lead to divorce. The decision to buy something we can't afford may lead to bankruptcy. Self-Idolatry: Choosing Self Over God When our own desires and selfish interests come before God, it is a form of idolatry. Israel was warned many times that doing what was right in their own eyes would lead to this. Putting self ahead of God in today's world can be seen by the constant need to affirm ourselves. Self-Affirmation Culture vs. Biblical Humility A famous pastor even has a book with affirmations such as "I am successful, I am wise, I am disciplined" and on and on. There are a lot of I's in those affirmations, but nothing about others, no God, no Jesus. In fact, it is interesting that when Jesus wanted the Jews to know He was God, He made several "I am" statements in the book of John. Is this pastor implying that we are God, in a subtle way? Philippians 2:3: Choosing Humility Over Pride Putting ourselves first is the opposite of what the Bible tells us to do. We are told to think more highly of others than ourselves (Philippians 2:3). That doesn't mean that we should put ourselves down all the time, but constantly hearing self-talk about how wonderful I am can lead to a dangerous lack of humility. The prideful person usually doesn't care what God thinks. They usually are only concerned with their own needs and wants. Psalm 119:37: Seeking God’s Ways Daily Instead of doing what is right in our own eyes, let's join the Psalmist in Psalm 119:37 and say, "Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways." We pray that God will show us the worthless things we are looking at. We pray that we might find life in the ways of God, not our own. Today before making any decision, even the small ones, pause, pray, and ask, "Am I doing this in my own eyes or in yours, Lord?"

Glorifying God in Our Faith and Tribulations What things do you glory in? That's not a widely used expression today. To glory in something means to feel great pleasure or joy because of something. Maybe you glory in your favorite team winning the Super Bowl or winning an exceptionally difficult video game match. In Romans 5:1-5, Paul explains what he glories in. He tells us our faith has justified us before God and because of this we have peace with God. No longer are we at war with our Savior, no longer are we His enemy. Because of our faith in Jesus we have gained access to grace and " we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. " Paul adds that we also glory in tribulations. What an odd thing to say. What Paul means is that we don't find pleasure in enduring bad things for the sake of those things, but when we endure trials and tribulations because of Christ, for His sake, that is when we can glory in them. Tribulation endured often helps transform people. He explains that this is so because these tribulations, these hard times, produce the fruit of perseverance or endurance. To persevere means to continue on in the same course of action even in the face of great difficulty. In Hebrews 10:36, we are told that we have a need for endurance, " so that after we have done the will of God, you may receive the promise. " We learn to totally trust in Jesus and desire His will. We learn to run our race with endurance . By persevering we produce character. Character is the trait that should distinguish us as Christians. Do we choose good over evil? Do we love as Christ did? And finally, he says, these traits produce a hope that does not disappoint. A hope that says we will live with Christ forever. He says this is true because the Holy Spirit has filled our hearts with the love of God. Now we can glorify God because we have changed from enemies to His beloved. Glorifying God: From Enemies to Beloved Children The Christian life is full of contrasts from our life before: hope v no hope, love v hatred, peace v fear and anxiety, justification v judgment, friends with God v adversaries of God. Does the world seem unjust to you? Without faith and belief we can't understand the world we live in. The world of fear and anxiety, judgment and hate simply has no hope. That world can't understand what evil really is and how God is a God of transformation, a God who brings hope out of darkness, a God who becomes my beloved friend and not my enemy. To look in the mirror and admit, this unjust world is because of my sin, is hard. Our faith has brought us to this wonderful place where we have peace with God, we have been justified, received grace, and we can rejoice. As Billy Graham once said: “Faith literally means ‘to give up, surrender, or commit.’ Faith is complete confidence.” And in whom does our confidence lie? To whom do we surrender? Jesus Christ! Before Faith: Our Fallen State But what about before? Before we had all this, before we had faith and peace with God what did we have? In Romans 8:7-9, Paul explains what we were like. He explains that the carnal mind is enmity against God. Enmity is the opposite of peace. It is a hatred, an antagonism, of things pertaining to God. To be carnal is to be concerned with things of the flesh, sinful actions or desires. When we were like this it was impossible to please God. James 4:4 agrees with this. Here James tells us, "...Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." This is what we were like, enemies of God and instead, friends of the world. We don't often think of non-Christians as enemies of God. Before we became a Christian, it is unlikely that you ever thought of yourself as an enemy of God. Colossians 1:21 says that our evil behavior caused us to be enemies in our minds. Proverbs 15:26 tells us that God hates the thoughts of the wicked. Paul explains in Romans 12:2 that it is God that must renew our minds so we can think thoughts that are good. We may have talked like we weren't an enemy but our actions said something different. It is only through Christ that we can be reconciled to God. In other words, our faith in Jesus restores our broken relationship with God. We glorify God when we are renewed and transformed from enemies to beloved children. We Must Be Renewed Our faith caused us to go from being an adversary of God to being His child and a friend. Before this we had no great joy, no " glory in hope. " Instead of glorying in tribulation, rejoicing in suffering for Christ, we may have been the one causing Christians to endure hardship. As a beloved child, however, we now have a ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-18). Our job is to show the world the love and the hope that God has placed in our hearts. The world should be able to see the transformation God has done in us. How to Treat the Enemies of God How should we treat the enemies of God? Jesus is our role model. When Jesus suffered at the hands of his enemies He did not strike back. He did not curse them or even complain. He trusted the One who would judge them justly for their sins. 2 Timothy 4:1 says that Jesus Himself will judge the living and the dead when He returns. Psalm 92:9 tells us the fate of God's enemies. They will perish and all evil doers will be scattered. Grace Through Unmerited Mercy Yet grace is offered to the world in spite of our evil hearts. In the song, Marvelous Grace of our Loving Lord by Julia Johnston (1910), the refrain goes like this: Grace, grace, God's grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace, grace, God's grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin! No matter how evil our hearts were or are, God offers His grace. Grace is undeserved mercy. From death to life, God's grace forever changes us. None of us can say that we were saved because we deserved to be. Just as a murderer waiting for execution receives a stay of execution at the very last moment—not because he was worthy, but because someone offered him undeserved mercy—we too have been given grace greater than all our sin. As her song continues, she says this grace is "freely bestowed on all who believe." We glorify God for this grace we have received. The Call to Faith and Commitment Do you believe? Do you have faith? Hebrews 11:1 tells us that "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for. The evidence of things not seen." Do you long to have the character of a true loving Christian and the hope that only comes from belief in Jesus Christ? If so, ask Him, seek Him. He offers boundless grace that pardons even those who hate Him. Then, you too, can rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

When you and I use the word 'understanding,' we almost always use it in a way that refers to knowledge of something. We have an understanding of how our cars work, or how to make cookies. We also use this word in relation to other people. We say that John was very understanding of Susan's problems. This is more than an intellectual knowledge, this is an emotional awareness. What does the Bible mean when it talks about understanding? Biblical Understanding: More Than Just Knowledge In the Bible, the word understanding also refers to morals. In Job 28:28, Job tells us that to depart from evil is understanding. We are told in Proverbs 3:5-7: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil." The author of Proverbs tells us that we can't understand the world around us like God does. To acknowledge this, to recognize that we can't be wise unless we are directed by God, requires us to trust Him. We seek His understanding, not our own. Proverbs 2:2 says to apply our heart to understanding and then we will understand the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 2:5). This is not just bookish knowledge of what the Bible teaches, but a deep inner conviction, one that guides us and eventually helps us to know how to respect, honor, and glorify God. Seeking God’s Wisdom, Not Our Own Daniel 2:21 tells us that understanding comes from God. In this verse Daniel says that God gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those with understanding. In the modern world these three words: wisdom, knowledge, and understanding seem to get jumbled all together. However, Daniel means different things by these words. The Difference Between Knowledge, Wisdom, and Understanding Just as the Pharisees in Jesus' time had much knowledge of the Law, they had little wisdom because they did not recognize the Savior standing before them. Knowledge is simply knowing facts but wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge correctly. I may know how to catch a fish, but knowing not to catch them out of my neighbor's koi pond is wisdom. Knowledge likes to talk, but wisdom likes to listen. Knowledge is full of pride but wisdom is not. Proverbs 9:10 explains understanding this way. The author says that knowledge of the truth of the Holy One is understanding. Understanding means to perceive and be able to distinguish between things. What is truth and what is not? Understanding helps us determine that. As a child I had to learn to distinguish between a red hot burner on a stove and a red pot holder lying on the counter. Understanding and wisdom go hand in hand. We grow in understanding as we grow in knowledge and wisdom. Ultimately, it is God who makes us wise and helps us to understand things. We trust that God will direct our paths because our own understanding or ability to distinguish between truth and not truth is woefully inadequate. We are influenced by sin, by the world we live in, and by our own pride, so to judge rightfully we have to remove ourselves from the equation. We trust and believe that God has more wisdom, understanding and knowledge of a situation than we do because we have faith. We seek His will because it is perfect, even if we don't understand it always. We remember the many times that God has acted on our behalf when we didn't even realize it. A Cautionary Tale: King Hezekiah’s Costly Mistake Many of us know first hand how badly things can go when we " lean on our own understanding " and not God's. The Old Testament gives us an example of this in King Hezekiah. King Hezekiah was faithful to God. He was a good King who trusted God. He had seen the hand of God working in His own life when he was healed by Isaiah and given fifteen more years to live and yet, even King Hezekiah made the mistake of trusting his own understanding. In 2 Kings 20:12-19, Hezekiah is approached by envoys from the King of Babylon. Having heard he had been sick, they brought letters and a present from the King. In response, Hezekiah proceeds to show them all his wealth and might. He showed them everything , his silver, gold and his armaments. Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and asked what the envoys had seen and the King replied, everything. Isaiah then prophesied that in time the Babylonians will take everything he has, even his own sons, and carry them off to their homeland. What had King Hezekiah done wrong? We are given indications of this in 2 Chronicles 32:24-31. We are told that, regarding the envoys, God withdrew from King Hezekiah to test him. God knew what was in Hezekiah's heart, but He wanted Hezekiah to know as well. Hezekiah did wrong, not so much in showing off his great wealth and resources, but in not giving God the glory for his healing and for providing these riches to him. He could have witnessed to them of God's glory but chose not to. In verse 25, we read that Hezekiah's heart was " lifted up. " Hezekiah had been so greatly blessed by God with healing, wealth, and many other things. It would be easy to imagine that Hezekiah may have thought that God had blessed him because of his righteousness. Perhaps Hezekiah felt like he was beyond temptation, but then the envoys arrived. In Hezekiah's moment of weakness, when he relied on his own understanding and not God's, he made a huge error in judgment. He forgot God. Then in verse 26 we read that Hezekiah humbled himself before God. Because of this God spared his kingdom during his lifetime, but the fate of his children would be very different. When we recognize our sin, our response should be the same as Hezekiah's—humility. Leaning on Our Own Understanding: A Costly Mistake When the Babylonians returned to their home there is little doubt that they remembered well the riches they had seen in Hezekiah's kingdom. Within approximately a hundred years the Babylonians would return and carry away the Jews into exile. In Hezekiah's own understanding he probably felt like showing them his wealth and his power would intimidate them and cause them to think twice about trying to overtake his nation. How wrong he was. Leaning on our own understanding is always a costly mistake. Our decisions have consequences. Trusting in God's Understanding, Not Ours Perhaps you can think of a time when you also made an error in judgment. A time when you made a decision, believing it to be the right one, but forgetting to ask God. Maybe you had an opportunity to show a lost soul the blessings that you have received and yet forgot to give the glory to God. How easy it is for us to forget! If someone whom God described as doing "what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God” (2 Chronicles 31:20) could fail God's test, then we must be extraordinarily careful. God knows our heart s just as He did Hezekiah's. Have You Ever Leaned on Your Own Understanding? Has God ever left you alone as He did Hezekiah? Have you ever failed a test so that you were able to see your heart as God does? Wisdom's call will choose Christ as the foundation of life . The closer we walk with our Lord the easier it is to see ourselves as holy and righteous and deserving of every good thing God has provided to us. That is a danger. Be watchful, trust in Him alone, and make sure that your understanding comes from Him and not yourself.