We must plan for the way in which we offer to God. If our attitude is one of throwing something together last minute then that same attitude will be reflected in our spiritual development. How well we are planning for our offerings directly correlates with how meaningful they will be to God.
Robb Harris
Stolen Treasure
It is common to see looting when natural disasters or social calamities occur. Based upon the number of incidents of this type of crime, many have formed a sense of justification for stealing—especially when the rule of law is absent.
One commentator, describing this attitude of looting during catastrophes, states, “Then one day disaster strikes – law and order break down. The structures of society around them collapse and no one cares what the other person is doing. In instances like this, personal morals and fear of the law disappear. Pent up emotions can rise to the top. An abnormal sense of entitlement and ‘group think’ takes over and people no longer feel guilty of taking what doesn’t belong to them” (“Why people loot after a disaster”, www.safetybasement.com).
In God’s eyes, theft of another’s property is absolutely unacceptable–so much so that it was one of the Ten Commandments given to Moses: “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15). God didn’t mince His Words, the commandment was plain to read and understand.
While God allowed for restitution by those caught stealing He also gave dire warning to those who would do so as a means to satiate their desires, whether “justified” or not. “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed” (Exodus 22:1-2).
Some Korean shopkeepers staved off looting of their property during the 1992 Rodney King riots by arming themselves and guarding their stores. While some storeowners protected their property, an estimated 2300 Korean-owned stores in Los Angeles were burned or looted during the protests.
We are warned not to put our faith in treasures that are perishing: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal…” (Matthew 6:19). Christ instead instructs us to put our faith in things that are eternal, “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:20).
Paul also reflected on the importance of the treasure we each possess, “…to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2-3). Everything that matters is built upon those two beings. They have given more than can ever be repaid so that we might share in their glory.
We must take on the same attitude of those shopkeepers in defending what really matters. Of course, we do not take up physical arms, but we must be engaged in a spiritual battle with wicked spirit beings in high places. We guard our spiritual existence from a beast that never stops attacking our spiritual fortifications. We need to cherish and protect what is truly lasting because our eternal life depends on it.
Giving Up is Not Quitting!
We must be willing to give up everything our carnal eyes see as precious in order to gain what truly is important. But giving up our old ways isn’t a one-time action as we begin our spiritual career. We must purge, on a daily basis, anything that draws us nearer to our carnal desires and away from God.
Has the Bible Always Been Divided Into Chapters and Verses Like It Is Today?
When God, through His Spirit, moved His servants to record their experiences into text, it wasn’t divided up into the form we use today. The original transcripts, as inspired by God, were written down and formed into books and subsequently divided into paragraphs by early Jews. The chapters and verses we are familiar with today came much later in the history of the Bible.
Chapters, as we have them now, didn’t appear in the biblical text until the beginning of the 13th century. Stephen Langton, an archbishop of Canterbury, was credited as first dividing the Bible into chapters. “The custom of referring to chapters when quoting from the Scriptures was rare before the twelfth century… Uniformity was introduced amid such chaotic conditions by the Paris scholars, notably, as it appears, by Stephen Langton… His system, which is substantially the one in use today, was adopted in the earliest printed editions of the Vulgate” (Metzgers, Early Versions of the New Testament). Others tried different means of dividing up the Bible this way, but his method stuck and is in use today.
The Old Testament chapters were first divided into verses in the mid 1400’s. “As for the verses, one Jewish teacher, Mordecai Nathan, divided the Old Testament manuscripts, written in Hebrew, beginning in 1445 A.D.” (www.biblestudy.org).
Further division of the New Testament didn’t occur until the 16th century. “Estienne divided the Christian Greek Scriptures, or what is called the New Testament, into a new set of numbered verses and combined them with those already in the Hebrew Bible. In 1553, he published the first complete Bible (an edition in French) with basically the same chapters and verses that most Bibles use today.” (Chapters and Verses—Who Put Them in the Bible? Retrieved from www.jw.org.)
It is important to understand that these divisions are not inspired by God. But these divisions can be a tool to open up deeper understanding of God’s Word. Paul shows the attitude we should have in our zeal to understand the Bible: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
There are no examples in the Bible of chapters or verses being used, but biblical text was still often quoted or summarized. When confronting Satan, Matthew records the following, “But He [Christ] answered, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God”’” (Matthew 4:4). Christ stated that “It is written” and was referencing a passage in Deuteronomy 8:3. Luke records Christ coming home to Nazareth, “…where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written…” (Luke 4:16-17). Christ went on to read the passage which is now referenced as Isaiah 61, verse 1 and part of verse 2. Christ then continued, “And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’” (Luke 4:21).
Throughout Christ’s ministry, He often quoted or paraphrased Scriptures. He had no trouble recounting the correct passages because He studied and understood the true intent of all Scripture. Christ understood that the entire body of God’s Holy Word was necessary for the complete understanding leading to salvation. Isaiah was inspired to write, “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little” (Isaiah 28:10). We must strive to follow Christ’s example, because properly applying all Scripture is a necessity if we desire Godly understanding.
Lead Writer: Robb Harris
Gambling on Salvation
We have a choice to grow or wane in our understanding of salvation. We must be satisfied in the knowledge God gives to us in order to achieve this reward. We are warned of an attitude of always seeking unprofitable knowledge and being content in this state. We must be wary of this attitude because it can cause us to lose out on our promise of salvation.
The Lure of God
In my formative years I spent many summers in Orr, Minnesota. Some of my earliest memories during that time included fishing. My biggest fishing concern as a child was keeping hold of the rod when something was on it and making sure worms were secured to my hook.
It is not always enough to simply throw a lure out and assume you will get a bite on retrieval. Are you fishing in muddy or clear water, in cloudy or sunny conditions? Are you in shallow weed banks or deep rocky ledges?
The environmental conditions in our physical or spiritual life must be considered with care. Christ lived a balanced life and expects us to do the same. He understood when to speak and when to remain silent, when to preach of the Father’s love and when to sternly correct. Christ noted an extremely important aspect of this calling, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up the cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). We must act upon this command on a daily basis, continually professing godliness. But this should not lead us into an attitude that by merely spouting off Christian platitudes, we fulfill our commitment to God.
Christ saw four men fishing and knew they would fulfill His plans to do even more. “And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.’ So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him” (Luke 5:9-11). They proved their love for Christ by walking away from everything. We prove our own commitment to God by doing the same in our daily lives. But we must not walk in this light of Truth unprepared. Christ later told His disciples, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16).
Paul tailored his “fishing” to the mindset of those around him. When speaking to the Athenians at the Areopagus (see Acts 17), he used the conditions around him to prove God’s Truth. Because God inspired Paul in this manner, some were called out of that pagan society.
We are warned that this Truth is precious, and how we profess this understanding to others should display that carefulness. Christ stated, “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces” (Matthew 7:6). We can become better fishermen by taking the time to understand those around us—people before whom we are representatives of Jesus Christ. In doing so, we can be part of this glorious work of building the Family of God.
A Pattern that Binds
We are influenced by two opposing forces, good and evil. God has set forth His absolute truth and given us the choice to to either choose eternal life or total annihilation.
Stranded on a Limb
The Thessalonian Struggle
The building of the Thessalonian church exemplifies Christian character and a “first love” attitude. But that initial desire to follow Christian ideals turned lackluster in the latter examples of this church. We can easily fall into the same idle attitude if we don’t take Paul’s warnings to heart.