The Heaton File

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. (1 Thessalonians 5:14)

A Biblical App For Modern Man

In a world of digital technology that seeks to simplify life, easy productive plans to accomplish a work are welcomed. There is an application (or app) for everything it seems in life now. While at the dentist recently I noted there is an app for brushing teeth that reminds a person when, how and duration of brushing. There are apps to tell a person when to slow down and relax and when to go to bed. It seems our lives are driven by apps that help us organize our lives suggesting we are incapable of doing these things ourselves (which is a sad commentary on how we have allowed machines to run our lives). The Bible is filled with a lot of apps that come in different forms and will give us greater peace than any man-made machine. Paul’s letter to Thessalonica is filled with little apps that when put to use will help the faith of a Christian live a more productive and constructive life. The latter part of his letter is a series of short exhortations that are important for the welfare of the spirit of the child of God. His exhortations in our text are four simple applications.

App One: Warn those who are unruly. There have always been those who cannot remain in step with the will of God. They are disorderly in their conduct and idle. One of the problems in the church at Thessalonica was the brethren who were lazy, slothful and unwilling to work. It may have been the saints thought the Lord was to return at any time and gave up on industry becoming listless in their lives. Whatever they case they were not exemplifying the quality of character the Lord demanded from his servants. When a man becomes lazy in body he begins to get busy in spirit leading to gossip and being a busybody. Paul exhorted the brethren to warn those who were out of step and faced the severe action of the church if they did not repent. Brethren should have regard for one another having a concern for the welfare of themselves and the lives of those who would step out of line from truth. There is an obligation to have concern for one another and to receive this correction in the spirit given by the Holy Spirit.

App Two: Comfort the faint-hearted. It can be difficult being a Christian and many grow weary in serving the Lord. Likened to the arena of battle, soldiers can become tired of fighting or grow faith from the exhaustion of the constant barrage from the enemy. The people of God are to encourage, exhort and lift up the souls of those who are weak in their faith admonishing them to carry on and live with greater purpose. If a line of soldiers were marching and someone began to fall behind, the camaraderie of the group would band together to help the faint hearted remain in step to finish the march. In life there is a need to comfort those who struggle in their faith. Everyone needs a hand of encouragement as all of God’s people experience challenges in the Christian walk. Cheer up the ones who become discouraged. Seeking to help those who struggle helps the church grow more fully to the image of Christ.

App Three: Uphold the weak. Everyone comes to the knowledge of the will of God at different times with different abilities. Not everyone is as strong as the other or understands the principles of spiritual matters in the same light. The value of upholding the weak is to understand the growth pattern of the child of God seeking to help others find their faith and grow thereby. There is a present need to be indulgent with those who have not learned as much and struggle in their understanding of God’s word. Patience is a virtue that sees a person for what they are exhorting them to be someone they can become with the message of Christ. This will take time. Upholding the weak is allowing that time to manifest itself in the character of the growing child of God. “While not countenancing their sins, we may bear or prop them up by judiciously commending in them that which is good, by not too severely condemning them in the practice of things indifferent, and by striving to rectify their errors with all gentleness and fidelity” (Preacher’s Homiletical).

App Four: Be patient with all. One of the greatest needs in the church today and vital to the continued strength of the local congregation is learning how to be patient with everyone. The three apps listed above will require a lot of patience and love. Longsuffering is a spirit of looking after the needs of others with a compassionate and kind heart that prays for the continued growth of the individual. Consider how longsuffering God is with all His children and how much He desires for His children to be longsuffering with one another. As the family of God there should be recognition that everyone requires the grace of God. Without the kind hand of God’s patience none would be saved. Looking to the challenges of fellow saints in a spirit of patience will blend the hearts of the people of God helping one another warn the unruly, comfort the fainthearted and uphold the weak. If the Lord can exercise eternal patience with my life then I should learn how to be patient with one another.

Four applications that will help my life grow stronger and help the work of the church abound in spirit, love and being examples of the truth in Jesus Christ.

My soul faints for Your salvation, but I hope in Your word. My eyes fail from searching Your word, saying, “When will You comfort me?” For I have become like a wineskin in smoke, yet I do not forget Your statutes. How many are the days of Your servant? When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me? The proud have dug pits for me, which is not according to Your law. All Your commandments are faithful; they persecute me wrongfully; help me! They almost made an end of me on earth, but I did not forsake Your precepts. Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, so that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth. (Psalm 119:81-88)

Help Me

The psalmist is in a lot of trouble. He is being bombarded by affliction from his foes that seek to destroy him. It almost overwhelms him as he tries to combat those who seek to destroy him. What they are doing against him is wrong and their attacks are so constant he almost gives up succumbing to their ploys. He is in desperate straits. His soul is fainting from the persecution. Long nights have been spent searching for answers and reasons why he is being hounded by his enemies. These trials are almost too much for him to bear and he struggles to maintain his faith. Like a wineskin hung in a smoke filled room the spirit of the man is shriveled and almost dried up. He is at a state of exhaustion in his body, mind and spirit by the affliction and mental distress. As a man of God he knows where to turn and his salvation is found where he knows he will receive comfort, peace and truth. The word of God is the island of refuge that helps the psalmist endure the slights and injuries of those who stand against him. He knows that in the word of the Lord there will be comfort and peace because he learns he is not alone and that his Father cares for him. Hoping in the word of God comes from learning the lessons of all men as they struggle with the afflictions of life. The Lord has promised He will care for the weary and fainthearted and numerous stories abound in the word to show His care for His people. Noah was not forgotten nor Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Lord cared for Moses and the people as they left Egypt and walked to the land of promise. Reading the word of God the psalmist learns that he will not be forsaken by his heavenly Father.

Obeying the statues of the Lord is not just about keeping commandments. It is a lesson in trust that comes from seeing the power of the word alive in the hearts of the people of God. Many saints of the Lord have lived through perilous times and by God’s grace and mercy endured to receive a blessing. The psalmist would have been familiar with the story of Job who lost so much but gained so much more by trusting in the Lord. There can be little doubt reading the riveting story of Job that faith would not be restored in the heart of the one being persecuted seeing the necessity of keeping the will of the Lord in the face of trial. Those who bring affliction against him are not keepers of the law because their actions go against the law of the Lord. These are his own people that are persecuting him. Why should his own brethren bring such harm against him? Sometimes the hardest criticisms leveled against others are brought by the people of God against their own brethren. The psalmist declares his trust in the commandments of God as faithful and the actions of the misguided as false. He measures his relationship with God more important than what men do to him and trusts in the will of the Lord to guide him. The only hope he seeks is what is found in the word of God.

There is a mournful cry in the midst of this conflict: Help me. Facing the affliction from others is never pleasant and can destroy the soul with ease. Faith can be challenged to a point of failing and every child of God must be warned of how easy some persecutions can challenge the spirit in a very severe manner. Men fail sometimes in their faith. Abraham lied about Sarah; David committed adultery and murder; Peter denied the Lord as did Judas. Saints of God struggle with faith and the psalmist admits he nearly lost his footing as they almost made an end of him. What kept his life in check was the word of God. He has declared throughout this lengthy psalm a reliance on the word of God and that without the knowledge of divine wisdom he would have been destroyed long ago. What is sad is when the child of God faces adversity and succumbs to the turmoil by forsaking the word of God. Truth comes from the word and through the study of the word man finds the answers to face the foes that set themselves against him. Only from the word can truth be found. When troubles come do not forsake the precepts of God but embrace them. Dive deeply into His word and learn about the lovingkindness of God and His mercy, grace, love and compassion. The soul will be refreshed from the time spent in the word. Revival comes from drinking deeply from the well of God’s commandments, laws, statutes, precepts and testimonies to know how to face adversity. The Bible is the voice of God. Listen to His word.

He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. (Isaiah 53:2b)

Jesus The Common Man

The Son of God is the express image of the glory of the Father. There are no words in the language of men that can fully comprehend what God looks like and the glory of His presence. To consider that Jesus dwelt with the Father and became flesh is beyond the pale of man’s imagination to take in. How great was the love of Christ to leave what He knew in the presence of the Almighty and take on human flesh to suffer the pains and afflictions of mortal man. How can man ascribe meaning to what Jesus gave up and what He became? It would seem natural to assume someone as great, powerful and majestic as God would come in the flesh and radiate a glory that all men would recognize as divine and holy but Jesus came in a manner void of an outward appeal to the eyes of man. Isaiah writes about the coming Messiah and the suffering servant that would give His life for all men. Included in the message of hope is the reality of what Jesus would look like when He came in the flesh. Isaiah does not include any physical characteristics such as height or size or facial notations that would give a hint to the appearance of Jesus but rather the reality that the Savior would not exhibit anything unusual in a crowd of men. He would come to the world as a common man that if He stood in a crowd would not be taken notice of. The totems of men describing the physical traits of Jesus have always depicted Him with a certain manner that made Him stand out among others. The New Testament never hints to any physical attributes of Jesus and many who knew Him and wrote about Him never disclosed a single detail. Isaiah simply describes the visage of Jesus as being a common man and undistinguished among men. The Son of God would leave the glory of the Father and become as the common man of flesh in the world of men.

There is a purpose of why the Holy Spirit never offered details about the physicality of Jesus Christ. Jesus was born in the natural manner of men (His conception was the miracle) and grew from an infant to adulthood with the same pains, needs and wants as any other child. He had to learn to walk, practice his alphabet and be taught the word of God. His hair grew as did His limbs and stature. He learned to feed Himself and to prepare food to eat. Working along Joseph Jesus would learn the workings of a hammer and chisel. He slept, laughed, sneezed and ran with the other children in play. His brothers and sisters gathered around the table to eat with Jesus talking of the day’s activities and work to be done on the morrow. The childhood of the son of Mary was just as common as any other child in Nazareth. It is likely He spent time with his cousin John when the families would get together or make their journey to Jerusalem. They were only six months apart in age and had much in common. As a young man of 21 Jesus did not strike anyone with any significance of being different. He would be thirty years old before anyone took notice and many would not believe His miracle because they could only see the man who was a carpenter’s son and nothing else. He was a common man. Nothing significant. Nothing noteworthy. In a multitude of people Jesus did not glow or have a presence that would cause anyone to take notice. The Son of God looked like every other person and never stood out of the crowd.

What does Jesus look like? He is the image of the Father and His image is that of glory. The physical appearance of Jesus was of no significance for a number of reasons. Man has already recreated Jesus in the image of prideful man including attributes that have no bearing on the story of the Christ. He was a Jew who lived in a harsh climate under a strenuous lifestyle like all other men. Men would worship the image of Jesus if it was preserved but Jesus wanted all men to see His Father and listen to His teaching. He was unconcerned about His physical appearance to impress men. The teachings and miracles of the man from Nazareth showed the image of God. It is hard to imagine how glorious Jesus would have been with His Father and how He became so common when He walked among men. His work was not to be adored by men because of His appearance but rather for men to adore the Father because of His grace. Listening to the words of Christ creates an image of truth, holiness and beauty that describe the visage of the Lord as being glorious. Two thousand years have passed when a common man died on a common cross. That man who looked as ordinary as any other man was in fact the Son of God. His death was the least common death experienced on the face of the earth. The man who had no beauty that we should desire Him is the One who is the image of the Father and the picture of saving grace. Jesus was anything but common and thank God for that.

After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby. (John 19:38-42)

The Men Who Buried Jesus

Faith is not always a clear determination in the heart of the believer. Like leaven, it must grow and infuse itself in the whole of man. For some it takes a long time to become a fervent and devoted spirit of faithfulness. The key to faith is the need to always seek opportunities to grow and become bolder in the exercise of showing trust and confidence. There were two men who stepped forward to bury Jesus and their faith had to grow before they would make that decision. Little is known of the two men but there is a lot of courage in their story. Joseph of Arimathea is unknown except for the brief mention by the gospel writers. He was a man of wealth who had become a disciple of Jesus. Mark tells us that Joseph was a prominent member of the council who himself waited for the kingdom of God. Luke writes that Joseph was a good and just man. At some time in the ministry of Jesus, Joseph had accepted the man from Nazareth was the Christ and became a follower of His teachings. He embraced the life of Jesus but hid his devotion from his fellow council members and friends for fear of being ridiculed or cast out of the synagogue. It seems he had a counsel in Nicodemus because the two of them shared their faith in Jesus and both hid their devotion from others. Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews and as John references each time came to Jesus by night. His timid devotion to the Christ was measured by his faint-hearted faith to let others know of His belief in Jesus. That would change when the man they were fearful to acknowledge publicly was murdered on a Roman cross.

The news of Jesus death came quickly to the ears of Joseph and Nicodemus. They were part of the ruling party of the Jews and when their fellow council members spoke of the death of Jesus it must have pained their hearts to know they had hidden their faith in Him. Jesus was dead and the Romans had charge of His body. Many of the Jewish leaders were pleased the supposed Christ was dead. The hearts of Joseph and Nicodemus were heavy with grief. Faith began to grow in their hearts as courage moved them to make a bold decision. Joseph went to Pilate and sought permission to remove the body of Jesus. Granted the authority to bury the body Joseph and Nicodemus stepped on the stage of public opinion, ridicule and consternation from their fellow Jews. Going to Golgotha and removing the body was a public show of their faith. Everyone would see these two men taking the body from the Romans. This would not be done in secret or at night but boldly showing their loyalty to the crucified Jesus. Nicodemus ordered a mixture of myrrh and aloes that weighed almost one hundred pounds. The Romans soldiers removed the body of Jesus from the cross and gave Him to these two wealthy, powerful rulers of the Jews. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with fine linen with the spices and prepared the body for burial. The Christ would be buried in the tomb Joseph had prepared for himself. There they laid Jesus intending to return on the first day of the week to finish the burial process. As they left the tomb they were no longer afraid to let the world know they believed in Jesus Christ. The story ends there as the Holy Spirit is silent to what became of Joseph and Nicodemus. Fifty days later it would seem fitting to find these two men part of the first converts to the kingdom they looked for but were afraid to acknowledge. Joseph and Nicodemus would have been great examples of faith in the early church.

It took time for Joseph and Nicodemus to find their faith. At first they were afraid and hid their devotion. At the moment of need they stepped into the light of public view and boldly took the body of Jesus to let the world know of their faith. The story of these two men resonates in the lives of all of God’s children to know that faith should never remain the same. It should always be growing from the shadows of weak faith to bold declarations of faith exemplified in the courageous acts of love. There should be a lot of patience in allowing the weak brethren to grow in their faith. God did not cast Joseph and Nicodemus aside because they feared the Jews. Jesus did not rebuke Nicodemus for coming to Him at night because He knew faith had to grow in Nicodemus. The time came when they showed their faith and they left a huge impression on the pages of history. Two men who shared in their fearful faith of yesterday turned their courage into an everlasting story of devotion to their Lord.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

How God Thinks

The prophet Jeremiah had a daunting task. His mission was to bring the hearts of the people of Israel back to the Lord in a time when the nation was falling headlong into rebellion and chaos. The glory days of Solomon’s kingdom had long since faded into the distant memories of the people. Israel had been rocked by civil war witnessing the total destruction of ten northern tribes and the perilous precipice the remaining tribes found themselves facing threats from nations like Babylon. Jeremiah wept over the condition of the nation of God’s people that turned their hearts away from the blessings of righteousness, truth and holiness. Judah had become a treacherous sister who turned to the Lord only in pretense with backsliding Israel showing herself more righteous. God pleaded with His Beloved to stand in the ways and seek the old paths but they refused. Their worship was obscene trusting in lying words, embracing false teaching and the only left was the judgment of the Lord. He promised to make Jerusalem a heap of ruins and a den of jackals. The sword would come against the nation, famine and pestilence would fill the land and the Lord would not relent from the fury He was bringing against Judah. In the midst of all the wrath of God comes a message of hope. The Lord tells Jeremiah the nation will be taken away and kept in captivity for a period of seventy years. It will be at the end of this bondage the Lord will bring His people back home. This message was given to the priests, prophets and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. Living in a world of despair God offers the people a ray of hope.

It is always difficult when a parent must discipline a child. The Lord never enjoyed punishing His people because He loved them with all of His heart. It pained greatly the spirit of the Lord to send His Beloved into a foreign land and be held captive for any length of time. The righteousness of the Almighty demanded judgement against the people because they had disobeyed Him but it was not His plan. Through Jeremiah God tells His people He only wanted peace for them and not of evil. They may look at the punishment of the Lord as a severe retribution against them but they needed to remember how often God warned them to repent and they refused. It is easy for a child to disbelieve a loving parent would discipline them until the time comes when the harsh hand of punishment is brought against the rebellious spirit. Punitive disciple must inflict pain in order for the lesson to be learned. Judah would suffer greatly because of her sin and there would be long lasting consequences to the rebellion of the people. God wanted His people to know that although the pain of bondage was being inflicted upon them that He still loved them with all of His power, might and strength. True love does not neglect the need of punishment. Love is expressed in necessary discipline and if the Lord allowed His people to go unpunished for their rebellion, He would not love His people as He should.

The final message God wanted His people to know was there was hope in the midst of their calamity. It may have seemed difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel as the people sat in a foreign land as slaves again like the days of Egypt. They would spend seventy years in captivity and there was nothing that would change that. However, this sentence was not a death sentence but a reprieve would come where the nation would be allowed to return and build Jerusalem. This was fulfilled in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. The thoughts of the Lord were to instill in the hearts of the people hope for a better tomorrow. Judgment would come but there was a brighter day to look forward to and that should give the people courage to face the dismal condition they found themselves in. There is always hope and promise in the love of the Lord. Life can be filled with the chaos of despair, doubt and disbelief but trusting in the word of the Lord will bring the courage to face each day with renewed strength. The judgment of the Lord is real and so are the promises He makes of peace and safety. A remnant would come from the captivity that would rebuild the nation of Israel. It will never be the great nation it was under David and Solomon. A greater nation was coming that would dwarf the glory of the physical kingdom. Embedded in the promise of return after seventy years was the promised hope of the everlasting kingdom realized in Jesus Christ. Life can be tedious and difficult but the Lord has promised a greater hope with an everlasting peace. His thoughts are so grand to bless man with the gift of eternal life through His only begotten Son. What a great God we serve.

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)

The Glory Of God And Youth

This past week I was at a Bible Camp I have been involved with for thirteen years and the joy of being with nearly 150 young people filled with energy, vitality and youthfulness is an experience that can only be understood by the exhaustion realized at the end of the week. The days are long and the nights longer. Every day is a time of helping young people see the power of God and His love for their souls. The text of our camp this year was Isaiah 40 in that great declaration of the power of God’s word, His incredible exhibition of His glory and the never ending grace of His strength to renew the spirit of downtrodden man. Isaiah begins his second part of his book with the power of the everlasting God who is Lord, Creator and the one who never tires or grows weary. After a week at camp everyone is exhausted. All of the energies that can be possibly mustered have diminished into near unconsciousness. What is amazing is to see the energy of youth fill a room with the praises of the Lord God almost without end. Their voices seldom dim from day to day and their energies seem inexhaustible. After a week of incredible vitality the young people begin to wear down and grow weary. Trips home become long miles of deep sleep. Away from the hustle and bustle of Bible camp life sneaks in and the body relaxes into the calm needed for rest.

While the body is weary and needs its rest, the soul is what is heightened after a week of learning that God does not grow weary and never faints. The final night of camp was an emotional package of tears, laughter, joy, happiness and a deep feeling of identification with the eternal heart that is filled with the love of God. We sang a special song that identified the need that is found in all men. There is a need of grace, love, mercy and forgiveness that is found in Christ and in Christ alone. We grow weary but the Lord does not grow weary. He never faints and never is burdened with the limitations of flesh. Everyone who was a part of camp will take weeks to recover the physical energies expelled during the daily experience but today the heart will be filled with the glory of God as the spirit of the Lord fuels the heart to praise Him from whom all blessings come. The body is tired but the spirit is strong. Waiting on the Lord brings a renewal of strength. The message of Isaiah is filled with the knowledge that God will give His Spirit to His children to be full of grace because of His love for them.

It is hard to wait on the Lord. Man is a creature of self-will with a purpose to direct his own way by his own knowledge. Learning to wait on the Lord is where true strength comes from and the blessing of trusting in the ways of God will give man the ability to soar like eagles in the clear unbroken sunshine of truth. The incredible creation of man is limited because all men will grow weary. There is a limitation to what man can do because he will faint and fall in time. The Lord never grows weary or faints from exhaustion. He existed before time began and the same God Abraham, Isaac and Jacob worshiped is the same God we worship today. He never faints! What He promises to His children is that if we wait on Him and trust His word we will never grow tired as we bask in the glory of His word. The mortal body will tire and grow weary but the soul will mount up with wings like eagles soaring in the exalted atmosphere of righteousness and purity. Waiting on the Lord is what makes a week of exhausted energy filled with an inexhaustible amount of hope for the youth of our day. There are many troubling things we hear about young people today but to spend a week with 142 young men and young women who love to sing about the glory of God and who learn that Jesus loves them is worth all the weariness, exhaustion and bone tired feelings of the thing we call Bible camp. To God be the glory.

And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation. No one is holy like the Lord, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly; let no arrogance come from your mouth, for the Lord is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and those who stumbled are girded with strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, and the hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren has borne seven, and she who has many children has become feeble. The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and He has set the world upon them. He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked shall be silent in darkness. For by strength no man shall prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces; from heaven He will thunder against them. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed.” (1 Samuel 2:1-10)

Hannah’s Prayer To God

A mother’s love is an indescribable devotion to the children that are born from her womb. The Bible is filled with the stories of women who have brought some of the greatest saints of God into the world whether they are known or unknown by name. Samuel the great prophet of the Lord was a man who had a powerful example of grace in the heart of his mother, Hannah. Few stories move the heart as the grief stricken wife of Elkanah who mourned her barren womb and how through God’s mercy she had a son of promise. She was a second wife of the man Elkanah. Peninnah was also a wife for Elkanah and she had sons and daughters and became a rival of Hannah through her constant provoking of Hannah for being barren. Elkanah would give Hannah a double portion above his troubling wife Peninnah but what Hannah wanted more than anything was a son. It was one day when she worshiped the Lord at Shiloh her prayer was answered. Eli the prophet thought she was drunk at first as he watched her cry out to the Lord for a son but soon realized it was a grieving woman desiring to have a son with a willingness to give the boy to the Lord as a servant. He told Hannah to return home and her son of promise would come. The Lord remembered Hannah and she conceived giving birth to a son whom she called Samuel which means “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.” When Samuel was weaned she brought her son of promise to the Lord and dedicated his life to the service of God. Hannah would have three sons and two daughters after Samuel but her firstborn would change the world and become one of the great heroes of scripture.

The prayer of Hannah is a powerful testimony of a mother’s love and her faith in the promises of God. Giving birth to a son is filled with many emotions of joy but Samuel was a special son born from a grieving heart and answered prayer. Hannah believed in the power of God and sought the presence of the Lord in her life to impact the decisions she made as a wife and mother. She recognized the gift of God in giving her a son. The child that came from her womb would be a servant of the Lord because Hannah’s heart was dedicated to instructing the young child in the way of truth, righteousness and holiness. Nothing would matter to this young mother but the molding of Samuel’s heart to love the Lord with all his heart, soul and mind. Her prayer is a testimony of rejoicing in the salvation of God’s promises and love. From a woman of tearful misery to a mother of exalted glory for the gift of God, Hannah knew there was no one like the Lord God who was her rock and her trust. Her rival Peninnah was proud and arrogant and brought much harm to Hannah but her trust was in the Lord. In the face of persecution, Hannah trusted in the word of God and was blessed through the gift of God. She acknowledges that God does things in His way and in His time. The pillars of the earth are the Lord’s and He has set the world upon them. His will is accomplished through His people and the Lord will guard the feet of His saints. No man will change the will of God. Hannah knew the power of the Lord first hand and she was thankful for His grace.

There is a powerful lesson of faith in the prayer of Hannah that resonates with the saints of God. Hannah believed in the impossible because she knew that all power rested in the hand of the Lord. Her heart grieved for a son and the Lord answered the prayer. The story of Samuel is a providential fulfillment of the continued work of God’s grace to bring His only Son into the world. Hannah’s prayer was a thankful heart for the working of grace in her life to give a son to serve the Lord all his days. One of the deepest lessons a parent can learn is trusting in the will of God to dedicate their children to the Lord. Samuel was literally dedicated to the work of the Lord becoming one of the greatest men of faith in scripture. The heart of Hannah should move every mother to begin before a child is born to dedicate their own lives to serve the Lord and that if blessed with children to consecrate the hearts of their children to serve the Lord – not just in outward show but inward beauty of loving God before anything else. It is easy to give children everything but a holy life. Parents want their children to be popular, athletic, successful and beautiful and often fail to give them the most important thing they need: a love for God. Hannah is a mother who gave her son to the Lord and no mother can do less who wants to please God. The prayer of Hannah is a monument to a mother’s faith in God and trust in His will in her life and the life of her children.

And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. (Romans 13:11-14)

Time To Get Serious

There has always been an urgency about serving the Lord. In the early days of the earth men lived for hundreds of years but like all those who followed them, they died. Methuselah may have lived 969 years but his life was a vapor and he died. Life is so brief and full of trouble and if man does not consider the brevity of his life, he will waste the precious gift given to him by the Creator. The large part of humanity has no concern for life and death. They live each day as if there is a promise of tomorrow when tomorrow never comes. Death is the great equalizer awakening in all men the reality of how short life will be. For the Christian he has a deeper view of life. He knows each day is precious and that a greater reward waits beyond the vale of death. Life for him does not end in death but begins. The years of travail on this earth are spent in a concentrated effort of serving the Lord who has promised eternal life. Salvation is nearer with each passing day bringing joy to the heart. For the child of God time is important to redeem for the value of what can be done in improving self and helping others find the peace that passes all understanding. Satan seeks to lull the heart into a sleep making them inactive and lethargic. Paul admonished the Roman Christians to wake up and get busy. Time is of the essence and there is no time to lose. With each passing day judgment comes closer for every man. The day of God’s return is at hand because there is no promise of tomorrow and His return will come as a thief in the night. Paul wrote these words two thousand years ago and it is easy to look at these words with a confidence that if the Lord has not returned yet there is no reason to think He will come today. What this means is that all men are two thousand years closer to the final day of the Lord than ever before. With each passing calendar date changing and the passing of each month, day and hour man draws closer to his own eternal destiny.

The night is far spent for the children of God to dwindle away their reward. There is an awareness that must be made for the faithful of the Lord to stop wasting their lives with the foolish pursuits of the world that will bring no profit. Life is not about what is gained here but what is treasured in the eternal reward of redemption. Christians must become focused on the work of their salvation instead of wasting their time in the follies of worldly pursuits. Husbands and wives must put off the indolence of apathy in their marriages and begin to be the kind of people the Lord commands in loving and cherishing one another. There will come a day when the words “I love you” will not be spoken or heard. Parents learn quickly how time escapes them as they watch their children grow to adulthood. So many parents spend little time preparing their children to know the Lord and when they realize the need it is too late. Now is the day to teach the family to love the Lord God because tomorrow will never come. Saints who dwindle away their abilities in the work of the church waste precious moments to exhort, encourage and admonish one another. Opportunities to be engaged in the work of the church cannot wait until another time because that time never comes. There is an urgency in working in the kingdom of God to reap the harvest of souls. Jesus reminded His disciples the fields were white to harvest but few workers were willing to bring in the sheaves. How tragic that time is lost in the work of saving souls.

There is a time for each individual to get serious about their spiritual health. So many lives are filled with revelry, drunkenness, strife and envy taking no account for the brevity of life and the wasted pursuits of this world. Life is so short and yet upon this short life all eternity will be determined. If a man fails to appreciate the need to get serious about their soul today it will be wasted on the shores of lassitude bringing no profit to life. Today is the day to get serious about putting on the Lord Jesus Christ and stop making provisions for the flesh. Many people believe that death will come at midnight and die a half hour early. There is no promise of anything in this world. The promises of God are eternal but cannot be achieved if the soul does not prepare itself to seek those things of the Lord. Paul’s admonition is clear: stop fooling around with your soul and get busy being the kind of person you are supposed to be in Christ – now! It is high time for God’s people to stop acting as if they have all the time in the world because the clock is ticking and the sands of time are vanishing. Souls are perishing because servants of God are not busy in teaching, exhorting and instructing the lost. Families are failing from lack of concern for the changing of the calendar. Marriages fail from hearts that are full of folly. Churches are languishing in indifference from members who don’t care about the work of the Lord. The night is far spent and the day is at hand. Get serious or get left out.

And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?” (Matthew 26:51-54)

He Came To Bring Peace

It is unclear why the Lord allowed any of the disciples to bring a sword to the garden but Peter had one of the two swords among the eleven. Letting a man accustomed to fishing wield a sword would seem to be a disastrous thing to do and proved to be an act of folly. The gospel writer Luke mentions in passing the disciples desire to bring two swords and Jesus’ reply seems to be almost without notice for the good the swords would prove against what is about to happen. Whatever the response by Jesus, Peter has a sword and decides to use it. The crowd that came to arrest Jesus was very large which included a Roman company of soldiers, Levitical temple guards, members of the Sanhedrin council, Pharisees and spectators. Having two swords among eleven men would have been laughable at best. As Judas betrays the Lord with a kiss and He is put in chains by the mob, Peter strikes out at anyone he can find which happens to be the unfortunate servant of the high priest, Malchus. Whether by design or clumsiness Peter only is able to slice the ear off the poor man. In an incredible moment and act of grace Jesus heals the man’s ear with no one taking notice of the miracle as they lead him away to kill him. Jesus rebukes Peter for his rash act telling him those who live by the sword will die by the sword. A sword is an instrument of violence whether in offense or defense. It is designed to maim or kill. The man who possesses the sword will have to defend himself by the sword. This was not the purpose of Jesus. He did not come to earth to start a literal war against other men but to bring all men to the Father through peace. The disciples had yet to learn that Jesus had the power to call down all the power of heaven to do His bidding if He so desired. The Lord was bringing a message of peace – not fighting.

The power that was within the grasp of Jesus was incredible. To call twelve legions of angels would have beckoned the might of 72,000 angels. A legion was a division of the Roman army amounting to more than 6,000 men. Using the story in the Old Testament where one angel destroyed 185,000 men in one night; twelve legions of angels could easily have wiped out more than 13 billion people or twice the population of the earth: in one stroke of God’s wrath. Jesus did not come to bring war between men but to bring the conflict of righteousness and wickedness to the hearts of men to show them the peace that passes all understanding. Peter acted rashly but his impetuous action proved a point that Jesus willingly gave His life to die on a cross so that all could find the peace of God. His love for the world stretched from horizon to horizon to express eternal mercy to undeserving man. Peace was the message of the King who came to change the hearts of the downtrodden and dispossessed to know the grace of a loving Father. God so loved the world He gave His Son and His Son so loved His Father He gave His life for those who were leading Him away chained and bound and destined for a cross.

Jesus declared His life was fulfilling the word of God. Peter tried to act in a courageous manner but the apostle did not understand the value of prophetic word fulfilled in the man he was trying to protect. Earlier when the disciples found the two swords and told Jesus He passed it off as making no difference to what was about to happen. His death on the cross was promised since the Garden of Eden and fulfilled throughout every generation proceeding the moment of the Garden of Gethsemane and nothing man could do would change that. Peter acted in a rash manner. Jesus knew He must fulfill the word of His Father and bear the cup of anguish. God would bring peace to the hearts of all men through the sacrificial death of His Son. The faith of God’s people would not come from the tip of a sword. No one would be pressured into accepting the free gift of God nor forced to believe what their heart rejected. The gospel of Jesus Christ will only save those who willingly allowed the love of God to move their hearts to obedience. Peace would come from the hand of the Father bestowed in the blood of Jesus to those who would lay down their swords and accept the Kingship of Jesus Christ. Obedient hearts find peace in the message of hope in the redemption of God’s Son. Jesus came to bring peace and became the Prince of peace.

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you. (2 Peter 3:14-15)

Staying The Course With Determined Faith

The apostle Peter had lived an incredible life. Nothing would have prepared him for how much the man from Nazareth would change his life. As he grew older, Peter realized the great vision of what was to come and exhorted his readers to embrace the promise of eternal life affirmed by the love of God. There was a great change that took place from the Peter introduced to in the gospels and the apostle writing his final letters. His final words would be for the people of God to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ and to stay the course with such a determined faith that they could live with purposeful hope. Peter looked forward to seeing his Lord again. The heart of the fisherman was clearly set on the coming of the Lord and the new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells. There were many who discouraged the hearts of the people by mocking the coming day of the Lord but Peter lived with a firm belief in the promised coming of Christ. He wanted others to look forward to that day not knowing that two thousand years would pass and the day of the Lord has yet to come. His message is vital throughout all ages and generations. What separates the New Testament disciples from so many today is they lived with the earnest belief that Jesus really was coming back in their lifetime. Because two millennia have passed, few recognize the possibility of the Lord’s return at any moment. Peter exhorts to live in a manner looking forward to the coming of the Lord and making every effort to be found in peace and prepared.

Looking for the unseen takes a determined faith. It requires a diligent faith to be found by Christ as ready, prepared, anxious, excited and living in such a manner the day of the Lord will not be a surprise. No one knows the day of the Lord but for the faithful it does not matter. The disciples of the Lord are living without the spot of sin and worldliness. Their hearts are blameless before God as they strive to mold their character into the image of the Son of God. If the Lord comes today, tomorrow or next week the child of God is ready. Even if the Lord does not come in the lifetime of a child of God they are still ready and death is only a passing from one life of glory to an eternal glory. Looking forward to the coming of the Lord and living with the hope the Lord will come at any minute will change the outlook and “uplook” of the soul to be found blameless. Faithful children of God have nothing to worry about. The Father in heaven knows when He will bring the world to an end and bring all His children home to be with Him.

If there is any man in scripture that understands the longsuffering of the Lord, Peter would be that man. The gospels reveal a character that is filled with impetuous, impulsive and rash statements and decisions on Peter’s part. He had moments of clarity but often would have to be rebuked by the Lord. After the death of Jesus Peter still struggled with his faith and prejudices against the Gentiles. The two epistles of Peter reveal the character of a man who has changed over time to become a deeply devoted and committed servant of the Lord. Longsuffering is an appeal to the nature of God to allow the soul of man to mature to understand the purpose of the divine will. The longsuffering of God is salvation because He allows time to pass to let the child of God grow in the grace and knowledge of His Son. Peter understood more than most men the salvation of the longsuffering of the Lord and was so thankful for it. All men stand in the shadow of God’s grace to see how the patience of the Lord is an opportunity to change lives. These times should not be squandered or wasted. The longsuffering of the Lord is salvation for today with no promise of tomorrow. Staying the course with a determined faith in the promises of God will shape the heart of man to look forward to the coming of the Lord with hope and assurance in the eternal life in His Son.