.jpg)
The past 2 weeks God has some way or the other, lead me to read these passages about Him, Wealth and Punishment.
John Piper says:
When you pause to consider that God is infinitely strong and can do all that he pleases, and that he is infinitely righteous so that he only does what is right, and that he is infinitely good so that everything he does is perfectly good, and that he is infinitely wise so that he always knows perfectly what is right and good, and that he is infinitely loving so that in all his strength and righteousness and goodness and wisdom he raises the eternal joy of his loved ones as high as it can be raised—when you pause to consider this, then the lavish invitations of this God to ask him for good things, with the promise that he will give them, is unimaginably wonderful.
Taken from Desiring God Email Sermons by John Piper
C. S. Lewis says:
Christ said it was difficult for "the rich" to enter "riches" in the ordinary sense. But I think it really covers riches in every sense - good fortune, health, popularity and just as money tends - to make you fell independent of God, because if you have them you are happy already and contented in this life. You don't want to turn away to anything more, and so you try to rest in shadowy happiness as it if could last for ever.
But God wants to give you a real and eternal happiness. Consequently He may have to take all these "riches" away from you: if He doesn't, you will go on relying on them. It sounds cruel doesn't it? But I am beginning to find out that what people call the cruel doctrines are really the kindest ones in the long run. I used to think it was a "cruel" doctrine to say that troubles and sorrows were "punishments." But I find in practice that when you are in trouble, the moment you regard it as a "punishment," it becomes easier to bear. If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you will find it quite intolerable: think of it as a place of training and correction and it's not so bad.
Imagine a set of people all living in the same building. Half of them think it is a hotel, the other half think it is a prison. Those who think it a hotel might regard it quite intolerable, and those who thought it was a prison might decide that it was really surprisingly comfortable. So that what seems the ugly doctrine is one that comforts and strengthens you in the end. The people who try to hold an optimistic view of this world would become pessimists: the people who hold a pretty stern view of it become optimistic.
Taken from "Answers to Questions on Christianity" in Timeless at Heart
----------------------------
CS Lewis has a good point. That people who puts material and money at the forefront of their motivation for life, will tend to forget about God. And to rely less on money is to prevent evil since the love of money is the root of all evil, then God has to "punish" believers by taking away their wealth in order for them to come back to Him. But how to consolidate the views of John Piper's with CS Lewis's?
I believe that God's heart is to bless everyone who believes in Him. This is His character and it is His will as shown through Christ during His time on earth and since Christ said whoever sees Him sees the Father. My only 'problem' is to reconcile the source of the punishment.
So how do we reconcile the differences?
I find this verse to be particularly useful:
Deu 8:18
(ASV) But thou shalt remember Jehovah thy God, for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth; that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as at this day.
(BBE) But keep in mind the Lord your God: for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth, so that he may give effect to the agreement which he made by his oath with your fathers, as at this day.
(CUV-S) 你要记念耶和华你的神，因为得货财的力量是他给你的，为要坚定他向你列祖起誓所立的约，像今日一样。
(GNB) Remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to become rich. He does this because he is still faithful today to the covenant that he made with your ancestors.
(KJV+) But thou shalt remember2142 (853) the LORD3068 thy God:430 for3588 it is he1931 that giveth5414 thee power3581 to get6213 wealth,2428 that4616 he may establish6965 (853) his covenant1285 which834 he swore7650 unto thy fathers,1 as it is this2088 day.3117
(YLT) `And thou hast remembered Jehovah thy God, for He it is who is giving to thee power to make wealth, in order to establish His covenant which He hath sworn to thy fathers as at this day.
This verse appeals to the views of both John Piper and CS Lewis. Let me explain.
John Piper says that God is a very good father in heaven so much so He will give us good things if we ask of Him. Wealth & health is part of those good things we asked of God. And as I have shared about Shalom Peace that Jesus promised us on earth, it includes wealth and health too.
So if God is good, so why does He punish us?
Then I was lead to these verses:
Deu 8:5 Remember that the LORD your God corrects and punishes you just as parents discipline their children.
Deu 8:19 Never forget the LORD your God or turn to other gods to worship and serve them. If you do, then I warn you today that you will certainly be destroyed.
The key word here is the word "punish" in hebrew Yasar means, to chastise & discipline or to accept correction, be warned, be disciplined, to strengthen.
It is interesting to note that on one hand, God will discipline as parents discipline their children and yet in verse 19, God warned that we will certainly be destroyed. Now the question still remains, who is the destroyer?
(1 Peter 5:8) Be sober, vigilant, because your opponent the devil, as a roaring lion, doth walk about, seeking whom he may swallow up,
(Hebrews 2:14) Seeing, then, the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself also in like manner did take part of the same, that through death he might destroy him having the power of death--that is, the devil--
Both God and the devil can destroy, but who receives the punishment through destruction that is of importance to us, the children of God. Remember the Passover night where both the Egyptians and the Jews have to endure but only those who are of the Lord, ones who sacrificed the lamb and put the blood of the lamb on the door post, has averted destruction. So in the same manner we who are children of God has partaken of flesh and blood (of Christ) that through His death, Christ might destroy the devil who has the power of death.
Since we are children of God, then God will discipline us as His children but not unto destruction. Would you, as loving parents, cane your children to death? Only those who forget God and do not know who he or she is in Christ or who outrightly refuses Christ, will face the devil's destruction.
Wealth by itself is not the problem. If it is then God would not have given us the power to gain wealth in the first place. The problem lies with our forgetfulness of God as our Jehovah Jireh, God who Sees and Provides. Like the Prodigal Father, when the wayward son returns and repents, the Father would ravish us with wealth and honor again.
So the conclusion is that our Father in heaven is not the one who took away wealth and health who is generousity personified. It is actually because of our sins and forgetfulness that causes our lack in the first place by the devil himself.
Enjoy health and wealth through Christ's Shalom peace in rememberence of God's generousity through His grace. Repentence will bring back God's goodness in all areas of our lives (in wealth and health) just as the father in Jesus parable of the Lost Son has done.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
God's Blessings for the New Year
To Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I hope this message will be useful to you as I feel that as a Christian we ought to be mindful of who God is in our lives. When I mean by who, I meant it as the type of person God is.
Although God is just, He is also love personified. That's the reason why God sent His son to die for us. That's the reason for the season.
I do not know how you would have thought of God when you see me lie on the hospital bed (don't remember that I was that sickly, by God's grace). Some Christian friends would say, "Well having kidney stones is not a good thing but it is God's way to test His children, to strengthen them in some ways."
That was what I would say 7 years ago, but I have changed dramatically mainly because of my changed perception of God as a Heavenly Father. A father, through Christ whom we called Abba, Father, better than the best father a world could produce.
Now fathers would agree, you would not see harm to your children. When they are sick, you would go to them and try to alleviate their problems. When they are in need, you would see the need and try to provide. If not why sacrifice so much? Why bring them away for holidays? Why look after them when they are sick?
Now if the earthly responsible father can be so good to his own kids, what more the heavenly Father to those who trust in Him?
Now the word 'trust' denote the presence and promise of goodness in a person before you put that trust in that person. Would you trust a person who would do you harm?
So I trust God's promises. When we receive Jesus as a saviour, we trust in His faith to forgive us and give us righteousness. (1 John 1:9)
And so what would righteousness give us? What has Jesus Christ gives us when He redeemed us from the effects of sin?
A way to see the physical rewards for trusting the Lord through HIS obedience is to see Deut chapter 28.
Now some would say, "Deuteronomy 28 is for those who followed the law and thereby will get their just rewards." If that is the truth, then I will be blessed because I followed the law. So I get health only if I followed the Law.
Now this is what Apostle Paul said in his letter to the Romans
For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law, but through the righteousness produced by faith.
(Romans 4:13)
Is it true that we are made righteous because we follow the law or that we trust Christ? So if we are righteous in the eyes of the Lord, is it the same as following /obeying the Lord's law? Now we are made righteous first, then the blessings in Deut 28 will also follow because that's what the Lord promised since He said so himself
Obey the LORD your God and ALL these blessings (in the following verses) will be yours:
(Deuteronomy 28:2)
Based on this and also on the fact that the Angels proclaimed:
`Glory in the highest to God, and upon earth peace, among men--good will.'
(Luke 2:14)
The word 'peace' or 'eirene' (Greek) or 'Shalom' (Hebrew) is not just the word 'peace' as in opposed to 'war' but it has a deeper meaning:
Strong's Concordance 7965 - Hebrew Shalom ..... A word study in the New King James version for SHALOM says: Completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord. (http://www.therefinersfire.org/meaning_of_shalom.htm)
If you see it clearly, part meaning of the word for shalom is 'health' and 'wholeness'.
So as I lay on that bed in extreme pain, is it fair to say that it is God who gave me the pain when the angels proclaim that peace has come? If there is pain, then if God says what He says He will give to those who trust Him, then who is the one who gives pain? There could only be one: the Devil.
The devil is basically doing what he has been doing to Job as well. Job suffered so much that he complained that there is no one to judge/mediate between God and Job.
If there were between us an umpire, He doth place his hand on us both.
(Job 9:33)
The key difference now is this: That Jesus has become our mediator where Job has no such 'luxury' before.
for one is God, one also is mediator of God and of men, the man Christ Jesus,
(1 Timothy 2:5)
Conclusion:
God cannot be the one who gives us pain and suffering. And now Christ is at the right hand side of God, He is our mediator, He is our giver of blessings including health through His shalom peace.
the word that he sent to the sons of Israel, proclaiming good news--peace (eirene/shalom) through Jesus Christ (this one is Lord of all,)
(Acts 10:36)
So for the new year, receive the Shalom Peace through Christ given by the Father in Heaven. That health, wholeness, prosperity and blessings of every kind may be upon you and your family. As Jesus is in heaven, so are we on earth in Christ Jesus.
In His Name,
Wilson
I hope this message will be useful to you as I feel that as a Christian we ought to be mindful of who God is in our lives. When I mean by who, I meant it as the type of person God is.
Although God is just, He is also love personified. That's the reason why God sent His son to die for us. That's the reason for the season.
I do not know how you would have thought of God when you see me lie on the hospital bed (don't remember that I was that sickly, by God's grace). Some Christian friends would say, "Well having kidney stones is not a good thing but it is God's way to test His children, to strengthen them in some ways."
That was what I would say 7 years ago, but I have changed dramatically mainly because of my changed perception of God as a Heavenly Father. A father, through Christ whom we called Abba, Father, better than the best father a world could produce.
Now fathers would agree, you would not see harm to your children. When they are sick, you would go to them and try to alleviate their problems. When they are in need, you would see the need and try to provide. If not why sacrifice so much? Why bring them away for holidays? Why look after them when they are sick?
Now if the earthly responsible father can be so good to his own kids, what more the heavenly Father to those who trust in Him?
Now the word 'trust' denote the presence and promise of goodness in a person before you put that trust in that person. Would you trust a person who would do you harm?
So I trust God's promises. When we receive Jesus as a saviour, we trust in His faith to forgive us and give us righteousness. (1 John 1:9)
And so what would righteousness give us? What has Jesus Christ gives us when He redeemed us from the effects of sin?
A way to see the physical rewards for trusting the Lord through HIS obedience is to see Deut chapter 28.
Now some would say, "Deuteronomy 28 is for those who followed the law and thereby will get their just rewards." If that is the truth, then I will be blessed because I followed the law. So I get health only if I followed the Law.
Now this is what Apostle Paul said in his letter to the Romans
For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law, but through the righteousness produced by faith.
(Romans 4:13)
Is it true that we are made righteous because we follow the law or that we trust Christ? So if we are righteous in the eyes of the Lord, is it the same as following /obeying the Lord's law? Now we are made righteous first, then the blessings in Deut 28 will also follow because that's what the Lord promised since He said so himself
Obey the LORD your God and ALL these blessings (in the following verses) will be yours:
(Deuteronomy 28:2)
Based on this and also on the fact that the Angels proclaimed:
`Glory in the highest to God, and upon earth peace, among men--good will.'
(Luke 2:14)
The word 'peace' or 'eirene' (Greek) or 'Shalom' (Hebrew) is not just the word 'peace' as in opposed to 'war' but it has a deeper meaning:
Strong's Concordance 7965 - Hebrew Shalom ..... A word study in the New King James version for SHALOM says: Completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord. (http://www.therefinersfire.org/meaning_of_shalom.htm)
If you see it clearly, part meaning of the word for shalom is 'health' and 'wholeness'.
So as I lay on that bed in extreme pain, is it fair to say that it is God who gave me the pain when the angels proclaim that peace has come? If there is pain, then if God says what He says He will give to those who trust Him, then who is the one who gives pain? There could only be one: the Devil.
The devil is basically doing what he has been doing to Job as well. Job suffered so much that he complained that there is no one to judge/mediate between God and Job.
If there were between us an umpire, He doth place his hand on us both.
(Job 9:33)
The key difference now is this: That Jesus has become our mediator where Job has no such 'luxury' before.
for one is God, one also is mediator of God and of men, the man Christ Jesus,
(1 Timothy 2:5)
Conclusion:
God cannot be the one who gives us pain and suffering. And now Christ is at the right hand side of God, He is our mediator, He is our giver of blessings including health through His shalom peace.
the word that he sent to the sons of Israel, proclaiming good news--peace (eirene/shalom) through Jesus Christ (this one is Lord of all,)
(Acts 10:36)
So for the new year, receive the Shalom Peace through Christ given by the Father in Heaven. That health, wholeness, prosperity and blessings of every kind may be upon you and your family. As Jesus is in heaven, so are we on earth in Christ Jesus.
In His Name,
Wilson
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)