Engrafted Living

 

“Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

— ‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭27‬‬

“Pure” means it’s free from the contaminating influences of sin. Undefiled means not stained by sins. A person can only be free from the influence of sins and cleaned of sin if he or she has believed in Jesus and been made clean by Him, by the salvation He gives to those who believe in Him.

Only this person—the cleansed one whose life shows the influence of the Spirit through being grafted into the Vine—can worship God without defilement. Only the person cleansed by Jesus’ blood and not under the influence of sin can genuinely worship (offer pure and undefiled religion/worship) God. 

This type of worship extends from the walls of the church into the believer’s everyday life. It includes visiting and looking after (taking care of) orphans and widows in distress (emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually). 

Pure, undefiled worship also includes keeping oneself unstained by the sinful world. Every action, thought, word, and attitude should come from a heart of worship, guided by the Spirit, and flowing as fruit from the Vine. 

Worship does not end when we step outside the church walls. It includes living the life into which you’ve been engrafted. Live affecting other people’s lives with Jesus’ love and care. Live letting the Spirit grow you by worshiping God daily by the changing of your mind, attitude, heart, words, and actions so all these things become pure and undefiled religious worship of God. From this, others will be affected by Jesus by being saved, being grafted into the Vine, and being continual worshipers of God, too.

“Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬-‭22‬, ‭25‬-‭27‬ ‭

Love in Truth

 

 

“We know love by this, that He (Jesus) laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren (Christians). But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother or sister in need and closes his heart against him/her, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”

— 1 John 3:16-18

 

Jesus gave up His life so that anyone who believes in Him can be saved. He didn’t die just for people who bathe, or have money, or are pretty in form, or who are adults, or who have jobs, or who are from a specific country, tribe, or clan. Jesus had pity and sympathy for each and every person in the world. 

 

John wrote this letter to Christians, which means he was telling the Christians they must not be prejudiced in thought and action  against other Christians, the ones for whom Jesus died and who believed in Him. How can one hate (not love) a brother or sister in faith so much as to withhold earthly relief from a fellow believer in need, especially since Jesus didn’t withhold earthly or spiritual provision from anyone? Jesus went so far as to die so that the spiritual need of the poor could be met.

 

Fellow believers, John wrote, love your family in Christ impartially with you mouth and in action. Don’t let anything earthly, including your old nature, keep you from enacting the life-giving love of Jesus. Jesus literally gave His life to save people. Believers can give life-sustaining support to other believers in need. Plus, what Christians have God gave. So it’s really God giving to Christians in need through other Christians. 

 

Love fellow Christians impartially by word and action. Jesus had pity on you and loved you impartially in the most supreme way. He died for you. Jesus had pity on you and all other people.

Upon Wondering

Psalm 10

            As we read Psalm 10, we observe obvious things. David faced wicked people and wanted God to avenge him. Another thing we notice is David’s questioning the nearness of God. After seeing these obvious parts of the psalm, if we want to learn more, we must dissect the psalm. We should recognize that often humankind, when in crisis, questions God’s presence, even when they realize He is not absent. God allows us to express our feelings and leads us to recall that He was with us all the time. We will see this as we go through the Psalm 10.

            Beginning with the format of the psalm, we find four parts. They are 1) the opening question, 2) the situation and plea, 3) description of the wicked, and 4) description of God. David’s opening question is like that of Psalms 13, 22, and 55. He asked why God was not near and was hiding Himself. Each of us can relate to David’s feeling alone and without God. We understand what that feels like – fear, desperation, searching, wondering.

            David expressed his circumstance with much emphasis. The wicked “hotly pursued the afflicted.” Notice David does not speak solely of himself, but of all the weak. He used many adjectives to express the persecuted people. He called them the afflicted, unfortunate, innocent, orphan, humble, and oppressed. The Hebrew words David used regarding these people mean the clean, guiltless, poor and unfortunate, needy, weak, orphaned, humble, crushed, and oppressed. David pleaded with God to let the wicked catch themselves in their own plots and traps, which they laid for the afflicted.

            David expressed for nine verses who the wicked were and what they do. Verses 3-11 reveal to us the character and actions of the wicked. The wicked were prideful, covetous, greedy, self-centered, merciless, and snide, as well as, despising and abhorrent of God and others, gave no thought to God, derided enemies, considered self greater than others. These are characteristics coming from a person’s attitude. David also told God about the actions of the wicked. They were intentional in their evil, deceitful, oppressive, treacherous, predatory, strong in strength and numbers, troublers, as well as, they cursed God and people, plotted, and murdered. We perceive from this list that David meant that these wicked were intentional in their evil; they planned it in their minds and hearts. They were evil in their actions, too. They laid in wait to steal and murder people. David showed God and us, the later readers, that the wicked are wicked in every part of themselves – heart, mind, and body. Their evil was mental and physical affected the wicked as such. Evil affected their whole self. They were complete evil. (As Christians, we can understand why God says we are to love Him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength, so that evil could not have any part of us.[Luke 10:27])

            Let us break this down by verse.

Vs. 3. “The wicked boasts (praises himself for) of his heart’s (soul’s) desire and the greedy (covetous gain by violence) man curses and spurns (despises, condemns, and abhors) the LORD (Yahweh).”

The actual Hebrew says of the last part of this verse that the wicked praises and blesses the greedy man. This puts a better understanding of the wicked into the reader’s mind.

Vs. 4. “The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance does not seek (enquire of and require) Him (God). All his thoughts are, ‘There is no God’.”

This haughtiness of countenance means he is exalting himself. In addition, the Hebrew word for “thought” in this verse is the same word used to mean “plots.”

Vs 5. “His ways prosper at all times. Your (God) judgments (justice and judgments) are on high (from a lofty and noble place), out of his (the wicked’s) sight. As for all his (the wicked’s) adversaries (those who have what he wants and whom he distresses), he snorts at them.”

Note that the word “prosper” in this verse is the Hebrew word meaning “strong.” It is used in this way is Psalm 52:7 too. Thus, the wicked’s ways are strong. Notice, too, that this verse compares a man’s strength with God’s and recognizes that God’s judgment comes from a higher place than that in which man exists. Yet, the wicked man snorts as if he is greater than everyone.

Vs. 6. “He (the wicked) says to himself, ‘I will not be moved (shaken or overthrown); throughout all generations I will not be in adversity’.”

This man thinks himself so great that nothing and no one can overthrow him, just as Psalm 49:11 says, too. He forgets he is a man, not God, and so is not invincible. Through John, in Revelation 18:7, the Lord says the person who lived this way and caused torment and mourning will receive this in the same quantity as judgment.

Vs. 7. “His mouth is full of curses (oath or curse), deceit (deceit and treachery), and oppression (injury, fraud, deceit); under his tongue is mischief (trouble) and wickedness (trouble, wickedness, and sorrow).”

This verse uses a very interesting idiom, “under his tongue.” The literal translation means he hides his mischief and wickedness, but them spews forth venom as a viper (see Psalm 140:3). This idiom means he burdens and oppresses. David put forth that God and others could recognize these people because they were full of curses, deceits, treachery, oppression, and fraud. The wicked are tricky. They bring burden, oppression, trouble, sorrow, and evil.

Vs. 8. “He sits in the lurking places (a hunter’s blind; lying-in-wait, an ambush spot) of the villages; in the hiding places (for protection or perpetration of a crime), he kills the innocent. His eyes (used figuratively to mean mental qualities of lying-in-wait) stealthily watch (lie-in-wait) for the unfortunate (hapless, poor and unfortunate person).”

The wicked person lies in wait in a hidden place to ambush the innocent. David repeats this sentiment within the verse and says the wicked, with his mental quality of deception and wickedness, lays waiting for the poor, hapless, and unfortunate person. This verse shows the intentionality of the wicked.

Vs. 9. “He lurks in hiding places as a lion in his lair. He lurks to catch the afflicted. He catches the afflicted (poor, humble, needy, weak) when he draws (intentionally sets a trail to lead) him into his net (a trap).”

David repeated, the wicked laid waiting in a hiding place just as a mighty lion in his lair, his hiding place, waiting to catch his prey. Just as predators go after the weakest, the wicked sought to snare the afflicted, poor, humble, needy, and weak with his treachery, deception, oppression, and wickedness. The wicked actively enticed them into his net. He lay in wait and lured them. He intended to do harm. The wicked planned, was intentional, in trapping the weak, and that was not just for food, as the lion stalks his prey.

Vs. 10. “He (the afflicted) crouches (dakah – is crushed, broken, made contrite), he bows down (is bowed, crouched, humbled) and the unfortunate fall (by attack) by his mighty ones (great in number and strength).”

The wicked crushed, broke, and humbled the unfortunate by their strength and numbers.

Vs. 11. “He (the wicked) says to himself, ‘God has forgotten (forgot and ignored); He has hidden His face. He will never see (regard, and consider) it (the wicked’s treachery)’.”

David repeated verse 4. He began with the wicked’s mindset and repeated as a reminder and to add emphasis. In verse 4, the wicked said there is no God. By verse 11, he said God forgot, hid his face, and would not see it. The wicked deluded themselves concerning the ever-presence of God, His power, and that He never overlooks or forgets anything. God saw everything in the past and will see all the wicked does now and in the future. The wicked got away with so much in the past, he felt God was powerless and only a manmade god. God does not ignore what happens. God deals with all and judge them, if not while they are on earth, then at the judgment seat when Christ returns.

The final section of this psalm encompasses verses 12-18. These verses show how David perceived and knew God. David recognized God’s greatness and goodness, the two categories of God’s characteristics. He acknowledged God’s greatness by stating God sees all (omnipresence), is all-powerful (omnipotent), and knows everything that happens (omniscient). God is righteous, eternal, infinite, and King of all. David expressed God’s goodness by acknowledging that He listens to the humble, helps the weak, gives strength, is just and avenges the weak, and pursues the wicked. These show God’s greatness and goodness to humankind over all time and we see them throughout Bible times and later.

            Vs. 12. “Arise, O Lord; O, God, life Your hand. Do not forget the afflicted.”

This is a plea and a command from David. He knew God is powerful. David cried out to God to remember His children and the weak. He asked God to show Himself to the wicked.

Vs. 13. “Why has the wicked spurned God? He has said to himself, ‘You will not require it’.”

David asked a rhetorical question, which he answered. The wicked spurned (abhorred, detested, snubbed) God because he did not believe God required his obeisance and honor. He did not believe in God. He did not recognize with awe that God is real and powerful.

Vs. 14. “You have seen it, for You have beheld mischief and vexation to take it into Your hand. The unfortunate commits himself to You. You have been the helper of the orphan.”

David brought to God’s attention that he knew God saw what the wicked did. He called on God to be the God he knew Him to be and who he knew God had been for His people. He held God accountable, in essence. David recalled how God rescued the unfortunate and orphan before and called Him to do it again. David was being bold.

Vs. 15. “Break (violently rend, shatter, crush) the arm of the wicked (those hostile to God) and the evildoer (one who is evil, malignant, unkind, hurtful, and adversarial). Seek out his wickedness until You find none."

This phrase is use in Job and Ezekiel, as well as Psalms 37:17 and 140:11. David asked God to crush the might and strength of the adversary. He pointed out this one was wicked and evil. Wicked is rasha and means hostile to God. It is a mental thing. The evildoer is an active adversary who is hurtful, malignant, and unkind. This covers both of the areas of the wicked in this chapter, mental and physical (actions). David then asked God to not just crush these wicked ones, but find all wicked and crush them so they are no more.

Vs. 16. “The LORD is King forever and ever. Nations have perished from His land."

David acknowledged that the LORD (Yahweh) is the eternal King who annihilated whole nations. God is great and good.

Vs. 17. “O Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble. You will strengthen their heart. You will incline Your ear”

David acknowledged that God hears His people. God hears the humbled and afflicted. He acknowledged that God gives strength to their souls because He listens to them. God actively relates with His children. He loves them and gives them strength, which gives them hope. This recalls and reinforces who He is in their hearts and minds. God is good as well as great.

Vs. 18. “To vindicate (judge and punish for the orphan and oppressed) the orphan and the oppressed (crushed), so that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror (dread, fear, oppress, prevail, and break).”

God vindicates for the humbled, weak, and oppressed. Humankind knows from God’s actions that He is powerful, merciful, and just. David, in his psalm to God, reached the point in His writing where he remembered God’s immortality and man’s mortality. This verse, when it speaks of God, implies man as contrasted to God. The verse juxtaposes God and man, the infinite and all-powerful contrasted with the finite and limited. When the weak and oppressed remember this fact, the wicked should not cause fear in them because they remember God is greater. Our end on earth is not our ultimate end if we are God’s children. Isaiah 29:20 says, “For the ruthless will come to an end and the scorner will be finished. Indeed all who are intent on doing evil will be cut off.”

Verses 17-18 show a progression. God is kind and merciful; He hears and strengthens us. Since He is these, His mercy extends to finding, judging, and punishing those who have hurt/terrorized His loved ones. The progression is that we will understand He loves and hears the afflicted because He vindicates the weak against the evil. These two verses tie into verses 1 and 5. Because God is not “afar off,” but near and kind, He shows the wicked there is a God and He is Him. His mercy to the weak comes as vindication on the wicked. The wicked will understand they cannot prevail because God is not out of sight. God sees all and is more powerful than mere mortal, wicked people.

David answers his question of why God feels “afar off” in the end. God appears far off, so the wicked can experience His reality and power. The wicked will fear Him, because His mercy to the weak requires His judgment and punishing of the wicked. The David reminded the weak, the people of God, and himself that God is not “afar off.” He told this to the wicked, too. Psalm 10 helped to stir the faith of the weak and oppressed, as well.

God recognized David was wrestling. He discerned what David needed to know. God realized David needed to express his fear, so He let him. Expressing one’s self is therapeutic. It allows a person to acknowledge out loud what is bothering a person. It gives a person a voice. God did this for David. He let David voice his fear so that he could recognize it. When a person voices a fear that bothering him or her, he or she acknowledges its presence in his or her life. When he or she acknowledges the problem, then work can begin on recognizing solutions for it. God allowed David to voice and recognize his fear so that he could recognize God as the solution. Once David voiced and discerned (often we have to speak about our problems before we know the problem) the problem, he discerned and remembered God is immortal and all-powerful. He understood and believed God rescues the weak and His children. David believed God heard him, loved him, would avenge him, and is capable to capture, judge, and punish the wicked. This is what we need to remember, too.

God loves each of us so much, He often will wait until we discern and voice our problem so that we recognize that He is the answer to the problem. When we discern the problem, then we can realize God is greater. We can then extinguish the terror that grows within us due to the problem because we discern and believe God is greater than the problem and merciful to the weak and to His children. This is what is most important about this psalm. God allowed David to figure out what was wrong so that he perceived what the solution was. Until we recognize the limits of the problem, we often do not recognize that God in His unlimited-ness can be the answer. God handles what is affecting us mentally and physically. He heals the whole person, heart, soul, mind, and strength. God was not “afar off.” God was there with David helping him to figure out the problem and its limitations and His own abilities as the unlimited, eternal, and infinite God who loves us.

What is creating fear and worry in your life? What is creating problems for you? Recognize that these issues are limited. Realize that God is not far off and can vanquish them. Recognize God, His love, mercy, power, and justice. He is there for each of us. He is there for you. Will you tell Him what is making you afraid and allow Him to work in your life. Try it. You will lose nothing by asking Him to help. In doing so and believing, you can gain a Savior whose love for you is so great He died for you. Go ahead. Ask Him to help you.

To the Glory of God

Matthew 6 and 8 

As I read and studied these chapters, I noted Christ was making a point through all of the encounters and actions of the people, as He usually did. Jesus’ point was that everything they and we do should be done as to the Lord. Often times we are so caught up in doing we forget for whom we are doing it. We are so caught up in living life we forget who gave us this life to live. These need to be melded to a point where we realize from where we came and by whom we receive provision so we give back in actions and tangible gifts to others because God gave to us. We give glory to God in this way.

Consider Matthew 6. Each of the stories he shared talks about a part of life. The first part is giving to the poor. Jesus told them not to give to the poor so they can be seen, but give to the poor as if they were giving to God and to give in secret because God knows who is giving it to Him. What is important is their attitude, not their actions. Jesus said if they are doing their actions just to get approval from people, then they have their reward on earth to the detriment of their reward in heaven, a relationship with God. 

Jesus went further and said not to pray in a way to receive praise from people. They were praying on busy street corners loudly and elaborately. Jesus said they should be praying to continue in their relationship with God. If they were praying to be with God, they should go to a room or place by themselves and be with Him. 

Matthew continued by saying when they fast they should do so in a way that did not draw attention to them. Religious fasting was between God and them. Fasting is not a matter among men, so they did not have to be seen by men. 

Additionally, Matthew spoke of storing up produce, products, and money for a rainy day or the future, to ensure we do not have to worry about from where we will get our clothes, food, drink, and shelter. Matthew said this was unnecessary since our Creator, God, is the same God who created the birds. The birds do not worry about food, shelter, or clothing. Since God takes care of them, we can trust He will take care of us. Jesus said not to worry about our life. Anxiety does not make the worrisome part go away, trusting in God does. God, who loves us, will take care to give what we need. 

What we are to be doing is work for God, not to be seen by men, and to be in a relationship with Him, not in the public eye. It does not matter how much we show how “religious” we are, what matters is how close we are to the heart of God. If the latter is true, the above four things will occur because God’s heart through His Holy Spirit’s indwelling will show through us and our lives.

Matthew continued this similar idea in chapter 8 except he contrasted the faith of different people. In the first encounter, a leper spoke to Jesus saying if Jesus will, He can heal him (the leper). Jesus said He was willing and touched and healed him. This man had the faith to be healed. His statement as he confronted Jesus showed it as well as his willingness to go to the priests to be declared ritually clean. He did not need, for his benefit, to go to the priests to recognize he was healed, but for society and culture. They needed to hear by the priests and leaders of his healing. 

The second encounter was with a centurion, a Roman soldier. This centurion had been informed about Jesus and His healing powers and trusted the reports enough to ask Jesus to heal His servant. When Jesus listened to the story, He said He would go the centurion’s home. The centurion’s faith was strong and he felt humbled to be in Jesus’ presence. The centurion said Jesus did not need to go to his home, but just say the word and his servant would be healed. Jesus stated he had not encountered so great a faith and told the centurion to go on his way; what he had asked for had been done, as he trusted. 

After this, Jesus and his disciples went to Peter’s home where Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law. When they finished dinner, many sick and demon possessed people were brought to Him. He healed many and drove out many demons. Jesus cares about our temporal physical needs and our spiritual needs.  

The last section begins with this next story. Jesus, being crushed by the multitude of people, asked the disciples to get into a boat with Him and row to the other side. Before they were able to get in the boats, though, a scribe came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go” (8:19). Jesus  was aware the scribes were renowned for their knowledge of Scripture and their teaching. These men were often a part of the Sanhedrin, the supreme religious body of the nation of Israel. They were leaders used to leading and, most likely, wealthier than other Jews. Jesus confronted this man’s speedy avowal of discipleship by declaring even He, the Son of Man, did not have a place to lay His head or call His home (vs. 20). As we understand, God takes care of clothing, feeding, and sheltering His own. We do not read of this scribe joining Jesus and the other disciples. It is easy to be caught up in the emotions of the moment and say we are going to follow Jesus, but then not followthrough on our commitment. Jesus was confronting this man at his own level, what he considers necessary for life. 

After this, another disciple came and told Jesus to let him go bury his father first. Jesus told him to “let the dead, the non-believers, bury the dead. You must follow Me.” (Matthew 8:22, NASB). We do not see the man following Jesus after this. To make a lifelong commitment to follow Jesus requires letting others take care of tasks at home and letting the ministry to which God has called you and your relationship with Him be preeminent in your life. Jesus recognized this man was unable to do this that is why He confronted him on this point. 

While Jesus and the disciples were at sea, a great storm blew up and began to swamp the boat. The disciples grew very afraid. When they awoke Jesus they told Him they were perishing at sea. Jesus chastised their little faith, then calmed the storm and the sea. The disciples, just that day, had seen a great faith in the Roman centurion and had seen Jesus heal the sick and banish demons from people. When the disciples confronted Jesus in fear, Jesus remarked and reminded them again about the faith of the centurion. He now saw small faith in His Jewish disciples, who should have known Him better. Here they showed just how much they believed Jesus by saying, “What manner of man is this?” (Matthew 8:27, NASB). The centurion came with enough faith to trust without seeing; whereas, the disciples had to see, yet again, to believe. Jesus has shown this day that He is master over natural elements, spiritual realms, and physical beings. He is almighty God. In the end, Jesus and the disciples reached the other side of the sea and stood on land.

Two people possessed with demons confronted them and proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God without instigation. Even the demons acknowledged who Jesus was then, yet the disciples had trouble believing in the midst of a storm and with Jesus beside them. Jesus healed these people and cast the demons into the swine nearby which ran into the sea. 

What does this tell us? I tells us, as priority number one, we must have a growing, continual relationship with God. Once we are acquainted with the triune God without doubt and anxiety, we understand God will always take care of our needs. What we imagine we need and what God knows we need may be two different things. He knows He is going to call us to move to another country to minister there. We do not know exactly how He is going to use us. It could be we have allowed the secular influence to create unnecessary desires in us for the latest technology, food, alcohol, or smoking. None of these is necessary for life. As we read in the previous two chapters of Matthew, God fills our physical, psychical, and spiritual needs. He provides for us and defends us. We can choose to be like the scribe and be unwilling to live without specific things or we can be as the centurion who was familiar with Jesus based on stories. The centurion came to Him willing to believe even without seeing Him do the healing. 

From Chapter 6 and chapter 8 we read that giving to the poor, healing the sick or demon-possessed, and praying are not bad, but the attitude in which they are done is what determines if they are worthy as gifts of sacrifice and praise to God. Did we do each of these to honor God or ourselves? Obviously, the second is the wrong reason. In all we do, we should work so God receives the praise and glory. The only way in which we can make each of the things we do bring praise and glory to God is by offering our actions and attitudes to God as we act upon the love He has put in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. The question we ultimately must ask is: To whom did the praise go for this action? I hope you are staying in a continual relationship with God so that your actions, thoughts, and attitudes come from your interactions and love relationship with God.