Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.

When we read Psalm Two from this side of the cross, all we can see is the Messianic imagery.  We forget that this is a psalm of David (Acts 4:25), written in the first person.  It has been suggested that David wrote it for his coronation or his conquering of Jerusalem as his capital.  David is the one called the son of God and the one promised rule over the nations.  Considering his career as a conqueror, God kept that promise.  David is the one referred to as the Lord's Anointed (Messiah) which is correct as he was chosen by God and anointed by God's prophet Samuel (1 Sam. 16).  In like manner, David often referred to Saul as the Lord's anointed.  As the nations raged against God, His anointed, and His plans, David writes of God laughing in His majesty. The near fulfilment of this psalm is the reign of David over Israel and the establishment of his kingdom. 

          But like most of the reign of David, this psalm foreshadows the coming Messiah.  It is easy to see the begotten Son of God establishing a kingdom which reached the ends of the earth (Dan. 2) and ruling absolutely.  What is interesting are the many uses of the psalm in the New Testament. 

Mark 1:11  "And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.'"  The opening of God's statement here quotes nearly verbatim the statement in Ps. 2:7.  It seems as if God is not merely acknowledging Jesus as His son audibly from heaven (if "merely" can even be used of such a thing!), but in choosing that phrasing He intentionally calls to mind all the promises to the Son in Psalm 2. 

Acts 13:30-33  "But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.  And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’"  Paul teaches that the Resurrection was the ultimate declaration of the Sonship of Jesus.  The "today" in which the Son was inarguably declared to be the only begotten was that Sunday during which the women were shocked to find an empty tomb.  Upon that day, then, the fulness of the promises to the Son in Psalm two would begin to be fulfilled:  a kingdom established and rule provided, which is exactly what we see in Matt. 28 and Acts 2.

Heb. 1:5  "For to which of the angels did God ever say, 'You are my Son, today I have begotten you'"?  In referring to Psalm Two, Jesus is declared better than the angels.  Jesus is the better messenger bringing the better message, proved by the prophecy of Psalm 2.

Heb. 5:5-6  "So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, 'You are my Son, today I have begotten you'; as he says also in another place, 'You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.'" The one declared to be God's High Priest is the one declared to be Son in Psalm Two.  How could we possibly have a better priest than the Son of God? 

Acts 4:23-30  "When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them.  And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’—for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.  And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” The Apostles, having been arrested and then threatened because they were teaching the Gospel, prayed for boldness while referencing Psalm Two.  It is clear from their prayer that they saw the crucifixion of Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of Ps. 2:1-3 and deemed their current problems a continuation of that same attack by worldly forces (Ward, Our Eyes Are On You, pg. 224).  If one compares the people mentioned in the prayer to the quotation a surprise awaits.  David says it is the "Gentiles, peoples and kings of the earth" opposing the Lord's Anointed.  The Apostles equate that to Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles "and the peoples of Israel".  Lumping Israelites in with the heathen to fulfil what David called the nations/Gentiles is a clear teaching that "not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel." Instead, only those believing in Jesus were now of the Kingdom of God, a thought originating in Psalm 2.  (Rom. 9:6)

Rev. 2:26-27  "The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father."  This specifically references Jesus declaration in Psalm two that the conquering Christian will share in His authority and power.  The Psalm, long understood to be about the Messiah, the Messiah Himself says is about the glory of the citizens of the kingdom of Heaven!

Rev 11:18  The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” The opening phrase of the psalm is used to identify the Roman Empire as it stands against the church.

Rev 12:5  She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne. Who was this male child?  He was the one who ruled the nations with a rod of iron.  According to psalm two, that is the Messiah! 

Rev 19:15  From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.  Victory in Jesus!

          As we look at the Messianic nature of Psalm two we see not merely a short mention of the Messiah and his kingdom, but also God's divine witness to the Sonship of Jesus, the proclamation of the Resurrection as Jesus' coronation day, the superiority of the Message and the Messenger, and the victory of the Church in Jesus over all tribulation and trial, even that of the great Roman Empire.  Psalm two teaches that believers, not members of physical Israel, are the true citizens of the kingdom and that as we overcome for Jesus, He will share the glory promised Him in Psalm two with each and every one of us!

          There are few passages referenced more often by New Testament writers than Psalm two, and even fewer whose references carry greater import. 
 
Lucas Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.

God must have loved formal worship services – he made so many of them.

God instructed Israel to meet for worship three times a year, Passover, Pentecost & Tabernacles. He gave exact prescription concerning the actions to be done at each. This was also done with other times of worship, such as the Day of Atonement, which was a week after the feast of Tabernacles. Attendance at these was not mandatory as it was with the three. In addition to required times, individuals or families could worship in special ways whenever they could afford to do so financially, sacrifices called peace offerings or free-will offerings.

If the things written aforetime “learn” us anything, we should see that God does not leave us adrift concerning how to worship him; it is not up to us. We are not allowed to choose actions that make us feel good.

On the screen at many churches, every Sunday the projector flashes that “Worship is 24 X 7 X 52.” Aside from simple math causing you to realize this would give you a day off every year, this is true. Rom 12:1 teaches that we are to present all the duties and works of our lives to God as worship every day.

Some have jumped to the conclusion that means that there is no formal worship or that there is no difference between that worship and that which one does during the week. Some even declare that actions reserved for the First Day in the New Testament may be done at any time.

Such attitudes surely come from careless or biased reading of the Scripture. Several times in the New Testament, God instructs what we are to do when we come together. These both imply that there should be a formal gathering and that things are to be done there that cannot be done on Thursday over supper at home. 1 Cor 5:4, they were not to withdraw from the disorderly separately but “in the name of the Lord Jesus, ye being gathered together” (1 Cor 5:4). The Apostle Paul makes it clear that the Lord’s Supper cannot be taken individually, but must be taken at a formal gathering of the church (1 Cor 11: 17 & 33). Further, He makes a clear distinction between “church” and “home” (1 Cor 11:22, 34).  

Again 1 Cor 14 repeatedly discusses what can be done in the assembling and what cannot. Vs 19 “in the church, I had rather…” Vs 23, "If therefore the whole church be assembled together" (sort of hard to fit the modern house church concept with gatherings all over the place into that!), Vs 26 "When ye come together"…. (these instructions may not apply to the 24 x 7 worship or women could never talk? Vs 34). In CONTEXT, "Keep silence" refers to spiritual gifts, not normal speech.  A man who can speak in tongues is to "keep silent" if there is no interpreter. First, he can talk, just not speak in tongues. Second, he can tongue speak at home all week if he chooses.

Paul commands a treasury for a church benevolent action in order that gatherings not be made when he arrives. If each keeps his treasury at home, then gatherings are needed on Paul’s arrival. That treasury was to be collected on the first day of the week (1 Cor 16:1-2).  We use this example as the only way God showed for the church to gather the funds needed for its works. Operating a business or other methods are not authorized for the church, though an individual may operate one and donate as much as he chooses to the church.

Just as in the Old Testament, God describes a formal worship, not 3 times a year, but weekly on the first day of the week. The New Testament includes things to be done in the manner he says. We can choose to do as Israel did and do our own thing, but we will cease to be Christ’s church.

In the past, it is possible that too much emphasis was placed on what happened at the assembling. (I do believe most of those people did a great job with daily worship, though they did not often call it that.) Now, as so often happens, the pendulum has swung the other way with the primary emphasis being placed on the daily worship and the formal assembling worship often down-rated in order to make that emphasis.

Both extremes are wrong.

Worship God in the Church Assembling. Worship God daily.

If therefore the whole church be assembled together…. if all prophesy, and there come in one unbelieving or unlearned, he is reproved by all, he is judged by all; the secrets of his heart are made manifest; and so he will fall down on his face and worship God, DECLARING THAT GOD IS AMONG YOU INDEED.  (1Cor 14:23-25).

Keith Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.

My other job is at Lowe's Home Improvement.  One day I was straightening up in the plumbing department when I suddenly began laughing.  I called a coworker over and said, "There is both a lie and a truth in this bay."  He said, "Okay. . ." somewhat dubiously, and I pointed to two connections which were on the shelf next to each other.  "Here," I said, "this is a called a female adapter, but when have you ever known a female to adapt?  They all want things their own way!  But right next to it is a female trap.  Now that's the truth!"  He barked in laughter, agreed, and went back to his job chuckling. 
            Later I thought, "What better way to start a post for a blog site run by my mother than with a little casual misogyny?"  After all, isn't that how the Bible is characterized by the world?  The Bible hates women, declares them less valuable than men, and relegates them to mere property!  Or so the propaganda goes. 
            If the Bible hates women and teaches misogyny, then why is it that the very first Messianic prophecy was made to Eve, not Adam? (Gen. 3:15)  And the very first person recorded using the word Messiah was Hannah? (1 Sam. 2:10, translated "his anointed")  While David received a promise from God that his house would be established forever (2 Sam. 7), Abigail was the first to speak of it. (1 Sam. 25:28)  Jumping ahead, being "born of a woman" was an identifier for the Messiah. (Gal. 4:4) The first to see Jesus raised were women (see each Gospel).  The first person raised from the dead after Jesus was not the Apostle James, nor the martyr Stephen, but Dorcas. (Acts 9:36ff) Clearly women played a pivotal role in God's plan of salvation.
            I haven't yet mentioned Rahab or how her and Ruth's faith was extolled.  Or the salvation of Israel brought by the woman judge Deborah.  Or Esther.  Or how the Davidic line was saved by the fallen king's sister. (2 Kings 11:1-3)  Or the crucial role women played throughout Jesus' life and ministry.  Or. . . .
            Yeah, the Bible sure hates women.

But when the fulness of time came, God sent for his son, born of a woman, born under the law, Gal 4:4.

Lucas Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Joanne Beckley.

Time and trouble will tame an advanced young woman, but an advanced old woman is uncontrollable by any earthly force
Dorothy L Sayers
 
When my husband shared this quotation with me, we both laughed–and then sighed with pain, knowing the saying holds a lot of truth. Perhaps you will, as I have, take a moment to consider if you have been tamed. . .
 
As a young woman grows up, time allows for a gradual increase in her knowledge and understanding. This is especially true if she continues to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord (2 Pet 3:18). But even as she grows she will make mistakes and cause problems. She will face what she says and does–and try to correct her own attitude toward loving others rather than herself. Whatever comes her way she knows her Lord is with her. As James said, the testing of her faith will be her joy, Js 1:2-3.
 
But what if the young woman does not grow as she should? Her attitude toward herself and others will begin to change. Eventually, as an old woman, she will no longer have the ability to love and care for others. Instead, she considers whatever and whoever is in her way who might thwart her desire to be heard. She has opinions on everything and everyone, convinced she has the right to “speak her mind.” As one person described her, she has climbed high on her pile of self-importance. Even though earthly forces may not stop her headlong destruction, the Lord says, “I can and I will.”
 
Pride can be the downfall of every older woman. 1John 2:16 includes the phrase, “pride of life”. The literal translation is “arrogant assumption.” Apt, isn’t it. Satan even tried to appeal to Jesus on this basis. Jesus did not listen–but Eve did. Satan knows the powerful temptation of pride. Do we?
 
Ec 7:16 Do not be excessively righteous, and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself?
 
Rom 12:3 For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
 
2Co 12:20 For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps [there may be] strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances.
 
Tit 3:2 to malign no one, to be uncontentious, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.  For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and [His] love for mankind appeared he saved us. . .

Jer 9:24 Let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things, "declares the LORD.

Old woman, you can change!! It will not be easy. Listen to that younger woman previously mentioned who might bravely try to help you face your true self. You will have to recognize the destructive path you are on, and then complete your “growing up”. You can change through Jesus Christ and heaven can still be yours. To that woman who loves her sister: Speak the truth in love. Don’t expect a harsh response. Honor her with your confidence that she desires the truth and will recognize your love. Thus you will have peace between you.

Eph 4:15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.
Zec 8:16 These are the things which you should do: speak the truth to one another; judge with truth and judgment for peace in your gates.

Joanne Beckley

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.

I left the USMC in 71 because I wanted to go to heaven. The Marines taught me a lot and I had a good future. But, I had been raised in the church and it seemed to me that most church goers were just playing at Christianity. The only people who seemed to have the kind of dedication I knew was necessary were preachers. So, if that was what it took, then I would become a preacher.
 
In Richmond, where I occasionally rode a train in from Quantico, the preacher and his wife (Don and Neva) told me I would never be happy till I quit running from God and later in Hawaii, Ben Shropshire told me about Florida College where all good things (read that, Dene) began.
 
On the day I was discharged, I quit drinking and smoking and began the process of quitting cussing. 53 years later, I am still working on that process. Oh, you will never hear it, but in moments of anger or frustration those ugly words swell up in my head. Young people, be careful what you take in, you may never get rid of it. Have you ever reasoned through the timing of history that all those passages about putting to death our members on the earth, walk by the spirit not by the flesh, etc. are written to Christians of long standing?
 
As a probation officer, I sat across the desk from a young man who inquired, "Mr. Ward, I quit cocaine, you know I did for you test me every few days, and I quit marijuana and I have smoked it since I was 7, but I can't quit cigarettes." It was not easy for me. Studies now show that nicotine is more addictive than cocaine. I quit cold turkey because I wanted to go to heaven, I wanted to be a preacher and so I resisted every urge.
 
The harder addictions are the mental ones, hence the recurring problem with the cursing. I may go weeks, months and then in an unguarded moment it is back. How much worse pornography? Lusting?  Pride? Greed?
 
It seems that actually little has changed. Most people who are members of the right church with the right worship and the right……are just playing. You can tell because they know more about sports than the Bible and just "do not have the talent to teach," but can recite the most trivial statistics of a player. They saw the latest movies or TV series full of all the filth in all those passages the Holy Spirit warned us to put to death, but can't find any interest in reading their Bibles between services. They say they want to go to heaven more than anything and make serious pledges, but little headway.  Addicts, all.
 
You say it, but if you mean it, JUST QUIT! Quit now. If it comes back, Quit again. Don't resolve to do better, QUIT!

    Then down marched the remnant of the noble;
the people of the LORD marched down for me against the mighty.
    From Ephraim their root they marched down into the valley,
following you, Benjamin, with your kinsmen;
from Machir marched down the commanders,
and from Zebulun those who bear the lieutenant's staff;
    the princes of Issachar came with Deborah,
and Issachar faithful to Barak;
into the valley they rushed at his heels.
Among the clans of Reuben
there were great searchings of heart.
    Why did you sit still among the sheepfolds,
to hear the whistling for the flocks?
Among the clans of Reuben
there were great searchings of heart.
     Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan;
 and Dan, why did he stay with the ships?
 Asher sat still at the coast of the sea,
staying by his landings.
     Zebulun is a people who risked their lives to the death;
 Naphtali, too, on the heights of the field. (Judges 5:13-18)
[Read this again and separate the mere churchgoers from the doers.]
 
Keith Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Laurie Moyer.

Have you ever noticed the three different kinds of people described in Acts 17 who heard the Gospel message? There were those in Thessalonica, who wanted only traditional ideas. There were the Athenians at the end of the chapter who wanted to hear all new things. Sandwiched in the middle were the Bereans, who were more concerned with whether or not the things preached were true. I know your heart well enough to know that you are a truth-seeker, and I applaud you for it. It is too easy for those in your age group to feel the pull toward the Athenian perspective. I do not say that all open-minded young people are sensationalists, but new ideas and approaches do have a built-in level of excitement. May I caution you not to let those aspects overpower your perception of their core worth.
 
It has always been the case that younger generations have a certain amount of impatience with, if not downright disdain for, a traditionalist approach to their life. In many ways this is a natural outgrowth of making up your own mind about things, and as such is healthy. It would be naïve to think our parents did not feel a bit of this themselves at this age, and so they will understand our independence. However, if an idea is absolutely new and never thought of before our day, we really should view it with some skepticism. Even the Ecclesiastes writer said there is nothing new under the sun, and that was thousands of years ago. He was right. The older you get you will see more of this. In terms of Biblical interpretation, we know that truly new doctrine will never be the correct view. Fee and Stuart cleverly phrased it as “a text can never mean what it never meant.” The Bible means what it was always intended to mean. Perhaps we rediscover what we had overlooked in what it says, but it would be the height of arrogance to insist no one else has ever seen what we realize today. Truth is truth and stands the test of time. It is not invalidated by the fact that others have taught it for years or that we have not discovered its significance.
 
Can we take this caution in principle and apply it to modern conventional wisdom? We are in an age of new discoveries of scientific truth, but often the recommendations we see in our digital communities are not so much based in verifiable fact as what seems to make sense to us in some logical way. College students are justly warned against a dependence on internet research in their search for truth because anyone can write anything online and have an audience for it. There is no clinical verification process and all you need is an assertion of fact or an argument that sounds logical to have a following. One example is in the area of medical recommendations. I simply do not have the expertise to speak definitively on the value of one “all natural” cure above another. What makes sense to me could involve a dangerous over-sight of other factors, and I need to recognize my own limitations in this area.
 
The business of selling snake oil has been popular and lucrative for ages. I am sad to say it is alive today and preys on the desperation we feel to fix our every ailment. I do not advise that young people try to be skeptical of everything they hear, just to be cautious. Even within academically accepted circles we see confident assertions of contradictory information. Not too long ago butter, nuts, meat, and coffee were all considered to be bad for you. Medical research today says the opposite is the case, with certain clarifications.  I believe this illustrates the fact that there are many more factors involved in what makes something better or worse for us than we usually calculate into these decisions. God has made us far more complicated than any of us know and we need to suspend some of our certainty and hubris and give place to the possibility that what we “know” today may not be as certain as we think it.
 
Children have the upper hand on us. They know they are in the process of learning. They are accustomed to being guided by another who has more information and their quest for those answers can be relentless.  Do not let that go to your head. You are the child. Your Father in Heaven is the one with the answers, but He does not need to say, “I don’t know, daughter.” He may say, “It is too much for you right now. Just trust me.” That is an answer we can be content with and one our children sometimes need to be willing to accept in return.
 
Laurie Moyer
From the blog Searching Daily

Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.

Saul had proven himself to be, if not cowardly, then unsure, indecisive, and selfish.  While he did have success defeating many enemies of Israel (1 Sam. 14:47-48) he didn't destroy the Philistine garrison in Gibeah as expected (10:5).  Jonathan did that, which kicked off the war of chapters 13-14.  Saul then didn't have the courage to wait for Samuel.  It was Jonathan's courage and faith, shown in the first verses of chapter 14, that jump-started the victory.  Saul's stupid and selfish command kept Israel from a complete victory, which Jonathan immediately recognized.  Saul is shown to be a selfish man with a carnal viewpoint, and his lack of faith led nearly to cowardice, while Jonathan's strong faith brought deep courage. 
         Is it any wonder that after watching his father dither for at least 25 years Jonathan had a strong reaction upon meeting David?  "And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul." (1 Sam. 18:1)  David had just attacked a man well over nine feet tall, an experienced warrior from whom all else ran.  David had no battle experience and was unarmored.  David's confidence did not come from anything of this world.  It was his faith in God that led him to charging at a giant.  Jonathan saw this and seemed to think, "Finally, someone with whom I can share my faith." 
         Estimates of David's age when he killed Goliath range from 15-20 years old.  He was called a youth by Saul and wasn't expected to fight, most likely making him under 20 as that was the minimum age of those able to go to war according to the Law (Num. 1:3).  Meanwhile, Jonathan was old enough to fight in one of Saul's earliest wars and it had been 25 to 30 years since Saul had been anointed king.  (Saul reined 40 years.  David was 30 when he became king.  So, Saul had been king 10 years when David was born.)  Jonathan was likely 45-50 years old when he met David.  So this friendship was more like a mentor-mentee relationship than bosom buddies or Best Friends Forever! (BFFs).  A hint of this can be seen in how David approached Jonathan for advice when Saul first began to pursue David. (1 Sam. 20:1-3) 
         To all worldly viewpoints this friendship was counter-intuitive.  Jonathan was mentoring the man who was to take his place as Israel's king!  While Jonathan remained loyal to his father, he put his father's wishes behind him and squashed whatever ambitions he felt himself in his love for this youth who acted upon his faith. 
         This is something we should imitate in our friendships and loyalties.  Earthly blood should not define our closest relationships.  Similar earthly interests should not be the basis for our closest friendships.  Our closest relationships and deepest friendships should be with those who share our faith.  Our buddies are those who work with us in the Lord's Kingdom.  Our BFFs are those who join us in attacking Satan, and we should be quick to mentor the younger, a la Jonathan (1 Sam. 23:15-18). 
 
2 Cor. 6:14  "Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers . . ."
1 Pet. 1:22  ". . . love one another from the heart fervently"


Lucas Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.
 
As I opened the door to let Dene into our car, I felt something rip at my sleeve near the shoulder and felt the scratch on my upper arm. A large dog had lunged through the partly opened window for me. He broke the rain/sun guard over the window. No blood. Not even a real scratch mark. We were at a medical center, where else these days, and I went in to complain at the desk. Part of being deaf means that I am seldom soft spoken and I was still scared and worried, "What if it had been Dene?" When I got back out, I met the man coming from rolling up the window to leave a smaller opening on his little pickup. I said, unnecessarily since he had obviously come from the lobby where I complained, "Your dog almost bit me, did get his teeth on me." He was apologetic, but I just got in our car and drove away. A few blocks up the road, I put my hand on Dene and said, "I sure hope he never comes to church!" Another block or two, "I should hope he does so I can apologize."
 
Now, you know that I know better if you have read any of my devos. I have preached better for 50 years and done better at least as often as not, but, I have a good excuse, in fact, two or three of them. My adrenaline was still high, I have been bitten before, one requiring stitches, whereas, it is evil to leave the windows up in Florida heat with any live thing in the car, a gap that wide for a dog that big and aggressive is inexcusable, etc.
 
But, do you remember WWJD? Bracelets. Yes, Jesus was angry, but not over a personal injury but over indifference to the disease of a fellow and the refusal to believe (Mk 3:5).
 
So, how many people would you be ashamed to have see your car and the partial plate number they remember in your church parking lot? Or, someone who heard how you spoke to your wife? Maybe a co-worker who sees your goof-off work ethic?
 
If my man did walk in, would I have an opportunity to apologize or would he turn and leave when he saw me across the room?
 
We are responsible for our deeds (Mt 16:27).
 
"Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. " (Prov 14:29).
"​A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention. " (Prov 15:18).
"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with all malice: " (Eph 4:31).
 
Keith Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Doy Moyer.

Justice is a common desire. When someone has committed a terrible act against another, we want to see justice done. We know there is something wrong about someone getting away with a criminal offense. Consequently, societies have systems in place in order to try to bring about justice for the offended. Since they involve humans and human governments, these systems are imperfect. We don’t always get the resolution that we desire, and sometimes we err. Yet we continue trying because it is the right thing to do. 

If we, as human beings, desire justice, then how much more shall we think that God desires justice? God was certainly concerned about justice under the Law (cf. Exod 23:2, 6; Deut 10:18; 16:19; 24:17; Isa 1:17, and… so much in the prophets!). His desire is, always, that His people “do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). 

Unlike mere human beings, however, God knows the way of perfect justice. He knows the beginning from the end and knows the hearts of all. He sees what we cannot see, knows what we cannot know, and has the perfect wisdom and understanding to carry out judgment and justice without the finite flaws of imperfect societies. Consequently, when God brings judgment, it will be right. We may not always be able to understand or see why God judged a nation at a particular time, but those calls are His right to make. Our lack of knowledge and understanding hardly constitutes reason to call God into question over His judgments. God owns life and death (Deut 32:39). He is the Creator, the Potter, the King, and the Judge. 

Abraham understood that God had the right to judge the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah. He pled with God, to be sure, hoping that God might spare the cities if only only ten righteous people could be found. “Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Gen 18:25) He was calling upon God’s just nature, hoping to spare his own family from what was about to happen. The ten could not be found. Yes, the Judge of all the earth will do what is just. He will make no mistakes in carrying out justice so it should not surprise us when God finally brings down the gavel. 

Why would God bring such judgment? When human beings are violated, we rightly want justice. Again, how much more ought God to desire justice, especially when He has been violated? This is the nature of sin, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). Sin violates the nature and glory of God. Just as crime against other humans violates human rights, God has “divine rights,” and these are violated when we sin. In detailing the sins of God’s people, Isaiah said that they were being judged “because their speech and their actions are against the Lord, to rebel against His glorious presence” (Isa 3:8, NASB). 

Shall we, then, think it right that we would “get away” with crimes against the Almighty Creator? Shall we think to remove His divine right to judge? Should we think that He is out of place for bringing justice and doing so perfectly with complete wisdom, knowledge, and understanding? He could do it with the nations and He can do it with us. One day, there is, indeed, a final day of judgment coming. As Paul told the people of Athens, God “commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31; cf. 2 Cor 5:10)

This can be rather frightening, especially when we realize that our crimes against the Divine Glory, when met with justice, means suffering “the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thess 1:9). 

Yet here is where the Gospel becomes so powerful. God Himself stepped in, took on human flesh (John 1:14), and suffered as a sacrifice on our behalf so that He would be both “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom 3:26). By doing this, He does not give up being just while forgiving the sins of those who turn to Him. His justice stands. His holiness stands. His glory stands. His grace is magnified. To God be the glory! 

God’s right to judge is established by the fact that He is the Creator. Just as human beings expect justice when human rights are violated, so God brings about justice due to His divine rights beings violated. He does this with perfect knowledge, wisdom, and power. Will the Judge of all the earth do what is just? 

He already has, and He always will. 

Doy Moyer

Taken from Doy's blog, Searching Daily

Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.
 
            In 1 Sam. 2 the man of God comes to Eli with a horrifying pronouncement.  Eli's family was to be removed from the priesthood; none of his descendants were to live to old age, and his two sons were both to die on the same day.  This would happen because Eli had not reined in his wicked sons and their perversion of the worship of God.  Then, in chapter 3, the first message received by Samuel as a child prophet is essentially a repeat with one addition:  "And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be expiated with sacrifice nor offering forever." (1 Sam. 3:14)  Why the repeat?  Why the later statement that sacrifice would not work as a means to avoid the punishment?
            A similar thing happens later with King Saul.  In chapter 13, because of the sin with the offering, Saul is told that the kingdom would be removed from him and given to a man after God's heart.  Then in chapter 15 he is reminded that he was anointed at God's command and that he should listen to God.  After he fails to obey God's instructions against the Amelekites, Saul is again told the kingdom would be taken away from him.  This time God instructs Samuel to quit praying for Saul (16:1). 
            Why did God repeat his pronouncements against Eli and Saul?  I think in each case God was letting Eli or Saul know what was coming because of their sins and allowing them a chance to repent.  It is spoken as a done deal but is actually more of a warning.  We see this same kind of judgment declared against Nineveh in the book of Jonah.  Jonah's message was simply "Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown" (3:4) and yet when the city repented, God relented.  Jonah was so aware of God's mercy that he had expected it.  In all three cases we see bald statements of doom without an "unless", but it seems that in each case God was allowing for repentance.  Why else repeat the judgment to Eli and Saul?  And so we see a lesson of God's mercy.
            There is also another lesson here.  When Eli and Saul refused to correct the error of their ways God reached a point at which He would no longer show mercy.  Eli is told that sacrifices would no longer expiate the sins of his house and Samuel is told to stop mourning for Saul.  Their sins had reached a point at which God would no longer remove the earthly consequences of those sins.  So, while we see the mercy of God, we also see a warning.  Do not keep flirting with sin until God decides you are a lost cause.
 
Rom. 11:22  "Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off."
 
Lucas Ward