2017 – Obstacles and Opportunities!

Beautiful words from Ruth Johnson Caruth’s song sometimes haunt but also help, because they (hopefully) motivate us to take personal inventory of how we are using the time God has alotted us on Planet Earth. In 1904 she wrote: "Swiftly we’re turning life’s daily pages, Swiftly the hours are changing to years; How are we using God’s golden moments? Shall we reap glory, Shall we reap tears" (verse 1 gospel hymn "Into Our Hands")? God invites us to pull off the fast-track of life and "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile" (Mark 6:31). He knows that a reasonable and regular amount of time spent in exercise and recreation strengthens and "re-creates" us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Such periods are not a waste of time. But many people, including many Christians, are guilty of wasting time, or at least spending it in ways that soak up large chunks of time and energy that could and should be used in better ways. I don’t want to irritate you unless you need to be irritated – but how much time do you spend in front of a screen of some kind as compared to time spent in front of Scripture or worship of God and service to other people? Just sayin’. Scripture scrutinizes our management of time and urges us not to misuse it. Ephesians 5:15 directs us to "walk circumspectly [carefully], not as fools but as wise" – and interestingly, the very next verse says, "redeeming the time, because the days are evil." The New International says in verse 16 "making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil." And in Galatians 6:9-10 Christians are directed to "not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to the household of faith." These passages remind us our moments indeed are God’s, and that how we use them in the here and now effects our destiny in the hereafter! Will we reap glory, or will we reap tears?

The 365 days of 2017 will be saturated with opportunities to do good! But caution is in order, for, as Ann Landers once observed, "Opportunities are often disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them" (see Matthew 25:34-46 for proof of that). Consider the story of an ancient king who had a large boulder placed on a roadway. He hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many verbally criticized the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything to get the stone out of the way. At length a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon reaching the boulder, the peasant unshouldered his burden and, after much pushing and straining, managed to move the rock to the side of the road. Picking up his vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king announcing that the gold and special court privileges were a reward for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us still don’t understand – what sometimes seems to us to be an obstacle is in reality an opportunity in disguise. God’s work awaits in 2017. Opportunities abound, but most require work. Honestly, how are you using God’s golden moments? Will you reap glory or will you reap tears?

Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

Num. 30:2 If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.

Making a vow to God was a serious matter in the Old Testament. Once a person makes a vow to God, he is expected to carry through and fulfil his end of the vow. And if he does not follow through and pay his vow, according to Deuteronomy 23:21, the Lord will require it of him and it will be considered sin. God will demand that he fulfils his vow.

A "vow" is a solemn pledge to do something, or to behave in a certain manner. Never make a vow to God unless you can fulfil it. Too many individuals make rash vows and wake up too late to realize they should never have made such a solemn promise. We remember Jephthah who had made a vow to God without thinking (Judges 11:30-31). He was fighting the Ammonites. He made a vow to God that if God would grant him victory over thee enemies, then, when he returned home, the first thing that came out of his house to greet him he would offer it as a sacrifice to God. It happened that it was his daughter that came out to greet him. Jephthah was so filled with anguish when he saw his daughter emerged from the house. But he kept his promise to God and offered his daughter as a sacrifice. Note that God did not ask for it nor did He approve of human sacrifice. This shows the foolishness of a sudden vow without thinking.

God tells us in Ecclesiastes 5:5: “Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.” This verse tells us that it is better not to vow than to vow and not pay. Vows in Israel were not mandatory and were made completely by one’s own desire to do so. So Jephthah was under no obligation to make a vow.

Today we rarely hear of anyone making a vow except in regards to weddings. Sadly, the marriage vows are the most misused vows make today. A couple stand before the Lord and say they will take each other for life. Then one year later they call it quit and got a divorce. They have abrogated the vows they took before God. If more people would realize that the vows they made to God in marriage are serious and to be kept, maybe more would try hard to keep their marriage alive. And, it is sad when Christians act like heathens and just set aside their vows and do what they want. God says He hates putting away, referring to divorce (Malachi 2:16).

We have passed into an age when vows are not commonly made, except at marriages. How about keeping our promises? Keeping a promise is keeping our words. It is about one’s integrity and honesty. A broken promise, whether to God or man, broken not through infirmity, but of set and selfish purpose, is in God’s eye a great transgression. Breaking a promise speaks of a character that is untruthful, dishonest, and lack of integrity.

Do you keep your word? Are you known as a man or woman of your word? When you tell your friend you will meet him at 6 o’clock, are you ready and waiting at 6 o’clock? When you say you will do something, do people know it’s as good as done? God wants our conversation to be a yes or no; it means, keeping our promises (Matthew 5:37).

God is listening to our conversation; let us keep our words and promises. Husbands and wives: keep your marriage vows.

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

Num. 31:16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

God commanded Israel to fight the Midianites. They fought and were victorious. But when Moses went out to meet the returning warriors, he was angry with the commanders because they had left all the women alive. They were severely reproved for saving the women alive. It is very probable that Moses had commanded them to kill the women, at least this was implied in his question to them: “Have ye saved all the women alive?” (Numbers 31:15). The fact that they didn’t answer back implied they were guilty of disobeying a command. Moses reminded them that it was these heathen women that seduced the men of Israel and and caused them to commit a great trespass which angered Jehovah resulting in the death of twenty-four thousand men (Numbers 25:1-9). It was therefore dangerous to let them live or history would repeat itself.

Let’s recall what had transpired before this event. Balak, king of Moab, was afraid of Israel because of their victories over other nations. He hired Balaam to place a curse on Israel, for he knew that if Israel became a curse to God, He would not be protecting them, then they would no longer be a threat. But however Balaam tried, he could not curse Israel but bless them. Balak’s method to curse Israel didn’t work. Well, there must be another way and Balaam knew just how to make Israel obnoxious in God’s sight. Balaam suggested that Balak sent his beautiful women to seduce the men of Israel. It worked and Israel became idolaters (Numbers 25:1-2).

History has taught us that it will always repeat itself. Men will never learn from history. Moses was right in rebuking the men from keeping the women alive. Who knows what damage they may bring to the nation again! The church at Pergamos suffered the same fake as the nation of Israel. They had been holding fast the faith for many years. But, then they allowed “some that hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication” to remain in them. The result was they became unfaithful (Revelations 2:12-17). Pergamos did not learn from history but repeated it.

We remember the ancient city of Troy. It was said that the walls of the city were sixteen feet thick. According to Homer, the Greeks besieged the city for ten years. They wanted to give up, but the king came up with a plan. They made a large horse and left it on the beach with many soldiers inside while their ships left at night. The people of Troy thought they had left the horse as a gift and took it inside their city. That night the soldiers got out of the horse and opened the gates. The ships came back and destroyed the city from within.

The same thing can happen today: compromise can destroy in one night what couldn’t be taken in ten years. A congregation can remain faithful for ten, twenty or fifty years. But it is no guarantee that she will remain the same unless she guards herself against sin and false teachings. What happened if one day, a member who is doing spring cleaning in her house decides to throw away her piano? But she deems it is too good to throw it away and decides to place it in the church. And, what if the elders decide it is all right to place it at the corner of the worship hall since there is a space for it. What if one day a little girl decides to play on the piano? Let me tell you this: that little and harmless piece of furniture will one day play when the congregation sing. It is the Trojan horse that is waiting to play when the worship starts.

Moses was right to worry what the Midianite women could do to the men of Israel. The church at Pergamos was wrong to allow the teachings of Balaam to continue in them unchecked. Why play with temptation? Sin will destroy a church. We have been warned. Let us flee temptations (Proverbs 4:15).

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.