My Daily Pause

The sum of human knowledge…

If you wonder why the world has become more and more divided over the Bible and God’s existence, Paul explains it quite well:

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. – 1 Corinthians 1:18

He also gives an example from Isaiah 29:14, where man’s “wisdom” has failed God’s test when the Jews faced the Assyrians. (1 Corinthians 1:19)

When we consider the wisdom of men, we can point to a number of examples that it fails in time:

• The pyramids of Giza are interesting, but a colossal waste
• Encyclopedias from the 1970’s are almost useless
• There has never been a permanent government
• Today’s advanced electronic device becomes tomorrow’s doorstop

And even though Newton’s theories were used to get to the moon, they have been discovered to have flaws.

God’s word has never failed.  It has never been superseded. The more we dig into it, the more we see how solid the wisdom is.

It is full of advice that remains as sound today as it was when it was put on paper.

It is a plan for living well and stress free.

It is the story of our Creator and what he has in store for us.

If we give it its due, its rewards are without limit!

Opinions are offered freely as if they have value

Jesus called it.

Jesus really nailed how the world would react to him in John 15:18-25.

The world hated him.

The world hated the Apostles.

The world hates God’s word.

You might have noticed the world hates when you talk about God’s word too. Making a reference to the Bible often ends a moral discussion in a stalemate because they hate hearing it.

It is worse when “Christians” do it. More and more, they let opinions, feelings and thoughts take precedence over the written word of God. They have begun to let the world dictate what is acceptable.

They choose what they want over what God wants.

What will get you to heaven – obeying God’s word or popular opinion?

Jesus at the House of the Pharisees – Tintoretto (1518–1594)

As I make notes about the opening verses of Matthew 12, I see an amazing picture being drawn. With a quick reading of Matthew 12:1-8 this is what jumps out at me:

• The Pharisees nitpicking Jesus actions
• The Pharisees holding their interpretations of the law more sacred than the law itself
• The Pharisees excusing David’s sinful actions but condemning Jesus’ perfectly legal actions
• Jesus demonstrating his superior knowledge of the law
• Jesus using logic to silence the Pharisees

The leadership of the Jews thought they had a pretty good excuse for resisting Jesus. I say they were in fear for their way of life. They had an opulent setup that had no future if Jesus really was the Messiah. It must be the nature of people to not want to change, because they sure haven’t changed yet.

The enemies of Christ are still around and they still fear for their way of life. They’re even using the same old tactics against him:

• People nitpick Christians’ beliefs at every turn
• People want to hold what they “feel” is right more sacred than God’s word
• People are tolerant of sin but intolerant of obedience to God’s word

It is up to us to stand firm against those that are trying to bring down Christ. We are in charge of using our superior knowledge and logic to counter those who want to silence God.

Would you have known how to argue against the Pharisees in the Matthew 12:1-8 event? What can you change today to get better at defending God’s word?

John the Baptist – Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)

If Jesus ever gave a higher opinion of anyone than he did of John the Baptist in Matthew 11:7-19, I don’t know where to find it in the Bible.

I particularly like the question, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?” (Matthew 11:7)

What Jesus noticed first and foremost in John was his steadfastness – Once he knew the truth, he never strayed from it. He never stopped asserting his message even when faced with prison and death.

The power of the world’s message today depends on Christians that can be bent every which way the wind blows.

Evolution….

Homosexuality…

Social drinking…

Immodest dress…

So many that claim to be Christian have softened their resolve against these sins and are willing to overlook them. Some go so far as to participate.

I realize it is difficult to stand firm against the world. The world will not be pleased with God’s word no matter how we approach it. Jesus proved that to us when he contrasted John’s and his lifestyles and pointed out the people mistreated them. (Matthew 11:18-19)

In the end, the ones that Christ will praise will be those who are not shaken by the winds of society. So, like Jesus and John the Baptist, let’s be strong enough to let “Wisdom justify her deeds” (Matthew 11:19b)

God’s glory is spelled out in his creation.

Psalm 19 opens declaring that nature – the universe we live in – is the proof, the voice and the design of God. There is nowhere on earth to hide from this declaration.

As we get older and lose the childish wonder we are all born with, it seems we forget to “stop and smell the roses.” We no longer sit and contemplate a butterfly or the stars in the heavens. I wonder if that doesn’t have something to do with the difficulty we have setting a priority of studying God’s word frequently and deeply.

David transitions from the beauty of God’s creation to the beauty and perfection of the word of God as if to show us just how huge it really is. He tells us

Sometimes we need to stop and consider God’s creation

it is perfect,

it is right

it is pure,

clean and true …

In our time, we have the privilege of being able to hold the complete collection of the things God wanted us to know in our hands. It fits on our smart phones. We can have abundant copies to give away for very little cost. This is a collection of works that people have had to die over.

Like most things we forget to treasure it when we have it in abundance. Shouldn’t we remember its power? With God’s word we can:

• convert a soul ( 2 Corinthians 7:9-11, Acts 3:19-20)
• glean simple wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)
• bring joy to the heart (1 Peter 1:3-9)
• enlighten the eyes (1 John 1:5-7, Ephesians 5:8-17)
• see God’s endurance (1 Peter 1:22-25)

Today, I give you permission to slow down and take in the world and take in the word. Those who are forgetting to do this are those who are not as close to God as they need to be. Listen to his speech. Take in his knowledge (Psalm 19:2)