With respects and gratitude to the good folks over at the David Phelps Message Boards, I will occasionally be taking some of their Daily Bible Study verses and making my own comments here on Soulscape. In this way, I will be able to make extended comments without taking up so much space on the message board. Plus, it’s easier on me and my time to take someone else’s suggestion and run with it! Just kidding, folks! Hope you enjoy, and hope you are blessed through Soulscape!
Our natural tendency is to strike out at those who hurt us. “You hurt me, I’ll hurt you just as much, or worse.” But as Christians, we are called to a new and different life, a life that is opposite of our human nature. It’s impossible to achieve this through our own willpower, through positive thinking or anything else we can do. We accomplish this ability to “turn the other cheek,” if you will, my making the conscious choice to allow the Lord to strengthen us in situations where we want to attack.
I’ve heard all my life that vengeance belongs to the Lord and that He will work everything out when we stand before Him. But sometimes the waiting is hard. We pray, “Lord, I know that one of these days you will make them pay for what they did to me, but could you let it happen right now so I can see it?” We want to watch someone who hurt us go down in flames, so we can laugh and say, “See? Told ya so! You’re getting what you deserve!” But that is not the attitude to have, either.
While vengeance does indeed belong to the Lord, the verses above hold far more than just a promise to set right all the wrongs done to God’s children. These verses reveal deep truths and comfort for the believer, as well as a warning for the unbeliever. I would like to cover just two for now.
THE LORD IS EVER WATCHFUL
We have a tendency to act on impulse; if a friend says someone said or did something to them, we immediately want to go after that other person. We may call it a reflex, reacting to anything and everything, without knowing (or contemplating) the facts of the matter. How many times have we heard that a years-long conflict was due entirely to a simple misunderstanding? Well, the Lord watches over all of us, and knows all the facts.
This might seem a bit scary to some, that Someone is always watching. But actually, it should bring the child of God comfort. No matter if we do some good or helpful act that no one ever sees, or if we are wronged, the Lord will repay us accordingly. He is the Righteous Judge, and since He knows not only the outward but the inward man, we can rest in the assurance that He will judge every person righteously. There will be no mistakes, no loopholes with the Lord’s judgment?
Aren’t you glad that even when people misunderstand you or your motives, when you try so hard but seem to fail so miserably, that Jesus is looking out for you and knows your heart? No matter if it’s behind the scenes or out in the open, we have the knowledge that we are in good hands, the best hands, the hands that bear the nail scars meant for us.
THE FACT OF JUSTICE
The same truth that gives the child of God hope, also gives a warning to those who reject Christ. Unlike other world religions, our Lord stretched His arms out and died for our sins. In love, He offers us the salvation His blood purchased for us on Calvary. But He forces no one to accept Him. That is our choice.
But those same hands which bear the scars of the cross and of our sin bring with them the responsibility to answer for our choice. Time and again we are told in God’s Word that we are to fear the Lord. This fear is a respect of God and His power. I respect a firearm enough to know that I need to handle it with care. I respect the weather enough to seek shelter when a storm approaches. For my own safety I make decisions out of respect for the power of these things. The same goes for God.
We must respect the Lord Jesus Christ and the price He paid for the remission of our sins, because He is alive, and is our Holy and Righteous Judge. Those same hands that were nailed to the cross, those same hands that lovingly hold us in our times of distress and protect us in our times of danger, are the same hands which will hand out God’s justice. When we stand before the Lord, we will look at those hands. Depending on whether we accept Christ as our Savior or not will determine whether those hands will be extended to us as a welcome, or will point us away to our eternal punishment.
We must respect the fact that the Lord is the final judge. Our family and friends, our history, no one or no thing is qualified to judge us. No one, that is, except Jesus. As a pastor I have used these verses to illustrate the great need the sinner needs for Christ. But I take great comfort from these same verses. To know that the God of All Creation is watching over “little ol’ me” is very humbling, but makes me feel that I have a purpose in His plan. While I am tempted to sometimes pray that God’s judgment would fall on those who wrong me, I try to resist the temptation and pray instead that their hearts would be turned before it’s too late.
One day, when my time on earth comes to an end, I will look forward to falling into the hands of my living God, because I know that through Christ, those hands will hug me up close to the Father, and will welcome me home. What a loving and gracious Lord we serve, who would not have us figure it out for ourselves, but would tell us, would show us exactly what we need and what to expect. I am glad I can say with the writer of Hebrews, “For I know Him who said” these things. I invite you to meet Him for the first time. And if you already know Him, I invite you to get to know Him better.
© 2006, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by writing to soulscape@alltel.net. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.
Hebrews 10:30-31
For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Our natural tendency is to strike out at those who hurt us. “You hurt me, I’ll hurt you just as much, or worse.” But as Christians, we are called to a new and different life, a life that is opposite of our human nature. It’s impossible to achieve this through our own willpower, through positive thinking or anything else we can do. We accomplish this ability to “turn the other cheek,” if you will, my making the conscious choice to allow the Lord to strengthen us in situations where we want to attack.
I’ve heard all my life that vengeance belongs to the Lord and that He will work everything out when we stand before Him. But sometimes the waiting is hard. We pray, “Lord, I know that one of these days you will make them pay for what they did to me, but could you let it happen right now so I can see it?” We want to watch someone who hurt us go down in flames, so we can laugh and say, “See? Told ya so! You’re getting what you deserve!” But that is not the attitude to have, either.
While vengeance does indeed belong to the Lord, the verses above hold far more than just a promise to set right all the wrongs done to God’s children. These verses reveal deep truths and comfort for the believer, as well as a warning for the unbeliever. I would like to cover just two for now.
THE LORD IS EVER WATCHFUL
We have a tendency to act on impulse; if a friend says someone said or did something to them, we immediately want to go after that other person. We may call it a reflex, reacting to anything and everything, without knowing (or contemplating) the facts of the matter. How many times have we heard that a years-long conflict was due entirely to a simple misunderstanding? Well, the Lord watches over all of us, and knows all the facts.
This might seem a bit scary to some, that Someone is always watching. But actually, it should bring the child of God comfort. No matter if we do some good or helpful act that no one ever sees, or if we are wronged, the Lord will repay us accordingly. He is the Righteous Judge, and since He knows not only the outward but the inward man, we can rest in the assurance that He will judge every person righteously. There will be no mistakes, no loopholes with the Lord’s judgment?
Aren’t you glad that even when people misunderstand you or your motives, when you try so hard but seem to fail so miserably, that Jesus is looking out for you and knows your heart? No matter if it’s behind the scenes or out in the open, we have the knowledge that we are in good hands, the best hands, the hands that bear the nail scars meant for us.
THE FACT OF JUSTICE
The same truth that gives the child of God hope, also gives a warning to those who reject Christ. Unlike other world religions, our Lord stretched His arms out and died for our sins. In love, He offers us the salvation His blood purchased for us on Calvary. But He forces no one to accept Him. That is our choice.
But those same hands which bear the scars of the cross and of our sin bring with them the responsibility to answer for our choice. Time and again we are told in God’s Word that we are to fear the Lord. This fear is a respect of God and His power. I respect a firearm enough to know that I need to handle it with care. I respect the weather enough to seek shelter when a storm approaches. For my own safety I make decisions out of respect for the power of these things. The same goes for God.
We must respect the Lord Jesus Christ and the price He paid for the remission of our sins, because He is alive, and is our Holy and Righteous Judge. Those same hands that were nailed to the cross, those same hands that lovingly hold us in our times of distress and protect us in our times of danger, are the same hands which will hand out God’s justice. When we stand before the Lord, we will look at those hands. Depending on whether we accept Christ as our Savior or not will determine whether those hands will be extended to us as a welcome, or will point us away to our eternal punishment.
We must respect the fact that the Lord is the final judge. Our family and friends, our history, no one or no thing is qualified to judge us. No one, that is, except Jesus. As a pastor I have used these verses to illustrate the great need the sinner needs for Christ. But I take great comfort from these same verses. To know that the God of All Creation is watching over “little ol’ me” is very humbling, but makes me feel that I have a purpose in His plan. While I am tempted to sometimes pray that God’s judgment would fall on those who wrong me, I try to resist the temptation and pray instead that their hearts would be turned before it’s too late.
One day, when my time on earth comes to an end, I will look forward to falling into the hands of my living God, because I know that through Christ, those hands will hug me up close to the Father, and will welcome me home. What a loving and gracious Lord we serve, who would not have us figure it out for ourselves, but would tell us, would show us exactly what we need and what to expect. I am glad I can say with the writer of Hebrews, “For I know Him who said” these things. I invite you to meet Him for the first time. And if you already know Him, I invite you to get to know Him better.
© 2006, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by writing to soulscape@alltel.net. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.
1 comment:
Hey Chris! Take all the ideas you want from the message board. It would be an honor to all of us, I'm sure!
Jennifer
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