Opening the Word

God Our Salvation

Read Psalm 37:34-40

“But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble” (v. 39).

We typically use salvation to refer to forgiveness of sins and, relatedly, to deliverance from eternal condemnation. So we talk about being saved, and we look forward to everlasting life. Clearly Psalm 37’s proclamation of God’s salvation of the righteous includes these wonderful benefits.

But the bulk of Psalm 37 focuses on this earthly life and salvation’s benefits for the “here and now.” Repeatedly the psalmist tells us to “fret not” about wicked people’s success, not to indulge anger at their prosperity. Why should this apparent cosmic injustice not rile us? Psalm 37 reminds us of coming judgment (vs. 2, 9, 10, 13, etc.), but it also teaches us that righteousness works!

Psalm 37 presents some of salvation’s present-tense aspects. God provides for physical needs (vs. 3, 19, 25, etc.) and frequently brings to reality our godly dreams and desires (vs. 4, 5). He causes us to live in peace and security (vs. 9-11). This does not mean no Christian will suffer hardship and deprivation but describes a general pattern of blessing and provision even in this fallen world. God’s salvation regularly includes abundant daily blessings.

We begin to taste the joys of God’s saving us now. And the best lies ahead when the Judge of all the earth welcomes the righteous into His presence forever, where there are pleasures forevermore. (Aaron D. Profitt)

God’s salvation of the righteous begins now and ends never!

Herald & Banner Press2018-09-26T09:00:02+00:00September 26th, 2018|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: benefits, forever, Forgiveness, salvation|0 Comments

The Promise of Deliverance

Read Job 5:17-27

“He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee” (v. 19).

But wait, there’s more! The concept of claiming to offer an irresistible deal, then adding further incentives happens all the time in marketing campaigns. The Old Testament Hebrews often used the same ploy in their writings. When Job’s friend Eliphaz told him God would deliver him six — no, wait, seven! — times, he was really saying, “God will deliver you over and over and over again!

Can you imagine how that might have sounded to Job? “Look, Job, I know you’ve lost your oxen and donkeys and servants and sheep and more servants and camels and more servants and all your children, but God will deliver you again and again.” I don’t think I would have reacted as well as Job did.

Job’s first reaction to his tragedy was to worship the Lord, and his reaction to Eliphaz’s speech was a heartrending cry, “My grief cannot be measured!” It took what seemed to Job like an awfully long time, but when he rested on this promise, God did deliver him. (Michelle D. Avery)

Father, teach me to live standing on your promises.

Herald & Banner Press2018-09-19T09:00:04+00:00September 19th, 2018|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: more, rescue, resting|0 Comments

The Troubler

Read 1 Kings 18:16-19

“And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim”

(v. 18).

“Attitude is the mind’s paintbrush. It can color any situation.”

False accusations are a part of life, but that does not make them any easier to take. And often being falsely accused can bring out the worst in us.

If you were playing the role of Elijah in this little skit, what would be your tone of voice as you speak the words of our focus verse? Defensive? Vengeful? Matter-of-fact? Sorrowful? Or to say it differently, “What is your attitude when you are falsely accused?”

However he said it, Elijah was not intimidated by the presence of the king. But neither does he “lose his cool.” Instead, Elijah carefully proposes to resolve their differences in an objective encounter. Even the king could not refuse the objectivity of Elijah’s proposal.

Attitudes are the result of cultivation. The attitudes we display under adversity have been a long time in the making. And our attitude can so color a situation that even God has difficulty redeeming it. (Gordon L. Snider)

“A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger” (Prov. 15:1).

Herald & Banner Press2018-09-12T09:00:43+00:00September 12th, 2018|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: Attitude, prayer, resolve|0 Comments

Following God's Guidance

Read Psalm 119:25-32

“I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart” (v. 32).

In this psalm, David declares an earnest desire to travel the path of the Lord. He prays for guidance and seeks the anointing of the Lord that he may have the strength to fulfill the will of God.

The story is told of a young African boy who was asked if he could run. “ ‘Can I run?’!” the boy replied, “Where I come from we have to run to survive!” He quickly became the lead runner for the school track team, and as the season progressed, the young man won every race he participated in and broke the record for several specific events. Finally, the last race of the season was upon them. As the starting gun was fired and everyone took off, the coach watched in disbelief as the young man lagged behind the rest. On the final lap of the race, however, something happened. Our hero lifted his head, took off in a flash and finished the race in first place. When asked later what had happened, he declared, “My feet felt like they were full of lead. I just couldn’t run, so I prayed, ‘Lord, if you’ll pick my feet up, I’ll put ’em down.’ Then, just like that, I could hardly keep my feet on the ground.” (Daniel P. Edwards)

“My Strength is made perfect in weakness” (God).

Herald & Banner Press2018-09-05T09:00:25+00:00September 5th, 2018|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: guidance, obedience, prayer, survival|0 Comments

Following God’s Guidance

Read Psalm 119:25-32

“I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart” (v. 32).

In this psalm, David declares an earnest desire to travel the path of the Lord. He prays for guidance and seeks the anointing of the Lord that he may have the strength to fulfill the will of God.

The story is told of a young African boy who was asked if he could run. “ ‘Can I run?’!” the boy replied, “Where I come from we have to run to survive!” He quickly became the lead runner for the school track team, and as the season progressed, the young man won every race he participated in and broke the record for several specific events. Finally, the last race of the season was upon them. As the starting gun was fired and everyone took off, the coach watched in disbelief as the young man lagged behind the rest. On the final lap of the race, however, something happened. Our hero lifted his head, took off in a flash and finished the race in first place. When asked later what had happened, he declared, “My feet felt like they were full of lead. I just couldn’t run, so I prayed, ‘Lord, if you’ll pick my feet up, I’ll put ’em down.’ Then, just like that, I could hardly keep my feet on the ground.” (Daniel P. Edwards)

“My Strength is made perfect in weakness” (God).

Herald & Banner Press2018-09-05T09:00:25+00:00September 5th, 2018|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: guidance, obedience, prayer, survival|0 Comments

Necessary Instruction

Read Luke 11:1-4

“And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth” (v. 2).

In an environment where self-aggrandizing hypocrites sought the attention and adulation of others when they prayed, and where idol-worshiping heathen used meaningless repetition in prayer (Matt. 6:2), the disciples wanted to learn how to pray from Jesus, whose prayers clearly received a response from God the Father. What did Jesus teach?

In contrast to those hypocritical and meaningless prayers witnessed by the disciples, Jesus taught them to pray with directness, sincerity, and transparency.

Jesus invited them to begin by addressing God as “Our Father.” From this simple, direct form of address, Jesus’ disciples were reminded of their status in relation to each other (“Our”) and God (“Father”). They belonged in the family of God.

Jesus’ teaching on prayer was also a contrast to the affectation of the hypocrites: it was a call to sincerity. Unlike the pompous language of the self-righteous or the vain repetition of the heathen, Jesus wanted the disciples to pray with sincere simplicity. Their prayers were to be meaningful.

Finally, Jesus taught His disciples to pray with transparency, acknowledging their needs rather than touting their own righteousness. Jesus’ disciples were to confess their physical and spiritual needs while seeking the will of God. Their walk and talk with God were to be authentic. (Lyle A. Witt)

God help us to pray with directness, sincerity, and transparency!

Herald & Banner Press2018-08-29T09:00:35+00:00August 29th, 2018|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: prayer, sincerity, transparecy|0 Comments

A Judgment of Works

“But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (v. 20).
When I was in eighth grade, we went on a class trip to tour an exhibit on the HMS Titanic. We saw pictures and footage of the building of that great ship, heard stories about the people who booked passage on its voyage, and even walked through life-sized replicas of the rooms. When I made it to the first-class cabin, I noticed the pale mannequin lounging in the corner and quickly went on to study the bed, chairs, clothing, and other curiosities. As I began to walk on down the hallway, a girl in the group behind me screamed. The mannequin had stood up to talk to them!
Of course, it wasn’t a mannequin at all. He was a slender actor who had covered his face and hands with white makeup. No one had looked closely enough to think he was anything other than a mannequin until he moved. The life in his limbs was our first clue that he wasn’t plastic.
These days, people stay awfully busy. We work and volunteer and play hard. As we run from one activity to the next, we rarely have time to notice people around us. Why should we expect anyone, including people not in the family of God, to tell we are Christians if the life in our limbs doesn’t show it? (Michelle D. Avery)

Is there life in your limbs?

Herald & Banner Press2018-08-22T09:00:07+00:00August 22nd, 2018|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: busyness, dedication, life, Work|0 Comments

Following Christ

“And he left all, rose up, and followed him” (v. 28).
Jesus’ call is very simple. All He asked Levi to do was follow Him. There were no requirements and no application process. The only thing Jesus asked for was a response and commitment. On the surface, the response is also very simple. Levi simply had to stand up out of his seat and begin to walk with the Master. However, beneath the surface, we see a much deeper response and a greater commitment. Levi was leaving behind the only life he knew. He was leaving behind not only his occupation but also the source of his wealth as a tax collector. He was leaving his friends and the life style of feasts and parties.
Yet Levi saw something in Jesus that made all he was leaving behind seem worthless because what he was gaining had infinitely more value. No doubt the pull of Levi’s old life sometimes seemed very strong. Perhaps he had to deal with the implications of walking off the job and leaving everything behind. We don’t know that part of the story, but what we do know is that he stayed with Jesus and became one of the twelve apostles and a founder of God’s new Church. Jesus called a very diverse group of men to follow him. Perhaps the only thing they all had in common was their response and commitment to His call. (Kevin R. Askew)

Trust and obey For there’s no other way To be happy in Jesus But to trust and obey. — John Sammis

Have you left all and followed like Levi?

Herald & Banner Press2018-08-15T09:00:17+00:00August 15th, 2018|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: application, Follow, Paul, simple|0 Comments

Submission to the Father

“And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt” (v. 39).
We have this idea that Jesus went through His life, happily looking forward to the cross. We sing, “He had no tears for His own grief, but sweat- drops of blood for mine,” from Charles Gabriel’s otherwise wonderful hymn “My Savior’s Love.” In these last moments, before He would begin rushing headlong for the cross, Jesus was asking His Father if there was any other way. Jesus did not want to go through the agony of crucifixion.

We get several English words from the Latin crux. One of them is “excruciating,” which we use to describe unbearable pain. Unbearable pain was the point of crucifixion. Nails were driven through the wrists and ankles, but that was only the beginning. The nails were driven in such a way that one was supported by the nail in the ankles, but had to pull one’s self up on the nails in the wrist in order to breathe. Very often the victim had been whipped, so the lacerated back scraped up and down the rough wood of the cross. Added to this was the humiliation of being naked and held up for public spectacle.
Why would Jesus submit Himself to the Father’s will and embrace the cross? Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus went to the cross “for the joy set before him.” The joy set before Him was the salvation of sinners. His obedience even to death has saved us. (Randy J. Bland)

How marvelous, how wonderful! And my song shall ever be: How marvelous, how wonderful! Is my Savior’s love for me. — Charles Gabriel

Will you follow Jesus’ example and be obedient to the Father?

Herald & Banner Press2018-08-08T09:00:15+00:00August 8th, 2018|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: Crucifixion, Submission|0 Comments

Giving Sacrificially

“And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites” (v. 2).
Does the Lord need our money? Right now, you may be formulating an answer in your mind. A church treasurer may say – absolutely! A pastor may be thinking — I need my salary. A missionary president may reflect upon the many needs upon the foreign field. Yet, I ask, does God really need our money?

Note three thoughts in our text verse: 1) God knows if you are giving to His cause: “he saw.” Indeed, we do have a responsibility to give our tithes and offerings to God’s work (Mal. 3:10). 2) A poor widow gave. She wanted to give to the Lord. What a wonderful attitude she displayed. “God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). 3) She gave a small offering — only two mites. Yet, it was sacrificial, for she gave all she had (Luke 21:4). Do we likewise give sacrificially and cheerfully?
I believe that God rewarded this widow for her devoted service, and He will bless us also when we are faithful to give. (James O. Baker)

There’ll be show’rs of blessing from our Father’s hand, On His word of promise we may firmly stand; There’ll be rains refreshing on the thirsty land When the tithes are gathered in. — Mrs. C. H. Morris

What is my attitude in giving to the Lord?

Herald & Banner Press2018-08-01T09:00:18+00:00August 1st, 2018|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: generosity, sacrifices|0 Comments