Lifestyle and Balance

 How Readest Thou?  IT is one thing to read the Bible through, Another thing to read to learn and do. Some read it with design to learn to read, But to the subject pay but little heed. Some read it as their duty once a week, But no instruction from the Bible seek; While others read it with but little care, With no regard to how they read, nor where. Some read to bring themselves into repute, By showing others how they can dispute; While others read because their neighbours do, To see how long 'twill take to read it through. Some read it for the wonders that are there,— How David killed a lion and a bear; While others read it with uncommon care, Hoping to find some contradictions there. Some read as if it did not speak to them, But to the people at Jerusalem. One reads with father's specs upon his head, And sees the thing just as his father said. Some read to prove a preadopted creed, Hence understand but little that they read...

The New Covenant ( Jeremiah 31:31-34) One section in the book of Jeremiah (chapters 30-33) stands above other passages in the OT in its optimistic view of Isreal’s future. The high point (31:31-34) is the announcement that the Lord God will form a new covenant with His people. It points towards Jesus of Nazareth, whose death would seal this new covenant.   One sentence in particular gives a new context to the key affirmation of the Sinai covenant' "I will be their God, and they will be my people" (31:33; see also Exod 6:7). The relationship between God and His people envisioned in the Sinai Covenant was surrounded by laws chis­eled in stone and a priestly class in charge of all religious institutions and activities. The new covenant would differ from the old in one primary way: It would no longer be external to the worshipers, but would now be written on their hearts (31:33).  The great defect of the old covenant was that it lacked the power to enable peo...

Leadership that Empowers  (Acts 6:1-7) In Acts 6 the new Christian community faced a crisis of leadership. The Hellenists, the Greek-speaking Jews in Jerusalem,   were upset because the needs of their widows were being overlooked "in the daily distribution of food" (6:1). This disruption threatened the develop­ment of the church with "rumblings of discontent" (6:1) and had to be seriously addressed wisely. The apostles recognized the problem (6:2-3) and called for the selection of seven men to administer the food program (6:5-6), Many interpreters see the seven as the first deacons (see note on 6:2-6). The apostles provided leadership that empowers by sensitively listening to genuine com­munity needs. This wise handling of the issue, with the united, responsible action of both people and leaders, resulted in spiritual growth and increased the number of believers (6:7). Different gifts were recognized in the church and put to work for the common good ...

Believing (John 3:10-18) Believing occupies a central place in John’s Gospel. John does not use the noun faith that appears frequently elsewhere in the NT (e.g., see Matt 8:8-10; Mark 11:22-24; Acts 20:21; Rom 1:17; 3:27-31; 4:3-5; Heb 11 1 -39; Jas 2:14-24; 1 Pet 1:5-7). John prefers the verb believe to underscore that faith is not static like a doctrine or a dogma, but dynamic, requiring action. In John’s Gospel, “believing” in Jesus is the trait of all true disciples. In the Gospel of John, the verb translated “believe” is often followed by the Greek preposition eis (“into"). No parallel exists for this in ancient Greek usage. For John faith is not a status but an investment in the person of Jesus. Faith means accepting who Jesus is and what he claims to be. Faith constitutes a commitment to let his call change the way we live. Faith is the work God wants from us (6:29) as we abide in Jesus’word, as we love Him, and as we obey His commands   (8:31; 15:1-17; see 1...

Praise and rejoicing (Luke 1:14, 46-47, 64, 68) Praise   and rejoicing are prominent in luke's Gospel and in Acts. Throughout luke's Gospel, the recipients of Gods grace praise Him for His wonderful deeds (1:44, 46, 64, 68; 2:13, 38; 5:25-26; 7:16; 13:13; 17:15-18; 18:43; 19:37; 24:53). In Acts, praise accompanies healings (Acts 2:47; 3:8-9; 4:21) and the salvation of the Gentiles (Acts 11:18; 13:48; 21:20).     . This motif of praise is closely linked to a key theme in Luke, that the fulfilment of God's promise in the coming of Jesus the Messiah is a cause for joy and rejoicing. The OT prophets had predicted that nature itself would break forth in songs of praise when God's salvation arrived (see Isa 55:12). When Jesus entered Jerusalem at the end of his ministry, his disciples shouted and sang, "praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen" (19:37). The Pharisees called on Jesus to rebuke his disciples, but he responded, "...

Trusting in Human Strength (2 Chronicles 16:1-10).       Hanan the seer's charge against King Asa of Judah (6:7) is intriguing. Asa regarded the king of Aram as an ally, giving him the treasures of the Temple and palace so he would attack Baasha, king of Israel. However, the prophet Hanani saw in Aram a human foe who would be a nemesis to the kingdom of Judah. Previous battles demonstrate that God was the only ally Asa actually had. Asa's reliance on the king of Aram revealed a much deeper spiritual problem. Asa forgot that "the eyes of the lORD search the whole earth" (16:9; see also. Zech 4:10). So. when Hanani confronted Asa with the error of his ways, Asa summarily threw the prophet into confinement and the angry king arbitrarily inflicted cruelties on the people.     Asa provides   sad example of the human propensity to rely on their own tangible resources (see Proverbs 11:7; Isa 31:1; Jer 17:5-6) and to become angry when correc...

Wisdom ( Proverbs 2:1-22) Wisdom helps us to know how to act and speak in different situations. It provides the ability to avoid problems as well as the skill to handle them when they arise. Wisdom goes beyond simple intelligence. Proverbs notes that even animals such as ants, rock badgers, locusts, and lizards (Proverbs 30:24-28) are wise. This is not because they have great intelligence but because they know how to navigate life skillfully. The foundation of wisdom is God himself. No wisdom exists apart from fear of the Lord (1:7). Wisdom is closely connected to righteousness and remains distant from evil. According to Proverbs, wisdom is gained through observation and experience (6:6-8), from instruction based on tradition (22:17-21), in learning from mistakes (12:1), and finally, but most importantly through divine revelation (1 :7). In 1 Corinthians 1-2 Paul contrasts the "wisdom" of the world (which he calls foolishness) with the wisdom of Christ. Paul also...

Overcoming the devil   (Ephesians 6:10-20) The New Testament writers were convinced of the reality of evil and the dangers of the spiritual world. So they took Satan (the evil one, the devil) seriously as a real threat. The devil not only inhabits the work of God's people (see 1 Thessalonians 2:18: Rev 2:10) but the prowl around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour" (see 1 Pet 5:8). The entire unbelieving world is subject to the power sin and the devil(see 2:2, 1 John 5:19).   As the "god of this world," the devil can blind the mind of unbelievers   (see 2 Corinthians   4:4; cp. Matt 13:19). Although Satan opposes God and seeks to destroy His people ( Rev 12:12,17), Jesus came to destroy Satan' work (1 Jh 3:8). God turn what the devil intends for evil into good; for example, when believers are expelled from the Christian fellowship, they are exposed to the devil’s destructive power so that they might repent and be saved (see 1 John 2:14;...

The one Body of Christ (Ephesians 2:14-3:13) More than any other NT writing, Ephesians highlights the role of the church in God's amazing eternal plan. In Jesus Christ, God has revealed his desire to unite Gentiles with Jews in a new group of people, the church (Eph 1:9; 2:14-22; 3:6). The church is the community of those who recognize the Lordship of Christ and submit to him (5:21-24). The church is part of God's plan to bring everything in heaven and on earth under the authority of Christ (1:9-10). Believers do not relate to God in isolation but as part of this new family. The NT uses a number of images to describe the church: · The  church is the Israel of God-the "new people of God" (Gal 6:16) who belong to him (1 Pet 2:9-10) and who as his "holy priests" do his work in the world (1 Peter 2:5,9). ·  The church is God's family (2:19)-the "household of God" (1 Timothy 3:15), made up of those who have been adopted as God's ...

Prophetic Sign Acts (Ezekiel 4:1-17) Ezekiel frequently behaved in unusual, even outlandish, ways. His actions were strange even in ancient Israel, not just from a modern perspective. Unlike modern readers, however, who might think that the prophet was psychologically disturbed, ancient observers understood these sign acts as a regular part of a prophet's communication style, Sign acts were dramatic visual aids performed in public to increase the impact of the message and help people feel the truth as much as hear it. Their purpose was to drive the message unforgettably into people's hearts. Other prophets of Israel and Judah also performed sign acts (see Isa 20:2-6; Jer 13:1-11), but Ezekiel was required to act out his message more frequently than any other (see 4:1-8, 9-17; 5:1-4; 6:11-12; '12:3-16; 17-20; 21:19-22; 24:15-27; 37:16-26), perhaps because he was communicating to a particularly hardened audience (2:6). The sign acts reinforced the con­tent o...

The Promise of New life' (Ezekiel 37:1-28) Ezekiel 37 might at first appear to teach that all people will be resurrected from the dead, living again in new bodies after their present bodies die. However, Ezekiel's description here is not the universal resurrection of all flesh. He is not dealing with the general question, "can human bones return to life?" Ezekiel and his audience were already familiar, from he mira­cles of Elijah and Elisha, with the possibility of dead people being raised to life (1 Kgs 17:17- 24; 2 Kgs 4:31-37; 13:20-21). Instead, Ezekiel is addressing the particular question, "Can these bones live?"-that is, could a denuded, dismembered, and desiccated Judah be restored? At that time, the Babylonians had devastated Judea in 586 BC, the Temple had been destroyed, and most of the people had been exiled to Babylon. The people still in Judah were a mere remnant, only the poorest of the poor (see 2 Kgs 25:8-12). Many conclude...

Human Perplexity and God's Purpose, (Habakkuk 2:2-20)   Habakkuk had a candid relationship with God: The prophet felt free to bring his honest concerns to the Lord, and God did not rebuke him for doing so. From Habakkuk's perspective, God seemed inactive in the face of the violence and social injustice plaguing Judah (Habakkuk 1:2-4) God then revealed that he would take action: He was going to raise up the Babylonians a nation even more wicked than Judah-to punish Judah (1:5-11). This perplexed Habakkuk, yet God's assurance that justice would be done and a vision of God's glory brought the prophet to settled faith (2:4) and praise (3:16-19).     Habakkuk's spiritual journey is similar to that of most believers. When times of doubt and discouragement come, believers. need to approach 'the Lord and share their concerns with him. Like Habakkuk, we need to search God's word for a fresh glimpse of who God is and what he is like in order to renew our t...