The important questions

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

010314

Genesis 13:1-13

So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negev.

2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.

3 And he journeyed on from the Negev as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,

4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD.

5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents,

6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together,

7 and there was conflict between the tenders of Abram’s livestock and the tenders of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. 8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no conflict between you and me, and between your tenders and my tenders, for we are kinsmen.

9 Is not the whole land before you? detach yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”

10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot travelled east. So they detached themselves from each other.

12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom.

13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD. _________________________________________

The important questions

The LORD had promised to bless Abram, but not Lot. But Lot’s presence with Abram had led to blessing. In the course of time, Lot’s blessing was so great that it became necessary for him to physically detach himself and his household from that of Abram. He made what seemed like a very wise decision to go to the fertile land of the Jordon Valley. He did not take into account two important things: Abram’s relationship with the LORD, and the sinfulness of the men of Sodom. Lot failed to ask the important questions, and involve those answers in his decision-making.

LORD, give us the wisdom to ask the important questions when facing the decisions we must make in life.

Posted in Abraham, discernment | Tagged | 1 Comment

Nothing but the truth

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

010214

Matthew 5:33-37

33 “Another example: you have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You should not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’

34 But I tell you, Do not take an oath at all, not by the sky, for it is the throne of God,

35 nor by the land, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.

37 Let what you reply be only ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this is from the evil one. _________________________________________

Nothing but the truth

Honesty is one of the ways we can demonstrate our relationship with the LORD in this dark world we have been commanded to enlighten. The world’s dark souls require swearing oaths to accentuate their words because they cannot be taken at their word. But when we gain the reputation of being honest, no one will need us to take any oaths. When we set our standards high enough, people will trust us.

This will not be easy. Many times, as soon as we say “yes,” something will happen to make us want to take that “yes” back. We must be disciplined to stand by our words.

LORD, make us people who can be trusted.

Posted in discipleship, genuineness, honesty | Tagged | Leave a comment

déjà vu

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

010114

Genesis 12:8-20

8 From there he traveled to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD.

9 And Abram journeyed on, setting out toward the Negev.

10 But there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to stay there, because the famine in the land was brutal.

11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know that you are a woman who looks beautiful,

12 so when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live.

13 Say you are my sister, that things may go well with me because of you, and that my soul may be kept alive for your sake.”

14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.

15 And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they bragged about her to Pharaoh. So the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.

16 And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he was given sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

17 But the LORD cursed Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of the presence of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

18 So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?

19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.”

20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.

_________________________________________

déjà vu

Abram went with all his possessions. God had promised to bless him, and bless those who blessed him – and curse those who cursed him. They didn’t stay in the promised land long, before famine forced them to seek refuge in Egypt where Pharaoh sent them on an exodus to Canaan after experiencing great plagues because he had taken Sarai. This whole story was déjà vu for the Israelites. The history of their ancestor told them that they were in the right place.

LORD, show us our place in your plan. Make us aware of the significance of the things that happen to us.

Posted in providence, sovereignty of God | Tagged | 1 Comment

“Marriage is personal”

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

123113

Matthew 5:31-32

31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a official document of divorce.’

32 But I tell you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of discovering sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

_________________________________________

“Marriage is personal”

The society Jesus was born into had also dropped the ball on the sanctity of marriage. They were too interested in giving people a way out of “bad” marriages. They made it too easy to divorce. They had fallen for the misconception that marriage was designed to please someone, so if the pleasure stops, the marriage should too.

Jesus endorsed faithfulness in marriage because when marriages fail, adultery happens. When a man divorces his wife, he forces her to seek another. Whoever wants this divorced woman is also led to adultery by his love for her.

What Jesus is saying is that marriage is more than a personal issue. Lifelong, monogamous commitment is the only way. Divorce disrupts God’s objective in marriage, not only for the one who seeks it, but for all others it affects as well.

LORD, make us people who love unconditionally, who stay faithful to those we love.

Posted in faithfulness, love, loyalty, marriage | Tagged | 1 Comment

Faith, obedience and worship

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

123013

Genesis 11:27 – 12:7

27 Here are the generations from Terah: Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot.

28 Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his kindred, in Ur of the Chaldeans.

29 And Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah.

30 But Sarai was infertile; she had no child.

31 Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans purposing to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there.

32 The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.

12:1 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kin and your father’s household to the land that I will show you.

2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

5 So Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had accumulated, and the souls that they had made in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,

6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were still occupying the land.

7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to worship the LORD, who had appeared to him. _________________________________________

Faith, obedience and worship

Abram was a man of faith at the outset. He trusted the LORD who promised him the land, even when the land was still occupied by the Canaanites. He obeyed and went wherever the LORD sent him. He worshipped along the way.

LORD, make us children of Abraham, trusting, obeying, and worshipping wherever you send us.

Posted in Abraham, faith, obedience, trust, worship | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Gouge and hack

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

122913

Matthew 5:27-30

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You should not commit adultery.’

28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman for the purpose of getting aroused by her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29 If your right eye causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your parts than that your whole body be thrown into Gehenna.

30 And if your right hand causes you to lust, hack it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your parts than that your whole body go into Gehenna. _________________________________________

Gouge and hack

The scribes and Pharisees had sidestepped the whole lust issue. Like anger, lust is not to be trifled with. Religious people are not by any means immune. It destroys lives and ministries. There is a natural attraction, but lust feeds on that. Lust looks for the purpose of being aroused. Lust not only belittles the target of the look, but it also reduces the looker to an animal.

The internet has turned this generation into lust addicts. While sex without relationship has been a problem for centuries, today it is epidemic. The very technology which promises to connect our world as never before is disconnecting us.

Jesus taught his disciples that love has two enemies: hate and lust. He taught them to respond quickly to an attack in either area. He advised them to take back control over any body part that has surrendered to lust. Even mutilation is to be preferred over surrender to lust’s control.

LORD, we confess to allowing lust to control us. Forgive us, and give us the courage to take our lives back from this enemy.

Posted in purity, sexuality | Tagged | Leave a comment

Only one Abram

Posted on December 28, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

122813

Genesis 11:14-26

14 After Shelah had lived 30 years, he fathered Eber.

15 then Shelah lived after he fathered Eber 403 years and had other sons and daughters. 16 After Eber had lived 34 years, he fathered Peleg.

17 then Eber lived after he fathered Peleg 430 years and had other sons and daughters. 18 After Peleg had lived 30 years, he fathered Reu.

19 then Peleg lived after he fathered Reu 209 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 After Reu had lived 32 years, he fathered Serug.

21 then Reu lived after he fathered Serug 207 years and had other sons and daughters. 22 After Serug had lived 30 years, he fathered Nahor.

23 then Serug lived after he fathered Nahor 200 years and had other sons and daughters. 24 After Nahor had lived 29 years, he fathered Terah.

25 the Nahor lived after he fathered Terah 119 years and had other sons and daughters. 26 After Terah had lived 70 years, he fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran. _________________________________________

Only one Abram

Why did the LORD wait so many generations before blessing the world with his unique relationship with Abram? We know little of all the ancestors who came before him. The focus of the Bible’s message is on Abram, and those who follow him in flesh and in faith. It could be that many of those whose names are listed in this genealogy will share eternity with us, but the message the LORD wants us to learn comes from the life of Abram – Abraham.

We would like to believe that our children’s walk with the LORD will be influenced greatly by us, but the fact is that the LORD himself will determine their role in his plan. Ours is but to do what we can, and pray, and trust God to make them the unique person he wills them to be.

LORD, we give our posterity into your hands.

Posted in Abraham, evangelism, plan of God, prayer, trust | Tagged | 1 Comment

Befriend quickly

Posted on December 27, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

122713

Matthew 5:21-26

21 “You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You should not murder; and whoever murders might experience judgment.’

22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will experience judgment; whoever insults his brother will appear before the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will burn up in Gehenna’s fire.

23 So if you are contributing your gift at the altar and when there you remember that your brother has something against you,

24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your gift.

25 Befriend your accuser quickly while you are going with him to court, so your accuser will not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.

26 I honestly tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last quadrans.[1]

_________________________________________

Befriend quickly

The scribes and Pharisees had played around with the subject of anger, suggesting that people could entertain evil thoughts in their hearts as long as they did not let it go too far, and lead to murder. Jesus taught his disciples to take anger seriously. Nothing is more important that reconciliation. Even a worship gift to God must be abandoned at the temple and a disciple must rush to seek forgiveness and reconciliation. Anger is not to be trifled with.

This generation is adept at making enemies. We polarize at every opportunity, and quickly draw a line in the sand. We need to take Jesus seriously. He warns us all that any angry thought, no matter how minute, leads to judgment. Left unchecked, anger will lead us all to hell. It is destructive now, leading to broken relationships and lost lives. It will lead many to destruction in Gehenna.

LORD, we love making enemies. Teach us how to turn our enemies into friends, before our anger destroys them and us.

[1] A quadrans was a Roman coin made of copper, and worth very little.

Posted in anger, destruction in hell, discipleship, enemies | Tagged | Leave a comment

The language barrier

Posted on December 26, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

122613

Genesis 11:1-13

1 Now the whole land had one language and used the same words.

2 And as people set out from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.

3 And they said every man to his friend, “Come, let us make bricks, and bake them completely.” So they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar.

4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and let us make a name for ourselves, so we will not be scattered over the face of the whole land.”

5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.

6 And the LORD said, “See, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.

7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

8 So the LORD scattered them from there over the face of all the land, and they stopped building the city.

9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the land. And from there the LORD scattered them over the face of all the land. 10 These are the generations of Shem. When Shem was 100 years old (two years after the flood) he fathered Arpachshad.

11 And Shem lived after he fathered Arpachshad 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

12 When Arpachshad had lived 35 years, he fathered Shelah.

13 And Arpachshad lived after he fathered Shelah 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

_________________________________________

The language barrier

The nations gathered together in a city and proposed a building project.  God’s expressed will was for them to scatter over the face of the whole earth.  They would not do that.  They wanted the security of unity and numbers. They wanted to accomplish something great for themselves. So, God purposely changed their language so that their differences would do what their unity would not.

LORD, give us a unity that honors you, not ourselves.

Posted in judgment, sovereignty of God, unity | Tagged | 1 Comment

Greater uprightness

Posted on December 25, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

122513

Matthew 5:17-20

17 “Do not think that I have come to eliminate the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to eliminate them but to carry them out.

18 Because, I honestly tell you, until the sky and land pass away, not an bit, not a dot, will be eliminated from the Law until all of it is carried out.

19 Therefore whoever ignores one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom from the sky, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom from the sky.

20 Because I tell you, unless your uprightness is greater than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom from the sky. _________________________________________

Greater uprightness

The scribes and Pharisees were supposed to be the super religious. People thinking themselves upright before God compared themselves to scribes or Pharisees. They set the standard. Jesus blew his disciples away when he told them that these super religious were actually substandard. Anyone hoping to be in his kingdom (due to come down from the sky) would have to be more upright than a scribe or Pharisee.

Jesus implied that the scribes and Pharisees had ignored the implications of some of the Bible, and taught others to do the same. A relationship with God comes through listening to the instructions found in his word (which the Torah taught), and getting back in touch with what God wants (which the prophets taught). By living a righteous life, we can light the world with God’s light. The Bible is the standard of that righteousness.

LORD, enable us to stay true to the Bible, and allow us to use it as you intended, as a means of strengthening our relationship with you.

Posted in Bible, discipleship, relationship with God | Tagged | Leave a comment