Habakkuk 1:13

{Your} eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness {with favor.} Why do You look with favor On those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up Those more righteous than they?

God has a plan for everything. He knows what it is He wishes to accomplish and what it takes to accomplish that. Habakkuk is a great example of this. Habakkuk calls out to God for judgment upon the Jews. So many of them had become evil forfieting justice that Habakkuk had a hard time watching it all. He wanted God to put them in their place. They deserved punishment, and he called upon the Lord to bring it.

     Much to Habakkuk’s suprise, God already had a plan for these evil men to punished. He was going to bring the Chaldeans over and they would execute His judgment. Habakkuk was completely taken aback by this. He could not believe that God would allow the Chaldeans to have rule over the Jews. The Jews were wicked, no doubt,  but they were still a far cry from the Chaldeans.

In response to Habakkuk’s outcry God tells him that he will just have to trust in God. Many times we look at the world around us and we see evil men prevading the land. We wonder when God will execute judgment. Sometimes when He does we question His method. Yet we have to remember that we do not know as much as He does. We just have to submit and trust His judgment. If we will do so, God will deliver us safely to our heavenly abode.

{Your} eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness {with favor.} Why do You look with favor On those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up Those more righteous than they?

1 Corinthians 15:17

and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

     Christianity is distinct from many religions in the world in that it bases itself off the claim of an historical event. That event is the resurrection. Paul tells them in 1 Corinthians 15 that Jesusis risen from the dead and that there are many witnesses for them to authenticate the claim. The resurrection is what proves that Jesus was who He said He was.

     The historical fact of the resurrection is vital to Christianity. From it we base everything, since it proves to us Jesus spoke the truth. If the resurrection is not true, then as Paul says everything that we have believed is in vain. The Bible is just a story and the directives given by the Apostles are just helpful suggestions that can be taken if it suits you. The resurrection is vital to our faith, and we need to treat it as such.

     Aside from the apologetic concerns mentioned above, the resurrection also sends a very powerful message. Through the resurrection Jesus overcame death. He proved that there is life after death and that dying is indeed temporary. He is the firstborn of the resurrection, which means that we will follow in His footsteps. While the resurrection is indeed the basis of our faith, it also the basis of our hope. It shows that God is indeed ruler over all, and that if we obey Him, we too will be risen from the dead.

and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

Acts 5:41

So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for {His} name.

     Pride is a nasty problem for many people. It causes them to act with reckless abandon. I makes them give up friendships and family members that once were considered crucial. They have a desire to be right all the time. They also want to be the best. Even more than being the best, they want everyone to know it. Yet as Christians, people soon find out that pride and Christianity do not mix.

     In fact, it is impossible for us to be the best Christian and have pride in our life. This is ironic considering that many people’s desire to improve themselves as Christians is to stroke their ego. They want to be the best. Unfortunately, we need to take stock of what it means to be the best. Peter and John had an odd barometer of success. Do you know what told them that they were being good, strong Christians? The fact that they were being persecuted. Can you imagine? “How was your day Peter?” “Pretty good, got flogged today!”

     We need to remember that being a Christian is not about vanity or glory. It is not about making ourselves look good or being part of an important social group. It is about one thing and one thing only: serving God. And that is the essence of humility. We serve God. The apostles did not get a preverse pleasure out of pain. Instead it was that they knew the pain was in service to God. They were willing to do anything and everything to serve Him. That was what made them worthy. Are you willing to do the same?

So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for {His} name.

Romans 1:8

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.

     Paul pays the Romans one of the greatest compliments that could ever be paid to an assembly of believers. He tells them first of all that he is thankful for them. It always nice to be appreciated and to know someone is glad that you are who you are. So his appreciation for them is a compliment in and of itself. It becomes even greater when you see why he is thankful for them: because of their faith.

     This is high praise indeed coming from a man who has faith so strong that he would devote his entire life to preaching the gospel despite persecution at every turn. Paul tells them that it is their faith he is thankful for. Apparantly he is not the only one who has noticed either. Paul also mentions that their faith is an example throughout the world. People were actually talking about the Romans, saying things like, “Those Christians in Rome have great faith. It is amazing what they have gone through and yet they have still stayed strong.”

     We too can be an example of faith. Granted, our intention is to never make our faith external only. It would be wrong for us to be all about appearance. That is what the Pharisees did. Nor should we desire great faith to stroke our own ego. However, if we are of great faith, we are an example to others. We are a source of encouragement in their times of weakness. They know that following God is possible because brother so-and-so has already paved the way. We should aspire to have a faith that encourages and uplifts other, not for our own benefit, but so that we can glorify God both to the world and to the church.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.

1 Peter 1:8

and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

     Emotions are amazingly powerful. They can cause us to do incredible feats that we never thought possible. They can also lead us to folly we never thought we would wallow in. When we have such strong emotions, we realize that it is difficult to comprehend them, much less explain them. We can try to tell people how we feel, yet our explanations fall so short of what we are experiencing that our words sound hollow to our own ears.

     While emotions are incredibly powerful, we need to understand that they need to be kept in check. Emotions are not a means but an end. Many times we think that we have to feel a certain way in order to do our jobs, love our spouses, serve God, etc. This is not so. Instead, if we act a certain way, emotions are sure to follow. With what Peter talks about, faith is what brings about joy. Even though we do not see Christ now, we know that He is coming and He is God. With that knowledge and trust comes joy.

     As Christians, we need to be reminded that our faith should bring us joy. Sometimes we take our minds off of how greatly God has blessed and how greatly He has promised to bless us. We get bogged down in mire of day to day life. We start to think of righteousness as a job, not a gift. In these times we should examine our faith. Do we trust that God has made us holy? Do we believe we will go to heaven with Him? If we truly do, and if we truly contemplate what all that means, it should give us a joy that is literally indescribable.

and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

2 Thessalonians 3:13

But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.

      In 2 Kings 5, there is a story about the Syrian king Namaan. He was inflicted with leprousy which was a terrible disease. A maidservant from Israel told him about the great prophet Elisha. Elisha told him that he needed to go to the Jordan river and dip himself in the water seven times in order to be healed. Naaman balked at this, thinking the task was too simple, and was confused why it had to be the dirty, ugly Jordan river. His servants convince him to do as the prophet says, and once Namaan obey, the leprosy was removed.

     It is interesting to note that Naaman was told to dip in the water seven times. With God’s power, surely one would have sufficed. Yet this was not the command given. Men of lesser faith might have come short of the instructed seven. After the fifth dipping, having noted no change, they would have said, “This is stupid.” They would have left the river, not realizing how close they were to the healing power of God.

    This happens all the time to Christians today. They start following the commands of God for a little bit, but then they get tired. The results that they expected from the promises of the Bible are not immediate. Seeing no progress after the metaphorical fifth dip, they lose hope and say that God’s commands are unworthy of their time. Sadly they too are so close to achieving what they desired, to seeing the power of God working in their lives. We must make sure that we follow all of God’s commands and not quit in the middle. Otherwise we will be sorry when we discover what we missed out on.

But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.

1 Samuel 17:37

And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the LORD be with you.”

     The story of David and Goliath is used so often today that at times it tarnishes the meaning. Think about how many times it is used pertaining to sports. Sometimes it is used when two athletes of varying size compete, which at least has some relevance. Often times, though, it is used for a team that supposedly outmatches the other in every area. It has been relegated to a story of long odds.

     It would be dangerous to think that just any common day situation, especially sports, is equivalant to David and Goliath. It is not as if David out hustled Goliath. It’s not as though David had a few lucky bounces go his way. Instead it was the power of the almighty God that brought victory. David’s faith in the Lord was truly the key. Had he relied on his own power, he would have surely lost. Yet by leaning on the strength of the Lord, David was able to overcome. This is vastly different than how must people use the story today.

     As Christians we can take hope in David’s victory. We do have a similar situation ourselves. We have an intimidating enemy as well. That enemy is Satan. He is walking about as a roaring lion, trying to devour us. If we were to rely on our own strength, there is no doubt that we would fail. Yet we do not have to trust ourselves. We can be like David and trust in the Lord to help us overcome. Like David, we still have to face the enemy and fight. But if we realize that we have God’s power on our side, we have the assurance of victory.

 And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the LORD be with you.”

Isaiah 57:10

You were tired out by the length of your road, {Yet} you did not say, ‘It is hopeless.’ You found renewed strength, Therefore you did not faint.

     In this passage, the Lord is condemning the people of Israel for their adulterous nature. Yet it is not that they commit adultery against their wives. Instead they were committing adultery against God. They would go and serve idols. Yet even with idols it sometimes became difficult to serve. God noticed their determination to serve these other gods. Somehow they found the will power to keep moving, to keep doing what their “god” had laid out for them.

     This is one of those Old Testament scriptures that can easily fit us today. It is amazing the strength with which some people hold on to sin. It may be the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, or the pride of life, but they cling to it. They refuse to let it go. No matter how much it hurts them or the people around them, the maintain the course and follow sin. It is quite sad to see. Not only that but it is also sad to see the strength with which people will use in physical pursuits. These battles that mean very little in the long wrong are the focus of people’s lives.

     Even sadder is when someone focuses on these things and yet never put even that much effort into their walk of God. As we read this passage, we should say, “Oh may my faith be that strong!” Yet the passage actually refers to the faith that people have in the wrong things. We need to look at what we are putting our energy to. We need to see what it is that we refuse to give up. And above all, we need to make sure that we have the mindset of perserverance in serving God rather than sin.

You were tired out by the length of your road, {Yet} you did not say, ‘It is hopeless.’ You found renewed strength, Therefore you did not faint.

1 Corinthians 12:9

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

     So much of our lives consist of avoiding are weaknesses. Think about all the time that we spend trying to maintain the image of strength. A great example is what happens to me at the gym sometimes. I go in to work. As I go over to grab my tiny ten pound weights, I see this huge football player curling fifties. I decide that I would be better of working on the elliptical machine. After all, it would be embarassing for me to go over there and struggle with my puny weights in front of him.

     The irony of the situation is that I am actually making myself weaker. What I should do is go over there and lift the weights. Instead of spending time improving my weakness so I may one day lift fifty pounds, I go and focus on the things that I am already good at. I get so involved in trying to look strong that I do not spend time actually trying to make myself strong. This irony extends to our every day lives when we give up improving ourselves for the false image of perfection.

     Instead of that attitude, like Paul we should bask in our weakness. We rejoice not because of a perverse attitude toward strength, but for a chance to show the glory of our God. When we are weak, we have another opportunity to rely on the Lord. It is a chance for our faith to grow. And it allows us to prove that without a doubt Paul was speaking the truth when he said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). If instead of trying to pretend we are strong we turn our weaknesses over to God, He will help us overcome.

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

Psalm 61:2

From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

     I often go on many road trips. However, to say that my car is less than reliable would be a huge understatement. My bumper and battery cables are held on by zip ties, so you can probably imagine the condition of my car. One of the things that I appreciate about my trips is that I know people from where I start, where I end, and even some who live in the middle. All of them have expressed to me that if I ever have any car trouble that they are just a phone call away and they will do whatever they can to help.

     It is a safe feeling to know that you have friends who you can call on to help. It gives us a sense of security. It should also be encouraging for us that we have such a relationship with God. God is a friend to those who are seeking a better country (Heb. 11:16). He also lets us know that we can call on Him if we ever need anything. The best part is that He is never in a meeting. We do not have to worry if His cell phone ran out of batter. He is availabe at any time and any place.

     It is even better when we realize just who it is that we are calling on. I have friends that would do anything they could to help me. Yet their ability pales in comparison to that of the Creator of the universe. God has more power than any of us could possibly understand or imagine. He can do things in our lives that we would have never thought possible. It is truly a comfort for those who are following Him to know that not only is He always available, He also has the power to meet our needs in every way. 

From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.