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An issue that humanity has struggled with probably since the beginning of time is: "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Many well intentioned Christians ask this question without realizing that the Bible says: "None is righteous, no, not one;" (Romans 3:10). In fact, Jesus said that "no one is good except God alone" (Mark 10:18).
When we ask why bad things happen to good people, we're implying that the one who is going through trials did nothing to deserve the bad thing. They were living exactly the way they should and therefore, there is no justification for why life got tough. If we hold to this view, we give humanity far too much credit. All of us struggle with sin ... every day.
So, why do bad things happen to folks who are at least striving to live a righteous life? Well, there are a number of reasons: First, we live in a broken, sinful world and bad things just happen. Second, we are sometimes at the mercy of other sinful people who make choices that affect us. Third, we make personal choices that have negative consequences. This list could go on and on.
But, in the book of Job, we see yet another reason. In fact, the book begins by making it clear that Job's troubles weren't brought on by any sinful activity he engaged in. Job 1:1 says, "There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil." And yet, his world was about to turn upside down. His children would be killed and all of his possessions destroyed or stolen. The only thing he would have left was his life and a wife who would tell him to curse God and die (Job 2:9). And the Bible makes it clear that it was not brought on by sin.
So, why did this happen? Throughout the book, Job's "friends" came up with all sorts of reasons for why his life took a turn for the worse. However, they weren't privy to the conversation that God had with Satan in the first two chapters of the book of Job.
Essentially, the conversation was over how loyal Job was to God. God was proud of Job (see Job 1:8) and held him in high regard. Satan, on the other hand, believed that God's followers were wimps and would curse Him when life got tough (Job 1:9-11). The challenge began in Job 1:12 when God told Satan: "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand."
Why did Job's life get tough? Was it because he simply lived in a broken world? Nope. Was it because of his sin or someone else's sin? Nope. It was a cosmic battle that focused upon whether or not he would remain loyal to his God when life got tough.
Hmmm. I wonder if this sort of 'back and forth' with God and Satan still takes place. I wonder if it has happened to you or me. I wonder if we glorified God in the trial or we gave Satan a reason to laugh in victory. I just wonder...
To view the sermon, click here.
As Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God, He told a parable about a master who entrusted a large sum of money to his servants. After doing so, he went away into a far country. The bulk of this parable has to do with when the master came back and called his servants to give an account for how they had managed and increased his wealth.
This parable speaks volumes about the Judgment Day each of us will experience as we stand for Jesus and have to give an account for how we spent our short life here on planet Earth.
If you've ever thoughtfully read through the book of Acts, you cannot help but realize that while many contemporary churches are plateaued or dying, the church in Acts was characterized by phenomenal growth and influence.
They began with a group of about 120 believers (Acts 1:15).
By Acts 2, they swelled in growth to over 3,000 (Acts 2:41).
By Acts 17, we read that they were credited with literally "turning the world upside down" (Acts 17:6).
So, what did they have that we don't? Not a thing.
What did they do that we don't do? Better question! They prayed!
Before you throw up a wall and say that you and your congregation pray a lot (there are certainly believers and churches who do even though they are few and far between), we both know that prayer meetings are sparsely attended. Folks will show up to all sorts of other events at their church but when a prayer meeting is called, the crowds are usually very, very small - at least relatively speaking in regard to attendance at other meetings.
Even in the worship services the folks attend, there is very little time dedicated to prayer. This is in spite of the fact that when Jesus entered the place of worship in Jerusalem, He said, "It is written: 'My house shall be called a house of prayer.'" Now, there are a TON of things that legitimately happen in places of worship. Yet, in mentioning only prayer, Jesus clearly pointed to its priority. It MUST be first and foremost.
The growth of the Kingdom and the power of God surging throw believers and churches is what will happen when we take prayer as seriously as did the first century church. It is yet to be seen in this perilous time in our country and world if churches will take up this activity and once again receive the power to impact our world for Christ.
Here are the references to prayer in the book of Acts:
Acts 1:14 “All these with one accord
were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother
of Jesus, and his brothers.”
Acts 1:24 “And they prayed and said, ‘You,
Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen’”
Acts 2:42 “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching
and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
Acts 3:1 “Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer,
the ninth hour.”
Acts 4:31 “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered
together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and
continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”
Acts 6:4 “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the
word.”
Acts 6:6 “These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their
hands on them.”
Acts 8:15 “who came down and prayed for them that they might
receive the Holy Spirit,”
Acts 8:22 “Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and
pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven
you.”
Acts 8:24 “And Simon answered, ‘Pray for me to the Lord, that
nothing of what you have said may come upon me.’”
Acts 9:11 “And the Lord said to him, ‘Rise and go to the street
called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul,
for behold, he is praying,’”
Acts 9:40 “But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and
prayed; and turning to the body he said, ‘Tabitha, arise.’ And she opened her
eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.”
Acts 10:1-2 “At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a
centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God
with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed
continually to God.”
Acts 10:4 “And he stared at him in terror and said, ‘What is it,
Lord?’ And he said to him, ‘Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a
memorial before God.’”
Acts 10:9 “The next day, as they were on their journey and
approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to
pray.”
Acts 10:30-31 “And Cornelius said, ‘Four days ago, about this hour, I
was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in
bright clothing and said, “Cornelius,
your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God.”’”
Acts 11:5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I
saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from
heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me.”
Acts 12:5 “So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for
him was made to God by the church.”
Acts 12:12 “When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary,
the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together
and were praying.”
Acts 13:3 “Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands
on them and sent them off.”
Acts 14:23 “And when they had appointed elders for them in every
church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they
had believed.”
Acts 16:13 “And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the
riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and
spoke to the women who had come together.”
Acts 16:16 “As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met
by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain
by fortune-telling.”
Acts 16:25 “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing
hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,”
Acts 20:36 “And when he had said these things, he knelt down and
prayed with them all.”
Acts 21:5 “When our days there were ended, we departed and went
on our journey, and they all, with wives and children, accompanied us until we
were outside the city. And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed”
Acts 22:17 “When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in
the temple, I fell into a trance”
Acts 27:29 “And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let
down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come.”
Acts 28:8 “It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with
fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on
him healed him.”
In this morning’s Bible reading, I came across a pretty fascinating story. In short, many of the Israelites who had been in Assyrian/Babylonian captivity were allowed to go back to Israel to rebuild.
In Ezra 3:10, it tells us specifically that “…the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD…” Simply stated, Solomon’s temple had been destroyed about 50 years earlier but a new replacement was being constructed.
However, we notice something very interesting in Ezra 3:11-12. Notice the two very different ways that the Israelites responded when the foundation of the temple was laid and they observed it...
“… And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy,”.
Did you get that? The young people were excited. They shouted for joy. Yet, the older folks wept. The text tells us why. The ones who wept were the “old men who had seen the first house.”
What’s going on here? Why are the young people shouting for joy and the older folks weeping?
Because this new temple was all the young folks knew. They had never seen Solomon’s temple. They just knew that they were experiencing the building of a new place of worship and they were excited.
Yet, the older folks wept because they “had seen the first house.” They had seen Solomon’s temple in all of its glory. It was massive. It was beautiful. God’s visible presence had been in that temple. So had been the Ark of the Covenant. In fact, Solomon’s temple reminded them of when Israel’s power and prestige were at its climax. Everything was going right for Israel and the temple, arguably one of the greatest wonders of the world at that time, spoke of the glory of Israel and of Israel’s God.
But, some 50 years after Solomon’s temple was destroyed, the older folks looked at this new temple’s foundation. They realized it was smaller, much smaller. The Ark of the Covenant was gone. God’s presence seemed strangely absent. The beauty of this new temple would pale in comparison to what they had seen before. The glory was gone. That’s why they wept. Their hearts longed for what once was but was no longer.
Application:
In today’s church culture, there are many worshippers that leave our church worship services with joy. They speak of the wonderful music or the great preaching/teaching. They enjoy the time to fellowship with their church family of friends. They are excited about what they experienced.
Yet, there is another group of worshippers who react differently. Either in their own individual lives or in a church setting, they’ve experienced God in times of revival. They have seen God move so powerfully that they were left with lasting memories of what He did. God became more real to them than they ever imagined. They experienced God’s power and glory and long to experience it again. Yet, they see the absence of that power today and they “weep.”
Those who haven’t been in a time of revival don’t know that something more, something better exists … so they enjoy what they’ve got. Yet, there are those who see how far we have fallen and long for God to move again.
Yet, while Solomon’s temple was gone forever never to return, God’s glory just might yet be experienced again! God is waiting on us! He has given us instruction on how to prepare revival. It is yet to be seen whether we will act on it.
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
At sundown this evening, the holiest day of the Jewish year begins. It's called Yom Kippur. In Bible times, it was called "The Day of Atonement" and is explained in Leviticus 16.
In a nutshell, this day was the only day of the year in which the High Priest was able to enter the Holy of Holies (where God's glory was visibly present) in the tabernacle/temple. On this day, he would enter with the blood of an animal that had been killed and sprinkle that blood upon the Mercy Seat (the lid over the Ark of the Covenant). This act did not forgive the sins of the people so much as it pushed the sins forward one more year until these sins were forever atoned for by Jesus on the cross as our ultimate Passover Lamb.
Why blood and why on the Mercy Seat?...
In my Bible reading this morning, I read how Solomon brought the Ark of the Covenant into the newly constructed temple in Jerusalem. It was noted that one item still remained in the Ark of the Covenant hidden by the Mercy Seat...
"There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses put there at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of Egypt." (2 Chronicles 5:10).
On those "two tablets" were written the Ten Commandments. Those ten laws condemned everyone of us!
Don't think so?
Have you ever told a lie? Then you've broken the 9th commandment.
Have you ever been angry at someone? Then you've broken the 6th commandment (Jesus equated anger with murder in Matthew 5:21-22).
Have you ever lusted? Then you've broken the 7th commandment (Jesus equated lust with adultery in Matthew 5:28).
We could keep going but you get the point.
As God's presence rested over the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies and He looked into the Ark, He saw the Ten Commandments. Those were a reminder that all of humanity had violated His most holy laws. The offense was so great that it demanded a death sentence. Someone/something had to die for our grievous offenses against a holy God!
So, resting between God's presence and the laws that condemned us was the Mercy Seat. And on that Mercy Seat was sprinkled the blood of an innocent animal once each year. The blood of that animal was shed as a substitute. The animal's life was taken in place of the guilty people.
The ultimate Lamb that was slain that did away with all other sacrifices was Jesus. It was in
this way that we could come into right relationship with God. He couldn't do away with His holy laws. But, He found a way to uphold His laws while making us right with Him.
That is the beauty of the Day of Atonement and of the Cross. In these two, God maintained His holy standard and upheld His laws while at the same time made it possible for us to be completely forgiven and brought into relationship with Him because a substitute took our death sentence.
OK! This is just too cool! I don’t have enough time to really flesh this thought out but here’s my best attempt…
I was reading in 1 Chronicles 21 this morning picking up where I left off from yesterday’s reading. Because of David’s sin of numbering the men who could fight in his army (probably it was the sin of trusting in his own military might rather than the might of the Lord), God sent a plague upon the Israelites and 70,000 men died.
We are told where the angel of death stopped as the Lord relented of the calamity He had brought upon the people. Listen to 1 Chronicles 21:15 – “And God sent the angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but as he was about to destroy it, the LORD saw, and he relented from the calamity. And he said to the angel who was working destruction, ‘It is enough; now stay your hand.’ And the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.”
King David rushed to that very sight and spoke with Ornan. Listen to what he said: “And David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of the threshing floor that I may build on it an altar to the LORD - give it to me at its full price - that the plague may be averted from the people.” So, it was at that site that David built and altar so that the plague that led to death was stopped because of the slaughter of an innocent animal upon the altar.
Hold that thought.
Fast forward to 2 Chronicles 3. In this chapter, we read that Solomon was about the work of building the temple of God. But, 2 Chronicles 3:1 gives us the exact street address of the temple. Listen: “Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.” Did you get that?! The temple was built at the very place that David had offered up the sacrifice to stop the plague that led to death. How incredible is that?
But, we’re not finished.
It is in that last verse that we get another piece of information regarding the location of the temple. It was in Jerusalem, of course. But it also mentions that it was on Mount Moriah. Does that ring a bell? Think Genesis 22. Remember the story of how God told Abraham to take his son to a predetermined location and offer him as a sacrifice (Also remember that Isaac never died. That was never God’s intent. God wanted to kill Abraham’s self-life, not Isaac.). Remember how instead of Isaac, God provided a lamb to be sacrificed in Isaac’s place? Where did this happen? Read Genesis 22:1-2 – “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’” One of the “mountains” in “the land of Moriah.” It doesn’t take any stretch of the imagination to believe that this was the same sight that David offered a sacrifice to avert death and Solomon built a temple where sacrifices were offered to push back sin and death.
But fast forward to the Gospels. Where was Jesus condemned to death as our substitute? Where was he pronounced "guilty" before he made His way to Golgotha? It was in the temple ... on the sight where throughout history, God had provided a sacrificial animal/Lamb to take the place of the guilty.
Is it, therefore, any wonder why the temple mountain in Jerusalem is so precious? It was Ground Zero where the death of a substitute was offered so that the guilty could go free!
I came across an interesting verse in my Bible reading this morning. 1 Chronicles 21:1 says: "Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel." This verse simply states that the sin that David committed of numbering his army and thus depending upon his military might (that results in the death of many Israelites) was caused by Satan. I suppose he could have literally said, "The devil made me do it."
Or could he?
In 1 Chronicles 21:17, David doesn't blame Satan. He takes full responsibility when it says: "And David said to God, 'Was it not I who gave command to number the people? It is I who have sinned and done great evil...'"
So, was it Satan or was it David that caused this sin? Well, before we answer that question, let's look at one more verse...
This same story is retold in 2 Samuel 24:1 where it says: "Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, 'Go, number Israel and Judah.'"
So, David claims he was the one who committed the sin. Yet, we also read that Satan moved David to sin. Further, we read that God's anger was directed at David and thus He moved David to number the people and receive the consequences.
Honestly, when I try to figure out who was to 'blame' for David's sin, I'm left dumbfounded. I feel like a kindergarten student looking at a college level calculus equation. I can't understand it ... but that doesn't mean that the equation is not true.
It is in this same way that we are to understand how God works in our world and our lives. Some affirm mankind's freedom to make his own choices (which I do) while others hang out on the other side and affirm God's freedom to make His choices (which I also do). These truths do not cancel out each other. Simply because we do not understand the equation doesn't mean it isn't true.
So, what are we to make of James 1:13-15 where we are told that God doesn't tempt us?
If we look carefully at James 1:13-15, we may read between the lines and understand what issues James may have been addressing. Apparently, there were folks who were excusing their sin by saying, “I was tempted by God!” James quickly tosses that argument out by saying that God isn’t tempted nor does He tempt anyone.
Yet, James is not saying that God doesn’t send difficulties into our lives (see James 1:2-4). God even sends things into our lives that will lead to sin (e.g. Jesus sent the Apostles into the Garden of Gethsemane where they slept instead of prayed and then ran like cowards when Jesus was forcibly taken). God sends good things and bad things our way. His desire is that we always take the escape hatch referenced in 1 Corinthians 10:13 but some folks will not take the escape hatch and will sin.
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13 - English Standard Version)
One essential ingredient of temptation is a sinful heart (James 1:14-15). Without it, nothing at all would be tempting. (Imagine someone who has just stuffed themselves with a Thanksgiving dinner. Further, imagine that someone puts a sinfully delicious pie in front of them. It’s NOT going to be a temptation because that person has no desire whatsoever for the pie. Something is a temptation ONLY when it is met with sinful desires.)
It is in that way that we are to understand that God does not tempt us. Does He allow difficulties to come our way? Of course. Otherwise, how could He make the promise of Romans 8:28? Does He allow sinful opportunities to come our way? Of course. He could keep them from us but sometimes, He doesn’t. Yet, His desire in those times of trial is that we grow from the experience (James 1:2-4 again) and take the 1 Corinthians 10:13 escape hatch. Yet, sending things our way does not constitute temptation. Temptation only occurs when we meet the things God sends our way with a sinful heart.
But there is another principle that is activated in the stories of Pharaoh and David (and many more in Scripture) that I referenced above. I addressed it in a recent sermon. It's the principle that is illustrated in Romans 1:18-32. When God's patience has been exhausted and His wrath becomes evident, it is sometimes manifested in the removal of His protective hand to allow a person or a nation to continue down a sinful path that they are intent on traversing. Pharaoh was insistent that he would reject any notion of an Israelite exodus so God gave him over to that option. David was insistent on numbering the people so God's wrath gave him the ability to exercise that option and experience the negative consequences.
To view this sermon, click here.
Tithing is rarely ever a popular topic to preach on. Yet, a true follower of Christ recognizes that if He is to have all of our hearts, He must also have our wallets.
This sermon tackles the issue of tithing by talking about what it is and why it is such a vital part of a Christ-follower's life. This sermon ends with four benefits that will be experienced by every believer who engages in this discipline.
In the biblical book of Numbers 21:4-9, the story is told of how the Israelites complained against the Lord's care for them. In response, the Lord sent 'fiery serpents among the people' so that some of them died. Moses was told to build a bronze pole with a bronze serpent upon it and when the people looked on it, they would be healed (our medical culture has kept this picture - ever noticed the snake on a pole icon on the exterior of many ambulances?).
In John 3, as Jesus conversed with a curious Nicodemus, He referred to that bronze pole. He said: 'And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life' (John 3:14-15). Just as the bronze pole was the object that people looked upon for salvation, so now is the object of our salvation Jesus upon the cross.
Yet, that bronze pole is mentioned in another place in Scripture. As I spent time in God's Word this morning, I came across 2 Kings 18:4 where it tells how King Hezekiah '...broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it..." The bronze serpent was never intended to be the object of worship like Jesus. It was simply to be used on that one occasion for people to gaze upon and be healed. Yet, humanity once again distorted the act of worship and worshipped the created things rather than the Creator.
Do you think we aren't plagued with this today? Think again. The reason why so many churches are dying (many of them need to) is because those showing up for 'worship' are more focused upon the created thing than the Creator. I could go into great detail but the root problem is this: God is not moving powerfully in many of our churches these days and not too many folks are bothered by that fact. We read the book of Acts and see how those few Christians turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6) and then look at our present church culture and fail to see the disconnect. Yet, too few believers are actually praying for God to change this. Sunday after Sunday, folks are content to show up and go through the motions (worshipping worship) rather than crave to experience and obey God (worshipping God). As long as the song leader sings our favorite songs and the sermon doesn't make us too uncomfortable and the seats/pews are reasonably comfortable, etc., we'll go away happy that we've 'worshipped.'
I'm thinking that some things need to die (much like Moses destroyed the bronze pole) but then we would really get people ticked. I wonder if the Israelites got ticked when Moses destroyed the bronze pole...
It seems to me that if you really boil it down, the difference between faith and wishful thinking is: “Ultimately, who are our eyes focused upon?” With faith, our eyes are clearly fixed upon the Lord. With wishful thinking, our eyes are fixed upon I/me/my/mine. Faith focuses upon the things of the Spirit. Wishful thinking focuses upon the things of the flesh.
Regarding Joel Olsteen and those who teach the prosperity Gospel, it seems to me that any lost person would absolutely enjoy that message and never be offended by anything they say. This is in spite of the fact that Paul told the Corinthians that the Gospel is by its very nature offensive (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). Their message is geared toward satisfying the flesh/natural life/who we were before we were saved. Ultimately, it seems that they try to answer the question: “How can I be happy, fulfilled, prosperous, healthy, etc.” In contrast, a true follower of Christ will ask: “How can I live in such a way that I glorify God.” Christ-followers benefit in all sorts of ways as a result of following God and glorifying Him but this isn’t our ultimate aim.
So, with that being said, I believe that determining whether something is an act of faith or simply wishful thinking could be clarified by asking questions much like these:
- Is my heart focused upon God’s glory? Is my ultimate aim my own pleasure and happiness or is it to show others just how incredible my God is?
- Is there some Scripture that I can rest my faith upon? Faith is not work. It is restful. It simply rests upon a promise/precept of God and says, “God, You have said this in Your Word. I’m just trusting that You will do what You said You are going to do.”
- Is my heart seeking first God’s kingdom and righteousness? Is what I am trusting God for going to further God’s rule and reign on planet Earth and will it help others along on their road to Christ-likeness.
- Is my heart cleansed from sin? The Bible says that if I regard sin in my heart, the Lord won’t hear me (Psalm 66:18). If I have any expectation of getting what I am asking for, I must be “repented/confessed up.”
- Is my heart broken before God? This simply means that my “self-life” has died and I am fully dependent upon my Heavenly Father. My wants and desires are aligning up more and more with the wants and desires of my God. Only then am I capable of being trusted to ask God for the right things.
- Is my heart testifying with the Holy Spirit that this is something I should pray for? Is the Holy Spirit who resides inside every believer giving me peace about praying for a particular thing?
Did you know that God will often only bless us in proportion
to our faith?
Here is the biblical illustration: In 2 Kings 4:1-7, we come
across the story of a widow and her two children who were about to starve to
death. Her husband had died and she had no way to take care of herself. Elisha,
the prophet, told her to go to all of her neighbors and borrow empty jars.
After collecting as many as they desired, they were to shut their house door and
begin pouring oil out of her meager supply into the empty jars. When completed, she was to sell the full jars of oil and live on the proceeds. Miraculously, the only
jar of oil she had continued to fill all of the empty jars. When at last the
final borrowed, empty jar was filled, she asked for yet another and was told by her children
that there were no more. At that exact point, 2 Kings 4:6 says, “Then the oil
stopped flowing.” Who’s to say that if she hadn’t asked more neighbors for more jars that her
blessings would have been greater!
Jesus continued teaching this principle in His earthly
ministry:
- A Roman centurion pleaded with Jesus to heal his
servant. Matthew 8:13 says, “And to the centurion Jesus said, ‘Go; let it be
done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very
moment.’”
- Two blind men asked Jesus to heal them. Matthew
9:29 says, “Then he touched their eyes, saying, ‘According to your faith be it
done to you.’”
- A Canaanite woman pleaded with Jesus to heal her
demon-possessed daughter. Matthew 15:28 says, “Then Jesus answered her, ‘O
woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.’ And her daughter
was healed instantly.”
If God were to answer your prayers according to your faith,
would the answers be small and trivial or would they be ‘God-sized’ answered
prayers? Why not show how wonderful our God is (a.k.a. 'glorify Him') by asking in faith for ‘God-sized’
answers.
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An issue that humanity has struggled with probably since the beginning of time is: "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Many well intentioned Christians ask this question without realizing that the Bible says: "None is righteous, no, not one;" (Romans 3:10). In fact, Jesus said that "no one is good except God alone" (Mark 10:18).
