Our mindset as humans is constrained within time.  We are dependent upon consecutive moments in time that lead us to our aspirations, out of trials, through afflictions, etc.  When we pray to God, we often imagine Him as living within our world of time, and thereby, being constrained to the progression of time.  Perhaps we understand that God is eternal, which provokes us to give Him the honor he deserves through true worship.  Yet, I notice in my own life that this is not how I live.  But I do think that I stumbled upon a key to making certain truths and wider obedience a reality.  So with this post, I want to deliver some facts about the eternal characteristic of God and its practical implications.  I will be breaking apart the opening verses of Psalm 90 to help refine the points that I want to make.

“A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.  Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” – Psalm 90:1-2

Why do sinners keep sinning when they have an idea that they will meet God one day?  Why do Christians habitually sin when they know they will meet their creator one day?  We cannot answer this question until we realize that it is not “one day” that we are meeting God, but rather, today that we meet God.  God is eternal – He did not exist for an age, ages, or for a few days before creation.  God existed for an eternity before creation.  When there was no heaven, earth, angels, universe, etc. the trinity existed.  After this world is done, God will continue to exist for eternity.  This is why God called Himself “I Am” to Moses, when Moses asked for his name at the burning bush.  God does not say that His name is “I Was” or “I Will Be”.  God is “I Am” because He is from everlasting to everlasting.

Since God is eternal, He does not exist within time (aside from when God came down to Earth).  This means that before you were born, He knew you.  Before He created the Earth, the Earth was already renewed.  Before Eve ate the apple, God knew she was going to eat it.  If God is God, then every communicable and incommunicable characteristic of God is infinite, otherwise He is not God.  Therefore, if God is graceful, He is infinitely graceful.  If God is righteous, compassionate, sovereign, merciful, etc., then God is infinitely each of these.  If God is eternal, He is infinitely eternal.  Infinitely eternal is beyond any of our comprehensions, but I see this as a plurality of eternities that God must exist in.  That is how today (in our time), it is also simultaneously the day of creation, the day of Christ, and the day of judgment (in eternity).

“You turn man back into dust And say, “Return, O children of men.” For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it passes by, Or as a watch in the night.” – Psalm 90:3-4

Only we humans exist in time.  1000 years to us is nearly incomprehensible.  But to the infinitely eternal God, 1000 years is not even a blink of an eye!  Like both the good and the fallen angels, we too have a beginning and will continue to exist for eternity at our final destinations – whether heaven or hell.  Until eternity, we are dying and surrounded by others who are dying and within a world that also is dying.  This sounds very gloomy but as Christians, it shouldn’t be.  For our God is an eternal God that knew all the chapters of our existence before we existed.  Therefore, we can now understand the real meaning of what it means to “give it to God.”  Are you going through a trial?  Our God already knows when it will be over and we know that His will is good.  So give it to God, for He does not exist within time but is the Alpha and the Omega; infinitely eternal.

You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep; In the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew. In the morning it flourishes and sprouts anew; Toward evening it fades and withers away.” – Psalm 90:5-6

Have you ever been in a desert and have seen a new blade of grass that rises in the morning, has its moment mid-day by pointing tall and erect, and then withers away in the evening?  To an eternal God, that is man.  From the dust we came and to the dust we shall return.  To us within time, our death seems like a lifetime away (if blessed).  To an eternal God, we have already died.  Methuselah lived 969 years, but to God this too was equivalent to less than a blink of an eye.

Aside from the worship provoking implications that this understanding allows us to honor God with, the last practical use of this understanding comes from Psalm 90:12:

“So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”

It is not 100 years from now that we will be meeting God, but today.  Therefore, fear the Lord who is everlasting and sin no longer.  If we can learn to number our days, we will stop thinking of our judgment as being a lifetime away.  Rather, we will develop a mindset that will allow us to recognize our short existence and a mindset that will allow us to think eternally, or outside of time.  Perhaps this will give you a deeper fear of God that will help you to sin no longer.

-Mark

Aside from direct sin such as pride, adultery, drunkenness, etc. when can we also be living in sin?

“All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.”

1 John 5:16

As Christians, we will stumble from time to time and trip up here and there – less so as we strive harder and attain sanctification.  It is clear though that there is sin that we will be forgiven of and sin that we won’t be.  As an example, we all know of “Christians” that are jealous, impure, immoral, selfish, etc.  Paul speaks about these Christians as well:

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I did before that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Galatians 5:19-22

Therefore, if these people will not inherit the kingdom, they are not Christians and ultimately are participants of the sins which will lead to death.  These sins exist through habit and lack of repentance and become  a part of our lives and who we are until we sanctify and crucify our sinful nature with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24).

However, not all sin leads to death as John states.  John does not classify which sins are deadly and which are not.  But from Leviticus 4, God shows us a kind of sin that does not lead to death and can be atoned for: unintentional sin.  Take a look at the following verses:

Leviticus 4:2-3 “Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands – ‘If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the Lord a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.”

Leviticus 4:13-14 “If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, they are guilty.  When they become aware of the sin they committed, the assembly must bring a young bull as a sin offering and present it before the Tent of Meeting.”

Leviticus 4:22-23 “When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the Lord his God, he is guilty.  When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as his offering a male goat without defect.”

Leviticus 4:27-28 “If a member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, he is guilty.  When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as ahis offering for the sin he committed a female goat without defect.”

So the types of unintentional sins that can be atoned for in Leviticus 4 are:

1. The pastoral staff/priest commit a sin that causes the congregation to sin
2. The Church community sinning as a whole
3. When someone in a position of leadership sins within his institution
4. An unintentional sin due to lack of knowledge or an accident such as manslaughter

Leviticus 5:1-5 also lists some other unintentional sins that can be atoned for:

1. A person sins when he does not speak up and testify during a public charge
2. Touching anything that is ceremonially unclean, if you are unaware that it is
3. A careless oath/swear that you never realized you committed to because it was so careless

Since unintentional sins can be atoned for, we are forgiven once and for all because of the ultimate atoning sacrificial sin offering, Jesus Christ.  Therefore, unintentional sins are sins which we are not living in because we are unaware, lack a knowledge, or are simply careless.  These sins are atoned for through Christ.  The sins which lead to death if not repented of are sins that we are living in and as Paul states “the acts of the sinful nature are obvious.”  These sins are the sins that part us from God if we do not grow up in our salvation through sanctification.

-Mark

⁴But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

-Ephesians 2: 4 – 5

We all hear that we need grace and mercy but do we ever actually know what that means?  What exactly is grace and what exactly is mercy?

Grace is God giving to us what we don’t deserve and mercy is God with holding from us what we do deserve.

We are all in need of God’s grace AND mercy.  Mercy, though, can be a little tricky and misused.  This doesn’t mean you can do anything you want and not feel the repercussions of it.  It doesn’t mean you can blindly sin and get away with the consequences in this life.  It doesn’t mean you can go out and steal something while at work and think “oh well, God will have mercy on me and not have my Boss fire me because he caught me stealing.”

Many Christians raise their fists to God and cry out in an outburst when something like that happens.  Believe me, it happens.  See, what many people don’t realize, or the people that particularly believe in the pseudo-western-world-Disney Land-Christianity, is that God has set some rules.  In the Bible it clearly states, you reap what you sow.  If you reap of the flesh, you’ll sow of the flesh.  If you reap of the spirit, you’ll sow of the spirit.  Christ’s mercy is Him not saving you out of the bad choices you made or by acts that are displeasing to Him but Christ’s mercy is Him saving you from eternal judgment and death – hell.  This is what Christ came to do on the cross: to save you from hell.  Mercy is God saying, “I paid for her/his sins and by doing so I give them eternal life.”

Please, let us not mix up or think we know what mercy or grace is.  These two gifts are the life bread of Christianity.  There your hall pass, your lunch ticket, the thing that saves you in the end.  All in favor of grace and mercy?

“There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.” – Proverbs 6:16-19

1. Haughty eyes – “Haughty” in Hebrew can be translated as “to lift up”.  An example of haughty eyes is in Isaiah 10:12, where God punishes Assyria because of the haughty look in its eyes.  Assyria saw the destruction of Israel as an opportunity to bring wealth and power to its kingdom through looting, plundering, and expanding its kingdom.  For us, haughty eyes can be thought of as the opposite of humility.  In Philippians 2:5-11, Paul talks about how Christ did not raise himself high, rather he made himself nothing and became a servant.  When we allow pride to creep in and compare ourselves to others with the mindset that we are greater, this allows us an opportunity to act in a haughty manner. (See Having an Attitude Like Christ Jesus.)
2. Lying tongue – This is pretty self-explanatory.  When we speak deceitfully and do not tell the truth, God hates this.
3. Hands that shed innocent blood – This is self-explanatory as well. Here, “hands”  in Hebrew is translated as an open hand, where openness indicates power, means, direction, etc.  This is not talking about involuntary manslaughter, but the violent act of cold murder.  God hates this.
4. Heart that devises wicked schemes – For someone that has sinful/evil/wicked plans, they usually make these plans in secret.  God hates a heart that devises such plans.
5. Feet that are quick to rush into evil – This is someone that rushes into doing evil.  We are supposed to remain in fervent prayer (Colossians 4:12) and by remaining in prayer (not necessarily on your knees, but even while at work), we can find our strength to overcome evil.  By going through the process of sanctification, we are learning more about God, gaining His wisdom and understanding, and strengthening our spirits.  Through sanctification we can better distinguish God vs. satan since we are learning more about God, and therefore, sin is becoming more apparent.  By not going through this process, we will not be able to afford ourselves the option to be prayerful against sin, because more than half the time, we don’t recognize when we are sinning.  So first comes sanctification to have the wisdom on how to flee from sin and then comes prayer to strengthen our spirits.
6. False witness that pours out lies – This connects to point number 3 – hands that shed innocent blood.  Not necessarily in the sense of murder, but by bearing false witness against someone who really is innocent, can be considered hatred.  Those that hold hatred against someone in their hearts is actually murdering that person, just as the one who lusts commits adultery.  By bearing false witness, you are harming the innocent.
7. A man who stirs up dissension among his brothers – This is not talking about rebuking or correcting those that do wrong.  In 1 Corinthians 5:10, Paul tells us not to separate ourselves from the sin of the world (for then we must take ourselves out of this world – which is impossible), but rather separate yourselves from the sin of an immoral brother (sin within the church).  Therefore, this is talking about the brother/sister who sins, and by their sin, they stirred up dissension and spread strife among other members within the church.  In this case, we are called to correct the sinner.  If they do not acknowledge their sin, then we are called to separate ourselves from that sinner.  When they confess, they are forgiven – when we confess, we are forgiven.  But without repentance, we are considered a sinner and in this case, we are called to do what the Holy Spirit tells us to do do in 1 Corinthians 5:10 – separate yourself from the sin in the church.  God hates the one who sins within their church, where the sin affects others in a negative way.

These seven things represent the complete list of the flaws in man that God hates.  Seven represents fullness – on the seventh day, God’s creation was complete.  The seventh day is the Sabbath and we will enter our eternal sabbath after the resurrection, the completion of God’s plan.  The good news is that if we repent, we are forgiven through Christ!

-Mark

UPDATE: Check out Sin that does not lead to Death.  Many times, we unintentionally commit one of these sins in the above.  God does forgive us.

I remember my first few months at business school: my goal was to be a light to those that were lost by by letting others no what true Christianity was, not the judgmental version which gets a bad rap.  I would go out with my friends not to be entertained by social settings, but because by going out, doors were opened to get involved and gain the trust of friends who one day would be interested in Christianity because of how I tried to live both outwardly and inwardly.

Of course, this created some heat between my friends at the Church in my pre-business school life and myself because the advice given to me was “I should not be yoking myself with unbelievers.”  I remembered the example of Paul becoming all things to all men so that by all possible means he might save some (1 Corinthians 9:22).  This is what I was doing.  I did not become a drunk, but I sat at tables with drunks.  In Matthew 9:10, Christ sat at a table with sinners.  Am I comparing myself to Paul or Christ – definitely not.  But I do know that we are here for the poor (in spirit) in this world and if we expect to become a fisher of men, we need to become more than an evangelist with a sign that says “Jesus saves!”; we need to get involved in the lives of those in this world.  But how do we know when our relationships cross the point of being unequally yoked?

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? - 2 Corinthians 6:14

Deuteronomy 22:9-11 speaks of three things which are of unequal yoking.  We can look at the interpretation of each of the three examples to help us analyze what Paul means in the above verse.  The three examples are:

verse 9 – “Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled.”

verse 10 – “Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.”

verse 11 – “Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.”

In the example in verse 9, different seed requires different nutrition to grow.  For example, blueberries require nitrogen rich soil whereas too much nitrogen in soil will kill certain fruit.  If you plant different seeds within the same vineyard, chances are your harvest will not be full because each seed requires a preferred kind of soil.  From this example, we can say that the seeds are unequally yoked and the requirements of one type dictate the food of the other type.

Why would it be wrong to plow your field with two kinds of animals?  An ox and donkey have unequal strengths, abilities, etc.  Therefore if the ox is carrying more of the load than the donkey, the plowing of a field would be much more difficult and a straight furrow would be near impossible to plow.  This implies that the two are unequally yoked and the stronger ox is controlling the less stronger donkey.

In the final example, verse 11, we find another example of unequal yoking.  Wool is notorious for shrinking and cashmere for extreme shrinking.  If you create a shirt out of the two, when it comes time to wash and dry your shirt, the cashmere will dry much faster than the wool, yet in order for the shirt to be completely dry you would need to extend the dry time because of the wool.  This will over shrink your shirt.  From this example, the properties of one material dictate the output of the other material, and thus, are unequally yoked.

Through Paul, the Holy Spirit was referencing the above examples to demonstrate what an unequal yoking is.  We are told to not be equally yoked with unbelievers – this does not mean that we should remove ourselves from them.

Likewise, when Paul tells us to not be unequally yoked with unbelievers it does not mean to separate yourself from them, but to not allow the relationship to get to the point where the unbeliever controls you i.e.: you drink because they are drinking.  In 1 Corinthians 5:10, Paul tells us not to separate ourselves from sinners of the world, because then we would have to leave this world.  Rather, only separate yourself from the sinners within the Church.  Likewise, Christ Jesus even prays in John 17:15 “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”  We are not told to remove ourselves from unbelievers.  I repeat, we are not told to remove ourselves from the world and its unbelievers.  In fact, we are here for the sinners of the world and not to remain in our own Christian bubbles.

However, it is important to remember what we are called to be: In 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Paul says “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” and in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

We are called to be holy.  We know we are unequally yoked with an unbeliever when we are at risk of becoming unholy through the actions of the unbeliever.  Just like the examples of the two different seeds, the two different animals, and the two different cloths, if the unbeliever begins to have control over our life to the point where we are at risk of becoming unholy, we are unequally yoked.

I hope this clarifies the loosely and often mistakenly misinterpreted verse in 2 Corinthians 6:14.

-Mark

One thing that has been convicting me a lot lately is speaking about what the disobedient do.  Such shameful things to speak about come up in conversations about a bad experience at a church or a disagreement among believers.  In the beginning, such shameful things are fruitful to talk about so we are called to expose these disobedient deeds.  But it is important to draw a fine line between unfruitful talking and fruitful exposing.  Take a look at the following verses:

“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.  For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.” Ephesians 5:11-12

This passage is tucked away yet infinitely important.  We are called to be children of light and walk as such.  The standard required of us is so great, but not heavy.  It is a matter of knowing light from dark and choosing light.  Here, we see that it is a shame to even mention the sins that are committed in secret.  There is a subconscious desire in man to sin in secret, outside of the public eye yet, never leaving the sight of God.  Such disobedience, although completely individualized and isolated from the body of believers, is just as reckless as sin that is not done in secret.  Concluding that all sin, whether secret or not secret, is so anti-Christ that to even speak of the sin is shameful for you.

1 John 1:6 says “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.”  Thus, we are called to not even speak of darkness, whether committed openly or in secret.  True, this verse in 1 John is interpreted as our battle against sin.  But if to even mention what the disobedient do in secret is not of the light, then isn’t to do so not walking by the truth?

What deeds are darkness, disobedient, or sinful?  Deeds that are fruitless.  For further reading on fruits, check out Judging others by their fruits.  A fruitless deed does not just mean an outcome that produces no results.  A fruitless deed can be a deed which seems to produce positive results.  However, biblical fruit is mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Therefore, if the fruit from Galatians 5:22-23 is not produced, it is not fruit at all.  And if the deed is fruitless, we are told to have nothing to do with it.  In other words, separate yourself from the deeds that the individual performs, not the individual.  Why not the individual?  Because we are called to be fisher of men. (Unless the individual does not repent of their sin, we know that they have no place in the house of God and we are called to part ourselves from such spirits – 1 Corinthians 5:11.)

What is the fine line between exposing these fruitless deeds and mentioning the sin of the disobedient? It is at the point where exposing such darkness no longer bears fruit and at this point, you yourself are participating in a fruitless deed and becoming a gossiper and slanderer.  Again what fruit must exposing them bear?  Refer to the above – the biblical fruit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23.  At the point that exposing the fruit no longer becomes edifying, you are fellowshipping with darkness and not living by the truth.  Therefore, Ephesians 5:12 can serve as a warning; a warning to guard your tongue so that you can remain blameless, otherwise, you too will be cruising down a reckless path and branching off the sin of another.

-Mark

Suffering is how we develop perseverance and self-control (Romans 5:3).  Through suffering we are learning to endure hardships and we are learning to submit to God by developing obedience (Hebrews 5:8).  Since God’s will for us is to be sanctified and flee from the desires and passions of the flesh, it should not be obvious that it is God’s will for us to suffer.  Therefore, suffering becomes a foundation to our faith.

“For what son is not disciplines by his father?  If you are not disciplines (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. – Hebrews 12:7-8

True grace is evident by God disciplining us (see this article on Grace and Discipline.)  Discipline is what teaches us to submit to God, through the fear of the Lord.  But it is important to understand whether your suffering is a consequence of sin or a result of God performing His work in you.  No doubt, we reap what we sow; therefore, we will reap suffering from sowing sin.  But also know that if God made Christ, the author of salvation, perfect through suffering (Hebrews 2:10), then it is God’s will for us to suffer since suffering perfects our faith.  And since satan opposes God, we can be sure that satan’s desires for us are 1) to confuse our suffering as being from God, when it reality it may be a consequence of some sin or 2) to deceive us into thinking that our God is the God that wants everything in our earthly life to go right, when in reality, God’s will for our earthly life is to perfect our faith through suffering.  With this in mind, let’s take a look at what suffering as a Christian means, biblically.

What does it mean that Christ was perfected through suffering?  Hebrews 2:18 tells us that Christ suffered when he was tempted.  Isaiah 53:11 says “After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.”  Therefore, Christ’s soul was also in agony from the pain (Psalm 42:10) and our iniquities when he was on the cross.  God’s will prospered through Christ’s suffering (Isaiah 53:10).

1 Peter 4:14-19 tells us that suffering as a Christian through insult or pain is a blessing and something not to be ashamed of.  Paul teaches us the same thing in 2 Timothy 1:12, 2:9 – that he was suffering by being in prison because of the Gospel, yet he was not ashamed.

Therefore, from the bible we see suffering as a result of temptation, pain, the disbelief of others, the sin of others, imprisonment, and insults.  Every aspect of suffering, except for the sin of others and temptation, is a direct effect of evangelism in a world that hates God.  Suffering due to temptation is a result of God teaching us obedience.  Suffering due to the sin of others (i.e.: sadness in heart) is a result of living in a corrupt world.  All three reasons for suffering are God’s will: It is God’s will that we evangelize, it is God’s will that we go through life on earth, and it is God’s will that we flee from sin.

Do not deceive yourself and think that suffering due to a bad decision, lack of finding a job, financial struggles, or losing friends is from suffering of a Christian.  These struggles are either a result of a lack of trust, self-control, or some sin on our part.  But let’s also remember what our comfort is while we suffer, if the suffering is God’s will:

“My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.” – Psalm 119:50

(the promise of eternal life)

-Mark

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.  It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” – Titus 2:11-12

Grace can be defined as the sovereign grace bestowed upon a man when he accepts the gift given by God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins.  Grace is a free gift given to all men.  However, true grace is the grace that leads to sanctification.

“Teaching” (2:12) in the Greek is defined as “to raise up, educate, or discipline.”  The grace of God is evident through God’s discipline.  Heb 12:8 says “If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.”  In discipline, there is hope (Provers 19:18).

What is true grace?  Many in the Christian church falsely acknowledge that they have received the grace of God by saying “yes” to Jesus Christ.  But James 2:19 says “you believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder.”

Therefore, grace does not come from the acknowledgment that Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice.  The demons know this and this is why they shudder.  Grace is given to the one that loves the Lord’s discipline.  For the one that loves the Lord’s discipline has weighed the costs of being a believer.  The spirit of grace is poured out on the one that love’s discipline and since he is a true believer, the true believer that received true grace will be sanctified.  Grace disciplines us and teaches us to say no to sin.  And as Galatians 5:24 says “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”

Those that deny grace are rejecting the discipline that comes from God.  Proverbs 5:23 says “He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.”  If grace is what saves us, then the man that dies lacks it.  Similarly, the man that dies lacked discipline.  The bible teaches that faith plus sanctification is how we are saved.  And again, if by grace we are saved, then by grace we have faith and by grace we are disciplined to become sanctified.

Readers, test the spirits.  You will know a man by his fruit.  The modern church is preaching a message of once saved, always saved, and never sanctified.  This is false.  Do not be caught into this trap, but strive to attain sanctification!  Only then will true grace be poured out.  Am I saying that it is by our doing that we receive grace?  No.  But as we accept the Lord’s discipline, we are witnessing God’s love for us.  As we reject His discipline or shy away from it, we are denying God’s grace.

-Mark

Psalm 34:19 – “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.”

Going through some sort of trial?  Maybe you’ve lost a loved one, maybe you’re in a financial crisis.  Maybe there is some sort of illness you can’t seem to get over.  When we stumble across afflictions we should first ask ourselves, consequence of sin or a trial.  Galatians 6:7 states “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”  There are some instances that we may bring the pain upon ourselves due to our inability to make right choices or overcome sin and then there is pain we don’t cause.  Let’s try some examples to help establish what is a consequence or a trial.

1.  “I lost my job because I stole some supplies while my other workers weren’t looking”

2.  “I’m having strife at work with my boss because I said no when he asked me to cut some corners on tax form.”

3.  “My wife is giving me a hard time at home because I’am spending to much time at the office.”

4.  “I’ve fallen into drunkenness, I thought it was safe to just have one drink here and there but now I can’t go somewhere without having one.”

Can you spot the one that is a trial and the others that are consequences of wrong behavior and actions?  If not I’ll give you the answer , its #2.

When we are faced with a trial we should remember Psalm 34:19 – ” “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” If we are faced with a consequence and have come to full repentance then we should look at and memorize Romans 8:28 – “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.” What an amazing God we serve, when we mess up he turns it around for our good.  Be encouraged, God loves you, just turn from your sin and He will meet you.

-Scott

2nd Corinthians 12:7-10
“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul had a miraculous vision. He was taken up into the third heaven to see wonders and divine things, which leave him speechless in the end.  He doesn’t even try to articulate the vision because his words could never justify or relate these things too great for him to express.  As evidenced in Daniel or The Book of Revelation, we see that when one tries to explain these miraculous things, we are still left wondering in the mystery of their abstract words and thoughts.  Who wouldn’t want to tell everyone about what God has made known to them?  Yet Paul is very silent on speaking on what he saw. How can God give Paul this amazing sight and yet Paul is still tormented with a heavy burden.

Why would God give Paul this amazing gift and then have him be persecuted for discretely telling it to people? Looking at how Paul told them about his vision, we see he never went into details. Why would God torment him? The literal meaning for “torment” is to literally beat or buffet as in a fist fight.  Paul had to tell the people of Corinth about his vision because they saw him acting spacey, elevated, or silent.  And yet, after this joyous event, Paul exhibits tormented behavior- as Paul describes it, it is a thorn in his flesh.  These thorns affect everyone around you.  Have you ever been clinically depressed?  Have the people around you seen what was going on and wondered what was wrong with you?

Look at it closely. The thorn was the torment from a demon of Satan.  A demon was given unto Paul to torment him.  Who gave this thorn to Paul?  Who is over all things good or bad, but the Lord Himself.  All things are sanctioned by God first.  This thorn was given to Paul by God because he allowed it to come into Paul’s life for a purpose.

Still, why does God give Paul this vision and then, subsequently, give him a thorn that makes him cry out to God, begging Him to take it out?  Why would God give a gift, and then give a thorn?  Does God not want us to be blessed- to be completely satisfied without having to worry about a demon taking blows at us?

I would like to look at this from another perspective:
I am a sinful man, and I will be the first to say I have not lead a pure life. Even in my Christian walk, I was impure and did horrible things in the eyes of the Lord.  The things I have seen and done are things that should not even be talked about, but a man must confess his sins to be forgiven.
God has forgiven me and blessed me with a renewed heart, pure and blameless before Him.  Yet, I still have a thorn. Daily am I beat up by a demon, and too many times have I fallen and been defeated.  Yet, for once I know why I rejoice in this: because I can be thrown down by Satan’s minions and know it is a gift from God.

Paul was given this thorn as a pre-eminent way of God keeping him humble. Paul was no super-human who did not struggle, and he was not immune to being prideful.  He knew as well as God, that the the experience of the unimaginable vision could easily go to his head, thus God gave him a reminder, a precaution. A thorn.

The thorn that Paul talks about in 2nd Corinthians is not the only thorn that he has encountered, nor is it the only one we see in the Bible. Paul’s other thorn was an illness that is not specifically mentioned in the Bible, but it has to do something with his eyes or vision. The thorn of illness is one that God gives so that he may display his glory though us, something we shouldn’t take lightly. On the other hand, we must not get confused with what a thorn is not. People may think that sin itself is a thorn in their flesh, but in fact it isn’t. A thorn is something that is beyond our control that God has given us for a very specific reason. Does God make us sin? Never, for he cannot even tempt us.

Everyday I wake up with different thorns from different areas in my life that I have failed in. But this I know: It is a gift!  Beyond anything else, Satan wants to twist and distort something as amazing as this gift of humbling into something that we fear and cry out for God to take away. The Lord disciplines the children he loves!

I tell you, do not seek to remove this thorn.  Maybe you need this thorn for the rest of your life.  Make no mistake; do not think this means you are defeated or anything less in the eyes of God.  I would rather have a thousand thorns in my flesh when I come to His Judgment Seat, knowing it was all done that I may be kept from sinning. Don’t you see? These thorns are for our benefit, our sanctification! This is just one of the ways God loves us.

You may say, “but this hurts, why does it have to hurt?”  In all seriousness and honesty, do you think all you need is a slap on the wrist from time to time?  After giving completely into sexual immorality, there is not one man who upon walking away,  doesn’t want to be reminded of what he did.  If we are not disciplined by the Hand of God, we will commit the same sin over and over again.  We need this hurt more than anything, it is a bitter-sweet hurt that by the grace of God, we may be beaten, thrown down and spit upon.  But we get up and we fight, we fight with the armor of God and use His Word to push back the enemy.

Do you have an image, a thought, an action, that is burned into your mind?  That is your thorn, and every demon will do anything it can to make sure that you bleed from it.  I’ll tell you, I have more than I would care to count, but I know that I am a man carrying around someone else’s thoughts, someone else’s memories. I am estranged from that old self.  By seeing what he saw, I know I will not go anywhere near that evil again.  I’ll do whatever it takes to get away from what that man has gone through, because I have taken off the clothes of this earth and put on the righteousness that is Christ! Do not stain these new clothes with a making a mockery of the grace that he has given you.

I say, be thankful for these thorns, be thankful for these reminders for they are for our benefit! How he loves us through his grace to make us stand to the onslaught of attack, and how he is doing this so we may keep ourselves pure before Christ and all His angels. Rejoice, for this thorn is a gift, a gift to keep us holy and sanctified!

-Joseph