Seeking God (Part 4 of 4)

Why Should We Seek God?

Remember Hebrews 11:6? “…He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” What are those rewards? In Psalm 63, David says “So I have looked for You…to see Your power and Your glory.” (v. 2) and “because Your lovingkindness is better than life…” (v. 3). Hosea says, “…break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness on you” (10:12). Amos encourages us to “seek the LORD and live…” (5:6). For a believer, our life depends on it.

Satisfaction—In Psalm 63:5, David summed it all up by saying, “My soul shall be satisfied…” The shepherd-king said the same thing in Psalm 23, “…I shall not want.” Rev. Chappell shares a story to illustrate what it’s like to be satisfied with God:

“That was a rather queer and ugly creature that a mother hen hatched along with her brood of normal and respectable chicks. The egg from which it came had been found on the side of a rugged mountain. He seemingly did his best to satisfy himself with the tame, unexciting life of the barnyard. But somehow it did not work. His crooked beak was out of place there, and his great wings seemed utterly useless. So the poor, awkward thing looked on his drab world with lackluster eyes. He did not fit in and was very evidently not at home.

“But one day he heard a wild scream above him. He looked up, and his eyes kindled. He saw a great bird like himself, an eagle. Then he realized what he had been thirsting for all the while. Therefore he spread his burnished brown wings and was away to the freedom of his larger world. He was made for the cloudland and for the crags of the mountains. Therefore he could not be satisfied in the barn yard. No more can we be satisfied with less than God. This is true whether we ever recognize it or not.”

We were
made for the
cloudland
and for the
crags of the
mountains.

Everything We Need—In Yeshua’s Sermon on the Mount, He told us, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’…But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:31, 33). As Christians, we tend to get our seeking priorities out of order. We put our careers and material needs first, thinking we are responsible for them, and then, if we have time, we seek God. Yeshua is saying if we seek Him first, He will provide all we need. He wants us to seek Him for which career we should choose, where He wants us to live, or where He wants us to go to school. If we do, He is sure to take care of all our needs.

How Much of God Do We Want?

Rebecca Brown challenges readers with some hard questions: “How much of God do you want? Do you want just enough to be sure that you will get to heaven when you die, but not enough to inconvenience you or make you uncomfortable?...just how much are you willing for your relationship with God to interfere with your personal private life, goals and dreams? Are you willing for God to do things in your life that you do not want?”

Desiring more of God has a cost. Are we thirsty enough to pay the price? Sadly, Rebecca Brown remarks that “it is the fear of this cost that stops many from progressing.” As Christians, we must be willing to say, as Yeshua did in the Scriptures, “…I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30b).

God Seeks Us

A relationship like the one that David sought begins with God. It is God who invites us: “…Seek My face…” (Ps. 27:8a). The Scriptures teach us that God is a diligent seeker. Like a loving shepherd, He is not concerned with numbers but will leave the flock to find the one lost and desperate sheep. As it says in the book of Ezekiel: “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick…” (34:16a).

 

If our hearts lack David’s passion or if we lack the discipline it takes to “progress,” all we have to do is ask God for mercy to help us. His desire is for us. He wants a deeper relationship with us more than we do. This is the same promise that God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah: “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (29:13).

By Charleeda Sprinkle

Assistant Editor

All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

© 2010
Note our new policy:

Bridges for Peace holds the copyright on this material. We encourage pastors, Bible teachers, and lay people to use these articles for preaching and teaching, and we hereby grant permission for a limited number of copies for such educational purposes. However, any other reproduction or transmittal of this material in any form—including reprinting, republishing, recording or use with any information storage and retrieval system—requires written permission from BFP International.


For the full version of this teaching letter please visit www.bridgesforpeace.com or click on the link provided 
__________________________________________________

Bibliography
Brown, Rebecca, and Daniel Yoder. Standing on the Rock: The Powers of God’s Covenants. Clinton, AR: Harvest Warriors
Publishing, 2002.
Chappell, Clovis G. Sermons from the Psalms, 1931. http://www.abcog.org/psa042.htm.
Kolatch, Alfred. The Jewish Book of Why. NYC: Jonathan David Publishers, Inc., 1995.
Murray, Andrew. The Believer’s New Covenant. Bethany House Publishers, 1984.
Steinberg, Milton. Basic Judaism. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Co, 1975.

Seeking God (Part 3 of 4)

When Should We Seek God?

Of course, we have access to God anytime of the day, but hear what the psalms say: “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD…” (Ps. 5:3). “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray and cry aloud…” (Ps. 55:17a). “…Early will I seek You…” (Ps. 63:1). Many Christians struggle to keep a regular prayer time, but observant Jewish people have practiced daily prayer times since Moses’s day.

During the second century AD, after the Second Temple was destroyed, there was a debate between two rabbis as to whether the Jewish people should pray two times a day or three. Traditionally, it was believed that Abraham introduced morning prayer, Isaac afternoon prayer, and Jacob evening prayer. (Some Scriptures that might give clues to this are Genesis 19:27, 24:63, and 32:1–13.) However, synagogue prayer was based on the morning and “evening” (late afternoon) sacrifices (Exod. 29:38–39). Considering the Psalm 55 passage above and the fact that Daniel 6:10 tells us that he prayed three times a day, it was decided that they would pray three times a day.

Paul’s admonition is for Christians to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17), always being in an attitude of prayer. However, based on these Old Testament Scriptures and especially on the fact that―during tabernacle and Temple times―God designed regular, daily worship, we could conclude that His desire is that we seek Him regularly, more than once a day. That takes discipline, but if we desire His company, it should not be a duty, but a joy.

Where Do We Seek God?

The desert—We can seek God anywhere, but where did David especially find him? Psalm 63:1 says, “…my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” Why is it that so many accounts in the Bible happen in the desert or wilderness?

It was in the desert, where Hagar met God (Gen.16:7); where God trained Moses to be a shepherd for 40 years, and Moses first met God in a burning bush (Exod. 3:1–2); where God made Himself known to Israel over and over for 40 years; where He trained David to be king; where Elijah hid from King Ahab and was fed by the ravens (1 Kings 17), where he fled from Jezebel and God met him on the same mountain as Moses (1 Kings 19); where John the Baptist lived and ministered (Matt.3:1); where Yeshua (Jesus) was tested before He began His ministry (Matt. 4:1); and where God most likely revealed an understanding of the New Covenant to Paul (Gal.1:17).

Do you want to be a great man or woman of God? Then, don’t resist the desert seasons in your life. Unfortunately, it often takes a drought in our lives before we get serious about seeking God. Hosea tells us, “…In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me” (5:15b).

The sanctuary―“So I have looked for You in the sanctuary…” (Ps. 63:2a). “One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me…” (Ps. 27:4–5). Moses and Joshua sought Him there too. David’s desire was not just to meet with God twice a day during the times of sacrifice, but to dwell there. As believers in Yeshua, that is possible; this is what He meant when He encouraged us to abide in Him (John 14:1–11).

Though I have experienced many great worship times with just the Lord and myself in the privacy of my home, or even in my car on a drive home, we are admonished to not forsake ”…the assembling of ourselves together…” (Heb.10:25a). Yeshua said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matt.18:20).

David loved the place where God dwelt, and we know the tabernacle and Temple were just earthly replicas of God’s throne room in heaven (Heb. 8:5). The worship we will experience in heaven will be so much more than anything we can experience on earth, but in heaven, it won’t be private worship, but corporate. We will be a part of “…a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…” (Rev. 7:9).

God desires that we seek Him as a people, not just as an individual. I think the Jewish people are much better at this than we are. When they confess their sins on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), their prescribed prayers use “we.” They confess and pray as a nation often. This is, no doubt, because God set them aside as a nation. They are following the examples of intercessors like Nehemiah (1:7). In Basic Judaism, Milton Steinberg explains, “Man is not himself only, he is a participant in his community. Hence it is not enough that he shall address God in his solitariness; he must turn to Him in his other aspect as well.” God wants us to seek Him in community and as a community, together, as a body.

By Charleeda Sprinkle

Assistant Editor

All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

© 2010
Note our new policy:

Bridges for Peace holds the copyright on this material. We encourage pastors, Bible teachers, and lay people to use these articles for preaching and teaching, and we hereby grant permission for a limited number of copies for such educational purposes. However, any other reproduction or transmittal of this material in any form—including reprinting, republishing, recording or use with any information storage and retrieval system—requires written permission from BFP International.


For the full version of this teaching letter please visit www.bridgesforpeace.com or click on the link provided 
__________________________________________________

Bibliography
Brown, Rebecca, and Daniel Yoder. Standing on the Rock: The Powers of God’s Covenants. Clinton, AR: Harvest Warriors
Publishing, 2002.
Chappell, Clovis G. Sermons from the Psalms, 1931. http://www.abcog.org/psa042.htm.
Kolatch, Alfred. The Jewish Book of Why. NYC: Jonathan David Publishers, Inc., 1995.
Murray, Andrew. The Believer’s New Covenant. Bethany House Publishers, 1984.
Steinberg, Milton. Basic Judaism. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Co, 1975.

Seeking God (Part 2 of 4)

How Should We Seek God?

Thirstily—“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God…” (Ps. 42:1–2a). He thirsts so much that he says, “My tears have been my food day and night…” (v. 3a). This is the language of a desperate man. We know David lived in the wilderness while he was trying to escape King Saul’s pursuit (1 Sam 23). The “dry and thirsty land where there is no water” (Ps. 63:1) is a good description of the Judean wilderness just south of Jerusalem. But David found a hideaway there at Ein Gedi (1 Sam 23:29), where, in the deep recesses of the desert, opposite the Dead Sea, there was an abundance of water for him and his men. In the desert? Yes, in the desert!

Here at Ein Gedi,
in the deep recesses of the desert,
opposite the Dead Sea, there is
an abundance of water.

Today, Ein Gedi is one of Israel’s tourist attractions. When my daughter came to visit me, we hiked two trails…in the hottest part of the summer, during the hottest part of the day! I wore a swimsuit with a sleeveless shirt and shorts over it, and my little pack mule (my daughter) carried our water. However, if it had not been for the cool springs, pools, and waterfalls, I would not have made it. Every 10 minutes or so, I would stop and dip my shirt and bandana into the water and put them back on dripping wet. Within minutes, they would be dry again. Another survival tactic was taking the low road through the thickets, where a shallow stream flowed, with our tennis shoes still on. What refreshment to hot, tired feet! And, what an amazing sight to see the contrast between the barren desert terrain above and the tree-lined stream below! At the beginning of the trail, no one would guess water was anywhere around. What an oasis for a discouraged David and his thirsty men!

The water of God’s Word and His refreshing presence is always near, but sometimes we have to be really thirsty before we seek it. And, there are a lot of people who don’t even know where to go to quench their thirst. In his book Sermons from the Psalms, pastor Clovis G. Chappell relates a story that illustrates this:

“There is an old story of a derelict ship whose crew was starving for water. At last another ship came into sight. This distressed crew signaled, ‘Water, water; we are starving for water.’ ‘Let down your buckets where you are,’ came back the surprising answer. But such an answer seemed to these starving men nothing less than bitter mockery. So they signaled again, ‘Water, water; we are starving for water.’ Again there came back the same answer, ‘Let down your buckets where you are.’ At last they complied, not at all sure that anything would come of it, but with a dim hope that possibly they were not being mocked. And something did come of it. They found a supply of fresh water that to them was measureless. For, unknown to themselves, they had been driven into the wide mouth of the Amazon, whose waters freshen the sea for many miles from the shore.”

Longingly—In Psalm 63:1, David describes his thirst a little differently: “My flesh longs for You…” Other translations use yearns for, faints for, or languishes for. This is the only time the Hebrew word, kamach, is used in the Bible. It describes one who has “become pale,” possibly close to death. Again, it describes a severe desperation. There have been a few times in my life when I longed for God so much that I actually experienced a physical ache. It’s sad that I can only say it was a few times. How severe is our longing for God?

Joyfully―There is another contemporary worship song that calls worshippers to “dance like David danced.” Some churches invite worshippers to do just that, while others have a hard time with it. Yet, David danced before the Lord when the ark was brought into Jerusalem. The story in 2 Samuel 6, tells us he even “leaped.” There is a dance team in Colorado, where I live when I’m home in America, who dances like that in worship. It is thrilling to watch their joyful abandonment. But there are other ways of showing joy: shouting, clapping, raising your hands, singing, or playing instruments—and all of them are scriptural. In these ways, we are expressing our love for God passionately.

God is a rewarder
of those who
diligently
seek Him.

Can we “seek” God with joy? Yes, in fact, the fastest way to get into God’s presence is with praise. However, it doesn’t always start with a feeling of joy. We may be down in the dumps, feeling very heavy of heart, but if we discipline ourselves to think differently (Col. 3:2; Phil. 4:8) and begin to praise Him and thank Him, our spirit begins to lift. The book of Psalms helps us do that. When you can’t do anything else, read a psalm!

Diligently—Although this word doesn’t come from one of David’s psalms, it needs to be included here. The writer of Hebrews says that God “…is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6b). Definitions of the Greek word for “diligent” include: to investigate, scrutinize, beg, or crave. In Standing on the Rock, author Rebecca Brown comments, “Diligently means work. We must work to get to know God.” As a writer, I relate it to the work required to write a term paper or doctoral thesis. This is not just about a desire that makes you tingle on the inside; it’s about discipline. 

By Charleeda Sprinkle

Assistant Editor

All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

© 2010
Note our new policy:

Bridges for Peace holds the copyright on this material. We encourage pastors, Bible teachers, and lay people to use these articles for preaching and teaching, and we hereby grant permission for a limited number of copies for such educational purposes. However, any other reproduction or transmittal of this material in any form—including reprinting, republishing, recording or use with any information storage and retrieval system—requires written permission from BFP International.


For the full version of this teaching letter please visit www.bridgesforpeace.com or click on the link provided 
__________________________________________________

Bibliography
Brown, Rebecca, and Daniel Yoder. Standing on the Rock: The Powers of God’s Covenants. Clinton, AR: Harvest Warriors
Publishing, 2002.
Chappell, Clovis G. Sermons from the Psalms, 1931. http://www.abcog.org/psa042.htm.
Kolatch, Alfred. The Jewish Book of Why. NYC: Jonathan David Publishers, Inc., 1995.
Murray, Andrew. The Believer’s New Covenant. Bethany House Publishers, 1984.
Steinberg, Milton. Basic Judaism. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Co, 1975.

Seeking God (Part 1 of 4)

David was one of the great seekers of God. I would like to say that he sought the Lord more than all others, but no one can judge a man’s heart, so we don’t know. However, of all writers of the Scriptures, he may have expressed a seeker’s heart better than all others. He was a passionate pursuer of God, and His words vividly illustrate that, painting pictures that help us understand a hunger for God that many believers may not even know is possible to experience.

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after Thee
You alone are my hearts desire
And I long to worship Thee
You alone are my strength my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my hearts desire
And I long to worship Thee
You’re my friend and
You are my brother,
Even though You are a king.
I love You more thank any other,
So much more than anything.
I want You more than gold or silver,
Only You can satisfy.
You alone are the real joy Giver,
And the apple of my eye.

One of the most popular contemporary worship songs of recent years is “As the Deer,” written by Martin Nystrom in 1984. It’s based on Psalm 42:1–2. Whose heart doesn’t get drawn toward God when singing that song? In a masterful way, the songwriter helps us sense the emotion, I believe, David felt when he wrote the psalm. However, it is not the only time David expressed his longing for God. Anyone who has ever been in love knows it takes more than one letter to express what the depth of that love means. I want us to examine several of David’s “love letters,” in the hope that they will help generate the same passion for God in us.

But before we do, let’s look at some Scriptures, expressing the same kind of zeal for God, which were written long before David’s time. After the children of Israel had wandered for 40 years in the wilderness and just before they were to enter the Promised Land, Moses described their future as a nation, a future God no doubt revealed to him supernaturally. He began, “When you beget children and grandchildren and have grown old in the land…” (Deut. 4:25). Sadly, he goes on to reveal that they would become guilty of idol worship, and the Lord would scatter them among the nations. But, he also shares the good news: “But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul” (v. 29).

Wholeheartedness
is the
secret
of joy in
salvation.

With a noticeable heartbreak in his voice, Moses later pleads with them, “O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you…” (Deut. 6:3a, NASB). And then Moses speaks the words that would become the nation’s daily recital, the Shema: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (vv. 4–5). This is what David took to heart. Author Andrew Murray, in his book The Believer’s New Covenant, writes, “Wholeheartedness is the secret of joy in salvation…God rejoices over His people to do them good, with His whole heart and His whole soul. It needs, on our part, our whole heart and our whole soul…With the measure we give, it shall be given to us.”

When God raised up David to be king, the prophet Samuel told Saul, “…The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart…” (1 Sam. 13:14). When the Apostle Paul spoke to a crowd on one of his trips and related this story, he expanded on what that meant: “…a man after My own heart, who will do all My will” (Acts 13:22b). Though David sinned (2 Sam. 12), like all men do, his passion to love God with all of his heart was so embedded in him that when he sinned, he repented with as much passion.

Everyone who reads Psalm 51 can sense his gut-wrenching sorrow and brokenness over his sin and the fear that he might be separated from the One his soul loved so dearly: “Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me…For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it…The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise” (vv.11, 16a, 17).

We learn from this that it takes a passionate love for God to repent passionately and sincerely. Yet today, church leaders who have fallen into grave sin, like David’s, often will not submit to church discipline. Oh, that our leaders would be men “after God’s own heart”! Congregations are, of course, also guilty. May we be convicted to repent rather than defend and justify ourselves, but to do that, we must develop a heart like David’s. 

By Charleeda Sprinkle

Assistant Editor

All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

© 2010
Note our new policy:

Bridges for Peace holds the copyright on this material. We encourage pastors, Bible teachers, and lay people to use these articles for preaching and teaching, and we hereby grant permission for a limited number of copies for such educational purposes. However, any other reproduction or transmittal of this material in any form—including reprinting, republishing, recording or use with any information storage and retrieval system—requires written permission from BFP International.


For the full version of this teaching letter please visit www.bridgesforpeace.com or click on the link provided 
__________________________________________________
Bibliography
Brown, Rebecca, and Daniel Yoder. Standing on the Rock: The Powers of God’s Covenants. Clinton, AR: Harvest Warriors
Publishing, 2002.
Chappell, Clovis G. Sermons from the Psalms, 1931. http://www.abcog.org/psa042.htm.
Kolatch, Alfred. The Jewish Book of Why. NYC: Jonathan David Publishers, Inc., 1995.
Murray, Andrew. The Believer’s New Covenant. Bethany House Publishers, 1984.
Steinberg, Milton. Basic Judaism. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Co, 1975.

Walking God's Way (Part 5 of 5)

This is part 5 of 5 in the teaching series, "Walking God's Way" by Rebecca J. Brimmer, International President and CEO of Bridges for Peace. May you be blessed by reading this teaching letter.

Spirit-filled Living

The world we live in is full of temptations, sin masquerading as normal, acceptable behavior and opportunities to compromise abound. So, God, in His wisdom, has given us the Holy Spirit to lead us and give us power to be His representatives in the midst of an evil age. Those, who are filled with the Spirit, will show fruit in their lives. Paul tells us in this passage some of the ways in which a spirit-filled person will act. It is practical advice to help us to walk in Him on a daily basis.

1) We are to encourage and edify one another singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.

2) We are to have a joyful heart, out of which flows spontaneous praise in song to the Lord. I love to work at the Bridges for Peace International Headquarters in Jerusalem. I have wonderful co-workers who constantly have a song of praise in their hearts. It is very common for the sounds of praise and worship to float down the halls as one or another passes through.

3) We are to be thankful for all things. Even when unpleasant, painful things happen to us, we can be thankful that God is with us in the midst of them and recognize that He is able to even bring good out of disaster.

4) We are to submit to one another in the fear of God. There is no human being without weakness. Each of us is susceptible to temptation. The wise person recognizes his area of challenge and asks others to help him. We all need to be accountable to other believers. Within our trusted circle, we need to find those with whom we can be vulnerable and transparent. We need to humbly confess our sins one to another and submit to another in the fear of the Lord.

Faith and Action

I am thankful that my Jewish friends challenge me to think about the connection between faith and practice. They probably don’t realize it, but another Jewish man, James, said similar things!

“…be doers of the word, and not hearers only deceiving yourselves...What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 1:22, 2:14–20).

My father, Dr. David Allen Lewis, used to paraphrase James’ words and say, “belief without action is deception!” Yeshua’s Sermon on the Mount is grounded firmly in Jewish thought. He insists; “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).

God is calling us to be doers of His Word. Let’s choose to walk in love, light, and wisdom. Let us choose to walk in fellowship with God. Faith with works will allow God’s glory to shine throughout the world.

By Rev. Rebecca J. Brimmer
International President and CEO 

By Rebecca J. Brimmer

International President and CEO

Photos
www.israelimages.com/Hanan Isachar

All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

 

© 2010
Bridges for Peace holds the copyright on this material. We encourage pastors, Bible teachers, and lay people to use these articles for preaching and teaching, and we hereby grant permission for a limited number of copies for such educational purposes. However, any other reproduction or transmittal of this material in any form—including reprinting, republishing, recording or use with any information storage and retrieval system—requires written permission from BFP International.

For the full version of this teaching letter please visit www.bridgesforpeace.com or click on the link provided 

Walking God's Way (Part 4 of 5)

This is part 4 of 5 in the teaching series, "Walking God's Way" by Rebecca J. Brimmer, International President and CEO of Bridges for Peace. May you be blessed by reading this teaching letter.

Wisdom

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:15–21).

In this passage, wisdom is contrasted with foolishness. In my leadership position, I often find myself asking God to give me wisdom. Many people depend on me to hear from God and make good, wise decisions. I know that foolishness comes much more naturally than wisdom, so I constantly and repeatedly acknowledge that God is the source of all wisdom. I seek Him and have learned that, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10).

Webster’s Dictionary defines wisdom as knowledge of what is true or right coupled with good judgment. The wise person is able to judge properly what is true or right. The Hebrew word for wisdom is hokmah (put in Hebrew spelling). The most common usage is in reference to wisdom in daily living. This is the sense of the word as used throughout the Proverbs, which teaches that true wisdom involves not only intelligence, but also moral integrity. Because a sinful life is ultimately self destructive, wisdom is extolled as the only path to a full and fruitful life (Proverbs 3:13–26).

The source of wisdom is God. By wisdom He numbered the clouds (Job 38:37), founded the earth (Proverbs 3:19), and made the world (Jeremiah 10:12). What practical things can we do to ensure we walk wisely? The Ephesians five passage gives us some very good direction.

Walk Circumspectly

We need to exercise discretion and prudence. Discretion means we are able to make decisions according to our own judgment. Prudence is being wisely cautious in practical affairs. In contrast, the foolish man is hasty in his actions, often reacting rather than thoughtfully responding. One who walks circumspectly watches his path to avoid contact with undesirable influences, which might draw him off the path.

Redeem the Time

Each of us has been given the exact same amount of time. In this respect, we are all equal. We each have 168 hours a week. It is our choice how we use them. The older I become, the more I realize how precious time is. Every hour invested righteously will reap a harvest with God’s blessing. Every hour frittered away is gone forever, never to be redeemed. In the midst of the darkness of this world, it becomes even more important to use our time carefully. We must take advantage of opportunities to do God’s will. We should do all we can to advance God’s purposes on the earth, for the “days are evil.”

Understand God’s Will

God wants to bless us with wisdom. When God asked Solomon what he wanted from Him, he asked for wisdom. God was so pleased with his request that He not only granted Solomon wisdom but honor, riches and power as well. We are encouraged in the Word to seek after wisdom. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:5–6).

Most believers desire to know and follow God’s will. This is not a matter of a feeling or emotion. It is a mental and heart understanding that is discerned through Scripture, prayer and fellowship with the Lord. In this passage, Paul tells the readers to be filled with the Spirit. As we are full of God’s Spirit, we will increase in understanding His will. The tense of the Greek word used here indicates that the filling is a moment by moment repeatable action. So we could say, “Be continually filled with the Spirit.”  It is not a one-time experience.

Notice that Paul contrasts being full of the Spirit with being full of wine to the point of being drunk. I have been around a few drunks in my life, and my experience is that people under the influence of strong drink lose control of themselves and often make poor decisions. When we are controlled by the Spirit, the result is wisdom. When we are controlled by drugs or alcoholic beverages, foolishness or worse is the outcome.

By Rebecca J. Brimmer

International President and CEO

All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

 

© 2010
Bridges for Peace holds the copyright on this material. We encourage pastors, Bible teachers, and lay people to use these articles for preaching and teaching, and we hereby grant permission for a limited number of copies for such educational purposes. However, any other reproduction or transmittal of this material in any form—including reprinting, republishing, recording or use with any information storage and retrieval system—requires written permission from BFP International.

For the full version of this teaching letter please visit www.bridgesforpeace.com or click on the link provided http://www.bridgesforpeace.com/pics/TLWEB0506.pdf.

Walking God's Way (Part 3 of 5)

This is part 3 of 5 in the teaching series, "Walking God's Way" by Rebecca J. Brimmer, International President and CEO of Bridges for Peace. May you be blessed by reading this teaching letter.

Light

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: ‘Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ [Messiah] will give you light’” (Ephesians 5:8–14).

Darkness and light are contrasted here, with darkness indicating not just physical darkness, but spiritual deadness. We are to walk in light or live our lives in the light.

Paul speaks to the Ephesians as Gentiles who formerly had no access to the light of God. “Therefore remember, that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcised [Gentiles] by what is called the Circumcision [Jewish] made in the flesh by hands—that at that time you were without Christ [Messiah], being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus [Messiah Yeshua] you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ [Messiah]” (Ephesians 2:11–13).

As Gentiles, the Ephesians did not have the rich background in the Scriptures that Paul had. When Paul reminded them that they were darkness, he was reminding them of their paganism, sin and idolatry. Without Yeshua’s sacrificial gift, they would never have been transformed from darkness to light. As Christians, we have been brought near to the commonwealth of Israel and became partakers of the covenants only through the sacrificial gift of Yeshua, our Jewish Messiah, who has brought us out of darkness into light.

This transformation from darkness to light is not passive. We have to make a decision to walk in light. Yeshua told us to be lights. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14–16). Notice again, the action required here—“your good works.” The light of our faith in God should shine out of our lives in the form of good works or action; we must walk in light.

What exactly does a light do? A light shines. When you turn on a light in a dark room, the darkness is dispelled. Our lifestyle should radiate with the light of God, and testify of His presence in our lives.

We tell our staff in Jerusalem that it is important that they take this word to heart. For nearly 2000 years, the Jewish people have not seen Christianity as a shining light. Rather, they experienced rejection, persecution, or attempts to convert them to Christianity. I have noticed that, as a people, the Jews have a great fear of annihilation. I have identified from years of observation; through conversations, written materials, and media expression, that annihilation is viewed as taking three basic forms.

1) Death: Hitler tried to annihilate the Jewish people and succeeded in killing 1/3 of all Jews in the holocaust.

2) Assimilation: If Jewish people marry outside of their faith, the chances are that children born to the mixed union, will not be Jewish, and eventually the Jewish people would cease to exist.

3) Conversion to Christianity: The rabbis teach that if a Jewish person converts to Christianity they are no longer Jewish. Some Jewish families hold funerals for family members who convert to Christianity.

Whenever we are around Jewish people, it is important that we, as Christians, allow our light to shine. God has called Bridges for Peace to help change attitudes. We work to change attitudes in our own Christian community; encouraging Christians to love, pray for, and bless the Jewish people, the family of our own dear Savior. We also are working to change the attitude of Jews concerning Christians by allowing our lives to shine, and by letting our good works be seen, for the glory of God. As we walk in light, the darkness will be dispelled.

The world we live in today, is attempting to merge light and darkness. Actions declared sinful by the Bible and unacceptable to society just 50 years ago, are now increasingly accepted by modern society. Abortion, homosexuality, sex outside of marriage were all once viewed as unacceptable and, today, are seen as the norm. Television depicts homosexuals in nearly every program as normal, nice people who live an acceptable alternative lifestyle. Standards of holy living in the Church have also seen compromise. Christians today watch movies and afterward describe it to their friends, as a good movie, by saying something like, “There were only a few cuss words, and no nudity.”

When “Gone With the Wind,” first aired, Christians were scandalized by one curse word; today that movie would not cause any heads to turn. It seems that, instead of trying to stay as close to God and His ways as possible, many Christians try to stay as much in the world as possible and still remain a Christian. But, this is not God’s way. We are to walk in the light! “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (I John 1:5–6).

By Rebecca J. Brimmer

International President and CEO

Photos
www,israelimages.com/Karen Benzian

All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

 

© 2010
Bridges for Peace holds the copyright on this material. We encourage pastors, Bible teachers, and lay people to use these articles for preaching and teaching, and we hereby grant permission for a limited number of copies for such educational purposes. However, any other reproduction or transmittal of this material in any form—including reprinting, republishing, recording or use with any information storage and retrieval system—requires written permission from BFP International.

For the full version of this teaching letter please visit www.bridgesforpeace.com or click on the link provided http://www.bridgesforpeace.com/pics/TLWEB0506.pdf.