Quick! Get a Doctor!

 “They that are whole (healthy) have no need of a physician (doctor), but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Mark 2:17

When Jesus said He was not calling the righteous, but sinners to repentance, we must remember that no one is righteous in God's eyes; - Only God is good (Mark 10:18) – no one is righteous (Romans 3:10) – God calls all men to repent (Acts 17:30). So what does Jesus mean by saying He was not calling the righteous, but sinners to repent?

Jesus compares the need for repentance to the need for a doctor. When a person is healthy, or believes they are in good health, why seek a doctor?

But then the person may have a yearly check-up by a doctor, who finds a disease that is hard to notice. To convince the patient to take treatments for the illness, the doctor may show test results or even x-rays. The patient now will see what is wrong, and how much he needs to take action to fix the problem, even if the cure is expensive and/or uncomfortable.

And it is like this when it comes to the need for repentance. If a person does not recognize that they are a sinner separated from God, they will not receive the call for repentance. This lack of genuine repentance is the underlying problem which has brought the “falling away” of this last age. The “doctor” of scripture says that we suffer from the disease of sin, and that disease will kill us (Romans 6:23). The cure that we seek is the MERCY of God, poured out abundantly toward us through the blood of Jesus Christ.

One sin, any sin, separates us from a Holy God. Most will not admit they have this disease. It is a terminal sickness that has but One cure. The price has already been paid, but they will not accept their condition before God, and refuse the cure.

It's not too late, while we are still alive. The great doctor has revealed our disease, but we must reach out for the cure.

Biting the Hand that Feeds

 There is a saying that goes, “Don't bite the hand that feeds you.” In other words, when someone is providing important things for you, don't criticize them.

But to follow such a rule all of the time is not a good idea. This is why the Bible warns that a gift will blind the eyes of the wise, and perverts the words of the righteous (Deuteronomy 16:19). And even though bread is important, Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. - Matthew 4:4

And bread is not the only gift which may compromise Christian judgment.

Jesus gave a famous rebuke which began, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” This is best known to be from Matthew 23:13-33; but in Luke 11:37-54 we find the setting – a Pharisee had invited Him (Jesus) to dinner! Jesus did not hold back the rebuke the Pharisee needed just because He was given dinner.

Now, it is good to be grateful to those who have been kind to us; but their gifts should not silence us. Have you ever felt this kind of struggle within yourself? That you could not show someone their bad behavior because they had been nice to you? People need to be shown when they have done wrong, so they can do better next time, and not hurt anyone else. A real friend will show them. Proverbs 27:6

Yet it is also true that some give gifts on purpose, in order to cover up something they have done wrong – maybe even a crime. We call this bribery, and this also can be a crime.

We all make mistakes, and fall short of the best behavior. We need wisdom for when we should confront a wrong, and for when to realize that what we've seen is very small, and unhurtful – and we should be quiet.

But when we know something to be truly hurtful, we must not let previous gifts stop us from taking a stand. It is God's hand that really feeds us, and it is Him that we serve.

Bringing Good From Bad

 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

We will never be perfect while here in the flesh. We make mistakes. Others may lie to us and hurt us. Unexpected deaths, injuries or illnesses may befall us, or loved ones. We may lose jobs, or not be promoted as we expected.

But God is watching. Struggles in life are God's opportunity to prove His unlimited ability. He teaches, and blesses, and overcomes.

This story is from when I was a new Christian, 13 or 14 years old. I was thinking about this principle, and how God has a purpose in things that happened.

We lived in a wooded area, and I liked to ride my bicycle on the roads there. When coming home, I rode up a big hill to get there; the top of that hill was a small distance from our driveway, so I actually had a short downhill run going into our driveway.

But our driveway was steep, and gravel, about 60-70 meters long. I could not ride all the way up, but with speed from the short downhill, I could go 1/4 of the way. And on this day I kept thinking and praying about WHY things happen.

So I came to the top, toward the short downhill run, thinking about “Why?”, and for what purpose things happened.

My bicycle was speeding fast when I reached the driveway – then I remembered my father had just gotten a fresh load of gravel! My bike skidded back and forth as I tried to gain control; my bike was still going fast, and all the while I was thinking “Why? Why was this happening? For what purpose?

But I lost the fight. I felt the bike tip over too far, I had lost control. I was falling over to my right side. I closed my eyes, and braced for impact with the ground. And while falling, I still thought, “Why?”

I never hit the ground. I heard the crunching of stones, as my bike stood up, straightened. I opened my eyes, and I was standing upright!

What does it take to convince us of the reality of God?

Why did my bike skid out of control? The Bible says that God would use even that for my good.

Did God show me how real His angels are, or was this directly Him? Was it simply to build my faith in the invisible God? Any or all of these could be reasons.

What I know for sure is that God is faithful, and while calling to Him in prayer, He let me know that He heard. By this and many other instances I know that the Lord is close, and always hears – and I love Him for that.

You Can't Bribe God

 Every man as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” -II Corinthians 9:7.

This is the Bible's simple instruction to Christians for giving, but it is not the emphasis of most churches today. Instead I keep hearing the line of prosperity teaching which claims, “If you give, you will get back more.” Didn't Jesus tell us that we CANNOT serve God and mammon? It can only be one or the other, not both. Mammon is money, or material riches.

What things can be given to God that He did not create? And if we belong to Jesus Christ, why should we be seeking after wealth just like the unconverted world?

Jesus lifted up His eyes on His disciples, and said, “Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.” in Luke 6:20. Then in Luke 6:24 He said, “But woe unto you that are rich! For ye have received your consolation.” It should be clear from this that a Christian's reward is salvation, and an eternity with God in Heaven.

So do we really receive from God because we put money into an offering plate? Must we give to get, as some claim? One prosperity teacher stated that when we give, it's like having a receipt to show God, and He will be obliged to give what you ask for! Outrageous! The Bible says that “God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” -Romans 5:8. If we needed to give to get, then salvation would be of works, not grace. “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” -Romans 8:32. Did you notice the qualifier of “freely” in that verse?

God says that He wants obedience, not our sacrifices in I Samuel 15:22. Jesus also said that after we had fully obeyed His instructions, we should consider ourselves to be “unprofitable servants”; we will have done that which is our duty to do; Luke 17:10.

So now church leaders often try to induce their congregations into giving by saying that their money will cause God to bless them with more riches; and if they don't give, they can't expect God to bless them. This is NOT the message of grace. The apostles knew better...

“But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.”-Acts 8:20,21.

Has the Holy Spirit led you in your giving, or are you trying to manipulate God by your giving? There is nothing new under the sun, Ecclesiastes 1:9. God has promised to supply all of our needs because of His mercy through Christ Jesus His Son; Philippians 4:19. Attempted bribery gets you nowhere, because all that you have has already come from the goodness of God. James 1:17.

Jesus Keeps His Word

 “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? Or, what shall we drink? Or, with what shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:31-33

In Mark 8:1-9, we find a great number of people had gathered together with Jesus and His disciples; they were taught and ministered to for 3 days. The count was given of 4,000 men, but this does not include the women and children. It was a big crowd, possibly 15,000.

And so these people had left their normal routines to be with Jesus for 3 whole days, but they were now out of food because of it! They had disregarded even their own food needs in order to, “seek first the kingdom of God” and His righteousness; so what would then happen to them? Jesus fed them! There wasn't much – seven loaves of bread and a few little fish – which became a great supply when Jesus blessed it! There were even 7 baskets of leftover scraps.

God keeps His Word. When we trust in Him, we will see unexpected provision for our needs; and this glorifies Him!

Once I took a job, but with a commitment to the Lord. I would work no more than a 5 day week, to have time with my wife. And I must also be able to continue studying and writing for the website we had.

When the job/boss started breaking his commitment to my scheduling, I quit, though it was at half-month mark. What about the bills?

Unexpectedly, we received 2 gifts of money that made up for the loss, praise God! And the next month I soon had another job. God has said, “Them that honor me I will honor” in I Samuel 2:30.

We honor God when we keep our word, and trust Him at His Word. It takes patience, but faith is increased; our one true need.