Matthew 5:
17. Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: ...
... 20. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus made this statement, then launched into several examples.
Jesus gave several examples. Pharisees: "Thou shalt not kill." Jesus: "You shalt not be angry without cause." Pharisees: "Thou shalt not commit adultery." Jesus: "You shall not look upon another to lust after them." "An eye for an eye," "Turn the other cheek."
You get the general principle. "All that the Pharisees do from the law and the prophets will not be enough for you to operate under kingdom principles."
He was still in this pattern when he touched on money.
Matthew 6:
19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
24. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
.... 33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Consider this: the Pharisees had an evil eye. Where in the law does it say to have an evil eye?
According to Strong, this Greek word "evil" means hurtful in effect or influence. It comes into focus when you see it is derived from a word that means "toil." In context of Jesus' subject, it means living your life chasing every penny you can. Does it mean you are greedy? No. It means you are trying to be the Proverbs 31 woman. This is what the Pharisees did.
America's Puritan heritage gave us hard work as a virtue. The Puritans pulled this ethic straight out of the Bible. And the Pharisees did as well. But, even though it is the American tradition, hard work itself is not the virtuous thing. The Bible virtue is found in why you do all your hard work.
That is what makes your eye evil or clear. While the legally righteous labor to pay the mortgage and put food on the table, the kingdom righteous labor to be able to show mercy to those in need. They do the work of God. Then God takes care of their other issues.
The Pharisees have a keen eye for a money opportunity. They can smell it out from a mile away.
Jesus taught us to have a keen eye for ministry opportunity: see the needs around you.
Paul stated this concept in Ephesians 4:
28. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
The righteousness that is of the law and prophets labors to provide for ones self, and their own. It gives to the Lord his due, then socks the rest away for a rainy day.
Jesus said this wasn't good enough. Your labor should be to rescue the needy around you.
Consider the fast of Isaiah 58:
5. Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?
6. Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7. Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
8. Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward.
9. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
10. And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
11. And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
Sounds a little like what Jesus said on the sermon on the mount.
Christians often adopt the righteousness of the Pharisees when it comes to money. They put away as much treasure on earth that they can. They refuse to associate with the "losers" in life, preferring to hob-nob with those more successful than they. What they don't realize is that those "losers" are the ones Jesus wants to spend time with. While they are "doing what it takes," they enslave themselves to money.
There is nothing wrong with working hard. There is only something wrong in working for money. You should really be working to show mercy to all who need it. Starting with your family.
If your eye is full of evil, toil and trouble, toil and trouble.... how very dark it can be for you.
If your eye is full of light, God adds to you the desires of your heart.
Copyright © 2009 Burley Ward. All rights reserved
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Word of Wisdom
What say we take a look at the Word of Wisdom.
It can be somewhat amusing to read all the explanations available as to what the word of wisdom is. And also sad. I think one of the best books I read on the gifts of the Spirit simply ignored the word of wisdom. My conclusion? The author didn't know, so he didn't say. A wise choice, I would gander.
The word of wisdom reveals mysteries. Could this include God's secret plans for the future? Possibly. The word of wisdom most often goes into action when one is reading the Bible, though.
One day I heard the Spirit say as I picked up my Bible, "Do you what to know what is going on in the world?" I said, "yes," he led me to Daniel 7. Was this the word of wisdom? No. The word of wisdom didn't kick in until I hit verse 12. I suddenly saw it all. All 4 beasts were on the earth at the same time, and three of them were allowed to continue for fifteen months after the Lord's return, and after his Kingdom was set up. Only the beast of Revelation was destroyed. Of course I did more digging, and found that, yes, the four beasts fit nicely with what I understood them to be.
I think the most ironic of times was when the word of wisdom revealed to me what the word of wisdom was. But I have had it operate on things that were not even remotely scripture related.
Let's look at some verses.
Proverbs 1: 6. To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
First, the simple outlay. The word of wisdom gives understanding to the dark sayings of the wise. Wise sayings are shrouded in mystery. Read Jesus' parables, and you will find some.
Often, when the word of wisdom goes into action, you "remember" what that dark mysterious saying means. You understand what they were saying.
1 Corinthians 12:
7. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
8. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9. To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10. To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
1 Corinthians 13:
1. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
Paul was very good about saying things in different ways so as to convey a clear picture. In Romans 8, he described being led of the spirit in these ways:
"walk not after the flesh," "{walk} after the Spirit,"
"{don't} mind the things of the flesh," "mind the things of the spirit,"
"{not} live after the flesh, {but} the Spirit,"
"Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry 'Abba, Father',"
"Led of the Spirit,"
"His spirit bears witness with our spirit,..."
Now, these all describe exactly the same thing. The inward witness is the tug of the Spirit that draws you to worship. (Paul was also very good about giving us practical examples we could all identify and relate to.) Every born again believer can relate to the call of worship. It is that same call that will lead you in every area of life.
The word of wisdom showed this to me. I was riding on a train from Iowa to Texas. I was staring out of the window lazily watching the world roll by. Behind me two women were chatting away, but I tuned them out until they started talking about what the leading of the Spirit was. My ears perked up, and I started eavesdropping. Finally, it was too much, and I turned to join the conversation.
I was alone in the railcar.
This was the word of wisdom in operation in an audible manifestation.
(I know, I know, people will nitpick, and say women aren't supposed to teach in the church. Yet, Wisdom in the book of Proverbs is a woman, is she not?)
But I digress. In the letter to the Corinthians, Paul employs the same "say it more than one way"strategy. He even kept some of them in the same order. "Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, Faith." "Understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and have all faith..."
The word of wisdom reveals mysteries. Just as the word of knowledge reveals facts you do not know, the word of wisdom reveals things you don't understand.
They may be things that are only a mystery to you.
As I said earlier, the word of wisdom is very active while reading scripture. But the Holy Spirit is not limited to scripture. The word of wisdom can reveal people's hidden, even subconscious, motives. Anything that is a mystery to you, he can show you.
In this day when there are millions of voices screaming for our attention, it's good to know that there is one voice that will guide us into all truth if we will only take the time to listen.
Copyright © 2009 Burley Ward. All rights reserved
It can be somewhat amusing to read all the explanations available as to what the word of wisdom is. And also sad. I think one of the best books I read on the gifts of the Spirit simply ignored the word of wisdom. My conclusion? The author didn't know, so he didn't say. A wise choice, I would gander.
The word of wisdom reveals mysteries. Could this include God's secret plans for the future? Possibly. The word of wisdom most often goes into action when one is reading the Bible, though.
One day I heard the Spirit say as I picked up my Bible, "Do you what to know what is going on in the world?" I said, "yes," he led me to Daniel 7. Was this the word of wisdom? No. The word of wisdom didn't kick in until I hit verse 12. I suddenly saw it all. All 4 beasts were on the earth at the same time, and three of them were allowed to continue for fifteen months after the Lord's return, and after his Kingdom was set up. Only the beast of Revelation was destroyed. Of course I did more digging, and found that, yes, the four beasts fit nicely with what I understood them to be.
I think the most ironic of times was when the word of wisdom revealed to me what the word of wisdom was. But I have had it operate on things that were not even remotely scripture related.
Let's look at some verses.
Proverbs 1: 6. To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
First, the simple outlay. The word of wisdom gives understanding to the dark sayings of the wise. Wise sayings are shrouded in mystery. Read Jesus' parables, and you will find some.
Often, when the word of wisdom goes into action, you "remember" what that dark mysterious saying means. You understand what they were saying.
1 Corinthians 12:
7. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
8. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9. To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10. To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
1 Corinthians 13:
1. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
Paul was very good about saying things in different ways so as to convey a clear picture. In Romans 8, he described being led of the spirit in these ways:
"walk not after the flesh," "{walk} after the Spirit,"
"{don't} mind the things of the flesh," "mind the things of the spirit,"
"{not} live after the flesh, {but} the Spirit,"
"Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry 'Abba, Father',"
"Led of the Spirit,"
"His spirit bears witness with our spirit,..."
Now, these all describe exactly the same thing. The inward witness is the tug of the Spirit that draws you to worship. (Paul was also very good about giving us practical examples we could all identify and relate to.) Every born again believer can relate to the call of worship. It is that same call that will lead you in every area of life.
The word of wisdom showed this to me. I was riding on a train from Iowa to Texas. I was staring out of the window lazily watching the world roll by. Behind me two women were chatting away, but I tuned them out until they started talking about what the leading of the Spirit was. My ears perked up, and I started eavesdropping. Finally, it was too much, and I turned to join the conversation.
I was alone in the railcar.
This was the word of wisdom in operation in an audible manifestation.
(I know, I know, people will nitpick, and say women aren't supposed to teach in the church. Yet, Wisdom in the book of Proverbs is a woman, is she not?)
But I digress. In the letter to the Corinthians, Paul employs the same "say it more than one way"strategy. He even kept some of them in the same order. "Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, Faith." "Understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and have all faith..."
The word of wisdom reveals mysteries. Just as the word of knowledge reveals facts you do not know, the word of wisdom reveals things you don't understand.
They may be things that are only a mystery to you.
As I said earlier, the word of wisdom is very active while reading scripture. But the Holy Spirit is not limited to scripture. The word of wisdom can reveal people's hidden, even subconscious, motives. Anything that is a mystery to you, he can show you.
In this day when there are millions of voices screaming for our attention, it's good to know that there is one voice that will guide us into all truth if we will only take the time to listen.
Copyright © 2009 Burley Ward. All rights reserved
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