It occurred to me how the guy must feel being known for the rest of human history as the “thief on the cross”—hanging naked on a cross; dying for your crimes as a robber; initially blaspheming and mocking Jesus; confessing Jesus as Lord; asking to be remembered by Jesus in His kingdom; given assurance by Jesus; praising God throughout eternity for His saving grace that is magnified in saving a “thief on the cross.” (Lk 23:39-43). God’s grace is amazing.

I wondered how it would feel to be known for the rest of human history as the “Ethiopian eunuch”—enduring the snickers of kids and adults who discover that a eunuch is a castrated man; unable to have sex; being marginalized by Jewish Law by being banned from the priesthood and assemblies (Le 21:20; De 23:1); given the promise of acceptance and an “everlasting name that will endure forever” by the prophets (Is 56:3-5 NIV); reading that same prophet Isaiah when the Spirit sends a preacher to guide, baptize, and give him the joy of salvation in the kingdom that eunuchs dreamed of and no eunuch had ever experienced before. God’s grace is amazing.

How would it be to have it recorded in Scripture for the rest of human history that you were the woman “caught in adultery”—religious leaders accusing you; public humiliation with the announcement you were caught in the very act; the Law’s death penalty being pronounced on you; Jesus telling your accusers, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first”; watching the accusers leave and Jesus saying, “Has no one condemned you… Neither do I … go and sin no more (Jn 8:1-11). God’s grace is amazing.

Imagine being known for the rest of human history for your disability, as is the “man who was paralyzed”—only able to lay on your bed; having to be carried around by others; you can’t get in to see Jesus, so others tear open someone’s roof to lower you into His presence; instead of healing you, Jesus says, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you”; the religious leaders are outraged and accuse Jesus of blaspheming; Jesus heals you to show He has “power on earth to forgiven sins”; at His direction you stand up, pick up what you were lying on, and go to your house, “glorifying God” (Mt 9:1-9; Mk 2:1-11; Lk 5:17-26). God’s grace is amazing!

What would it be like to be known for the rest of human history as the “woman in the city who was a sinner”—religious leaders disdaining you and not even willing to touch you; you’re a crier; you anoint the feet of Jesus and wipe them with your tears and hair, but the hateful words of those who are religious keep saying you’re a sinner and are the kind of woman who shouldn’t be allowed to even touch a prophet; Jesus sees the washing of His feet, the kisses, and anointing as expressions of love for Him; Jesus says, “’Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.’ Then He said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’” “Then He said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you. Go in peace’” (Lk 7:36-50). God’s grace is amazing.

Criminals, eunuchs, adulterers, people with disabilities, and known sinners are remembered as criminals, eunuchs, adulterers, people with disabilities, and known sinners who were welcomed by Jesus and saved by grace. Until we are ready to be known as criminals, eunuchs, adulterers, people with disabilities, and sinners, we aren’t ready for grace. When we are in Christ and someone remembers us as criminals, eunuchs, adulterers, people with disabilities, and sinners, we don’t have to be ashamed, instead we have an amazing grace story to tell. “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Co 6:11). That is how we want to be remembered. God’s grace is amazing!

davdiestel@yahoo.com

Saul, king of Israel, was preparing to go to war with the Philistines (1 Sam. 13). He had previously been instructed to go to Gilgal and wait for Samuel to come to offer a burnt offering and a peace offering and to tell the king what to do (1 Sam. 10:8). When Samuel did not show up within the expected time, Saul decided to make the offering himself (13:9).

Saul had hardly finished the offering when Samuel showed up and asked, “What have you done?” (v.11). Saul explained that he feared the Philistines would come against him before he had made supplication to the Lord, so he felt “compelled” to act (v.12).

I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a reasonable explanation to me. After all, offering a burnt offering and making supplication to God were good things to do. But God was not pleased! Samuel said, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you” (v.13).

This story teaches me that just because I can’t see the harm in doing what seems good to me does not necessarily make it good in God’s eyes. I confess that I don’t always see the harm in some things that God has declared to be sinful. Nor do I always understand the reason for how God expects some things He requires to be done.

Whether I am seeking authority in my personal life or authority pertaining to the work and worship of the Lord’s churches, my opinions, feelings, or understanding of reasons behind God’s approval or disapproval cannot be a factor.

I’m fairly confident that most everyone among our readers will be in agreement with the application I am making regarding God’s sovereign right to define what is sinful regardless of what society thinks or whether or not we understand the reason behind His decisions. This puts us in direct opposition to how the world views what God has revealed, especially regarding moral issues such as the many forms of fornication, divorce, and the taking of innocent life.

However, there may be less unanimity with my application to what God authorizes (or doesn’t authorize) in the collective work and worship among local churches belonging to Christ. In every generation there have been some who have challenged some of what is taught as “unscriptural,” claiming them to be merely part of “our long-standing traditions.” They seek a loosening of what they call “traditions” that restrict what they personally feel we are at liberty or even “compelled” to do.

For example, local churches are being challenged by those who don’t agree with what many of us believe are biblical limitations on the use of church funds, including unlimited benevolence and use of church-owned buildings for social events. There are also those who advocate for the use of musical instruments in worship as well as an expanded role of women in leadership. 

Questioning what is taught or practiced is not a problem as long as it is to initiate an honest study of the Scriptures to see how to “do good in God’s way” rather than to merely voice what we think or feel God would approve. Remember King Saul!

aldiestel@gmail.com

Memorials are erected in stone. Towers are built. Admonishing cries of “Remember!” and “Never forget!” are shouted so that the next generation will appreciate, learn, and be motivated. It is easy to forget and not appreciate what came before us and brought us to where we are, but we are foolish if we forget what God tells us to remember.

After nearly forty years of wandering and complaining in the wilderness, the faithless generation of Israel which God had rescued from bondage in Egypt was virtually gone. Those who were teens and younger at the time of the Exodus were now in their forties and fifties. The only aged men among them were Moses, Joshua, and Caleb (cf. Num. 14:27-34; 26:64,65), and not even Moses would get to enter the Promised Land (Dt. 1:35-38). Indeed, from this time forward, subsequent generations of Israelites were admonished to remember the period of the wilderness wandering.

Even before the children of Israel crossed into the Promised Land, Moses charged, “And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not” (8:2). God humbled them, tested them, taught them, loved them, and provided for them so that they would know “that as a man chastens his son, so the LORD your God chastens you. Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him” (vv. 5,6). Remembering this was crucial because God was going to bless them richly. “When you have eaten and are full,” there are two possible responses: praising God for His blessings (v. 10) or forgetting that God is the source of blessings (vv. 11-16) and thinking, “My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth” (v. 17).

Success and prosperity will spoil the generation that has not known adversity and fails to remember God as the one from whom all blessings flow. Those who forget or deny God have a distorted view of their own self-worth which causes them to view wealth as an entitlement rather than a gracious blessing to be used to God’s glory. God—whose power is such that He can do and give all things and still have more to give—has demonstrated time and again that because He can give does not mean that He will give. He knows what is best, what we need, and what we don’t need. Thus, God may intentionally deprive us of our wants and perceived needs in order to form us into what we were created to be—something better than we are or otherwise would be.

Parents, do you practice intentional deprivation in order to build character in your children? If you provide your children with all that you are capable of giving them, they do not learn the godly characteristics of self-denial, sacrifice, and the kind of love that undergirds those virtues. When blessings are seen as rights or something earned or deserved, we become arrogant and forget God. The blessed of any generation must humbly recognize they are blessed by God’s grace or they will inevitably raise up children and grandchildren that know neither God nor His grace. Israel did not inherit the Promised Land because of its righteousness. Israel received the land because of God’s gracious promises (9:3-6). Israel’s remembering of their forefathers’ complaining and rebellion in the wilderness was critical to appreciating God’s grace (vv. 7-24). Subsequent generations of Israelites were reminded as well (e.g. Psalms 95, 78, 106; Ezek. 20). Acknowledging God’s grace is essential to being humble, and being humble is essential to receiving more grace (Prov. 3:34/Js. 4:6). We must remember that the events in the wilderness ultimately point to Jesus as God’s grace to each of us in our sojourns. Therefore, let him who thinks he stands [on his own] take heed [remember] lest he fall (1 Cor. 10:1-12).

andydiestelkamp@gmail.com