A Goody From Woody

I can’t get 1 Chronicles 12:32 off my mind. God’s Word says: “Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do . . .”

Do you pray God will grant us Godly men and women who understand the times in which we live? Have you seen a lot of Godly wisdom displayed lately? In the church? The world? The congress?

Issachar is the tribe that Deborah came from in the time “when every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6).

The Sanhedrin during Jesus’ day was from the tribe of Issachar. The Sanhedrin was known for its wisdom. We need Biblical wisdom today!!

When David became King of Israel, the people who were united behind him are listed (chapters 1-9 of 1 Chronicles). Every person and leader was important—they were all connected to what God was doing with a new King and new beginnings in Israel.

Proverbs 10:21 says, “Fools die for lack of wisdom.” The contrast in Proverbs is “wise” people—God’s people looking to Him in their salvation and God makes them “wise.” The opposite are “fools,” people who have no relationship with God or His Son, Jesus.

“Head knowledge” is everywhere around us. But true wisdom, which is a “knowledge of the holy” (Proverbs 30:3) and the fear of the Lord, is greatly lacking today.

There is an ignorance of the Lord and lack of sensitivity to sin in our day.
What can you and I do to change this? Try Paul’s words. Paul understood this need to “understand the times” in which he lived. He was wise. He said, “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” –Philippians 3:7-11 NASB.
God Bless,
Woody

Quote: “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.” -C.S. Lewis

Last week, a friend asked me a great question about prayer. She said, “I’ve been raised a strict Baptist and know that we’re supposed to pray. But, I’m struggling with why. God knows my thoughts, wants, needs, and my prayers and thoughts for others.” Why pray?

Let me answer this question of why with a definition of prayer – It is personal communication with God. Prayer includes requests for ourselves and others (called petition and/or intercession). It also includes confession of sin, adoration of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and praise and thanksgiving. Prayer is worship!

Let me also say prayer is not offered to God so God can find out what we need. Jesus tells us, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matt. 6:8).

1. God wants us to pray because prayer expresses our trust in God. And this trust can grow and increase with time. We are to pray with faith, which means dependence and trust in God’s plan for our lives.

Think about the attitude of a child trusting their dad and mom. We as Christians really are dependent on God for everything. Prayer is a way of expressing to God our attitude of dependence and our loving thoughts to Him. It is right and proper to pray to God and express our thanks and praise in His salvation. It is right to tell God we want to be like the Savior.

Remember the opening words to the Lord’s prayer? “Our Father who art in heaven…” (Matt. 6:9). This is the model prayer and it teaches dependence and trust.

2. God wants us to pray and love Him in dependence, but He also wants us to pray so we can enjoy fellowship with Him. If you enjoy friends on earth, don’t you long, when apart, to come together in Christian fellowship? So does God!

3. A third reason why we pray is that prayer allows us believers to be involved with activities that have eternal importance. When we pray correctly we are involved in asking God to increase His church, advance missions to reach lost people, and for “His kingdom to come on earth as it is in Heaven.”

Let me say a final word. Prayer is not “natural.” It takes a divine touch (salvation) (cf John 4:24). Prayer is “supernatural.” Scripture teaches God does not “hear” every prayer. The biblical doctrine of prayer always begins with God’s character, the necessity of man’s salvation in covenant relation with God, and entering into both the privileges and obligations of that relationship.

As a boy, growing up in eastern Kentucky, I heard a radio program called, the “Cadle Tabernacle” out of Indianapolis, five days a week at 7 AM. I heard these words:

“Ere you left your room this morning, did you think to pray? In the name of Christ our Savior, did you sue for loving favor, as a shield today?”

What a challenge! What a joy! What an honor to pray to God about everything!

Thanks for reading!! Go pray!!

Woody

In everyday language, Jesus says in Matthew 5:11-12, “Give a cheer!” Is He serious? Let’s read this in the Message. "Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.”

Do you see both the problem and the solution Jesus is talking about?

When people oppose us (and the Gospel) we find it easy to become hard and angry. If we go on the defensive we are likely to forget the goal (salvation) and lose our joy in the process.

May I suggest the solution in the words of Eugene H. Peterson? “When we dance our faith, the enemy is disarmed and drawn into the celebration. Leaping joy is the sanity of blessing in a lunatic society. “ (Daily Readings)

What do you have that God has given you for which you can rejoice and be glad? Can you give a cheer in His name? Go ahead—say it quietly, but sincerely, “Yeah God!!!”

We are not called to fight the world, the flesh and the devil with this world’s weapons. We are called to be “witnesses” for Jesus—witnesses who love Him passionately and will witness with love, peace, and joy!

Don’t quit. Don’t give up. As Jesus says it, “You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.” (Matthew 5:10)

“So when that happens – give a cheer, even! For though they don’t like it, I do. And all heaven applauds.” (Matthew 5:12)

God Bless,
Woody Church

Would you like a C. S. Lewis quote? “I think we all sin by needlessly disobeying the apostolic injunction to ‘rejoice’ as much as by anything else.”

In high school at graduation, I received an award – the W.W. Sebald Self-Reliant Award. It was money to be spent on my college education. When they gave me this reward I thought to myself (a young Christian), I really deserve this—I worked hard in school, played sports and worked after school and on weekends.

I really was self-reliant and self-sufficient.

But Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Jesus also said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3).

Am I self-made, self-reliant, self-sufficient? No! No! No! That is a fantasy world. That type of self-world is empty of God completely.

The opposite view is a world where people are poor in spirit and deeply aware of being God-made and God-sufficient—everything comes because of the goodness, mercy and grace of God.

As a teenager I thought I was independent and could do it all by myself. I no longer believe that. As a Christian, I believe differently now. Everything comes from God. He is independent. I am dependent. He is complete. I am incomplete. I am nothing without Him.

To be able to receive anything from God, I must choose Him and my attitude must be to see myself in all dimensions—physically, spiritually, mortally as “poor in spirit”.

That’s the way I see it!

What does poor in spirit mean to you? Where’s your focus? Self or God? My challenge to you today is simple: empty yourself of you. See yourself as nothing, so that whatever God gives to you, you can be open to everything from His hand.

I am nothing today but I am also lost in wonder and praise for all God is to me and in me.

“To conclude, in one word; as often as we call God the Creator of heaven and earth, let us remember that the distribution of all the things which he created are in his hand and power, but that we are his sons, whom he has undertaken to nourish and bring up in allegiance to him, that we may expect the substance of all good from him alone, and have full hope that he will never suffer us to be in want of things necessary to salvation, so as to leave us dependent on some other source; that in everything we desire we may address our prayers to him, and, in every benefit we receive, acknowledge his hand, and give him thanks; that thus allured by his great goodness and beneficence, we may study with our whole heart to love and serve him.” [Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin translated by Henry Beveridge; Book One, Chapter 14, Section 22]

God bless,
Woody