Does God Hold Us Back? - Isaiah 40

This is the second part of a three-part series. See the first part here and the second part here.

taken from http://www.christophersmith-op.com/2010/11/02/feeling-encumbered-by-your-religion/

ISAIAH 40

(read the whole text here)

Far-Fallen. Throughout their entire history, the people of Judah (ie, God's people) fell repeatedly into idolatry and forsook God, and consequently He punished them by allowing Babylon to conquer and supplant them from Palestine in 586/7BCE. How far they had fallen from God's purpose for them to be a great nation whose glory was the Lord! They were to be greater than any other nation in the history of the world. Because while unbelieving nations boasted in power, or money, or human achievements, the people of God had something that made all those things look like grass, dust, and a drop in a bucket. They had God dwelling in their midst! But they were so spiritually blind that they chose grass over God, a drop in a bucket over the Divine King who ruled before the world existed and will continue to rule even after all the economic and political systems of this world collapse.

God Gives Hope. God punished His people for their sin, but He also promised hope to those who trusted and delighted in Him. This is the spectacular theme of Isaiah 40. Think about their situation: Israel has been conquered, Jerusalem destroyed, and the Temple burned down. They, who were supposed to be God's representatives, were utterly humiliated, and consequently God's name was greatly dishonored. Any thought of restoration seemed puny and absurd when one considered Judah's conqueror: Babylon—the most powerful empire the earth had ever seen. Surely all hope was lost! … Or was it?

Into this dismal picture enters God with a tender word to His fallen ones: “Comfort, comfort my people” (v.1). God reminds them that although the strength of man is like the flowers of the field that quickly wither and die, yet the Shepherd of Judah is the Creator of the universe, who commands the stars and the galaxies and calls them each by name. Although the lifeless idols of the other nations could not save them from the armies of Babylon, Judah's God is the living God, the author and sustainer of life, and even the great King Nebuchadnezzar depended on Him for his next breath.

Victory Assured. To those who loved and trusted in God and had repented of their sins, there was nothing more reassuring then to hear these words:

“²⁸Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. ²⁹He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. ³⁰Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; ³¹but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Does God Hold Us Back? God holds us back only from pursuing the wealth, prestige, and comforts of this world; only from wasting our lives living for things that from the perspective of eternity are as long-lived as grass in the dry season (v.6) and are as significant as a drop in a bucket (v.15). But those who love God and seek His kingdom on earth rise from glory to glory as history brings the city of God nearer and nearer.


RELATED POSTS:

1. Does God Hold Us Back? - Matthew 11:28-30
2. Does God Hold Us Back? - 1 John 5:3

Riches, Exclusivity, and Alienation

Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches? (Ps.49:5-6)

For majority of my life I've lived in an exclusive subdivision, attended exclusive schools, enjoyed a pretty large allowance, and rode in private vehicles. Things are changing for me now that my new vocation puts me on a tighter budget, and I've been reminded once again how deceptive earthly riches are. People talk about being "secure" when they have money, but my personal experience tells me otherwise. It's the rich that tend to live in fear because they try to keep what is surely passing away (1Jn.2:17). They spend so much time and money on securing their possessions that they reject Christ. They have no time nor interest in Him who called upon the rich young ruler to sell all that he had and follow Him (Lk.18). They usually think it's foolish to follow one who said "if anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all" (Mk.9:35) because they like being able to push other people around and get their way all the time. Serving them, sacrificing for them, is the furthest thing from their hearts. Exclusivity breeds alienation--from God, the church, and the rest of the world.

Please understand, Jesus did not condemn wealth per se. Wealth may have a place in the Christian's life, as long as wealth is put in its proper place, that is, in subjection to the absolute demands of Christ over an individual's and a family's life.

As for us regular folk who don't have our own little kingdoms, or any influence to protect us from those who do, we have a choice. We can spend our lives trying to be like them, and then lose it all in the end. That's treasuring what we cannot keep. Or we can spend our lives serving Christ as pilgrims and strangers in this world, pushing on towards the kingdom of God. That's treasuring what we cannot lose.

Money and the Christian Man, Part 2

(Continued from Part 1)


Approach #2: 10-Year Projection Based on Net Earnings and Spending Habits


I showed this to the boys so that they would see how to project their future financial standing based on how much take-home pay they had and how they chose to use it. "Net earnings" simply means take-home pay. The conditions of this table are that a certain man starts with P100k already in the bank and a P20k/month income, and manages to increase that income by P3k/month every year. Cash use is as follows:

Money and the Christian Man, Part 1

,A Christian man knows how to make and handle money. I recently shared this point with the boys at church. I got the idea from Mr. Mohler but tried to adapt it to our situation as young men on our way to full adulthood. Here are some of the main points that we discussed that I hope will help you, too.


God Has Commissioned Us to "Make A Living"


"Work" is anything we put effort into in the hopes of getting some kind of result. The result could be something physical like a science project, or abstract like an idea.