JULY 26

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES:

NAMES OF GOD:

ELOHE TSADEKI—GOD OF MY RIGHTEOUSNESS

ELOHE YAKOB—GOD OF JACOB

ELOHEI MAROM—GOD ON HIGH

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This month we will read the book, “Whatever Happens – How to Stand Firm in Your Faith When the World is Falling Apart.”  By a contemporary author of many best-selling Christian books, Robert J. Morgan.  He took care of his wife when she had MS, until she went home to her Savior.  “He knows of which he speaks.”  I pray that this book blesses you.

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Philippians 2:14-18

“ Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,  holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

 Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.  For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.”

WHATEVER HAPPENS …SHINE LIKE A STAR IN THE BLACKENED SKY

Heinrich Olbers, a German astronomer, lived in the early 1800’s and is best known for his perplexing question, now known as Olbers’ Paradox.  “if the universe is filled with stars,” he asked, “Why is the sky dark at night?”

Olbers reasoned that if the universe is infinitely old and contains an infinite number of stars, then no matter where we look in space, our line of sight should end with a star.  It’s like being in the middle of a forest – everywhere we look, we see a tree.  If the universe is filled with stars, then shouldn’t the whole nighttime sky be filled with light?  So why then it the nighttime sky black?

One reason is that our universe is not infinite as earlier astronomists believed.  It was created in a moment of time in the past, so the light from many years hasn’t yet reached earth.  But here’s another reason that comes from the heart of God. I believe He put the burning stars into the dark sky to teach us something about our own lives and mission.  He wants us to burn holes in the darkness……and that bring us to Philippians 2:14-16:

“do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”  Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.  Then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.”

There’s something extraordinary about this passage.  According to Dr. Gordon Fee, this paragraph has a striking feature:  “the sudden and profuse influx of echoes from the Old Testament, which is quite unlike anything else in the Pauline writings.  So unique is this that one scarcely knows what to make of it.”

Virtually every phrase of this passage comes from the Old Testament.  It traces the story of the Old Testament Israelites.  I’ll show you how this works out.

DON’T GRUMBLE OR ARGUE

First, we’re to do everything without grumbling or complaining.  In this passage, Paul harkened back to the Israelites, whose whole attitude was grumbling, murmuring and complaining.

Exodus 15 records the exuberance that swept over the Israelites after God delivered them through the Red Sea and destroyed their enemies.  They sang with euphoria.  But in the next paragraph, they realized they had no drinkable water.  “so the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”  (Exodus 15:24)

The apostle Paul said, “do not be like them.”

The Bible says, “to the pure, all things are pure”  (Titus 1:15).  In the same way, to those who are faultfinders, all things are faulty. 

Orison Swett Marden said, “Everybody we meet is helped or hindered by what we radiate.  It makes all the difference in the world whether we go about with a smiling face or wearing a frown.  A smile in the heart not only changes the expression but it changes the whole nature which, as we know, takes on the color of our moods.”  He also said, “No one can really be happy or successful unless he is master of his moods.”

This isn’t easy.  Recently someone treated me badly.  It bothered me. The next morning, the first song that came up on my list was based on Philippians 2.  The hymn spoke to my heart.  “May the mind of Christ, my Savior, live in me from day to day; by His power and love controlling all I do and say,”

I said, “Lord, my consciousness is willing to forgive, but my subconsciousness is not.”

I went back to Philippians 2 and studied it some more.  Here’s what I realized:  I cannot grow spiritually without keeping a positive attitude about life.  The unfolding logic of this passage says this plainly.  We cannot grow spiritually unless we keep a Biblically bright view of life.

That’s humility.  Tim Keller said, “If you meet a truly humble person, you wouldn’t think him or her humble, but happy and incredibly interested in you.”

BE BLAMELESS AND PURE

Why should we “do everything without grumbling or arguing”?  the passage goes on to say, “so that you may become blameless and pure.”  There’s something about a humble spirit of brightness that helps us become blameless.

When I was a boy, I went through a growth spurt.  My mother had bought clothes for me that were one or two sizes too large.  She said I would grow into them.  She was right – they were too big, and then almost overnight, they fit perfectly, and then they began getting too tight.

We’re clothed in the righteousness of Christ, but we have to grow into our spiritual duds.  Our growth can be hindered by an unhappy and negative attitude.  Here, again, we go back to the Israelites.  In Deuteronomy 18:13-15, Moses said, ”You must be blameless before the Lord your God.  The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination.  But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so.  The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you…You must listen to him.”

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