Salvation, Evangelism and Humility

How does one get saved from his sin? Bible believing Christians should be able to get together on this one and come up with, "Repent and believe the gospel". At that point you may end up disagreeing on how that comes about. Is God sovereign? Is man's free will the ultimate deciding factor? Wherever you are in your Soteriology, we have to have the Bible as our final authority. Look at Noah for instance. Was he any better than all the other people who stood by mocking him as he built the ark? Probably not. But God chose him and his family to be saved. I doubt there was a line of people who had chosen to get on the ark and God was smacking these people off the door hinges. God may however, have given the rest of the world over to their own depravity. Just like he did with Pharaoh and just like the people described in Romans 9 who are "vessels of wrath prepared for destruction." Conversely, for those who are saved, remember that chapter 9 of Romans also states that "it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy". We are again reminded in Ephesians 2, "that by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." God has countless passages that remind us how humbling of an act salvation should be viewed as by saved people and as people looking for others to be saved. Let's take a look at a great example of God doing a mighty work in a very famous king's life.

I wanna stay back in the Old Testament for this one. A few days ago Kelli and I were reading the book of the Prophet Daniel. The portion of scripture we were reading in was about Nebuchadnezzar's second dream which Daniel, yet again, interpreted for him. King Nebuchadnezzar starts out by praising the Most High God. We'll get to how he gets to that point soon. He then goes on to explain his dream in great detail. Let's pick up after that and get into Daniel's(Belteshazzar's) interpretation. Chapter 4, Verses 19-26 read:

“My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies! The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth. And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,’ this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules.

Daniel uses his God given gift to interpret the king's bizarre dream. But he doesn't stop there. Check out what he tells him in verse 27:

Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

Many times in the Old Testament, prosperity was correlated to God's favor. We see that in Daniels warning to King Nebuchadnezzar. When I see those words that Daniel gave to the King, however, they remind me of Jesus saying plainly, "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” over in the Gospel of Luke. But back to Daniel. Now, you would think that after Daniel had already correctly interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's first dream back in chapter 2, the king would listen to him on this one. Of course that doesn't happen. Look at the king's lack of humility in verses 28-33:

All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws.

So even though Nebuchadnezzar was given more then sufficient warning from Daniel, Daniel's words were not enough to break down the kings pride. He thought himself to be a self-made man and no mortal's words were about to change that. It took a miraculous work of God to get Nebuchadnezzar to humble himself. It took 7 years of eating grass like an animal when all he had to do was simply listen to a prophet who had never steered him wrong. He finally was humbled and as promised earlier in verse 26, his kingdom was confirmed after he knew that Heaven ruled. His kingdom was restored and glory was given to God by Nebuchadnezzar in verses 34-37:

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever,

for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;
all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
and he does according to his will among the host of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth;
and none can stay his hand
or say to him, “What have you done?”

At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

All this to say that as evangelists we are to remain humble. After all, we are just being obedient to God's commands, leadings, and giftings. Daniel was all about obedience. He only did what he was called to do. He said all the right things to Nebuchadnezzar. His accurate interpretations along with the warning to repent should have brought the king to his senses but ultimately God did all the work in getting the king broken, then restored. Nebuchadnezzar finally went from glorifying himself to glorifying God. Daniel, though obedient, had nothing to do with it in the end. Like Paul Washer has said, "God saved you from Himself, God saved you for Himself and God saved you by Himself.” Nebuchadnezzar would have to agree with Paul Washer on that one. We see that in his response in verse 37. It tells as that he was humble. Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged that his restoration and new found praise for the Most High had nothing to do with any decision he had made. It was all of God. So whether you are saved or you are the person who is out in the world telling other people how to be saved, show some humility. To God alone be the glory for salvation and for the free gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord!!

I just want to leave you with a couple last thoughts. We may say all the right things to someone as we witness to them and, like Daniel, have nothing immediate come from it. Don't get discouraged, God is in the business of saving people. It could be that God has saved people that we have shared the gospel with but to keep us humble, perhaps we don't get to see those results in this life. Remember that it took Nebuchadnezzar 7 years to come to repentance! If someone does turn from their sins and put their faith in Jesus through our message that's great! Let us stay humble about it and give all glory to God. We just need to concentrate on continuing in our obedience to the Lord Jesus and His Great Commission by giving lost sinners the biblical message. I love what John MacArthur said in a sermon. "No one should be so humble. No one should be so meek as those who preach the gospel. Because, we're the only profession in the world where we can take absolutely no credit for everything we do." We see that in this story of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar. We clearly see that salvation is a truly amazing gift of God. It came to me in a hospital room as my daughter was near death. I wasn't looking for it but He came looking for me nonetheless. Why? Sometimes I just have no idea. It still baffles me to this day how much He loves me no matter how much I fail Him. This beautiful information doesn't keep me nearly as humble as it should though. That God would write my name in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world and that He would take my place on a Roman cross is truly amazing grace(Ephesians 1)! So I write this to keep myself humble. If it works to keep you humble too, Soli Deo Gloria!! Let's humbly do the work of evangelists, God will take care of the rest.

Psalm 68:20

English Standard Version (ESV)

Our God is a God of salvation,
and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.

Unteachability

In my previous post I reviewed a book titled, "Hazards of Being a Man". If you read the review, you know that I thought it was fantastic. One of the hazards mentioned in the book really caught me unawares. I never really thought of myself in that way but looking back it is very evident that I was very unteachable. Interestingly enough, just recently a friend of mine has had some issues with this trap. Not that he was unteachable but people who were over him in a church setting were. They had their views on something and would not budge even though what they practiced in no way lined up with the Scriptures. Nobody. Not pastors, priests, the pope, no one knows everything. It is dangerous to think that we do. Everyone can learn from many different sources; even it it's what not to do(I learned that at the refinery lol). All this to say is that I saw a shining example of teachability at my church this last Sunday in our Adult Bible Fellowship class. Dr. Jim Rosscup. This man has a B.A. from Arizona State University, a Th.D & a Th.M from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D., University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He has written books, he's an amazing teacher, he is smart beyond any and all of my comprehension. So with all this hype you probably think he was teaching the class and the question you might be asking is what did I teach him. Nothing. But watching this great, seasoned, knowledgeable man of God sitting in the same class as me, intently taking notes as our associate pastor spoke on a subject I'm positive that Dr. Rosscup could have schooled him on many a time over was a great example to me. I went up and thanked him after the class. He humbly and graciously accepted my thanks. What a great example. Thank you Dr. Jim Rosscup. If the Lord grants me another second on this Earth let me be as teachable as you sir.

DiG Recommended Reading for January & February 2012

Earlier this month at the Men's Breakfast at my church, they gave all the men in attendance a book. It is called "Hazards of Being a Man" by Jeffrey E. Miller, Senior Pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Richardson, TX. This has got to be one of the best supplemental reads that I've ever gotten my hands on. Pastor Miller tackles 12 challenges that all men face head-on. Issues like Lust, Unteachability, Partial Obedience, and Misplaced Priorities are all covered in these pages. All 12 of these issues or challenges are paralleled to an Old Testament man and his story. I've never quite seen the Old Testament come so alive in regards to lessons and applications for modern day man. There are so many great examples contained here. From Adam's deflecting responsibility in the Garden to Saul's partial obedience in regards to the Amalekites, to Abraham's manipulation of God's will, all the way down to Samson's infamous lust issues, every one of the 12 hazards in this book shows us just how easy it is to fall into these sins. Pastor Miller in all practicality shows us men ways to build up our defenses towards these dangerous pitfalls. On top of all this, at the end of each chapter, there are Reflection Questions as well as a Memory Verse and a Chapter to read in the Bible. This was great reading on my own but it would really shine in a group setting such as a Men's small study. Either way, I can't recommend this book enough. It is fantastic!


You can pick up your copy by clicking here. Or if you have a Kindle, get your copy here.

Proverbs 13:20

English Standard Version (ESV)

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Unknown Pursuer

Ryan Messenger took one last look out the front door of his third story New York apartment building before gently easing it closed. Not content that he hadn’t missed someone lurking behind him in the long apartment hallway, he opened the only thing between himself and the outside world one more time, as if to satisfy a case of OCD he didn’t really have, then took the time to secure the multiple locks. Such was the paranoia in New York anyhow but today Ryan couldn’t shake the feeling that he had been followed to his 45^th Street abode. The light from the kitchen made a path from the front door back to it's source but that didn’t stop Ryan from tripping over Patches, his cat, as he made his way towards the refrigerator. Ryan, on edge from the sense of being followed anyhow, screamed a couple expletives at his cat of 7 years before finally making it into the kitchen. Ryan was culinary challenged so his kitchen was really only a kitchen in the sense that it had a stove, a refrigerator, a microwave, and a set of knives given to him as a housewarming gift. In reality it was an over-sized beer storage center and he went for the central hub now. He reached past the milk that could have easily passed for cottage cheese if you saw it or maggots having a cookout if you smelled it, and started to grab the last Sam Adams Lager. Just then the phone rang cutting through the silence of the dwelling like a surgeon’s scalpel cuts skin. Ryan, startled, hastily reared his head and smacked the back of it on the bottom of the freezer. He cursed under his breath and went over to the wall to answer it. Why he still had a landline phone was beyond him. Ryan only ever used his smart phone so, unless he just wanted to call 911 and not reach the Highway Patrol, his home phone was completely unnecessary. He looked at the phone’s caller ID. “UNKOWN CALLER’. “Hello?” Ryan answered. Long silence. “Hello?”

Finally after another short absence of noise, the silence on the other end was broken. “LIARRRRRRRR!” “What? Who is this?” Ryan demanded. “LIARRRRRRRRRR!” This time the word was emitted in more of a shriek that caused Ryan to drop the phone and back pedal towards the dining area. He tripped over the rug in the doorway. The turquoise colored Navajo styled floor covering caused Ryan to fall and hit his back on the table. Ryan fell to the floor in pain. He scooted towards the wall and leaned against it, giving momentary relief to his lower back area. The comfort didn’t last long. The word liar was being repeated over the phone’s handset, loud enough for Ryan to still hear though the phone was eight feet away from where he now sat. His heart began to beat fast and loud. THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. He couldn’t calm down. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!! Only that wasn’t his heart. It was a booming sound coming from the front door that seemed to echo his over-revved heart. As Ryan made his way to the door he flipped on all the lights along the way, revealing what could not be seen before. A mostly clean apartment, decorated in a southwestern theme that matched the rug that had seemingly grabbed him in the kitchen. For someone who would consider himself not clumsy, Ryan’s two mishaps in just minutes were a bit unnerving. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. He didn’t have time to consider his new found shortcomings. A look toward the door terrified him. Hadn’t he locked it already? There was now nothing to keep whatever was banging on the door from coming in. Perhaps it was in already. The thought nearly stopped him in his tracks. Ryan in an instant thought it better to be safe than sorry and ran to lock the door.

The third set of booming knocks came just as Ryan had finished locking the third lock. He turned, bolted away from the door and clambered over the couch. As he looked back toward his only legitimate exit, the lights in his small, overpriced New York apartment flickered then went out. Ryan had had enough. He ran to his room where he kept a 9mm pistol in the upper right corner of his closet, above where his extensive comic book collection resided. He reached up, grabbed the Px4 Storm and verified that it was ready to go. Confident that he was now prepared to take on whoever had been following him, Ryan retraced his steps back through the darkened dwelling. A light orange glow had settled in the living room from what was left of the daylight as well as some scattered outside lighting. Was his the only apartment that didn’t have power? Ryan flipped the hallway switch to be certain. Nothing. He continued into the living room and his right foot caught the corner of his computer chair. The chair swiveled and bumped the keyboard tray causing the mouse to move slightly. Ryan’s computer monitor came to life. A black background with the word “ADULTERER” in bright red was now displayed on the unpowered screen. “How in the-“? The thought only dwelled in his synapses for an instant as he caught movement out of his left eye. Ryan turned quickly and brought his Beretta pistol to bear and squeezed the trigger. The sound of the gunshot was promptly replaced by the shattering of his street facing window. Ryan’s heart skipped a beat in panic. He knew that he had to get out of this apartment. The walls seemed to be closing in all around him. He needed to regain his composure. Ryan finally settled down a bit and got control of his thoughts. Who was this that was after him? Who would be calling a good person like Ryan a liar and an adulterer? Ryan’s reassurance of his own goodness gave him new buoyancy. Whoever it was had to have the wrong guy. And with this new confidence that his pursuer had to be following the wrong trail, a fresh found courage was born. Ryan called upon this audacity and proceeded to the front door and unlocked it.

Ryan slowly lost his nerve again as he pulled the door back and extended his gun out into the pitch black hallway. If there was someone or something there, he wouldn’t have been able to see. He couldn’t even see the polymer gun in his hand for the black background. Ryan had been so flustered that he had forgotten about the tactical light that hung from the Storm’s picatinny rail. Light filled the hallway as Ryan switched it to the ON position. No immediate threat directly in front of him. Ryan came out from the relative safety that the half open door had afforded him and he entered the hallway. He swung the deadly light in both directions. There was nothing in either direction that he could see. Figuring the elevator to not be in working condition, he went to the right. He proceeded cautiously to the end of the hallway where the emergency stairs, he hoped, waited to grant his escape from whatever predator was after him. Ryan reached the door, pushed down on the handle and tried to pull it open. The door did not budge though there were no locks or restrictions to be found. Ryan ran back towards his apartment using his tactical light to ensure that he stayed in the center of the hallway to avoid tripping over a potted plant or an obligatory “Welcome” mat. Past the door of his apartment he ran and stopped in horror as he realized the elevator was open and waiting for him. A lucky coincidence on any other day but with the power out it made Ryan’s skin become like gooseflesh. Finally he stepped in and pushed the button marked “L”. He was as low as he could get, yet he made the descent to be sure.

The doors slowly opened as a slight ding sound overcame the terrible Michael Bolton cover song. Maybe it was Kenny G. Either way he was glad to be free from the barrage on his ears. At least the music had momentarily distracted him from thinking about what was actually going on. Escape. He rounded the fountain in the lobby area and strode towards the front door. He slipped on something in the darkened lobby. It was still early, a little after 6pm, but Daylight Savings time was over and there was barely a hint of light coming in to help his vision. Re-establishing his footing, he shone the light to reveal a word written in red liquid. Murderer He turned quickly as he heard a sound from behind him where the elevator was. It had slammed shut. He panned the lobby with his gun, the light revealing the same word, murderer, written multiple times on every wall, on the floor, the ceiling and even on the fountain. Ryan wasted no more time. He ran towards the front double front doors and went through them with a crash, rolling nearly all the way to the street. He lost hold of his pistol somewhere between the doors and the curb so he went back to retrieve it before finally running East. He found a taxi cab with the engine running about a block down. The driver had probably had run into the corner liquor store for smokes. Ryan didn’t care why the driver was gone or where he was. He slid into the driver’s seat and took off. He drove in circles for a bit around the confined city roads before pulling over in front of the Mid Manhattan Library at Bryant Park.

He set the Px4 storm on the passenger seat and leaned his head back. Then the terror set in again. Whatever it is that is chasing him is not human. It couldn’t be! Ryan’s now wide eyes revealed to his brain the word “THIEF” which was scratched into the smelly cab’s roof liner just above his head! He bolted from the car in sheer panic and ran up the steps to the doors of the library. He had hoped some sort of safety would be waiting behind the entrance. Ryan must have forgotten that the library, which was normally open until 8pm, closed at 6pm on Saturdays. Safety would have to be found elsewhere. He turned back around to where he had left the taxi waiting but it was gone. Stolen? Vanished? Natural? Supernatural? What was going on? Ryan took off running through the park. His footsteps could hardly keep up with the pace of his heartbeat. His chest felt as if it would explode. That’s when he heard them. The sounds of footsteps close behind him. These ones were keeping up with his racy heart. That only meant one thing. Whatever or whoever it was, was gaining on him. “O my-“He didn’t have time to finish his blasphemous expletive. Fire erupted in front of Ryan. He had to stop regardless of what pursued him. As the wall of flame died down a piercing word came in from behind him. It sounded so horrible, like a million mosquitoes hitting a high powered bug zapper at once. “Blasphemer!!” Ryan bolted away from the sound, leaping over the settled down flame. As he looked down, he realized that the word blasphemer had not only been verbalized but it was also burnt into the nicely manicured park lawn.

The footsteps behind him started again. Ryan went for his hand gun. Maybe he could keep his pursuer at bay with a few warning shots. Ryan could have done just that if the Px4 was actually on his person. He had left it in the cab that had disappeared!! All hope was lost in Ryan’s mind. He made his way to the tall building in front of him still being pursued by who or whatever was chasing him. As impossible as it seemed, Ryan had to get away from this monster. In through the front door he went, up the stairwell, all the way to the roof. This was it. He had nowhere to go. Ryan rounded the edges of the top of the building looking for any alternatives. Across the skyline you could hardly see where the buildings ended and the cool night sky began. It was almost serene. Finally a billboard caught his eye. “Idolater” was the sole word written on the illuminated sign. The door to the stair well crashed closed. Ryan looked towards the only way back out that had just been closed off to him. The door had words written it. Liar. Adulterer. Murderer. Thief. Blasphemer. Idolater. Ryan had only a couple feet between him and the edge of the building. The footsteps were coming at him now in a slow, eerie, march of doom. Ryan must have misjudged how much room he had left on the perilous rooftop because his calves hit on the small wall that lined the top of this building’s roof. As Ryan stumbled he reached back to try to brace himself but could not. He went over and, as it always has since the beginning of time, gravity worked. Ryan flew towards the concrete below, now screaming. “I’m good!!” “I’m not guilty!!” He thought he could hear a final shout from his pursuer who looked down at Ryan, reaching out a hand as if he was there to save him the whole time. “I. Bear. Witness!” The ground was coming faster now.Ryan could see the cracks in the sidewalk. Nothing could save him now. Time. For. Impact.

Ryan’s head jerked back from the pillow as it hit, and then laid itself back down in the puddle of warm drool. Ryan shook off the experience, rolled over, and sat up in his bed. Who hasn’t had the dream where you are falling? The problem was that Ryan had had that dream every night for the past week after his best friend died at age 32. The realization that someone can die at any time had haunted him over this past 7 days. He saw his friend as invincible. He thought the same of himself. He knew better now. But the dreams. Tonight was the first night that the dream of falling had been accompanied by the chase. Ryan thought about that. After a moment’s reflection, he realized exactly who that pursuer was now. The Unknown Pursuer had revealed itself. Yesterday Ryan had sat and listened to a street preacher up on a box talking. The preacher talked about the exact words from Ryan’s dream. The man, about Ryan’s age talked about God’s Holiness and about Judgment. About how if you have told a lie, you are a liar and that all liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire according to the Bible. The preacher talked of how even lust was adultery and hatred was murder. No thief would inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and God will not hold anyone blameless who misuses His name. Ryan never argued that he had ever put God first in his life but he let the preacher know before heading home that he was a good person and was not guilty of breaking any Law of God though the evidence was clearly stacked against him. The pursuer in his dream was his conscience. There was no doubt about that in light of the conversation with the man on the street. The conscience is not something he could escape from because it’s inside him. Chasing him down from the inside and reminding him of his guilt. Letting Ryan know that the “all” in, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” applies to him as well as every other person in the world.

Ryan didn’t want to endure this haunting dream every night. The fall was bad enough but the chase. The chase was insufferable. It was terrifying to him. What had the preacher said Ryan needed to do? Repent and believe the Gospel? To turn from sin and trust that God sent His Son Jesus, fully God and fully man to live a perfect life and then die on the cross for Ryan’s sins. To believe that He rose again on the third day, defeating sin and death so that he could have eternal life and escape the punishment due to him in Hell. Ryan realized from the preacher’s words and through his dream that he wasn’t good enough to go to Heaven on his own merit. He had broken every one of God’s commandments and would indeed be guilty if he were to die and be judged today. His own conscience bore witness that he was guilty before a Holy God. He knew that now. Ryan turned from sin and trusted in Christ’s finished work on the cross. The dreams, nightmares really, stopped. Ryan was never chased by his conscience again. The Unknown Pursuer was still with Ryan but it was now unmasked and a welcome friend. God had taken his sin from him as far as the East is from the West. Sleep well Ryan Messenger. Sleep well.

Romans 2:15-16

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁵ They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them ¹⁶ on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

Faith in Practice-Start the Year Off Right

For those who read by pictures you might think that I am implying that you run off with a kid that is not yours to start the new year. Um....no. That child is supposed to be Mephibosheth and he gives us a great example in scripture of how our heart attitude should be. What do I mean? We all throw around quotes from Jesus and the Bible like, "My grace is sufficient for you" or "considering others more significant than yourselves" or even about "being heirs of God with Christ". That all sounds great but do we really do that when it comes down to it? Mephibosheth did. We are talking about a kid who's father and grandfather died in battle. He was dropped by his nurse after she hastily tried to flee with him upon hearing about their deaths rendering his legs lame. He was taken in by David only to be later betrayed and slandered by Ziba who was given all that belonged to Mephibosheth! In spite of all of this, Mephibosheth maintained the correct attitude; one that we should be mindful of. After he had cleared his name with King David, Mephibosheth was going to be restored and given back all that he had lost as a result of Ziba's lies. What did he do? He actually considered "others more significant" and let Ziba keep it all!! Can you imagine? Look at his attitude and what he says to the King in verse 28. "All my grandfather’s descendants deserved nothing but death from my lord the king, but you gave your servant a place among those who eat at your table. So what right do I have to make any more appeals to the king?” Shouldn't our attitude be the same. Aren't we also deserving of nothing but death and an eternity in hell, wretched sinners that we are? Think Ananias and Saphira(Ever told a lie?). But God has brought us in and given us a place at His table through His Son Jesus Christ. So when we go through an uncomfortable spot in life and like Paul are asking for it to be removed let's remember how bad Mephibosheth had it. Let's remember how "My grace is sufficient for you" was put into practice by someone who didn't even know the Lord Jesus. If we truly do know Jesus Christ, no "light momentary affliction" should move us to complain or feel sorry for ourselves in light of the fact that we are adopted heirs and have a place at the King of kings' table reserved for us in Heaven. So my New Years resolution and my prayer for you...Do all things without grumbling or questioning and to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified. These two things will go a long way in letting your light shine before men so that God in Heaven would be glorified. SDG!

Romans 8:16-18

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.