October 2, 2022 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John
A Morning Message from Guest Writer/O.Davis
Thank you, Lord, for Revelation, correct interpretation and application, of your Holy Word.
Ps 23 Wednesday sunrise at Lewisville Lake, Texas, orange lake reflecting the sunrise, looks like orange sherbet ice cream which I want to eat, so smooth and creamy; beside the still water, tiny ripple wavelets, land of green pastures…a picture of God’s rest, making me sit down, be still and know he is God in charge, he is my shepherd, I shall not want, I lack nothing of value I already have everything I need. He refreshes my soul and guides me along the right paths. I am on the right path for my life, no need to fret, worry, compare to others, or even explain. It’s for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; YOUR rod and staff, they comfort me. It’s your rod and staff, not mine; you have everything you need to protect me; you are with me. If I trust you; you will be my light in the darkest valley, guiding me along the right path. Thus, I will fear no evil.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Oil represents the Holy Spirit. The table is for eating your Holy Word, taking it in, digesting it, and letting it become a part of me. It remakes and transforms me into a new creation. My enemies cannot eat it or understand it and are confused and flummoxed. My head is anointed and my cup overflows with the Holy Spirit, because this anointing and overflowing can only happen with him, the Holy Spirit. Let him lead, trust his ways, not mine. I am limited he is not. It is his plan that unfolding. Help me stand and overcome this presence darkness by seeking God first, first in the morning, in each decision large or small, for they all add up to make my life journey.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. What a rich full life journey now and forever. What a promise. Just focus on God, not this world with its lusts, mirages, and empty promises it will all pass away, while I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. My prayers are answered not by my will but by his will which is much higher, filled with light and love.
Israel is an example and a warning for us of what happens when we don’t follow the Lord or Seek him first. They wanted a King like other nations. They disregarded God’s guidance and warnings. They were stiff-necked wanting their own way. They complained, grumbled, whined, murmured, and plotted against God’s appointed leaders. They were a big example of what not to do or be, as an example of what to do and be. This is made clear in their stories of struggle. God’s thoughts and ways are the best. We are taught the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and it’s the most efficient requiring the least effort. But many times, God leads along the longer tougher route, so counterintuitive from our perspective, both could be right but God’s is higher and the best. We just want to accomplish our goal and move on to the next, now. God is building our faith, character, hope, and love, it takes time and experience.
1 Cor 10:1-13 NIV For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert. Now, these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry." We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did — and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did — and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did — and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Experience Must Be Balanced by Caution (1 Cor. 10:1-22). Paul reminded the experienced believers who were strong in the faith that they had better not grow overconfident in their ability to overcome temptation. "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor 10:12). Paul used the nation of Israel as his example to warn the mature believers that their experience must be balanced by caution. He gave three warnings.
First, he warned that privileges were no guarantee of success (vs. 1-4). Israel had been delivered from Egypt by the power of God, just as the Christian believer has been redeemed from sin. (In 1 Cor 5:7-8, Paul had already related Passover to salvation.) Israel was identified with Moses in their Red Sea "baptism," just as the Corinthians had been identified with Christ in their Christian baptism. Israel ate the manna from heaven and drank the water God provided, just as Christians nourish themselves on the spiritual sustenance God supplies (John 6:63,68; 7:37-39). However, these spiritual privileges did not prevent the Jews from falling into sin.
There are dangers to maturity as well as to immaturity, and one of them is overconfidence. When we think we are strong, we discover that we are weak. The strong believer who eats in the temple may find himself struggling with an enemy who is too strong for him.
Paul did not suggest in 1 Cor 10:4 that an actual rock accompanied the Jews throughout their wilderness journey, though some Jewish rabbis taught this idea. It was a Spiritual rock that supplied what they needed, and that Rock was Christ, Sometimes the water came from a rock (Ex 17:1-7; Num 20:7-11) and at other times from a well (Num 21:16-18). God provided the water.
Paul issued a second warning good beginnings do not guarantee good endings (vs. 5-12). The Jews experienced God’s miracles, and yet they failed when they were tested in the wilderness. Experience must always be balanced with caution, for we never come to the place in our Christian walk where we are free from temptation and potential failure. All of the Jews twenty years old and upward who were rescued from Egypt, except for Joshua and Caleb, died in the wilderness during their years of wandering (Num 14:26 ff).
We can hear some of the "strong" Corinthians asking, "But what does that have to do with us?" Paul then pointed out that the Corinthian church was guilty of the same sins that the Jews committed. Because of their lust for evil things, the Corinthians were guilty of immorality (1 Cor 6), idolatry (1 Cor 8; 10), and murmuring against God (2 Cor 12:20-21). Like the nation of Israel, they were tempting God and just "daring Him" to act.
Paul certainly knew his Old Testament, and his readers would recognize the events referred to. The "lusting" is found in Num 11:4 ff, the idolatry in Ex 32, and the fornication in Num 25. The Israelites often tempted God, but perhaps Num 21:4-6 was the reference Paul had in mind. For their complaining, see Num 14 and 16.
This kind of sin is serious, and God must judge it. Not only did some of these rebels immediately die (see 1 Cor 11:29-31), but those who remained were not permitted to enter the Promised Land. They were saved from Egypt but were not privileged to claim their rich inheritance. Paul was not suggesting that his readers might lose their salvation, but he was afraid that some of them would be "castaways" (1 Cor 9:27), disapproved of God and unable to receive any reward.
I heard about a pastor who gave a series of sermons on "The Sins of the Saints." One member of the church, apparently under conviction, disapproved of the series and told the pastor so. "After all," she said, "sin in the life of a Christian is different from sin in the life of an unsaved person." "Yes, it is," the pastor replied. "It’s worse!"
We must not think that because the Jews were under the Law that their sins were worse than ours and therefore dealt with more severely. Sin in the church today is far more serious, because we have Israel’s example to learn from, and we are living "at the end of the ages." To sin against the Law is one thing, to sin against grace is quite something else.
Paul’s third warning was that God can enable us to overcome temptation if we heed His Word (vs. 13-22). God permits us to be tempted because He knows how much we can take, and He always provides a way to escape if we will trust Him and take advantage of it. The believer who thinks he can stand may fall, but the believer who flees will be able to stand.
Paul had already told his readers to "flee fornication" (1 Cor 6:18); and now his warning is, "Flee from idolatry" (1 Cor 10:14). He explained the reason why: the idol itself is nothing, but it can be used by Satan to lead you into sin. Idolatry is demonic (Deut. 32:17; Ps 106:37). To sit at an idol’s table could mean fellowship ("communion, partakers") with demons. Paul was again enforcing the important doctrine of separation from sin (2 Cor 6:14-7:1).
He used the Lord’s Supper as an illustration. When the believer partakes of the cup and loaf at the Lord’s table, he is, in a spiritual way, having fellowship with the body and blood of Christ. By remembering Christ’s death, the believer enters into communion with the risen Lord. In 1 Cor 10:18, Paul pointed to the temple altar and sacrifices as another illustration of this truth. The application is clear A believer cannot partake of the Lord’s food (the Old Testament sacrifice, the New Testament supper) and the devil’s food (the idol’s table) without exposing himself to danger and provoking the Lord.
"Are we stronger than He?" (1 Cor 10:22) is directed at the strong Christian who was sure he could enjoy his liberty in the pagan temple and not be harmed. "You may be stronger than your weaker brother," Paul intimated, "but you are not stronger than God!" It is dangerous to play with sin and tempt God. (from The Bible Exposition Commentary by Warren W. Wiersbe)
By Otis Davis, Author/Businessman/Minister of the Gospel of Christ
WWJWMTD
What would Jesus want me to do?
Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com
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