Growing in Grace

“Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that Thou art the Lord God … Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench” (1 Kings 18:37-38).

If you read the whole story in this chapter, you will find that the Lord sent Elijah to meet Ahab, who was the king. Ahab was to call all the prophets of the false god Baal to Mt. Carmel, and then Elijah made a proposal to them. The prophets of Baal were to take one bullock (a young bull), kill it, and lay it on the altar. Elijah would take another bullock, kill it, and lay it on the altar of the Lord. Then the prophets of Baal would cry to him, and Elijah would cry to the Lord. The one who answered by fire, to burn the sacrifice, would be the true God.

The prophets of Baal cried all day, but nothing happened. Imagine, 450 men crying out all day, as loudly as they could! No fire came down to burn their sacrifice. Finally, in the evening, Elijah laid out his bullock and dumped barrels of water on the altar, just so that no one could accuse him of hiding fire under the wood. When Elijah cried to the Lord, the Lord sent fire that burned up everything — the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the water. You and I have never seen fire that burned stones and water!

Yes, the Lord made it clear who was God, and the people were convinced. That day they killed all the prophets of Baal. But did that stop Ahab from acting wickedly before God? No, sadly it did not. Did it stop the people of Israel from worshiping idols? Sadly it did not. The people were convinced when they saw the power of God, but their hearts were not changed. It required more than a miracle to change their hearts.

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Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“And he [Elijah] called unto her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink … and … he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said … I have … but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth” (1 Kings 17:10-14).

Please read this whole story in 1 Kings 17, to see how the Lord looked after Elijah. As we see at the beginning of the chapter, a man named Elijah suddenly appears in Israel’s history. He came from Tishbe, which was probably east of the Jordan River, in the land of Gilead. Elijah actually prays that there would not be any rain in the land of Israel. Why did he do this? It was because of Israel’s sin in worshiping idols, and not following the Lord.

As you may imagine, soon there was no food to eat, and when Elijah was told to go and stay with this widow woman, she was just about to use the last bit of flour and oil she had to make a cake for herself and her son. Then they would die from starvation. What Elijah did then seems rather strange and bold to us, for not only did he ask for some water, but he asked her to make him a cake first, and bring it to him. Then she could make one for herself and her son. Why would Elijah say this to a woman who was a perfect stranger to him?

We learn from the New Testament that this woman had faith, and evidently had cried to the Lord for His help. When Elijah appeared, she recognized him as the one whom the Lord had sent to help her. However, her faith was about to be tested. If she made a cake for Elijah, she would use up all her flour and oil. But Elijah had said that the flour and oil would last until the rain came. Could she trust his word? If she made a cake for Elijah, would the Lord provide more for her and her son? She had faith, and when she did as Elijah asked her, the Lord provided more flour and oil, not only that first day, but every day. It was not the nice mix of foods that most of us eat every day, but it was food that kept them alive.

What do we learn from this? When the Lord says something in His Word, we can trust Him. He may test our faith, and He tested this woman’s faith, but He will never disappoint our faith. Sometimes we may find ourselves in the middle of a problem, and perhaps the Lord shows us what He wants us to do. Do we have faith to obey the Lord, and trust Him? If we do, He will never let us down.

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Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“For our commonwealth [citizenship] has its existence in the heavens, from which also we await the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior” (Philippians 3:20 JND).

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

As I write this meditation in February, 2022, there is a large protest going on in the city of Ottawa, the capital of Canada. A group of truckers, supported by many other people, are protesting the government’s rule that all truck drivers who cross the Canadian/U.S. border must be vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus. A lot of big trucks have been driven to the city, and the protesters are vowing to stay there until they get what they want. Many other protests have taken place at different times in various countries, and sometimes the protests have concerned things about which Christians could agree. What should we do in such situations?

It is sometimes hard to know what to do, for when we have a new life in Christ, that new life wants righteousness in this world. We want to see wrong things straightened out, and we want to see good moral principles upheld. However, I believe that our verses today give us clear instruction as to how to act.

First of all, we must remember that this is not our home. As our first verse says, our commonwealth (or citizenship) is in heaven. Yes, we are all naturally citizens of the country to which we belong, but our real citizenship is heavenly.

Secondly, we are sent back into this world as ambassadors. An ambassador is one who is sent from one country to another, in order to represent the interests of the country to which he belongs. For example, there is an American ambassador here in Canada. He is a U.S. citizen, but he is sent here to Canada to represent the interests of the United States.

Would you expect to see the American ambassador out on the streets of Ottawa right now, waving a placard, and shouting out that he or she supports the truckers in their demands? No, you would not see that happen. If it did happen, the American government would quickly recall him or her, and make it clear that this was not the proper way for an ambassador to act.

What then does an ambassador do? He makes sure that his government’s point of view on any matter is clearly stated. This is the right way for us to act as Christians. We are not here to straighten out this world; it is under judgment. In the same way the American ambassador is not here to straighten out affairs in Canada. But if he is asked, he will give his government’s position on any matter that affects Canada/U.S. relations.

We are far more effective as ambassadors in this world, than if we join forces with this world and try to set the everything right. Rather than straightening things out, our job is to give out the gospel, so that people can be saved.

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“Then I [Solomon] looked on all the works that my hands had wrought … and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:11).

As we saw yesterday, Solomon asked the Lord first of all for wisdom, and the Lord gave it to him. However, the Lord also gave him riches and honor. Sadly, we saw that Solomon did not manage his riches and honor well, and disobeyed the Lord in getting a lot of horses, silver and gold, and wives. He had to find out that none of this made him happy. He did not need all those horses and chariots to defend himself; the Lord could have protected him without all that. He did not need to gather as much silver and gold as he could; he could not take it with him, and what good did it do him? Finally, he should not have had so many wives; they too did not make him truly happy.

Toward the end of his life, after he had tried all these things, Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes. The word ecclesiastes means “the preacher.” Solomon had tried everything in this world and had found out that it could not make him happy. However, Solomon had learned something from all this, and that is why he wrote the book. Now you and I do not have to try everything Solomon tried, to see if it will make us happy. We can read the book of Ecclesiastes and learn from Solomon’s experience.

The book of Ecclesiastes is sometimes rather sad, for Solomon explains very clearly all the frustration and disappointment that he experienced when he tried so many things. He had to learn that all of man’s efforts to find happiness outside of God will end up in vanity, which means emptiness. There will also be “vexation of spirit,” which means that we will have a lot of irritation in this world, because nothing is perfect. Sin has spoiled everything.

For you and me who know the Lord Jesus, we can find happiness and rest in Him. Only He is able to fill our hearts.

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“Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose … He shall not multiply horses to himself … neither shall he multiply wives to himself … neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold” (Deuteronomy 17:15-17).

“And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen … and the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones” (1 Kings 10:26-27).

“And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines” (1 Kings 11:3).

The law made it very clear that there were three things a king of Israel was not to do. He was not to multiply horses for himself, nor was he to multiply wives for himself. Finally, he was not greatly to multiple silver and gold. Yet Solomon did all three of these things.

We know that Solomon really wanted to please the Lord when he first became king. When the Lord asked him what he wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom so that he could govern the people correctly. God said that because he asked for wisdom, He would also give him riches and honor. It seems that when all this came to Solomon, he rather quickly forgot what was written in the law and disobeyed all three commandments.

He was not to multiply horses to himself, for in those days, horses were the strength of the army. Solomon ended up with a big army, but the Lord wanted him to trust in Him, not in the size of his army.

He was not to multiply silver and gold, for there was no need for this. Yes, there was plenty of gold available to build the temple, and that was all right. But later, Solomon got as much gold as he could, just to have it around. His heart was on the silver and gold, not on the Lord.

Finally, he was not to multiply wives for himself. Yet Solomon actually had seven hundred wives, and three hundred other women beside. Can you imagine a man with seven hundred wives? As we would say today, that is mind-boggling! It tells us that when Solomon was old, his wives “turned away his heart after other gods” (1 Kings 11:4). He had married a lot of women who came from heathen backgrounds, and they worshiped idols. His affections were divided, and he did not follow the Lord like David his father. He thought he could find happiness with many wives, but it did not work.

Solomon thought he knew better than the Lord and decided to disobey the Lord’s commands. He found out that the Lord was right, and this should be a lesson to us. Obedience and happiness go together.

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“I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils [demons]” (1 Corinthians 10:20).

At least here in North America, tonight is what is called “Hallowe’en night.” Many children go from house to house in the evening, with the customary call, “Trick or treat,” and expect to be given candy or some other gift that they can eat. They are usually dressed up in all sorts of strange costumes, and people often put out carved up pumpkins, ghost-like figures, silhouettes of witches, etc. in front of their homes. It is not done so much today, but in years gone by, young men often used to go out and play tricks on people. They would take a bar of soap and smear it on the windows of houses, or on car windows. Sometimes they would take things such as farm implements from farmers’ property and hide them. Then everyone would have to go out and straighten everything up the next day.

The word “hallowe’en” is a shortened version of the phrase “all hallows even (evening),” and has very bad associations. Among the ancient Celts in Scotland and England, it was a time of year when it was believed that the entrance of the spirit world was opened for spirits to pass through and haunt the living. People marked the occasion by lighting bonfires for protection, and dressing up like the spirits and creatures they believed could cross over that night. All this was supposed to keep the spirits from harming them. It was definitely connected with Satan and his demons.

It is not a good thing for Christians to be involved in all this, for it is not just something funny and harmless. Satan is real, and wicked spirits are real. The unbelievers who are involved with them never make fun of them; they are afraid of them. We do not need to be afraid of them, for we read in the Bible that “greater is He [the Holy Spirit] that is in you than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). However, we should not become part of anything that has to do with them. It is an effort of the devil to get us to think that he is not all that bad, and then we are not on guard for his attacks. As our verse says, let us not have fellowship with demons.

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“Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you” (Titus 2:8).

Out in the world today — at school, at work, in stores, etc. you will often hear what can be called rough language. People seem to think that in order to emphasize something, they have to use vulgar and sometimes blasphemous words. For example, you will often hear the word hell used very casually in conversation. Satan is behind this, as he wants people to think that hell is not that serious, and is not something to be concerned about.

At other times you will hear rather foul and immoral language, for some people cannot seem to talk without using these words. As Christians we are certainly saddened as we listen to this, and worse still, these words are now being used in books, newspapers and in news broadcasts, as if it is all right to talk that way,

Then we hear words that refer to God and to the Lord Jesus. I am sure you have heard people use the name of the Lord Jesus when they become upset about something. When something happens that is surprising and upsetting, you have certainly heard people say, “Oh, my God!” But I have never heard anyone use the name of Mohammed, Krishna, Buddha, or Confucius in this way. No, it is always the name of God or the Lord Jesus.

The danger for us as Christians is that we can become used to hearing this kind of talk, and then perhaps it does not affect us as it should. Rather, we should ask the Lord for the courage to speak up when people talk this way, and point out that when they use the name of the Lord Jesus like this, they are insulting our Savior. Also, let us be very careful not to use this kind of language ourselves. Rough, crude language in any form is not right for a Christian.

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“Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit” (Galatians 6:18).

This is a very nice verse, and you may remember that we had one like it, away back in February. That verse was 2 Timothy 4:22, and expressed the Apostle Paul’s wish that “the Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit.” Today’s verse is similar, but a little different.

When we have a new life in Christ, and really want to please the Lord, we can be quite passionate about it, especially when we are young. This is all right, but sometimes in wanting to defend the Lord’s glory and stand up for what is right, we can allow our old sinful nature to act. We can forget that grace is the strongest force to keep us from sin. Then we may defend what is right, but perhaps do it in the wrong spirit. If this happens, what we say will not have the right effect on others.

Grace is the goodness of God that we do not deserve, and it is only because of the grace of God that any of us are saved. When we fully understand grace, we will not take a position of pride and look down on others. In the assemblies in Galatia, some were teaching them that they had to live the Christian life by a rule of law. But this kind of teaching always leads to pride, for then people make rules, and sometimes rules that are hard to follow. Then, when some people can keep the rules but others find it difficult, those who can keep them become proud.

Paul expresses a wish that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ would be with the spirit of those believers in Galatia, and we should want this too. The Lord Jesus was always faithful and stood firmly for what was right. He always had His Father’s glory before Him. But He did it in a way that commended itself to people’s consciences, for the Lord Jesus did not seek His own glory. When He said something, His spirit was always right. We should ask the Lord to help us act in the same way. When we understand grace, we want to follow the Lord Jesus and please Him because we love Him, not because we are obeying a rule.

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“There shall come in the last days scoffers [people who make fun of something] … saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (2 Peter 3:3-4).

Away back in the time when the church was first formed, nearly 2,000 years ago, they knew about the Lord’s coming. The Lord Jesus had told them, and the apostles preached this precious truth very clearly. But after the apostles had gone to be with the Lord, Christians very quickly lost the hope of the Lord’s coming. However, about 200 years ago, the Lord used some diligent students of the Bible to begin to teach that wonderful truth again, and now many people know about the coming back of the Lord Jesus. It has been widely preached among many Christians, and even worldly people who are not saved know about it.

Some of them are saying what we find in our verse for today. They are saying that they have been hearing about the Lord’s coming for many years, and yet nothing happens. They make fun of Christians who believe that the Lord will come back and take us home to be with Himself. They try and tell us that everything is going on just as it always did.

Why is the Lord Jesus waiting so long? He is waiting longer because He loves lost sinners, and wants more of them to be saved. He knows that when He comes, there will be no more chance to get saved, and that all those who are left behind when He comes will go into a lost eternity.

Everything that God has said in the past has happened, just as He said it would. It is the same with the Lord’s coming, for God always keeps His promises. We may see the world get more wicked than it is, if we are left here for a little longer. Life may become more difficult for those of us who are believers. Thirty years ago, some of us wondered how the world could possibly get any worse, but it certainly has happened. In many countries today serious moral sins are not only tolerated, but legalized. God is not going to let all this go on indefinitely. No, the Lord Jesus will come for us, just as He said He would. Are you looking for Him today?

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“Strive to enter in at the strait [narrow] gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13:24).

When we first read this verse, it might seem a bit confusing. Isn’t salvation a free gift from God, and does God not save all those who come to Him? How then will there be many who will wish to get saved, yet will not be able, as our verse says today?

The problem is that many today are on the broad road that leads to destruction, and they like that road; they do not want to change. A few years ago, I visited a couple that I knew well, although I had not seen them for many years. All three of us had gone to high school together and were even in the same class all through our high school years. The husband had gone to the same university as I did, and we often spent time together. He came to gospel meetings with me and heard the gospel clearly, but to my knowledge he never got saved.

When I visited them again, I brought up the gospel to them, for the wife’s health was not very good. I asked her plainly where she was going if she died. Her answer was typical, “To heaven, I hope!” But when I pointed out that this was not good enough, and that the only way to be saved was to come to Christ as a sinner, and accept Him as her Savior, she did not want to hear that. She wanted to come her own way.

Many today lead good, morally upright lives, and some regularly “go to church,” thinking that somehow this is good enough. Later, when they face eternity, they will expect to be in heaven on the basis of living a good life, and it will be awful for them to find the Lord saying, “I know you not whence ye are” (Luke 13:25). If we wish to enter in at the narrow gate, we must come in God’s way, not in our own way.

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