With Friends Like These

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio Version at http://tinyurl.com/23h8fn

With friends like these, who needs enemies? That’s a phrase that most of us have heard over the years. I don’t know the exact origin of the phrase, but the concept is quite ancient.

Examples in ancient literature, history and even the Bible show that friends sometimes turn and become enemies themselves. If your friends turn on you, there is no need to have any enemies. Your hands are already full.

In perhaps the oldest book of the Old Testament, Job, we find a situation where a man falls into very dire circumstances and his friends come from a great distance to be with him. That’s the good part. But then, instead of providing him with comfort, they begin to place the blame for his situation on the man himself. That’s the bad part. With friends like these, who needs enemies?

You may recall the horrible day that Job had in chapter one. Four messengers came to Job, and each messenger brought news of a terrible loss. As one was finishing up, another one appeared. Job couldn’t blame these men for what had happened. After all, they were only the messengers of bad news. Upon hearing of his great misfortune, including the loss of all ten of his children, Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head and worshiped.

His next phase of bad news came when his health was taken away from him. Now, this once great leader of the community, a wealthy and healthy man, was reduced to a poor, despicable man covered with boils from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. It is at this time that Job’s first friend, his wife, begins to turn on him. She says in Job 2:9, “Curse God and die!” After the loss of all wealth, all ten children and his own personal health, Job surely deserved better support from his wife. Nevertheless, he pressed on.

At the end of chapter two we are introduced to three of Job’s friends: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. These friends had heard of Job’s predicament and arranged to make the journey to be with Job. Their purpose was to mourn with him and to comfort him.

But they were so shocked when they saw him that they didn’t even recognize Job. Utterly speechless, these friends simply sat down on the ground and stayed with Job for a full week before even speaking one word.

I’m sure that we’ve all been at a loss for words from time to time. I remember meeting the family of a man who had taken his life. I really couldn’t find any words that seemed appropriate at that very moment. Their situation was so tragic, so heavy and so overwhelming that words simply didn’t come to me.

After that week, Job began to elaborate on his misfortunes. He even goes so far as to talk against the day of his birth as well as his conception. He is really struggling with his misery. After all, Job is a righteous man, one who is blameless and upright. Now is the best opportunity for his friends to speak up with some words of encouragement.

However, that is not to be. Instead of being the supporting friends that Job needed, these men began, each in turn, to instruct Job that it must be his fault that these things have happened.

Can you imagine that? Could you imagine being in some state of shock after a great tragedy in your life and have someone to tell you that it was all your fault? That would be bad enough from a stranger. What if it came from your best friends?

The friends had based their speeches on a false assumption. Most realize that when we sin there are consequences to pay. In other words, the evil doers will suffer. But the reverse is not always so. Not everyone who suffers does so because they sinned. Job’s friends assumed that his great misery must have been a result of Job somehow deserving his fate by turning on God.

In the end, Job is vindicated and his friends are compelled to repent and make things right. With friends like these, Job didn’t need any enemies.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we begin each day by affirming our loyalty to God no matter what happens during the day. May we never forget that God is always there for us, even in the darkest hours of our lives.

Our thought for the day: “Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things.” Henry Ward Beecher.

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.

Playing With Fire

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/ytl6rg

Playing with fire can result in serious damage and consequences. Youthful boys, and girls, are often drawn to the amazing qualities of a flame. Curiosity can result in a burn to a skin, damage to some object or worse.

The phrase, “don’t play around with fire,” figuratively means that we should not invite danger into our lives. Don’t play around with, or be curious of, what can harm you.

God’s people didn’t always follow His commands. In fact, God specifically commanded that they should not inquire about or follow the gods of other nations. Yet they eventually did do this.

Moses records a stern warning in Deuteronomy 12:29-32. Part of this (vs. 30-32) says,

“do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.' You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. "Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.”

Unfortunately, many of the people did inquire about these other gods and eventually incorporated their ways into their worship. Some simply left God and followed these other gods.

Elijah faced a people who had chosen other gods and had abandoned the real God. He said to them in 1 Kings 18:21, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.”

Baal was a pagan god that had 450 prophets among the people. Elijah stood as the lone representative of the Lord. He was attempting to get the people to see the errors of their way, and he finally succeeded by having the Lord show His power through fire.

The prophets of Baal accepted Elijah’s challenge to have a god to God contest of sorts. Each camp would prepare an altar and place a bull on each one, but they were to put no fire under it. By calling upon Baal and then upon God, whichever altar was consumed by the fire would signify which God was the true God.

The prophets of Baal called up on their god from morning until noon but there was no answer. That’s when Elijah began to mock them in their foolishness. He said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 1 Kings 18:27.

So the people did that. They cried out louder, jumped around and even cut themselves. But there was no answer. How could there be? Baal was, and is, nothing.

Then Elijah set about to show them the real God. He built an altar and dug a trench around it. Then he commanded that the men bring a total of 12 water pots full of water to drench the altar and fill up the trench.

Elijah then prays openly to God saying, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” 1 Kings 18:36-37.

God did hear and answered Elijah’s prayer. Fire from the Lord fell and not only consumed the sacrifice on the altar, but also licked up all of the water that was in the trench.

When they saw it, the people turned back to God saying, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”

The prophets of Baal, who failed to have their god produce the fire for the altar, were all taken and executed. Their loyalty to the false god had cost them their lives and had led Israel away from the true God. They had forgotten the command of God to stay away from other gods and to not even inquire about them. “Don’t play around with fire.”

On Our Daily Walk today, may we be reminded that God is the standard of our conduct, not others. May we be ever willing to put our faith and our actions to the test at any moment, calling upon the truth of God’s word to prove us to be righteous.

Our thought for the day: “Man measures success by numbers; God measures success by faithfulness.”

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.

A Thorn In The Flesh

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at: http://tinyurl.com/2azj4f

Paul had a problem. What it was, no one knows for sure. But it was a problem.

Some have speculated that Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” may have been temper, fleshly desires, epilepsy, a sharp tongue or even depression. But the majority of guesses rest with the outcome of a problem with his eyes.

Of course, it was on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9) that Paul, then known as Saul, was blinded by the light and fell to the ground. Three days later he regained his sight. Very possibly his eyesight suffered because of this ordeal.

The Christians in the region of Galatia were acquainted with Paul’s problem. He mentions his physical infirmity in Galatians 4:13-15 and states that the brethren there were accepting of him. They did not reject or despise Paul because of this problem.

In fact, they would have given their eyes for Paul. And Paul writes in Galatians 6:11 that he is writing to them in large letters. So, perhaps poor eyesight was his problem. Listen to his account in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, of how Paul handles rejection from the Lord.

“And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Some Christians may complain, become frustrated or even give up when their prayers are not answered. Certainly we should know that not every prayer will be answered according to our wishes. But still, we need encouragement to keep doing the right thing. Let’s take a look at three quick points from Paul’s experience.

First, we should do right on matter what. We might be tempted to shut God out when we don’t receive the answer we expected. There will always be work to do somewhere. And even though we may suffer some problems, physically or otherwise, we can still be used in the service of our Lord.

After all, Moses had a speech problem, Noah got drunk, Abraham lied, David had a man killed and took his wife. The Bible is full of examples of people who overcame personal failures, character flaws and physical problems and rose up to serve God.

Second, we should also do right to show that the power is in God and God’s word and not in man. The cause of Christ does not depend on the strength of any man, even Paul, but is advanced through our weaknesses. We are vessels for His service. He can use us for good with our weaknesses as well as with our strengths.

Third, we should also do right even when God says, “no” to our requests. In three attempts Paul asked that this thorn in the flesh be taken away. Obviously, Paul felt that the absence of this problem would help him to perform his duties better for the Lord. Logic, human logic that is, would say that the Lord would be doing Himself a favor by allowing His servant to be free from some malady.

But the answer was still, “no.” Paul pushed on. He didn’t give up. He didn’t take away from God. He pressed on despite the thorn. In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul says, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Some people will always be full of excuses of why they can’t do this or that. Paul’s example should show us that despite our shortcomings or inadequacies, we should and must place ourselves into the service of our Lord to do all that we can for His glory.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we readily acknowledge our flaws and failures and may we do all that we can to overcome them. But may we also never allow our “thorns in the flesh” to become a stumbling block for our work in the Lord’s church.

Our thought for the day: “Kites rise highest against the wind—not with it.” Sir Winston Churchill.

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.

A Sacrifice That Costs Nothing

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/2e27wb

When we were little children, our parents brought us to worship and Bible class. They instructed us in how to behave, how to sing, how to pay attention, how to pray. They also provided us with a small coin or maybe later a dollar bill to drop in the collect at the proper time.

I’ve seen several situations in worship where a child is unwilling to let go of their money for the collection. They seem more interested in keeping what they have recently acquired. Sometimes a parent has to wrestle the coin from their tightly clinched hand and then drop it in the plate.

Of course, as we grow older, we should see a deeper meaning in the process of giving an offering to the Lord. At some point, parents and others will give instruction on how to give from one’s own income and no longer simply giving what someone else has provided for you to give.

David faced a situation in 2 Samuel 24 where a sacrifice to the Lord was needed. David had committed a sin and seventy thousand men had died as a result. When the punishment of the plague was finally over, David sought to sacrifice burnt offerings to the Lord.

The death process had ended near the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebusite. Araunah was approached by David about making a sacrifice to the Lord. David wished to purchase the floor, build an altar and make his sacrifice.

Joyful that the plague had ended and eager to be of service to his king, Araunah offered to give the threshing floor and oxen to David for the sacrifice. He even offered to use the yokes of the oxen for wood for the fire.

But David would not accept these gifts. 2 Samuel 24:24-25 says:

“Then the king said to Araunah, ‘No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.’ So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.”

David understood that a true sacrifice must come from us and not from others.

Paul expounds on our need for personal sacrifice in Romans 12:1-2:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

It’s ok to give someone else’s coin when you are a child. But when we are grown, we must learn to offer the sacrifice of ourselves, the sacrifices which do cost us something.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we always seek to give God our very best in every way and in every day.

Our thought for the day: “It is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich.” Henry Ward Beecher.

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.

Keep Your Eye On The Goal

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/222jya

I know that my dad had to have been very frustrated with me. He was an excellent baseball player. I wasn’t. He was trying to teach me to be a better fielder and a better batsman. But I wasn’t always paying attention.

Most days my problem was simply that I couldn’t keep my eye on the ball. It’s difficult to hit a ball when you don’t keep your eye on it. It’s also difficult to field it properly if you take your eyes off the ball before you field it.

There is so much value in that simple routine of keeping your eyes on the goal. The same applications could be made with basketball, bowling, archery and the list could go on and on.

Of course, spiritually speaking we should also keep our eyes on the goal of righteous living and heaven. Peter is a good example for this principle. Notice what happens in the passage from Matthew 14:22-33 when Peter takes his eyes off of Jesus.

“Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."”

Peter had the courage to want to walk on the water just like Jesus. Yet, he became distracted by the winds and waves and soon his faith was overtaken with fear. When that happened he began to sink and had to be rescued by the Lord.

How many times in our spiritual lives do we act like Peter? We begin a task with boldness but when the winds of doubt and the waves of dissent appear, sometimes our commitment may suffer. Sometimes our faith is overtaken by fear and we begin to sink.

So, what about it? Do you feel like walking on water for Jesus today? Are you up to the task of keeping focused on a goal? What kinds of goals would you have today?

How about staying married for life? Most people begin marriage with this as a goal, but many are not willing to keep their eyes on that goal. It is difficult to work through problems, but not impossible. Need help knowing how to do it? See what God writes about husbands, wives, love, working through problems and forgiveness.

What about a goal of reading the Bible more? At the start of each year many Christians make a commitment to read through the Bible in one year. But by Leviticus 18 they seem to lose their interest. How can a person stay on task and complete this year-long goal?

Surprisingly, the average reader can read through the Bible in one year by only reading about 15 minutes a day. That’s less time than it takes to read the newspaper. And it is about the same amount of time that you will watch commercials during an hour of television programming.

The point is this. Whatever your goal in life, keep your eyes focused on it. If you want to finish college, never take your eyes off of that goal. If you want that promotion at work, don’t let other things distract you. If you want to go to heaven, keep your eyes on your Savior, who died on a cruel cross and rose again to lead us all to God. Keep your eyes on the goal.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we be reminded that God wants us to be faithful to Him unto death, not just for a little while. May we take a moment this day to think of how wonderful it will be to be with all the saved in heaven.

Our thought for the day: “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal.” Hannah More.

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.

I Would Die For You

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/2xcra5

A preacher friend of mine was recently held up at gunpoint while in a church office on a Sunday afternoon. A few days later he remarked that instead of his congregation hiring a youth minister, they should instead hire him a bodyguard. Maybe that’s not a bad idea.

Bodyguards in the Secret Service are sworn to protect the people under their care. They are trained to protect the President and others, even to the point of throwing themselves in front of a bullet. Their job is protection, even if it means their death. They would literally die doing their job.

Can you imagine a scenario in which you would be willing to die for someone? Parents instinctively may place themselves in harm’s way in order to rescue a child from a burning building or from drowning in a lake. But then that is somewhat expected. After all, they are from the same family.

There are people who would do the same heroic acts even for a stranger. But most of us will never face those scenarios.

Peter is one who was willing to put his own life on the line for someone. In John 13:36-38, Jesus and Peter are in a discussion and Peter makes a bold assertion.

“Simon Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, where are You going?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.’ Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.’”

Peter was making his case, stating a vow that he would even die for the sake of Jesus. Yet he would soon find himself denying his Lord. It must have been difficult for Peter to hear these words from Jesus when he really wanted to prove that he would defend Him.

Later, when Jesus is in the garden being betrayed by Judas, Peter takes out his sword to defend Jesus. As he swings he cuts off the right ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest. But instead of being pleased with his actions, Jesus again corrects Peter and says for him to put away his sword. (John 18:10-11)

First he was corrected for a vow he made. Then he is publicly chastened for using violence to prove his willingness to keep that vow to die for his Lord.

But the worst was yet to come—the validation of the denials that Jesus predicted. After Jesus has been taken away Peter follows from a distance. He’s no longer looking to lay down his life for Jesus, but he is still very interested in what is going on.

Three separate times Peter is asked a direct question about his relationship with Jesus. And in all three conversations Peter denies that he knows Him.

All four gospel accounts record the denials of Peter. But Luke adds one bit of detail that the other three do not. In Luke 22:59-62 we find the third and final denial.

“Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, ‘Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.’ But Peter said, ‘Man, I do not know what you are saying!’ Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.’ So Peter went out and wept bitterly.”

The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Can you imagine what Peter was feeling at that moment? Remember, it started with a bold vow that he would die for Jesus. Then violence ensued to prove that he would defend Jesus. But now this bitter validation settles in. Peter has actually denied his Lord!

Thankfully, Peter repented of his failures and some seven weeks later he stood with the others and preached the first gospel sermon on Pentecost. (Acts 2)

Would you die for someone? Would it matter if they were good or evil? Consider what Paul wrote in Romans 5:6-8:

“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

On Our Daily Walk today, may we renew our confidence to follow our Savior every day in every way no matter what obstacles we may face.

Our thought for the day: “A setback is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” Henry Ford.

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.