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1 Timothy 4:1

Religion Of Outer Space

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 17, 2024

There have been so many reports of UFO sightings lately that I have to comment. According to one of the newer government agencies responsible for managing unidentified flying objects, they have renamed them to include a broader selection of reports. They are called Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon or UAP. The media has taken the reports of UAPs more seriously than in the past and spent a lot of time and money investigating. Many sightings have been identified as balloons or something launched by humans, but there remains a significant number of reported sightings that remain a mystery. Whatever they are, they have certainly managed to occupy many of our most educated scientists and educators. The speculation about these reports covers a wide spectrum of ideas. Many believe and are adamant about insisting there is life in outer space, and the sightings are providing more evidence regarding that. Further, some of the recent discoveries in space have implied conditions are right on various planets for life to evolve. But no one that I know of has suggested the theory that I will present here. It’s seen as ridiculous by the modern secular world and is laughed at as unscientific and ignorant. I don’t care.

The Apostle Paul said that in the last “times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1). Notice that the “departure” from the faith is by “devoting” themselves to something else. According to L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, devoted followers can become like God through the process of Dianetics and will inherit their own planet in space. Scientology is one of the best-known religions of “outer space,” but it’s not the only one. Urantia is one of the newer of these false teachings that twist the scriptures. It was administered to its founder through a spirit mediator. Thus, we can readily connect it with Paul’s teaching. This New Age cult began in the 1930s but found an open audience in the late 60s, with the Aquarian movement focusing on mind control and drug experimentation while dabbling in the UFO movement.  Its doctrine can be found in the “Urantia Book.” It’s a huge tome that contradicts the scriptures on many key doctrines of the faith.  My copy of the book has 2097 pages. “987,000,000,000 years ago, associate force organizer and then acting inspector number 811,307 of the Orvonton series, traveling out from Uversa, reported to the Ancients of Days that space conditions were favorable for the initiation of materialization phenomena in a certain sector of the, then, easterly segment of Orvonton.” “875,000,000,000 years ago, the enormous Andronover nebula number 876,926 was duly initiated.” If this sounds like a science fiction movie, you may be right. It is sometimes referred to as a “UFO” religion like Scientology.

Like other cults that claim extra-Biblical revelations, it is claimed that the Urantia book compliments the Bible and that Christians should not be wary of it.  But in reality, the Urantia book is in direct conflict with the Bible on many important doctrines, including the most important one, which is the issue of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone.  The Jesus of Urantia is not the Jesus of the bible.  According to its scenario, planet Earth, originally called Urantia, was created by Michael of Nebadon one trillion years ago. Michael eventually came to earth as the man Jesus. All cults have in common a denial of the deity of Christ and Christ’s work on the cross as being all-sufficient payment for the sins of those who believe.

 

 

 

 

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Exodus 2:23-24, Various

God Remembers

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 16, 2024

After Joseph, who was Pharaoh’s favorite, established the people of Israel in some choice lands in Egypt at the end of Genesis, we see a new Pharaoh reigning over the land at the beginning of Exodus. He didn’t know Joseph and was becoming more and more fearful of the Israelites who occupied some of their best land. This new Pharaoh decided to make slaves out of the Jews. His hatred for them and abuse of them went from bad to worse. Pharaoh made them do slave labor. Then, he made the labor severe. He stopped providing what they needed to do their work and demanded the same return from them. He believed that putting such a heavy work burden on them would decrease their birth rate. He was wrong. Then, he tried to cut their population by infanticide. Then, he tried to destroy the nation with genocide. At the end of chapter 2, they finally cry out to God for help. The text says that God heard them and cared about them. He loved them and would intercede for them. Exodus 2:23-24 says, “Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.”

When the Bible says, “God remembered,” it’s not the same thing as you and I remember. We forget something, and it’s out of our minds until something sparks the memory. That’s not what it means here. It is always associated with His promises to His people. That’s why the covenant with Abraham is mentioned in conjunction with God’s remembering. It is focused on God’s faithfulness to keep all His promises. According to His promises, He is now going to act. For God to “remember” is for God to Act. The interesting thing is that long before Israel ever cried out to God, He was already working on His plan of deliverance. He was preparing Moses, their deliverer. He had never forgotten as we might forget. His promises are always at work in God’s mind, and His actions are always in accord with those promises.

Silva suggests that when God remembers, it means he acts to save. He writes, “God’s remembering carries with it definite actions or consequences. The statement that God remembered Noah’ (Gen. 8:1) does not mean that the Lord had forgotten Noah or that he was merely bringing Noah to mind. It means that God would take action to rescue him from the terrible flood. A similar situation is described when God ‘remembered’ Hannah, changing her reality of barrenness and giving her a son (1 Sam. 1:19–20). One can argue that the remembering of God is often synonymous with his salvific activity.”[1] When God remembers sin, it means he acts to bring judgment on that sin. When God remembers His promise to His people, it means he acts to save them. It’s always tied in with God’s promises. God remembered His promises to Abraham and acted to save the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.

God made a new covenant with His people, and it’s recorded in several of the Old Testament prophets. The author of the New Testament book of Hebrews repeated it for us in Hebrews 8:12. He tells us that God said, “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” Wright wraps up this thought for you and me. He says, “The sin and guilt of the past will be forgiven and remembered no more. When God remembers, it means he will act. If he chooses not to remember, then no further action will be taken. Case dismissed.”[2]

[1] Silva, Moisés, and Merrill Chapin Tenney. 2009. In The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, Q-Z, Revised, Full-Color Edition, 5:77. Grand Rapids, MI: The Zondervan Corporation.

[2] Wright, Christopher J. H. 2014. The Message of Jeremiah: Grace in the End. Edited by Alec Motyer and Derek Tidball. The Bible Speaks Today. Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press.

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Exodus 2:22, Various

Strangers In A Strange Land

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 15, 2024

In Exodus chapter 2, we see that Moses just doesn’t fit in. He’s a Hebrew by birth but was raised as an Egyptian. He did his best to become a good Egyptian. According to some ancient historians, Moses was a great military leader and won many victories over Egypt’s enemies. Moses was the hero at times, but it seemed he was always having to prove himself to the Egyptians. He only fit in because of what he gave them. But there was always something missing. He knew he didn’t really belong. He decided he would try to find a home among the children of Israel, where his bloodline was. When he tried to identify with the Hebrew children by defending them against the Egyptians, they rejected him, and Moses ended up fleeing for his life. He ends up in the desert of Midia. He marries Zipporah, and she gives him a son. We read about that in Exodus 2:22. It says, “She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, ‘I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.’” By naming his son Gershom, Moses is saying, “I wish I had a place where I belonged.” Or, “I wish I had a home.” How do I know that he is saying that? When Hebrews 11 tells us about Moses and others, it says that they all “acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” It goes on to say, “People who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.” He was born a Jew but rejected by Israel. The Egyptians raised him, but they wanted to kill him. He ended up settling in a foreign land where he was a complete stranger in a strange land.

Peter refers to Christians as pilgrims and aliens. In the secular world, Christians would not worship the pagan gods of Rome and were looked on with suspicion. Christian “strangers” declined to acknowledge Caesar as Lord and refused to participate in pagan worship, which alienated them from the population. On the other hand, their acknowledgment of Jesus as Lord alienated Jews. Christians didn’t fit in with the world.  I sometimes feel what Moses must have felt. I don’t often fit in with the world around me. This is not my home. I’m just passing through. My home is with my heavenly Father.  Moses understood that to be the case as well. In Psalm 90:1, Moses wrote while wandering in the wilderness with the multitude of homeless aliens, “Lord, you have been our home since the beginning.” Paul tells us in Philippians 3:20 that we are not at home in this world, “But our citizenship is in heaven.”

Max Lucado writes, “It’s not God’s plan for your heart to roam as a Bedouin. God wants you to move in out of the cold and live … with him. Under his roof, there is space available. At his table, a plate is set. In his living room, a wingback chair is reserved just for you. And he’d like you to take up residence in his house. Why would he want you to share his home? Simple, he’s your Father.”[1]

[1] Lucado, Max, and Terri A. Gibbs. 2000. Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, TN: J. Countryman.

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Hebrews 2:14-15, Psalms

Fear Of Death

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 14, 2024

David is often referred to as a “man after God’s own heart.” Our guide in Israel, Rony Simon, told us that David is actually a title that means “warrior or champion.” There are immense articles in theological journals expounding on this reality and explaining its origin. That fits with his life as well. He stood up to Goliath in the Valley of Elah when all of Israel’s Army was crippled by fear. He led the Israeli forces to victory after victory against the perennial enemy of Israel, the Philistines. He recruited men of great courage and skill in warfare that they were called “David’s mighty men.”  David’s courage, valor, and faith led him to become the man “after God’s own heart.” The original “Brave Heart” was not William Wallace. It was David.

Yet in Psalm 54, in a more modern translation, he writes, “My heart is troubled within me, and the fear of death has fallen upon me.” I’m so encouraged that “fear” is something that even the bravest warriors experience. Courage and valor are not traits that manifest themselves only in the absence of fear. Rather, they are expressed in the presence of fear. In fact, there is no courage or valor without the presence of the fear of death.  You may have noticed that Psalm 23 says, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil…” Please notice that David, the author, is acknowledging his walk through the “valley of the shadow of death.” It’s not death he will not fear. It’s evil of any kind.

David, the great warrior, does not repress the fear of death; he acknowledges it in his poetry. We don’t live our lives with the daily consciousness of the fear of death. How morbid would that be!  But it’s absolutely essential that we come to terms with our mortality. Hebrews tells us that Christ came to die for those who “through fear of death, were subject to slavery all their lives.” The slavery comes not from the fear of death but from the denial of the fear of death. Even 1 Corinthians 15:32, “let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die,” is not a declaration of freedom to live life any way we want, but is simply another form of,  as Piper says, “benumbing denial.”  He continues, “Death looms as the great enemy. And we become its slaves in the illusory flight of denial…” Once we acknowledge, like the warrior hero David did, that the fear of death is real, we are then truly free to come to terms with it. Piper explains, “The reason I speak of slavery to the fear of death is because the Bible does in Hebrews 2:14–15, “Since then the children share in flesh and blood, [Christ] Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”[1]

[1] Piper, John. 1995. Future Grace. Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers.

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Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, 1 John 5:13

A Time To Die

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 13, 2024

Everyone must die! This is a given, isn’t it? It’s almost a cliché. It doesn’t even bear repeating because it’s so obvious.  The Bible clearly states, “There is a time for every event under heaven; a time to be born and a time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2). Everyone knows it. The author of the book of Hebrews in the New Testament affirms Solomon’s saying. Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” Death is a reality that we all live with. It’s not just recorded in the Bible that affirms the fact that we will all die. We see it all around us. Everyone is introduced to it from childhood at the death of a pet, a loved one, or something they see on TV. It’s just part of life. I attended several funerals and memorial services for family and friends and was surprised at how many people seemed shocked when death became part of their experience. We know death is a reality, but we are totally unprepared for it.

As a preacher of the Good News of Jesus Christ, I always felt that it was one of my most solemn responsibilities to give attention to preparing people for the inevitability of death. But it’s such a delicate subject, especially in the wake of a loss. I think I’ve had more zeal than knowledge in some attempts to share this truth with others. You may have heard of the barber who was newly saved and was eager to witness to his experience with Jesus Christ. As he met his first customer the next day, he was sharpening his straight razor on the leather strap. His initial approach to his customer was, “Are you ready to die?” Just imagine what went through the customer’s mind as he viewed the finely honed razor. It reminds me of the sign outside of a church. It said, “Do you know what Hell is like? Come and hear our pastor preach this Sunday.” Think about that.

I really want to be careful how I talk about this subject because only a truly morbid person obsesses over the inevitability of his own death or the reality of death overall. On the other hand, only a foolish person refuses to ponder his own mortality. One of the most profound truths comes from the mouth of William Wallace of Brave Heart fame. He said, “No man can really live until he is ready to die.” It is good to ask ourselves once in a while about our attitude toward our own impending death.  Am I ready? God has granted each of us a fixed amount of time in this world, and every tick of the clock brings us that much closer to our date with eternity. Jesus told Mary that He was the resurrection and the life. Whoever believed in Him, though they might die, would live again. He then proceeded to call Lazarus from the grave four days after his burial. One of my favorite Bible verses is 1 John 5:13. It says, “I have written these things to you who believe in the Son of God so that you would know that you have eternal life.” In the early ’90s, I preached to the patients at a nursing home. Most of whom were in the 70s and 80s. There were even a few in their 90s. I used this passage and truly enjoyed the smiles on their faces when I read this verse. Many of them were ready for death. Being a believer in Jesus Christ, now in my late 70’s, I smile at that verse as well.

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Proverbs 4:23, Various

Thinking Happy Thoughts

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 12, 2024

The pursuit of happiness has always been central to much of human life. It was so important to our founding fathers that they included “The pursuit of happiness” as one of the major rights of human life endowed by their creator. In every generation, happiness has always been big business. There is no lack of salesmen who will happily tell you how their products will make you happy. It might be a material possession, a new food, a new experience, a new feeling, a new thought, or any number of other things. Furthermore, anyone who has an e-mail address, a Facebook page, or any of the other social media accounts sees dozens of ads telling them how such and such will fulfill their lives and make them happy. Some even sell drugs without a prescription that will bring that sense of feeling good no matter what is happening in your life. When prescribed by doctors, there are some that have legitimate benefits, but all of them have limitations as far as real, lasting happiness is concerned.

Another big business is dealing with unhappiness. There are all kinds of drugs for depression, anxiety, and other maladies that can be treated. But there is also a push to promote different ways of thinking that will promote happiness and deal with our unhappiness. One of the more recent trends is “cognitive therapy.” Although it is more complex than this, It deals with changing the way we think.  I’m not sure what is involved with the psychological therapy called cognitive, I am sure that the way we think affects our level of happiness. Solomon, 3000 years ago, said in Proverbs 4:23, “Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.” Then two thousand years later, Paul tells the Philippians to think about good things. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable if there is any excellence if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Often, we are our own worst enemy when it comes to being happy. We feast on “feel bad” thoughts rather than on that which nourishes us. The New Living Translation of Proverbs 15:14 says, “A wise person is hungry for truth, while the fool feeds on trash.” The Message translations put it this way, “An intelligent person is always eager to take in more truth; fools feed on fast-food fads and fancies.” What we feed our minds has an impact on our happiness in a profound way. God has given us the food we need that will help in this regard.He even provides us with a virtual feast in the Bible designed to satisfy our hunger for truth. Jeremiah explains his experience with this banquet in chapter 15, verse 16. He says, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart.”

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Proverbs 10:11, Jeremiah 29:11

A Fountain Of Life

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 11, 2024

Our speech, tongue, mouth, and words are often addressed in the book of Proverbs. In Chapter 10, we are exhorted not to talk too much, but when we do, it should be of such a nature that it brings encouragement to others.  Verse 11 says, “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life…” We should keep that in mind in all our conversations. Then Proverbs 10:20 adds, “The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth.” The book of James in the New Testament speaks about this subject also. Commenting on this teaching, Ellsworth says, “We must also make it our business to fill our mouths with good things. The more our mouths are filled with praise to God and good, kind, and encouraging words regarding others, the less space there will be for fiery, poisonous talk.”[1]

This is not an isolated subject in the Bible. It comes up often. Let me show you a few verses. Proverbs 15:23 says, “To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!” Proverbs 16:24 says, “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” Proverbs 25:11 adds, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” Then Isaiah, in Isaiah 50:4, says that God taught him how to speak. He says, “The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary.” There is no one better at that than God Himself. He speaks to us throughout the Bible with uplifting and encouraging words when we need them the most. It’s easy to fall prey to Satan’s desire to destroy our hope for the future. In Dante’s Inferno, there is a sign above the gates leading to hell. It reads, “Abandon all hope, Ye who enter here.” Satan wants us hopeless; God wants us filled with hope. One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11. It’s probably one of yours also; “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord; plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God spoke these encouraging words to Israel amidst the most difficult time of the nation’s history.

When Lou Gehrig was starting his baseball career, he went into a slump and grew so discouraged he thought of quitting. A friend named Paul Krichell heard Lou was slumping, and he took a train to Hartford and invited Lou to join him for a steak dinner at the Bond Hotel. Lou poured out his frustrations, and Paul could see the player’s confidence was shot. He spent the evening telling Lou that all hitters go through slumps and that the best ones—even Ty Cobb—don’t get hits six or seven out of every ten tries. But eventually, good hitters start hitting again; and, said Paul, “You’re a good hitter.” After dinner, Gehrig walked with Paul to the train station and thanked him for coming. The next day, Lou started blasting the ball again, and over the next eleven games, he came through with twenty-two hits, including six home runs—and his career took off. “I decided not to quit after all,” he said. Sometimes, we need to take a train track down.

[1] Ellsworth, Roger. 2009. Opening up James. Opening Up Commentary. Leominster: Day One Publications.

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Philippians 3:12-14

Don’t Look Back!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 10, 2024

In Philippians 3:12, Paul talks about pressing on in Jesus. Christ has already taken hold of Paul, according to the last phrase in that verse, and Paul was secure in God’s hands and in God’s love. This is why he couldn’t get enough of Jesus and always was pressing on to learn more and more about Him. As he learned more about Jesus, he also pressed on “towards” Jesus. He wanted to be like Him. But since He didn’t know all that there was to know about Jesus, he knew he had a long way to go. In Philippians 3:13-14 he says, “I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead…”

I’ve been watching the Olympic races recently and was reminded that On August 7, 1954, during the British Empire Games in Vancouver, Canada, the greatest mile-run matchup ever took place. It was touted as the “miracle mile” because Britain’s Roger Bannister and Australia’s John Landy were the only two sub-four-minute milers in the world. Bannister had been the first man ever to run a four-minute mile. Both runners were in peak condition. Bannister strategized that he would relax during the third lap and save everything for his finishing drive. But as they began that third lap, the Australian poured it on and passed Bannister. They both went all out but Bannister could not regain the lead from Landy. Then came the famous moment (replayed thousands of times in print and flickering black and white celluloid), and at the last stride before the home stretch, the crowds roared. Landy could not hear Bannister’s footfall and looked back, a fatal lapse of concentration. Bannister launched his attack and won the Empire Games that day by five yards.

Both Landy and Lot’s wife know the dangers of looking back! Once Christ “takes hold of us,” we then press on to take hold of Him. We want to know more about Him and become more like Him. We don’t look back! As any runner knows, to look back can be extremely dangerous. He may lose his speed, his direction and even the race. So he keeps looking towards the finish line. It’s spiritually dangerous to look back also. Paul discarded his earthly achievements and considered them only rubbish. He won’t have anything more to do with them. He’s moving on. He wants more, not of worldly wealth, or status, or position, or power, but more of Jesus. So he presses on. We too must press on to learn more about Jesus in order to grow in our knowledge of Him which will increase our love for Him.

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