Tag: believing God

What Can Your God Do?

Job 12:13 for SGL

Old Testament: Numbers 13

Poetry: Job 12

New Testament: Acts 26

What can your God do? Is there anything He can not do? In our Bible readings today we get a glimpse into how a few different people might have answered those questions.

Let’s look at Job 12 first. Job is replying to his friend Zophar who just suggested that since God is great and right and true and since Job is suffering, that must mean that Job is deceitful, evil, or witless (or all three) and is being punished. Job is ready with a quick reply. Do his friends think “wisdom will die with you?” (vs. 1). He certainly still has some spirit left in him.

Most of this chapter Job is giving credit to God for what God can and has and will do:

– giving life and breath to every creature and all mankind (vs 10)

– owning wisdom and power, counsel and understanding (vs 12)

– controlling the waters with drought or flood (vs 15)

– holding strength and victory (vs 16)

– overthrowing men long established – even judges, kings and priests (vs 17-19)

– reveals the deep things of darkness (vs 22)

– makes nations great, and destroys them (vs 23)

– deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason (vs 24) – hmm – interesting

Job is agreeing with his friends on the greatness of God! No one can come anywhere close to comparing to what God is and what He can do. No human wisdom, strength, plans, or power can successfully stand against Him. When God wants to bring them down, He can and He has and He will! He can make them rise. He can make them fall.

Oh, if only the 10 scared spies knew that lesson from Job! How might their lives – and the lives of ALL of the Israelites who listened to them – have been different. In Numbers 13 we see Moses following God’s direction to send out 12 men (one from each tribe) to look over Canaan land which God had promised long ago to Abraham’s descendants. The twelve found the land just as wonderful as God had promised – flowing with milk and honey, huge clusters of grapes, bountiful harvests. It must have looked pretty amazing as they had just spent a couple years in the wilderness mostly surviving on God’s manna and quail – which were also true signs of God’s miraculous provision – but ones they had become accustomed to and now took for granted.

But rather than believing God for the promise and remembering how He had bested the powerful Egyptians, they shrunk back in fear. They knew on their own they were no match for the strength and size of all the people who already lived in the land. But they forgot what God could do. They forgot how God had already gotten them this far. They forgot what was most important to remember! They forgot what their God can do!

-Marcia Railton

Reflection Question

  1. What have you seen God do for others? What have you seen God do for you? What promises do you believe God will indeed accomplish?
  2. When you feel like a grasshopper up against a giant, what can you remember about your God? What can He do?
  3. How does your view of what He can do change what you do?
  4. Who have you told what God can and has and will do? Who else can you tell?
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To Die in Peace and Hope

The Death of Abraham
Today’s Bible Reading – Genesis 25 & 26 and Matthew 13

After serving God for 100 years, “Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years”.  This fulfilled a promise God had made to him in Genesis 15:15, when God had promised Abraham that he would die in peace at a good old age.

In addition to a great quantity of life, I think Abraham had also enjoyed a great quality of life for all those years.  At the end of his life, he could look back with satisfaction, and even then could still look forward with anticipation to God’s promises.  Promises including: Abraham and his descendants would inherit the promised land forever, his descendants would be as numerous as the sand and the stars, and that all nations on earth would be blessed through him.

I suspect only a small minority of people can face death like this.  I’m guessing most look back at their life with regret, and look ahead with fear.

You may be wondering how Abraham could die in peace, with peace.  I believe it all comes back to his relationship with God.  We’re told that Abraham was God’s friend (2 Chron 20:7, Isaiah 41:8, James 2:23).  In Hebrews 11, we’re told that Abraham died in faith, having not received what was promised, looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

You may be wondering how Abraham developed such a close relationship with God. I’ll give you a hint, it wasn’t by following the law.  He died hundreds of years before God would give the law to Moses.  He didn’t become righteous by circumcision, because he was declared righteous years before he was circumcised.  Back in Genesis 15, God made a promise to Abraham, and in verse 6, “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.”  Abraham became right with God, because Abraham believed God.  And in so doing, Abraham became a model of how all of us can become right with God.  Paul used this example in Romans 4 to argue that all are justified through faith alone.

Ephesians 2: 8-10 tells us, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

In chapter 2, James used Abraham as an example to demonstrate the importance of proving faith by deeds.  We aren’t saved by works, but those works prove our faith.  And lack of works proves lack of faith.

Abraham left quite a legacy.  When God reiterated His promise to Isaac, as recorded in Genesis 26:3-6, we read, “…I will be with you and will bless you.  For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.  I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, BECAUSE (emphasis added) Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees, and my laws.”  Did you catch that? All of this was because Abraham was faithful to God.

The New Testament starts with, “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham.”  God had promised Abraham that all the world would be blessed through him, and God kept his promise.

I’d like to leave you with a few questions..

Have you thought about preparing now to face death when it comes?  Ecclesiastes 12 encourages us to start young.  Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them.”  Verses 13-14 go on to say, “Now all has been heard;  here is the conclusion of the matter:  Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.  For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

Are you living by faith?  Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”  And are you demonstrating your faith by your actions?

Finally, what legacy are you leaving?  Exodus 20: 5-6 says, “…I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”  

–Steve Mattison

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The Fruitless Fig Tree

Mark 11

Mark 11 22

In Mark 11:12-14 we see Jesus appear to get upset and curse a fig tree because he was hungry and there was no fruit on it.

“On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.” Mark 11:12-14

About a month ago, when our family was reading together, we came across this passage. My kids thought it was funny that Jesus was hungry and looking for food. It tickled them that he got “hangry” and cursed the fig tree because there wasn’t any food to be had. But this is a misunderstanding. Notice that the Scripture says there were leaves. Usually when a fig tree has leaves, it also has fruit.  Jesus saw the fig tree from a distance and it looked like it was flourishing. It looked as though it should have fruit. Upon closer inspection, it did not. Jesus found this situation worthy of cursing.

Later, in 11:20-21 Peter mentions to Jesus that the fig tree he cursed is withered (dead). Jesus’ response is interesting. He says, “Have faith in God.” He tells him that if you believe God can do amazing things through you, without doubting, He will! There will be good fruit. And what does this mean for us? We need to be careful about how we are presenting ourselves. Do I look promising? Do I look like a tree that’s healthy with lots of foliage, but in reality I’m not bearing any fruit? If so, I need to understand that this won’t be enough. Jesus finds this worthy of cursing and death. May we all be faithful, flourishing, and bearing fruit for our Father.

-Melissa New