Ge 31:42 "Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed..."
Laban was a leader who was not being used or blessed by God. Motivated by a desire to control the blessings tht God had given Jacob, Laban pursued Jacob. But with victory in sight, God forbad Laban to harm Jacob.
Laban was afraid to wrongly harm a servant of God. When I taught Christian school, I would see parents with money get teachers fired for making their children behave. The school would often wait until the end of the school year to tell the teacher he or she was not coming back next year, cutting the teacher off with no support.
And I saw three other things. In every case I know of, with no exceptions, the teachers did all right. And the Christian schools, for a variety of reasons, eventually shut down. And the church went through a downward spiral that lasted for years.
No exceptions.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Being a Leader?
Ge 31:22 And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled.
23 Then he took his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days' journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead.
Laban was a leader. In his conflict with Jacob, Laban was able to get his brethren to take his side. Jacob, meanwhile, couldn't get any of his brethren (except for his wives and children) to side with him.
Yes, Laban was a leader. But God wasn't blessing him. His success as a leader was partly the result of his ability to inspire jealousy of Jacob and partly the result of his ability to exploit greed.
In fact, there is only one good thing that can be said about Laban as a leader...
23 Then he took his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days' journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead.
Laban was a leader. In his conflict with Jacob, Laban was able to get his brethren to take his side. Jacob, meanwhile, couldn't get any of his brethren (except for his wives and children) to side with him.
Yes, Laban was a leader. But God wasn't blessing him. His success as a leader was partly the result of his ability to inspire jealousy of Jacob and partly the result of his ability to exploit greed.
In fact, there is only one good thing that can be said about Laban as a leader...
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Gen 31:26-30 And Laban said to Jacob: "What have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword?...And you did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters...but why did you steal my gods?"
Afraid to attack Jacob after God warned him not to, Laban could only rely on accusations. And although almost everything was Laban's fault, his accusations were fairly accurate. But all the accusations in the world could not change the fact that God was blessing Jacob, not Laban. Laban had a lot more sin that Jacob did, and he was jealous of Jacob.
It is normal for Christians who are being used by God to be accused by jealous Christians who are not being blessed. And while many of the accusations may be true, the accuser may well have a lot more sin than the accused.
Afraid to attack Jacob after God warned him not to, Laban could only rely on accusations. And although almost everything was Laban's fault, his accusations were fairly accurate. But all the accusations in the world could not change the fact that God was blessing Jacob, not Laban. Laban had a lot more sin that Jacob did, and he was jealous of Jacob.
It is normal for Christians who are being used by God to be accused by jealous Christians who are not being blessed. And while many of the accusations may be true, the accuser may well have a lot more sin than the accused.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Pr 14:35 ¶ The king's favor is toward a wise servant...
Pr 11:30 ¶... he who wins souls is wise.
These two verses help explain the helpless anger that some Christians feel as they watch God bless their enemies. When Christians set out to follow Jesus wholeheartedly, Jesus works in their lives to make them fishers of men. They then go through trials, tests, temptations, and troubles that most Christians rarely experience. The result is a harvest of souls saved.
But Christians who do not have this spiritual growth don't understand what is going on. They see the results of Satan's attacks on the soul-winners, and they attribute these results to ungodliness on the part of the soul-winner. They don't understand that they, personally, do not undergo these same attacks because they are not spiritual enough to handle them.
Many Godly men, churches, and colleges have "Christian hatesites" dedicated to them. There, Christians who have failed to obey the Great Commission can blast away at the failings of those who are more successful then them.
The result? God keeps blessing His Godly servants, and the critics are bypassed for success.
Pr 11:30 ¶... he who wins souls is wise.
These two verses help explain the helpless anger that some Christians feel as they watch God bless their enemies. When Christians set out to follow Jesus wholeheartedly, Jesus works in their lives to make them fishers of men. They then go through trials, tests, temptations, and troubles that most Christians rarely experience. The result is a harvest of souls saved.
But Christians who do not have this spiritual growth don't understand what is going on. They see the results of Satan's attacks on the soul-winners, and they attribute these results to ungodliness on the part of the soul-winner. They don't understand that they, personally, do not undergo these same attacks because they are not spiritual enough to handle them.
Many Godly men, churches, and colleges have "Christian hatesites" dedicated to them. There, Christians who have failed to obey the Great Commission can blast away at the failings of those who are more successful then them.
The result? God keeps blessing His Godly servants, and the critics are bypassed for success.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Can't Get Along!
Ge 31:1 ¶ Now Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, "Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and from what was our father's he has acquired all this wealth."
2 And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before.
That Jacob just couldn't get along with anyone! He had gotten his brother Esau so angry that he had to flee for his life. Now, his father-in-law (who was also his uncle) and his brothers-in-law (who were also his cousins) were angry at him.
It looks pretty bad for Jacob, until you realize some things. Jacob was the one being blessed. God was increasing Jacob's sheep, children, and even his brides (he had four of them).
Laban was a man who relied on lying and trickery to achieve his goals, and he was steadily declining. Around the internet, you can find various Christian hate sites that rip into men who are being used of God more than all their critics combined. Many of their criticisms are true, yet God continues to bless His servants rather than their critics.
Why?
2 And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before.
That Jacob just couldn't get along with anyone! He had gotten his brother Esau so angry that he had to flee for his life. Now, his father-in-law (who was also his uncle) and his brothers-in-law (who were also his cousins) were angry at him.
It looks pretty bad for Jacob, until you realize some things. Jacob was the one being blessed. God was increasing Jacob's sheep, children, and even his brides (he had four of them).
Laban was a man who relied on lying and trickery to achieve his goals, and he was steadily declining. Around the internet, you can find various Christian hate sites that rip into men who are being used of God more than all their critics combined. Many of their criticisms are true, yet God continues to bless His servants rather than their critics.
Why?
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Paul Won the Fight
Acts 15:37 Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark.
38 But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from
them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work.
39 Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus;
40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God.
Although Barnabas is one of the most important men in the New Testament, you rarely hear about him. He trained Paul when Paul was a new Christian, and he got the other Christians to accept Paul. He went on some of Paul's journeys with him, and Paul mentions him in some of his epistles. Acts 14:14 tells us that Barnabas even became an apostle.
But then they had a conflict. Mark had deserted Paul and Barnabas under stress. Later, Barnabas wanted to give Mark another chance, and he and Paul became so angry at each other that they ended their friendship. Verse 40 indicates that the Christians took Paul's side in the conflict. Even John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, blamed everything on Barnabas. And while Paul went on to write more Epistles and still had a major ministry, Barnabas is never mentioned again. So Paul won and Barnabas lost.
But Barnabas was right. He got Mark straightened out. Years later, from prison, Paul would write "Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry." 2Ti 4:11 And the apostle Peter would refer to him as "Mark my son." 1Pe 5:13 And Mark would write one of the Four Gospels.
It is wrong for Christians to fight. And winning the fight does not prove that you did the right thing.
38 But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from
them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work.
39 Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus;
40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God.
Although Barnabas is one of the most important men in the New Testament, you rarely hear about him. He trained Paul when Paul was a new Christian, and he got the other Christians to accept Paul. He went on some of Paul's journeys with him, and Paul mentions him in some of his epistles. Acts 14:14 tells us that Barnabas even became an apostle.
But then they had a conflict. Mark had deserted Paul and Barnabas under stress. Later, Barnabas wanted to give Mark another chance, and he and Paul became so angry at each other that they ended their friendship. Verse 40 indicates that the Christians took Paul's side in the conflict. Even John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, blamed everything on Barnabas. And while Paul went on to write more Epistles and still had a major ministry, Barnabas is never mentioned again. So Paul won and Barnabas lost.
But Barnabas was right. He got Mark straightened out. Years later, from prison, Paul would write "Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry." 2Ti 4:11 And the apostle Peter would refer to him as "Mark my son." 1Pe 5:13 And Mark would write one of the Four Gospels.
It is wrong for Christians to fight. And winning the fight does not prove that you did the right thing.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Jas 3:2 For we all stumble in many things.
It's a dangerous thing for a Christian to go around threatening the wrath of God on another Christian. I can't prove this from Scripture, but my personal observation is that the accuser is usually more guilty that the person being accused.
God's Word teaches that He judges us by the standard we set. When we teach that the judgment of God on a Christian is a source of joy, and something to be rejoiced over publicly, we set a standard for God to use in dealing with us. Since none of us are what we ought to be, we are better off obeying the Scriptural commands to love one another, not to judge one another, and to forgive one another.
It's a dangerous thing for a Christian to go around threatening the wrath of God on another Christian. I can't prove this from Scripture, but my personal observation is that the accuser is usually more guilty that the person being accused.
God's Word teaches that He judges us by the standard we set. When we teach that the judgment of God on a Christian is a source of joy, and something to be rejoiced over publicly, we set a standard for God to use in dealing with us. Since none of us are what we ought to be, we are better off obeying the Scriptural commands to love one another, not to judge one another, and to forgive one another.
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