Man’s Spirit

Posted on February 15, 2011 by russellmckinney

“The Spirit, The Soul, & The Body” series: (post #1)

You’ve probably heard that God is a triune being. He is one God, but He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But have you heard that man is also (at least in a sense) a triune being? He is body, soul, and spirit. In 2 Thessalonians 5:23, the apostle Paul says to the Christians of Thessalonica:

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (N.K.J.V.)

Of course, there is a major difference between God’s triunity and man’s. Whereas the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are each a distinct Person, the same cannot be said of the spirit, the soul, and the body. Nevertheless, each part of our makeup does make for an interesting subject. And with this post I’d like to say a few things about the spirit of man.

First, it is the spirit that gives life to the human body. James 2:26 says:

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (N.K.J.V.)

I would also mention Luke 23:46 here, where Christ’s releasing of His bodily spirit leads to His immediate death:

And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed his last. (N.K.J.V.)

Similarly, when Jesus resurrected the daughter of Jairus, Luke 8:55 says:

Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat. (N.K.J.V.)

When you understand that it is the spirit that brings life to the body, you can understand why the Bible teaches that even animals have spirits. Ecclesiastes 3:21 describes the difference between a person’s spirit and an animal’s spirit as follows:

Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth? (N.K.J.V.)

Second, it is only through an individual’s spirit that he or she can worship God. When Jesus was witnessing to the Samaritan woman, He told her:

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24, N.K.J.V.)

Whatever else might be involved with worshiping God “in spirit,” it certainly means much more than just going through the bodily motions of performing outward rites or rituals. True worship is inner worship that begins inside a person, within the person’s spirit. Even though this worship might result in the outward actions of praising, singing, praying, giving, serving, etc., these are the visible results rather than the invisible prompting.

Third, in regards to salvation, the New Testament’s use of the words “regeneration” and “renewing” in the phrase “the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 2:5) applies to the spirit part of a person’s makeup. Since our souls are eternal, they never need to be regenerated or renewed, and obviously our bodies don’t get regenerated or renewed at the moment of salvation, either. That only leaves the spirit as a candidate for receiving the Holy Spirit’s regenerating and renewing.

As for why we need the Holy Spirit to regenerate and renew our inner spirits, Ephesians 2:1 says that Christians have been have been “made alive” after having previously been “dead in trespasses and sins.” You see, the Holy Spirit regenerating our spirits and renewing our spirits equates to the same thing as making us “alive.” But wait a minute, haven’t we already noted that the spirit part of us is the part that gives life to our bodies? Yes, we have. Why, then, do we need the Holy Spirit to make us alive? Aren’t we already alive? The answer is: Even as we are alive physically, we are dead spiritually.

Each individual is born “dead in trespasses and sins because of what took place in the Garden of Eden. In warning Adam about eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God said to him, “In the day you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 3:16-17). Interestingly, even though the aging process was begun in Adam and Eve the moment they ate that fruit, their bodies didn’t immediately die. Therefore, the instant death God warned about must have been a spiritual death, the death of the spirit part of each of them. Adam then passed this state of being dead in spirit down to all of his descendants as from then on each human being would be born “dead (dead in spirit) in trespasses and sins.” This was a part of Adam causing not only sin to enter the world but also death (spiritual death as well as physical death) to be spread to his entire race (Romans 5:12).

When you understand this, you can understand why Jesus described the salvation experience as being “born again” (John 3:3,7) and “born of the Spirit” (John 3:5,8). He then went on to say, “…that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:8). So, according to Jesus the part of a person that gets reborn is the spirit. And why does the spirit need to be reborn? It’s because each baby’s spirit is dead in trespasses and sins as the child enters into this world.

You see, on the one side of the coin the Bible teaches that it is each individual’s spirit that gives life to that individual (James 2:26; Luke 23:46; Luke 8:55), but on the other side of the coin the same Bible teaches that the spirit itself inside each individual needs to be regenerated (renewed, born again) in order to allow the individual to truly worship God. Furthermore, the only way this regeneration can take place is by way of the Holy Spirit as He comes to indwell the person the moment the person places saving belief in Jesus (Romans 8:8-11; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Ephesians 4:30).

By putting all these teachings together, we are left with the conclusion that even though the spirit inside each individual works well enough to keep the person bodily alive, it is “damaged goods” because of Adam’s sin and, consequently, it is “dead” in regards to the power required for the person to properly worship God. Only when the person places saving belief in Jesus does God the Holy Spirit enter into the person’s body, thus regenerating (renewing) the person’s spirit and restoring its ability to enable genuine worship of God.

Fourth, a person’s spirit goes back to God the Father as soon as it leaves the body. Look again at Ecclesiastes 3:21. It says the spirit of man goes upward (to God) at death, while the spirit of an animal simply goes down to the earth, nothing more. Another relevant passage here is Ecclesiastes 12:1-8, which is the Bible’s best passage on the subject of growing old and dying. Verse 7 of the passage says:

Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. (N.K.J.V.)

Along these same lines, in Numbers 16:22 God is called “the God of the spirits of all flesh.” Likewise, in Hebrews 12:9 He is called “the Father of spirits.” These verses simply mean that God is the one who gives life to each person and each creature, and He gives this life by way of giving each individual and each creature a spirit.

Fifth, man’s spirit is also a center of various traits, emotions, and activities. Isaiah 29:24 speaks of those who have “erred in the spirit.” Psalm 77:6 associates the spirit with both remembering and making diligent search. In Matthew 5:3, Jesus speaks of being “poor in spirit.” John 13:21 says that Jesus was “troubled in spirit.” Numbers 5:14 links the emotion of jealousy with the spirit. Proverbs 16:18 warns that a “haughty spirit” goes before a fall. In Psalm 34:18, David sings the praises of having a “contrite spirit.” In Psalm 51:10, he asks God to renew a “steadfast spirit” within him. Finally, in 2 Corinthians 7:1, Paul encourages us to cleanse ourselves from all “filthiness of the flesh and spirit.”

In the end, perhaps the best way to think of an individual’s spirit is to think of it as that person’s “life force.” I know, I know, that’s a little too new-agey, but it’s about the best I can do. The spirit is that part of you that separates you from the deceased. If you are alive, you can thank your spirit. Also, how you feel, how you worship, and how you carry yourself relates back to your spirit. Summing things up, when you hear someone say, “I feel more alive than I ever have,” you know that person’s spirit is functioning in high order.

Posted in Human Life, Series: "The Spirit, The Soul, and The Body" | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wrongly Judged Anybody Lately?

Posted on February 12, 2011 by russellmckinney

Years ago, a young girl sat at the counter of a diner and asked the waitress, “How much is an ice cream sundae?” “Fifty cents,” answered the waitress, without even glancing at the child. The young girl opened her fist, looked at her coins, and asked, “Then how much is a bowl of plain ice cream?” Annoyed, the waitress snapped, “Thirty-five cents.” The girl carefully counted out thirty-five cents, handed it to the waitress, and said, “I’ll take the plain ice cream.” The waitress took the money without a word and brought the ice cream. But after the little girl had eaten and left, when the waitress went to clean up the area, she was overcome by a wave of shame. There, placed neatly beside the empty bowl, were two nickels and five pennies – her tip.

It’s so easy to make snap judgments of others, isn’t it? We only have to be around someone new for a few minutes, even seconds, before we have them stereotyped and categorized in our minds. We judge on the basis of clothes, hairstyles, language skill, dialect, and the way a person carries himself or herself. We do it every day without even thinking about it. It just comes naturally to us. But what does God say about the issue? You’ll find your answer in the following verses (all from the N.K.J.V.):

Moses speaking to the people of Israel: “Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who is with him. You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great…” (Deuteronomy 1:16-17)

These things also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment. (Proverbs 24:23)

Jesus speaking: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” (John 7:24)

My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or “Sit here at my footstool,” have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? (James 2:1-4)

Let’s all confess our sins in this area and strive to make some real progress at repenting of them. That means that we must stop assessing a person’s entire history and future by way of a fifteen-second conversation or a casual look. In reality, people are more complex than we realize, and they don’t fit so neatly into the limited number of pigeon-holes we use. Showing any kind of partiality is not good, and we must start seeing it for the problem it is in our whole approach to dealing with others.

Posted in Attitude, Character, Doing Good, Dress and Appearance, Favoritism, Personal Holiness | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What to Do About Clouds

Posted on February 11, 2011 by russellmckinney

I miss Patrick Swayze. He was one of my favorite movie stars. I always liked watching him, no matter what part he was playing.

Swayze and his wife Niemi were both pilots, and they enjoyed flying airplanes together. On one flight, however, they got into a big argument over how to handle a cloud bank in front of them. The husband wanted to climb above it, but the wife wanted to dive below it. I don’t know which option they chose, but later on they took the debate to a flight instructor and asked him who was right. He said, “You’re both wrong. You should have flown right through it. You should trust your instruments and stick to your flight plan.”

Christian, I think we can apply that flight instructor’s words to your life. When you know that you are in God’s will, and yet clouds blur your horizon, you should trust your instruments and stick to your flight plan. What are your instruments? They are the words of the Bible as well as the counsel and guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit. What is your flight plan? It is truth concerning God’s will that He has previously revealed to you.

So, has God told you to do something? Does He have you on a certain path in life? But is that path right now being obscured by some clouds of problem or difficulty? What should you do? Trust your instruments and fly straight through the clouds. If God wants you to do any climbing or diving, He will tell you. If He wants to change your flight plan, He’ll let you know. But until you receive some new directions from Him, the last ones He gave you still stand.

Posted in Adversity, Bible Study, Choices, Decisions, Discernment, Faith, God's Will, Perseverance, Problems, Scripture, The Bible, The Holy Spirit, Trials, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Words

Posted on February 10, 2011 by russellmckinney

Kent Crockett is a Bible teacher who is the President of Making Life Count Ministries. Like many of us, he is old enough to understand what the terms “8mm home movie camera,” “VHS,” and “VCR” mean. In reference to these items, he tells the following story from his past:

Years ago my wife and I recorded many of our family highlights using an 8mm home movie camera. We collected years of precious memories in numerous spools of film, which became antiquated after the invention of video cameras. Some friends living in another state offered to combine all our films into one videotape. We gladly accepted their generous offer and sent them our films.

Our friends placed an 8mm home movie camera in their living room to project our movies. They also set up a VHS video camera pointed at the screen and recorded the films while the other camera’s reels turned. They sent the completed videotape to us.

Cindy and I were anxious to watch the tape of our old movies. We brought out the popcorn and inserted the video into our VCR. But that’s where the fun stopped. As we beheld our old home movie films on videotape, we also listened to our friends’ remarks. They had not realized that when they recorded our films, the video camera also taped their critical comments about us!

When the videotape began, they started making fun of us. As the film continued to roll, their comments turned vicious. With every new scene came a cutting remark or hurtful joke. Daggers entered my heart as I listened to what our friends honestly thought about us. My wife was devastated.

Our friends looked at us through judgmental glasses. Although they were cordial to our faces, the video recorded the true thoughts of their hearts.

The Bible features numerous passages that are downright terrifying, and one of them is Matthew 12:36-37. In those verses, Jesus gives us an ominous warning:

But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. (N.K.J.V.)

When we consider this awesome weight our words carry, not just in this life but in the “day of judgment,” I think you’ll agree with me that our frequent prayer should be David’s from Psalm 141:3:

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. (N.K.J.V.)

Posted in Character, Communication, Discipleship, Doing Good, Friendship, God's Judgment, Lying, Personal Holiness, Reward, Sanctification, Sin, The Tongue | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Beauty Untapped

Posted on February 9, 2011 by russellmckinney

Two men were driving down the road in a truck. Suddenly, the driver slowed down and said, “Look at that beautiful angel.” The passenger excitedly asked, “Where? Where?” The driver said, “Right there.”

The passenger said, “I don’t see any angel. All I see is that big rock.” The driver said, “I’m going to prove to you that there is an angel there.” He then took the passenger home, let him out, and drove back to his own house. There, he went into his garage, got out his hoist, and loaded the hoist into his truck bed. Then he drove back to the rock, used the hoist to load the rock into the truck bed, took the rock back to his house, and unloaded it with the hoist.

At that point, he went to work on the rock, systematically chipping away at it with hammers and chisels. He worked for weeks and weeks until finally he was finished. Then he called up the passenger and said, “Come over to my house. I want to show you something.” The passenger came over and saw a beautiful, sculptured angel. He said, “My, what a beautiful angel.” The driver said, “That’s the angel I saw on the road that day. It was in that rock all along. All I did was release it.” This story makes me think about how God can see the untapped beauty that lies within people.

God looked down at a timid sort of man whose family was entrenched in idolatry and saw the founding father of the race of people by whom Jesus would enter the world. Abraham was in that “rock” all along.

God looked down at a former member of Egyptian nobility, now living as a humble exile on the backside of the desert, and saw the man who would lead Israel out of Egyptian bondage. Moses was in that “rock” all along.

God looked down at a young shepherd boy whose own family didn’t even rate him all that high and saw Israel’s greatest king. David was in that “rock” all along.

God looked down at an uneducated fisherman, a man who was very prone to extremes, and saw the apostle who would preach the famous Pentecost sermon after which 3,000 people would get saved. Peter was in that “rock” all along.

God looked down at a brilliant, highly educated Pharisee, a man whose zeal for Judaism knew no bounds, and saw the apostle who would start churches all over the Roman empire, win hordes of people to Christ, and write half the New Testament. Paul was in that “rock” all along.

So, before you give up on yourself and decide that you’ll never amount to much in life, you’d better consider all these examples. You may be just a “rock” now, but God knows the untapped beauty that lies within you. But first you must believe in Jesus as your personal Savior and then unreservedly cast yourself at His feet, to do with as He will. That’s your part. His part is then to faithfully mold you and shape you, a little hammering here, a little chiseling there, until that beauty that was always within you is on display for the world to see.

Posted in Discipleship, Faith, God's Love, God's Omnipotence, God's Omniscience, God's Work, Individuality, Salvation, Service, Spiritual Gifts, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Forgotten Word

Posted on February 8, 2011 by russellmckinney

Consider the following handful of verses (all from the New King James Version, with emphasis added on my part):

“I listened and heard, but they do not speak aright. No man repented of his wickedness, saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turned to his own course, as the horse rushes into the battle.” (Jeremiah 8:6)

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:1-2)

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

“I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3,5)

“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place – unless you repent.” (Revelation 2:5)

The word “repent” is a forgotten one in our culture. This holds true even in Christian circles. We hear much about mercy, grace, love, forgiveness, longsuffering, patience, tolerance, and acceptance but not much about repentance. This has turned our preaching and teaching into a vanilla batch of mush and gush wherein everybody is okay and no one needs to make any real changes in conduct.

The Greek word that gets translated as “repent” is metanoeo. Greek scholars tell us this word literally means “a change of mind.” Consequently, we might say that true repentance is a changing of the mind that leads to a changing of the conduct. Getting the conduct right begins with getting the thinking right.

In the matter of sinners, the Bible uses “repent” in two ways. First, it inseparably links repentance with saving faith in Christ. The idea is that genuine faith in Christ MUST be laced with genuine repentance. You don’t repent, place your faith in Jesus, and then get saved. Instead, the faith that saves oozes repentance. A wonderful passage that shows how repentance and saving faith walk hand in hand is Acts 20:20-21, where Paul says to the Ephesian elders:

…I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. (N.K.J.V.)

Second, the Bible uses “repent” in a general way that calls Christians and non-Christians alike to turn from their sins and go in an opposite direction, a direction of holiness. A good verse here would be Luke 3:8, the first part of which quotes Jesus as saying:

“Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance…” (N.K.J.V.)

And so, in light of all this, I want to close by asking you a very simple question: Have you thoroughly repented of your personal “pet sin”? If you haven’t then consider this God’s way of looking at you right now and saying, “It’s time that you DID!” As someone has pointed out, repentance can never come too soon but it may come too late. Therefore, my advice to you is: Don’t let yours come too late!

Posted in Backsliding, Belief, Faith, Personal Holiness, Preaching, Repentance, Salvation, Sin | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Native American Chief & Jesus

Posted on February 7, 2011 by russellmckinney

A Christian missionary preached to a tribe of Native Americans, telling them that Jesus Christ, who was God in human flesh, had voluntarily died for their sins. The tribe’s elderly Chief was very moved by Christ’s sacrifice and decided to do something for the Lord Jesus. He rose to his feet, walked up to the missionary, laid his tomahawk at the missionary’s feet, and said in broken English, “Chief give his tomahawk to Jesus.” Then he went and sat back down.

The missionary, sensing that the Holy Spirit was working on the Chief, started preaching again. This time he told the tribe that God, in giving us Jesus, had given us His absolute best. The Chief listened carefully, considered the matter, and then walked forward again, this time carrying his blanket. He laid the blanket at the missionary’s feet and said, “Chief give his blanket to Jesus.”

Still, however, that wasn’t the response the missionary was seeking, and so he started preaching again. He told the tribe how Jesus, even though He was rich in heaven, had become poor for us by being born in a manger, living a humble life, and dying by way of a cruel, humiliating cross. This compelled the Chief to leave the meeting, go get his horse, bring the animal to the missionary, and say, “Chief give his horse to Jesus.”

At this point, the Chief thought to himself, “Now I have given everything I have to Jesus, who gave Himself for me.” But the missionary just started up yet another round of preaching. This time he explained that Jesus had arisen from the dead, appeared to many in His post-resurrection body, ascended back to heaven forty days later, and was now seated at the right hand of His heavenly father, calling men and women to Himself. And it was then that the Chief finally understood why the missionary had never seemed satisfied with the fine gifts. The Chief stood up again, walked forward, bowed himself, and said, “Chief give himself to Jesus.”

Ah, friend, there it is! That is the decision that Jesus wants from each of us, and it is a far cry from merely attending church, putting some money in the offering plate, owning a Bible, praying prayers, trying to live a moral life, etc. Certainly, each of those things is proper when understood in its rightful place, but when it comes to salvation, they are all just tomahawks, blankets, and horses. What Jesus truly wants is you (lock, stock, and barrel). And, just to be honest about it, when He has you like that, He’ll have you keep all your tomahawks, blankets, and horses and use them in service to Him.

Posted in Belief, Brokenness, Commitment, Discipleship, Dying To Self, Evangelism, Faith, Man's Freewill, Missions, Preaching, Sacrifice, Salvation, Submission | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Power Shortage

Posted on February 5, 2011 by russellmckinney

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3, N.K.J.V.)

The organist was trying to play the call-to-worship song to begin the church service, but no sound was coming from the organ. Everyone in the congregation could tell there was a problem, but no one knew what to do about it. Thinking fast, the pastor went to the pulpit and began praying a very lengthy prayer in order to provide the necessary time for someone to fix the organ.

As the pastor prayed, the church custodian hurriedly made his way to the organ and went to work diagnosing the problem. Looking at the power outlet that was located in the nearby wall, he noticed that the organ’s power chord had come unplugged from the outlet. So, he reached down and plugged the chord back into the outlet.

With the pastor still praying, the custodian then quickly scribbled something onto a little piece of paper and handed it to the frantic organist. The note said: “After the prayer, the power will be on.” Well, you know where I’m going with that, don’t you? Obviously, those words are good advice for us, as Christians, because until we make prayer a regular part of our day, we’ll never have much spiritual power upon our lives.

I used to play a lot of slow-pitch softball. Sometimes, when one of my teammates would miss out on hitting a homerun because the ball got caught just a few feet in front of the fence, we would jokingly say to him, “Pay your power bill.” That was a funny line, but there’s certainly nothing funny about the fact that many Christians are seeing their efforts fall short because they’ve not paid their spiritual power bills. And how does a Christian pay his or her spiritual power bill? There is only one way to do it. That Christian must spend quality time in prayer.

Be honest, Christian, how’s your prayer life these days? If it is lacking, let me encourage you to get alone by yourself somewhere and just start talking to God. Praise Him for everything good that is happening in your life. Thank Him for the numerous blessings He has bestowed upon you through the years. Confess your sins to Him. Dedicate yourself to repenting of those sins. Tell Him about your troubles. Lastly, make your requests to Him, being sure to tell Him that if a request isn’t His will, you don’t actually want it even though you think you do.

God doesn’t want you to come up short in your efforts for Him. Much to the contrary, He wants His inexhaustible power flowing into you, through you, and out from you. But that won’t happen until you plug in your power chord by getting down to the business of doing some personal, prolific praying. Remember, praying isn’t a chore you have to perform; it’s a privilege you get to enjoy.

Posted in Needs, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Problems, Service | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

How to Be a Herod

Posted on February 3, 2011 by russellmckinney

Israel’s first temple, known as Solomon’s temple, stood for 400 years before it was destroyed by the Babylonians. Israel’s second temple, known as Zerubbabel’s temple, stood for 500 years and served as the centerpiece of Jewish worship all during the 400-year gap that lies between the last page of the Old Testament and the first page of the New Testament. It was toward the end of that time period that an Idumean named Herod the Great became a major player in the history of Israel. By being a consummate politician, Herod convinced the Romans to place him in charge over Judea, which was the southern region of Israel. He then ruled over Judea for more than thirty years before dying not long after his infamous role in the story of the birth of Jesus.

Herod the Great was a very wicked man, but he was a tremendous builder, and perhaps his greatest building project was the redoing of Jerusalem’s temple. He understood that Zerubbabel’s temple was nowhere near as spectacular as Solomon’s had been, and so he made up his mind to correct that problem by not only reconstructing the temple but also expanding it greatly. Workers completed the bulk of the project in ten years, but the “detail work” continued on for many years afterwards. In John 2:20, the Jews even say, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple…” By the way, this was the temple that Jesus knew during His earthly life.

But, in the end, what happened to the temple that is now commonly referred to as “Herod’s temple” or “the third temple”? Would you believe that in 70 A.D., some 70 years or so after Herod’s death, the Romans completely destroyed it as a part of their efforts to reestablish their dominion over the Jews? Actually, the destruction of that temple was the fulfillment of a prophecy that Jesus had given. We read that prophecy in Matthew 24:1-2:

Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” (N.K.J.V.)

You say, “Okay, Russell, what’s your point?” My point is that Herod the Great poured untold time, wealth, energy, and manpower into a project that was destined to come to nothing, and if you and I aren’t careful we will make the same mistake. No, I don’t suppose that you will be building or renovating any temples anytime soon, but you can certainly pour your time, wealth, energy, and manpower into something that will not last. You can chase dreams that are unworthy dreams. You can spend your life in pursuit of futile accomplishments. You can lose years aiming at and firing at wrong targets.

Therefore, I guess right now would be a good time to look in the proverbial mirror and ask yourself, “Am I using my life to accomplish goals that are truly worthwhile or am I making the mistake that Herod made?” If you don’t know how to answer, ask God to show you what He thinks. And if He shows you that you need to change what you’re after, then do so immediately. After all, why kill yourself trying to build something that somebody else will just come along and knock down in the future?

Posted in Change, Choices, Decisions, Desires, Dying To Self, God's Will, God's Work, Priorities, Sports, Work | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Feeling Kind of Small?

Posted on February 2, 2011 by russellmckinney

You’ve probably heard of Solomon’s temple, that beautiful, majestic house of worship that served as the centerpiece of worship in Israel. That temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonians in 587 B.C. To make that destruction even worse, Nebuchadnezzar deported the defeated Jews to Babylon, where they would spend decades in exile from their homeland.

At the end of those years, however, God raised up the Medo-Persian empire to defeat the Babylonians. Medo-Persia was led by a man named Cyrus the Great. One of his first official acts as the new ruler of the Jews was to allow the willing to return to their homeland and reestablish their culture and religious observances. Ultimately, a group of over 40,000 Jews returned to Jerusalem and began building what is now known as “the second temple.”

Since a Jewish leader named Zerubbabel was the man most prominently associated with the building of that temple, the structure is often referred to as “Zerubbabel’s temple.” It was built on the same site as Solomon’s temple and was completed in 516/515 B.C. And would you believe that Zerubbabel’s temple would actually stand longer than Solomon’s temple? Whereas Solomon’s temple stood for approximately 400 years, Zerubbabel’s temple would stand for approximately 500 years.

But that second temple wasn’t nearly as grand and ornate as the first one had been. In Zerubbabel’s day, the incredibly prosperity that Israel had known under King David and King Solomon was long gone, and the riches it would have taken to duplicate Solomon’s temple simply weren’t to be found. Unfortunately, the inferior appearance of Zerubbabel’s temple greatly disappointed all the elderly Jews who remembered the glory of Solomon’s temple. Ezra 3:12-13 sums up their response to the new temple:

But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes, so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off. (N.K.J.V.)

But, of course, the real question that needed to be answered was, “Did God approve of this new temple?” And we find His answer in Zechariah 4:10 as He asks the piercing question:

“For who has despised the day of small things?” (N.K.J.V.)

So, tell me, are you trying to get some new work of the Lord off the ground? Well, hang in there with it. Did you start the work from scratch and thought it would be much more impressive by now? Stick with it anyway. Do you feel a tinge of shame when you compare the work to larger, more established works? Just stop doing that. Don’t be guilty of despising the day of small things. Never forget that if God says what you are doing is good and should continue, that settles it. He sees value in small things, and He is always on the lookout for some Zerubbabels who will start and complete new works for Him. And He really isn’t interested in what the naysayers think about those works.

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