SI SE PUEDE SER FIEL

SI SE PUEDE SER FIEL

El enunciado anterior parece imposible cuando uno observa la historia de Israel desde Moisés hasta el cierre del antiguo testamento.  Cuando ellos arreglaban alguna deficiencia otra más grande surgía. De tantos versículos en las santas escrituras a los que uno pudiera ir para analizar esta palabra “fiel” sin duda alguna Isaías 49:7 es uno de los primeros en la lista. En este pasaje la palabra “fiel” es utilizada en referente a Jehová. Lo primero que nosotros hemos de entender es que la fidelidad es algo que tiene su origen en Dios mismo, usted y  yo jamás podremos ser fieles sino no existe la influencia  de Jehová en nosotros.

¿A quién es usted fiel?.

¿A quién es usted fiel?.

Cuando uno llega hasta el nuevo testamento en el estudio de este tema, el pasaje por excelencia es Apocalipsis 2:10 donde la parte “B” del pasaje lee de la siguiente manera: “Se fiel hasta la muerte y yo te daré la corona de la vida”.  En este libro de Apocalipsis el pasaje parece ser esencial  y en nuestro criterio el pasaje  es clave para comprender todo el mensaje por el cual este libro fue escrito. Considere con nosotros algunos aspectos de la fidelidad en este texto:

  1. Los cristianos del siglo primero eran perseguidos de múltiples formas. Para este periodo en particular el emperador Romano Domiciano hacía que todos le adoraran como a “dios” y sino la paga era la muerte o mucho peor…la tortura. Seguramente la tentación para preservar la vida era fuerte y casi podemos estar seguros que muchos cristianos se inclinaron ante el emperador. Es por esa razón que la palabra fiel es usada. Los verdaderos cristianos poseen la  influencia de Dios y por eso se les anima a ser fieles.
  2. La fidelidad de los cristianos no solamente era para con Dios sino a lo que ellos habían creído. La ciudad de Esmirna era la sede del culto al emperador sin embargo aún así la palabra del Señor había llegado con fuerza, ¡Ellos habían creído!. No se puede ser fiel violando las propias convicciones.
  3. La fidelidad de la Iglesia no debía de depender en que persona estuviera en el trono, ser fiel cuando hay libertad religiosa  es fácil pero ser fiel y respetar y aún orar por el emperador (1Timoteo 2:1-2)  cuando este es un tirano y desea destruir el cristianismo es realmente otra cosa. La fidelidad no depende de las circunstancias al rededor, la fidelidad es más bien parte de la naturaleza de un cristiano y la naturaleza no cambia.
  4. La fidelidad puede y va a ser llevada a los extremos. La frase: “Se fiel hasta la muerte” no significa que ellos debían de vivir toda una vida y cuando la vejez llegara todavía iban a seguir siendo fieles. “Se fiel hasta la muerte” significa; sea fiel hasta el punto de dar su vida o de ser sacrificado (explica el hermano John T. Hinds en su comentario de Apocalipsis). Algunos han pensado que los extremos no son buenos pero en este caso la excepción debe de ser hecha. Lo único que a permitir que la vida misma sea ofrecida por aquel, quien también es fiel a sus promesas es precisamente la fidelidad.
  5. La fidelidad  es un requerimiento que Dios desea ver en sus hijos para poder otorgarles la corona de la vida. Es trascendental comprender la palabra “Corona” que, aquí es traducida del vocablo griego “Stephanos”, un símbolo de la realeza. En tiempos del primer siglo la corona era algo que solamente la portaba el emperador de la nación y así es como el Señor está prometiendo a los cristianos que a travez de su fidelidad ellos podían tener un lugar de honor aún mejor que la del emperador que estaba asesinando a tantos cristianos.

La fidelidad a travez  de Apocalipsis es clave ya que por la interpretación de este pasaje llegamos a conclusiones seguras y confiables con respecto a nuestro tema. Si la iglesia del siglo primero y muchos hermanos lograron ser fieles a Dios a travez de las terribles circunstancias, problemas, presiones, tentaciones e intimidación  que experimentaron ellos  y aun así fueron fieles, entonces nosotros también podemos ser fieles en estos tiempos que son más accesibles y tolerantes.  La iglesia del siglo primero no poseía el canon (compilación completa de los libros que han sido inspirados) nosotros no solamente tenemos el canon completo sino que poseemos“todo lo que pertenece a la vida y a la piedad” (2Pedro 1:3-4). Para concluir leemos en 1Pedro 5:12 que Silvano, o quien parece ser no otro mas que Silas, es llamado el hermano fiel. ¡Que honor, que privilegio! Silvano había sido fiel al Señor en lo más obscuro de una cárcel en Filipos en Hechos 16 hasta el punto de ser el emanuense (Secretario) de Pablo quien es considerado  fiel por el apóstol Pedro.  Necesitamos mas Silas en nuestras congregaciones que hayan de ser fieles para con las palabras del Señor. Realmente es posible sin duda alguna alcanzar la fidelidad en nuestros tiempos, pero la pregunta final es; ¿A quién es usted fiel?.

Posted in Heiner Montealto | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on SI SE PUEDE SER FIEL

Another Look at Nadab and Abihu

Another Look at Nadab and Abihu

A new religion for the Jewish nation was revealed at Mt. Sinai. It was so different from the way men had worshiped and served God for thousands of years. There had been no written law for men, but now commandments and statutes were revealed through Moses. There had been no national priesthood, no temple, no annual feasts, no place worthy of the title, the most holy place. It was all changing.

Follow God's Pattern. Don't create your own.

Follow God’s Pattern. Don’t create your own.

Read the closing chapters of Exodus and the beginning chapters of Leviticus together. There is a continuous historical record of what transpired. Those Jews stayed at that mountain for a year, and during that time, the tabernacle with its altars, candlestick, priestly robes, the table of showbread and the golden ark of the covenant was made.

At the end of that year, Moses took all of their efforts and assembled the tent of worship. God had given Moses the blueprint for every detail and was told by God, “According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it” (Ex. 25:9). The last two chapters of Exodus describe Moses’ action as he erected the tabernacle. He did what God said. The expression “as the Lord commanded” is found nineteen times!

The book of Leviticus continues with a description of the consecration of Aaron and his sons. The expression “as the Lord commanded” (in some form or another) is found another sixteen times! There was God’s pattern, and at least thirty times it is affirmed the pattern was precisely followed.

What can so easily be overlooked is what happened when the first-time priests prepared to enter the holy place to burn incense. The tabernacle was completed, and for the first time, priests were about to enter the holy place to burn incense. Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, took their censers and “… put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them” (Lev. 10:1). What a contrast. Moses had done what God commanded, and these two men do not do what God commanded. How did God react? “Fire went out from the Lord and devoured them.” God’s pattern must be followed!

God gave the pattern, and nothing was to be changed in it. It was not that God had specifically forbidden taking fire from any place other than the golden altar. God did not need to tell them not to do it. He specifically gave them the pattern. That was enough. Follow it or come under His judgment.

We also have a pattern in the New Testament and cannot change it. We do not need a specific command that says, “Thou shall not,” when God has specifically said, “Thou shalt.” Just do what He says!

Posted in Dan Jenkins | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Another Look at Nadab and Abihu

My Eyes

My Eyes

Psalm 38:10 – “My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.”

When the light is gone in the eyes, will it still burn bright in the soul?

When the light is gone in the eyes, will it still burn bright in the soul?

This day the cold outside is biting and fierce.  In my mind, I tell myself “Ha! I can handle that!” In truth, I was supposed to be out working in it today (ignoring the wind chill, it is a balmy 6 degrees).  Yet, as I sit here, my slippers and red plaid coat on, coffee in hand, in the 70 degree warmth of my apartment, chilly… I also realize I am losing my life.  No, I am not dying, but in reality, we are all on borrowed time from the day we are born.  We are shedding each day one at a time.  These melancholy days of mid-life (I am now 49) are perhaps the ones for which to be most cautious.  Will I spend them idly, fearfully, foolishly?  Most days the heart still roars like a young lion, but the body knows I am not.  It is winding down like a clock to its final tick.  It would be easy to spend each day reminiscing about more vibrant days as men often do when focusing on the teenage or college days of athletic triumphs.  Importantly, I must not daily sit still in this manner, but go and live life and fulfill the purpose of my days giving glory to God in the good works He has prepared me to do.  Still, reflection is not a forbidden thing.  This morning, I enjoyed looking through family photos of days long gone by.  The words of the Psalmist David ring true in regard to the failing light of the eyes.  I cannot see anything clearly up close anymore. The photos are blurry and the sweet faces no longer clear without the help of my glasses.  There may come a day before the final ticking of the clock that the light goes completely out.

Psalm 26:3 – “For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.”

When your eyes no longer behold the things of this earth, what visions will you behold?  Again the words of David prove relevant.  What goodness, what joyfulness, what images of true worth will fill the palate of the mind showing the lovingkindness of God?  What activities of worth are we engaged in right now while the light in our eyes shines on and we can still move about following our own will?  It is said that the mind stores everything we have ever heard, said, or done.  The issue at the forefront: what will we fill our time with to recall in that mental gallery of life.  Will we remember the day in and day out of work or the time spent in the arms of our loved ones?  Will we remember the moments of smiling and singing in worship with our friends or level 23 of a popular video game?  When the doors are shut on physical vision, will your mind be full of the hope and promises of God or reruns of a television sitcom?  It is a good thing to live a quiet life providing for our families with the work of our hands.  Moments of relaxation and restfulness are pleasant as well.  When the darkness embraces your sight, what will bring joy and remembrance of the lovingkindness of God?  Recalling the baptism into Christ of your friends and family?  Seeing the realization of the faithfulness of God come over the faces of those once lost?  Times spent providing care for those truly needing it?  Encompassing the awe of the amazingly intricate display of the heavens above declaring the mighty power of your Heavenly Father?  There are so many bright lights of the world with which to fill our glass of memories to the brim.  There are pure, wholesome, Godly things with which we can reflect upon happily if we gather them into our life.

Proverbs 3:21-22 – “My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:”

Though our bodies grow tired, our eyes dim, our days wind down, do not fail to finish the race put before you.  Live the honest, pure, lovely, virtuous things of life.  Spend your days with discretion not embracing worldliness which will only leave you with shame and guilt to picture in your final days.  Rather walk in wisdom, enjoy each breath, and experience the peace of God.  The aches, pains, and weakness are going to come if you are blessed to see many days.  Just don’t let them stop you from marching onward.  Thank God and keep on making memories of everything around you while the light still shines in your eyes.

 

Posted in Travis Main | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on My Eyes

Fear of the Lion

Fear of  the Lion

One of the more amusing passages in the Old Testament is Proverbs 22:13: “The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!” (ESV)

Take action against the lions or stay in bed?

Take action against the lions or stay in bed?

 

To properly appreciate the proverb, it is important to understand the place of the “sluggard,” in the wisdom literature of the Bible, the book of Proverbs in particular. The sluggard is one who is too lazy to work properly, and suffers because of it. It is somewhat instructive to realize the difference, in the Bible, between the sluggard and the needy.

Needy individuals,often characterized in the scriptures by the phrase, “widows and orphans,” are those who are suffering poverty through no particular fault of their own. They are the victim of circumstances beyond their control. Caring for them is a high priority in both the Old and the New Testament, as shown by James’ declaration: “Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their need, and to keep one’s self unspotted from the world (James 1:27).”

 

The sluggard on the other hand suffers, not because of circumstances, but because of his own unwillingness to make an effort to work. It is of such people that Paul commands the Thessalonians: “If any man will not work, he shall not eat.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10) God has created man to be a working creature, and has commanded that we shall eat through the work we put into things. (cf. Genesis 3:19a) This does not preclude the goodness of charity and our willingness to help others (cf. Galatians 6:2, 10). It does stress the importance of putting forth an effort of our own if at all possible.

 

All that being said, let’s go back to Proverbs 22, and the “lion outside.” If we compare the saying with those found in Proverbs 26:13-14, we discover the motivation of the sluggard. “As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns in bed (Proverbs 26:14).” The sluggard is motivated by a desire not to work, not to get out of bed, not to have to assert himself. Thus, the lion.

 

Whether or not there actually is a lion in the road, outside, the sluggard is not going to do anything about it. He’s going to use any excuse to be able to stay in bed, stay home from work, or otherwise not have to leave the house. The fear of death is a plausible excuse to do what he really wants to do anyway.

 

People do this sort of thing all the time. If most of us were to be honest, we would be forced to admit that we have probably done it ourselves at some point. We might not plead fear of lions, but fear of weather, traffic, muggers, or any other such, can serve the exact same purpose. They become excuses not to do what we didn’t want to do anyway. If and when we catch ourselves doing this, we should be honest with ourselves. We should take a critical look to see if the fear is actually valid, or if it is just an excuse to avoid doing what we don’t want to do.

 

A further point about fear here might be made, as we ask the question, is the sluggard afraid because of his lazy nature, or has he become a sluggard through the fear? That is, which came first: the fear or the laziness?

 

It is possible that sometimes we allow fear to make us lazy. Sure lions are fearsome, but consider David, who as a young man, proclaimed, ““Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it(1 Samuel 17:34-35; NKJV).”

 

Fear kills our faith, but, contrarily, faith drives out fear. The two cannot abide together for long. Thus, Jesus asked His apostles on one occasion,“Why are you fearful, O you of little faith (Matthew 8:26)?” When we are afraid, our faith is demonstrably weaker than it should be. And when we are afraid and allow that fear to prevent us from working, we are allowing our weak faith to damage our usefulness to God.

 

The world is full of “lions:” dangerous things which are, from a certain perspective, quite reasonable to avoid. Yet, if we allow such fear to keep us from being productive, we are going to become sluggards in the work that we should be doing. We understand this when it comes to secular work and understand that we can only make so many excuses to our bosses before they get the idea that we just don’t want to work. Spiritually, in the service of God, we need to learn the same lesson.

Posted in Jonathan McAnulty | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Fear of the Lion

Trusting Self Leaves No Room For God

Trusting Self Leaves No Room For God

For all the things that the Lord did for the Israelites, they rejected Him again and again.  Consider Numbers 14:11:

In whom do you place your trust?

In whom do you place your trust?

“Then the Lord said to Moses: ‘How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?’” 

Sometimes we hear people say, “If I had lived during the time of Christ, I would have believed!”  Would we have?  Listen to the words of Jesus to those who saw all the miracles He did:

“If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead”(Luke 16:31). 

There is never enough evidence for the person who believes in self instead of Jesus.  Proverbs 3:5-6 says,

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,And lean not on your own understanding;In all your ways acknowledge Him,And He shall direct your paths.”  

Jeremiah 10:23 declares,

“O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself;It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.”

The problem is that we trust self instead of Christ.  Self-trust is behind all our discontents, and it is why the Bible repeatedly tells us to put our faith and trust in Jesus—so that He can help us!  Overcoming self means letting go of self and believing in Jesus alone.  Jesus says,

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). 

It is when we let go of self that Christ can truly change us with His Spirit.  God bless you, and I love you.

Posted in Kevin Cauley | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Trusting Self Leaves No Room For God