Sometimes we forget that the first four letters of the word ministry spell out the word “mini.” Ministry is never about becoming popular or famous or lording over others. Ministry involves decreasing while allowing others to increase. Two of the greatest men of the Bible (Joshua and Elisha) got their start as ministers to their predecessors. Before Joshua led the Israelites into Canaan, he was the minister of Moses (Joshua 1:1). His ministry entailed submitting himself to the needs of the man of God. Elisha, another great leader, did not begin as the great prophet of God that performed miracles. He, instead, began as Elijah’s minister (1 Kings 19:19-21). His ministry included the “lofty task” of pouring water on the hands of Elijah. Far too many young men graduate Bible college with the intention of making a name for themselves rather than humbly serving a God who humbled Himself (Philippians 2:8).
Psalm 119 is filled with statements promoting the necessity of the word of God. Seven times in this psalm we find a statement declaring the writer’s desire to meditate upon the words of God. Three of these times he states emphatically that he will meditate in God’s statutes or His precepts (Psalm 119:15, 48, 78). Not only was meditating upon God’s words something that the psalmist desired to do in the future, but he had formed this habit long ago (Psalm 119:23, 99). The writer of this psalm, like other successful believers in the past, made it common practice to meditate in the words of God both day and night (Psalm 119:97; Psalm 1:2; Joshua 1:8).
God is love, but that does not mean that everything that people love is of God. Today’s verse warns believers not to love the world or the things that are in the world. God’s people are repeatedly admonished about this because believers are prone to love things and people contrary to the will of God. The Christian’s heroes are generally no different than the world's heroes. We have many Bible examples of men who loved those of whom God disapproved. Samson exemplified this in his love for Delilah (Judges 16:4). Amnon had an unrighteous love for his sister Tamar (2 Samuel 13:1). Solomon failed in this area by loving “many strange women” (1 Kings 11:1). Demas left the ministry because he “loved this present world” (2 Timothy 4:10). Unfortunately, the heart of a believer can be drawn to love things and people displeasing to the Lord. It is always important to consider the object of our love and refuse to make excuses when we know better.
Before a man will ever learn how to be a great leader, he must first learn how to be a dependable follower. If he cannot serve without receiving recognition, he will never know how to handle the recognition once he takes on a leadership role. If a man will not follow instructions, he will never be equipped to give instructions that others should follow. Long before Joshua led the children of Israel into the land of promise, he faithfully served as the minister of Moses. Before Joshua became known as the leader of a nation, he faithfully gave himself to the previous leader of Israel. Likewise, before David became the king of Israel, he submitted himself as a servant to Saul. And lastly, before Elisha ever became a great prophet of God, he faithfully served under Elijah’s tutelage.
Today's passage proves the Bible truth that our thoughts are not God’s thoughts, neither our ways His ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). God's thoughts are always unimaginably loftier than ours. Unlike God, our thoughts are bound by our limited knowledge. Contrary to the Lord’s, our knowledge is easily corrupted through various influences. This is why scripture reading and preaching often conflicts with our natural thought process. For instance, our natural mind considers rebuke something harmful, negatively affecting the person receiving it. We also naturally consider flattery as something beneficial and uplifting to the recipient. Yet, we have already seen how flattery can be harmful, but have you ever considered the superiority of a rebuke? The Bible says rebuke is better because of what it yields “afterwards.” In the long run, rebuke is far superior to flattery.
If you have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you are no longer appointed to God’s wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9); however, it helps to fully understand God’s hatred for sin. By understanding sin from God’s viewpoint, we can seek to emulate His love for righteousness while never abandoning His abhorrence of wickedness. In the days of king David, the Bible tells us that every man spoke vanity with his neighbour (Psalm 12:2). Men spoke with a double heart and with flattering lips (Psalm 12:2). They claimed that their lips were their own and that they possessed freedom to spew forth anything they chose to say (Psalm 12:4). God promised to rise up in judgment and “cut off all flattering lips” (Psalm 12:3).
The connection of fear and service cannot be missed. Worldly fear brings bondage and hinders Christian service; yet godly fear encourages the believer to serve the Lord in righteousness. In our passage, fear is yoked together with truthful and sincere service. Three different verses in 1 Samuel chapter 12 make the same connection (1 Samuel 12:14, 20, 24). In Psalm 2:11, we are admonished to “serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” According to Hebrews 12:28, we should “serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” The fear of the Lord points forward to a time of judgment and reward. A man who refuses to fear God will never serve God with a sincere heart and pure motives.
Fasting, similar to other actions in life, has specific purposes and appointed times. The Bible offers various reasons why people might fast: an immediate need in prayer (2 Samuel 12:16), a need to loosen the bands of wickedness or undo heavy burdens (Isaiah 58:6), during times of elevated conflict or duty in service (Matthew 17:21; Acts 13:3), as a symbol of mourning (2 Samuel 1:12), and as an outward manifestation of true repentance (Jonah 3:5). This list is not exhaustive, but simply demonstrates that God’s people have many good reasons for fasting. Even if none of these circumstances surfaces in our lives, we should fast because we know that the Lord expects us to do so.
The devotions on the subject of counsel have thus far dealt specifically with counsel received from another person. Yet counsel received from the Lord is the greatest counsel. In Joshua 9:14, the people refused to seek counsel from the Lord and made decisions that caused them trouble for many years. Though God does not speak to us audibly, we are not left to our own devices. We find a more sure word of consultation through His written word. This is why each decision should be carefully checked against the word of God. The Bible is able to discern our thoughts and intentions (Hebrews 4:12) and can determine if we are making the right choices. No better counsel can be received than that which you will find in God’s word.
Because of certain false teachings, there remains a great deal of confusion concerning the matter of confessing sins. However, when we accept the Bible as our sole authority, the confusion dissipates and disappears. Our earlier study showed that actions must follow confession, but to whom should we confess? Some religions falsely teach that we confess our sins to man, but this is simply untrue. The Bible requires that man confess his sins to the Lord. This truth is confirmed repeatedly throughout the word of God. Our First John passage teaches this, but the Bible provides several additional witnesses (Psalm 32:5; Joshua 7:19; 2 Chronicles 30:22; Ezra 10:1; and Daniel 9:4, 20, for instance). Our next study delves into the subject of Christians confessing something to men, but confession of sin or sins must be made solely to God.
