Balaam and His Donkey

In Numbers 22, we read about Balaam. Moabite princes came to him with a message from Balak, the king of Moab. He wanted Balaam to put a curse on a group of people that came from out of Egypt. Balaam asked God what he should do, and God told him not to go with the messengers and not to put a curse on the people because they were blessed. Balaam told the princes "Go back to you own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you." (verse 13). Balak didn't take no for an answer. He sent more princes to Balaam. This time the message from Balak included these words: "I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say." (verse 17). Balaam's response to the princes in verse 18 sounded commendable. Balaam said "Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God." He then told the princes to stay the night so that he could find out what else the Lord would tell him. That night, God told Balaam to go with them, but only do what He tells him.

The next morning, Balaam left to go with the princes, and God was very angry when he went. Why was God angry with Balaam? God had told Balaam to go, and now He was angry with him? It doesn't make sense, does it? Yes, it does. Balaam had been told once that he was not to go and put a curse on these people because they were blessed. When more money and prestige was offered to him the second time, Balaam got greedy. He decided to ask God again what he should do because he was hoping God had changed His mind. God knew what was in Balaam's heart: greed. That is what made Him angry! When God gives you an answer, don't keep asking the same question trying to see if He'll change His mind. Do what God tells you to do the first time.

The angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose Balaam. Balaam could not see him, but his donkey could! When Balaam's donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn, he turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back onto the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. Balaam's donkey again saw the angel and pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. Again, Balaam beat his donkey. Finally, the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn. When Balaam's donkey saw the angel, she laid down. Balaam was angry and beat her with his staff. Why was Balaam so angry with his donkey? She was hindering his progress! He was blinded by his greed and wanted to get where he was going as soon as possible. He couldn't see what was blocking his way and he didn't realize he would have died if his donkey had kept going. All he cared about was his donkey wasn't doing what he wanted her to do. Are we ever so blinded by what we want that we don't see that there are warning signs letting us know we are headed down a wrong road? Make sure your eyes are always focused on following God so that you can see where you are going and what is ahead.

Stop Being Idle

Paul had some strong words in 2 Thessalonians 3 about idleness. In verse 6, he told people to stay away from every brother who is idle. In verse 10, he reminded them of his rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." In verse 11, he urged those who were idle to settle down and earn the bread they eat. In verse 14, Paul said "If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed." To those who were not idle, Paul told them to "never tire of doing what is right" (verse 13).

I wonder what Paul would think of all the people in America who have chosen to live off the system. There are many people who are on Welfare and do nothing to try to get a job. They continue to have kids in order to get more money. I know there are people who deserve to be on Welfare or need the assistance they get from WIC. I'm not talking about people who work but don't bring home enough money so they seek some assistance in buying food their family needs. I'm not slamming people who are on Welfare because they lost their job and need help until they can find another one, or those who have some sort of medical condition that prevents them from working. I'm talking about the ones who are perfectly capable of working, but choose to not work because they are lazy and know the government will give them money to live off of. There are many people who work hard and yet are struggling to make ends meet, but they can't get assistance because they have a job and "earn too much". People need to take responsibility and get a job! I'm aware that jobs are scarce, but there are jobs out there. If you don't have a job, you shouldn't be concerned about earning minimum wage. It's still a job and money coming in to help pay the bills! If someone has a minimum wage job and still needs to be on Welfare, I don't have a problem with that. I think most people wouldn't look down on anyone who needs the extra help. I don't want to be judging all those who are on Welfare because I don't know everyone's story. It's hard though when you do know the story and can see that people are milking the system to not feel like something needs to be said and done to revamp the system. We need to stop helping those who are just being idle. We need to get them off the free ride they've been on for so long and make them get out there and earn the bread they eat. If you are one of the millions of hardworking people in our world, good for you! Never tire of doing good! You will be rewarded one day for all your work, and it will be well worth it!

Lead By Serving

2 Thessalonians 2:8 says "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth  and destroy by the splendor of His coming." When I read that this morning, I was amazed again at how awesome the power of our God is. I can just picture Jesus giving one breath, sort of like the way you blow out a candle, and the lawless one is overthrown. When He returns, just the splendor of seeing Jesus coming in the clouds will be enough to overthrow the lawless one. We serve an awesome and powerful God! Make sure you are on the winning side.

I then read Mark 10:35-45, which begins with James and John telling Jesus that they want Him to do for them whatever they ask. Every time I have read this, the first thing that comes to my mind is "Wow! That was very bold of them to TELL Jesus that they wanted Him to do whatever they asked. Who do they think they are?" Yet, Jesus didn't condemn them for saying that to Him. He asked them, "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus wants us to come to Him with our requests! I'm equally amazed at the gall of James and John when they tell Jesus that they want to sit at His left and right when He was in His glory (ruling His kingdom). Did they really think they deserved to hold those high positions?! Apparently they did! You'd think that Jesus would have really told them that they had a big problem with their egos or something, but He didn't condemn them at all. He simply told them that He could not grant their request. When the rest of the disciples heard about this, it wasn't surprising to hear that they were indignant with James and John. This is when Jesus says "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:43b-45)

We need to live our lives the way Jesus did. If anyone deserved to have people serving Him, it was Jesus! He is the King of Kings after all! Yet, He came to earth to serve others, and to die for our sins!  Some people get wrapped up in wanting the power and prestige that comes with being a leader. To be a good leader, you need to be willing to serve others. Pray for those who serve under you, that they will have a servant's heart and be willing to help you do your job. Pray for God's guidance and admit that you can't do it on your own. Listen to ideas that others may have and bring those ideas to the Lord as well. Follow Jesus' example and you will succeed at being a leader.

Pay Back

2 Thessalonians 1:6-7 says "God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels." I love these two verses! It is a comfort to see that God will not only pay back those who caused us trouble, but He will also give us relief. It would be nice to stop the verse at the beginning of verse 7 and not include that last sentence. To know that this will happen when Jesus returns may be a bit of a disappointment to some people who really want God to handle the situation right away. I think that is what makes God so just! He gives people time to repent. I know it may seem unfair to think that someone can live a horrible life, but they can still go to heaven if they confess their sins and ask Jesus into their heart before they die. For those who may have caused people a lot of trouble, they may have to deal with a lot of guilt after becoming a Christian. Yes, God forgives them for their sins; but that doesn't mean it is easy to forget them. If you've been hurt by someone who later becomes a Christian, you can help that person tremendously by forgiving them for what they did to you and forgetting about it. It's important to remember that you weren't perfect either before you became a Christian, and you still aren't! Wouldn't you want someone to forgive you when you mess up? When going through trouble, I try to keep my eyes on Jesus and know that He will see me through it. When we persevere, we earn rewards up in heaven. Instead of wishing harm on your enemies, pray for them to come to know the Lord too. Don't try to retaliate against those who harm you or give you trouble. If they don't repent, they have the worse punishment imaginable coming: separation from God for all eternity. All you need to worry about is that you are doing all you can to live the life God wants you to live.

Words to Live By

I Thessalonians 5 is full of verses that give great advice for Christians to follow. Some of them can be difficult to do, but what an impact we could make in our world if all Christians chose to live by these verses and do what they say. Here's what Paul had to say regarding how Christians should live:

1. Encourage one another and build each other up (verse 11)
2. Respect those who work hard, who are over you in the Lord, and who admonish you (verse 12)
3. Live in peace with each other (verse 13)
4. Warn those who are idle (verse 14)
5. Encourage the timid (verse 14)
6. Help the weak (verse 14)
7. Be patient with everyone (verse 14)
8. Make sure nobody pays back wrong for wrong (verse 15)
9. Always try to be kind to everyone (verse 15)
10. Be joyful always (verse 16)
11. Pray continually (verse 17)
12. Give thanks in all circumstances (verse 18)
13. Do not put out the Spirit's fire (verse 19)
14. Do not treat prophecies with contempt (verse 20)
15. Test everything. Hold onto the good. (verse 21)
16. Avoid every kind of evil (verse 22)

The last two verses are the ones I really noticed today: Test everything. Hold onto the good. Avoid every kind of evil. We could avoid a lot of heartache if we learned to test everything. Just because something sounds good, doesn't mean we should do it. We need to learn to bring everything to God in prayer. Listen to what He says. If He gives you affirmation, then go ahead and do it. If He says no or wait, then don't do it! If you stay away from things that you know are not right, you'll save yourself a lot of trouble. Let's all strive to do the things on this list. These are amazing words to live by!

Death and Life

I Thessalonians 4:13-14 says "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him." I have often wondered how people who don't believe in God or heaven and hell are able to handle it when someone they love dies. It's always hard when someone you love passes away, but it makes it a little easier for a Christian who knows their loved one was also a Christian. We don't need to grieve as those who have no hope. We can celebrate the fact that our loved one is now in heaven with God. I hold onto the hope that I will see my loved ones again either when I die or when the Lord returns. It's too late once you die to make things right with God. It's sad when someone waits too long and dies without knowing the Lord. Don't let that happen to you! Ask God into your heart and accept His gift of eternal life in heaven! Then tell everyone you know and love so that you all have the promise of being together again one day.

I John 2:6 says "Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did." It can be intimidating to think we need to walk as Jesus did if we claim to be a Christian. Jesus was perfect. How can we be perfect? It's impossible! The thing to look at though is this: Jesus lived as a human here on earth. He experienced everything we do. He understands everything we are going through, and He is willing to help us! You don't need to do things on your own. You CAN walk as Jesus did because He will help you!

Give It to the Lord

I Thessalonians 3 tells about how Paul longed to return to the people of Thessalonica. He was afraid that they had been tempted and fallen away from their faith and serving the Lord, making his efforts "useless" (verse 5). Have you ever felt that what you were doing was useless because you weren't getting the results you wanted? Some Christians get discouraged when it seems their prayers aren't being answered. They think it is useless to continue praying. Paul sent Timothy to see how the Thessalonians were doing, and he was thrilled when he received Timothy's report. It made him pray even more for them and increased his desire to see them again. If you are struggling with the feeling that your prayers are useless because they aren't being answered or you are trying to win someone to the Lord and are frustrated that they aren't changing, give it all to God and leave it in His hands. Continue praying and doing what you can, but have faith that God is at work.

Ephesians 4:26-27 says "In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." This verse made me see that we are human and we will get angry, but we need to be careful how we react when we get angry. We should not sin because we are angry. We need to watch what we say and how we say it. We should not let the sun go down while we are still angry. We need to do everything we can to resolve the problem before we go to bed. That may mean staying up way past the time you normally go to bed in order to work through the problem. Sometimes it may not be possible to solve the problem, but you need to do everything you can to not go to bed while you are still angry. When you remain angry, it gives the devil a foothold. He wants us to hold onto our anger because that will lead to resentment, bitterness, and hatred. We need to make sure we get rid of that anger as quickly as possible. Sometimes all you can do is give it to the Lord and let Him work in your heart and in the heart of the other person, but you need to be willing to forgive that person and trust that God will heal the hurt. Don't hold onto your hurt and anger. Let it go, and God will do the rest.