HOLY LIVING

“Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, you people in whose heart is My law: do not fear the reproach of men, nor be afraid of their insults" (Isa. 51:7 NKJV).

Here in our verse are some helpful instructions about holy living. Our verse speaks of the condition of holiness, the criticism of holiness, and the courage for holiness.

Condition of holiness – “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, you people in whose heart is My law.” This statement says two important things about the condition of holiness - they have to do with the head and the heart. First, the head: “Know righteousness.” To be holy we must know right from wrong. We will not do well in living holy if we do not know right from wrong. Our churches are not doing well in teaching right from wrong and our schools are even worse in this matter. Second, the heart: “In whose heart is My law.” If God’s law is in our hearts we will obey His law. Not only do we need to have knowledge of holiness in our head, but we need to have it in our hearts also if we are going to live a holy life.

Criticism of holiness – “Reproach of men . . . their insults.” Today, living a holy life is not applauded by the world. You would think that if a person is honest and pure and trustworthy that he would be praised. But not so. The world praises the wicked, not the righteous. Preachers who preach against sin are opposed quicker than preachers who live in sin. And politicians who represent an upright life are not as popular as those who are immoral and dishonest.

Courage for holiness – “Do not fear . . . nor be afraid.” There are folks who want us to believe that living a godly life is for the timid, the weak, and the old. But that is a lie. It takes more courage to live holy than to live unholy. Preachers know that it takes courage to preach against sin and uphold a holy standard. Living godly at the office or school is not easy; it takes much courage. Be courageous today—live holy!

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“The real strength of a man is not physical but moral and spiritual!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Disobedience

In Heb. 2:2 we read, “For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward” (NKJV).

Disobedience is the Greek word parakoē (παρακοή = par-ak-o-ay'). It is made up of two words: “para” which means besides, and “akouo” which means hear. The word means failing to hear, unwilling to hear, disobedience. Literally, parakoē means hearing aside or a hearing amiss. It was originally used of flawed hearing, then half-hearted listening, and finally the attitude of purposefully filtering out what the hearer did not want to hear.

In classical Greek parakoē means hearing imperfectly, misunderstanding, the cause for such imperfect hearing could be a physical hearing defect or a volitional unwillingness to hear. Parakoē is not found in the Septuagint. Parakoē occur three times in the New Testament and in each occurrence it is used of a volitional unwillingness to hear, which results in disobedience. Parakoē is about closing one’s ears to God’s voice and as such describes an active disobedience which follows this inattentive or careless hearing.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would be smitten on the cheeks (Isa. 50:6)

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 26:67

Did You Know…

In the Bible, it states that Jesus received honor and glory from the Father (2 Peter 1:17).

Bible Quiz

What man who was in Jerusalem “waiting for the Consolation of Israel” was called “just and devout?”

**Answer to last week’s trivia: According to 1 Kings 15, only once did David not obey the Lord. What was the sin that David committed? “The matter of Uriah the Hittite” (1 Kings 15:5).

Everyday Expressions Alluded to in the Bible

“Woman's place is in the home”

“Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully!” (1 Tim. 5:14 NKJV)..

“Woman's place is in the home” - The expression “woman’s place is in the home” carries the idea that women should work in the home. In context, the Apostle Paul is giving the reason younger widows should not be counted among the real widows. They were to become wives, mothers, and managers of the homes. The call for household management suggests giving guidance and direction to the household. As a general rule, marrying again and having domestic concerns that require their attention, is better for some people than to be exposed to the evils of an idle life. The Apostle Paul’s is here promoting both the welfare of the church and also of these young widows. His desire was that the Ephesian Christians stand well before the outside world. The faithful performance of the domestic duties of Christian wives would muzzle the ability of Satan to stir up disrespect toward Christianity among unbelievers.

Did You Know – Christian History

Robert Grant was born in Bombay, India in 1779, and came to England in 1790. He was the son of the East India Company’s director, Charles Grant, a man associated with the Clapham Sect - a group of evangelical social reformers from Clapham, England.

Grant graduated from Magdalen College at the University of Oxford in 1801. He was admitted to the bar in 1807 and won a seat in Parliament the following year. Grant remained in Parliament for many years and like his father, he was deeply concerned with social issues. Through his persistent efforts a bill was eventually passed which emancipated England’s Jews. He fought for other minority groups, too. In the meantime, he was a strong supporter of world missions and influential among evangelicals in the Church of England. He sketched a history of the East India Company.

Yet it is as a writer of hymns of great excellence and wide acceptability that Sir Robert Grant is remembered. In fact, he wrote a hymn which is considered one of the greatest in the English language. Reading William Kethe’s translation of Psalm 104 in a 1561 Psalm Book prompted Grant to write his own version of the psalm, familiar to millions of church-goers – “O Worship the King all glorious above!”

Grant accepted a high position in the East India Company. Later in 1834, he was asked to be governor of Bombay which he accepted. As governor, he had opportunity to put his social concerns into practice; the poverty and spiritual condition of the common people were appalling. Among his accomplishments were the opening of several new roads, an inducement to commerce.

He held the governorship only four years, dying on July 9, 1838 at the young age of 59. In that time, the people came to love him. When Sir Jamshedji a well-known Parsi (a person of the Zoroastrian faith), built a medical college, he named it after Robert Grant. It is the second oldest medical college in India.

The year after Grant’s death in 1838, his brother Charles printed Sir Robert’s twelve hymns in a slender volume called Sacred Poems. The only one which is still sung today by many people is “O Worship the King.”

A Little Humor

My mother taught me RELIGION – “You better pray that will come out of the carpet!”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“If you’re going to waste, let God recycle you!”