Legacy series, part 2

I'm so glad that you joined us today! Here is the verse that we are focused on this week:

Each of these descendants of Asher was the head of an ancestral clan. They were all select men—mighty warriors and outstanding leaders. The total number of men available for military service was 26,000, as listed in their genealogical records. (I Chronicles 7:40, NLT)

All these were the sons of Asher, heads of the fathers’ houses, choice and mighty men of valor, heads of the princes. And the number of them enrolled by genealogy for service in war was 26,000 men. (NASB)

Again, there's a lot for us here.....hope you can hang in here with me, since this is likely to be a lengthy post!
I like the way the NASB reads, "heads of the fathers' houses." The word "head" means leader, captain, or ruler. I believe that Asher taught his sons and his grandsons the importance of home. The importance of leadership and standing for ones' principles. I don't believe that he sat them down and lectured them, though he may have led the worship and spiritual growth of his family. I think he also modeled this; I think he showed them be example. There's a couple of clues to this in the Bible. Indulge me here and let's look at these verses:

The sons of Asher: Imnah and Ishvah and Ishvi and Beriah and their sister Serah. And the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel. (Genesis 46:17)

The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah, and Serah their sister. (I Chronicles 7:30)

Each time that the children of Asher are mentioned by name, his sons are mentioned first, and then it says, "Serah their sister." Apparently, in Asher's family, the young women were valued just as much as the young men! This is all the more surprising when we think back on the usual perception of women at that time.  And here is another interesting note: Jewish tradition says that Asher was not Serah's biological dad. It's believed by the Jews that Asher married a widow that had a three year old daughter -- it appears that Asher took her in and treated her exactly as if she were his own child. In fact, when the descendants of Jacob are listed, Serah is the only granddaughter who is mentioned by name! Seems like Asher set a very high standard of how men should treat their wives and their daughters....he set a great example for his descendants.

The scholars tell us that there's at least one thousand years between the time that Asher lived and the mention of his family in the book of I Chronicles. If we use the rule of thumb that a generation is normally considered to be forty years, that means that even after twenty-five generations, Asher's family was still "on track." Wow! Think about all that the nation of Israel went through during that same time period!
It's amazing what a man or woman of faith can start.... in the early years of the United States, there was a man of God, Jonathan Edwards, who married a woman of faith and began a family. Jonathan and Sarah were parents to eleven children, pastored a church, authored many sermons and books, and much more. A study done in 1900 noted that in their descendants were:

• 100 lawyers and a dean of a law school
• 80 holders of public office
• 66 physicians and a dean of a medical school
• 65 professors of colleges and universities
• 30 judges
• 13 college presidents
• 3 mayors of large cities
• 3 governors of states
• 3 United States senators
• 1 controller of the United States Treasury
• 1 Vice President of the United States

(Thank you to Familylife.com for that information.) I think we can see that the decisions that you and I make today can affect multiple generations after us! (Grin)

Let's look back up there at our verse - you scroll up and I'll wait here, OK?
The Bible tells us that Asher's descendants were "choice" men. The word choice can mean many things, but I picked some synonyms from the thesaurus that should help us: polished, chosen, those who excel. So Asher's sons were not lazy; they were those who would strive always to be their best. They were workers and prospered in all that they did.
Here in the United States, many of us have heard of Ben Carson. His story is an inspiring one. He has journeyed from humble beginnings to being a gifted and noteworthy neurosurgeon, currently serving in the government as a cabinet secretary. Ben's parents divorced when he was eight, and his mom struggled to raise her sons, often working two or three jobs at a time. Remember what we said about Asher? Ben had that problem; he struggled with self-worth and once called himself the dumbest kid in the fifth grade. Like Asher, he had a lot going against him; but his mom was a dedicated Christian and would not allow him to flounder. She required her sons to read two books a week, and even do book reports! She also set a limit on television, and had a short list of acceptable programs that they could not stray from. Because of his mom's encouragement, Ben went from the bottom of his class to the top. He earned a scholarship to Yale, and from there went on to share his God-given talents with many, many people. He returns to the community by sponsoring scholarships for students who strive to do their best.
Ben's mom told her sons that they could do anything if they would work hard at it. We shouldn't push our kids to be best in their class, but we should push them to be the best they can be!

Another legacy that Asher left his children and their children was bravery. That same verse says they were mighty men of valor....
What's valor? Courage. Bravery. Asher raised children and grandchildren who were brave and courageous. I like the thoughts of raising sons and daughters who are brave. Doesn't have to be our biological children, either. We can raise up children in the faith, by witnessing to and counseling new believers in the paths they should follow. Make sure that they are bolstered by the promises of God, and that they are courageous to stand for what they know is right. I believe that Asher's descendants learned to stand and stand firm, and to sacrifice themselves if need be, for what was right.

Lastly, Asher's sons were the best of the best. One translation says it this way: "outstanding leaders."
Another says "distinguished leaders." Perhaps the best translation of "heads of the princes" (NASB) would be this: "leaders of leaders." What was it about them that caused them to stand out above all the rest? Maybe it was their God-given wisdom. Maybe it was the courage we spoke about before. Perhaps it was a strong work ethic. Or, perhaps it was their determination to always do what was right.

In any case, we can see now that Asher's descendants were left an awesome legacy. Perhaps we can meditate on these concepts and apply them to our own lives...... we'll do that tomorrow.

Legacy series, Part 1

Today's post is lengthy, so you are forewarned! (Grin)
Here is our next focus passage in II Peter:

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body,14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. (II Peter 1:12-15)

Now that we've read that, I'm going to go offtrack here.....
What would you do if you knew that you only had one month to live?
One week?
One day?
Who would you reach out to, and say, "I love you!"
To whom would you want to speak and tell them the gospel?
To whom would you want to tell about spiritual things?
Would you think about the legacy that you will leave behind on this earth?
Morbid?
No.
Necessary?
Yes, for believers, especially.
In this verse, we could just as easily insert the word "woman" and the word "her" ...... try that as you read:

Many a man proclaims his own loyalty,But who can find a trustworthy man?  A righteous man who walks in his integrity—How blessed are his sons after him. (Proverbs 20:6-7)

A while back, we studied Joseph's life in detail, including his legacy. I got interested in the "other brothers" as well.
One of Joseph's brothers was named Asher. Let's take a look:

All these were the sons of Asher, heads of the fathers’ houses, choice and mighty men of valor, heads of the princes. And the number of them enrolled by genealogy for service in war was 26,000 men. (I Chronicles 7:40, NASB)

If I had not mentioned it, would we have known immediately that this was a brother of Joseph? Would our minds have been searching a bit, wondering, where have I heard that name before....who is Asher?
His name is only listed a few times. In this chapter of I Chronicles, the twelve brothers and their descendants are noted. So, that makes Asher the father of one of the twelve tribes of  Israel.
Let's see if we can ferret out some clues to this man who had a great legacy....

We know from our previous studies that he was raised in a dysfunctional family, as many of us have been. Whether there was a lot of love, or little love in the family is up for conjecture; but we do know that Asher and his brothers often acted out pain and bitterness in hateful behavior. The sons of Jacob were often very angry.
Perhaps Asher (and others) felt insignificant as he was growing up. He was part of a very large family; there were eleven brothers and one sister for Asher to deal with daily. To make matters even worse, his father didn't really care a lot for his mom. His mom was Zilpah, the servant girl of Leah. Many of his brothers called Leah (married to Jacob) their mom, but not Asher. We don't know (the Bible doesn't tell us) how Asher felt about himself as he grew up, but we see situations like this in our day, and sometimes the children feel pretty insignificant. They have problems with their self-esteem.
Not only could Asher have felt insignificant, he and his brothers carried within their consciences a dark secret. They had conspired to sell their brother Joseph into slavery -- and then they spent the next twenty years (and beyond) dealing with their guilt.

It would have been easy for someone in Asher's sandals to give up, but apparently he did not. Listen to what Moses said of Asher's tribe just before they entered into the Promised Land:

Moses said this about the tribe of Asher:“May Asher be blessed above other sons;    may he be esteemed by his brothers;    may he bathe his feet in olive oil. (Deuteronomy 33:24, NLT)

I chose that translation because it noted the oil would be olive oil....that was a very precious commodity during the days of the journeys in the wilderness, and even beyond. For someone to have their feet anointed with a few drops of oil was a sign of honor and of dignity. Moses said that the descendants of Asher would wash their feet with olive oil! They would be people of great prosperity and of nobility. They would be esteemed, and looked up to, by the other tribes.
So, Asher may not have had a lot of things going for him. He may have felt unloved or insignificant. He carried guilt. But he didn't let these circumstances keep him down. He rose above them and did some remarkable things - chiefly in how he impacted his family and his descendants.

Asher left a legacy for his children that every believer should try to emulate. Whether we are parents or not, we can impact the lives of those around us. We'll study more on this tomorrow.....

Friday slowdown

Today's song is a beautiful, reverent prayer to our Father:

What if we follow Peter's instructions? Conclusion

We're concluding our study today of some "guarantees" that Peter laid out....results we can expect if we follow his instructions and "add to our faith" as he told us to do. We've seen that we are guaranteed that we'll be fruitful if we keep on adding "in increasing measure" the traits of virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, and love. We've also noted that we'll be blessed with spiritual discernment, wisdom for the journey.

Today we will look at the end of verse 9, and then verses 10 and 11:

But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind,forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

"....forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins." Let's do the same thing we did yesterday -- I think it makes it clearer! Let's turn from the negative to the positive..... "not forgetting" that we've been cleansed from our past sins.
Which one of us can raise our hand and say, "I've never, ever doubted for a moment my salvation."
Now, how long have you had this problem with telling the truth? (Grin)
I don't think any of us can say that we have never, ever had doubts about our salvation; I'm betting that we all have doubted from time to time. Or perhaps we've thought about and dwelt on past sins that are still seared into our memories. Things that send a chill up our spine. That make us cringe. That make us think, "how can I face my Savior in heaven, having done/said that?"

That's perfectly normal.
Truly.
The important thing is to not let our thoughts incapacitate us. If these thoughts are allowed to become fears, and then allowed to overwhelm us, we may be so overcome that we're no use to the Lord. We are then unable to focus on the tasks that He gives us, because we are dwelling on these past issues.
And boy, let me tell you, that makes the devil happy-dance!
But Peter says that we can have assurance of our salvation. We can rest assured that our sins are way back in the rear-view mirror....
Verse 10 says that this godly life, this spiritual growth can keep us from falling. If we keep adding these things in our Christian growth, Peter says we are guaranteed not to fall. Whoaaaaaa.
You sure about that, Peter?
Every single one of us has fallen from time to time. Peter, you did, too.
Here's what I think Peter is trying to show us -- and from his own life, too. The Christian who is continually growing walks with confidence because she knows she is secure in Christ. It's not her profession of faith that produces that confidence -- after all, that is how Peter stumbled that night before the fire. He had professed faith, but he'd not grown enough to deal with the temptations that the devil presented that night!  It's our progression in our faith that gives us that assurance. If we claim to be Christians, but our character and our conduct show no evidence of spiritual growth, then we are deceiving ourselves. We may have professed faith, but we need to ask the Holy Spirit to work with us (and show us in the Bible) to determine where the gaps are in our growth. We need to add those "vitamins" that we talked about last week!

Some scholars have interjected that by "falling" Peter is pointing to "falling away," or backsliding. That people who exhibit spiritual growth will not easily fall due to false teaching, nor will they easily give up their relationship and slip into a backslidden condition. I find those good points, as well.

I don't want to venture too far into the weeds, but I do want us to look at the words that Peter used in this passage: Peter pointed out that "calling" and "election" go together. Calling means to be a Christian, and election means chosen by God to live His way. The same God who elects His people also ordains the means (the Spirit) to call them.  When we talk to unbelievers about our Savior we are telling them the Gospel -- God uses that Gospel to call them to repentance, and then they discover that they were chosen by the God Who loves them!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (II Peter 3:9)

Peter is talking about true security here. And he exhorts us to "be diligent." The word he uses means to make every effort. While it's true that God must work in us before we can do His will, it's also true that we must be willing for Him to work, and that we must invest in the process as well. A dedication to daily Bible study and prayer is the way we show that.
The Christian who is sure of her election and calling will not stumble and wallow in the mire, but will prove by a consistent life that she is truly a child of God. She will not always be on the mountaintop (and she may feel her feet slip momentarily) but she will always be climbing higher. If we do the things Peter has detailed here; if we display spiritual growth and Christian character in our daily lives, then we can be sure we are saved -- we can be sure that we are changed, and will one day see Him in heaven!
In fact, the growing Christian can look forward to "an abundant entrance" into heaven....the words Peter used were also used by the Greeks to describe the welcome given to Olympic winners when they returned home.
Our Christian lives begin with faith, but that faith must lead to spiritual growth. Growth leads to practical results: people who have this kind of faith are not likely to fall to false teachings, and they will show fruitfulness and discernment in their lives and service to Christ.

The Lord will guide you always;    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.You will be like a well-watered garden,    like a spring whose waters never fail. (Isaiah 58:11)

This passage in II Peter assures us that we've been given all that we need to live as a Christian in our world today. Are we going to use those gifts to live God's way?

What if we follow Peter's instructions?

This week we are searching for the results of adding those supplements to our faith....what if we follow Peter's instructions -- what happens?

Yesterday we studied verse 8, where Peter noted that we would be fruitful for the Lord. Awesome! Now let's move on to the next result:

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. (II Peter 1:8-9)

OK, let's turn that around and see if it's more plain...."whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind," becomes "if you have these you are clear-sighted and not blind." Hmmmm, got it! Peter says those supplements, in increasing measure (in other words, spiritual growth) will guarantee spiritual discernment!
I'm stoked, how about you? (Grin)
Many people have no spiritual discernment. They are blind to spiritual things, and are easily led astray.

....to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. (Ephesians 4:12-15)

Peter is saying that when these things: virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, and love are active in our lives, we will be able to see the tricks, traps, and temptations of the devil.

The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,    turning a person from the snares of death. (Proverbs 13:14)

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (I Peter 5:8)

We'll be able to help others who have fallen into the devil's traps, too:

...and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. (II Timothy 2:26)

We'll be able to see the needs of others and not be blinded by our own selfish interests:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

We won't ever be blind and in spiritual darkness again! God will be our guide.

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,    along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;I will turn the darkness into light before them    and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;    I will not forsake them. (Isaiah 42:16)

Father, as we grow in you, increase our spiritual discernment!

Prayer requests

Across the miles....

Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.(Matthew 18:19-20)

I would like to thank all of you who have stopped by here, and who emailed me directly, to let me know that you were praying with me during my recent surgery and recovery.  To me, it's truly awe-inspiring to realize that across the globe, prayer warriors were kneeling with me and supporting my efforts to recuperate. I'm sincerely grateful for all of the prayers and notes that I received. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Now, I'd like to ask if anyone would like to leave a prayer request here today. Let us know if you are concerned about health issues, financial, family relationships, or just the dreary weather. All kidding aside, this time of year is very difficult for many of us, as the sun shines fewer hours and the holidays approach. Whether it's Seasonal Affective Disorder or dreading the holidays for too many people or too few, we can all be subject to the blues.

If it's personal, just leave an unspoken request if that's more comfortable for you. The Father will know when we mention your name, just what the problem is.

It's a privilege to pray for each other. In the same room is nice, but across the miles works, too!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

The "why" and the "what if"

Peter, the fisherman turned apostle, has had a lot to say to us lately!
I'd like to turn our thoughts back to his second letter, and then ask a couple of questions....

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind,forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (II Peter 1:3-11)

First of all, look up there at verse 5. See where Peter says "for this very reason"?  He's telling us "why" we should be diligent. Why we should strive to add those "vitamins" to our faith. You remember, right? Virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual (or brotherly) love, and agape love.
The "why" is that God has gifted us with His power -- that's so we can live a godly life. And He's given us His great and precious promises, too. Really good reasons why we should strive diligently to add to our faith, and become more like Him.

Now, what are the results? The what if? What happens if we do what he has so carefully told us to do?
Starting in verse 8, Peter lays out some things that we can count on, if we follow his instructions in the previous verses. Let's focus on verse 8 today:

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I don't know about you, but in about two months, some really pretty catalogs will hit my mailbox (yes, I'm old school and I LOVE to turn the pages of real catalogs!) and I will tuck them under my arm, pull up my collar against the cold wind, and trudge back to the warm house (about a quarter of a mile). I do love me the Burpee catalog, and others like it. I thumb through the pages and mark plants and trees that I want to try growing here.
Now, some of the plants or trees need specific things to "be fruitful." Some berries and fruit trees have "male" and "female" plants; you need to plant one of each in order to have the yummy harvest that you're anticipating.
Others need very specific soil conditions; one must be careful to amend the soil if the plant likes acidic soil, or if it prefers alkaline. Some plants can tolerate moisture, and others don't like to get their feet wet. Some need fertilizers at certain times in the seasons.
Some of the plants in the catalog will have a guarantee. They will live, or they will bear fruit in a certain length of time.

I believe that Peter is saying in verse 8 that those vitamins we talked about last week will make certain that we are fruitful. It's like that guarantee in the plant catalog. (Grin)
Peter says that if we have these traits in ever-increasing measure, we are guaranteed to be fruitful Christians.
We won't be barren.
We won't be unproductive.
We will be fruitful branches for God's glory!
We will be effective witnesses with our lives and with our words.
Remember this from our study of John's gospel?

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.....I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  (John 15:1-2,5)

This is the goal of our heavenly Father - for us to remain in Him and be fruitful. Is it the desire of our hearts to bear fruit for Him? What fruits can people see in our lives? Do they see proofs of our relationship with Him? That's something to think about...

No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. (Luke 6:43-44)

"Apart from me you can do nothing." God has equipped us with the tools we need, and He's given us the instructions. Then He has given us the power that we need, in order to do our tasks.  The moment that we believe we can go it alone, or try to go it alone, we've failed. Big time. Here's the good news, though: when we recognize that we need Him, and repent and ask, He is empowering us.

He only asks for us to participate.
Lord, empower us to be fruitful for you!