Consuming Fire

February 15

(Psalm 21:8-13 NIV) “Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes. {9} At the time of your appearing you will make them like a fiery furnace. In his wrath the Lord will swallow them up, and his fire will consume them. {10} You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from mankind. {11} Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed; {12} for you will make them turn their backs when you aim at them with drawn bow. {13} Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might.”

(Matthew 25:41-46 NIV) "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. {42} For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, {43} I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' {44} "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' {45} "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' {46} "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Yesterday David spoke of eternal life, a gift from God. Almost in the same breath, David spoke of the alternative to eternal life. Those who live without God, die without God, and face a very different eternity. David uses words like fiery furnace and consuming fire. Jesus, our compassionate Savior, used words like “eternal fire” and “eternal punishment”. This is a side of Christ many choose to ignore. The God of Scripture is compassionate to anyone who repents and turns toward Him. But love is not God’s only attribute. Those who reject Him and refuse His Lordship will experience the wrath of God. This is not a popular theological concept today. Many try to sweep it under the rug. But one must be blind to miss it in Scripture. There are two paths we can take with two very different eternal destinations. One is desirable. The other is horrendous. Choose wisely. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Eternal Life

February 14

(Psalm 21:1-7 NIV)  O Lord, the king rejoices in your strength. How great is his joy in the victories you give! {2} You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips. "Selah" {3} You welcomed him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head. {4} He asked you for life, and you gave it to him-- length of days, for ever and ever. {5} Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. {6} Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence. {7} For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.”  

(Romans 6:23 NIV) “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Eternal life is talked about throughout Scripture. The Lord created us for eternity and we sense it deep in our soul. He set eternity in our hearts. David sensed it and so do we. The concept of forever and ever is a gift from God. It’s a part of the image of God, in which we were created. God is eternal and we long to be like Him. We dream of it. We sing about it. But death entered the world through sin when man trusted in someone other than God for his eternal life. We had it, but we lost it. This sin now separates us from life and brings all mankind to death’s door. In his mercy, God has granted us the desire of our heart and has provided a way through death’s door, into eternal life with Him. That way is Jesus. He’s gone through the door and awaits us on the other side with rich blessings and a golden crown. When we ask for life and trust the Lord, it can be ours. Ask and trust today. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Prayers for a Warrior

February 13

(Psalm 20 NIV) "May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. {2} May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. {3} May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. {4} May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. {5} May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests. {6} Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. {7} Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. {8} They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. {9} Lord, give victory to the king! Answer us when we call!"

The concept of praying for a warrior may bother some Christians, but these kinds of prayers can also be instructive for spiritual warfare. Whether our battles are physical or spiritual, Psalm 20 makes it clear that we have two alternatives: we either trust in the Lord or we trust in something else. We can trust in chariots, horses, tanks, bombs, the works of our hands, our great ideas, our morality, our good life, but ultimately, those will not win the battle for us. Only God brings victory. So essentially, we trust in God or we trust in ourselves. Who are you trusting today? Depending on who we trust, Psalm 20 offers two different outcomes. When we trust in God, we rise up and stand firm on solid ground. When we trust in other stuff, we fall, brought to our knees by unbelief. Trust in the Lord and gain victory or trust in yourself and be defeated. What sounds best to you? The wise man will go with the Lord. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Pleasing to the Eye

February 12

(Psalm 19:12-14 NIV) “Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. {13} Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. {14} May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

(James 3:1-12 NIV) “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. {2} We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. {3} When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. {4} Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. {5} Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. {6} The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. {7} All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, {8} but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. {9} With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. {10} Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. {11} Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? {12} My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”

Psalm 19 ends with a prayer that God forgive our hidden faults and keep us from becoming willful sinners. Then David asks God to help him keep his thoughts and words above reproach. More damage has been done to mankind down through the ages by the tongue, than by all the armies ever assembled. Verbal abuse has crippled more people than any disease on the face of the earth. Daily, thousands of people are maimed and slaughtered by the careless and calculated use of the tongue. Slander and gossip are two of the devil’s most useful tools for hurting those loved by God. Loose lips may sink ships, but they also damage the soul and destroy churches. The tongue may be man’s most destructive organ, but it is hooked directly to the heart. Like a puppet, the tongue only moves in ways the heart directs. It’s our heart that needs healing. Pray David’s prayer on a daily basis. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day