The Heard of Media

(By Thor Knutstad)

Media, which used to mean 'newspapers and radio then became big screen and television,’ has evolved to an "out-of-context forum of public opinion" where injustices are highlighted, sadness and sin are put on display, and the diluted facts are often completely distorted and deluded.  When each does what is right in his or her own mind (and each is his own authority), it's a panacea and panoramic display of anger, self-protection, chaotic expression and 'the false glory desire of being heard.'  Being heard?  Yes. Heard. Listened to. Acknowledged. Not dismissed.  Is the issue about ISSUES or is it about being heard because life has silenced many?  Hmm - ponder this.  Being heard.  Defiance and "sin glorying" and hate, dividing and excusing actually do "SAY" something, don't they?  Where has reason gone?

As the final tide of eternity turns and as earthly division arises, may believers be unified and of one heart for the sake of the Gospel.  Sin and the enemy Satan are winning daily battles in subtle ways via Heard Media, but the real victory is ultimately in Christ Jesus as depicted in God's Word - and the foot of the Savior journeys on to save many souls.  If that doesn't make any sense to you then you are eating from the famine of truth. No wait, you may be eating from 'the famine of Hearing The Truth'.  The latter may be greater than the former by all means.  Oh what grief this brings to our hearts. Even Christ-followers have traded the quiet of God's Holy spiritual wisdom in Word for a blue and white scrolling catalog of nothingness that tries to highlight everything. Connected but lonely. Lonely yet connected. Sort of. Yet we have gained the appearance of horizontal intimacies for a loss of vertical intimacy.  Maybe this is why anxiety and fear reign in darker moments?  Maybe this lack of personal truth in our embattled hearts creates blind spots that are darker than the worst London Fog. Does 'The Son' really clear out the fog in your life, in your perceptions, and in your viewpoints? Passion and voice aren't an excuse for lacking clarity, reason, and Truth.

Stand firm in the faith, people. Do not let your ears be tickled by the deceiving spirit of antichrist all around you in this latent fog disguised as a vapor of mist. Only when you have absorbed more Bible and reckoned with the Man of Truth (The Risen Christ called Jesus) than those hourly poisonous doses of news and FaceBook, will you ever possibly begin to comprehend a larger, wider, and bigger picture of His unfolding plan. Stand firm, brothers and sisters. For He will bring all things under Him who is Head, even Christ. Come quickly, Lord Jesus - for the groaning and the longing of your people is echoing through Heaven's hallways like the hourly church bell rings throughout the town. Praise Him. 

Stewarding Words: A Case for the Wise Sayings of the Proverbs

(By Thor Knutstad)

If you have known the LORD as a believer for some time, you have heard this often repeated list of phrases:

Steward your time (moments, hours, days, the clock)

Steward your treasure (money, possessions, resources, home)

Steward your talents (God-given abilities, spiritual gifts)

To steward something literally means “to manage it.”  Actually, the word itself infers that it would be “managed well.”  The dictionary defines steward (the verb) as:  1. to supervise the arrangement of, 2. to keep order of and be responsible for, 3. to manage or look after and have charge over, 4. to actively direct or administer.  In the Bible, the Hebrew for steward (as a noun) was used for one who “ruled over as an overseer.”  This person had full charge over the household, property and business affairs for the owner (like Joseph had over the house of Potiphar in Genesis).  The New Testament definition in both the Aramaic and the Greek is not dissimilar from the Hebrew.  To steward meant to rule or have charge over.  Peter called believers to steward the grace of God (1 Peter 4:10), while Paul called fellow Christians to steward the (now revealed) mysteries of God (1 Corinthians 4:12).  He told the leaders of the church (overseers such as pastors/elders) to take scrupulous care of the flock as a steward (Titus 1:7).  Needless to say, to steward can be summed up in this connection of many words – manage, look after, direct, administer, care for scrupulously, have charge over or to oversee.   

I already mentioned that we have repeatedly heard the wise mandates to steward our time, our treasure and our talents.  The LORD wants us to manage our moments and hours, to oversee our possessions and resources, and to administer our gifts and abilities for Kingdom purposes.  But when I read the Proverbs, I of reminded of a fourth stewardship.  I am called to steward my tongue (or my words).  In my observation and experience as a pastor, Christian counselor, husband, father, man and fellow struggler, we are NOT stewarding our words well.  Our words are full of lies, gossip, accusation, division, a lack of gentleness, legalism, foolishness, approval, pride, self-glory, deception, chattering, manipulation, immorality and perversions, poorly timed statements, context forgetting, ungraciousness, gospel averting, indiscretion, seductiveness, poor tone, eye-rolling, poorly stewarded words.  We are just not stewarding well our words,folks.  Go back and reread that very sobering list.  Did I miss any one of us in those depictions?  It’s doubtful.  Don’t feel judged.  That is not my intention at all.  But if you sense the conviction of God’s Spirit about stewarding your words better, then I have done my job in hoping to provide wise counsel in my own words to you.

In Proverbs 6:16-19, Solomon lists seven things that the LORD absolutely hates.  Three of the seven are related to actually stewarding words: #2 – He hates a lying tongue. #3 – He hates a false witness, and #7 – He hates the stirring up of dissension among brothers.  As a matter of opposites, Solomon is in essence saying this:  steward words for truth, for honesty, and for peace and unity.  He is saying that the LORD loves these things (the latter) rather than the former (#2,#3, #7).  When we know the heart of our LORD God and how He speaks and how He stewards His own words in His Word, we will communicate better and speak from His heart (not ours).  We often say “that’s how I feel” or “that’s my opinion” or “that’s what I think,” but we forget the sobering truth that Jesus said in Luke 6:45, that “out of the heart the mouth speaks.”  When we steward well our words, we are speaking from the heart of the LORD and by His wise sayings.  Here are some questions from the Proverbs concerning the stewardship of words/talk that I am listing for us to take an honest look at:

Do I pursue wisdom in the Proverbs? (Do these wise sayings matter to me?) – Prov. 1-2

Do I know the benefits of wisdom?  Is wisdom supreme to me? – Prov. 3

Do I love wisdom? – Prov. 4:7

Do my words “invite ruin”? (Prov. 10:10)

Do I speak what is fitting (10:32) and give well timed and apt replies? (15:23, 25:11)

Are my words reckless (12:18) or perverse (10:31-32) or kind (12:25) and pleasant? (16:21)

Am I like a fool whose soul is ‘snared by his words’? (18:7)

Do I chatter aimlessly too many words (10:8,19) or hold my tongue appropriately in silence?

Again, go back and reread each one and contemplate the specific questions on this list.  Read the corresponding Scripture reference for God’s greater wisdom to see more fully what the Spirit of the LORD is saying through King Solomon.  And make it the goal of your heart and mind to steward well your words.  For the tongue truly does have the power of life, or death.  Stewarding well our words ministers life to others.  Don’t spread words of death.  Rather, steward well your words, dear people.  For this is the heart of God.  Praise Him. 

-- Copyright, 2015: Thor Knutstad, all rights reserved.

Moses Prays, We Could Gain A Heart of Wisdom

(By Diego Cuartas)

How do we gain wisdom? I suspect there are several answers to this question. A few weeks back I came across Psalm 90:12, and there was something sobering about the message found in this verse. In this Psalm, Moses prayed: "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."

In reading the rest of the chapter, I found more insights as to why Moses would request such a thing from God. I invite you to explore what are the ways we can gain a heart of wisdom. As we will see, perhaps there is more to it than "numbering our days".

A look at the Psalm.

• God is recognized as the "dwelling place in all generations" (ver 1)

• He is also recognized as the everlasting God who existed before everything was even created (v 2)

• God holds the power and right to terminate the physical existence of man by calling him back to "dust" (v 3)

• For God, time is different than the way we experience it. One thousand years for Him are like a day or a watch in the night (v 4)

• The language that describes our fragile existence on earth is depicted by phrases like "swept away", "like a dream", "flourishing and withering like the grass" and ultimately "brought to an end like a sigh" (v 5-7, 9)

• Our iniquities and sins are present before God; they are not a secret to Him (v 8)

• In this Psalm, life-span was considered to be between 70-80 years, the latter being by reason of strength. These years of existence are characterized by "toil and trouble" (ver 10)

• We can see that the question raised in verse 11 is very revealing: "Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you?" The question reveals the innate inability of man to consider God's power and judgments over our lives. 

• This is another reason why we are exhorted to learn to number our days: for the purpose of gaining a heart of wisdom (verse 12)

In other words, to live our lives unaware of both our fragile existence and God's supremacy over man it is to live out of a foolish heart, not a wise one.

When we recognize our fragile condition and God's everlasting nature, we then will be more inclined to:

1. Call for His mercy (or pity)

2. Ask Him to satisfy us with His steadfast love 

3. Request the restoration of our gladness

4. Pray that God will reveal His "works" to us and His "glorious power" to our children

5. Ask that His favor be "upon us"

6. Petition that He "establishes the work of our hands upon us"

What an insightful Psalm this is. We are given perspective for life here! The wisdom our hearts can gain as a result of "numbering our days" deals with the most significant needs we have as humans. We need mercy, steadfast love, gladness, the revelation of God for us and the next generation, His favor and a purposeful life. I can't imagine possessing these things and lacking hope and enthusiasm for each new day!

How then can we number our days? From this passage, we can see that two things are essential. One, we need to regard our humanness as fragile and short. This should affect the way I think about today and the future. My experience of today and my plans for tomorrow need to be considered and embraced with humility and dependence on God. Two, we need to consider the fact that God is present in an everlasting way and has the power and freedom to accomplish His own will, in His ways, in His time. He also has knowledge of our situations, sufferings and sins. And He holds the prerogative to judge and deal with each person according to who He is and what He values. 

Is numbering our days enough? I don't think so. What we are being exhorted to do, through this prayer, is to number our days in light of God and who He is. To just number our days will miss our origin, our source of strength, our faithful, merciful and loving Father and our real purpose in life.

Hopefully as we do this we will gain a "heart of wisdom" accompanied with the gladness of being part of something bigger than ourselves: a glorious God!

This is your day; what is God doing? How are you living in light of Him?