No More Sour Grapes

“I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”                         —Jeremiah 31:33

Growing up in the rural areas of Armstrong County, my brothers and I always seemed to be sampling questionable wild foods. There was that time we cooked on a campfire the pigeons we shot from a neighbor’s barn with our pellet guns, but more related to this article, there were those chokecherries and wild grapes. The deep purple nearly inedible chokecherries would pucker your entire mouth dry. We also spent time swinging on wild grapevines like Tarzan. The wild grapes, although not as bitter as chokecherries, still made you wonder how animals could tolerate them.

There was a saying in old Israel, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge” (Jeremiah 31:29). It was used as a complaint, a cry of injustice to God. The current generation considered their poor circumstances as punishment for the sins of their parents. Today, people use the saying of crying sour grapes whenever they feel an injustice has been directed toward them.

God spoke through Jeremiah about the coming day of salvation through Jesus Christ. “In those days they will not say again, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge” (31:29-30). The message seems at first to be one of judgment, but as we read further, we find it to be a message of forgiveness and hope.

Persons will no longer be judged by the shortcomings or sins of their parents, but by a New Covenant God will make and has made today in Jesus Christ the Messiah. Historically, Israel rejected God, broke the Mosaic covenant, and was sent into captivity. Truly, the children suffered greatly for the sins of their parents. God announced a new day, through Jeremiah, Isaiah, Joel, and other prophets, where forgiveness would be offered and God’s laws would be written on our hearts.

Jesus Christ established the New Covenant by His sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection. At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20). Forgiveness of sins can now be preached to all because Jesus took our punishment and paid the ransom for our souls with His very lifeblood. God puts His laws into believers’ hearts by the outpouring and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit would be God in us and would teach us, remind us, and show us the future. As believers, we walk by faith and are led moment by moment by the Spirit’s direction.

We all have a past, baggage good and bad, from our upbringing and the mistakes our parents and families have made, but, by the grace of God, we no longer need to be controlled by it. In Jesus Christ, we have forgiveness. Through Jesus’ shed blood, we can begin again under a New Covenant with God. God promises to fill you with His Holy Spirit and write His laws within you. The past is past. Today is your day. There are no more sour grapes. How you will live today is up to you. You may choose to be bound by your past or live fresh and new in faith under a New Covenant. God loves you and has set you free. Walk in faith, today.

Sharing in Miracles

“The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground…and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.”    —Mark 4:26-27

I watched a miracle happen again this spring. On Memorial Day, we do a blitz-garden each year. I had already rototilled the ground and fertilized between tillings. With all the seeds, plants, and onion sets prepared for planting, we planted the entire garden in an hour or two on Memorial Day morning. It’s not a huge garden, but we do have two rows of potatoes and five rows of corn.

This year, God sent a beautiful, soaking rain soon after our planting blitz. If you remember, it then turned very hot for the rest of the week. By the next Monday, a miracle had occurred. The sprouts from all the seeds had pushed up through the surface of the soil. Here is the miracle: I cultivate the ground; I fertilize; and I plant (even water on occasion when necessary); but only God can send the rain. Only God can send the sun. And only God can cause the dried and wrinkled seeds to sprout into new life. After my part is done, I can only wait, watch, and believe.

Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a farmer planting crops. “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how” (Mark 4:26-27). Just as the germination of seeds and growth of plants is a miracle of God happening right before our eyes so sowing seeds in the Kingdom of God also reaps amazing, supernatural results. Every person offering a prayer in faith shares in the miracle God brings. Every act of kindness that softens a hardened heart shares in the salvation story of that individual. Every word of testimony or silent life of witness shares in saving those who believe.

God has blessed every believer with the privilege of sharing in His work. Paul, writing to the Corinthians about competition between preachers, said, “We are God’s Fellow workers” (1 Cor. 3:9). As Christians, we merely do our part, but God must give the increase. Only God can do the miraculous. Paul says that he planted; Apollos watered; but God worked the miracle of saving lost souls (1 Cor. 3:5-8).

I am still amazed how God causes plants to grow up from dried seeds, but I am even more amazed how God uses us in His Kingdom to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Lord told the believers gathered in the Upper Room just before His Ascension that they would be His witnesses from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. As the Holy Spirit descended upon them in power, they burst the doors open and began to proclaim the saving power of Jesus Christ to the entire world. Acts 2 describes the results, “Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles” (vs. 43). “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (vs. 47b).

Have you shared in a miracle lately? If you want to see one in the garden, you must turn over some ground and plant some seeds. If you want to share in the miracle of another’s salvation, you must sow some seeds of prayer, outreach, and witness. Then, wait, watch, and believe for the miracle God is about to do. 

Truly Rich

^“Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?”    —Luke 16:11

A recent college graduate said to his mother, “I’m not moving out, ever. I’ll live here until you and dad move to a retirement home. I’ve got it made here. My clothes are washed, lunches prepared, and utility bills are paid. You can’t beat that.”

What would it take for you to be able to say, “I’ve got it made.”? Would you have to win the lottery? I still haven’t heard who won the $590.5 million Powerball jackpot. I know it wasn’t me because, as the PA Lottery slogan goes, “You have to play to win.” I personally believe the entire lottery system is a way of taxing the poor. Statistics show that as the economy slows down, lottery sales go up. According to Dave Ramsey, millionaires don’t play the lottery. By my own calculations, if a person would put $20 down and invest $20 per week (the amount one might spend on the lottery each week) at six percent interest for twenty years, they would have nearly $40,000. Some folks play the Powerball lottery their entire lives with nothing to show for it.

I have never played the lottery. Once, I did receive a scratch off ticket as a gift and was an instant winner of another scratch off ticket. I don’t need to play, because I already have it made. As a born again believer, I am the child of the King of Kings. My heavenly Father owns the cattle on every hill and wealth of all the gems and minerals of the universe. Just as God feeds the sparrows and clothes the wild flowers, He promises to take care of me. Yes, I have it made.

Many people live their lives on the false hopes of “if-only.” If only I could win the lottery, I could really be happy. If only I had a better job, then I would buy this or give that. If only my spouse or children acted differently, I’d be a better person. God has already given us everything we need for living an abundant, godly life. We have it made. “Godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment” (1 Timothy 6:6). It is time to start living faithful and faith-filled lives today.

In addition to promoting godliness, contentment is the foundation for faithful stewardship. A steward is someone who manages the possessions of another. Everything we have on earth has been entrusted to us by God. The things of this world are not our personal possessions; they are God’s and have been given to us to manage. Faithful stewards must learn to be content with whatever their master has entrusted into their hands. As we use God’s resources wisely for our own needs and the needs of those around us, God entrusts us with more. This more goes way beyond mere money ^“Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you” (Luke 16:11)?

The true riches of the kingdom are authority and opportunities to teach, witness, heal, and serve. How have you managed the riches God has already placed in your hands? You already have it made. Are you living like it? God loves you and has forgiven your sins. God promises to be with you until the end of the age and provide for all your needs. If you can be content with God’s love and God’s provision, you are truly rich.