Day 33 - Month 2 Week 5 Day 5 Believer in Name Only (BINO)
God makes bad good!
Today, we saw the reunion of Joseph with his Father, and Jacob’s family settling in Egypt. There were 70 who went down to Egypt representing the whole house of Jacob, the nation of Israel. We saw God bring a great deliverance to Jacob’s family and as we discussed yesterday, Joseph was sent by God to do this. Just as David said in Psalm 30, Jacob could have also said, “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing.”
We see the goodness of God as He continues to turn bad into good!
Believers in Name Only (BINO)
We seem to be in an age of acronyms so I thought I’d start my own. The extreme right wing US republicans have an acronym for those they think are republican in name only but not really republican (RINO) so I figured I would call this section believers in name only (BINO).
Jesus continues teaching in stories (parables) in our New Testament reading of Matthew. He’s talking about the Kingdom of Heaven.
He compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a marriage feast. If you did not do the reading yet, maybe take a break and read Matthew 22:1-16. A simple translation follows:
God first came to his chosen people, and they rejected Him
He sent prophets and the chosen people paid no attention, mistreating and killing them.
God then makes it possible for all people to be a part of His Kingdom by sending Jesus (the bridegroom)
All those who accepted the invitation of Jesus entered His Kingdom
There are some that figured they got in under the wire…..maybe they said a prayer to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, but they really didn’t mean it. It was not a decision of the heart. They just wanted a quick free ride to the Kingdom.
They were refused entry to the Kingdom.
When I was an adult and told my mother that I had decided to be a Jesus follower at the age of 11, she corrected me and said I made that decision when I was 4 because she remembered me making that decision.
Apparently, I was full of wisdom and discernment at the age of 4 to be able to make such an important decision (that was sarcasm if you were unsure). I am poking fun at that, but in fact, we’ll read in Proverbs that training a child in the way they should go, most often directs that child accordingly. I know at least one child who also made the decision at 4 and it stuck! It just didn’t stick for me.
Between the age of 4 and 11, I talked like a Jesus follower, I was dragged to church every week, my family did devotions every evening at dinner, I played fair in games, I had short hair when all the other boys had fashionable hippy hair in the late 60s (apparently long hair was “unbecoming”, whatever that means) and in all appearances, I was a Christian! Unfortunately, I was a BINO (believer in name only). After I made a conscious decision to actually follow Jesus at the age of 11, I would have been welcomed into God’s wedding feast right then and there if my life ended.
The lesson we should learn from this story is that very often, we hear of people becoming Jesus followers by simply repeating some prayer (sometimes called the Sinners Prayer*) after a preacher preached or sometimes with a friend. What is said in the prayer is truth but maybe you said it to get the person off your back or to appease a spouse or maybe even you felt a conviction that you need to place your trust in Jesus but it really was not a decision of the heart.
Look at the evidence! If you have said that prayer but your perspective on life and others hasn’t changed, maybe it’s time for some inner soul searching. If you would like to discuss more, email me and I’d be happy to discuss. No judgement here, just an authentic willingness to help you understand the good news and the difference it will make .
Render to Caesar
In the last part of our Matthew reading today the Pharisees try to trap Jesus again. Once again Jesus will not be a part of the trap but he sure does make a strong statement.
To say it bluntly, the 2 kingdoms are separate!! Render to Caesar what is Caesar's, (what relates to the kingdom of this world). Pay your taxes, follow the rules of the world and vote but hold your dual citizenship. This world is where your house is but your home? Your home is in Jesus’ Kingdom. If by chance it isn’t, go back to the previous section!
Thanks for reading today,
Steve
If you would like to contact me, my email is steve.d.pauls@gmail.com
*The Sinner's prayer on its own doesn’t determine faith. The “official” prayer is not even in the Bible. What Jesus wants is a change of heart. To follow Jesus in mind and heart we talk with God. We recognize we have followed our own way rather than His (that’s sin). Talking with God is prayer no matter what form it takes. So if you are having a discussion with God and you are saying that you really want to follow Jesus, turn from your own way (that’s called repentance - a change of direction), you can become a follower of Jesus by accepting the forgiveness Jesus offers for not following him in the first place, and learning how to be like Him through His Spirit who will guide you in everything and give you the supernatural ability to live like Him
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