FOUNDATION FOR RATIONAL THINKING

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People are searching for solid foundations. They are dealing with a lot of information and a lot of data, and they just don’t know how it all holds together. Genesis has a blueprint for this very thing, and it is in the opening phrase, “In the beginning, God . . .” All things originated with Him. He made them, ordered them, and gave them purpose and meaning.

Without acknowledging our Creator God and His commandments for how we are to live our lives we make up our own rules. We can see how that is working when we now do not even acknowledge that God made us male and female with established roles. Also, we have no understanding of why the world is like it is with death and suffering if we do not acknowledge God and His Word. God has revealed to us not only that He created the world and humans made in His image to be in a relationship with Him but He has also told us that man’s disobedience to His commandment not to eat of the tree of good and evil is the reason for death and suffering in the world and the severing of our relationship with God.

Martyn Isles of Answers in Genesis does a great job of showing us how important Gensis 1 to 11 is to understanding all the big questions of life, giving us meaning and purpose and answers to the Why, How, Where,and When of it all.

UNLESS YOU REPENT YOU WILL PERISH

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“And Jesus answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:2-5

Twice in this verse, Jesus makes it clear that ALL who do not repent and realize that Jesus is the only way back into a relationship with our Heavenly Father will perish.

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Paul’s conversion is a good example of true repentance, a complete change of heart from a man who was persecuting Christians to proclaiming and proving Jesus was the Jews prophesied Christ, the Son of God.

“For some days he (Paul) was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.” Acts 9:19-22

The next verse is amazing: when we repent and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, God the Father sends the third person of the Trinity to indwell our Spirit to be our Counsellor, Teacher, and Comforter. We are thereby a new creation in Christ Jesus enabled by the Holy Spirit.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, to be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

David got it right when he repented after he had committed a grievous sin with Bathsheba and killed her husband Uriah.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. ” Psalms 51:10-17

David was punished by God for his sin and He did so threefold. David would never again have peace in his house, he would be publicly shamed for his private sin, and, at the apex, his son would die. Although God did not kill David for his evil deeds, the punishments he received caused him to live in shame. David did not get off easy. Remember that.

“‘Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’ This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes, I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel. . . . The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die.’” 2 Samuel 12:10-14

AMBITION IS GOOD

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BUT NOT SELFISH AMBITION

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” Philippians 2:3

The notion of ambition often gets criticized—as if ambition is a bad thing. But ambition is nothing more than the desire to accomplish or achieve a goal via determination and often sacrifice. We could say that Jesus was ambitious in that He accomplished the work that the Father gave Him to do when He came into the world.

“I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” John 17:4-5

We, like Jesus, just need to have the right goals.

“But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.: Philippians 3:13b-14

Worldly ambition is not God inspired it is inspired by Satan, pride, and jealousy.

“And the devil took him (Jesus) up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you, I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written,
‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’“ Luke 4:5-8

We can aspire to be a leader but look at God’s requirements for being a leader. Note: It is good to desire noble tasks.

“The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.” 1 Timothy 3:7

Ambition is good if we desire the best gifts then God will reveal even a better way.

“But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.” 1 Corinthians 12:31

Ambition is good if for the best gifts, spiritual goals, the Gospel’s extension, and acceptance before God.

Ambition is evil if it leads to strife, sinful superiority, a pharisaical spirit, contention about gifts, and selfish ambition.