John 13:35 (ESV) “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
During World War I the Marines fought with such ferocity that the Germans started calling them Devils Dogs. There are other names are synonymous with US Marines. Leathernecks, Jarheads and Gyrenes are among these names. When folks think of Marines they generally think of a trained fighting man who is disciplined and tough. They picture one who stands tall and proud. They think of the dress blue uniform filled with combat ribbons and marksmanship badges. They think of the popular slogan used in Marine recruiting commercials, “The Few. The Proud. The Marines.”
When you think of think of a Christian, what comes to mind? You can ask several different people and get several different answers. Here are just a few that I have heard over the years. Stuck up. Bible thumper. Holy roller. Bigoted. Narrow-minded. Hypocrite. Self-righteous. I could go on and on but I think we all get the picture. Some of these labels are given to us by folks with no knowledge of what and who Christians really are. Unfortunately, some of these labels have been earned by Christians who have a faulty view of what it means to live a Christian life.
So what should be the “mark” of a Christian, a Believer, a Follower of Christ? Simply put, Jesus said it is our love for each other. In John 13:34 Jesus said “just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” He said it was this love that would show the world that we are His disciples.
Love is arguably the most important ingredient in the Christian’s life. Love draws together those in the church. Colossians 2:2 (ESV) that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love…. Love is the ultimate fulfillment of the Law, Galatians 5:14 (ESV) For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” We are to walk in love. We are to sacrifice for love. We are to “increase and abound in love towards one another and for all“. We are to provoke or stir up one another unto love.
Love is indeed the true “mark” of a Christian. It’s not always easy, in fact, it can be downright hard sometimes. People who commit horrible crimes, loved ones who irritate us and fellow church members who “fall into” ungodliness are all examples of times when it is difficult to love. Love is hard but it is not optional. It is our “mark”, and it is possible to live in love because He first loved us. He gave His all for us. He lovingly paid the price for our sin on the cross.
In this coming New Year, may it be our goal to live in love. May the “mark” of love be displayed through our lives in brilliant colors for all the world to see. May others know that we are Christians by our love. May other see and experience God’s love through interaction with God’s people. Amen!!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Facing the Unknown
Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
When Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers his future was completely unknown to him. Not only was it unknown, it appeared to be a hopeless situation. He would be a slave in a foreign land. He would have no friends, no family, no rights, no standing and no income. He would be without hope. In the midst of his dark, hopeless time he did not know the end of the story as we do now. We can look back and know he was eventually lifted up to be 2nd in command of all Egypt under the Pharaoh. We look back and can see that God used Joseph’s “hopeless” situation to provide for his own family and people.
You may be facing an unknown, uncertain future. Hope may be a fleeting thing, hard for you to grasp. You may be wondering just how, and even if, it will all work out. May the following brief thoughts about the unknown bring you some encouragement.
Whatever is unknown to us is NOT unknown to our Father in Heaven! In Jeremiah 29:11, He says “I know My plans for you….” God is the Great Planner. He certainly knows our future. He wrote the plans. The future is never unknown to Him. He wants us to know that His plans are plans of peace and not calamity. The future is one of expectant hope. It is a hope that is sure and unwavering. We can put it in the bank. We can stake our claim on it and know that it will be there in the end.
However, the promise of a hope-filled future does not mean we won’t walk “..through the valley of the shadow of death…” Often the path we travel will appear to be an uncertain one filled with anxiety. The Israelites still endured 70 years of captivity in Babylon. Joseph did spend time as a slave and in prison. We may still look down the road and see darkness, uncertainty and hopelessness but from God’s perspective the future is one a hope, peace and blessing.
Furthermore, the promise of a hope-filled future does not relieve us of all responsibility. Verses 12 and 13 of Jeremiah 29 says “Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Often God’s purpose in leading us through what appear to be hopeless situations, is to drive us to our knees in prayer. He wants us to grow so desperate that we have no place to look but to seek Him with all our heart. He is not deaf to our prayer and He is not hard to find. To find Him is to find His will. To find Him is to know the peace that comes because He is right there with us. To find Him is to be able to rest in His mighty arms.
Remember that our view of the unknown often changes when we are looking back at it. I t is only unknown because of our limited perspective. It may be unknown because we have never faced it before. It is never, ever unknown to God. Trust him, pray to Him, seek Him with all your heart and the unknown, uncertain, hopeless future will be one of expectation, peace and hope. Amen!!
When Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers his future was completely unknown to him. Not only was it unknown, it appeared to be a hopeless situation. He would be a slave in a foreign land. He would have no friends, no family, no rights, no standing and no income. He would be without hope. In the midst of his dark, hopeless time he did not know the end of the story as we do now. We can look back and know he was eventually lifted up to be 2nd in command of all Egypt under the Pharaoh. We look back and can see that God used Joseph’s “hopeless” situation to provide for his own family and people.
You may be facing an unknown, uncertain future. Hope may be a fleeting thing, hard for you to grasp. You may be wondering just how, and even if, it will all work out. May the following brief thoughts about the unknown bring you some encouragement.
Whatever is unknown to us is NOT unknown to our Father in Heaven! In Jeremiah 29:11, He says “I know My plans for you….” God is the Great Planner. He certainly knows our future. He wrote the plans. The future is never unknown to Him. He wants us to know that His plans are plans of peace and not calamity. The future is one of expectant hope. It is a hope that is sure and unwavering. We can put it in the bank. We can stake our claim on it and know that it will be there in the end.
However, the promise of a hope-filled future does not mean we won’t walk “..through the valley of the shadow of death…” Often the path we travel will appear to be an uncertain one filled with anxiety. The Israelites still endured 70 years of captivity in Babylon. Joseph did spend time as a slave and in prison. We may still look down the road and see darkness, uncertainty and hopelessness but from God’s perspective the future is one a hope, peace and blessing.
Furthermore, the promise of a hope-filled future does not relieve us of all responsibility. Verses 12 and 13 of Jeremiah 29 says “Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Often God’s purpose in leading us through what appear to be hopeless situations, is to drive us to our knees in prayer. He wants us to grow so desperate that we have no place to look but to seek Him with all our heart. He is not deaf to our prayer and He is not hard to find. To find Him is to find His will. To find Him is to know the peace that comes because He is right there with us. To find Him is to be able to rest in His mighty arms.
Remember that our view of the unknown often changes when we are looking back at it. I t is only unknown because of our limited perspective. It may be unknown because we have never faced it before. It is never, ever unknown to God. Trust him, pray to Him, seek Him with all your heart and the unknown, uncertain, hopeless future will be one of expectation, peace and hope. Amen!!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Stirring the Pot
Hebrews 10:24 (ESV)
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,"
Have you ever been in a situation or with a group of people and everything is running smoothly? Everyone is getting along. Conversation is pleasant and even stimulating. Then someone interjects a controversial subject. Some political or moral topic such as health care, raising taxes, abortion or any of a number of topics where opinions are strong and emotions run hot. Suddenly the pleasant meeting and conversation is no longer pleasant. Folks are getting angry. People are shouting. Verbal fighting is taking place.
Someone stirred the pot. With the introduction of the controversial topic they incited or provoked a heated debate. This is the idea of the word used in Hebrews 10:24 “to stir up”, also translated provoke in the KJV. It is a strong word. The root meaning of the word deals with sharpening. Thus, it could be said that to “stir up” or “provoke” is to sharpen the feelings of another. The word is only used here and in Acts 15:39 where Paul and Barnabas were divided over the usefulness of John Mark. The “contention was sharp” between them. They had a “sharp disagreement” about it.
When the writer of Hebrews uses this word here, he obviously wants to get across to his readers the seriousness of the point. He tells us to think about how we can stir up, provoke, or incite others in the Body of Christ to love and good works. This implies that it is never an easy task. In our human condition it is not natural to want to love the unlovely, or love when we don’t feel like it, or to do good deeds when we have so much life to live.
Both love and good works are vital components of the Christian life. Jesus said in John 13:35 (ESV) “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Love is the main ingredient of a church or a family or an individual that defines them as Christians to the lost world. Those outside the church see our love for one another and come to conclude that we are followers of Christ. Over and over again throughout my life I have talked with folks who gave up on church and the reason I hear most often is that there was little of no difference between how Church people treated each other and how people treated each other outside of church. This ought not to be!!! We need to love one another. Sometimes we need to stir each other up to loving others.
Jesus also said in Matthew 5:16 (ESV) “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
He is telling us that our good works shine a light for all to see and in doing so they will glorify God the Father. If we love God we will obey Him. And if we obey Him, we will live lives filled with good works. And these good works bring Him glory.
We must keep in mind that when we stir each other up it might for a time be contentious. There may be some sparks. It won’t be easy to do the stirring or to be the one stirred. However, being easy isn’t requisite to the doing of it. It is when things are hard to do that we must strive all the more to do them. We must stand ready to “stir the pot”. We must be willing to love our brothers and sisters in Christ enough to give them some stirring if need be. The world needs us to be stirred up. Let us “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.”
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,"
Have you ever been in a situation or with a group of people and everything is running smoothly? Everyone is getting along. Conversation is pleasant and even stimulating. Then someone interjects a controversial subject. Some political or moral topic such as health care, raising taxes, abortion or any of a number of topics where opinions are strong and emotions run hot. Suddenly the pleasant meeting and conversation is no longer pleasant. Folks are getting angry. People are shouting. Verbal fighting is taking place.
Someone stirred the pot. With the introduction of the controversial topic they incited or provoked a heated debate. This is the idea of the word used in Hebrews 10:24 “to stir up”, also translated provoke in the KJV. It is a strong word. The root meaning of the word deals with sharpening. Thus, it could be said that to “stir up” or “provoke” is to sharpen the feelings of another. The word is only used here and in Acts 15:39 where Paul and Barnabas were divided over the usefulness of John Mark. The “contention was sharp” between them. They had a “sharp disagreement” about it.
When the writer of Hebrews uses this word here, he obviously wants to get across to his readers the seriousness of the point. He tells us to think about how we can stir up, provoke, or incite others in the Body of Christ to love and good works. This implies that it is never an easy task. In our human condition it is not natural to want to love the unlovely, or love when we don’t feel like it, or to do good deeds when we have so much life to live.
Both love and good works are vital components of the Christian life. Jesus said in John 13:35 (ESV) “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Love is the main ingredient of a church or a family or an individual that defines them as Christians to the lost world. Those outside the church see our love for one another and come to conclude that we are followers of Christ. Over and over again throughout my life I have talked with folks who gave up on church and the reason I hear most often is that there was little of no difference between how Church people treated each other and how people treated each other outside of church. This ought not to be!!! We need to love one another. Sometimes we need to stir each other up to loving others.
Jesus also said in Matthew 5:16 (ESV) “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
He is telling us that our good works shine a light for all to see and in doing so they will glorify God the Father. If we love God we will obey Him. And if we obey Him, we will live lives filled with good works. And these good works bring Him glory.
We must keep in mind that when we stir each other up it might for a time be contentious. There may be some sparks. It won’t be easy to do the stirring or to be the one stirred. However, being easy isn’t requisite to the doing of it. It is when things are hard to do that we must strive all the more to do them. We must stand ready to “stir the pot”. We must be willing to love our brothers and sisters in Christ enough to give them some stirring if need be. The world needs us to be stirred up. Let us “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.”
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Created with Purpose
Ephesians 2:10 (ESV) 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
My oldest son is studying mechanical and aerospace engineering. He works for one of his professors doing research and design work. Recently he told me about a project he is working on. The whole of his explanation was way over my head. It was highly technical stuff. But I did get something out of it. Every piece or part of the nozzle he was designing served a particular purpose. It was created specifically for that purpose. It was part of a larger machine which was also designed for a purpose.
Everywhere I look I see things that were made or created for specific purposes. The buttons on my shirt, very low-tech, have purpose. They keep my shirt closed. The knob and lock on my door were made with a purpose in mind. The wallpaper in my den has purpose. No matter what you point to, you can be assured that someone, somewhere designed it with a purpose in mind. It is only natural that it be so. We are following a pattern that was set from the beginning. “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.”
Here is an amazing thought. The God who created the heaven and the earth in 6 days, also created you. And He did so for a purpose. Here in Eph 2:10 we find one of the purposes for which we are created. Paul tells us that we are created for good works. A basic definition for “good works” is something we labor at that is beneficial to others. We are told that God in His infinite wisdom pre-ordained that we should “walk” in them. Wherever we walk, in school, on the job, at the store, visiting a friend, meeting someone new, or any “walk” you can imagine, we should be doing good works.
These good works are almost infinite in scope and appearance. A kind word or a friendly face. Physical labor to help with a project. A few dollars or some food given to help in hard times. These are all “good works”. Everywhere around us we see needy people and the needs we see can often lead us to the “good work” we must do. We should not feel guilty when we simple can’t do it all, but we should be walking regularly in “good works“. The needs we see may seem overwhelming but we must remember we serve a very big God. He is an infinite God, an Almighty God, and a loving God. He is truly pleased when His workmanship fulfills the purpose for which it was created, and that is to walk in good works.
God, help us to walk in good works. Help us to serve the purpose you created us to serve. Help us to share your love to the world around us by our good works. Amen!
My oldest son is studying mechanical and aerospace engineering. He works for one of his professors doing research and design work. Recently he told me about a project he is working on. The whole of his explanation was way over my head. It was highly technical stuff. But I did get something out of it. Every piece or part of the nozzle he was designing served a particular purpose. It was created specifically for that purpose. It was part of a larger machine which was also designed for a purpose.
Everywhere I look I see things that were made or created for specific purposes. The buttons on my shirt, very low-tech, have purpose. They keep my shirt closed. The knob and lock on my door were made with a purpose in mind. The wallpaper in my den has purpose. No matter what you point to, you can be assured that someone, somewhere designed it with a purpose in mind. It is only natural that it be so. We are following a pattern that was set from the beginning. “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.”
Here is an amazing thought. The God who created the heaven and the earth in 6 days, also created you. And He did so for a purpose. Here in Eph 2:10 we find one of the purposes for which we are created. Paul tells us that we are created for good works. A basic definition for “good works” is something we labor at that is beneficial to others. We are told that God in His infinite wisdom pre-ordained that we should “walk” in them. Wherever we walk, in school, on the job, at the store, visiting a friend, meeting someone new, or any “walk” you can imagine, we should be doing good works.
These good works are almost infinite in scope and appearance. A kind word or a friendly face. Physical labor to help with a project. A few dollars or some food given to help in hard times. These are all “good works”. Everywhere around us we see needy people and the needs we see can often lead us to the “good work” we must do. We should not feel guilty when we simple can’t do it all, but we should be walking regularly in “good works“. The needs we see may seem overwhelming but we must remember we serve a very big God. He is an infinite God, an Almighty God, and a loving God. He is truly pleased when His workmanship fulfills the purpose for which it was created, and that is to walk in good works.
God, help us to walk in good works. Help us to serve the purpose you created us to serve. Help us to share your love to the world around us by our good works. Amen!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Pay Him Now or Pay Him Later
Philippians 2:9-11 (ESV) Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
In the 1980’s, there was a commercial about Fram oil filters that ended in what became a popular slogan… Pay me now or pay me later. The obvious inference was that you could either pay the mechanic for a new Fram oil filter now or pay him later to fix the engine when it broke down due to dirty oil.
In a small way this commercial parallels the truth of Philippians 2:9-11. Paul has told us of how Jesus Christ gave up the glory of Heaven to live in the form of a man in order to be the perfect sacrifice for mankind. He then makes this profound statement ,“ …so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” All of creation will one day bow down and acknowledge the Lordship of Christ. The question is, “Will we do it now or do it later?”
Our society is overflowing with people who refuse to buy the filter now. They think they don’t need the filter. They don’t see the sludge building up in their spiritual engine that will one day cause the engine to break down. They live their lives without a thought of the need for God. Or they say in there heart “There is no God”. They don’t realize that one day they will be called into account and will be judged by the Righteous Judge.
Even worse is the situation we find in churches all across America. Church pews are filled Sunday after Sunday with believers who profess faith in Christ but often leave that profession at the door when they go back out to the “world”. They refuse to buy the filter of purity. Ephesians 5:3 (ESV) “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.” They will not buy the filter of forgiveness. Ephesians 4:32 (ESV) “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” They would rather let the sludge of pride build up in their engine rather than let God install the filter of humility. James 4:6 (ESV) “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” We could go on and on but suffice it to say that we need regular service by the Mechanic, the Holy Spirit. We need new filters and oil changes. We must allow Him to renew us with His Word. Romans 12:2 (ESV) “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” We cannot afford to live our lives in the sludge of sin that builds up without regular maintenance. If we do the engine will break down and eventually we will need a major overhaul. We, as Christians, need to live the faith we profess. We need to live our lives in true acknowledgement of His Lordship. He is the Lord and we will all bow down sooner or later. The world around us needs to see us humbly bowing down to His Lordship. They need to see how well the engine runs when the Mechanic is doing the work of continual renewal.
He is the great Mechanic of the human heart and desires to keep it in top running condition. May we “pay Him now” the worship and obedience He deserves. May we lead others to the Savior so they will “bow down” now rather than later.
In the 1980’s, there was a commercial about Fram oil filters that ended in what became a popular slogan… Pay me now or pay me later. The obvious inference was that you could either pay the mechanic for a new Fram oil filter now or pay him later to fix the engine when it broke down due to dirty oil.
In a small way this commercial parallels the truth of Philippians 2:9-11. Paul has told us of how Jesus Christ gave up the glory of Heaven to live in the form of a man in order to be the perfect sacrifice for mankind. He then makes this profound statement ,“ …so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” All of creation will one day bow down and acknowledge the Lordship of Christ. The question is, “Will we do it now or do it later?”
Our society is overflowing with people who refuse to buy the filter now. They think they don’t need the filter. They don’t see the sludge building up in their spiritual engine that will one day cause the engine to break down. They live their lives without a thought of the need for God. Or they say in there heart “There is no God”. They don’t realize that one day they will be called into account and will be judged by the Righteous Judge.
Even worse is the situation we find in churches all across America. Church pews are filled Sunday after Sunday with believers who profess faith in Christ but often leave that profession at the door when they go back out to the “world”. They refuse to buy the filter of purity. Ephesians 5:3 (ESV) “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.” They will not buy the filter of forgiveness. Ephesians 4:32 (ESV) “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” They would rather let the sludge of pride build up in their engine rather than let God install the filter of humility. James 4:6 (ESV) “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” We could go on and on but suffice it to say that we need regular service by the Mechanic, the Holy Spirit. We need new filters and oil changes. We must allow Him to renew us with His Word. Romans 12:2 (ESV) “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” We cannot afford to live our lives in the sludge of sin that builds up without regular maintenance. If we do the engine will break down and eventually we will need a major overhaul. We, as Christians, need to live the faith we profess. We need to live our lives in true acknowledgement of His Lordship. He is the Lord and we will all bow down sooner or later. The world around us needs to see us humbly bowing down to His Lordship. They need to see how well the engine runs when the Mechanic is doing the work of continual renewal.
He is the great Mechanic of the human heart and desires to keep it in top running condition. May we “pay Him now” the worship and obedience He deserves. May we lead others to the Savior so they will “bow down” now rather than later.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Our Daddy, Our Father
Romans 8:15 (KJV) 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Galatians 4:6 (ESV) 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
In one of my favorite movies, The Patriot, Mel Gibson plays Benjamin Martin, a revolutionary era man who leads a rag-tag group of militia to victory in the War for Independence. There is much about the movie that is good and touching but one little scene always grips my heart. His youngest daughter who is about 4 or 5 years old has refused to talk since her mother died. Benjamin Martin finds out from his son, Gabriel, that she has started speaking and he longs to hear her speak to him. When he finally sees her again on a remote hide-out where his family was staying, she again refuses to speak to him. He is obviously broken hearted that his little girl seems to hate him and won’t speak even a word to him. As he is riding off back to do battle, she looks at him and with tears coming to her eyes, she cries “Poppa! Don’t leave Poppa! I’ll say anything you want, just don’t leave again!” Of course, he sheds tears of great joy and promises that he will come back to her.
This scene always reminds me of Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6, where Paul writes of the words used by adopted sons of God when they cry “Abba! Father!”. There is a tenderness and a love in the dual usage of the words for Father in two languages. There is a longing for a close relationship with the One who brought the son into the family.
It is certainly a simple truth but it is no accident that God is seen throughout the Scriptures as the Heavenly Father. Jesus used the term well over 200 times to describe the relationship between God and himself and between God and His believers. The Lord’s prayer or “model” prayer starts with these words “Our Father”. The blessing of this truth is again simple but at the same time profound. God, the creator of the universe, the Almighty God, the Eternal God, wants to have a personal intimate relationship with you, His child. He wants to relate with you as a Father does to a son. He wants to love you, care for you, comfort you, protect you, provide for you, teach you, guide you, bless you, honor you and correct you when necessary. All the things we, as human fathers (and mothers), want to do and be for our children, He wants to do and be for you. He wants to walk with you, talk with you and fellowship with you.
As a Father, He knows there are times when His relationship with us is not as it should be. We decide to go our own way and He will often let us do just that. We go out to live “on our own”, only to find a living that is not what we thought it would be. Life gets tough. Things fall apart. And all the while, our Father, sits at home waiting for us to give up their own way and return to Him. He waits with longing for His children to once again be able to cry “Abba! Father!”
Galatians 4:6 (ESV) 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
In one of my favorite movies, The Patriot, Mel Gibson plays Benjamin Martin, a revolutionary era man who leads a rag-tag group of militia to victory in the War for Independence. There is much about the movie that is good and touching but one little scene always grips my heart. His youngest daughter who is about 4 or 5 years old has refused to talk since her mother died. Benjamin Martin finds out from his son, Gabriel, that she has started speaking and he longs to hear her speak to him. When he finally sees her again on a remote hide-out where his family was staying, she again refuses to speak to him. He is obviously broken hearted that his little girl seems to hate him and won’t speak even a word to him. As he is riding off back to do battle, she looks at him and with tears coming to her eyes, she cries “Poppa! Don’t leave Poppa! I’ll say anything you want, just don’t leave again!” Of course, he sheds tears of great joy and promises that he will come back to her.
This scene always reminds me of Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6, where Paul writes of the words used by adopted sons of God when they cry “Abba! Father!”. There is a tenderness and a love in the dual usage of the words for Father in two languages. There is a longing for a close relationship with the One who brought the son into the family.
It is certainly a simple truth but it is no accident that God is seen throughout the Scriptures as the Heavenly Father. Jesus used the term well over 200 times to describe the relationship between God and himself and between God and His believers. The Lord’s prayer or “model” prayer starts with these words “Our Father”. The blessing of this truth is again simple but at the same time profound. God, the creator of the universe, the Almighty God, the Eternal God, wants to have a personal intimate relationship with you, His child. He wants to relate with you as a Father does to a son. He wants to love you, care for you, comfort you, protect you, provide for you, teach you, guide you, bless you, honor you and correct you when necessary. All the things we, as human fathers (and mothers), want to do and be for our children, He wants to do and be for you. He wants to walk with you, talk with you and fellowship with you.
As a Father, He knows there are times when His relationship with us is not as it should be. We decide to go our own way and He will often let us do just that. We go out to live “on our own”, only to find a living that is not what we thought it would be. Life gets tough. Things fall apart. And all the while, our Father, sits at home waiting for us to give up their own way and return to Him. He waits with longing for His children to once again be able to cry “Abba! Father!”
Friday, November 6, 2009
God-phobia
Ephesians 5:21 (KJV) "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God."
She was deathly afraid of heights. Without knowing the full extent of the phobia she went with her family to visit the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. As soon as she arrived at the viewing area, some 630 feet high, she started turning "green" and almost locked up completely. She had to be physically led to the elevator by her helpful husband. Once at the bottom she quickly recovered and enjoyed the rest of the sightseeing trip with her family. In technical terms her fear is called acrophobia.
A phobia is an intense fear of something, that in reality, poses little or no threat of danger. There are literally hundreds of phobias but some of the more commonly recognized ones are: Claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces), agoraphobia (fear of being in public places), arachnophobia (fear of spiders), ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) and brontophobia (fear of lightning or thunder). A phobia can be developed at any stage in life. People can experience mild or very severe phobias. Although the object of the phobia can be different there are symptoms or characteristics that are common in many phobias.
People who have a phobia often have trouble not thinking about the object of their fear. They have a feeling of uncontrollable anxiety when in the presence of the object of their fear. They feel helpless when confronted with it. They worry about upcoming events that may bring them into contact with it. They will go to extremes to avoid it. These are just a few symptoms but they serve well the illustration I want to make. In summary a phobia consumes one’s thinking, renders them helpless and controls the direction of one’s life.
In Ephesians 5:21 and others in the Scriptures we are told to "Fear God". To many this can be a confusing concept. We are to fear the One who loves and cares for us like a Father? The common Greek word for fear is "phobos" (noun) or "phobeo" (verb). This is where our word for phobia comes from. The Bible says we are to have a phobia of God. One common explanation of fearing God is to have a deep reverence for Him. This is true but may still leave one confused. Another is that we are to fear God because He has the power of life and death over us. This explanation completely negates the loving relationship He wants to have with us. In our usual definition of fear, fearing God can almost seem like a negative thing. Let’s look at the fear of God using our three part summary of phobias.
If we have a good and healthy God-phobia, our thinking will be consumed by thoughts of God. He will dominate our lives. When we are at a crossroad to sin our God-phobia will direct our thoughts to righteousness and away from sin. If we have a good and healthy God-phobia, His presence in our lives will render us helpless. We will experience II Cor 12:9 where "His strength is made perfect in our weakness..." In our helpless condition, He will be able to work out His power in our lives. If we have a good and healthy God-phobia, He will control the direction of our lives. Our God-phobia will affect every decision we make, every path we walk and every word we speak. We need a good case of God-phobia.
God, help us to fear You in a good and healthy way. May You consume our thoughts, bring us to a state of helplessness in our own strength, and control every aspect of the direction of our lives. Amen!
She was deathly afraid of heights. Without knowing the full extent of the phobia she went with her family to visit the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. As soon as she arrived at the viewing area, some 630 feet high, she started turning "green" and almost locked up completely. She had to be physically led to the elevator by her helpful husband. Once at the bottom she quickly recovered and enjoyed the rest of the sightseeing trip with her family. In technical terms her fear is called acrophobia.
A phobia is an intense fear of something, that in reality, poses little or no threat of danger. There are literally hundreds of phobias but some of the more commonly recognized ones are: Claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces), agoraphobia (fear of being in public places), arachnophobia (fear of spiders), ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) and brontophobia (fear of lightning or thunder). A phobia can be developed at any stage in life. People can experience mild or very severe phobias. Although the object of the phobia can be different there are symptoms or characteristics that are common in many phobias.
People who have a phobia often have trouble not thinking about the object of their fear. They have a feeling of uncontrollable anxiety when in the presence of the object of their fear. They feel helpless when confronted with it. They worry about upcoming events that may bring them into contact with it. They will go to extremes to avoid it. These are just a few symptoms but they serve well the illustration I want to make. In summary a phobia consumes one’s thinking, renders them helpless and controls the direction of one’s life.
In Ephesians 5:21 and others in the Scriptures we are told to "Fear God". To many this can be a confusing concept. We are to fear the One who loves and cares for us like a Father? The common Greek word for fear is "phobos" (noun) or "phobeo" (verb). This is where our word for phobia comes from. The Bible says we are to have a phobia of God. One common explanation of fearing God is to have a deep reverence for Him. This is true but may still leave one confused. Another is that we are to fear God because He has the power of life and death over us. This explanation completely negates the loving relationship He wants to have with us. In our usual definition of fear, fearing God can almost seem like a negative thing. Let’s look at the fear of God using our three part summary of phobias.
If we have a good and healthy God-phobia, our thinking will be consumed by thoughts of God. He will dominate our lives. When we are at a crossroad to sin our God-phobia will direct our thoughts to righteousness and away from sin. If we have a good and healthy God-phobia, His presence in our lives will render us helpless. We will experience II Cor 12:9 where "His strength is made perfect in our weakness..." In our helpless condition, He will be able to work out His power in our lives. If we have a good and healthy God-phobia, He will control the direction of our lives. Our God-phobia will affect every decision we make, every path we walk and every word we speak. We need a good case of God-phobia.
God, help us to fear You in a good and healthy way. May You consume our thoughts, bring us to a state of helplessness in our own strength, and control every aspect of the direction of our lives. Amen!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Unity in the Battle
Philippians 1:27 (ESV) "Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,"
Imagine you are a soldier on the battlefield. Your commander has given you a task, a mission. You and the men in your company are to take a particular piece of ground. It’s a strategic piece of ground. The fate of the entire battle rests on the men of your company taking and occupying it. The battle is raging. Bombs are exploding all around you. Bullets are flying overhead. You are in your fox-hole with two other members of your company and suddenly you hear one say to the other, “Yesterday you mentioned that you believe in a mid-tribulation rapture. Is that really what you believe? You do? Well that’s just wrong. I can’t fight with you anymore. Go find another fox-hole”. Not too far from you there is another conversation taking place. One man says to another, “You dress very strange when we are not in uniform. Your pants have holes in them and your t-shirts are ragged. You don’t look like me and I don’t want to fight with you anymore. Get someone else to watch your back.” Behind another barricade someone says, “I don’t like your music or style of worship. It’s just too ……… so I‘m leaving to find another fighting partner”. I can tell you, with relative certainty, that these soldiers will not be able to accomplish their mission.
It’s altogether obvious how ineffective a company of soldiers would be if there were these kinds of ridiculous, petty things taking place in the middle of an all important battle. Yet it happens with regularity in the middle of the most important battle of all, the battle for the souls of men. Churches and Christians all over this country fight and bicker and separate completely over points of doctrine, styles of worship and outward appearances. In the midst of our arguing and focusing on these relatively trivial issues we often forget why we are here. We spend so much time and energy on extraneous things we are ineffective in accomplishing the mission our Commander has set out for us. We have a mission. We are to go out into all the world and preach the Gospel. We are to make disciples. We are to build-up Christians for the work of the ministry. We are to provide a place where Christians can come together for fellowship and corporate worship. The mission should be our focus. Not the style of someone’s worship, or how they dress or what they believe in every single point of doctrine. These things are important to us as individuals but they are never more important than the Mission given to us by our Commander.
I am not advocating an “Ecumenical” gathering where we compromise everything we believe to be true and right for the sake of peace across widely diverse denominational lines. I am talking about a Biblical unity that brings us together for the Cause of Christ, for His Mission. I am talking about the kind of unity Paul wanted for the Philippian believers when he wrote in Philippians 1:27 “…that you are standing fast in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the Gospel.”
God, help us to unite around your Mission. May we be willing and able to look beyond the minor differences between us and “strive side by side for the Gospel“. Help us to move forward as the mighty army of God and take the ground for your sake. Amen!
Imagine you are a soldier on the battlefield. Your commander has given you a task, a mission. You and the men in your company are to take a particular piece of ground. It’s a strategic piece of ground. The fate of the entire battle rests on the men of your company taking and occupying it. The battle is raging. Bombs are exploding all around you. Bullets are flying overhead. You are in your fox-hole with two other members of your company and suddenly you hear one say to the other, “Yesterday you mentioned that you believe in a mid-tribulation rapture. Is that really what you believe? You do? Well that’s just wrong. I can’t fight with you anymore. Go find another fox-hole”. Not too far from you there is another conversation taking place. One man says to another, “You dress very strange when we are not in uniform. Your pants have holes in them and your t-shirts are ragged. You don’t look like me and I don’t want to fight with you anymore. Get someone else to watch your back.” Behind another barricade someone says, “I don’t like your music or style of worship. It’s just too ……… so I‘m leaving to find another fighting partner”. I can tell you, with relative certainty, that these soldiers will not be able to accomplish their mission.
It’s altogether obvious how ineffective a company of soldiers would be if there were these kinds of ridiculous, petty things taking place in the middle of an all important battle. Yet it happens with regularity in the middle of the most important battle of all, the battle for the souls of men. Churches and Christians all over this country fight and bicker and separate completely over points of doctrine, styles of worship and outward appearances. In the midst of our arguing and focusing on these relatively trivial issues we often forget why we are here. We spend so much time and energy on extraneous things we are ineffective in accomplishing the mission our Commander has set out for us. We have a mission. We are to go out into all the world and preach the Gospel. We are to make disciples. We are to build-up Christians for the work of the ministry. We are to provide a place where Christians can come together for fellowship and corporate worship. The mission should be our focus. Not the style of someone’s worship, or how they dress or what they believe in every single point of doctrine. These things are important to us as individuals but they are never more important than the Mission given to us by our Commander.
I am not advocating an “Ecumenical” gathering where we compromise everything we believe to be true and right for the sake of peace across widely diverse denominational lines. I am talking about a Biblical unity that brings us together for the Cause of Christ, for His Mission. I am talking about the kind of unity Paul wanted for the Philippian believers when he wrote in Philippians 1:27 “…that you are standing fast in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the Gospel.”
God, help us to unite around your Mission. May we be willing and able to look beyond the minor differences between us and “strive side by side for the Gospel“. Help us to move forward as the mighty army of God and take the ground for your sake. Amen!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Abraham and the Trial of Trials
Genesis 22:1-2 (ESV) After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."
"I don’t understand." "It’s not at all logical." "This doesn’t fit into my paradigm." "Human sacrifice is a pagan ritual." "It’s just plain wrong!" "Why must I do this terrible thing?"
I cannot even begin to imagine the kind of trial that Abraham went through when God tested him. It would be beyond description to even think about sacrificing one’s own son. The Bible does not tell us what went through Abraham’s mind after this short conversation with God. Did he spend the night in prayer and fasting? Did he question, even a little bit, the task God gave to him? I tend to think he may have but we don’t know. What we do know is this: God called him and he said "Here am I." God gave him the command and Abraham "...rose early in the morning, ....and went to the place of which God had told him."
Here is Abraham, a man who miraculously had a son when he and his wife were well beyond normal child bearing age. God had told him this promised son would be the father of a great nation that would number as the stars of heaven. He made a covenant with Abraham and his seed who had not yet been born. Abraham had doubts at times about this promised son. He struggled with the idea. He even tried to cheat and bring it about in his own power. This sounds a lot like me and I dare say a lot like many of us. We read God’s promises and for the most part believe them. Yet so often we try to go it our own way. We try to accomplish God’s will for our lives in our own wisdom and strength. God then must test us, try us and prove us to show us where our faith is lacking. Abraham had been tested many times before and had passed them all. He had been proven his faith time and time again. He had his share of problems and failures but he was without a doubt a man of great faith.
Yet in God’s all-knowing wisdom, something in his character still needed to be proven. God devised what seemed like the ultimate test of obedience and devotion. God told him to step outside of everything he thought he knew to be right. He gave Abraham a command that defied all he thought he knew about God. He was told to take his only son, the son of promise, the father of a great nation, and sacrifice him on the altar. We don’t know exactly what Abraham believed would happen but we know He had faith in God. He told his servants "We will go yonder and worship and come again to you..." He told Isaac "God will provide a lamb for the burnt offering..." In Hebrews 11:19 we read "He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead..."
God tested Abraham. And Abraham passed the test. He indeed sacrificed his son. He didn’t have to slay him but there was sacrifice in his obedience. In verse 12 it says "...now I know that you fear God..." Why did God test Abraham? I think God already knew the answer. He wanted Abraham to grow in his faith and he surely did. When we are tested we may not know why. We may not understand the things God puts us through. We may not be able to wrap our feeble mind around God’s will for the trial. But this one thing we can always be assured of... God wants us to fear Him. He wants us to draw close to Him. He wants us to walk with Him by faith and not by sight. We can always rest assured that "God will provide..." Your test may not be as demanding and grueling as Abraham’s but it is God’s test for you. Believe God, like Abraham believed God, and it will be counted to you as righteousness. God bless you!
"I don’t understand." "It’s not at all logical." "This doesn’t fit into my paradigm." "Human sacrifice is a pagan ritual." "It’s just plain wrong!" "Why must I do this terrible thing?"
I cannot even begin to imagine the kind of trial that Abraham went through when God tested him. It would be beyond description to even think about sacrificing one’s own son. The Bible does not tell us what went through Abraham’s mind after this short conversation with God. Did he spend the night in prayer and fasting? Did he question, even a little bit, the task God gave to him? I tend to think he may have but we don’t know. What we do know is this: God called him and he said "Here am I." God gave him the command and Abraham "...rose early in the morning, ....and went to the place of which God had told him."
Here is Abraham, a man who miraculously had a son when he and his wife were well beyond normal child bearing age. God had told him this promised son would be the father of a great nation that would number as the stars of heaven. He made a covenant with Abraham and his seed who had not yet been born. Abraham had doubts at times about this promised son. He struggled with the idea. He even tried to cheat and bring it about in his own power. This sounds a lot like me and I dare say a lot like many of us. We read God’s promises and for the most part believe them. Yet so often we try to go it our own way. We try to accomplish God’s will for our lives in our own wisdom and strength. God then must test us, try us and prove us to show us where our faith is lacking. Abraham had been tested many times before and had passed them all. He had been proven his faith time and time again. He had his share of problems and failures but he was without a doubt a man of great faith.
Yet in God’s all-knowing wisdom, something in his character still needed to be proven. God devised what seemed like the ultimate test of obedience and devotion. God told him to step outside of everything he thought he knew to be right. He gave Abraham a command that defied all he thought he knew about God. He was told to take his only son, the son of promise, the father of a great nation, and sacrifice him on the altar. We don’t know exactly what Abraham believed would happen but we know He had faith in God. He told his servants "We will go yonder and worship and come again to you..." He told Isaac "God will provide a lamb for the burnt offering..." In Hebrews 11:19 we read "He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead..."
God tested Abraham. And Abraham passed the test. He indeed sacrificed his son. He didn’t have to slay him but there was sacrifice in his obedience. In verse 12 it says "...now I know that you fear God..." Why did God test Abraham? I think God already knew the answer. He wanted Abraham to grow in his faith and he surely did. When we are tested we may not know why. We may not understand the things God puts us through. We may not be able to wrap our feeble mind around God’s will for the trial. But this one thing we can always be assured of... God wants us to fear Him. He wants us to draw close to Him. He wants us to walk with Him by faith and not by sight. We can always rest assured that "God will provide..." Your test may not be as demanding and grueling as Abraham’s but it is God’s test for you. Believe God, like Abraham believed God, and it will be counted to you as righteousness. God bless you!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
The Cry of Affliction
Jonah 2:1-2 (ESV) Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, "I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of hell I cried, and you heard my voice."
Jonah’s affliction, his hell, was brought on by his refusal to obey God’s call for his life. His cry of affliction, however, is the same cry made by men, women and children all over the world throughout the history of the world. It is the cry of a person at the end of his rope with no where left to go. It is the cry of a person at the end of himself. It is the desperate cry of a person with no where left to turn but to his Maker, the Lord God Almighty. It is the cry of humble submission that says, “God help me! I can’t do this anymore.“ or “God! I don’t know what to do. Please show me the way!“ This is the cry of affliction made by Jonah from the belly of the whale.
This place of humble submission is exactly where God wants His children to be. He wants us fully dependent on Him. He will do what is necessary to get us to that point. Sometimes the trials of life are God’s plan to get us at the point of total submission and dependence. Sometimes the trials come about as a result of our sin or stupidity, like Jonah. Sometimes it just rains and we get wet. From the standpoint of “Why is this happening to me?“, it really doesn’t matter what caused the trial. We ask questions like “Did my sin cause this trial?“ or “Did God bring this upon me?“ or “Did God allow this bad thing to happen to me?“. The answer to these questions as it relates to the trials of life is irrelevant. The purpose of the trial, regardless of the cause, is always to brings us to the point of total submission and dependence on our Heavenly Father.
This cry of affliction we make in our trials will sound different for each of us in each situation. The cry may sound different but the heart of the cry varies little. When we come to the end of ourselves and cry out to God we should do so in confession, submission, humility and praise. The trial may not end or go away but it matters less to us now because there is less of us trying to control our circumstances or figure a way out of the trial. We have placed ourselves in His hands and are trusting in His goodness. And that is a very good and safe place to be!
The cry of affliction that Jonah made is the cry all of us need to make. And when we do, God is pleased. Therefore, being brought to our knees through trial and tribulation should be considered a good thing. It may not feel good in the middle of trial but the result is glorious. The result is a closer and deeper relationship with God. Paul told us in Philippians that to know Him is to know the fellowship of His sufferings.
So going through trials and tribulations empties us of self and draws us closer to God which please and glorifies Him. This sounds like a “win, win” situation. Cry out to God from your trial and win! Amen!
Jonah’s affliction, his hell, was brought on by his refusal to obey God’s call for his life. His cry of affliction, however, is the same cry made by men, women and children all over the world throughout the history of the world. It is the cry of a person at the end of his rope with no where left to go. It is the cry of a person at the end of himself. It is the desperate cry of a person with no where left to turn but to his Maker, the Lord God Almighty. It is the cry of humble submission that says, “God help me! I can’t do this anymore.“ or “God! I don’t know what to do. Please show me the way!“ This is the cry of affliction made by Jonah from the belly of the whale.
This place of humble submission is exactly where God wants His children to be. He wants us fully dependent on Him. He will do what is necessary to get us to that point. Sometimes the trials of life are God’s plan to get us at the point of total submission and dependence. Sometimes the trials come about as a result of our sin or stupidity, like Jonah. Sometimes it just rains and we get wet. From the standpoint of “Why is this happening to me?“, it really doesn’t matter what caused the trial. We ask questions like “Did my sin cause this trial?“ or “Did God bring this upon me?“ or “Did God allow this bad thing to happen to me?“. The answer to these questions as it relates to the trials of life is irrelevant. The purpose of the trial, regardless of the cause, is always to brings us to the point of total submission and dependence on our Heavenly Father.
This cry of affliction we make in our trials will sound different for each of us in each situation. The cry may sound different but the heart of the cry varies little. When we come to the end of ourselves and cry out to God we should do so in confession, submission, humility and praise. The trial may not end or go away but it matters less to us now because there is less of us trying to control our circumstances or figure a way out of the trial. We have placed ourselves in His hands and are trusting in His goodness. And that is a very good and safe place to be!
The cry of affliction that Jonah made is the cry all of us need to make. And when we do, God is pleased. Therefore, being brought to our knees through trial and tribulation should be considered a good thing. It may not feel good in the middle of trial but the result is glorious. The result is a closer and deeper relationship with God. Paul told us in Philippians that to know Him is to know the fellowship of His sufferings.
So going through trials and tribulations empties us of self and draws us closer to God which please and glorifies Him. This sounds like a “win, win” situation. Cry out to God from your trial and win! Amen!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
The Fire of Purification
1 Peter 4:12-13 (ESV) "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed."
On January 24, 1848, James Wilson Marshall discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California, and the California Gold Rush began. Within a short period of time, some 300,000 men, women and children flocked to the California to seek their fortune. The California Gold Rush may be the biggest and most famous of gold rushes in our nation’s history but was by no means the only one. There were gold mines throughout the mountains of Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. People worked hard to find the gold and get it to the market. They panned for it. They dug for it. Some stole to get it. A few made fortunes. Some made a living and many other lost their lives in the pursuit of gold.
Before gold could be considered “useful” as a precious metal and made into jewelry or currency, it had to go through a complicated process of refinement. It was separated from the minerals surrounding it and then refined by great heat to further remove impurities. As more junk was removed from the gold it became more pure and valuable.
In the Bible there are many references to this refining process in relation to the Christian life. It is a very appropriate analogy. Peter uses the analogy here in I Peter 4:12-13. He calls it a fiery trial. He tells us not to be concerned that this fiery trial is a foreign or strange thing. The obvious implication is that it is a normal part of the Christian life. We come to Christ as gold in the rough. We are valuable to God. He gave His only Son to redeem us. But we come to Him like gold ore in a mixture of other minerals and junk. There is much of the world and the flesh that taints the purity of the gold. Through fiery trials He begins to separate the gold from the junk. Over and over again, he stokes the fire until some impurity rises to the top to be skimmed off. He will continue the refining process until we are conformed to the image of Christ. This is the ultimate goal of the refining process in the Christian life. Paul tells us in Romans 8:29 that we are “predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…”
As more and more of the impurities are removed, Peter tells us that His glory is revealed. We become more like Him. Certainly it is not an easy process but the end is glorious! I like the way the KJV translates the verse. It says “…that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” This literally means we should “jump for joy” at the thought of His glory being revealed in us!!
Be encouraged. He is always at work in your life. The trial you are going through now, or soon will be going through, is for a purpose. He is working to remove the junk from the ore of your life so more of His glory will shine through. Don’t fight it. Though the pain and heartache may seem to be unbearable, hold on to the truth of I Peter 4:12-13. As you share in Christ’s sufferings He will reveal His glory. Amen!
On January 24, 1848, James Wilson Marshall discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California, and the California Gold Rush began. Within a short period of time, some 300,000 men, women and children flocked to the California to seek their fortune. The California Gold Rush may be the biggest and most famous of gold rushes in our nation’s history but was by no means the only one. There were gold mines throughout the mountains of Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. People worked hard to find the gold and get it to the market. They panned for it. They dug for it. Some stole to get it. A few made fortunes. Some made a living and many other lost their lives in the pursuit of gold.
Before gold could be considered “useful” as a precious metal and made into jewelry or currency, it had to go through a complicated process of refinement. It was separated from the minerals surrounding it and then refined by great heat to further remove impurities. As more junk was removed from the gold it became more pure and valuable.
In the Bible there are many references to this refining process in relation to the Christian life. It is a very appropriate analogy. Peter uses the analogy here in I Peter 4:12-13. He calls it a fiery trial. He tells us not to be concerned that this fiery trial is a foreign or strange thing. The obvious implication is that it is a normal part of the Christian life. We come to Christ as gold in the rough. We are valuable to God. He gave His only Son to redeem us. But we come to Him like gold ore in a mixture of other minerals and junk. There is much of the world and the flesh that taints the purity of the gold. Through fiery trials He begins to separate the gold from the junk. Over and over again, he stokes the fire until some impurity rises to the top to be skimmed off. He will continue the refining process until we are conformed to the image of Christ. This is the ultimate goal of the refining process in the Christian life. Paul tells us in Romans 8:29 that we are “predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…”
As more and more of the impurities are removed, Peter tells us that His glory is revealed. We become more like Him. Certainly it is not an easy process but the end is glorious! I like the way the KJV translates the verse. It says “…that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” This literally means we should “jump for joy” at the thought of His glory being revealed in us!!
Be encouraged. He is always at work in your life. The trial you are going through now, or soon will be going through, is for a purpose. He is working to remove the junk from the ore of your life so more of His glory will shine through. Don’t fight it. Though the pain and heartache may seem to be unbearable, hold on to the truth of I Peter 4:12-13. As you share in Christ’s sufferings He will reveal His glory. Amen!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Knowing your heart
Deuteronomy 8:2 (ESV) “And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.”
God led the Israelites through the wilderness for 40 years. It was not easy roaming around in the wilderness. They had no homeland. They moved from place to place. It had to be tiring and frustrating for the people of Israel. The Bible, in Deut 8:2 points out a very specific purpose for their wilderness experience. God wanted to humble them. This is the same word we saw in Psalm 119:67 translated “afflicted”. By humbling them in their wilderness experience, God was able to remove some of the obstacles that prevented their growth as people of God.
The verse then says that He humbled them so He would know their hearts. I ask myself… ”Why would God need to test the people to know their hearts? He knows the heart of man better than man knows his own heart.” Think of it this way. Have you ever asked a difficult question of your children for which you already knew the answer? You may coach them along a little bit depending on their knowledge level and age. You watch them wrestle with it. You can “see the wheels turning” in their mind. Eventually, they get the right answer. They arrive at the conclusion you already knew. And when they finally get it right they have learned the more for having “worked“ for the answer.
Oftentimes, our Heavenly Father does the same with us. He “Tests us to know what is in our hearts”. In all actuality He wants us to know what is in our hearts. He gives us a problem to wrestle with. He knows the answer and could easily give it to us. But then we would lose out on the growth that comes from experience. We need the hard times and trials of life so we can come to know ourselves. As we go through life we can deceive ourselves into thinking everything is OK. All is well. We are doing just fine. Our lives are in perfect harmony. Or so we think. Then God places us in a difficult circumstance or trial and we begin to see just how “not so good” things are. Our eyes are opened to our shortcomings. We learn just how frail we really are.
This is a good thing! For when we see ourselves in our weakness, we have no real choice but to cling to His strength. Trusting completely in Him is such a great place to be. Think about it! He looks deep within our hearts and sees an area of weakness. He gives us the “question” like a Father does a small child. He coaches us and guides us to the desired conclusion. He cares for us all along the rocky road until we reach the “answer” to the question. We are humbled. The light finally comes on and we see within ourselves what He knew all along. Our gracious Heavenly Father has, faithfully helped us to grow more into the likeness of His Son.
I want to encourage you in your trials of life to allow God to show you who you really are deep down inside. It may not be easy but it will be worth the effort. Your walk with Him will be sweeter and more intimate. Let God work through your trial to humble you and draw you closer to Him. Let Him remove some of the “you” that gets in the way of a deeper relationship with Him. God bless you!
God led the Israelites through the wilderness for 40 years. It was not easy roaming around in the wilderness. They had no homeland. They moved from place to place. It had to be tiring and frustrating for the people of Israel. The Bible, in Deut 8:2 points out a very specific purpose for their wilderness experience. God wanted to humble them. This is the same word we saw in Psalm 119:67 translated “afflicted”. By humbling them in their wilderness experience, God was able to remove some of the obstacles that prevented their growth as people of God.
The verse then says that He humbled them so He would know their hearts. I ask myself… ”Why would God need to test the people to know their hearts? He knows the heart of man better than man knows his own heart.” Think of it this way. Have you ever asked a difficult question of your children for which you already knew the answer? You may coach them along a little bit depending on their knowledge level and age. You watch them wrestle with it. You can “see the wheels turning” in their mind. Eventually, they get the right answer. They arrive at the conclusion you already knew. And when they finally get it right they have learned the more for having “worked“ for the answer.
Oftentimes, our Heavenly Father does the same with us. He “Tests us to know what is in our hearts”. In all actuality He wants us to know what is in our hearts. He gives us a problem to wrestle with. He knows the answer and could easily give it to us. But then we would lose out on the growth that comes from experience. We need the hard times and trials of life so we can come to know ourselves. As we go through life we can deceive ourselves into thinking everything is OK. All is well. We are doing just fine. Our lives are in perfect harmony. Or so we think. Then God places us in a difficult circumstance or trial and we begin to see just how “not so good” things are. Our eyes are opened to our shortcomings. We learn just how frail we really are.
This is a good thing! For when we see ourselves in our weakness, we have no real choice but to cling to His strength. Trusting completely in Him is such a great place to be. Think about it! He looks deep within our hearts and sees an area of weakness. He gives us the “question” like a Father does a small child. He coaches us and guides us to the desired conclusion. He cares for us all along the rocky road until we reach the “answer” to the question. We are humbled. The light finally comes on and we see within ourselves what He knew all along. Our gracious Heavenly Father has, faithfully helped us to grow more into the likeness of His Son.
I want to encourage you in your trials of life to allow God to show you who you really are deep down inside. It may not be easy but it will be worth the effort. Your walk with Him will be sweeter and more intimate. Let God work through your trial to humble you and draw you closer to Him. Let Him remove some of the “you” that gets in the way of a deeper relationship with Him. God bless you!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Trials of Life - Psalm 119:67
Psalms 119:67 (ESV) “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.”
David was a man much afflicted with Trials of Life. Sometimes trials came his way through no fault of his own. He was pursued by King Saul because of Saul’s jealousy and fear. He later had a series of difficult times because of his sin with Bath-sheba. Throughout the Psalms he writes much about afflictions, trials and difficult times. David, no doubt, learned much from the trials he went through. Here in Psalm 119:67 he gives us a little insight into one of the “why’s” of afflictions and trials.
David tells us that he had gone astray but through affliction he was brought back to obedience of God’s Word. The word used here for afflicted means also to be oppressed or humbled. God humbled David by afflicting him and in doing so He caused David to see his sin. He repented of that sin and turned again to God. He began to walk with God as he had before he went astray.
God uses trials and difficulties to humble us and convict us of our sin. He wants us to walk with Him and when we stray off course He will sometimes use hard times to achieve the desired result of repentance and reconciliation. If you are steering a ship or driving a car you have experienced “drifting off course”. We must continually make small course corrections to keep the car or ship going in the right direction. I remember when I was first learning to drive and wanted to hold the steering wheel completely still. I would drift off to one side of the road or the other and would have to turn the wheel slightly to stay in the middle of the road. It didn’t take long to figure out that I had to continually make these small steering corrections to compensate for the uneven road conditions, wind, and even play in the steering of the vehicle. God often uses the trying times of our lives to steer us back on course.
Does this mean that every “bad thing” that happens to us is a result of some terrible sin? Absolutely not! We need to be very careful not to cast blame when we are suffering in difficult times. When we start casting blame, we begin with ourselves. We can then move on to our circumstances or other people. Often in the blame-game we end up blaming God. So don’t start down that road. Accept the fact that sometimes it just rains. Sometimes the sun shines. Jesus said in Matthew 5:44-45 (ESV) “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
There is no doubt that we are sinners. We live in a sinful world and we constantly battle our sinful flesh. We are prone to sin so we should use occasions of trials and tribulation to search out our hearts, confess our sins and ensure that we are in walking in obedience to God. Whatever the “cause” of our trial is, we can rest assured that God is always on our side. He knows what we are going through. He may be just bringing some rain (with the accompanying thunder and lightning) or He may be trying to steer us back on course with some affliction. God bless you!
David was a man much afflicted with Trials of Life. Sometimes trials came his way through no fault of his own. He was pursued by King Saul because of Saul’s jealousy and fear. He later had a series of difficult times because of his sin with Bath-sheba. Throughout the Psalms he writes much about afflictions, trials and difficult times. David, no doubt, learned much from the trials he went through. Here in Psalm 119:67 he gives us a little insight into one of the “why’s” of afflictions and trials.
David tells us that he had gone astray but through affliction he was brought back to obedience of God’s Word. The word used here for afflicted means also to be oppressed or humbled. God humbled David by afflicting him and in doing so He caused David to see his sin. He repented of that sin and turned again to God. He began to walk with God as he had before he went astray.
God uses trials and difficulties to humble us and convict us of our sin. He wants us to walk with Him and when we stray off course He will sometimes use hard times to achieve the desired result of repentance and reconciliation. If you are steering a ship or driving a car you have experienced “drifting off course”. We must continually make small course corrections to keep the car or ship going in the right direction. I remember when I was first learning to drive and wanted to hold the steering wheel completely still. I would drift off to one side of the road or the other and would have to turn the wheel slightly to stay in the middle of the road. It didn’t take long to figure out that I had to continually make these small steering corrections to compensate for the uneven road conditions, wind, and even play in the steering of the vehicle. God often uses the trying times of our lives to steer us back on course.
Does this mean that every “bad thing” that happens to us is a result of some terrible sin? Absolutely not! We need to be very careful not to cast blame when we are suffering in difficult times. When we start casting blame, we begin with ourselves. We can then move on to our circumstances or other people. Often in the blame-game we end up blaming God. So don’t start down that road. Accept the fact that sometimes it just rains. Sometimes the sun shines. Jesus said in Matthew 5:44-45 (ESV) “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
There is no doubt that we are sinners. We live in a sinful world and we constantly battle our sinful flesh. We are prone to sin so we should use occasions of trials and tribulation to search out our hearts, confess our sins and ensure that we are in walking in obedience to God. Whatever the “cause” of our trial is, we can rest assured that God is always on our side. He knows what we are going through. He may be just bringing some rain (with the accompanying thunder and lightning) or He may be trying to steer us back on course with some affliction. God bless you!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
James 1:3,4
James 1:2-4 (ESV) "2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Besides learning to choose joy or command or be in charge of our own joy in verse two, James gives us two other benefits of going through trials or temptations. In verse three he writes that the trials and testing we go through produce steadfastness, or as the KJV puts it, patience. The idea of the word here is “to bear up under, to endure, to be patient regarding things or circumstances”. The specific things or circumstances here being the testing and trying of our faith. It comes from a root word that means to stay under voluntarily, to remain under.
Another word that needs examining is the word “let” in verse 4. This word means to have and hold or to have continued possession of. This idea adds a new dimension to patience or steadfastness. As is choosing or commanding joy, James is telling us that for patience to be fully effective or to come to fruition in our life, we must have possession of that patience by voluntarily staying in the trial that is causing us so much pain, or sorrow or hardship.
It is so easy to try to seek a way out of the trials of life but we should carefully consider the consequences of escape. As a prison worker I have had many classes on how to be a hostage if that unpleasant situation were to ever occur. One of the things we are always taught is to carefully consider that consequences of trying to escape the hostage takers. If you fail will it bring more harm to you? If you succeed will the hostage takers become more aggressive to your fellow hostages who were left behind in your escape? If we, as Christians, try to escape the trials of life will we leave behind a hostage? The very thing God is trying to accomplish in your life may very well be left undone in your escape. God wants us to “let” patience work in our lives. Takes ownership of it and don’t try to escape. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV) “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Don’t be confused here by the word escape. The context tells us that Paul is not talking about escape out of a trial but escape by going through it and enduring it.
Lastly, in verse 4, James tells us that is we will stay in the trial; if we will bear up under the circumstances; if we will let patience work; if we will do these things we will grow to maturity in Christ, perfect and complete. He also states we will be lacking in nothing. This is obviously not a statement of having everything we want or think we want. It means we will gain everything from trial that God intended us to gain. We will lack nothing from the lesson of the trial.
If you are going through a very difficult time right now, I urge you to consider these words. Choose joy. Don’t try to rush out of the trial. Let patience work in you. Learn what God is trying to teach you. Become the mature Christian He wants you to be. I can assure you that even though doing these things may be hard it will pay off in the end. God bless you in your trial of life.
Besides learning to choose joy or command or be in charge of our own joy in verse two, James gives us two other benefits of going through trials or temptations. In verse three he writes that the trials and testing we go through produce steadfastness, or as the KJV puts it, patience. The idea of the word here is “to bear up under, to endure, to be patient regarding things or circumstances”. The specific things or circumstances here being the testing and trying of our faith. It comes from a root word that means to stay under voluntarily, to remain under.
Another word that needs examining is the word “let” in verse 4. This word means to have and hold or to have continued possession of. This idea adds a new dimension to patience or steadfastness. As is choosing or commanding joy, James is telling us that for patience to be fully effective or to come to fruition in our life, we must have possession of that patience by voluntarily staying in the trial that is causing us so much pain, or sorrow or hardship.
It is so easy to try to seek a way out of the trials of life but we should carefully consider the consequences of escape. As a prison worker I have had many classes on how to be a hostage if that unpleasant situation were to ever occur. One of the things we are always taught is to carefully consider that consequences of trying to escape the hostage takers. If you fail will it bring more harm to you? If you succeed will the hostage takers become more aggressive to your fellow hostages who were left behind in your escape? If we, as Christians, try to escape the trials of life will we leave behind a hostage? The very thing God is trying to accomplish in your life may very well be left undone in your escape. God wants us to “let” patience work in our lives. Takes ownership of it and don’t try to escape. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV) “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Don’t be confused here by the word escape. The context tells us that Paul is not talking about escape out of a trial but escape by going through it and enduring it.
Lastly, in verse 4, James tells us that is we will stay in the trial; if we will bear up under the circumstances; if we will let patience work; if we will do these things we will grow to maturity in Christ, perfect and complete. He also states we will be lacking in nothing. This is obviously not a statement of having everything we want or think we want. It means we will gain everything from trial that God intended us to gain. We will lack nothing from the lesson of the trial.
If you are going through a very difficult time right now, I urge you to consider these words. Choose joy. Don’t try to rush out of the trial. Let patience work in you. Learn what God is trying to teach you. Become the mature Christian He wants you to be. I can assure you that even though doing these things may be hard it will pay off in the end. God bless you in your trial of life.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Trials of Life
I will be starting a new series of weekly devotionals. The focus in this series will be the trials of life. We will look at various Scriptures throughout the Bible that deal with going through struggles. Why do we have to go through them? Can I get through them? What purpose do they serve in my life? The Bible answers these questions and many more about the struggles and trials we all experience.
Suffering, trouble, struggles, trials, and hard times are as much a part of the Christian life as joy and blessing. By necessity we must learn how to approach and deal with these hard times. As My pastor often says, “The forecast is... trouble today and trouble tomorrow.” Or as I heard an old preacher once say, “The Christian life is all about hard times. We’re either coming out of hard times, in the middle of hard times, or heading into hard times.”
I hope and pray that you will be blessed by reading these short devotionals about the hard times we go through as Christians. My goal is to make this a weekly writing but as we all know….Life happens. Struggles come. And things don’t always work out just like we want them to.
May God bless us all!
Wally Long
Suffering, trouble, struggles, trials, and hard times are as much a part of the Christian life as joy and blessing. By necessity we must learn how to approach and deal with these hard times. As My pastor often says, “The forecast is... trouble today and trouble tomorrow.” Or as I heard an old preacher once say, “The Christian life is all about hard times. We’re either coming out of hard times, in the middle of hard times, or heading into hard times.”
I hope and pray that you will be blessed by reading these short devotionals about the hard times we go through as Christians. My goal is to make this a weekly writing but as we all know….Life happens. Struggles come. And things don’t always work out just like we want them to.
May God bless us all!
Wally Long
Trials of Life - James 1:2
James 1:2-4 (ESV) "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds..."
When James writes this letter to Jewish Christians, there are suffering under great persecution from both the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and from the Roman government. They have been “scattered abroad” due to the persecution. Therefore, it is no surprise that he starts his letter with encouraging words about going through “trials of various kinds”. In James 1:2-4, James gives us a few reasons why we go through these trials and what we are to gain from them.
Right out of the gate he says “Count it all joy….”. The word “count” is of interest. The first five times it is used in the NT it is translated as “governor or chief”. The literal meaning is “to lead, to rule, to command or go before”. This idea gives the phrase “count it all joy”, a little stronger tone. We are not just to think or reckon a situation to be one of joy. We are not just to let the situation decide for us if we should be in joy or sadness. We are to lead our mind and heart to joy. We are to have command over the joy we experience in a given trial or hard test.
Another word that needs a little discussion is “meet” trials. The KJV translates the word as “fall into”. This is a more accurate translation. It is a rare word used only three times in the NT. Each time the idea behind the word is for something to come upon you unexpectedly and when you fall into it (thieves in Luke 10:30, swirling waves in Acts 27:41 and various trial here in James 1:2), you are very much surrounded and engulfed by the thing you fell into.
So the first thing James wants us to learn is to command joy from our hearts even in the middle of a trial so unexpected and so all-encompassing that we are very much overwhelmed. We are to lead our attitude to be one of joy and victory, not one of sadness and defeat. I know this is not easy. Our normal tendency when face with a difficult trial is to slip into despair. The pain is great and it doesn’t let up. Where is the joy in ……. ……(name the trial you are going through)? It is tough to find joy in these very difficult trials of life. Maybe that is why God leads us into so many struggles and hard times. Maybe He is giving us “commanding and ruling practice” over our own hearts.
One last thought… Learning to “command” joy from our hearts does not make the pain go away. It will not miraculously make everything better. And it may take a lot of governing before our hearts will listen to us. It also does not mean that we are less than a “spiritual” Christian when we don’t lift our voices at the outset of falling into a trial and say “Praise God! I get to suffer and go through this pain!! Yeah!”. We are to learn to command and rule our heart with joy. We are to learn to “choose” joy.
When we are surrounded by the “trials of life” we have fallen into let us always remember that His hands are bigger than the trials and we are always in His faithful, all-mighty hands. The next time you are tested, try “commanding or choosing” joy. Test God and see if He will be faithful to give you peace and joy in the midst of your trial. I am absolutely confident that He can and He will. Choose Joy!!!
When James writes this letter to Jewish Christians, there are suffering under great persecution from both the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and from the Roman government. They have been “scattered abroad” due to the persecution. Therefore, it is no surprise that he starts his letter with encouraging words about going through “trials of various kinds”. In James 1:2-4, James gives us a few reasons why we go through these trials and what we are to gain from them.
Right out of the gate he says “Count it all joy….”. The word “count” is of interest. The first five times it is used in the NT it is translated as “governor or chief”. The literal meaning is “to lead, to rule, to command or go before”. This idea gives the phrase “count it all joy”, a little stronger tone. We are not just to think or reckon a situation to be one of joy. We are not just to let the situation decide for us if we should be in joy or sadness. We are to lead our mind and heart to joy. We are to have command over the joy we experience in a given trial or hard test.
Another word that needs a little discussion is “meet” trials. The KJV translates the word as “fall into”. This is a more accurate translation. It is a rare word used only three times in the NT. Each time the idea behind the word is for something to come upon you unexpectedly and when you fall into it (thieves in Luke 10:30, swirling waves in Acts 27:41 and various trial here in James 1:2), you are very much surrounded and engulfed by the thing you fell into.
So the first thing James wants us to learn is to command joy from our hearts even in the middle of a trial so unexpected and so all-encompassing that we are very much overwhelmed. We are to lead our attitude to be one of joy and victory, not one of sadness and defeat. I know this is not easy. Our normal tendency when face with a difficult trial is to slip into despair. The pain is great and it doesn’t let up. Where is the joy in ……. ……(name the trial you are going through)? It is tough to find joy in these very difficult trials of life. Maybe that is why God leads us into so many struggles and hard times. Maybe He is giving us “commanding and ruling practice” over our own hearts.
One last thought… Learning to “command” joy from our hearts does not make the pain go away. It will not miraculously make everything better. And it may take a lot of governing before our hearts will listen to us. It also does not mean that we are less than a “spiritual” Christian when we don’t lift our voices at the outset of falling into a trial and say “Praise God! I get to suffer and go through this pain!! Yeah!”. We are to learn to command and rule our heart with joy. We are to learn to “choose” joy.
When we are surrounded by the “trials of life” we have fallen into let us always remember that His hands are bigger than the trials and we are always in His faithful, all-mighty hands. The next time you are tested, try “commanding or choosing” joy. Test God and see if He will be faithful to give you peace and joy in the midst of your trial. I am absolutely confident that He can and He will. Choose Joy!!!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Proverbs Chapter 31
Proverbs 31:8-9 (ESV) "Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy."
I recently heard a speech given by a biker representing Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA). Here was this burly biker type who was obviously very emotional and passionate about the cause for which he was involved. He told stories about children he had come into contact with through BACA. Most of these children came from broken homes and were abused in one way or another. The stories he told were heartbreaking. He explained how he and his associates in BACA stood up for and cared for these helpless children. He also told us how in the process of caring for them, they touched his heart as nothing else ever did.
He may not have known it but he was a living example of the truth and exhortation in Proverbs 31:8,9. He opened his mouth for those who had no voice. He stood up for the rights of the downtrodden and destitute. He defended the rights of the poor and needy. I don’t know if he was a Christian or not but from the content of his speech I suspect he was. I do know that he lived this verse in the way that should be indicative of our churches.
It seems to me that we in the modern evangelical church ought to be about God’s business in all of it’s facets. We like to preach the Gospel, as we should be doing. We like to disciple our new believers, as is our duty. We teach and preach and sing and worship in our Sunday services. It is good and right that we do so. While we are doing these necessary and Godly things we must not forget that there are people in our communities who will not be reached unless we reach down to them, stand up for them and speak up for them. It may not be easy but then standing for what is true and right is seldom easy.
We don’t all need to join BACA or any of the numerous civic organizations in our country who serve the poor and needy. However, if we are to live the whole Gospel we ought to seek out ways to live the truth of today’s verse. It may be lending a helping hand to an elderly neighbor. It may be that we give of our resources to help feed someone who is hungry. Whatever the case may be, we should seek to do something for those who can’t do for themselves.
God help us to speak up and stand up for the weak. Show us how to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Point us to those who are physically, emotionally and spiritually needy. Help us to show Your love to those around us who so desperately need to feel loved. Amen!
I recently heard a speech given by a biker representing Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA). Here was this burly biker type who was obviously very emotional and passionate about the cause for which he was involved. He told stories about children he had come into contact with through BACA. Most of these children came from broken homes and were abused in one way or another. The stories he told were heartbreaking. He explained how he and his associates in BACA stood up for and cared for these helpless children. He also told us how in the process of caring for them, they touched his heart as nothing else ever did.
He may not have known it but he was a living example of the truth and exhortation in Proverbs 31:8,9. He opened his mouth for those who had no voice. He stood up for the rights of the downtrodden and destitute. He defended the rights of the poor and needy. I don’t know if he was a Christian or not but from the content of his speech I suspect he was. I do know that he lived this verse in the way that should be indicative of our churches.
It seems to me that we in the modern evangelical church ought to be about God’s business in all of it’s facets. We like to preach the Gospel, as we should be doing. We like to disciple our new believers, as is our duty. We teach and preach and sing and worship in our Sunday services. It is good and right that we do so. While we are doing these necessary and Godly things we must not forget that there are people in our communities who will not be reached unless we reach down to them, stand up for them and speak up for them. It may not be easy but then standing for what is true and right is seldom easy.
We don’t all need to join BACA or any of the numerous civic organizations in our country who serve the poor and needy. However, if we are to live the whole Gospel we ought to seek out ways to live the truth of today’s verse. It may be lending a helping hand to an elderly neighbor. It may be that we give of our resources to help feed someone who is hungry. Whatever the case may be, we should seek to do something for those who can’t do for themselves.
God help us to speak up and stand up for the weak. Show us how to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Point us to those who are physically, emotionally and spiritually needy. Help us to show Your love to those around us who so desperately need to feel loved. Amen!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Parenting Class is in Session
Here is a link to a speech I gave at a recent Toastmasters contest. It is about how I learned to be a parent. I hope it inspires and encourages you. God bless!
http://inmb.smugmug.com/gallery/8322227_bUQcr#545262396_8hA2P
http://inmb.smugmug.com/gallery/8322227_bUQcr#545262396_8hA2P
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Proverbs Chapter 30
Proverbs 30:5 (KJV) "Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him."
If you’ve ever seen a war movie you seen and heard the soldiers fighting in the war yell, "Incoming!!! Take cover!!!" That phrase has always struck me as a making little sense. Of course as soon as a person knows that dangerous things such as bullets or bombs are heading toward them they will take cover. Imagine if they chose something like a cardboard box or some other flimsy structure to hide behind. You wouldn’t think they were very smart. When taking cover they will seek the biggest, strongest thing around to hide behind. They want something that will stop all the bullets and shrapnel from hurting and/or killing them. They want something big enough to cover and protect their whole body.
In the Christian life we are often likened to soldiers fighting a spiritual battle. And indeed it is a battle! We face an enemy whose cunning and craft are great. He has had a lot of experience in the field of this battle and he is a formidable foe. He has many weapons in his arsenal to use against us. He uses blatant or well disguised temptations. He uses guilt and discouragement. He uses the sin of pride. And he never gives up. He has back-up plan after back-up plan. He throws one kind of weapon at us and if it doesn’t work he can switch tactics at a moments notice and throw something else. So what are we, the Christian Soldier, to do?
We take refuge behind our shield. And our shield is none other than God Himself. Our commander is our protector! He is an all sufficient protector. He is big enough and strong enough to keep us safe from all the weapons in the enemy arsenal. He is our great God. He is Almighty. And to make sure we know that we can put our trust in Him as our great shield and defender, He has given us His Word. His Word that has always proven to be pure and true. The word used in this verse is the word used for the refining of a precious metal such as gold or silver. The sense in which it is used here indicates that the object refined, His Word, is completely and absolutely pure and true. It can never be made to be more pure. It is the 100% pure, unadulterated and infallible Word of God.
We can trust His Word. We can trust Him to guide us in and through His Word. We can trust Him to always be there as our great defender and protector. He has never failed to do so. He won’t fail to protect you. Are you tired from the battle? Has the enemy been throwing everything he has at you? Have you been hurt in these attacks? Do you feel like just laying down and giving up? Take Cover!!! Fight from behind the shield. Move forward in the battle but do it from behind cover. Put your trust in Him and let him be your protector. He longs to show Himself mighty in your behalf. Take up your armor and your sword and get in the battle! I can guarantee you He will always be a shield to those that put their trust in Him. And I can be confident because I know that every Word of God is pure and true. Amen!!!
If you’ve ever seen a war movie you seen and heard the soldiers fighting in the war yell, "Incoming!!! Take cover!!!" That phrase has always struck me as a making little sense. Of course as soon as a person knows that dangerous things such as bullets or bombs are heading toward them they will take cover. Imagine if they chose something like a cardboard box or some other flimsy structure to hide behind. You wouldn’t think they were very smart. When taking cover they will seek the biggest, strongest thing around to hide behind. They want something that will stop all the bullets and shrapnel from hurting and/or killing them. They want something big enough to cover and protect their whole body.
In the Christian life we are often likened to soldiers fighting a spiritual battle. And indeed it is a battle! We face an enemy whose cunning and craft are great. He has had a lot of experience in the field of this battle and he is a formidable foe. He has many weapons in his arsenal to use against us. He uses blatant or well disguised temptations. He uses guilt and discouragement. He uses the sin of pride. And he never gives up. He has back-up plan after back-up plan. He throws one kind of weapon at us and if it doesn’t work he can switch tactics at a moments notice and throw something else. So what are we, the Christian Soldier, to do?
We take refuge behind our shield. And our shield is none other than God Himself. Our commander is our protector! He is an all sufficient protector. He is big enough and strong enough to keep us safe from all the weapons in the enemy arsenal. He is our great God. He is Almighty. And to make sure we know that we can put our trust in Him as our great shield and defender, He has given us His Word. His Word that has always proven to be pure and true. The word used in this verse is the word used for the refining of a precious metal such as gold or silver. The sense in which it is used here indicates that the object refined, His Word, is completely and absolutely pure and true. It can never be made to be more pure. It is the 100% pure, unadulterated and infallible Word of God.
We can trust His Word. We can trust Him to guide us in and through His Word. We can trust Him to always be there as our great defender and protector. He has never failed to do so. He won’t fail to protect you. Are you tired from the battle? Has the enemy been throwing everything he has at you? Have you been hurt in these attacks? Do you feel like just laying down and giving up? Take Cover!!! Fight from behind the shield. Move forward in the battle but do it from behind cover. Put your trust in Him and let him be your protector. He longs to show Himself mighty in your behalf. Take up your armor and your sword and get in the battle! I can guarantee you He will always be a shield to those that put their trust in Him. And I can be confident because I know that every Word of God is pure and true. Amen!!!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Proverbs Chapter 29
Proverbs 29:23 (ESV) "One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor."
Back in the early 90's there was a huge tree in our front yard. It was probably 70 feet tall and about 2 feet in diameter. When it was alive with leaves it would have been a beautiful tree but now it was dead and leaf-less and needed to come down. I pulled out my little Home-lite chainsaw and cut it down. This was probably not the smartest thing I had ever done, in fact, it was downright foolish. The tree eventually did come down where I planned and thankfully I was not killed in the process. This is definitely a story of "how-not-to" cut down a tree. It is also a story that illustrates the point of Proverbs 29:23. And that point is the destructive nature of pride in the human heart.
If one could rank the sins of mankind in order of how destructive each sin is, then pride would have to rank close to if not on the top of that list. At some point in life, every human being is affected by the sin of pride. Pride is the appointment of self above all else. It’s all about "me" and "I". I strive for what "I" want. I seek that which makes "me" feel good. I make sure everyone knows how good "I" am and sees what "I" can do. For a time self can even get by with this "me" attitude. The problem is pride does not nourish my inner being. There is no real, lasting fruit. No leaves. No life. Eventually all that ‘I’ push so hard for and fight for will turn against me. The pride that I walked with pulls out the chainsaw and cuts me down. It doesn’t matter how big I get or how strong I am, pride will bring me down. It lifts me up with promise of glory, fame or strength and then knocks me off the pedestal.
The trick to not getting knocked off is to stay off the pedestal in the first place. We must learn the truth of the second part of Proverbs 29:23. We will obtain honor through humility. This is one of the great paradoxes of the Christian life. When we seek honor in our pride we are brought down but when we live in humility we will obtain honor. The outward result of both parts of this verse are similar. Lowliness is the end result of both the proud and the humble. The difference is that the proud are brought to lowliness against their will while the humble live in lowliness. The proud man seeks honor and may have it for a time but it is short-lived and unsatisfying. The humble man seeks only to serve others. Self is given the back seat of importance. When he strives for anything it is for the purpose of helping and serving those around him.
For a Christian to live a truly fulfilled life we must learn this paradoxical truth. We will be in a low estate one way or another. We can seek self-fulfillment and honor. We can lift ourselves up to fame, honor and glory. We can make sure everyone around us knows how good we are. We can live in our pride and be brought low or we can live low. Our Savior is THE perfect example of a humble servant. He had the power. He had the glory. He had the strength. He had it all yet gave it up to live a humble life among us. He was the King yet became the servant. Let us live the Christ-like, Christian life. Let us live in lowliness and humility. Then an only then will we obtain honor.
Back in the early 90's there was a huge tree in our front yard. It was probably 70 feet tall and about 2 feet in diameter. When it was alive with leaves it would have been a beautiful tree but now it was dead and leaf-less and needed to come down. I pulled out my little Home-lite chainsaw and cut it down. This was probably not the smartest thing I had ever done, in fact, it was downright foolish. The tree eventually did come down where I planned and thankfully I was not killed in the process. This is definitely a story of "how-not-to" cut down a tree. It is also a story that illustrates the point of Proverbs 29:23. And that point is the destructive nature of pride in the human heart.
If one could rank the sins of mankind in order of how destructive each sin is, then pride would have to rank close to if not on the top of that list. At some point in life, every human being is affected by the sin of pride. Pride is the appointment of self above all else. It’s all about "me" and "I". I strive for what "I" want. I seek that which makes "me" feel good. I make sure everyone knows how good "I" am and sees what "I" can do. For a time self can even get by with this "me" attitude. The problem is pride does not nourish my inner being. There is no real, lasting fruit. No leaves. No life. Eventually all that ‘I’ push so hard for and fight for will turn against me. The pride that I walked with pulls out the chainsaw and cuts me down. It doesn’t matter how big I get or how strong I am, pride will bring me down. It lifts me up with promise of glory, fame or strength and then knocks me off the pedestal.
The trick to not getting knocked off is to stay off the pedestal in the first place. We must learn the truth of the second part of Proverbs 29:23. We will obtain honor through humility. This is one of the great paradoxes of the Christian life. When we seek honor in our pride we are brought down but when we live in humility we will obtain honor. The outward result of both parts of this verse are similar. Lowliness is the end result of both the proud and the humble. The difference is that the proud are brought to lowliness against their will while the humble live in lowliness. The proud man seeks honor and may have it for a time but it is short-lived and unsatisfying. The humble man seeks only to serve others. Self is given the back seat of importance. When he strives for anything it is for the purpose of helping and serving those around him.
For a Christian to live a truly fulfilled life we must learn this paradoxical truth. We will be in a low estate one way or another. We can seek self-fulfillment and honor. We can lift ourselves up to fame, honor and glory. We can make sure everyone around us knows how good we are. We can live in our pride and be brought low or we can live low. Our Savior is THE perfect example of a humble servant. He had the power. He had the glory. He had the strength. He had it all yet gave it up to live a humble life among us. He was the King yet became the servant. Let us live the Christ-like, Christian life. Let us live in lowliness and humility. Then an only then will we obtain honor.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Proverbs Chapter 28
Proverbs 28:5(ESV) “Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.”
“I’m innocent”. “I was set-up”. “The cops were dirty”. “They had a grudge against me”.
In over 18 years in the correctional side of law enforcement, I can’t count the number of times I have heard these words and others of similar meaning. To say that all convicted criminals claim innocence would be an exaggeration but a considerable number fight their convictions on various grounds. They claim innocence. They try to prove mental incompetence. They appeal based on improper legal procedures or inadequate legal representation. It is indeed a minority of convicted persons who accept their conviction and serve their debt to society.
I have seen men convicted of heinous crimes walk out after only a few years. I have spoken with those who are sincerely repentant of their not-so-heinous crimes, yet have years to serve in prison before even a possibility of release. We read about murder suspects who walk scot-free due to a slick-talking attorney or a legal technicality. We wonder, “Where is the justice in all of this?” “It’s not fair!” “ How could this happen?” Justice seems to have been lost in the system.
I have asked similar questions many times and I certainly don’t know all the answers. However, I do know where to find the answers! Proverbs 28:5 tells us the answers are found in the Lord. It is by seeking Him that we can understand justice or the apparent lack there-of. We are told here to “seek the Lord”. To seek is an act of striving to find something. We are to find understanding in our relationship with God Almighty. When we read of events in our world and society that are senseless, He can help us to make sense of them. When our system of justice seems to break down and we don’t understand, He can give us understanding. When bad things happen to good people or “bad” people seem to go unpunished, He can put it all in perspective for us.
When you read of some criminal going unpunished, seek the Lord. When you see on the news a rich politician abusing the system with impunity, seek the Lord. When you hear of the pain and suffering of innocent children, seek the Lord. When you are at the receiving end of some terrible injustice, seek the Lord. When you want to know what to do about these situations, seek the Lord. When you are angry and frustrated in the midst of injustice, seek the Lord. Find understanding in Him. Find peace and rest in His strength and wisdom. He is still on His throne. He knows the end of the story. Seek the Lord!
“I’m innocent”. “I was set-up”. “The cops were dirty”. “They had a grudge against me”.
In over 18 years in the correctional side of law enforcement, I can’t count the number of times I have heard these words and others of similar meaning. To say that all convicted criminals claim innocence would be an exaggeration but a considerable number fight their convictions on various grounds. They claim innocence. They try to prove mental incompetence. They appeal based on improper legal procedures or inadequate legal representation. It is indeed a minority of convicted persons who accept their conviction and serve their debt to society.
I have seen men convicted of heinous crimes walk out after only a few years. I have spoken with those who are sincerely repentant of their not-so-heinous crimes, yet have years to serve in prison before even a possibility of release. We read about murder suspects who walk scot-free due to a slick-talking attorney or a legal technicality. We wonder, “Where is the justice in all of this?” “It’s not fair!” “ How could this happen?” Justice seems to have been lost in the system.
I have asked similar questions many times and I certainly don’t know all the answers. However, I do know where to find the answers! Proverbs 28:5 tells us the answers are found in the Lord. It is by seeking Him that we can understand justice or the apparent lack there-of. We are told here to “seek the Lord”. To seek is an act of striving to find something. We are to find understanding in our relationship with God Almighty. When we read of events in our world and society that are senseless, He can help us to make sense of them. When our system of justice seems to break down and we don’t understand, He can give us understanding. When bad things happen to good people or “bad” people seem to go unpunished, He can put it all in perspective for us.
When you read of some criminal going unpunished, seek the Lord. When you see on the news a rich politician abusing the system with impunity, seek the Lord. When you hear of the pain and suffering of innocent children, seek the Lord. When you are at the receiving end of some terrible injustice, seek the Lord. When you want to know what to do about these situations, seek the Lord. When you are angry and frustrated in the midst of injustice, seek the Lord. Find understanding in Him. Find peace and rest in His strength and wisdom. He is still on His throne. He knows the end of the story. Seek the Lord!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Proverbs Chapter 27
Proverbs 27:1 (ESV) "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring."
I was a young, energetic and successful manager for Wendy’s International in Denver, Colorado. When my wife and I moved with our young daughter to Virginia, I accepted a position with a Wendy’s franchise. It wasn’t long before I figured out that I was by far the best manager they had in their small franchise. I had my future planned. I was going to be running the entire operation. Before I was done the owners were going to offer me a part ownership in the company. It was bound to happen. After all, I was the best manager they had working for them. Then one day, my supervisor, sat me down for a little talk. He explained to me that my attitude needed to change. I needed to get with their program. I heard the words he said but to me they meant that he was jealous and afraid of me taking his job. I had it all planned out, right? So his words glanced off my self absorbed brain making no effect. About two weeks later he sat me down for another talk. This time he fired me. I couldn’t believe it! How could they fire me?! They needed me. I was the best! In one fell swoop all my well thought out and ambitious plans were ruined. The future was now out of focus and uncertain. What was I to do?
My tomorrow now looked completely different than what I had envisioned. Not long after being fired, I found a job by signing up for active duty in the USMC. Talk about a change in plans! My story is not unique. Most likely all of us at one point or another have seen our carefully laid plans or dreams for tomorrow dashed to pieces in a single moment. Sometimes it may be a consequence of our own actions, like with me getting fired. Other times there is just take dramatic turn of events and things change. So what are we to do or learn?
The Bible is clear about what our attitude and outlook on tomorrow ought to be. "We don’t know what a day may bring forth". James says tomorrow comes and goes just like a water vapor appears and then vanishes. Jesus told us "Don’t worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own." So is it wrong to make plans? Absolutely not! Making no plans whatsoever would be akin to setting sail in the middle of the ocean with no rudder and no concern for where you ended up. We should make good plans. We should make wise investments. But in all of our planning and investing we should remember that we really don’t know what will come tomorrow. Tomorrow may be better than we plan or it may be much worse. For some tomorrow may not even arrive.
With all the uncertainty about tomorrow there is one thing of which we can be absolutely certain. God knows our tomorrow and He holds it in His hands. We can depend on it. We can trust in Him for the future. When our plans change, and they will, it’s OK. God is not surprised. He is firmly on His throne. He loves you and cares for you. He will not forsake you today and He will not forsake you tomorrow. So make your plans but don’t "boast about tomorrow". Make your plans but understand that you "don’t know what a day may bring forth". Make your plans but don’t depend on them. Depend on Him. I tell you with all confidence that He won’t let you down. Your future is secure in Him.
I was a young, energetic and successful manager for Wendy’s International in Denver, Colorado. When my wife and I moved with our young daughter to Virginia, I accepted a position with a Wendy’s franchise. It wasn’t long before I figured out that I was by far the best manager they had in their small franchise. I had my future planned. I was going to be running the entire operation. Before I was done the owners were going to offer me a part ownership in the company. It was bound to happen. After all, I was the best manager they had working for them. Then one day, my supervisor, sat me down for a little talk. He explained to me that my attitude needed to change. I needed to get with their program. I heard the words he said but to me they meant that he was jealous and afraid of me taking his job. I had it all planned out, right? So his words glanced off my self absorbed brain making no effect. About two weeks later he sat me down for another talk. This time he fired me. I couldn’t believe it! How could they fire me?! They needed me. I was the best! In one fell swoop all my well thought out and ambitious plans were ruined. The future was now out of focus and uncertain. What was I to do?
My tomorrow now looked completely different than what I had envisioned. Not long after being fired, I found a job by signing up for active duty in the USMC. Talk about a change in plans! My story is not unique. Most likely all of us at one point or another have seen our carefully laid plans or dreams for tomorrow dashed to pieces in a single moment. Sometimes it may be a consequence of our own actions, like with me getting fired. Other times there is just take dramatic turn of events and things change. So what are we to do or learn?
The Bible is clear about what our attitude and outlook on tomorrow ought to be. "We don’t know what a day may bring forth". James says tomorrow comes and goes just like a water vapor appears and then vanishes. Jesus told us "Don’t worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own." So is it wrong to make plans? Absolutely not! Making no plans whatsoever would be akin to setting sail in the middle of the ocean with no rudder and no concern for where you ended up. We should make good plans. We should make wise investments. But in all of our planning and investing we should remember that we really don’t know what will come tomorrow. Tomorrow may be better than we plan or it may be much worse. For some tomorrow may not even arrive.
With all the uncertainty about tomorrow there is one thing of which we can be absolutely certain. God knows our tomorrow and He holds it in His hands. We can depend on it. We can trust in Him for the future. When our plans change, and they will, it’s OK. God is not surprised. He is firmly on His throne. He loves you and cares for you. He will not forsake you today and He will not forsake you tomorrow. So make your plans but don’t "boast about tomorrow". Make your plans but understand that you "don’t know what a day may bring forth". Make your plans but don’t depend on them. Depend on Him. I tell you with all confidence that He won’t let you down. Your future is secure in Him.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Proverbs Chapter 26
Proverbs 26:20-21 (ESV) "For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife."
I recently went camping with some of my children. One of the most fun things about camping for us is sitting around the campfire. We gathered around it to eat our meals, read books and tell stories. We roasted our hotdogs in it and toasted the ever-enjoyable marshmallows. A campfire is a useful and necessary part of camping. Of course, the fire is only useful as long as someone keeps placing new sticks and logs on it. When left unattended for even a little while it will quickly burn up all the wood and leave nothing but ashes. Then more kindling and a lot of matches are required to get the campfire blazing once again. One thing that never ceases to amaze me about the campfire is the amount of wood it will consume. Gathering wood and feeding the hungry fire are an ongoing part of the camping experience.
The Scriptural analogy here is obvious. These verses tell us that like our campfire will die when it is not fed with more wood, so strife will die out when the whisperer stops whispering. The common word for whisperer is gossip. Jokes are often told about some old busybody in a church who gossips. We laugh and make fun. But how many times do we engage in this practice ourselves? We disguise it by putting a glaze of "holiness" on it. We say things like "Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but we need to pray for so-and-so. He is having some trouble with ........." or "This is not a rumor, it is an absolute fact!" I can assure you there is nothing holy, good, or useful about gossip. It is vicious and hurtful.
The Scriptures here mention the one who gossips, but it is equally important to point out the role of the one who listens to the gossip. Both are equally at fault for keeping the fire going. Without a hearer, the gossiper has no place to spread the rumor or "prayer request". There is no fuel for the fire and it simply dies out.
When we are camping we try to make the evening campfire as hot as we can. We bank the coals and larger logs before going to bed. Then when we wake up in the morning, there is enough heat left in the coal bed to make starting the morning fire easier. Just add some small kindling, let it dry and get hot from the coals, add a match or two with a little lighter fluid and the fire is soon blazing again. Gossip in and of itself is bad enough, but when a truly quarrelsome person gets involved in the fire, the destructive affects are multiplied exponentially. This is the person who can’t "let go" of the offense caused by the hurtful gossip. He (or she) simmers and stews in the hurt. He banks the coals and keeps them in his heart. Words of forgiveness may have even been spoken, but the heart clings to the burning embers of the fire. It takes very little at this point to get the flame of strife burning again. With the smallest of offenses it can burst into flame once again and the fight is on. Once this starts, it is a difficult cycle to break.
The best solution is to reject gossip for what it truly is. In Romans 1:28-31, Paul lists it in the same sentence as murderers, fornicators and haters of God. Let’s call it like it is. Gossip it sin! It should be rejected and avoided like the proverbial plague. When rumors start flying, we should let the fire die out by refusing to be a part of the rumor mill. May we never be part of starting or spreading the fire of gossip.
I recently went camping with some of my children. One of the most fun things about camping for us is sitting around the campfire. We gathered around it to eat our meals, read books and tell stories. We roasted our hotdogs in it and toasted the ever-enjoyable marshmallows. A campfire is a useful and necessary part of camping. Of course, the fire is only useful as long as someone keeps placing new sticks and logs on it. When left unattended for even a little while it will quickly burn up all the wood and leave nothing but ashes. Then more kindling and a lot of matches are required to get the campfire blazing once again. One thing that never ceases to amaze me about the campfire is the amount of wood it will consume. Gathering wood and feeding the hungry fire are an ongoing part of the camping experience.
The Scriptural analogy here is obvious. These verses tell us that like our campfire will die when it is not fed with more wood, so strife will die out when the whisperer stops whispering. The common word for whisperer is gossip. Jokes are often told about some old busybody in a church who gossips. We laugh and make fun. But how many times do we engage in this practice ourselves? We disguise it by putting a glaze of "holiness" on it. We say things like "Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but we need to pray for so-and-so. He is having some trouble with ........." or "This is not a rumor, it is an absolute fact!" I can assure you there is nothing holy, good, or useful about gossip. It is vicious and hurtful.
The Scriptures here mention the one who gossips, but it is equally important to point out the role of the one who listens to the gossip. Both are equally at fault for keeping the fire going. Without a hearer, the gossiper has no place to spread the rumor or "prayer request". There is no fuel for the fire and it simply dies out.
When we are camping we try to make the evening campfire as hot as we can. We bank the coals and larger logs before going to bed. Then when we wake up in the morning, there is enough heat left in the coal bed to make starting the morning fire easier. Just add some small kindling, let it dry and get hot from the coals, add a match or two with a little lighter fluid and the fire is soon blazing again. Gossip in and of itself is bad enough, but when a truly quarrelsome person gets involved in the fire, the destructive affects are multiplied exponentially. This is the person who can’t "let go" of the offense caused by the hurtful gossip. He (or she) simmers and stews in the hurt. He banks the coals and keeps them in his heart. Words of forgiveness may have even been spoken, but the heart clings to the burning embers of the fire. It takes very little at this point to get the flame of strife burning again. With the smallest of offenses it can burst into flame once again and the fight is on. Once this starts, it is a difficult cycle to break.
The best solution is to reject gossip for what it truly is. In Romans 1:28-31, Paul lists it in the same sentence as murderers, fornicators and haters of God. Let’s call it like it is. Gossip it sin! It should be rejected and avoided like the proverbial plague. When rumors start flying, we should let the fire die out by refusing to be a part of the rumor mill. May we never be part of starting or spreading the fire of gossip.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Proverbs Chapter 25
Proverbs 25:4 (ESV) "Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel;"
Silver is and has always been considered a precious metal. In 2007 over 1200 metric tons of silver were mined in some 36 active silver mines in the United States. Silver is valuable but in it’s raw form it is not very useful. It must be refined to remove the impurities. Once silver is refined it becomes both valuable and useful. "Take away the dross or impurities from the silver and the refiner or silversmith has material he can use."
In the Scriptures there are several instances of refining process of silver as it relates to the Christian life. Consider Malachi 3:3 (ESV) "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.", and Psalms 66:10 (ESV) "For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried." God wants us to be pure silver. He wants us to be both valuable and useful vessels.
Pure silver has a number of very interesting properties. As you read these and consider the above verses you may see some unique and interesting parallels between this precious metal and the pure Christian life. Silver has the highest degree of electrical and thermal conductivity of all metals. A lot of silver is used in printed electrical circuits and computer keyboards. Because of it’s superior conductivity it is used in many high-end audio hard-ware where it is believed to cause the least loss of quality in the signal. Because of it’s high degree of reflectivity it is used as a mirror coating in very specialized optics. Silver is known to be naturally antibiotic and antimicrobial. It has been and still is used in medicine to kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi. In times past it was often used to help preserve freshness in certain food products. Silver is even used in certain kinds of cloth to produce clothing that resists the growth of bacteria and fungi in hot, humid climates.
Silver is an amazing element. In it’s purest form it has a number of uses and the more pure it is the more useful it is. Unfortunately for the silver and for the Christian, the refining process can be long, complicated and even painful. The have been many processes invented for the refining of silver but they all have at least one thing in common. All of them use extreme heat at some point in the process. God wants us as His people to be pure, refined silver. And this process requires heat. The heat of trials and struggles in which we find ourselves are not accidents. They are all part of the refining fire God is using in our lives to make us more and more pure. We are certainly valuable to God but in the continual refining process we become useful vessels. We can be highly conductive as we share the light of His Good News to a dark and cold world. We can be the shiny mirror that reflects His image to those in need. We can be a medicine and a preservative for a sick world by rejecting the sinful ways that tend to creep into our society.
As hard as the refining process is, find encouragement in it. The Refiner loves you. You are so valuable to Him that He paid the ultimate price to "mine" you. Now He wants to refine you. He is "taking away the dross so He will have material fit for His use."
Silver is and has always been considered a precious metal. In 2007 over 1200 metric tons of silver were mined in some 36 active silver mines in the United States. Silver is valuable but in it’s raw form it is not very useful. It must be refined to remove the impurities. Once silver is refined it becomes both valuable and useful. "Take away the dross or impurities from the silver and the refiner or silversmith has material he can use."
In the Scriptures there are several instances of refining process of silver as it relates to the Christian life. Consider Malachi 3:3 (ESV) "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.", and Psalms 66:10 (ESV) "For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried." God wants us to be pure silver. He wants us to be both valuable and useful vessels.
Pure silver has a number of very interesting properties. As you read these and consider the above verses you may see some unique and interesting parallels between this precious metal and the pure Christian life. Silver has the highest degree of electrical and thermal conductivity of all metals. A lot of silver is used in printed electrical circuits and computer keyboards. Because of it’s superior conductivity it is used in many high-end audio hard-ware where it is believed to cause the least loss of quality in the signal. Because of it’s high degree of reflectivity it is used as a mirror coating in very specialized optics. Silver is known to be naturally antibiotic and antimicrobial. It has been and still is used in medicine to kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi. In times past it was often used to help preserve freshness in certain food products. Silver is even used in certain kinds of cloth to produce clothing that resists the growth of bacteria and fungi in hot, humid climates.
Silver is an amazing element. In it’s purest form it has a number of uses and the more pure it is the more useful it is. Unfortunately for the silver and for the Christian, the refining process can be long, complicated and even painful. The have been many processes invented for the refining of silver but they all have at least one thing in common. All of them use extreme heat at some point in the process. God wants us as His people to be pure, refined silver. And this process requires heat. The heat of trials and struggles in which we find ourselves are not accidents. They are all part of the refining fire God is using in our lives to make us more and more pure. We are certainly valuable to God but in the continual refining process we become useful vessels. We can be highly conductive as we share the light of His Good News to a dark and cold world. We can be the shiny mirror that reflects His image to those in need. We can be a medicine and a preservative for a sick world by rejecting the sinful ways that tend to creep into our society.
As hard as the refining process is, find encouragement in it. The Refiner loves you. You are so valuable to Him that He paid the ultimate price to "mine" you. Now He wants to refine you. He is "taking away the dross so He will have material fit for His use."
Monday, March 30, 2009
Proverbs Chapter 24
Proverbs 24:30-31 (ESV) "I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down."
One of the most observable facts in our world is the fact that things tend to go from order to disorder. You don’t have to look far to see this "law" in action. Try planting a garden. Till the ground. Take out the rocks. Plant your seeds in neat and orderly rows. Then do nothing to the garden for several weeks. Don’t water it. Don’t pull weeds. Don’t prune your plants. After a couple of months you will have a jungle not a garden. Weeds will grow up around your plants and your harvest will be minimal at best. Houses and cars will go the route of falling apart if not tended. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find anything that will get better if left alone and untended. This is true in the physical world but more importantly in the world of our lives and relationships.
Our lives are built on relationships. We have relationships with family that must be tended in order to grow and not fall apart. Husbands and wives must put work and energy into their marriage or it will become overgrown with the weeds of life. The husband must love and provide for his wife. The wife must respect her husband. They have to work hard to overcome their natural differences so they can flourish as one. Parents and children cannot just meander through life living in the same house and expect to have strong and healthy relationships. They must work at it. Parents must lovingly guide, teach and even discipline their children and the children must respond to this instruction. And then we find special people in our lives and call them friends. It takes work to make that friendship to grow. We have to be ready for a little "iron sharpening iron" in the friendship. We have to be ready for the gentle rebuke or even the unkind word spoken in moments of distress or frustration. There is a common theme in all of these relationships. They take time, energy and attention in order to for them to grow. If left unattended they will get worse not better.
One final relationship that is the most important of all is our relationship with God Almighty. He is our Father and our friend. He desires to build a relationship with us. It takes work and He has done His part. Jesus Christ came to earth and paved the way for our relationship to Him by dying on that old rugged cross. He paid the debt for all of our sins so that we could come into a blessed relationship with Him. He continues to do His part faithfully by guiding us with His Word through the Holy Spirit. The problem in this relationship is that we fail to do our part. We become like the sluggard lacking sense who just lets it go. He doesn’t care for it or tend it. Soon the weeds grow up and the thorns come in and the relationship is much less than what God intended it to be. We have to put time, energy and attention into this most important of relationships. We must read His Word. We must pray. We must walk with Him daily. We must exercise spiritual discipline if we want to grow strong in the Lord.
God help us to be people who work at our relationships. Let us put energy and care into relationships with our families and our friends. Let us be patient and understanding with those around us. And please help us to be active in pursuing a close relationship with you. Amen.
One of the most observable facts in our world is the fact that things tend to go from order to disorder. You don’t have to look far to see this "law" in action. Try planting a garden. Till the ground. Take out the rocks. Plant your seeds in neat and orderly rows. Then do nothing to the garden for several weeks. Don’t water it. Don’t pull weeds. Don’t prune your plants. After a couple of months you will have a jungle not a garden. Weeds will grow up around your plants and your harvest will be minimal at best. Houses and cars will go the route of falling apart if not tended. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find anything that will get better if left alone and untended. This is true in the physical world but more importantly in the world of our lives and relationships.
Our lives are built on relationships. We have relationships with family that must be tended in order to grow and not fall apart. Husbands and wives must put work and energy into their marriage or it will become overgrown with the weeds of life. The husband must love and provide for his wife. The wife must respect her husband. They have to work hard to overcome their natural differences so they can flourish as one. Parents and children cannot just meander through life living in the same house and expect to have strong and healthy relationships. They must work at it. Parents must lovingly guide, teach and even discipline their children and the children must respond to this instruction. And then we find special people in our lives and call them friends. It takes work to make that friendship to grow. We have to be ready for a little "iron sharpening iron" in the friendship. We have to be ready for the gentle rebuke or even the unkind word spoken in moments of distress or frustration. There is a common theme in all of these relationships. They take time, energy and attention in order to for them to grow. If left unattended they will get worse not better.
One final relationship that is the most important of all is our relationship with God Almighty. He is our Father and our friend. He desires to build a relationship with us. It takes work and He has done His part. Jesus Christ came to earth and paved the way for our relationship to Him by dying on that old rugged cross. He paid the debt for all of our sins so that we could come into a blessed relationship with Him. He continues to do His part faithfully by guiding us with His Word through the Holy Spirit. The problem in this relationship is that we fail to do our part. We become like the sluggard lacking sense who just lets it go. He doesn’t care for it or tend it. Soon the weeds grow up and the thorns come in and the relationship is much less than what God intended it to be. We have to put time, energy and attention into this most important of relationships. We must read His Word. We must pray. We must walk with Him daily. We must exercise spiritual discipline if we want to grow strong in the Lord.
God help us to be people who work at our relationships. Let us put energy and care into relationships with our families and our friends. Let us be patient and understanding with those around us. And please help us to be active in pursuing a close relationship with you. Amen.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
You Can't Steer a Parked Car
This idea started back when I was in Bible College studying for the ministry. Here I was, 18 years old, thrilled to be able to serve the Lord. I was surrounded by many young adults of like mind and it was great! However, amongst all this excitement and enthusiasm there was an element of doubt and uncertainty. All the doubt seemed to center around one question worded in a variety of ways. “What does God want me to do with my life?” or “What is God calling me to do?” These questions seemed to be on the minds of most of the students I met and talked with.
I probably knew less about any of this than most of my classmates but in my youthful ignorance the answer I kept giving to my fellow students was “What are you doing for the Lord right now?” “Are you obeying the plain simple commands of Scripture that leave little room for doubt and uncertainty?” I would refer to verses like “Love you neighbor as yourself”, “Pray without ceasing”, “Go into all the world and preach” and “Be obedient to them that are your masters”. I was certainly no spiritual giant. I was young and impetuous but had a strong desire to do God’s will. It just made sense to me that if I did God’s will today I would know or at least be in God’s will when tomorrow arrived.
What really bothered me then was that many of these folks who were so focused on the question of what to do tomorrow, did little or nothing today. They were frozen in place by questions and doubts about their future. They had plans but no direction. They had ideas but no action that would make their ideas a reality. Over the years I have spent a lot of time contemplating this pervasive phenomenon and have developed an analogy to explain it. I call it “You can’t steer a parked car.”
From time to time I will be posting my thoughts on this subject using the analogy of taking a road trip. I will look at all the various parts of this trip; planning, roadblocks, detours, rest-stops, getting lost, breaking down, running out of gas, etc. I want to look at the various reasons why some people never seem to get on the roadway of life. If you are one of those folks, it is my prayer that you will be able overcome your own excuses and get the car in gear. If this is not a problem for you then maybe a friend or loved one is afraid to get on the road and you will be able to encourage them. Whatever the case, I hope that you will be blessed and encouraged from these words about the parked car.
I probably knew less about any of this than most of my classmates but in my youthful ignorance the answer I kept giving to my fellow students was “What are you doing for the Lord right now?” “Are you obeying the plain simple commands of Scripture that leave little room for doubt and uncertainty?” I would refer to verses like “Love you neighbor as yourself”, “Pray without ceasing”, “Go into all the world and preach” and “Be obedient to them that are your masters”. I was certainly no spiritual giant. I was young and impetuous but had a strong desire to do God’s will. It just made sense to me that if I did God’s will today I would know or at least be in God’s will when tomorrow arrived.
What really bothered me then was that many of these folks who were so focused on the question of what to do tomorrow, did little or nothing today. They were frozen in place by questions and doubts about their future. They had plans but no direction. They had ideas but no action that would make their ideas a reality. Over the years I have spent a lot of time contemplating this pervasive phenomenon and have developed an analogy to explain it. I call it “You can’t steer a parked car.”
From time to time I will be posting my thoughts on this subject using the analogy of taking a road trip. I will look at all the various parts of this trip; planning, roadblocks, detours, rest-stops, getting lost, breaking down, running out of gas, etc. I want to look at the various reasons why some people never seem to get on the roadway of life. If you are one of those folks, it is my prayer that you will be able overcome your own excuses and get the car in gear. If this is not a problem for you then maybe a friend or loved one is afraid to get on the road and you will be able to encourage them. Whatever the case, I hope that you will be blessed and encouraged from these words about the parked car.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Proverbs Chapter 23
Proverbs 23:17-18 (ESV)
"Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off."
You sit at your desk holding your head in both hands. Your stress level is way off the charts. One of your two cars is broken down and in the shop. It looks to be a major expense for which there is no money in the bank. The hospital is calling to collect the rest of the bill from the surgery. The boss is talking about layoffs. You wonder if you can take any more bad news and stress. You look at others you work with or know and life seems to be great for them. How can that be? They don’t even go to church. They might not be Christians. Yet everything seems to be going well for them. You’re trying to live right and do all the right things with your family and everything is falling apart.
There is no doubt in my mind that you have had similar thoughts and questions at some time in your life. If not you will have. When you do, keep these verses in Proverbs 23 in mind. Don’t envy the sinner and the good that seems to fill his life. For that matter don’t begrudge him either for how well things are going for him. Your duty and mine is to reverence or fear God. It’s a matter focus. Instead of focusing on all the struggles of daily living and the apparent blessing on others lives, we should focus on Jehovah. He is still the Almighty God who created heaven and earth and all that is therein. He still loves you and cares for you. He cares about the stress in your life. And I can guarantee you that He has not left the throne. He has not turned His back on you. Quite the contrary. The struggles you face are part of His plan to draw you closer to Him.
There is a future. The struggle you are going through right now will not last forever. It will end. The strength and growth you gain in your current trial will make you stronger to face the next one. And the lessons you learn from the next one will make you wiser when you come to the one after that. The point is that there is purpose in your trials and struggles. And the hope you have is a lasting hope. It is a hope that is sure. It is a hope based on the one constant in the universe, God Himself.
I want to encourage you on two levels. The Bible tells us that sometime in the future of those in the family of God there is coming a day when "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Rev 21:4) This, of course, is our ultimate hope. The hope of eternal life. However, I believe that the promise of a good future and a sure hope is much more current. God intends for His children to live in that hope right now. In the midst of the stresses of daily life. In the midst of piled up bills. In the midst of poor health. In the midst of an uncertain economy. In the midst of (name your own trial). God desires for each of us a life of more than just enduring and getting by. He wants for us a life of victory. Jesus told us in John 10:10 "I am come that they (us, His sheep) might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." This means a life superior in quality and super-abundant in quantity.
Fear God today and live in His abundance. Hold on to the sure hope that will not be cut off. Don’t look to the example of the lives of those around you but look to the Almighty who holds your life and future in the palm of His hands.
"Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off."
You sit at your desk holding your head in both hands. Your stress level is way off the charts. One of your two cars is broken down and in the shop. It looks to be a major expense for which there is no money in the bank. The hospital is calling to collect the rest of the bill from the surgery. The boss is talking about layoffs. You wonder if you can take any more bad news and stress. You look at others you work with or know and life seems to be great for them. How can that be? They don’t even go to church. They might not be Christians. Yet everything seems to be going well for them. You’re trying to live right and do all the right things with your family and everything is falling apart.
There is no doubt in my mind that you have had similar thoughts and questions at some time in your life. If not you will have. When you do, keep these verses in Proverbs 23 in mind. Don’t envy the sinner and the good that seems to fill his life. For that matter don’t begrudge him either for how well things are going for him. Your duty and mine is to reverence or fear God. It’s a matter focus. Instead of focusing on all the struggles of daily living and the apparent blessing on others lives, we should focus on Jehovah. He is still the Almighty God who created heaven and earth and all that is therein. He still loves you and cares for you. He cares about the stress in your life. And I can guarantee you that He has not left the throne. He has not turned His back on you. Quite the contrary. The struggles you face are part of His plan to draw you closer to Him.
There is a future. The struggle you are going through right now will not last forever. It will end. The strength and growth you gain in your current trial will make you stronger to face the next one. And the lessons you learn from the next one will make you wiser when you come to the one after that. The point is that there is purpose in your trials and struggles. And the hope you have is a lasting hope. It is a hope that is sure. It is a hope based on the one constant in the universe, God Himself.
I want to encourage you on two levels. The Bible tells us that sometime in the future of those in the family of God there is coming a day when "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Rev 21:4) This, of course, is our ultimate hope. The hope of eternal life. However, I believe that the promise of a good future and a sure hope is much more current. God intends for His children to live in that hope right now. In the midst of the stresses of daily life. In the midst of piled up bills. In the midst of poor health. In the midst of an uncertain economy. In the midst of (name your own trial). God desires for each of us a life of more than just enduring and getting by. He wants for us a life of victory. Jesus told us in John 10:10 "I am come that they (us, His sheep) might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." This means a life superior in quality and super-abundant in quantity.
Fear God today and live in His abundance. Hold on to the sure hope that will not be cut off. Don’t look to the example of the lives of those around you but look to the Almighty who holds your life and future in the palm of His hands.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Proverbs Chapter 22
Proverbs 22:24-25 (ESV)
"Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man,
lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare."
A case could very well be made that peer pressure is one of the greatest influences in society. We tend to take on the characteristics of those with whom we hang out. Peer pressure is a part of life and not only life as a teenager or adolescent. Adults are very much affected by peer pressure. Peer pressure can be good or bad. It seems however, that peer pressure tends to be more negative than positive. It’s a part of the natural state of this fallen world. Without an intentional input of positive energy and orderly design everything tends to go from good-to-bad and from bad-to-worse.
In Proverbs 22:24-25 Solomon gives us some counsel on fighting the negative influence of peer pressure. There are a few very interesting words in these verses. The word for friendship literally means to "pasture or graze with". The idea is to be a "constant companion of". In our culture we might say "to hang out with". Another word of note is the first word here translated "man". This is not the normal word for man that we see later in the verse. This first word for man is from the Hebrew word "ba’al". This is, of course, the name of one of the Canaanite deities. It means master, owner, or possessor. The idea is of a man who has strong influence. He can "own control of" or "possess" another’s will, thoughts and actions. In this verse he is a man given to anger but the principle is true for any immoral behavior that is part of this "ba’al". This is a very dangerous man to "pasture with". Solomon writes that if we "hang out" with a "ba’al" we will learn his ways. This does not indicate that the "ba’al" has to actively teach his immoral ways. The idea is that by being his companion you will learn his ways by simple association. There would be a subtle shift in thinking and behavior until your ways were very much in line with his. You would become "snared" and not even realize it.
So what can we do about this danger of very destructive peer pressure? There must be a very intentional input of positive and Godly influences. We should be a daily "companion" of God’s Word. We should "pasture and graze" with others who would encourage us to grow in our Christian life. We must be careful to recognize a "ba’al" type of man and avoid him. We must teach our young people of the danger of "ba’als". We must try with every tool at our disposal to find good influences for our children. And we should try to be for others the positive peer pressure that we seek and desire for our own lives.
The "ba’al" man is a dangerous force to be reckoned with and the trap is real. But we do have a God who is greater and stronger. Where sin abounds His grace abounds even more. Where we are weak, He is strong. Turn to Him and let Him surround you with His strength. Humble yourself before Him and resist the devil and his "ba’al". "Hang out" with the Lord Almighty and His people for a life filled with positive peer pressure.
"Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man,
lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare."
A case could very well be made that peer pressure is one of the greatest influences in society. We tend to take on the characteristics of those with whom we hang out. Peer pressure is a part of life and not only life as a teenager or adolescent. Adults are very much affected by peer pressure. Peer pressure can be good or bad. It seems however, that peer pressure tends to be more negative than positive. It’s a part of the natural state of this fallen world. Without an intentional input of positive energy and orderly design everything tends to go from good-to-bad and from bad-to-worse.
In Proverbs 22:24-25 Solomon gives us some counsel on fighting the negative influence of peer pressure. There are a few very interesting words in these verses. The word for friendship literally means to "pasture or graze with". The idea is to be a "constant companion of". In our culture we might say "to hang out with". Another word of note is the first word here translated "man". This is not the normal word for man that we see later in the verse. This first word for man is from the Hebrew word "ba’al". This is, of course, the name of one of the Canaanite deities. It means master, owner, or possessor. The idea is of a man who has strong influence. He can "own control of" or "possess" another’s will, thoughts and actions. In this verse he is a man given to anger but the principle is true for any immoral behavior that is part of this "ba’al". This is a very dangerous man to "pasture with". Solomon writes that if we "hang out" with a "ba’al" we will learn his ways. This does not indicate that the "ba’al" has to actively teach his immoral ways. The idea is that by being his companion you will learn his ways by simple association. There would be a subtle shift in thinking and behavior until your ways were very much in line with his. You would become "snared" and not even realize it.
So what can we do about this danger of very destructive peer pressure? There must be a very intentional input of positive and Godly influences. We should be a daily "companion" of God’s Word. We should "pasture and graze" with others who would encourage us to grow in our Christian life. We must be careful to recognize a "ba’al" type of man and avoid him. We must teach our young people of the danger of "ba’als". We must try with every tool at our disposal to find good influences for our children. And we should try to be for others the positive peer pressure that we seek and desire for our own lives.
The "ba’al" man is a dangerous force to be reckoned with and the trap is real. But we do have a God who is greater and stronger. Where sin abounds His grace abounds even more. Where we are weak, He is strong. Turn to Him and let Him surround you with His strength. Humble yourself before Him and resist the devil and his "ba’al". "Hang out" with the Lord Almighty and His people for a life filled with positive peer pressure.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Proverbs Chapter 21
Proverbs 21:23 (ESV)
"Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble."
There is no quicker and surer way to get yourself into trouble than with the excessive and unwise use of your tongue. Isn’t it amazing that so little a part of our body can produce such pain and hurt in the lives of people. An inappropriate and harshly spoken word can immediately put a wall between family members or good friends. A parent who speaks only criticism to a child can cause hurt that may take years to heal. Lies, rumors or even jokes spoken at the expense of another person can have devastating effects on that person’s emotional state. Words spoken in anger at the wrong time may cause you to be missing some front teeth.
We could go on and on about the dangers of the misuse of our mouth or tongue. The Scriptures deal extensively with the subject of the tongue. In Proverbs we can read that there is sin in the multitude of words and that a wide open mouth shall bring destruction. James calls the tongue a raging fire, a world of iniquity, an untamed beast, an unruly evil and deadly poison. We don’t have to read very far in the Scriptures to see the potential evil of the human tongue and we don’t have to look very hard in the world around us to see the damage caused by the unrestrained and evil use of the tongue. Fortunately for us God also gives us many strategies for bringing our tongues under control. Here are just a few.
Here in Proverbs 21:23 we are told to "keep" our mouth and our tongue. To keep could be translated to guard, to watch, to protect or to put a hedge of thorns around something. So Solomon is telling us to put a hedge around our mouth and guard it so as to keep ourselves out of trouble. Maybe thorns in figurative hedge would cause a little pain as our mouth begins to move excessively and remind us to keep it closed.
Another Biblical strategy for controlling the tongue is simply to use it less. "He that has knowledge spares his words..." - Proverbs 17:27. "... he that refrains his lips is wise." Proverbs 10:19. In James we are told to be "swift to hear and slow to speak". The more we speak the more potential there is for us to speak wrongly and get ourselves into trouble.
A third strategy is to control what goes into our minds and our hearts thus giving our tongue a better source of raw material. In Ephesians 5:18, Paul writes that we are to be filled with the Spirit. It is interesting that the very next phrase deals with speaking. He says that our speaking will be psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, singing to the Lord and thanksgiving. In Colossians 3:16, a similar verse is found but in this verse the cause of spiritual speaking is letting "the Word of Christ dwell in you richly". As we allow the Holy Spirit to use the Word of God to renew and transform our sinful hearts we will be more likely to speak good rather than evil.
God help us to guard our tongues. Help us to limit the words we speak. Renew us from the inside with your Word. May we speak that which draws others to your love and mercy. May we build up and not destroy with our words. And may our lips glorify you. Amen!
"Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble."
There is no quicker and surer way to get yourself into trouble than with the excessive and unwise use of your tongue. Isn’t it amazing that so little a part of our body can produce such pain and hurt in the lives of people. An inappropriate and harshly spoken word can immediately put a wall between family members or good friends. A parent who speaks only criticism to a child can cause hurt that may take years to heal. Lies, rumors or even jokes spoken at the expense of another person can have devastating effects on that person’s emotional state. Words spoken in anger at the wrong time may cause you to be missing some front teeth.
We could go on and on about the dangers of the misuse of our mouth or tongue. The Scriptures deal extensively with the subject of the tongue. In Proverbs we can read that there is sin in the multitude of words and that a wide open mouth shall bring destruction. James calls the tongue a raging fire, a world of iniquity, an untamed beast, an unruly evil and deadly poison. We don’t have to read very far in the Scriptures to see the potential evil of the human tongue and we don’t have to look very hard in the world around us to see the damage caused by the unrestrained and evil use of the tongue. Fortunately for us God also gives us many strategies for bringing our tongues under control. Here are just a few.
Here in Proverbs 21:23 we are told to "keep" our mouth and our tongue. To keep could be translated to guard, to watch, to protect or to put a hedge of thorns around something. So Solomon is telling us to put a hedge around our mouth and guard it so as to keep ourselves out of trouble. Maybe thorns in figurative hedge would cause a little pain as our mouth begins to move excessively and remind us to keep it closed.
Another Biblical strategy for controlling the tongue is simply to use it less. "He that has knowledge spares his words..." - Proverbs 17:27. "... he that refrains his lips is wise." Proverbs 10:19. In James we are told to be "swift to hear and slow to speak". The more we speak the more potential there is for us to speak wrongly and get ourselves into trouble.
A third strategy is to control what goes into our minds and our hearts thus giving our tongue a better source of raw material. In Ephesians 5:18, Paul writes that we are to be filled with the Spirit. It is interesting that the very next phrase deals with speaking. He says that our speaking will be psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, singing to the Lord and thanksgiving. In Colossians 3:16, a similar verse is found but in this verse the cause of spiritual speaking is letting "the Word of Christ dwell in you richly". As we allow the Holy Spirit to use the Word of God to renew and transform our sinful hearts we will be more likely to speak good rather than evil.
God help us to guard our tongues. Help us to limit the words we speak. Renew us from the inside with your Word. May we speak that which draws others to your love and mercy. May we build up and not destroy with our words. And may our lips glorify you. Amen!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Proverbs Chapter 20
Proverbs 20:7
"The just man walks in his integrity: his children are blessed after him."
In airports around the country there are teams of people whose sole job is to check the integrity of aircraft. They have machines that "see" past the surface of the airplane to check the seams and joints under the surface. This is a good thing. Without these inspections the companies who own the aircraft would not know when to ground a plane for repairs or when a plane needs to be completely retired from service. No one would willingly fly on a plane knowing that the structural integrity of the plane was in question. Integrity is very important in airplanes. And it is very important in how we live our lives.
Proverbs 20:7 says that a just or righteous man walks in integrity. It is his way of life. The word integrity means whole or complete. A man whose life is characterized by integrity is one whose motives are honest and his character is upright. I think if this one quality characterized the majority of businessmen in our country then we wouldn’t have the financial problems we are having. That’s not to say there aren’t honest business owners. There are honest business people in every locality in our great country and we are thankful for them. We feel safe doing business with them. We know we will get a good product or service and that they will stand behind it. When we find a truly honest businessman we go back to them over and over again. Another idea behind this word, integrity, is a person who is transparent and free of duplicity. In other words he is the same on the inside that he is on the outside. He looks like a Christian, acts like a Christian and if you could look inside you would see the same Christian. This man is secure in who he is. He is at peace with himself. He is real. He is at peace because he is not trying to live a double-life.
The man who walks in integrity, is honest in his dealings, is at peace with himself and doesn’t try to be one thing on the outside and another on the inside, is a man who inspires those who come after him. In particular, his children are blessed. They are happy. Just like we feel safe doing business with a man of integrity so children feel safe following a man of integrity. Our children need someone like this to follow. In a world where greed seems to rule the day and deception is as much a part of life as eating, children need a Godly example. They need to feel safe, happy and blessed. They need to see that a life with Christ, lived in integrity is possible and not only possible but profitable and worthwhile. They need to see you be that man or that woman who walks in integrity.
"The just man walks in his integrity: his children are blessed after him."
In airports around the country there are teams of people whose sole job is to check the integrity of aircraft. They have machines that "see" past the surface of the airplane to check the seams and joints under the surface. This is a good thing. Without these inspections the companies who own the aircraft would not know when to ground a plane for repairs or when a plane needs to be completely retired from service. No one would willingly fly on a plane knowing that the structural integrity of the plane was in question. Integrity is very important in airplanes. And it is very important in how we live our lives.
Proverbs 20:7 says that a just or righteous man walks in integrity. It is his way of life. The word integrity means whole or complete. A man whose life is characterized by integrity is one whose motives are honest and his character is upright. I think if this one quality characterized the majority of businessmen in our country then we wouldn’t have the financial problems we are having. That’s not to say there aren’t honest business owners. There are honest business people in every locality in our great country and we are thankful for them. We feel safe doing business with them. We know we will get a good product or service and that they will stand behind it. When we find a truly honest businessman we go back to them over and over again. Another idea behind this word, integrity, is a person who is transparent and free of duplicity. In other words he is the same on the inside that he is on the outside. He looks like a Christian, acts like a Christian and if you could look inside you would see the same Christian. This man is secure in who he is. He is at peace with himself. He is real. He is at peace because he is not trying to live a double-life.
The man who walks in integrity, is honest in his dealings, is at peace with himself and doesn’t try to be one thing on the outside and another on the inside, is a man who inspires those who come after him. In particular, his children are blessed. They are happy. Just like we feel safe doing business with a man of integrity so children feel safe following a man of integrity. Our children need someone like this to follow. In a world where greed seems to rule the day and deception is as much a part of life as eating, children need a Godly example. They need to feel safe, happy and blessed. They need to see that a life with Christ, lived in integrity is possible and not only possible but profitable and worthwhile. They need to see you be that man or that woman who walks in integrity.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Proverbs Chapter 19
Proverbs 19:21 (ESV)
"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand."
Have you ever known or worked around the type of person who is always running from one scheme to another. They come up with cunning plans to get rich quick. Or they have great plans to make life easier. Or maybe they can’t stay in one place for more than a year or two before their plans dictate they move to another job in another city for a better life. It’s one thing after another. One set of great plans after another. Unfortunately none of their great plans seem to work out. The perfect job, the perfect place to live, and the perfect life are always just out of reach.
Maybe you are that person. At times I have been. There have been times in my life when this described me perfectly. I just knew my plans were good ones. Sometimes they were well thought out. Sometimes they were done on the fly. But I knew they would work. After all they were "my plans". And therein was the problem. The word in this verse translated in the ESV as "mind" is most often translated as heart. Jeremiah uses this word for heart in Jer 17:9 where he writes "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Now if my heart is deceitful and wicked and difficult to know then why should I rely on the many plans that are hatched in it?
Think about this for a minute. I follow the plans of my heart over and over again. Then over and over again my plans fall short of satisfying my deceitful heart. Do you see the common denominator here? They are "my" plans, "my" thoughts, "my" ideas and "my"(fill in the blank). It really doesn’t make much sense. On the one hand I have this deceitful, wicked and hard to know heart but I continue to rely on it to plan and guide my life. On the other hand God waits with a purpose and a plan that will stand up strong yet I refuse to get in line with it. His is a plan that will remain. It will accomplish His intended purpose.
If you find yourself frustrated with plans that never seem to work out; If you find your plans never seem to satisfy your longing for something more, something easier or something better; If you seem to expend a lot of energy and have little to show for it; Then I encourage you to let go of your plans and seek His purpose and plan for your life. He will likely not show you the whole plan at once. He may only show you the plan for the next step. But no matter how He reveals His plan to you and no matter how He leads you in it, you can be confident in this... He is always faithful. You can trust Him. He will not fail you. His plan will stand. You may not see a change in your surroundings or circumstances or even outcomes but you will see them in a different light. In submission to His plan and purpose you will find a peace that passes human understanding. You will find contentment in a path of His choosing. And you will find great satisfaction in accomplishing His plan for your life.
"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand."
Have you ever known or worked around the type of person who is always running from one scheme to another. They come up with cunning plans to get rich quick. Or they have great plans to make life easier. Or maybe they can’t stay in one place for more than a year or two before their plans dictate they move to another job in another city for a better life. It’s one thing after another. One set of great plans after another. Unfortunately none of their great plans seem to work out. The perfect job, the perfect place to live, and the perfect life are always just out of reach.
Maybe you are that person. At times I have been. There have been times in my life when this described me perfectly. I just knew my plans were good ones. Sometimes they were well thought out. Sometimes they were done on the fly. But I knew they would work. After all they were "my plans". And therein was the problem. The word in this verse translated in the ESV as "mind" is most often translated as heart. Jeremiah uses this word for heart in Jer 17:9 where he writes "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Now if my heart is deceitful and wicked and difficult to know then why should I rely on the many plans that are hatched in it?
Think about this for a minute. I follow the plans of my heart over and over again. Then over and over again my plans fall short of satisfying my deceitful heart. Do you see the common denominator here? They are "my" plans, "my" thoughts, "my" ideas and "my"(fill in the blank). It really doesn’t make much sense. On the one hand I have this deceitful, wicked and hard to know heart but I continue to rely on it to plan and guide my life. On the other hand God waits with a purpose and a plan that will stand up strong yet I refuse to get in line with it. His is a plan that will remain. It will accomplish His intended purpose.
If you find yourself frustrated with plans that never seem to work out; If you find your plans never seem to satisfy your longing for something more, something easier or something better; If you seem to expend a lot of energy and have little to show for it; Then I encourage you to let go of your plans and seek His purpose and plan for your life. He will likely not show you the whole plan at once. He may only show you the plan for the next step. But no matter how He reveals His plan to you and no matter how He leads you in it, you can be confident in this... He is always faithful. You can trust Him. He will not fail you. His plan will stand. You may not see a change in your surroundings or circumstances or even outcomes but you will see them in a different light. In submission to His plan and purpose you will find a peace that passes human understanding. You will find contentment in a path of His choosing. And you will find great satisfaction in accomplishing His plan for your life.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Proverbs Chapter 18
Proverbs 18:10 (ESV)
"The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe."
Tag! You’re it! Remember that game? The game of all games for kids. It’s been played for decades and even centuries by children around the world in some form or another. It can be played at any place, in darkness or daylight, and with no equipment. All you need are a bunch of energetic children and the game is on. One particular rule common to most variations of the game of "Tag!" is that there is usually a designated "base". Base is a place of safety where one cannot be tagged by the "It". A place where one can rest. A place where one can discuss strategy with friends and work out a plan to evade the "It" for a while longer. No matter how slow or weak a child is they can find peace and safety at the base.
In the living of this life there are a number of "It’s" trying to tag us. There is the "It" of discouragement and despair; the "It" of pain; the "It" of depression; and the "It" of trials and tribulations. Inevitably we will all be tagged by one of these "It’s". We lose a job. Tag! You’re it! We a loved one dies. Tag! You’re it! Health problems come. Tag! You’re it! The car breaks down. Tag! You’re it! A child goes astray. Tag! You’re it! The list goes on and on. You will be tagged and you will be it. When you are tagged keep this in mind. The Name of the LORD is our strong tower. He is our base. He is the place where we can rest up for the next session of "Tag!".
Notice this verse does not say the righteous are always in the strong tower. It says that the righteous man runs to it when he needs to be safe. That’s not to say that God is not with us always. He is. It doesn’t mean that we are out from under His protection. We are not. I think God is trying to tell us that "life happens" but He is there as our "Base". We walk through life in our human form and the "It’s" are chasing us. We know that David walked with God but over and over again we read of him getting tagged by the "It’s" chasing him. Overwhelmed he said "How many are they that rise up against me" . In discouragement he said "How long will you forget me and hide your face from me? Forever?" In fear and confusion he said "Why have you forsaken me and why will you not help me?" Like David, we are sometimes overwhelmed. Like David we get discouraged. Like David we experience fear and confusion. And like David we can run to our strong tower. We can run to the LORD and be safe.
God never promised us an "It" free life. But He did promise to always be our "base". He never said we won’t get tagged but He did say that we can find safety and peace in Him. So remember this... No matter what "It’ is chasing you or has even caught you, the "Base" is never far away. Find peace and rest in the strong tower. Run to Him and be safe.
"The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe."
Tag! You’re it! Remember that game? The game of all games for kids. It’s been played for decades and even centuries by children around the world in some form or another. It can be played at any place, in darkness or daylight, and with no equipment. All you need are a bunch of energetic children and the game is on. One particular rule common to most variations of the game of "Tag!" is that there is usually a designated "base". Base is a place of safety where one cannot be tagged by the "It". A place where one can rest. A place where one can discuss strategy with friends and work out a plan to evade the "It" for a while longer. No matter how slow or weak a child is they can find peace and safety at the base.
In the living of this life there are a number of "It’s" trying to tag us. There is the "It" of discouragement and despair; the "It" of pain; the "It" of depression; and the "It" of trials and tribulations. Inevitably we will all be tagged by one of these "It’s". We lose a job. Tag! You’re it! We a loved one dies. Tag! You’re it! Health problems come. Tag! You’re it! The car breaks down. Tag! You’re it! A child goes astray. Tag! You’re it! The list goes on and on. You will be tagged and you will be it. When you are tagged keep this in mind. The Name of the LORD is our strong tower. He is our base. He is the place where we can rest up for the next session of "Tag!".
Notice this verse does not say the righteous are always in the strong tower. It says that the righteous man runs to it when he needs to be safe. That’s not to say that God is not with us always. He is. It doesn’t mean that we are out from under His protection. We are not. I think God is trying to tell us that "life happens" but He is there as our "Base". We walk through life in our human form and the "It’s" are chasing us. We know that David walked with God but over and over again we read of him getting tagged by the "It’s" chasing him. Overwhelmed he said "How many are they that rise up against me" . In discouragement he said "How long will you forget me and hide your face from me? Forever?" In fear and confusion he said "Why have you forsaken me and why will you not help me?" Like David, we are sometimes overwhelmed. Like David we get discouraged. Like David we experience fear and confusion. And like David we can run to our strong tower. We can run to the LORD and be safe.
God never promised us an "It" free life. But He did promise to always be our "base". He never said we won’t get tagged but He did say that we can find safety and peace in Him. So remember this... No matter what "It’ is chasing you or has even caught you, the "Base" is never far away. Find peace and rest in the strong tower. Run to Him and be safe.
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