Discipleship

by

Justice Is Served

Justice is a topic that offended parties like to talk about.  Victims and their advocates often gather in the court of public opinion and make statements such as, “this isn’t personal, we simply want to see justice served.”  I can’t speak for all such comments, but I suspect that many are not quite completely honest.  Particularly in cases where we can not see our self ever being the offending party in the way that “they” are.  We want more than justice — we want an example to be made out of them.  Show people once and for all that the offense committed simply will not be tolerated. 

A number of years ago, my vehicle was hit by a drunk driver.  My family and I walked away with no real injuries, but my Bronco II was totaled.  The insurance on the truck he was driving paid for my replacement vehicle (another Bronco II) and even gave us a small amount for the inconveniences and trauma of the collision.  But that wasn’t enough!  I wanted to see this man punished for what he put us through.  Over a two year span, I did what I could to see this case prosecuted in the county court system.  I would show up for his court dates to give a “victim’s impact statement” and he would not be there.  Not only was that frustrating to the judge and prosecutor, it was another reason in my mind to pursue “justice” in this case no matter how long it took.  I don’t know exactly when it happened and I don’t think there was anything that specifically triggered it, but one day I simply decided I was wasting too much time and energy trying to pursue “justice” in a case when I wasn’t really wanting justice, I was seeking revenge.  I already had justice.  My loss that he had caused had already been restored.  The damage done to me had been resolved.  The crime he had committed in the drunk driving collision was under the jurisdiction of the county, not me.  Justice for him was between he and the authorities, not between he and I.  It was their place to decide, so I quit calling and checking on the case progress.  I have no idea if they ever found him and what became of the drunk driving case.  I do know that I let go of my anger and my desire for revenge so that justice could be served.

If we define justice as “getting what we deserve”, the question quickly comes to my mind; “Who decides what I deserve?”.  In the case of this drunk driver, I wanted to decide what he deserved.  That is usually the case, isn’t it?  We like justice if we get to decide what that is.  Paul writes in the third chapter of Romans about God demonstrating His justice.  The thought of God handing out justice — of you and I getting what we deserve from God — should make us sit up and take notice.  We may even ask, “What do I deserve from God?”  I would say that depends — it depends on what you allow to define what you deserve.

In Romans 3:21-26, Paul lays out for us how God can demonstrate His justice and we can still have hope.  Here is what he says:

“But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.  He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished — he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”

Paul indicates two ways of defining justice.  One is through the law.  This is the definition we are most familiar with — and frankly the one we most like to see used on “others”.  Simply put, we say “you do the crime, you do the time”.  Under the law, justice is spelled out through a series of “if/then’s” — if you do this, then this is the punishment or consequence.  God’s law is really a fairly basic if/then — if you sin, then you will die!  Oh, and just in case anyone begins to think they’ve done pretty well, I just might make it, God makes it clear in verse 23 that all have sinned.  Justice under the law?  I think I’ll look for something else.

Fortunately, Paul says there is hope — there is a righteousness apart from the law through faith in Jesus.  God was able to do this by presenting His Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for sin.  Justice demanded that payment for sin be made.  Jesus made that payment on our behalf so that by His grace through faith, we could be justified.  God’s justice says that sin will be punished.  It also says that faith in His Son, Jesus, will bring forgiveness.  The only way God could reconcile those two aspects of His nature was through the death of Jesus.  His death allowed God to be just and punish sin, and it also allowed God to justify and bring forgiveness to those who accept His grace through faith.

May you and I be encouraged that while justice is served, it has been served in a way that allows us to be justified even when we don’t deserve it.

by

I Confess!

I love crime investigation shows.  Cue up some old re-runs of Columbo, Perry Mason, Murder She Wrote, or some of the newer shows like CSI, Cold Case, or Without A Trace, and I am in another world trying to keep up with — or get ahead of — the ongoing investigation and figure out “who did it”.  Most of these shows wrap up with a tidy “confession” of some sort by the guilty party.  A confession that does not necessarily shed new light on the case, but a confession that is an agreement that what they are being accused of is true.  An out of the blue “confession” to a crime by a person who is not a suspect does happen occasionally, both on the shows and in real life, but that is not the usual case or practice of confession in our legal society.  More often than not, it is an attempt to clear the conscience after the facts have been laid out so well that there is no doubt the suspect will be proven guilty. 

That is really the way confession works between us and God — and between us and our fellow man.  It is a matter of taking responsibility for our actions.  Admitting to our self what God already knows.  It is agreeing with an offended person that we have offended them.  It is acknowledging the sin in our life that God has been convicting us of and He has made it obvious to us so that we would agree with Him about our sinful state.

Our text yesterday in the “God Is Faithful” part of “The View From The Top: What Does God Say?” study I am doing, was 1 John 1:9.  Picking up the context with verse 8, it says this:

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”

What a powerful passage!  Verses 8 and 10 pack the punch that makes it clear we are not exempt from the need for verse 9.  If we read verse 9 and immediately come up with a list of people who ought to confess their sins, we miss the point of this scripture.  John writes that any claim to have no sin to confess is simply us deceiving our self.  Not only that, but if we wish to continue in that claim, we make God out to be a liar.  Throughout scripture, and through His Holy Spirit, God has laid out the proof that He has that you and I have sinned.  As He lays out His proof, His request is for us to confess this sin — agree with Him that He is right and the sin that He has called us on is, or has been, present in our life.

And what a wonderful promise!  If we do that — if we confess our sins — He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us.  Wow!  To throw myself on the mercy of this court is a sure solution to what is otherwise a very bad verdict.  As judge, God’s desire is to have the lowest “incarceration” rate ever.  As judge, God says, “If you agree with me about your sin, I can take care of it.”  God is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance.  God knows that agreeing with Him about our sin is a critical step in our turning from that sin.  As we begin that process of repentance by confessing our sin, we can have confidence in a God who is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us.

May you and I choose to not walk in denial before God.  May we confess our sins to Him and count on His faithfulness to forgive us and cleanse us — transforming us into the new creations He has called us to be. 

by

It’s Okay, I Know The Author!

It is always nice to have an “in” — a person or connection that gets you special inside advice, treatment, or information.  To be somewhere and realize that you know the person in charge.  You can just walk up, say “hello”, and all of a sudden, you’re “in”. 

My wife has a cousin that used to work at Disney World.  While he was there, he was able to get us in as part of an employee benefit program that they had.  Initially, he would be given so many “special” passes for a year and he could use them however he wanted.  These were great!  They weren’t the normal “one day” passes available at the gate.  These got you in everywhere.  Nowadays you can buy “park-hopper” options, but back then this was the only way to visit all of the parks on a single day pass.  Later, they did away with that system and he was allowed so many “guests” during a years time.  We would arrange to meet him at the entrance to one of the parks and then he could take us through a special line where he would swipe his ID, and state that we were with him — his guests.  Once we were identified as his guests, we received passes that once again allowed us to roam the parks as only someone who was “in” could do.  Wow!  What privilege to know someone on the inside.  We’ve been back a couple of times since he quit working there and it’s not quite the same.

Sometimes it is the special privileges that come with knowing the right person that makes us feel glad we are “in”.  Other times it has more to do with being reassured because of the knowledge that another person has.  This time of year reminds me that I have never liked “haunted houses”, “houses of horror”, or any such “entertainment”.  I do remember going to one that wasn’t really that bad, though.  I was in junior high or high school and my older cousins were going back to one that they had really liked.  They talked me into going with them because they had enjoyed it so much the night before.  The thing that made it tolerable for me was that the people I was with could not quit talking.  They knew what was coming up and would blurt it out before it happened.  They would explain the little tricks that would be played on your senses and how they weren’t fooled by them.  Most of the time, it is the surprise, the unexpected, that brings out the reaction of fear.  When I knew what was coming and how it was being done, it was more funny than fearful.  With that in mind, it is critical that we read and understand how John introduces the book of Revelation if expect to get through it without fear being our overriding response.

John writes this in Revelation 1:4-8,

“John,
 To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
 Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
 To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father — to him be glory and power for ever and ever!  Amen
 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
     and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
     and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
                                     So shall it be!  Amen.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

John takes the time to introduce the real author of Revelation — not only by name, but by character.  John states that this message that he appears to be writing is really the message of He who is this “faithful witness”.  One that is not simply faithful, and not simply a witness, but one who is both faithful and a witness.  Faithful witness to what?  I think we are given that answer in the context of the middle of verse 4 and in verse 8 — a faithful witness to what is, what was, and what is to come. 

Does this “haunted house” called life scare you?  Perhaps something that you are facing right now has you so frightened that you can’t even think straight.  Or it is something from your past — a fear that haunts you as you wonder when it will catch up with you.  Maybe you are afraid of the future.  The unknown of what is ahead.  The uncertainty of life, family, job, relationships, and so many other details out of your control.  You hear reports that sound bad.  The evening news has nothing that encourages you.  The economic forecasts have you in despair.  It is so easy to be frightened by what we don’t know and what we don’t understand because we recognize we have no control in those areas — and we don’t know who does.

The book of Revelation can be similar to that, especially if you skip the first chapter.  We think, “Ah, it’s just the introduction.  Let’s skip ahead to the “good stuff”.  You know, the part with all the excitement and action.”  And so, many people get into Revelation and the story that is told fills them with dread and fear.  They wonder, “Who is this about?”  “What does that mean?”  “When will this happen?”  Question after question, trying to reassure themselves that somehow this makes sense and will work out.  It does!  The author, the faithful witness, Jesus Christ says, “Blessed is the one who read the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it”.  When you are filled with fear while reading words that the author says, “How very happy is the person reading this”, I would have to say you are not reading it as the author intended. 

Jesus is the author of the book.  The subject of the book.  The faithful witness to what was, what is, and what is to come.  As I read Revelation, I am constantly reminded, “It’s okay, I know the author!  He is the faithful witness and He has me covered.”  May you be encouraged by knowing Jesus, the faithful witness, longs for “none to perish but all to come to repentance”.  I pray that you know the author and that he fills you with hope as He is the faithful witness to what was, what is, and what is to come in your life.

by

New Mercies I See?

How do you respond to someone who has brought hardship and affliction upon you in every way imaginable?  What if that “someone” is God?

The book of Lamentations is Jeremiah’s response at seeing the hand of God afflict him, and the nation, with intense hardship and suffering.  At times, the book reads like it was written by multiple authors — or at least an author with multiple personalities.  The third chapter is a good example of that.  The actions of God that Jeremiah describes does not prepare you for the reaction of Jeremiah to God that we read.  Think about how you and I would likely respond to even this partial list of what Jeremiah says the Lord is doing to him.

He says the Lord has:

driven me away.
turned his hand against me.
made my skin and flesh grow old.
broken my bones.
besieged me with bitterness and hardship.
made me dwell in darkness, like those long dead.
walled me in.
weighed me down with chains.
shut out my prayers.
barred my way.
made my paths crooked.
dragged me from the path and mangled me.
made me the target for his arrows.
pierced my heart.
filled me with bitter herbs.
broken my teeth.
trampled me in the dust.
deprived me of peace.

Okay, discouraged yet?  Jeremiah sure was.  He says in verse 20, “I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.”  Sounds like he is getting ready to unload.  The unloading that we might do.  Ready to interact with God and let Him know what you think of this kind of treatment.  I think it is my knowledge of my own nature that makes the next few verses come at me so unexpectedly.  In the midst of all this affliction and discouragement, Jeremiah brings something to his mind that gives him hope.  Hope in the midst of that list?  A list he describes as being brought about by “the rod of the Lord’s wrath”.  Is it even possible?  If something can bring hope to that situation, could there be anything that is truly hopeless? 

And so it is with great eagerness to learn the secret of such hope that we read Lamentations 3:22-23, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”  The old hymn, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”, takes inspiration from these verses as the songwriter concludes, “morning by morning new mercies I see.”  Look back at the list above.  His compassions never fail?  New mercies I see?  What planet are they from?  If that list is compassion and mercy, I’m not sure I want any.  But wait.  Compassion and mercy compared to what?  Compared to my image of what a perfect life ought to be and what I think I deserve or compared to God’s knowledge of what I really deserve? 

It is out of a relationship with God that Jeremiah can list the experience of the wrath of God and still say that “because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed.”  While the list mentioned sounds harsh, even brutal at times, it stops short of being the “all-consuming” fire that our God has the right to be.  His mercy, His compassion, says that He will disipline those that He loves, but we will not be destroyed if our trust is in Him to save us.  His faithfulness is great because of His great love. 

In the midst of whatever we experience that feels like the harshness of God’s wrath, we must bring to mind that it is God’s great love that keeps us from being completely consumed.  He is faithful to show His compassion and mercy.  May you and I turn to God when we suffer and thank Him for new mercies we see each day because we are not destroyed as we deserve.

by

An Unconditional If/Then

Promises, Promises!  I have a tendency to get frustrated quite quickly with promises and guarantees that are filled with conditions, loopholes, and fine print.  You know what I mean, don’t you?  It’s not that I’m against a conditional if . . . then . . . — if you do this, then this will happen.  I understand those and realize that if I fail to meet the “condition”, then I will also fail to see the desired result.  Consequences, we call it.  If you step off of a roof, you’ll fall and get hurt.  If you stick a metal object in a live electrical outlet, you will get shocked. 

But we’ve been trained to say, “Are you sure?”  We push the limits.  We test the resolve of the person issuing the condition.  Will I really be grounded if I don’t do my homework?  “Click-it or ticket” — How will they know if everyone is wearing their seatbelt?  Surrender to God or else face judgment and condemnation?  He can’t mean that, can He?  I’ll just tag along with good people and still keep control of most of my life.  I think I can get by with it.  I think I can slip by unseen.  I don’t think they are serious.  God’s love couldn’t seriously pass judgment on a person and condemn them to hell, could it?

Paul writes the second chapter of 2 Timothy, encouraging Timothy to remain faithful in passing along the gospel of Jesus.  A gospel message for which Paul is suffering and chained as a criminal.  Timothy is told to keep his relationship with Jesus and the proclamation of the resurrection as his utmost priority.  The battle he is in and the suffering he will face is real but it is not without hope.  The salvation that is in Christ Jesus is worth the single-minded, wholehearted devotion to God.  And it is not all “doom and gloom”.  Paul writes in 2 Timothy 2:11-13,

“Here is a trustworthy saying:
  If we died with him,
     we will also live with him;
  if we endure,
     we will also reign with him.
  If we disown him,
     he will also disown us;
  if we are faithless,
     he remains faithful,
     for he cannot disown himself.”

Paul gives us some conditional if/then’s to consider.  In the first, Paul addresses our death to sin.  He uses “died” in the past tense — something he and his readers have already done, not something that may or will happen to them in the future.  Paul uses this language often in his writings.  He wrote in Romans 6:4, “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”  Part of this “trustworthy saying” that Paul is giving to Timothy is that when we died to self and sin in the waters of baptism, we were raised to live with Christ.  If we died, then we will live.

He also goes on to state the condition of continued obedience — of faithfulness on our part.  “If we endure . . .”; if we persevere and continue on in the life of service God has called us to, “we will also reign with him.”  This goes along with Paul’s charge to Timothy a few verses earlier to “join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”  The obedient following of Jesus will not be easy, but our endurance is met with a promise of reigning with Christ.  If we endure, we will reign.

The negative possibility of our reaction is covered as well.  “If we disown him . . .”; if we choose to ignore the example of Jesus in living out the command of God, we can be assured that “he will also disown us”.  As Paul writes to Timothy, and to us, he wants it to be known that we cannot make the cares of the world, the pleasures of life, our primary concern if we want to please the one we have committed to serve.  We must be faithful to both the task at hand and the One who called us to it, if we want to be “claimed” and not “disowned”.  If we disown Him, we will be disowned.

But, thanks be to God!  Paul concludes this “trustworthy saying” with an unconditional if/then.  “If we are faithless, he remains faithful.”  God’s faithfulness doesn’t depend on you or me.  God will not snag you with complicated conditions, loopholes, or fine print.  He won’t say, “Sorry, you are my loophole.  Since you failed, I don’t have to keep my promises.”  We have a God that is faithful by His nature.  A God who gives an unconditional if/then.  If you and I are faithful, fine; God will be faithful as well.  If you and I are faithless, that doesn’t change God; He will still be faithful.

May you and I serve Christ in confidence, knowing that God is not looking for the fine print to let Him out of His promises.  God is faithful yesterday, today, and forever.  May we trust in a faithful God who is faithful beyond imagination because His faithfulness does not depend on my actions or reactions. 

by

Writing Songs In A Cave

Have you ever had a time that you hid from someone?  Perhaps something simple, such as a childhood game of hide and seek, with no real danger.  Or maybe something more real — a time where you knew that if you were found, trouble and harm would be the only outcomes.  Sometimes it is life itself that we are hiding from, not wanting to face another day with all of its demands, responsibilities, people, and problems.  In those times, it is easy to slide into this thought process; “I’m all alone.  Everyone is out to get me.  No one cares.  Is there anyone I can trust and turn to?”

I love the introductory text in many of the Psalms.  We are often given information about who wrote a particular Psalm, what tune to use with it, what instruments to use, what style of song it is, and even the background of where and when it was written.  Psalm 57 has one of these introductions and it says it was written by David “when he had fled from Saul into the cave.”  We know that there were at least two times that David hid in a cave, probably more that aren’t recorded.  For our purposes, it really doesn’t matter much which time, or what cave, David is in.  I want to think about the words David wrote while in hiding — while being pursued by the king who was seeking to end David’s life.

What do you do in the darkness of hiding?  David wrote a song.  A song recognizing that he was in trouble and needed help — help that only a faithful God could bring.  Help that he was pretty sure wasn’t always deserved.  We can learn a lesson from David as we look at how he approached God.  David almost always makes a clear acknowledgement of who God is in relation to himself.  David speaks to God very directly, very boldly; but not in a commanding manner — more like in desperation.  He writes like a man confident in God’s love for him, but knowing he doesn’t really deserve it.

Psalm 57 begins with David as a refugee, knowing he deserves no rights and privileges, calling out to God to have mercy on him.  Calling out to a “God Most High” for vindication, knowing that God knows for certain if his cause is just and right.  As David sits in the cave writing this song, he is confident that the God who called him to be the next king is a God of mercy and love.  As he is in hiding, he writes of God sending forth “his love and his faithfulness.”  In the verses that follow, David describes his pursuers with these words:  “I am in the midst of lions; I am forced to dwell among man-eating beasts, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.”  As I read verses 3 and 4 of Psalm 57, I think immediately of Daniel and how God sent his love and faithfulness to Daniel in the form of His angels coming to shut the mouths of the lions.  Perhaps those same angels were here, shielding David from capture and destruction by the “hungry lions” that were in constant pursuit of him.

Whatever form it took, David recognized it was God’s love and faithfulness that could make his heart steadfast and provide the protection and purpose he needed to continue.  The same love and faithfulness that God extends to us in the midst of the “dark caves” of our life.  As David writes, his song reminds us that God’s presence can illuminate the darkest of caves in our life.  For me, there has always been something about praising God that would drive the fear and darkness away from my life.  I remember as a young boy doing chores on the farm after dark or early in the morning before dawn.  I would head out to the dark barn with all of its creepy sounds and shadows and who knew what else lurking in the dark corners and hay mow.  As I entered the barn and headed up the ladder to get some hay for the cattle, I would sing praises to God at the top of my lungs.  I’ve added others to it, but my favorite song then, and now, for those “dark caves” of my life is “How Great Thou Art”.  I was convinced that anyone hiding out in the barn would have no choice but to remain hidden or run for their lives when they heard of the greatness of my God.  And so the song that began as a call for protection soon turned into a confident praise of a God who has great love and faithfulness — in my songs in the barn, and in life; and in David’s song in Psalm 57!

May you and I continue to call out to God for the mercy and grace that we need.  May we recognize the great love and faithfulness that He sends our way.  And may we ever praise Him with resounding song as He alone brings light into the “dark caves” of our life.

by

I Would Never . . .

Have you ever observed someone in the midst of some activity and say to yourself, “I would never do that!“?  Perhaps it was something that you just thought was ridiculous or silly.  Or maybe it was something wrong, an obvious sin that becomes visible and known in another person’s life and you conclude that there is no way that would ever happen to you.

But things do happen.  Choices are made.  Decisions are reached.  Options are discarded.  Desperation sets in.  And “all of a sudden” a person is in the midst of an affair, stealing from an employer, involved in a drug culture, lying about their activities and work accomplishments, gossiping about others, meddling in the lives of friends and strangers, harboring greed in their thoughts and actions, filled with pride and self-promotion, and on the list could go.  Very few people, if any, set out to do such actions.  Most Christians, when caught in sin that becomes public state, “I never thought it could happen to me.”  But it does.  Time and time again, it does.  But not just in public figures and newspaper headlines, but in you and me and in countless Christian lives in churches around the world.  We are tempted and we sin.  We think, “I never saw that coming.”  We feel blind-sided and wonder why we so easily give in to temptation at times.

If this describes you, as it does me, Paul has some words of warning and encouragement for us in 1 Corinthians 10:12-13:

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!  No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

God’s warning is clear.  If you think that sin has no appeal to you; look out!  It is when we think that we are untouchable that we drop our guard and relax.  Every job that I have had involved an element that if you became completely comfortable with it, you had better get out.  My first job “away from home” was in my uncle’s sawmill.  You learned quickly to respect the equipment, the stacks of logs and lumber, and the entire work environment if you wanted to avoid serious injury.  My next two jobs involved heights — roofing and TV tower and antenna installation and repair.  While I learned to trust my safety equipment, I also learned to have a respect for each environment that I was in.  To be observant and recognize the potential dangers.  To look for a bowed or sagging roof that might indicate a weakened support structure.  To pay attention to guy wires and tower legs that might be frayed or rusted to the point of weakness or failure.  It was never a given that just because every roof I had been on or every tower I had climbed had supported me so far that this one would as well.  I remember times during both of those jobs where I would hear or read of someone who became comfortable in a similar situation as mine and did not take heed to the potential danger.  Stories of people being seriously injured or even dying because they thought they knew what they were doing and therefore nothing could happen to them.

The same things happen in our spiritual life.  We get comfortable.  We think we know what we are doing.  Our confidence in our self takes us to the very edge.  We are so sure we know our “limit” that we continue to push it — to test it, saying, “I’ll never step over the line.  I’m not that stupid!”  And so we let the seeds of greed, lust, envy, pride, jealously, anger, hatred, etc., into our life and somehow think that we can control it.  Paul says that if you think you can handle this on your own, watch out because you are about to fall.

While the warning is clear, the promise is equally obvious.  God says that there is no temptation that is trying to overthrow you but what has already been tried.  Nothing will catch Him off guard.  Nothing will have Him scratching His head wondering, “What am I going to do now.  I don’t know how to get this person beyond this situation.”  We have a God who says that no temptation has to be given in to.  God knows every temptation that you and I will face and through His Word and His Spirit, He has given us a way out of each one.  A way that He says allows us to “stand up under it”, not necessarily avoid it.  A way that keeps the temptation from “giving birth to sin”, even while the temptation may remain present. 

Are we listening to God closely enough to hear His way out?  Are we spending consistent time in His Word, allowing His Spirit to teach us and to convict us of “sin, righteousness, and judgment”?  Jesus gave us the example of warding off temptation with Scripture.  Do we know the Scriptures well enough to use it as our “way of escape”?  Or do we play with God’s Word, sorting out verses that seem to justify our actions while ignoring the context and the principles that say the path we are headed down is leading to destruction?  I’ve known a number of Christian individuals, some very well known speakers, who have used the creation account as justification for “admiring” a woman’s beauty and even make suggestive comments about her because they are “praising God for His incredible handiwork”.  I’ve also seen some of these same individuals play with the fire of lust and end up burnt because they learned too late that they didn’t have the strength that they thought they did to control the temptation.  Their influence, their character, their witness for God goes down the drain because they were satisfying their desires rather than listening to God’s Word that says that a man who looks lustfully upon a woman has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  The way out — the truth of Scripture — was there all the time.  It just didn’t seem necessary because, “I can handle this!”

I don’t know what areas of life and the temptations of life that you think you are standing firm in.  Whatever it is, God’s warning still holds true for you and me today; “be careful that you don’t fall!”  If you are saying in your mind, “I would never . . . “; look out!  Look to God and He will show you how close to the edge you already are and how you can escape the results of the temptation and stand up under it.

May you and I reject a prideful thinking that says, “I would never . . .”.  May we rely on the faithfulness of God to provide us a way of escape from every temptation through His Word and the power of His Spirit working in us.

by

It’s Alive!

Have you ever observed a stationary object for a period of time, perhaps just for a moment, and all of a sudden realized through its movement that it wasn’t stationary — it was alive!  Sometimes, the only reason we were able to even tolerate looking at the object was because we thought there was no life in it.  If we had known it was alive, we would never have even come close enough for a look.  I wonder if that is how Moses felt when God commanded him to throw down his staff and he did.  Did Moses have any idea that his staff would gain life — the life of a snake?  Imagine standing that close.  Imagine picking up that life that you didn’t even expect to be life.  I wonder how quickly after Moses touched the snake that it turned back into his staff.  Did he experience the writhing, squirming snake, even for a moment, and wonder why he was even touching it? 

We often have a similar relationship with an object we become comfortable with because we mistakenly assume it has no life — there is no danger present . . . there is nothing it can do to us because we think it is lifeless.  That object is the Bible, the Word of God.  Hebrews 4:12-13 says:

“For the word of God is alive and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.  Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

Alive and active!  Sharper than a double-edged sword!  Sounds dangerous.  Sounds like something we would try to hide from.  It is no wonder that God follows up verse 12 with the words in verse 13.  There is no where to hide.  This living, active Word of God will penetrate our life, dividing soul and spirit as it judges the motives and hidden secrets of our heart.  It is a revealing Word that convicts us of “sin, righteousness, and judgment” and becomes the measuring rod of our obedience and/or disobedience. 

The writer of Hebrews gives us these verses in the context of entering God’s rest.  Chapter 3 and the beginning of chapter 4 point out a time of rest that God has promised that has not yet been entered into.  The people of Israel are used as an example of those being promised rest — the “promised land” — yet did not enter into it because of their disobedience.  Verse 11 encourages us to “make every effort to enter that rest”.  The warning is there as well; if we follow the Israelite’s example of disobedience we will perish outside of the rest that could be ours.  And so the warning of verses 12 and 13.  We cannot hide our disobedience.  As much as we try to cover it up before others, it is “uncovered and laid bare” before God.  It is the Word of God that says, “If you love Me, you’ll keep My commands.”  The Word of God becomes the measuring stick that says we do love, or we don’t love, based on His knowledge of our motivation for what we do and don’t do.

How are you handling this living, active, sharp Word of God?  Are you being careful and cautious in your approach, giving it the respect and attention it deserves?  Or are you careless and casual, thinking there is no danger to you — no reason to pay close attention to the separating of soul and spirit that this living Word could bring?

May you and I grow in our respect and appreciation for a living, active, and sharp Word of God.  May we live knowing that God is everywhere and nothing in our life can be hidden from the standard of God’s Word.