Legal Action - 11/24/2008

Romans 7:1-4, "... a person is subject to the law only so long as he is alive. For example, a married woman is by law bound to her husband while he lives; but if the husband dies, she is released from the marriage bond. ... So too, my friends, through the body of Christ you died to the law and were set free to give yourselves to another, to Him who rose from the dead so that we may bear fruit for God."

After reading Romans chapter 7 today, I opened the devotional book by John Piper called The Passion of Jesus Christ: Fifty Reasons Why He Came To Die. The section I opened to began with Romans 7:4, the scripture above that I had just finished reading. Sometimes when God speaks to me through a scripture, the exact same verses will come up elsewhere as confirmation. I love when he does that!

As a Christian, I am not under the law anymore but under grace. Jesus died for us while we were still sinners, and when we sin again, God is not waiting there to strike us with a lightning bolt and destroy us for our sin because we broke the law. This is something I struggle with from time to time. He may discipline us, like any good Father, but we are washed clean in His sight by his sinless blood shed on our behalf, so He doesn't need to strike us down. His amazing grace covers our sin - we are only to turn away from it and follow Him.

That's hard. Since I've been made aware of the law, I have guilt when I sin. Sometimes this guilt is a stumbling block that keeps me from approaching Him. It's almost as if I want to be chastised before coming back into the presence of God. I want a consequence that tells me I've paid for my sin and am now clean enough to come back to God. That ain't gonna happen.

God already paid the price; the consequence was his suffering and death on the cross. He had to do be the one to do it - we can never be cleansed by our own works. He did this for us while we were still sinners as the scripture states. He didn't wait for us to clean up, to "get good enough" before we were worthy of His presence. He just paid our debt and waits for us with open arms - THAT'S amazing grace.

For a Christ follower then, we are commanded how to live, but we will surely continue making mistakes. If I sin, I know that it is wrong, against the very desires of my own spirit, as Paul explained in Romans 7:14-25, and I have guilt. I know what I've done violates God's law that he delivered to us. Earlier in Romans 7:7 it says, "... Yet had it not been for the law I should never have become acquainted with sin. For example, I should never have known what it was to covet, if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet.'" So when I do stumble, my mistakes often become something I dwell upon, knowing that God said it was wrong and required cleansing before we could enter into presence once again - just as the rituals of the Old Testament indicated. However, this is no longer the case - we've been cleansed by the blood of Jesus, poured out for us. The laws for atonement in the Old Testament - the laws that revealed to us God's nature - no longer apply.

I think this is why so many critics point to the contradictions of the Bible as an excuse to throw out the whole text. I've found that many look at the law of Moses in the Old Testament (sacrifice, rituals, etc.), and compare it to the message of Jesus Christ in the New Testament to say that the Bible contradicts itself.

Well, of course it does!

The law given by God was one meant to make us holy in his sight, to cleanse us before approaching the tabernacle of His presence. Perhaps in this way God has shown us how far we've fallen from what it means to be holy, as God is holy. But as the scripture above from Romans states, we are freed from the law by death. It further clarifies that through the death of Jesus Christ, we are released from the same law. His sinless blood shed for us was the last sacrifice needed to cleanse us of our sins, and by that death we are freed from the law. It is written that in this way, Christ fulfilled the law. It was not thrown out - God does not change. He still required atonement for sin, but Christ's sinless blood was enough to do so for all mankind if they would only freely accept that gift.

How comforting! How refreshing to know that because our flesh is sinful, we will still make mistakes, but the death of Jesus Christ allows us to be clean in His sight, so that we may enter into His presence and worship the risen Lord! Even more comforting to know that after death, when my sinful flesh is put away for eternity, I will be left with only the transformed spirit washed clean by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Behold, he makes all things new!

Thank you Jesus for your amazing grace; a grace that allows us to enter into your presence in whatever state we're in. Thank you for accepting us as we are, and loving us enough to give your very life for our salvation when we've done nothing to deserve it.

Puzzling Questions - 10/17/08

Colossians 2:8, "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."

Who decides what is right and wrong?

What is the meaning of life?

How do we arrive at Truth?

These are some of the many questions we discussed last night while studying the Truth Project – where we compare the secular worldview with a Biblical worldview.

We saw an excerpt from a debate by Will Provine, a proponent of Naturalism and Evolution. It was fascinating to hear his point of view, as he explained the implication of these viewpoints that are commonly taught and held by the world. He agrees with them.

In short, he said that if we are all products of the natural environment, there is no ethical basis for what is right and what is wrong since there is not a single force governing the universe. Additionally, he said that since we came from nothing and upon death will return to nothing, there is no meaning to life. Consequently, since this is the only life we have, he argued that we must construct meaning and decide for ourselves what is right and wrong before we die and return to nothingness.

Wow.

I don’t think he realizes the extent to which his implications define ethics, according to evolutionary theory and Naturalism. If there is no basis for ethical behavior – since we, like the animals, rose up from the primordial ooze, then we can do whatever we want. It’s natural. We’re just following our natural desires; we don’t have to adjust our behavior or beliefs or be told that what we’re doing is wrong. If it feels good, do it - because if it's natural it can't be wrong. We can act like baboons, since humans are just one more type of animal; one more variation in the evolutionary development of species.

So, if we are not living by God’s law but by man’s philosophies and traditions, why was Hitler such a bad person? He did not break the laws of Germany at the time – he was the one who made them. And if we are to believe in evolutionary theory – survival of the fittest – “might makes right,” then the strength of the Nazi army against civilians was completely acceptable. It was just one more stage in the evolution of the human species. Like baboons sometimes do, Hitler was killing off the weaker rivals for territory and dominance, working to make sure the next generation had more Germans in it than the other groups – basic evolutionary principles.

But, few people will argue that what Hitler did was acceptable. If they believe in evolution, why?

So, who does decide what is right and wrong? You are a hypocrite to say , “What’s right for you may not be right for me,” but turn around and say that Hitler was a monster. If you truly believe that ethics and truth are relative – that what’s true for you doesn’t have to be true for me, and what’s right for me doesn’t have to be what’s right for you, then you also have to support Hitler’s actions. Because although it might not be right for you and his claims may not be true for you, they were for him. And our society says that this relativistic viewpoint is how to be politically correct. In fact basing your life on relativism is how you can define what is true for yourself - just like Will Provine said we should do.

If that type of philosophy can support the actions of the Nazi party, then I would put it into the category of “hollow and deceptive philosophies” like the scripture above states.

There has to be a single Truth and ethical standard by which all humans are held accountable. If that's the case, then it’s okay to tell another human that they’re wrong. But we must be respectful in doing so, as the scripture states. 2 Timothy 2:24-26, “And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”

I feel like Evolutionists and Naturalism have taken a piece of God’s Truth, some concrete facts found in His creation, and built a lie off the small bit that they’ve seen. I had an image last night of a jigsaw puzzle. God’s creation is incredibly vast – like a 1,000,000,000⁵⁰ piece jigsaw puzzle. If you’ve ever put a puzzle together, what’s the first thing you do? Do you start by looking at the bits and trying to figure out what the big picture is? Of course not! You look at the box and then look for evidence of those shapes and colors in the pieces. The same is true with creation. Evolutionists are well meaning, but backward. They’ve looked at the colors and shapes of individual jigsaw puzzle pieces and then created big picture based on that.

As Christians then, we are to gently instruct others in the Truth - and Jesus Christ as the source of all Truth as well as what is right and wrong. Most importantly, we are to be a light unto the world – to live by example to show others that what we believe is really what we know to be true.

Don't Be Caught With Your Pants Down - 10/12/08

Ephesians 6:14, "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist..."

Our church recently started the popular "Truth Project" created by Focus on the Family. It consists of a dozen, hour-long lessons on DVD to be shown by trained small group leaders in their homes, one lesson each week. Sunday morning messages apply and expand these topics further.

This came about because of the Barna group, which routinely polled non-church members to see where they stood on issues of morality, ethics, and the like. They finally decided to poll only church members, and found that the church's worldview and values were almost identical to that of the world's - even though they professed to live according to the teachings of the Bible and Jesus Christ.

That led to the Truth Project, which seeks to reveal the lies of the world by which Christians have subconsciously been deceived and help them to develop a life that looks different from the world while reflecting the grace and love of Jesus Christ. Before we can do this, we must know what the truth is and in which areas we've been deceived.

We see in the verse above that Truth is part of God's armor - it is important to Him that we can understand the truth and apply it in our lives; to prevent ourselves from being deceived and taken captive by the lies of the world.

If find it interesting that in the description of God's armor, Truth is compared to a belt. It is not the helmet or the shield or the sword, but the belt. Why is that?

What happens when you don't wear a belt? Unless your pants are too tight, they fall down. So as Christians, it would seem that the Barna pollsters have caught us with our pants down. We have not done a very good job keeping God's truth active in our lives. If we had, our lives would look very different from the world's. Instead, divorces in the church happen at the same rate as outside of the church, and Christians rationalize the validity of the evolutionary theory - just to name a couple examples.

A verse from the first lesson that really stood out for me is found in Colossians 2:2-4, "My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments."

It would seem that we' have been deceived by many fine-sounding arguments. But I like that this verse points to Christ as the source of all wisdom and knowledge. If we humbly and regularly seek Jesus Christ, then we can be sure to find the belt of Truth by which the rest of our armor is held together so the enemy's deceitful ways can be exposed and resisted.

Thank you, Jesus, for systematically exposing the lies on which so many of us have based our lives, and thank you for guiding us into your Truth. I pray by your precious name Jesus that those who participate in this project will revolutionize the Church for your glory and to further your kingdom. Amen.

Paralells in Selfless Living - 6/26,2008

1 Corinthians 10:31-33, "...if you eat, or drink, or if you do anything, do it all for the glory of God. Never do anything that might hurt others - Jews, Greeks, or God's church. I am not trying to do what is good for me but what is good for most people so they can be saved."

The other day I read this section in 1 Corinthians that talks first about living for Christ and submitting to His authority - living in a way that honors Him and does not hurt others. Later, it continues with the relationship between husbands and wives; about authority under God and how they're dependent on one another and how they both come from God.

Today I wanted to read in Ephesians, and the same pattern emerged. It paralleled exactly the themes I read on Tuesday. The first scripture that caught my eye was Ephesians 5:15, "So be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise, but live wisely. Use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times." I thought this was an interesting connection to the command I read in 1 Corinthians: do everything for the Glory of God and do nothing to hurt others. Then I read on into verses 21-27, "Yield to each other because you respect Christ. Wives, yield to your husbands, as you do the Lord ... Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.."

So basically in two days I read two sections of scripture that spoke on the same two topics: living responsibly and marital relationships. Coincidence? I think not. I believe God was talking to me in this way, reminding me that I am under His authority and to live in a way that honors Him. This applies to all relationships, and calls for me to put the needs of others before my own. It is a command for selfless living. This is how all Christians are supposed to live, and many I know do live in this way.

It frustrates me, though, that the irresponsible minority who claim one thing but live another have come to represent Christians as a whole in our society. It makes it very difficult to convince non-Christians that we really do try to live according to the teachings of Jesus Christ, the son of God who allowed Himself to be killed to atone for our sins, enabling Him to bless us with everlasting life without breaking the law of His Father that called for the punishment of sin. He took on that punishment for us as the only one worthy to do so. He was given all authority in Heaven and Earth for being obedient in that task. By His authority and because of His great love, He has forgiven us of everything we've ever done or thought that offended God - cleansing us in His sight and making us worthy of spending eternity in His presence, though we do not deserve it. We need only accept His gift of love and atonement, though we haven't earned it or deserve it. That's His Amazing Grace.

It is because of that selfless sacrifice that I am called to live in a way that would honor the One who gave of Himself so freely for the salvation of the world. If I represent Him - and as a Christian I do - then it is my duty to live in a way that does not hurt others. It is my duty to do what is good for others, and not myself. It is my duty to live wisely, always thinking of the future and of how my actions affect those around me. It is my duty to yield to my wife and love her as much as Christ loved the church - which means being willing to give my very life for her. And, it is my duty to share with others the love and grace of our God, who loved the world so much that He freely gave his only Son so that we may believe in Him and have everlasting life.

It seems like a great challenge, but Jesus Christ promised that it is easier than the burdens of the world. He told us that his yoke is easy, and the burden light. He said that the road is narrow that leads to Him - we must live purposefully and specifically to honor Him, and we will be rewarded greatly for it. I already see the blessings of my Father in my life, from a changed heart to a life of abundance. I can't imagine what the eternal blessings will be like, then. So what's stopping you? Because the scripture tells us He died for us while we were still sinners. He didn't wait for us to clean up our act before loving us enough to die for us, so we shouldn't try to do so before accepting that gift. Don't let guilt or shame or feelings of unworthiness stop you from accepting the gift he offers to you just as you are...

Thank you, Jesus, for your love and grace...

He Loves Me This Much - 4/26/08

2 Corinthians 6:18, "I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

God led me awhile ago to blog about this topic during my devotions, but I fled from it like Jonah running from the fish-slapping people of Nineveh, as we saw in the Veggie Tales movie. I didn't really want to risk offending my earthly father, so I ignored it entirely; I pretended like God didn't remind me of what He's done in my life. How silly. Lucky for me, He's not really one to let us ignore things ...

Today with a thirst for God's word and His presence, I sat down with my Bible and some music to seek His face. The first song, "Marvelous Light" by Charlie Hall started playing. The line, "I once was fatherless..." started playing as I turned the page in 2 Corinthians and read the line "I will be your Father..."

This was the very subject I avoided a couple weeks ago so I wouldn't risk offending my earthly dad.

The fact is, this is my testimony. I didn't grow up with a father around, and God filled that role for me when I was very young. He has done great things for me and in me; He has made me who I am and given me the life I enjoy today. He has been my God, my Father, my Friend, my Teacher. What right do I have to rob my God of His glory?

I was weak for shamefully putting anything before God, whether it be my own fear or another person's feelings. If the early Christians worried about offending people with their message of hope, the church would never have spread to the rest of the world.

God has promised that He will be our Father, in more places than just this one scripture. Our earthly fathers are temporary. And as humans, we're all broken and flawed. What can our earthly father provide that God cannot? Absolutely nothing ... and God gives us so much more. Beginning with his sacrifice on our behalf; his unconditional love and forgiveness. He also offers us a relationship.

He wants to be the One we go to, our confidant, friend, father, guide. He freely gives His love, and at times that love manifests in discipline - like any caring father. But ultimately He is the only constant in our lives, the only one whose love will not fade or change. He is the only part of our lives that will never change from now through eternity. Who wouldn't want that?

When God first brought this blog to mind, I was reminded of a music video that was played years ago at a men's conference in Seattle that I went to. Unfortunately, it is a country song. There's nothing really wrong with that, it's just not the music I choose to listen to. However, the message is moving and summarizes exactly how much our heavenly Father loves us. Here it is for your viewing pleasure, "I Love You This Much" by Jimmy Wayne:



Thank you, Father, for your love and guidance. I apologize for my disobedience. I love you, you are my Father and my friend and have paid the greatest price for me.

"For God So Loved..." - 2/21/08

1 John 4:16, "God is love."

God is love, but what does that mean in a culture where the word "love" has been so trivialized? We say we love our spouses and children and God himself, but we also love coffee, watching TV, basking in the sun, and playing Guitar Hero. That is not God.

So let us ask, what does the Bible say that love is? It's so cool! Look at the classic wedding scripture about love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-13, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."

So then, if God is love, then the two words should be interchangeable when the word "love" is used properly. Look what this scripture says about who God is when you do that:

• God is patient
• God is kind
• God does not envy
• God does not boast
• God is not proud - Pride is a sin and God is sinless
• God is not rude
• God is not self-seeking - He has sought us since the beginning, even to the point of death!
  
• God is not easily angered - His word says He is slow to anger and quick to forgive
• God keeps no record of wrongs - our sin is cast as far from Him as the east is from the west when we become Christians.
• God does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth - He is kind and has our best intentions at heart even when we feel like He's forgotten us.
• God always protects - we've been saved from our sin and eternity away from Him!
• God always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres - He didn't give up thousands of years ago when we chose our own path ... He continued hoping that we'd come back to Him and persevered to the point of His own suffering and death, trusting that we'd accept His gift of forgiveness!
• God never fails. I love that.
• These three remain: faith, hope, and God. But the greatest of these is God. Of course! You can't have faith or hope without God! How cool!

And there is one last scripture that I think is great when looking at God as love itself. Romans 13:9-10, "The commandments, 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not covet,' and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."

Therefore God is the fulfillment of the law! Do you know what that means? "The Law" refers to the "Law of Moses;" the commandments that God gave to His people through Moses and the subsequent laws in the Old Testament that were required for us to cleanse ourselves to be acceptable to a perfect and holy God. But when Christ died in our place - when He shed His sinless blood to atone for our sins - then He became the fulfillment of the law. That's when Christianity split from Judaism since those who practice Judaism still follow the Old Law.

That's also why people who do not understand the Bible but still choose to criticize it point out inconsistencies between the Old and New testaments. That's because they've correctly noted that there are two systems in place there. It says plainly in the New Testament though that we are no longer under the law, but under grace. We don't have to atone for our own sins anymore, God did it for us 2000 years ago!

God is the fulfillment of the law that we were incapable of carrying out. We have now to only live as Christ did - to love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus Christ loved us so much in fact that He gave his life for us. God the Father loved us SO much that He gave His own son so that His holy law would be fulfilled and we could be in His presence once again. "For God so loved the world ..." His love is unfathomable to us because we can't wrap our little brains around who God is, but we know that God is love.

Lucky for us, love never fails. God never fails...

The Reaction - 1/8/2008

I posted earlier about feeling led to give a copy of Max Lucado's Traveling Light to a coworker, even though I would risk the offense of proselytizing in a secular work environment.

I did it anyway, and boy am I glad I did. God was so clearly trying to speak to and comfort this woman through this book! How many times have I let Him down by not following through with a request? How many people haven't been touched by His love because I resisted being His hands and feet? I shudder to think about it...

As I went to check my mailbox today, the woman to whom I had given the book shouted, "Stop! I want to talk to you." My first reaction was to think that this could just as easily be very good as it could be very bad. She got up and walked toward me, beginning to thank me for the gift and then gave me the tightest hug while saying, "You have no idea how much that meant to me." I tried telling her that it wasn't my idea, but God's - but I didn't get that far. And I didn't need to say so, God's actions speak for themselves. She reiterated, "Really, you have no idea what that meant."

She explained to me that she and her family are all believers, and that as her mother lay dying in the hospital, they took turns reading to her from her favorite books by her favorite author - Max Lucado. Though, she had never heard of this particular book. Then, at the funeral, her son got up to read his grandmother's favorite verse for her one last time, Psalm 23.

The full title of the book I gave her is: Traveling Light: Releasing the Burdens You Were Never Meant To Bear (The Promise of Psalm 23) by Max Lucado. She was overcome, I think from knowing that God's presence was with her, and knowing that her mom was in God's presence. She's going to have her son read the book as soon as she's finished with it...

How could I have known this author and this Psalm meant so much to this woman and her family? There's no way! How could I have known that this was the perfect thing to give her during her time of mourning? I couldn't have!
Who else but God could have orchestrated this?
Who else but God? Seriously think about it.
Who else but God!

You are God alone
From before time began
You were on Your throne
You are God alone

And right now
In the good times and bad
You are on your throne
You are God alone

Unchangeable
Unshakable
Unstoppable
That's what you are

He loves us dearly and is constantly reaching out to us. The way His law works in this age, though, is to enact His will through men and not against their will. How many more people could we touch and reach for Him if we were always obedient? Since He wishes that nobody would perish but that all would experience eternal life, I'm guessing all of them ...

I praise you, Father, for your mercy and comfort in a fallen, imperfect world. Thank you for working with us, for your patience, and your grace during our subbornness. Thank you for your love and for your sacrifice, so that the sting of death will only be a temporary pinprick before the eternal glory of your holy presence.

Authority - 1/8/2008

Romans 13:1, "All of you must yield to the government rulers. No one rules unless God has given him the power to rule, and no one rules now without that power from God."

This morning, God reminded me that people who have authority are in such a position because He put them there. What they do in that position, of course, is up to them and many people throughout history will have to have an uncomfortable talk with God about how they abused that authority. But, the fact is, as Christians we are to submit to the authority in our lives; to God's authority and the law of the land. Rebelling against that authority is said in this chapter of Romans to be equal to rebellion against God Himself; against the laws and leadership He has established.

I believe this applies to the workplace as well, and that's why I feel like God used this verse to talk to me this morning about my attitude at work. Our bossess and employers hold positions of authority in our lives, and I see no reason not to think God would have also established them in those positions...

Yesterday I learned that I will have to move my 6th period class to another room every day - an incredible inconvenience that will throw off my routine for that period. As I allowed this information to stew in my mind, I continued to add resentment to the broth, turned up the heat, and let it simmer. I felt the administration should sample my bitter stew - to at least hear how this schedule will affect my daily life, even if it is only for one semester, even if voicing my disapproval will bring about no changes to the schedule. I don't care that they don't have options, this makes things harder for ME!

That's when God put me in check. I read this verse, and through it He reminded me that as a Christian I am to be recognized as somebody who respects authority - both earthly and divine. If I am asked to do something inconvenient at work, it is my job to do it. After all, I'm getting paid to.

Even as I was reading this verse though, I felt slighted by the administration's decision. I took it personally, even though it wasn't a personal attack. I thought to myself, "Why don't I just find a job at a school that has room for me and will make me feel welcome? I'm a good teacher. I take my job seriously. Any other school would be glad to have me." Dangerous, prideful thinking. I immediately glanced up, and verse 16 of chapter 12 read itself to me, "...do not think how smart you are."

Oops. Okay, already! I'll be good. Which, as it says here in the Bible, is how you defeat evil. Romans 12:21, "Do not let evil defeat you, but defeat evil by doing good."

Thank you, Jesus, for the gentle reminder this morning. Thank you for speaking to me through your word. Thank you for keeping me on track and reminding me of my job as a teacher and as a Christian.