Worth Repeating - July 31, 2017

Joshua 24: 31 Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel. (NIV)

Personality is a prime factor in natural leadership. . .The Spiritual leader, however, influences others not by the power of his personality alone but by that personality . . .empowered by the Holy Spirit.*

It is sad that the nation of Israel could only maintain their godly momentum during the lifetime of Joshua and the elders who had been with him. Where was the next leader? Why was there no one ready to fill the void left by the death of Joshua?

There are dangers for dynamic leaders. Even a truly godly minister runs the risk of having church members who are more loyal to him than to Jesus Christ. Another hazard for successful leaders is the ego trap. How many megachurch preachers have gone from being humble servants of God to becoming arrogant, greedy and impure? Oh, but this is no reason to keep a good man down. We need men of God to rise to positions of leadership - men who have prepared themselves for the job, just like Joshua did . . . well, men who are prepared by God, that is!

My home church is a growing and thriving congregation these days, thanks in no small part to the efforts and personality of our senior minister. He is energetic, innovative, and preaches the truth week after week. I worked for a few years as his part-time administrative assistant and I can tell you this: his organizational skills could use some fine-tuning but he is no phony. He is genuine and authentic and I would like to see him stay that way. His church family needs to pray for him, encourage him, and hold him accountable. We also need to be praying that God is getting his replacement ready so that no one sadly says of our church, “They served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Jim.”

We are called to worship him, not the music, the preacher, the sermon, or the children’s program. God alone is deserving of worship.*

Worth Repeating - July 30, 2017

I Timothy 1: 9-11 The law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers – and for whatever else is contrary to the glorious gospel . . . which is entrusted to me. (NIV)

The moral laws of life are just as immutable as the natural laws.*

Years ago, someone called my attention to this list of sinners and pointed out that liars were included among these most heinous of offenders. That made an impression on me. What never got my attention was the inclusion of slave traders in the list.

As an American and a Christian, I am appalled that there are people who profit from the sale of other humans and that these same humans have no rights to themselves. But until recently I considered slavery to be one of those “whatever else is contrary to the glorious gospel” items because I was not aware of any scripture which actually condemned it. But I knew it had to be wrong because it is clearly in conflict with the two “greatest” commandments: love God and love others.

Any questionable principle or activity could be held up to the light of these two commandments to determine if it is right or wrong. Could someone who loves God participate in this activity? Could you ask for God to bless you while you are taking part in it? Would others be hurt by your actions? Can you believe in a principle that is detrimental to others? What would Jesus do?

It is in the light of God’s Word that ethical decisions must be weighed and made.*

Worth Repeating - July 29, 2017

Mark 10: 28 Peter said to him, “We have left everything to follow you.” (NIV)

No one who ever participated in Jesus’ vision of kingdom life ever remained the same.*

When we think of someone giving his life to Christ, we usually think of the bad things he leaves behind: a destructive lifestyle; guilt; hopelessness. But sometimes – perhaps most times – new Christians are faced with rearranging their whole lives. Leaving everything to follow Jesus is not as simple as it sounds.

I knew a young woman who was living with a man and depended on him to help provide for her and her two boys. Becoming a Christian meant ending the relationship – which she did eventually, but it caused an upheaval in her life. What about my gay friend who has been with his partner for nearly 20 years? They have been faithful to each other and their lives are so intertwined that splitting up would be as painful and complicated as divorce. I struggle with how to witness to this friend.

Many people have chosen Jesus over family, careers, wealth and power. (See Matthew 9: 9 and Luke 19: 1-10 to read of two men who made the right choice; and Mark 10: 17-22 to learn about a man who couldn’t bring himself to give up his old life.) Becoming a follower of Jesus can certainly be disruptive. There is no guarantee of a happily ever after in this life just because you chose wisely. But Jesus responds to Peter’s declaration with this promise: “No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (. . . and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.” (Mark 10: 29 and 30.)

According to Oprah Winfrey, as posted on Facebook, “The only courage you ever need is the courage to live your heart’s desire.” But the Christian twist on that statement would read: “The only courage you ever need is the courage to sacrifice the life you want.”*

Many people believe that having decided to follow Jesus, they have safely arrived at their destination. But they’re actually stuck at the terminal. Jesus’ invitation speaks more about movement than arrival.*

Worth Repeating - July 28, 2017

Amos 8: 11 “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.” (NIV)

To most Christians, the Bible is like a computer software license. Nobody actually reads it. They just scroll to the bottom and click, “I agree.”*

This prophesy in the book of Amos refers specifically to Israel at a time in their history when the words of the Lord were just words. Amos’ job was to predict their coming punishment for removing God and his ways from their daily lives. Life was good – prosperity and peace reigned throughout the land – and they were religious after a fashion. So, Amos’ announcement about the famine of hearing from the Lord probably didn’t alarm many of the people.

Would it alarm you if you were faced with a famine of hearing the words of the Lord? What if your Bibles were confiscated and burned? (I say “Bibles” because we live in such luxury that we own more than one copy of God’s Word.) We are living in times when the possibility seems less remote than in the past. How would it affect your life if you no longer owned a Bible? Would it not matter since you never read it anyway?

There are Christians in other parts of the world who suffer from a famine of God’s Word every day. For some, it is merely a matter of there being no Bible in their language. For others, they are too poor to own one. And many Christians are persecuted by their government and denied access to the Word. I pray for my brothers and sisters whose walk with God is not enriched by a daily dose of his written word.

Does the thought of broken water pipes suddenly make you thirsty? Does the thought that your Bible might be snatched from you make you crave a taste of the Bread of Life?

More alarming than the ACLU’s desire to ban the Bible from every square inch of public space in this nation, is that the Bible has been exiled from most Christian homes.*

Worth Repeating - July 27, 2017

Exodus 28: 1 “Have Aaron your brother brought to you . . . along with his sons . . . so that they may serve me as priests.” (NIV)

Ideally, each member of the body should follow the instructions of the head and function as a harmonious whole to accomplish God’s purposes.*

According to myjewishlearning.com, the Bible doesn’t say anything about Aaron’s birth, early life or upbringing. I did a little research of my own and I can’t find any mention of him before Exodus chapter four. We don’t know when he first became involved in Moses’ life, but we might infer that since Pharaoh’s daughter let Moses’ mother take him back home to nurse him, Moses probably maintained a relationship with his birth parents’ household.

Based on the facts we have, we might also surmise that the brothers were close. It may be reading too much into what the Bible doesn’t say, but when Aaron is thrust into public service as Moses’ mouthpiece, he appears to have no objection. Aaron was Moses’ co-star for the next 40 years and except for an occasional family squabble (which often included sister Miriam), neither brother seems to betray any jealousy and, in fact, they appear to be happy for one another.*

God chose Moses to be the deliverer of his people. But God chose Aaron for a special ministry as well.  Moses may have gotten most of the glory down through the ages, but in order for God’s plan to work, he required both of them to be obedient, to be leaders, and to make personal sacrifices for the sake of their congregation.

Not everyone who serves the Lord with valor and success goes down in history by name, but each of them counts. Don’t be discouraged if your efforts on behalf of the Kingdom get less attention than second-fiddle Aaron or even third-string Miriam. We may wrestle with our need to be appreciated, even applauded,* but Jesus cautions us about performing our acts of righteousness in order to be seen (Matthew 6: 1). So serve the Lord with gladness and humility because your Father sees and will reward you (Matthew 6: 4 and 6).

“Don’t worry about the assignment I have given someone else. Your job is to follow me and feed my sheep.”*

Worth Repeating - July 26, 2017

Exodus 23: 2 “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong.” (NIV)

Why do you have to be nonconformist like everybody else?*

In a social studies class in high school, we were talking about how students in other countries had to wear uniforms to school. The teacher asked how we would feel about having to dress like everyone else and the consensus was that we would hate it. Then he asked, “How many of you are wearing blue jeans today?” Indeed, we, the rebellious children of the ‘70s, were all dressed alike.

It seems to be human nature to want to blend in. When someone tries to stand out from the crowd he either becomes an outcast or a trendsetter. It is interesting that Jesus accomplished both. He was a celebrity and a pariah. He was bold, he was different, and he was a leader. When it became dangerous to be associated with him, his popularity and influence began to decline. Soon, he was left with only a handful of followers - and they were not a very impressive lot.

When we have to be reminded not to follow the crowd, it implies that the majority are on the wrong track. Being the only Christian at your job, in your class, in your neighborhood – in your family - it’s hard to maintain your commitment alone. Surrendering to Jesus isn’t about giving up; it’s about surviving in a hostile environment. Follow him in doing right and some of that crowd will join you. Follow him in doing right and you won’t follow the crowd to hell.

Many today believe that a majority consensus establishes morality.*

Worth Repeating - July 25, 2017

Ephesians 3: 20, 21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory. (NIV)

We praise God for his attributes and thank him for his actions.*

When I worked in an office, I often told our IT guys, “If I can think of it, you should be able to do it.” The IT department didn’t always see it that way; sometimes my wishes were beyond their power to grant. I can think of great things for God to do, too, but he can think of greater ones.

We tend to think of these verses as describing someone who can grant all our wishes – like a genie in a lamp. While God does sometimes use his power to accommodate us, we mostly misuse this source of power. We are armed with the power to save the world and all we can think of is how we can use it to make our dreams come true.

“To him be glory” may be a command, or it could be a statement of fact: God will be glorified - because of who he is and what he does. How can glory not be given to the one who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine?  

He will only do as much for us as we will allow Him to do in us.*

Worth Repeating - July 24, 2017

Isaiah 30: 10 They say to the seers, “See no more visions!” and to the prophets, “Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions.” (NIV)

Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.*

We go to church and listen to sermons that make us feel good. We sing songs that cause our hearts to swell in praise. We ask people how they are doing and when they say, “Fine,” we believe them because we don’t want to hear otherwise. If someone tries to hold us accountable for our behavior, we employ various methods of avoidance. Even our own conscience gets tuned out when it convicts us. Do we really believe that we can change the truth by ignoring it?

When I was a teen-ager, we attended a tiny country church whose members pretty much only went into town to “trade.” They may have been isolated but they weren’t foolish. I recall the words of one man regarding the pointedness of a particular sermon: “If he steps on my toes, I’ll just rub them.”

Don’t expect truth to tickle your ears. Most often, the truth will hurt. If it does, just rub your sore toes and put those uncomfortable shoes back on. You might find that they hurt less as you break them in!

The truth sets you free, but it often makes you miserable first.*

Worth Repeating - July 23, 2017

Proverbs 3: 9 Honor the Lord with your wealth. (NIV)

We are called to help the poor.  How can the poor help the poor?*

Some of us might be surprised to learn that it is possible for a wealthy person to honor God. A local church was recently given a 1.4 million dollar donation from a member of the congregation. That kind of money can bring a lot of honor to the Lord. So can a lot less money if given with the right heart and used wisely (that is, prayerfully).

Look at who Jesus hobnobbed with and you will see an interesting cross-section of humanity. He socialized with people of every class and financial status. He preached to them in groups and ministered one-on-one with them. Rich or poor or middle class, they all needed to hear his message. But you know it’s true: we like to think that somehow the poor are spiritually superior just because they aren’t tainted by riches. Being poor is no badge of honor in itself nor is the possession of a healthy bank account anything to be ashamed of.

The truth is, rich or poor, every person is a target for Satan. He uses our circumstances to his advantage. Too much money and there is the temptation for arrogance and lack of compassion. Not enough money and we face temptation for resentment and covetousness. According to James 1: 14, we each have our own evil desires to contend with.

This Proverb might just as well read: Honor the Lord with your wealth or lack thereof.

While Jesus was known to have called folks to give up everything they owned . . . [i]t was not a universal call to poverty.*

Worth Repeating - July 22, 2017

Job 24: 1 “Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment? Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?” (NIV)

I beg your pardon. I never promised you a rose garden.*

Job wants to know how people can get away with the awful things they do. He lists some of their atrocities: move boundary stones; steal flocks; cheat orphans and widows out of their possessions; rebel against the light; kill the poor and needy; think they can get away with adultery; break into houses; make friends with the terrors of darkness. I would add to the list: human trafficking and religious persecution.

I wish I knew the answer to Job’s questions. When bad things happen to bad people we shrug. But when bad people get away with doing bad things – and actually prosper, we wonder, “What is God thinking?” Sure, we acknowledge that our perspective is limited by our humanness but couldn’t life be a little more fair?

What would happen if life really was fair? Would that be a good thing? If we all got what we deserved, we would have to pay the price for our own sin.

Perhaps fairness is overrated.

God can use injustice as well as justice to accomplish his will.*