Worth Repeating - December 7, 2017

Nehemiah 7: 2 I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do. (NIV)

God has his own way of rewarding honorable and faithful work.*

I spent 25 years working my way to the top in my career until, at the pinnacle, I had to run for election in order to keep the position. I was determined that politics would not corrupt me. I had to do a lot of things that were so far beyond my comfort zone that they were in the Twilight Zone, but I did not compromise my principles. And I lost the election.

Nehemiah’s friend, Hananiah, was rewarded for his integrity. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines integrity as “firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values: incorruptibility.” Someone has said that integrity is who you are when no one is looking – but that could be the definition of hypocrisy as well. About humility, we say that if you think you have it, you don’t. About integrity, we could say that if you are using it for personal gain, you don’t really have it. A person might be able to give the appearance of integrity but God knows the heart. Integrity was not a stepping-stone in Hananiah’s pathway to success – it was who he was.

So what about me? And the rest of you out there whose integrity is not being rewarded by success? Perhaps we should redefine success. After the election, my campaign manager told me of the impact our team (all Christians) had on many of the people we met along the campaign trail. If we were able to plant some seeds of eternal value, then I say we won. I thought the goal was to win the election but God’s objective was much bigger than my career ambitions.

Be true to your Christian principles in a world that doesn’t value them. Your success may come in unexpected ways but God will reward your integrity.

Only in the light of eternity is godly living always more rewarding.*

Worth Repeating - December 6, 2017

James 1: 22; 2: 14-26 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. . . What good is it . . . if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? . . . faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. . . Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. . . a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. . . As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. (NIV)

True faith is actively obedient.*

James is very thorough in his coverage of the controversy between faith and works. He doesn’t leave much for me to say except to rearrange his words to make them sound like they’re mine! He makes it clear that faith and works are partners.

So what is so controversial about James’ presentation on faith and works? He doesn’t claim that we are saved by our works. He knows that it is impossible to work hard enough to pay off our debt. He doesn’t offer any other route to salvation other than through faith in Jesus Christ - but God alone knows the true status of a person’s faith. If you have faith and nothing in your life demonstrates it, it benefits no one but you. While it might be possible for our behavior to falsely portray a life of faith, what would motivate a person to maintain that façade for a lifetime?

The world knows who we are by what we do. Aside from those who are severely disabled (and perhaps those in some other extreme circumstances), Christians are called to active duty. One source refers to our good deeds as “spiritual motion.”* I like that term and hope to add it to my holy vocabulary! 

Faith is not a mental assent to the existence of God; it is a way of life – or death.*

Worth Repeating - December 5, 2017

I Timothy 4: 12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. (NIV)

No matter how much experience we have in the Christian life . . . we must still walk by faith.*

It’s hard not to get discouraged about the future of the church. Our faith in God may be strong but when we look at the generation following us – well, it might seem like God doesn’t have much to work with.  But I contend that there is as much hope for the church in its young people as there is in us old folks. I know some kids who are going to set the world on fire for the Lord. I know some middle-aged people who do nothing much beyond taking up space.

While Paul was specifically addressing Timothy’s situation, we might apply the same principle to those who are young in the faith, whatever their chronological age.  New Christians should not feel that their immaturity in the faith makes them less valuable in the Kingdom. They just have some growing to do.

Physically and spiritually, we all grow and develop at different rates. We do everything we can to make sure our children grow up to be strong and healthy – but the pace at which that happens is not up to us. Spiritually, we do everything we can to feed and nurture our growth but some people will always lag behind others. To my friends who feel like a grasshopper next to the spiritual giants, I say with Paul: Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are “young.” No matter where you are in your spiritual walk, you can still set an example in speech, life, love, faith and purity. 

In opportunity, in privilege, in the endowment of youth, strength, intelligence, or other of life's benefits, every Christian in some specific sense is better than any other.*

Worth Repeating - December 4, 2017

I Corinthians 10: 13 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. (NIV)

Impulses to sin are universal, even if they are different impulses for different people.*

I am not consistently tempted by the same things all the time. My weaknesses are not exactly like yours. But we are all tempted by something sometime. God hasn’t promised that we will not face temptations.

We tend to concentrate on the part of this verse that says that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. It makes us think of ourselves as strong and well-equipped to resist sin’s enticements. We overlook the promise that God will provide a way out. So, instead of looking for that escape hatch, we try to face down our devils. When we fail, we make excuses and look for someone to blame.

The strength God promises is ours – for the taking. Look for the way of escape – which, as someone has observed, is not necessarily an easy way.* Passive resistance is not enough. It must be coupled with action – seeking and escaping.  We might even consider the prudence of actively avoiding tempting situations. There is no shame in asking God to direct your path.

Temptation is inevitable – Satan has not given up - but Paul wants us to understand that no sin is unique or irresistible. Look for that way out so that you can avail yourself of that strength that God provides.

When tempted, look. Look for the way out. Taking the way out leads to victorious living.*

Worth Repeating - December 3, 2017

Acts 8: 27-40 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road . . . that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” . . . on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch . . . This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah . . . The Spirit told Philip, “Go to the chariot . . .” . . . Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. . . .  (NIV)

(Read the entire passage.)

What seems right and reasonable to human beings is often totally out of harmony with God’s ways. We must learn to trust the wisdom of God, even when it seems to go against all that seems wise or best to us.*

Several years ago, a young woman shared her amazing testimony with me. She and her husband (and children) were living in New York when they – through some circumstances that I don’t recall – felt called to a ministry in Texas, down on the border with Mexico. There were many obstacles in their path but they were removed, one by one, in such a way that it could only have been by the hand of God.  It wasn’t long after their arrival in Texas that doors began to close and they had to abandon the mission – but not before ministering to and baptizing one woman.

Would God really call a family to relocate across the country just for the sake of that one woman? Couldn’t he have sent someone else? We could ask the same question about Philip’s experience. God called him away from a successful ministry in Samaria to preach to one man. Couldn’t he have sent someone else?

God’s ways don’t always make sense to us but we can be confident that he knows what he is doing. We have our own ideas about effective evangelism and they may be good ones . . . until God has a better one. We think we have to establish a relationship with a person before they will listen to a gospel presentation – and most often that is true. We believe that they have to witness our genuine Christian character before they will be interested in what we have to say. And usually that is the case. But sometimes, the seeds have already been planted and God just needs us to come along and reap the harvest for him.

When God is lining up the laborers for work in his fields, he knows who is best qualified for each task. Moving families across the country is a piece of cake for the Creator of the universe. My friend had no resentment and no regrets for the upheaval in her family’s life. Philip made no complaints about abandoning his crowds in order to meet the needs of one lost soul. When you go where God calls, you can’t not be blessed by it!

Ready for adventure? Say yes!

All of us are called to service. There are no exceptions. But a specific call . . . can vary in intensity, in responsibility, and in term. Sometimes a specific call lasts a lifetime. Sometimes a specific call lasts for a season.*

Worth Repeating - December 2, 2017

Isaiah 58: 6, 7 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen; to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (NIV)

Men vainly pretend to piety who are defective in justice and charity.*

I hear it all the time: people who talk about going to church like they’re doing God a big favor by attending. Yes, our worship is directed toward God, but mostly those who are assembled are the recipients of the blessing. In this passage, Isaiah addresses the same mindset. He scolded the people for how they approached a day of fasting. His criticism of their behavior on that day included: 

· They did as they pleased 

· They exploited their workers 

· They ended the day with quarreling, strife, and physical        altercations 

Attending church services is a good thing. Fasting is a commendable practice. But in what way do these activities benefit society? If you go to church or fast but you are not changed by your participation - if you come away with the same lack of concern for others that you started with – you have missed the point. Hearts that worship become hearts that care. Hearts that care inhabit bodies that act on behalf of others: deliverance for the victims of injustice and bondage; food, shelter and clothing for the needy; provision for one’s own family. 

It is vital that God’s people spend time with him. Worship, fasting, Bible study, spiritual disciplines – all are important pursuits for building and maintaining our relationship with the Father. Time spent with him leads to time spent in his service.

Worship must be more than a point of theology; it must initiate action.*

Worth Repeating - December 1, 2017

Ezekiel 13: 10 “They lead my people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, . . . and when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash.” (NIV)

Are we going to preach a biblical message or a popular message?*

A coat of whitewash might improve the appearance of a wall but it doesn’t add to its strength. Likewise, we think we are being nice when we tell people what they want to hear. While there is nothing wrong with being sensitive to another’s feelings, lying to them is inexcusable.

One of God’s least favorite things is prophesying falsely. False prophets wanted to make everyone happy and to be liked, while true prophets told it like it was going to be, regardless of how they may have dreaded their audience’s reaction. Watering down the message to make it more palatable wasn’t going to change their fate.

Do all false prophets know that they are leading people astray? Perhaps not always. But teachers and preachers beware! Paul says in Galatians 1: 9 that if anyone is preaching any other gospel, “let him be eternally condemned.” He doesn’t make special provisions for those who misspeak out of ignorance.

 

How do we recognize false prophets? We can recognize a counterfeit by knowing the truth. We don’t come to know the truth by passively allowing another to feed us the only nourishment we receive; we have to get out our knives and forks and dig into the meat for ourselves. Compare every message (including this one) to God’s word to determine its truth.

Those are the most dangerous seducers, who suggest to sinners that which tends to lessen their dread of sin, or their fear of God.*