Worth Repeating - January 21, 2017

Exodus 31: 3 “I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skills, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts.”

Those whom God calls to any service he will either find, or make, fit for it.*

In the back of my mind lurks the fear that I may have messed up because I never went into “full time Christian service.”  I meant to but it never worked out that way. It eases my anxiety to read here that God equips Spirit-filled people to go out into a world where the “professionals” can’t go.

How many people are Christians today because of a co-worker’s influence or invitation to church? How many seeds have been planted in the hearts of the lost by their exposure to a Christian’s work ethic? Not many preachers possess the skills or the time to cook for the homeless; to arrange the flowers to decorate the Lord’s house; to nurture and teach children; to change the oil for a single mom; or to per-form household repairs for widows; but there is a Spirit-filled army who can be victorious in battlefields where a preacher would face defeat.

The Spirit of God is the inspiration for us to be good at our jobs and to be able to bless others with our time and talents. Acknowledge God as the provider of your marketable skills and look for ways to honor him as you go about your business.

Preaching the gospel happens with one’s hands as well as with one’s mouth.*

Worth Repeating - January 20, 2017

Isaiah 6: 5-7 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips . . .” . . . Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand . . . With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

Every Christian knows that the nearer he approaches God, the more aware he becomes of his sin.*

Isaiah’s consternation is due to what he has seen: The Lord, seated on a throne, high and exalted (verse 1).  Isaiah’s peek into the throne room of God has left him with an alarming awareness of his sinfulness and unworthiness. He specifically mentions his unclean lips, probably because he is about to be commissioned with delivering the word of God to people who aren’t interested in the message.

What could Isaiah have done to so defile his lips? Jesus said that it’s not what we put in our mouths that makes us unclean, but what comes out of it (Matthew 15: 11). What comes out of our mouths but words? How can words defile our lips? Words themselves seem harmless – powerless. But words can be weapons of mass destruction or instruments of healing, depending on whose mouth is speaking them. But if it’s what comes out of the mouth that defiles us, how did such nastiness get in there in the first place?

Our eyes and ears are the portals through which we allow ourselves to be sullied by the world. What you see can’t be unseen and what you hear can’t be unheard. As they say on Law & Order, “You can’t unring the bell.” Whether you invited the sight or sound into your mind, or whether it arrived by accident, it can become a tool for Satan to use against you. Once unwholesome thoughts take up residence in your head, they can turn into those words that defile your mouth.

What you say can’t be unsaid, only apologized for. God may say to you, “Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for,” but the damage has been done. Oh, be careful little eyes what you see; be careful little ears what you hear! Protect your lips from pollution by maintaining godly standards for what goes into your mind.

Words may be neither false, nor violent, nor defamatory, nor foul, nor senseless, nor profane, and yet be unwholesome.*

Worth Repeating - January 19, 2017

Exodus 30: 20, 21 “Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting an offering made to the Lord by fire, they shall wash their hands and feet so they will not die.”

Holiness is who he is and what he does.*

Whoever coined the phrase, “Cleanliness is next to godliness,” must have been thinking about this priestly ritual. Although it might be more appropriate to say that cleanliness comes before you can get next to godliness. The priests were heading into the presence of the most holy God but the Almighty was not concerned about the spreading of germs, and all that washing couldn’t really make anyone clean enough to approach God. God was concerned about what their physical hygiene represented: holiness.

We don’t need priests to stand in for us today. We are our own priests – each of us must be cleansed personally before we approach God. How do we meet the requirements for ceremonial cleanliness? In Hebrews 9: 14 we read that it is the blood of Christ that cleanses us. How do we apply the blood for cleansing purposes? In Acts 22: 16, Paul says that after his conversion experience, he was instructed by Ananias to get up, be baptized and wash his sins away. And Peter writes, in I Peter 3: 21, that the water of baptism saves us – not by removing dirt from the body but as a pledge of a good conscience toward God.

Unlike the priests, we don’t have to rewash every time we approach God. Jesus entered the Most Holy Place “once for all by his own blood” (Hebrews 9: 12). Instead of offering many sacrifices, year after year, Christ’s sacrifice is the only one we need for complete forgiveness.

Are you washed in the blood?

At our baptism, God empowers us with His Holy Spirit to serve with the attitudes and character of Christ.*

Worth Repeating - January 18, 2017

Leviticus 11: 44, 45 “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. . . . I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your Lord, therefore be holy, because I am holy.”

Holiness is not optional.*

This passage begins with God’s credentials: “I am the Lord your God.” After establishing his authority, he goes on to remind his people of their obligation and why they owe him. And just in case they didn’t get it, he repeats himself, “Be holy because I am holy.”

Holiness is more than just acknowledging that God is “the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your Lord.” And, being holy like God certainly involves more than just performing holy rituals. As someone has observed, “‘Be ritually clean, for I am ritually clean’ seems inadequate.”* For the Israelites, holiness was a lifestyle that set them apart from the other nations. Many of the restrictions imposed by the Law were for no other purpose than to “erect strong barriers between the chosen people and the heathen.”*

Today, through Jesus, we are released from these particular restrictions but we are still called to be holy. The pursuit of holiness compels us to know God well enough to try to be like him. For an idea of the type of behavior required to set us apart from the world, read Matthew, chapters 5, 6 and 7.  

The more you look in God’s Word, the more God’s holiness is revealed.*

Worth Repeating - January 17, 2017

I Corinthians 16: 17, 18 I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.

Sourpusses don’t attract a following.*

I used to think I was an extrovert. Or maybe I should say, I think I used to be an extrovert. In high school, when they were administering aptitude tests to help us determine our career path, I distinctly remember saying, “I want to work with people.” Well, that was before I had much experience with people.  After decades of dealing with the public, I find that people tend to drain me. I can still be a good team player but I really prefer to work independently.

Surprisingly, there are people out there who have the ability to boost my energy level. People like Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus, who supplied Paul with what he needed and refreshed his spirit. How delightful it is to be in the presence of someone like them. And what would it be like to be one of those people?

Each of us has the ability to be a Stephanas, a Fortunatus or an Achaicus under the right circumstances. Let’s face it, we can’t be all things to all people all the time – but we can be something to some of them some of the time. Cultivate a generous spirit and concentrate on doing what you do well. Ask God to make you aware of needs that you can meet. Reflect on behaviors that refresh you and see if you can develop some skills that don’t come naturally to you. Brighten the corner where you are!

And, when someone has supplied a need for you or has refreshed your spirit, follow Paul’s example and give them the recognition they deserve. Take another tip from Paul and tell them: “I always thank God for you, mentioning you in my prayers.” (I Thessalonians 1: 2, paraphrased.)

Sensitivity to need is an authentic sign of God-imaged humanity.*

Worth Repeating - January 16, 2017

I Samuel 24: 4, 5 . . . David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe.

Forbearance is putting up with people you’d like to put down.*

The North American plains Indians had a custom called counting coup. (I don’t know what they called it, as counting is an English word, and coup is French.) The warriors scored points for touching the enemy and then escaping unharmed. It didn’t count if there was no risk of injury or death.* Doesn’t this sound like what David did that night in the cave, risking his life to prove that his enemy’s life was in his hands?

So what caused him to be “conscience-stricken”? He didn’t harm Saul; he didn’t even cause him public embarrassment – it is doubtful that anyone would have noticed a tiny tear on the corner of the robe of someone who had been traipsing about the wilderness and sleeping in a cave. All he did was obtain proof that he could have killed Saul but chose not to.

David’s shame reminds me of a line from the movie, You’ve Got Mail. Kathleen is lamenting that in the face of the rudeness of others, she never can think of the snappy comebacks until it’s too late. Joe reminds her that “when you finally have the pleasure of saying the thing you mean to say at the moment you mean to say it, remorse inevitably follows.” You think it’s going to feel so good to “get them back” but you usually end up sorry – if you are an honorable person.

While Saul may have been out for David’s blood, David recognized that Saul was still the king, anointed by God. Continue reading this chapter and you will see that instead of taunting Saul as he surely was tempted to do, David used the occasion to attempt reconciliation with his former mentor and friend. David, the warrior king, had a rare opportunity to be a peacemaker.

Most of us are like Kathleen in the movie – the clever retort arrives in our brains too late for us to put that obnoxious person in his place. But most of us have had the experience of “saying what you mean to say when you mean to say it” at least once in our lives. Instead of being proud of our cleverness, perhaps we should have stepped back and asked how we could have used the situation as an opportunity to be a peacemaker. . . . Well, it’s too late now . . . but there’s always a next time!

What I say says more about me than it does about the person toward whom I have directed my impassioned speech.*

Worth Repeating - January 15, 2017

Leviticus 4 “‘When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands - . . . If the anointed priest sins . . . If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally . . . When a leader sins unintentionally . . . If a member of the community sins unintentionally . . .’”

We are all sinners who sin. We are not sin.*

We Christians can be brutal with ourselves over sin. We wallow in our guilt and our shame because we have failed again – and again. We don’t meet our own expectations of the sanctified life therefore robbing ourselves of the joyous life we should be living. The thing is, God’s forgiveness is big enough to cover our failures. He knows that we aren’t perfect and he knows the difference between our human weaknesses and a sinful lifestyle.

What most of us deal with is the “I didn’t mean to” sin; however, “I didn’t mean to,” is not an excuse. When we say we didn’t mean to, what we mean is, “I didn’t plan to” and “I wish I hadn’t.” No one makes us commit sin. According to James 1: 13-15, we are tempted and led into sin by our own evil desires. Satan takes advantage of our weakness but the devil doesn’t make us do it.

Under the Law, even someone who sinned unintentionally was guilty and had to make restitution through the elaborate sin offering process. For our unintentional sin, that elaborate restitution process was performed by Jesus on the cross. Whenever we sin, intentionally or not, the price is paid in full. That payment covers not only our sin but our guilt as well. Repent and start fresh without the added burden of unnecessary guilt.

Some of us . . . hold ourselves hostage to our sins long after God has forgiven us.*