Standing In the Clearing - 2 Corinthians 7:10-11

“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” - 2 Corinthians 7:10-11

    There is a distinct and fatal difference between sorrow produced by worldly fear and that produced by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. One is induced by fear of worldly recompense and, as Paul says, “produces death;” the other is produced by the indwelling of God’s Spirit acting in His capacity to transform us into creatures of light rather than darkness. Worldly sorrow is that which picks at us to seek excuse, subterfuge, and evasion. We try to hide ourselves as Adam tried to hide from God . . . to no avail. Ultimately, both Adam and Eve stood “in the clearing,” naked before the Lord. Godly sorrow is always manifested in our nakedness, in our humbling, our humiliation, our conviction, and total desire for true forgiveness.
    Worldly sorrow is insincere; it is disingenuous. Such sorrow seeks to avoid consequence. And while we may think or believe we have evaded God’s justice for the time being we have only succeeded in storing up for ourselves His holy wrath. Whereas true Godly sorrow is evidenced by sincere and genuine repentance. We must recall the words of David in Psalm 51: 3-4 - “For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.”
    David “acknowledged” his sin before the Lord. He hid it not nor did he excuse it nor evade it. He stood “in the clearing” . . . before the Lord. It was David’s desire to come clean with his God, to be “clear in this matter.” But the Psalmist didn’t stop there. He went further. He went to the place that God desires all of us to go-
“Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.” - Psalm 51:11-12.  David plead for the continued comfort and strength of God’s Holy Spirit because the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the real evidence of our true saving faith. Where the Spirit does not reside there is no Godly sorrow. Where the Spirit does not reside there is no salvation.
    Godly sorrow manifests itself on three distinct avenues, all leading to the same destination: we are sorry to God, our Holy Father, for our stubborn disobedience to Him as our Creator and Sustainer. We are sorry to Jesus Christ, our Savior who suffers torture at our hands and dies upon the cross, over and over again with each of our transgressions. We are sorry to the Holy Spirit whom we grieve with our prideful eviction of His presence in our hearts. We are sorry to our God, our Redeemer, and our Comforter. This is Godly sorrow. No running; no hiding; no excuses. We stand in the clearing. May God keep you and comfort you.

No Pets in the Pearly - John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” - John 3:16
    Recently, I have heard people speak of pets they have lost. Some were long time members of their families and obviously well loved and care for. Then I hear the clanging of a harsh cymbal - “I’ll see them again one day.” What? I ask myself. When? Where? Ohhhh, you mean ‘in heaven.’ Sorry again, my faithful believer: no pets in the Pearly!
    John 3:16 specifically state that whoever believes in Jesus Christ will have everlasting life, not “whatever!” Even the psalmist says, after a litany of creatures that God has created -
You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.” Psalm 104:29
    There are those who would argue to the contrary citing Isaiah 11:6-9 -
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
 The cow and the bear shall graze;
Their young ones shall lie down together;
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole,
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea”
    Unfortunately Isaiah didn’t say, “And they will play with Fido again . . . .”
    I have even heard the ridiculous comment that if part of our eternal happiness in heaven requires us to reconnect with our former pets it will be so. Trust me, our happiness in heaven will in no way rely on our seeing dead pets again. The glory of being in God’s holy presence is all we will need for eternal bliss.
    No, of all God’s creation, heaven is reserved for angels and men. Which is not to suggest that God could not, should He choose to, include our former pets in our heavenly experience. There simply is no scriptural support for such a notion.
    The problem with such convoluted thinking is that it stems from human sentiment or emotion. We feel a deep love and attachment to our pets and when they leave us we transfer this feeling of emotional loss into a desire to keep them alive in our hearts. One of the best methods for this is to try to convince ourselves that we will see them again. Aside from some twisted horror novel we understand that this is impossible; the beloved pet is dead. There is no animal resurrection. Again, the notion of such a thing finds no support in holy scripture. So we tend to assuage our feelings of loss with the misconception that we will see the deceased pet again . . . in heaven. That is, at least, if we have a belief in the afterlife. If we don’t then the whole issue is moot.
    We must find solace in the fact that we tended this deceased animal throughout its life. We cared for it in sickness and health and we enjoyed God’s blessing of camaraderie the pet shared with us. We followed God’s law and were good stewards. Beyond this gratification we must be especially careful not to attempt to create a heavenly gateway of our own liking as opposed to the heavenly gateway as described in holy scripture.
    We must remember that animals do not have souls. Only men have souls. Animals are not sinful or evil by nature and therefore cannot be ‘regenerated or ‘born again;’only men can be born again. Remember always, “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” - John 3:3.
May God’s blessings continue to shower you.
   
               

No Free Delivery: The Second Law of Gleaning - Leviticus 19:9 - 10

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest.  And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the Lord your God.” - Leviticus 19:9-10

    It seem that more often than not I am at odds with those who have either never read Leviticus 19:9-10 and/or its adjacents (i.e. Lev. 23:22 and Deut. 24:19-22) or have a convoluted notion of their meaning. It is not difficult. In fact, the Old Testament actually presents us with a vivid example of the second law of gleaning in Ruth 2:8-23; specifically - “And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, ‘Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.’” - Ruth 2:15-16. So there simply is no excuse for getting it wrong.
    Let us first examine what scripture means by the word, ‘gleaning,’ or ‘to glean.” The Hebrew prime root is ‘lâqat;’ meaning ‘to pick up, or ‘to gather.’ Gathering crops was a common practice in the Bronze Age and therefore was something all were familiar with. So in our case what was meant by the second law of gleaning? Within the second law of gleaning was the word ‘leave’ - the Hebrew prime root - ‘âzab,’ to relinquish. So upon the gathering of crops the Israelites were charged with relinquishing the corners of their fields and those crops which had fallen during the gathering. Notice that nowhere within the scripture is there a command from God - to deliver the gleanings to the poor and the stranger! They are certainly welcome to those gleanings but it required that they actually put in their own efforts to collect the God-gifted charity . . . for themselves.
    So how does the second law of gleaning apply for us in today’s society? The gathering of crops today relies more on technology than back-breaking work, except, of course, in the case of migrant field labor: some crops still require hard work to gather. So in the world today the able-bodied poor and the able-bodied stranger are required to at least make a minimal effort to gather or perform some other manner of labor to receive the generosity of those who have an abundance. Notice that in the aforementioned verses God does not mention the sick, elderly or disabled in His law of gleaning, only the poor and the stranger. Scripture has always addressed the needs of the former; it goes without saying that we are to take care of these unfortunates. No, this particular scripture is specifically addressing the able-bodied poor and those who are simply ‘without.’ There will be food available for them, but they must do something to receive this blessing from God. There simply is no ‘free-ride’ for those who are capable of earning their own needs. “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.’” - 2 Thessalonians 3:10.    Paul doesn’t say those who cannot or are unable to work. He says those who are unwilling! And this New Testament command could actually be considered God’s ‘third law of gleaning,’ as well as a warning of violating the 8th Commandment - “Thou shalt not steal.” For one who is perfectly capable of working for a living yet refuses to do so is stealing from those who do work for a living? This is the heart of the law of gleaning: you will gather for yourselves but you will always leave some for the less fortunate to gather for themselves.
    One final word - just as in the verses from Ruth, we, who have been blessed greatly with abundance should neither reproach nor rebuke those who must rely upon our charity. If they are willing to take responsibility for their own gathering then they are fulfilling God’s law and we should find joy in their willingness to do what they can to earn for themselves.
May the truth of the Lord lives always in your heart

How To Know Jesus - 1 John 2:3

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
                     - 1 John 2:3 
This is the most straightforward statement about “knowing Jesus” in the entire bible. While John’s entries to holy scripture often contain poetic-like metaphors this direct revelation comes through clear and crisp, without need for interpretation. This simple entry is one of the cornerstones of our Christian faith. If we fail to acknowledge this pillar of understanding we put ourselves at the center of Christ’s condemnation in Matthew 7:21, 23 -  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. . . Christ then warns of the consequence for not doing the will of His Father
 . . . And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
    This vital tenet of our faith is not directed by Christ to the unbelievers but to those within the flock who ‘claim’ to know Jesus . . . personally. We hear the trumpet sounds of professing Christians all too often and then see no evidence of their salvation. The trumpet sounds are hollow. That which they claim is music is just so much noise. Jesus now asks us all this pertinent question: “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” - Luke 6:46.
    The question is not rhetorical; it is direct and simply put because this is the bedrock for the foundation of true belief and faith in Christ as ‘Lord’: Christ will not save us while we continue to live in our sins. He will only save from our sins.
    When we glorify God with our Christian behavior He blesses us without exception by acknowledging that He does indeed love us and know us. “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” - John 14:21.  By putting our sinful lives in the past and recognizing our need to accept Jesus Christ as both our Lord and Savior we then give evidence that we truly know and love Him.
    “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
                    - 2 Timothy 2:19
May God always know you are His.

To Tattoo Or Not To Tattoo - 1 Corinthians 10:23

All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. - 1 Corinthians 10:23
So is it sinful to get a tattoo? This is always a subject guaranteed to create a disagreement not only among Christians but people in general. The "tat-free crowd" likes to point to Leviticus 19:28 - "You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord." Tattoos and ‘piercings’ have a long association with pagan practices and for that reason alone should be avoided. However, those Christians in favor of fashionable "ink-wear" point to the fact that we are no longer under the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament for we are now under a New Covenant. So is there a quick answer? Sure, but a quick answer needs quick qualification. The answer is . . . it depends. Thought you were going to get a locked-down easily discerned answer? Not a chance. You see, while the answer is easy to arrive at it is our motivations that need testing.
First, let us look at the reason(?) for getting a tattoo. For many it is a way to distinguish themselves (as in ‘gang tattoos) or a method of self-expression (as in rebellion against the reverent or the conventional). In neither case is the reason laudable. However, there is an even more insidious reason for getting tattooed - as a cultural or worldly fashion statement. Scripture has a thing or two to say about that - "Therefore,"Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." - 2 Corinthians Also - "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.’"
Let’s look at the simple act of getting a tattoo. It involves a conscious (or semi-conscious) decision to have an image (graven or not) transferred into our very flesh with lifetime ramifications. In other words, short of a painful surgical operation, the image or images will remain in our flesh throughout our lives and long into the grave. A picture is already developing here (no pun intended).
Now add to this fact the tattoo’s price and we now have a situation where monies perhaps better spent on real human needs have been squandered on a selfish desire to somehow improve what God has created . . . you! The picture is becoming clearer now.
Remember what Jesus told us - "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." - Matthew 6:21. In the verses preceding Matt 6:21 Jesus was telling his disciples not to worry about "laying up treasures" on earth where moths and rust could destroy them. He wanted them to understand that one’s eternity should be the chief concern, not what one acquired or gained in this life. So while the mere act of getting a tattoo may not be sinful in and of itself you should probably give it the 1 Corinthians 10:23 test - is it profitable and/or does it edify? According to Strong’s, "profitable" comes to us from "expedient" - conducive, advantageous, be good for, thus profitable. "Edify" means to be a "house-builder," to build up or embolden. One need only look to the very next verse to see what Paul means by being profitable and edifying:
1 Corinthians 10:24 - "Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being."Paul is telling us that we should be seeking ways to build up Christ’s church and any activity we engage in must meet this final test. Does it build up the church? Does it set us apart from nonbelievers as "holy?" Is what we are about to do or engage in setting a Christian example to our fellow Christians and those around us? Can you defend your decision to get that tattoo in light of this New Covenant scripture? I think that we now have a clear picture of what the bible has to say about tattoos. I, myself, have never felt the need or desire to mark my body with either ink or piercings; that was my choice. I have simply never seen an image that I would want to display on my skin for the rest of my life. Again - the final decision will always rest with you. Perhaps the idea is something you may just want to contemplate long and hard. Think about it! And pray for guidance. May God’s peace be with you always.