On This Thanksgiving - Psalm 65:9

You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, for so You have prepared it. - Psalm 65:9

    In this day and age, we find ourselves too often dealing with a “double difficulty.” We find it difficult to be grateful and we find it doubly difficult to refrain from complaining. What we really and fervently need to do is step back and take stock of all we have to be grateful for and all we have to praise God for. “Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!” - Psalm 68:19.
    When we realize all we have to be grateful for, it should silence our complaints and dry up our self-indulgent tears. Our hearts should be bursting with a gratitude and thankfulness that shines forth like the morning sun! We should echo the Psalmist when he declares - “Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing out the honor of His name; make His praise glorious.” - Psalm 66:1-2.
    And there is very good reason to praise God for all His providence, for without Him we would have nothing! “Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us.” - Psalm 67:5-6.
    As the year draws near its end there will be those who cast aspersions upon God’s holy name. They will decry events that have taken place over the past year, pointing their crooked fingers at the glorious One Who grants them their very lives, Who gives and takes away in His time . . . not ours. Yet they forget the common grace and daily providence which we all share.
“You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance.” - Psalm 65:11.
    And sadly, in far too many cases there will be people who fail to recognize that even our very breath comes to us from God! If not God then who or what keeps us alive, breathing, and prospering? Chance? Mere chance?!  “ . . . because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”- Romans 1:21.
     Unlike those poor folks, I believe there is a guiding hand that gives me direction as well as my physical and spiritual needs. And that hand belongs to God almighty! My life is not a daily roll of the dice nor is it a lottery ticket. My life, my existence . . . and yours has been ordained by God from before the beginning of time, not by the shifting winds of fortune. It is God who granted me the family I came from, the family I have, the wife I have been blessed with, the children and grandchildren I am exalted enough to call my own, my education, my faith,  my job, my home, and my friends. Everything I have ever had, have now, or ever will have is evidence of the providence of God.
    We need to thank God every day for our education, skill sets, physical endowments and all those attributes we rely on to carry us through our lives. We need to thank Him again when things don’t turn out the way we may have planned for the lessons we can learn from those tribulations!             
      “ . . . in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Let us be thankful as the Psalmist was thankful! “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.” - Psalm 104:33.
    Father, do not hold our weaknesses and iniquities against us. Grant us grateful and praise-filled hearts on this Thanksgiving Day, in Christ’s holy name.

Sin? Whose Sin? - Philippians 3:14

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
- Philippians 3:14

    A quick perusal of the cultural media today ensures us that we, as a nation (world?), no longer recognize sin or its deadly wage. Sin has fallen off the grid and into that disputable region of religion and God. So, it naturally follows that many see the concept of sin as an anathema to be censored and avoided, effectively relegating it to mythological status along with evil and the devil.
    Of course, we can and do break mankind’s laws and for such secular transgressions some  are called to account for their actions; some are not. That is a primary difference between mankind’s laws and God’s law. Under man’s laws, status, wealth, lineage, and a host of other factors often forestall charges, convictions, and punishments. Whereas with God’s law, there is no privilege and no escape. “Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.’”- Jude 14-15.
    The bedrock upon which secular laws rest is neither moral nor Godly. The best that can be said is that it seeks expediency for what is perceived as the “common good.” Is it then any wonder that sins like lying, greed, pride, sexual sins, parental disrespect and a myriad of others go unchallenged, uncharged, untried, and unpunished? You see, if a secular connection cannot be attached to the transgression, no “crime” has been committed, regardless of how heinous the moral depravity of the act is!
    The very term “immoral” burns like acid on the tongues of secularists. There is no such thing as good or evil, morality or God! Mankind continues to express the belief that it and it alone shall determine what is right and what is wrong and God shall have no say in the matter!
“No God - No Master,” the mantra of the 21st Century. “The fool has said in his heart,
‘There is no God.’ they are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.” - Psalm 14:1.
    So for the Christian, sin is too often determined today by its visible corruption in other’s lives when in reality we need look no further than at our own reflections. The Spirit will convict us of our own transgressions. We can still see visible sin in our own lives. We need not look at our neighbor’s. And because we feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit, that doesn’t imply that He will produce the same conviction in other’s lives. If I can see my own sin, can my neighbor see his? And here the truth is harder than that: I know the temptation to critique sin in others is often overwhelming. But rather than constantly eyeing our neighbors and their sins with derision, we must focus upon repentance in our own lives and that prize of the upward call of God. Let us remember the words of the Apostle - “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”- Philippians 2:12-15.
    That is not to say that we should overlook, advocate, excuse or otherwise ignore the sins that surround us. Sin is sin no matter who the transgressor is! And the shifting tides of popular culture can never declare righteous what God has declared sinful! Perdition awaits all who ignore the words of Christ Jesus - “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” - Matthew 4:17.

Founded On The Rock - Matthew 7:25

“ . . . and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.” - Matthew 7:25

    The great English Reformer, Hugh Latimer, once wrote to King Henry the Eighth, “True preachers should be persecuted and hated.” - (A letter of Master Latimer written to King Henry [VIII] for restoring again the free liberty of reading the holy scriptures.) Latimer’s point is as valid today as it was back in the 16th Century.
    As we will always see: the truth and anyone speaking the truth will always be hated by the world. Anything that refuses to yield to the ebb and flow, shift and turn, slide and slip of the “current dictates” of the world must be met with anger and hatred! For the truth, as they insist, is all relative. “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” - Judges 21:25.
    Christ’s parable about building a house upon a rock or upon sand is one of His most direct assessments of the truth. He describes the truth as a rock, then deals a killing blow to the sands of falsehood and relativism - “ . . . and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”  - Matthew 7:27. This is why the world must hate the truth in all its manifestations.
    A week doesn’t go by when we don’t observe or hear of some worldly “philosopher” (I use the term in its loosest sense) purging out some diatribe against Christianity in general and against God in particular. Every time there is a tragedy in the world, these minions of intolerance hoist the flag of relativism and shout out loudly, “Where was your God?” As if every blessing and every curse doesn’t already fall within God’s divine ordinance. “Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, when the Lord has not commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that woe and well-being proceed?” - Lamentations 3:37-38. And depending on the severity of the event or circumstances this is what most people simply cannot understand: why does God allow such misery to escape His attention? A simple perusal of Scripture assures us that nothing escapes God’s attention! This alone should give every human pause for thought. Every “happening” falls within His ordinance and because it does unbelievers choose their own narrative rather than God’s. This is the truth, but it makes them more comfortable to build their houses upon sand.
    For the Christian, God’s words are the truth and the rock upon which we will stand against the lies and the opposition of the world. And it is here that we will be hated . . . for Christ’s sake. “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” - John 15:18-19.
    The minions of secular society want nothing to do with “the truth.” They much rather prefer their own convoluted interpretation of reality. Did I say “interpretation?” I meant interpretations, plural because each of them has their own idea of what the truth is. As we’ve seen, for them there is no singular absolute truth. For them, the truth can be molded daily to become what they are most comfortable with at any given time. And so they build their houses on sand, watch as they collapse, then stare with hatred at the house founded on the Rock!  

What Privilege? - Proverbs 16:3

Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established. - Proverbs 16:3

    There was a recent video on Facebook regarding the latest social justice cause. Normally, I wouldn’t respond, but at the end of the video they tossed up a verse from Holy Scripture to kind of justify their erroneous position. With that I took exception!
    I’ll be forthcoming and as honest as I can possibly be regarding the truth contained within this post. Beyond the common grace He makes available to all men, God simply doesn’t always pave a road of ease and comfort for we who profess our faith in Him. So if a life of worldly health, wealth, and comfort isn’t necessarily “a given” to believers, then why do those who refuse to believe think that they are somehow being denied access to the finer things in life because of one social stigma or another? Why do they continue to blame others for their shortcomings? Why do they continue to blame their inability to obtain wealth, health, or fame on someone or some particular set of circumstances?
    Because Christians are made up of men and women from various backgrounds of race, ethnicity, social status, national origin and a number of other variables, many fall through these perceived “social safety nets.” There is no specific privilege assigned to any one of any distinction! No, faithful Christians are not expressly granted a life of ease because they are faithful. In fact, to be a Christian often means having quite a rough time of it - “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” - 2 Timothy 3:12
    So when people today make excuses for their failures or make strenuous attempts to place the blame for their inability to get ahead on someone else, we all need to put this rationalization in perspective.
    We are all born into different circumstances. We are all born with different strengths and weaknesses. We are all born with different advantages and disadvantages. In fact, we can safely say that in terms of equality it is our differences which make us equal - we are all equally different! What takes place between or births and deaths may be radically different, but we’re all born equal. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” - Galatians 3:28. Equality only exists in regard to our relationship to Jesus Christ! If however, we deliberately choose not to find our equality in Jesus, then indeed, our differences will be manifest. And at that unbecoming stage, our differences and disadvantages will certainly make their marks felt. If God doesn’t grant worldly advantages to a believer, then why do unbelievers think there is an unfair disparity between men and women and the stations of life they find themselves in? Note that there is no Scriptural command to divest ourselves of our possessions and give them to someone else! What Scripture commands is that we humble ourselves - “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time . . .” - 1 Peter 5:6. Regarding Christ’s words to the young ruler - Jesus was not commanding the man to go, sell everything he had, and follow Him; He was testing the young ruler’s heart! Christ’s test applies to us all, rich and poor alike! To follow Christ, we may have to surrender that which we hold most valuable.
    In “The Root,” an online magazine of African-American culture, an article entitled, “Hey, Media: White People Are Poor Too,” the article stated, “According to Census figures in 2013, 18.9 million whites are poor. That’s 8 million more poor white people than poor black people, and more than 5 million more than those who identify as Latino. A majority of those benefitting from programs like food stamps and Medicaid are white, too.”  I mention these statistics only to break the subversive suggestion that there is a “privilege” associated with one’s skin color. God knows no such distinction. “For there is no respect of persons with God.” - Romans 2:11. This passage does not imply that God doesn’t respect human beings; it merely means that to God it doesn’t make any difference if one is poor or rich, Black or White, male or female, Jew or Gentile!
    To suggest that the Gospel somehow has the power to “liberate” us from our social circumstances is sheer folly - there is no such Gospel! There is no social aspect to the Gospel. There is only the Cross! And you cannot correctly exegete or extrapolate a message of social justice from the Cross of Jesus Christ! The core of the Gospel is the Cross, both Christ’s . . . and ours! “Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’” - Luke 9:23. Does that sound like an invitation to a life of wealth, comfort, and fame? The cry is currently about privilege and advantage. Here is the unvarnished truth according to Holy Scripture: we are all fallen sinners born into a fallen and sinful world. Could someone please tell me where the advantage or privilege is in that? It is no revelation that there will always be someone who will take advantage of this; it merely confirms the prior statement.
    We must all come to terms with our individual circumstances and stop coveting that which we do not have or can not earn for ourselves. What we want in this life eludes us for one of two very specific reasons - we have not asked - “Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” - James 4:2-3. And we do not have because It is simply not God’s will that we have what we desire - “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” - 1 John 5:14.
    As I stated earlier, barring the common grace bestowed upon all men and women, our days of sunshine and of rain are not the determiners of our circumstances - God is. And if God determines who, what, and where we are in our lives, doesn’t it behoove us to honor and glorify Him? “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” - Hebrews 11:6.
    Perhaps all of us, Black, White, Hispanic, and all the other races and people in every situation should remember the words of Paul, who says it best - “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” -Philippians 4:11-13.
    May we all come to the understanding that God, and God alone, determines our lives and our fates. And dishonestly tossing a verse of Scripture out as a Divine stamp of approval on a social justice cause does nothing to curtail God’s sovereignty! We will all live our lives in the place God has declared for us.

The Judgment Seat Of Christ - Acts 17:30-31

Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. - Acts 17:30-31

    Of all the misconceptions about Jesus that I hear, the one that consistently bites into my patience is the notion that Jesus is “all love and only love.” I cannot fathom for myself exactly how many people actually believe this tripe. Yes, yes, Jesus is love! However, He is not "only love!" He is also God! And God is not a one dimensional being whose only concern is for our tranquility. Our God is a God of many attributes, including both love and wrath. If our title verse doesn’t speak to this truth, nothing does!
    Was there something we missed? Maybe this will help clear the water - “And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God (Jesus)* to be Judge of the living and the dead.” - Acts 10:42.
    Still, there are those who resist the truth that Christ will indeed return to judge the living and the dead - “For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” - Romans 14:9-10.
    Are there still any who believe that Jesus will not ultimately judge us all? For one to maintain that, they would have to dismiss the Holy Scriptures in their entirety. And if we can choose not to believe what Scripture tells us, then the Bible is nothing, it reveals nothing, and our faith is dead.
    But if we are to believe the Bible, then we must accept and admit that upon Christ’s second coming, He will judge both the living and the dead - “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;(2 Peter 2:4)   then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,  and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority.”-  2 Peter 2:9-10.
    Many prefer to believe in a “Jesus” who is more of a big brother or friend than the righteous and sovereign God of creation. And to their dismay, they will one day see the error of such specious thinking - “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” - 2 Corinthians 5:10.
    Christ is going to return, and when He does, He will  shower those who have repented in faith and believe in Him with His eternal love. Let us pray that we all repent in faith and believe that Jesus is indeed the loving, righteous, and sovereign God of creation.
    * - parenthesis mine.