What We Now Must Become - 1 John 2:15-16

   
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. - 1 John 2:15-16

    With all the ridiculous ‘challenges’ we have seen appear on social media lately, perhaps a Godly challenge is due. Here is the challenge: let us take a good long hard look at the world around us today. From the music (and I use the term loosely) to the movies to the magazines, radio stations, cable programming (especially among the subscription giants, HBO, Showtime, etc.), fashions, trends, news, and technology; even the ads and commercials are now laden with homosexuals and LGBTQ adherents. There is actually no perversion under the sky that is not available for viewing through our technologically savvy 4K high definition world. Is there, in any sense of the word, anything that is ‘Godly’? Sadly, the answer is ‘No!’ “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” - 2 Corinthians 4:4.
    Professing Christians are often guilty of the very sins they should not have any part of. They spend an hour in the presence of God on Sunday, then are right back to the business and entertainment of the world. Most times it is hard to tell the difference between a Christian and an unbeliever at all. In fact, we are told to avoid the type of people we ourselves have become!  “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”  - 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
    We have repeatedly been warned about the ways of the world yet we stumble through our lives consistently sinning like the unbelievers around us. We follow their leads like the blind being led by the blind. We employ their language, their smugness, their anger, their ungodliness until we are virtually indistinguishable among them. All this we have become rather than developing into the Christians we should be.
    We were called to be the light in the world. Not only are we to be the light of the world but we have also been told ‘why’ we are to be that light. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” - Matthew 5:14-16. Once again, we are called to be the light in the world so that unbelievers will see that our Christian words and deeds give glory to God in heaven. We cannot accomplish that Godly mission if we behave like the world. The world should recognize us for who we truly are in Christ Jesus and see that we are not like them. “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” - John 15:18-19.
    Our duration here as Christians should not be a day in the park. Tribulations should be our lot, not worldly enjoyment. Our duty here is clear. “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.
    We must not be worldly by any definition. As Christians, we must conduct ourselves in a sober and Godly manner rather than as citizens of this fallen world. We must remember that we are ‘in the world but not of it’ and recall the words of the Apostle Paul - “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” - Romans 12:1-2. No matter what we were in the world before we became believers, the light of the world is what we now must become.

The Perseverance Of Job - Job 2:10

 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. - Job 2:10

    With the Corona virus still slithering among us and the anarchy that seems unabated in our streets there are many who defy God and apparently enjoy mocking Him to our Christian faces. “Where’s your God now?’ They laughingly ask. It’s a big joke to them on the surface but deep beneath all the scornful derision of their blackened hearts, there is a pertinent question that needs answering. Where, in fact, is God when everything seems as bad as it can get? The real question is, what should our response be in the face of tribulation? “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” - James 1:12.
    We would all of course prefer to have all blessings that God provides for us and none of the troubles. That simply isn’t the reality in a fallen world. Ever since the downfall of man, there has been a downside to life on earth. Think of birth: When a Godly woman conceives in her body, she rejoices at the thought of her child’s birth. She celebrates the life living within her. Yet when birth comes, it brings with it the pains that God assured Eve that she would have. “To the woman he said, ‘I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.’” - Genesis 3:16. First pain, then glory. Isn’t this what God has said all along? “Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?” - Lamentations 3:38.
    Even King Solomon knew of the dichotomy of good and bad as a staple of life on earth.
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: . . . a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance . . . .” - Ecclesiastes 1:1,4. The key to contentedness in any and every trial is to adopt the attitude of Job during times of affliction.
    Solomon went on to declare - “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.” - Ecclesiastes 7:14. God has indeed made both the days of prosperity and the days of adversity. And He delivers them at His own bidding so as not to reveal His plans for us. Think about it: were God to reveal all His plans to each of us, why would we need Him afterward? We would already know our futures. And I dare say that many of us would not relish what lies in store for us.
    No, what happens in our lives happens for reasons known only to God. As for our response to adversity? “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” - Romans 3:3-5. We are given Godly commands to carry out in times of tribulation and pain, no matter what the circumstances may be. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” - Romans 12:12. God is certainly not finished with us, regardless of our current circumstances - “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” - Philippians 1:6.
    If we cannot adapt to both the joys and sorrows as they are meted out in God’s sovereign plans how are we to ever persevere to the end and to the crown that awaits us? “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” - Revelation 2:10. No matter what the world throws at us, if we remain faithful we will indeed receive the crown of life promised to us by Christ Jesus! Let us always remember the final days of Job. “And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. . . . And Job died, an old man, and full of days.” - Job 42:10,17. Job’s faith in God provided him with greater days and a long life. Let our faith provide for us as well.
   

Lost & Found: A More Tempered Christian Walk - Nehemiah 5:9

Lost & Found: A More Tempered Christian Walk - Nehemiah 5:9: So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations ou...

A More Tempered Christian Walk - Nehemiah 5:9

So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? - Nehemiah 5:9

    I have a person who is very close to me, albeit not as close as we should be. The impediment is how this person sees Christianity. He is gruff and bristles at the mention of our faith. As far as he is concerned, Christians are self-righteous hypocrites and moralistic busybodies. Sadly, I often agree with his assessment when I hear and see how some Christians speak and behave. I can understand his consternation. We are warned by the Apostle Peter that we should expect the condemnation and scoffing of unbelievers. “. . . knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.” - 2 Peter 3:3.So as a God-fearing Christian I have to ask myself, “are the criticisms warranted?” Despite the prophecies, ‘what are Christians doing that elicits this response from unbelievers?’ “For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” - Romans 2:24.
    The spirit of anger within Christians often exposes us to criticism not only of ourselves but of our very faith. And it is hard to square what we preach with what we say sometimes. I am often guilty of this foible. Christians see a world gone mad with unbelief and an emphasis on the sinful. It angers us when the false gospel routinely paints a deceitful picture of God bestowing His grace upon sinners regardless of their spiritual condition. Perhaps we should be more concerned with our own spiritual condition. Our prayers should reflect repentance for our own missteps. “O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you. Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord God of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel.” - Psalm 69:5-6.
     Too often we Christians are guilty of the works of the flesh. Are we guilty of the very things we accuse unbelievers of? “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.” - Romans 2:1. Enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, and envy are all examples of the things we Christians should avoid at all costs.  Rather than showing intolerance and anger toward an unbelieving world we are commanded to exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” - Galatians 5:22-23. Were these characteristics what the world sees in us, their scoffing would dry up because there would be nothing to charge us with. Their accusations would return to them empty!
    To exhibit any of the other gifts depends upon the first, love. Without love, we cannot show any of the other gifts to our neighbors. Without love, we cannot walk in the truly Christian walk. Love is essential to spiritual growth and following Christ. It is the most important virtue. “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” - 1 Corinthians 13:13.
    However, the words must not be misconstrued: righteous anger is not forbidden; it is encouraged. We should be angry with the things God is angry with but we should also conduct our words and actions as children of God. “Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, . . .” - 2 Timothy 23-25.
    God will see to the world in His own time and way. Meanwhile, we should make the world see our Christianity not as a judgmental and hateful cult but as the one true faith in the one true and triune God of the Bible, the God whose justice and wrath are tempered by His mercy and love.
   

Claim Check For The Heart - John 14:30-31

 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here. - John 14:30-31

    The night of the Last Supper, Jesus spoke to His disciples as His death and resurrection approached. That His words were not correctly understood is evidenced by the fear that drove the Apostles into hiding, leaving only John of the twelve to witness Christ’s crucifixion.
    Jesus warned the disciples of the coming of the ‘ruler of this world’: Satan. He then assured them that “He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded.” Jesus went to tell them that He does as the Father commanded “so that the world may know” that He loves the Father. In other words, the world would know that Jesus loved his father because He obeyed Him completely.
    Isn’t that the way we show our love for others? We will make huge sacrifices for the ones we love. Of course, we could never make as great a sacrifice as Jesus did but we do show our love for one another when we give due consideration to one another’s needs and desires.  “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” - John 15:12-14.
    Christ made it clear to His disciples that their love for Him was dependent upon one thing more than any other. It was not their verbal assent nor their association with Him that proved their love. It was contingent upon their obedience to His commands. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” - John 14:15.  This is the claim check or litmus test of our love for Him.
    We can spout off about our allegiance to a political party all we want. The proof of our faithfulness is what we do in the voter’s booth. And this is the proof of our devotion to Christ. Our actions always speak louder than our words.
    No matter how many times a man says he loves his wife, the words ring hollow if he continuously abuses her emotionally or physically or ignores her needs. Love becomes confused with a possessive heart and a controlling spirit. Words of love are proven by actions of love.
    We can never ‘possess’ God to bend His will to our own nor can we control Him. Those two characteristics indicate that an ungodly entity has laid a claim on us. Jesus once said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” - Matthew 6:21. He made it clear: the things we hold dearest to ourselves are proof of what we hold in our hearts. We either love God first and foremost or we do not. There is no spiritual compromise that allows us to lay claim to both the world and God. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” - Matthew 6:24. In this verse, money represents the world and the world is always under the rule of the devil. Again, this is the claim check for our hearts and souls.
    We will certainly never obey God’s Commandments truly or completely, though we often have the audacity to suggest that we can and do. The Apostle James informs us otherwise  - “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” - James 2:10.
    We can never obey the Commandments to the extent required by God. All our ‘good works’ are meaningless. It is by Christ’s perfect obedience that we are saved from eternal damnation. We are justified by Christ, not by anything we do. “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.” Romans 5:18-19.
    Let us, by faith in Jesus and our obedience to His commands show that it is God who holds the claim check to our hearts.

Jesus And . . . - John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. - John 14:6

    Perhaps the greatest obstacle facing the Gospel today is syncretism. Lexico offers a fine definition of the word - “The amalgamation or attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought.” We find it not only in the Roman Catholic Church but also in many of the emergent church traditions as well as in the hybrid quasi-religious cults of many African, Caribbean, and Latin-American nations. This also includes the personal gods of 21st Century man.
     Regarding the ‘personal gods,’ when asked what is required for a man to achieve heaven we are bombarded by a plethora of ‘feelings’ and ‘opinions,’ none of which meet the Bible’s fundamental position on the subject. Many simply believe that the exclusive claim of Christianity is too narrow-minded, too intolerant of other beliefs. “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” - Acts 4:12. They believe that‘Christ alone’ or ‘Solus Christus’ is far too limited in its scope to be exclusively true. With wide-eyed looks of incredulity they ask, “You mean to tell me that if you don’t believe in Jesus you won’t go to heaven?” The answer is, ‘Yes.’ In fact, the Bible is even more succinct. The Bible declares “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” - John 3:18.
    This is where the issue of syncretism comes in to leaven the loaf of belief in Christ alone. They’re certain that something else is required to find eternal life and that Christ alone is not the answer and that He is certainly not enough. Perhaps a little bit of Jesus with some Eastern religion mixed in. Aside from faith in Christ, maybe some ritualistic rites and practices, a string of beads, an amulet. Some quasi-magical talismans, some incense, perhaps a sacrifice of some kind. It seems they are convinced that heaven is open to those who do Jesus and . . . ‘fill in the blank.’  There are many who believe this despite the Bible’s warnings to the contrary in both the Old Testament and the New - “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.” - Deuteronomy 4:2 and Revelation 22:18-19 - “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”
    Believers of this heresy attend to their counterfeit theology ignoring the Biblical doctrine of ‘justification by faith in Christ alone’ as found in Romans 3:21-26. These purveyors of false doctrine bow to the lie because of their unbelief in the saving act of Christ’s atonement for our sins. They fall into folklore and fables - “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” - 2 Timothy 4:4. 
    These heretics choose to believe they can achieve eternal salvation if they add to Christ’s atonement. Their delusions are many. “As long as I am a good person, I will be saved. As long as I attend services on a regular basis, I will be saved.  As long as I pray to a particular historic religious figure, burn a candle, or pray on these beads, I will be saved. As long as I wear this medal . . . .” And the list of doctrinal errors continues ad nauseam. It’s not that they disregard Jesus Christ; it’s just that they believe they need to add their own works to His. They’re sure they need something in addition to Christ and therein lies the heresy. Since Christ’s salvific sacrifice is perfect nothing can be added to it!
    We are awash in mythological errors regarding Christianity. To avoid the pitfalls of such erroneous theology all we need to do is read the Bible! Jesus has never revealed anything about Himself to us in any other form, oracle, special revelation, or apocryphal writing. It is through the revelation of the Bible that we get all our information about Christ and nowhere else! Using the Bible as the litmus test for what is true we will not find ourselves in error.
“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21. We must test everything by what the Bible says. In that rests both our truth and our assurance.



                               

Strength In The Face Of Fear - 2 Chronicles 32:7

   
The king also wrote letters ridiculing the Lord, the God of Israel, and saying this against him: “Just as the gods of the peoples of the other lands did not rescue their people from my hand, so the god of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.” - 2 Chronicles 32:7

    When Sennacherib of Assyria was conducting his terror campaign against Judah, he used every weapon at his disposal, including psychological intimidation. He assured the Israelites that their ‘god’ could not and would not save them from his forces.
    Throughout history, terror has been a mainstay for the forces of malevolence. They use it to intimidate, demoralize, and dispirit the enemy or victim. The Klan used it effectively following the Civil war to undermine the security promised to the freed slaves. The Nazis used the Gestapo like a bloody ax. The Viet Cong often  ‘visited’ villages to remind them of what awaited those who would dare offer support to the enemy. Various cults have used it to terrorize hapless victims using curses and magical invocations to panic their victims into capitulation and submission. And today’s anarchists use it to threaten and bully law-abiding citizens into fear.  Their inevitable assertion is that nothing can save the target from the coming storm. And sadly, they are often rewarded for their devious efforts. It is the ultimate form of psychological warfare.
    But these forces are merely men. Flesh and blood, and no more. They are, in fact, the tools of a far more powerful force. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” - Ephesians 6:12.
    We must see the forces we face as minions of the Accuser. Consider their methods. Consider their means. No matter how daunting these harbingers of hatred, division, and godlessness seem, we must see them and understand them for what they are: mere pawns used by Satan for his nefarious ambitions. They cannot and will thwart the plans of our sovereign God. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” - Genesis 50:20.
    God has spoken to us with the assurance that we need never fear. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9. God has promised He will be with us throughout the worst of storms and throughout the worst that fallen humanity has to offer. He has promised that He is with us always. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:19-20.
    We are commanded by God to draw near to Him in our times of need. This is no vague promise of deliverance. God doesn’t say He will deliver; He says He will give us strength to endure, strength to persevere. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” - Hebrews 4:16.
    The enemy is always present while we are in this world because he is the ruler of the world. “The Lord said to Satan, ‘From where have you come?’ Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’”- Job 2:2. Satan’s presence here guarantees that we will always face his hostility by way of his craftiness and his minions. Those who serve the purposes of the Accuser are a malignant curse upon all of God’s people. But we have the promise of God - “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 8:38-39.
    In the Biblical account, Sennacherib failed in his attempt to take Judah. All his threats, scare tactics, and coercion came to nothing. It was as so much chaff upon the breeze. So we remember the promises of the Lord. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” - Psalm 23:4.