Encouragement

The recent economic woes and massive job losses paint a bleak picture of the American economy. We now have a president who has no regard for the sanctity of life and espouses catastrophic economic policies. In addition, the largest block of voters pay no taxes or very little, so there is no incentive to vote out leaders and representatives who promise welfare funds in order to maintain power. It is predicted that in the near future, 90-95% of taxes will be paid by those earning $65,000 or more, which constitutes a smaller block of voters who will have little influence to enact "change" in the right direction.

I believe immorality will grow more rampant, thus our elected officials will respond by enacting laws that represent the country's moral bankruptcy. Our freedoms will erode, and Christians may find themselves persecuted for speaking out against sin. As capitalism dies and socialism takes over, more and more people will become enslaved to the government for answers, job losses will increase, and we'll have less money for good works -- let alone to provide for our own needs.

I have no hope for the future of our country. But I am not worried nor depressed. “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). I have to live in the world, but I don’t have to get caught up in earthly worries.

As our preacher pointed out in our sermon Sunday morning, the deterioration of our country may be God's way of telling Christians to "wake up!" We have been blessed to live in perhaps the best time in American history. Have we served God out of convenience? If we can't bring ourselves to meet with God's people three times a week for study and worship, will we muster the courage to secretly gather with our brethren? If we are down to our last dollar, will we still be able to say, “God will provide”?

Consider the environment the first century Christians lived in. The corruption and persecution didn’t keep them from serving the Lord “no matter what.” Christians were not deterred from teaching and preaching God’s word in spite of the authorities telling them to stop. And they encouraged one another to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance” (James 1:2).

What’s done is done. We cannot – nor may we ever be able to – change what has happened. But we can encourage one another to be faithful and trust in God – no matter what. In times that can be economically challenging, we should pray like Solomon:

”Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches – Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, and I say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God” (Proverbs 30:9).

Are You Grasping for the Wind?

From a distance, Hollywood celebrities seem to “have it all.” They live in multi-million-dollar mansions, travel to exotic places, and can afford anything they want. By worldly standards, they should be the happiest people on earth. But often they are not. Heavy-weight boxing champion George Foreman said in an interview that he once became angry and depressed when he could not find anything else to spend his fortune on!

Fame, fortune, and material possessions fail to bring true happiness. Miserable people often abuse alcohol and drugs in an attempt to numb their pain. When that fails, they take their own lives to escape what they feel is an endless life of sorrow.

The wise man Solomon knew that worldly pursuits could never lead to happiness. In Ecclesiastes 2:10-11, Solomon writes,

“Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure. For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; and this was my reward from all my labor. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.”

Searching for happiness through pleasures, accomplishments, and accolades are like grasping for the wind – we simply can’t grab hold of it no matter how tightly we close our fists.

We can't Take it With us

Solomon knew that no matter how much wealth or material possessions he accumulated, he would eventually leave it all behind, perhaps to a fool who would waste the inheritance, and definitely to someone who never earned it: “For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool?” (Ecclesiastes 2:21-22a).

Earthly treasures can never achieve what God has already accomplished. “Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches, none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him – for the redemption of their souls is costly” (Psalm 49:6-8). Jesus reminds us, too, of this in Matthew 16:26, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” The salvation of our souls has already been purchased -- not with money -- but with the blood of God’s Son.

Our Most Important Task

Solomon isn’t telling us that we should never experience enjoyment in this life. He also writes in Ecclesiastes 2:24, “Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.” God’s blessings are for us to enjoy, but we must keep our priorities in check. Overworking to become rich, trusting in wealth and possessions, living for selfish purposes are the result of forgetting what – or Who – we are living for.

Solomon experienced it all. He indulged in every pleasure he could find. He sought to satisfy his flesh with wine. He built houses, planted vineyards, gardens, and gathered for himself treasures, servants, and all kinds of musical instruments. He found no joy in his indulgences and determined that this was all “folly” and “vanity.”

Becoming rich and seeking pleasure is not what life is all about. There is only one way to live that brings joy, satisfaction, and peace: “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Is Richard Dawkins Really Liberated?

In the movie Expelled, atheist Richard Dawkins enthusiastically declares the freedom he experiences as an unbeliever. To Dawkins, not believing in God is liberating. No doubt, every unbeliever feels the same way – free from accountability to any Higher power.

This freedom is deceptive. Paul declares in Romans 6:16, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” We have only two choices: be a slave of sin or a slave of righteousness (see previous entry “Whose Slave are You?”/ 8/8/08). While mankind typically equates slavery with a lack of freedom and happiness, God has a better formula.

Those who are slaves of God are liberated from the consequences of sin – eternal separation from God. Those who choose not to serve God cannot be liberated from the worst entrapment man can find himself in – sin and the spiritual consequences that result. If Dawkins wants to be truly “liberated,” he’s going to have to become “enslaved” to our Creator. Unfortunately for Dawkins, his understanding of freedom is myopic. By erroneously deciding that God does not exist, he declares himself free from accountability. Thus, Dawkins forfeits spiritual freedom in exchange for an eternal prison.

Hungering and Thirsting for Righteousness

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6)

Have you ever been so hungry or thirsty that you grabbed anything and everything you could find to quench your thirst or hunger? You have probably heard stories of people stranded somewhere without any food or water. They resorted to extreme measures to have their physical needs quenched -- perhaps eating bugs, worms, leather shoelaces, or drinking from a sea of salt water.

Jesus described our desire for righteousness as a hungering and thirsting. We should want to be righteous (“right with God”) to the point of doing whatever it takes (Scripturally) to gain that relationship. Are there things in life we need to get rid of – bad relationships, too much entertainment, bad habits, improper attitudes – that are keeping us from being close to God? Or are there things we need to add to our lives – studying the Bible more, repairing broken relationships, a commitment to meeting with our brothers and sisters in Christ as often as possible? When we do these things, we show our hunger and thirst for righteousness.

After you have had a large, cold glass of water (or milk) or a favorite meal, you feel good inside. Not only that, but your life is renewed and sustained. The same should be true when we “are filled” after hungering and thirsting for righteousness, which Jesus promises. We should have an inner peace knowing we have a relationship with our Creator and a reward in heaven. And our spiritual “life” is renewed and sustained for an eternity

You Can be Beautiful!

As I surfed the television channels one night, an odd-looking image flashed across the screen. A woman’s face, complete with heavy make-up and a poofy hairdo, sat on top of a little girl’s body. As I watched the show “Little Beauties,” my mind could not wrap around the image of 6-year old girls disguised as adult women.

With their faces plastered with more make-up than the average adult female wears and fake, strained smiles, these children flaunted their bodies before a crowd of adults and doting mothers. When the little dolls opened their mouths to speak, they sounded like what they truly are – little girls. “Can I have a puppy now?” the winner asked her mother. Sometimes the little girls appeared completely unaware of what was happening around them. “Am I number one?” one child, unsure of the contest results, asked her mother. “You’re always number one,” the proud mother cooed.

What are these mothers teaching their daughters? They are teaching these little girls that superficial outer beauty is what makes them special and a “winner.” These little girls are toted from place to another, competition after competition. They are taught that with the right make-up, hair-do, skimpy outfit (including bikinis), and Britney Spears-like moves, they can be number one.

A Gentle and Quiet Spirit

I’m thankful that God’s definition of beauty doesn’t require the same set of standards. “Do not let your adornment be merely outward –arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God” (1 Peter 3:3-4). What’s important or precious in the sight of God is the exact opposite of what these children are taught from their beauty pageant experience. Dressing modestly and moderately (1 Timothy 2:9) and donning a gentle and quiet spirit is what God expects from any woman professing godliness.

As we age, our skin sags and wrinkles. Our hair turns gray, and our bodies no longer gracefully float across the floor. Outer beauty decays, but inner beauty is incorruptible. What is inner beauty? God defines inner beauty as a “gentle and quiet spirit,” which is reflected in a woman’s attitude. Gentleness is also a fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:23). Merriam-Webster defines gentle as “kind, soft, delicate, free from harshness.” Abigail is a good example of a woman who exhibited a gentle spirit when she confronted an angry David on his way to take vengeance on Abigail’s husband. Abigail played the peacemaker and convinced David – in a quiet and gentle manner – to do no wrong. As a result, David respected her (1 Samuel 25:35).

Submitting to our husbands shows a gentle and quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:5). A wife who is bossy and manipulative and unrestrained in her actions and words is not showing this inner beauty God calls “incorruptible.”

In “A Gentle and Quiet Spirit – Part I,” Angela Snodgrass (http://members.tripod.com/ttimes4/id45.htm) writes, “We should not equate a gentle and quiet spirit with timidity and weakness.” A Christian must be strong enough to rebuke a brother or sister in sin: “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him” (Luke 17:3). We are to be strong enough to help restore an erring brother, yet still exhibit a spirit of gentleness in doing so (Galatians 6:1).

While our outer bodies are “perishing,” our inner spirit is being renewed daily (2 Corinthians 4:16). We have very little control over the aging process, but we can control whether or not we allow worldly influences to corrupt our inner beauty.

Beauty Busters

Sometimes we meet people who are nice looking on the outside, but once we get to know them, they suddenly don’t look so beautiful. That’s because their inner beauty is corrupted by any number of characteristics, such as…

· Selfishness
· Self-centeredness
· Uncontrolled speech
· Anger
· Hatred
· Jealousy
· Conceit

These poisons are allowed to become a part of who we are when we forget that we have “crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Cultivating a godly beauty may not be as easy as plastic surgery and buying just the right beauty products, but a godly beauty lasts forever and doesn’t cost a penny!

Respecting God's Word

LACK OF RESPECT


A lack of respect for God's word causes false doctrine, decisions based on emotions, and division. We see examples of these problems in the Scriptures.

Jeremiah said, "O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jeremiah 10:23). When people put themselves on the throne, they tend to make a mess out of their lives. This is because "there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 14:12).

We don't have to guess or stumble around in the dark trying to find our way. God has already revealed the way to us, as the Psalmist says: "Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path" (119:105).

When we surrender our life to God, we must respect His word, which requires that we practice His word.

FALSE DOCTRINE

Many religious people claim that it does not matter what one believes. If that were true, there would be no such thing as false doctrine. But over and over again in the New Testament we see warnings about following false teachers and doctrine and encouragement to follow the pattern the Holy Spirit revealed to the apostles.

Paul warned Timothy that some would not "endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables" (2 Timothy 4:3-4). False doctrine is created when men and women seek to justify their beliefs rather than search God's word for truth. We show a lack of respect for God's word when we seek out teachers to tell us what we want to hear rather than what we need to hear.

I read of a woman who was considering having an abortion. She decided to consult various people for advice as to whether or not having an abortion is sinful. This woman admitted, however, that she did not want to talk to one particular person because she already knew he did not approve of abortion. The expectant mother didn't really want to hear whether or not abortion was right or wrong; she wanted to hear that abortion was the right thing to do because that is what she wanted.

EMOTIONAL DECISIONS

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9). Pop and Gospel vocalist Amy Grant divorced her first husband and then married country singer Vince Gill. She said that although she knows the heart is deceitful, she felt that God had "released" her from her marriage. We do not have to "feel" a certain way in order to determine whether or not God approves of something we do; we can know by reading His word. And God's word permits divorce for one reason only - adultery.

Imagine boarding a plane and hearing the pilot announce that he will not be using any instruments but will instead rely on his gut feelings to navigate his way through the sky. How many passangers would remain on that flight? Feelings are not a reliable guide. When we toss God's word aside, we are left with no other choice than to "wing it" by heart.

DIVISION

Jesus prayed that His believers would be unified: "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me" (John 17:20-21).

The most obvious example of division is the existence of all the various denominations. Each denomination has its own doctrine on a variety of issues. For example, the observance of the Lord's Supper is viewed and practiced differently among religious groups.

Church of Christ, Scientist: "The Mother Church of Christ, Scientist, shall observe no more Communion seasons" (Church Manual, 1980).

Lutheran Church: Frequency of observance varies from church to church. May be taken weekly, monthly, etc. and may be taken on days other than Sunday.

Catholic Church: Offered in Mass daily. The fruit of the vine is only for the clergy.

Baptist Church: Usually observed once a month; not always on Sunday.

Methodist Church: Usually observed once a quarter. Some congregations have used potato chips and Coke.

Presbyterian Church: Not necessary to observe weekly.

When the church at Corinth created factions based on their allegiance to various men, Paul condemned them: "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (1 Corinthians 1:10). Some of the brethren claimed to be identified with Paul, others Apollos, or Cephas. Paul reminded the Corinthians that it was Jesus who died for them and that they were baptized into the name of Christ. The brethren were divided because they ignored the teaching about Christ and pledged their allegiance to men.

OBEDIENCE

Respecting God's word calls for obedience. James writes, "But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was."

What do we typically do when we catch a glimpse of ourselves in the mirror and something is amiss - our hair is out of place or a smudge of food is on our cheek? We don't usually walk away. We fix the problem. James compares a man who doesn't do God's word to a man who sees himself in the mirror and walks away without making the needed adjustments. The mirror is useless if it doesn't help us take action. Likewise, we make God's word useless when we fail to put it into action.

God's will is not burdensome. As our Creator, He knows what's best for His creation. Doing God's will does not deprive of us the joys of life but rather protects us from its ills. We should have the same attitude the Psalmist expresses in Psalm 40:8 - "I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart."

Living for God in our New Life

The apostle Paul made it clear that we are either slaves of sin or slaves of righteousness. The entire sixth chapter of the book of Romans talks about the change Christians make when they chose to follow God, put off the “old man” and his sinful life in baptism, and rise to “walk in newness of life.”

Baptism represents more than just a cleansing from sins: it demonstrates that we have committed ourselves to a new way of life dedicated to God. When we put away our old life enslaved to sin, that isn’t where our new birth ends. Paul says, “And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”

Not only do we put aside certain things, but we are to add certain characteristics as we grow in Christ. Paul, in Galatians 5:22-23, describes the fruit of the Spirit as “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

In addition, a servant of the Lord “must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition” (2 Timothy 2:24-25). As we grow in Christ, we are to "add" to our faith "virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love" (2 Peter 1:5-7). If we possess these characteristics in our lives, we will be fruitful for the Lord.

When we make the decision to no longer let sin rule our lives, we do so by “obeying from the heart that form of doctrine to which we were delivered” (Romans 6:17). Obedience is necessary, and it must come from the heart. God is just as concerned about our motivation for following Him as He is about what we do. It's also important that our obedience is in accordance with the doctrine the apostles delivered by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. A sobering scene is depicted by Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23: "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you: depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" These individuals thought they were doing something good for the Lord, but their acts were not recognized by Jesus because they were not in accordance to God's will.

Although we will from time to time fail and stray from following God, the grace of God does not give us a license to continue in sin. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” Returning to our former life of continual, willful, deliberate sin should be just as repulsive as a dog returning to eat his own vomit or “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire” (2 Peter 2:21-22).

As a babe in Christ, I used to worry about sins committed in ignorance. How could I be forgiven if I was unaware of my sin or forgot to ask for forgiveness?

John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Walking in the light means we are walking with Jesus and are in fellowship with other believers. The fact that Jesus’ blood cleanses us from sin while we are walking in the light tells us that sin does not automatically kick us out of God’s grace. We can sin while in fellowship with God and be forgiven.

But beware. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12). God’s grace does not tell us “go ahead and sin.” But rather, God’s grace instructs us to live righteously by picking ourselves up after we fall and keep on keeping on.