Oct

28

God’s way or the highway

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Spiritual pride is the most dangerous kinds of pride. By it, many have swerved off course. A humble, thankful heart who seeks after God’s way is the sum and root of pure undefiled religion. When one is weak in spirit, this is the kind of heart that seeks God’s way, not his own. This is the kind of Christian that God can use to further his kingdom. This is the kind of person who will inherit riches in heaven.

Proud boasting, including the outward professing his name as though a badge of honor, is the root and sum of all hypocrisy. They say one thing and then do another–often calling someone else out for the exact thing they’re doing. But it’s okay for them, because their pride will not allow them to see their own self-righteousness.

When we make the wrong turn and follow our own script, or when we see the flashing lights that say temporal pleasure, this way! it’s a sure sign the road ahead has cavernous ruts in it, and we’re sure to be swallowed up in them.

Truly, the Lord is, “the way, the truth and the life.”  Keep your focus on God. He will never steer you wrong.

Oct

21

King of Kings and Servant of Servants

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When Salome, the mother of Zebedee’s sons, James and John, knelt before Jesus with her request that her boys be seated with him in his kingdom, she had no idea what she was asking.

Jesus responded by asking, “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”—referring to his death, burial, and resurrection. They replied affirmatively, “We can.” Jesus replied most graciously, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father” Matthew 20:23.

It seems to be an upside down request that Salome made on behalf of her sons. Who would feel comfortable approaching the Lord with such a prideful request? She had it all wrong. One doesn’t ask for honor; it’s something bestowed to an individual. Even on Jesus’ worst day, he never begged or demanded to be honored or served. He always took the humble road, eschewing his high position by bearing the image of a man—not counting his godliness something to grab onto but lowered himself—always. He was a servant among servants.

James and John, indeed died martyr’s deaths; however, they did not in any way come close to enduring the Lord’s suffering. Nor did they understand that God’s kingdom would be a heavenly one and not earthly. In God’s economy, it’s only through our humility and consideration of one another as more important than ourselves that we are elevated. We don’t raise ourselves up. That’s pride. God hates that. We are lifted up as the Lord sees fit—if and when—and, usually, only when we aren’t looking to be.

Oct

15

A time for everything

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In the wise words of Solomon, he tells us in the third chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes:

“To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven… A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them…”

Through God’s infinite grace, we are given time on this earth. Rather than cutting off life or shutting down the world at the first sin of Adam and Eve, God graciously extended his hand outside the Garden to take care of them, despite their rejecting his command. He gave them time.

Generations later, God is still on the throne and watching from above the souls he’s created. For those who’ve come to know him personally—the days, weeks, months, and years he’s allotted—we now understand are given to us to do His will. Our time is lent to prioritize and utilize constructively, remembering always the days are fleeting, and what’s not done to glorify Him is time wasted.

When a creature is found dead in the forest, it calls to mind the circle of life. Sadly, time ran out for the creature, but now its offspring—newly born—have life. The creature’s purpose has been fulfilled. We, too, have purpose. While we know our days are numbered here on earth, in the time allotted to each of us, may we always say as with the Psalmist, “This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it” – Psalm 118:24.

Oct

08

Finding peace in chaos

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Peace is something we all need. While it is eagerly sought by everyone through various means, there is only one sure way to find the real thing—that which sustains through the worst of the worse. We won’t find it in the world; the world cannot offer the kind of peace we need.  Theirs is only a knock-off.  Real peace is found in the everlasting protective arms of Jesus.

Peace is when we are reconciled to God through the saving knowledge and belief in Jesus Christ. We now have access to fellowship with the father who sits on the throne. And when we face trials and temptations that serve to take away our peace, the Lord grants us “a peace that surpasses all understanding.”

The Lord tells us that in this world we will have trials. In all degrees, this is what the world, through sin, has become—a cauldron of unrest—for everyone. Of course, there are good days and bad, but what’s good about it is that the Lord also instructs us to not focus on the bad but cling to what is good… and that “all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” – Romans 8:28.

Oct

01

Faithful…always

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 What would it take for you to walk away from God? Is there a line you wouldn’t cross to deny your Savior or break fellowship?  We may think that kind of pressure couldn’t happen in the United States, but there may come a time when your allegiance to God is challenged.

So far, we are still free in America to worship and pray to God, but for the Jews in sixth century Babylon, it was forbidden for a time. After they were taken away from their homeland in the Diaspora and made to live under foreign rule in captivity, an edict came down from King Darius that prayers were not to go to anyone but him for 30 days. Despite the forbiddance from the king, the prophet Daniel continued to devote himself to prayer to his Lord. And we all know what happened next…

Thrown to the lion’s, Daniel and his story describe a man of immense spiritual strength. He was sent to the den because he prayed to the Almighty God. He didn’t bend or sway to the king, nor did he fall away for fear of wild animals. In Daniel 1:8: “He purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself or commit a blatant act of wickedness such as worshiping a false god.” His story is akin to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace where they were cast for their devotion to the Lord by not bowing down to the image of King Nebuchadnezzar.

In both stories we learn that the jealousy of the non-Jews toward those who wished to honor God ultimately led them to near-death events. In both situations, the intended result was thwarted. Both in the lion’s den as well as the hot oven, the Jewish men overcame their enemies and were delivered by the hand of God. What’s even more interesting is that God changed the hearts of the kings who ordered them to suffer. By not compromising their faith, the greatness of God shone forth and his name was magnified.