Bible Lesson - Lift Up My Eyes

Are You for Real?

When I was growing up in a Baptist Sunday School we had offering envelopes that we were expected to bring to class each week. In addition to including an offering in the envelope we had to check off six points that supposedly reflected our faithfulness and preparation. Each point was given a value totaling 100% Although these points were expressed in formalized language, we kids had our own shorthand. Present 20%, On time 10%, Bring your Bible 10%, Give an offering 10%, Read your lesson 30%, Staying for church 20%.

Although there is nothing wrong, per se, with these six points as I reflect I see that they were just steps we went through. “Hooray, I got 100% this week! I must be doing something right.” There is nothing here that deals with knowing Jesus, loving God and loving people. And they certainly did not lead us to a closer walk with Him.

I recently encountered an article by Frank Powell “7 Signs of a Fake Christian,” from which I borrowed from to write this article. First, I want to make it crystal clear that I am not judging anyone. These seven signs are not a checklist as in “Old Joe is a nice guy but he scores on five of these seven points. He must not be a Christian.” My purpose is to help each of us examine ourselves and see if we appear to be a fake Christian and how we need to change to become more Christlike. These points can also be helpful in counseling others who are struggling with their Christian walk.

There are over 50 Bible passages in the New Testament about false Christians. One of the most terrifying statements made by Jesus is recorded in Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who calls me their Lord will get into the kingdom of heaven. Only the ones who obey my Father in heaven will get in. ” And in verse 23, He commanded ““I will have nothing to do with you! Get out of my sight, you evil people!” (CEV).

One. Do you feel guilty when missing church? On the way to church would you stop and help someone or is it more important to be present and accounted for? As shown in the Sunday School six points our Christianity seems to be based on showing up, checking all the right boxes. I recall the church giving out recognition pins for perfect attendance at Sunday School. We feel more guilt about missing church on Sunday than we do if we neglect to help someone. Or we have no problem taking advantage of others. I once had a pastor who collected antiques. He was visiting the home of a lady who had an antique side table that he really liked. She was unaware of its value. He was bragging that he bought it from her for a fraction of its value. As an aside, he was later disgraced for another matter.

We have it backwards. Jesus told us that the two greatest commandments are to love God and love your neighbor. He did not say the greatest commandment was to have a perfect attendance record. All other laws and teachings depend on these principles.

Two. Placing too much trust in the Bible. Again, going back to my Sunday School days, we frequently had “sword drills” in which we competed to see who could find a given scripture the fastest. I recall that I was usually one of the top two competitors in our church (Brag, brag). Knowing where to find a particular scripture is not as important as understanding that scripture. We know that Satan knew scripture, even though he misused it when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Knowing the scripture is not equivalent to a relationship with God.

Three. A fake Christian is concerned with drawing a line that defines sin. Someone once said to me that a popular evangelist said that the first look at a woman is not a sin, but the second look could be. My friend related that he then started taking a long first look. The mindset, not the second look, was the sin. We should be seeking God, not seeking how far we can go and avoid sin.

Four. We’ve all heard it. “I’ll never forgive him for doing that to me.” Our mindset is that God hates sin, but He will forgive “minor” sins. After all, if God really hates sins, there must be some sins that are unforgivable. Jesus died on the cross for my sins, for your sins. All of them. Jesus said in Matthew 12:31-32 that there is one unforgivable sin. “every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” If God can forgive all other sins, why can’t we?

Five. Keeping our distance from sinners. We act like being around “sinners” will contaminate us. Who did Jesus associate with while he was on earth? Tax collectors, people that had no social standing, those ceremonially unclean under Jewish law. Holiness in the Old Testament meant separation. In fulfilling the law rather than abolishing it, Jesus turned that around. Mature Christians don’t keep their distance – they seek to help. Who isn’t a sinner?

Six. As Christians, we sometimes give lip service to the statement that the church is not a building, we are the church. Which is a true statement. That belies the question “Where is God?” We refer to the church as “God’s house, a fact expressed in Psalm 122:1 “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let’s go to the house of the Lord’.” Guess what? He doesn’t live there, any more than you or I live in the church building. God lives in us, I Corinthians 6-19 tells us “do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” When we come to worship, we bring the Holy Spirit with us. He lives in us, not the church.

Seven. We equate our status as a Christian by what we know, not by what we do. I know of one prominent Christian who had memorized the Bible. He could quote virtually any scripture at any given time. He was widely recognized as a “Man of God.” After decades of ministry, he was revealed as a sexual predator. He knew the Bible but I would say he did not have a relationship with its author. On the other hand Jimmy Carter worked into his 90’s building homes for Habitat for Humanity. This former President said that working side by side with families as equals brought Him profound joy, that the greatest blessings come from improving the lives of others. Jimmy Carter had his faith right.

I don’t know about you, but in writing this, I saw some holes in my “Christian” resume. But God is forgiving. None of us are perfect. There was a kid’s song often sung in Sunday School that included the lyrics:

He’s still working on me to make me what I ought to be.

It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars,

The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars.

How loving and patient He must be, He’s still working on me.

I thank God that He continues to work on me. Will you let Him work on you, too?

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To learn more about a new life in Christ, click here.

All scripture is from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise indicated.

What’s Your (Be) Attitude?

Bible Lesson, devotional

Christians commonly refer to themselves as “blessed.” In James 1:17, it is written that “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. This tells us that God bestows good blessings. It also says God is the Father of Lights as such there is no darkness. Without darkness, there are no shadows that shift. God is always the same. As Christians we honor God, thanking Him for their blessings. Others may simply declare themselves lucky.

About Blessings

A blessing is God’s favor in our lives. He will bless us with all that we need.
A blessing has to do with God’s purpose in your life. Through blessings He gives you the power to do what He created you to do.
Blessings are based on God’s promises and on His word. If it contradicts what He has said or promised it is not God’s blessing.
Blessings may be material They may come in the form of children, jobs, houses, good food, and the like.
Material blessings pale in light of the spiritual blessings that we receive as our Kingdom inheritance from God. His promised spiritual blessings include restoration, justice, mercy, eternal life, and our relationship with Him. We are made whole. In John 5:6 (KJ21) Jesus spoke to the man with an infirmity “Wilt thou be made whole?”

The common factor in all the blessings in the Bible is God’s Kingdom. Blessings that we receive, whether material or spiritual, all have to do with the coming of God’s Kingdom, whether here and now in small glimpses, or eternally when God makes all things new. This promise is found in Revelation 21:5 (NASB) “He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.” Blessings begin the process of restoration and they offer us a glimpse of God’s promise ultimately to renew and restore all things.

I began this blog as a look at the Beatitudes and quickly realized it was more than just a list of blessings God bestows on us. Dr. Michael Youseff has observed that “The Beatitudes are inseparable and interdependent. They are not a cafeteria menu where you pick and choose. They form a complete mindset and lifestyle centered on Christ, who is the ultimate source of our blessedness.”

Journey Markers. We need to look at the Beatitudes in a different manner. They are not a menu to choose from. “I think I’ll be a peacemaker. That will make me a son of God.” Instead, they seem to be a progression from our present state in the world to God’s Kingdom. Notably, Jesus did not issue any imperatives in the Beatitudes. He is describing the path of the Kingdom.

Suppose you are driving on a long trip. As you traverse you likely have constructed “markers” for your progress. “We made it across the state line, we still have a way to go. We just pulled off the interstate, we’re almost there” are our markers. Henry Blackaby wrote about spiritual markers. He defined a spiritual marker as a time of transition, decision, or direction when we clearly know that God has guided us. Like spiritual markers, the Beatitudes show our progress. It is not of primary importance which step you are on, but that you are simply on the right path and headed in the right direction.

Let’s take a brief look at these eight (or nine) “Blesseds” as I called them when growing up. Matthew 5:3-11.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Not a natural disposition, but the result of a deliberate choice. Poor in spirit is spiritual humility, looking at our moral and spiritual inadequacies.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” The result of our sharing with Jesus sorrow over our sin and the sins of the world. This is not just grief counseling, it is grief over personal sin and a compassionate awareness of the brokenness in our world.

“Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth. ”In taking on Christ’s spirit we become gentle (or meek). This is from the Greek word praus, which means mild, humble, meek, gentleness of spirit, and meekness towards God. It means we are wholly relying on God rather than our own strength and abilities.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” Our passion for righteousness has us longing for honesty, integrity, and justice in society. Our soul becomes receptive to the voice and message of Christ.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” Mercy has been described as an active compassion to human need.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Those who are pure in heart have a single minded devotion to God, inner authenticity, and a quick repentance when we sin.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” This is an active posture, stepping into brokenness to heal a broken world.

“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This promise is to believers who suffer for doing right, who condemn ungodliness in the world.

“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.” This one is sometimes seen as a summary of the previous eight. But the difference is that this persecution is ones who have been mistreated because of their association with Jesus.

Look again at each of these blessings. They are given to those who are in pretty bad circumstances. Yet, in the midst of it all, God blesses them. Notice that the first four are passive, internal behaviors. The final ones require action on our part.

This is only a brief overview of blessings and the Beatitudes. I hope to expound on each Beatitude in future blog posts. I think a good mental marker for us is to take some liberty with the word “beatitude.” Instead, think of them as “Be Attitudes.”

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To learn more about a new life in Christ, click here.

All scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise indicated.

God Can and Will Provide – Let Him

Bible Lesson, Spiritual Growth

Abraham Maslow is famous for his Hierarchy of Needs. His theory begins with the foundational needs of physiological and safety. He moves on to ways we fill our deeper needs – love and belonging then esteem needs. His hierarchy reaches its pinnacle with the need of self-actualization. Even though he classifies all five as needs, a case could be made that they include wants and desires in the upper three tiers.

The Christian problem with this is that Jesus taught in Matthew 4:19 “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of people.” He gave the disciples purpose first. With that purpose in mind, they followed Him. No promises, no guarantees, no strategy sessions. Just a purpose. With faith. These men walked by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Maslow had it backwards. He is telling us to get your ducks in a row and then find our purpose in life. Christ calls us and in following Him we find our purpose.

Needs. From a Christian perspective needs are essential provision – what is required if we are to survive, thrive, and carry out God’s purpose. In Matthew 6:32-33 Jesus promised “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.” This is a conditional promise. Before we can expect God to provide our needs we are to give His kingdom and His righteousness first place. If your perceived needs are not being met, take a look at your priorities. Where does God’s kingdom rank in those priorities? He does provide our needs. However, we cannot go on a wild spending spree, buying (on credit) big houses, fancy cars, expensive vacations, and the like, then expect God to meet the need to pay our bills.

Paul tells us in Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” This is addressed as a specific promise that those who are faithful and devoted in their giving to Christ will never suffer lack.

Wants. It is not wrong for a Christian to have wants. These are things that bring us enjoyment or comfort but are not essential to our physical, mental, or spiritual well being. If you ask me what I want for dinner, I might tell you I want a good filet mignon. It will fill my need for food, but so would a hamburger. There is nothing wrong with having wants, we all have them. Remember that the Bible frequently refers to banquets. Our wants should be based in scripture.

Wants can be problematic if they become an obsession. I Timothy 6:8-10 (CSB) tells us “If we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Unrestrained wants can easily become the focal point of our lives, which can lead us down the path of destruction as Paul observed.

Desires. When we start acting as “super-spiritual” Christians we may misguidedly treat desires with the feeling that they are not things to which we should aspire. The Bible often categorizes desires into two primary forces: desires of the flesh and desires of the spirit. Desires of the flesh are seen as self-centered focused on self-gratification or worldly approval. Someone driven excessively toward these desires may often appear to be greedy, jealous, or having selfish ambitions. On the other hand, desires of the spirit include God-centered longings that align with His nature. These desires lead us to produce the fruit of the spirit. Obviously desires of the Spirit are good desires. But what about desires of the flesh?

C.S. Lewis suggested that humans are “desire factories” and everything we do flows from a deep, underlying desire. God gives us the ability to form desires. So our spiritual formation is not about destroying desires but re-aligning them from God’s perspective. Many of our desires are not wrong but they can’t be allowed to control us.

Paul Tripp wrote that there are three dangers when a desire is perceived as a need. First, we feel entitled to that desire. Spiritually we are telling God that we have a right to that desire. Some would call this the “name it and claim it” theology. Second, once we feel entitled to something, we tend to demand it. No one likes demanding people. They tend to be harsh, impatient, and unforgiving. I once belonged to a church that had a member who was physically disabled, using a cane. She had her pew in our church. If someone happened to be sitting in her seat, she would shoo them off with her cane. She demanded her seat and was not well-liked. Third comes judgment. At this stage we tend to judge people by their willingness and ability to provide for our perceived needs. If they fail to do so, we tend to treat them with something less than love. Recall that, in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke “Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. For you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others, and you will be measured by the same measure you use.” Matthew 7:1-2 (CSB). The lesson is that God uses the same standard on us that we use on others.

Aligning our wants and desires to God’s perspective may sound pretty radical. That involves turning everything over to God. Remember, He is omniscient. He knows everything about everything, including you. He knows what we need better than we know ourselves. He is also omnipotent. He has the power to provide anything and everything we need. What assurance that we have a loving God who knows what we need and is able to provide. A scripture with promise is Malachi 3:10 where the prophet quotes God “‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and put Me to the test now in this,’” says the Lord of armies, ‘“if I do not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.'”

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To learn more about a new life in Christ, click here.

All scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise indicated.

Photo credit to geralt on Pixabay and to Stockcake.

You Are God’s Whoever

Bible Lesson, Salvation

John 3:16 is probably the most read and quoted Scripture verse in the world. It has been likened to “the gospel in a nutshell” but some criticize that as an oversimplification. John D. Pierce has written that the treatment of this verse as the gospel in a nutshell has contributed to a cheapening of the gospel in American Christianity. Pierce speculates that the verse itself doesn’t require much of a response. All the reader is called to do is to “believe in Jesus,” maintaining that the nutshell gospel mantra “is an attempted shortcut to heaven without traveling the route Jesus lays out.”

Before actually getting into the verse, let’s parse some words. The nutshell protects the meat of the nut. Most nutshells are inedible and are removed and tossed out before eating the nut meat inside. It covers and protects the kernel, which may be edible. When you say, “in a nutshell,” you mean to condense a large amount of information into one short sentence. That is what this verse does. It is an incredible expectation to think any one verse can sum up the entire gospel message. After all, it took 66 books to give us God’s plan. John 3:16 doesn’t lay out the whole plan of salvation, but is a doorway to salvation. In about 25 words, it highlights the gospel message. In a sense, it’s like being on the internet and reading a teaser with the admonition to click on a link to learn more.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who [whoever] believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NASB). This verse is part of a larger passage in which Jesus was explaining salvation to Nicademus. The 21 verses elaborate on God’s plan – the 16th verse is a summary. Let’s look at this verse in detail.

“For God so loved the world.” 1 John 4:8 reads “God is love.” Not God loves, He is love. Love isn’t something He does, it is who He is. His love is not an emotion or feeling – it is a deliberate act for the benefit of others. And, unlike us, God loves all. The phrasing here is also of interest. “God loved the world so much” places the word “so” with an emphasis on us. Saying He so loved the world places the emphasis on God not on us, the world.

“That He gave His only Son.” The extent of God’s love knows no boundaries. He, the Almighty God of the Universe, has given you a gift. A priceless, unique gift. He gave His son to die on a cross. For me. For you. It was His only son. There is none other who could have done this for us. Why this tremendous act on our behalf?

“So that everyone who believes in Him.” The word “everyone” is sometimes translated as “whosoever” which is an archaic word frequently used in the Bible. Everyone is an overused term that has lost some of its meaning. Probably on a daily basis we hear people proclaiming that everybody is going to a certain event. Everybody is watching that movie. The list could go on and on. Utilizing a modern form of the pronoun gives us “whoever.” This is a better word for us in this context. I am whoever. You are whoever.

Each person who has ever lived is a “whoever” that is covered in Jesus’ statement. There are many aspects to believing in Him but it always includes personal trust in God, accepting that he sacrificed Himself for us, and receiving the gift. A gift we cannot earn through good deeds but a “reward” for our belief.

“Will not perish but have eternal life.” And now, the gift. Eternal life. Since it is a gift, we must accept or reject it. We can’t earn it. Perish is defined as “to die,” sometimes in a violent manner. But the Bible aspect to this word involves more than physical death. Perish refers to eternal destruction, separation from God. The Greek word used here is apollumi, meaning to be completely lost, ruined, or destroyed. If we die without God, we perish and are eternally separated from Him.

I once visited a slave castle in Ghana. This castle was used as a holding point for slaves being sent to the Americas. It was very sobering to see what man could inflict on their countrymen. Above the door to the ships was a sign “Door of No Return.” This, of course, signifies that the slaves going through this door would never see their homeland or families again. Dying without accepting God’s gift of eternal life is our door of no return.

But God provides a way to avoid perishing. If we accept His gift of eternal life we will not perish. 2 Peter 3:9 reads “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.” He patiently waits for more to accept the gift. God wants you to have eternal life, but you must follow His unique plan for your salvation. And His love shows through His patience. He has given you eternal life. Start that life today. God keeps His promises.

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To learn more about a new life in Christ, click here.

Photo credits to Gerealt on Pixabay. Door photo credit to respective author.

All scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise indicated.

Everyone is a Jonah

Bible Lesson

It is likely that the story of Jonah is the first Bible story young children remember. We all know who Jonah is. Some would say that it never happened, that it is impossible. I am not a scholar in that regard, but I think Eric Manning got it right when he said “Science tells us what nature does when left to itself; miracles happen because nature is not left to itself.” A belief in the power of God leads us to believe it could happen with God’s intervention.

Whoever wrote the book of Jonah probably understood that human beings don’t normally get swallowed by whales, let alone survive if they did. There is a good reason that the Book of Jonah is included in our Bibles as it has an important lesson for all of us. In our lives here on earth, there are three realities in relation to God directing our lives. We do not serve a God that is passive, but one that wants only the best for us.

First, God directs us. Looking back on the many years of my life, I see that God has directed me in many ways. Ways that I would not have otherwise taken. As an example, many years ago I was an accountant working in the hospitality industry. I was not satisfied with my job or even the direction of my life at the time. One Sunday morning at church, I sat beside a friend who was an administrator in the local technical school. We were conversing before the service began, and he mentioned he was looking for an accountant. Since I was sort of looking for a change, my ears perked up. It turns out that he needed someone to teach accounting in the evening program. At his urging, I applied to be a teacher. He told me that he had found someone for the upcoming term but added that he was always looking for accounting instructors. About a month later, I got a phone call. His accounting instructor had gotten transferred to another city and my friend needed someone to take over the class mid-term.

After discussing it with my wife, we decided to give it a shot. My thinking was that if I did not do a good job, I could blame it on the fact that I did not start the semester with this group – and save face. Up to this point, I had never considered teaching as a profession. After my first class, I was hooked. I had discovered another part of God’s plan for me.

I was in uncharted waters. I had no idea how to apply for a job at a college or university, let alone know if I had the academic credentials. After consulting with Dr. Fred Bentley, President at Mars Hill University, I found him very encouraging. I was employable. He even gave me suggestions that led to my first full-time teaching position. Shortly thereafter, we packed up and moved to Kentucky and Cumberland College for a new chapter in our lives. I knew it was God leading me. I believe He directed me to sit by that friend that fateful Sunday morning. I ended up teaching 37 years at two different institutions before retirement.

Second, when we stray from His plan or don’t heed his direction, Plan B is implemented. A friend, Larry Burkett, once said to me “ God has Plan A and Plan B. Plan A is voluntary.” If we don’t follow plan A, God implements Plan B. Don’t get me wrong here. I firmly believe God gives us free will. He does not force Himself on us but allows us to choose our own course while He guides us.

Third, when we don’t heed His directions God becomes more intense in directing us. Plan B is implemented. After my first wife passed away, I started looking for companionship. There was one lady in particular that I felt that might be a good match. We talked, we dated, then we didn’t. She had come to the conclusion that we were not a good match. One factor was the distance between our homes. I can’t say I was devastated, but I was discouraged. If she’s not the one, why not? After a time, I resumed looking.

Fast forward a few months and nothing was happening. I was ready to resign myself to living alone for the rest of my life. Then another woman entered my life just as I was giving up. She was everything I was looking for. Even better, she liked me and it turned out that we lived less than a mile apart. When God is in it, it works. After four plus years of marriage, I clearly see that God moved me from the first lady to my current wife, Heather. God knew best and His timing, as always, was perfect.

Hopefully by this point I’ve convinced you of God’s direction in our lives. I think there are six points to remember as we seek His direction.

God wants us to reach our potential, so he pushes us in love to go further. He wants to use us for Kingdom work.
We can’t outrun God. He is omnipresent, always with us. In Psalm 139, David exclaimed “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your Presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. if I take up the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me.”
If you want peace, obey God. There is a saying “Know God, Know Peace. No God, No Peace.” If you want peace, obey God. Otherwise you will have turmoil. Not to say our lives will be problem-free, but God helps us through the difficult times.
It is not enough to repent. True repentance involves recognizing wrongdoing, experiencing sincere sorrow, and actively changing behavior to align with God’s will. It’s making a 180-degree turn in our lives.
Use “God vision” Try to see things from God’s perspective. God’s ways are not our ways and we need to view things (as far as we can) from His eternal perspective.
Don’t limit God. He will use whatever it takes to get His mercy to all. John 3:16 tells us of the extent of His love. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. I John 4:8 reads simply “God is love.” That’s not just an attribute of God, an action He performs, it is His essential, foundational nature. That’s what He is.

All of us at one time or another have been in Jonah’s shoes. We’ve been disobedient, rebellious, out of His will, the quintessential problem child. Yet, we never stray away from His love. He always welcomes and accepts us into His fold. At the heart of it, that is what Jonah is about – God’s relentless loving pursuit to have us follow Him.

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To learn more about a new life in Christ, click here.

Photo credits to debradeka and johnhain on Pixabay.

All scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise indicated.

How Much Trust Do You Place in God?

Bible Lesson

Several years ago, I had an opportunity to attend an ROTC camp at Fort Knox as an educational observer. However, we did much more than observe. We spent an hour with a drill sergeant teaching us to march (I failed). We jumped off a ten-foot diving board in a swimming pool, holding our rifle and had to get out of the pool without losing our rifle. Some (not me) got in a Zodiac and paddled to the middle of a lake, flipped it over, and had to upright the boat and get back in. We got to shoot an AK-47 rifle. I had previously attended an advanced ROTC camp and was chickened out when it came time to rappel down a 50-foot wall. That failure bugged me. So when I went to Fort Knox, I was determined to remedy my “failure.”

I got to the top of the tower and my turn came to jump off. I forced myself to do so, despite a very high level of anxiety. I had spotters at the top and bottom, so all should be well, right? When I had gone maybe six feet the cadet told me to stop and to let go of the rope with my left hand. I followed her instructions. Then she said “Now let go with your right hand.” My mind told me to prepare to die. But I did what she said. I didn’t fall. In fact, I didn’t go anywhere. My cadet at the bottom was controlling my ropes. At that point, all anxiety faded away. I then enjoyed the rest of my 50-foot fall, as I had placed my trust in two ROTC cadets. What a thrill!

Properly placing our trust can enrich our lives. Trust is a heavily used word these days. I get emails that someone has come into a fortune and they want to send me $1,000,000. I’m still waiting. Unlike my experience in ROTC camp, everyone should not be trusted.

Trust is a word with any number of definitions. At the heart of the word we are relying on the truthfulness or accuracy of a statement; placing confidence in a person or object. We are often told to trust God. What does that mean? How can we place our trust in Him? An old hymn implores us to “Trust and Obey.” There are seven aspects of trust discussed in the Bible.

Trust in the Lord. Proverbs 3:5-6 reads “Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. As in my rappelling experience, trust begins when we surrender control. Instead of following our own instincts, we place our trust in God. Surrender is not weakness, it is worship.

Faith calls us to obey God even when we don’t understand why. When I obeyed the command to release the rope, I experienced the thrill of rappelling. When we obey God’s command we experience the thrill of all God has to offer us. Hebrews 11 recounts the faith and trust of two patriarchs of the faith, Abraham and Noah, who trusted God’s working in their lives.

Trust in His Unfailing Love. As Steven Curtis Chapman sang “My Redeemer is faithful and true, everything He has said He will do.” God is unchanging. He has always kept His word and will continue to do so. Look back on your life and remember the times He has carried you through. Remembering strengthens trust.

Trust in his love also brings us rest. Lamentations 3:22-23 reminds us “ The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end, for His compassions do not fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” We receive His grace and draw strength from His presence. We receive the joy and peace that the world cannot give nor take away.

Trust in His Word. The Bible is God’s unfailing Word. It will guide, correct, and equip us. To be able to trust we must listen to and read His Word. This will allow us to let God’s truth shape our reactions. We receive clarity and wisdom in our lives.

Reading His Word is not enough. Faith and trust are proven in action. James 1:22 is a call to action with an admonition “But prove yourselves doers of the Word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves.” We will see that our choice to live by Scripture strengthens our trust and is sufficient for every need.

Trust in His Timing. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything appropriate in its time.” As humans, we don’t have God’s perspective regarding time. Waiting is probably one of the biggest tests of our faith. But waiting is not wasted time. David wrote in Psalm 37:7 “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” What happens when we wait? One of my favorite scriptures, Isaiah 40:31 tells us “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” I’d rather wait on God and soar with eagles than fly with the buzzards on my own timing. While we wait we receive rest as we are renewed.

While we wait God teaches us patience, humility and dependence, preparing us for what God has in store. Trusting His timing is as important as what we are waiting for. This involves a step of faith, letting go of our timetable and embracing God’s.

Trust in His Provision. It’s a matter of priorities. In Matthew 6:33 Jesus told us what comes first. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.” Jesus is making a covenant with His followers. In essence, He is saying “Put God’s interests first in your life and I will guarantee your future needs, you will never lack the necessities of life.” With our future secured we trust in the one on whom we depend.

Trust in His Strength. In a similar verse, II Corinthians 12:9 Paul writes that God’s strength and power comes to us when we are weak “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.” When we struggle, God’s strength empowers us. When we “keep on keeping on” God honors our faith with His sustaining Grace. His Spirit keeps us going when we are overwhelmed.

Trust in His Plan. God has a plan for us. In Jeremiah 29:11 God told Jeremiah “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” This was spoken to the captive Israelites and He told them it wouldn’t happen until they had been in Babylon for 70 years. We trust when we believe in His plan, even when we don’t see it all. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:7 “ For we walk by faith, not by sight.” He shows us as much of His plan as we need at that time.

Many years ago, I graduated with my BS in Accounting. I had gotten a job but felt that there was something more for me. As time and events unfolded, I felt led to pursue my MBA. I didn’t have any plans for advanced education at the time so I wondered why. I went to the University of Georgia and got that degree. Several years later events led me to pursue a teaching position at the college level. Had I not gotten the MBA, I would not have been hired to teach. Later on, I got my Doctorate and went on to a very satisfying career in academia.

It is hard to fully trust. We place our trust in mankind and sometimes that trust is misplaced. We place our trust in the government and we are disappointed. We place our trust in God and he never fails, never disappoints. Lauren Daigle wrote and sang “You Say.” This strong song of faith and trust in God includes the lyrics:

You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing

You say I am strong when I think I am weak

You say I am held when I am falling short

When I don’t belong, oh You say I am Yours

And I believe What You say of me.

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To learn more about a new life in Christ, click here.

All scripture unless otherwise stated is from the New American Standard Bible.

Photo credit for God Heart to openClipart-vectors on Pixabay.

Why Be Holy?

Bible Lesson, devotional

We hear a lot in our world today about physical and mental fitness, but often we don’t think about our spiritual fitness. Obviously, spiritual fitness is the most important due to the eternal implications of having ourselves right with God. Spiritual fitness means striving to be holy. I wrote about holiness in two prior blogs, Creating Holy Habits, a “what do I do to be holy approach” and “Happy or Holy,” which looks at the differences in happiness and holiness. In this blog, I am looking more at the “Why” of holiness.

We don’t strive to be holy to help us feel better about ourselves. We don’t seek holiness to become better than others. We seek holiness because God commanded us to be holy and it is the first step toward spiritual health. In I Peter 1:14-16, the disciple wrote “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written: ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” That quote comes from Leviticus 11:44 but it is interesting that God repeats those words in the next verse. “For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt, to be your God; so you shall be holy, because I am holy.” He wanted us to get the point. In I Peter 1 Paul extols the glories of our salvation. Beginning with verse 13 the emphasis changes to exhort Christians to strive for holiness as a reflection of our salvation. When we are holy, our salvation becomes more obvious to others. The entire chapter can be viewed here I Peter 1.

These passages tell us three things.

First, we are to be obedient children. As our Father, He wants the best for us and His best starts with our obedience. We are to pattern our lives after the One whose name we bear. Remember the name we bear is “Christian.” Each Christian should pattern his or her new life after Him. Conforming to the world is denying our heavenly character. Those things are behind us.

We are not to conform to the lusts of the world. I am reminded of the old hymn by Albert Brumley. “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue; the angels beckon me from heaven’s open door, and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.” Indeed, this world is not our home.

Second, we should strive to be like God. Admittedly, it is not possible for us to be exactly like Him, but we are called to try. There is a saying in baseball that before the first game, every team is undefeated. Through a long season, no team can emerge with a perfect record. But that doesn’t stop them from trying to win each game. It’s the same with God. We should always try to emulate Him. Seeking to be more holy. And we are not alone, He will help us become more holy. That is His great desire. Bottom line, we are to be holy because He is. Holiness is a goal that should always be before us.

I’ve been reading a work of fiction set in the South. Many of the characters in the book come to realize how much like their ancestors they have become. God is our Father, we should strive to be like Him. Our lives should reproduce the holy character of the One who called us. To be godly means to be Godlike. God is holy in all His ways. In this life we will never be as holy as He is, but we should be holy because He is. Our holiness derives from Him.

Third, we can’t do it alone. Any measure of holiness that we achieve is empowered by the Holy Spirit indwelling within us. In the Leviticus passage previously quoted, the Israelites did not have the power of the Holy Spirit, as it had not been given. After the resurrection of Christ, the Holy Spirit came. Acts 1:8 reads “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” That day came as related in Acts 2:2-4 as the followers were gathered together in one place. “And suddenly a noise like a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting… And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Anyone familiar with the Old Testament knows that the Israelites struggled. They repeatedly sinned, repented, then fell back into their old ways. As New Testament saints, we are both more privileged and responsible than these Old Testament saints. We are privileged to have the Holy Spirit indwelling within us. But that indwelling creates for us a higher level of responsibility. The Holy Spirit is our paraclete. A paraclete is a helper, an advocate, a counselor. The Spirit is given to help us in our quest for holiness. With the coming of the Holy Spirit, the ideal of holiness becomes an everyday quality in our lives.

That is the “Why” of holiness. That’s what God desires, even demands, of us. “Be ye holy for I am holy.” How do we become more holy? There is no one “magic solution,” but holiness will include incorporation of spiritual disciplines in our lives. This will likely look different for each of us but should include two elements.

We Need a Quiet Time with God. How can you get to know someone better unless you spend time with them? With God, that comes in the form of daily prayer and Bible study. There are many tools available to help us form and continue these disciplines in our daily lives.

We Need Regular Attendance at Church. Don’t be a CEO member (Christmas and Easter Only). When you share a common bond with others your natural desire is to be with them. Jesus put this in the form of a command when He said “ I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). This is not really a new commandment, it refined Leviticus 19:18 “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” Instead of loving our neighbor as ourselves we are to love our neighbor as Jesus loves them.”

The bottom line is well expressed in a song sung by many Christian artists which includes the lyrics “Holiness, holiness is what I long for. Holiness is what I need. Holiness, holiness is what You want from me.” Please God. Pursue holiness. What do you need to do to further your quest for God’s Holiness?

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To learn more about a new life in Christ, click here.

All scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise indicated.

Photo credits to clker-free-vector-images and johnhain on Pixabay and to stockcake.

Happy or Holy?

Bible Lesson, devotional

In Leviticus 11, God was speaking to Aaron and Moses, giving them the Law as it applied to the Israelites. In verse 44, God said “Be happy, for I am happy.” Ok, put down those stones you’re ready to throw at me right now. I realize that is NOT what the scripture says. Americans are obsessed with the pursuit of happiness, and sometimes it can achieve the opposite result. I’ve often heard it said “Do whatever makes you happy.” Happiness can be fleeting and lead to future difficulties. What is the relationship between holy and happy? Is the pursuit of happiness a valid objective? Let’s look at some terms often used in this discussion.

Happiness I fear that the pursuit of happiness is where it ends for many of us. Is this the right person for me to marry? Will I be happy if I accept this job offer? Will getting a pet make me happy? Will I be happy if I buy that new car I’ve had my eyes on? The problem with these pursuits is that they may make us happy for a while but questions arise. Happiness can be temporary and leave us with an empty feeling and can end up not being good. Happiness is what I would rate as low on the scale of positive emotions.

Blessed A similar word is blessed, which we see in many translations of the Beatitudes. This word is sometimes translated as happy but I think “blessed” is a better fit as it indicates that God will bestow blessings on the person having the characteristic included in a particular beatitude. Blessed means to be made holy, Becoming blessed can be a step toward our holiness. Again, this word is frequently misused. Frequently when something good happens (that makes me happy) I claim that I am blessed. If I get ahead in the business world through shady or illegal means and become wealthy, you can be assured that is not God’s blessing on you.

Joy The dictionary defines joy as a feeling of pleasure or great happiness. From a non-spiritual view this seems to place joy a step above happiness. But joy from a scriptural view indicates that there is more. Biblical joy is a lasting emotion that comes from the choice to trust that God will fulfill His promises. Beyond that, joy is a deep-rooted, inspired happiness.

In addition, joy is listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Joy is described by author Glory Dy as internal, selfless, a spiritual connection with God, and purely good. When we achieve joy our focus turns outward. Rick Warren defined joy as “the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right and the determined choice to praise God in every situation.” It is the natural reaction to the work of God, whether promised or fulfilled. Joy expresses God’s kingdom—His influence on earth. To attain joy we must receive Christ, follow Him and His teachings.

Holy All of these can be good things to have in our lives. But we need to bring this back to where we started. To properly quote Leviticus 11:44 we read “Be holy, for I am holy.” So how do we achieve holiness? At first it may seem impossible as Revelation 15:4, in speaking of God, reads “For you alone are holy.” Yet Hebrews 12:14 reads “without holiness no one will see the Lord” So holiness is a requirement for a Christian. God’s holiness is His nature. How can we be holy? Our holiness is a holiness derived from God. We become holy when we come in contact with the Source of holiness, the Holy God. This explains why the ground surrounding the burning bush was called “holy ground.” God’s presence turned common, ordinary ground into holy ground. The same is true of us. In order for a person to be holy, he or she must be connected to the source of holiness – that source is God Himself. Common human beings become holy through God.

We can have happiness in our lives, we can be blessed by God, we can have lasting joy in our lives but our ultimate goal is to be made holy in God’s image.

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To learn more about a new life in Christ, click here.

Photo credit for Happy to Stockcake

All scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise indicated.

Absolute Truth

Bible Lesson, devotional

When Jesus stood before Pilate a dialogue between the two ensued. Pilate was trying to determine just who Jesus was, asking several questions. What Jesus replied was probably gibberish to Pilate. His final words to Pilate were “I have come into this world to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” John 18:37. This likely set Pilate’s mind spinning, trying to make sense of Jesus’ responses. Pilate’s reply, in the form of a question has been asked repeatedly through the years “What is truth?”

In John 8:32 Jesus spoke “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jesus is the Truth. Jesus came to testify about Himself. In responding to Pilate, note that Jesus elaborated that those who listen to him have the Truth.

What is Truth? The Merriam Webster dictionary defines truth as “the body of real things, events, and facts.” An actuality, a reality, a fact. At first glance, truth would seem to be an easy concept. But those with different world views might have created their own realities. As a former college professor, I am painfully aware that many students do not have a grasp on their realities. They have created for themselves a world lacking in reality. I once had a student who failed my class. He took it again and brought his grade up to a “D”. Since this was a required class for his major, that grade was not enough. He came to me, informing me that his inability to get a “C” was not a reflection on him, but it was due to my incompetence as an instructor and I had ruined his life. Reality check time.

Truth comes in two forms. There is relative truth and there is absolute truth. Relative truth is often reflected in the statement that “that may be true for you, but not for me. I have a different truth.” This is a contradiction. If something is true it is factual and indisputable. Relative truth rejects absolute truth.

Relative Truth allows people to create their own reality and the freedom to do whatever they want. People listen to those who will tell them what they want to hear. Of course, this is not a new problem. In 2 Timothy 4:2-4, Paul exhorted Timothy to preach the truth, adding that “the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” Sounds like Paul may have been writing to us today. If there is no absolute truth, there are no standards.

Absolute Truth is true regardless of how someone thinks or feels about it. The Bible is God’s Word. It is the absolute truth. It tells us that everyone will acknowledge Jesus as Lord. For some, that acknowledgement may come too late. In Isaiah 45: 23 (and quoted by Paul in Romans 14:11) God says “The word has gone out from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.”

There are three characteristics of truth.

Truth is Unchanging. Our perceptions may change as we gain new information, but the truth does not change. For example, at one time we were taught that an atom was the smallest unit of matter. That was given out as a scientific fact, a truth. Then scientists discovered that there are subatomic particles – quarks and leptons. It is currently taught that they are the smallest known building blocks of matter. The truth did not change. We have always had quarks and leptons from the day of creation. Our knowledge is what changed.

Truth is Objective. Merriam-Webster defines objective as “not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts. In today’s society we have difficulty with this term. The same truth applies to everyone. Romans 3:23 reads “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” No exceptions. Everyone of us is a sinner. Romans 12:11 makes this abundantly clear “For there is no respect of persons with God” Everyone stands before God and is judged by the same standard. “Did you accept Jesus’ forgiveness for your sins? Yes or no?”

Truth Endures. We could say that truth stands the test of time. When all is said and done, the Truth of God will be standing, victorious in the end. Satan has been vanquished, along with all who did not know Christ. All the lies of mankind will fall by the wayside. All that is left will be Truth.

One Way. Jesus made it clear in John 14:6 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” An absolute truth. The only way. We must guard against arrogance or being judgemental. We aren’t better than anyone else. We are saved by God’s grace and there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation. Our task is not to look down on those who have not received His grace but help them discover the same salvation we have obtained. Unlike what many proclaim today, this is the only road to salvation. Being a “good person” isn’t enough. In the end, where will you be found?

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To learn more about a new life in Christ, and know absolute truth, click here.

All scripture unless otherwise indicated is from the New American Standard Bible.

Photo credits to geralt on Pixabay and Christian Photoshops.