April 14, 2018

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people."Proverbs 14:34

What does it mean when a nation is exalted? That sounds like a good thing, but how good is it? What are some specific benefits wrought by righteousness?

Let me share at least three things that are meant by "exalted".

Exalted means "lifted".

Righteousness lifts a nature and a culture. It lifts the morality of that people. It lifts the civility of that society. The morale of that nation is higher than cultures where people don't value righteousness. Doing the right things obviously results in positive and constructive outcomes.

Exalted means "lightened".

Righteousness flows from truth. Truth originates in the character and very nature of God. With God as your source and His Word as your resource there is going to be knowledge and wisdom. Jesus said that He is "the light of the world". When you have Jesus you have light and in Him is no darkness. From the light of God's Word, truth and wisdom beam forth revealing what is right and what is wrong. Being "lightened" by righteousness leads to rightness in actions, attitudes, values and moral decisions.

Exalted means "liberated".

A people who are lifted by the truth and lightened by the truth will find freedom and liberty from His Word. Truth results in freedom. Ignorance leads to bondage. Ignorance leads to confusion and doubts. Ignorance leads to strife and fear.

A people lifted by truth and lightened by truth are free to become who they want to become in Christ. They will act right and have the right attitudes which will enrich their relationships and increase their opportunities for freedom. Listening to His truth and living in His truth shape a godly character that is free to pursue godliness.

How is a nation exalted by righteousness? Simple!

A nation is exalted by people who are lifted by the righteousness of God's Word. As a result they tend to think right, which leads to right decisions, which translates into godly living. Godly living results in lifting God high in the estimation of those who may be seeking for solid answers. God is exalted by the practical everyday decisions, actions and values you make.

A nation is exalted when lighted by the truth of God's Word and the principles it gives to live by. It makes better decisions and is better able to make quality decisions. Truth reveals the right thing to do in all decisions, and clarifies the application of that truth in daily situations. God is exalted by a people who know and show His truth.

A nation is exalted when God's children live in the liberty of His knowledge and His love. God's children live within the law and finds freedom in self-governing his thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. An ignorant nation will not endure as a free nation. Study history. You will see.

I know you love the USA and desire to see her rise to the exalted standard. You, of all people will understand the value of self-governing and liberty of self-discipline. God WILL set you free!

"Righteousness", or "rightness", allows God to get involved personally in that project. God will be strong and powerful in the life of those who have chosen to walk in the light of His power and glory. And over time, people will be set free and God will be glorified!

Falling Short...

".......for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

These are amazing days.

As I have been following the news regarding the gun control debate and the immigration discussions. Not only am I interested in the outcome of these crucial issues, I am fascinated by the whole thought processes surrounding them.

Perhaps I am too simplistic in my thinking but how does it help to address these very complex and important social problems by creating new and more restrictive laws when we have not been committed to enforcing the current laws?

If our elected law-makers were really committed to resolving these pressing issues would that not be evident in their commitment to prosecuting offenders of existing gun laws and immigration rules? There were over 15,000 cases of illegal gun registrations during the previous administration but only 44 of those were prosecuted.

Pardon me if it raises some suspicion concerning their actual motives for crafting more restrictive gun regulations and less restrictive laws toward immigration and citizenship. I can't help wondering if they are really concerned about resolving the root problems when they don't make every effort to arrest and prosecute those who violate the laws we have now.

But I am not a political commentator, I am a pastor and teacher. Here is the teachable moment in this discussion - it illustrates the sinful human nature. Romans 3:23 defines sin as "falling short of the glory of God" as demonstrated by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The original interpretation of this text means "to miss the mark". Adam and Eve were charged with giving God glory by obeying Him and enjoying His presence. But they "missed the mark" when they disobeyed and "fell short of the glory of God". Once the "mark" is missed our tendency to try to correct the error by lowering the "mark". The result is a downward spiral of increased lawlessness.

It was a similar problem of lawlessness that Jesus came to address. In the beginning God gave Adam and Eve just one law to keep and they broke it. Centuries later God gave Moses ten laws to declare to His people. Those laws were soon broken and by the time Jesus came to earth those laws had been expanded to over 630 laws, rules and interpretations of laws. So, just like our modern lawmakers, they responded to breaking God's law by making more laws. During His earthly ministry Jesus again narrowed it down to two commandments when He pronounced we should love God with all our being and then love our neighbors in the same way we love ourselves.

So, our foolish notion of adding new laws in place of enforcing existing laws has a long tradition in human behavior. The root cause of this harmful habit is a desire to escape accountability and consequences for our actions. It is as old as human nature itself. It is the notion that brought Lucifer down and it was the deception that lured Eve into disobedience. You see, it is hard to be held accountable to multiple laws, but you will be condemned by one.

How sad and heart-breaking that our once great nation has descended into such a lawless state. How tragic that our lawmakers crave the control of power but want to escape the responsibility and consequences of it. It always leads to destruction and we should not think that it will be any different this time.

April 12, 2018

"But there is a place where someone has testified: “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him? You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor and put everything under their feet.” In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them." Hebrews 2:6-8

The fear of insignifcance is very real. It drives some people and causes others to live constantly frustrated and unfulfilled lives. Everyone wants to matter. No one wants to think that his life has been wasted. Why is that so important? Why do you have that need?

Why does a former superstar athlete or actor always crave the spotlight? Why do they die dreaming of a comeback?

Once you have tasted of significance anything less seems insignificant.

According to Scripture, you were created for significance. Adam was handmade by God Who breathed the breath of life into Him and placed Him in paradise. That's significance!

God gave Adam authority over all the earth and blessed Him with a woman to be his helpmate. Every day the three of them walked and talked together through the perfect splendor of Eden. That's significance!

You and I were shaped for significance - greatness just short of angelic! We had it until Adam lost it! But we still desire it. The loss of it leads to a loss of significance.

Had we never had significance you or I would never have missed it. But to have known perfection and lost it leaves a longing. To have known paradise and to have been banished from it leaves an awful void.

Significance was lost in disobedience and rebellion. It can only be regained through repentance and maintained through obedience. It was lost at the feet of God and can only be regained by returning there with a broken and contrite heart.

The washed up actor will never win another leading role. And the athlete past His prime will never make another team. But you - you can recapture your lost significance when you allow yourself to be captured by the grace and goodness of God!

You were made a little lower than the angels, don't live like the devil........

How Do You Delight Yourself In The Lord?

"Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:" Psalms 37:3-5

Desire is a combination of emotion and intellect. Desire is part want and part will. Temptation is a battle over where we will aim our desire.

The First Adam aimed his desire at a lie and we have been a deceived race since.

Jesus, the Second Adam, aimed His desire at God and remained holy.

What about you? Are your desires being steered by your wants or by your will?

The Psalmist knew about desire. He wrote some of the most personal, poignant, and passionate poetry ever written. Few people have chased God harder than David. He gives us some insights here in Psalm 37 that you could benefit from. The Psalm promises that if you, "delight yourself in the Lord" the Lord will "give you the desires of your heart".

So, the question becomes, how do you do that? How do you delight yourself in the Lord?

Before we explore that, let me point out something even more obvious - you must first desire to please God. You must decide that God's desires are more important than your desires. You will not be delighted in God if He is not your chief desire.

What does that look like?

"Trust in the Lord...." The word picture painted here means "to rely on", "to be confident", "to lean your full weight on" Him.

The first way to delight in the Lord is to WANT Him more than to want anything or anyone else. Aim all of your desire at Him. Make it the purpose of your life to meet His desires. Don't even make it about your desires - focus on satisfying His!

When you want the Lord more than anything, temptation loses it's strength against you! I doubt if the devil will tempt you toward desiring God.

Will you aim your desires at God today? 

Will you make Him your chief desire? 

Will you confess and surrender any misplaced desires?

April 10, 2018

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

For a long time I have been trying to get my mind around this admonition to "consider it joy" when you suffer. I don't think I am there yet. What does that mean? What is required to do that?

I am not sure I have the best answers or the final answer but here is what I found from the limited amount of suffering I have done.

Joy in suffering comes from the confidence that God is in control of your life and your trials. Knowing that can result in:

The Joy of His Provision. 

When life is easy and things are good you can tend to focus on all the things you want God to do for you and all the things you need from Him. Or, you tend to get lost in the pursuit and enjoyment of those things. But when you are suffering and life is tough it tends to focus you on the things that God has already done. Rather that chasing what you think you want it can cause you to cherish what you already have in Him. He has provided you with so much! There REALLY is benefit in counting your blessings.

The Joy of His Promises. 

We have the confidence of His promises precisely because of His provision. But He has promised that no tests or trials will befall us except by His permission, so if we are in difficult circumstances it is because He knows we can handle it. He has also promised that with the testing He will provide a way to escape it. You can have confidence about what He will do in the future because of what He has done in the past!

The Joy of His Presence. 

Pain is intensified when we have to experience it alone. There is comfort in knowing that someone else cares enough to be there with us and for us. Often it is not about the things they say or even the things they do, it is just the fact that they are there and it helps. God is always there. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He has identified Himself as a friend who sticks closer than a brother. He is the one who walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death.

The Joy of His Purpose.

 As hard as it is to suffer, it helps to know that our pain will bring us some gain. Pain is a terrible thing to waste and yet I deal with people all the time who repeat the same mistakes and bear the same hurts and never learn. Their pain only drives them deeper into despair. James promises us that when we walk in the wisdom of God our pain will work for our development. You will work overtime in order to have a better vacation. You will drive that clunker an extra six months in order to save for the new truck. Suffering can be worth it when there is a pay off. When you suffer for Jesus - there is a payoff!

The Joy of His Price. 

Early in life I was taught the value of hard work. My parents were not able to give me the things I wanted beyond my basic needs. So as soon as I was able I began mowing lawns and baling hay and other odd jobs to earn money for the ball glove I wanted or the bicycle or to be able to go to the county fair. I didn't like pushing a mower on a scorching hot day or standing on a hay wagon tossing 50 lb. bales in 90 degree weather. But the sense of accomplishment was satisfying when I was able to get what I wanted. It was mine! I earned it! The pride of ownership was sweet! Joy comes in the midst of suffering when you realize it is costing you something to follow Jesus.

There is joy in suffering! When you do life with Jesus He brings joy to every part of your life! Even the pain works to your profit! If you are struggling under the load of trials and tests, cling to His provision, His promises, His presence, His purpose and pay His price. When you get to the place where it seems Jesus is all you have you will discover He is all you need!

April 9, 2018

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."James 4:7

There is a lot of commotion these days about the bullying issue. I personally think it is way overblown. As long as there have been kids there have been bullies. While I am not condoning it I do believe it is part of the process of growing into adulthood.

I had to deal with bullies growing up and so did my kids. I turned it into an opportunity to teach life principles. One thing that helped in dealing with bullies was having a big brother who would help protect you from the bullies. Life was safer when you were with your big brother!

In this verse, James, who ironically was the brother of Jesus, reminds us that we have a big brother Who can help us against the spiritual bully known as the devil.

If you you were not too proud to admit to your older brother that you needed protection and if you would submit to his protection, life would get a whole lot safer and stress free. It is the same with Jesus.

James says, "Submit to God". The word "submit" means to "line up with" or "surrender to".

If you line up your heart and your mind with God and surrender your will you can have His protection. You get all of His other blessings as well!

Notice also, James says "resist the devil and he will flee from you". The thing you have to understand about this statement is the "you" refers to you AND God! In other words, "you and the God you have submitted to resist the devil" then he will flee from you!

There is a bully in the world who delights in harassing you and terrorizing you. You can face him alone or you can unite with an advocate, a protector, a big brother! Somebody is going to flee, it may as well be him! Let him flee - you be free!

Where do you need to "line up" with God today?

April 8, 2018

For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring." Acts 17:28

The Apostle Paul was preaching in Athens and noticed that they were very religious but did not know the One true God or His Son Jesus. In their shrines they had many idols to many idols and to make sure they did not miss a god or offend a diety they built an idol to "the unknown god".

Paul saw an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel and began to tell them about this God Who was knowable, Who wanted to be known, and Who "was not far from them."

What Paul told them about God, we could stand to hear. Let's examine it more closely:

The Centrality of God - "In Him....."

God will not settle for being "a" god. He must be "the" God. There is no god like our God. He is beyond compare. He created you for Himself. He put within you a "God-shaped" void that nothing else can satisfy. You were never designed to be happy or fulfilled without having God squarely in the center of His will.

The Vitality of God - "....we live and move......

When God identifies Himself as the "Alpha and Omega", the beginning and the end, He is acknowledging that all life begins and ends with Him. Since that glorious and ancient day when He commanded, "Let there be....", life has flourished on this beautiful planet. And He personalized life when He sent His only Son, Jesus, so that His life could flourish within us.

The Identity With God - "....and have our being."

Paul was speaking to men who were very religious and somewhat superstitious. They wanted to make sure that they covered their bases spiritually. If there was a god they needed to know - they wanted to know him. It was important for them to be right with their gods. I imagine that the Great Apostle was moved by their sincere desire to be right with a God they had yet to know. So he sweetens the deal by promising that this unknown God, his God, is One Who knows you, can be known by you, and wants to dwell in you. This God is so vast and so good that you can lose yourself in Him - and only when you lose yourself in Him do you find yourself! Some of them did!

Have you?