July 4, 2013

"Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your ancestors."   Proverbs 22:28

 

One of the greatest days in the history of the Jewish nation was when they crossed the Jordan and finally entered the Promised Land. There were battles yet to be waged in order to drive the pagans out so they could worship and serve Jehovah in peace. This was to be a land of peace and rest. Once the enemies were conquered they would finally have the chance to worship their God with prosperity and peace. Finally, the promise made to Abraham would be fulfilled.

 

When they finally settled in the land they were given land and God set up boundaries for each tribe and those stones were marked by boundary stones. And since the land was sacred so were those boundaries considered  sacred as well. It was sinful and illegal to move a boundary stone.

 

To move a boundary was to steal property from your neighbor, and worse, it was deliberate defiance of God. It was tantamount to saying you knew better than God about what should be yours and what should belong to your neighbor.

For those boundaries there was no time limitations on how long those boundaries and boundary stone markers should remain they were not to be moved. God said so!

Boundaries give a sense of significance. The land within these boundary stones belonged to my father and now it belongs to me! Some day it will belong to my son! I belong to this land and it belongs to me!

Boundaries give a sense of sovereignty. I am in charge of what goes on within the boundaries of this piece of ground!

Boundaries give a sense of security. I am safe within the boundary stones that mark this as my property!

That gives you some background on the concept of boundary stones. They were very important to Jewish social and civil culture!

Don't move those stones!


 

July 3, 2013

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance. From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth— he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine”. Psalm 33:12-19

Where should we look for national security in a post-911 world of terrorists who are developing nuclear weapons? Ours is a world governed by the aggressive use of force, is it realistic to think that trusting God can keep us safe?

Think about the Exodus! Think about the Red Sea! Think about Jericho! Think David and Goliath! Think Gideon and the Midianites. But more recently, consider this:

Numerous miracles were reported during the famous 1967 war. One such story involved a Catholic journalist who was reporting on the front lines during the war. Ernie Miller had personally met this man in Baton Rouge, LA. The journalist was reporting from the Sinai Desert during the 1967 war. The battle had become very intense and there were numerous casualties. At one point an Israeli soldier was rushed into the medical tent, where the journalist was wiring front line information.

The journalist observed that the soldier was severely wounded. In fact he had been shot in the intestinal area, and his intestines were hanging from his body. He knew it was only a matter of time until the man would die. Yet, the man, who was fully conscience, began praying and saying the various names of God in the Hebrew language. As he prayed he began to talk about God’s ability to heal him and to defeat the enemy armies. To the journalist amazement, the man suddenly screamed, and jumped up from the cot. His intestines were back inside his body and the entire area was healed! The man was jumping and screaming, and ran out of the tent praising God.

The journalist told Ernie, “I am a Catholic and I am suppose to believe in miracles but had never seen one. That day, I saw one with my own eyes that was a true miracle!”

This amazing story clearly demonstrates that the “Battle belongs to the Lord!”

Maybe it is just me but it seems the best way to anticipate what we can trust God for in the future is to see what He has done for His people in the past. Since He never changes and is the same "yesterday, today and tomorrow" it seems like making Him the foundation of our national security makes sense! God did a good job of protecting His nation, Israel when they trusted Him. But Israel maintained an army, too.

The big point here is that security comes from the inside out. Like everything else in our world, it is fundamentally a spiritual issue. God may preserve your life or He may choose not to. Christians die in war as pagans do. But we know He always preserves the soul who has trusted Christ for salvation. Have you received His salvation from your sins and entered into an eternal relationship with God? If you have you can live in this assurance:

"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” Psalm 91

July 2, 2013

^"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." Philippians 3:20-21

 

The concept of dual nationality means that a person is a citizen of two countries at the same time. Each country has its own citizenship laws based on its own policy. Persons may have dual nationality by automatic operation of different laws rather than by choice. For example, a child born in a foreign country to U.S. citizen parents may be both a U.S. citizen and a citizen of the country of birth. 

 

A U.S. citizen may acquire foreign citizenship by marriage, or a person naturalized as a U.S. citizen may not lose the citizenship of the country of birth.U.S. law does not mention dual nationality or require a person to choose one citizenship or another. Also, a person who is automatically granted another citizenship does not risk losing U.S. citizenship.

 

Followers of Jesus Christ possess dual citizenship. They belong to the nation of their birth and they are citizens of Heaven. While we live as citizens of this world we are to be preparing for the next. At the same time the Scriptures tell us, "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 2:4-7

 

Ironically, our citizenship in Heaven was made possible by One Who, as a citizen of that world, came to take up citizenship in this world to die for our sins.

 

This Citizen Who made our citizenship possible, came from a righteous place and was born in a righteous way to qualify Him to become a sacrifice for our sins. But between His righteous birth and His sacrifical death was a lifetime of righteous living. He was righteous when He left Heaven, He was righteous when He arrived in the manger in Bethlehem, and He was still righteous as He was being nailed to the cross. But, He became unrighteous as He took our trangessions upon Himself on that cross. Because of His righteous obedience to the will of His Father in making righteousness available to you and me, He regained His righteousness!

 

Are you thankful to be a citizen of the great USA?

 

As you celebrate your freedom as an American over this long Fourth of July week-end, will you also celebrate your citizenship in Heaven?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 1, 2013

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33

Christ-followers belong to a righteous kingdom. Therefore, righteousness is a requirement for citizenship and it is the code of conduct.

We have established righteousness results from a relationship with the Righteous King through faith in Jesus Christ. One of the major impediments to having a righteous relationship with God is your unwillingness to surrender your rights. It is your nature to want to do God's will in your way. You want it both ways and you can't have it! There can only be one way that is right and it is not yours.

To be in His kingdom you must surrender to the King and to have His righteousness you must give up your rights.

Are you letting your rights get in the way of His righteousness?

Another obstacle to righteous living is the need to survive. That is the context of this statement by Jesus. He has been teaching about God as a Father who is willing and able to provide for His children:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them."  Matthew 6:19-32

Is protecting yourself or providing for yourself more important to you than honoring God? Would you deny Him to preserve your own life?

Even a man aS great as Simon Peter chose survival over righteousness when he felt his life was being threatened.

What would you have done?

I hear Jesus saying in verse 33 is this, "I don't have to survive but I do have to be righteous."

Some three years after Jesus issued this challenge in His Sermon on the Mount, He found Himself faced with that very decision as He wrestled in prayer in Gethsemane. He sweat drops of blood but chose to be righteous if it killed Him.

Many of our brothers and sisters around the world face that pressure every day because they live in repressive totalitarian atheistic countries. And thousands of them have chosen righteousness over survival only to be imprisoned or executed. They were true to His kingdom and His righteousness and true to His promise, He gave then everything they needed!

Do you love righteousness more than you own life?

June 30, 2013

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

 

We have spent the week considering this Proverb about the power of righteousness. With the turn of events and the rapid decline of our culture it is easy to be overcome and feel helpless.

 

You don't have to! Let me remind you of the power of righteousness! Righteousness exalts! Solomon understood that and so did our Founders. The Founding Fathers were so sure of it that they pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor.

Let me share three reasons why righteousness is powerful:

Righteousness is powerful because it is a relationship.

Righteousness is being made right with God through a faith relationship with Jesus Christ. Righteousness is making a total surrender to God's unconditional love.

The thing that often keeps one from finding righteousness is an unwillingness to give up his rights. Jesus said if anyone would come after Him he must "deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Him". Putting self and selfish desires ahead of the will of God is the essence of sin.

Until being right with God is more important that having your rioowghts, you will not find righteousness.

Righteousness is powerful because it demands responsibility.

This verse implies that actions have consequences. It says, "Righteousness EXALTS, sin CONDEMNS."  "Exalt" means to "lift" or to "elevate" that sounds like a good consequence! And, it says, "Sin" means to "miss the mark" or "fall short of the glory of God." That sounds like a negative consequence to me!

When you understand you will be rewarded when you do righteously and you will also suffer when you choose to sin.

Human nature is wired for self-destruction and left unchecked or undisciplined it will bring you down. A wise man will put himself under discipline and be accountable so he can resist the temptations of life.

It takes power, supernatural power, to live righteously!

Righteousness is powerful because it has a reward.

The reward of righteousness is MORE righteousness! The reward of righteousness is Jesus!

Psalms says when you "delight yourself in the Lord, He gives you the desires of your heart!"

Solomon, writing in the Proverbs, declares that he believes in the power of righteous living. Do you?

Will you?

Will you enter into an intimate spirirtual relationship with Christ by faith?

Will you discipline yourself under the laws of God so you can live righteously?

Will you sacrifice all for the great rewards righteousness brings?






 

June 29, 2013

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people."

This short verse tells us a lot about two radically different ways of living.

Righteousness is right standing with God. It is a result of being in a faith relationship with God. That relationship is made possible through the righteousness of Christ Who made righteousness available to us by taking the penalty for our unrighteousness on the Cross. Righteousness is unconditional surrender to God's unconditional love.

 

Righteousness exalts because it elevates us above the power of sin and enables us to live in the right way. Righteousness exalts because it allows us to live in God's presence. Righteousness exalts because it lifts us above the shame of sin's condemnation and brings God's peace. Righteousness exalts God because it demonstrates His way is right!

 

The word used for "righteous" conveys the idea of justice. The word used for "sin" has the notion of vice or corruption.

 

So, righteousness exalts justice and elevates the nation while sin brings corruption that destroys a nation.

 

Which nation would you rather live in?

 

Righteousness exalts because in order to become righteous you have to confess sinfulness and repent of sin. That promotes justice and attacks corruption. Righteousness can lift up what sin has torn down.

Can you see the clear difference between righteousness and sin - aka - unrighteousness?

Can you see the clear difference between the results of righteousness and corruption?

Can you see why righteous people make better citizens than corrupt and sinful people?

Can you see that righteous people are not only better people, they're better patriots?!

 

 

 

 

 

June 28, 2013

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

 

What is righteousness?

 

We established that righteousness is what God says it is!

 

But in addition, righteousness is Who God is!

 

Righteousness is not a code or a creed or concepts, righteousness is a PERSON!

 

The Founders understood that and it was their understanding of righteousness that formed the foundation for this great experiment that became the most powerful and prosperous nation on earth, the United States of America!

 

You could very properly rephrase this verse, "God exalts a nation, but ignoring God is a reproach to any people."

 

Our Founders understood that since God was the Righteous Creator, He was the right One to bestow rights on citizens of a nation. And since a Righteous Creator is the source of our individual rights then doesn't it follow that those rights would be preserved by righteous living?

 

"How do I live righteously?" you ask.

 

Righteousness is the result of living in a faith relationship with the Righteous God from Whom the rights originate.

 

So, again you could accurately say, "Right relationship with a Righteous God exalts a nation, but evil is a reproach to any people."

 

Righteous people make the best citizens of whichever nation they belong to. Their righteousness exalts or elevates that nation because it unleashed the presence, the principles and the power of God into that land.

 

Do you know the righteousness of God?

 

Are you living in a faith relationship with Him?