Tag: christian

Me Do It!

On By LindaIn allegories, analogies, and parables, My ThoughtsLeave a comment
Photo by Polesie Toys on Pexels.com

My heart hurt as I watched my two-year-old granddaughter’s growing frustration as she struggled to fit a plastic shape into its hole. She had gotten the star and heart shapes into their openings but the triangle just wouldn’t fit into the square opening. She had gone from sliding the triangle back and forth across the opening to trying to force it with every bit of small might she had. I yearned to share my knowledge with her but each offer to help was met with a defiant, “No! Me do it!”

“There’s a special hole for each shape…” I started only to be interrupted with, “No! Me do it!”

“You can’t fit a triangle into…”  was cut off with “No! Me do it!”

“Here, let me show you…” was answered with a growl. “No! Me do it!”

So I sat back and let her work. If only she would listen.

Angry tears now filled her eyes as she pushed even harder. Failing that, she began slamming the poor triangle onto the opening. Over and over she tried. Over and over she failed until she couldn’t stand it anymore.

With a scream, she threw the triangle across the room.

I held out my arms. “Come here, baby.” Sobs racked her tiny body as she clung to me. Sitting there on the floor, I rocked her until her breathing slowed, her tears dried, and she was once again at peace.

You would think that the next time she played with that toddler toy set, she was more willing to allow me to help her. But no.  Again she insisted on doing it herself, getting upset in the process, and ending in my lap sobbing out her frustration.

Eventually, one day, she accepted my help. Then, with a triumphant smile, she gently pushed the triangle piece into the triangle opening.

I wonder if we don’t do the same thing to God. He knows how things work. He knows how to solve problems. But we think we can figure it all our on our own. We think if we work hard enough and long enough, we can solve all our problems. We ignore God’s way to create our own way.

When we do this as an individual, it’s called rebellion.

When we do this as a society, it’s called humanism.

This is Google’s summary of humanism based on American Humanist Association’s definition: Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that emphasizes human reason, ethics, and agency to find meaning and fulfillment. It is a secular worldview that affirms individual dignity and social responsibility, using science, art, and compassion to create a more just and compassionate world. Humanism does not include supernatural beliefs or theistic views. 

In other words, humanism, which is rampant through every part of society, is mankind saying to their Father, “Me do it!”

Why do we humans continue to strive to become equal to God regardless of the consequences? Didn’t Adam and Eve teach us anything?

Why do we humans think we know better or can do better than the One who created us? Cain certainly tried, and failed.

Why do we humans repeatedly try to serve a holy God our way like the Israelites did when moving the Ark of the Covenant?  Uzzah paid the price for that.

Why do we humans insist on creating an image of God that pleases us but not Him? The golden calf should have been a clear warning.

Why do we humans keep looking to ourselves to fill our needs? David knew from experience who to trust.

Why do we humans fight so hard to be independent of God? It never worked out well for the Israelites.

Some people have said: “Oh, that just happened in the Old Testament. Today is different.”

Is it?

Adam and Eve

For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,[b] she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. Gen 3:4-7

Cain

In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, and you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:3-7

The Golden Calf

And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.” Exodus 32:4-10

The Ark of the Covenant

And he cast for it four rings of gold for its four feet, two rings on its one side and two rings on its other side. And he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold 5 and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark. Exodus 37:3-4

And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry. Numbers 4:15

So Moses took the wagons and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. Two wagons and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service. And four wagons and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.  But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because they were charged with the service of the holy things that had to be carried on the shoulder.  Numbers 7:6-9

David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark. And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. 2 Samuel 6:1-7

Trust in God

Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright. Psalm 20:6-8

Comfortable Cages

On By LindaIn allegories, analogies, and parablesLeave a comment

Children face many challenges as they grow up. They count on the significant people in their lives to provide truth and guidance. They model themselves after these people, and take their words into their hearts. This is fine and good if the words are positive and truthful:

you are loved,

you’re worth my time and attention,

God made you perfect just the way you are,

you’re fun to be around,

you have a good mind.

But lies and half-truths can hurt the child’s heart:

no one likes you,

you are stupid,

you’re not worth the air you breathe,

you are a burden,

you can’t do anything right.

These lies form cage bars which, when reinforced over the years, keep a child securely bound.

That’s where I found myself at twenty years old. After years of unsuccessfully trying to break the bars, the lies I believed, I gave up. I was stuck in that cage. Death was the only way out. And so, I curled up in the corner and waited to die.

Then Jesus found me. He woke me up and told me He had removed the bars. He called me to the freedom He offered those who followed Him.

I celebrated the freedom. I danced around my cage with excitement and devotion to my Savior. I told everyone who came near me about the freedom that He paid for. I soaked in His love and loved Him back with all that I had.

But I didn’t leave the cage. The problem was I still saw the bars. The lies were still binding me because I believed the lies over the truth. They were more familiar. They made more sense. They felt right. They were what I was taught and were frequently being reinforced by people I respected. I must have misunderstood what Jesus had said. I questioned the definition of the words He used and convinced myself that He wasn’t talking about me. I was fine where I was no matter how hard it felt at times.

Over the years, fellow Christians told me they loved me. Some even got in the cage with me so they could feel what I did. They acknowledged the difficulties of my environment and offered me pillows and a blanket to make me more comfortable in my bondage.

But a few Christians loved me enough to continually redirect my attention to the bar-less doorway. They challenged, coaxed, and urged me to see the truth. They didn’t try to make my cage more comfortable. That would have just enabled me to stay where I was. They didn’t offer to stay in the cage with me, validating my belief about the bars. Instead, they confronted my choice to believe the lies and gave me the information I needed to gain freedom.

Which Christians loved me like Jesus loved people when He was on the earth?

Did Jesus come to free us from sin or to make us more comfortable in our cages?

I think people today confuse empathy with compassion. Empathy is feeling with, understanding, and sharing the feelings of another person – while compassion is feeling for them with the desire to help alleviate their suffering. Empathy is a feeling that often comes before compassion which turns that feeling into helpful action. Empathy is a feeling. Compassion is action.

Jesus has compassion on us. He feels deep sorrow for the pain our choices cause us. But He doesn’t leave us there. He paid the price to free us and He gave us His Word to counter the bars we see in front of us.

Jesus walked the earth with compassion. He didn’t enter anyone’s cages, agreeing with how hard and painful life was, and commending them for the ways they had made their cages more comfortable. Instead, He consistently called people out of their cages. He spoke the truth no matter how comfy the cage was. He offered freedom – not acceptance of their plight.

I have looked but cannot find any place in the Bible that Jesus affirmed the lives of sinful people and left it at that. He ate with them. He talked with them. He accepted them as beloved people.  But He called them out of their sin. He preached repentance. He told them to “sin no more”. He told His critics that He had come to the sick and the lost. He taught about the kingdom of heaven. He called them to follow Him and to tell others about Him. And He commissioned His followers to do the same.

I hear frequently that we need to love all people like Jesus did. I totally agree. However, if we’re going to love people like Jesus did, then let’s love people like Jesus really did. Not how modern culture says He did. Now how our personal convictions make us feel He did. Not how other people claim He did. But how the Bible shows He did. Let’s compassionately and courageously love people enough to call them out of their cages and into the arms of their Savior.

Scriptures

Sin is Bondage and Leads to Death

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. John 8:34 

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? Romans 6:16 

Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” Matthew 15:17-20 

Why Jesus Came

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19 

And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17 

… God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:38 

Repentance

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect Matthew 5:48 

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” John 5:14 

Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]] John 8:10-11 

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23 

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. Matthew 5:29 

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Hebrews 13:4 

Don’t Sin Yourself as You Help Others Out of Their Cages

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 2 Corinthians 13:5 

Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” Luke 17:3-4 

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Matthew 7:3 

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 

Directions from Jesus

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 

That is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:19 

The Authority of the Bible

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. John 17:17 

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 

Charlie Kirk – My Reaction

On By LindaIn My ThoughtsLeave a comment

I have read with increasing sadness the reactions on both sides.

Conservatives say Charlie Kirk is a martyr. He spoke the truth and allowed others to voice their disagreements.

Liberals say Charlie Kirk held mock debates spewing hate and misinformation towards many groups of people. He deserved to die.

What does God say about our attitudes towards others?

Do not devise evil in your hearts against one another… for all these things I hate, declares the LORD.” Zechariah 8:17

You shall not murder.  Exodus 20:13

Murder comes from an evil heart. Matthew 15:19

Satan is the father of murderers. John 8:44

A murderer does not have eternal life in him. 1 John 3:16

Hating is murdering. 1 John 3:15

I can understand in some degree the differing reactions of non-Christians. But Christians who support and even celebrate the murder of someone they disagreed with baffle me. Do they not know what the Bible says? Do they not know what the Lord they pledged their lives to commands them to do?

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. John 15:12

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Matthew 5:43-48

Even getting extremely angry at another person makes you liable for judgment. Matthew 5:20-22

We as Christ-followers are free to disagree with each other – but not free to harm each other. The murder of Charlie Kirk should elicit a unified cry for the life of a brother – not a debate on whether he deserved to die. And we should not be attacking each other over our reactions. Where is the love by which we will be known as belonging to Jesus?

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar: 1 John 4:20a

Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 1 John 2:9

They profess to know God, but deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. Titus 1:16

Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I tell you? Luke 6:46

The Bible has a word for those who claim to be Christ-followers while hating their brothers – hypocrite. And he warns that He will turn His face from them.

You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:7-9

Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after the other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered! – only to go on doing all these abominations?… I will cast you out of my sight… Jeremiah 7:8-10, 15a

But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips? Psalm 50:16

When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you, even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Isaiah 1:15

When are we going to get off the fence between God’s ways and man’s ways? When are we going to deny what we want (think) and become obedient to what Christ wants (commands)? When are we going to stop loving as the world does and start loving as Jesus does?

Lord God, I pray for the people of this nation. For all people, but especially for the people who claim You as their God. Forgive us for our hypocrisy. Fill us with Your love for those who disagree with us and open our eyes to see past the darkness that surrounds us to the light of Your truth. Help us to love those we perceive as enemies and to let you handle their judgment. May you be our God and mean it when we call You “Lord”.

Amen

Open Your Eyes – Lord; An Allegory

On By LindaIn Open Your Eyes2 Comments
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Darlene sighed as she straightened. “There,” she said, “The weeds are gone.”

Brandi looked around. “There’s still so much to do. I wonder why the lady let her yard get so bad. Good thing you decided to help her.”

Darlene brushed the dirt off her jacket. “Well, Mr. Evans asked me to so here I am. I’m going to go ask what he wants me to do next.”

Brandi pointed. “I don’t know Mr. Evans but I’m happy to help out. I’ll trim those bushes. I don’t know if spring is the right season, but it’s easier to trim the branches before the leaves start growing. “

“He didn’t say anything about the bushes but I guess it’s okay. It does need to be done.” Darlene opened the back gate. “Be back soon.”

Brandi put on a pair of gloves and picked up the shears just as a man walked through the back gate. He waved when he saw her and headed in her direction.

“Hi, Seth! You made it!”

Seth nodded, “I couldn’t let my friend do all this by herself, could I?” He looked around. “You’re not kidding. This place is a mess.”

“Darlene said that Mr. Evans said it needed to be cleaned up. I pulled the weeds and am about to trim the bushes.”

“I think the patio needs to be hosed and scrubbed, too. I’ll go do that.”

“Good idea.” Brandi walked to the side fence and began snipping the bush branches while Seth found a broom in the shed and began sweeping.

By the time Darlene returned, the bushes were trimmed, the patio clean, the raised garden bed filled with compost and topsoil, and the leaves raked.

“Wow,” Darlene called to the two friends. “You’ve done so much!”

“Where have you been?” Brandi asked. “I thought you were just going to ask Mr. Evans what to do next.”

“I did ask him. He told me to help the people in the front yard first. They were planting a tree and needed another set of hands. And then to come back here and check for dog poop.”  She walked to the shed. “There’s supposed to be a poop-scooper in here.”

“Ew,” Brandi held her nose. “You can have that job. I’m going to clean the patio furniture.” She called to Seth, “Did you happen to see a bucket and some rags in the shed when you were in there?”

“Yes, the rags are on the shelf and there’s a bucket next to the door.”

The clanging of a dinner bell stopped all three helpers.

“Yay!” Darlene cheered. “Time for lunch!” She headed for the back door.

“I’m starving!” Brandi said as she joined Darlene.

“Me, too.!” Seth echoed as he joined the girls.

The back door opened just as they got there.

Mr. Evans motioned to Darlene. “Come and get it! The barbeque chicken is hot on the stove and there are fresh rolls from the oven.”

Darlene grinned and entered the house. Seth and Brandi tried to follow but Mr. Evans stopped them.

“Sorry, but this is for friends and family only.”

“But we helped out! Didn’t we trim the bushes, pull weeds, clean the patio and rake the leaves?”

Mr. Evans shook his head. “I don’t know you. ” He pointed to the back gate .”You’ll need to leave.” Then he went inside, closing the door firmly behind him.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who des the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And I will declare to them, ‘I never know you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Matthew 7:21-23

When I read Matthew 7:21-23, I’m struck by two things. One is that Jesus told these people who did things in His name that He never knew them. The other is that He attached the word ‘many’ to that. Does that mean many church-going Christians are not going to make it into the kingdom of heaven? That thought is sobering.

Doing things in the name of Jesus is not the same thing as making Him Lord of your life. You can go to church, sign up for mission trips, help out in community outreach programs, and take food to the homebound without submitting yourself to His Lordship. Without this submission, all you have is religion. Religion does not get you into heaven. Only Jesus can do that – and only when you’ve made Him your Lord and Savior.

Lord AND Savior, not Lord OR Savior.

Making Him Lord is not reciting a certain prayer or just calling Him Lord. Making Him Lord means to give yourself to Him heart, soul and body. You put yourself under His Lordship. You don’t live for yourself anymore – you live for Him. You give up what you want to do and do what He tells you to do.

Have you done that? Does Jesus know you?

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 2 Corinthians 13:5

Open Your Eyes – What Would Jesus Do?

On By LindaIn Open Your EyesLeave a comment
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WWJD. It used to be a big thing years ago, but I still see it around today.

To know what Jesus would do in any situation, we first need to know who Jesus is and what He did when He was here on Earth.

Jesus is the Son of God who came to earth for a time. He is God in human form (Philippians 2:8). He created everything – including us (John 1:1-3). He is sovereign over all (Eph 1:20-21). Seeing Jesus is seeing the Father (John 14:9a).

Jesus loves people. He loves us so much that He died for us in order to restore our relationship with the Father (Romans 5:10-11). This shows that love means value. He values us enough to pay the painful price for our sins.

Contrary to many popular declarations, Jesus did not come here to love us as it is defined today. He didn’t walk around accepting and supporting everyone and their behaviors and choices. He was clear that sin led to death (Matt 18:8-9). He got quite angry at some of the choices people made such as hypocrisy (Matthew 23:1-36), greed and irreverence (Mark 11:15-17) and leading others to sin (Luke 17:1-2).

 “But He ate with sinners,” many people say. “He didn’t judge them.” It is true that He ate with sinners, but not to show His acceptance or support of their sin. He ate with them to call them to repentance (Matt 5:30-32). In fact, His ministry revolved around calling people to repentance (Matthew 4:17). He even sent out His disciples to call other towns to repentance (Mark 6:12). As He preached and taught Jesus healed and delivered and fed people who came to Him, but always with the same message. He told the woman caught in adultery to sin no more (John 8:11). He told the crippled man that He healed the same thing (John 5:14).

He helped many people but not everyone. He didn’t help the widow who gave her last coins (Mark 12:42-44). He didn’t help non-Jews (Luke 15:24). Even with the Jews, the Bible often used the word ‘many’ instead of ‘all’. When asked one time, He said He only did what He saw His Father doing (John 5:19). He also didn’t help/heal everyone the same way and He didn’t feed every crowd.

When Jesus returns, He will not be coming as a meek and mild baby. He will not be forgiving and calling us to repentance. He is coming back with fire in His eyes to judge the world. He is angry and will be exacting vengeance on those who have continued in their sinful choices (Rev 19:12a, 15).

So what would Jesus do in today’s society?

He would spend His time calling people to repentance and teaching about the kingdom of heaven.

He would value people but not accept and support every lifestyle and choice. He would point out the danger of sin and warn of its penalty while enjoying time with them as people created in God’s image.

He would spend time with most people, not avoid them. Most because religious hypocrisy and leading others to sin were exceptions. He wouldn’t spend time with them but would call them out on their behavior.

He would help people but only as the Father led Him. His first criteria would be to seek His Father’s will, and then treat each person as an individual.

He would pray. A lot. His relationship with the Father would come before everything else. And it was through of His relationship with His Father that He could do everything else.

Now the question becomes WWYD – What Will You Do?

Philippians 2:8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.

Eph 1:20-21 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

John 14:9a Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

Romans 5:10-11 For if while we were still enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Matt 18:8-9 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

Mark 11:15-17 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”

Luke 17:1-2 And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.

Matt 5:30-32  And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Mark 6:12 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent.

John 8:11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither to I condemn you; go, and from now on sin nor more.”

John 5:14  Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”

Mark 12:42-44 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all  those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Luke 15:24  He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

John 5:19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.”

Rev 19:12a, 15 His eyes are like a flame of fire… From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

Open Your Eyes – Love is Love

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Love is love.

This popular claim sounds nice, but how accurate is it?  I might marry my friend because I love him, but I wouldn’t marry a candy bar because I love chocolate. I love my puppy is not the same as I love my job. 

My guess is that the word love is limited to the love between two people. And not just any love, such as the love between a parent and child. Based on when and how it is used, people who use this have defined love as the intimate relationship, usually but not always, between two adults. This includes straight, gay, trans, and other types of people-people relationships. It doesn’t matter who the love partner is because love is love.

Is that Biblical? I did a quick search of the New Testament and found many verses about love. Most of them connected love to God in some way. But none said “love is love” or suggested a person could have an intimate relationship with just anyone.

The true definition of love is connected to God because God is love (1 John 4:16).

Therefore He’s the only one who can define what intimate love is and isn’t. According to His Word, intimate love is to be between a man and a woman who are married (1 Cor 7:2). This life-long relationship (Gen 2:24) is to be honored by everyone (Heb 13:4), and all sex outside of it is to be avoided (1Cor 6:18). Jesus confirmed this when He said that a man is to hold fast to his wife (Mark 10:6-8). Man and woman. Period. Anything outside of this leads to death (Prov 14:12).

Love is love? Not for those who call themselves Christians. Unbelievers can say and do whatever they want, but when we accepted Jesus, we accepted His Lordship over us. That means doing and seeing things His way regardless of what the rest of the world says or does, or even what seems right to us (Proverbs 14:12).

Many Christians are sitting on the fence. They hear what God says, but don’t see how loving anyone could be wrong regardless of who it is.  They seem to be more concerned about offending other people than offending God. Or maybe they agree with God for their own relationships but don’t want to impose that on other Christians or warn nonbelievers because everyone has a right to what they believe. Therefore they accept and support those who love differently or give a different interpretation of God’s Word. They have bought into the love is love idea.

I believe God is shaking the world right now (Haggai 2:6-7; Amos 9:8-10; Hebrews 12:25-27).  It’s time to wake up and open our eyes. It’s time to get off the fence. Will we follow the Creator or the created? We can’t have both God’s approval and man’s approval. We can’t love both God and the world (1 John 2:15-16). Compromise is not a choice. As Christians, we must obey God over man (Acts 5:29). We must walk in His ways. But do we? Will we?

1 John 4:16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Genesis 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 

1 Corinthians 7:2 But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

Hebrews 13:4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

Mark 10:6-8 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

1 John 2:15-16 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life – is not from the father but is from the world.

Acts 5:29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”

1 John 2:17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Haggai 2:6-7 For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts.

Amos 9:8-10  Behold, the eyes of the LORD GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the surface of the ground, except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” declares the LORD. For behold, I will command, and shake the house of Israel among all the nations as one shakes a sieve, but no pebble shall fall to the earth.  All the sinners of my people will die by the sword – all those who say, “Disaster will never draw near or confront us.”

Hebrews 12:25-27  See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns us from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken – that is, things that have been made – in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.

Open Your Eyes – The World

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1 John 2:15  Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Someone recently asked me, “If God created the world for us to enjoy, why does the Bible tell us not to love the world?” (1 John 2:15)

In Hebrew (the Old Testament) the word for world is tebel, which means moist and therefore inhabited. In Greek (the New Testament) the word for world is kosmos which means an ordered system (like universe, creation); also refers to the inhabitants of the world and to worldly affairs.

So the ‘world’ includes both the physical planet as well as those who live on it.

That leads to another question. How can God love the world (John 3:16) and yet James tell us that friendship with the world makes us an enemy of God (James 4:4)?

Many people stop when they read Scriptures like these, shake their heads in confusion, and go find something easier to understand, sometimes telling others how illogical or contradictory the Bible is.

However, the key to understanding what is meant by ‘world’ is often found in the surrounding verses. Take the verse in the opening paragraph above about not loving the world or the things of the world. The next verse in the Bible defines what John’s talking about: “For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life – is not from the Father but is from the world.” (1 John 2:16)

Paul said in Col 2:20-23  If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations – “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used) – according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

Jesus Himself told a parable about the dangers of the world in Mark 4:1-20, especially verses 18-19: And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

Based on just these few Scriptures, we can see that the word ‘world’ in these contexts mean the desires of the flesh and of the eyes, pride of life, riches, money, possessions, property, cares, human precepts and teachings, and self-made religion.

In other words – sensuality, materialism, consumerism, humanism, naturalism, and religion.

In short, anything that supersedes God.

God’s first and most important commandment has been clear. He and His kingdom are to be first in our lives. Compromise is not an option. We either live by His words, His standard, His commands, His ways – or we don’t. It’s either-or. It’s a two way street. One way leads to life with Him, the other way leads to death without Him. He’s quite serious about it.

Mark 8:36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

James 4:4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:24:  No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money, or mammon. (In Greek, mammon is a Semitic word for money or possessions) (In Strong’s Concordance (number 3126)  Mammon in Aramaic means riches, money, possessions, property.)

Jesus said we are in the world, not of the world (John 17:14-16). That means we are living in the world with everyone else, but we are not bound by the principles of the world. In His prayer to the Father, Jesus said, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” (John 17:15-18)

He has told us to go into the world to make disciples of all who will listen (Mark 16:15). He will assign us fields to work, whether they are in politics, in churches, in education, in industries, or in groups with causes. Wherever He puts us, remember the focus is on God’s kingdom. We must remain true to God’s way such as loving without conforming to those around us. We are to be His light, sharing God’s truth, not befriending their opinions and beliefs. We are there to share the gospel, not become one of them.

We can enjoy what God created and what He gives us, but always with the knowledge that they are not an end but a means to be used to reach others for Christ and to minister to those in need, whether those needs are emotional, physical, financial, etc.

Let’s pray for the Holy Spirit to show us where we’ve compromised, where we’ve adopted the mindset and behavior of the world. Let’s acknowledge and repent from where we’ve strayed into the world’s ways, and return to His way before it’s too late.

He’s not of the world. Are we?

Open Your Eyes – Truth

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Truth is important. I think we can all agree with that. We need the truth about the world in order to thrive. Believing what is not true may spoil our plans or lead us down a wrong path that may end badly, even to our deaths.

You would think truth would be a unifying force. Something we all have in common. However, it is not. I don’t think it ever has been. What divides us is how we view truth. We all use the word ‘truth’ but we are not all talking about the same thing. That becomes clear as we hear about their truth, our truth, or the truth. What’s the difference? Truth is truth, right?

Nope.

Cambridge Dictionary and other online sites define truth as:

  • that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality (the truth or objective truth)
  • that which is thought to be true by most people (our truth or general truth)
  • that which is based on someone’s personal situation or feelings (my truth or subjective truth)

All three meanings are valid and used every day. There are times when objective truth has to top the others – such as fire is hot. But there are many times when subjective truth can be used to make decisions– such as the pool is too cold to swim in.

Over the decades that I have been alive, I have watched as subjective truth slowly replaced more and more objective truth. For many in our country today, there is no objective truth. Everyone’s truth is as valid as any other truth. The root of many disagreements is when subjective truth is pushed as objective truth.

It’s time for Christians to wake up. It’s time for us to open our eyes to remember who we are and whose we are. It’s time to see what’s going on around us and to compare it to what God says.

  • Jesus said He was the truth. (John 14:6). Not a truth but the truth.
  • In John 17:17, Jesus prayed that the Father would “Sanctify them by the truth; your words are truth.” The Bible contains God’s words, i.e. truth.
  • Jesus told His disciples that His Spirit would lead them into all truth. (John 16:13a). All truth. There is no objective truth outside of God’s truth.

I don’t speak to non-Christians. They must do what they feel they must do. God alone will judge them by His standards for them.

I speak to those who call themselves Christians. We are not free to believe whatever we want. We are to believe and live the truth as God has given it to us. We are to stand up for the truth (2 Cor 13:8) as well as speak the truth to each other (Eph 4:25).

Speaking the truth got the prophets stoned and killed. Standing for the truth got the early disciples ridiculed, ostracized, rejected, persecuted, and even killed. What will it cost us? Are we willing to walk as those of centuries ago did? Or do we prefer to walk the path of least resistance with our eyes closed?

It’s time for us to choose. God or the world?

Let’s pray that God opens our eyes to the truth as revealed in His Word, and that He gives us the strength to walk in it – in a world where to speak it out can cost us everything.

John 8:32  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

John 16:13a However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth,

John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; your words are truth.

Zech 8:16-17 These are the things you must do: speak truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.

2 Cor 13:8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.

Eph 4:25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each of one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

1 Cor 13:6 Loves does not delight in wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Open Your Eyes – Tolerance

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Tolerance has changed over the 60-something years I’ve lived. Not the definition, but what it is we are to tolerate and how to do it.

When I was a teen back in the 60s and 70s, tolerance meant accepting those whose skin color was different than your own. That meant not discriminating against those from different ethnicities.

During my adult years as I was raising my children, tolerance meant accepting someone’s sexual orientation or religious views. That meant not discriminating against someone whose sexual preference was different or someone who didn’t believe the same things I did about the Bible, Jesus, or the denomination I preferred.

Today, tolerance means to not only not-discriminate against, but to promote. It seems to mean not only to let everyone do and believe whatever they want without correcting them, changing them, or judging them, but also to celebrate and support them in every way I can. That means using the language they want me to use, seeing them the way they want to be seen, and letting them act, go, do whatever they believe they need to. If I don’t play their game, if I don’t want them teaching their views as truth to my children, I’m being intolerant. I’m expected to deny my own beliefs for the sake of theirs.

If I don’t support their beliefs, I’m being intolerant. Yet, If they don’t support my beliefs, they are not being intolerant. This in itself should cause us to question what’s going on.

To be wise about tolerance, we need to know what Jesus taught us about it.

Here are two examples I’ve heard people point to as proof He was a man of tolerance.

He ate with sinners.  Did he do so because he tolerated their lifestyle choices? No, he did so to lead them to the Father, to share the gospel. (Matt 9:11, Luke 5:31)

He defended the woman caught in adultery by telling those who were ready to stone her that the one without sin was to cast the first stone.  He was defending her from hypocritical judgment. We know He didn’t tolerate her lifestyle because He told her to “sin no more”. (John 8:1)

Jesus did not come to show us how to accept everyone as they are. He came to get people to repent, to turn back to God.  (Matt 4:17) He came to restore our relationship with the Father which requires conforming to His will. In other words, we can’t do things our way and expect Him to support us.

Here are some of the things He did not tolerate while lived here on Earth.

Sin. (Matt 4:1-11, Matt 5:21-30 Luke 13:1-5)

Religious leaders’ hypocrisy  (Matt 23:27-28)

Those who claim to follow Him but aren’t doing the Father’s will (Matt 7:21)

Those who refuse to listen to the words of those He sends (Matt 10:14-15, Mark 6:11, Luke 9:5)

Those who choose not to follow Him (Matt 16:24-26, John 12:25-26)

Disbelief in Him (John 3:18,8:24, 14:6)

Those who don’t put him above all else (Matt 8:22, Luke 9:59-60)

Leading others astray (Matt 18:6-7, Mark 9:42-48, Luke 17:1-2)

Hypocritical judging (Matt 7:3-5)

Mistreatment of God’s house (Matt 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-17, John 2:13-16)

Lust (Matt 5:28-29)

According to the words of Jesus, love and tolerance are not the same things. We can love without tolerating behaviors that are wrong according to the Bible. We can care about people but not join them in their sin. In fact, we are told to expose it for what it is. (5:11) We are told to correct those who persist in sin (1 Tim 5:20, 2 Tim 2:25, James 5:19-20 Gal 6:1), and avoid those who distort the gospel (Gal 1:6-9). We are to stand out from the world, not become part of it. (Rom 12:2)

The world has many ways to justify its many truths based on human thinking, human logic, human desires, and human understanding. God does not think like a human. (Isaiah 55:8)

I exhort everyone who claims to be a Christian, to open your eyes to what’s really going on. Pray for the strength to get through these days without being deceived into believing the lies that surround us every day.

Look at who and what the world tolerates, compare it to what Jesus did and did not tolerate, and then choose who you will follow.

But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  Eph 5:13-27

‘…to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me’.  Acts 26:17b-18

Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. Mark 13:33

Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. Luke 21:36

Love God First and Foremost – Open Your Eyes Series

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Deuteronomy 6:5  Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Do you love God first and foremost? What does that look like?

Love: Strong’s 157 to have affection.  Affection is defined as a gentle feeling of fondness or liking.

You can feel affection for all sorts of things. Family, your pets, and babies.  Maybe even chocolate, cozy fires on cold days, and walks on the beach.  What about God?  Do you feel affection towards Him? Do thoughts of Him fill you with delight and warmth?

Your heart: Strong’s 3824  inner man, mind, will, heart

What fills your heart each day? Is it God? How much of your heart do you give to God? How much time do you spend thinking about Him and His ways?

Your soul: Strong’s 5315 a soul, living, being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

What is your passion in life? What is your greatest desire? What elicits the greatest emotions in you? Is it God? Do you seek Him as earnestly and passionately as you do your hobbies or jobs or love relationships? Do you get emotional about Him like you do at football games or concerts?

Your strength: Strong’s 3966 vehemence, vehemently, wholly, speedily

Where do you put your greatest energy? What goals and dreams do you work towards with all your strength? Is it getting to know God? To grow in love and knowledge of Him? Of doing the things He has asked of you?

Jesus grew up with the Old Testament.  He was well familiar with Deuteronomy 6:5. But when He was asked about the greatest commandment, He said it in a different way.

Luke 10:27 And He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all our soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Love: Strong’s 25 to love, wish well to, take pleasure in, long for, denotes the love of reason, esteem.

This expands on the definition of love above. Not only are you to set your affection on Him, but do you also long for Him and esteem Him above all else? Do you take pleasure in Him and His ways?

Heart: Strong’s 2532 the heart i.e. the thoughts or feelings

This one is very close to the Deuteronomy scripture. How much of your thought-life is spent on God? Do you freely give Him your feelings, or do you hold back on those, keeping Him more academic?

Soul: Strong’s 5590 breath i.e. spirit, abstractly or concretely

Does every breath you take find its home in God? If you only got to take in a breath each time your thoughts went to God, would you thrive or die of suffocation?

Strength” Strong’s 2479 strength (absolutely), power, might, force, ability

How much force do you apply to push past distractions that come between you and God? How much will-power do you exert in seeking God when you’re tired or stressed or worried or sad? Do you run after Him with the best of your ability? Or do you make half-hearted attempts, giving up when the way gets hard?

Mind: Strong’s 1271 deep thought, properly, the faculty, by implication, its exercise

How deeply do you contemplate God? Are thoughts of Him fleeting as they dance through your mind, or do you exercise your brain, digging deep to understand what God reveals to you through His Word?

Don’t forget the word ‘all’. God didn’t say to love Him with some of our heart, some of our strength, some of our mind. He wants it all.

I do not do a very good at following this first and foremost command. I suspect that you don’t either. We might have lots of reasons for falling short. We’re human, we’re busy with the concerns of life, and we don’t want to become extreme like “those” people. But none of that excuses us. God gave the command to us fully aware that we are human. He’s told us to seek His kingdom first and He’d provide everything we needed. As for being extreme, Jesus was a bit extreme when He died for us. How much less so should we be?

Why does God want us to be so focused on Him? Why does He want us to love Him above all other things or people? I don’t know because it is not spelled out in the Bible. But I do know it’s not for His benefit. His commands to us are always for our benefit, to keep us safe, and to help us grow in our relationship with Him. Could it be that this first command is the basis of our entire relationship with Him? That it forms the foundation that will help us get through hard times? That in the end times, which we may well be in, it will keep us safe from deception of all kinds?

Too many times we are lulled into letting thoughts of Him drift away as other things take His place. It’s easy to become complacent until He becomes a no more than a Sunday routine. Let’s wake up to reality – to how much we actually love God. Let’s not accept anything less than our all. Let’s pray and ask God to help us grow in our ability to obey His command. That is one prayer I can pretty much guarantee He will be pleased to grant.