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The words of the LORD are pure words; As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times. Psalm 12:6 (NASB)
I heard it again just this last week. Every once in awhile I hear it. Someone speaking authoritatively about the Word of God. The saying goes something like this, “The Bible is irrelevant. Nothing but a bunch of made up stories written over a period of time. Meaningless for today.”
Every time I hear some rendition of that claim I think back to guy I knew years ago I’ll call Harvey.Harveywas the plant know-it-all at the factory I worked at. If you needed an opinion on something you could go toHarveyand he’d tell you EXACTLY how things are, were and should be.
There were two basic problems withHarvey’s words. First of all his opinions were rarely based on fact and quite often his statements were proven wrong by conflicting evidence before they left his mouth!
Secondly, when the facts were presented toHarvey, he would simply deny their validity and go on his merry way. Content in his own ignorance.
One day I joined our group a little late.Harveywas already in full fire on the topic of the day, the topic of his choosing. “The Bible is just a book. Too full of contradictions for me. That’s why I don’t go to church and why I don’t read it.”
Normally I kept my mouth shut. I enjoyed watching and listening toHarvey. This day was different. Not wanting to get into an argument, I simply askedHarveya question, “So, have you ever read the Bible?”
Harveystopped, stuttered and said, “Well, no. I just heard that it has contradictions.” With that, a very red facedHarveywent on to a new topic of discussion!
There are lots ofHarvey’s in the world. People who don’t pay attention to facts and are so set on their own opinions they miss the truth completely. They are content in their own ignorance. When they can’t prove it wrong they simply choose what parts to believe!
There has never been a book so maligned, so studied and so scrutinized. Yet science continues to prove that the Bible is completely true in all it says. No one else can make that claim. No other book has that kind of security.
The word of the Lord passes the three tests of time in flying colors. It’ is a word of purity. Some may say that it’s old fashioned in its approach to life in the area of relationships, sex, and ethics, but how do you argue a philosophy built on unconditional love, forgiveness, grace and eternal life.
The Bible has passed the tests of science. Time and again the dates and times of the Bible have been proven to be true, as have the principles for daily life. Outdated? When did ‘doing unto others as you’d have them do to you’ become outdated?
Lastly, the word of God passes the test of permanency. People have been trying to disprove the word of God for thousands of years. Yet it remains the standard for healthy living physically, emotionally and spiritually.
The words of people can’t be trusted. They may speak in ignorance; they may speak to cover their own mistakes or build their own egos; they may speak to deceive you. God’s words are always meant to build you up, even if they are words that seem harsh. You can trust God. He’s never been proven wrong yet!
PRAYER: Lord, there are so many voices out there trying to sway me to this belief or that belief. Thank you that I can trust your word. Help me to fashion my thoughts, actions and attitudes by the words you have given me. Amen.
Please help me, LORD! All who were faithful and all who were loyal have disappeared. Psalm 12:1 (CEV)
Talk to anyone from ‘the Good Ole’ Days’ for very long and they’ll tell you things have changed. My Grandfather sold real estate for over 30 years. The way he did business back then would never fly today. Too many forms to fill out, regulations to adhere to and protective measures to put in place. Much of Grandpa’s business was done with a handshake and a smile. Why? Because a man’s word was good back then.
Not so today. Politicians tell every group what they want to hear. Those enlisted to protect the public can’t always be trusted to treat everyone the same. Vows made at the altar are sometimes broken before the day is finished. Even those called to minister for the Lord fall by the wayside because of moral, ethical or spiritual collapse.
I stopped at a local fast food place the other day. Since I was in a hurry I used the drive through to order a sandwich. As I pulled away with my purchase I parked to double check my order. It was wrong! I went into the building and explained my situation to the young lady behind the counter. She was very polite and apologetic. “OH! I’m so sorry! Keep this one and I’ll get you the right one.”
With that she turned and got the crew working on getting me the right sandwich. In the meantime she apologized continually for the mistake. I finally said, “It’s okay! I’m not upset. It’s fine.”
At that point she said, “Well, you see, we’ve had people come in very angry. I’m not used to people like you who aren’t upset.”
As she handed me my correct sandwich I smiled and said, “Well, the difference is, I’m human. I know we all make mistakes.”
As I got in my car I thought of how my one small gesture of kindness and understanding had most likely made that young woman’s day. I didn’t pull out a Bible and start preaching to her. I didn’t hand her a gospel tract or explain how people should be more careful. I simply showed her the love of Christ.
Being faithful begins with you. Be faithful to yourself by realizing your own faults and living with the understanding that you are human. You will make mistakes. You will falter, perhaps even fall. But God’s grace can lift you up. When we realize our own weakness, it’s far easier to deal with the mistakes others make.
Secondly be faithful to your God. As a Christ-follower you are the representation of Christ’s love, grace, mercy and forgiveness for others to see. Your heavenly Father knows your weakness. He knows you will fail him every day. Yet, in spite of your inability to follow his laws, in spite of your lack of commitment to him, he loves you and wants a relationship with you. Faithfulness to God begins with a proper understanding and acceptance of who you are and deepens as you grow deeper in God through study, prayer and worship (corporate as well as private).
Lastly, be faithful to those around you. Be a person of your word. If you make a promise, fulfill it. If you fail, confess it and ask forgiveness, realizing you may have damaged a relationship, but you have done everything in your power to restore it. Put the feelings of others before your own rights. In essence, “Be Jesus in Skin” to all those around you.
At the end of the day, may all those who have come in contact with you know the answer to the question “Where have all the faithful gone?” They will answer with your name.
PRAYER: Father I’ve been unfaithful in so many ways. I’ve lost sight of who I am. I’ve grown far from you. I find myself demanding my rights before protecting the rights of others. Empower me with your spirit to be a faithful person so that other will see Christ in me. Amen.
God is working in you to make you willing and able to obey him. Philippians 2:13 (CEV)
Living a life of obedience was never intended to be done in our own power. One of the first acts of grace was for God to instill in us the desire to do the things necessary for us to live under the power of the Holy Spirit.
That’s good news for those of us who are weak in our walk. Often we come upon a challenge in our lives and don’t know which way to choose, or don’t want to do what we know we should do. But God will guide us through these times if we let him. He will never force us to do what we don’t want to do, but he will always encourage us to do what is best for us and for others.
Philippians 2:13 also contains a challenge for us. We can not idly sit by and expect that God will do the work for us. A farmer may pray with all sincerity that his fields be plowed, but unless he puts his hand to the plow there will be no crop. In the same way we can pray for good health and that we’ll lose weight. But if we never exercise and eat our fill of unhealthy food there will be no positive results in our endeavor to be healthy.
We serve an almighty, omnipotent God. A God who, through his power, created the universe and controls all of nature by his will. But he will never force us to do anything against our will. The human will cannot be forced to do anything, yet a will that is in tune with God will be able to accomplish great things.
So why do we have the struggle Paul so adequately identifies in Romans? Why do we continually do, think and feel in ways that are repulsive to us while at the same time we struggle to do the things we truly want to do?
Sometimes we fail to listen to God’s leading. Jesus promised us his Spirit as a helper, not a tyrant; a guide, not a dictator; freedom to choose, not a brainwashed mind. When we listen to him he exerts an influence on us that makes us willing to obey Him.
Other times we struggle to follow God’s leading because God works in slow ways, like a crock-pot. We live in a microwave world and serve a crock-pot God who works slowly to accomplish his will. We often lack the patience for him to do things in his timing.
Your Heavenly Father never intended for you to be in this alone, but he never intended to do all the work of the relationship either. Relationships that grow slowly grow stronger over time. Let his power work deep within you to guide you. He knows your weakness and is willing to walk with you to be an over-comer.
PRAYER: Father God, I earnestly desire to see you work in my life, but struggle to do the things I know you want me to do. Help me to live according to the promise that you never intended me to do this alone. Empower me to see your direction and listen to your voice and then to act on what I hear. In your name, Amen.
But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” Luke 15:32
You see the stories. A child is lost. Parents beg for help and the safe return of their precious child. Teams of law enforcement personnel and volunteers form quickly to find the child. News reports are issued and everyone, everyone is called on to look for the child.
In far too many cases, the scenario ends sadly, but in those situations where the child is found safe there is great celebration. Tears of joy and ‘high-fives’ abound. Heartfelt ‘thank-yours’ come from parents and family members. The child is home, safe and in the arms of those who love him/her.
In the spiritual realm there is also much rejoicing when a ‘child comes home’. Think of the jubilation we feel and multiply it a thousand-fold in heaven. What is significant in the story of the prodigal son isn’t what happened so much as what we don’t find.
There is no questioning about the prodigals sincerity upon his return. No period of ‘probation’ to see if he really had changed his ways. No consequences laid out before the party could happen.
Note the wording in the NIV. ‘But we HAD to celebrate.’ There was no question in the father’s mind. No second thoughts. No apprehension. A celebration had to happen and the sooner the better.
Too often, we who are steeped in years of ‘church-iness’ are cautions in our acceptance of those who ‘return home’. Oh, we celebrate initially because that’s what you do, but at the first sign of a slip-up we tend to think ‘well, you can’t really change those kind can you?’
Too often we require steps to spirituality to prove the life-change in a person before we accept them ‘back’ into the fold. Remember too that the prodigal represents one that was in the ‘fold’ at one time and left. By today’s standards we would think of him as a once-upon-a-time church-goer who’d left the faith, tarnished our good name and then returned for forgiveness.
When a sinner comes home to the Father it doesn’t matter if he comes for the first time or comes after going astray. The Father welcomes him back with open arms. There is no question in his mind that the ‘prodigal’ will fail. It’s a given. The Father is never surprised by our sin. Never shocked by our lack of obedience. Never amazed when we choose our own way.
On the other hand, he is never unwilling to take us back when we come home. All of us are prodigal sons and daughters. All of us can come home again regardless of why we went astray.
PRAYER: Father you know me better than I know myself. You know how easy it is for me to stray from you. You know how hard it is to accept those who have gone astray. Thank you for forgiving us in spite of our ability to be obedient to you. Empower me with your Spirit to live according to your word. Amen.
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without hoping to get anything back. Then you will have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God, because he is kind even to people who are ungrateful and full of sin. Luke 6:35 (NCV)
Ten lepers approached Jesus one day (Luke 17). There’s more to the story than what is just written in Luke’s account of the gospel. Lepers were forbidden to approach anyone. Those who got close to lepers were considered unclean. But Jesus took a chance on them, he told them to go to the priest and show themselves to him. On the way they were miraculously healed. Only one of the men returned to thank Jesus for all he’d done.
So, what happened to the other nine? We aren’t told but I think I know. They went on their way, just like 90% of the people you may know who never think to say thank you. In God’s kingdom he doesn’t expect anything from those who he shows grace too. We can’t earn his favor, nor can we repay him once we’ve accepted the gift of healing. The only thing we can do is what the one leper did; we can praise God for his free gift.
How does that relate to our lives as Christ-followers? It’s human nature to gravitate towards those who treat us kindly. We may do favors for people with no expectation of return, but we are far more likely to continue to give to those who give back in some way. It’s draining to always give and never get anything, even a thank you, in return. Yet that is precisely what Jesus teaches us to do. Lend with no expectation of being repaid. Notice the wording. Lending implies repayment by its very definition. If repayment isn’t expected it’s not lending, it’s giving.
That’s what grace is all about. Giving with no expectation of return. Grace is being kind to others when you know that they won’t show any gratitude and may even return your kindness with abuse.
Yet another dichotomy in the life of the believer. Giving grace to the undeserving. But grace by definition is showing kindness when it’s not deserved and will never be returned. Your Father did that for you when he sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross. He extended kindness to you when he knew you were undeserving and could never repay him. Yet he reached out to you in spite of yourself.
How can you show grace to someone today? It can’t be done in your own power. It can’t be done with expectation of gratitude or reward. In fact, the opposite is true. Showing grace to those who don’t deserve it is the best way to show Jesus to those who need him.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I thank you for the example you gave us of the lepers. They were completely unable to repay you for the grace and healing to offered them, yet you healed them. Most of them were ungrateful, yet you gave with no expectation of reward. Empower me with your Spirit to show that kind of grace to those who need the forgiveness and healing only you can give. Amen.
