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I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. Psalm 119:30
A friend of mine told me of the first time he visited his girlfriend’s (now wife’s) family in rural Minnesota. My friend was born and raised in the city. His only experience with tractors and farm machinery was the area called ‘machinery hill’ at the State Fair. But my friend was always willing to try new things. There were few challenges he wasn’t ready to take.
His girlfriend, however, was born and raised on a farm miles from the nearest large city. ‘She’d learned how to drive tractor almost before she knew how to walk!” He chuckled as he told the story.
On his first visit to the farm he was eager to learn about the farm and equally eager to impress this new family. He willingly helped with chores and laughed at himself when he made some goofy, ‘green-hand’ mistake. He readily accepted the offer from one of the brothers to drive the tractor and was quite impressed with how quickly he learned the ropes.
On the third day on the farm he overheard talk at the dinner table about an 80 acre field that still needed to be plowed before the predicted rain came later that day. After the meal he offered his ‘dad-in-law-to-be’ his services to plow the field. After some discussion the father finally agreed and the two climbed on board the tractor for the trip to the field.
Dad made the first two trips across the field explaining how the plow and tractor worked together and giving some instruction. My friend now admits that he wasn’t really listening. The excitement of the new challenge occupied his mind completely. The father soon left him on his own for the new adventure and walked back to the farm. My friend was on his own.
He soon found out that the task wasn’t as easy as he had expected to be. Whereas the father had plowed nice strait furrow in the earth, my friend found it nearly impossible to stay on track. His furrows were crooked and overlapped. He constantly had to cut back to pick up places he’d missed completely. After a couple hours of frustration he turned the tractor around once more only to see a gaping spot he’d missed in the field and a familiar shape standing near the fence line.
As he guided the tractor across the field one more time he looked back and noticed that in his nervousness he had once again left a gaping hole, missing an entire segment of earth. The father climbed on board the tractor and asked him how it was going. My friend admitted that it was much tougher than he’d expected and was more impressed than ever with the father’s ability to plow such straight furrows time after time. He asked what the secret was.
The father smiled and pointed across the field. “You see that fence post at the other end? Let’s take one more pass here. I want you to place all your attention on that post. Don’t look to the side, don’t look back. Only drive to the post.”
My friend put the tractor in gear and looked ahead at the post. He resisted every temptation to check the plow, the sides or anything else. When he got to the end of the field he looked back and saw a perfectly straight furrow! The trick was to keep his focus on what lay ahead.
What a perfect lesson to learn for each of us. The Psalmist tells us to ‘set our hearts on the Laws of God’. In order to make straight paths on the journey of life we must set our attention completely on what God wants for us. Don’t look at where we’ve been. Don’t look at what is going on around us. Set our eyes squarely on Jesus and we won’t waver.
PRAYER: Holy God. I confess to you that I am constantly tempted to look at my past and what others around me are doing. When I do that I lose my vision of who you are, of who I am and what you want for me. I ask that you would empower me to only pay attention to what you want for me. Keep me from being distracted by my past. Help me to ignore those things that would keep me from following you. I ask this in the name of your Son Jesus. Amen.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:2
Normally we think of the word ‘law’ and our mind conjures up pictures of bondage and restrictions that make living a life of freedom difficult at best and impossible in some situations. No one likes rules. Rules limit our creativity, destroy our freedom and take the fun out of life.
Of course that isn’t true. In reality, if we think about it a life without rules of some sort is a life of chaos and danger. Rules, in and of themselves, are good. They give us guidance, protection and prepare us for what lies ahead.
In reality, it isn’t the rules that bring us down, it’s the rule giver. If we have faith in the one making the rules and know that those rules are given in love and in our best interest it makes following them easier. If we are in love with the rule giver then we hardly notice the rules because relationship trumps rules every time.
God’s law is sometimes looked on with contempt for two reasons. One reason is that the people who see God’s laws as restrictive and out of touch don’t know God. They may know Him on an intellectual basis or as the topic of some religious system, but they don’t know Him in the realm of relationship.
When we are in relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, we see those rules as guidelines that will enable us to live in a way that allows us to use the natural gifts and abilities he has given us for His glory and our benefit.
If we are not in relationship with God we see His rules as harsh and out of touch with reality. The Bible says that the wisdom of God is foolishness to mankind because we are, in our human nature, unable to understand Him. Only when we are in relationship with Him and His Spirit is indwelling us, can we fully understand His ways.
A second reason we may think God’s laws are restrictive is because we don’t know what His word says. This is even true among those who are Christ-followers. Stagnant relationships die for lack of understanding and companionship. This is true in the spiritual realm as well as in the physical realm.
If we are not in His word daily and are not on a regular basis interacting with fellow believers we will lose sight of the meaning of His Word. The more we are in His word, the more we interact with Him through prayer, Bible Study and fellowship, the more we will grasp the beauty and reality of His ‘rules.’
The more we love God and commune with Jesus, the less God’s laws become burdensome. Take time each day to meditate on some part of the Bible. Talk to Jesus often and realize that no matter how often you fail Him, He will never let you down.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. I ask that you would help me to grow in my relationship with you. Show me the wisdom of your rules so that I may live a free and profitable life in you. Bring people and words into my life that will empower me to live for you. Amen.
“Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.” Ephesians 4:22-23 (NLT)
As Christ-followers, we are to be a catalyst for positive change in the world. We are called to be holy. Holiness has sometimes gotten a bad image. For many the idea of a ‘holy person’ is one that is legalistic, has no fun and spends their time doing nothing but prayer, Bible Study and doing ‘spiritual things.’
Holiness really means we are set apart to live lives that are free from the negative thoughts and harmful actions that the rest of society is imprisoned by. Holiness is as more about attitude than it is action. The ‘holy person’ is one that has the freedom to live life with a positive mindset.
In order to be different, or ‘holy’, on the outside (actions) we must first change how we are on the inside (attitudes). We need to get rid of attitudes that lead to negative thoughts, personal attacks, anger, revenge, refusal to forgive, selfishness, lust, and other thoughts that are harmful to us and to others.
To make the change is really a two step process. Paul says that we must first make a decision to change (throw off your former way of life). This means we have to decide that we actually want to change how we feel about ourselves and others.
After we decide that we really want to change we need to ask the Holy Spirit of God to help us change our thought patterns and our attitudes. Changing actions without changing thoughts and actions is hypocrisy and legalism. True change comes from the heart and is only possible through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and relying on His Spirit to make the change in us.
The Christ follower has a mindset and attitude that shows:
- A true love for God, ourselves and others;
- An inner joy when everything seems to go wrong;
- A peace that passes all understanding when life is scary;
- Patience with those who constantly fail us;
- Kindness to those who are rude, arrogant or insensitive;
- A spirit of goodness or generosity to those who are in need physically and emotionally;
- Faithfulness in our relationships with God and others;
- A spirit of gentleness to those who are hurting;
- Behavior that refuses to give up self-control.
The problem comes when we realize that it’s not enough to just decide to change. We need the inner strength to make that change work on the outside. We can’t do it on our own and it won’t happen overnight. We’ll have set backs. We’ll stumble and fall, sometimes daily! But the first step is the desire to change.
PRAYER: Holy Father. I thank you for the new life you have given me in Christ Jesus. I confess to you that there are so many times in my life when negative thoughts and attitudes control me. I want to change but I’m afraid to give myself completely to you. Help me to live in the freedom of your Spirit. Empower me to change on the inside so that others will see changes in my actions for your Glory. Amen.
But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3
It happens thousands of times everyday. It happens to the elderly and the young, the educated and the non-educated, the wealthy and the poor. It happens to men and women of every race, every creed and every social level. No matter where you are you know of or have heard of someone losing a bunch of money to a scam artist.
“They sounded so truthful.”
“I was just trying to help them out; they seemed like such nice young people.”
And so it goes. Shrewd talkers and vulnerable, unsuspecting people are a bad combination. The words slide of their tongues like honey. Their arguments are so smooth that even the best of us get caught up in the hype and excitement of helping ourselves, assuring our grandchildren of ample money or helping some poor mission child overseas.
Scam artists seem to becoming more and more frequent in these days of harsh economic times. But there is something even more dangerous than people intent on stealing your money or your identity.
The Apostle Paul makes reference to the scam artists of his day when he warns the people in Corinth to steer clear. Spiritual scam artists are more dangerous than physical ones. These people are the ones that encourage us to be ‘more tolerant’ of others, to be willing to accept other religions or other belief systems.
We are told that we are intolerant or closed-minded because we only believe in one God and in one way to heaven. We may be accused of being judgmental and hypocritical as well if we take a stand.
Another type of Spiritual Scam Artist is the one that tells us that we have to do certain things and act a certain way to be holy. We get a long list of do’s and don’ts that weigh us down and take away the freedom we have in Jesus.
As Christ-followers we must remain true in our devotion to Jesus. He is the only way to Heaven. His death and resurrection are the only things that will cleanse our hearts and minds from the guilt of our sin. He is the only one we need to answer to in matters of daily living and belief systems.
Evaluate everything you hear by comparing it to what God says in His letter to us, the Bible. Don’t let the ‘wisdom of this world’ replace the truth of God’s Holy Bible. In it we find the truth we need to finish the race of life strongly.
PRAYER: Father, there are so many voices around me that are trying to take me from you. They try to get me to question Your Word, Your Son and even Your Existence. I hereby confess to you that You are the Creator God of the Universe. I give you all the praise and all the honor and all the glory, for you are God and there is none other like you. Thank you for the freedom I have in you. Amen.
