Monday, November 19, 2007

November 19: Thoughts on Micah 7:2-7

"The godly have been swept from the land; not one upright man remains. All men lie in wait to shed blood; each hunts his brother with a net. Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire— they all conspire together…Now is the time of their confusion. Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with her who lies in your embrace be careful of your words. For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man's enemies are the members of his own household. But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me."
~Micah 7:2-7

Do you ever feel like we're living in the middle of this passage? Our society is filled with unrighteousness and with people who either deny God or hate Him, or both. Brother turns against brother. Our rulers demand gifts and ceremonies, our government officials accept bribes (at least some of them), and the powerful dictate what they want without regard for those without power. Everybody conspires together to do evil. Confusion, about God and morality, is rampant. We can't trust some of our neighbors. They'll steal from us before we even know it. Those we call friends and lovers betray us, too. Families are turned against one another. The family, once the sacred center and basis of all society, is shattering into a million pieces right before our eyes. It's a horrifying sight, and most of us want to hide our eyes. We vote, but what good does it do? We pray, but murder and crime and hatred are still widespread.
But in the middle of all this, there's hope.

But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.

The Lord is the only hope for a lost and dying generation. It's our responsibility to share His love, and though we can devise programs and committees and patrols, God is the only true method we have for lasting change in our world. God our Savior will hear us. We have that hope. Like Micah, we watch in hope for the Lord and wait upon Him, and we will renew our strength (Isaiah 40:31).

Friday, November 9, 2007

November 9: Thoughts on Romans 14:20

"Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food."
~Romans 14:20a

Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.

Paul's ministry, as laid out in the New Testament, was an interesting mix. As he tells us in Romans 1:16, his ministry of the Gospel was "to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile." Because Paul was a converted Jew, he had a passion for taking the Gospel to the Jews, but he knew also that Christ's death made a way for the Gentiles to be saved as well. So his ministry was made up of both Jews and Gentiles.

Judaism has many, many laws about food. Pork, shellfish, catfish and the like are all considered unclean to them, even today. Meat slaughtered improperly (i.e. not through a kosher process) and meat sacrificed to idols are both forbidden to Jews. Obviously, the majority of Rome was not Jewish. A basic history lesson tells us that pork was the primary staple of the Roman diet. Also, because much of Rome served false gods and idols, there was probably a good deal of meat in the market that had been sacrificed to idols.

What Paul had was a cultural conflict. The Jews were disgusted by the diet of the Gentile Romans, the Romans were frustrated by the restrictiveness of the Jews, and there was a serious rift forming in the church. That's what Paul is addressing here. He's saying, "Hello? Y'all are tearing apart the church over food? What's wrong with you? Isn't the work of God a lot more important than food?"

But we're doing this too these days. What have we made more important than God? Have we kept people out of church because of how they look? Because of the clothes they wear or the music they listen to? Have we broken fellowship with other groups because of small doctrinal differences between us?

Christianity is a diverse place. Some believe it is wrong for a woman to cut her hair. Others cut their hair on a monthly basis. Some have a problem with birth control. Others believe it is a wise stewardship of their family's resources. Some believe it is a sin for a woman to work outside the home. Others believe that God has called them to a career outside the home. Some believe public schooling is the Christian choice because their children can "be a light," some believe Christian private schooling is more appropriate, and some choose some believe God wants them to homeschool their children. Some vote Republican, some vote Democratic, and some don't vote at all.

The point is that these differences, while sometimes large, are ultimately unimportant. What's really important here is the message of the Cross. When you picture Jesus upon the Cross and think about everything He did for you there, the rest of it sort of fades away, doesn't it? Cultural differences pale in comparison with the significance of the Gospel.

So the next time you see that new girl in church whose shirt is maybe a touch too short, or that guy with all those tattoos, try to overlook all that and see what God sees: somebody He loves and wants to save. The same goes for the guy getting very drunk at the bar of your favorite restaurant, or the girl who blasts obscene music in her car as she drives down the street.

God is not a respecter of persons (Romans 2:11), meaning that He doesn't like or love one person more than another. He doesn't care who you are, He still loves you. He's also not willing that anybody should perish (2 Peter 3:9), and that includes people who are culturally different from us, or people whose sins are different from ours. We shouldn't condemn people for their sins, because we were sinners once too. Instead, we should share with them, gently and with love, that there is forgiveness for their sins.

Jesus prayed for unity among believers (John 17:20-23). Paul declared in his letter to the Galatians that "there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). God wants us to set aside our minor differences and keep the main thing the main thing. In this case, the main thing is Jesus, and anything else just distorts the message.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

November 7: Thoughts on 1 Timothy 4:12-13

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching."
~1 Timothy 4:12-13

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young

People grow in wisdom as they age because experience teaches them how things work. However, it's a mistake to say that young people are necessarily unwise in spiritual matters. We are all guided by the same Holy Spirit, after all, aren't we? That's not to say that we shouldn't look to our elders for their spiritual wisdom. Of course we should. 1 Timothy 5 and Titus 2 lay out for us the way God wants our elders to pass their wisdom down to us.

However, there is a tendency, at least for some people, to feel uncomfortable in leadership roles because of their age. These people are often afraid that they don't have enough life experience or wisdom to teach others. The part of the picture they're missing, though, is that God calls the people He calls for a reason. Just as Moses was worried about his speech impediment, so many of us are worried that our young age will prevent us from being good teachers or preachers or leaders or whatever. And just as Moses was wrong, we're wrong too.

When God calls us to do something, He calls us for the here and now, and He calls us knowing our abilities and limitations even more clearly than we do. God knows what He is doing, and if God has told you to do something, you shouldn't let your age disqualify you. If God puts you somewhere, He will equip you for service, so don't be afraid.

set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity

This is the other half of the coin. Here, Paul's saying, don't let anybody look down on you for being young and inexperienced, but also don't try to use your youth as an excuse for bad behavior. He's saying if you want other people to take you seriously as he outlined above, you have to also set a good example.

If we want people (elders or not) to see us as serious Christians who are worth listening to on spiritual matters, we have to be careful of the way we speak (not just the things we say but how we say them), the way we live our lives (in a way that is pleasing to the Lord), in love (love is an identifying characteristic of a Christian – John 13:35), in faith (faith is what saves us - Ephesians 2:8-9), and in purity (which is often an issue for young adult Christians, but very important if we expect to be taken seriously).

And elders aren't the only ones who won't take us seriously if we aren't careful in these areas. In fact, I think the biggest impact of slipping in one of these areas is actually on your Christian witness. If we aren't careful of the way we speak, the way we live our lives, the way we love one another (holy love, not lust), the way we live out our faith, and the way we guard our purity (sexual and otherwise), the world looks at us and thinks, "Hey, they're no different than anybody else. Why would I want to be a part of that?"

It's very important, especially because we're young, to be careful about our behavior because it has a significant impact on how others view us, in the church. Outside the church, our behavior can even have an impact on how people see Christianity and even Christ Himself. We can't forget we're supposed to look different from the world so that no one can find fault with the ministry (2 Corinthians 6:3-18). We have to live in such a way that people won't think badly of the Lord or our church or ministry. But here's the good news: the Lord never allows us to be tempted beyond what we're capable of resisting, and He always helps us resist by providing a way our and helping us stand against sin (1 Corinthians 10:13). He's with us all the way!

Monday, November 5, 2007

November 5: Thoughts on 2 Cor. 5:17-19

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."
~ 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

The dictionary defines reconciliation as "the act of bringing into agreement or harmony, making compatible or consistent." We were once enemies of God (Romans 5:10), through Christ we are brought into agreement with God and His nature so that His Holy Spirit can dwell within us. While once we were at war with God, now we are at peace with Him (Romans 5:1).

Sin and God are incompatible. God hates sin. It disgusts Him and it grieves Him. Before we are saved through faith in Christ, our relationship with God is broken. Through the blood of Jesus, though, we are cleansed of our sins and our relationship with God is healed. God doesn't count our sins against us anymore. We can rely on Jesus sacrificial death on our behalf to wash away our sins if we ask the Lord for forgiveness.

And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation

This is the message we're supposed to be spreading: that God, who has every right to punish us for our sins, is offering the free gift of salvation, of reconciliation. That's the central message of Christianity. Most people know their own sins. They know right from wrong, yet they still choose wrong at least some of the time. For the most part, they also know that a perfect God wants nothing to do with sin. They are aware of their separation from God. Deep down, they know all the bad news.

Our job is to share the good news, that faith in Jesus brings the forgiveness of sins and a renewed unity with God, that the Christian life is better than the secular life, that a relationship with God is better than anything the world has to offer. So often, we don't do this because of fear of rejection, alienation, or even retribution. However, if we truly care about those around us, we have to overcome our fears and proclaim the message of the Cross with boldness.

If you heard about a federal program that would pay off anybody's debt for free, wouldn't you tell all your friends about it? Be honest. Wouldn't you? You'd email everybody you knew to make sure they got in on this before the government changed its mind. You'd call your family and friends and possibly your teachers from elementary school.

Well, we all owe a spiritual debt that can only be paid one of two ways: through spiritual death and hell (Ezekiel 18:20; Romans 6:23) or through the faith in the atoning power of the blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:33; Ephesians 2:8). Jesus stands with His offer to pay off anybody's spiritual debt for free, and He's not going to change His mind.

Financial debt goes away when you die, but spiritual debt is eternal. Clearly, Jesus' offer of salvation is far greater than anything the government could come up with, and it's more pressing. While death forgives financial debt, death is only the beginning point of us paying our spiritual debt. I don't know about you, but on Judgment Day I would prefer it if my debt was marked Paid In Full. I would also prefer it if all my friends had the same thing done for them.

As people who have been forgiven, we have an obligation to share with others how they too can be forgiven. We have a "ministry of reconciliation." So get to sharing! Spread the news!

Friday, November 2, 2007

November 2: Thoughts on Colossians 3:5-10

"Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."
~ Colossians 3:5-10


Okay, so we're Christians. We're saved. And we confess our sins and pray our prayers and hey, sometimes we even go to church and read our Bibles. But you know what? That's not living the fullness of the Christian life. Beyond the moment of salvation, God continues to shape us and form us to be more like Him. It's a process of separation from sin called sanctification. (Note to theology buffs: we're sanctified at the moment of salvation, but then a process of sanctification follows even that, as we learn to allow the Spirit to guide us.)


In order to become more like God, in order to live a life worthy of our relationship with Him, we must put off the old earthly man and put on the new man. We have to throw away our selfish, fleshly desires and behaviors, but we don't have to do it alone. The Holy Spirit is with us, helping us grow.


So how do we begin to change the behaviors that continue to disappoint God? First, we have to recognize what they are. Of course there are more sins than those listed above, but they make a good representative list to start with.


Sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires


I know this won't be popular, but then again, the truth rarely is. Sexual expression is limited to the marriage relationship. Marriage is the only acceptable outlet for shared sexuality. Premarital sex is not okay with God. Porn is not okay with God. Lusting after your beautiful boss is not okay with God. But here's the thing. God's not cruel. He's not out to rain on your parade. He knew what He was doing when He set out these guidelines for us. He created your sexuality and He knows how it functions best. He knows what helps and what hurts.


If your parents gave you a brand new cell phone for Christmas, but you chose to throw it into the swimming pool, the phone wouldn't work right anymore and you would have messed up your gift. Of course, through a purification process (in this case taking the phone to the repair shop), your gift could be repaired, but why go through all that pain when you could have just avoided the swimming pool in the first place? Point being, your sexuality is a gift from God. Don't abuse it. 1 Corinthians 6:18 says that "any other sin that a human being commits lies outside the body; but he who commits fornication sins against his own body." And if you have abused your sexuality in the past, go to the repair shop. Tell God you're sorry and ask for His help in doing better and staying away from temptation. I promise, if you try to do it yourself, you'll definitely mess it up even worse. It's only with the Holy Spirit's help that you can overcome your sinful nature. If we didn't need God's help to overcome sin, then Jesus wouldn't ever have had to die. But we do.


Greed, which is idolatry


Wow. Greed. Aren't we greedy people, as a society? We all know we aren't supposed to be greedy. From our early childhood, we're taught to share with other people and not be stingy. But innately, as part of our sinful nature, we're greedy. We want to get what we want and we don't want to wait for God's timing. Okay, so we know that greed is bad.


But here's the part that floored me. It literally jumped right off the page at me. Greed is idolatry. When we're greedy, we make an idol out of money (or food, or whatever we're being greedy about). How many people in our society serve their employer more than God, or love receiving their paycheck more than they love giving to the Lord? How many are holding back from God what is rightfully his, just so they can watch TV on a bigger screen? When God said not to have any other gods before Him (Exodus 20:1-3), He wasn't just talking about Vishnu or Krishna or Buddha. He was talking about the little gods we set up in our lives, the things we allow to become more important than our relationship with Him: money, cars, houses, our boyfriends and girlfriends, etc. Nothing should come before God. He's 1.


Anger, rage


So anger and rage are bad. They make us look bad, for one thing. But what's so bad about them?


Did you know that the Bible says that if you're angry without a good reason, that's just as bad as murder (Matthew 5:21-26)? This passage also incidentally has some interesting things to say about name-calling, but that's for another day. Getting angry and staying that way just isn't what God expects of a believer.


What if God stayed angry with us for everything we've done to displease Him? He absolutely doesn't, though. He is faithful and just to forgive us when we repent. Our God is a God of love and forgiveness and reconciliation. In the process of becoming more like Jesus, we have to love and forgive and be willing to reconcile.


Malice, slander, and filthy language; do not lie to each other


The Word of God talks a lot about what we do with our lips. Proverbs 12:22 tells us that lying lips are an abomination to the Lord (this means the Lord hates lying). We're told that one day, we'll have to give an account to God of all the idle words we've spoken. If you know me (Lori), you know that I'm quite a talkative person. The idea that one day God's going to hold me accountable for everything I've ever said terrifies me. I'm trying to learn to be more careful about what I say and how I say it, because I don't want my words to reflect badly on my Lord. Obviously, malice (meanness) and slander are out because they hurt other people. Filthy language is simply unbecoming of someone who claims to follow God, since God is totally pure.


Another thing we shouldn't do with our lips isn't mentioned in today's verse, but it's important enough to mention. We're not supposed to take the name of the Lord in vain. That doesn't just mean not saying the GD word, as some apparently believe. It also means not saying "Oh, God" when you're tired of listening to something or "Oh, Lord" when you hear about your friend's latest problem or "Jesus!" when you drop something on your toe. God's name is beautiful and sacred, and we should only use it when talking to Him or about Him. It's not just a stand-in word for when you can't think of anything else to say.


"you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator"


Part of the Christian life is taking off your old self with its old habits (porn, gossip, gluttony, profanity, whatever) and putting on the new man in the image of God (love, kind words, self-control, sanctity, etc.). We can't do this on our own, of course, but if we ask God, He will definitely help us get ourselves cleaned up.