Hiding The Fact That You Are Not Perfect

Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. —1 Corinthians 10:31

Beware of allowing yourself to think that the shallow aspects of life are not ordained by God; they are ordained by Him equally as much as the profound. We sometimes refuse to be shallow, not out of our deep devotion to God but because we wish to impress other people with the fact that we are not shallow. This is a sure sign of spiritual pride. We must be careful, for this is how contempt for others is produced in our lives. And it causes us to be a walking rebuke to other people because they are more shallow than we are. Beware of posing as a profound person— God became a baby. To be shallow is not a sign of being sinful, nor is shallowness an indication that there is no depth to your life at all— the ocean has a shore. Even the shallow things of life, such as eating and drinking, walking and talking, are ordained by God. These are all things our Lord did. He did them as the Son of God, and He said, “A disciple is not above his teacher…” (Matthew 10:24). Never show the depth of your life to anyone but God. We are so nauseatingly serious, so desperately interested in our own character and reputation.  You may find that the first person you must be the most critical with, as being the greatest fraud you have ever known, is yourself.. - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

Henry David Thoreau said, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”  In general, most people are very aware of what is wrong with them and don’t have any idea of what to do about it.  Moreover, they don’t want others to know that they are flawed. Too late! If you have spiritual understanding, you will know that “all have sinned” …. “There is none righteous” … “all we, like sheep, have gone astray” … “we are jars of clay” … we have no hope, but for Jesus! Our tendency is to try to hide our imperfections .. or at minimum make excuses for them … and condemn the imperfections in others.  Jesus spoke of the speck and the log.  

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?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. - Matthew 7:3-5

The Apostle John wrote 

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. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. - 1 John 2:16-18

It’s your pride or the lack of it that drives you to judgement. That is not to say that you ignore sin. Or you believe that there should not be consequence for sins.  But be careful about judging others.  God does that.  You who have spiritual understanding should see the struggle of the soul for what it is .. the need for Jesus .. new life in Him.  You were once lost but now your found .. was blind but now you see.  How did Jesus respond to sinners?  He told them to repent .. to have faith in Him. They did not all do that then … and they do not all do that now … Just be careful that you don’t sin in your eagerness to find fault in others. 

In psychology the term is “projection”.  Where a person projects their shortcomings onto others.  It is easier .. less stressful if you can deal with your problem in someone else’s life. (Speck and Log) In this case, the speck you see is merely a reflection of the log in your own eye. The bottom line is that our focus is on ourselves and not on Jesus.  So stop looking at others, even stop looking at yourself, and look to Jesus. 

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. - Philippians 4:8

Think about it – Pray about it - Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Those Who Know Your Name

 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10

As I was reading in Psalms this morning, I came across this verse and paused. "those who know Your name" I doubt that there is a language on earth that does not had a word of God. Most people that I know have used it in their conversations. Whether in reverence or as an explicative. For the latter - it is just a word in a phrase or expression. Nothing more. For the former - it is an acknowledgement that there is One who is the Creator of all things - Jehovah God.

Have you ever shared your faith - I assume since you are reading this that you are a Christian - with someone - maybe someone that you care about personally and not just though a chance meeting. You share the most significant truth that can be shared. One that has consequences beyond the grave - and you get the look - oh you know the one - a look that is somewhere between "I am bored" and "If you keep it up I will be offended!"  So what is going on. Well - to start, they don't acknowledge who God is.

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. - 1 Corinthians 2:14

I just popped out to go to the store. While going back to my car someone across the parking lot was upset about something and I could hear him yelling - crying out I suppose to God, to damn his circumstance.  I thought - if I go over there and talk to him about Jesus would he be receptive. Obviously I am being a bit sarcastic. I am not a prophet or the son of a prophet, but I can guess what his response would be.  

And so what to do. Well, I think we are to live with discernment. Understanding the times. Remembering that the god of this age (world) - the Devil - has blinded the minds of his followers.  

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. - 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

Knowing who Jesus is and who the Father is has been revealed by God to hearts that yearn to believe.

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. - Matthew 16:13-17

With no spiritual understanding, all the people could do was look to the natural - what they could see in their natural understanding but God reveals the truth by His Spirit. That is the only way that you can know His name and hear His voice.  Yet still, God has given us a role in His eternal plan of redemption and restoration. 

 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people - Ephesians 1:17-18

[A side note: my wife and I were watching a movie that we had not see in years. I was unpleasantly surprised to hear profanity in the movie. I did not remember it being in the movie although I am certain it was. The problem?  - My spiritual senses were dulled when I first watched it. The point. - Be careful and be watchful don't let your heart and mind be numbed by the culture and your mortal life]

Think about it – Pray about it - Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

No Matter What The World Thinks - We Are Not All God’s Children

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” – 1 John 3:1

Over the years, I have heard a number of people refer to humankind as being “all God’s children”. It’s one of those sayings that sounds good, but is patently false. It is similar to people saying "if so and so who has passed is looking down" suggesting that everyone goes to heaven when they die. We are all God’s natural creation but we are not all His spiritual children.  What happened in the Garden changed that and now we must be adopted into His family. 

Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will - Ephesians 1:5

Just as someone cannot adopt their own children, so without faith in Jesus, we cannot be part of God’s family nor are we heirs of eternal life until we are adopted.  Without that spiritual adoption I am bound for hell.  But, once adopted I have eternal life with God in heaven.  Pretty simple really.  Saying we are all God’s children may sound sweet but it is a bitter falsehood – a deception.  With the great movement toward inclusivity – that we are all the same – people are losing the distinction between what men think to be truth and what God has declared is truth.  Only the Spirit of God can convince people of that truth.  I know I have tried to convince people that they need to repent and put their faith in Jesus, but the truth is that it takes a revelation from God not wise or persistent words from me. We have an obligation to share the Gospel when given the opportunity, even in the real possibility of being castigated and rejected and called a hater or a bigot.  Why? Because you are telling people that what they have chosen to do is sin.  And you will have the opportunity.  Don’t give people who are lost false hope, but always “Speak the truth in love.” What is true is God is the Source of all creation.  And Jesus is at the center of it. 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. – John 1:1-4

Jesus is the “living” Word. [It was this truth that the Spirit used to open my mom’s eyes and led to her salvation]  I am not going to address the Trinity but suffice it to say that spiritual reality is so different from our human reality.  We try to cram spiritual understanding into the shoes of our natural understanding and those “feet” are just too big!  They don’t fit.  So the temptation is to reject Spiritual truth because of the limitation of our natural understanding. Those who have not put their faith in Jesus will not receive the truth.   Apart from the presence of the Holy Spirit it is impossible to understand.

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. – 1 Corinthians 2:14

As a child of God you are still in the world but you are no longer "of" the world. You may look like everyone who is lost on the outside, but you are not the same on the inside. You are a temple of the Holy Spirit. Something the world cannot see but God can.

Think about it – Pray about it - Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Repenting Is More Than Being Sorry You Got Caught

Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. —James 2:10

The moral law does not consider our weaknesses as human beings; in fact, it does not take into account our heredity or infirmities. It simply demands that we be absolutely moral. The moral law never changes, either for the highest of society or for the weakest in the world. It is enduring and eternally the same. The moral law, ordained by God, does not make itself weak to the weak by excusing our shortcomings. It remains absolute for all time and eternity. If we are not aware of this, it is because we are less than alive. Once we do realize it, our life immediately becomes a fatal tragedy. “I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died” (Romans 7:9). The moment we realize this, the Spirit of God convicts us of sin. Until a person gets there and sees that there is no hope, the Cross of Christ remains absurd to him. Conviction of sin always brings a fearful, confining sense of the law. It makes a person hopeless— “…sold under sin” (Romans 7:14). I, a guilty sinner, can never work to get right with God— it is impossible. There is only one way by which I can get right with God, and that is through the death of Jesus Christ. I must get rid of the underlying idea that I can ever be right with God because of my obedience. Who of us could ever obey God to absolute perfection! - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

Understanding sin in the context of a holy God.  Until a person comes to the point of conversion .. coming under conviction by the Holy Spirit and having a sudden awareness of who they are and who God is, they will never experience a sense of guilt before God and their need for salvation. Many people are more sorry they got caught than the fact that they did something wrong.  Their doing that something wrong was an attempt to satisfy some need they had. Whether it be physical or emotional. Sin is an act of desperation.  Man trying to be his own god.  It all started in the garden.  

You will not certainly die, the serpent said to the woman. For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. - Genesis 3:4-5 

The Law brings an awareness of what is necessary to “be like God”, and it is impossible for sinful man, by himself, to be like God.  Recall that Adam and Eve were already created in God’s image and likeness.  (Genesis 1:26)  But they wanted more than that.  They wanted to be equal to God. They wanted to decide what is right and what is wrong. (Sound a bit like our culture?) 

So what about today .. for you and me. Does becoming a Christian make you sin-proof?  No.  But it does make you Hell-proof.  Sins can be both internal and external.  Jesus taught that.  We tend to focus on the external and try to manage those sins .. to keep them under control.  Not good enough!  If you compare what you do plus what you think to the holiness of God, you will quickly realize that you are not so “holy” as you hoped.  If most of your sinning goes on – on the inside, you may fool people around you, but not God, who sees the heart.  The Law and our sin is a constant reminder that we need a Savior because we cannot be holy on our own.  We need a little – well more correctly – a lot of help. 

God does not want you to live a life of guilt because you struggle with sin and the flesh .. He wants you to confess and repent.  But repentance is more than trying harder .. it is trusting more … it is submitting more … it is “faithing” more. I don’t expect to be perfect in the flesh … but I also know that I cannot ever be satisfied with my sinful nature.  Some people say “That is just the way that I am!” in response to some attitude or action that does not glorify God and is hurtful to other people.  As if they can blame their sin on heredity … well they can, but then again, they can’t.  Adam and Eve may have started it, but we are each responsible for our own sin. So we need to own it, confess it, and repent of it.  Today would be a good day to get started.

One of my favorite quotes is attributed to the man who wrote "Amazing Grace" - John Newton.

“I am not the man I ought to be, I am not the man I wish to be and I am not the man I hope to be, but, by the grace of God, I am not the man I used to be.” - Whether you be a man or woman - Can I get an Amen?

Think about it – Pray about it - Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Let Your Faith Not Your Past Define You

You shall not go out with haste,…for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. —Isaiah 52:12

Security from Yesterday. Our present enjoyment of God’s grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future. God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present. Security for Tomorrow. “…the Lord will go before you….” This is a gracious revelation— that God will send His forces out where we have failed to do so. He will keep watch so that we will not be tripped up again by the same failures, as would undoubtedly happen if He were not our “rear guard.” And God’s hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience. Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ. - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

None of us are free from heartaches, disappointments, or regrets. Some of them are our doing, some not.  But, if you are born again, new in Christ, you do not have to let your past define you. 

One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 3:13-14

Oh that we could embrace that attitude. Well, actually we can, but not by willing it.  It is a product of a deep and abiding relationship with Christ.  I was speaking with our daughter-in-law one day about the nature of heartache.  If you were to break a bone, it would be painful of course, but the pain would eventually subside.  You can remember the event.  You can remember that you broke that particular bone.  It might even remind you when a storm is approaching.  But one thing you cannot do is feel the sharp, stabbing pain that you felt when the bone was broken.  You know it hurt, but you cannot conjure up the same feeling that you had in the past. Not so with a broken heart.  It only takes a word or a thought to bring back the pain of the moment when your heart was broken. 

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted  and saves those who are crushed in spirit. - Psalm 34:17-28

What a promise.  He delivers us out of all of our troubles.  He gives us strength.  He gives us comfort.  He gives us hope.  He gives us life.  You have so much to look forward to in the days ahead.  Don’t let the pain of the past define you.  Instead let the Lord renew you.  

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. - Isaiah 40:31

Think about it – Pray about it - Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Listening To God

Most of us show incredible disrespect to God because we don’t even hear Him. He might as well never have spoken to us.  The goal of my spiritual life [should be to have such a] close identification with Jesus Christ that I will always hear God and know that God always hears me …. If I have not developed and nurtured this devotion of hearing, I can only hear God’s voice at certain times. At other times I become deaf to Him because my attention is to other things— things which I think I must do. This is not living the life of a child of God.  Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

Have you ever said something in a conversation only to have someone say “That is just what I said!”  But you didn’t hear it.  Or maybe the thought that you had was not yours at all but the words the other person had just spoken.  Whatever the case, the person is normally just a little put out because that tells them, in no uncertain terms, you are not listening to what they say. 

That is how it is with us and God.  It is not that God is not speaking .. the problem is that we are not listening.  Our attention is on the cares of this world .. we are so focused on the issues of life that we cannot hear what God is saying to us. 

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!  The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. - Psalms 46:10-11

Hearing God requires focus … looking intently on Him. God is not your enemy He is your advocate.  As you live your life every day, the Lord is with you.  He is your strength.  He knows what is best for you.  Our natural desire is to trust in our own judgment and not listen to His voice …  

Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left. - Isaiah 30:21

God speaks through His Word, through nature, He is always speaking  …. But we must listen …. 

(James 1:25)  “But whoso looks into the perfect law of liberty (the Bible), and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. “

This will not necessarily make you problems go away … the men that were inspired to write the words in the Bible all struggled in life … the proof of God’s presence is not the absence of trouble … 

(John 16:33)  “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

But He has overcome the world … He is at your side … you can have peace in the midst of the storm you are in now.  Put your hope in God … listen to Him .. and then walk in the way He shows you. 

Think about it – Pray about it - Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Do You Have The Faith To Believe, But Sometimes Still Doubt?

Up front – Some may think that devotions should be short.  A few sentences.  I write what the Lord lays on my heart.  Sometimes, like today, it can be lengthy.  No apologies, just know that is not likely to change.  

Have doubts? Join the club friend. I was talking with a friend some time back.  The matter was concerning what seemed to be the imminent death of a loved one.  He said, “I sure hope that when I die, I find out this (our hope in heaven) is really true.” (Have you ever had that thought?) Actually, his statement set me back for a second.  I had never thought of him as having any doubts about his faith, but there it was. The stress of the death or grave illness of someone you care about seems to have the effect of removing inhibitions from people.  Those situations reveal things that they typically keep hidden, and you wonder “Where did that come from?” or “I had no idea they felt that way!”  But to the point …

We are on a journey of faith – like in Pilgrim’s Progress.  We are jars of clay, formed from dust.  There is something called the Law of Thermodynamics, [please indulge me] actually there are 4 laws, like Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion, except different. “Energy cannot be created or destroyed. In other words, in a closed system, the total amount of energy that can be taken out of the system will be equal to the total amount of energy that was put into the system.” Come to think of it, that might be why people think that they can be reincarnated.  If you leave this human form, you will “pop-up” in another form.  Zero sum.  Whatever is taken away is put back in.  (Hang with me, I am almost finished with the physics lesson!!!) My point is that these “laws” are nothing more than man’s observation of God’s creation.  The truth is that God can do what He wants to do, whenever He wants to do it.  He operates on an eternal clock and we operate on seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. But hey, we do the best we can.  

Here is the problem. If we try to figure God out on our own, we are doomed to failure.  God said .... 

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. - Isaiah 55:8-9

We, with our mortal natural minds, cannot figure God out.  

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. - 1 Corinthians 2:14

You see, in order to not have doubts, you must see the world as God does, and you can only do that if you have the power of God’s Spirit in you.  

We are given an account of a young boy being healed by Jesus.  The boy was apparently beyond human help.  

So He (Jesus) asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You (Jesus) can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” - Mark 9:21-25

All of us face impossible situations. Situations that challenge the promises of God and our faith. Hebrews 11:1 says that Faith is about things hoped for and not seen.  If you want to strengthen your faith you can do two things.  First, be reminded of when God showed up in impossible circumstances and , second, keep your heart and mind fixed on Jesus.  If you don’t do that you will suffer spiritual atrophy and when that happens you will be plagued by doubt. (Proverbs 3:5-6) “Trust in the Lord in all your ways and not your own mental capacity.” In one of the Indiana Jones movies, Indy was confronted by a huge man with a huge sword.  Then Indy remembered that he was carrying a gun, so he shot the man with the sword. Well, in a way, Indy is me and you. Faced with impossible circumstances, we must remember that we are “packing”.  We have the Holy Spirit in us .. the Creator God is on our side .. and He is faithful to His promises. You can believe that! And then you don't have a "hope of heaven" but are certain that you have a home in Heaven - Jesus said so!

Think about it – Pray about it - Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone