Making The Right Investments

Those who trust in their wealth And boast in the multitude of their riches, None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him— For the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease forever— That he should continue to live eternally, And not see the Pit. Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased;  For he sees wise men die; Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, And leave their wealth to others. Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, Their dwelling places to all generations; They call their lands after their own names.  Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain; He is like the beasts that perish    .......  For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him. Though while he lives he blesses himself (For men will praise you when you do well for yourself), He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see light. A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, Is like the beasts that perish. - Psalm 49:6-12,17-20 

A person without the Spirit of God is not unlike a beast of the field. He imagines that the life he is living is the sum total of his existence so he must "eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow he dies". He has no understanding of the eternal nature of humankind, very unlike those other beasts. It is not merely "dust to dust" for these mortal bodies and that is the end. There is more beyond the grave for the souls of human kind. Those who reject God live blinded by the god of this world, believing that their conduct doesn't really matter. They struggle for significance in this life and the best that can be hoped for is to be remembered somehow after this life is over. 

"They call their lands after their own names." I am certain that you have read or heard about the desire by some to have monuments built, buildings and even ships emblazoned with the name of a benefactor as if that will somehow be a legacy and a fond memory. The truth is, little thought will be given to the names by future generations. It will just be a name. A reference to the building and not to the person.

King Solomon said "Life is a vapor" and "all [that we know in this life] is vanity". And yet I see people struggle to make their mark in the course of Human history not knowing that their mark was made with a dry erase marker and will soon be erased from the eyes of the generations that follow. 

And he [Jesus] said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” - Luke 12:15-21

What are you investing your life in? 

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

Living A Life Contrary To Human Reasoning

 Let them be confounded because of their shame, Who say to me, “Aha, aha!” Psalm 40:15

When I read Psalm 40 this morning, I thought about my mom. It was 1970. I had been in South Vietnam for nearly a year. In Vinh Long, a province that sits in the Mekong River and is essentially one big rice paddy. I had been receiving letters from home - from my mom. She was telling me bout her new found faith in Jesus. She and my dad, two younger brothers and a younger sister. I had three older sisters that had already left home and were not part of the Way, not for years to come.

When I returned to the States later that fall and mustered out of the Army, I moved back into the home-place.  But it was not the same home that I had left.  There was something different. The biggest difference was my mom. She had been a bit of a hellion when I was growing up. Up to the point that I left for the Army actually.  But now she was different. She epitomized the verse 2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

It was hard to understand - but my older sisters and I thought that it was an act.  That it was a put on. That eventually the "old mom" would reappear and like Psalm 40:15 we would say "aha, aha!" We knew it was not real. It couldn't be could it? She was not who she pretended to be - no - she was still the old mom. But the old mom never reappeared.

Coincidentally, I had come back from the Army with a drinking problem, profanity laced conversations and a 2 pack a day smoking habit. And then it happened - in 1976 my wife and I "met Jesus on the road." Just like my mom, dad, brothers and sister had in 1969. And eventually, so did my three older sisters. Our lives were changed - forever. My children have no idea what I was like since they were all raised in a Christian home.  And they have a hard time believing that I was ever like that. I often use this quote, I suppose because it resonates so with my life.  It is loosely attributed to John Newton, writer of Amazing Grace.

“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.”

― John Newton 

In Haiti, they grow sour oranges to use to tenderize meat.  Those oranges look like other oranges while they are hanging on the tree. But take a bite and you will discover that it is not fit to eat. It is not sweet at all. That is what we thought about my mom.  Spiritual conversion is not something that you can physically see. No - you have to experience the difference. You may be expecting, convinced there will be an "Aha" moment to prove that what people said is now "sweet" is in fact still sour. But it is not. Why could I expect a sweet taste from a sour orange? Because His grace is amazing! The old is gone and the new has come.

Amazing grace - how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found. Was blind but now I see. 

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

How To Respond To An Attitude Of Ingratitude

We love because He first loved us. - 1 John 4:19

Paul’s idea of service was to pour his life out to the last drop for others. And whether he received praise or blame made no difference. As long as there was one human being who did not know Jesus, Paul felt a debt of service to that person until he did come to know Him. But the chief motivation behind Paul’s service was not love for others but love for his Lord. If our devotion is to the cause of humanity, we will be quickly defeated and broken-hearted, since we will often be confronted with a great deal of ingratitude from other people. But if we are motivated by our love for God, no amount of ingratitude will be able to hinder us from serving one another. - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

One of the things that has troubled me in our life of service for the past 30 or so years to others has been when I encounter ungrateful people.  My flesh wants to rise up. I know that what I am thinking and what I am feeling is in no way spiritual. The question is “How I should respond to them?”  Although my natural response is constrained – not acted upon – it causes me to examine my motivation for what I do.  Rarely has my frustration toward ungrateful people been because I thought they did not appreciate God.  No, it was because I thought they did not appreciate me.  Do you see the problem?    Matthew 22:37-39 suggests that when we love God first, our love for others demonstrated in our service will be a reflection of our total devotion to God.  Loving others, and the service associated with it, is an expression of our love for God. Think about this.  When you are confronted by ingratitude, since what we do is for God and not for them, understand that they are really being ungrateful toward God. The offense is toward Him not you.  I must hasten to add, that if what you do is so people will praise you and not God – you have committed the greater offense – robbing God of His glory. 

When he [Jesus] saw them [10 healed lepers], he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well. - Luke 17:14-19

That was a gratitude rate of 10%.  Do you think Jesus asked himself "Why did I heal those others guys, they did not appreciate it!" Would you be satisfied with that or would you decide it just wasn’t worth the trouble?  Those people, those ingrates, were not worth your effort and “sacrifice”.  If you think that way, your focus is on you and not one the One who sent you.  Don’t you suppose that God already knows what will happen?  And He sent you anyway.  We must not look at those He has sent us to serve, but at the One who did the sending. Read Romans 12:1-2 to refresh your memory.

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

Doing The Right Thing And Not Expecting A Thankyou

Fierce witnesses rise up; They ask me things that I do not know. They reward me evil for good, To the sorrow of my soul. But as for me, when they were sick, My clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting; And my prayer would return to my own heart. I paced about as though he were my friend or brother; I bowed down heavily, as one who mourns for his mother. But in my adversity they rejoiced And gathered together; Attackers gathered against me, And I did not know it; They tore at me and did not cease; With ungodly mockers at feasts They gnashed at me with their teeth. - Psalm 35-11-16

Seem like an odd scripture. When I read it this morning I was reminded of Matthew 25 - the parable of the sheep and the goats. 

Then the righteous will answer Him [Jesus] , saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? And the King will answer and say to them, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me. - Matthew 25:37-40

I helped someone the other day and they said, "I owed you big for this!" to which I replied, "I did it because I love you not because I expected something in return." And that got me thinking about the difference between Christian charity - Matthew 25 - and the world's view about doing good things for people. If I share the Gospel with words - that is a good thing - but how much better that I share the Gospel with deeds. Helping others should be a natural outpouring of our faith. Proof of our faith if you will.

Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. - James 2:17-18

I used to struggle with these verses.  Martin Luther called the Book of James a "strawy epistle" - hard to swallow since he preached justification by faith and not works. The problem was the Catholic church had gotten the works-cart before the faith-horse.  James was simply saying that the declaration of our faith is best presented through good works - not just good words.  That is not to suggest that the Gospel must not be proclaimed. I have done that with the person I referred to at the onset of this devotion. But it is my faith in action demonstrated by my works, free of conditions and expectation of reciprocity, that proves my faith.

People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. That is an anonymous quote attributed to many people of the year. I first heard it in 1995 at a Promise Keepers conference by a speaker, Dr. John Maxwell. But he was not the originator. Be that as it may, the saying is axiomatic and applies to you and me sharing our faith with the world through our good works.

James Brown, a devote Christian and the studio host of CBS NFL Today gave the sermon at our church today.  He showed a graphic during his sermon on Discipleship, Development and Growth which fits nicely with what I am writing about.

As a Christian do I merely believe in God or do I actually live out that belief and obey God? Many people are interested in not going to hell - but when it comes to living by their faith - well suffice it to say that fewer are willing to follow that path.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:10

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

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