The Christian's Hope

 1 John 3:1-3

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure." What is our hope as Christians dependent on? If the things we can see are only temporary, why do we spend so much time focusing on them? Resources:

The Person is the Way livinggodministries.net/living_god_ministries/radio_archive/audio_files/gospel_of_john_075_14_1_6_the_person_is_the_way_ext.mp3

Love versus Pride

 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.8 Love never fails.

2 Timothy 3:1-8

3 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! 6 They are the kind who work their way into people's homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. 7 (Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.) 8 These teachers oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses.

They have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith.

What is the opposite of the agape love of God?

How do the fruits of love differ from the fruits of pride?

Resources:

Pride

https://96tolife.blogspot.com/search?q=Pride&m=1

God's Love for You

 

John 3:16-17

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 2:12

12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us

How is God's love different from the love mankind has for each other?

What have we received from God because of His love for us?

Resources:

Relationship with God

https://www.livinggodministries.net/living_god_ministries/radio_archive/audio_files/gospel_of_john_012_3_16_36_relationship_with_god_ext.mp3

Philippians 4:13 The Strength To Do All Things

 

Philippians 4:10-13 10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. What does Paul mean by living in plenty and living in want? How did Paul learn to be content? In what way does Jesus give us strength? Resources: Your Identity in Christ https://www.livinggodministries.net/living_god_ministries/radio_archive/identity.htm

Laughing, Breakfast, Forgiveness: Discovering Hidden Moments of God's Love

 

Genesis 18:9-15

9 Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” So he said, “Here, in the tent.”10 And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and [a]Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”13 And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh!”

Why didn't God punish Sarah for lying?

John 21:4-13 

[4] But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. [5] Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.” [6] And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. [7] Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. [8] But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. [9] Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. [10] Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.” [11] Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. [12] Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. [13] Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.

Why did God cook breakfast for the disciples?

Mark 16:1-7 NKJV

[1] Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. [2] Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. [3] And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” [4] But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. [5] And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. [6] But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. [7] But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”

What is the significance of Peter being singled out to be told about the resurrection?

Resources:

The Joy of Adam

https://www.livinggodministries.net/living_god_ministries/radio_archive/joy_of_adam.htm

The Flower in the Garden

https://www.livinggodministries.net/living_god_ministries/radio_archive/flower_in_garden.htm

Restoring Our Relationship

On Resurrection Sunday, otherwise known as Easter, we celebrate our God and Savior Jesus Christ conquering the grave and rising from the dead. There are many meanings for the resurrection. It is proof of Jesus being God. The Lord conquering death is a promise to Christians that we will conquer death one day as well. The resurrection is God's offer to restore His life, the Holy Spirit, to all who accept Jesus Christ as their savior. However, one of the reasons for the resurrection that goes unnoticed is that it provides God with the opportunity to have a relationship with us. Christians like to use the phrase, "Christianity isn't a religion, it's a relationship." But, from my experience, the relationship often looks just like a religion. For example, do you know anybody who has said something like the following? "Jesus followers are to still be obedient to what is commanded in the New Testament." The statement alone is one of religion and not a relationship. Obedience to commands is the definition of religion. You do not need to know Jesus Christ to respond to commands. To live this way will do one thing for you. You will succeed in becoming just like the Jews. They deceived themselves into believing they were obedient to God and when the Lord showed up, they rejected Him. Are there any examples of God having a relationship with His people apart from obeying commands? 

Naming the Animals

After the Creation and before the Fall, we see an example of God and Adam engaged in a personal, interactive encounter with each other. In Genesis 2:19-20, we read, "Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky, and all the wild animals." Here we see a father and son naming the animals. God is allowing Adam to participate in the creation. Adam couldn't create the animals, but God allowed him to name them. Is that any different than a father and son going to the pet store and the father allowing his son to pick out and name the family pet? The child can't drive to the store and can't pay for the pet, but he can name it. God is no different in His interactions with us. God didn't know what Adam would name the animals just like a father may not know what name his son will give the family pet. This is an intimate and unforgettable moment in a relationship. 

Sharing His Plans

There is little else that displays a relationship between two people than for one to share their plans with the other. Later in Genesis, we see the Lord interacting with Abraham on His way to Sodom. "When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him (Genesis 18:16-18)." Who do you tell your plans to? It is usually someone close to you. Someone you can trust. A person you love. Here we see God entrusting Abraham with His plans to investigate the sins of Sodom. God did not have to tell Abraham, but He chose to let Him in on what He and the angels were going to do. If you keep reading, this leads to Abraham pleading for God to spare Sodom and God listened. How many times have you and a friend talked about your plans and hashed it out? We see that God is not all that different. 

Think Before You Act

There is always that time in our life when we do things in haste in response to our emotions. It could be as minor as an impulse purchase in the store checkout line all the way to acting out violently against someone who has hurt us. In the book of Exodus, we see what can only be described as Moses getting God to think twice about destroying the nation of Israel. Exodus 32:10-14 says, "Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened." In short, Moses was successful at getting God to change His mind and not destroy the nation of Israel for making the golden calf. This is an example of how the respect and love one has for another leads to you taking their advice and thinking things through before you act. 

Fish Fry

Who doesn't like to share a meal with their friends? How much of our interactions with friends and family revolve around sharing a meal? If there is a major event to celebrate, there will be a feast involved. Holidays, sporting events, life events, and so on, include food as part of the celebration. In John 21, Jesus had just finished helping the disciples catch some fish. The Lord, intending to reinstate Peter after his denial, prepared a meal for the disciples. "Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish (John 21:10-13)." I wonder what it must have been like to have God cook you breakfast after helping you haul in a bunch of fish? Does it get any more personal than this in a relationship? Having someone prepare a hot meal for you after a long night's work is the epitome of a loving relationship. 

In all of these examples, the underlying theme is love. God is not blessing them for obedience to some command they obeyed. He didn't curse the disciples for not catching any fish. He made them breakfast. The Lord, effectively, said to Moses, "Yes, on second thought, you are correct. I won't destroy My people." He listened to wise counsel. God sat down for a meal with Abraham and then shared His plans with Him. He didn't have to do that but did so because He loved Abraham. It is love that leads to a father and son sharing a moment to name the pets, in this case, the animals of the world. This is what God wants with all of us through faith in Jesus Christ. He forgave our sins and blessed us with Himself, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, so we can have an eternal relationship with Him. When we don't understand this truth, we are left to believe our relationship is based on our church attendance, giving record, battling with sin, our ministry success, and whatever else we feel God commands. That is not living. If that is what God wanted He could have just left us under the Old Covenant and we could proverbially set up camp at the foot of Mount Sanai. But, God has gone from the mountaintop to the cross, through the empty tomb, and into our hearts. Believe this and get to know your God. 

Abandoning Love

Are you a Christian who shares the following observation about the current state of the body of Christ?

"The most basic tenet of Christianity is love; yet, how many Christians, especially in my home country of the United States, actually embrace that tenet? Every day, I see people who claim to be Christ's followers deny other people acceptance into the fold because of what they wear, how they look, and where they are from. The Bible says many will be deceived. I used to think the Church as a whole would be on the right side of things, but now, I wonder if the majority of Christians are the deceived. We cannot follow Christ without love. Has the Church abandoned love for the sake of worldly things such as wealth and [a] political agenda?"

I understand where this person is coming from, in general. However, there is an assumption that the person saying these things understands the subject matter they are addressing. For example, what is a tenet? By definition, a tenet is a "doctrine, principle, or position held as part of a philosophy, religion, or field of endeavor." Do Christians live by tenets? I would say that we do not. Tenets are outside influences designed to modify our behavior. In other words, they are laws. Laws can and do dictate how we act, but they do little to change our hearts. You can motivate a person to behave a certain way through force, manipulation, the promise of rewards, or threat of punishment. What does the recipient of these actions see as your motivation? To me, it would come across as fake and not genuine. Therefore, the desired effect would be lost. 

Continuing on, what does this person mean by "people who claim to be Christ followers?" Basically, it means Christians. But, when I read the phrase "Christ follower," the mental picture is that Jesus Christ is in front of a person, and that person is trying to imitate the actions of the Lord. Once again, this gives the impression that a person is being instructed on how to act instead of living instinctively in response to the Holy Spirit's leading through a changed heart. There is a popular ministry called, "I am Second." The implication is that Jesus or God is "first" in a person's life, and they are "second." However, it is this thought process that robs Christianity and the Gospel of its central meaning. That being, "Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27)." We are not necessarily following Jesus Christ as we are being led by Him from within. Being led symbolizes the idea that Christ is our life, not that He is first and we are second. He changes our hearts, and that changes our behavior. 

Generally speaking, as Christians, we should accept others even if we disagree with them. However, from my experience, what people wear, where they are from, and how they look could indicate what they believe. There is a difference between acceptance and tolerance. Acceptance means that you understand that everybody is different and has different experiences. In this case, you are trying to meet them and forge a bond on agreement points. Whereas tolerance could mean that you could be compromising the truth to get along. If that is the case, then denying people "acceptance into the fold" may have some merit. You cannot have unity with each other "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13)."

The Bible does say that many will be deceived, including Christians. However, this is usually due to unbelievers or believers being led astray by "false Christs and false prophets (Matthew 24:24)" performing signs and wonders. But, to stand in judgment of people in this way without giving examples of what you are determining to be deception can make you out to be the bad guy. Who is to say that the one making the judgment isn't the one who is deceived? The apostle Paul said, "Brothers if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted (Galatians 6:1)."It is this attitude that we should have towards our fellow Christian brothers and sisters. If they are guilty of being deceived and have fallen into sin, go to them and restore them gently, but be on guard to not fall into the same sin. 

There may be a point about the church abandoning "love for the sake of worldly things such as wealth and [a] political agenda." The prosperity gospel comes to mind when mentioning the pursuit of worldly things. Throughout history, the Church has sought to place its mark on society. At times, however, it does seem that Christians equate political agendas with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The idea that God's ability to reach the lost and hurting world with the message of Jesus Christ is tied to political success is not true and a bit arrogant on our part. Politics is the fruit of one's faith, but faith in Jesus Christ is not dependent on the political climate of a given moment in time. Ultimately, we have to define love. Love means different things to different people. As Christians, we have to use God's definition of love and then allow that to dictate how we engage the world around us. 

"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails ... (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)" These attributes of love are examples of the fruit of the Spirit. God shares His love with us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. As we mature in our relationship with God in Christ, we will bear these fruits to the world around us. When we do this, love will not be a tenet that we embrace. It will be a natural expression of a heart changed by an encounter with the living God. A heart changed by God will abandon the world to be a part of God's agenda in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Defining the Terms

"The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple." Psalm 119:130

Most of the arguments and disagreements we experience can be avoided if we would define the meaning of the words we use. The Gospel, forgiveness, and love are three of the most popular subjects in Christianity. They are also three of the most debated topics within the faith. We could avoid many of the disagreements if we asked one question. We could ask, "What do you mean by that?" The answer given to this question helps us define the terms. If we define the terms and agree with them, then we can have a discussion on level ground. 

The Gospel

The Gospel is sin, death, forgiveness, and the restoration of the life of God. However, my experience is that Christians will say that the Gospel is Jesus died for my sins, so I can go to heaven when I die. This is an incomplete description and causes problems when believers discuss the topic. There is an assumption made when the word Gospel is used that everybody understands it in the same way. The problem is that the differences, although they may seem minor, can lead to big problems. The bad news of the Gospel is sin and death. Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden and died spiritually when God removed the Holy Spirit from Adam that God gave him at his creation in Genesis 2:7. 

Most Christians do not even discuss this aspect of the Gospel. To them, the focus is entirely on the sin of Adam, not his spiritual death. This leads to confusion about people being in the "image of God" and barely discussing what is meant by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, aside from it being proof of the Lord's deity and victory over death. Those are two critical factors, but their connection to the Gospel is lost. Salvation is the restoration of the life of God. Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ, there is no salvation. If you ask your average Christian about the reality of the resurrection, I doubt they could tell you its connection to spiritual death. The focus is mainly on the cross. The death of Jesus Christ is essential and necessary to salvation, but it does not save anybody. A key verse to study is 1 Corinthians 15:7. It reads, "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." 

Forgiveness

Speaking of the death of Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of sins may be the most debated subject in Christianity. In short, the confusion on the matter boils down to we are forgiven of all our sins or just those committed before salvation. If our sins are still an issue between God and us, what do we do to obtain forgiveness? I believe that God is no longer counting the sins of the world against us. The Apostle Paul told the Corinthians, "that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:19)." God had to do this to give Christians eternal life. Otherwise, God would remove the Holy Spirit from a believer every time they sin, and we would not have eternal life. When I sin, I thank God for the forgiveness I have and then ask Him to show me why I was not trusting Him when I did sin. If God is still counting our sins against us, what can we do that Jesus Christ didn't already do for us to get forgiven? 

The author of Hebrews said three things regarding forgiveness. Hebrews 9:12 says, "He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption." The death of Jesus Christ was a "once for all" sacrifice that obtained "eternal redemption." Later in the same chapter, we read, "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22)." Whose blood are we going to shed that is equal to the blood of Jesus Christ? Lastly, in the next chapter, it says, "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary (Hebrews 10:17:18)." What sacrifice can we perform that God will accept if He says they are no longer required, and He does not remember our sins? To keep the sin issue alive, we have to violate everything God has said and done for us, in Christ, to remind Him of our sins.

Love

When it comes to the topic of love, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 is a passage that describes God's love for us. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." All we have to ask ourselves is, "Are we always" and then insert each description of love given. It won't be long before we concede that we are not always living up to these attributes of God's love. Some Christians give the impression that love is defined by the world or the people we are trying to express the love of God. 

Love becomes a feeling instead of an action. As long as a person feels good about our interaction with them, it is deemed loving. Unfortunately, this often leaves a person stuck in destructive lifestyles, without the motivation to change or investigate the truths of God. Fear of coming across as judging or dogmatic prevents the truth from coming out. Jesus Christ is the most loving person to ever walk the earth. However, He was falsely accused, abused, abandoned, imprisoned, tortured, and murdered for His actions. Risking condemnation by ruffling a few feathers is the least we can do if it means that we have expressed the truths of God, in love, to someone who needs to experience it. 

Conclusion

The Psalmist reminds us that the teaching of God's word gives light to the point that even the simple can understand it. God is the one who teaches us the meaning of what He has written so we can understand the message He wants to convey. A wise man once said, "If we cannot have agreement, then we can at least have clarity." In other words, as long as we have defined the terms, we can decide on how to proceed with any conversation we engage in even if we are not in agreement. Not all words mean the same thing to everybody. Therefore, we risk not being able to communicate with each other because we didn't take time to define the terms we are going to use. You cannot play a game without first knowing its rules. It is the same way when we wish to discuss any subject in life, including the Word of God. 

Some Restrictions Apply

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:13

In response to Colossians 3:13 being posted on the social media page of a Bible App, I wrote, "Past tense. We were forgiven of all our sins at the cross. There are now no more sins to sacrifice for, seek forgiveness for, or that separate us from God. It is finished. We now forgive others with the forgiveness we have received from our God." As is the case with the open forum of social media, someone took the opportunity to "contribute" to what I wrote. They replied to me by saying, "... and forgiveness is a command, not a choice. Although offenses take many different turns, we as followers of Jesus Christ, forgive our offender and often live with the scars and the hurt, until we can "release it all," to our Savior the best we can, and He can heal our scars if He chooses to! God is Sovereign. He knows it all, from the beginning to the end. Amen! Alleluia!" Most people may just gloss over these comments as being supportive of what I said. However, what I see are the signs of legalism popping up in what was shared. They wrote, "forgiveness is a command, not a choice." This tells me that they are under the law. If you are commanded to do something and don't have a choice as to whether or not you obey that command, then there must be some penalty for disobedience. Furthermore, a command implies that this is directed at a person's flesh and not their heart. They continue with we "live with the scars and the hurt until we can "release it all," to our Savior the best we can ..." To me, this is not someone who appears to ever have found any rest in their soul regarding those who have hurt them. It makes it seem that God is punishing them for being hurt. It is like saying to them, "You have been hurt. Now, go forgive that person for hurting and bear the burden of the pain they have caused you for as long as you can." Where is the love of God? Where is casting your cares on Him? Where is His light burden? But, worst of all is the last part where they say that God "can heal our scars if He chooses!" If He chooses? I know that God told Paul that His grace is sufficient. However, this comment makes it seem like God wants us to suffer or to meet some condition before He relieves us of our suffering. We are too quick to forget that God no longer remembers our sins against Him any longer. If He did remember them then something will eventually have to be done about them. However, we know that the Bible reminds us that when Jesus Christ returns He "will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him (Hebrews 9:28)." God doesn't deal with our sins any longer so we don't have to deal with the sins of those who have sinned against us.

Yes, sins have consequences for us in this life, but that doesn't mean that we are obligated to carry the burden of that sin in our heart until God chooses to "release" us from the heartache. Forgiveness of sins is unconditional. Nowhere in the New Covenant do you see God putting conditions on His forgiveness. That is why Colossians 3:13 says to "forgive as God forgave you." We forgive others with the forgiveness that God has provided to us. That doesn't mean it is easy, but it is possible and it is available. Do you remember when you were a kid and you received a gift? The instructions would often say, "Some Restrictions Apply." That meant that the product you received could only be used a certain way, that you may have to assemble it before using it, or purchase batteries separately. In other words, the product had conditions that had to be met prior to its use. There are no such restrictions with the forgiveness of God. If we are commanded to do anything it is by the Apostle Paul who said for us to "be reconciled" to God. This person I encountered appears to not be reconciled to God; still believing that forgiveness is conditional and that there is something they must first do to experience full reconciliation. This is just a lie. It was with this thought in mind that I responded with the following: "For me, forgiveness is not a command because a command is synonymous with law and I am not under the law. Forgiveness is a fruit of the Spirit. God has forgiven me and now I forgive others with the forgiveness He has provided me in His love. Love is the fulfillment of the law and keeps no record of wrongs. I don't forgive because I'm commanded to do so. I forgive because I want to do it." When you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, He comes to live in you. This life He gives to us is the very life of God that meets the deepest desires of our hearts. One of those desires is the desire to be unconditionally loved. Only God can love us like we require because that is the way He designed us to be. One of the attributes of His love is forgiveness. The neverending quest we have to find love, acceptance, meaning, and purpose to our lives has led us to more failures and more people failing us in an effort to get those same desires met in us. It is in those failures that we sin and are sinned against. But, nothing compares to the sin of rejecting God. Yet, in His love, God has restored us to Himself in Christ Jesus. When you realize how much you have been forgiven you will discover that one of the things you want to do is share that with others. There are no restrictions with His love and forgiveness. There need not be any to apply with those people we encounter in our daily lives who sin against us.

Restore That Person Gently

"Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted." Galatians 6:1

My pastor tells the story of a couple of guys he ran into that were interested in attending our church. They asked him if the people at church would judge them because they smoked, and had the smell of, marijuana. He responded with a question: "Do you believe it is wrong to numb your mind with marijuana?" They agreed that is was wrong. Therefore, he said he did not feel they would experience any problems at church. As far as I know, they never came to church. One of the most debated and controversial subjects in Christianity is the idea of judging others. Can we do it? Is it loving to do so? Are we guilty of judging the motives of others despite not knowing them in most cases? The answer is yes and no. Recently, I was involved in a bit of disagreement over Matthew 7:1, which says, "Do not judge, or you will be judged." This verse is often interpreted by Christians and non-Christians, alike, to mean that we can never judge anybody for any reason. My belief is that in this verse Jesus Christ is saying not to judge another person by a standard that you are unwilling to judge yourself by. However, there are those that judge others with condemnation in mind. If anybody sins they are found worthy of eternal hellfire and shown no mercy. On the other hand there are those that take this verse and use it as a cover for sin, rendering it next to useless to ever call sin a sin. In my conversation, the individual I was speaking with seemed to judge me for saying it is okay to judge and for holding to my belief about the verse. In the middle of our conversation he says, "I do not qualify myself as a righteous judge maybe you do." I laughed and asked, "Didn't you just judge me, right there?" Eventually, we were able to find common ground, but you see my point. I was judged for believing we could judge by someone who says they do not qualify themselves "as a righteous judge." In the example above with my pastor and the guys who smoked marijuana, he made a judgment. Believing marijuana smoking was wrong, he asked them if they agreed that it was. He made a judgment about their behavior as sinful. When they agreed that it was sinful behavior, then they could move on from there regarding attending church. He did not condemn them as dirty, filthy sinners who should be ashamed and are unworthy of his time and attention. Nor did he shy away from the subject with an attitude of "I am not qualified to be a righteous judge" either. Rather, in love, he found a way to find common ground by which he could possibly present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them.

In Galatians 6, Paul begins the chapter by telling Christians that they should gently restore a person trapped in sin. My question is, "If you cannot make a judgment as to whether a person is indeed sinning, how do you restore them?" The core of the Gospel message is for a person to agree that they are not only sinning but that they are sinning because they are dead to God. Furthermore, they are looking to meet the deepest needs of the human heart from sin rather than from God. By chance, if the person trapped in sin feels they are being judged, that is more of a sign that they are not ready to receive God's offer of forgiveness and the restoration of His life because they have not acknowledged their need for any of it.  When a person's heart is ready, they will not need much "judgment" in order to be persuaded that their life of sin is not as rewarding as they once thought it to be. Proverbs 13:15 says, "Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard (KJV)." A life of sin produces rotten fruit. Stay in that sin long enough and the consequences to someone's life are obvious. We all know someone who had a relationship end, suffered financial ruin, endured physical pain, unemployment, homelessness, and all sorts of maladies due to being trapped in sin. Chances are that person was us. Sin leads to a hard life. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, after detailing his struggle with sin, said, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 7:24-25)!" He not only judged his own actions and found himself to be wretched because of them, but he also knew the answer to his misery; Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly (John 7:24).” Judging by mere appearances comes from those that judge hypocritically. They are the ones that Matthew 7:1 is referring to. They are the ones who self-righteously condemn others because they've deceived themselves into believing they are obedient to God in their behavior. However, to judge correctly comes from a heart that looks past the outward appearance and recognizes it is only the fruit, and not the root, of the problem. Outward behavior is often a sign of inward turmoil or inward rest. When you are living by the Spirit of God, He can help you discern this in a person and give you the loving response to minister to the need in their heart after you have moved past the judging of the sin they are trapped in.

A Man Of Few Words

"A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered." Proverbs 17:27

In preparation for a message, he was going to deliver, a friend of mine was reading through some Bible commentaries. When he was about to deliver his message he started by saying this about the commentaries he read, "Never have so many people had so much to say, yet said so little." This is both humorous and insightful. As one who has read commentaries and engaged with Christians, both layman, pastors, and even a cartoonist, I can attest to the idea that what my friend stated is true. There seems to be this belief among certain segments of the faith that the more you say the more sound your argument. For example, one Christian said that "salvation is a process of co-operation between man and God." First off, notice how they make a statement rather than to ask a question. To make a statement gives the impression that whatever follows will be said to support their statement or that they believe nothing needs to be said at all because the statement alone ends all discussion. While, on the other hand, a question invites a dialogue; a conversation and an exchange of ideas. How much does the dynamic change if the person had asked, "Is salvation a process of cooperation between man and God?" Now, you can have a back and forth where you can reason from the scriptures with one another, test the spirits to see if they are from God and search the scriptures to see if what is being said is true. Regarding the statement that this person made about salvation being a "process of co-operation between man and God," they followed with a massive commentary. This commentary contained 14 scripture references, 882 words, 4,963 characters, and was seven paragraphs long! Who wants to sort through all of that like they are studying a Bible commentary themselves? Besides, where do you start to ask clarifying questions? How many rabbit trails do you have to go down to find out where to start your discussion? If you ask a question will the response be another, nearly five thousand word reply? Now, I see what my friend was talking about. Is it too much to ask a person to make their argument in a concise manner? Perhaps, if they are unable to do so, they don't have much an argument to make. It is better to be what is called, "A man of few words." A man of few words is a "person of action rather than words." There is no greater example of this than Jesus Christ. He was able to say little, but communicate exponentially so much more.

"When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit (John 19:30)." Beside the angel saying "He is risen (Matthew 28:6)," "It is finished," might be the most significant words ever said in history. They are the embodiment of God's love for mankind. The death of Jesus Christ means that God will never hold the sins of mankind against us ever again. They mean that all the sacrifices we performed, and continue to perform, are no longer necessary and do not work. They give us permission to approach God with confidence in our time of need. Those words tell us that our salvation cannot be lost and that we have eternal life. John 11:35 simply states, "Jesus wept." While these are not words spoken by Jesus, they are a description of His actions. This is more than just Jesus crying for his dead friend, Lazarus, whom He was about to raise. It also showed His love for those who cared about Lazarus and were suffering over losing him. But, the most significant thing here is that, if you wrote it a different way, you could say, "God cried!" Think of that; God crying. So many people think of God as an emotionless rock in the sky, but here we see the epitome of emotion; tears of sorrow. But, then Jesus does say something just as telling, He approaches the tomb of Lazarus, commands the stone be moved, and then says, "Lazarus, come out (John 11:43)!” Here again, with just a few words, Jesus does the impossible; He raises a man from the grave who had been dead for four days. Last I heard, nobody has done that before or since Jesus Christ. When Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene after His resurrection, Mary did not recognize Him at first. Overcome with grief, assuming His body had been moved, Mary thought Jesus was a gardener at first. Then Jesus simply said, "Mary (John 20:16)!" By just hearing Jesus say her name, Mary's emotions must have run the gamut from disbelief to joy and from joy to pure exhilaration as she ran to tell the disciples that Jesus was alive! Here we have just a few examples of how Jesus was the definition of a man of few words. In at least one instance He didn't say a single word but yet said so much in His silence; letting His actions speak for Him. There is no need for enormous, long-winded commentaries when just a few words will do and the actions of Jesus Christ say even more than a commentary could ever put into words.

That Time When God Was A Slave

"Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being."  Philippians 2:6-7

There are many people who judge God and reject the salvation offered through faith in Jesus Christ because of the presence of slavery in the Bible. In short, they believe that God condones slavery since He didn't consistently destroy slave owners and slave traders at every opportunity. However, what He did was work within the midst of those both practicing it and trapped under it in order to accomplish His plan of salvation. Often times the word slavery is automatically attributed to the harshness of the African slave trade which engulfed the Western world including the United States as if that is the only form of slavery. While that is probably the worst form of slavery, it is not the only version of it. I don't say this to condone or excuse that form of slavery, only to acknowledge that slavery can take many forms. Ironically enough, one of the most memorable stories in scripture is God's deliverance of the Jews from their slavery at the hands of the Egyptians (Africans). This is recorded in Exodus 3-15. As you read it take note of the punishment God inflicts on the Egyptians to get an idea of what He thinks about slavery. However, the other form of slavery mentioned in the Bible is that of a servant or bondservant. This is someone who was paid for their work or voluntarily gave themselves to their master in order to work off a debt they owed or as a form of payment for something the servant desired. For example, Jacob served multiple seven-year stints as a bondservant for Laban in order to marry Rachel (i.e. Genesis 29:20). It is not that God condones or ignores slavery of any kind. It has been said that "harsh slavery was common in the Middle East as far back as ancient Egypt. If God had simply ignored it, then there would have been no rules for the treatment of slaves/bondservants and people could have treated them harshly with no rights. But the God-given rights and rules for their protection showed that God cared for them as well. This is often misconstrued as an endorsement of harsh slavery, which it is not. God listed slave traders among the worst of sinners in 1 Timothy 1:10 (“kidnappers/men stealers/slave traders”). This is no new teaching, as Moses was not fond of forced slavery either: "He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death (Exodus 21:16)." Slavery still continues to this day in some parts of the world and if you include sex-trafficking in that category, it is still a global industry. Remember, God has already destroyed the entire world once, during the global Flood in the days of Noah, because "every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time (Genesis 6:5)." No doubt slavery is the byproduct of the evil within the human heart. If God were to deal with mankind in a similar fashion today, He would have to destroy the earth again and this conversation about slavery would be made mute.

If you are still struggling or concerned that God condones slavery, consider something else about Him. God was a slave. Yes, the Bible tells us that when God became a human being as Jesus Christ, He became a slave. As Philippians tells us, God gave up his divine privileges, humbled Himself, and became a slave. This also points out that we, in many aspects, are still slaves ourselves. We may not be in physical bondage to any particular human being, but we are still bondservants. After all, we are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:16). What did God, in Christ, have to endure as a human being? He was betrayed by Judas for the price of a slave (Luke 22:4-5). He was beaten to the point of disfigurement and beyond human likeness (Isaiah 52:14). He was mocked (Mark 15:20). He was deserted by His friends (Mark 14:50). He was falsely accused (Matthew 26:59-60). He was sentenced to death (John 19:16). This sounds a lot like what happens to people who are slaves. They are abandoned, without hope of rescue; left to the will of those in power, and often times put to death simply because of who they are not what they have done. The only difference in all of this is that human beings are put into slavery out of the wickedness of their slave owners. When it came to God becoming a slave, He did it out of love for the world. It has been said, "The beloved hymn Amazing Grace was inspired by Negro melodies and rhythms that slaves chanted in pain. Its author John Newton, a former slave trader,  heard these melodies and chants of pain and sorrow and out of that came “Amazing Grace” probably the most beloved hymn of the last two centuries." Imagine, if you will, being John Newton. You are on the long, dark voyage from the coast of Africa to the New World. As you sit atop the slave ship the only sound you hear is the crashing of the waves. When, suddenly, the slaves on your boat start to sing one of their sorrow chants as they struggle to cope with their dire and hopeless circumstances. Now, picture the entire human race in place of those slaves. We were like those slaves; hopelessly sailing towards certain doom awaiting us in an eternity separated from our God. Then, suddenly, our God becomes one of us, frees us from our bondage of slavery and steers our boat towards the shores of freedom. That is what our God did for us through His amazing grace. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36)."

All your Heart, Soul, and Strength

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."  Deuteronomy 6:5

Have you ever heard it said that "To love God is to enjoy God’s sustained favor"? In order to enjoy God's sustained favor, it is said that to love God with all your heart means "without one’s will, desires, passions, affections, perceptions, and thoughts rightly aligned, the life of love is impossible." When it comes to loving God with all our soul, "we are to love God with our passions, hungers, perceptions, and thoughts. But we are also to love him with how we talk, and what we do with our hands, and how we utilize our talents, and how we react to challenges — our entire being is to display that we love God." But, it doesn't stop there. We are also to love God with all our strength as well. "This means that the call to love God is not only with our physical muscle, but with everything we have available for honoring God — which includes our spouse, our children, our house or dorm room, our pets and wardrobe and tools and cell phones and movies and music and computers and time." To sum it all up, we are told "that every closet of our lives needs to be opened for cleaning, and every relationship in our lives must be influenced. This call to love God this way destroys any option of being one person at church and another person on a date. What you do on the internet needs to be just as pure as what you do in Bible-reading. The way we talk to our parents needs to be as wholesome as the way we talk to our pastors." Deuteronomy 6:5 has been deemed the "Supreme Command" or the "all-command" because of the threefold "all" to love God with all your heart, soul, and strength. Often times when a verse like this is read, the reaction by those hearing it is usually to respond with a hearty, "Amen!" From my experience when verses like this and others that command us to love God and live a certain way are proclaimed, everybody seems to assume that they are loving God and living in the way in which He is commanding them to do. However, if you were able to pull them aside and ask them individually if they are loving God with all their heart, soul, and strength, they would probably reply with something like, "I do my best." In other words, what they are really saying is, "No, I am not loving God with all my heart, soul, and strength." This is, actually, a good thing that they recognize this, but based on their belief that God expects them to live up to His command, they either continue to recommit to trying to live this way, or they live in quiet shame; afraid the God they so dearly want to love is disgusted and ashamed with them. All they have to do is keep reading in Deuteronomy 6 to gain more insight into the so-called "Supreme Command."

The first thing to realize is that God gave this command to the nation of Israel. But, that never seems to stop Christians from trying to obey commands that were never given to us in the first place. But, I digress. How do you love God with all your heart, soul, and strength? It is by "keeping all his decrees and commands (Deuteronomy 6:2)." Otherwise, you will face His wrath for your disobedience. Neither Israel before or a Christian now can love God like this. All of God's decrees and commands were designed to focus on the individual's fleshly behavior. It is up to the individual, in the energy of their own strength, to find ways to obey all of these commands with the promise of physical blessings for obedience or terrible punishments, including death, when you fail. Furthermore, God never promised that He would love you if you somehow found a way to obey all his decrees and commands. Neither did He promise you eternal life for your obedience. The appeal in trying to love God with all your heart, soul, and strength, is the physical rewards and the ability to boast about your accomplishment. There is not a person alive who wouldn't want all the physical blessings God promises for obedience or the ego boost for telling others about what they did. Unfortunately, there is one problem; us. "For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said: “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah (Hebrews 8:7-8)." God found fault with the people. There is nothing wrong with the law, but everything wrong with our ability to obey it. God designed the law to lead us to faith in Christ by revealing to us that the only way we could enter His Kingdom was through His grace and mercy. In Matthew 19, a rich man asked Jesus what he must do to get eternal life. After Jesus finished His reply to him with the famous verse, "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24),” the disciples asked Him, "Who then can be saved (Matthew 19:25)?" Jesus replied, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).” This question to, and response of, Jesus is the key to all the discussion about loving God with all your heart, soul, and strength. It is impossible for us to do so. God wants us to understand that He told us to do this so we would realize that we cannot. Therefore, when we reach that point, we are ready to accept His grace and mercy through faith in Jesus Christ. He is the one who did for us what we cannot do. God loved us with all His heart, soul, and strength, in Christ. That is why it says, "We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19)" and that "love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10)." It is not about our futile effort to obey God's decrees and commands to show our love for Him. Our love for God is shown in our resting in the finished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf, receiving God's love for us, and bearing the fruit of His love to the world.

Compassion and Comfort

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.  For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ." 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

The pain of a wound is often enough punishment. As a kid, do you remember horsing around, doing something you were told not to do, but did anyway, and got injured? There is always somebody around, probably one of your friends, who will say something like, "That's what you get!" for being disobedient. Maybe you got hurt doing something that you struggled with not doing, but could not overcome the temptation to continue in the activity. Despite your friend seemingly relishing in your pain, nothing compares to the fear of punishment that is awaiting you when your parents find out. But, what do you often find when you get home? You may get the, "What happened to you?" question. Most parents, being discerning, will already know what you did, but will still ask, "Were you doing [fill in the blank] again?" You will sheepishly admit to your "sin" and await the wrath of your parents, but then something else happens. Your parents will probably say, "Come here. Let me take a look at that" or "Let's get you cleaned up." While they are cleaning up your wound, they will take the time to reiterate why you should not have engaged in that activity. Perhaps, they will ask, "Are you going to do that again?" As the child, you will probably commit to never doing it again, if for no other reason than to avoid getting hurt again. Time will tell. Your parents may add insult to injury and punish you in some additional way, but most likely they will conclude that the pain and embarrassment from getting hurt are more than enough penalty. Damage is done. Lesson learned. Let's move on. When it comes to the Christian life, we have all experienced times where we were trapped in some sort of sin. Yes, we knew it was wrong to engage in it, but we did so anyway. Yes, we knew it could cause us some sort of pain; physically, mentally, financially, emotionally or all of the above. Yet, we still did it. Unfortunately, for many Christians, it seems all they have around them are those "friends" mentioned earlier. Only, in this case, it is their so-called brothers and sisters in Christ who only come with a spiritual version of "That's what you get," or "I told you so." They are the ones who only focus on the sin and how disappointed God (your Spiritual Parent) will be for your actions. They will be the ones who will tell you that you must "want to overcome" your sin, identify the sins you want to overcome, replace the cause of your sin, meditate on living by what God says is right, pray for God’s help to remember the right response, begin living the right way, and don't give up. Generally speaking, these will just lead to a person being trapped in that sin or other sins because the entire focus is on sin and trying to live the right way in order to overcome their sin.

When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth about the God of all comfort, he reminded them to focus on the parental aspect of God by calling Him, "the Father of compassion." Compassion means "to love" or to some extent, to "pity" someone. When the parent looks at the child who was disobedient, fell into sin and hurt themselves, their response to the child originates in their love for that child. It led them to take pity on the child and comfort them. Since God is the Father of compassion, His first action towards His children, as believers in Jesus Christ, is to show His love towards us. The ultimate expression of His love is forgiveness. In fact, as the passage above states, "we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." We receive God's comfort because He is not holding our sins against us. He has forgiven us. Therefore, we can approach Him, like He is our loving parent, and be nursed back to health. Instead of getting techniques which are designed to get us to do what is right and avoid what is wrong, which is the definition of being under the law, our focus is on God, who He is and all we are in Him. The first way will only lead to us falling on our face again because "the power of sin is the law (1 Corinthians 15:56)." The more we focus on sin, the more sin controls us. It is not an act of love, nor is it comforting, to be instructed on how to be mastered by the very sins you are struggling to overcome. This is not to say to ignore sin, but to realize that as you focus on your God, those sins you struggle with will start to dissipate as a byproduct of receiving God's grace, love, and forgiveness. In short, if you are focused on God, you are not focused on sin. When we are able to be with God, knowing our sins are not being held against us, we can then discover why we chose to sin instead of trusting Him. The goal of the Christian life is not to stop sinning. The goal of the Christian life is to start trusting God. It is in this discovery that you are then able to comfort others with the comfort you have received. There is no comfort in receiving condemnation for our sins. There is no compassion in telling people they must rely on finding ways to get their flesh under control. The pain and suffering we experience when we sin remind us of what Jesus Christ went through on our behalf when He died for our sins. Furthermore, because He lovingly took our sins upon Himself, we can now approach God with confidence, in our time of need, to receive His compassion and comfort. And that is why we say, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

What the World needs Most

A Buddhist monk was asked to describe what is a miracle. He replied, "What does this world need the most? It needs healing, love ... it needs reconciliation. I think that's a miracle. That's the miracle we need... So let's stick to the real miracle which is to transform the human mind." Little does this monk know, but he is describing the work of Jesus Christ and doesn't even know it. Buddhists, in general, and Buddha, in particular, do not believe in the existence of God. Rather, they believe in things like an "enlightened consciousness" and Jesus Christ, unfortunately, is not a part of their worldview. However, this monk does seem to recognize what the world needs, but doesn't go far enough in his explanation.

Healing

The Bible is full of examples of miraculous healings. The majority of the focus when it comes to healings are the physical healings. If you simply look at the miraculous healings that Jesus performed during His earthly ministry you have the blind seeing, lame walking, lepers cured and the deaf hearing (Matthew 15:30; Luke 7:21-22) and numerous other similar miracles. There is, however, a different type of healing that only Christians experience, but is available to the entire world. The Bible tells us, "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5)." There is no greater healing than that which occurred when Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world. The debt of sin we owed to God, but could not pay, separated us from Him for thousands of years. But, now, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God is no longer counting our sins against us. Therefore, we can now receive Christ's offer of salvation which will begin the healing of our hearts toward God and, subsequently, with our fellow man.

Love

One of the greatest needs of the human heart is for unconditional love. God put this desire in our hearts because only He can meet that need in Himself through faith in Jesus Christ. The dictionary definition of love is "an intense feeling of deep affection." We may think of this in terms of the love we feel for a significant other or maybe for a child. While that is fine, the Bible describes love as something different. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)." Test yourself. Are you always patient, kind, etc? Of course not. This is a description of the love of God. If you are a Christian, you will begin to experience the love of God meet the desire for it in your heart. And as it grows in you, you will begin to love others as God, in Christ, is loving you. As the world sins against you, God's love will begin to be expressed through you. When you are presented with the opportunity to be impatient, unkind, envious, boastful, proud, dishonorable, self-seeking, easily angered, and to keep records of wrongs, you won't want to do that. It is when this starts happening that you realize you are bearing God's love He is producing in and through you. This will, in turn, begin to change the people around you as you become a living witness of Jesus Christ.

Reconciliation

Reconciliation is an accounting process that uses two sets of records to ensure figures are correct and in agreement. It confirms whether the money leaving an account matches the amount that's been spent, ensuring the two are balanced at the end of the recording period. In other words, there is no debt outstanding that remains to be paid. In 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, the Bible says, "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 people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God." From God's point of view, the "books" are balanced. We owed God our lives as payment for our sins. But, our sins are so terrible that our death would be insufficient as payment. Only the death of God would be sufficient as payment for our sins. That is why, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)." Jesus Christ did for us what we could not do for ourselves in order to balance the books with God on our behalf. That is why we are implored to be reconciled to God. The debt of sin is paid and our sins no longer separate us from God. Believe it. Be reconciled.

Transform the Human Mind

In Romans 12:1-2, we read, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." To renew your mind is to transform it. The key to remember is that this doesn't happen through the sheer will or determination of the individual, but only through the presentation of ourselves to God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to use us as He sees fit. We become living sacrifices; offering ourselves to God to do His work through us. As Christians, because God lives in us, we have "the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16)." And because we have the mind of Christ, we will know what it means to be healed by, loved by and reconciled to, our God. As we go out into the world, we will be able to share these things with those we encounter in hopes that some will turn to Jesus Christ by faith and be saved.

The monk recognizes the miracle the world needs most. Unfortunately, he doesn't recognize the only One that has provided that miracle; Jesus Christ.

Condemned Already

"Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." John 3:18

A Christian apologist was taking questions about God when someone asked him about free will. This is how he responded. "Ladies, is there anybody in here who's ever had a man pursue you and you did not want that man to pursue you; you did not want to date him? Anyone in here? Of course [hands go up] ... Okay ladies, suppose this man continues to pursue you and continues to pursue you. You say, 'I only like you as a friend.' Ladies, why don't you just take the knife, stick it in, and turn it [laughter]. Because every man in here has heard this; I like you, but only as a friend. Well, suppose that he continues to pursue you, continues to pursue you, continues to pursue you. And he gets to the point where he says, "Look, I love you so much, I am going to force you to love me! Can he do that? No, he can't do that. Love, by definition, must be freely given. So, if he truly did love you, what would he do? He would leave you alone. That's exactly what God does. He keeps sending us cards, letters and flowers while we're here. And if we keep rejecting Him, keep rejecting Him, He gives us up to our own desires. And that, ultimately, is what Hell is; Hell is separation from God. So, you're free in Hell.You can continue to reject God in Hell. But, you are confined to Hell. In fact, Hell is a quarantine of evil. And Heaven, of course, is being in the very presence of God. God loves you too much to force you into His presence against your will." One of the rejections often put forth by unbelievers is that they cannot believe in a God that will send someone to Hell for not believing in Him. This same Christian spoke of a debate he had with an atheist. The atheist said to him, "My mother was a survivor of the Holocaust. She lived an awful life. Somebody presented her with the Gospel and she rejected it. Is she in Hell right now?" It doesn't get any more direct than that. The Christian said, "I don't know where your mother is. I don't know if she made a profession of faith in her last moments. But, if she didn't, then God will not force her into His presence against her will. God is too loving for that." That is a good answer. When I heard the question the atheist asked, I thought to myself, what he is really saying is that I won't believe in a God that allowed my mother to go through hell on earth and then sent her to Hell because she didn't believe in Jesus Christ. He is not only judging God, he doesn't realize that the whole reason people suffer is because we, in Adam, rejected God and sin entered the world.

Everybody knows John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." In fact, it may be the most well-known words ever spoken in human history. But, how many people, especially unbelievers, know John 3:18? In this verse, Jesus clearly says that those who do not believe in Him are "condemned already." In other words, you may be physically alive and have not believed in Jesus Christ as your savior, but your "reservation," if you will, has already been made in Hell. Through His sinless life, death on the cross for the sins of the world and resurrection from the dead, to offer us the life of God, Jesus has done everything for us, except for one thing. He can't make you believe in Him. God doesn't send anybody to Hell. If a person ends up in Hell, it is their fault, not His. He has left the door to salvation wide open. All a person has to do is walk through it. But, many people don't want to. They have their own ideas about who God should be and how life should be. And because the truth of the Gospel doesn't match up, they reject it, to their demise. I could imagine the conversation between the atheist and God, assuming the atheist never comes to faith in Jesus, and his mother is not in Heaven. It may go something like this. Atheist: "How could You allow my mother to suffer so much in the Holocaust and then send her to Hell for not believing in Jesus Christ?" God: "How could you and your mother not accept My Son when He died for you, your mother, the Nazis and the entire world? I wanted You all to be here with Me, but you did not want to be here." Jesus said, "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).'" Hell was made for the devil and his angels, not for man! But, if you reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God has nowhere else to put you. The Apostle Peter wrote, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)." He clearly says that God does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. God doesn't want you to go to Hell, He wants you to change your mind about Jesus Christ and believe the Gospel. The suffering that we all go through, to one degree or another, is designed to get us to focus on eternal things; things above as the Bible calls it. Unfortunately, for some, they believe that life should not be one of suffering. And instead of blaming sin, they continue to reject God because they don't want His love. God will have given them exactly what they wanted and they will have an eternity to think about it.

For the Bible tells me so

How often have you heard something like this preached to you? "To submit is to yield to the will and control of another, and, with reference to Christians, it is yielding to the will and control of Jesus Christ. This means that when Scripture commands believers to love one another (John 15:17), that is what is to be done. It means that when Scripture says we are not to commit adultery or steal (Exodus 20:14-15), these things are not to be done. It should be understood that submission, or obedience to the commands of God, is related to Christian growth and maturity, and is not related to becoming a Christian." Let me ask you a question, "How often are your actions genuine if you are responding to a "command"? Often times they are not. We may obey a command, but it is often done for one of two reasons; the promise of rewards for doing so or to avoid punishment for not doing what you're commanded. The willingness of your heart to do these things is not even a factor. Take for example the subject of adultery. If you are married, do you stay faithful to your spouse because the Bible says, "You shall not commit adultery (Exodus 20:14)" or because you love your spouse and don't want to commit adultery? Is your motivation for not stealing based on the fact the Bible says, "You shall not steal (Exodus 20:15)" or because you are content with what you have and don't want to steal? Do you love another person because Jesus said, "This I command you, that you love one another (John 15:17)" or because you are being loved by your God and bearing the fruit of the Spirit to those in your life? If we are living our lives by "commands," there is the idea, at least to some extent, that it doesn't matter if we want to or not, just that we behave and do it. Furthermore, when something is not from the heart, i.e. natural, it is not only difficult to do it is equally difficult to convince the one on the receiving end of your action that it is, indeed, authentic. Besides, what is the penalty for disobeying a command? From a worldly standpoint, the penalties for adultery and theft are obvious; destroyed marriages and imprisonment for starters. If you are a respected individual in your church, you may lose any ministry position you have, get shamed and, perhaps, even have your faith in Jesus questioned. But, what about God's opinion?

Since we are focusing on what the Scripture says, let's take a look at what God has to say about how we are to live. Regarding love, it says, "We love, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19)." When it comes to adultery, we read, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25)." As for stealing; "Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need (Ephesians 4:28)." The common thread in all of these verses is love. The love a Christian expresses doesn't come from a physical response to a command to do so, but from a changed heart stemming from the indwelling Holy Spirit of God making us a "new creation" in Christ. Scripture clearly states, "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law (Galatians 5:18)." A command, no matter how it is presented, is a law and Christians are not under any law; God's or otherwise. The law only stirs up more sin (1 Corinthians 15:56) and is a ministry of death and condemnation (2 Corinthians 3:7-9). The exact thing that people are saying to do, obey the commands of God, will only lead to those things, sin and condemnation, they are trying to avoid by being "obedient" to God's commands. The end result is a life of fear as you soon realize you are not obeying God and that He must be disgusted with you. But, Scripture says, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love (1 John 4:18)." God wants us to rest in His love and finished work, not live in fear, condemnation and expecting punishment. God did not create mankind to live in obedience to His commands. He created mankind to rest in His love and be led by His Spirit. That is why Scripture says, "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10)." Love is the fulfillment of the law. In other words, love is the fulfillment of God's commands. When you are loving your neighbor, you will not be sinning with or against them because you don't want to. Therefore, among other things, you will not be coveting their spouse or their property, which means you will not be committing adultery or stealing. John 15:17 and Exodus 20:14-15 will be fulfilled because you are resting in God's love, not trying to obey His commands. And when you are not focusing on your attempts to be obedient, you can focus on God and begin to grow and mature in the knowledge of Him.

Academic Probation

"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16

If my memory is correct, I was placed on academic probation during my junior year in college. The problem stemmed from me being in a major I did not enjoy and struggled to understand; Accounting. Given the fact that I was a pretty good student back in High School, one of the main obstacles facing me was pride. How could I admit that I was doing poorly when I am supposed to be this smart guy? There was also a lot of fear. What will my parents say if they find out that all the money being spent on school is going to waste? Also, since I didn't enjoy school much, the prospect that I may have to spend more time and money in order to graduate someday didn't sit well with me. Eventually, I remember speaking to my parents about it and they simply said similar words to, "If you need to come home and go to a smaller school, then we will do that." So much for being afraid to tell my parents. There was no condemnation. guilt trip or anything, just a rational and loving response. As far as school went, what I ended up doing was meeting with the Dean of the Business School. He realized that I had not been a problem student and allowed me to switch majors. The accounting classes that I did pass were switched to my electives and then I only had to take four core classes to satisfy the requirements to get my degree. Not only did I graduate with a degree in Marketing, I did so on time; within four years. Long story short, everything worked out. My point in all of this is how fear and uncertainty can paralyze us and, ultimately, keep us in the bad situations we find ourselves in where they will only get worse. Have you ever experienced a time when you were afraid to tell somebody about a bad situation because of the apparent consequences that you believed you would have to endure? Eventually, things can get so bad that the truth comes out anyway.Then those people who would have been able to help can no longer help or the price to pay to fix the situation is higher. Normally, the people who wonder why you didn't ask for help will say something like, "Why didn't you come to us sooner?" There is really no good answer, but our response usually has something to do with being afraid of the consequences, that we didn't want to disappoint others, we wanted to avoid punishment or maybe we just thought things would work themselves out on their own. No matter how much a parent loves us, we still get it in our heads we can't talk to them about our problems. Although, I knew the Dean of the Business School knew my circumstances and could help me out, I delayed going to him. There is this fear of "authority" that keeps us from finding answers and direction to problems in our life.

When it comes to God, are we any different? Christians hear all the time that God loves us. We know that the Scriptures tell us He will never leave us or forsake us. Yet, we focus on His wrath and it paralyzes us from approaching Him. One may look through the Old Testament and see page after page of Man's failure and God's wrath. He kicked Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. Cain was left to be a fugitive and vagabond by God. The entire earth was destroyed by God except for the family of Noah. The people of the earth were scattered and had their language confused at the Tower of Babel. Sodom and Gomorrah were wiped from the face of the earth. We see story after story of this from Genesis to Malachi. And why did God do all of this? It was punishment for the sins of the people. Therefore, our fear of God and the consequences for our sins would seem justified, right? Wrong. "And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight ...(Colossians 1:21-22)." It is what we believe in our minds that make us feel separated from God and afraid of His wrath. I was afraid of speaking to my parents and to the Dean because of what I believed in my mind. However, in reality, there was nothing separating me from them. They didn't hold my "sin" of performing poorly in school against me. My parents supported me and the Dean gave me a plan to work. With God, He is no longer holding our sins against us. Therefore, there is no wrath awaiting us. He has cleared a path for us to Him that we only need to walk through in order to speak to Him. It was through the death of Jesus Christ that any punishment for our sins was taken away for eternity. Now, we can confidently approach God in our time of need in order to experience His grace and mercy. It is then that He can love us, support us and give us direction in life. He won't kick us out of His presence, but will never leave us or forsake us. We are not homeless and hiding from Him because He has made a place for us. He won't wash us away in the flood waters because He has washed away our sins with the blood of Jesus' sacrifice. We are not scattered from His presence and can understand His language because, in Christ, He said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (John 10:27)." He won't destroy us for our sins like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah because He tells us, "And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:11)." If you are afraid of God because of your sins, there is something you are believing that is incorrect. it is time that you renew your mind on the truth so you can approach God with confidence and live your life free from the fear of God's wrath. 

Love and Love More

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26

I recently had the privilege of speaking with a military veteran from the Vietnam War who was a double recipient of the Purple Heart. As we chatted, the conversation briefly turned to religion. This led the gentleman to say, "I asked a pastor once, 'If God loves me, why should I fear him?' The pastor didn't have an answer." I chimed in with,"There are two kinds of fear; fear that makes you afraid and fear that means you respect someone's power." Continuing, I mentioned that if you are a Christian the fear you have is one of awe and respect at who God is. However, if you are not a Christian you should be afraid of what happens to those who don't believe.. He said, "I have never heard that before."  Hopefully, God can use what I said. However, his question was a good one. How often have we heard people say, "Why would a loving God send a person to Hell?" The short answer is that God doesn't send anybody to Hell. Rather, a person chooses to go to Hell because they reject God and His offer of salvation, found only in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ said, "Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41)." God originally created Hell for the devil and his angels, not for man. However, for those who reject Jesus Christ as their savior, He hasn't created any other place for them to go. But, often times people get confused by verses that suggest God does not love them, when He says He does, and that they should be afraid of Him. In Luke 14:26, Jesus seems to be saying that in order to be His disciple, you must hate your mother, father, wife, children, brothers, sisters and your own life. Not only does this seem harsh, it also appears to contradict the Mosaic Law where it says, "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you (Exodus 20:12)." However, Jesus is using something called a Hebraic idiomatic expression. An idiom is an expression, a term, or a phrase whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal definitions and the arrangement of its parts. In this case, Jesus is using it as a way to establish and define the magnitude of what He is talking about; love. He is not saying you should hate your father and mother, etc.

For example, in Genesis 29:30-35, it reads, "So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years. When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi. And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased bearing."  Leah gave birth to four of Jacob's sons. Normally, if a man hates a woman, they are probably not engaging in this type of behavior on a consistent basis to the point where they are having children. When the scripture says that Leah was "hated," it isn't as if Jacob didn't want anything to do with her and wanted her out of his life. It doesn't mean he hated her at all. What it means, and the scripture confirms, is that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. Therefore, when Jesus says that the price of being His disciple is to hate your parents, loved ones and yourself, He is saying that you should love Him to the point that, in comparison, it would look like you hated these other things. You love your family and friends, but you love Him more. With all this in mind you can now have a clearer picture as it relates to how a loving God can allow someone to go to Hell. God loves those who reject Him and His offer of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. He doesn't hate them. But, He loves those who accept His offer of salvation more. This is summed up nicely in John 3:16. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." God loves those who don't believe in His Son, Jesus. He just loves those who do believe in His Son more. Those who believe have eternal life. Those who don't believe, perish.

Inside Out

"Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed,to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men." Titus 3:1-2

How often are Christians encouraged with words like duty when it comes to living our lives? As one author puts it, regarding the above passage from Titus, "The first two duties—submission to government and obedience to all human authority ... are just one more reminder that Christians have certain requirements of attitude and conduct in relation to their secular leaders." As the author earlier puts it, "Paul simply followed the Lord's model..." Requirements of "attitude and conduct" and following the "Lord's model" are, in my opinion, not so subtle ways in which to put a Christian under some sort of law. Otherwise, why would he say, "The first two duties"? This means there are more duties to come. It may not be a law designed to earn God's blessings or to obtain a right-standing before Him, but they are still laws designed to modify our behavior in order for Christians to somehow win unbelievers and secular society to the Lord. While there is nothing wrong with good behavior, the motivation for this behavior seems to only come from obedience to laws. In other words, God has shown you how to act so you should respond accordingly regardless of whether or not you want to do it. If we are required to behave a certain way that is a law. What if I don't live up to these requirements of attitude and conduct? Is there a penalty? Furthermore, did Paul follow the "Lord's model"? Jesus is God. God's standard of "attitude and conduct," if I am to use Jesus as a "model," is perfection. After all, didn't Jesus say, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48)." We can't "model" our behavior after Jesus no matter how hard we try. In fact, it was Paul who said, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do (Romans 7:15)." These aren't the words of a man who is successfully modeling his life after Jesus. Duties, requirements and modeling our thoughts and actions after a standard impossible to duplicate is trying to change our behavior from the outside in; here's a way to act now go and do likewise. That is not Christian living at all and will only end up turning the watchful eye of secular society against us as they see our hypocrisy when we cannot live up to the standards we claim we are living by.

If you look closely at the passage from Titus 3, what does it remind you of? It reminds me of the "fruit of the Spirit." "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23)." When I am receiving the love of God, He created me to receive by trusting in and relying on the indwelling Holy Spirit, I will bear the fruit that He is producing in and through me. It becomes easier to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle and show consideration for all men because the origin of my behavior is the Spirit of God loving me. The behaviors spoken of in Titus 3 are in many ways acts of love. God is the ultimate ruler and authority to be obedient to and when I am loving others the way He is loving me, then I won't have to be told how to act towards those in charge or my fellow man. My "attitude and conduct" originates from the inside out. Receiving God's love for me, through my faith in Jesus Christ, means I am at peace with Him. When I am at peace with my God then I can respond to the truth He is revealing to me and, in turn, share that with the secular world. I am subject to rulers and authorities because I am subject to the ultimate Ruler and Authority. I am obedient because I am obedient to Him. I am ready for every good deed because He has prepared the works for me to walk in. I don't malign others because He has restored Himself to me and built me up in love. I am gentle because He is gentle with me as His child. I am considerate of all men because He is attentive, thoughtful and kind towards me. That is why the scripture says there is no law which can produce these things because they come from God, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, not from the flesh, through responding to the law.