God is Kind

Psalm 104:13-14 NLT

“The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.”

The God of the Bible is kind. He is tenderhearted and understanding. He knows me more deeply than anyone else knows me, including myself. He is not against me. I can fully trust Him with my heart. 

When I rebel against my Heavenly Father or wander away from Him, what is the only sensible thing to do? There was once a son who wandered away from his father and lived a life of sin and foolishness. His decisions brought him to utter ruin. Then, at his low point, listen to what happens…

“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’ (Luke 15:17-19)

The only sensible thing to do when I have wandered from God is to go back to Him. Trying to numb the pain won’t work. Trying to help myself won’t work. Turning to any other comfort won’t work. The only thing I can possibly do that will really help me is to go back to the One who loves me more than any other! And that is my Heavenly Father.

What keeps us from going back to our Father? I think too often, we confuse our Father with someone else. We think maybe He’s going to be cross-armed and angry if we come back to Him. How could He possibly accept us and welcome us back into His love after all we have done? We expect the Father to react like the older brother. 

In the above story of Luke 15, the prodigal son had an older brother. This brother had never left their father. Nevertheless, this older brother was not ready to joyfully receive his younger brother back into the home. He was angry and resentful when his younger brother came back home. Let me be absolutely clear: this is not God! This is not God’s heart! 

When the prodigal comes home, listen to the father’s reaction…

“Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’” (Luke 15:20-24)

The father was ready to welcome his son back with joy and open arms! In the same way, God will not turn away His children who come back to Him. The Lord is kind, compassionate, and merciful. When I have nothing left to stand on, I can fall on His grace! And I will receive a kindness like no other when I do!

All praise, all honor, all glory be to God forever in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Amen and amen! 

Our Attitude Toward the Sin of Lust

Job 31:1 ESV

“I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?”

I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think we’ve quite understood the meaning of holiness. And I don’t think we’ve quite understood the fear of the Lord. 

“Yeah, lust is bad.” “Yeah, porn is bad.” “Yeah, I need to set more boundaries for purity.”

So we say. But we would probably be more concerned if we spilled water on our shirt. Listen to what Job says: “I have made a covenant with my eyes!” Job doesn’t even want to look at a woman the wrong way! Is he taking lust too seriously? Does he need to chill out? Listen to what he goes on to say… 

“What would be my portion from God above and my heritage from the Almighty on high? Is not calamity for the unrighteous, and disaster for the workers of iniquity? Does not he see my ways and number all my steps?” (Job 31:2-4)

Simply put, the sin of lust displeases God. And since God sees all of man’s ways and numbers all his steps, Job doesn’t want to risk compromising his integrity before his creator. He takes it dead serious, because it’s a dead serious matter. He then says something really shocking…

“If my heart has been enticed toward a woman, and I have lain in wait at my neighbor’s door, then let my wife grind for another, and let others bow down on her.” (Job 31:9-10)

Job is effectively saying he’s ready to lose his own wife before he becomes an adulterer! He doesn’t even want his heart to be enticed by another woman, and so he is taking great pains to guard his heart. This is another level of dedication. This is another level of being holy—set apart for God! 

Are we there yet, friends? Are we at the point of hating sin so much that we guard our eyes? Are we at the point of hating sin so much that we take our stray thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ? Let’s change our passive approach to sin and begin fighting it with godly aggression!

Some action steps to take:

1) We need to change the way we view men/women. Here’s a statement I wrote to help me:

This person is an image-bearer of God, fearfully and wonderfully made. By God’s grace, I will honor them and protect them. By God’s grace, I will love them as my own brother/sister.

Write your own statement as to how you want to view men and women. Make this something easy you can memorize and recite when tempted or out in public. 

2) Don’t make a vow, but decide within yourself that you will bounce your eyes (look away) when you see someone or something that could trigger you toward lust. Here’s a prayer I pray that helps me do this:

Dear Lord, help me bounce my eyes, bounce my thoughts, guard my heart, and honor you in everything I think, say, and do. In Jesus’ name, amen!

This prayer is highly effective when I’m out in public, and especially when prayed with a brother/sister in Christ. 

3) When your thoughts are entering territory that is lustful or not honoring to your fellow human, take action! Dustin Daniels suggests three key steps: flee, pray, and confess. [1]

Flee the scene, like how Joseph fled from Potiphar’s wife. 

Pray to God for help, asking Him for strength. 

Confess your temptation to a trusted friend in Christ, asking them to pray for you. 

Temptation is not sin, and so confessing your temptation is not the same as confessing sin. Confessing temptation is a means of helping you avoid falling into sin. The prayer of a friend can be a very powerful safeguard against lust!

Lust is a deadly sin. But by God’s grace, it can be overcome! If you’ve been struggling with it, please reach out to me personally. I’d love to talk with you and share what has helped me overcome this sin. What is impossible with man is possible with God!

And so dear friends, I encourage you to persevere: onward and upward, with grace and grit! All praise, all honor, all glory be to God forever in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Amen and amen!

Sources:

[1] Daniels, D. (2018). The sex spiral: Forgiven and free from pornography. Ambassador International. 

Rise Up & Stand Firm!

Proverbs 24:16 ESV

“For the righteous falls seven times and rises again.”

This is one of the things that I have to come to grips with: I am not perfect. I make mistakes. More than that, I sin. I need Jesus just as much as anybody else. There’s no point in pretending anything different. And that’s okay! 

Jesus didn’t come to redeem perfect people. If I don’t face or open up to my own errors, it causes pain. If I don’t take responsibility for my actions, it causes pain. To overcome in life, I need to face reality, accept, and admit where I am. 

Then there’s another thing I have to come to grips with: I am still chosen! Men may have rejected me, but God has not! God still has a plan for me. He still has a purpose for me. He will not abandon me! He is in the process of perfecting and refining me. 

However, I must be willing to face whatever God wants me to face. I cannot take the easy way out. My resolve must be to do God’s will. The good news, however, is that it does not have to happen in my own strength. I can humble myself before God and ask for His strength to work in me and through me. 

I can pray Psalm 119:33-37:

“Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.” 

God is good at coming through when we turn to Him! In His strength, I am able to overcome the power of darkness and live a life pleasing to Christ. But it takes a willingness to do things God’s way! I admit my faults. But I also take courage in this: God says I am so much more than my faults! 

So I will not let defeat get the better of me. I will not let rejection get the better of me. I will not let mistakes get the better of me. BECAUSE I AM NOT DEFEATED. I AM NOT REJECTED. AND I AM NOT A MISTAKE! God chose me. He called me. He has empowered me. AND BECAUSE OF HIM, I HAVE WHAT IT TAKES! 

And so it’s time to rise up from the ashes and keep walking the road less traveled! Onwards and upwards! With grace and grit! 

All praise, all honor, all glory be to God forever in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Amen and amen!

Zeal as a Mask for Laziness?

 

Matthew 22:36-40 NIV

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 

Loving God is not enough. This is crucial to grasp, despite how obvious it might seem. I can attest for myself that I’ve often failed to make a distinction between loving God and loving my neighbor. I’ve often heard the sentiment that loving my neighbor is an extension of my love for God. While this is true, it does not happen without mature and intentional pursuit on my part.

The fact is that I can be really on fire for God and in awe of His goodness, yet at the same time, not love my neighbor as I should. Paul writes, “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Cor. 13:2). What this means is that I can lack proper love while being tremendously spiritually gifted. 

How many tremendously gifted teachers in the church have we seen fall and get disqualified from ministry? Too many! Many of these fallen leaders would preach passionately and with fidelity to the gospel. And it would seem like they really loved God. I don’t want to question their sincerity, but I can’t help but wonder if they stopped short of fully loving other people as themselves? 

Loving my neighbor requires a conscious and intentional effort that I build on top of my love for God. In a similar way to how I can pursue deeper intimacy with God, I can also pursue growth in my love for other people. It doesn’t happen by accident though. For that reason, it is important to see the two greatest commandments as dependent upon one another, but distinct at the same time. 

Now to guard against confusion, let me clarify a couple things:

    1) We cannot properly bear fruit without abiding in Christ. Jesus says as much in John 15:5. Love for others grows out of intimacy with God. 

    2) If we love Christ, it will lead to love for other people. Jesus says that those who love him will keep his commandments (Jn. 14:15). And one of His commandments is that we love one another as He has loved us (Jn 13:34). 

So how can my love for God lead to love for my neighbor? I think we get a clue in Paul’s words: 

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience” (Col. 1:9-11).

My love for God has to be paired with a growing knowledge and understanding of His character and will. The more I grow in knowledge and understanding, the more I am able to grasp how to please God. This in turn allows me to learn how to love others well. Then, it is God’s Spirit that enables me to put that knowledge into practice. It takes time. It takes pursuit. It takes intentionality. 

My main goal in writing this is to warn against laziness that’s masked by zeal for the Lord. Zeal is good. Passion is good. Fire is good. But if that zeal has not led to spiritual fruit in the way I love other people, then I still have some maturing to do. My love still has some maturing to do. And that’s okay! 

God is very patient and gracious with us. This should fill us with tremendous hope. But may we never get to the point of “enough”. May we always desire righteousness, faith, love, and peace along with those who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart. All praise, all honor, all glory be to God forever in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Amen and amen! 

Is Jesus Too Cool for School?

“On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.” 

John 2:1-2 NIV

Why was the Son of God at a wedding? Didn’t he have more important things to be doing? Cana of course was the setting for his first miracle, but we’re not told that anybody knew ahead of time what Jesus was going to do. 

 

The simple answer: Jesus was at a wedding because he was invited. 

I think at some point or other, we’ve all met people that were “too cool” to give us the time of day. Or maybe they spent time with us, but seemed to do so begrudgingly. Jesus is not like that. If we examine the scriptures carefully, it’s actually quite remarkable how often Jesus is willing to go places where he’s invited. See Luke 5:29, 7:36, 10:38, 11:37, 14:1, 24:28. 

The best part is that Jesus doesn’t even seem to be inconvenienced by these invitations. In Luke 19:5, Jesus basically invites himself to the house of Zacchaeus. In Matthew 14:14-16, we see Jesus having compassion on crowds of people. His disciples tell him to send the crowds away, but Jesus insists on remaining with them. 

So this is something wonderful about Jesus: he loves being with his people! Jesus wants to be invited into my house. He wants to spend time with me. And in every instance listed above in which Jesus was invited somewhere, he either had something incredible to teach or some marvelous miracle to perform. 

In light of this, I think there are four takeaways for us:

1. Invite Jesus to spend time with you and take an extended amount of time to be with him. It is the joy of your Savior to commune with you and connect with you in a deep way! When you’re in his presence, don’t be in a rush or thinking about the next thing you need to do. Just enjoy the time and linger. 
2. Invite Jesus into every situation! Before going into work, church, event, meeting, or activity, ask God that the name of Jesus Christ be glorified in whatever you happen to be doing. The presence of Christ may or may not lead to a powerful miracle. But I think it’s fair to say that the presence of Christ does not leave a situation unchanged!
3. Have an approachable and invite-able spirit! Put another way, don’t be “too busy”. When someone wants to spend time with you or needs your attention, don’t be quick to blow them off. Yes, I understand the importance of boundaries with some people. And yes, life can get hectic and we can’t always be available. But even then we can still respond to people with an earnest and caring heart that wants to give them the time of day. 
4. Learn to love quality time with the body of Christ. I’ll confess. This is probably the hardest one for me personally. It doesn’t take too long for me before I get “people’d out” during a social event. There’s a point where I need to go off on my own to recharge. And there’s nothing wrong with that! However, it is important to value and treasure the time I do get to spend with people. The setting may not always be to my liking, but I can learn to enjoy the people in spite of the setting. Pray about this for yourself. And as a bonus challenge, try to hang out with someone you don’t normally talk to! 

Prayer:

Thank you Jesus that you are not far from any of us! Like the father of the prodigal son, you are always ready to welcome us into your arms. Remind us to invite you into every situation, treasure our time with you, and share your same love with others! All praise, all honor, all glory be to God forever in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Amen and amen!