Truth and Consequences

In this picture are Kiara and Taryn  as Good and Not So Good Fruit trees.  They were great sports as our children's church stuck them with apples.

As I read Psalm7 the word “consequences” kept coming to mind.  Even for Christians – those who have had their past, present and future sins washed away by the blood of Christ – there are always consequences for our actions.  Our liberty in Christ does not give us license to sin.

David is seeking refuge and protection from his enemies.  But he’s also cognizant that his consequences may be of his own doing.  He humbles himself and gives God permission to search him, evaluate him, and see if there’s something he’s done wrong to deserve what he’s going through.  If he is guilty of wrong-doing, he’s ready to face the consequences of his actions, even if it means death.

God doesn’t usually intervene when we’re about to make a mistake.  He lets us make our own decisions and choices.  But he does stand waiting on the other side ready to forgive us if we ask, and redeem the situation if we let him.  Either way, consequences can still be far reaching, life-changing…permanent. 

So David cries out for refuge and deliverance, but is also willing to face any consequences God so chooses.  But then comes another plea and praise of God.  Rise up.  Take charge.  For those who follow Him, God is their shield.  He’ll save the righteous.  He’ll judge rightly.  He’ll fight for us and with us.  While consequences still unfold around us, we can be assured that God’s love and faithfulness remain steady even when ours doesn’t. 

Even when we mess up.  When we repent, God forgives.  When we humble ourselves, God redeems.  God doesn’t forsake us just because we mess up.  He may let us reap the consequences, but he doesn’t leave us.

And speaking of consequences, the ones for unbelievers - those who reject God and deliberately rebel against Him - those consequences are doozies.  V16 says the trouble he causes recoils on himself, his violence comes down on his own head.  Ouch!

So consequences or not, we should always give thanks to the Lord for His righteousness.  We should always sing His praises.  And when we mess up, we should repent.  Repentance means a sincere turning away from ourselves and our sin, and turning toward God.  It means an about face and new direction – in mind, heart, and action.

It’s tough to ask God to search me, convict me, point out what I’ve done wrong.  But I know He only does so out of love and for that reason it’s a bit easier.  I sincerely want to please Him so awareness, confession and repentance are just part of the process.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

My Eyes Grow Weak

Psalm 6 echoes out from the depth of David’s struggles, from a soul weary of anguish, from a body and mind worn out from the burden of despair.  He teaches us that in our own struggles we can and should cry out to God.  The truth is that He’s there with us and there for us.

But the fact that David is drenched in tears, faint with sorrow, and weak from groaning out also tells us that his struggle is long-lasting.  I think our hardest struggles are the ones that seem to go on and on and on.  Those are the ones that can make us wonder where God is, to doubt His presence. 

We know God hears our prayers…but does he?  We know God is always with us…but is he?  We know God answers our prayers…but does he?  He does.  He is.  He does.  Although maybe not always in a way we expect or understand.

As I read through my journal I came across an entry from 3 months ago.  The day prior we didn’t have enough money in the bank to make payroll.  This year has been an ongoing financial struggle for Ignite and some months me personally.  Our leadership team had been praying, trusting, trying, and expecting God to provide each month…and that month He didn’t. 

So I did.  I emptied my account to make payroll and pay a few other bills to give us some breathing room.  But rather than seeing it as a way God provided for us and praising Him for it, I became angry, fearful and resentful because God seemed nowhere to be found. 

“My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long?” (v6)

And why?  When battles rage on and on we tend to ask why?  Or maybe it’s just me.  On the one hand we should because if there is something we need to repent of or resolve in our own lives we need to do so. 

But after that, the why doesn’t matter.  From there we just need to press deeper into God and trust Him.  Trust that He’s with us.  Trust that He cares.  Trust that He’s in control.  Trust that He’s working and will, in time, deliver us.  And trust that He can and will redeem whatever was lost in the battle.

What does matter is who we become through the struggle.  Do we allow God to develop our spiritual maturity – faith, courage, perseverance, trust, prayer, fasting, etc.?  Struggles expose the chinks in our spiritual armor, those vulnerable places where a weapon can make solid contact.  Struggles raise the heat so that our impurities can rise to the surface and be drawn out.  We come out of them refined, stronger, better protected for the next struggle…because there will be one.

“My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.” (v7)

For David, spiritual blindness was setting in, which was the case for me as well.  His cries to God turned to reasoning with God.  If you let me die, who’s going to praise you?  Wouldn’t you prefer praise?  I tried to reason with God as well.  It doesn’t really work.

Then somewhere in between verse 7 and 8 David rallies.  He realizes how weak he sounds.  He remembers God’s faithfulness.  He reminds himself that God has heard his cries and is fighting on his behalf.  David ends full of faith, convinced that he will be delivered and his enemies taken down.

My journal entry ended with “Lord, help me to rally like David did.”  And He did.  God is always with us.

When All Hell Breaks Loose

Psalm 2 says blessed are those who take refuge in the Lord rather than in someone or something else.  Which begs the obvious question, where do I take my refuge?  And with no higher power, no greater protection or provider than God, why would nations, or anyone for that matter, work against Him?

I think of the US, and it seems like we are sliding down the slippery slope of morality.  Anything goes.  Everything that’s wrong is someone else’s fault.  I see so-called Christians with no need for God, thinking their liberty in Christ gives them the license to do whatever they want.  Christ’s sacrifice didn’t give us freedom to sin, it gave us freedom from the power of sin, which means freedom and power not to sin.

So rulers and common-folk alike will be judge by God, and I think rulers and leaders more harshly because of the added responsibility they were entrusted with.  Those who mock God, disregard him, reject him will find themselves mocked, disregarded, rejected by God in return.

There are always consequences to sin.  Sometimes they are major, and other times more subtle like the Lord simply stepping back and letting people reap what they sow.  Unchecked, unrepented sin only escalates.  Once one Bible-defined sin becomes tolerated, then accepted, then legalized and even celebrated, what’s next?  Which sin is next in the escalation?

When God steps back and gives our unregenerate human nature what it wants, all hell breaks loose.

Those who follow God, call Jesus Savior and Lord, submit to His rule – those are the ones who can ask God for anything and He’ll provide.  Imagine an entire nation devoted to the one, true, living God.  That would be a powerful, blessed, abundant nation indeed.  Imagine the amazing victories they’d have against nations who do not serve the same God.

Unfortunately, so-called Christian nations (and people) are blind to the fact that they aren’t really Christian.  That Christian values were discarded by the wayside in a quest for power, prosperity, popularity, and tolerance.  You can’t make everyone happy – not sinners and saints alike.  When you try, God gets pushed away to make room for human thinking.

Love is from God.  Tolerance is not. This psalm talks about the consequences of nations turning away from God and His ways.  With nations being comprised of individuals, the same principles would definitely apply.

Thomas Jefferson once said “In matters of style, swim with the current.  In matters of principle, stand like a rock.”

So where do you find your refuge?  Is the one, true, living God the source of all things in your life?  Do you stand on His Word and for His Word when others reject it?

The Ways of the Wicked

I finished another read through of the Bible and was unsure of where to start next.  As I prayed, I felt pulled towards Psalms, maybe because things have been challenging lately on several fronts.  I’ve heard the same from so many people, that the Enemy seems to be working overtime sifting, stressing, and battling with God’s people.  I guess I felt drawn to all that David endured - his highs and lows, and how he cried out to God expressing fears and frustrations, yet still rallied his trust and faith in God.  Lessons I need to learn from.

Psalm 1 teaches that those who walk in God’s ways rather than the ways of the world will be blessed.  So what are the ways of the world?  Sin.  Hanging out with sinners.  Taking their advice.  Mocking God.  Thinking you know it all and can do it all by yourself.  Living for yourself or for the moment with no concern for the consequences.  These are some things that came to mind.

Rarely do we think of ourselves as wicked.  It seems like such a harsh word – a word reserved for pedophiles, rapists, and serial killers.  Surely I’m not an evil, wicked sinner, right?  But what about being arrogant, prideful, hurtful, self-promoting, self-righteous, independent, or indifferent?  Do any of these descriptions fit or is it just me?  Because these are sins as well.  And sinners are the folks who will blow away like chaff – their lives and everything they’ve worked for.

On judgment day those who lived for temporal, worldly gain will fall before God.  They won’t be able to stand in his presence.  They won’t have anything to show for their lives.  In contrast, those who delight in God’s Word and do what it says will be blessed and cared for.  They will produce fruit that lasts eternally.

Verse 6 says “For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.”  There are basically two paths to choose from, and it’s our choice which one to take.  For me, this psalm gives us a glimpse into the abundant life the Lord offers, but also shows that we have to choose it. 

And we have to work at it.  Living according to God’s ways isn’t easy.  We need to know what sin is.  We need to work to avoid it.  We need to study God’s word and reflect on it, letting it renew our thoughts, desires, and motives until we love what God loves, hates what he hates, and desire his will above all else.

I thank the Lord that he calls me righteous even though I misstep into sin.  I thank Him that he forgives me and watches over me helping to keep my path straight.  I thank Him that each day I am blessed in small and large ways, and pray that when I’m too caught up in myself and the circumstances around me that he reminds me to return my focus to him – the author and perfecter or my faith.

Who is it you want?

Jesus and his disciples went to the Mount of Olives.  Judas had already betrayed him, so a group of soldiers also arrived on the scene to arrest him. 

“Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”  

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.  

"I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.” (John 18:4-6)

These soldiers were looking for Jesus, yet when they found him they shrunk back and fell to the ground.  Why?  They knew he wasn't a violent criminal; he was merely a Jewish teacher who healed the sick, helped the poor, and made wild claims about repentance and being the Son of God.  Surely he was no match for a group of well-trained, armed soldiers.

Did they fall down in fear that his claims might be true, that they might really be face to face with God himself?  And if so, were they ready for such an encounter?

While the soldiers were still on the ground, Jesus had to ask them a second time, “Who is it you want?”  “Jesus of Nazareth” they repeated.  (John 18:7)

As I read this, I pictured Christ pursuing us asking “Who is it you want?”  I also pictured the litany of responses he may have received.  People who receive him with gratitude, humility and joy.  Others who down-right reject him, wanting someone or something else for their lives.  Then those who are just not sure, wanting him but then shrinking back and falling down when he says “I am he.” 

I remember the years I spent searching for that “someone” or “something” but not really knowing it was Christ I was looking for.  I grew up thinking I was saved without realizing God had so much more to offer – love, relationship, guidance, a purpose, gifts to carry out that purpose, blessings, etc. 

So if you would have asked me 15 years ago who it was I wanted, it sure wouldn't have been Jesus.  And as Jesus lovingly, patiently pursued me, I continued to shrink back from each encounter…

Until finally I didn't…I surrendered.  I stood before my Savior and Lord and asked that his will be done in my life.

Who is it YOU want?  Don’t shrink back when you encounter Christ; embrace Him as if your life depends on it.

To Hell in a Hand Basket

In John 17 Jesus prays for himself, then for his disciples, and then for all believers.  His prayers are powerful and set the example for how we should pray for ourselves and others.

Jesus prayed that believers may be one, united in their faith in Christ, just as Jesus and the Father are one.  He emphasizes unity four times, so it must be important.  He prays for   

·         Unity in fellowship.  There is strength in numbers. (John 17:11) 

·         Unity in witness bearing.  This could mean evangelizing the lost, but more importantly I think of consistently modeling God’s Word in the world. (John 17:21) 

·         Unity in the glory of Christ.  Sharing the honor, rewards, and blessings that come from being a child of God and co-heir with Christ. (John 17:22)

·         Complete unity.  How?  Through Christ in us.  Why?  So that the world will know Him through us.  (John 17:23)

It is through our complete unity in faith and reflection of Christ as believers that the world encounters Him, learns His plan for salvation, and experiences His unconditional love.  The world will know Christ when his people stand united in their faith. 

How?

The Lord keeps leading me back to sanctification.  While salvation occurs the moment someone accepts Christ as Savior, sanctification is a process that continues throughout the rest of a believer’s life as he or she grows in Christlike character, attitudes, behavior, etc.  Sanctification comes through knowing, hearing and obeying God’s Word.

Based on recent news, it seems the world is “going to hell in a hand basket,” and the US, true to form, seems to be going faster and more efficiently than everyone else.

The Lord prayed that His people would be sanctified by the truth of His Word.  Yet we (I’m talking about believers here, myself included) seem to make so many compromises with what God’s Word says.  Where things are written in black and white, we rationalize varied interpretations and applications.  We change God’s Word to fit our desires and circumstances.  We try to turn Christ into someone we can live with when the whole point is that God’s people should be different, set apart, unyielding, and uncompromising when it comes to His truths. 

Think about all the hot topics in our recent election campaign – gay marriage, abortion, fiscal responsibility.  Think of the undercurrents that were also being evaluated – character, honesty, integrity, morality.  God’s Word is black and white in these areas.  Yet we as Christians often waver back and forth, and like my puppy, track mud through the house until everything is a dingy grey.

We tolerate sin calling it “not judging.”  We accept sin calling it “forgiveness.”  We commit sin calling it “the way God made us” or “OK because of God’s unconditional love and grace.”  We compromise, even re-write, God’s word wearing our “tolerance”, “progressiveness”, “liberalism”, “open-mindedness” and so-called “maturity” as a badge of honor. 

Except that this not sanctification or spiritual maturity, it’s the complete opposite.  We separate ourselves from God when His heart is to unite us with him and with each other.  We kick God out of our lives and then wonder where He is when we need Him.

As the saying goes, if the shoe fits wear it; if it doesn’t, don’t.  But I have to believe we all have areas where compromise is distancing us from God, impeding His will, and muddying our witness.  Or maybe this is just for me…

So pray for yourself, for me, and for all believers – that we may be one as Christ and the Father are one, that our lives reflect Christ in such a way as to draw others to Him, and that we continue to grow in God’s Word as our guiding and absolute truth – no compromises.