Poisonous Root

"Make sure there is no man or woman,

clan or tribe among you today

whose heart turns away from the LORD our God

to go and worship the gods of those nations;

make sure there is no root among you that produces

such bitter poison.

When such a person hears the words of this oath

and they invoke a blessing on themselves,

thinking, 'I will be safe,

even though I persist in going my own way,'

they will bring disaster on the watered land

as well as the dry."

It seems harsh.  The heart of God is relationship, so when sin damages a bond between members of the body of Christ, I am to lovingly pursue reconciliation.  The process laid out in Matthew 18:15-20 requires community involvement.  There is always the risk that my thinking is selfish so if I seek the godly counsel of others and they agree, I avoid the risk of pursuing my own agenda.  There is also the risk that I form a mob to come against my brother or sister so my heart must be bent on reconciliation, not retribution or revenge. 

If all the required steps have been taken and still there is no agreement, then the offending child of God must be treated as an outsider, removed from the fellowship of His people.  Why would God require such action when He is a God who goes after the lost sheep?

The answer is found in today's passage.  While God is merciful and gracious, He is also holy.  His concern is for the sanctity of His people and He knows how easy it is for us to go astray.  We, like sheep, tend to wander, especially if those around us are compromising  (Isaiah 53:6).  Consequently, God warned His people in today's passage of the prideful heart that thinks he's safe even in his disobedience and defiance.  This line of thinking pollutes the holiness of God's people and puts the whole Body at risk of turning away from the Lord and His ways.

What poisonous root do I tolerate in my life?

Sin

A mistake.

A misstep.

A blunder.

An error.

It's easy to minimize sin, labeling it as something other than what it is: defiance toward holy God and His holy ways.  I often do this when I don't want to face the facts.  Sin is destructive and dangerous.  When I allow an area of sin to remain in my life, I am putting my own desires above God's.  I am placing my own pleasure higher than God's plan for my life.  I am making a mockery of the sacrifice Jesus became on the cross.

When I downplay the sin of which God has convicted my heart, it is as if I am spitting in the face of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He bore the wrath of His Father, an unimaginable nightmare of the worst kind, to conquer sin for His people.  Why should I then invite it in, growing comfortable with the very thing that requires death as a punishment?

If I am to remove such a poisonous root in my own life, I must be careful to not tolerate sin.  When God opens my eyes to my tendency to gossip, for example, and I sense His gentle nudge as I begin to share with a friend a tasty morsel disguised as a prayer update, I would be wise to stop the flow of words immediately.  

Or if God reveals my issue with fudging the truth to avoid conflict and I'm on the verge of using the destructive tactic once again, I would be wise to instead speak the truth in love, pointing all involved in the disagreement to the common ground of the Gospel (Ephesians 4:15).

Or for the time when God makes clear my inclination to indulge in worldly entertainment that dishonors His holy name and desensitizes my heart, I would be wise to take every step necessary to avoid such temptations.

I am at risk of cultivating a poisonous root that could infect the Body of Christ when I become comfortable with sin in my life.

Self-Sufficiency

When my daughters were young, my goal for them was that they would become self-sufficient and independent.  I envisioned them going out into the world and earning success in whatever field they pursued.  As they grew, however, my relationship with God matured and I learned more about Him and His ways.  

Soon I discovered that He doesn't want me to rely on my own strength at all, nor does He care for me to go after selfish pursuits.  Instead, His desire is for me to be dependent upon Him for all my needs and to pursue righteousness and His kingdom. Boy, did I have it backwards (Matthew 6:33, 2 Timothy 2:22, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10)!

I live in a world that preaches self-sufficiency.  I am bombarded with messages that tell me to overcome, that I can do whatever I put my mind to, and that I can pull myself up by my own bootstraps.  Basically, I'm told that I have what it takes inside of me to reach the stars.

In reality, there is nothing good within me and relying on myself is kind of like the blind leading the blind.  If I really want to succeed in life, then, I will need to seek God with all of my heart, waiting on Him and His provision (Jeremiah 29:11-13, Isaiah 40:31). He holds the key to unlock the blueprint for my life, so I will never find a sense of purpose until I come into a relationship with Him, letting Him take the lead.

That means I will need to diligently turn away from my own desire to be the master of my own destiny and turn toward my true Master. I will need to fight the urge to make things happen and instead wait on His perfect timing. I will need to stop looking for escape routes and solutions and start fixing my eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2).

I am at risk of cultivating a poisonous root that could infect the Body of Christ when I rely on my own strength and understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Sense

I ignored the advice offered by several godly people because it didn't make sense to me.  After a couple of years, a friend spoke the same wisdom but this time I paid attention because she also provided additional enlightenment.  I never recognized the value of the advice until it made sense to me.

I struggle with obeying without understanding.  If something doesn't make sense to me, I tend to balk.  This is a problem when it comes to my relationship with God.  I'm kind of like the African impala who has an innate ability to jump great heights, but only if it can see where his feet will land.  If I only do what makes sense to me, I miss out on many of the blessings that come with obeying a God whose ways are unfathomable (Isaiah 55:8-9).

It takes faith to blindly go where God is leading.  In fact, I would even say this is the definition of faith; stepping forward without knowing where the path will lead me. Hebrews 11:1 gives a great description of faith.  "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see" (NLT).

To boldly follow God's lead when He calls me to take a risk means I must believe He knows what He's doing even when I can't see a foot in front of me.  Other times He may inspire me to go beyond my own natural abilities, volunteering for a job that is outside my normal parameters. Then there are the times when He sends a hailstorm of trials and tribulations, challenging me to trust Him to guide me through the onslaught.

I am at risk of cultivating a poisonous root that could infect the Body of Christ when I limit my faith to only what I understand.

Poison is deadly and ruthless, infecting all who come in contact.  When I become comfortable with sin, take on an attitude of self-sufficiency and rely on my own common sense, I am allowing a poisonous root to take hold in my heart.  When I do so, I am placing the Body of Christ at risk.  Therefore, it is in my own best interest as well as that of my brothers and sisters that I guard against such corruption.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can keep my heart open to God, allowing Him to examine every nook and cranny.

When do I stubbornly refuse to turn away from sin?

How am I relying on my own common sense instead of trusting in God's higher ways?



Originally published on February 12, 2014

Where is God?

"O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness;

you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.

Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence,

for you hate all who do evil.

You will destroy those who tell lies.

The LORD detests murderers and deceivers."

Psalm 5:4-6 NLT

Terrorism.  Rape.  Mass murder.  Injustice.  Pornography.  Human trafficking.  Untold suffering.

I often hear people blame God for the state of this world.  "Why would He allow such evil?" they ask.  "If He's such a good God, why doesn't He stop the misery?"  While I can't have all the answers, there is one thing I do know: Evil and darkness are not from Him.

Hate.  As much as my stomach turns when I hear of wickedness on the evening news, God is sickened even more.  While I may have a hard time thinking about the dark acts that are committed in this world, God cannot tolerate these evil deeds.  I dislike what is wrong but He hates it.

Since God, in His righteousness and holiness, cannot stand for such wickedness, I know in His perfect justice, He is on the throne.  He has not fallen slack on the job.  Rather, He has a greater purpose about which I know nothing.  Part of living as His child is to trust Him to take care of me and to avenge those who have been victimized (Romans 12:19).  My job is to overcome evil with God's goodness that is within me.

This sometimes means doing the radical; befriending the enemy, reaching out to those who hurt others, giving to the very ones who take until it drains people dry.  God's love turns the evil on its ear.

When I look at all the evil that is surrounding me I can trust that God hates it more than I do.

Holy.  Righteous.  Perfect.  Far removed from sin.  Sacred.  Intolerate of sin.  God's holiness is hard to fathom.  He is so hallowed and divine that He cannot even look upon sin, let alone take part in it.  He is so pure that He cannot dwell with evil, let alone create it.  In fact, God is so holy that darkness is overcome by His light.  He can take that which is wrong and make it right, that which is meant for evil and use it for good, that which is dark and transform it into light (Romans 8:28,Genesis 50:19-20, Psalm 139:12).

This means I can trust His plan as good.  Even though the world around me is falling apart, heading in the wrong direction and tolerating that which is evil as if it were good, I can believe that God has a plan to deal with this darkness.  In the end, all will be returned to its original pristine condition, and those who have stood firm on the truth of the Gospel will be transformed into the immortal (Revelation 21, 1 Corinthians 15:54).

When I look at all the evil that is surrounding me I can believe that God's holiness cannot tolerate this darkness.

Righteous.  The worst stories are the ones where the guilty get off scott-free, never having to pay for their crime while their victims suffer untold pain.  It's unfair!  In reality, no one ever gets away with anything.  While it may seem that sin is running rampant and that evil prospers, God has a plan to set all things right, in His perfect time.  

You see, even my own sin has not gone unpunished.  The penalty for my sins has been paid fully by Jesus Christ as He died on the cross.  By faith, I have accepted the pardon God freely offers through Christ.  For those who do not fall under the blood of Jesus, however, they must bear the punishment for their own sins when they stand before God and are judged for their own transgressions.  

So, either Jesus bears the weight of sin, or the sinner does.  Either way, justice is served.

When I look at all the evil that is surrounding me I can believe that such a righteous God has brought about justice.

Living in such an evil world, its easy to turn the blame around on God, thinking that since this is His creation, He must have something to do with it.  In reality, God hates the darkness, cannot tolerate it, and has a plan of perfect justice.  Therefore, when I'm tempted to ask, Where is God? I can remember that He is all over it, in it, and throughout it.  God's got it covered!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to let Him deal with the evil around me.

When do I attempt to bring about justice?

How am I hampering God's plan to hand down His perfect justice by getting in the way?

Guilt without Repentance

"What can I do with you, Ephraim?

What can I do with you, Judah?

Your love is like the morning mist,

like the early dew that disappears."

Hosea 6:4

I was so impressed with his seemingly heartfelt apology.  "I'm sorry, Mrs. Boose, for acting disrespectfully towards you.  I know you are trying to help me.  I promise that it won't happen again."  He looked me in the eye.  He seemed so sincere.  A tear came to my eye as I considered the maturity of this 13-year-old boy.  

Then came the next youth event, and there he was again, acting in the same disrespectful way: back-talking, defying my direction, breaking the rules.  Nothing had really changed, even though he had seemed so earnest in his remorseful speech.  In reality, he said what his grandmother had made him say, but the words didn't reach his heart: they were shallow and meaningless.

It is easy to use this same approach in my relationship with God.  I feel guilty for what I've done, I tell Him how sorry I am and that I want to do better, but I don't make the effort to dig deep, laying the root of my sin at the foot of the cross.  I stay on the surface, trying to look good enough, but never trying to completely rid myself of the problem.

It reminds me of the jungle in my backyard.  Our yard backs up to a hill covered in large bushes and trees.  Unfortunately, there are also a lot of naturally occurring blackberry vines, poison ivy and other wild plants that worked together to create a jungle. One year, I declared war on this mass of wild undergrowth.  In February, when most of the plants were dormant, I began pulling out the growth, digging as deep as I could to remove all the roots.  I was amazed at how deep and extensive some of those roots ran.  Even today, nearly 2 years later, I am still waging war on the uncultivated growth due to the seemingly endless nature of the root systems.  Removing the roots is vital in the quest to prevent future growth of the invaders. In the same way, sin runs deep and has complicated roots and in order to remove it from my life, I cannot stay on the surface.

Maybe I don't really know God like I think I do.  I know a lot about His grace, mercy, and love.  I focus on that part of Him because it makes me feel good.  But I can't deny the reality of His other side.  He is a complete picture; perfectly balanced.  In order to truly be able to take Him seriously, I must understand His whole character.

Holy and Just

We once visited a condominium that had a very sensitive smoke alarm.  Either that, or I was a terrible cook.  Whatever the cause, the slightest amount of fumes would set the thing off.  It got so bad that I couldn't even make toast without the alarm sounding off.  Consequently, we removed the batteries, rendering the alarm impotent.

I tend to do this same thing when it comes to sin.  It's not that I like doing things in a way that displeases God, it's just that it's in my nature to adjust and adapt to my sin.  If I continue in a certain behavior, it may be uncomfortable and feel wrong at first, setting off alarms of guilt and shame, but after awhile I'll grow accustomed to it.  I'll adjust my thermostat to accommodate the new temperature.  I'll disconnect my sin meter, rendering it impotent.

God, however, is unable to look the other way when it comes to sin.  As it says in Hosea 7:2, ". . .they do not realize that I remember all their evil deeds.  their sins engulf them; they are always before me."  Knowing that God sees my sin and does not approve should make me quake in my boots.  As John R. W. Stott said, "Nothing will more quickly rid us of laziness and coldness, of hypocrisy, cowardice, and pride that the knowledge that God sees, hears, and takes account." 

While it is true that the blood of Jesus covers my sin, making me appear before God as white as snow, that doesn't make my sin acceptable. The key is for the thought that God is aware of my sin, even though it is forgiven through the sacrifice of Jesus, to act as a catalyst for repentance and change.  I heard it said that repentance is like a boat set on auto-pilot.  If I want to change direction, I must reset the auto-pilot.  I can't turn the wheel manually, trying to force myself to go away from the sin because I am programmed to go toward the area of disobedience.  Instead, I am to refocus my goal through the power of God toward His kingdom and away from that self-centered, fleshly objective.

If I struggle with using language that is harsh and worldly, I can instead fill my mind with pure, lovely and good things, aiming toward the goal of pleasing God with my mouth.  If I set high standards for others, unrealistically expecting godly behavior from them, I can reset those standards for myself, asking God to help me to please Him in all that I do.  If I live with an addiction, whether it's to a drug, food, exercise or a form of entertainment, I can let go of it and replace it with a devotion to God, letting Him fill that hole inside that the addiction never touched. 

Realizing how seriously God takes sin will help me to take the eradication of it in my life more gravely. It's a big enough problem that He needed to send His only Son to His death because of it.  Sin is not something God takes lightly, so neither should I.

God is a holy and just God, making sin abhorrent to Him.  Out of respect for Him, I should adopt the same attitude instead of accepting my sin as a part of life.

Not a Pushover

There was only one rule: Do not eat the fruit from the tree in the center of the garden.  They had plenty to choose from apart from the forbidden fruit.  The garden was perfect and good, as God had created it to exist.  Then temptation entered, casting the seed of doubt into the fertile ground of her mind.  It grew and became a possibility, then a pleasant option, until finally the step was taken, the line was crossed, the relationship was broken.


The family was escaping with their lives, fleeing from the destruction God had promised to an evil, wicked place.  He left them with the specific instruction not to look back to the place they had called their home for so long.   They were to look ahead to the salvation God was providing for them, not to reflect on what they were losing but to rejoice that they were being delivered.  As they ran, she turned to cast one last look behind her, back toward her suffering friends and neighbors.  It was the final act of her life.


The cart rattled along the rocky terrain as it carried the precious load.  A spirit of excitement and jubilation rang through the air as the men completed their significant task.  As they approached the threshing floor, the oxen stumbled, upturning the holy box.  Out of sheer desperation and a desire to protect the cargo, he reached out to steady the load with his hand. He fell to the ground as his heart ceased to beat and the breathe left his lungs.  He was gone.


God is not wimpy.  He does not go back on His word and when He says something, He means it.  He holds me responsible for what I know or have been taught.  Adam knew the fruit was forbidden, but he ate it anyway.  Lot's wife had been told not to look back, but she did it anyway.  David, Uzzah and the other men had at their disposal the instructions of how to transport the ark the way God had instructed so that no human hand would come into contact with it, but he touched it anyway.


In each example, the offender received harsh treatment.  There was no second chance, no time to negotiate or no moment of indecision.  God's action was immediate and authoritative.  There was no question as to how God felt about his directive being ignored.  The garden was barred, her flesh turned to salt, his life was taken.  Those are not the actions of a wimpy or indecisive God.  So why do I take His law so lightly?  


Perhaps its because I think I'm exempt because of grace, or that the God of the Old Testament no longer exists.  If I do, I am only fooling myself.  God does not play around, and I should not play around with Him.


God is dangerous and loving.  He's a lion and a lamb.  He is fire and water.  I can't accept one and deny the other.  Therefore, negotiating with God or ignoring Him are not safe options.  If I want to live a long and happy life, I will give God the respect and honor He deserves as the Creator of all things.


Reading the Bible, then, becomes a vital exercise in action, not just study.  Praying turns into a time of listening instead of only talking.  Living is transformed into an act of worship as a substitute for simply existing.  There is no condemnation for me as a follower of Christ, but I must always remember that the God who loves me takes His commands seriously.


God is not a pushover.  He is does not take disobedience lightly, so neither should I.

Jealous

She drove hundreds of miles through the night in a blind rage in order to confront the other woman.  Her jealousy impelled her to commit a desperate act of evil proportions.  Crimes of passion usually begin with a betrayal or infidelity of some kind.  Envy then rears it's ugly head as anger and resentment take over.  

God is not jealous as a woman is jealous of her lover's new partner or a child is envious of a playmate's toy.  No, God is jealous for my attention.  As His created being, I was made for Him.    It makes sense, then, that I must make God a part of everything.  He is worthy of all of my attention.  

If I truly understand His deep longing for meaningful relationships with His children, I would make it my goal to grow closer to Him and to earnestly seek to know Him better.  If I know the purpose for my existence lies in Him, I would make Him an integral part of even the simplest parts of my life.  If I comprehend how important I am to Him, I would place Him in the forefront of my mind throughout the day.  As Thomas Chalmers said, "Amid all my forgetfulness of Him, He never forgets me."

God is jealous for my attention so I would be wise to give it to Him.

Guilt can be a good thing when it points out where I am wrong and inspires me to change my course as I turn away from sin.  But by itself, it serves no purpose.  In order for me to take my sin seriously, I must learn how God is a holy and just God, how He's not a pushover, and that He wants my full attention.  Then I will be on the path to truly understanding my need for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will never take sin lightly.

How do I ignore the dangerous part of God in the way I live my life?

When do I assume God will give me a pass when I'm doing something I know is wrong?

Resolved

"But Daniel resolved not to defile himself

with the royal food and wine,

and he asked the chief official 

for permission not to defile

himself this way."

Daniel 1:8

Luxuriant riches surrounded him: luscious, rich cuisine and lavish furnishings the likes he'd never seen.  His feet felt the coolness of the smooth tile, his skin the velvety touch of the silky linens, his eyes feasted on the rich tapestries and vibrant vases.  There's no doubt Daniel was far from home; far from the simple life in which he had been raised.  Far from the land of his people and God.

Just as Daniel found himself as a foreigner in a strange land, I, too, am not at home.  My heavenly dwelling awaits as the place where I truly belong.  Meanwhile, God has placed me here, as a foreigner in this strange land.

While I'm here, I can either melt into the background, becoming like the native inhabitants, or I can make up my mind to stay true to my God and His Kingdom.

Abstain

Surrounded by such a luxuriant atmosphere, it must have been quite a temptation for Daniel to succumb to the lure of the culture in which he found himself.  Since his one great desire was to please God, he found a way to remove himself from those things that were considered to be unclean or dishonoring in God's eyes. 

Daniel understood a couple of things that I haven't truly digested.  He knew that as a child of God, he is a "treasured possession."  As such, he understood and followed the teaching of God through his contemporary, Ezekiel, when God said the priests were, "to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean." (Ezekiel 44:23)  Daniel knew that there were some things God's people just shouldn't do out of respect and reverence for a holy God.

As one of God's children, I am called to live in a way that is holy as God is holy.  There are many ways in which I resemble the world around me.  I listen to the same music without a second thought, watch the same movies without flinching, and read the same books without blinking an eye.  The culture in which I find myself is abhorrent to God in many ways.  It is steeped in sex, violence and disregard for His sovereign ways.  It is a culture in which pleasure reigns supreme.  It is a culture where self is god.  In a nutshell, I live in Sodom and Gomorrah.  

As a young man who found himself in a similar setting, Daniel also seemed to understand the workings of his own flesh.  If Daniel had stayed with the rest of the group and been exposed to all the strange, unclean food of his pagan host, he may have succumbed to the temptation and joined in with the regimen this king required.  Instead, he knew the best way to stay true to God's ways was to completely remove himself from the source of temptation.

There are many temptations with which I am faced on a daily basis:  Images on television, the Internet and magazines that dishonor God.  Belief systems that place myself in the position of importance instead of God.  Ways of life that appeal to my sense of comfort and cravings yet do not show reverence for a holy God. 

If I want to please God, I would be wise to resolve to remove myself from those things that lure me into activities and thoughts that dishonor Him.

Honor God's Ways

It's hard to stick out like a sore thumb.  Everyone else was taking part in the 3-year period of training required in preparation for their service to serve King Nebuchadnezzar himself.  They were learning the ways of the Babylonians: adapting to their food, dress, language, literature and even religion.  Daniel, however, could not live with himself if He didn't honor God and the ways he had been taught to live as one of the people of the One True God.  It's not easy doing things God's way when no one else is making that choice.

It's not easy, but it is possible.  Mordecai, cousin and father figure of Queen Esther, was able to live as a follower of God in a place that not only worshiped their own gods, but also despised those who followed the Creator of heavens and earth, the God of his forefathers.  He had a reputation of honesty and forthrightness, even when it came to the King who was so easily led to destroy his people.  When a plot was discovered to kill the king, Mordecai exposed the evil plan, thus saving the leader.

When it came time to bow to the king's second-hand-man, however, Mordecai refused. All the other men around him knelt but Mordecai the Jew would give this honor to only One.   How easy it is to follow the crowd, compromising values, beliefs or commands in an effort to blend in with everyone else.  I will even go so far as pretending I do not know the Truth in order to keep from drawing attention to myself.

Jesus, however, said that, "Whoever acknowledges me before me, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.  But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven."  (Matthew 10:32-33)  When do I keep silent when my Lord's name is defiled?  How do I deny Jesus in the harsh way I treat those who irritate me?  In what ways do I fail to acknowledge God in the dishonest way I conduct business?  

If I want to please God, I would be wise to resolve to stand apart by honoring God's ways in the midst of the evil going on around me.  

Blessing from God

The sacrifices Daniel and three of his fellow exiles made did not go unnoticed. "To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning.  And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds."  (Daniel 1:17)

While there is no indication that God blessed them because of their obedience, He has said time and time again that if we do things His way, it will go well with us.

Take Joshua, for instance.  When he was the new leader of the Israelites after the death of his beloved leader, Moses, God took him aside.  He encouraged him by saying, "Be strong and very courageous.  Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful." (Joshua 1:7-8)

Making a special effort to live my life the way God is teaching me to live as I study His Word and learn more about Him will result in blessing.  The favor of God is on me when I am living according to His ways.  He decides what that will look like, but of this I can be sure: "He blesses the home of the righteous."  (Proverbs 3:33)

If I want to please God by resolving to abstain from evil and adhere to His ways, my life will be blessed with the favor of God.

It's not easy to live in a material, shallow and godless world, but if Daniel can do it, so can I.  It is my heart's desire to please God by making up my mind to stay away from things that corrupt and keep close to things that honor God, resulting in a life blessed by Him.

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will honor God with my thoughts, words and actions.  

How would making a resolution to keep myself pure of evil change the choices I make on a daily basis?

Is it possible to honor God with my life when I am partaking of so much corruption?

The Difference

"They are to teach my people

the difference between 

holy and the common

and show them how to distinguish between 

the unclean and the clean."

Ezekiel 44:23

Holy.  Even the word seems set apart and special.  It is a word that the winged creatures covered in eyes and seen in John's vision of the throne in heaven sang over and over again, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." (Revelation 4:8)  I have a sense that holy means sacred and hallowed; but what do I really know of holy?  

Listen to and meditate on the lyrics of the Addison Road song of the same name.

As Jenny Simmons sings, "I think I've made You too small, I never feared you at all."  What do I really know of "holy" and how does it affect the way I live my life as a follower of Christ?

Sabbath

I rush from one activity to the next, always aware of the time and how quickly it is slipping from my grasp.  How will I finish all these tasks?  Maybe I'll have to do a little on Sunday, just so I don't fall behind. We've all been there.  Life moves at warp speed and many times I feel as if I can't keep up.

When Moses carried the tablets engraved by the finger of God with His Ten Commandments, the fourth law on the list proclaimed to, "Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work. . . ." (Deuteronomy 5:12-14)

As one who desires to please God in all I do and who has the benefit of God's Spirit dwelling within, I want to follow this command.  His day is special, different from all other days, free from toil and labor, set apart for Him.  

It seems observing the Sabbath is similar to tithing: Both take a certain amount of faith that God will make what time or money I have left after giving the required amount enough to finish my work and pay my bills.  Six days should be enough to finish all that my life has for me to do.  Ninety percent of my income should be enough to provide for my household.  But what if it's not enough?

Faith is being certain of what I do not see, or cannot comprehend.  (Hebrews 11:1)  If I want to please God I must trust Him that six days are enough, and that 90% is sufficient.  Without faith, it is impossible to please God.  If I can't bring myself to rest on Sunday, my faith is lacking, and I am displeasing God.

Part of the difference Jesus makes in my life is that my Sabbath is holy.

Name

"What's in a name?  That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet."  (Romeo and Juliet, Scene II, lines 45-46)

Juliet loved her dear Romeo, but tragically, he belonged to the family of her relatives' enemy.  She, however, loved him despite his unfortunate ancestral lineage.  His name meant nothing to her; it was he that she wanted.

In contrast, God's name does mean something. It is more than just a title or label, rather it is a part of who He is.  Herman Hoeksema attempts to shed some light on the significance of God's name in his book, Reformed Dogmatics.  "The Name of God is His Being, not as He is in Himself, but as He is revealed to us."  There is no way my tiny mind can fully comprehend God, but His name, in part, gives some enlightenment to His essence. 


By knowing God's name, we have some idea of Who He is, but L. Berkhof goes further by explaining in Systemic Theology that, "The names of God are not of human invention, but of divine origin though they are all borrowed from human language, and derived from human and earthly relations."  God gives Himself a name that we can understand and relate to, but it falls far short from doing His character and being justice.  He transcends a mere word.  Still, in order for someone to be known, I must have something by which to call him. 


I can look to scripture for examples of how to treat God's name.  The LORD is described in Isaiah 57:15 as, "he who lives forever, whose name is holy."  David encouraged us to, "Praise his holy name." (Psalm 30:4) He also encouraged his people in 1 Chronicles 16:10 and 35 to, "Glory in his holy name," and to, "give thanks to (his) holy name."  Each time, His Name is described as being "holy."


The name of the LORD is one of the ways God reveals Himself to us, is a word we can use to try to understand Him, at least in part, and can be used to give praise, thanks and glory to Him. Clearly, God's name is special.


Consequently, using His name in a common way is offensive to God, to say the least.  


When I exclaim, "Oh my God!" when I see something funny or surprising, I am denigrating His Name, and thus God Himself.  When I use God's Name to give validity to an oath I'm taking, I am lowering His Name, in turn disrespecting Him.  When I flippantly talk about God as if He were a mere human, I am showing a lack of respect for Him.  


Part of the difference that Jesus makes in my life is that I make an effort to treat God's Name as holy.

Temple

 The redness started in His cheeks and spread until it covered His entire face.  An ever-so-slight pulsating movement could be detected near his brows.  His eyes swept back and forth, taking in the scene.  Cattle and sheep munched on hay as they waited patiently, tied to the temple pillars.  The sound of the cooing of dozens of doves perched in cages lining the wall filled the air.  Worshipers filed past the tables set up for the convenience of transacting the sales of all these animals.  How dare they treat my Father's house in such a lowly, common way, as if it were a mere marketplace!  (John 2:13-16)  

Jesus demonstrated the level of respect that He held for the dwelling place of His Father's Spirit.  The temple was not simply a building.  Instead, it was the place where one could go to find God.  It was a representation of His presence among His people, both when they wandered in the desert and when the more permanent temple was built and dedicated by Solomon.  

Under the new covenant of grace offered out of God's great love for me, there is another temple where God's Spirit constantly stays with His people. The Apostle Paul teaches by asking, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body."  (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Treating my body, therefore, as common, like everyone else in the world who does not know Jesus treats their body, goes against this teaching.  This lesson spills over into my beliefs about sexual purity and what I do and do not allow as acceptable for me.  As Paul said, "Flee from sexual immorality.  All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body."  (1 Corinthians 6:18) I can easily justify my actions with the claim that everyone else does it, so it can't be that bad.  Or I could say it's not that big a deal.  Even watching the blatant sexuality permeating our modern entertainment is just a part of the world we live in, right?  I can't really be expected to stay away from it, or am I?

My standard is to please God, and everything I do must be driven by that desire.   The way I dress, both the amount and kinds of food that I consume, the care I give my body, the kinds of entertainment of which I partake, all reflect on the One Who inhabits it's structure.  I treat my body as special not because I am special, but because God is special.  

Part of the difference that Jesus makes in my life is that my body, as the temple of the Spirit of the living God, is to be treated as holy.  

God is a holy God.   As His child, I am also called to be holy.  Some of the ways I abide by His holiness is in the way I treat the Sabbath, His Name and His Temple.  

What do I really know of holy?

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I may consider God's holiness, seeking to revere Him in all that I do.

How do I treat Sunday as any other day, using it as a time to play catch up?

What are some ways I could begin to show honor to God in the way I use His name?

Before Time Began

"For God saved us and called us to live a holy life.

He did this, not because we deserved it,

but because that was his plan 

from before the beginning of time--

to show us his grace through Christ Jesus."

2 Timothy 1:9

People who have been through harrowing near-death experiences often undergo a transformation of perspective.  They realize life is short and that the things they were focusing on were shallow and meaningless.  Family takes on a higher priority, friendships are cherished as never before, and God plays a more significant role in their lives.

I don't have to wait until I nearly die to go through this same kind of transformation.  As a follower of Christ, I am called to live a certain way.  Just as the Israelites were always set apart and peculiar to those living round them, the modern day people of God are also called to be different. . . to stick out like a sore thumb. . . to be salt and light.

Saved for Godliness

God is holy.  He is set apart, morally pure and holiness is an integral part of every aspect of his character.  His justice is holy, His love is holy, His grace is holy.  God is above all things and sanctified from all of His creation.

I was not saved from the consequences of my sin through faith in Jesus Christ so that I can live my life the way I always have lived.  There is a purpose for my life that goes well beyond my life!  God's plan is not for my comfort, for my blessing or for my well-being.  God's plan is for His name to be glorified throughout the earth.  

God called me unto Himself so that I can live a holy life and thus reflect His nature in a dark and sinful world.  Peter teaches about my calling as recorded in 1 Peter 1:14-15. "As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do."  

It is not enough for me to accept Jesus as my Savior and enjoy the assurance of entrance into heaven, but never change the way I live.  As part of God's adopted family, I am to be like the Israelites when God told them to, "consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy." (Leviticus 11:44)

I am saved and adopted into God's family so that I can live a holy life; different from the lives of those around me who are not saved, wholesome and decent, and this holiness should permeate every aspect of my character.  My love should look different from the love of the unsaved because it is God's love.  My gentleness comes from God and sets me apart from the harshness that is prevalent in the world.  My gracious attitude gives others a break when the world has no mercy.  

God is glorified when I live the holy life He called me to live.

Plan of Grace

Now that I claim Jesus as my Savior, my life is not my own.  I was bought at a price.  Therefore, He calls me to live a holy life, but this is not accomplished through my own effort.  I am unable to live a holy life in my own strength.

Rather, it is God's grace that is freely given that empowers me to resist temptation and submit to God.  Where God's law shows me how far I fall short of His standard, it is powerless to save me.  It is incapable of giving me the ability to follow it, thus pleasing God.  

Instead, it is His grace which enables me to change my ways and become more like Christ.  As James teaches, "He gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires." (James 4:6 NLT)  Like the desire to be my own master.  Or the longing to meet my innermost needs.  Or the urge to do things my way instead of God's way.  

Missionary leader and devotional writer Andrew Murray described grace this way.  He said, "God has no more precious gift to a church or an age than a man who lives as an embodiment of his will, and inspires those around him with the faith of what grace can do."

Grace is a gift freely given by God that makes possible the living of a holy life.

Before Time Began

Writer Kate Atkinson describes the beginning in this way.  "Before the beginning is the void and the void belongs in neither time nor space and is therefore beyond our imagination.  Nothing will come of nothing unless it's the beginning of the world.  This is how it begins, with the word and the word is life.  The void is transformed by a gigantic firecracker allowing time to dawn and imagination to begin."

Before God created time, the earth was formless and empty.(Genesis 1:2)   I cannot fathom anything eternal in nature. . . it is beyond my ability to understand.  I cannot comprehend a place without time. . . it is out of my grasp.  

This, however, does not mean that God was not able to think and plan before time began.  He existed forever.  There is no beginning to God.  As He was formulating His plan for creation, He included a plan for saving us from our sins. 

As incomprehensible as is the thought of the plan of salvation existing before time began,  it is supported in the Apostle Paul's teachings to the church at Ephesus.  "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.  God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.  This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure." (Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT)

God's plan for my life began before time began.  

The way I live my life reflects my understanding of how I fit into the scheme of things.  Once I understand that I was saved for godliness, that God's plan of grace empowers me to live a holy life, and that this plan existed before time began, I am inspired to live as God has called me to live.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I my life today will be more holy than it was yesterday.

How do I set low standards for myself in the area of holiness?

How do these low standards reflect poorly on God and the grace He has given me?