| God's Justice | | September 5, 2010 |
"Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord." - Romans 12:19
Is there anything more satisfying than to have justice delivered to someone who has wronged you? Look at the injustice thrust upon David. Through a series of betrayals, his vain young son, Absalom, took away the throne that rightfully belonged to David. David protested and cried out to God for justice, but recognized that vengeance is a matter for God. It wasn't long before Absalom – who was very proud of his head of flowing hair – had his gorgeous locks caught in a tree as he was riding by. He couldn't untangle himself and died right there. God brought about justice in a rather colorful manner, and although he wept for his son, David was restored to the throne.
God delivers justice in different ways. Sometimes it's through routine personal (and peaceful) interaction. Sometimes normal office procedures result in a just solution. Some actions require the involvement of the police or the courts. And sometimes justice will not be revealed until after our deaths, recognizing that God sees an eternal picture that we cannot comprehend while wrapped up in our temporal, earthly matters.
But do know this: God will bring about justice. Maybe it won't be as dramatic as the culprit getting his hair stuck in a tree. But in the end, God's justice will most certainly be done.
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| | What Lurks in the Dark? | | September 4, 2010 |
"For you light my lamp; the Lord my God illumines my darkness." - Psalm 18:28
She had been driven crazy by her energetic children and just needed to get away, if even for just a moment. She ran upstairs to her daughter's bedroom and closed the closet door behind her. And there, in the solitude of the closet she cleansed her mind by letting out a long, loud scream. She immediately felt better and opened the door to leave. Blocking her exit, with eyes the size of saucers, were her three children. Her four-year-old daughter spoke first: "Mommy, I told you there were monsters in there."
But the truth is, children and adults fear the dark, the unknown, for the same reason: our fears are intensified when we cannot see what is really before us. Listen to these words from the Psalmist: "Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there, if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."
Like a loving father, God promises us He'll always be with us. He's there to offer us His hand in life's darkest hours. He'll carry us through the darkness and lead us where we need to go. He'll always be with us.
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| | Where is Your Treasure? | | September 3, 2010 |
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal." - Matthew 6:19-20
God tells us (quite logically) that it is impossible to take our earthly things with us to heaven. Because of this, He warns us not to emphasize the collection of material possessions while we walk the earth. They have no permanence - not during our brief stay on earth (where moths and rust will destroy them), nor in heaven, where they most certainly cannot be brought along. But while God makes it clear that collecting things is futile, He does tell us that there are some treasures we can take with us to heaven and He urges us to begin building those ingredients right now! What are these treasures?
A glorious treasure waiting for us in heaven are those relationships we have with people that we pointed to Christ. In fact, the only things you can take with you from this life into eternity are those relationships you have with other Christians. God is clear. He wants us to choose relationships over material. So what choice have you made? Are you living for things? Are you living for stuff? Are you basing your decisions on what you want? Or are you putting God first and seeking to point others to Christ from your witness, service and gifts? This leads to the treasures you will experience in heaven. Investing in people for Christ has lasting returns.
What kind of treasure are you building in heaven?
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| | The Importance of Human Life | | September 2, 2010 |
"Know that the LORD Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves..." - Psalm 100:3a
The American Constitution - normally a bastion for the dignity of mankind and protector of liberty - originally declared that some members of our society only counted as three-fifths of a human being. What evil this label generated, as America justified slavery for another eighty years! Think about what happened in World War II. The fascist philosophy of the Nazis said that Jewish people were less than fully human. So, there was a justification for the slaughter and the murder of six million innocent Jews? Throughout history, declaring any human life as less than fully human has always led to grotesque evil.
And it continues today. Beginning in the late 1960's, we began referring to an unborn child as merely a "fetus." This clinical word dehumanized the child, turning it from a person into a blob of tissue, thus making it easier to destroy. And since the horrific Supreme Court decision in 1973, estimates show that over fifty-one million unborn children have been murdered. Add that to the estimated fifty-four million killed in the rest of the world every single year. Compare those numbers to the Holocaust and you will realize that when it comes to the scope of eternal history, abortion is one of the most grotesque evils of all time.
These are the consequences whenever man declares a human life as being less than a human. After all, we were all made by the same Creator. And God doesn't make mistakes. So, let's respect the sanctity of human life - from conception through old age.
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| | A Clear Mission | | September 1, 2010 |
"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice, be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." - Matthew 5:10-12
Let me tell you of one of the days I face with dread. There will be a call telling me that one of the missionaries our church has sent out into the mission field has been arrested, or kidnapped, or even killed.
Whether it is a fellow minister, a doctor on a special mission trip, or even one of our teenagers building houses for the poor during their spring break, I pray that if such event occurs, we will not stand around wringing our hands, saying, "You know, this is getting too dangerous! We gotta back off some of this!" No! May it never be! Christ didn't say when we face persecution, we should retreat like a bunch of cowards. He said we must continue the mission of the church, for those who are persecuted face extraordinary blessings!
Jesus Christ gives us a clear mission, to take the gospel to every corner of the world. He tells us there will be persecution and suffering. Yet, the mission of the church is what He has called us to fulfill, no matter what the cost! God is calling on us to be filled with the Holy Spirit, so that we will be faithful witnesses for Christ to the very end, no matter what the cost we have to pay. |
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| | Who is Jesus to You? | | August 31, 2010 |
"And He asked them, 'But who do you say that I am?'" - Mark 8:25
I was riding in a cab to Washington's Dulles airport. As we passed the Pentagon, I asked the cab driver, "Which side of the building was hit on September 11?" When he answered, I could tell he had an accent and I asked where he was from. He said he was from Iran. I said, "Tell me about your faith; do you have any?" "Oh, yes! I'm a Muslim," he answered and then went on to state that he was currently on a spiritual search.
I asked what he thought about Jesus. "I believe in Jesus," he enthusiastically replied. "He is in the Koran. He is a great prophet." "But do you believe in Jesus being God?" He quickly answered, "Oh no! There is only one God and that is Allah." We continued this conversation during the long ride to the airport. As I left him, I encouraged him to read the gospels with an open mind and ask God to reveal to him who Jesus is.
Who is Jesus to you? Really, there could not be a more important question I could have asked that taxi driver or a more important question I could ask you. How you answer that question will determine your spiritual destiny forever. The only correct response? It was the one Peter gave when asked that question by Jesus Himself. He replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!"
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| | Where Does Your Shadow Fall? | | August 30, 2010 |
"Be imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and watch carefully those who are living this way, just as you have us as an example." - Philippians 3:17
A Bible School teacher told me about a time she noticed a boy sitting in the hall with a stern look on his face barking orders to the other children. "What are you doing?" she asked. "I'm pretending I'm the pastor," he said. "How are you playing the pastor?" He explained, "I ain't doing nothing. I'm just telling everybody else what to do!"
We sometimes never know where our shadows fall and how they influence others. Martin Luther cast a long shadow over Germany, Europe and over the world - a long shadow for good. About 500 years later, Adolph Hitler also cast a long shadow over Germany, Europe and over the world...a devastatingly evil shadow. Two lives, two men; one filled with the Spirit of the Lord, one filled with the spirit of the devil.
You will probably never influence the entire world like Luther or Hitler, but I guarantee you will have tremendous influence on some part of it. It may be as a parent, co-worker, neighbor, or friend. It may be as a coach or teacher - or even as a fifth grader being a role model for a 1st grader. You won't always be conscious of where your shadow falls, but the fact is that you touch many lives while walking this earth.
What kind of shadow do you cast? Is it for good or for bad? Is it to curse or to bless? Is it to encourage or to discourage? Only your shadow knows. |
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