Category Archives: Temptation & Sin

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March 1, 2016

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Fruit of the Spirit, God's Promises, Love & Works, Obedience, Salvation: A New You, Temptation & Sin

BEATITUDES AND ATTITUDES

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. [Matthew 5:3-9 (NIV)]

Lion Monument - Lucerne I don’t know about you, but I’m about ready to unplug the televisions until after the elections in November. It doesn’t matter which party or which candidate, the conduct and rhetoric has become nearly unbearable. Today’s Bible reading took me to Matthew 5 and the Beatitudes—those declarations of blessedness given by Jesus at the beginning of His Sermon on the Mount. I couldn’t help but contrast His words with the behavior of our politicians, their supporters and the news media. I then remembered A.W. Tozer’s observation that, if we were to take the Beatitudes and turn them inside out, we’d have the “very qualities which distinguish human life and conduct.”

Our society doesn’t seem to admire those who are modest and meek; we seem to prefer those filled with bombast and swagger. Rather than grief and heartache at our failures, we prefer witticisms, applause and celebration of our successes. Rather than meekness, humility and respectful behavior, we seem to favor assertiveness and pretentiousness. Instead of seeking justice, we pursue self-interest; instead of striving to rectify wrongs, intolerance seems to reign. Rather than compassion, there is indifference and vindictiveness instead of forgiveness. Deceit, guile and vulgarity are more prevalent than frankness, honesty, and morality and it appears that we admire instigators and agitators more than conciliators and negotiators.

Although there has been a large amount of condemnation, disparagement and attempts to discredit one another, I don’t think Jesus was thinking about that sort of mocking and persecution when he gave His message and I doubt that God is blessing anyone for their abysmal behavior just because it results in their disgrace or embarrassment. If we expect blessings for persecution, it should be for following Jesus and righteousness sake and not for pursuing power and self-righteousness.

Pride, greed, selfishness, arrogance, ruthlessness, dishonesty, bickering, and meanness—all of these are contrary to the Beatitudes. I admit that I need to remove the plank in my eye before criticizing the specks in the eyes of others and confess that much of my life is also spent on the opposite side of the Beatitudes. I imagine a part of your life is spent there as well. Let us never forget that Jesus’s words were neither His suggestions nor His opinions—they were and are God’s Truth.

Lord…Deliver me from the urge to compete with another for place or prestige or position. … Deliver me from pose and pretense. Forgive me for thinking of myself. Help me forget myself and find my true peace in beholding Thee. That Thou mayest answer this prayer I humble myself before Thee. Lay upon me Thy easy yoke of self-forgetfulness that through it I may find rest. [A.W. Tozer]

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. [Matthew 5:10-11 (NIV)]

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February 25, 2016

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Bible Stories, Church & Worship, Holidays & Holy Days, Obedience, Temptation & Sin, Wisdom & Guidance

THE SLIP

But Peter said to him, “Lord, I’m ready to go to prison with you and to die with you.” Jesus replied, “Peter, I can guarantee that the rooster won’t crow tonight until you say three times that you don’t know me.” [Luke 22:33-34 (GW)]

Ballenberg SwitzerlandHaving been raised in the Episcopal Church, I’ve always observed Lent and practiced some sort of self-denial during the six weeks from Ash Wednesday to Easter. According to Christianity Today, nearly one in five Americans observed Lent in 2015. In a survey this year, more than 400,000 tweeted about their fasts and food or drink and technology were the most popular categories of denial.

In the weeks leading up to Easter, many of us choose to turn away from small pleasures, indulgences, bad habits or things that may have distracted or derailed us spiritually. Even a temporary absence of something in life can make us appreciate the abundance we have; little denials can change the way we think about things after Lent. These six weeks help me to make positive behavioral changes and to consciously turn to God as I make them. In addition to giving up three things, I’ve added two Lenten devotionals to my daily prayer and Bible study.

“Did you choose to give up something for Lent? Have you kept the commitment? What has it taught you?” were the questions asked in one of yesterday’s Lenten devotions. Sweets were one of the things I gave up for Lent and I thought they were the easy one; the other two have taken more conscious effort and prayer. Have I kept the “no sweets” commitment? I had until the other night when we had dinner guests. As I prepared my nearly world famous cherry kuchen in preparation for their arrival, I had no intention of eating (or even tasting) it. In fact, I didn’t even find it appealing. Then came dessert time and I reached into the cupboard and mindlessly pulled down dessert plates for the five of us. I cut the cake, dolloped on whipped cream and served it. It wasn’t until the guests departed and I was washing the fifth plate that I even realized I’d eaten the cake!

“What has it taught you?” asked that Lenten devotion. Oh, how easy it is to stumble! I’m not wearing sackcloth and ashes just because I ate dessert during Lent. God and I are still on good terms but my slip has reminded me how easy it is to intend one thing and do another simply because we’re over-confident and unthinking. Consider Peter, so sure that he’d never betray Jesus and, yet, he did. It wasn’t until he’d heard the rooster crow that Peter even realized he’d done it! Unfortunately, it’s as easy to reach for a plate and thoughtlessly serve up some betrayal, gossip, temper, sarcasm, arrogance, selfishness, or jealousy as it is to eat a piece of cake.

Keep your mind clear, and be alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion as he looks for someone to devour. [1 Peter 5:8 (GW)]

Be alert. Be firm in the Christian faith. Be courageous and strong. Do everything with love. [1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (GW)]

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February 23, 2016

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Attitudes & Behavior, God's Plan, Knowing Him, Obedience, Salvation: A New You, Temptation & Sin, Trusting God

LORDSHIP AND OBEDIENCE

Steamboat ski area
But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.” [1 Samuel 15:22 (NLT)]

The topic of study at SK8 church the other night was “Lordship and Obedience.” When the pastor mentioned the word “obedience” you could almost see the kids’ heels dig into the floor and their hackles rise. Submission to any higher power is difficult, especially if you’re a rebellious teen or young adult. Thinking of any restriction on us as an attack on our individuality and rights, however, isn’t limited to the younger generation.

That night, the pastor started with the easy word: “lordship” and its definition—a person who has authority, control or power over others and decides what is acceptable or not. One of the young men immediately understood exactly where the pastor was going with the lesson and shared his observation that lordship and obedience are two sides of the same coin—having a lord or master requires obedience if the relationship is going to work.

In actuality, from the very beginning of our lives, we’ve had to submit to authority of some kind. Parents say no to hitting your siblings, sticking forks into sockets, and drawing on the walls. Teachers tell us to sit at our desks, raise our hands, and study hard. Bosses require us to arrive on time, dress appropriately, and be conscientious. Landlords tell us we can’t have dogs and must pay rent promptly. Banks insist we repay our loans and not overdraw our checkbooks. Municipalities tell us to pay taxes, stop at red lights and obey parking regulations. Unfortunately, many of the young people at church that night had experienced difficulty with their earthly masters—they’d been kicked out of their homes, expelled from school, fired from jobs, evicted by their landlords or arrested by the local police. Regrettably, not all of our earthly lords and masters are worthy of unquestioning obedience—there are unstable parents, bad teachers, unethical bosses, shoddy landlords, greedy banks, corrupt governments, and dishonest cops.

There is, of course, one authority figure who is Lord and Master over all creation and worthy of our full submission: God! Unfortunately, it’s not just those young people who have trouble with this one. Many people think of obedience to our Lord and Master as an unwilling submission to an intolerant narrow-minded grouchy old man sitting on a throne in heaven rather than as our willing and eager submission to a loving father. Many picture God as restrictive rather than giving, punishing rather than encouraging, and angry instead of caring. But this is our God, a God who loved us enough to sacrifice his only son for our salvation—a God who has etched our names on the palms of His hand, knows the number of hairs on our heads, hears all of our praises and prayers and, if he had an iPhone, would have our photos on it. We have a Lord and Master, our loving Father, who wants only the best for us and knows exactly what that is!

The words succumb, submit, capitulate, acquiesce, yield, surrender, and concede all imply losing a battle of some sort but our relationship with God isn’t a battle of wills. If we turn it into one, we better understand that it is a battle we are destined to lose. God is relentless in His love for us and His determination to save us. Moreover, He is not our opponent; rather, He is our ally! When we cede control to God, we can’t lose—we can only win!

If God is the Creator of the entire universe, then it must follow that He is the Lord of the whole universe. No part of the world is outside of His lordship. That means that no part of my life must be outside of His lordship. [R.C. Sproul]

Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. … Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash. [Matthew 7:21,24-27 (NLT)]

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February 18, 2016

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Attitudes & Behavior, Money & Wealth, Obedience, Temptation & Sin, Today: Make it Count

TIME’S AWASTING

Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. [Romans 14:12 (NLT)]

So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. [Ephesians 5:15-17 (NLT)]

Lately, we’ve heard several politicians talk about equalizing wealth. There is, however, one precious asset that is the same for both pauper and billionaire. It can’t be bought or sold nor can it be saved for a rainy day. Unlike money, once it is lost, it can never be regained. That asset, of course, is time and it is God’s gift to us. He’s given each of us a precise (but unknown) number of hours and they are not to be wasted. Any minute we don’t use is forfeited and never seen again.IMG_1923web4

As of today, we’ve had over 275 inches of snow in this mountain valley and dealing with all that snow uses several of those minutes each day. Every time we want to go anywhere, we have to allow an extra five to ten minutes to scrape the windshield and clean off the car. Snow can pile up, as evidenced by a car belonging to one of our neighbors. That snow makes for a whole lot of weight on one car’s roof and, as it compresses, it turns to ice. Maybe our neighbor plans on waiting until spring for the snow to melt. Spring, however, is a long ways away and, with an average snowfall of 352 inches, we can expect plenty more snow in the weeks to come. At this rate, chances are the car roof could collapse long before the crocuses peek through the snow.

When we don’t use our time wisely, things stack up just like the snow on that car. Life gets overwhelming when we put off until tomorrow what needs to be done today. Tomorrow comes, the task has grown, so we put it off for another day, and so it goes until life comes crashing in on us. We procrastinate for many reasons—exhaustion, fear, obsession with perfection, anger, indecision, lack of motivation, or simple laziness. Sometimes we even convince ourselves that we’re saving time by not doing something. Sure, the car’s owner hasn’t spent several minutes removing snow each morning but taking the bus around town takes much longer. If and when he tries to clean the car, it will take him hours to chip off the accumulated snow and ice. Moreover, if the roof collapses, he won’t have a car at all! Whatever the cause for our procrastination, the work we’re avoiding won’t disappear. In fact, in most cases, like the snow on the car, it will just pile higher and higher.

When we get diverted from the task at hand and waste God’s time, the enemy loves it. He’s provided us with all sorts of new ways to do it with binge watching on Netflix, computer games, email, Xboxes, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat and the like. In fact, there are several websites that will link you to the best sites for wasting time! When I look at some of hyperlinks and humor emailed to me, I wonder if anybody still works. We each have been given the same twenty-four hours this day, how will we spend it? Paul tells us in Romans that we will be accountable to God for the way we have used his gifts and those hours are one of God’s most precious gifts to us.

Time is like manna from heaven. God provides exactly what we need for each day and, like manna, what isn’t used today is gone tomorrow. Barring unforeseen circumstances, we have been gifted with 1440 minutes today. Will we tend to the business of the day or will we let things pile up until some future date? God willing, we will be blessed with 24 more hours tomorrow but, then again, maybe we won’t.

Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die leaving undone. [Pablo Picasso]

Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of. [Benjamin Franklin] 

Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. [Psalm 90:12 (NLT)]

Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. [James 4:13-14 (NLT)]

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January 27, 2016

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Attitudes & Behavior, Church & Worship, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Love & Works, Money & Wealth, Temptation & Sin

BRAGGING RIGHTS

Beware of doing your good deeds conspicuously to catch men’s eyes or you will miss the reward of your Heavenly Father. So, when you do good to other people, don’t hire a trumpeter to go in front of you—like those play-actors in the synagogues and streets who make sure that men admire them. Believe me, they have had all the reward they are going to get! No, when you give to charity, don’t even let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be secret. Your Father who knows all secrets will reward you. [Matthew 6:1-4 (PHILIPS)]

snowy egret and tri-colored heronA recent “Close to Home” comic, by John McPherson, certainly hit close to home for me. While the wife stretches in preparation for a run, her husband is strapping a Fitbit to the dog’s legs in readiness for some Frisbee tossing. The caption read: “Determined to put 100 miles on the Fitbit before his wife did, Stu got a little help from Pepper.” Having no dog, I’ve never cheated at my step count, but I do want full credit for every step I do take. Once, after having taken over 15,000 steps, my Fitbit died before the steps were logged onto my phone. When a new battery brought the device back to life, my step count was at zero. I was visibly upset because just my knowing how much I’d walked wasn’t enough. I wanted official web recognition for those miles because I wanted bragging rights—I wanted my husband and the rest of my Fitbit friends to be impressed.

I think of a friend who told me she was getting active in a variety of good causes so that her obituary would be long and impressive. Even dead and gone, she wanted bragging rights. Sometimes, we want bragging rights in our faith. Our faith journey, however, is not a competition to see who can pray the longest, knows the most Bible verses, volunteers for the most committees, gives the most money, or has the loudest “Hallelujah!”

In Matthew 6, Jesus warned his disciples about seeking a good reputation through outward showmanship. Their new life was not to be about impressing people but rather about having a relationship with God. Good acts done for personal glory are hypocrisy. When our giving, serving and conversation is led by the desire to impress others with our Christian behavior, we become the hypocrites Jesus described. When we strive to be perceived as more pious, generous, faithful, or loving than others, we become self-seekers, not God seekers. While scripture tells us to serve the Lord with gladness, it never tells us to serve him with fanfare. No matter how good the cause or worthy the work, bragging rights or boosting our worth in the eyes of others should never be our motivation for what we do.

Granted, we should be good examples but there are only two who need to know how much we believe, give, pray or serve: God and ourselves! Life is not about having a long impressive obituary—it is about living the life God intended for us in the way He wants it lived. When my Fitbit cheats me of steps, it really doesn’t matter because I know how much I’ve walked and that’s all that counts. When I serve the Lord, no matter in what the capacity, God already knows and no one else needs to know. His approval is the only approval any of us should seek.

And then, when you pray, don’t be like the play-actors. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at street-corners so that people may see them at it. Believe me, they have had all the reward they are going to get. But when you pray, go into your own room, shut your door and pray to your Father privately. Your Father who sees all private things will reward you. … Then, when you fast, don’t look like those miserable play-actors! For they deliberately disfigure their faces so that people may see that they are fasting. Believe me, they have had all their reward. No, when you fast, brush your hair and wash your face so that nobody knows that you are fasting—let it be a secret between you and your Father. And your Father who knows all secrets will reward you. [Matthew 6:5-6,16-18 (PHILIPS)]

 

 

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January 26, 2016

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Family, Friends & Fellowship, God's Plan, Patience & Perseverance, Spiritual Gifts, Temptation & Sin, Today: Make it Count

COMPARISONS

Let everyone be sure that he is doing his very best, for then he will have the personal satisfaction of work well done and won’t need to compare himself with someone else. Each of us must bear some faults and burdens of his own. For none of us is perfect! [Galatians 6:4-5 (TLB)]

julias and clouded yellow butterflies When I log the number of steps I’ve taken each day, I often compare my total with that of my Fitbit friends. No matter what I do or how far I’ve walked, one friend is always far ahead of me. True, a little friendly competition can be good for us when it makes us challenge ourselves and work harder. Walking with this friend, for example, challenges me to step up my pace. Too competitive a spirit, however, can hurt us. Last year, bound and determined to record more steps than she, I devoted a week to out-walking this woman who is nearly thirty years my junior. I ended up with a stress fracture and, to add insult to injury, she still logged more steps!

Comparing ourselves to other people can lead to more than a stress fracture. We usually end up thinking we’re either inferior to or better than the other person. Either way, comparing puts the focus on us rather than our goal and love ceases to be our motivation. We’re commanded not to covet and comparing ourselves to others often leads to jealousy and coveting. By trying to out-walk my friend, I was coveting her youth and fitness. I was focusing on what I wasn’t and wanted to be (a beautiful athletic young woman) rather than what I am and can be (a healthy fit older woman).

When comparing ourselves to others, we also risk becoming pride filled. Even though I can’t out-walk my friend, I usually manage to out-walk most of our other Fitbit friends. I confess to having felt rather smug about that until I remembered that their goals may be quite different than mine and they probably don’t have the free time for fitness that I do.

God created each of us with unique strengths and weaknesses and gave each of us our own custom-designed race to run and track on which to run it. Some people will be faster and some courses will be easier but that’s God’s business, not ours. Instead of comparing ourselves to anyone else, we should be thankful for who and what we are. Rather than trying to be better than the other guy, perhaps we should just try to be the person God wants us to be! The good examples of others can encourage us and our good examples can inspire others, but we must never get bogged down by comparing ourselves or by trying to run someone else’s race. If we must compare, how about comparing ourselves to Jesus? A word of warning, however, it’s a guarantee that we’ll be found wanting in that one!

Be all you can be. [U.S. Army slogan from 1980-2001]

I don’t mean to say I am perfect. I haven’t learned all I should even yet, but I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ saved me for and wants me to be. No, dear brothers, I am still not all I should be, but I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us. [Philippians 3:12-14 (TLB)]