First Priority

First Priority

            When problems and struggles trouble us, quite often we tend to concentrate on them and put God on the back burner at least for a while.  This is, of course backwards.  We know God should be the first priority.  Let me share some thoughts from Matthew 6 to help reinforce our thinking and keep God in first place even in the midst of life’s problems.  Jesus says in verse 25,  “…do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.”  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  In other words, life consists of much more that what we can see and touch.  In fact, physical life is the temporary part.  Spiritual life is the important part.

            Then Jesus reminds them that God takes care of the birds and flowers and asks,  “Are you not much more valuable than they?”  Sometimes we forget how much God cares about us.

            In verse 32, speaking of all the things people need and worry about, He says,  “…your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”    God is like a loving parent that knows what His kids really need, and will not leave them without.  And the Creator is certainly able to provide for those He loves.

            Then He makes the point that when it comes right down to it,  we don’t really have much control over our own lives anyway:  “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”  Most things are beyond our control.

            The cares of this life can weigh heavily on us at times,  but we must not let anything interfere with our relationship to God.  “… seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Lighten Your Load

Lighten Your Load

            Does life ever get overwhelming to you?  Do you ever feel heavy burdened with cares, problems?  Is it ever too much for you so that you wish there was a way out or someone around to help?  Do you ever think; “I wish I could just turn myself in someplace where I could relax and know everything was going to be all right”?

            Folks, the answer is to place yourself in the care of Christ.  If we want rest for our weary souls, we ought to find an easing of our burdens in Jesus Christ.  In Matthew 11, the one who has all power in heaven and on earth says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

            What this means is to submit yourself to Him.  Whatever happens, I am in your care.  I will do what you tell me and follow your instructions.  I will serve you from now on, and trust you to take care of things.  Sort of like with my income taxes.  I still responsibility and still have to pull some things together, but oh, the stress I get rid of when I turn it over to the consultant that knows what they are doing with it all.  Christ is a great Boss to work for.  He says,  ³⁰ … my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” And properly understood, it is.

            Don’t miss the part about,  “and learn from me”.  See how He is gentle and humble in heart.  People of this nature just don’t seem to get anxious and worried.  This spirit leads to a restful soul.

The Knowledge We Need

The Knowledge We Need

            Someone once said very appropriately; “Knowledge is Power”.  It’s easy to see how this can be so very true in the business world, or in a military campaign.  Knowing the lay of the land, knowing the habits of an opponent can certainly give someone a great advantage.  But, I would like to suggest that there are different kinds of “knowledge”.

            When God makes the statement in Hosea 4:6, that “…my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge”,  He’s not talking about trivial pursuit type questions like “What’s the name of Moses’ father-in-law, or, “what was made on the third day of Creation”.  It’s not that God wants us to memorize such facts.

            God is after something we might call “relational knowledge”.  The people’s problem is that they forget who they are in relation to God.  We are His creation.  He is worthy of all our respect.  We’re the ones in great need of Him.  He provides everything we need from air,  food, water and shelter, to guidance in love and righteousness and protection from enemies.  He owes us nothing, we owe Him everything.  What the people are lacking, is knowledge on how to stay faithful.  We tend to “forget” that God is there and that God cares about how we act.

            Maybe we could call it  “heart knowledge”.  The people in Hosea’s time knew in their heads that God was there.  They could have beaten any of us in a Bible trivia game.  But that knowledge wasn’t in their hearts!  The Nature of God needs to get from our heads down to our hearts, so our hearts feel and act on what our heads claim to “know”.

            It is not knowledge of religious rituals that God wants performed.  He wants our hearts moved so we act like His people.

A Focused Pursuit

A Focused Pursuit

            God has extended to us the promise of many things;  Joy.  Peace that passes all understanding.  Holiness and purity.  An inheritance in heaven.  These things are intended to be gifts.  We do not earn them.  And yet, they are not simply dumped in our laps either.  They presuppose some effort and participation on our part.  They presuppose that He will be our God and that we will be His people and act like it.  They presuppose a life-orientation of loyalty based on faith.  We do have a role to play in obtaining our inheritance. 

      Joshua chapter 14 tells of the apportioning of the land promised to of Israel.  Here the tribe of Judah steps up for their allotment, led by Caleb.  Remember, he was one of the twelve who went out to spy on Canaan.  He’s a great illustration of how God’s people are to receive the promise God has extended to them.

      While 10 of the spies were fearful of the people in the land, Caleb trusted God and his faith is well rewarded.  This key is seen repeatedly;

      in  verse 8 he recalls “… my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear. I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.”

      Then in verse 9 he recalls what Moses said on the occasion;   “‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.’ 

      Then again in verse 14 the author recounts;  ”So Hebron has belonged to Caleb … ever since, because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.

            Folks, if we would attain peace, joy, and the other things God offers us, we should do the same.  Follow God.  Wholeheartedly.

Purify My Lips

Purify My Lips

            One of the hardest things to control is what we say.  It seems to be easier to control what we actually do than what we say.   James 3:2, says it this way, “We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.” 

            This is because what we say stems from what is deep within.  Jesus says in Luke 6:45, ”The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”

            If this is true, a good place to start is to see what I’m storing up in my heart.  If I watch shows that glorify revenge, I may be storing that value system in my heart.  If dwell on thoughts that devalue other people or misuse them, I’m storing those this up in my heart.  If I listen to talk about abusive things with abusive language, that gets stored in my heart and will come bubbling out from time to time.

            I need to think noble thoughts.  Read noble things.  Renew my thinking to noble concepts and dwell on them if I want those things to be in my heart and on my tongue.

            And I need to ask God’s help.  In Zephaniah 3:9, God says “Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder.”

            Two benefits to such “pure lips”.  It will enable us to “call on the Lord”, and to serve Him in unity, shoulder to shoulder.

Be Careful Little Eyes

Be Careful Little Eyes

      Sometimes the Old Testament relates powerful messages in rather cryptic ways.  Listen to a reading from Haggai chapter 2;

      “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests what the law says: ¹² If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’” The priests answered, “No.” ¹³ Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?”  “Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.”  ¹⁴ Then Haggai said, “‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the LORD. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.  ¹⁵ “‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on—consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD’S temple. ¹⁶ When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. ¹⁷I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me,’ declares the LORD. ¹⁸ ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD’S temple was laid. Give careful thought: ¹⁹ Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.  “‘From this day on I will bless you.’”

            Folks, the point is, that it’s a lot easier to get spiritually dirty than it is to get spiritually clean.  Be careful who or what you get involved with.  To have God’s blessing, you must be clean.

Basic Doctrine Doesn’t Change

Basic Doctrine Doesn’t Change

            Sometimes people get the idea that God keeps changing.  One set of demands in the Old Testament, a completely different set in the New.  Folks, this simply is not the whole story.  God is always the same.  He does not change.

            Sometimes the specifics of his instructions seem different, depending on our situation, our behavior, our maturity.  So, in the Old Testament it’s sometimes like a parent telling a small child that they simply must not cross the highway by themselves.  In the New we have the liberty to go, but God still expects us to look both ways and cross safely.  We are supposed to be spiritually mature enough now.

            God’s basic expectations are the same in both Testaments.  One of the best places to see this is Leviticus 20, where God is giving all those harsh and strict instructions to Israel.  In verse 7 He explains,  “Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.”

      God’s basic teaching is for people to set themselves aside;  to put God first in everything.  Same in throughout the Bible.  And the reason is because He is our God.  We want to be like Him and be with Him.

      Then, He urges folks to keep His teachings.  They have the purpose of guiding us out of trouble and getting us on the road to heaven.

      And, there is a reminder that He is the One Who makes people holy.  He did then.  He still does through Christ.

      God’s character, God’s intention have not changed.  Neither has the basic essence of His teaching.  He is trying to get us to be like Him so we can be with Him in heaven.

The Mystery Of Godliness

The Mystery Of Godliness

            I hope I never get to a place in life where beautiful sunsets come and go without notice.  Where rainbows get to be “old hat”.  Where I’m not amazed at the clouds and depth of the sky.   Folks, it is sad, but sometimes we can become so accustomed to the most amazing things that we hardly notice them.

            The Gospel itself is one of those things.  It’s amazing essence is summarized in 1 Timothy 3:16 in the words of a song that folks used to sing to teach it to others.  The Apostle calls it “the mystery of godliness”.  Mystery, being something amazing that has now been revealed.  It says,

            He appeared in a body,

            was vindicated by the Spirit,

            was seen by angels,

            was preached among the nations,

            was believed on in the world,

            was taken up in glory.

            Each of these items ought to boggle our minds if we think about them and make us stand in awe. 

He appeared in a body;  Deity became flesh and lived among us for a while.

was vindicated by the Spirit,  They accused Him of horrible things, called Him prince of demons, but He even children could see that He was holiness in every way.

was seen by angels  Heavenly beings announced Him, ministered to Him and protected Him

was preached among the nations,  Not just the Jews. salvation has been offered to everyone.  No exceptions.

was believed on in the world,  Throughout the world, people place their trust in Him and are united to each other and to God.

was taken up in glory,  The grave couldn’t hold Him.  Though He died for us, He yet lives.

            Folks, each of these is a part of God’s message to us.  Isn’t God amazing?

Fulfill The Royal Law

Fulfill The Royal Law

            We have highway safety laws, civil laws, environmental laws, all kinds of laws, but did you know there was a royal law?  It’s identified in James 2:8;  “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.”

            Why would loving your neighbor as yourself be identified as the “royal law”?  Well the text itself doesn’t say, but let me suggest a some things;  Maybe because this one derives from the King of kings who is Lord over all creation;  God Himself.  This is the one that summarizes what’s really important to Him.  This is the governing principle out of which all other laws derive.  Such things as don’t tell lies, don’t cheat, let no unwholesome language come out of your lips, these are all simply commentaries on this one fundamental governing principle.  Romans 13 says, “…and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

            Moreover, this “royal law” is an expression of the very nature of God Himself.  The Bible defines Him as love.  That’s what He is.  He’s the One who loved us so much that He gave His only begotten for our salvation.

            A few verses earlier, this is called the “perfect law”.  In that regard, can you imagine any rule or regulation that could make someone willingly die on behalf of other people?  But this one did.  Only love can do such a thing as that.

            So, what loving thing have you done for a neighbor today?  Bit your lip when you were tempted to gripe at them?  Let them in ahead of you in line or in traffic?  Take time to listen to their troubles?

            Folks, you really want to do right, keep this law.

Training in Godliness

Training in Godliness

      Many who are listening right now are probably in training for something.  Maybe you’re training for a career.  Or the military.  Or diligently exercising, training for a big race or a big game.  We train for many things, but I wonder, have you ever thought about training yourself to be godly?

      In 1 Timothy 4:7 , the Apostle tells Timothy,  “…train yourself to be godly.”

      Now, how does one go about THAT kind of training?  His letter suggests at least three ways;

      First, know what you are training for;  in chapter 1:5, he says, “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”  What is it you are striving for?  Not big muscles or powerful lungs, here you are seeking to grow in love.  And not just any love, but love that comes from a pure heart.  (So keep checking your motives in whatever you do.)  Love that comes from a good conscience. (So keep looking to see if you’re hiding anything shady or shameful.)  And love that comes from a sincere faith.  (Keep checking to see if you are being faithful to God in all you do.)

      The second thing in this regimen is Bible study.  At least a few minutes every day would be good.  Any training regimen calls for that much.

      The third item in the exercise routine would be to put what you learn from your Bible study into practice.  It may be faulty at first.  What exercise routine is perfect the first time through?  Then practice, practice, practice.

      If you lack the motivation, think of the rewards.  “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”