Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life.  (Ezekiel 13:22)

But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.  None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him…(Ezekiel 18:21-22)

     A few nights ago I watched a television drama which dealt with the “bullying” death by suicide of a lesbian teenager.  It was stated during the climax of the show that this occurred not because of one young person’s meanness or another’s weaknesses, but because we are a mean-spirited people:  we oppose homosexual marriages; we in the body of believers believe homosexuality to be a sin, and we approve of the discrimination against those who do not believe as we do.  Listening to this program and recalling others I’ve seen in the past year, I was struck by the number of TV shows which now have dedicated an inordinate amount of episodes to the regularization of homosexuality.  Christians in particular seem to be the preferred target; we are portrayed as judgmental, rigid and unkind.

     When I wrote “God’s Word About Homosexuality” a few years back, I intended to never address the issue again in a post dedicated only to that subject.  Frankly, with the topic discussed ad nauseum in various media outlets and in every internet resource from every imaginable point of view, I felt it came under the heading of flogging a dead horse.   This last year has brought upon us all great changes socially and, unfortunately, many of these changes have not been for the better.  Increasingly, those in positions either of authority or of influence have been advocating the complete abolition of the word of God, to be replaced with a social gospel of acceptance of that which we know to be sinful.  On the other hand, those who oppose homosexuality as a sin against God appear to be falling primarily into one of three categories:  either they are silent altogether as speaking out the truth of God’s word becomes increasingly more unpopular; or they are caving to public pressure and denying the Scriptural values they have always adhered to, or they are becoming hardened and aggressive towards those souls in such danger of spiritual death.   Therefore, it is time to address the church again about our role in the entire issue of homosexuality.

     When the prophets of Israel promoted their false teachings back in Ezekiel’s day, God accused them of strengthening the hands of wickedness by condoning that which was evil and falsely promising life, thus ensuring that the wicked would not turn away from their evil deeds and be saved.  When we today keep silent about our knowledge of those things which God has condemned or, worse yet, embrace those things in an effort to appease the demonic god of political correctness, we are doing exactly the same thing that God warned the prophets about:  we are endangering the immortal souls of countless people because we hesitate to offend the world by proclaiming the inerrant word of the Father.  God has made known to us in the Bible that we will be required to answer for those souls led astray who could have been saved by our intervention.  Those men and women who call themselves by His name yet are condoning the present evil acceptance of homosexuality, even going so far as to marry homosexual couples,  must answer to the One who has declared this behavior to be an abomination.

     So what, I am frequently asked, about Jesus’ words to “judge not, lest you be judged”?  Dear brothers and sisters, this is NOT my judgment.  This judgment was made by God Himself, long before any of us came upon the scene.  While I cannot judge the relationship between any other person’s heart and God (for that is God’s province and His only), there are certain behaviors that God has unequivocally condemned, and we must certainly condemn these behaviors as He does.  To do otherwise is to assist in the damnation of those who have not learned the truth.  To do otherwise is to commit a sin as egregious as any we can engage in. We are strengthening the hands of the wicked, either by our silence (a sin of omission) or our active acceptance (a sin of commission).

     While the tolerance of evil is forbidden to those of us who are believers, we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves.  Too often we view these two truths as mutually exclusive, when in fact they are not.  To hate sin is not to loathe the sinner.  To renounce sin does not mean that we are allowed to revile those who are living apart from God.  How it must grieve the heart of our Lord when He hears those who call themselves Christians use opprobrious words against His wayward children!  The disgusting and degrading words many have used to describe those engaged in homosexual relationships should NEVER be heard on the lips of people of God.  We are commanded to share the truth in love, not out of hate or anger.  We cannot embrace the sin, but we should stand ready to embrace the sinner.  Our purpose is not just to repel evil, but to show those who are unsaved that there is perfect love and forgiveness awaiting them through the shed blood of our Savior, Jesus.  This purpose is not well served by the announcement that AIDS is God’s judgment on homosexuals–a statement that is untrue.  AIDS  is an unfortunate but natural consequence of ungodly and risky behavior, just as contracting other STDs is an unfortunate but natural consequence of committing other immoral sexual sins.  While these are not judgments on specific people, God has certainly allowed us to reap the natural rewards of our sinful behaviors.  We have refused His intervention in our lives as a nation, and He has lifted His hand in order to show us what we bring on ourselves when left to our own devices and desires. God knew that there were certain sexual behaviors that would result in disease, heartache and death; He also knew that if man continued in those behaviors many innocent people would suffer as well.  God’s laws for us are practical as well as spiritual.   God does not offer us the option to behave in an unkindly manner towards those who are dying for lack of knowledge of Him.  He sees all His unbelieving children as sheep without a Shepherd; as those who are ill but are refusing the great Physician who can heal their bodies and their souls.  This is also how He expects us to see them.  We must be sure that we do not strengthen the hands of the wicked by our words or attitudes, but that we bring them to a right understanding of the reality and heart of God.

     Many Hollywood actors and producers have accepted a position of leadership in the fight to marginalize the Christian values system, promote the tolerance of all that  God has deemed unworthy of His family and even to reject the righteousness of God Himself.  They know, as many do not, that art does not necessarily imitate life; that art can actually influence our worldview of life.  We must not be silent, but we must respond–not react–in love.  At this point, I am not certain if this battle against the influences of iconic Hollywood celebrities can be won;  I am certain only that we must continue to spread the Gospel of Jesus and obey the commandments of God.  We must continue to act as Jesus would have us act, behave as He would have us behave, speak as the Holy Spirit leads us to speak, and show love to those in need of His love.  Whether or not we lose this battle, we know with certainty that God will win the war, because He is God–holy, righteous and all-powerful.  The battle is really His.  He does use us, though, as instruments through which He speaks the desires of His heart, and to weaken the hands of the wicked instead of to give them strength.

Maranatha!

“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”       Revelation 19:7.

I officiated at two weddings over the last couple of weeks.  Listening to the vows the new couples made to each other and re-reading the Scriptures presented at the ceremonies, I began to wonder if the “bride” and “wives” passages of the Bible referred only to women in the traditional marriage of a man and woman, or if in these words God was telling us–the church–what He expects of those of us who refer to ourselves as the Bride of Christ.  I expect it is more difficult for men to contemplate this, as few can easily identify themselves with the “bride” passages; yet if there is any validity in the idea, then men as well as women need to take a fresh look at how the Bible characterizes a good wife and decide if we all need to be applying these standards to our lives in Christ.

The first reference we have to marriage in Scripture occurs in the second chapter of Genesis, with the creation of Adam and Eve:

And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.  Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.  And Adam said:  “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”  Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Just as Adam and Eve became one in spirit, so we are to become one in spirit with the Father when we come to Him at the time of our profession of faith in our salvation through the shed Blood of Jesus.  Too often the tendency is to believe that the union ends when we  first repent of our sins and accept Christ.  While my intention is not to enter the “Can one ever lose their salvation?” debate here, it must be noted that God has set some pretty high standards for those who would call themselves by His name.  Are we really trying our best to live up to these standards and to be worthy of the fine linen in which we will approach the marriage supper of the Lamb?  Proverbs 12:4 tells us that “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.” Most married couples can tell you that becoming an excellent wife is not easy.  It takes work, love, commitment and constant vigilance.

Who can find a virtuous wife?  For her worth is far above rubies.  The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain.  She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.  She seeks wool and flax, and willingly works with her hands.  She is like merchant ships, she brings her food from afar.  She also rises while it is yet night, and provides food for her household, and a portion for her maidservants.  She considers a field and buys it; from her profits she plants a vineyard.  She girds herself with strength, and strengthens her arms.  She perceives that her merchandise is good, and her lamp does not go out by night.  She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hand holds the spindle.  She extends her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy….Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come.  She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.  She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.   (Prov. 31: 10-20, 25-27)

Wow!  If you read this passage carefully, you will see that it is an incredibly high standard for any human being  to achieve and maintain.  I believe that God is calling all of us to be vigilant and virtuous brides. According to a footnote in my Bible, in Hebrew this form of “virtuous wife” which we see in verse 10 literally means “a wife of valor” in the sense of all forms of excellence.  We are all to be brides who are faithful, industrious and generous to the poor.  We are to advance the kingdom of the Bridegroom by our very natures and examples.

Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands… (1 Peter 3:1)

In our society, submission is looked upon as a show of weakness and inferiority–hence the extreme resistance to following God displayed by so many people today.  However, submission as it is looked upon by God by no means demands that one has to quash one’s personality, or have no opinions or thoughts of one’s own.  It does not mean blind obedience to the sometimes unreasonable or even vicious temperament of another.  In a Christian marriage, a submissive wife will not follow her husband into sin, but will be ready to accept his spiritual headship and to help him carry it through.  Are we submitting ourselves before our Bridegroom?  Are we rejecting our fleshly desires and our lusts for money, power, popularity or adulation in deference to His will?  Are we being obedient to Him, and are we being faithful to Him and Him alone as long as we live?  If we are to be His bride, we must behave as His wife must.

Do not let your adornment be merely outward–arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel–rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.  (1 Peter 3-4)

This too must be a admonition for us all.  As the bride of Christ adorning herself for the coming marriage, certainly we must see to the conditioning of our spirits, that we may appear spotless and righteous before Him!  The world says the outward appearance is of very great importance, but the Lord looks upon the heart.  As I said in an earlier post, there is no great spiritual gain in not making ourselves look as nice as we can, but the Bride–male and female as we are–must be clothed in the white garments of virtue  and righteousness.

Scripture has some pretty pithy sayings about those who refuse to live as faithful wives of the Lord our God.  The book of Hosea illustrated to the Old Testament Hebrews that God looked upon their apostasies and their unfaithfulness  to Him as a state of whoredom, deserving of divorce by their eternal Husband.  John was given such warnings to give the church in the Revelation he received from God while in his island prison on Patmos.  Jesus told John to tell the church of Ephesus (and us as well) that He can tell when we have left our first love of Him, and does not like it.  He (Jesus) goes on to say, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place–unless you repent.” (Rev. 2:4-5)  He later promises to cast the false prophetess Jezebel into a sickbed along with those who commit adultery with her (i.e. stray from the teachings of Christ and worship falsely).

Beloved ones, Jesus is coming soon for His bride.  Scripture is filled with examples of what makes the perfect wife, and what constitutes the wife that is unfit to be acceptable to God.   Read them for yourselves and decide what kind of a bride you want to be to Jesus.  Then pray that we all may be found worthy to attend the marriage supper!

Maranatha!

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  (Romans 12:2)

“…and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.  Therefore, putting away lying, ‘let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor’ for we are members of one another.  ‘Be angry and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.  Let him who stole steal no longer…but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.  Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, …do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”  (Ephesians 4:23-32)

     As much as I love TV, my brain has a filter that automatically tunes out most commercials.  However, as I was watching a favorite program a few days ago, I was revolted by an ad I found so irritating I couldn’t tune it out–an actress singing praises to Jenny Craig and fatuously thanking this weight-loss program for allowing her the chance to be pretty again.  It got my mind working about what kind of messages we take in about ourselves and what we consider to be important things we need to change about ourselves, and for the last few days I’ve listened to commercials with a bit more attention.  I finally lost count of the ads for different make-up companies promising to make us more desirable people, I watched ads for stuff that can be injected into our faces to make us more appealing and foods that will cause us to return to our optimum weights. I’ve noticed that even several of the popular Christian television programs carry regular segments on dieting and skin care in deference to the prevailing desire for the glorification of the body.  I suppose I have no real objection to all of this; after all, there is no particular spiritual merit in going about looking plainer or older than we need to, but I do think it’s a shame that we put so much emphasis on transforming our outward appearances and so little on transforming and renewing the spirits of our minds.     

      The passage from Ephesians quoted above continues:  “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.  Walk in love, as Christ also has love us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma.  But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”  Do we make the decision to follow the words of our Lord with the same unalterable resolution that we decide to lose weight or change our physical images in some other fashion?  Are we teaching our young people today that loving hearts and gentleness of temper are as important to beauty as flawless skin and a whiter smile?  Are we teaching our young men that a woman of virtue has a price beyond rubies (Proverbs 31), and our young women that she should be wearing “strength and honor [as] her clothing” and in her tongue should be the law of kindness?  Are we teaching our young men to seek after the beautiful heart in a woman and our young women to seek after the covenant man of Psalm 15?  Unfortunately, probably only rarely.  While God looks on the heart, we tend towards looking only at the outer part of our fellow man.  Scripture tells us many times what constitutes true beauty–and it has little to do with cosmetics or a great head of hair:  it has to do with the transformation of the spirit into the likeness of the image of God.  It has to do with renewing our spirits to reflect His holiness, His righteousness, His wisdom and His love.  It has to do with showing a smiling face and dispensing comforting words to those who are tired and disheartened, with answering anger with soft words, and with sharing  the gospel of the saving grace of Christ with the unbeliever.  True beauty (in either sex) means a gentle and truthful tongue, a thankful heart and a giving nature.  

     No, there’s nothing wrong with making oneself look as nice as possible for the outside world to see–but let that inner beauty which is the true gift of a loving God shine forth for all to see.

Maranatha!

For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  For every tree is known by its own fruit.  For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.  For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.  But why do you call me “Lord, Lord,” and not do the things which I say?

     Recently I watched a movie called WWJD, an updated version of Charles Sheldon’s “In His Steps.”  Christian movies, like all others, can be  good, bad or indifferent;  and as I inserted it into my DVD player, I hoped that at least it wouldn’t be too lame.  Actually, I enjoyed it very much.  More than being an enjoyable movie, however, it set up a train of thought in my mind that made me realize how often I don’t consider whether or not Jesus would have done as I have.  I’ve mentioned before that I’m not particularly fond of Christian catch-phrases, so I haven’t really paid much attention to the question “What Would Jesus Do?” which adorns so many wristbands and keychains.  Many fundamentalist churches stress being “Christ-like,” a laudable but impossible-to-achieve ambition.  Bad news here:  we are not Christ (only Jesus is Christ) and therefore we cannot be exactly like Him.  The good news, though, is that we can live lives that are pleasing to Him, ever learning, loving and growing closer to our Father in heaven.  As Jesus cares about every tiny aspect of our lives, we can indeed ask the question of ourselves in our daily situations ”What would Jesus do?”.   In order to do so with any success, it is necessary to study His word.  Just a quick review of the four Gospels chronicling His life on earth shows us that many of our present day problems were addressed by our Lord.   Of course, we know that Jesus was without sin and was born without a sin nature, so perhaps our question should actually be “What Would Jesus Have Us Do?”

     First to be considered is the fact that, according to Scripture, every time Jesus had faced a difficult choice or decision He took it first to His Father in prayer.  He did this during the forty days of fasting He spent in the wilderness before beginning His earthly ministry; He did it the night before He chose the twelve men who would become His apostles ; He did it the night before He went to the cross to become the sacrificial Lamb.  From these and other instances we can assume that He took all things to the Father before He acted.  Do we, when we must make our life choices, take them all to the Father?  While I dither and moan about not knowing what to do in a given situation, do I go to God immediately and ask His will in the matter?  Too often, no I don’t.  But that is what Jesus would do.  It is what He would have me do as well.  Do we seek God’s will as we choose our relationships–our friends, our spouses?  Probably not; and yet, if He cares about every aspect of our lives (and He does) shouldn’t we be consulting Him about the most important decisions we will make concerning the well-being of our hearts and emotions?

     Jesus never put His own needs above the needs of those who followed Him.  Even when He became so tired that He withdrew from the crowds to rest, when they followed Him He took pity on their needs and infirmities and healed them and gave them the words they so needed to hear.  There have been times when I have felt resentment that others have made claim on my time and emotions when I was in need of  help myself (or felt myself to be)–did I ask what Jesus would have me do?  Too often not.  Selfishness is a much more easily acquired trait than is compassion.  Had I asked myself what Jesus would do in my situation, I would have known that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” and the resentment would have died.  Since the time of creation, it has always been a truth that when we follow the way of the Lord faithfully we will have peace in our spirits and be more emotionally healthy than if we follow the way of the world.

     Each day on television  there is a plethora of courtroom reality programs showing.  Every day millions of viewers watch Judges Alex, Judy, Mathis, Brown, Hatchett, etc.  settle disputes among families, friends and neighbors; every day these viewers relish the animosity and even violence of those who appear to have their court claims settled publically.  How many of us ask, “Is this the way Jesus would have us settle our differences?”  Of course, I’m sure He prefers this to physical violence, but the answer must indeed be “Probably not.”  What He is more likely to tell us is “…pray for them which despitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.”  (Luke 6:29-30) 

     Every day thousands of people are on the street begging for food or money for shelter.  These people are often the subject of political debate, with some liberals claiming the government needs to provide completely for them while usually refusing to help them themselves, and some conservatives claiming they are the product of their own bad choices and deserving of no aid since helping them will only encourage their depraved lifestyles.  It doesn’t take more than a quick reflection to realize that neither stance mirrors what Jesus would do or have us do.  God cares very much that people have something to eat, and intends His people to supply want as much as is within our means to do so.  While on earth He fed the hungry and commanded others to do the same.  He would do so yet today–and then teach them what His heavenly Father would have them do to turn their own lives around!      

     When we meet those who have been in prison or jail or been addicted to alcohol or drugs and have sincerely repented of their past behavior yet have difficulty in finding work and Godly friends, do we embrace them as brothers or sisters in need, or is there a metaphorical drawing aside of skirts when we encounter them?  Jesus greatly loved those abominable sinners who left their sin behind to follow Him–should we be doing any less?

     There’s another, joyful component to asking what Jesus would have us do:  too many times, when we fail at a task we have undertaken for the Lord and it does not bear the fruit we hoped it would, we become despondent; feeling as though we have in some manner failed the Lord.  I have felt this myself numerous times over the past couple of years.  Many television evangelists tell us that if the fruit is less than we had hoped for, then our efforts weren’t of God: we were wrong, wrong, wrong.   Yet even Jesus was not always able to bring into the kingdom of God all the people He ministered to–and He was not only preaching as God Himself, He was healing leprosy, restoring eyesight and hearing, feeding thousands of people from a little boy’s lunch bucket and forgiving sins!  My dear sister went through the same feelings of failure when she visited a dying relative with whom she hoped to pray and lead to salvation.  Unfortunately, the woman’s heart was closed to the love of Christ and refused the offer of  prayer, dying in her sins.  Would Jesus have her be disheartened?  Not at all; she did the will of God in making the attempt to bring the woman into the kingdom.  Jesus did not castigate Himself for not being able to reach everyone; He mourned for the loss of their souls and continued to preach the Kingdom of God.  What would Jesus have us do?  Feel for the lost so much that it spurs us on to greater efforts to reach those who have not yet found Him!

     Brothers and sisters, we are nearing the end of the days in which we will be able to influence others for Christ.  Our time grows exceedingly short, and we are in a desperate race with the forces of evil  for the souls left undecided as to how they choose to spend their eternity.  It is not a time to pick and choose what will go over easily with those around us, or which passages of the Bible we will ignore in order to pacify those who are against the holy word of the Most High God.  Now we have only the time to ask, “What Would Jesus Do?”

Maranatha! 

But when He [Jesus] saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”  (Matthew 9:36-38)

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”  (Luke 19:10)

     Much of my life I’ve heard friends, TV personalities and even psychological experts express the belief that “You can never love others until you learn to love yourself.”  There may well be some validity in that, but I’d like to introduce a slight variation: You can never learn to love yourself or others properly until you learn to love God.  Yes, people of all religious beliefs or of no religious beliefs at all feel love.  I am not trying to claim that only Christians and Jews can love other people; I am, however, of the opinion that until we can see other people (and indeed, ourselves) through the eyes of our Father God, we cannot love in the way God intends us to.

     Some years back, I was in the middle of my prayer time when the voice of the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said, “I want you to pray now for the murderers, the child molesters, the rapists,  for the adulterers, the terrorists–for the lost.”  I am ashamed to admit this, but my first impulse was one of complete revulsion.  I did not want to pray for these monsters.  If someone had to pray for them, it shouldn’t have to be me.  I had watched with a broken heart the news broadcasts of the finding of children’s dead bodies and felt a small part of the grief and horror their parents must have felt.   I had watched with anger and loathing the women and children in the Palestinian communities dancing in the streets and passing out candy because Islamic terrorists had flown airplanes into the Twin Towers in New York City on the suicide/murder mission of 9/11.  I had witnessed the devastation wrought in families by the adulterous tendencies of one spouse or the other.   Pray for these people?  How could I, unless it was for their destruction?   Then that same Holy Spirit of God gave me the reason:  “I came to seek and save the lost.”

     I’ve written in earliers posts that the heart of God can be grieved.  Although my “old self” was crucified on Calvary’s cross along with my Savior Jesus, I  still sin and grieve the heart of God through my still-very-human and rebellious nature.   Most of us, even those of us who truly love the Lord, do.  Heaven rejoices with us when we repent of our sins and embrace the love of Jesus; when we ask for His daily guidance and for help in changing our characters until we become more like the men and women He created us to be.  If we pray for those who have so embraced evil, doesn’t that mean that we are willing to accept the evil?  I think not.  Jesus looked upon the sinners of His day “with compassion for them, because they were…like sheep without a shepherd.”  While Jesus is eternally the Good Shepherd, He calls all of us who love Him to be shepherds to the lost sheep.  We can only do that when we begin to see others through the eyes of God.  Just as He grieves for us when we sin, He grieves for those who have rejected His offer of a new life in Him and turned instead into agents of destruction:  destruction of people, of innocence, of families, of true and godly love. 

     God is able to separate the sinner from the sin.  One He loves; the other He loathes.  There is no one person whom God has created that He does not love.  This doesn’t mean that they will spend their eternity with Him.  He has said over and over in the Scriptures that He will not allow evil and sin into His presence in the eternity of heaven.  He gives every person the choice to accept His love and forgiveness; it is forced on no one.  But that choice to love Him will be open until the moment of death–and we are called upon to pray for all of those who prefer the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Light.  We must love the unloveable, regardless of the enormity of their sins, in order to reflect the heart of the living God.  If we accept or excuse their sin, we are being at best very poor shepherds.  If we show them only anger and hatred, we are not looking at them as God does. Jesus calls us to be laborers in His harvest:  this includes praying for and ministering to those we find revolting, because God sees them as His lost sheep and mourns for them.  Can we truly say we love God but refuse to try to love those whom He also loves?   This kind of love requires personal self-discipline and practice.  Since we do not yet share completely in the nature of Christ, loving our enemies does not come naturally.  However, as we have noted before, love is a choice we make.  This is true whether it be love of God or family or country or friends or spouses.    We also have to choose to love our enemies.  It is the rare person who can love all others immediately when he or she comes to the Lord and is born again.  The love of the persons who commit evil deeds or pursue ways of life that are totally contradictory to how we know the Lord wants us to live comes only from the careful and constant training the heart.  God does not ask us NOT to be angry when children are harmed or terrorists blow up innocent victims–I’m sure He expects us to be if we have any human feeling at all, but He does ask us to also pray that their hearts will be changed and cleansed; that they will repent and be saved. 

     The world is a very volatile place right now.  Tensions are rising all over the world over land and ideologies and finances.  It is easy indeed to find someone to hate.  I still experience moments of anger toward the Islamic fanatics who have forever destroyed our feelings of security in our nation; I still periodically have reactions towards certain murderers of “Just shoot him and do us all a favor”; and I still have the odd stab of rage towards those who would denigrate my God by imposing the will of a sinful people over His will.  Then He reminds me that He came to seek and save the lost.   I cannot love myself or others as I should until I understand love as God intended it to be.  I must follow His lead and try to be a shepherd, for the wicked kingdoms of the earth will come to an end, but His kingdom will last forever.    Praise be to God!

Maranatha!

Then some of the itinerant [roving or nomadic] Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.”  Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.  And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”  Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowering them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. (Acts 19: 13-16)

     Shame on me!  I’m embarrassed to admit to it, but this story of the seven sons of Sceva has always made me laugh.  The mental image it conjures up never ceases to strike me as funny.  And yet, seen in a more thoughtful light, the warning contained in it is far from amusing.  These men, with no true connection to the Lord, were using His name like a magic talisman, assuming that they had to be taken seriously because they claimed to be servants of God.  As always, the scripture quoted above was not just meant to be a chronicle of an event which took place two thousand years ago, but a lesson to those of us today who need to learn how to discern between true and false ministries, teachings and prophecies.  In an age in which we can, if we choose, be inundated with various Christian teachings via internet, satellite and cable TV, we must learn that not all preaching is equal, and not all “prophets” with enough money to buy weekly space on INSP or the God Network are worthy of being followed.

     My purpose today is not to denigrate any particular preacher or ministry, but merely to sound a warning that we must not blindly accept everything that is said on TV by every man or woman who claims to have received special revelations from God.  Note:  many, many of those you see each day preaching the word  are fine and divinely-gifted ministers of God.  They have brought many souls to salvation, and their work must indeed please their heavenly Father.  TV, radio and crusades have made it possible for millions of people to be introduced to their Lord and Savior who might never have gotten the chance otherwise.  Through the work of some ministries, we are able to delve into the fascinating study of Christianity’s Jewish roots, and to have our souls refreshed by timely words of love or admonishment. Some teach us about what God wants of us as He sets it out in the scriptures; some teach us how to tell others about God’s love, or how to live lives that are pleasing to the Almighty.   However, scattered throughout these worthy ministries are many who excite large followings with fantastic yet questionable displays of what they consider to be “gifts of the Spirit.” 

     The gifts of the Holy Spirit are real and are available to God’s people today.  According to chapter 12 of the first epistle to the Corinthians, Paul lists these as wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, and the gifts of speaking in and interpreting tongues.  Not everyone displays the same gifts; some are in operation most of the time, others are revealed when they are needed by the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  When I hear preachers telling world-wide TV congregations that they cannot have the Holy Spirit within them unless they speak in tongues, I cannot help but immediately think of some of the best and most Godly men I have heard who have wonderous teaching gifts, but do not speak in tongues, or those who’s prophecies have come to pass, yet cannot interpret tongues.  I cannot say with any certainty whether or not the gift of tongues always accompanies what is known as the “baptism in the Holy Spirit.”   I well remember watching one famous TV evangelist telling those in attendance at one of his crusades that the Holy Spirit was about to descend on the auditorium and they would all begin to speak in tongues.  Some, he said, would speak in another language, and some might say “BaBaBaBaBaBaBaBaBaBa”, but either way they would have “spoken in tongues.”  I was distressed when I saw this, since, as I said, I’m not sure if the  baptism of the Holy Spirit comes only through the speaking in tongues; also, I am somewhat skeptical as to whether the repetition of a single syllable constitutes “tongues.”  It was, however, an effective way to immediately raise the emotional level of the meeting, and to convince all present that they had experienced the sudden presence of the Holy Spirit.   A dear friend of mine had the thought that he was trying to produce another Pentecost–which I am not at all certain is possible.    Another prominent member of the TV evangelist fraternity has a terrible track record of publically making dozens of prophecies he claims were given to Him by the Lord, but which never came to pass.  As we have noted before, the Bible’s criteria for a true prophet is that no false prophecies will escape their lips.  Yet this man’s followers number in the millions; with people being drawn to him by a charismatic  manner and a desperate desire to receive a miracle during one of his crusades–crusades in which healings are claimed, but few proven.   Although I believe some miracles may indeed have occurred during these spectacles, because we have a good and loving God who hears our pain and our desperation, the style of many of these miracle-crusade type preachers is one of pride and self-aggrandizement: more in the nature of showmanship than of men of God.   Some claim powers there is absolutely no way to verify.  A good friend and sister in Christ forwarded an e-mail to me that disturbed her (and me as well).  One show was advertising having on a man who could see everyone’s demons. That, of course, makes for sensational TV, but is it a true gift from the Lord?   The person who originally sent it to my friend believed in it absolutely, but I felt a distinct check in my spirit as I read the article.  Can there be a spirit associated with the sons of Sceva which seeks self-gain and glory in the name of Jesus?

     Another disturbing trend today deals with what is known as ”prosperity theology.”  Based on a few Bible texts, this newish teaching claims that God intends for all of His people to be well-to-do, and that wealth is a sign of God’s approval and love for us.  Now, Jesus did indeed say that if we asked anything in His name we would receive it.  So did He mean that if we want a new sports car or a mink coat all we have to do is ask God for it in His name?  I don’t think so.  I do not believe that we were ever intended to pray to God for riches of any kind, and I do not believe that Jesus’ ancient Hebrew audiences would have assumed that was the case.  Jesus spoke several times about the difficulties attached to wealth–that as wealth grew, so did the desire to hang onto it.  The best use of money, according to Him, was to give to those who had none.  Yet we have at least half-a-dozen well known preachers who triumphantly point to their jets, their mansions, their cars and their vacation homes as proof that God favors them.  Worse, they mislead their followers by making them believe that God must jump through hoops to bring them whatever they wish for if they pray and believe.  I certainly and heartily believe Paul when he said that “my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phillipians 3:19).  I believe that God knows what we have need of and will supply it as Jesus said in Luke 12.  I believe there is nothing wrong about asking God to help you through a financial crisis and believing He will do so.  But Jesus did say not to worry about these things of the flesh, but to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.”   This is to be the real plea that a believer makes to the Lord.  Another thought here is in order:  prosperity theology may make some sense to the American mind, but how do its proponents explain the poverty forced upon Christians in many other nations?  Are the Christians in Islamic nations or in atheist nations like China and N. Korea who lose everything they have–including sometimes their liberty or their lives–because they won’t renounce Jesus,  lacking in their prayers or beliefs?  I think not.  I think some prayers are always answered by God, freely and quickly:  prayers for salvation, for forgiveness, for righteousness.  These people have their answers in abundance!

     As I said earlier, there are many wonderful Christian teachers who do wonderful work for the Lord.  Many do sell books or tapes, but that is necessary:  airtime is expensive and must be paid for; money given to good works must come from those upon who’s hearts God has laid it to make offerings for His glory.   Please, brothers and sisters, please, pray for discernment when you follow any person’s teachings about God.  No matter how personable or suave a leader may be, open your Bibles and study to see if teachings you have not heard before line up with the word of God.   If they do not, reject them.  The spirit of the sons of Sceva still seeks self-glorification.  If an evangelist’s words or actions bring glory to themselves rather than to God, they may well be on their way to becoming one of those poor souls that Jesus said would stand before Him one day saying that they had cast out devils in His name,  yet would be told that He never knew them.

Maranatha!

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”—The Third Commandment, Exodus 20:7

     What part of “You shall not” do we as Christians not quite understand when it comes to the third of the Ten Commandments?  The word God has given this particular sin is blasphemy.  Blasphemy, as the word is used in the Scriptures, is speaking evilly of our Lord; defaming His name either by word or deed.  It is to deliberately demean what is the holiest name in all of the universe.  That unbelievers take the name of the Lord in vain constantly is not all that surprising; that Christians often do so without compunction is both inexplicable and inexcusable.

     Some of the blame for the casual use of God’s name as a swear word may rest upon those in charge of many of our churches.  Even some preachers and priests use God’s name irreverently with frequency, and it is a subject rarely addressed from the pulpit although it is probably the most commonly-broken commandment.  To many, nowadays, I suspect the pervasiveness of violence, anger and mean-spiritedness has thrust the misuse of God’s name into a background of sins they consider to be of lesser importance.  God tells us clearly, however, that He “will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” 

     Doubtless also is the fact that the use of the names of God or Jesus merely as swear words in movies and on television has blunted our sensitivity toward blasphemy.  It is the rare television show indeed that avoids the phrases, “My God!” or “Christ!” although many shows carefully avoid the depiction of good Christians praying earnestly or any mention of Jesus in a worshipful manner.  When I was a child (right after we stepped off the ark), even the liberally-inclined Hollywood producers hesitated to allow even the bad guys to swear using God’s name.  Now it is so common that Christians rarely notice it unless the blasphemy against God is so egregious it is impossible to ignore, like comedienne Kathy Griffon’s offensive shout of “Screw you, Jesus! This is my idol now!” as she accepted her cable award.  The rationale behind this Christian acceptance of blasphemy seems to be a philosophical, “Well, it could be worse words they’re saying.”  I am not convinced that that is true.  While I know that we are to reject all uncleanness of language, blasphemy against God was considered by the Father to be of such importance that He placed it high upon the list of “You shall nots.” 

     When we first come to the Lord, it can take a very long time for the Holy Spirit to convict us of all those bad habits and sins that we continue to commit.  It may take years of work on the part of God to teach us what we need to change, and an extraordinary amount of self-discipline.  Sadly, since blasphemy is no longer considered taboo, many Christians may never even consider that each time they yell “Oh my God!” or forget to teach their children not to use the “OMG!” when texting they are abusing the name of God (taking it in vain) and are hurting the One who has granted us our salvation.  Will we be sent to hell if we slip up and break the third commandment?  No.  God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to take this sin along with all others upon Himself on the cross so that we might be saved,  but we can still wound the One who loves us and whom we love in return. Surely putting a watch upon our mouths and our hearts is an appropriate response to His great gift of mercy and grace.

Maranatha!

If we say that we have fellowship with  Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”  (I John 1:6-10)

He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him.  But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him.  By this we know that we are in Him.  He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.  (1 John 2:4-6)

Whoever abides in Him does not sin.  Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.  Little children, let no one deceive you.  He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.  He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning.  For this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.  Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:6-9)

     To one who has not yet been born again, this message from the first of John’s three letters must sound so contradictory as to be foolish.  In one breath John tells the church that Jesus has cleansed us from our sins and we are to live righteous lives; in the next he says that if we say we have no sin then we are without truth.  If sin is “of the devil” does that mean that if we sin we have forfeited our right to call ourselves by the name of Christ?  The charge of Christian hypocrisy keeps many people away from the truth of God’s word and has become almost a mantra of those who wish to remove God’s word from the public arena.  John was not fooled: he knew he was a sinner, which is why, in both instances, he used the pronoun “we”.  John was privy to the real truth: that Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin–continually.  It is not a one-step deal: Jesus cleanses us from all sin and we never sin again; but a continuing process of forgiveness for those who try hard to live in the light and love of God and to do His will.

     I wish I could say that I live a sinless life, but I cannot do so with any honesty at all.  I love God with all my heart, mind, soul and spirit, yet I frequently do or say things that directly contradict what God has said in Scripture that He demands of me.  Does that make me a hypocrite?  I don’t think so.  When I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit began to work immediately on my sensitivity to my own evil nature.  He never destroyed my capacity to sin, nor did He remove my free will to do so; He did put within me the ability to identify quickly those areas of my life, personality and spirit that needed to change.  He honed my conscience so that I become aware of, and therefore can repent of, sinful behavior when I commit it.  Each day I must offer up my sinful self to the Father and ask for His forgiveness and for His help in correcting my nature.  I have a tendency towards anger (hence all the posts I’ve written on anger, resentment and forgiveness!), and I’ve been known, when in a tantrum, to turn the air around me blue with language that should never come out of a Christian mouth.  Current psychological thought calls this being human and puts it down to childhood traumas, environmental stimulations and the stress of daily life; God calls it sin and says I must have no part of it.  I have a T-shirt which says “Lord, keep Your arm across my shoulder and Your hand over my mouth.”  It should also read “Wash out my brain with soap.”  Though the Lord has been working on me so long that I have more or less learned to keep my temper in check and to grant forgiveness much more freely than I ever would have before, my thoughts still tend at times to follow a path He does not want me to walk.  Remember, what is inside your head and your heart is just as important as what comes out of your mouth.   Jesus condemned adultery, but He also said that he who looks with lust on another has already committed adultery in his heart; those who hate or are angry without cause are committing spiritual murder.  I was told of a bishop who said that he had a member of his church with a beautiful wife, and he idly wondered what it would be like if neither of them were married and could see each other.  The Holy Spirit brought him up short, showing him that he had just “idly” sown the seeds of adultery and murder.   Taken to their logical conclusion,  Jesus’ words show us that theft, blasphemy, the dishonoring of parents, and all the other sins contained in the Ten Commandments can be conditions of the heart as well as sins of commission.

     Is it possible for Christians to be hypocrites?  Absolutely.  Any Christian who condemns sin in others and refuses to acknowledge his own sin is a hypocrite.  Although there are many pastors on television who are good and righteous men, there are others who preach more for the fame and fortune it brings than for the salvation of souls.  Don’t even get me started on churches that preach that God hates sinners.  God loves sinners.  He hates sin, but he loves sinners and sent His only Son to die a horrible death on a cross to pay for the sins of all who will accept His sacrifice and His grace.  He will follow the sinner all the way to the gates of hell in order to try to get him to choose life over death, heaven over hell.  A person who loudly proclaims the word of God in order to convict others of sin and then fails to repent of his own adulteries, abuse of others or pettiness of spirit is a hypocrite.  A person who claims to love God but refuses to try to love those whom He loves is a hypocrite.  (Note that I said “try” to love.  None of us have reached that pinnacle where we can freely love in the same measure as God does.)  He who says he is without sin is a liar and a hypocrite.  John asks the question (1 John 3:17): “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?”  The Christian who says he loves God but refuses to help his fellow man is a hypocrite.

     There used to be a popular bumper-sticker: Christians Aren’t Perfect, Just Forgiven.   I don’t really care for Christian slogans as they tend to sound a bit smug, but it actually is true.  Paul said (Romans 3:23) that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  Like Paul, I have sinned and could be considered amongst the chief of sinners!  Praise God, for my Savior who continually cleanses me of all sin, and for my Father who promises to remember my sins no more!

     What is the best way to avoid hypocrisy?  As is the case with most questions pertaining to the will of God, the first step is to be knowledgeable about the word of God–in other words, read the Bible often and store up His words in your spirit.  Try daily to “put off the body  the sins of the flesh”,  remembering that you were buried with Christ in baptism and risen with Him through faith in the working of God.  Seek those things which are of God; put on the “new man” and strive to put off all anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language; replace the bad with tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering , forgiveness and love.  (Colossians 2 and 3)  Pray without ceasing.

God be with you all, my dear friends, and may He grant you an ever-deepening knowledge and love of Him.

Maranatha!

Melissa

“Cry aloud, spare not;  Lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell My people their transgression…

‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen?  Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’…

…You will not fast as you do this day, to make your voice heard on high.  Is it a fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul?  Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes?  Would you call this a fast and an acceptable day to the Lord?’

Is this not the fast that I have chosen:  to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?  Then your light shall break forth like the morning,  your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.  Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ “  (Isaiah 58: 1, 3, 4-9)

     Fasting occupies an important place in the life of God’s people.  Jesus, Himself, fasted during the times of the  traditional Jewish holidays and told his disciples that certain diseases and demonic powers could not be cast out without prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21).  He prayed and fasted before making all major decisions–for example, when He was about to begin His public ministry (Luke 4) and when He chose His twelve apostles (Luke 6).  Unfortunately, as with nearly all Scriptural precepts, we have a certain tendency to place too much emphasis on the act of fasting itself, and not to the state of the heart which must accompany the act.  Jesus addressed this tendency several times: in chapter 23 of the Gospel of Matthew He warns the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees against the habit of outward holiness and righteousness while allowing their inner being to be full of “dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”  God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah centuries earlier, addressed this same tendency in His people to believe that the act of fasting itself, conducted without charity and/or righteousness, obligated Him to show them justice, mercy and restoration.  Following Him necessitates some sacrifices–but do we sacrifice according to His word?

     The word of the Lord is given to us “precept upon precept, precept unon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little” (Isaiah 28:13).  Every word He gave to us in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments is to be put to use in our lives for our benefit and ultimately for His glorification.  We are most of us already aware that our true purpose in being is to glorify Him who is our Creator, Father and King.  We are His because we worship Him and we seek to give Him pleasure.  However, giving to God through sacrifice is somewhat like giving a sacrificial gift to a friend:  we have to see that the gift is one that He desires.  There are many people who fast with frequency and give up things in His Name for a certain period of time, and I’m sure that God appreciates any effort that is made on His behalf.  He is a gracious and loving God, and I expect that He accepts our efforts even if they are slightly misguided ones as long as they are cheerfully made with a loving heart.  Those who fast and pray wishing to become closer to God will probably be granted their desire.  But those who fast with a grim determination to bring themselves to the attention of God and receive a particular blessing as a result are probably sacrificing out of  a greedy and selfish heart.  Those who say, “I will fast until God does what I ask (tell?) Him to do” are not fasting; they are on a hunger strike, trying to force the hand of God to move as they wish. 

     Luckily, we do not have to wonder what kind of sacrifice is most acceptable to the Lord in our daily lives.  While He has called upon us to fast and pray for our nations, His kingdom, our redemption and those around us in need of redemption, it is clear from the words of Isaiah 58 that it is His very real desire for us to show our love for Him in our love for others.  Are we really prepared to do this?  Can we learn that to give a “hand up” to those in need must come from a loving heart and a desire for them to get a glimpse of Christ through us?  How many times have you seen those who designate themselves as Christians metaphorically sweep their skirts to the side to avoid having to come into contact with someone who appears to be a person of the streets? I am not suggesting that panhandlers be handed money with which to buy drugs or alcohol (which is, indeed, sometimes what happens), but God has undoubtedly called us in the afore-mentioned passage to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, help house the needy, lift the burdens of the poor and oppressed.  While some pastors have made the point that the only thing that matters in the long run is how many people one has personally brought to Christ (thereby earning crowns in heaven), I am not convinced that they are correct.  I do believe, nonetheless, that how many people to whom we personally introduce the face of Christ is important.  Many of us have difficulty in orally testifying to the love of God to unbelievers. ALL of us can testify to the love and power of God in our lives by showing  those who may not know His name that He is a gracious God, through the charitable and compassionate way in which we treat others.  There is nothing that we can do or say that will make God love us more or less than He does at the moment we turn our hearts and lives over into His keeping, but when we act righteously in His name, and explain that all we do we do in the name of the Lord because of  His love for all His children, we are keeping the acceptable fast of the Lord.  When we treat our employers and employees as we would like to be treated, when we sit with a grieving or depressed neighbor when others hesitate to do so, when we help an unwed mother to see both her errors and the great gift she has been given, when we give food to the homeless and oppressed, we are keeping the acceptable fast of the Lord.  When we pray for the hungry in spirit, we are keeping the acceptable fast of the Lord.  I can almost hear somebody now–”But I thought that a fast meant you give up something?’  Very true.  Can you fast properly?  Can you give up old prejudices and resentments?  Can you give up feeling virtuous that you have things because you work while others may not?  Can you give up your pride or maybe even your social standing in order to visit with, comfort and love those who may have little education, upbringing, or even personal hygiene?  Can you give up selfishness and replace it with compassion?

     A popular joke in the church in which I grew up was “God loveth a cheerful giver, but He accepteth from a grouch.”   Not so, brothers and sisters.  He will use a “grouch” for good in the same way God can use all things and all people for good if He so chooses, regardless of their beliefs and hearts.  Solomon tells us (Proverbs 17:22) that “A merry heart does good like a medicine.”  God wants us to give out of a merry heart, for the correct reasons.  He tells us to give to the needy; not just those needy ones whom we consider to be worthy.  It is these people that we are not to judge.  “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink…”(Prov. 25:21).  In other words, introduce others to Christ who dwells within you.  This is indeed the acceptable fast of the Lord!

Maranatha!

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!  You shall love the Lord your God with all your soul, and with all your strength.  And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”  (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  (Proverbs 22:6)

     The results of a study were recently released that categorized the chief wants and desires of America’s young people.  The survey found that the greatest desire in life for most of the young  is for wealth, closely followed by the desire for fame.  Fed by a plethora of reality shows making at least transient stars of people who often have little to recommend them except their undeniable good looks, and untrammeled by  the “obsolete” values of morality and Godliness, we have managed to raise a majority of the younger generation with no clue as to the real definition of what it means to be successful in life.  Will they achieve the desires of their hearts, or will they find only the emptiness that comes from a life lived only for one’s feelings of greed and/or enjoyment?   King Solomon, in chapter 5 of Ecclesiastes tells us that “He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase.  This also is vanity.  When goods increase, they increase who eat them; so what profit have the owners except to see them with their eyes?”  In other words, when money and fame are the true desires of the heart, there will never be enough: never enough money, never enough fame, never enough adulation.  And yet, these are the things we have taught our children and grandchildren to lust after, instead of teaching them the love of those things which God has commanded of us.

     Each generation of parents has wanted for the successive generation a standard of living that is higher than its own.  Every parent wants a comfortable and happy life for his/her children.  Their is nothing sinful or wrong in our wanting the best for our children.  Sin enters the picture when we decide that we are not responsible for the morals and spiritual training of our own children, and that they can best make their life choices apart from the word of God.  The prevailing theory seems to be that as parents we have no right to force our religious beliefs on our children.  Yet the God who made heaven and earth tells us that we must make these decisions for our families.  Even in the New Testament, which many believe supersedes Old Testament rules of righteousness (which it does not), the heads of families chose righteous living for all who lived under their roofs.  Parents chose salvation for their entire families, even at the cost of danger or death.   Think of it this way:  as parents, we can choose whether we will feed our children eggs, toast, milk and cereal for breakfast or whether we will give them Snicker’s Bars instead.  What responsible parent will not choose the first menu? (Oh, okay, I did give my son oatmeal cookies for breakfast a few times–but hey, it’s oatmeal, eggs, brown sugar and raisins; close enough!)  If we acknowledge and accept our duty to prepare our children’s bodies for a healthy adulthood, how much more we should be responsible for preparing our children’s hearts and minds for accepting the love, wisdom, righteousness and power of a life lived to the glory of God!   Of course, sometimes our children choose as adults to leave the values we instill in them, but if we lay the groundwork for a life lived in Christ carefully, “when they are old, they will not depart from it.”  No matter how far they stray, the Holy Spirit will continue to call them back to the One who knows how many hairs are on their heads and who will be waiting with open arms for their return.

     Despite new freedoms, fewer boundaries and less religious restrictions, teen suicide has reached epidemic proportions.  According to a 2007 WebMD article, the CDC reports the largest spike in 15 years has taken place in the last decade.  Suicide is the 6th leading cause of death amongst 5-14 year-olds, the 3rd leading cause of death amongst young people 15-24, and the 2nd highest cause of death among college students.  The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that there are as many as 25 attempted suicides for every death by suicide.  This translates into thousands of teen suicide deaths each year.  It is estimated that as many as 1 in 8 teens suffers from depression.  Naturally, nothing precludes Christian teens from also suffering from depression, but it is glaringly noticable that these statistics, which began their upward rise in the ’90s, went hand-in-hand with the decision to exclude God from public life.  Sexual practices also are on the rise, with as many as 70% of teen girls under the age of 18 admitting to having oral sex.  Some internet sites as well as many of our public schools are teaching our children only that “safe sex” is necessary, not that abstinance is the only way to stay safe and reserve self respect.  I was appalled to recently see a talk show on which a teacher and school principal discussed the need to have rules governing the kids having sex on the dance floor at the prom!  I am by no means a prude, but the practices they described were unheard of in schools even 15 years ago.   Quite obviously, these practices are by no means making them a happier generation.  Hollow desires lead to hollow lives. 

     God is not dead, nor does He hate us.  God loves us beyond what we can ask or think.  But if we do not train up our young people in the way they should go, as He told us to, His hand will be heavy against us.   Jesus said, ” Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.  But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matt. 18:5-6)   God loves His little ones, and wants the best for them.  He wants us to bring them up to know and love Him; to be able to turn to Him in times of trouble and to worship Him in times of joy.  Therefore, “teach (these words) diligently to your children…talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”  Teach them that a stint on American Idol isn’t as important as loving the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls and strength.  Teach them that no amount of fame or fortune can replace Godliness, integrity, wisdom and love.  Teach them that the love of God and following His will is a far greater “desire of the heart” than is a fleeting and empty noteriety. 

     I can’t say whether or not it is too late for some of these young people to be reached.  I only know that we must try to reach them with the gospel of Christ.  God stands ready to forgive us all our sins and grant us salvation–now THAT is true success!

Maranatha!