The Watchman on the Wall

Rejoicing in the Word of God

Watchman — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:54:01 +0000

Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law….And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground… and the Levites helped the people to understand the Law; and the people stood in their place. So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading. And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” …And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them. (Nehemiah 8:1-3, 6-10, 12)

The book of Nehemiah recounts the story of the return of some of the Jews to Jerusalem after the first diaspora and the rebuilding of the wall surrounding Jerusalem; the above passage takes place after the building of the wall, the hanging of the gates, and the registering of the people by genealogy. The first action of the governor (Nehemiah) and the Levite priest Ezra was to gather the people together in order to reacquaint them with the Law of Moses. The people stood quietly for hours listening to the Word of God and to the explanations of the passages given by the Levites, then wept and lifted their hands in praise and supplication and worship. They then went home and celebrated with great feasts because they had heard and understood the laws and goodness of God. How different from today’s reaction to the Word!

Can you imagine, dear brothers and sisters, calling together all your friends and family and neighbors together and reading them Scripture for hours; telling them about the way to salvation and the wondrous and awesome authority of our omnipotent and holy God? Can you imagine them being so overcome with repentance that they begin to weep in sorrow for their sins, and then to lift their arms in praise and celebrate heartily because they now understand the redeeming power of the love of the living God? Probably not. To our twenty-first century ears, this sounds like a fairy tale which has nothing to do with our reality today. Yet these people, sinful and unlearned as many of them must have been, were the chosen people of God, a fact that they had deep down never been able to forget. They had sinned against God and, as a result, had been dispersed amongst the nations, but God in His appointed time brought them back to the land He had given them, and they were now remembering their position as the wife espoused by Jehovah God. Why does that same rejoicing not take place in the world today?

God is once more in the process of calling His chosen people out of the nations to which they were sent at the time of the second diaspora and has re-established the nation of Israel, just as He said He would thousands of years ago; many are grateful for the chance to return to the land on which God has set His name, but still have not admitted the power of God to rule His nation. We who are believers in Jesus as our Lord and our King may be grateful for His salvation and redemptive power, but are we truly rejoicing in His Laws and His Word in the same way the original returnees to Israel did? Are we, who until recently were assumed to be a Christian people, ready to turn our country over to the authority of God? It would appear that we are not. Though most people in the US still identify themselves as Christians, it would seem to me that most mean simply that they believe in some sort of Creator, and are not Muslims, Buddhists or active atheists. It is far more important in this world to not offend those who don’t believe in our God and His Son Jesus than to offend God Himself. Scripture, even in many of our churches, is being so diluted that it is no longer recognizable for what it is: the inerrant word of our righteous and holy Father. Instead of rejoicing because God gave us a way–in the Scriptures–to know His will, His mind, His heart and His laws, we are instead choosing to elevate to the point of idolatry the will of fallen men. A warning here: God will not allow this to stand. He is just and mighty and He will not give His glory to another.

In one way, we are far luckier than those long-ago Jewish worshipers: we have the Word. We do not have to wait for a gathering in which God’s word can be read and explained to us; we may pick up our Bibles daily and hear His voice speaking to us through the pens of Moses and the Prophets and the Apostles of Christ. We can give the word to others as well; we can lift up our hands and bow our faces to the ground, and rejoice for the Word of God is as alive today as it was when whispered into the hearts and minds of the prophets! We can celebrate with music and feasting and thankful hearts that we can hear and receive the eternal word of God; and we should rejoice, for the kingdom of God is at hand!

Maranatha!

Who Is Your Father?

Watchman — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:47:39 +0000

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”–(Matthew 23:15

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it….He who is of God hears God’s words, therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.” (John 8:42-44, 47)

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. (Romans 8:14-17)

A dear friend and sister in Christ was recently disturbed by a relative’s assertion that God would not condemn the sinful lifestyle of a mutual acquaintance because, after all, “we are all God’s children.” Until she mentioned this to me and asked my opinion, I had considered neither the phrase nor its accuracy, but I immediately recalled all the times I have heard it from the lips of other Christians. Along with that recollection came certain scriptures to my mind which give the lie to the idea that all people are children of God. Are we, in our desire to spread the love of God, sometimes guilty of condemning friends or family members to never receiving the redemptive forgiveness of God by refusing to show them that being a creation of God is not the same as being a child of God?

We are indeed all creations of God, and we know that He hates nothing that He has made. God does not want to see any person go to hell–not one–so He sent His sinless Son to bear our sins and die on Calvary’s cross so that we might be spared eternal damnation and be washed in His shed blood, able to stand in righteousness in His presence. This was Jesus’ supreme sacrifice for us, and He proved the truth of all He taught in His time on earth by His glorious resurrection and His ascension to the right hand of God. Jesus provided the way for us to stop being a condemned and sinful people and to become children of the Most High God. We are born in sin, but we are adopted into the family of God ( Romans 8 ) by our faith in Jesus Christ upon our profession of repentance and upon our asking for God’s forgiveness.

Jesus Himself called the Pharisees of His day “children of hell.” Is it possible to be at one and the same time a child of God and a child of hell? I think not: as I’ve said before, the Holy Spirit and a demonic spirit cannot live in the same room. He spoke of those who are “of your father, the devil.” Can one be both a child of God and a child of the devil? Never. Those who never hear the truth and believe the lies of those who are against the Son of God will never be allowed in the kingdom of God. We do no favors for those who are dying in their sins if we sugar-coat the reality of the consequences of refusing to acknowledge and accept the commandments of God. By speaking only of His love (which is very real and very powerful), we do not encourage those who are lost to repent and be saved–and salvation can come only with repentance. Love is not God’s ONLY attribute. God is Love, but He is also just, mighty, holy and righteous. He hates sin. He will never allow sin into His presence in heaven. We are not born children of God, but He has provided the Way for us to be adopted into His family and to become His sons and daughters. Does that mean that we will never sin once we have become His adopted children? Of course not. But we are to be constantly aware of our sin nature and to eschew those thoughts, acts and words that are displeasing to Him. “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) This is a continuous process, praise God!

Current wisdom (or ungodliness, depending on your point of view) tells us that to condemn certain behaviors as “sinful” or “of the devil” is wrong: intolerant and offensive. We who are believers, however, as children of God, answer to One who is all good and all knowledgeable. He has told us to sound the alarm to warn the lost of their sin and their need of repentance and salvation. When we tell those whom we know to be lost that they are children of God, we are allowing them to continue on the path to their own destruction. God must be served, whether or not to do so is politically correct. He has told us that a day of judgment is coming upon the earth, and that we may be held accountable for some who fall because we did not sound a warning.

A little aside here for some of my female readers: Some versions of the Bible have changed the words “sons of God” into “children of God” or “sons and daughters of God” because many women object to being left out. I have a belief that this may have been deliberate on the part of God. Understand, this is not church doctrine, merely my own opinion. In the days in which the scriptures were written, women had very few rights personally, religiously or socially. Jesus was definitely speaking to both men and women when He addressed crowds–I believe that He was conferring all the male rights of “sonship” -which women were denied in society- on women who accepted Christ as their Savior. In those days, the rights of the sons were more important than the rights of daughters–in Christ, they gained equality!

For those of you who are already children of God–be blessed and joyful in the Lord your God. Stay uplifted in spirit knowing that Jesus loves you and is coming soon to renew and redeem all that belongs to Him.

For those of you who are not yet children of God, remember that Jesus said that “He that is not with Me is against Me.” (Matthew 12:30) If you are not a child of God, then you are of your father the devil and you are lost. It is not too late, though, to change your mind and your heart. Jesus died for your sins as well as mine–repent of all evil and turn to the One who offers you everlasting life, and become a true child of God!

Maranatha!

Imagine…

Watchman — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:36:55 +0000

“Imagine there’s no heaven; it’s easy if you try. No hell below us; above us only sky. Imagine all the people living for today…Imagine there’s no countries; it isn’t hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for and no religion too…”–John Lennon

The late John Lennon once boastfully asserted that the Beatles were more important to today’s young people than God. Whether he was correct or not I cannot say (though I doubt it), but I do know that his popular song “Imagine“ caught the attention of millions of people, and caused many young persons to believe that only God and patriotism stood between us and a perfect earth. It probably will not surprise anyone that I have a different view of what we should imagine: Imagine what would happen if we followed the example of our Lord as well as we should.

Imagine if we were to abide by the Ten Commandments. Copies of these have been removed from our public schools, our courtrooms and our government offices as being violations of the separation between church and state. But let us pretend that none of the foundations for the freedom from religion existed, and that the commandments remained as a daily reminder of what is right to our legislators, our judges, and our children. Imagine what the results would be to our families and communities if we eschewed blasphemy, disrespect and dishonor, theft, violence, covetousness (greed) and adultery. Only then could the brotherhood that Lennon claimed to have wanted be an actuality.

Imagine if we were to truly fulfill the Great Commission–to go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. If each of us who are believers were to proclaim the goodness of God to our neighbors and to the world, inciting others to follow the blessed teachings of our almighty God and to worship Him alone, what a powerful force for good we would become! Would it end the threat of attack from other nations and ideologies? Probably not–the wars begun because of the evil perpetrated by the demonic forces we know as false gods will continue until they are permanently stopped by the return of our Lord. Nevertheless, what a difference we could make in our own world!

Imagine we do as Jesus would do! Jesus told us to “love one another as I have loved you.” If we could only take that love and shine its light into the darkness of wayward and broken hearts and minds, how many souls might be saved who are now treading the path to hell? Imagine that, instead of reacting in anger to those who have harmed us or who are living in the grossest sins, we prayed for them always as Jesus did–”Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” Imagine blessing those who are angry with us for our love of God instead of cursing them. Imagine that, instead of debating for years over how many and what kinds of people should receive food stamps or other government aid, we heeded Jesus call to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the poor, visit the friendless and love the unlovable. Imagine if, instead of paying for extra cars or televisions or unnecessary wardrobes, we spent our extra dollars buying food for those in our neighborhoods who are most in want, clothes for those who are trying to find jobs but haven’t decent clothes in which to go to interviews, help for those addicts who want treatment but don’t know where to go to get it. Imagine a time when the healthcare controversy could gain no momentum, because families, friends and communities would rally around to help during times of illness. Imagine a suicide rate that declined to nothing because no person had to go alone, heartsick, friendless and frightened of the future–when those who are desperate could be introduced to the saving grace of God!

Yes, Lennon was wrong, as I’m certain he now knows. Imagine if we all kept heaven and hell in our sights every day and in everything that we did! Imagine the result if the world were to “love your enemies, do good to them which hate you. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you” ; if we were to “lend, hoping for nothing in return“; to “be merciful, as your Father is merciful“. (Luke 6) Imagine looking upward to heaven each day for strength and wisdom and goodness, knowing that the heavenly Father’s reward is for eternity, and bringing that knowledge to others–as well as taking to them the knowledge of the reality of hell. Imagining no heaven and no hell and no God can never bring peace and brotherhood, for love exists only where God is. Where God is lies salvation, kindness, eternal life, friendship, joy, abundance, peace, forgiveness, glory and justice. Imagine that!

God bless you all, my faithful brothers and sisters in Christ!

Maranatha!

A Season of Gifts

Watchman — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 21:45:23 +0000

She brought forth her first-born Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. “ (Luke 2:7-12)

The early Hebrews were much more likely to record the date of a person’s death than the date of his birth, so naturally we are uncertain as to in what month our Lord Jesus was born. It is, in fact, unlikely to have been in December since the weather would not have permitted shepherds to be living out in the fields. Although I have addressed this in these pages nearly every year, I think it is important to be able to satisfactorily respond to those who accuse us of creating a holiday that shows either our ignorance of the Bible (since His birth probably did not occur on December 25) or our desire to perpetuate the pagan winter solstice celebrations under the false guise of Christianity. I’ve noticed on Facebook that several Christians have posted some extremely harsh judgments on those who celebrate Christmas, declaring that since the Lord never told us His birthdate or directed us to honor it, then we are under condemnation of sin for doing so. On the other hand, the now-yearly war has begun between those who insist each retailer direct their employees to say “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays” and those who refuse to entertain any acknowledgment of Christ in respect to Christmas in any public venue. How we have managed to introduce controversy and intolerance to what should indeed be one of the two most blessed seasons of our year!

To begin with, I suppose I should announce right away that I love Christmas. I love the lights, I love decorating the Christmas tree, I love the carols and the Christmas movies and, yes, I love the gifts. Most of all, I love remembering each year the miraculous gift of a loving God–our God who sent His Son, begotten before all the world, to the earth as an infant to bring light and salvation to a dark and fallen world. God Himself (as Jesus is one with God, by His own words –John 10:30) became incarnate to live the pure life none on earth could so that He could present Himself as a spotless sacrifice in payment for our sins and so bridge the chasm we had erected between God and us, and enable us to live in eternity with Him. How could we not love, commemorate and celebrate this awesome event? How could we not want to give gifts to those we love to remind them of the one true gift of God that He gave us: a Saviour born in a stable so long ago? Yes, the date on which we celebrate Christmas was set by the early church deliberately to be close to the winter pagan rituals–to shine a Light that no amount of time or hardship could dim, and to expose to the Light the evil that had crept into the world! Jesus is the Light of the world, and He shines as brightly today as He did two thousand years ago, and His word will light our paths until the end of time. Surely this is something to celebrate!

Some of our traditions and customs have come over the years from various parts of the world, but that does not make them pagan in origin. Our beautifully decorated Christmas trees represent the death and resurrection of our Lord, and the new life to be found in Him. Our candy canes proclaim Him the Good Shepherd who spilled His blood for our redemption. Our Christmas carols and our creches proclaim the nativity story to those who may not have a chance to hear it otherwise.

Like many of you, I am offended by the current administration’s refusal to refer to Christmas. The United States was founded as a Christian nation on Judeo-Christian principles, and when we elect a government that will not acknowledge the supreme right of God to rule our nation, then we begin to fail as a nation. This is happening now, as political correctness has seized the nation and the White House and instituted the intolerance of allowing God into our public squares and our public policies. As I have mentioned before, this is not a war against Christmas; it is a war against Christ. However, how we choose to respond to the growing secular nature of Christmas goes to the heart of what Jesus has said we are to do as His followers. Yes, we are bound to make known our beliefs to those in power–respectfully–whether or not they will hear us. But when it comes to how we deal with it in the private sector, it is important to remember that our first duty is to introduce Jesus’ love for us to those who need to hear the Good News. How I wish that all the energy expended in boycotts of stores that advertise “Holiday Sales” would be directed toward spreading the love of God to those who are tired and overworked in these stores as they struggle to support their families! I believe much more good could be accomplished by using the time taken to distribute petitions demanding that businesses all use the word “Christmas” to instead walk into these establishments and wish the employees a blessed Christmas, or even to see if there is something you can do to aid someone there in the name of Christ. Inviting a lonely unbeliever to spend Christmas with you in an environment in which they can, without pressure, experience the presence of the Holy Spirit may do more to bring someone to Jesus than all the protests all rolled up into one could have done.

What a wonderful time of the year this is! God has given us the greatest gift of all, and Jesus is our Lord! God cannot be diminished, no matter how far into rebellion our nation goes–He is in control, now and forevermore. What a great reason to celebrate! No anti-Christian sentiments, no lack of money, no politician or political system can change the fact of our loving God. What will you offer to Jesus this year on the day on which we commemorate His birthday? What He wants is your heart and your life turned over to Him. That’s right! Invite Him to spend this holiday with you, and He will give you eternal life and a place in His kingdom. All He wants in return is your sinful, broken self! Out of whatever sinful life you may have led, out of the pain and loneliness you may be feeling, He will begin to mold and remake you into the person He knows you can be: righteous, and in His own image. He will forgive you for your rebellion, love you, guide you, make you whole again. He will be your Father, and will see you as His beloved child. What a gift, and what a beautiful season it is in which to accept it!

Speaking of gifts, I want to thank all of you who have been faithful in reading the Watchman on the Wall for the last few years. Your words, whether comments after postings or e-mails, have been such a blessing and a delight to me, and have encouraged me to keep going when I became uncertain whether this blog was helpful enough to continue. You have truly gifted me, and I thank God for you all.

Merry Christmas!

“I Have Been Told by the Word of the Lord”

Watchman — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 19:00:15 +0000

So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it, and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. Then he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” And he (the man of God) said, “I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. For I have been told by the word of the Lord, ‘ You shall not eat bread nor drink any water there, nor return by going the way you came.’” He said to (the man of God), “I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” (He was lying to him.) So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water. Now it happened, as they sat at the table that the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back; and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord, and have not kept the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which the Lord said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’” So it was, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, the prophet whom he had brought back. When he was gone, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his corpse was thrown on the road… (1 Kings 13:13-24)

The above excerpt from the book of 1 Kings was nothing more than an aside written into the story of King Jeroboam’s wicked reign over Israel, but it is nonetheless one of the harshest stories of God’s judgment to be found in the Old Testament. A prophet of God was struck down for his disobedience against God’s word after he was misled by another (lying) prophet. The story sits uneasily upon those who prefer to thing of God as a gentle and loving God who would never act against someone who believed in Him. Why, since it really is not a necessary part of the history of Jeroboam, would this even be included in the Scriptures? I believe that God has a particular purpose for everything that is included in Scripture, and I believe that one purpose is to demonstrate an object lesson for people throughout all the ages of man; not just those being addressed or chronicled at the time. In the case of the story of the man of God, I think God has given a warning: not, this time, to the unbeliever; I believe He instructed this story to be included as a specific warning to those of us who call ourselves men and women of God.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we know (at least in part) the mind and the heart of God. His mind is revealed to us through the Scriptures; we know what He finds good and we know what He deems to be evil; what is acceptable to Him and what is an abomination. The love and righteousness of His heart was brought to us through His only begotten Son, and His words have been whispered into our spirits and written on our hearts by His Holy Spirit. Yet how often we become confused, even to the point of active disobedience, by the words given us by others who claim to be speaking for Him!

A dear friend of mine was talking to me the other day about the duties of those of us who have been called in these last days to be watchmen on the wall for “such a time as this.” Like Esther, we need to start preparing ourselves to go before possibly antagonistic beings in order to properly proclaim the name of the living God. We are running out of time. More and more people are dying in their sins for lack of knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus our Savior, and we are helping to turn their itching ears to false doctrines and doctrines of devils because we are afraid to listen to the truth of what God tells us. Many of our dominant mainstream churches are afraid to speak boldly about sin and the need for redemption because they are afraid of losing their tax-free status if they condemn immorality. They are afraid if they condemn sin, their congregations will dwindle and the tithes and offerings will lessen. Many who call themselves evangelists are aware that people prefer to hear sermons explaining how God wants all of His people to be wealthy and happy to those that teach that God hates sin and will punish the sinner. So many of us can say “Jesus loves you” but have been influenced by politically-correct thought into believing that trying to convict people of their sins is hateful and counter-productive. Is this the word of God? No, but many Christians believe and follow these false doctrines because they take what spiritual leaders say without consulting either God’s commandments or Jesus’ words, nor do they “try the spirits” before they change their stance. Often there is enough half-truth to some of the lies that only studying the word of God can bring the real truth to light. Liberal clergy have eliminated the concept of “capital S” sin by focusing only on the general “small S” sins of humanity without realizing that making people play nicely together without repentance for the sin nature and individual evil with which we are born and for which Jesus died does not save the soul or renew the spirit. Some fundamentalist believers spew fervent hatred of those who do not believe or who commit sins without showing the loving spirit which Christ demonstrated in wanting people to turn away from their evil and be granted eternal life in Him. Both the liberals and the meaner-spirited of the fundamentalists can point to a few Biblical passages that seem to prove their points, but both mislead their flocks and cause them to believe lies. For those of us who lead or teach others, we must diligently study so that we are certain that we know the heart and mind of God. If we fail those who listen to us by teaching lies and becoming false prophets, God will not hold us blameless when the time comes to judge those souls. We have been told by the Word of the Lord.

Yes, the story of the judgment on the man of God from the book of Kings was harsh, but it speaks to us today as clearly as if the Holy Spirit had whispered it to our hearts this morning: we have been told by the Word of the Lord, and we are not to turn away from His spoken word. Not for any reason; not out of fear, or tolerance, or being mislead by another person posing as a prophet. We listen to Him, and to Him and His word alone.

Maranatha!

When a Land Sins

Watchman — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:20:13 +0000

“Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it.” (Ezekiel 14:13)

“I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful . Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare. When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into covenant with you and you became Mine,” says the Lord God. “Then I washed you in water; yes I thoroughly washed off your blood and I anointed you with oil. I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head…You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, and oil…Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you,” says the the Lord God. “But you trusted in your own beauty, played the harlot because of your fame, and poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it.“ (Ezekiel 16:7-15)

Our land has sinned. We have taken the extraordinary gifts that God gave to America at her inception and we have called them our own without reference to the One who owns it all. We have accepted His gifts, but are in the process of rejecting the Giver. Because of this, we are in imminent danger of losing the gifts. Don’t believe this? Look around you, brothers and sisters. The economy of the nation is failing; jobs are becoming scarcer, food prices are rising, and people are becoming poorer. In response, many have taken to blaming “corporate greed” or government programs for the failures of the nation. And while these may certainly play a role in the present havoc, they are neither of them the root cause for the distress that ails our country. We have become a spiritually and morally bankrupt people in a land that has sinned against the Father. God spoke through the prophet Ezekiel and informed us exactly how He would discipline those who turned to idolatry. As I have mentioned before, man was created to be a worshiping being. We will either worship God, as we were meant to do, or we will find something else to worship: idols, money, technology, self-rule–even our own beauty, intelligence and strength. Paul, in his second letter to Timothy, wrote that the time would come when people would “not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.” The time has come.

Last week an online article was published that explained that one of the candidates for the Republican nomination was being taken to task by the Republican establishment because he was still hung up on values issues, while most are agreeing that only the economy and jobs issues are relevant to the coming elections. My dear friends, I can only tell you what I am certain is true: that the economy will not improve nor will the nation ever regain its place of economic and political leadership in the world unless we repent of our sins as a nation and hand it back to God.

In the last couple of years, we have nearly stopped debating the abortion issue, regularized homosexuality, disassociated ourselves from our strong partisanship of the nation of Israel (still the chosen people of God) and banished the name of the Lord from nearly all public venues in a misguided determination to not offend those who do not call themselves by His name. We are, as a people, displeasing to the Lord. We who call ourselves conservative Christians have a choice to make. We can fall in with the conservatives who are determined to oust the present administration at any cost, or we can look into our hearts and ask ourselves how the Lord would have us make changes. If we replace those in power with others who are not willing to seek the Lord’s will for our nation; if we replace them with those who think money is more important than His commandments, then our “change” will be of no more worth than the last one. Don’t misunderstand–I am much in favor of a strong economy, less government intervention, and a return to our Constitutional roots. I am appalled by the present administration’s handling of our economy and by the sickening lack of respect with which it has dealt with Israel (our best and strongest ally in the Middle East) and her Prime Minister. I am shocked by the administration’s disdainful disregard of our Christian heritage. My belief, however, is that it really does matter in what spirit we approach the nation’s ills. If we focus only on the economic crisis in which we find ourselves, then we are not going to make a difference. If we raise up holy hands to the glory of God, if we get down on our knees to ask for forgiveness for the sins committed in this land and make a real effort to give God the oversight of the nation once more, then we may become a viable and prosperous people once more.

We have sinned against God by persistent unfaithfulness, and God is lifting His hand of protection and blessing from us, just as He told Ezekiel He would. His warnings have manifested themselves as manifold natural disasters, a bad economy and a growing mistrust of the U.S. It may not be too late. Pray, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray for our hearts to be open to those things God wants of us and that we will be the people He always meant us to be. Pray that we may spread the wonderful gospel of our Lord Jesus openly and proudly, with love in our hearts for those who are lost. Pray for His forgiveness of our land, which has sinned. Pray that He will lead this land back into communion with Him. Pray that He will raise up leaders that know Him and are willing to fight the battles that must come in order to serve Him. And pray that we will all have the strength and the wisdom to make His will our will.

Maranatha!

Strengthening the Hands of the Wicked

Watchman — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:09:54 +0000

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!

A Virtuous Bride

Watchman — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 20:33:31 +0000

“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!

The Word of the Lord Stands Forever

Watchman — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:21:22 +0000

“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” (2 Cor. 4:3-4)

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…” (2 Cor. 4:8-9)

“The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God shall stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)

My dear brothers and sisters, people are perishing for lack of the gospel. Some are perishing because the god of this world has blinded them to the glory of the great Lord Jehovah, and made them believe that He has been replaced by technology and scientific paradigms. Some are perishing because their hearts are evil and they have actively made the decision to live in the presence of darkness and hell. And some, my friends, are perishing because we Christians have failed them. We have failed to take the gospel to those who are unsaved, and we have failed to tell the truth concerning God’s commandments and the ultimate destination of those who do not turn to the Lord Jesus for salvation. We have failed to show His love to those who are living in less fortunate circumstances than we may be, and we have failed to lift up His name in praise and thanksgiving in the public square.

Please understand, God’s word is unchanging. That was what Isaiah meant when he said “the word of the Lord stands forever.” What He wants us to be and what He wants for us to do has never changed. His laws have never changed. What He loved before He loves now; what He hated before He hates still. He loves good and abominates evil. We have gotten so used to believing that good and evil are relative terms that we no longer seem to fully comprehend either the difference between the two or God’s true aversion to evil. He made it quite clear throughout all of scripture that evil will never be allowed to invade heaven. It cannot be allowed into His presence, and those persons who are not His belong automatically to the evil one. Jesus said that any person who was not with Him was against Him (Luke 11:23). This is in direct contradiction of what is being preached today: that all paths lead to God and that (as our President told a Muslim contingent at a Ramadan dinner) we are all children of a loving God, regardless of to whom we pray . Jesus is the way, the truth and the life; and NO ONE comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6)

Throughout time, God has shown His displeasure with His people by lifting His hand of protection from the nations that disregard His authority. The United States had been especially blessed over the last 200 years because the cause of Christ had been made paramount in the nation. Now, severe weather patterns are devastating the country; flooding has ruined crops in the mid-west, heat has annihilated crops in the south, tornadoes have wiped out several towns and hurricanes have ruined a major southern city and several smaller rural areas, and a huge amount of people are asking why! Is it our deodorant’s fluorocarbons or global warming due to our refusal to revere Mother Earth properly? And why did our economy fall? Was it because “the Rich” sucked the nation dry, or because the politicians spent too much on social programs? While a lot of factors entered into the economic equation, very few people look at the real truth–that God is lifting His hand of mercy from us because we as a nation have sinned against Him.

We are commanded by God to be a holy and righteous nation, and to share the gospel. We are commanded by an ungodly government to not annoy others who might be offended by hearing the name of God in public. We are commanded to keep the laws of God but we are encouraged by television, advertising, political activism and even by some people of God to be greedy, blasphemous, covetous and even to allow the killing of our unborn children. We are commanded to love His chosen people the Jews in the nation in which He has regathered them as He had promised a couple of thousand years ago He would do, but now we support Israel’s enemies financially while trying to bring peace to the middle east by trying to force Israel into giving up more of her God-given territory than she already has. God said clearly He would bless those that bless Israel, and curse those who curse her. Much of our nation’s prosperity has been predicated on the aid we have been to Israel and on the part we played in her rebirth. Are we now to become another cursed nation because we are allowing those who want the annihilation of Israel to gain in strength and power?

A group of mid-western pastors recently signed a statement that homosexuality is no longer to be considered a sin. New York recently became the most populous state to allow homosexual marriages. A move is being made in California to require the teaching of the contributions of homosexuals in the public schools. A new television ad features well-known actors and actresses bemoaning the fact that homosexuals are the subjects of prejudice and suffer from depression not because they are gay, but because they are not accepted. While we should never treat others unkindly for any reason, the truth is that most of that depression is due to the fact that gays are living lifestyles that are strictly forbidden by God. We can sign all the statements in the world denying this; we can ordain homosexual pastors and lesbian bishops all we want, but we cannot change the word of God concerning homosexuality: a practice that He refers to as an abomination.

We are commanded to care for the poor, the needy, the hopeless and the down-trodden. I cannot tell you how many e-mails I have received over the past year suggesting that we allow the homeless to starve since they’re in the trouble they are in due to their own negligence, that we should not allow foodstamps to women on welfare for too long or without testing them for drugs regardless of whether or not their children would go hungry without help, etc. I have said before that I do not believe that it is the government’s place to force its citizens to work and pay for those who will not; however, God commands us to care for widows and orphans, to take care of needy children, and to show our neighbors the right way to live. I realize that there are welfare recipients who are third generation recipients and yes, that is annoying. However, if we do not show these people a better way to live, then we cannot blame them for making the poor decisions they tend to make. If we do not teach them God’s laws for purity, for work, for righteous living, how can we blame them for not following the way of the cross? Do you not believe, brothers and sisters, that God will not judge us for how we relate to those around us in need?

God commands us to forgive our enemies, yet we revel in hatred as long as it is something or someone it is politically correct to hate. Every time a youthful gang member is arrested on an assault charge, the internet posts are full of people suggesting the best thing to do is kill them quickly. They suggest ten-year-olds who kill be thrown away like garbage. While I by no means think violent people should be allowed to continue their crimes, I know that God has a better plan for these people. As a Christian, I know that His love can redeem those we consider irredeemable, and that we must make the effort to share both the knowledge of His grace and the knowledge that they will spend an eternity in hell if they do not accept the salvation of Jesus with those who we consider to be damned. We give money to missionaries who go spread the gospel overseas, but we don’t want to share that gospel ourselves in our own jails and prisons and hospitals or with our next door neighbor.

There is good news in all of this, dear ones. 2 Corinthians 4:8 and 9 says we are hard-pressed but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. This is because we know that the word of the Lord stands forever. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. God loves us all so much that He sent His only Son to die for our redemption, so that we need not pay the eternal price for our sins. God is judging America and the world, and His judgment is both harsh and righteous. It is time to stand up for Him and His word. It is time to share the gospel as we never have before. Time is running out and people, including some that we know and love, will perish for lack of knowledge of the gospel of Christ. We must not fail them.

If you have not accepted the Lord as your savior, it’s not too late—–yet. Read the scriptures, and see all the wonderful things that the Lord has in store for those who love Him. Read also the fate of those who ultimately will reject His offer of love and an eternity in His presence. Heaven is real; so is hell. Make the choice while you can.

Maranatha!

Renewing the Spirit of the Mind

Watchman — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 18:39:49 +0000

“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!