C.J. Sears's Blog, page 13

Our Strength: The Roads of Life

“LORD, be gracious to us! We wait for You. Be our strength every morning and our salvation in time of trouble.” (Isaiah 33:2)

Life is a road filled with obstacles we can’t often predict. Sometimes the road is broad, a wide path of easy-going and coasting on our own momentum. Other times the road is circular, a roundabout of trouble with no clear signs of an exit. Beyond that a road narrows, squeezing us tight, oppression on all sides from one disaster or another.

Not all roads lead to success, happiness, or love. Neither do all roads lead to hatred, bitterness, and depression. Day by day we’re often not sure if we’re even on the same road we were yesterday. Our perceptions as we drive this rough path are small-minded, inwardly focused, missing the forest ahead but swerving around the tree.

Yet we must look beyond ourselves. There’s a Way that leads to destruction and a Way that leads to life eternal. And what is that Way? That Way is the everlasting salvation, the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. He is our Savior, our kinsmen Redeemer, and our only hope to avoid crashing into the ultimate roadblock: damnation.

We can’t think of life as a smooth ride. The road is not always paved. There’s usually maintenance ahead. Potholes. Traffic accidents. It’s a miracle in itself when our lives aren’t one car crash after another. Thanks be to Christ for His love!

The end goal of life isn’t mere happiness. It’s not about getting that high-paying job. It shouldn’t be a succession of promotions and convenient contacts. Our efforts shouldn’t be geared toward only the self-satisfaction of a prominent position and status in the world. But it can’t be for nothing either.

As Scripture says, we must seek after the Lord our God. He is our gracious King of Kings. His Sovereignty is undisputed. He is the Creator. He is Good, the Holy of Holies. So we cast our eyes to Him and His love, His mercy. He is our refuge in times of trouble, our strength, the Rock of our Salvation (Psalm 62:7).

That strength must be renewed every morning. Our gaze must be fixed on His goodness, His plan for salvation. Our hearts and prayers must be tuned to the glory of His Son, Jesus Christ. Our souls should delight in the Spirit of God. We should walk in His ways and bear His fruit (Galatians 5:22).

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.” (James 3:17-18)

Our lives may be turbulent and filled with many rocky roads, but we can rejoice in Him. By His love, His grace, we can sow peace among each other. We won’t be entirely without sin on this earth (or in ourselves) until the day of His return, but we don’t have to collide with every obstacle unprepared. If we do as the Scripture says in Isaiah, if we make the Lord our strength each morning and our salvation in times of trouble, then we can rest in contentment, in the promises of Christ.

Remember that the Lord predestined us to this life (Ephesians 1:4-6). For every man in every nation He has set their appointed times and boundaries of living (Acts 17:26). Why did He do this? Why has our roadmap been placed before by Him?

“He did this so they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” (Acts 17:27)

The Lord is not rolling dice. He knows where and when someone will accept Christ as Lord and Savior and if they will at all. He has foreknown and foreordained it. His grace, His calling is irrevocable (Romans 11:29). We should trust in Him, have faith, as He has loved us from before the foundation of the world and promised us the blessing of eternal life (Titus 1:2).

So we wake up. We get on the expressway or we take the side roads. Either way, the Lord has made our destination certain. Believe on Him, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31).

Thanks and praise be to Him, our God in heaven. May His grace, mercy, and peace be with you. Thank you for reading, God bless, and have a fantastic weekend.

Avoid the Yeast of the Pharisees

No doubt, you will have read a plethora of articles today which discussed last night’s Super Bowl. Media correspondents everywhere will have a litany of videos about what went wrong, what went right, the best and worst commercials, and statistical analysis about ratings and demographics. Fans will be talking about and posting their opinions of their team’s disastrous/victorious performance. And the world abroad is either confused, amused, or doesn’t care.

In addition to this, over the past week, you’ve probably seen one or two articles from Christian websites. These articles often lament the fervor which Americans have for sports and not the Lord. They will no doubt call football an idol, perhaps even bloodlust given the nature of hard-hitting tackles and concussions. They’re right, to a point.

Yes, I do think the visceral, unfettered devotion to teams in American football should raise eyebrows. The tribalistic patriotism on display staggers me. I can’t imagine that level of fixation on something completely and utterly out of my control. Fantasy football befuddles me. It’s like being the GM in a wrestling video game except people bet real money on it. Mindboggling.

But I think these articles overstep in their judgment. They’re so focused on what people aren’t doing that they rarely bother to remember what the true nature of the gospel is. They fail to account for the sinful nature of man and his inability to be saved by his own free will. They’re fixated on law and regulations, neglecting the character of God and His grace. Further, they perhaps wrongly attribute their personal feelings about athletics to equating to such things.

I don’t think watching sports constitutes idolatry. Consuming entertainment is not inherently sinful. Nor do I think there’s anything wrong with having passionate hobbies. We forget that God made us in His image. He formed us in the womb. If we were not to have a drive for play, I daresay it wouldn’t exist at all.

Look, I don’t know how much play is too much. I can’t begin to make the claim that those sports fans are idolaters. I don’t know their hearts; only the Lord does. But I can express my concern, as these articles do, that we perhaps become too enamored with that which visually stimulates us. Being a proponent of video games, movies, and television, I’m equally as guilty in that respect.

Yet at the same time, I can’t help but think such concerns spring from the pharisaic legalist that exists in many zealous Christians. We do indeed strain out gnats while swallowing camels (Matthew 23:24). We’re quick to point out the eye-catching sins and point to a board of rigid doctrine (often unscriptural) yet we neglect, as the Lord says, the matters of mercy, justice, and faith (Matthew 23:23).

To put it simply, we criticize others harsher than we do ourselves. We don’t remember that we’re all fallible, fallen people. We’re all short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Our kind is a fickle one, persistent in ridicule, often unable to remove the veil from our own eyes. We’ll obey commands, but not the ones that matter.

“He said to him, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.’” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Hey, it’s this Scripture again! Amazing how it’s applicable in more than one discussion or situation. It’s almost like Scripture is Truth or something… Anyway, the point I’m making is that we all too often leap to conclusions about others that we wouldn’t want them to make about us. “Everyone’s a sinner except me!” exclaims the fool.

Should we tolerate sin? No. We should, as born-again believers, want to be rid of our fleshly nature. We should regret the stain on our souls which is washed away by the blood of Christ (Romans 3:24-26). We should be grateful that where there was once darkness, there is now light (Ephesians 5:8-10). And we should remember the Lord’s instruction, oft neglected, to love one’s neighbor as one’s self.

We shouldn’t be lackadaisical. It’s unwise to pass over sins as merely minor flaws in a person. But we forget the character of God, His unequaled grace, and are too quick to cast eternal hellfire and brimstone as the inevitable fate of those around us. We become embroiled in pointless battles and arguments, unwilling or unable to show the world the fruits of salvation.

“Flee from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. But reject foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they breed quarrels. The Lord’s slave* must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient, instructing his opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth. Then they may come to their senses and escape the Devil’s trap, having been captured by him to do his will.” (2 Timothy 2:22-26)

Don’t get bogged down in frivolous arguments with each other or the unsaved. Treat your friend or your enemy with the same gentleness, the same quality of love expected by the Lord your God. You don’t know that the Lord might use you to reach this person, that by your demonstration of the fruits of the Spirit in faith, the Lord may prick the consciousness of this person and set them on the path of salvation.

Remember the greatest commands of the Lord. Love your God. Be good to your neighbor and do good to his (or her) person. Will this (your works) save you? No, but you can know Christ’s righteousness by your fruits. You can know that you have His Spirit by walking in faith, by believing on Him as Lord and Savior.

Avoid the yeast of the Pharisees (Matthew 16:6). Focus on loving the Lord. Worship Him by trusting in Christ as your Savior. Care for others as you would care for yourself, not pigeonholing them into a category and being ungenerous. Live in the Spirit and the fruits will follow.

Thanks and praise be to the Lord. May His grace and blessings be upon you who believe on Him. Thank you for reading, peace be with you, and have a great week.

*I have no objection to the usage of this word in this context, but others may wish to know that this is usually translated as servant or bond-servant.

Alternative Facts, Morality, & Trust

“The inexperienced one believes anything, but the sensible one watches his steps.” (Proverbs 14:15)

It stands to reason that we as a species have a tendency to be naïve about many things over the course of our lives. Such naivety is rooted most often in inexperience and unfamiliarity. The wicked among us manipulate this inclination, turning clarity to mud and sensibility to madness. None of us, I think, are immune to this psychological phenomenon in totality.

Take me, for example. I once believed that morality had a swathe of shades of gray. Don’t get me wrong; there are certainly situations where the right thing to do isn’t perfectly clear. But for the most part, things are transparently black and white. The Ten Commandments (taken from Exodus 20:1-17 and abbreviated) outline this pretty well:

Do not have other gods besides Me. (Exodus 20:3)
Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. (Exodus 20:4)
Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God. (Exodus 20:7)
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (Exodus 20:8)
Honor your father and mother. (Exodus 20:12)
Do not murder.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not steal.
Do not bear false testimony against your neighbor.
Do not covet your neighbor’s house, wife, or belongings.

Of course, following the list of commands is a pretty tall order. Arguably impossible for a man. Indeed, their purpose isn’t to be an exhaustive list of do’s and don’ts so much as to inform the believer that he/she cannot attain holiness by their own will. Break one commandment and you’ve broken them all.

Which commandment is the easiest to break? The first: do not have other gods besides Me. Why? Because to have no other Gods, no idols, to honor Him, you must keep all the commandments. And the greatest command, as Jesus says, is this:

“He said to him, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

So He summarizes the Law and the Lord’s commands as above. Tell me, who among us truly loves the Lord their God with all of their heart, mind, and soul? Who among us has never disrespected his neighbor? The answer, I should think, is none of us.

But what does this have to do with inexperience and blind belief in that which is false? The point is that at one time, I thought in terms of human morality. I saw man as righteous, as having the capacity to judge fairly. But this is wrong. This is sinful. Man cannot judge of his own accord. A man without God is a man adrift at sea, a hapless fisherman caught in a tidal wave of frustration, failure, and wrong-headed thinking.

Man is not the judge. Morality is ordained by God who is Good. But we try. Our feeble attempts at executing our own morality is what leads to much death, destruction, and sin in the world. Man judges the life of one more precious than another. But Scripture says that all men are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Both of these contradictory points cannot be true.

So why am I bringing all this up? Well, it starts with taking a good look at the world around us. How much media coverage discusses the concept of fake news? How does one know which so-called “alternative fact” to trust? Everything and anything has been politicized, codified, and made to serve the ambitions and drive of one politician or another. It’s ridiculous and I think people on both sides should agree on that at the very least.

This has been the practice for centuries. A man (or woman) concocts a bogus idea, publicizes it, and before long people are latching onto it as the truth. Remember the humors? This is the idea of different temperaments being affected by four bodily fluids called humors. Here’s the gist below:

Imbalance creates mood and condition under this system. An abundance of blood makes one sanguine. Black bile makes one melancholic. Phlegm leads to peaceful and quiet behavior. Yellow bile produces independence and a decisive drive. What nonsense! Yet it was believed and studied and practiced for hundreds of years (well into the nineteenth century) by doctors and supposedly educated men.

This is just one example of man getting it wrong. Men of renown and practice, men of “science” putting forth a laughable concept as the genuine article. But people believed them. These men were studied and respected, after all. Why would they lie? How could they not know? Was it simply ignorance or were they having a lark on the public for multiple centuries?

The truth is simpler: arrogance. Man always believes he possesses the truth when he doesn’t. Man is quick to gratify and congratulate himself far ahead of his due. This is why we have conflicting data on climate change. This is why evolution is enforced as a secular religion. This is why one scientist says homosexuality is potentially learned behavior and another claims it’s genetic or a chemical imbalance.

Man always wants to be first to know something. He doesn’t want to wait for authority to answer him. He doesn’t care if the data is faulty or there’s no support. He wants the story, the big scoop, the guide to life in the palm in his hand. He wants personal godhood, and he’s wanted it since the Garden of Eden.

My advice: trust God and not yourself, your media, or the general philosophies of man. Scripture says:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I have never been wise except in my own eyes. But He is and that’s an unchanging truth. It’s not an alternative fact. It’s not political spin. It’s not the oft-disputed consensus of scientism. It’s just cold, hard, raw fact.

Maybe I’m wrong about this, you say. Perhaps I am. But I’ll take the risk of trusting the Lord over man any day. He’s proven Himself above and beyond what any man could hope to achieve.

Thanks and praise belong to Him. Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend. God bless and peace be with you.

The Promise of the Future

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been watching Star Trek: The Original Series. I recently finished the first season. It’s a good show and mostly tame by today’s standards. I imagine the ridiculously low cut skirts of the female crewman might’ve caused a stir, but beyond that it’s reasonably wholesome. A far cry from the level of titillation that might be expected today.

But that’s beside the point. No, I was struck more by the 1960s view of a future for mankind. In the 23rd Century, creator Gene Roddenberry postulates that we’ll have hand “phasers” which shoot highly concentrated lasers, interstellar travel with alien comrades, a teleportation machine which materializes and dematerializes people, and, it would seem, a united Earth government.

Yet information is stored on tapes. Video screen quality is sub-HD. Communicators are both better and worse than basic cell phones. Women don’t have vital roles on the ship—anyone could do Uhura’s job—and all the department heads are men. By progressive standards, it simultaneously ticks many boxes while falling hilariously flat.

Why am I calling attention to this? Because it demonstrates the arrogance and futility of man’s thinking when it comes to predicting tomorrow. It’s not only a problem that runs rampant in most speculative science fiction, but indicates how fallible we are as a people.

Back to the Future Part II is also guilty of this. In that film, the writers envision a 2015 wherein we have flying cars and hover-boards, food hydration machines in our homes, extendable holograms, fusion-powered engines, and, based on what a little kid says, video games where no one has to use their hands. It’s a smorgasbord of high-functioning equipment in an improbable future.

But we don’t have personal flying cars, do we? No, we have hybrid cars. Electric vehicles. We have VR goggles, but you still need your hands for true gameplay. We can’t put tiny pizzas in a hydrator for five seconds and have the real thing pop out moments later. We have fantastic quality LCD screens, now up to 8K resolution, but no Jaws 19 shark hologram reaching out to bite us. We can talk to anyone, anywhere in the world, but we’ve long foregone fax machines in most of our homes.

Again, the hubris of man is out in force. Man thinks he can predict the future. He envisions a tomorrow with promise, a grandiose embellishment of his current time’s technological knowhow while dismissing the subtle signs of improvement elsewhere. He looks to the Jetsons, to robots and aliens, to mass utopias and flying cars, but not to the simpler, yet impressive succession of ideas which take hold.

Man could not conceive of personal computers in every home. He did not see high-resolution televisions in every living room. It wasn’t in his calculations that cars would be made ever sleeker, ever diverse, but not likely to fly. And he sure didn’t dream of man walking around while carrying five-inch “do-anything” devices in their pocket. A man of the past would marvel at a smart phone while lamenting all the things which speculative fiction promised.

So man isn’t all-knowing. He isn’t meant to be. Why am I criticizing our minds, our improbable outlooks? Because it rings true. Because it is truth.

“Don’t boast about tomorrow, for you don’t know what a day might bring.” (Proverbs 27:1)

People are naturally planners. We have goals. We create a path in our mind and a future to look forward to embracing. But we are so often wrong. We are both optimistic and yet underachieving. Our minds see a distant time of peace, but we compromise what that means by our own estimations. When we think big, we deliver little. When we think small, we surprise ourselves. Such is that nature of modern day diviner.

Gene Roddenberry, a humanist, thought mankind’s progress should be rooted in reason, science, and the human spirit. He believed that humans could forge a future of peace with one another and one day ascend to the stars. Admirable. Respectable. Agreeable. Flawed. Laughable. Sinful.

The secular path to enlightenment and growth is one built on lies and false futures. We as humans can’t know the future. We are not omniscient. So we see and deal in half-truths, half-measures, believing ourselves capable of more than we could ever possibly be. Our pride sustains and ruins us, a picture perfectly encapsulated by our implausible and misaligned predictions of the future.

Man is right to hope. Indeed, hope is the very thing that has been offered to us. But it doesn’t come in the form of logical aliens, human achievement, sophisticated technology, artificial technology, or any of the fancy conceptions made by men and women throughout the years.

It comes by One Father, One Son, One Spirit. One God, from the beginning, who was with the Word and was the Word.

There is a promising future ahead. It’s been written down for centuries. We need not speculate. As it is said in Scripture:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea no longer existed. I also saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away ever tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:1-4)

So rejoice in the Lord. Be thankful to him. It is not up to us to create a new world. He has already decided that eons ago. Enjoy the fiction conjured up by sci-fi auteurs, but rest assured that it will never live up to reality, and assuredly never to the promised rebirth of creation at the end of time.

I like Star Trek, Star Wars, and Mass Effect. I revel in the adventure and thrill of space opera and science fiction exploration. But I recognize that they are flawed views, human views, of a place and time that will likely never exist.

I look to the Lord and I am thankful. I am glad for Him, for my salvation, for the love and security that I feel in Christ. May you know this truth as well. Thank you for reading. Peace be with you and God bless.

The Everlasting Memory

Last night’s episode of the X-Files was a comedic take on the Mandela Effect. What’s that? Basically, it’s when a person remembers something clear as day, but other people and the facts don’t back up that memory. It is a genuine memory, but it’s also false. It seems so right, but reality disagrees.

Spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned.

In classic X-Files fashion, many theories were put forth to explain this phenomena, namely parallel universes and mind control by a shadowy entity. One character postulates that a Dr. “They” is behind the Mandela Effect (which he errantly calls the Mengele Effect to the ire of Mulder and Scully). He claims that this nefarious person is behind the erasure of such knowledge throughout many eras of time. Mulder counters with a theory that the memories are true, but from another alternate universe.

What’s the truth, in the end? Neither. The conspiracy theorist is actually a mental patient with wild imaginings. The evil doctor claims to be manipulating people through the much more palatable subversive news, not brain control. And Mulder’s parallel universe theory has little ground to stand on other than a cheeky stinger near the end by Skinner.

Why am I talking about this? Well, because it’s fun to talk about the X-Files, of course! But that’s not the only reason I’ve brought up the Mandela Effect and this episode.

Some people (myself included) have suffered from the Mandela Effect when it comes to Scripture. We’ll readily remember a passage only for that passage to say nothing like what we remembered. We’ll then be angered or humiliated by our failing if we’re not stubborn. Others might even continue to believe their false version of what the Word says in order to exploit it.

An example: money is the root of all evil. You’ve heard that phrase before, right? Did you know it’s based in Scripture? And did you know it’s also incorrect? Here’s the actual passage:

“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.” (1 Timothy 6:10)

There’s an important distinction here, don’t you think? Money isn’t the root of all evil. It’s inherently neutral, being an inanimate object with no consciousness. No, it’s the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evil. Chasing after money, being greedy, is the problem. It’s a heart issue, not a wealth issue.

Let’s not stop there. Other passages from the Bible have been twisted or falsely remembered by non-believers and believers alike. Take the rather infamous proclamation to “judge not, lest you be judged.” Christians and non-Christians have used this to prevent folks from rightly criticizing the sinful actions of others. But what does Scripture actually say?

“Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye’ and look, there’s a log in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:1-5)

The full context of the verse makes things a bit more clear, doesn’t it?

First, it’s clear that we should be wary of judging in general. Why? Because we are judged in the same manner by others. More than that, the Lord is the ultimate judge of character and he sees the heart and the measure by which you judge others.

Second, we shouldn’t judge hypocritically. How can we reprimand someone for adultery while we’ve been committing that self-same sin with pornography? We can’t and shouldn’t. It’s the height of arrogance to believe yourself better than another, especially while doing the very thing you are judging them for. If both you and the person you’re judging are under the same error, then you’re not the one for the job.

Finally, we shouldn’t judge blindly. If we can’t see our own sin, then how can we be expected to make a rational decision in relation to another’s? And if our hearts aren’t right with the Lord, then who are we to be a witness against them?

Keep in mind that much of this passage is aimed at the Pharisees. Jesus disputed their hearts. Oh, the Pharisees knew the Law. They were experts. But they didn’t have eyes to see and ears to hear. They had been tainted by legalism and self-righteousness, prideful, not seeing the stain on their own souls. For that reason, they were called hypocrites.

As are we if think we’re better than another sinner, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

There are countless events and passages in Scripture which have been misapplied, misremembered, and manipulated for ulterior motives, deception, or even outright ignorance. The Mandela Effect is alive and well in the hearts and minds of the world.

So how do we fight such a phenomenon? How do we combat our sinful selves, our fallible brains? Answer: by trusting in the Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our Savior. Remember that He is true and His Word is Truth.

And at the end of the day, the only memory that will matter is the one which isn’t blotted out under heaven. Turn to Him and you will have an everlasting memory, an eternal life with the Lord our God.

Thanks and praise be to Him! Peace be with you, brothers and sisters. God bless and have a great weekend.

A Song for the Lord

I’m not a poet or a singer. My lyrics won’t follow a pattern like iambic pentameter. But I thought I’d try out another attempt at writing a sort of free verse song for the Lord. I love doing the blog, but sometimes I wonder if I’m in desperate need of variety with my posting. Not for growing readership, mind you, but because as the saying goes: variety is the spice of life.

Without further ado, here is my attempt:

Oh, Heavenly Father,

Exalted be Your name!

You have made me who I am;

As the Psalmist decrees, you formed me

In my mother’s womb.

Before I was born,

You laid out a path before me.

I could not keep Your orders, Your commands, and Your statutes,

Because of my sin.

But blessed is the one who follows the LORD,

For he will be without blame.

By the blood of Your Son,

I have been made anew. In Christ,

You have raised me to eternal life.

Where I once was blind,

Stumbled and fell, reaching out with my fleshly palms,

You restored my sight, and caught me in Your arms.

As Peter’s faith trembled and the water rose to meet him,

So too did my sin submerge me in darkness.

Yet You were there, arms open, and carried me to life.

You placed me on the ship to glory,

The good old gospel ship.

I now know that I am not righteous;

No one is.

But You, Holy of Holies, are my Rock of Salvation.

The outcroppings of disaster threatened my soul

Until You righted my course and steered me away.

I am not the captain of my ship;

You are. And Your Spirit is my guide,

The navigator on troubled waters.

From before the foundation of the world,

I was chosen. But why?

Not by my own righteousness, for I have none.

Not by my own works, for they are filthy.

Not by my own will, because I do what I should not.

But by the love, grace, and mercy of You,

The LORD my God.

There is no one like You,

In all the world, in all the galaxy, in all the universe.

For when everything was void, You were not.

You simply are who You are, the great I AM.

You are our great and glorious Creator,

Our Redeemer, the Spirit of Eternal Life and Salvation.

Without You, I am nothing.

Born of Adam, I came from dust.

Born of Adam, I return to dust.

But born again of Christ, I have the hope and promise:

Eternal Life with my Savior in heaven

And on the new earth to come.

So I rejoice in the LORD my God,

Knowing that though I am weak,

He is strong.

You are the all-powerful, all-knowing, the Almighty.

You are just, the great King of Kings on His throne;

Your judgment is true.

How can I rest in anything?

The blood of Your Only Begotten Son

Is precious and without compare.

Without it, none can see the true glory of their Father.

My days are numbered. The world has an expiration.

But You are the Ancient of Days

Who endures forever.

The Great Shepherd of peoples, the Fisher of Men,

In You is all that we should wish to be.

I am Your sheep. You have caught me in Your net.

And like the prodigal son, You welcomed me

With arms outstretched.

Oh, LORD, how can I hope to repay You?

I cannot.

The debt we owed could never be repaid.

You are worth more than all the jewels of creation.

For this reason, Your Son has taken our place.

We are washed anew by His blood.

And here I stand, oh LORD, once a prisoner of sin,

Now a servant of Jesus, an adopted son

Of our Father in Heaven.

May Your name be honored and glorified

In all the ages to come.

I don’t have a title for it. I don’t think it needs one. But I hope it has been worth reading. May the song reflect His goodness even when I fail to live up to His standards. I am not naïve; I won’t meet His expectations in this fleshly body. But by His power and grace, I will strive to do good, to reflect His love for me back on the world itself.

Thanks and praise be to Him! And thank you for perusing my work on this blog. Whether you’ve gained something from it or not, I pray that it’s not been a waste of your time. Peace be with you and God bless.

The Lord Sees the Heart

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or his stature, because I have rejected him. Man does not see what the Lord sees, for man sees what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.’” (1 Samuel 16:7)

After Israel’s first king, Saul, failed to live up to his anointment as God’s chosen, the Lord instructed the prophet Samuel to select a new king for His people. He told him to search the house of Jesse for one of his sons. Jesse had eight sons. On first impression, Samuel believed that the imposing and outwardly strong Eliab must be the Lord’s pick.

But he was wrong. The Lord had chosen instead the youngest, an unimposing fellow by the name of David whose known skillset included tending sheep and playing the lyre. This was naturally quite the contrast from what Samuel or any man might’ve expected. When people look to someone to lead, many of them think of a headstrong leader with copious amounts of physical attributes. This surface evaluation is a mistake that the Lord doesn’t make.

The Lord, as the passage says, looks inward. He knows a man’s heart and who will serve Him best. He doesn’t pick the large because they’re large or the muscular because they’re brimming with beefy pectorals. No, He sees the true man, the one on the inside, and chooses that person to be His servant.

Why is this important? Because it demonstrates that the Lord is truly just, merciful, and unequaled in judgment. He doesn’t look merely to outward appearances, but to the depths of the inward character. We can be confident, then, that He is fair, loving, and knows best.

David was His chosen. David loved the Lord, cared for His people, and brought them victory against the Philistine giant Goliath and beyond. He trusted the Lord his God and showed his courage in leadership and battle, keeping the faith that the Lord would deliver him even while equipped only with a sling. David was a man after the Lord’s heart and loyal to Him (Acts 13:22).

The Lord is not swayed by mere actions or deeds, physical prowess and looks, but by the faith He instills in His people. David was righteous not because of anything he said or did, but because the Lord had granted him true faith. But how can we know David had this true faith?

“‘Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.’ Then David said, ‘The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.’” (1 Samuel 17:36-37)

You see from this passage that David didn’t trust his own righteousness or power. No, he believed the Lord his God and put his faith and life in the hands of his Creator and Savior. Thus he was rewarded with victory over Goliath and God’s chosen fulfilled His promises. Most importantly, years later, a descendant of David, born to a virgin, would bring the Lord’s people victory over death itself.

The Lord always delivers His people. He knows those who are His. He loves them and bestows upon them the salvation unto eternal life (John 3:16). The Lord reigns over us with His Sovereign Goodness, and knows the truth of what lies inside our cores, our hearts. We cannot hope to compare our fragile and ill-begotten judgments to His all-knowing capacity to see the real faith of a man.

David was declared righteous by the Lord. David was a sinner. His later adultery with Bathsheba would be one of his many failings as a person. But he believed the Lord – and only in the Lord – as his salvation and the Lord knew his heart. Because of this, like Abraham, like all who put their faith in Christ and truly believe, it was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:3) and his sins washed away (Isaiah 1:18, Ephesians 1:7).

Because of this, I know that I cannot judge a man by what he seems to be. Whatever their flaws, I do not know a person as the Lord does. To be sure, I might recognize and see their sin (and it’s easier to see another’s sin rather than your own) but I cannot pierce the body to see their heart with my own eyes. I don’t know who they’re trusting in for salvation or the validity of their belief, so even those who seem hopelessly corrupt might be made anew in Christ.

Whatever the case may be, I know that the Lord is my Shepherd and He does not lead His sheep astray. If a sheep is lost, He will find them and bring them back to the flock.

“‘What do you think? If a man has 100 sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the 99 on the hillside and go and search for the stray? And if he finds it, I assure you: He rejoices over that sheep more than over the 99 that did not go astray. In the same way, it is not the will of the Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.’” (Matthew 18:12-14)

Rejoice in knowing that man judges the body and the flesh, but God looks inward, to the heart and content of your character. Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved (Acts 16:31).

Thanks and praise be to Him. Have a great weekend and remember to rest in and trust Christ – and no other, especially not yourself – for salvation. Peace be with you and God bless.

The Wrong Angle & The Only Solution

So, yesterday, my dad and I got into a funny little situation. He’d given me $200 as a birthday/Christmas gift. On Saturday, I used $18 to pay for our pizza. So he said he’d pay me that back. Then he bought me a $50 TV show set with his own money. I thus owed him $50. Cancelling out each other’s debts meant that I owed him $32.

With me so far? Good. So how much money should remain in my wallet? $168 ($200-$32) or $150 ($200-$50)? This was our conundrum. I reasoned that because I’d effectively already given him $18 for the pizza, I only needed to give him $14 for the remainder. So I gave him a second twenty and took $5 in return, somewhat equaling us out. Or so I thought.

He was convinced the total amount in my wallet should be $150. I thought my reasoning/math was sound, so I kept trying to explain why I thought I was correct. My explanations must’ve seemed so obtuse, because he started laughing (good-naturedly) and I couldn’t help but laugh too. We both needed that, I think. Thank you, Lord.

So, because I didn’t want to believe I was completely crazy in my reasoning, I took to a website and asked the question there. Got a couple of different responses. One flat-out said my remainder should be $150. The other said it should be $150 because I love my dad and he deserves me paying for the pizza. The implication of the second was that I might be technically correct but I should give him more anyway. I liked that answer.

In the end, I agreed that dad was probably right. So the total after change exchange resulted in a $150 amount in my wallet. A little later, sitting by myself, I realized I’d overthought the problem to an absurd degree, making simple math into a complex web. So I came back and told him that he had to be right and I was wrong. I’d come at the issue from entirely the wrong angle.

Why am I telling this story? Well, I thought it was sort of funny like the beginnings of a sitcom script. But also because I think it draws attention to the human tendency to make something out of nothing, to boldly proclaim a problem where there is none.

And more than that, I couldn’t help thinking that so much of life and the battle against self and sin is like that. We humans tend to overcomplicate the solution to our problems. We think we can pay away or make things right by overstepping ourselves. Out might will make it right, we think. If we just work hard enough, we can begin to put things into balance. But that’s a flawed view. And it’s not the work of the Lord.

The reason we humans are not in our right minds is because of sin. And because of our pride, our arrogance, we think we can solve any problem, including sin. So we labor in sorrow and suffering, thinking that a masochistic lifestyle will somehow right our standing with God. But it won’t. It can’t. Only the grace of Jesus Christ, His precious blood, given to us can make us righteous and justified before him.

“For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.” (1 Peter 1:18-19)

“But the Messiah has appeared, high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation), He entered the most holy place once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:11-14)

So like my math/money issue, one can easily take the wrong path to salvation. Do not believe in the works of your hand. Trust not your own righteousness. Believe only in the forgiveness and salvation available through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and you will have eternal life.

Thanks and praise be to Him, for He is Holy, Just, and Loving. And thank you for reading this post. May you take from my story—and most importantly, the Scripture—something which edifies and encourages your faith in Christ. If it’s also entertaining for you, then that’s pretty cool too. God bless and have a good (peaceful) week.

The Work of God

“But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” (Luke 6:35-36)

Most people, including unbelievers, attempt to adhere to something called the Golden Rule. The idea is treat others as you would have them treat you. Kindness for kindness. Indeed, Jesus approves of this ideal. But he goes further than that.

He says to love your enemies. How can you love someone who has wronged you? It’s difficult and for some it seems impossible. All are sinners and yet somehow, by our flawed standards, there are some folks who seem the worst among us. By our reckoning, they should never be forgiven. Thank God we are not Him, because we would be unmerciful and unjust if left in charge.

He says to do what is good. But we cannot do what is good without Him. We can try to treat others with respect, but ultimately our nature expects reward for our efforts. We are self-serving even when we believe ourselves selfless. True altruism, I should think, is impossible for us. Even a good feeling can be considered a selfish reward.

He says to lend, expecting nothing in return. It’s not a simple task to give others what they need and not anticipate a reward. Even charity comes with it the expectation of recognition and, as I said, the prize of warm feelings. Again, the self wants to reward self so it seeks that which will accomplish this kind of task.

Yet the Lord expects us to do good. He wants us to fight ourselves and our sin, so that we may be made more ready for his workmanship. If these verses were taken in isolation, one might believe in a works-based salvation. After all, He says that good works will be rewarded in heaven, right?

But that betrays our intentions, doesn’t it? If we’re looking to do good deeds in order to get into heaven, then we’ve already failed and shown ourselves to be untrusting and perhaps even unsaved. For as Paul says:

“For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift – not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

If good works saved us, then we would have reason to boast. Our pride would excel in our own righteousness. But that is not God’s plan and He knows that we can do nothing of our own volition that is truly good. Instead, He has made it so that good works flow naturally from faith in Christ Jesus. The believer has been created and ordained to do these things from before the foundation of the world, that we would become holy and blameless in His sight (Ephesians 1:4-6).

What then are good works? Truthfully, I’m unsure of all that God considers good. Certainly, he acknowledges that caring for widows and orphans are signs of solid faith (James 1:27). But narrowing it to this level is highly unorthodox. If the only signs of saving faith were caring for these two people groups, then I dare say very few Christians could count themselves among the elect. There must be more broadness to it.

Better to measure the good works of the believer by the fruits of the Spirit (who dwells within us). Here we see a more carefully articulated list:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

If a man possesses these things, doesn’t it follow that he will abide in the commands of the Lord? If a man has love and peace, joy and patience, kindness and faith, etc. does he not show his compassion for others? Will he not be able to forgive even those who have harmed him? By the grace of Christ, he will.

But the greatest work, the truly saving faith, is much simpler. It’s so simple that it is recanted and fought against the world over. What is this great and defining work?

“‘What can we do to perform the works of God?’ they [the crowd] asked. Jesus replied, ‘This is the work of God – that you believe in the One He has sent.’” (John 6:28-29)

There’s no more important thing on this earth than believing on and trusting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. No amount of charity, good deeds, or false altruism will get a person into the kingdom. The true path is both easy to understand and difficult to follow. One must recognize that they are a sinner who has no hope for salvation without Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

2018 is just beginning. You’ve probably got a number of resolutions on your plate already and different ways to succeed in these tasks. Why not take the first steps in 2018 to the only Way that matters – life eternal with Christ in the kingdom of heaven?

Thanks and praise be to Him for the new life and new creation to follow. And thank you for reading. God bless and peace be with you!

Planned for Evil: God Makes It Good

“‘What is it, Queen Esther?’ the king asked her. ‘Whatever you want, even to half the kingdom, will be given to you.’” (Esther 5:3)

The Book of Esther is a rather slim and unusual volume in the Old Testament. I say it’s unusual because it never once mentions the Lord or God explicitly. As far as Scripture goes, that’s an anomaly. Why, then, is it included in the Bible?

It is a necessary entry because it points to Christ. It is inspired (God-breathed) by the Lord. You’re probably wondering how in the world it points the reader to Jesus if it never mentions God. But a closer glance shows the hand of God in every detail.

First, a quick summary of the premise: During the reign of King Ahasuerus of Persia, an edict is issued to summon his wife, Queen Vashti, to his royal palace. She declines. Angered by her stubborn refusal, he commands that she no longer be allowed into his presence. Fearing similar rebellion from other women, he then declares that every man should be the master of his own house. He has his eunuchs to gather women from all over the provinces for his harem. One of these women is Esther, the cousin of a Jewish man named Mordecai. Esther quickly becomes the king’s favorite and highly honored. Thus begins our story.

Right away, the narrative is provocative. There’s an angry king, a beautiful queen, the threat of violence, and plenty of intrigue. It’d make a pretty good movie. But unlike the characters of fiction, these are real people in the historical past. And more specifically, it highlights a period in which God’s chosen people are captive to the whims of a pagan nation.

As the story proceeds, a man named Haman is promoted to higher position amongst the king’s royal officials.

“The entire royal staff at the King’s Gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king had commanded this to be done for him. But Mordecai would not bow down or pay homage.” (Esther 3:2)

Angered by Mordecai’s actions, Haman schemes to have the Jews put to death. He orders their execution in every province to be carried out on a specified day. He even concocts the idea to hang Mordecai on a gallows constructed 75 feet high. But Mordecai is clever and convinces Queen Esther to speak to the king on his behalf. She must keep her ethnicity a secret, but he believes she is their best hope to curb Haman’s plan.

And it works. The king, highly infatuated by her, decrees that she may have anything she asks of him. So she invites both Haman and the king to a series of banquets. One night, the king is unable to sleep. He reads from a book which records the daily events in his kingdom.

To his surprise, he encounters an event in which Mordecai foiled the assassination of attempt of two eunuchs on the king’s life. Mordecai had not been honored for his aid. So he talks to Haman, who does not know whom the king is speaking of, what should be done for the man who committed this great deed. Ever greedy, Haman’s response is telling.

“Haman told the king, ‘For the man the king wants to honor: Have them bring a royal garment that king himself has worn and a horse the king himself has ridden, which has a royal diadem on its head. Put the garment and the horse under the charge of one of the king’s most noble officials. Have them clothe the man the king wants to honor, parade him on the horse through the city square, and proclaim before him: This is what is done for the man the king wants to honor.’” (Esther 6:7-9)

So Haman is ordered to carry out this instruction for his hated enemy. Humiliated, he races home and is told by his wife that his doom is certain. At the next banquet, Esther requests that the king recant Haman’s decree against the Jewish people. The king is angered by Haman and retreats to the palace garden to stew. When he returns, he finds that Haman (who’d been begging for forgiveness from Esther) has fallen asleep on the couch where she was. Enraged, thinking that he’d wanted to sleep with her, the king called for Haman’s death.

And so he hung Haman on the very gallows intended for Mordecai. Later, the Jews were called to arms to defend themselves from Haman’s plot. A great victory was before them, and Haman’s sons soon met the same fate as their father. The Jews rejoiced, freed from their terror, and commissioned a new holy day.

The final result: “Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus, famous among the Jews, and highly popular with many of his relatives. He continued to seek good for his people and to speak for the welfare of all his descendants.” (Esther 10:3)

So how does this story serve Scripture? How does it point to Christ, to the Lord our God?

While reading this story, another passage came to mind:

“But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result – the survival of many people. Therefore don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your little ones.’ And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” (Genesis 50:19-21)

The lesson we can take away from the Book of Esther is that the Lord always provides for those who believe. His people are never forgotten, even in their sin and their exile from the Promised Land. What one man and Satan intended for abject evil and violence, God turned to the good of all involved. Haman was dedicated to Mordecai’s death and the eradication of the Jewish peoples, but God pulled the rug out from under him. His own plan became his undoing.

There’s a lot of evil in this world. Sin is present in all of us and always active. But what we or others would use for evil, God utilizes as an opportunity for the greater good. Even tragedies like mass shootings, though God does not condone or wish them on His people, are something he uses to point people to Christ and away from their self-centered views and evil ways. He grieves for the lost, rejoices when they are united with Him, and repays the evildoers in kind for their wickedness.

“It is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment that you will be counted worthy of God’s kingdom, for which you also are suffering, since it is righteous for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you and to reward with rest you who are afflicted, along with us. This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His powerful angels, taking vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” (2 Thessalonians 1:5-8)

Quoting Deuteronomy, Paul says in Romans: “Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19)

God is faithful. He has mercy on His people even in their weakness. But evil He cannot tolerate, so it must be turned to ash and repurposed for His good. Thus we see His divine and loving hand throughout the Bible, including the Book of Esther, and know that He is the Lord our God and He is worthy of all praise.

Thanks and praise be to Him. I hope this has been an interesting (and quick) look into an underused selection of Scripture. I pray that it has been edifying for all of us who believe on Him. Peace be with you and God bless!