Serving Gold Apples

Determined not to gossip or say negative things about her, when her name came up in conversation with another Christian, God put it on my heart to think of positive and helpful ways to deal with third person, a whiner that no one enjoys being around.

In the conversation, I remembered another Christian friend who helped me with my whining. We often traveled to a small town and when we returned, I complained about their small-town way of always gossiping, always talking about others they didn't like, and when I came home, I wound up doing the same thing that I didn’t like. Then, one day before another trip, my friend said to me, “Now you bring me back some good news.”

That changed everything. Determined to do it, I listened differently, stayed aware of the good and let the other stuff drop out of memory. Because of that ‘lesson from the Lord’ my attitude changed. Not that I’ve never fallen back into the same negativity, but I am much more aware of the power of encouraging others by looking for the good in their lives and being thankful for it. 

I’ve also learned that whining about life affects health. When every ache and problem is noted and talked about, my focus goes from being thankful to sharing my agonies too. We all know people who only talk about their poor health — all the time. I don’t want to be one of those people.

Health is influenced by words or by suffering in silence. While I need to speak in positive ways, I also need to keep short accounts with God. He reminds me of these verses:

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah (Psalm 32:3–5)
I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse. (Psalm 39:2)

If I’ve unconfessed sin, my inner heaviness affects my body. To those always complaining about their aches and pains, how can my words help them turn from that and deal with anything in their spiritual life that might be causing it? 

Sin and selfishness is usually not silent though. While it can be hidden in the heart, lack of faith in God and my selfishness (or any godliness) will eventually show up in my speech. God says:

You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (Matthew 12:34)
But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, (1 Peter 3:15)

The Bible makes it plain: “The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness.” (Ecclesiastes 10:12–13) My heart shows up in my words. But if my words are right (because my heart is right), they can be powerful:

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29)
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:6)

With all this in mind, the person no one wants to be with might benefit from challenging questions, for example: “Tell me what you are thankful for today.” Or “Share one very positive thing that has happened to you this week.” Or What is the best gift you have ever received?”

PRAY: Lord, if these questions are the right things to say, helpful and encouraging, then bring to mind one of them, or anything else that might help this very negative person realize that her words are adding to her miseries. She needs Your grace and to realize that You care about her.

Seek truth and defend it

The Bible tells me to contend or strive for the faith that was given to all genuine believers (Jude 3). This statement also reveals that God makes truth known to His people — and it is up to us to make sure it it not abandoned or forgotten, first in my own life and then in the lives of others who also know it.

In my years of leading Bible studies, I’ve noticed that when truth is spoken, most Christians do not argue with it. Some might say, “I know that, but. . . .” and express what is making that particular truth a problem for them, usually because of contrary circumstances. Just pointing out a promise from God or a truth related to their issue often changes the ‘but’ to a praise.

Teaching truth helps us spot any lies that bombard our minds and lives. While some might yawn at the word ‘doctrine’ it should not put anyone to sleep but wake us up. Doctrine is not based upon static and dead ideas but upon living truths to be cherished and defended.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

Doctrine is based not only on the Word  of God, but also on the character of God and correct interpretation of what He is saying. Sometimes even well-meaning Christians pick up a single teaching without considering the total teaching of the Bible. This is one reason that we need to be in communion with one another. Open discussion often reveals truth that I’d not seen before or that was interpreted without considering other sections of the Bible. I’m responsible to seek all that God says, not just the parts that appeal to me, and not just what I hope to be true.

Again, the Bible is its own authority. I can consider other authorities, but this is not an intellectual exercise. Reason and tradition play a role, but the most important consideration is that God uses His Word, both written and living, to reveal Himself to me and change my life. His goal is to transform me to be like Jesus.

Not only that, all other sources for understanding, such as personal experience, reason, or tradition must be judged by Scripture, not the other way around. If this is not held vital, false teachings and heresies inevitably follow. My relative who believes the Bible is the Word of God has nevertheless followed the teachings of a cult. Instead of Sola Scriptura (meaning Scripture alone is the final and controlling authority for all true Christian teaching and doctrinal formulation) this person trusts whatever his cult leaders say to be true.

Every Christian expresses their beliefs in some doctrinal form, whether highly developed or rudimentary. We must so we can “In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15) God reveals it and we defend it. False teaching is a constant threat to biblical integrity. Wisdom says:

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:11)
Teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. (1 Timothy 6:2–5)
As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him. (Titus 3:10)

PRAY: Jesus, You are the truth and lies are so dangerous to me besides being contrary to all that You are. Because you live in me, truth is precious. While no one person can express all truth, I need to be willing to examine and be corrected by Scripture. Enable me to seek truth always, for in seeking it, I am seeking You and wanting to more deeply know You. Amen.

Pride is a huge turn-off

Every now and then I get upset when it seems someone is telling others they need Jesus with the underlining message that the other person is not acceptable unless they are a Christian. The other person seems resentful of this put-down and less interested in hearing more.

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit’s task is to convict sinners about their unbelief. This does not mean that I should merely pray and never tell others the good news of the gospel. It does mean that my attitude should never be one of superiority because I am saved and considered righeous in God’s sight but that other person is still in sin and not acceptable.  

The Bible is full of instruction on the attitudes God wants in my life. They are summed up in loving Him and loving others. That love for others is exemplified in Jesus Christ. He told His disciples:

Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:13)

This means Jesus came into the world to save sinners, not to save the righteous, the fervent, and the earnest workers, but simply and only to save sinners. Some will say they are too far gone to save. At the other end of the spectrum are those who boast that God saved them, as if they somehow deserved it. Besides…

By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

This means that no one, even the most pious of God’s children, can lord it over others as if their position in Christ makes them superior. Jesus came to save sinners and that attitude is contrary to the reason Jesus saved me! Pride has no place in why He did it.

Perhaps one of the reasons that the Apostle Paul was mightily used by God is about his attitude. He said this:

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. (1 Timothy 1:15)

Instead of putting himself on a pedestal, this man of God identified with those Jesus came to save. He was merciful and even though he led a sacrificial life, it was not characterized by a self-righteous attitude nor did he use his position in Christ to manipulate others. He wrote about his attitude:

I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away! (2 Corinthians 10:1)
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)
But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. (1 Thessalonians 2:7)
In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15)

Today’s devotional warns me not to fix my eyes on myself or wonder if I am ‘good enough’ because I cannot answer these questions for myself, never mind impose such questions to others in the hope that they will be convicted of their sin and want to know Christ and salvation. All that would do is exalt self and fill me with self-congratulation and pride… and turn off the other person.

PRAY: Lord, in this I realize that exalting myself for not exalting myself is a form of pride too. Enable humility that shows up in all my interactions with others, even in my interactions with those who are filled with pride at being saved from sin. They don’t deserve even the least of Your mercies — and neither do I.
 

Hope is a Person . . .

 

 

I’ve been reading a fiction series in which the main character is often in danger and hopes her influential father will come to her rescue. As soon as she sees him, her trust is rewarded because his mere presence assures her that she is safe.

This isn’t quite how the Bible defines HOPE but close. It is like the smell of fresh-baked bread as you walk into the house — you cannot see or eat it, but you know it is there waiting to be tasted.

This is like biblical hope. I know the reality of Jesus Christ and although I cannot see Him, I know that He exists and is a real part of my life, both now and in the future. It is in Him I put my hope. In the NT, hope sometimes means wishing or desiring but mostly it is about this firm conviction and faith in Jesus Christ meaning hope is much like faith. He is not visible yet I know He is with me and one day I will see Him.

Hebrews 11:1. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

1 Peter 1:13. “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Hope is not so much a wish as a person because it is based on who God is and what He is doing, His power and promises. It is “through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

He is the “God of hope” who fills me with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit I can abound in hope. That is, this biblical hope is a joyful expectation rather than an anxious emotion based on an “I want” — for which I have no assurance.

Romans 5:5 says, “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” By His power and grace, believers simply know for certain that our future is secure, not because of how we feel about it but because of our God who says so!

This hope includes several things besides the promise of seeing Jesus and having eternal life. Romans 8:20–21 says, “In hope, the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” and Galatians 5:5 tells me that “through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.” Yet the greatest is the One who is my hope:

Colossians 1:27. “ . . . Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Titus 2:13. I am “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. My hope is strengthened by Scripture that tells me what God has done and is doing, and by the gracious assurance of the Holy Spirit. Like a helmet, this hope protects my mind and gives joy to my heart. It also causes others to wonder about my reasons for this hope and gives me opportunity to share it with those who have no hope and are yet without God. I want them to also know the One who grants this amazing gift.

Romans 15:4. “Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

With gratitude for hope, I am compelled “In my heart, to honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is in me; yet do it with gentleness and respect” — “remembering that I was once separated from Christ, alienated . . . . and a stranger to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:12 and 1 Peter 3:15)

Praise You Jesus, You are my living hope.

 

How to know the heart of God . . .

 

Jesus says the greatest commandment is to love God with all our HEART. He is not referring to that organ that pumps blood but to the central or innermost part of our being. As I read through some of the Bible verses that describe what that love looks like, I realized that God wants love from us because He created us in His image and to restore that image, our hearts are to be like His heart.

In other words, the innermost part of God, His very being, is love; God loves us with all His heart. When He describes or talks about me in relation to my heart, He is telling me something about Himself.

There are not many verses that describe God’s heart. The first is when God saw sin growing rampant in the world:

Genesis 6:5–6. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.

I’m not the Creator, yet the evil in the earth grieves my heart too. I understand and can accept my grief more easily from reading that God has the same reaction to evil.

Reading more, the OT speaks of people with willing hearts who gave their skills and possessions to build a place of worship. God has a willing heart and gives His power and resources to do the same. He tells His people to not forget what He has shown them for God does not forget. They are to search after Him with all their heart for He seeks us with all His heart. He warns them not to have a heart that is deceived or that resists Him because His heart is always set on truth and to love and bless them.

Hundreds of verses carry the same ideas. God tells His people to have pure hearts, to serve Him with all their heart, to fill their hearts with His truths, and that He seeks those who are after His own heart. When that was not happening, He promised to give them a new heart:

Jeremiah 24:7. I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

When Jesus came, lived and died and rose again, He brought new life to all who believe do that we could draw near to Him with that new heart that He promised. This is why He said in Matthew 5:8. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Put it all together and I see that because of a new heart, I am better able to understand the heart of God.

Even though I still struggle with the old flesh and old way of doing things, the Lord continues to incline my heart toward Him so that, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” (John 7:38) Faith changes the heart, even makes it like God’s life-giving heart.

The heart is the center of my spiritual life. It is where temptation and doubt strike, but also devotion and faith. By myself, I cannot make the changes or maintain them. The Lord opened my heart, just as He opened the hearts of those who first believed . . .

Acts 16:14. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.

When that happened to me, the Holy Spirit came to live in my heart yet I’m responsible to let Him rule as 1 Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord” and not harden my heart against His rule or the rule of peace that comes as a wonderful demonstration of the heart of God . . . “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15)

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6) I’m in awe at realizing that all the great virtues God wants for my heart is because it makes it more like His heart. I can know Him better, even see His glory in His commandments. How awesome — when I obey Him from the heart, He can use me to show His incredible heart to others.