Marks of no faith or true faith…

Oh that I had in the desert a travelers’ lodging place, that I might leave my people and go away from them! For they are all adulterers, a company of treacherous men. They bend their tongue like a bow; falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me, declares the Lord. Let everyone beware of his neighbor, and put no trust in any brother, for every brother is a deceiver, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. Everyone deceives his neighbor, and no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves committing iniquity. Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit, they refuse to know me, declares the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: “Behold, I will refine them and test them, for what else can I do, because of my people? Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceitfully; with his mouth each speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he plans an ambush for him. Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord, and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this? (Jeremiah 9:2–9)

Some of our friends have been violently persecuted by family members when they left family tradition and became Christians. Imagine what anguish this would cause. Imagine the way they would feel had they not changed faith but were treated like that anyway.

This passage describes God's response to those who claim to know Him but do not. They show their lack of faith by the way they treat others who make the same claim. From this, the simple application is “examine the way I treat other Christians.”

The NT description of measuring true faith is the same:

By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. . . . We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:10–18)

Love is an action word, not an emotion or mere talk. It is about meeting needs. It is also about loving enemies as well and not taking revenge when mistreated.

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17–21)

Being this kind of person is a daily challenge. To me it includes the crazy driver who cuts me off in traffic, the clerk who short changes with a smirk, the belittling remark of another Christian about my ministry, and the unkind reception of a relative to gifts. Love all, even enemies.

Jesus, You love like no other and set the high example for me. Bless You for not only showing how but making this amazing love for others possible.

If I want to be perfect…

 

Enemies and persecution are not part of my life, but there are a few people I do not want to spend time with, people who are so full of themselves that a normal conversation is painful. Yet God keeps putting one of them on my mind. This morning, He speaks to me again about this person:

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:44–48)

God’s goodness is His perfection and I am to do good to all, even those at the bottom of my opinion. Holiness is a resemblance of God’s purity, so doing good to even enemies is a resemblance of God’s goodness. I cannot be a perfect Christian if I refuse to let His goodness shine through me.

Charnock outlines two ways. One is by relieving and assisting others in distress. I’m not supposed to think anyone is so far below me to be unworthy of my care, since God thinks none that are distant from Him are beneath His care. He may punish sin, but He also gives support to those who are in distress. 

Needy people fit in here. I often say if I have something that I am not using, then someone else needs it. What about the treasures God has blessed me with? Are they for me only? Or to give me the honor of imitating Him? After all, I am a mere steward of all that I have. It is entrusted me to use it wisely and in kindness, and in the same way that He has given it to me. The goodness of God stripped his Son of the glory of heaven to enrich my life. How can I  shrug when asked to part with my small pleasures and offer them back to Him? Or to others? If I hoard up the goodness of God and use it to feed only me, could this provoke Him to harden His heart against me? His persistence in showing me kindness is such a blessing that I’m not surprised that He should reward His children — even if we give a mere cup of cold water to someone — even when there is much more that could be done.

The second way to imitate God’s goodness is in kindness to my enemies. There are people in the world that hate Christians. I’ve no personal relationship with any (that I know of) yet as Charnock says, even good people are no more worthy to receive anything from God than the worst can be to receive anything from me. God is kind to those that blaspheme Him with the same sunshine and rain as He gives to the best of His saints. Besides, it is to His glory when people can do good to those who hate them, and no glory when I do the worldly thing:

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:19–21)

When I was lost in sin, God did not strike me dead as I deserved, but in His goodness He redeemed me. He didn’t send forth wrath, but selfless goodness. Because I am His child, I am to be like Him and be open to those who seem closed to me or closed to Him.

PRAY: God, Your goodness changed and still changes my life. I cannot hoard it. Enable me and give ways to share the wonder of Your sacrificial love to those around me, even those who are against me, even those against You. They need to know that You are not their enemy but the One whose heart is so full of goodness that You love Your enemies and making Yourself available to them.  

Expressing Love?

If a child is disobedient, some think discipline is needed while others criticize discipline as abuse. In today’s devotional, John Piper writes about limits to love. Perhaps a better term would be ‘expressions of love.’ If children are loved, parents do not want them to grow up thinking it is okay to do bad things. God is like that with me. Although He accepted me as a selfish, sinful person, He loves me too much to leave me that way. 

The question is, how does He express that love? I’ve often said, sometimes it is with a hug and sometimes it is with a 2 by 4. For instance, I remember hubby sending me on an errand that I didn’t want to do. When I got to the place of business, the owner came out with the items I was to pick up and he was homely, smelly, and repulsive. Then he said something that glorified God. I felt hugged by his words and kicked in the head at the same time for my attitude. 

In other situations my sinful attitudes were more serious. God loved me to repentance by allowing me to experience the consequences of my selfishness. Ugh! Even though He didn’t publicly shame me (love expressed), He taught me lessons and keeps working to rid me of thinking, saying, or doing things that are shameful. Again, those harsh lessons are rooted in love.

Piper asks, how do God’s command to love others, even our enemies, work toward loving incorrigible sinners? Jesus said, 

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43–48)

Add to that these words about how to treat those who hurt us:

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:19–21)

God may be planning vengeance according to His wisdom and justice, or He may use acts of love for enemies to turn their hearts toward Him. This is not for me to decide. I’m simply to love others, all of them.

And yet Piper points out that forgiveness has a line that should not be crossed, at least in regard to praying for someone who is in sin: 

If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. (1 John 5:16–17)

God knows who has a heart of stone and totally refuses His goodness and grace. I don’t know that. Therefore, it is not up to me to judge, but pray — at least until He indicates otherwise. His love may mean He is at work in that person to rescue them, but it may mean that He has reserved them for judgment. 

PRAY: Lord, all this means paying attention to Your Spirit and allowing You to direct love and the expression of it. You sometimes surprise me with grace to forgive and even grace to rebuke. I’m to speak the truth in love, and that means knowing truth, and knowing how to express it as You want me to. Sometimes it is the opposite of what I think it should be.

Focus on Good News. . . .

A family member sent me an email last week that lines up with Piper’s devotional passage for today. His email said “Can’t help but feel the effects of the last days described in 2 Tim 3:1-5. I’m sure you feel the same. Very hard to watch the news these days… I am reminded to keep focused on the Good News that will help soften that bad news around us.”

He also said that it was not his place to say when the end would come. However, this passage does describe much of current news:

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. (2 Timothy 3:1–5)

I’m with him on focusing on the Good News. Piper didn’t do that at first. Instead he gave statistics that are three decades old and make me shudder. Men abuse women. Many abuse the police. Murder rates are high. Mocking Jesus happens and still does. Mass shootings, people driving vehicles into crowds, brutality and lack of self-control. It is all part of current world events including the abandoning of God both in public and in private.

But there is good news too. In our city, large shelters feed and take care of the homeless. The love of Jesus is taken to the streets by those who build relationships with those who feel helpless. Many groups take care of needy families with new babies. Others supply beds for children who have none. Several offer help and shelter for women who are in danger.

God calls His people to avoid those described by the above bad news. I could finger-point and shake my head in disgust at each newscast with the vanity that “at least I’m not like that” but my sin is just as disgusting to God as their evil behavior. Instead, He challenges me with verses like this:

But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. (Ephesians 5:3–12)

The Lord does not want me to do such things, and not even talk about what they do. Instead, He tells me, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:26–27)

What is more challenging than to control what I say? Maybe to change my thoughts? Maybe to be occupied with doing good instead of bad-mouthing those without Christ who are helpless to do anything that pleases God? Maybe to show other Christians how to have a relationship with those who hit the news for the wrong reasons? To pay attention to words like:

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:16–21)

PRAY: Jesus, evil is not overcome by more evil, particularly the vanity of thinking I’m better than those involved in sin — and neglecting to glorify You as the only reason for anything good in me. You died for the world — while we were still sinners — and everyone needs to know You and Your incredible love, sacrificed to deliver us from sin’s deadly bondage.

 

The greatest satisfaction

A friend asked for prayer. She is being mistreated at work and yet other jobs do not seem open to her. At the same time, she wants a better job and to be happy at her work. This happened once before. She abandoned her job for something she liked better, but again is not satisfied.

I’ve been praying about this even though I told her that the Lord usually does not tell me His will for others. This is for her to seek. She says she is, but her desire for change and to get out of the situations at her current work are strong. I’ve not had the same experience but realize how strong “I-wants” can render me somewhat deaf to the Lord’s voice and instructions.

Thoughts came to mind. One was from these verses:

But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:27–36)

Of course this is impossible without being filled with the Spirit and relying on Christ. But would these commands go over her head? Perhaps. Then today’s reading made one statement and my heart said a hearty ‘amen’ to this:

Nothing can really satisfy the hunger of the soul but Christ.

How true — and it hits the heart. When I’m dissatisfied or complaining about my lot in life, what is it that I really want? Is it change? We go look at the lovely lottery homes each year and sometimes I’m so taken with one that I want to win it. But is that what I really want? I finally figured out that what appeals to me is the lack of clutter, the simplicity of decor. I need to purge the place I am in rather than move to another house that has no clutter — I would just clutter it up and want another house. Besides, being content is a vital part of faith.

My friend wants to be happy in her work, joyful with her lot in life, yet I know as the writer of today’s devotional reading knows, that the deepest joy in life is not about a job, or anything else. It is about feasting on Jesus, receiving our joy and the ability to be content from Him, regardless of our situation. He says…

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9–10)

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. (Philippians 4:11)

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

PRAY: Jesus, You are the source of joy and contentment given to us from Your Holy Spirit as we rely on You and are filled with Your Spirit. If I turn to what I think I want or need, satisfaction and contentment elude me and all Your children. My prayer for my friend is that she seeks You rather than running to whatever appeals to her. Any delight will not last until she turns again to You as the only One who can satisfy her soul.

The Law-giver on the throne is the law-keeper in my heart . . .

 

There is no human experience parallel for what God does. He makes impossible demands —then He gives what is needed to obey those demands. For this incredible grace, I often call myself God’s spoiled brat. Like a child too little for the task at hand, my heavenly Father enables me and I find myself doing what I thought was impossible — amazed at His power.

For instance, the biblical love I wrote about yesterday cannot be generated on the human level. Yet it is one of His incredible gifts to make it possible.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God . . . . We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:7; 19)

Loving one another is only the beginning. He also tells me: “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). That is not natural. Most Christians will say, ‘Love the person but not the sin’ but if we are honest, we cannot get past our distaste and even hatred for sin, particularly sin that hurts us or our loved ones. We feel anger against those who do such things. However, Jesus said,

“If you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” (Matthew 5:44-47)

At that time, Israel considered tax-gatherers as traitors and Gentiles as spiritual outcasts. To love them meant dropping all prejudice and animosity. Jesus explained how God “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

The love of God goes that far for “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Regardless of sin, rebellion, shaking fists in His face, out of love, Jesus willingly endured the pain and shame of the cross and paid the price of our redemption. That is divine love in action!

I’m to love as He loves — impartially and sacrificially. Again, this sounds impossible but God enables. When He came into my life, His Holy Spirit began producing this love that He asks for. I remember sitting on my front step marveling at the change in the way I felt about people. Since then, this is still a marvel. In my flesh, I care only for myself, but when the Holy Spirit is in charge, that changes to a concern and care for others, even those hated by the rest of the world. This is a great gift.

PRAY: Jesus, from yesterday’s devotions, I’m still thinking how love requires humility, obedience, and sacrifice. You demonstrate all three perfectly. I fall short, mostly because of pride, self-interest, and wanting to be loved rather than giving it. You change all that with the power of the Holy Spirit and I am thankful. At the same time, I know full well that love is costly and does not always feel good. It caused You to sweat blood and die! Likely that will never happen to me, but love often means abandoning what I’d like to do for the sake of doing what is best for someone else. Keep forgiving my selfishness and replacing it with Your love for others. Help me be more than willing to love all, including enemies, more perfectly.

PONDER: I just read “The Last Thing He Said to Me” which is a work of fiction, but without intending it, this story demonstrates the love of God. The protagonist gave up everything that was important to her so she could love and care for someone who hated her. This story is a timely and powerful example to me of how God’s love is far beyond my human capacity and how much I need to live in the power of God’s Spirit.

 

 

What would Jesus do?

 

READ Obadiah & Jonah1-4

The prophet Obadiah prophesied that Edom would be repaid for mistreating God’s people. He said to them:

The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?” Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord. (Obadiah 3–4)

Obadiah also asserted that God is sovereign over the nations and that the house of Jacob would be restored because of God’s covenant love for his people.

The prophet Jonah is a different case. God sent him to a pagan city to preach repentance, but Jonah rebelled and was swallowed by a fish . . .  

When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!” And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. (Jonah 2:7–10)

This reluctant prophet then repented and decided to do what God said:

So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. (Jonah 3:3–10)

When Nineveh repented, the reason for Jonah’s rebellion became clear: he had feared that God would forgive the Ninevites; and when God did forgive them, Jonah resented it.

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” (Jonah 4:1–3)

Jonah essentially threw himself a huge pity-party. He sat in the hot sun. God gave him shade from a plant that He sent, but God also sent a worm to kill the plant and Jonah was more upset about his situation than he had been about the sinners in Nineveh. So God said to him:

“You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” (Jonah 4:10–11)

Both stories are a rebuke to my selfishness. Obadiah rebuked the Edomites who were related to God’s people and should be supportive rather than helping Judah’s enemies take them into exile. My challenge is similar. There are many who claim to be “good” people but when push comes to shove, they show resentment to Christian truths and will not stand up for what is right. In situations like that, I find judgment easier than mercy.

Also, it is easier to “flee to Tarshish” than it is to share the Gospel with the Nineveh’s of this world. Tarshish relates to commerce and profit, suggesting how I could get involved with the concerns of this life rather than talk to sinners about their need to repent and receive God’s salvation. Jonah would rather they got what they deserved than repent and be saved. That attitude too easily lurks in my own head.

Jesus was different. He saw sinners as sheep without a shepherd, sinners in need of a Savior. So He died for them. He asks me which example will I follow?