Consequences?

While the world often appears to be in chaos, there are spiritual principles that are as certain as gravity. Just as whatever goes up will come down, whoever rebels against God will pay the price, either in this life or eventually.

Yesterday, I heard of a young man who claims to believe in God but is leaving his wife because he wants to “live life to the full.” He says he loves her but being married seems to be cramping his style, whatever that means. Even as he makes this decision, he is full of doubt and heavy-hearted. His choice and response reflect a spiritual principle; go against the plan of God for life and marriage and hearts will be broken. I know it from experience as do many others.

It is not a surprise that the years preceding the coming of Christ were years of His people breaking His principles. Because “all sin and fall short” they could not keep the Law of God (no one can) and over the centuries, their need for a Savior became increasingly obvious. Why so long? It was not that God was ignoring or turning His back on their rebellion. He had been active in their lives and in world affairs. As history moved toward the great event of His incarnation, three factors were coming together to prepare the world for it: the Hebrews and their religion, the Greeks and their language, and the Romans and their social and political organization.

I’m looking at this more closely because what God did regarding rebellion for these nations is a picture of how He deals with people. First, just as He did with the Hebrews, He gives all of us an invitation to be His people, live in His kingdom and tell others the good news of a good God who loves them.

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” (Exodus 19:5–6)

Just like the young man who is choosing to abandon his marriage, the people of Israel failed to keep the principles of God in their relationship with Him. Because of almost continuous disobedience and the gross sin of idolatry, God’s judgment fell with finality upon them in the year 587 B.C., and the nation was carried away captive by Nebuchadnezzar into the land of Babylon. In other words, they were in bondage and unable to escape. Their rebellion had unpleasant consequences.

This principle has not changed. Today’s world is filled with examples. Compare the news with humanity’s general attitude toward the Laws of God and it is easily seen that God’s principles hold firm:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. (Romans 1:18–25)

However, just as in the history of redemption, God is merciful . . .

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4–5)

There is an answer to sin and its consequences. While the consequences often remain, the sin can be forgiven. Light from God can change hearts. Even broken marriages can be restored. God promises to transform those who believe in Him. We may fight Him and think we know better, but He is faithful, even relentless. He gives joy to replace sorrow and peace of mind to replace guilt and anxiety.

^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, I pray for this young man, but also of all who have turned their back on You and what they know about You. I’ve also tried to go against Your will and paid the price. I know the heartache and suffering such foolishness brings. You want us to be joyful and the pathway to joy includes obedience. Yet as history proves, obedience is possible only to those who rely completely on You. We cannot save ourselves. I cannot even pray without Your grace. Grant that great grace to me today.

Life too random? Maybe some framework is needed . . .

A policeman is supposed to uphold law. He would have a tough time doing that if he didn’t know or agree with the law that he is upholding. A surgeon is supposed to open and fix whatever has gone wrong in a human body. She would have a tough time doing that if she didn’t know anatomy or agree with the way it is supposed to work.

Even an artist has a set of ‘rules’ that ensure the music or paintings produced is pleasing to the eye or ear, and every mother knows she cannot use chopped cranberries to replace the chocolate when her children expect chocolate chip cookies.

Laws, rules, standards make a framework for nearly everything. I spent most of Saturday trying to fix a problem with my hubby’s laptop. Computers are not fussy; they merely operate according to a set of on/off switches and they all need to agree with each other. Otherwise, the machine does not behave in an expected and acceptable manner.

The physical world would be chaos without this framework. It is no surprise that the spiritual realm also has a framework, a set of principles that keep Christians on track with God. Because of these, I am guided into a walk with Jesus Christ that not only pleases Him but gives me great joy.

In general, a major principle is believing that God exists. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Romans 1:19ff says that God makes this plain so we have no excuse for not believing it.

For those who accept that principle, two other principles come into play. One is that God loves us. This is most important, but also Satan’s target for an on-going lie. Deep in our hearts, we hear his suggestions every day. He points us to the trials of life, our messy culture, a trouble childhood or any number of negatives that seem to verify his lie. However, if we believe it and fail to abide by the reality of God’s love, we step outside that firm foundation and find ourselves unhappy and with all sorts of problems.

The second principle that believers in God need but struggle with is the one that says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) We deny it, or pass the buck, or make excuses, but without agreeing with this one, we put ourselves outside the framework of spiritual stability. We cannot be godly people without admitting our need for His mercy, grace and forgiveness.

Rather than write a book on this topic, today’s devotional helps me jump to the one for me today. Jesus is talking to His disciples . . .

“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.” (John 14:21–24)

Knowing the commands of God is vital. Keeping them is more so. Living within this framework requires effort on my part. I must read and study the Word of God. I also need to pay attention to life’s lessons. Even more important, I must keep short accounts because knowing the will of God is for those who regularly confess their sin. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8) Having a pure heart is about short accounts as well. I must stay in a place of continual cleansing, a cleansing that comes to those willing to see and acknowledge all sin and selfishness.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

The idea of God living in my heart is mind-boggling yet my astonishment soon gives way to the responsibility of it. Because He is here, always with me, always loving me, how can I not pay attention to what He says and what He wants of me? The liar would suggest that God is not here, not loving me and His principles are harmful, not for my good . . . which is another principle of God’s kingdom — He loves me and wants good for me, not evil.

Obviously, this framework is built and maintained in a battlefield, a place of spiritual warfare. If I am going to fight and win, I must stick to the Lord’s rules of engagement.

^^^^^^^^^

Lord Jesus, I’m so thankful today for the grace You give, grace that keeps me where You want me, grace that rebukes, corrects, teaches, and fits me for the place that I am in, the place that You are in with me. Thank You for making Your home in my heart and for being a wonderful homemaker who knows how to continually dust and clean. Most of all, thank You for Your Word that fills me with instruction but also with an increasing love for You.

Proven Principles

Like the laws of nature, God created certain spiritual principles that cannot be ignored. For everyone, God says “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” That means everyone sins. He also says is that the soul that sins shall die.

These spiritual principles are “doom and gloom” apart from another one that says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

The Bible clearly makes these principles absolutes. That is, when it says “everyone” it means everyone. This does not exclude those people who do not believe them and who say “These things are true for you, but they are not true for me.” When God says everyone, He means those who listen and those who refuse to listen, those who deny Him and those who believe.

For those who believe, God sets us free from the law of sin and death because Jesus died for us; our penalty is paid. However, we still live by spiritual principles. We are saved by grace, not works, perhaps the most important of them. I cannot fall back into a works-based salvation and enjoy the power of God in my life.

For that, I put another principle right up at the top of the list. It is this: When I confess my sin, God is faithful and just to forgive my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. This principle changes my life and shows me the power of God.

Last week I confessed some long held habits and found that God, as always, did His part. I began to realize a definite change, and have been somewhat overwhelmed by it.

However, this week I discover another principle, one that I didn’t think applied to me. In the New Testament, Jesus said that if a demon is cast out and the spot it left remains vacant, it will return with seven more, all worse than itself. This is usually applied literally in that if someone has a demonic problem, getting rid of the demon is one thing, but having it replaced with Jesus Christ is vital.

Christians know the replacement principle. We are to “put off the old nature” and its sin and “put on the new” life Christ has given us. In other words, when God cleaned up my act, He expected me to replace it with new behavior. When I confess pride, it needs to be replaced with humility. When I confess selfishness, it needs to be replaced with concern and action for others. When I confess lack of gratitude, God wants to see thanksgiving in its place.

What I didn’t realize is that if I don’t follow through right away, I could be a sitting duck for the enemy. Satan likes it when I defy God with sins like pride and selfishness. It puts me on his side of the fence and has me doing his will instead of God’s will. The replacement principle does the opposite. When I am humble, thankful, thinking of others, I am like Jesus. Satan hates that.

In other words, my enemy will do everything he can to keep me from being like Jesus. A Jesus kind of life is powerful and defeats his purposes, so he doesn’t want it. Therefore, this week my heart and mind have become a battleground.

I’ve been hit with all sorts of things to encourage pride. I’ve also had stuff slammed at me to make me think about myself and not others, and to encourage a return of those old “I wants” instead of being thankful for what I already have. My mind feels like a war zone.

Today I came to my Bible asking God for something like a perk. Now that I think about it, even that request was dangerously close to being selfish. However, God knows my needs better than I know them. This is what He gave me to reflect on today:

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:6-9)

The hits from my enemy are grievous, but God is allowing them to prove that my faith is genuine and precious, that I will come through with praise and honor and glory when I see Jesus. Right now, He seems to be far away, but I can still rejoice for I know that in the end, His principles will not fail.

Someday I will experience the fullness of my salvation, even as I am experiencing a small part of what God promises right now. He said He would save me from my sin and create in me a new heart that loves and obeys Him. The tests are not the pass/fail kind of tests but more God’s way of proving to me that He sets the rules and no matter what happens, His principles never fail.

Growing Up

Spiritual growth happens in stages. Bible teachers like Charles Stanley map it out with phases such as 1) Unbelief, dormancy; 2) Salvation and a ‘honeymoon’ time; 3) Eager serving, a sense of wanting to repay Christ for all He has done; 4) Inadequacy, fruitless, feeling as if I cannot do anything right; 5) Spirit-filled, learning how to yield to the Holy Spirit; 6) Re-programming, where things of the past that affect consistency are brought to the surface and dealt with; 7) The exchanged life, living in dependance upon Christ for everything.

While spiritual growth doesn’t necessarily fit into categories, Stanley’s phases do happen. I suppose the more important question is how to make them happen, how to make progress.

We’ve all heard stories about children planting seeds then digging them up each day to see if they are growing. That isn’t the best idea for spiritual growth either, because our focus needs to be on Jesus, not turned inward. However, I’ve noticed that I can ask myself certain questions and practice certain disciplines. While they don’t make growth happen, they do help with the hindrances. More than that, these disciplines are in line with what God is trying to do as He produces growth in me. They help me cooperate with Him, so in no particular order . . .

First is to have a holy dissatisfaction with myself. That means allowing the Spirit to tell me what is wrong. His voice comes as gentle nudges, sometimes so gentle that I can easily push them away or turn them off. Instead, I need to listen, to not be too quick with “positive thinking” or anything that denies His elbow in my ribs. “Do not grieve the Spirit” (Ephesians 4:30).

Second, ask God to transform my life. This sounds like such a noble prayer, and the first time I prayed it, I was looking for glorious results. Now I’ve learned that if I pray that, I’d better duck. God answers this one, and the tools He uses can be painful. I’m reading Job and remember how the book starts with God calling Job His servant, and defending him to Satan as an upright man whose faith would stand no matter what tests came along. After all Job went through, his faith did stand, but he had turned inward as he complained, and had some serious questions about God.

Then God reveals Himself to Job. After that, Job acknowledges that his knowledge of the Lord was enlarged. In Job 42:1-6, he says, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

Job grew through hanging on in his ordeal, but also through realizing that God is God and can do whatever He wants in his life. Maybe Job didn’t ask for this growth, but whenever I have asked, the Lord has often used extreme trials to temper and enlarge my faith and to make me more like Jesus.

Third, put myself in ‘places of grace’ by practicing spiritual disciplines. Growing Christians are reading God’s Word, praying, studying, worshiping God in church with others, serving Him, and so on. These things don’t ‘make’ growth happen, but without them, it seldom does.

Fourth, I need to be thorough when it comes to repentance. When I sin, I need to confess it to God without excuses, blame-shifting, or reluctance to change. I cannot grow in Christian character and harbor sin at the same time.

Fifth, make restitution where possible. Not every sinful deed involves injury to another person, but many of them do. God wants me to make it right. This is one of the most difficult parts of growing, but I will stop growing if I refuse to go there.

Sixth, develop a seriousness of purpose. Maybe getting older helps, but I’ve realized that life here is very short. Most of what I do has no eternal value whatsoever. Cook, eat, clean, sleep, read a novel, make a quilt, plant flowers, pull weeds—none of it will go with me to heaven, only the Christian character that develops as a result. I can make a meal without any thought, or I can make it an expression of God’s love for my guests. Even though the Holy Spirit controls whether or not God uses these things, being purposeful makes me think twice about how I spend my days, even my moments. “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23).

Seventh, and related to the above, narrow my focus. This might not apply to everyone but it certainly is important for me. I’m interested in so many things, can do many things, and love doing many things. However, a scattered approach to life often means that I don’t hit any targets. This year, I determined to take the dozens and dozens of thing on my to-do list and sort/toss/condense until the list had limited but definite shape and is doable. I’ve also been decluttering and simplifying my home.

This has been perhaps the most challenging. For example, I love to quilt, love art and painting, and graphic art. I cannot do all this, so I’ve picked art quilts as my artistic expression (with a purpose to glorify God and benefit others, of course), and all my art books, art materials, etc. either work toward that goal or go into the ‘give away’ pile. Oh, the freedom!

I’ve a wonderful little book called “Principles of Spiritual Growth” by Miles J. Stanford. In it he says that the life of Christ is an organic thing, a powerful thing. Life grows. It cannot help itself. Jesus lives in me, and He will come out, be seen, make Himself known.

I agree, but I know that I can put a rock on top of that growth, dump toxins on it, undernourish it, keep it from the sun (Son), and stunt it by neglect. God is able to deal with me should I be so foolish, but I’d rather have the other kind of trials—those that come because Satan doesn’t like what I’m doing—rather than the ones God brings because I’m grieving or quenching His Spirit and refusing to grow up in my faith.

Universal principles for art, for life

Last night’s lecture was about the elements of design. These apply to all art forms and are universally understood by artists from every part of the world. The person who gave the lecture not only had a firm grasp of her topic, but it seemed an integral part of who she is. Her slides included her creative and wonderful art, but also other examples of these elements in photographs taken from her world travels. I was mesmerized.

Many artisans grasp these principles without being taught. They seem to just know how line, shape, movement, unity, contrast, and so on, work together to make a successful and pleasing result. Others do not. They try to create something artistic and are frustrated with the result. It might be out of balance, lack harmony, or be missing a focal point. If an instructed artist makes a few suggestions, they can see the problem, but not without that extra help.

This applies not only to art, but to my spiritual life. It too operates according to specific principles. If things are going wrong, it will be because I’ve neglected or forgotten one or more of them. For instance, if I choose to disobey God, I will lose my sense of fellowship with Him. I will experience guilt. I might be able to turn it off for a little while, but because I am His child, He will not leave me entirely without discipline. As my Heavenly Father, this is what He does.

Eventually I must confess my sin. When I do, He is faithful and just; He forgives my sin and cleanses me from my unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Then that sense of being right with Him and having fellowship with Him is restored.

Peace with God is another huge part of spiritual life. Before I became a Christian, whether I felt it or not, I did not have that peace. Because of my sin, I was under the wrath of God and separated from Him. When Jesus came, He provided atonement, an appeasing sacrifice to cover my sin and satisfy the wrath of God. That wrath was poured out on Christ at Calvary. When God opened my eyes to the reality of what Jesus had done, I experienced peace with God.

Ephesians 2 says, “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation. . . .” By becoming my substitute on the cross, Jesus also became my peace. He took care of the sin that separated me from God.

These are spiritual principles, as true and as universal as those principles of design. Jesus uses terms like, “Whosoever will. . . “ and “No one can come to the Father except through Me.” He excludes no one, because everyone has sinned, everyone has fallen short of the standards of Almighty God. But everyone can come. Everyone is invited.

There are some people who seem to understand many of the principles of life without any knowledge of these deeper spiritual principles. They live happy, productive lives, handle their problems without falling apart, and claim to be fulfilled. They say they don’t need God, but Jesus and universal spiritual laws say otherwise. The Bible says that it is appointed that everyone will die and face judgment. God will require from all of us an accounting of our lives. Some may claim that they lived well, and maybe they did, but that is not what God is looking for. He is looking for what we do with His Son, the Son who came to unite us with Him, to make peace between us, to take care of that judgment for sin that we would otherwise face.

Last night as I listened to the lecture, I thought, I know these things, but I’ve not been paying attention, not been really using what I know to make beautiful things. This may not be a big issue for my life, but without applying what I know, what I do create will be missing some elements.

The other parts of my life are no different, yet spiritual principles are far more important because of the eternal value attached to them. Yesterday was profound for my artistic side, and the thoughts generated by this lecture are even more profound. They have me thinking about life and praising the wonder of my Savior and Lord who wrote the book on how it is supposed to be lived.