Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good (Romans 12:9 NKJV).
Hypocrisy according to the dictionary is: Feigned high principles, pretense, two-facedness, double standards, and insincerity.
Here, Paul is telling us to not let our love be pretentious and two-faced. It is almost unthinkable to use those words in the same sentence with the word love, yet the sad reality of living in a fallen world is that even something as precious and pure as love can be faked and subject to double standards.
In order to check our hearts and make certain that we are loving in a way that honors God and is not hypocritical, we would do well to look at how this same Apostle describes true love. In 1 Corinthians 13, we find the qualities of a love that is sincere, genuine, and single hearted:
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NKJV).
From this list emerges the heartbeat of authentic, Biblical love – humility. At the center of being able to love the way Jesus loved us, we find the mindset of Christ that was able to lay aside His Divine Nature, take on the form of a servant, and become obedient even to the death on a cross – not for His sake, but for ours. Real love can only be experienced by the humble in heart who are willing to give up all rights for the sake of others.
As much as I aspire to love this way in my head, I struggle daily to abandon myself enough to attain the humility necessary to experience this love. I am thankful that God has not made the goal my ability to perfectly perform this act, but rather the constant yielding of my will to His when I am faced with choice of whether I will or not.
Today I will look for those altars of decision that God sets before me daily to relinquish my rights to the high call of humility. And with the power He gives me daily, I will be able to demonstrate authentic, Biblical love every time I am successful and authentic, Biblical mercy every time I am not.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Avoiding Irreversible Regrets
Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Mark 8:37 NKJV)
There are two sides to a bad decision. There is the front end where we are making the choice to do something that is not going to have good results. And there is the back end of the decision where we must live with the consequences of that choice. This verse deals with that back end. That’s why it does not say “what will a man TAKE in exchange for his soul?” which would be the front end.
This verse addresses the enemy that haunts my heart – irreversible regret. I find myself many times immobilized with a fear of doing something that I will regret for the rest of my life and be unable to take back. I look on at the life of Judas in horror, as I consider the ramification of that one bad decision. How many men and women have wasted their entire existence because of one decision that cost them their destiny? Whether it was Esau selling his birth right or Moses striking the rock the second time, it is clear to see that there is a price tag on our choices.
Free will is one of the most pronounced ways in which we are created in the image of God. Nothing else in creation functions with free will. Animals, vegetation, galaxies, and even the angels themselves are subject to instincts and governing principles that determine their destiny. Only man has the ability to choose his own future. And with this incredible privilege comes a high responsibility because once the choice is made, there is no turning back. That’s why Jesus asks the rhetorical question – “What will a man give in exchange for his soul?” We cannot buy back our own soul from its predetermined course to hell. Yet, we can make a decision to trust in Christ’s finished work on the cross to save us from that fatal end. And because we are not just saved from hell, but from the independence from God called sin that sends us there, that one choice can also be made daily to keep us from irreversible regrets.
When faced with decisions, I need to stop and pray so that I will choose daily to allow Christ to save my soul from the wrong decisions I will surely make without His intervention. Only as I put my free will back into His hands can I be sure not to make a decision that might cost me my soul and cause me to live in the shadow of what might have been my legacy.
There are two sides to a bad decision. There is the front end where we are making the choice to do something that is not going to have good results. And there is the back end of the decision where we must live with the consequences of that choice. This verse deals with that back end. That’s why it does not say “what will a man TAKE in exchange for his soul?” which would be the front end.
This verse addresses the enemy that haunts my heart – irreversible regret. I find myself many times immobilized with a fear of doing something that I will regret for the rest of my life and be unable to take back. I look on at the life of Judas in horror, as I consider the ramification of that one bad decision. How many men and women have wasted their entire existence because of one decision that cost them their destiny? Whether it was Esau selling his birth right or Moses striking the rock the second time, it is clear to see that there is a price tag on our choices.
Free will is one of the most pronounced ways in which we are created in the image of God. Nothing else in creation functions with free will. Animals, vegetation, galaxies, and even the angels themselves are subject to instincts and governing principles that determine their destiny. Only man has the ability to choose his own future. And with this incredible privilege comes a high responsibility because once the choice is made, there is no turning back. That’s why Jesus asks the rhetorical question – “What will a man give in exchange for his soul?” We cannot buy back our own soul from its predetermined course to hell. Yet, we can make a decision to trust in Christ’s finished work on the cross to save us from that fatal end. And because we are not just saved from hell, but from the independence from God called sin that sends us there, that one choice can also be made daily to keep us from irreversible regrets.
When faced with decisions, I need to stop and pray so that I will choose daily to allow Christ to save my soul from the wrong decisions I will surely make without His intervention. Only as I put my free will back into His hands can I be sure not to make a decision that might cost me my soul and cause me to live in the shadow of what might have been my legacy.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Keep It Simple Saint
Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” (Acts 12:8 NKJV)
I wonder if I would have had the wits to understand a word the angel said if I were Peter. Seriously think about this. You are in the middle of a dead sleep when you feel someone strikes you on the side and you look up and there is a bright light and an angelic being standing there. For most of us, this would have been so out of the ordinary that we might have taken more than a second to gather ourselves together enough to follow the instructions given by the angel.
But this was not most of us. This was Peter. This was the man who had been with Jesus personally during His earthly ministry. He stood on the Mount of Transfiguration where he saw Jesus, Moses, and Elijah shining as bright as the sun. He was the one who saw Jesus walking on water and actually stepped out of the boat to take a few steps on water himself. He was there when Jesus brought the demoniac into his right mind. He was there when Jesus raised the little girl and Lazarus from the dead. And he was there on the day of Pentecost, preaching like he’d done it all his life.
So, what’s another bright shining light and angelic appearance to a man who has been walking in the miraculous for the last three years of his life? And if Peter had not been conditioned to expect the unexpected, he might have done what most of us would have done. We would have been so fixated on the messenger that we would have missed the simple message that ultimately was what saved Peter’s life – follow me.
Leave it to mankind to make complicated even the most simple of instructions. We can certainly fixate on the majesty, miracles, and wonder of Jesus, and completely miss His message – follow Me.
Lord, today, I want to keep it simple. If I am to follow You, then I need to not major in the minors by building up such a brilliant case of my own rights in a situation, but to simply follow You and lay down my life today however that looks.
I wonder if I would have had the wits to understand a word the angel said if I were Peter. Seriously think about this. You are in the middle of a dead sleep when you feel someone strikes you on the side and you look up and there is a bright light and an angelic being standing there. For most of us, this would have been so out of the ordinary that we might have taken more than a second to gather ourselves together enough to follow the instructions given by the angel.
But this was not most of us. This was Peter. This was the man who had been with Jesus personally during His earthly ministry. He stood on the Mount of Transfiguration where he saw Jesus, Moses, and Elijah shining as bright as the sun. He was the one who saw Jesus walking on water and actually stepped out of the boat to take a few steps on water himself. He was there when Jesus brought the demoniac into his right mind. He was there when Jesus raised the little girl and Lazarus from the dead. And he was there on the day of Pentecost, preaching like he’d done it all his life.
So, what’s another bright shining light and angelic appearance to a man who has been walking in the miraculous for the last three years of his life? And if Peter had not been conditioned to expect the unexpected, he might have done what most of us would have done. We would have been so fixated on the messenger that we would have missed the simple message that ultimately was what saved Peter’s life – follow me.
Leave it to mankind to make complicated even the most simple of instructions. We can certainly fixate on the majesty, miracles, and wonder of Jesus, and completely miss His message – follow Me.
Lord, today, I want to keep it simple. If I am to follow You, then I need to not major in the minors by building up such a brilliant case of my own rights in a situation, but to simply follow You and lay down my life today however that looks.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Sleeping Faith
And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison (Acts 12:6 NKJV).
As I read this verse, my mind immediately moves to the scene where Jesus is asleep in the bow of the boat as the disciples were left fighting a storm that caused grown men of the sea to freak out. What is it about both scenes that seems so surreal? Perhaps it is because we typically associate sleep with a condition of rest and peaceful calmness that the thought of a person sleeping in the midst of hurricane force winds or while bound with chains between two soldiers, seems so difficult to wrap our minds around. Yet both are perfect pictures of faith.
Hebrews 11:1 says: Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being certain of what we do not see.
Peter’s hope was obviously not in circumstances or things over which he had no control. His hope was in the unwavering character of Christ that Peter had been able to observe up close and over time. He had been there when Jesus was asleep in the bow of the boat. He had been there when Jesus came walking on water in the midst of another storm. He had been there when Jesus held his tongue before His accusers and never spoke a word in His own defense, though He certainly could have easily discharged the charges without much effort at all. He had been there when Jesus was beaten almost to death. And he had been there when Christ breathed His last breath.
Peter had finally learned the valuable lesson of faith from his former Mentor. And now, as with Jesus, Peter’s hope was anchored in the fact that his life was not his own and that whatever happened to him was under the sovereign control of God, not the soldiers on each side, or even Herod who would probably have him put to death the next day. It was this unwavering focus of hope on the right source that gave Peter the ability to have a good night’s sleep in a situation that would have caused a melt down for most of us. Our attitudes in the midst of a trial can be a very revealing and accurate measure of where we are placing our faith.
In life I will learn to take note of when I begin to freak out and make the concerted effort to refocus my faith upon Jesus, regardless of what circumstances and life are throwing my way.
As I read this verse, my mind immediately moves to the scene where Jesus is asleep in the bow of the boat as the disciples were left fighting a storm that caused grown men of the sea to freak out. What is it about both scenes that seems so surreal? Perhaps it is because we typically associate sleep with a condition of rest and peaceful calmness that the thought of a person sleeping in the midst of hurricane force winds or while bound with chains between two soldiers, seems so difficult to wrap our minds around. Yet both are perfect pictures of faith.
Hebrews 11:1 says: Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being certain of what we do not see.
Peter’s hope was obviously not in circumstances or things over which he had no control. His hope was in the unwavering character of Christ that Peter had been able to observe up close and over time. He had been there when Jesus was asleep in the bow of the boat. He had been there when Jesus came walking on water in the midst of another storm. He had been there when Jesus held his tongue before His accusers and never spoke a word in His own defense, though He certainly could have easily discharged the charges without much effort at all. He had been there when Jesus was beaten almost to death. And he had been there when Christ breathed His last breath.
Peter had finally learned the valuable lesson of faith from his former Mentor. And now, as with Jesus, Peter’s hope was anchored in the fact that his life was not his own and that whatever happened to him was under the sovereign control of God, not the soldiers on each side, or even Herod who would probably have him put to death the next day. It was this unwavering focus of hope on the right source that gave Peter the ability to have a good night’s sleep in a situation that would have caused a melt down for most of us. Our attitudes in the midst of a trial can be a very revealing and accurate measure of where we are placing our faith.
In life I will learn to take note of when I begin to freak out and make the concerted effort to refocus my faith upon Jesus, regardless of what circumstances and life are throwing my way.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
In You Alone
No one is holy like the LORD, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God. 1 Samuel 2:2 NKJV)
You alone are God. You alone know the depth of my pain and the height of my joy. You alone can determine the course of my life. You are the very essence of what my heart cries for and my soul searches for. You alone know the most intimate thoughts and intentions of my mind. You alone search the tiniest corners of my puny world and the boundless infinity of eternity. Your thoughts towards me are kind, benevolent, good, true, righteous, and holy. You desire to bring only good to my life. You are trustworthy with my soul for You alone know what I need the most. You are faithful to bring about those events in my life that are necessary for my sanctification so that I will enjoy You for all eternity. You alone know my deepest fear and my greatest potential. In You alone is hope for tomorrow and strength for today. You alone hold the answers to my future, the victories for my struggles, and the comfort for my sorrows. You bring goodness and calamity based upon Your omniscience of my need for both. Your love is endless, timeless, matchless. It is beyond any human capacity to affirm and validate. Only in You is there a blessing sufficient to satisfy my soul in its search for significance. You alone hold the key to my well being. In You alone is life and outside of You is only death. Were I to spend my entire life pursuing the goal of finding security, approval, love, and contentment in anything in this entire universe but You, I would fail miserably. Only You can save me from the lesser life of self.
Lord, my hope, trust, faith, and my heart are in You alone.
You alone are God. You alone know the depth of my pain and the height of my joy. You alone can determine the course of my life. You are the very essence of what my heart cries for and my soul searches for. You alone know the most intimate thoughts and intentions of my mind. You alone search the tiniest corners of my puny world and the boundless infinity of eternity. Your thoughts towards me are kind, benevolent, good, true, righteous, and holy. You desire to bring only good to my life. You are trustworthy with my soul for You alone know what I need the most. You are faithful to bring about those events in my life that are necessary for my sanctification so that I will enjoy You for all eternity. You alone know my deepest fear and my greatest potential. In You alone is hope for tomorrow and strength for today. You alone hold the answers to my future, the victories for my struggles, and the comfort for my sorrows. You bring goodness and calamity based upon Your omniscience of my need for both. Your love is endless, timeless, matchless. It is beyond any human capacity to affirm and validate. Only in You is there a blessing sufficient to satisfy my soul in its search for significance. You alone hold the key to my well being. In You alone is life and outside of You is only death. Were I to spend my entire life pursuing the goal of finding security, approval, love, and contentment in anything in this entire universe but You, I would fail miserably. Only You can save me from the lesser life of self.
Lord, my hope, trust, faith, and my heart are in You alone.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Only When Asked
And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. (Acts 7:31 NKJV)
Without guidance, it is nearly impossible for people to understand and find their way. This is true in every area of our life. From intellectually to emotionally to physically to spiritually, if we are not shown the way, it is difficult to find it on our own.
The wisest man on earth, King Solomon, said, “There is nothing new under the sun.” That means that someone else has already experienced whatever we discover or learn. And the learning curve on life can be cut radically short if we are open to discipleship. The problem comes in that many people are not. Rather than look at the road map, they keep thinking that they will eventually figure out the way themselves. And eventually, they may, but at the cost of many lost hours and sometimes years.
This idea of being guided through life begs the question of why so many people resist the help of a mentor who has already learned the shortest route to success. And the answer lies within the human heart. It is the very root and source of our inability to hear the answers – not just from God, but from our brothers and sisters in Christ. The problem is called pride.
Pride is the direct result of the fall of Adam and Eve. Prior to Eve stepping out into her own path of decision, this couple lived completely and totally upon the understanding and guidance of God. It was Eve’s departure from this God-dependence that left her in the state of self-dependence, and it has been the undoing of man ever since.
God created a perfect world. The paths were determined, the principles set, the systems in balance. Eve’s one decision threw the entire world out of kilter. And the worse part of her decision was that it was irreversible because it had opened the Pandora’s box of self-determination. Eve had stepped away from a God-given path to create her own path. She had left the safety of what was already predetermined to find a different way – her own way. She called what was wrong right and set the course for humanity to struggle constantly with that decision every day of our lives. That, in its purest form, is pride. It is reliance upon self rather than God. And that’s why the Bible says that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. He cannot and will not honor a way, other than the perfect one He has created because all others fall radically short of His glory.
The only remedy for pride is the position taken by the Eunuch. In humility, he admits his insufficiency, and invites the mentor to step into his life. It has been well said that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. But until humility is embraced, the human heart is incapable of being guided – even by God.
I need to humble myself daily so that I can accept guidance from God in whatever shape and form it may come – even through a donkey, if necessary.
Without guidance, it is nearly impossible for people to understand and find their way. This is true in every area of our life. From intellectually to emotionally to physically to spiritually, if we are not shown the way, it is difficult to find it on our own.
The wisest man on earth, King Solomon, said, “There is nothing new under the sun.” That means that someone else has already experienced whatever we discover or learn. And the learning curve on life can be cut radically short if we are open to discipleship. The problem comes in that many people are not. Rather than look at the road map, they keep thinking that they will eventually figure out the way themselves. And eventually, they may, but at the cost of many lost hours and sometimes years.
This idea of being guided through life begs the question of why so many people resist the help of a mentor who has already learned the shortest route to success. And the answer lies within the human heart. It is the very root and source of our inability to hear the answers – not just from God, but from our brothers and sisters in Christ. The problem is called pride.
Pride is the direct result of the fall of Adam and Eve. Prior to Eve stepping out into her own path of decision, this couple lived completely and totally upon the understanding and guidance of God. It was Eve’s departure from this God-dependence that left her in the state of self-dependence, and it has been the undoing of man ever since.
God created a perfect world. The paths were determined, the principles set, the systems in balance. Eve’s one decision threw the entire world out of kilter. And the worse part of her decision was that it was irreversible because it had opened the Pandora’s box of self-determination. Eve had stepped away from a God-given path to create her own path. She had left the safety of what was already predetermined to find a different way – her own way. She called what was wrong right and set the course for humanity to struggle constantly with that decision every day of our lives. That, in its purest form, is pride. It is reliance upon self rather than God. And that’s why the Bible says that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. He cannot and will not honor a way, other than the perfect one He has created because all others fall radically short of His glory.
The only remedy for pride is the position taken by the Eunuch. In humility, he admits his insufficiency, and invites the mentor to step into his life. It has been well said that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. But until humility is embraced, the human heart is incapable of being guided – even by God.
I need to humble myself daily so that I can accept guidance from God in whatever shape and form it may come – even through a donkey, if necessary.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
The Power of a True Witness
and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” (Acts 7:56 NKJV)
Stephen was a witness for Christ. He was unwilling to keep his mouth shut about Jesus, even when it cost him his life. And in the exact moment of his death, he is still proclaiming the truth of God. He is stating what he clearly sees. He is testifying as to the truth of Heaven, of God, and of Jesus. And his proclamation is a public, unashamed, and unfiltered invitation to all to LOOK.
In his dying moments Stephen still gives a magnificent example of what it means to be a witness for Christ. On the verge of being stoned, Stephen refers to Jesus as the “Son of Man,” a term that would have instantly struck a chord for the crowd. He did not use the term “Son of God,” which was the other phrase often employed to describe Jesus. There was a reason for his choice of terms.
Just months prior to this event, at His trial before Caiaphas, the high priests, scribes, and elders, Jesus made this statement:
… From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:64 NKJV)
Bible scholars infer that the phrase “Son of Man” draws its implications from the Old Testament references in Leviticus 25:25-26, 48-49; Ruth 2:20 to the kinsman redeemer. By Jewish law, the next of kin (one related by blood) always functioned as the "kinsman-redeemer" of a family member who needed redemption from jail. That is why Christ had to take on humanity in order to bring us to Divinity. He needed to be blood related so that we could be blood bought back from the prison of sin.
By using this phrase, “Son of Man,” Stephen is bringing the bystanders back to the reality of who Christ claimed to be. He is testifying as to His ability to redeem them. So, in his final breath, Stephen is a true witness to the saving power of Christ.
Stephen’s life makes me ponder some important questions - Is my life devoted to the things of God in such a focused way? Do I make the saving power of Christ my bottom line on all I say and do? Today, I will use my words wisely to be a witness to the power of the resurrection and the reality of my Kinsman Redeemer.
Stephen was a witness for Christ. He was unwilling to keep his mouth shut about Jesus, even when it cost him his life. And in the exact moment of his death, he is still proclaiming the truth of God. He is stating what he clearly sees. He is testifying as to the truth of Heaven, of God, and of Jesus. And his proclamation is a public, unashamed, and unfiltered invitation to all to LOOK.
In his dying moments Stephen still gives a magnificent example of what it means to be a witness for Christ. On the verge of being stoned, Stephen refers to Jesus as the “Son of Man,” a term that would have instantly struck a chord for the crowd. He did not use the term “Son of God,” which was the other phrase often employed to describe Jesus. There was a reason for his choice of terms.
Just months prior to this event, at His trial before Caiaphas, the high priests, scribes, and elders, Jesus made this statement:
… From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:64 NKJV)
Bible scholars infer that the phrase “Son of Man” draws its implications from the Old Testament references in Leviticus 25:25-26, 48-49; Ruth 2:20 to the kinsman redeemer. By Jewish law, the next of kin (one related by blood) always functioned as the "kinsman-redeemer" of a family member who needed redemption from jail. That is why Christ had to take on humanity in order to bring us to Divinity. He needed to be blood related so that we could be blood bought back from the prison of sin.
By using this phrase, “Son of Man,” Stephen is bringing the bystanders back to the reality of who Christ claimed to be. He is testifying as to His ability to redeem them. So, in his final breath, Stephen is a true witness to the saving power of Christ.
Stephen’s life makes me ponder some important questions - Is my life devoted to the things of God in such a focused way? Do I make the saving power of Christ my bottom line on all I say and do? Today, I will use my words wisely to be a witness to the power of the resurrection and the reality of my Kinsman Redeemer.
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