Grow In Grace and Knowledge

Great advice in my opinion.

2 Peter 3:17-18(NKJV)

17You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 

18but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

I believe that if you focus on this one thing, everything else will pretty much work itself out.  Developing a personal relationship Jesus is the key to life in my opinion.

So how do we get this grace and knowledge?  I believe the grace comes from accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.  That's just a fancy way of saying ask Jesus to come into your life and lead you.  Have you done that yet?

Just have a conversation with Jesus.  Tell Him where you are at in life and what you are looking for.  Let Him know what's missing.  Let Jesus know and I am sure He will help you find it.  "Dear Jesus…."

OK, that covers the grace in your life.  Now how about the knowledge part?  I believe that comes from praying and being in the Word on a consistent basis so that the knowledge of the Bible can be revealed to you by the Holy Spirit who God has sent to guide us once we accept Jesus. 

Once we accept Christ we are responsible for not letting ourselves be led astray.  The best way to guard against that is to know the Scriptures.  Make it a life long quest.  You'll be amazed at the results!

"A dog returns to his own vomit"

I've got to tell you that I love God's sense of humor and style.  Some of the phrases I run across in the Bible just crack me up. 

Here is one I ran across today.  It speaks to those who have accepted Christ but then fall away.  Check it out.

2 Peter 2:22(NKJV)

22But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” £ and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”

LOL!  A dog returns to his vomit!  Doesn't that just paint the perfect word picture?  For anyone who has ever had a dog, we all know that is true.  We've probably all seen a dog lick up it's own vomit.

Probably not the most politically correct way to put it.  I can just hear some people complaining that the phrase is demeaning to the people you are referring to.  Apparently God doesn't much care about political correctness.  Seems to me that God is much more interested in getting his point across. 

"A dog returns to his own vomit" sure does that!

Never Stumble

2 Peter 1:10-11(NKJV)

10Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 

11for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Would you like to know how to never stumble?  Let's look at what Peter was talking about.

2 Peter 1:5-9(NKJV)

5But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 

6to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 

7to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 

8For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

9For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

There you go.  Pretty simple huh?

"No good thing will He withhold…."

I wrote the other day about the inconsistencies in the Book of James regarding the rich being stereotyped as evil.   There was one line in verse 5 that really bugged me.

"5You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury…."

Take a look at this verse from today's reading. 

Psalms 84:11(NKJV)

11    For the Lord God is a sun and shield;     The Lord will give grace and glory;     No good thing will He withhold     From those who walk uprightly.

So if we walk uprightly God will rewards us with many good things.  Well that would make us rich wouldn't it?  In fact, that would allow us to live in pleasure and luxury wouldn't it?

If God gives many good things to those who walk in His way as a reward, then how can they be considered evil?  Is it James opinion that God gives evil gifts?

Hmmm?  

Attitude again? Oh Come On!

I've written many times about the importance of attitude when facing trials and tribulations.  Here is some more Scripture that speaks to the issue. 

1 Peter 4:12-13(NKJV)

12Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 

13but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 

There is a lot of good stuff here but I wanted to focus on one small part of it.  We shouldn't be surprised when trials and tribulations hit us.  We shouldn't think that it is something out of the ordinary.  We shouldn't think that we are being picked on.  We shouldn't feel abandoned by God.  Why not?

Because we were told in advance that this was part of the deal.  Part of God's plan is that we grow through trial and tribulation.  Why?  There are just some things in life that can be learned no other way.  I don't know about you but as I look back at my life I can see the truth of that statement.

So accept it graciously and glory in the trials and tribulations!

The Congregation of the Mighty!

Love the first part of this verse.

Psalms 82:1(NKJV)

1    God stands in the congregation of the mighty;      He judges among the £gods.

We do indeed serve a mighty God.  Look at that verse.  Who is "the congregation"?  We are!   

But let's dig a little deeper here.

There is somewhat of a stark difference in the tone of the Old Testament and the tone of the New Testament.  At times it seems almost contradictory.  In this case we have many references in the NT that tell us to be meek.  Here is an example. 

1 Peter 3:15(NKJV)

15But sanctify £the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 

How do we reconcile the contrast between meek and mighty?  Now Scripture tells us that God and Jesus are always in agreement.  Therefore we need to look for an explanation other than contradiction.  And for me at least, it has to be a reasonable explanation.  Not like some I have seen that strain credulity.

Here is my take on it.  We've probably all heard the saying prepare for peace through strength.  I think that is kind of what you see here.  In the NT we are encouraged to be slow to anger and to be forgiving.  That is the meek part.  But meek doesn't equal weak.

Being slow to anger and forgiving doesn't mean you let people walk all over you forever.  There is a point where it is appropriate to turn from meek to mighty.  There is a concept in Scripture called righteous anger.  There is a point where it is morally acceptable, maybe even morally required, that we respond with the mighty righteousness of God.

How do we discern that point?  Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  How do we get the Holy Spirit?  By accepting Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior.

Have you done that yet?  Now is as good a time as any.  Simply ask Jesus to come into your life and guide you.  Let Him know what you are looking for, what you need.  Just have a conversation with Jesus.  "Dear Jesus…."

Great Phrase

1 Peter 1:8-9(NKJV)

8whom having not £seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 

9receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

I have written in the past that in my daily prayers I have trouble asking for specific things and instead spend most of my time just praising and thanking God.  It's hard to describe the feeling I get but this phrase comes awfully close!

Impartiality-a Characteristic of God?

1 Peter 1:17(NKJV)

17And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 

Is impartiality a characteristic of God?  I believe the answer is yes.  We are told that God is a God of justice.  True justice requires an impartial judge.  Therefore I think it is fair to say that impartiality is a characteristic of God.

Why does it matter?  We see a lot of people that want to show partiality to one group over another in the name of fairness.  They think they are acting in a Godly matter.  In fact many churches have a division called the Office of Fairness and Social Justice that do exactly what I am talking about, favor one group over another.

But I ask you, based on the Scripture above, are they really acting in a Godly way by showing partiality?  Hmm?

The Inconsistencies of James

I've gt to tell you that I find James to be quite inconsistent.  Let's take a look.

James 5:1-6(NKJV)

1Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! 

2Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. 

3Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. 

4Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of £Sabaoth. 

5You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts £as in a day of slaughter. 

6You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.

Here we have James invoking the stereotype of the "evil rich".  Notice vs 5, "you have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury".

Now lets look at just a few verses down. 

James 5:10-11(NKJV)

10My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 

11Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

So James invokes Job to make his point.  But wait a minute.  Isn't Job the antithesis of the point James is making?  Didn't Job live his life on earth in pleasure and luxury?  He did until God allowed Satan to test him. 

And why did God allow Satan to test Job?  Was it because Job was an "evil rich guy"?  Not at all.  God allowed Satan to test Job because Job was one of the most righteous of men on earth according to God!

And what was God's ultimate reward to Job?  He made Job even more prosperous when it was over!

So who you going to believe about the rich, James or God?

If You Don't Know It's Wrong Is It Still A Sin?

Sorry about the long absence.  I babysit one of my grandsons on Mondays and this week we went and spent the day at Lake Michigan.  Then yesterday I wasn't feeling well.  Not sure if it was a cold or allergies but I just couldn't function.  Doing much better today. 

Now on to God's word.  I ran across this verse today.  The way it is worded raises an interesting question. 

James 4:17(NKJV)

17Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

According to this Scripture, to not do something that you know you should do is a sin.

So does it follow that to do something wrong if you don't know it is wrong, isn't a sin?  In other words, is the sin not so much in the deed but in the knowing that the deed is wrong? 

Interesting.  I'm going by memory here and I don't have Scripture to back it up but it seems to me that I read somewhere that a similar situation applies to those who have never heard of Jesus.  Something to the effect that if someone has never heard the good news of Jesus and has never been given a chance to accept Him, they will not be held accountable for not accepting Jesus. 
 

I can see the similarity in the two policies.  Interesting.  Something for further study. 

Why is faith such a big deal?

Hebrews 11:6(NKJV)

6But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Why is faith such a big deal to God?  At first I thought that would be an easy question to answer.  Because we can't be saved without it.  Duh!

But then I thought a little deeper about the question and found that I don't really have an answer.

I mean think about it.  Scripture tells us that God wants to see all saved who choose to be saved.  But only those who have faith in something that can't really be "proven", God and Jesus, can be saved according to Scripture. 

If it is so important to God that all be saved, then why didn't He make it easier by providing proof that can't be denied?  I think that is a fair question.  Come on, He's God, He could surely provide some sort of sign that the whole world could see and not refute.  But He chose not to do that.  Why?

Why was it more important that those who are saved be saved by faith rather than having higher numbers of people who are saved by seeing "proof"?

That is something that I am going to ponder.  In the mean time let's take a look at the verses above.  First it tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith.  The other thing that I found interesting here is one of the things that we are told to have faith in.

We are told to have faith in the belief that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.  In other words, good things await those who seek God!

Stereotypes and Justice

Man did this set me off this morning.  Talk about stereotyping and being judgmental and showing partiality!  I'm going to take this a section at a time. 

James 2:1-10(NKJV)

1My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. 

2For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 

3and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” 

4have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

So we have James here condemning this.  Now I'm not saying we should be judgmental against the poor but what I am saying is that there is a reason that there is a saying about first impressions and why they are so important.  The author thinks that this is indicative of evil intent.  I see it more as normal human behavior.  

But didn't Jesus himself use a similar example about the wedding feast?  About sitting in places of honor etc.?    And when Jesus had the opportunity, He didn't condemn the practice.  He seemed to think it was quite normal.  Jesus' warning was to sit in an unpretentious place and let the host elevate you to  a place of honor vs assuming that honor for yourself.

In addition, Jesus has told us that there is clearly partiality shown in Heaven.  There will be places of honor and places of not as much honor.  I think it was the mother of James and John who asked Jesus if her sons could sit at the left hand of God and Jesus clearly told her that was an honor that he couldn't give. 

Now let's look at a different issue.  In the Old Testament we are warned not to show partiality in certain situations.  Situations that involve justice.  From a fairness or justice standpoint we are told that there should be no partiality shown to the rich or poor.  And yet here in James, the author is clearly showing partiality to the poor at the expense of the rich.  The way he views the rich and the poor is so stereotypical.

5Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 

6But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 

7Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?

Talk about stereotypes.  Let's look at the first question.  "Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?" 

Does that mean all poor people are automatically saved regardless of whether they believe in God or not, just because they are poor?  Lets face it, we can go to any city in America and probably anywhere in the world for that matter and find poor people who have no belief in God and are not living Godly lives.  Is God really going to give them treatment that is equal with what He gives "those who love Him"?  We serve a just God.  Does that seem just to you?

So while portraying all poor as virtuous he goes on to paint all rich as evil.  Does that seem like real life to you?  There are many examples in the Bible where God rewards or promises to reward with wealth and prosperity.  Would it be James contention that God is rewarding those who please Him with evil gifts?

8If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” £ you do well; 

9but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 

10For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 

And isn't that what James does in these verses?  He shows extreme partiality and I believe the real sin here is that it give some people verses from the Bible to paint all poor people as virtuous and all rich people as evil, promoting the very partiality that the Bible says perverts justice. 

Why Is Attitude So Important To God?

Many of you know that Romans 5:3-5 is one of my favorite Scriptures.

Romans 5:3-5(NKJV)

3And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 

4and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

5Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

 Today I found another one along the same lines.

James 1:2-3(NKJV)

2My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 

3knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 

Notice the similarities.  Notice the focus on the attitude with which we bear adversity.

Why do you think that is so important to God?

I don't mean to speak for God so here is my guess as to why that is.  I think it is a manifestation or sign of our true faith.  And we know how important faith is to God.

I believe that by taking adversity in stride with a joyous attitude simply demonstrates in a real and concrete way, our faith that God has our back and it will all work out in the end. 

So next time something goes amiss, instead of getting stressed about it, smile and thank God for another chance to demonstrate your faith in Him!

The Prisoners

Here's something that I bet few of us do, myself included. 

Hebrews 13:3(NKJV)

3Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.

It's awfully easy to be a Christian in America.  We may get laughed at and mocked occasionally but we are seldom in any real physical danger because of our beliefs.  The same can't be said for the rest of the world.

Right now around the world, Christians are being persecuted and killed for their beliefs.  The link below documents some of what is going on.

 http://www.persecution.org/

The Scripture above tells us to remember those people as if we were being persecuted right along side of them.  I am going to try and do a better job of that in the coming days.  Please join me in praying for those of the body of Christ who are suffering persecution. 

A Core Verse In My Life

Hebrews 12:1-2(NKJV)

1Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 

2looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Run the race with endurance while looking to Jesus.  Pretty simple.  What does it mean to me?  To quote Winston Churchill.

"Never, never, never give up!!!" (on seeing God's plan for your life fulfilled)

Jesus set the example.  He went through way more than we will ever be asked to go through.  Why did He do it?  Because the goal was worth it.  What was the ultimate goal?  Pleasing God.

God has a plan for each one of our lives.  None of us knows what we will be asked to go through.  But does it matter?  If that is what it takes to please God then so be it?  Why?  Because we know the goal is worth it!

As long as you keep your eyes on the goal and look to Jesus for your endurance, you are assured of victory if you just "Never, never, never give up!"

Now This Is Interesting

This leads to some interesting questions. 

Psalms 72:18(NKJV)

18    Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,      Who only does wondrous things!

Take a good look at that statement.  God only does wondrous things.

Really?

So like wiping out most of humanity during the flood of Noah's time was a wondrous thing?  So instructing Saul to kill every man, woman, child, and beast during his war was a wondrous thing? 

You have to answer yes to the above questions or you invalidate and make untrue Psalms 72:18!

While I have no trouble with the question, it is hard for some to understand, especially those who think God is all about love.

To me it makes sense from the standpoint that you are either part of the family of God or you aren't.  For those that have chosen of their own free will not to be part of the family of God, Scripture warns them that they are then declaring themselves enemies of God.  And one of the biggest enemies of God is sin.

Why wouldn't it be wondrous for God to win and win big over His enemies?