Pure conscience? Seriously?

 

2 Timothy 1:3-7(NKJV)

I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, 

greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, 

when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. 

Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

This is Paul in his 2nd letter to Timothy.  Paul says he serves God with a clear conscience.  Think about that for a minute.  Paul was a Pharisee, as were his forefathers.  Paul was a strict adherent to the law.  Paul persecuted and personally brought about the death of many Christians, for believing in Christ.

How can Paul claim to have a pure conscience?

Easy.  That is the cleansing and saving power of Jesus Christ!  When we accept Jesus and confess our sins we are washed clean, not just given a fresh coat of paint.  Does that makes sense?  Those sins aren't just covered up, they are wiped away.  They are gone!

Have you accepted Jesus yet?  No better time that right now.  Just have a conversation with Jesus and ask Him to lead your life.  "Dear Jesus…." 

For those who try to practice spiritual blackmail

Ran across this the other day.  I think it is a useful verse to use against those who like to practice spiritual blackmail.  As an example I have two clients who are brother and sister.  The brother spends money like a drunken sailor and then when his kids need help he goes to the sister and tries to guilt her into providing that help.

Well Scripture tells us that he is the one who is guilty of not fulfilling his role in Scripture, not her.

1 Timothy 5:8(NKJV)

But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Choose life or choose death. It really is that simple!

Choose life or choose death.  It really is that simple and it is a theme that is repeated throughout the Bible.  Here it is in Jeremiah.  The same choice as we face in the New Testament from the standpoint of we either listen to and believe God...or we don't. 

In the Old Testament story in Jeremiah it is the OT version of salvation where Judah is looking to be saved from Nebuchadnezzar.  Do they listen to God's prophet or not?  Do they trust God for their salvation or do they trust Egypt?  In the NT it is whether to accept Christ for our eternal salvation as God gives us the opportunity to do.  But again it comes down to do you trust God or not? 
 

Jeremiah 43:1-13(NKJV)

Now it happened, when Jeremiah had stopped speaking to all the people all the words of the Lord their God, for which the Lord their God had sent him to them, all these words, 

that Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men spoke, saying to Jeremiah, “You speak falsely! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to dwell there.’ 

But Baruch the son of Neriah has set you against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death or carry us away captive to Babylon.” 

So Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces, and all the people would not obey the voice of the Lord, to remain in the land of Judah. 

But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces took all the remnant of Judah who had returned to dwell in the land of Judah, from all nations where they had been driven—

men, women, children, the king’s daughters, and every person whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah. 

So they went to the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord. And they went as far as Tahpanhes.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, 

“Take large stones in your hand, and hide them in the sight of the men of Judah, in the clay in the brick courtyard which is at the entrance to Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes; 

and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will send and bring Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden. And he will spread his royal pavilion over them. 

When he comes, he shall strike the land of Egypt and deliver to death those appointed for death, and to captivity those appointed for captivity, and to the sword those appointed for the sword. 

I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them and carry them away captive. And he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd puts on his garment, and he shall go out from there in peace. 

He shall also break the sacred pillars of Beth Shemesh that are in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians he shall burn with fire.”’”

Pretty tough lesson to learn.  The things they feared the most came to pass because they didn't trust and follow God.  What about you?  What are you worried about the most?  More importantly, are you trusting God to lead you through it?  If the answer is yes then what the heck are you worrying about?  Chill!  God's got it covered!

"For every creature of God is good,"….Really?

This comes from one of Paul's letters.  One of the problems I have in understanding Paul is that I think he sometimes speaks in vague platitudes that can be taken out of context.  This illustrates what I am talking about.   
 

1 Timothy 4:4-5(NKJV)

For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; 

for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

Where I think this can be taken out of context is that I think you will have some who will take this and say something like "how can you say Hitler was evil?  Right here it says that every creature of God is good.  People are some of God's creatures aren't they?".    A casual observer of the Bible might look at that and agree. 

The thing is, we know that can not logically be true and therefore what Paul meant.  Notice that is says "is good", not "was good" so we aren't dealing with a before and after the fall kind of thing.  I can illustrate the illogic in a couple of ways.

God vs Satan is the epitome of the battle of good vs evil.  If we were to accept the above premise that "every creature of God is good" then we would have to say that Satan, being a creature of God, is good.  That would negate the battle of good vs. evil.  Illogical.

One of the characteristics of God is that he is a just God.  Would a just God send good people to hell?  No.  If the above premise were meant to be as all inclusive as some would suggest, then there would be no need for hell.

I believe that if you read the verses in their entirety it could be interpreted to be talking about the dispute of eating clean and unclean food.  That since God created all "creatures" (animals), it is OK to eat them without guilt provided the food is received with thanksgiving. 

But because of Paul's lack of preciseness, my interpretation is just as open to criticism and critique as any other.  And that is where we need to let the Holy Spirit take over and guide us in our understanding!

And the great thing is that once you accept Jesus you get the Holy Spirit to guide you.  He isn't reserved to just a special few.  We all can have Him.  If you would like that guidance in your life then just ask Jesus to lead you.  Have a conversation with Jesus.  "Dear Jesus…."

Receiving the "love of the truth"

Here is a great piece of Scripture.  You know how when you point out sin and people say things like "that isn't very loving.  Jesus said love your neighbor."?  Take a look at what this Scripture has to say about that.

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12(NKJV)

10and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 

11And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 

12that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Now you could interpret "did not receive" in a couple of ways.  Did not receive as in heard it and rejected it or did not receive as in never heard the truth. 

In either case I believe that it is saying that lying to someone and telling them "awe it isn't your fault" when it clearly is for example; is not showing that person love.  Telling them that they don't really have to believe in Jesus as long as they are a good person again is not showing them love.  It is actually allowing them to perish.  I think we would all agree that that isn't loving. 
 

People can't make course corrections and change when no one shares the truth with them.

As the Bible says, "the truth will set you free!"

Hmm….wouldn't this require a judgment?

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22(NKJV)

19Do not quench the Spirit. 

20Do not despise prophecies. 

21Test all things; hold fast what is good. 

22Abstain from every form of evil.

Doesn't that all require judgment?  :)

Signs that are hard to miss.

The timing of the last days has always been a popular topic of study.  I have written on it several times.  As I have said before, some of the stuff in the Bible about the end times is so generic that it is pretty much useless. 

I'm thinking of things like "wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, etc.  This have gone on throughout history.  But there are a couple of things in Scripture that I think will be hard to miss.  Here is an example I found yesterday.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4(NKJV)

1Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 

2not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of £Christ had come. 

3Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of £sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 

4who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits £as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

So what does that mean?  My take on it is that until we see the anti-Christ sitting in Jerusalem (in the Temple) claiming to be greater than God Himself, I'm not going to be too worried about it. 

Who is the anti-Christ?  I don't know but he will reveal himself by claiming to be greater than God. 

Until then Scripture tells us to be vigilant which I will be but other than that I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

Faith makes life so much easier!

Why do people who reject God pray to Him for favor?

I've always found that odd.  People out and out reject Jesus as their savior and then turn around and pray to God for favors or ask others to pray for them.   That just doesn’t make sense but here we see it in the Old Testament. 

To set the stage for you in the previous chapter God goes into detail about all of the evil that Judah has done.  He is giving them a final warning of you will.  The King and the people totally reject that warning and then turn around and do this.

Jeremiah 37:3-5(NKJV)

3And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Pray now to the Lord our God for us.” 

4Now Jeremiah was coming and going among the people, for they had not yet put him in prison. 

5Then Pharaoh’s army came up from Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them, they departed from Jerusalem.

Seriously?  Do they really expect God to hear and honor their prayers after they have told God to pound sand? 

I think it is just a silly for those today who have rejected Christ but believe in "a god" as they put it and pray expecting God to answer those prayers.  Unless they are confessing their sins and asking God's forgiveness I somehow doubt that He has any intention of answering their prayers.  I think Jeremiah makes that abundantly clear.

Where's the kumbaya???? :)

Just another example that contradicts the kumbaya Jesus image.  Does it say that when Jesus comes he will sit down with all of those who rejected Him and  try to understand where they are coming from?  Nope!

2 Thessalonians 1:6-8(NKJV)

6since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 

7and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 

8in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Sound like there is going to be plenty of campfires but I don't then you are going to see Jesus sitting around them making nice with those who rejected Him.  :)

Can you think of a better approach?

I am thankful that God gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us but you know what?  I am even more grateful when God just gets to the point and makes it easy. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18(NKJV)

16Rejoice always, 

17pray without ceasing, 

18in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Can you think of a person on earth who's life would not be improved if they approached each day in that way?

Rejoice-how much?  Always!  Not just when things are going good but always.

Pray-how much?  Without ceasing.  What is another word for without ceasing?  Always!

Give Thanks-for what?  Just the big things?  Just the important things?  Nope.  For everything.  What would be another way of saying that?  Give thanks….Always!

Rejoice, pray, and give thanks….Always!  Now that is worth striving for!

How does Jesus love His neighbors by gloating over them?

I just love the intricacies of the Bible and how the Holy Spirit reveals things along the way as you study. 
 

I also get a kick out of people who try to use certain verses of Scripture to try and silence Christians who criticize them.  One of those goes something like this. 

"Hey Jesus said to love your neighbor.  Criticizing me isn't very loving.  Bad Christian.   Bad, bad Christian!"  :)

Check out this passage and I'll make my point on the other side.
 

Colossians 2:8-15(NKJV)

8Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 

9For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 

10and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

11In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body £of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 

12buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 

13And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 

14having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 

15Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

First off I found the first highlighted part interesting.  I think it speaks to those "false prophets" who like to convince you that it is better to combine the best from all religions, etc.  I think the warning is clear.  Christ is enough.  Don't fall for their false claims.  If you do God will hold you accountable for allowing yourself to be misled.

Now on to my main point.  Look at the last highlighted part.  Jesus triumphed over "principalities and powers".  Look at how He did it.  Did He do it quietly so as not to embarrass them?  Nope!  What does it say He did.  He did it publicly and made a spectacle of it!

Well gee, that isn't very loving is it?  Can't you just hear it now?

So how do we answer that?  Personally I don't have any problem with it when I take all Scripture into account.  I can see how this is very loving and at the same time still respects peoples free will.

It was very loving in that Jesus took some who had voluntarily declared themselves as enemies of God by rejecting Jesus, and He made a very public example of them.  He respected their free will and at the same time used them to influence and improve the lives of others.
 

OK but what about "love your enemies".  What about it?  Jesus demonstrates that love by being willing to forgive and accept His enemies back into the fold….as soon as the ask for that forgiveness and accept Jesus.  But that doesn't mean that Jesus doesn't continue to respect their free will choice and deal with them as enemies in a practical sense in the mean time. 

Make sense? 

The Circle of Faith and Fear

Worry is the physical manifestation of lack of faith in my opinion. Faith and Fear can't inhabit the same space as some wise person once said.

Just yesterday I was meditating on this subject and it occurred to me just how weird this cycle can be. Scripture tells us to have faith and not to worry. But many times we worry. Then we worry so much that we start to pray for help with what we are worrying about.

Now here is where it gets weird. Who are we praying to? God. Why? Because we have faith that He will answer our prayers. Really? If we have that much faith that He will answer our prayers then why didn't we simply use that faith as God instructed us to do and not worry to begin with???

We make God's job so much harder don't we?

How sad that man's capacity for evil even surprises God

That kind of goes against the idea of an all seeing, all knowing, omniscient God, doesn't it?  But here it is.  Take a look.

Jeremiah 32:35(NKJV)

35And they built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.’

Now what should we make of that?  Does that shake my belief in an "all knowing God"?  Not really and here is why.

One of the things I admire most about God is His respect for free will.  God could easily just make us all do what He wants us to do.  But He doesn't do that.  He respects our free will. 

Now I don't care how all knowing you are, if you are going to let millions of others make their own choices it is going to be hard to anticipate everything.  So for me at least, I can see where God might be taken by surprise here and there.  Doesn't bother me a bit. 

What I do find sad though is that man's capacity for evil took God by surprise. 

I'd like to point out one other thing.  Notice that while God allows free will, God doesn't alter his standards to "accommodate" free will.  What I mean is that to God, good is still good and evil is still evil.

I think some in modern day Christianity could learn from that example. 

What the heck does this mean?

Every now and then I run across something in the Bible that just leaves me a bit stumped.  This is one of those times. 

Jeremiah 31:22(NKJV)

22    How long will you gad about,     O you backsliding daughter?     For the Lord has created a new thing in the earth—      A woman shall encompass a man.”

What the heck does that mean?

This is taken from Jeremiah and God is talking about bring back Judah from Babylon.  Still doesn't make much sense though.

Scared like a girl-Sexism in the Bible

Every now and then I find something like this in Scripture and it makes me chuckle.  Why?  Because it seems a bit sexist and in today's society it would be frowned on.  :)

Jeremiah 30:5-6(NKJV)

5“For thus says the Lord:      ‘We have heard a voice of trembling,     Of fear, and not of peace.

6    Ask now, and see,     Whether a man is ever in labor with child?     So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins     Like a woman in labor,     And all faces turned pale?

Doesn't it sound like God is saying why are all of you guys acting like scared women?  Or is it just me interpreting it that way?  :)

Ever Wonder Why Coveting is a Big Deal?

I have.  Not that I think it is a good thing but it just didn't seem like something that should be in the 10 Commandments to me.  And then I read this.

Colossians 3:5(NKJV)

5Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 

Well that explains it.  We all know that God detests idolatry.  I just never realized that in God's eyes covetousness is equal to idolatry.

An Important Warning To The "Enlightened"

I know I have been guilty of this.  Where exactly do we draw the line? 

Colossians 2:8-10(NKJV)

8Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 

9For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 

10and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

Wisdom can be found in many places.  As Christians should we only draw our wisdom from the Bible?  When have we gone too far?

Here is my take on it. 

I have read quite a bit of American Indian folk lore.  There are some great stories that make great points.  Is it OK to use the wisdom you find there?  

I'd say it depends.  It depends on how you use it and it depends on your motivations.

In the example above I was searching for enlightenment outside of the Bible.  This was back in my late teens and early 20s.  I had been confirmed in the church in 8th grade and then rebelled.  I was searching for what I really believed. 

I believe my motivation was wrong and exactly the thing that Paul was warning about.  On the other hand now that my motivation is right, in other words my focus is on Christ, I think it is fine to use that folk wisdom to supplement the wisdom that I get from the Bible, as long as it doesn't contradict the wisdom I draw from the Bible. 

Make sense?

Is God infallible...or not?

I read this passage today and it prompted a question for me.  I have always thought that one of the bedrock beliefs is that God is infallible.  God is perfect and He doesn't make mistakes. 

Well take a look at this. 

Jeremiah 27:2-5(NKJV)

2“Thus says the Lord to me: ‘Make for yourselves bonds and yokes, and put them on your neck, 

3and send them to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon, by the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 

4And command them to say to their masters, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel—thus you shall say to your masters: 

5‘I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me. 

This is where God is getting ready to send Judah into captivity in Babylon.  God seems to be saying "I gave this land to who I thought best but that didn't work out so now I'm taking it away". 

Now some would say it was part of God's plan.  Maybe.  But the way it is worded seems to indicate that God in His best judgement at the time gave it to Judah.  But that didn't work out so He was taking it away.  Is that God acknowledging an error in His previous judgement? 

Not a big deal either way.  I just found the wording curious. 

Why isn't it a big deal to me?  Because God is so respectful of our free will.  You can make all the plans you want but if others in those plans have free will to act differently than you had planned, then your plans may not always turn out as expected.

Thinks about it.  Even God had to have faith in Jesus didn't He?  Jesus as man had free will.  He could have exercised His free will and not followed through on the whole crucifixion thing.  But He didn't and aren't we thankful for that?!

And that is why it isn't a big deal to me.  It's about faith, not whether God got every little thing correct throughout history.  Faith in Jesus Christ.  Is He who He said He is?  I believe He is, do you?