Most mornings after breakfast our family reads "Keys for Kids," a daily devotional by CBH Ministries. Today's story was about a girl who was tasked with a class project studying addictions. She discovered that not only there are addictions which enslave and destroy, but also wholesome and beneficial addictions. The dad in the story suggested a verse which I have always found thought provoking. The KJV of 1 Corinthians 16:15-16 reads, "I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) 16 that ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth." In the NKJV, instead of "addicted" the word "devoted" is used to translate from the original Greek.
In modern culture, the term "addiction" often has a negative connotation. Addiction carries with it an aspect of compulsion and lack of control. Many people refuse to admit their addictions because in doing so they confess that their life is ruled by an outside activity or thing - perhaps admitting weakness. From a biblical perspective, the only good addictions are those which bring honour and glory to God. It would be a very good thing to be addicted to prayer, Bible study, evangelism, giving, and helping others - as long as necessary responsibilities are not made to suffer. It would be a poor excuse for a man to quit work and cease to provide for his family because he wants to pray more. 1 Timothy 5:8 teaches us, "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."
A wonderful aspect of ministry unto the LORD is it does not require the abandonment of all earthy duties and responsibilities. When we are addicted to honouring God, we will in fact become more skilled in all areas of our lives because our attitudes and perspective changes for the better. For instance, we are commanded to "in everything give thanks." It is not necessary for me to enter into seclusion or quit my job to do this. I can continually seek to cultivate a heart of thanksgiving in all circumstances. The Bible also commands us to "pray without ceasing." When I rise in the morning as I prepare for work, I can pray. While I am driving to a jobsite, I can pray. Throughout the day, continually I can devote myself to prayer. How good it would be to become addicted to the obedience and glory of God!
Stephanas and his household are a good example of people who were consecrated for the service of God continually. They were addicted to ministering unto God and serving one another in love. It is possible that we could be deceived to think we are serving God when we are actually serving our own interests. But this could not be said of Stephanas. He was numbered among those who ministered to the saints, who helped and laboured alongside the apostle Paul. It is a high honour to serve the LORD. How much more honourable it is to be addicted to glorifying God! Instead of being second nature, I desire that the honour of God would be instinctual, my initial and sole response to all life throws at me. May I be weak to resist such an addiction that God might reveal Himself in strength through me.
Are you addicted? It's what you are addicted to that matters!
03 November 2011
02 November 2011
Wisdom From Above
This morning I read Job 28 and was greatly blessed by the practical insight. Job describes how veins of gold, silver, iron, and precious stones are found through mining. Then he makes a spiritual contrast in Job 28:12-15: "But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? 13 Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. 14 The deep says, ' It is not in me'; and the sea says, 'It is not with me.' 15 It cannot be purchased for gold, nor can silver be weighed for its price." True wisdom is not found by digging in the ground, space exploration, deep-sea diving, nor is it for sale. The wisdom of God is not obtained through any effort of man, but by the grace of God.
Some believe that wisdom is obtained through life experience or by acquiring degrees as prestigious universities. There is a kind of wisdom that is found on earth, but it is a false substitute for what God calls wisdom. James 3:15 describes the wisdom of the world in simple, straightforward terms: "This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic." No doubt this sounds unreasonably harsh to those who define wisdom from a worldly perspective. Yet see how God's wisdom is described in James 3:17: "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy." We see this description personified in God Himself. He demonstrates all these qualities in His love, mercy, and grace towards men.
Consider the catch-phrases of modern philosophy and worldly wisdom: "Might makes right," "Survival of the fittest," "Look out for number one," "If it feels good do it," "God is dead," and much more. Dig as deep you can for wisdom in tradition, religion, technology, scientific advancement, and philosophies composed by men and you will come up empty. Drown yourself in music, art, sex, parties, alcohol, drugs, and your search for wisdom will be fruitless. Visit trance mediums, chant, meditate, and religiously follow your horoscope - yet instead of wisdom you will find fear, bondage, and confusion. Fill your library with all the self-help books written and you will still lack. Live to be 120 years old without faith in God and true wisdom will still prove elusive. The wisdom of God will never be within you unless you are first within Him. Concerning wisdom and God Job 28:27-28 states: "Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. 28 And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding." This kind of wisdom is not simply a means to aid survival, but the path to life eternal.
Still not convinced? My words cannot convince any who refuse to consider without prejudice that God does exist, and the Bible is His word written so man might know Him. In fact, it is only the power of the Holy Spirit who can reveal this truth to you. Jesus Christ is the personification of wisdom and more still as it is written in 1 Corinthians 1:30-31: "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption-- 31 that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD." Broad is the path which leads to destruction, and narrow is the path which leads to eternal life. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can be truly wise or obtain eternal life except through Him.
Some believe that wisdom is obtained through life experience or by acquiring degrees as prestigious universities. There is a kind of wisdom that is found on earth, but it is a false substitute for what God calls wisdom. James 3:15 describes the wisdom of the world in simple, straightforward terms: "This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic." No doubt this sounds unreasonably harsh to those who define wisdom from a worldly perspective. Yet see how God's wisdom is described in James 3:17: "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy." We see this description personified in God Himself. He demonstrates all these qualities in His love, mercy, and grace towards men.
Consider the catch-phrases of modern philosophy and worldly wisdom: "Might makes right," "Survival of the fittest," "Look out for number one," "If it feels good do it," "God is dead," and much more. Dig as deep you can for wisdom in tradition, religion, technology, scientific advancement, and philosophies composed by men and you will come up empty. Drown yourself in music, art, sex, parties, alcohol, drugs, and your search for wisdom will be fruitless. Visit trance mediums, chant, meditate, and religiously follow your horoscope - yet instead of wisdom you will find fear, bondage, and confusion. Fill your library with all the self-help books written and you will still lack. Live to be 120 years old without faith in God and true wisdom will still prove elusive. The wisdom of God will never be within you unless you are first within Him. Concerning wisdom and God Job 28:27-28 states: "Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. 28 And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding." This kind of wisdom is not simply a means to aid survival, but the path to life eternal.
Still not convinced? My words cannot convince any who refuse to consider without prejudice that God does exist, and the Bible is His word written so man might know Him. In fact, it is only the power of the Holy Spirit who can reveal this truth to you. Jesus Christ is the personification of wisdom and more still as it is written in 1 Corinthians 1:30-31: "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption-- 31 that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD." Broad is the path which leads to destruction, and narrow is the path which leads to eternal life. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can be truly wise or obtain eternal life except through Him.
31 October 2011
Walter Martin Quote
I came across this statement about integrity in a book I'm reading titled The Kingdom of the Occult by Walter Martin, Jill martin Rische, and Kurt Van Gorden. The final chapter is called, "Evangelism: Reaching the hearts of People." It is an excellent conclusion to an informative book. We live in a day where all kinds of things are peddled for profit and gain. A couple things which should never be for sale are the Gospel or a man's integrity. After emphasising the need to speak when the situation presents itself instead of backing down because the Gospel truth might not be received, Dr. Martin writes this:
Do not change your thoughts to meet anyone else's thoughts or you will lose your integrity. What price will you pay for that integrity? You have a right to your own thoughts and the expression of them. Never change what you said under pressure or you will lose you, and that is the only thing you have. Your words are you, unless they are dollar signs. If you are writing for dollar signs, you do not have any place in the defense of the faith." - Walter Martin (The Kingdom of the Occult, pg. 674)As Christians, integrity is of paramount importance. Our walk must match our talk or we lose all credibility. God has committed to men the task of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world, and we are called to be faithful. We are called to unabashedly, without reservation or apology, speak the truth in love even as Jesus our Messiah does. Is it politically or culturally correct to claim that there is absolute right and wrong? No. Is it popular to say you are convinced that the only way to forgiveness and eternal salvation is through Jesus Christ who rose from the dead? No! But as God is my witness it is true, and therefore must be said. We must hold fast to our integrity as Job, who when tempted to curse God held true his confession and would not charge God with wrong. It is easier to curse than bless, isn't it? Let us be strong in the LORD and keep our integrity.
30 October 2011
The Seduction of Sin
This morning I was treated to a series of object lessons on the theme of sin. As I spent a couple hours mowing, weeding, and trimming, the LORD continued to impress the danger sin poses to our lives. A characteristic of sin is how seductive it is. With a tantalizing appearance it beckons, but there is always an incredibly high cost: separation from God. For those who refuse to repent and trust in Christ for salvation, this separation will be eternal.
In the corner of our back yard grows a stunted, sad lemon tree. The sparse, bumpy fruit and wrinkled leaves reveal a sick condition. But today the tree flourished with colour! Round, flat insects of vibrant red, orange, green, and yellow clustered on the end of each branch. These were not bugs I was familiar with, coming from San Diego! A quick online search revealed these insects as destructive pests called "stinkbugs." My eyes widened as I read how they leech the sap from the blossoms and tender shoots, destroying new growth. Had I not known this, I would have allowed the bugs to stay. Their colours were beautiful but their effects deadly. So it is with sin: Eve looked upon the forbidden fruit and saw it was beautiful to behold and very appetizing. She ate and shared with Adam, her husband. The world has never been the same.
Our front yard has several plants adorned with the blooms of spring. One plant in particular has gorgeous flowers of a deep red hue. I am not familiar with the variety, but it is a type of plant which spreads as a flowering ground cover. Though it is surrounded by soft soil, for some time the size of the plant has not increased. Upon closer examination, I found that under the blooms the plant was matted with weeds. The foreign clover was robbing the beautiful plant of water and restricting its growth. Again, this is a picture of how sin and the cares of this world can choke out God's influence in our lives. We are constantly faced with things (perhaps not even bad or wrong in themselves) which compete for our thoughts, money, time, effort, and desires. Like the Parable of the Sower Jesus told, the cares of the world can choke out the good seed of God's Word and render it fruitless.
As I cleaned up, my wife gave me a call. She was at the shops picking up some things when she was approached by a man selling a versatile automotive product. After listening to his spiel, she called me for my opinion on whether she should consider such a purchase. "Not interested," I said. I wondered why she had listened to his pitch in the first place. When she came home she told me the whole story. "He was really nice, not pushy," she explained. "And it seemed like quality stuff. But even with 40% more for free it was $80 for two bottles." "What? If you knew it was that expensive why did you even bother calling me?" I asked in surprise. "He didn't tell me that until the end." And isn't that always the way with the temptations of the world? Sin comes in flashy packages and seems to meet our needs. It comes highly recommended. But we never hear about the cost until we've been sucked in. Just like a drug dealer knows it is in his best interest to give free dope so he can hook people, Satan knows how to lure people to their destruction.
To sum up: sin is often attractive, subversive, deadly, and always has a hefty cost. Praise God that He has given us His unchanging Word so we might know truth from error. Thank God that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the World who has come to break the chains of sin's captives so they might be free indeed. Let us be sober and watchful, knowing that the enemy of our souls is as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. May we endeavour to keep our lives free from sin that we might maintain close communion with our Heavenly Father and glorify Him always!
In the corner of our back yard grows a stunted, sad lemon tree. The sparse, bumpy fruit and wrinkled leaves reveal a sick condition. But today the tree flourished with colour! Round, flat insects of vibrant red, orange, green, and yellow clustered on the end of each branch. These were not bugs I was familiar with, coming from San Diego! A quick online search revealed these insects as destructive pests called "stinkbugs." My eyes widened as I read how they leech the sap from the blossoms and tender shoots, destroying new growth. Had I not known this, I would have allowed the bugs to stay. Their colours were beautiful but their effects deadly. So it is with sin: Eve looked upon the forbidden fruit and saw it was beautiful to behold and very appetizing. She ate and shared with Adam, her husband. The world has never been the same.
Our front yard has several plants adorned with the blooms of spring. One plant in particular has gorgeous flowers of a deep red hue. I am not familiar with the variety, but it is a type of plant which spreads as a flowering ground cover. Though it is surrounded by soft soil, for some time the size of the plant has not increased. Upon closer examination, I found that under the blooms the plant was matted with weeds. The foreign clover was robbing the beautiful plant of water and restricting its growth. Again, this is a picture of how sin and the cares of this world can choke out God's influence in our lives. We are constantly faced with things (perhaps not even bad or wrong in themselves) which compete for our thoughts, money, time, effort, and desires. Like the Parable of the Sower Jesus told, the cares of the world can choke out the good seed of God's Word and render it fruitless.
As I cleaned up, my wife gave me a call. She was at the shops picking up some things when she was approached by a man selling a versatile automotive product. After listening to his spiel, she called me for my opinion on whether she should consider such a purchase. "Not interested," I said. I wondered why she had listened to his pitch in the first place. When she came home she told me the whole story. "He was really nice, not pushy," she explained. "And it seemed like quality stuff. But even with 40% more for free it was $80 for two bottles." "What? If you knew it was that expensive why did you even bother calling me?" I asked in surprise. "He didn't tell me that until the end." And isn't that always the way with the temptations of the world? Sin comes in flashy packages and seems to meet our needs. It comes highly recommended. But we never hear about the cost until we've been sucked in. Just like a drug dealer knows it is in his best interest to give free dope so he can hook people, Satan knows how to lure people to their destruction.
To sum up: sin is often attractive, subversive, deadly, and always has a hefty cost. Praise God that He has given us His unchanging Word so we might know truth from error. Thank God that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the World who has come to break the chains of sin's captives so they might be free indeed. Let us be sober and watchful, knowing that the enemy of our souls is as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. May we endeavour to keep our lives free from sin that we might maintain close communion with our Heavenly Father and glorify Him always!
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