In many cases, making comparisons is a path which leads to sin. Comparing ourselves against others will move us to be self-righteous because we see ourselves as better. We can also become envious and jealous because we don't measure up. It is a product of our fallen nature: humans delight in gossip, lies, back-stabbing, or cutting each other down with words. When I am compared with another person in a positive light, I instantly feel uncomfortable. I know it is only a matter of time before the same person compares me with another person negatively. I find comparing is a hair's breadth from judging, something God tells us not to do. Matthew 7:1-2 says, "Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."
Paul was clear in his words to the Corinthian church concerning the danger of unwise comparisons. 2 Corinthians 10:12 reads, "For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." When a man measures himself by himself, he begins and ends with diverse measures and weights. What he perceives is not always the truth. I might look back on aspects of my life where God has changed me greatly and I might be tempted to be self-assured. There are also areas where I have not changed at all for the better, and areas of immaturity I am not even yet aware of. Because I have seen improvements in some areas, I am not motivated to hold myself to a higher standard than my own - a scriptural standard. I always ought to compare my life against the Word of God, not according to my perceived maturation.
The same thing is true when I measure myself against others. My flesh can always find room for self-justification by the wrongs others do: "At least I have never killed anyone!" Comparisons lead to dissatisfaction with what God has done or provided, and can also give way to complacency. On a practical level, what wife would be pleased if her husband was always bringing up how she compares with other women? She would be continually worried that someone better than her might come along and thus she would become expendable. If a woman's value is only a comparative value, where is the basis for love in the relationship? Love keeps no record of wrongs but delights in the truth. The truth is found in Proverbs 18:22: "He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the LORD." If we would look at our relationships through a scriptural lens, comparisons and judgments melt away.
The best and wisest comparisons are those which bring glory to God. After Jesus healed a man who had been blind from birth, the religious leaders sought to accuse Jesus. They brought before them the man who could now see to interview him concerning the miraculous change which had taken place. John 9:24-25 reads, "So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner." 25 He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see." The religious leaders compared Christ according to the traditions of the elders and deemed Christ a lawbreaker. They stood in judgment of Him even though Jesus had only done a good deed. The blind man refused to take sides. Instead, he simply held forth his condition before and after Christ. "I don't know if He is a sinner or not. One thing I know: I was blind, but now I see." That was a comparison which gave God the glory.
We have opportunities every day to remember the wonderful things God has done for us. The children of Israel were once slaves in Egypt, but God delivered them and later brought them into the Promised Land. I was once a judgmental Pharisee, but God changed my heart through the truth of His Word. He brought me out of Valley of the Shadow of Death and has brought me safely into green pastures near still waters. I used to be filled with wrath and vengeance, but God has restored my soul by His grace. Instead of comparing ourselves with ourselves or against others, may we align our lives according to the truth of scripture. Let us make wise comparisons which give glory to God!
26 March 2012
25 March 2012
The Sin of Accommodation
"Now Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the house he had built for her, for he said, "My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places to which the ark of the LORD has come are holy."
2 Chronicles 8:11
Solomon was a man endowed with great wisdom from God. Unlike most men, his wisdom lessened with age. After God granted his request for wisdom to govern God's people, the report of his great wisdom reached far and wide. But as he grew in affluence and power in a land without war, he let his guard down. Moral lapses gave way to abominable idolatry. He multiplied wives and horses to himself, and ended being a great fool because he ceased to seek after God with all his heart, soul, and mind.
Most of us have heard about sins of commission (sin willfully committed) and omission (good left undone). One of the ways we justify sin is when we grant sin accommodation. Marrying the daughter of Pharaoh was good politics, but a transgression of God's laws. Solomon knew this in his heart. He justified his marriage to a foreign woman contrary to the Law by building a special house for her. He knew his marriage with the daughter of Pharaoh was an unholy one, but he accommodated his sinful relationship by keeping that part of his life carefully compartmentalised - or so he thought!
Keeping up appearances was more important to Solomon than simple obedience to God. He continued to multiply wives and concubines to himself while he pursued greater building projects of great beauty. Enormous tax revenue, tribute, and unfathomable riches poured year by year into his treasury. Nations all around sent gifts and accolades as Jerusalem entered into a time of unprecedented peace and wealth. In the beginning of Solomon's reign he was as David, but at the end of his reign he looked more like King Saul. 1 Kings 11:4 & 6 reads, "For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David...6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not fully follow the LORD, as did his father David." Accommodation of sin led to disloyalty and evil deeds in the sight of God. Because of this, God stirred up adversaries against Solomon and ripped away 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel to be ruled by his servant, Jeroboam. Instead of repenting, Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam - just like King Saul had done to his father David.
This tragic tale is repeated over and over to this day. The scenery is different, but the hearts of men are still as deceitful and desperately wicked as ever. Solomon did not reject God's ways in a day, but it was a slow slide during his reign of 40 years, deliberately departing from the wise truth which he received from the mouth of God. If Solomon, the wisest of men was not able to abide in the wisdom which he knew, what hope is there for us? The only hope man has is found in the person of Jesus Christ. He has become wisdom and righteousness for us (1 Cor. 1:30-31). We must be cautious that we never grant accommodation for sin. It is imperative that we check our lives continually against God's righteous standard as revealed in scripture and heed the promptings of the Holy Spirit. This is why Paul exhorted in 2 Corinthians 13:5: "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified." No one would expect that a physical exam undergone 20 years ago is adequate for today. Daily we are called to examine ourselves so we might walk in the way which fully pleases God.
Beware of the slippery slope of sin accommodation. It has cast down many wounded, and all were strong men. Some of the most wise who ever lived are numbered among the willing victims. Paul prays according to God's will for your life when he relates his desire in Colossians 1:10-14: "...that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." Let us abide in Christ, making no provision for the flesh. In Jesus is abundant life!
Baseball Story continued...
A few months back I shared how God had blessed me with an opportunity to play baseball. After suffering a shoulder injury and not making the school team at 15 years old, I walked away from the game for good - so I thought. 21 years later, I had no idea that I would be called by God to be a pastor, move to Australia, or take up the game of baseball. My first season back in the game playing for the Rouse Hill Wildcats came to a wonderful conclusion Saturday as we beat the Castle Hill Knights in the Grand Final 15-5. We are the "premiers" of the Sydney Metro Baseball league, H-Grade. Much of our team had never played baseball before, much less play in a Grand Final. Here's a team picture, each of us with our engraved trophy mugs - complete with a handle!
I thank my teammates for a great season, and most of all I thank God for enabling me to be a part of a team in a sport I never thought I'd play again. Less than two years ago my throwing shoulder hurt so bad I could not even perform a single push-up, and to think I pitched for a complete-game win in a Grand Final is nothing short of miraculous! Thanks be to God for His healing touch and all glory, honour, and praise goes to Him. I would say it has been a magical season, but magic had nothing to do with it: it is all of God's grace.
 |
| Left to right: Randall, myself, Gav, Liam, Cam, Keith, Trav, Paul, Donna (scorer), Kyle, Pete, Pat, and Stacy |
22 March 2012
A Life Without Repentance
Repentance is a theme which has been running through my mind for the last month or so. This morning in prayer the LORD showed me PVC fittings and pipes for irrigation in my mind. I found this most bizarre. Why would I suddenly be thinking of irrigation? As I prayed for wisdom and understanding I thought back to when I laid the pipes to irrigate my front yard. After I dug trenches according to my set of drawings to the prescribed depth, I began to fit the pipes together without glue. When every length of pipe had been cut, after every coupling, elbow, riser, and sprinkler head was in place, I began to glue the pieces together.
The glue was a dark blue colour, suitable for wet or dry applications. In a very short time the glue set strong enough to handle the water pressure. But the way the glue is applied is key. Glue must be liberally applied to the inside of the coupling as well to the clean-cut end of the pipe. Quickly the pieces must be pressed fully into each other and turned a quarter turn. The glue will ooze from the new joint, fusing the plastic pieces together as one. If glue is applied incorrectly, or if the water is turned on before the connection is set, the pipe will leak. The leaking connection must be cut out and then the whole process starts over.
God showed me that a lack of repentance in a believer's life is similar to the pipes being laid without the glue. The job may look complete when no water is pressurising the system, but as soon as the water is turned on the system will be revealed as full of leaks and rendered useless. What is Christianity without complete, continual repentance? Since Christ is our strength, what strength could we possible have if we willfully pursue the desires of our flesh without repentance? Another way to cut corners is to dry-fit the pipes and glue the point of connection from the outside. This gives the appearance of being properly glued, but any amount of pressure and the connection will fail. We can appear repentant from the outside, but God knows the heart. Only a little bit of pressure from the world or the flesh will reveal to us how weak and sinful we really are. The only way for the system to work is to completely and properly glue every single joint.
Repentance is a funny thing. We can be fooled into thinking that once we have repented, we need not repent any more. But how many times did I have to repair leaks in sprinkler heads, valves, and unions! How many times did areas need to be dug up and re-addressed because the turf had built up around the heads or the pressure reducer shut off entirely! Just because the pipes were covered with dirt didn't mean that the system did not need to be carefully maintained. Our lives, in the same way, need to be maintained daily with repentance for our sins. Galatians 5:19-21 reads, "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Is there anything on this list that is a current issue for you? If we practice such things without repentance - a change of mind, a change of heart, and a change of direction/lifestyle - we will not inherit the kingdom of God.
So what is to be done? Only God by His grace can enable a man to repent in truth (Acts 11:18). Jesus says in Revelation 3:19, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent." We must be born again through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Then we must choose to put off the deeds of our old flesh nature, be renewed in the spirit of our minds, and put on the new man according to God's Word. I close with Paul's exhortation in Ephesians 4:20-32: "But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another. 26 "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you."
The glue was a dark blue colour, suitable for wet or dry applications. In a very short time the glue set strong enough to handle the water pressure. But the way the glue is applied is key. Glue must be liberally applied to the inside of the coupling as well to the clean-cut end of the pipe. Quickly the pieces must be pressed fully into each other and turned a quarter turn. The glue will ooze from the new joint, fusing the plastic pieces together as one. If glue is applied incorrectly, or if the water is turned on before the connection is set, the pipe will leak. The leaking connection must be cut out and then the whole process starts over.
God showed me that a lack of repentance in a believer's life is similar to the pipes being laid without the glue. The job may look complete when no water is pressurising the system, but as soon as the water is turned on the system will be revealed as full of leaks and rendered useless. What is Christianity without complete, continual repentance? Since Christ is our strength, what strength could we possible have if we willfully pursue the desires of our flesh without repentance? Another way to cut corners is to dry-fit the pipes and glue the point of connection from the outside. This gives the appearance of being properly glued, but any amount of pressure and the connection will fail. We can appear repentant from the outside, but God knows the heart. Only a little bit of pressure from the world or the flesh will reveal to us how weak and sinful we really are. The only way for the system to work is to completely and properly glue every single joint.
Repentance is a funny thing. We can be fooled into thinking that once we have repented, we need not repent any more. But how many times did I have to repair leaks in sprinkler heads, valves, and unions! How many times did areas need to be dug up and re-addressed because the turf had built up around the heads or the pressure reducer shut off entirely! Just because the pipes were covered with dirt didn't mean that the system did not need to be carefully maintained. Our lives, in the same way, need to be maintained daily with repentance for our sins. Galatians 5:19-21 reads, "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Is there anything on this list that is a current issue for you? If we practice such things without repentance - a change of mind, a change of heart, and a change of direction/lifestyle - we will not inherit the kingdom of God.
So what is to be done? Only God by His grace can enable a man to repent in truth (Acts 11:18). Jesus says in Revelation 3:19, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent." We must be born again through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Then we must choose to put off the deeds of our old flesh nature, be renewed in the spirit of our minds, and put on the new man according to God's Word. I close with Paul's exhortation in Ephesians 4:20-32: "But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another. 26 "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you."
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