The Wart War

Over the course of my life, I have had different skin-related issues.  By God's grace I have successfully battled athlete's foot, dandruff, dry patches of skin, and an occasional wart.  Warts can be particularly annoying because they are so durable!  Caused by a virus, warts have the amazing ability to regenerate even after being burned, cut off, or persistently treated.  I have had about five warts over the course of my lifetime, and they have never been cured without an all-out fight.  This is certainly not a glamorous post, but I trust it will do some good.

At the moment I am well on my way to ridding myself of a wart on the pad of one of my toes.  Since it wasn't giving me any pain, I ignored it for some time.  It was never that large, but it amazes me how fast skins grew around it for protection.  After many months, I decided the wart was part of my body I no longer wanted and committed myself to dealing with it.  So every other day I cut a small pad coated with an acid designed to break down the wart.  Then I carefully cut away any dead skin and apply another fitted pad.  The wart had feeling, a blood supply, and seemed to constantly regenerate.  It was like a parasite, a sensitive, painful area that draws strength from the body.  It is a two steps forward, one step back fight - a fight I was devoted to winning.  The reason why I still have the wart after a couple of years is because there were times that I thought the fight was over and stopped monitoring my toe.  Hello!  A month later the wart would be back, like it had never left.

It's a weird thing, to be fighting against your own body.  But this fight with the wart is just like our fight with sin.  Sin is a part of us because of our fallen nature.  If we are in Christ, God opens our eyes to parts of ourselves that should not be.  We must decide to deal with our sin and then diligently fight the battle.  It is true that those who repented and placed their faith in Jesus Christ have been forgiven from sin.  However, sin can grow in the life of a believer like a wart.  Unchecked and ignored, it can grow large and spread.  But sin is much more than unsightly:  it is deadly and destructive.

Just like there are steps I must take to rid myself of a wart, so we must take steps to eliminate sin from our lives.  We must recognize the sin that we have cultivated and allowed to remain.  We should not try to hide it from sight or deny its existence:  sin must be brought out in the open.  One man deals with the wart on his foot by going to a doctor for treatment; another man constantly wears socks, ashamed to show his toes.  When it comes to sin, hiding it only increases the power Satan has over our lives.  Unforgiveness is a foothold which can turn into a stronghold.  It cannot be seen with the naked eye, but is evident when seen through the lens of scripture.  2 Corinthians 2:10-11 reads, "Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, ¹¹ lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices."

If you are aware of an area of sin in your life, do not rest until you confess it to God and those you have wronged (James 5:16), repent, and forsake it.  The weaknesses in your flesh you will have for the rest of your days.  But weakness does not mean defeat if we are in Christ.  We must be vigilant and aware that we can fall back into old sins, ways of coping, addictions, and unscriptural thought patterns which will lead to our destruction.  We should not shrug off sin because we are confident in our salvation.  If Jesus died for my sins, I have no right to persist in them.  Let us fight the good fight without losing heart or hope.  Our God is able to keep us from stumbling.  When we do trip and fall, we have a God who is able to lift us up to our feet and lift our head so we might gaze into His eyes of everlasting love and take heart.

Declare war on those warts, and don't give up!  God has given us the victory, healing, and cleansing through Jesus Christ our LORD!

Jesus Must Be LORD

Reading is a critical part of the life of every Christian.  I am always concerned when a Christian tells me they are not fond of reading, seeing as God has provided His Word to us in written form!  As followers of Jesus Christ, we ought to be people "of the Book."  That being said, there are many profitable books written that give glory to God.  Books challenge the way we think and are an impetus to growth.  It is important that we read wisely, seeking to find material which lines up with the truth of scripture.  In my experience with Christian bookstores today, only a fraction of the books written fit this criteria.  From the Puritan era probably 90% of books are worth reading, and in the modern era 10% are worth reading.  In the last century there has been a rapid departure from the authority of God's Word.

Ever so often I am introduced to a book which makes me wonder, "Where has this book been all my life?"  I am in the middle of Alan Redpath's book, The Making of a Man of God.  Written in 1962 and reprinted in 1990, it has easily been catapulted into the top-five category at the moment.  The author masterfully crafts object lessons from the life of David into challenging applications concerning the life of discipleship in Christ.  Straightforward, powerful, and loving, this book is a great addition to the library of any disciple of Christ.  When you buy it, you might as well procure two so you will have one to perpetually lend!  Here is an especially potent excerpt from chapter 15 as Redpath explains the necessity to make Jesus Christ your King and Ruler of your life in truth (The Making of a Man of God, Redpath, pg. 176):

"Now then do it!"  Don't go on just wishing and resolving - may the Holy Spirit push you into decision.  There have been times in my life when quite frankly I have felt the Lord pushing me back to the wall.  It is as if He had got me in a corner, and I had to face the issue squarely.  I hope that now you are feeling the pressure of God's Spirit pushing you back in your seat so that you must face this issue of the kingship of Jesus Christ.

"Now then do it," for unless you do (and I don't say this to frighten you), your heart has only to miss about a half a dozen beats, and you will be in hell - with all your good intentions, with all your resolves, with all your professions of faith, with all your sound theology.  You who sought in times past to make Jesus King, you the child of Christian parents, the frequent attender at the house of God, the listener to the Word of God, the hearer of the gospel - all these privileges and benefits will be merely millstones around your neck in a lost eternity unless you make Him your King.

Couldn't have said it better myself, Mr. Redpath.  My desire is not only to agree with what has been written, but that Jesus would be in reality my LORD so He might be my Saviour.  I have never met someone who thought they would be the ones who say, "Lord! Lord!" to whom Jesus responds, "Depart from me!  I never knew you - you who practice iniquity!"  But I know that it could easily be me as well as any nominal believer - one who honours Christ in word but not in deed.  I know I have unknowingly met such people through my Christian walk.  Instead of judging one another, let us judge ourselves and follow Jesus faithfully!

The Wonder of God's Word

I am constantly amazed by the wisdom of God in His Word.  It is deeply profound, yet very simple.  The Bible is not so much something to be explained by men, but to be read, believed, and obeyed as the Holy Spirit teaches us.  How much of Christ's teachings oppose what man naturally thinks!  Take this teaching of Jesus found in Luke 16:10-13, for example:

He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. ¹¹ Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?¹² And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?" ¹³ No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

In our natural state, we are convinced that we can be slack in the small things but faithful when it comes to what is most important.  Jesus says otherwise!  I have heard people say (and at time have even thought myself) something to the point of, "If I was in ministry as a job, I would pray a lot more and spend more time studying the Bible."  It doesn't work like that.  Unless one is praying, reading the Bible, and studying before he enters into ministry, his personal habits of devotion will not magically improve one day.  A pastor recently told me that the first thing he asks people who believe they are called to leadership is about their personal time with God.  A man's quiet time in communion is an indicator of spiritual health.  Plenty of people can prepare sermons and studies, but is the man who bends his knees daily before the Father whom God will use.

Jesus points out that our responsibility with financial resources is a little thing compared to the heavenly wisdom and knowledge He entrusts to man.  If I am not obedient to God in tithing, offerings, and faithfully spending within my means, what makes me think I can handle the riches of God obediently?  Verse 12 is a wonderful challenge.  How many times have I lent books never to receive them again, or when I do they are returned unread?  Borrowing a book and reading it promptly is a little thing.  But if we will not even read a borrowed book and or return it in damaged condition, what makes us think God will give unto us the treasures contained in His Word?  By not being responsible in the little areas, we have proved ourselves unworthy to handle greater things.

Finally, Jesus drops a bomb of heavenly wisdom to shatter our foolish perceptions in verse 13:  we cannot serve two masters.  How much of our lives have we spent trying to do just that?  We run back and forth between serving self and God, between trusting God or money.  Politicians and business executives know it is imperative in the world to serve many masters.  Jesus says otherwise!  He says that no man can serve two masters.  If a man is not actively serving the One True God, then he serves a lesser god - and that god is usually self.  Satan blinds men and takes them captive to do his will.  Many professing Christians think they are able to do what Jesus says no man can do:  a life of trying to serve two masters.  This is certainly not the life God intended man to live, and it leaves us with a bitter taste and gravel in our gums.

So I must examine myself:  am I being faithful in the areas some would say are insignificant?  Am I deceived to think I can serve two masters?  Am I truly surrendered to Jesus Christ in my life or am I living to please myself?  Praise God for His wisdom which He has revealed through Christ and His Word.  God wants to do more than challenge or confront us:  He wants us to be transformed through the renewing of our minds.  God, I invite this change:  transform me into your likeness, so I might live in the way which fully pleases you!

Fear the Holy God

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. ²⁹ For our God is a consuming fire."

Hebrews 12:28-29

Last night when driving home from church, I was reminded that God is a holy God.  He is flawless in character, beautiful in perfection, fierce, infinite in power, and a consuming fire.  Every example I can give in comparing God to man is woefully lacking.  He is like molten gold in comparison to dung, flowing lava that consumes chaff in an instant.  We are made of corruptible elements of earth, while God is unchanging, timeless, and a supernatural Spirit.  No man dare stand before Him, and only fools believe they can fool Him.  If a man should think twice about attacking the Leviathan mentioned in the book of Job, who can fight against God?

In a day when personal rights are embraced and protected more than ever, the pride and arrogance of man is ever increasing.  We stand up for our rights, freedoms of speech, and freedom of expression.  People carry signs, chant slogans, camp out in public, cover their mouths in duct tape, burn their bras, live in trees, and set themselves on fire to make their point.  Authority of any kind is met with fierce resistance because "We have rights!"  Courts are filled with cases where people have locked horns over the compensation they feel they rightfully deserve.  From children to corporate executives, greed is a chronic malady.  People are naturally selfish, stubborn, vengeful, and proud.

While man runs around fighting for his rights, standing up for himself while being steeped in sin, God is holy.  God does not operate like a democratic government that allows people to collect signatures to place an issue on the ballot.  God is absolute, and is absolutely holy.  He allows man to have his own will and do as he pleases.  Because He loves man and desires that none should perish, God gave man His unalterable laws.  Man is only condemned by God's law and proven a gross sinner.  Then God sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ revealed in the form of a man without reputation, and He laid down His life on Calvary so all who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  He rose from the dead, proving His power both over sin and death.  But God is still holy.  He still cannot abide with sin.  His holy nature is a consuming fire.  All who think they can approach a holy and righteous God in their sin are gravely mistaken.

After Joshua accompanied the children of Israel into the Promised Land, he said some interesting things.  Even though the Israelites were to serve only God, they still carried with them idols from the land of Egypt (Josh. 24:14).  Joshua rebuked the people, telling them they needed to choose whom they would serve.  Then he said something every person on the planet would do well to hear in Joshua 24:19-20:  "But Joshua said to the people, "You cannot serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. ²⁰ If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good."  We cannot serve God, nor be forgiven if we are living in sin.  He is a righteous, holy God.  If any man think he has something to offer God, hear again the word of the LORD:  "You cannot serve the LORD, for He is a holy God...He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins."

God cannot ignore sin.  His righteous character is a consuming fire which instantly ignites any chaff in His presence.  No Christian has the right to be in sin.  Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 10:12-13:  "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³ and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?"  God has requirements of His people and those He will save by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  Being washed with the blood of Jesus does not free us to pursue sin, but it condemns us because we knowingly trampled the blood of Jesus underfoot and have counted His sacrifice as rubbish (Heb. 10:26-31).

So what is to be done? 1 John 1:7-9 reads, "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  Everyone has sinned, and the wages of sin is death.  Jesus reaches out to all men today with great love - not because it is our right - but out of His grace.  Here is the true picture of how God views humanity according to holiness and righteousness:  Romans 3:9-18 (NKJV) "What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. ¹⁰ As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. ¹² They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one." ¹³ "Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit"; "The poison of asps is under their lips";¹⁴ "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." ¹⁵ "Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶ destruction and misery are in their ways; ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known." ¹⁸ "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

That is only half the picture.  Mankind is absolutely sinful, but God is absolutely good.  As fierce as His wrath burns towards sin, His gracious love towards man glows bright.  Jeremiah 31:3 says, "The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you."  It is also written in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17:  "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work."  We are sinners, and there is grace in God.  The way to receive of this grace is to repent and receive forgiveness for sins (Luke 24:47).  God promised in 2 Chronicles 7:14, "...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."  As Christians we must repent, believe on the LORD Jesus, and then we can obey and serve Him.

If we want to go to heaven, then Christ is the only way (John 14:6).  Only His blood can wash away the stain of sin, and only He can provide the robe of righteousness needed to gain heavenly entry.  Even after receiving Christ, we have no rights as slaves - only God's grace as adopted sons.  Heed therefore the words of Romans 13:11-14:  "And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. ¹² The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."  God has said "Be holy, for I am holy."  He's talking to me, and He's talking to you.