The Home of the Brave

I was born and raised in the United States, the "land of the free and the home of the brave."  Freedom has been one of the great hallmarks celebrated by many in American culture:  freedom of speech, freedom to bear arms, freedom to assemble, freedom of religion, and more lately freedom for gays to marry.  A potential landmark case is being heard in the U.S. Supreme Court which seemingly pits religious freedom against discrimination.  A baker who declined to make a cake for a same-sex wedding in Colorado ran afoul of State law and appealed his case to the Supreme Court.

I remember as a kid reading signs on the doors and windows of restaurants which said, "No shirt, no shoes, no service!"  It makes sense if an entrepreneur decides to own and run a restaurant which serves the public, it is their rightful place - ultimately for the good or bad of the business - to place restrictions on the conditions of service.  A CNN article says the baker also refused to make Halloween cakes, but apparently he was not taken to court over it.  The Supreme Court now is tasked to weigh the right of religious freedom against a "license to discriminate," as an ABC article puts it.  A quote from the ACLU lawyer concluded the article:  "I worry about what the world looks like if the bakery prevails."  I do not worry, and I hold the opposite view.  What will America look like when an entrepreneur is only free to say yes?  What kind of warped freedom is this?

One thing is for certain:  if the baker does not prevail, America can no longer claim to be the land of the free.  It is truly said freedom is never free.  But there are many who are brave to stand up for what they believe to be true.  Their bravery, as this courageous baker who has paid dearly for his refusal to earn money by compromising his principles, will continue to be on display in America and across the world where the tyranny against God reveals itself.  The Supreme Court contrary to God's Law made a ruling to legalise same-sex marriage in America, and now the same Court may decide a man cannot legally refuse to perform a service in the public sphere.  This is not surprising or shocking.  This is the world we live in, when governments and courts legislate godless morality and those who fear God must make the brave choice.

I commend this baker and many like him who have chosen to honour God at a high personal cost.  His brave approach to this ongoing saga - which will not end when the gavel comes down - embodies the courageous and fearless heart which truly fears God.  It is admirable for a man to stand for what he believes even when he stands to lose much he has laboured for, knowing his future is safe in God's hands.  By God's grace I too am prepared to lovingly stand for my Saviour.  This freedom and power afforded us in Christ no government, court, or legislation can take from us.  When we freely stand up for God there is none who can stand against us.  Even in the face of death, the God who abides in us empowers us to be brave and strong.  Like William Wallace said in the movie "Braveheart," "They may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom."

A Proverb and Byword

The lives of people we observe are like books which instruct the wise.  They provide examples of what to do and what not to do.  In this case even a "bad" example can be a useful one.  The failures of others and the painful consequences are warnings to all who will take heed.  Because God loves us, He issues specific warnings so we will know right from wrong and the certain awful results of sin.  Every man must decide for himself if he will submit to God's Word in obedience or not.

God provided a warning to King Solomon after the temple was built in Jerusalem.  God answered Solomon's prayer to make the Temple His house of sacrifice, a holy place sanctified by God's presence.  Though God graciously granted this request, God also issued a warning Solomon and all would do well to heed.  With the knowledge God has made born-again Christians the temple of the Holy Spirit, consider the implications of this warning in 2 Chronicles 7:19-20:  "But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, ²⁰ then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples."  After Solomon and others turned to idolatry, God did exactly as He said He would do.  The Temple was pulled down and the rubble burnt.  And He has done this to the lives of the undiscerning many times since.

There is no shortage of people who began following Jesus faithfully but turned aside.  Over the years there have been many prominent pastors and Christians whose private failings were publicised.  The shame of scandal is not only reserved for pastors or televangelists but shame is truly the result for every Christian who turns away from the LORD, sinning against the One they claim to fear and love.  My, how unbelievers delight to see others fall!  I am sure you could rattle off a few notable Christians who fell into sins like greed, lust, deceit or pride and are no longer fit for ministry.  They were as the lights in Shiloh which burned bright and hot for a season when the Tabernacle housed the Ark of the Covenant, but God caused them to be extinguished because of sin.  It is not our role to judge them but as we pass by anyone can see there are only burnt stones where once a ministry flourished.

No one wants to be a "proverb and a byword."  A proverb in this sense is a simile, kind of like a fable with a true moral everyone should take to heart.  Sodom became a proverb, a permanent illustration of God's judgment and the results of sin.  A "byword" is a "taunt or gibe."  It is something which gives others ammunition to mock and ridicule, like one who has fallen in the mud everyone sees, has a bit of a laugh at, and perhaps even kicks them for good measure.  History reveals there are some who remain a proverb and byword, and there are some God graciously delivers from such an end.  Pastors who fell in sin have been restored, perhaps not to their former glory as with the second Temple compared to Solomon's Temple, but restored before God and man nevertheless.

The moral of the story?  Let us not turn away from God and forsake His statues and commandments.  The lure of self and idolatry for every believer are very real, and like the wise Solomon we will at times fail. Examining ourselves according to God's standard in His Word is crucial, and repentance is imperative.  Is there a one among us who is content for God to cast us out of His sight?  When confronted by the words of the prophet Samuel the High Priest Eli was resigned rather than repentant.  May our lives be a testimony of the grace, goodness, and provision of God rather than what not to do - a proverb and byword which dishonours our glorious God.

God's Treasures

When I was a kid I had a wooden box in which I stashed my "treasures."  The objects placed in the box had no resale value but for some reason I liked to collect them.  In the box were keys I had found, stickers with my name on them, ticket stubs to baseball games I attended, and random raffle tickets.  Looking back there were a lot of strange things I collected:  bones, baseball cards, rocks, and action figures.  Some things I collected had a small amount of monetary value, but the majority of it could be classified "junk."  Where it has gone I do not know, but I know where it belongs:  in the bin!

In the same way a parent raises their eyebrows at the worthless sort of stuff kids love to collect, I wonder how God loves me.  I receive His love gladly but at the same time know I do not deserve it.  That God would love sinners and make them His greatest treasures is beyond my comprehension.  He does not merely lift us out of the gutter or from the scrap heap of life, but He raises our carcasses dead in sins to new life and adopts us as His special children.  God even keeps notes concerning our conversation as it is written in Malachi 3:16-17:  "Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who meditate on His name. ¹⁷ "They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "on the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him."

There is space in the church and in heaven for all people who repent and trust in Jesus Christ.  God will not refuse any who rely upon Him, for He has plenty of room.  We are not like dusty relics stowed away in a box which are easily forgotten, but a place in heaven is being prepared for us.  Daily we can experience fellowship with God in His presence, for the Holy Spirit dwells in each of us.  Also Jesus has promised that wherever even two or three gather in His name, there He is in the midst of them.  He is the One who has called us and grafted us into the Body of Christ, uniting all Christians as one.

The things we treasure as children we gladly part with later, but God delights in us as our love of Him develops and grows.  God will not part with you any more than a sane person would part with an eye or a leg on a whim.  I am overwhelmed to consider God, who can make all things new from scratch, desires to be glorified through the life of a sinner He has made a saint.  God demonstrated His love by dying on the cross to atone for our sin and purchase us with His own blood (Acts 20:28).  Amazing, that we would be counted among God's precious treasures!

Who Do You Love?

"Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. ¹⁵ He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him. ¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation."

Psalm 91:14-16

God makes amazing promises to those who set their love upon Him.  This is to be an exclusive and special love, even as a husband loves his wife or a parent loves their child.  My love of God is a response to His unfailing love which He graciously has extended to me.  Those who set their love upon God, having trusted Him for salvation, find all other genuine loves flow from this supreme one.

These promises God offers are conditional upon our obedience to Him.  1 John 5:1-3 says, "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. ² By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. ³ For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome."  It is not a burdensome thing for us to love One who has demonstrated His love towards us.  Many times people love and desire others who refuse every advance, but God has extended love to all people.  He did not wait for us to "make the first move" but has created us, spoken to us, revealed Himself to us, and offered Himself for us on Calvary.

There are many who profess to love God, and God knows who loves Him in truth.  All who love Him will be the joyful recipients of God's deliverance, enjoy God's presence, be satisfied, and receive eternal salvation.  All these benefits of knowing and loving God are not the primary motivation for loving God.  We are not to set our love upon deliverance from trouble or salvation but upon God.  If we only love the benefits God provides we are only loving ourselves.  When we love someone, we want to be with them.  Jesus Christ was called "Immanuel" which means, "God with us."  He must certainly love us to choose to be with us, much less die for us!  God is worthy to be loved; He is worthy to be praised and exalted.