Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve

In the last chapter of the book of Joshua, he proclaims God’s message to the people of Israel. God uses Joshua to remind His people of the many ways in which He has worked in their lives over the years. At the end of this narrative, Joshua says to the Israelite nation, "Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:14-15 NIV)

There is no more important decision in a lifetime than the decision for an individual to serve the Lord God. In today’s world, we have so many things battling for our time. We may not have the other “gods” that Joshua mentions, but we certainly have the “gods” of TV, sports, work and St. Mattress. It is so easy to get wrapped up in life that we often neglect the serving of our Lord. Instead, we allow the things of this world to consume us; leaving us no time for God.

Equally important is the decision that an entire household will serve God. What is being taught to your children? The amount of time that your children see you devoting to God, whether it be in your daily Bible reading, your attendance to worship, or serving the needs of others, will have a direct impact on their spiritual lives. All parents have an incredible responsibility to demonstrate a fully devoted life to the Lord. This, of course, is a daunting task, but one which will pay off in exponential dividends.

Also, do not forget Joshua’s warning to the Israelites, “If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.” (Joshua 24:20 NIV) Peter gives us the same warning in his letter to the churches in Asia Minor. “If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.” (2 Peter 2:20-21 NIV) Joshua and Peter both paint a very grim picture of the calamity that will befall any who turn their back on the God they once worshiped.

God created the human race and He has called all of us to a life with Him. He has given us the choice whether or not to answer that call. For those who choose God, we are promised a blessed life; not a life free of pain or suffering, but a life full of the riches of God. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:7-8 NIV)

I urge you, as one who is unworthy, but has accepted the fullness of His grace, to choose, this day, to serve the Lord!

Joyful Sorrow

At 10:19 pm, on Sunday, May 1st, while sitting on my couch watching TV, I received a text from my mother that said, “Have you seen the news!?!?” Without asking why, I immediately switched from my DVR to live TV and saw that Osama Bin Laden had been killed in a strategic military strike just hours earlier. That moment will be forever burned into my memory, just as the Challenger explosion, the Discovery disintegration and most of all, the events of September 11, 2001.

I find myself conflicted.

This week, Americans have a reason to celebrate. Our “Public Enemy No. 1” has been eliminated. The news of the death of Osama Bin Laden traveled very quickly (as all news does in our technological age) and thousands of people took to the streets. The media showed videos of triumphal rejoicing in front of the White House, the site of the World Trade Centers and even the home of President George W. Bush.

We, as Americans, should rejoice, right? After all, the attacks on the World Trade Centers, orchestrated by Bin Laden, were the cause of the largest number of deaths in American history; surpassing that of Pearl Harbor. The death of Bin Laden, in many ways, brings closure to the families who lost their father, mother, husband, wife, son or daughter in that tragic moment. His death brings a renewed hope for peace to a still grieving nation; not to mention a renewed confidence in the nearly ten year struggle in which our military has been engaged in the Middle East. Certainly, the killing of Osama Bin Laden was a necessary and positive action on the part of those brave Navy Seals and President Obama, who gave the order.

However, I cannot find joy in the death of another human being. Perhaps my brother put it most plainly in a recent Facebook post: “A little perspective: Jesus loved Bin Laden just as much as he loves you.” The fact is that we all fall short of the glory of God. As much as our humanity does not want to admit it, Christ died for that terrorist just as He died for you and me. If it were not for the blood of Jesus, there are none of us who would be worthy of a crown of righteousness.

Today, there is a man who never knew Christ, the Savior. There is a man who never came in contact with the Savior’s blood. There is a man who never knew the true Jehovah God. Rather than rejoice over the death of an enemy, perhaps we should mourn the loss of a soul.

“Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,
lest the Lord see it and be displeased,
and turn away his anger from him.” (Proverbs 24:17-18 ESV)

May God bless America. May God continue to bring comfort and strength to those who lost loved ones on that fateful 9/11. May your light shine as a beacon in the night to the lost souls of this world.

And, thank you to the men and women who put their lives on the line daily to protect us. May God bless you and your family!

Whose Job Is It?

The Christian singing group, Acappella, sings a song called Everybody Said. The song (lyrics below) is performed in a humorous manner with a Jamaican accent, but it reveals a very sad truth among Christians. There are so many good works that need to be done in our world for the Kingdom of God but it seems that everyone expects someone else to do them. At what point does it become your own responsibility? So often, Christians look around, see things that need to be done, and then say, “Someone ought to take care of that,” while never being willing to take action themselves.

It is all too common that people within the church will expect the paid staff or the elders and deacons to take care of all of the work done by the church. Certainly, the ministers, elders and deacons should be doing the work of the church, but the Bible does not limit good Christian works to only ministers, elders and deacons. According to James, it is the responsibility of every Christian to go around doing good.

James writes, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27 NIV) He goes on to say, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:14-17 NIV)

Doing good is also not limited to caring for the orphaned or widowed; although these are mighty acts. There are plenty of people who are sick and in need of a visit. There are Bible classes that need to be taught. There is someone who needs a ride to church or perhaps to the doctor. There is a lawn that needs to be mowed or a couch that needs to be moved. There are even those that are in need of money to put gas in the car so that they can simply get their kids to school.

We are all busy. Everyone has a job, or kids, or ailing parents, or chores. However, it’s not about being busy. It’s about seeing a need in somebody or in the church or in the community and showing your love for Christ by showing your love to others. Christ has called the faithful to a higher standard; a standard that is worthy of the cross. How is it possible to accept the cross of Christ yet reject the opportunity to serve others in His name?

There is a list of deeds which you have done in faithfulness to God. Does your list contain several pages or only a line or two? When the day comes that Christ returns to take the faithful home to be with him, may you hear the sweet words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:26 NIV)


Everybody Said by Acappella

Chorus:
Everybody said that anybody could do
The important things somebody should do
Everybody knows that anybody could do
All the good things that nobody did

Well the preacher came to me and said what I ought to do
If I wanted to make my religion true
He'd do it himself but he really didn't have the time
He said that the duty was mine

Repeat Chorus

Well the deacon came by and said give me a hand
If you want to be going to the promised land
Here is something that I don't have time to do
So I better give it to you

Repeat Chorus

Well I'm too busy so I tell everybody
The work's got to get done by somebody
It can be done by anybody
But nobody (nobody), nobody (nobody), nobody did

Repeat Chorus

All the good things that nobody did

Faith Through the Storm

This has been a particularly difficult week. Certain events have taken place which have caused people to examine their faith in the Almighty Creator. It seems that anytime particularly difficult times arise, the question is asked, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” The simple answer is that we are human and we live in a world which is fading away, however, that answer just doesn’t seem to provide much comfort.

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45 NIV) It becomes immediately clear that God does not play favorites. Later we find James stating, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.” (James 1:13 NIV) We, as humans, are sometimes so quick to blame God for the difficulties in our life.

So, if good and evil befall both the righteous and the unrighteous, then how are we to respond to the calamities of life? James says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4 NIV)

God does not cause storms to happen but he does expect us to weather them. When we keep our eyes focused on God through the storm, we will come out on the other side stronger and more convicted in our faith.

We are so blessed to have a Father who holds his hand outstretched, straining to grab hold of our shattered lives. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1 NIV)

Trivial Bickering

As a parent, I get so frustrated when my kids argue over who had what toy or who gets to climb into the car first. I really don’t care who had the toy first or who gets in the car first. I just want my kids to get along and to live in harmony with each other. It seems that my kids actually find themselves in trouble more often for fighting with each other over trivial things than they do for “breaking the rules”.

I often wonder if God weeps when his children bicker over issues that are of no relevance to His Kingdom. The list is so long! The color of the carpet, worship time and format, too many new songs (or old songs), doilies in the communion bread tray, individual pieces of cracker or one large piece, décor of the church building, and the list just goes on and on and on. In fact, so much time is spent arguing over these things that there is little time left for visiting the sick or saving the lost!

As children of God, we have a higher calling. We are called to praise God, to share the good news of Christ to the world and to care for the downtrodden. Why do we waste our energies arguing over so many things that will do nothing for our salvation, and in fact, will only aide Satan in getting a foothold in our life? The world does not want to be a part of a group of Christians who do nothing but fight over trivialities. It’s time to re-evaluate what matters to God and work to accomplish those goals. If it is not a matter of the soul of a man, then it does not matter to our Father.

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation…” (Philippians 2:14-15 NIV)

Where Does Honesty Begin and End?

“Honesty is the best policy.” You have heard this proverb all your life and you most likely strive to model it every day. But where does honesty truly begin and end? You may say that you are an honest person (and you probably are) but there is some aspect in your life where you are not completely honest; either with yourself, with others or with God. Maybe you don’t always follow the speed limit—ok, so everyone is guilty there—or perhaps you spend too much time online while at work. Your lack of honesty may be something that simple, that trivial. It could be that you are not being honest with your spouse about where you are spending your evenings or you are not being honest with the IRS about the amount of money that you gave to charitable contributions. I dare say that no one is without a skeleton in the closet whose name is Honesty.

It also seems that if you are dishonest with yourself long enough, you will finally believe it as the truth. Many friendships, marriages and jobs have ended because of a “dishonest truth”. There is always a need to examine your life and to ask yourself if you are being honest in all of your relationships and dealings. It is important to review your motives for certain activities to make sure that they are true. Job said, “If I have walked in falsehood or my foot has hurried after deceit, let God weigh me in honest scales and he will know that I am blameless.” (Job 31:5, 6 NIV)

We will all give account to God someday. May your honesty tip God’s scales.

What About Love?

My heart is continually plagued by the judgmental attitudes of Christians. To qualify this statement, let me say that I am not talking about using the Bible to judge an action as sinful. For example, lying is a sin, as is murder and sex outside of marriage. What plagues me is that Christians have a tendency to write off the sinner rather than to choose love; rather than to walk with the sinner as they journey toward Jesus.

I believe that it is human nature to rank sin. We say stuff like, “It’s just a little white lie,” while in God’s eyes, a sin, by any other name, is still a sin. I am amazed that even in Jesus’ church; Christians decide who is ‘good enough’ to be a part of the church. If two men holding hands were to walk into the assembly, what would be the reaction of the church? In some places, they would be greeted; while in others, they would be shunned and perhaps, even asked to leave.

Now, am I condoning sinful behavior? Absolutely not! However, which of us is without sin? Which of us, without the grace of God Almighty, could ever dream of a life spent eternally in heaven? Truth be told, we are all unworthy. There is not a person who has ever lived who is deserving of the cross of Christ; but it was freely given.

The story is told of a man who wanted to see the king. A large crowd had gathered and it was impossible for this man to work his way through the crowd. Desperate to get a brief glimpse of royalty, the man climbed into a tree. As the royal procession passed by the tree, the king stopped and said to the man, “Hey Zak, come sit with me in my carriage. Share with me the fruits and chocolates that I am enjoying.”

Amazed that the king knew his name, Zak joined him in the carriage but the people in the crowd began asking questions such as, “Why does the king want to speak with that man? He is nothing more than a liar and a cheat.”

When the king heard the grumbling crowd he said, “This man is also a part of our kingdom and as such, I have chosen to overlook his shortcomings so that he can begin a fresh new life that brings honor to our kingdom.” This was the first time Zak had experienced love from anyone, let alone the king.

When Zak met the king, it was a defining moment in his life. For the first time, he was not just a man labeled; but rather, he was a man who had been loved. This was the moment where he realized that his life had meaning and that he was important.

When was the last time that you overlooked the sin of a person and saw the potential that they had in Christ? It may be that this person will struggle with their sin for the rest of their life but, they are willing to walk alongside you in a journey toward Christ.

What about love? It should be the driving force of any Christian. It should be the first thing that someone notices about a Christian. Love is what defines Christianity…and not just any love, but the love of Christ; the love that says, “You are terribly flawed, but I will love you anyway because Christ loves me. We are going to work on that sin problem together for the rest of our lives and we will not give up on each other because Christ has not given up on you or me.”

It’s time to redefine what love is. Love is not looking the other way while someone continues in a life of sin, nor is love writing someone off because of their sin. Rather, love is walking alongside each other in a quest for the righteousness of God because of His glorious grace!