Choose the narrow way. Find life!

There is a real case to be made for choosing to live God's way in this world. His way leads to life; and not just eternal life, but to 'abundant life.' With the advantage of having lived a half-century I can say I am so grateful for all those people who, over the years, pointed me to the 'Way' and encouraged me, again and again, to respond to the Spirit's call with a ready 'Yes!' As a result I do not have to live with a ton of regrets and a list of 'what might have beens.' No, I am not polishing my halo! I've made quite a few detours from the Way and done my share of stupid tricks. I've failed God and others from time to time. But, overall, my life has been lived with God as the center and with an overall desire to discover and live in His will. And, to this day, I have no regrets about that. I've missed out on a few experiences as a result of choosing obedience to God over self expression. I have no record of arrests, no skeletons in the closet to hide, and I can look every woman I know in the eyes without shame over what was done in the dark. Living in God's way has kept me from sins that could have prevented me from my enjoyment of a solid marriage, the love of my adult children, a wide circle of friends, and a career in church work that provides more than adequately for my needs. By some measures I suppose my life would not be judged a successful one. I don't have a big retirement account. I live in a comfortable but modest house. I cannot lay any claims to fame. But, it is a good life, full of God's Grace - and that satisfies me.


Please do not read this TFTD as a Pharisee's self-congratulation. I know full well that who I am today and those things that I count to my credit are the result of God's grace and the investment of good people in me. What I am trying to illustrate is that there are good reasons to encourage others to say "yes" to God's invitation to follow Christ. Though there are some hard choices and required self-denial, there are rewards, too. I have to ask: Do we make that case strongly enough? Do we make it plain that life offers us two roads - a wide one that looks great and leads to a dead-end of destruction or a narrow one that looks hard but leads us to a life that is rich and full of those things that are of true and eternal value? Do we talk only about the Cross of Christ and seldom of the Crown of life? Jesus said it plainly: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matthew 7:13-14, NKJV)


Perhaps a false modesty causes us to feel that just coming out and saying, "serving Christ is the best way to live and here's why!" I know I am reluctant to say that because I fear that my words will be read as prideful. But if we don't tell others what the Lord has done for us, why would they choose to love and serve Him? The Psalmist says, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has saved you from your enemies." ... “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for all his wonderful deeds to them. For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." (Psalm 107:1-2, 6-9, NLT)


In his letter to the Galatians, Paul contrasts two ways of life. As you read, ask the Spirit of God to lead you to choose the way of life.

" So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:16-25, NIV)

A God-centered, Christ-redeemed, Spirit-filled person will live a life that is demonstrably
different from those who walk apart from God, without His life in them.Does His Light shine in you?
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Proverbs 4:18-19 (The Message)

The ways of right-living people glow with light;
the longer they live, the brighter they shine.
But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker—
travelers can’t see a thing; they fall flat on their faces.

Keep yourself pure!

I am not a prude (defined as 'a person of excessive modesty') but I am outraged by the torrent of sexuality that has swept over our culture like a tsunami wave. I am not sure that young adults in America even know the meaning of friendship or true beauty any longer. Many young men are convinced that the only way to relate to women is genitally. The entertainment industry has so sexualized the standard of 'beauty' for women that many constantly dress like prostitutes. In what I believe is one of the most tragic developments of our time, many of our young women (yes, even adolescent girls!) have come to believe that the only way to be valuable is to be sexual. Foul men stand ready to exploit this mistaken value system. Hugh Hefner, of Playboy fame, started the industry of exploitation 50 years ago. From his airbrushed pictures of naked women, the industry devolved to things like the coarse 'entertainment' produced by Jim Francis called - "Girls Gone Wild" - featuring drunk college girls in various states of nudity, and explicit pornography available on Main Street, Anytown, USA.


Even Christians have been overwhelmed by the tide! The majority of couples that come to me to be married are already living together and they have no sense that they are acting in an immoral way. Christian teens and young adults publish songs, photos, and poems on their MySpace of such explicitness that the material makes me blush! Christian men are consuming pornography at nearly the same rates as non-Believers. Nobody, it seems, knows the meaning of moral purity. The Bible calls us to a different standard. "Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is really an idolater who worships the things of this world." (Ephesians 5:3-5, NLT)


This TFTD is not a call to return to Victorian prudery! I don't think that pretending sex does not exist is any kind of answer to immorality. Nor must all Christians aspire to celibacy; unwilling to be real, live, warm-blooded men and women who feel and experience sexual passion. What we must do is to return sex to the place of exclusivity that God gave to it. "Honor marriage, and guard the sacredness of sexual intimacy between wife and husband. God draws a firm line against casual and illicit sex." (Hebrews 13:4, The Message) Christians must reclaim sex from the gutter. We need to affirm the spiritual aspect of human sexuality. Having sex must have more significance to us than having a hamburger. Both satisfy an appetite, but a meal is just that. Sex satisfies a physical need, but carries a much deeper meaning with it as well.


The physical union of sexual intercourse creates a spiritual bond. Consider what God says. "There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.” Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never “become one.” There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for “becoming one” with another." (1 Corinthians 6:16-18, The Message)


Believer, one of the ways that you and I must be remarkably different from our world is in the area of sexual purity. Our lives should be notable for the way we celebrate our sexuality - wholly and holy - in a God-honoring manner. We cannot allow ourselves to become scolds and nags, wagging our condemning finger at those who are duped by the lies of this sensual culture. We must not imply that sex is ugly or base or vile! That was the course chosen by others that helped to get this culture to its present state. Instead, we must speak of sex in terms that honor God's gift of maleness and femaleness. Christian men can and should be virile without needing to lust after every attractive woman they see. Christian women must recover true beauty, in body and spirit, without adopting a whorish appearance or a sluttish attitude


Today, ask the Lord to help His people to begin anew. Pray for a wholeness of mind and heart in terms of sexuality. If you've fallen into sinful impurity, commit yourself to a restoration - starting today.

Make this your prayer, for God's sake.

Psalm 101:1-6 (NIV)

1 I will sing of your love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will sing praise.
2 I will be careful to lead a blameless life— when will you come to me? I will walk in my house with blameless heart.
3 I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me.
4 Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil.
5 Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure.
6 My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he whose walk is blameless will minister to me.

Amen.

Can He trust you?

I tuned into "Dateline" last night and saw another sad episode of "To catch a predator." In case you have not watched, it is a show in which men who have engaged in explicit sexual online conversations with police officers who pose as 13 year boys or girls are invited to a home to meet their prey. In reality, they are only going to meet the police. Once there, some are brazen in their attempts to lie their way out of their predicament., Some are pathetic as they realize that they are facing a tough time at home and/or at work when they have to explain their choices. Most grow apologetic when they see the Chris Harris and the TV cameras. They are charged with crimes, depending on the statutes of the state in which Dateline is operating. And - their double life is exposed. It is a tragedy all around - for children they may have exploited prior to being caught; for wives at home, most of whom have no idea of the secret sordid lives of their husbands, and for the men who are enslaved by lust and who are unwilling to seek out the help they need to overcome their sin. These men are not all 'losers,' either. Clergymen, physicians, teachers, lawyers, tradesmen with steady jobs and good homes are all in the mix!


My Bible readings this week have taken me to the book of Daniel, in preparation for the class I'll teach this evening. As much as anything in that book, I am captivated by his amazing integrity. As a teenage boy, taken by the Babylonians into servitude, far from home and under great pressure to conform, he held to principle over expedience. Throughout his life, he held onto that honesty. As a result, he became a trusted advisor to 4 kings, with a career that spanned about 70 years. If you know his story, you are aware that he and his friends paid a dear price, more than once, for their refusal to 'go along to get along!' They made a trip through a fiery furnace and he through a night in a den of hungry lions! As an old man, his reputation was stellar, such that when Belshazzar, the king, needed someone to interpret a troubling vision, he was told to call Daniel. Those who recommended him, knew that Daniel would not sugarcoat the message, would not bend the words to appease the king. When he appeared before the terrified king, he was offered wealth and privilege to tell the meaning of the handwriting on the wall. Here is Daniel's response. “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means." (Daniel 5:17, NIV) In other words, "I am not for sale!"


Are you for sale? It is said that every person has a price. I don't want to believe that, but there is certainly a mountain of evidence that lends credence to the idea that for the right amount of money, for 15 minutes of fame; people will sell their souls. Do you have a price? Are you worthy of trust, a person of solid character all the way to the core? Is there a level at which you will compromise your integrity?


Those are painful questions but we need to ask them often of ourselves. Hidden compromise and secret sin is a source of rot in our souls. It isn't just about lust like that which is featured on Dateline. It could be financial irresponsibility, abuse of alcohol or drugs, flirting with members of the opposite sex when you travel, feigned spirituality, hatred hidden deep under layers of sweet talk - any situation where you know that in your heart you are not the person others believe you to be.


The only cure is confession! Getting honest - with yourself, with God, and with others - is the way that we become people who can be trusted, whose lives are marked with integrity. Deal ruthlessly with any areas of rot in your life, friend - for God's sake. Quit making excuses, blaming somebody else, or looking for loopholes. Call it what it is. And, find a confessor. Millions have found freedom from terrible habits and/or addictions in 12 Step groups. Is it because they find some amazing revelation there? No, not at all. It is where they start to tell the truth. When they have to say it out loud, in front of others who once told the same lie, they have to deal with it.


Value integrity like a treasure. It is! Nothing makes a person more admirable, more respected, than integrity. Jesus demands it from us. He said, "Let your Yes mean Yes... nothing more, nothing less!"


Here's a word from the Word for your meditation today. It points the way to integrity, to a life that can be lived in the light without fear."If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin. If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing." (1 John 1:6-9, The Message)

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

He makes me crazy!

So, have you ever been offended? Silly question, right? Everybody gets mad at somebody, sometime. Wives make their husbands angry. Husbands leave the toilet seat up! Neighbors get angry and build fences. Nations make war. We human beings are offended - constantly, it seems. Too many times to count, I have found myself with a pounding heart, gripped with anger, over some perceived encroachment in my life by another. The source of the offense can be something as trivial as a person who drives too slowly in the fast lane on the Interstate highway. The larger question is not - will I be offended, or even why am I offended? The truly important issue for us as Christ's followers is - how will I respond when I feel offended? The Bible says, "The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, And his glory is to overlook a transgression. " (Proverbs 19:11, NKJV)

As I shepherd God's people, the one thing I do as much as any other is soothe people's ruffled feelings! When marriages hit a rough spot on life's road, I work with the couple to help them discover a way back to harmony. When Believers disagree, I attempt to create a sense of shared vision once again. And let me tell you the real truth - sometimes the very fact that someone in my flock has taken offense, offends me! How's that for a complicated mess? I feel the stir of irritation, from time to time, thinking - "how could something so relatively unimportant become such an issue to her?" Then, I recall my own times of offense, when sleep has been robbed, when I have found myself thinking unholy thoughts about another. And, with distance and perspective I, too, see how those troubled moments were the result of some little issue, unworthy of the depth of emotion I invest in it!

Offense almost always grows in self-love, self-concern; doesn't it? Yes, of course, I've heard about 'righteous indignation.' And, I've read about Jesus' anger when He cleared the money changers out of the Temple, offended at their blatant greed and abuse of people who came to worship. But, our offense is seldom about such weighty issues, is it? We get worked up because someone parks in our spot, sits in our pew, fails to show expected appreciation for our service, and/or fails to meet our expectation in some way or another. All this is a symptom of a greater need, to feel that we have worth, that we are valued. That's a legitimate need. But how we meet it is important. If we gauge our personal worth by measuring the response of other people to us, we will spend inordinate amounts of time angry or in despair. People are often insensitive or just plain thoughtless. They will fail to appreciate or even see our contribution to their lives.

As we mature, both emotionally and spiritually, we develop genuine self-esteem as we come to understand the strengths and weaknesses in ourselves. We learn how to 'fit' in our place in this world, accepting who we are and needing less and less affirmation from others in order to feel 'worth.' The key to this serenity is the love of God! The great message of grace is that God, because of Jesus' sacrifice for our sins, forgives us, removes our shame and guilt, and restores our dignity. We, who were broken by sin in ourselves and by the sins of others, are called 'children of God!' And we are not just tolerated kids, either. We are His beloved sons and daughters. Here is the kernel of truth about this. The more we are filled with the Spirit of God, the less we will grow offended.

Pondering John's letter to Believers this morning, I saw again, how important it is for me to receive God's love for myself. He writes, "See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are! But the people who belong to this world don’t know God, so they don’t understand that we are his children. Yes, dear friends, we are already God’s children, and we can’t even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who believe this will keep themselves pure, just as Christ is pure." (1 John 3:1-3, NLT)

As he develops the thought, inspired by God's Spirit, John reaches this conclusion - "This is the message we have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was right. So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to eternal life. But a person who has no love is still dead. Anyone who hates another Christian is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them. We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. And so we also ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters." (1 John 3:11-16, NLT)

In summary, what John teaches us is this - "to the extent that we are in the love of God, we will express love to others." If we are constantly offended, it should signal a basic spiritual need to us; a need that cannot be met by any living person, but that can be completely met by God, who is Love Personified.

Does she make you crazy? Does he drive you over the edge?

Not really, friend. Those are responses we choose. Let God love you today. Take His grace to heart.... really!! And you will find yourself at peace- loved, and therefore, loving. "There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first." (1 John 4:18-19, The Message)

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How Deep The Father's Love For Us - Townend, Stuart

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the man upon a cross.
My sin upon His shoulders;
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers.

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished;
His dying breath has brought me life -
I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything,
No gifts, no power, no wisdom;
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer.
But this I know with all my heart,
His wounds have paid my ransom.

© 1995 Kingsway's Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) CCLI License No. 810055

Planned Obsolescence

Did you know that many products are designed with a limited life cycle so that we will be forced to buy new? Microsoft, for example, after a few years no longer offers support to the older computer operating systems forcing us to upgrade to their new products. I am told that light bulbs that would last a lifetime could be produced, but manufacturers want them to burn out after a thousand or so hours of usage, so we will buy another. Even the automobile industry changes models with superficial design modifications so that it is possible to recognize a 2004 model from a 2007 model! Humans, being what we are, want the latest and greatest, and so we are caught up in the cycle, often buying something 'new,' not because we actually need it, but just because it gives us a feeling of being 'with the times!'

The Bible says that God created you and me for eternity! We do not become obsolete. Yes, as we age, we may feel like life is passing us by, especially in our current youth-oriented culture. Americans worship youthfulness - the firm bodies, smooth skin, and physical vigor of that time of life. For many the value of aging and the enjoyment of greater productivity and effectiveness that life experience can bring to us is eclipsed by the diminishing stamina, the increase in aches, and yes, the diminishing sexual desire. With a fervency approaching the ridiculous we try to hang onto our youth. If you doubt me on that, explain all the products that are successfully marketed that serve no purpose other than maintaining the illusion of unending youth for us.

Though we live about 70 years here on earth, give or take a decade or two, God has given you and me the promise of eternal life in His Presence. The Scripture says, "He has set eternity in our hearts!"

Believer in order to finish well in this life- with honor intact, and a record of achievement that honors the Lord- we need to take seriously the encouragement of the Word that teaches us to "keep our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven." (Hebrews 12:2, NLT) Why did Jesus finish the plan of God? Because He knew there was something on the other side of the Cross! If we have only a vague, fuzzy idea about eternity; if Heaven is just a concept 'out there somewhere' for us, then we will become slaves of the present, fighting the process of aging with every pill and cream we can lay our hands on. But, if we are loving and serving a living God, making the connection to Eternity on a daily basis, we will move steady on through life - accepting each season with grace - and becoming increasingly ready to ''go home" to our true and eternal house, not made with human hands, in which there are no products created by engineers with the idea of planned obsolescence!

Friend, is Heaven in your heart? Are you taking joy in life today, maximizing the opportunities to serve and love God, because the Holy Spirit has already made you alive for eternity through Jesus Christ?
Please do not think I am talking about detaching from life here and attempting to escape the very real challenges of living in this present world by fantasizing about heaven. I am talking about making life a richer, fuller, more productive experience because of the hope of Heaven that gives our struggles meaning and that helps us choose the path of right living.

Let me leave you with these words from the Word. Ponder them deeply and invite the Spirit to give you eyes to see Heaven on the horizon of your time here on this planet."We know that the same God who raised our Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself along with you. All of these things are for your benefit. And as God’s grace brings more and more people to Christ, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever. For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down—when we die and leave these bodies—we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands." (2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1, NLT)
__________________________________________________

I know not why God's wondrous grace
To me He hath made known;
Nor why, unworthy,
Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own
But "I know whom I have believed,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I've committed,
Unto Him against that day."

I know not what of good or ill
May be reserved for me.
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see.
But "I know whom I have believed,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I've committed,
Unto Him against that day."

© Public Domain

I Know Whom I Have Believed
Whittle, Major Daniel W. / McGranahan, James