Present Faith

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. (Hebrews 1:1-2)

God has often said in His Word that we should remember many things that He has said and done; also, to hope about many things to come. That is things in the past, and things in the future. They shape our present, faith.

It is the faith (in Christ) that we hold onto in the present time, which saves us for the life to come. This saving faith is important, and it has never been blind.

Do you want to understand this hope and a future? We must know His Word about what He has done in the past, and what He promises in the future. Only then can faith be lived out, in the present.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

You Have Great Worth--Or, Worthlessness

As people, we generally love to be spoken to about our great value, worth, and greatness. Tell us we are wonderful, and we believe you have a wonderful message. We eat it up. While the Bible says a few things about our worth, it always has a connection to faith in God, as the gateway to that value. We derive worth not just because we exist, and not even just because God made us. Don't believe me? Consider this: What good will one's personal value do if they die apart from God and find themselves in hell? Apparently, they weren't very valuable.

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

We were purchased with a great price... and if we realize that, then we realize we are not our own. It is from God, and through God, that we get our worth. Consequently, it is in FAITH in Him who purchased us Who gives us value. Apart from Him, and apart from that faith that saves, we are not valuable.

"All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:12)

Worthless. That's a strong word. If someone ever tells you of your great intrinsic or even God-given worth, but in the same breath does not tell you about the Savior Who died to give worth, then take heed. We don't need more convincing of our own worth. Our own worth won't get us anywhere. What we need is more convincing of HIS WORTH. When we are convinced of that, then we will find our value--in Christ alone.

Still not convinced? Consider Jesus' Words when he spoke of our having value. Again, it was connected to FAITH IN JESUS. If you don't have that... it's a hard truth, but the Bible says, you don't have worth. But, eternal worth is right at your fingertips--IN HIM.

“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 10:26-33)

What Makes A Man

I've heard many opinions from society on what "makes a man". Usually we are told confirmation of our, "man" title isn't based strictly on what lies below... but what lies within, and how that is expressed in action. In some occasions this might be expressed in mercy, while others it is expressed in violence. Often, it is expressed in personal responsibility.

Though I can't say, however, that I've ever heard an opinion from society on what makes a woman, yet the same principal should apply, shouldn't it? There may be some underlying cultural hypocrisy I'm not going to get into, now.

Not to be surprised, society is sure to get some of it right I suppose, but I would say more often than not, gets these judgment's wrong.

Here is a start for both men and women, on "earning" both our "titles".

Now, how are we doing?

-----
1 Timothy 2:7-10
For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.

Toeing the Line of Sin - Righteous fall but rise, and the wicked stumble.

"for the righteous falls seven times and rises again,
but the wicked stumble in times of calamity" -Proverbs 24:16

What's the difference between the falls of a righteous man who rises, and the wicked who stumbles, in times of calamity? Let me offer this explanation.

Do you ever find yourself toeing the line of sin? Then I suggest you, and I, are like the wicked man. Imagine a chalk white line: on one side is what is sinful, on the other side what is not sinful. Do you make the determination, to merely walk on the sinless side? For safety sake and for what is wise, do you toe the line on the side of what is not sinful, and you feel pretty good about yourself? I find myself doing that, not infrequently...

This is very weak way to live the Christian life. I believe this is the way the wicked man walks, who stumbles in times of calamity.

Living a life devoted to the righteous calling of God, in Christ, doesn't mean we toe the line of sinfulness. We must learn to flee from it, and pursue righteousness. It is not just the choices to not sin, but the choice to pursue righteousness, which leads to a Christ honoring life, filled with the Spirit of God.

What our lives must not look like, is a casual walk on the sinless side of grace, toeing the line of sin. Oh no no, not sinning. Of course that would be wrong. I suggest the wicked man who stumbles in calamity, may make many sinless choices, but toes the line.

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33

Eventually, you see, we all fall. When tribulation comes, the righteous will "fall" and rise again, but the wicked will "stumble". He will find himself in the muck of sin, and he will stay down in it for an indefinite period of time (maybe forever). When we do topple, if we are toeing, then that's the danger. Besides that, why would we want to toe the line? Are we so unconvinced of the glory of God? God convince me... that is my prayer.

When we toe the line, we will cross the line. It is inevitable. No matter how committed we thought we were in our casual toeing, sin-little life, we will eventually find ourselves on the other side. Like the wicked man, we will stumble. Not in the context of an avoidable oops, but in the context of an avoidable mistake we made by our own careless walk. When we toe the line, it's just going to happen--realize it, acknowledge it, and do something about it. We all go down from time to time, when calamity comes.

If we stumble like the wicked man, we won't be able to blame mere happenstance and play the victim. At least, God will know better, and so will many others. If we find our hands in the dirt of sin, it's not because we are without fault. We need to not be so arrogant, but humble, making room for our weakness and the calamities of life we know will come everyone's way.

Instead of toeing the line in a casual walk on this side of grace, we must see it and flee from the line. We must instead pursue righteousness and follow God away from the line.

Let us not gauge how walk today by how well we avoided sin, in toeing the line... but DID WE PURSUE GOD TODAY?

God help us...
---
2 Timothy 2:22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

Shame and Enmity With God

Do you ever feel shame and fear towards God?

“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?””
Genesis 3:8-11 ESV

---

So much to think about here. It’s very sad, really. The Lord God walking seemed a normal occurrence, because they knew His sound as He came around. Adam and Eve’s fearful attempt to hide; clinging for protection to the cover of trees that God made to provide food, shade, and beauty. Never had the trees been used for this purpose before--they now used them to protect themselves from the approaching gaze of the God Who made them. No doubt it’s the first time they were afraid of Him, but they were afraid. They knew that their sin left them naked; not just a topical-physical problem, but a deep-cancerous, problem. Something in them knew that the goodness of God demanded recourse, and they have heard of this thing called “death” before. They knew their actions meant they had to die, whatever that was.

Shame. Fear. Confusion.

“Where are you”, God called out, though no doubt already aware. “What have you been up to?” Can you sense the heart of God, weeping as Jesus wept for us? “Who told you that you were naked?” Can you sense the sadness in this, rhetorical question? It’s all coming apart now.
But then, a promise they didn’t know about. God would put enmity between the deceiver, and the sinner. Rather than destroy them both together, and leave the enmity for being between God and the sinner, God would instead transfer the enmity to be between these two now natural bedfellows--deceiver and sinner. This holy, perfect, and unquestionably-righteous God would do the inconceivable, and separate them. It seemed that they must go together forever now, but God had other plans. His promise would take the enmity between they and Him, placing it instead between the sinner and his sin.

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.””
Genesis 3:15 ESV

So honestly, as you lie in your bed or sit thinking, and consider your sins before God, is there fear and shame? How do you see His judgment going, for you? Is there enmity between you and God? If we aren't in Christ, there should be those things, but it doesn't have to be that way.

If you are ashamed and hiding among the trees, thinking that hiding behind the things God made can save you--know that they cannot save you. You may rightly feel the enmity between you and God right now, but know that Jesus is the hope you have of reconciliation. He walks in the cool of the day and has a promise you never could have achieved on your own. He is your only hope, now. Only God can take that enmity that exists between you and Him, along with your fear and shame. He replaces the fear of certain judgment, and replaces it with the hope (promise) of eternal life.

But there is yet another choice you must make. Will you receive this gift, or will you continue to hide among the trees? God can see right through them and asks, "Where are you?" How we answer that question will determine where that enmity is placed, and where we will be for eternity. The only place we have any hope, is in Christ.

“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.””
John 3:19-21 ESV
----
“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.”
Romans 5:12-17 ESV
http://bible.com/59/rom.5.12-17.esv

Prayer Vigilante

One of the many things I love about Daniel's response to the decree not to pray to God, is that his decision and "method" of prayer was deeply intimate. What I mean is this.

He went to his house to pray. He wasn't hiding, and he wasn't protesting. He was meeting with His father. Daniel saw no reason to voice a protest, or to cease from his prayers. Often overlooked and equally important--he did not become more flamboyant or showy in his prayer. Daniel was just sitting down to pray to His Father, in his house, as He had always done. He wasn't worried about the ignorant decrees that would seek to thwart that.

No protest was organized to stress the need for more prayer in the city and public schools. He knew the futile plans of rebellious hearts were just that. Change of locale to a more central spot to get people's attention, unnecessary. He just went to his private place--his home--where he had to be spied out to be seen by those who knew his routine.

If we ever feel the need to lash out with public protest, and more easily viewed prayer to show people who dispute it how spiritual we are... we might just be demonstrating how spiritual we are not.

“When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.”
Daniel 6:10 ESV

Help me, Ronda.

Help me, Ronda.

(What Ronda needs to know, and what Ellen or better fighting can't give her.)

Yahoo! Story, Link

“Once I got in the medical room and I was down in the corner, I was like, ‘What am I anymore if I’m not this?’” a tearful Rousey admitted to host Ellen DeGeneres. “I was literally sitting there and thinking about killing myself, and that exact second I’m like, ‘I’m nothing. What do I do anymore?’ and ‘No one gives a (expletive) about me anymore without this.’”

The primary contributor to suicide is not a lack of self-love, but a lack of love for God (embracing His love for us). In fact, it is self-love that is a primary contributor to suicide, and death.  It is a distinction that needs to be made and understood by the living who may or may not be considering suicide for a real "solution".

Those who put their faith in things that perish such as their own, will feel worthless when those things perish.  They may rise to the height of their field, or sport, but eventually we all weaken or are just outdone.  True strength does not come in recognizing our own strength, but in recognizing our own feeble weakness.  Inevitably when our idols fall, we will lose hope and fall with them.

Their idols are silver and gold,
    the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak;
    eyes, but do not see.
They have ears, but do not hear;
    noses, but do not smell.
They have hands, but do not feel;
    feet, but do not walk;
    and they do not make a sound in their throat.
Those who make them become like them;
    so do all who trust in them.
(Psalm 115:4-8)

When God commands our worship of Him above all else, it is for our own good and not only because He alone is worthy... though He is.  It is because He alone is worthy that He alone will never leave us disillusioned when we put their faith in Him--unlike everything else.  His strength will never fail.  His rule will always stand, and He will always reign throughout all eternity, regardless of rebellious hearts.  Therefore, it is only those who take refuge in Him, who can ever experience lasting hope.

God's command for you to put your faith and belief in Him only, then, is also the only means that you can have true lasting hope.  God's command for your worship of Him only, is ultimately also His gift to you; true hope, joy, peace, and salvation.  "Worship me. Don't you know all other hope is perishing?"

All the pep-talk in the world, but our strength has limits;our intelligence has limits;  our ability to win has limits.  Someday we will fail, and we will die.  If there was any doubt, there is death.  We cannot defeat the grave.  However, God can, and God has.

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

Even if by some illusion we somehow manage to mask or weakness in supposed strength and subdue the desire for suicide with the deceit of self-importance, self-elevation, self-worth, and self-determination apart from God; prolonging our years so that we reach an otherwise natural death--what will we do in the life to come? How will our strength measure up to the strength of God Whom we should have trusted all along?  Even if a life is spared from suicide by convincing ourselves how important we are of ourselves, the soul that sins will still die in the end.  So then, the false hope that spares from suicide will only prove fatal, in the end.

If we want to have hope that saves from death, and to also give hope, then we must takes God's counsel and worship Him alone above all else.

Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
    he will answer him from his holy heaven
    with the saving might of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They collapse and fall,
    but we rise and stand upright. (Psalm 20:6-8)