Sin and Its Insulting Nature

"Be not deceived, God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap. We as Christians have heard many important sermons, lectures, discussions, arguments and excuses about the nature of sin. We argue over whether our obedience should spring forth from a sense of gratitude or out of a compulsion to fulfill the letter of the law. What we often times do not take into account is the offensive nature of our sin. We are very good at discussing the wages of sin, the outcome of sin, the pitfalls of sin and the coming judgment of sin, but maybe we should look at how sin impacts the one who cannot coexist with unrighteousness, God. Why do you think the verse makes it clear that God is not mocked. What relevance does this have to our sin? Would we really be so brazen as to willingly enter into sin, and then make a mockery of God by sowing seeds of immorality, drunkeness, deceit, selfishness, discord and rebellion and expecting to reap a reward for these deeds? Do we expect that God is some Heavenly schoolmaster who is emotionally detached from those he leads? Are we not to establish, maintain and build a realtionship with God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit? If you had a friendship where someone broke into your house and defiled all that you held dear and then laughed in your face by acting as if nothing ever happened, what would you think of that relationship? How then do you think our Heavenly Father feels when we willfully disregard his laws, and in our human ignorance add insult to injury by acting as if no relationship breach has occurred. We continue on our way, living out our lives in the ignorant in between. Avoid this in between. So, no matter what your reason for obedience to God is, be certain that your continued disobedience has the possibility of wrapping your prayers and pleas to God in an envelope of mockery. If you want to reap a relationship with God, understand that your continued sin hurts you, those around you, and even your future generations, but most importantly it mocks the gift of life that God has graciously given to you.

There is Nothing Special About Me.

The Bible is full of warnings about Satan and his destructive ways. He is even called a roaring lion on the prowl for a tasty Christian-sized snack. I don't know about you, but I somehow have managed to discount this threat because it seems that a lion would attack in such a frontal, in your face assault that you could not help but know it is there. This may seem stupid when applied to one who seeks to destroy, but no one ever said humans were never stupid. What seems less threatening to me and to many other Christians is the more subtle, subversive method that Satan has mastered throughout the ages. I liken it to placing a lobster in a boiling pot vs. placing a lobster in a pot of cold water and heating it. The lobster dies either way, but a whole lot less warning bells go off when that death is gradual. One way that the Father of Lies has done this in my life is to make me feel that I am special. He has mastered the art of making us feel as if our trials are only our own and that no one else in the world has ever felt that way. Why else would on take their own life unless this myopic view of their own misery was primary in their thought process. For many years I felt that no one could understand my trouble and that this was a valid excuse for my isolation. It turns out that the lion had me anyway, he was just toying with me awhile. Never is the devil more successful than when he has us in isolation. It is no coincidence that Jesus was not tempted while he was feeding the 5000, or on the Sea of Galilee with his disciples. He was alone in the desert when temptation came. I am so blessed that today I have come through to the other side, and although there are still daily thoughts that I am unique in my trials and temptations, I know for a fact that there is nothing special about me, and I am happy to rest in that fact.

I Corinthian 10:13The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.















The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. I Corinthians 10:13

Are You Palatable?

As I waded into the turqouise-blue water of the Pacific Ocean, I found myself in a quandary. As I approached the pounding surf, I had to decided if I would commit fully to fighting through the crashing waves. I could remain where I was, knee deep in water and play it safe, or I could shed my reservations and dive headfirst through the oncoming waves in order to reach the relative safety of the calm waters beyond the break line. I chose neither of these options and instead found myself in the break zone where a crashing wave reminded me that my indecision had serious consequences. As I brushed the sand off of me and gathered up the loose ends of my pride,I was struck with a spiritual comparison. In" Revelation 3:16, we read of a brutal indictment of those who are in the "lukewarm" zone spiritually. Those who are not hot or cold will be vomited out of the mouth of God. Those are not my words, they are Biblical words. In fact, I think that these may be some of the strongest visual words used to describe the results of wishy-washy Christianity. If you find yourself in the breakwater where sin and apathy swirl around you, know that you are not where God wants you. You risk being spit up on shore like Jonah from the whale. You risk being cast away from the face of God. Take the spiritual, lunge. Break the bonds of sin and your longing for the dry ground where you came from. Do not wallow in the spiritual lukewarm, but press on, leaving fear behind. Immerse yourself in the regenerative power of the Holy Spirit, and be assured that you are a treasure that He holds dear, not something that he wishes to spew out of His mouth.

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The Moment of Impact

Have you ever felt the oppressive weight of guilt that accompanies sin? Have you lain awake in bed wondering why you made the choice that you made and feeling that gnawing feeling that follows a departure from the will of God? As I was sitting in church this morning, the preacher mentioned the fact that Jesus was born and was without sin and died as a result of taking our sins upon himself. This may not be news to anyone reading this, but I hope that the feeling that it prompted in me casts a new light on this event for you. Let's refer back to the feeling of guilt that comes from our sinful decisions. Let's apply it to the story of Jesus. We know that one of the great causes for pain in Jesus was the spiritual separation from his Father in Heaven. Let's think, however, about the physical, human existence that Jesus led. We know he had hunger, we know that he had tears, we know he felt alone. What about guilt? Did this man who had done nothing to deserve our guilt get hit with the guilt that rightly belongs to all of a sinful mankind? Can you imagine that terrible feeling after you know you have done wrong multiplied endlessly and then bearing that weight of all those feelings you never deserved. We as sinful beings have no trouble earning our guilty feelings. Jesus did not follow this path. He took those feelings from us and bore them on the cross. On this week before Christmas, when the beginning of the sacrifice takes place, think about the mind of Jesus as he was tortured and killed. That mind may have been weighed down by the lie that you told, or the sinful way you talked to your family, or a whole world of sin that flashed through his mind. Yes, sin separated us from God, and it separates us from God as well, but think about all of the guilt of the world's sins being included in that misery. Do not take your sin lightly as the guilt attached to it is shared by one who is far greater than yourself. He did not deserve your sin, but he took it because He loves you. Know this and let it impact the choices that you make.

What Are You Looking For?

This morning I set my alarm and got up at 6 in order to attend a missions group meeting at 6:30. I placed my trust in my GPS and as I headed out into the rain I was pleased with the idea that I would be on time. I had never been to the restaurant before, but had seen a restaurant that shared the same name, so my mental image of what I was looking for planted itself firmly in my mind. It turns out that all restaurants named Peppermill do not look entirely the same. My GPS found the restaurant and directed me exactly where to go. When I arrived where it told me to go, I did not see the restaurant. At this point, my faith in my GPS began to fade and I assumed that somehow it had malfunctioned and I continued to drive in circles, muttering under my breath at the failed nature of technology. I spent the next 10 minutes driving in circles, hoping and actually praying that I would stumble across the right place. All this time, my GPS kept telling me to make a U turn, take a left, take a right, or do anything that would get me back to my original destination. Running out of options, I decided that I would once again entrust myself to the guidance of the GPS. I followed the arrows as it urgently directed me back to where I did not see the restaurant that I had pictured in my head. This time, my mind began to explore the possibility that the thing I had expected to find was different than what I was intended to find. I followed the GPS and eventually saw that the restaurant that I expected to be bold and blazing in it's advertisement of itself was tucked away neatly in the corner of a strip mall. My faith in my GPS was restored, and although I was late for the meeting, I had made it after all. How many times in our lives do we look at the signposts and expect that we know exactly what we are looking for? We stubbornly pursue the wrong direction and ignore guidance from the One who know where we have been and where we are going. (I know, it is a little trite to compare God to a GPS, but I am doing it either way:) We often take the wrong turn, sometimes unplug ourselves from the direction of our Guide and stubbornly press on in the absolute wrong direction. Our end goals may be wealth, status, friends, travel,sports or any other thing that we picture in our minds as the culmination of our journey. Know this, that a path has been chosen for you, the markings and arrows make it very clear where your destination lies. There is a plan for you. There is a destination for you. Don't waste time driving in spiritual circles, leaning on your own understanding, ignoring the blinking arrows that point you back to the right path. Trust that God is taking you where you need to go, and get rid of the distractions and misinformation that steer you away from His path. God, help us to focus on where you want to take us, and when we try to lean on our own understanding, be gentle in bringing us back to Your path.

The Certainty of God's Plan

The story of Esther is one of my favorite Bible stories. It has all of the elements that any good story should have. It has rags to riches, government oppression, political intrigue, murder plots, hangings, and the eventual rescue of a whole race of persecuted people. The part of the story that really intrigues me is in CH. 4 v. 14. Mordecai is asking his niece to stand up for the Jewish people in risking her life to seek an audience with her king. He warns her that she must intervene on behalf of her people, and eventually her people are spared, but a different aspect of this story jumped out at me from verse 14. Mordecai's request went something like this. "Listen, Esther, I know that you have access to the king. I also know that Haman wants to kill all of our people. I also know that God has promised our people that we will survive this, but my question to you is do you want to get on board? Oh yeah, by the way, Esther, if you do not help, Haman will kill you and all your family but the Jewish people will be saved either way. Mordecai knew that Esther was strategically placed to help deliver the Jewish people, but he also knew that God would deliver His people either way. This assurance came from the promise that God had given Abraham regarding his people numbering like the sand in the sea and being the line of the Messiah. Mordecai grabbed ahold of this promise and knew that no matter what, the Jewish people would be spared because if they were not, then God's plan would have failed. Mordecai just had to tell Esther to hop on board in the fulfillment of that plan. She could have ignored the welfare of her people and God would have saved them either way. He would not have saved her and her family though. She had a choice to make, follow God's will or face death. We have the same choices to make in our daily lives. God's plan is going to happen. God does not necessarily need us in order for this plan to work out. God offers us a spot on board. We may not know where this train is going, how many hills or snowdrifts that we may climb up or plow through, but we can be assured that God's plan will be fulfilled. Make the decision each and every day to find out God's plan and follow it. If you don't see a destination sign posted at the station, read the Bible, it will help you know what God's plan is for you. Pray that God will give you clarity on His plan, but know that whether we see our destination or not, God is placing us in the position we need to be in, and we need to move in the direction He wants us to go.

I Would Officially Like to Invite you to Walk on Water

If you were to ask the average person, which individual in the Bible walked on water, most people would tell you that it was Jesus. Although this is a pretty cool feat, it pales in comparison to some of the other miracles such as raising the dead and casting out evil spirits. What are we supposed to get out of this miracle other than reinforcing what many people already believe about Jesus? It is my opinion that none of the miracles in the New Testament are meant as bragging points for Jesus or as mere displays of his power, so there must be a deeper meaning in this. The most impulsive and irrational of Jesus' disciples saw Jesus walking on water and asked, "do you want me to come to you?" This is the same Peter who cut off a soldiers ear and who swore that he would not deny Christ, yet did it 3 times. Acting before thinking was not abnormal for Peter. I can envision his rush of loyalty, or love, or even belief that carried first one leg and then the other over the side of the boat as the balls of his feet touched water, not knowing what sensation would come next, but believing that Jesus would be there for him. I can see Peter focusing on the face of Jesus and boldly taking the first couple steps. I then hear the crashing of waves, and the spray of sea foam and can almost feel a tangible doubt enter into Peter's mind as his peripheral vision starts to take in these fear inducing distractions. I can see his glance dart away from the face of Jesus as these doubts take hold and his attentions shift from the face of his Saviour to the immediate danger that he faced. Save, me!! he cried as these doubts and fears overcame his faith and he sank into the sea. The hand of Jesus reached out and pulled him up from the sea and the story ends with Peter being safe and accounted for. In our Christian walk we often experience this same thing. We start off with the best of intentions, but as things such as accolades, trials, or worldly distraction begin to creep in to our field of vision, we begin to sink under the weight of our own independence. We may be knee deep, waist deep, or may be even breathing air through a straw we are so deep in the sea, but we have the assurance that if we reach out our hands, Jesus will lift us up. As amazing as this sounds, I would implore you to avoid this as much as possible. Do not avert your eyes from Jesus. Keep focused on the One who sustains you as you walk through the storm sea of life. Do not wait until you are over your head in self importance and disbelief to call out "Save Me". Stay focused on the Creator and Director of the universe and know that with His help you do not have to sink into the depths, but can instead walk in new life with your eyes firmly placed on Him.