discernment

Are you really saved?

8 Comments / July 24, 2023

grapesrev

I have a great fear that in this day and age of “easy-believism” there is a trend to blindly consider ourselves saved and then to continue living our sinful, selfish, and worldly lives without ever changing at all.  But if our life has not been transformed or changed in any way are we even really a believer? The testimony found below would indicate that we probably are not saved if this is the case.  Spiritual growth happens at different paces and in a multitude of ways– but it always happens in the lives of those that are saved.

Last week a college friend e-mailed me to say “hello”. I hadn’t heard from him personally for some time, but my brother (a good friend of his) had shared his amazing testimony with me a few years ago. This young man had grown up in Christian family and spent all of his life attending church. He attended Christian school and even a Christian college. He was a “good” guy. He thought he was saved but then the Lord, in His amazing grace and mercy, showed Him that he was not. I asked him if I may share his story with you. He kindly said, “yes” and e-mailed me this:

I professed to be a Christian at the age of six years old. My parents had been taking me to church since I was born, and continued taking me as long as I was under their roof. My parents sacrificed to send me to the Christian schools all but three years of my elementary and high school education. I attended two years at Grace College. When I applied at Grace, I was asked if I was a Christian. I assured them I was. I went on a short term mission trip with 59 other high school age kids when I was 17. Again, one of the questions to get on this mission team was if I was a Christian. I assured them I was. I met a wonderful young woman at Grace. When I went to pick her up for the first time at her house, her father grilled me in concern for his daughter. The first question he asked me is if I was a Christian. I assured him I was. Before this young lady went out with me for the second time she asked me if I was a Christian. I assured her I was. After being married for a while she continued to ask me at various intervals if I really was a Christian. Time after time I assured her I was. There were many times during my life that I asked myself that same question: was I a Christian? I assured myself I was. After all, I grew up in the church. I walked up the aisle at church and said that I wanted to ask Jesus into my heart. I was baptized, twice. At each and every step in my life my spiritual state was questioned and I always answered the same: “Of course I am!”

I mentioned that my wife repeatedly asked me if I was a Christian after we were married. She did this because she saw things in my life that seemed contrary to what a Christian is. The biggest thing she saw in my life was apathy towards God. When I sat down in church, as soon as the singing was over I settled down for a nap. I never read the Bible on my own. She never saw me praying. Most of my actions and behavior growing up and after marriage screamed that I was unsaved. In thirty-three years of claiming to be a Christian there was absolutely no growth, no good fruit. How could this be? How could someone claiming to be a Christian for over thirty years have nothing to show for it?

I want to tell you today that the reason there was no good fruit in my life and the reason I was totally apathetic and bored with Biblical things was because I was not a Christian. The knowledge of who Jesus Christ was never made it to my heart. I knew many things about Him. I wanted Him as my Savior, to keep me out of hell. I wanted all the benefits of being a Christian. But I refused to put Jesus as the Lord of my life. I did not serve Him. I did not love Him. I loved myself. I served my sinful desires. Matthew 6:24 says, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 7:18-23 is a passage that really wakes a person up. It says, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers!’

I was a bad tree because I bore no good fruit. Every aspect of my life was bad fruit. But just a few short years ago, when things were getting really bad in my life, I realized that all my fruit was bad because I was not saved. At that moment I turned my life over to Jesus, asked Him to forgive all those years I did things in His name, but in actuality was an evil doer. I asked Him to heal my broken life and help me to love Him with all my heart, mind, strength, and soul. The apathy left me immediately. From that moment on I have loved reading, hearing, and talking about my Savior.  Making Jesus my Lord meant that everything I did was with Him in mind. See, I had always believed the basics of the Bible, but we are told that even demons believe, and tremble. All those years, though I believed what the Bible said, I had been a slave to my sinful self, a slave to sin, but now I am a slave to my Savior Jesus Christ. So now I can truly call Him my Savior and Lord.

You see, being a Christian is not just growing up in the church, being good most of the time, doing things in the name of Christianity, and even believing what the Bible says. It is a personal relationship with Jesus. It is loving His name. It is serving Him. And it is longing to be with Him. For years I had a list of things that I wanted to do before going to heaven. But now there is nothing in this world that I desire more than to be with Jesus for all eternity.

I want to thank my friend, Trent, for allowing me to share his testimony with you. He became saved over five years ago now and his thirst for God increases each day. His whole life has changed because he is now truly born again!

Do you yearn to know God more?  Are you growing in your knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? Do you love the things He loves and hates the things He hates?   Are you serving God or are you serving yourself?  This is a great day to take an honest look at yourself.  Are you really saved?

Standing out in the crowd

2 Comments / May 17, 2012

We had the wonderful privilege of watching our oldest daughter graduate from college this past Saturday.   We were able to sit right along the aisle where the graduates walked in and were able to get some great pictures.

However, when your last name begins with an “A” and the line is organized alphabetically, you end up at the very beginning.  For this particular line, it meant our daughter was number 8 out of somewhere around 1100 graduates.  So, after we had smiled, waved, and taken our fill of pictures of her, we had a lot of graduates to watch walk in.  At first, I watched their faces, most with bright eyes and proud smiles.  I did see one guy with head phones in – which is worthy of a blog post all on its own (really? on your graduation day?!)

Eventually, my eyes wandered down to the feet walking by me.  Hundreds and hundreds of feet covered in almost just as many different styles of shoes. I saw sneakers and sandals and flip flops.  I saw a pair of work boots and a pair of brightly colored, flower-printed high, high heels.   But the one thing I realized as I watched all of those feet pass by me was that some of the shoes stood out and others just blended in with the rest around them.

As the minutes wore on, I thought about the credit and applause that is often given to people who are independent and willing to be different when it comes to shoes and clothing and lifestyle. “You do whatever you want to do!”  we hear.  People are told to follow their hearts and live their dreams, no matter what other people think.

But, yet, if we stand out because we aren’t willing to go to a certain movie or wear a bikini or listen to a  certain music group – well, suddenly, we aren’t so applauded, are we?  Instead we are labeled things like prudish, goody two-shoes, and narrow-minded.  In the world we live in, it is a wonderful thing to be different – as long as you are picking the right thing in which to be different.

But I ask you – if we Christians aren’t dramatically different than the world, how will the world know that we have something they may want?  What exactly does the Bible mean when it tells us not to love the world?  Verses giving this message abound (in John 15:18-19, James 1:27, and I John 2:15-16 just to name a few).  It would seem to me that modern day Christianity is telling us the opposite of these verses.  Why exactly are we being told that we need to be like the world instead of the scriptural teaching that we shouldn’t be like the world?

I think that is a question that has a multitude of answers and some of them may even make some sense to our finite, human minds.  But, as always, we can’t argue with scripture.  God tells us to stay unspotted from the world.  Our witness for Jesus Christ is at stake here.  God calls us out of the world to be light and salt for Him.  By being pure and holy in a culture that is drowning in darkness and wickedness we become a beacon in the night to those who are searching for answers.

I know this is so very unpopular, but let’s stand out like a brightly colored pair of shoes in a line of non-descript loafers for following our Savior whole-heartedly.  May it not matter what worldly pleasures we have to deny, what cost it be to our personal reputation, or what friendships are affected by it.  Let’s be a different brand of Christian and stand up for Jesus!

Stand up, stand up for Jesus
As soldiers of the cross.
Lift high his royal banner;
It must not suffer loss.
From victory unto victory
His army he shall lead
Till every foe is vanquished 
And Christ is Lord indeed.

Where did the fish go?

Leave a Comment / May 7, 2012

This spring we opened our pond to find fish missing. We have had a beautiful pond in our backyard for several years now. The number of fish had grown each year until it had held about 18 fish, a variety of beautiful koi and multicolored goldfish, when we closed our pond last fall. In order to prepare for winter, we had put a small pump in to keep the pond from freezing and covered it with a net to keep the leaves and corn shocks out.  But instead of finding all of our fish this spring, we were so disappointed to find only seven of them swimming in the pond when we opened it last week. Seven out of 18! We lost over half of our fish this winter. What happened to them?

We still don’t know. We are assuming a mink or raccoon came in and stole them. Because we live on the edge of a field most of the wild animals can find enough to eat without coming on to our property, but some brave creature must have risked our dogs and my son’s shotgun and decided it was worth the trip. We are guessing it was a creature that prowls about at night.  Now we have to figure out how to keep the rest of our fish safe.

We had made an assumption that our fish would be okay over the winter. We had not gone to the pond to count them nor done anything to ensure their safety. We had gone about our lives all winter long, assuming the fish would be there when it was time to re-open the pond. We had nonchalantly made a wrong assumption and it had cost the fish their lives.

Many of us treat our spiritual health like we treated our pond over the winter. We throw a pump in (we go to church every Sunday) and we cast a net over it (turn on Christian music radio) and then we go live our life. But is that enough to keep us spiritually healthy?

I Peter 5:8 says: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  Most of us do not want to think about the devil at work trying to devour us. We prefer not to think about the spiritual battle we are in and instead rest easy assuming we will be just fine. But if I Peter 5:8 is true (and, as it is God’s Word, we know it is) then we have an enemy in the devil. We cannot ever let our guard down. We can never make the assumption that we (or our families) are safe spiritually. We must approach life with open eyes, wisdom, and discernment.

How can this be accomplished?  How do we keep our eyes open so that we can make sure we aren’t devoured or even deceived by our enemy?

1) Read God’s Word and pray faithfully. This is tougher than it sounds. I will have a couple of weeks where I read every morning and then I will get busy and find myself having gone a week without opening my Bible. But we have a responsibility to keep our schedules free enough that we have time to include time with God. I am still working on this one!

2) Be sure any resources we read (or listen to) for spiritual growth are biblical. This is a tricky one, because the Christian market today is flooded with books and preachers that claim to be “Christian” but are filled with deceptive, anti-Christian words. We need to constantly be comparing all spiritual material against the words of the Holy scriptures.

3) Use discernment in our entertainment choices. Many people will tell you that it doesn’t matter what you fill your mind with but scripture tells us differently (Philippians 4:8).  We cannot expect to fill our minds with all of the things God hates and then be spiritually healthy.  Again, this is hard, because we live in a world where entertainment in almost like an idol.  But we have a responsibility to guard our spiritual health and bad choices in entertainment may be the number one thing that weakens believers.

4) Confess our sins. This is one I have been thinking about recently. We do not hear much on confession anymore, do we?  But in order to confess our sins, we have to ask God to show us our sin. And that leads to awareness. Lots of times I will just go about my life not even realizing the sins I commit against my Heavenly Father every day – even every hour. But if I sit down and take the time to pray and confess, I will realize that I probably didn’t handle the situation with my child correctly or I wasn’t the wife I should have been when we had that argument. Confession leads to a sensitivity of sin.

5) And, finally, we need to always be thinking.  We can NEVER let our guard down.  In this current age, there are so many attacks on true, biblical Christianity that it is downright frightening. As believers who desire to be spiritually healthy, we never have the luxury to simply just live our lives. Instead, we are in a constant battle with our flesh and with worldly philosophies. We have a responsibility to think about this and to approach all of life with wisdom instead of blind acceptance.

Ephesians 6:10-20 describes the armor we are to wear as believers. Armor is worn for battles. We can safely assume that if Paul gave us a detailed description of the spiritual armor we are to wear, then we are in a spiritual battle.  How is your battle looking? Are you winning? Or is the devil winning? Do you even care?

We lost over half of our fish before we became aware that there was even a problem.  We nonchalantly and naively assumed they were fine. This same nonchalance, if used to approach our spiritual health, will lead to the loss of more than a few fish, if we don’t pay close attention.

Our View of God, Our View of Man, and Why It Matters

Leave a Comment / October 2, 2016

Following is an abbreviated version of the talk I prepared for a Mom’s group this morning.  I thank them for having me and, as this is the second request to speak on this particular topic in a matter of months, I thought some of you might be interested in it, as well.

Holiness.  What is it?  And why does it matter?  Why has this word almost disappeared from mainstream Christianity?

I think it is in great part because we do not have a biblical definition of Who God is.  We like to read about a “god” who meets our every need, who helps us find our purpose, and who grants our wishes. We aren’t so thrilled about a God who requires us to live holy and pure lives. We fill our minds with books that tell us who we want God to be, instead of the biblical description of God. God is holy, all-knowing, supreme, and loving. He hates sin and cannot tolerate it in any form.  We need to get to know the God of the Bible in order to properly understand holiness. God doesn’t exist to give me purpose and He doesn’t exist to fulfill my every need. His wrath is mentioned in scripture more times than His love. We can’t fully understand holiness if we are trying to define God in a way that pleases our emotions.

I also believe that an unbiblical understanding of who we are as human beings is to blame. I heard a song on Christian radio a few months ago that says “Jesus help me understand that I was worth dying for.”  I turned it off immediately. That isn’t biblical at all. The Bible tells us we WEREN’T worth dying for. That is the amazing beauty of salvation. It is God’s free gift to us, even though we were without any merit whatsoever. Over and over, outside the church and inside the church, we hear the common theme of how beautiful we are to Jesus. But this is not a biblical theme. Only through Jesus do we become pure and white and beautiful.  Only through Him do we have any merit.

If we have a LOW view of God and a HIGH view of ourselves, it leads us to have a very LOW view of sin.  We start believing that sin isn’t important.  That God understands and will forgive.  We don’t care about pleasing Him…we are more concerned with receiving blessings from the big “genie” in the sky. We become wrapped up in our own selfish desires, rights, and concerns and expect God to meet us there…instead of bending ourselves to His will and purposes. Holiness isn’t about a list of do’s and don’ts (what many like to call “legalism”), but it is instead a desire to show our love and gratitude to the God who has made a way for me, a sinner, to be reconciled with Him through the amazing sacrifice of His Son.

And this idea should affect all areas of our lives. I like to use the word “peas” to help me remember some of these areas (I really wanted to think of a meaningful word–but, alas, “peas” is the only thing my mind could come up with!)

1. Presentation–how do we present ourselves?  What kind of language do we use?  Are we modest in our dress?  Do we complain all of the time?  What do our priorities show about what we view as important? Can people tell we love the Lord by how we present ourselves?

2.  Entertainment–what do we watch?  What do we listen to?  What do we read?  If we couldn’t invite Jesus to join us…if our choices are full of the things God hates…then we can be sure we shouldn’t be watching, listening to, or reading it.  I fail to understand the rationalization that goes on in this area on a consistent basis by believers. If God hates it, we shouldn’t want any part of it — in real life OR on a page, a screen, or our car radio.

3.  Attitude–Who are we at home?  Are we kind, loving, and patient, or do we only put that face on when we are at church or work?  How would our families describe us? Do we think of others and their needs? Do we have an attitude of graciousness and kindness or do others view us as selfish, unpleasant, or angry?

4.  Stewardship–How do we spend our money?  Do we live in constant debt? How do we treat the bodies we have been blessed with? Do we overeat or eat to comfort ourselves?  How about the hours of each day?  Do we waste hours on activities that have no eternal value whatsoever?

Each of us probably struggles in one area more than another, but we all struggle.  I, personally, REALLY struggle with some of the things I have just mentioned.  But all four of the things listed above aren’t options but should be an outpouring of the love we feel for our God.

You see, holiness is about pleasing the Lord with every area of our life.  Eric Ludy puts it this way: ” Anything that turns the mind to self instead of the heavenly is opposite of Jesus; if it will not serve the purposes of Jesus Christ it has no allowance to be there.”

You know in your heart today where you struggle.  You know what part of your life you are struggling to live in purity and holiness.  We are all different.  But we are all the same in this:  We battle against our flesh and selfish desires.

But let us remember this:

 “God is only truly known in the soul as we yield ourselves to Him, submit to His authority, and regulate all the details of our lives by His holy precepts and commandments.”  A.W. Pink

 May we never give up our quest to please our heavenly Father with our life and our choices.  May we keep Him and knowing Him as our priority. May we turn away from our rebellious hearts.  And may we be wise and discerning in what we allow in our minds and our lives.  And may we never forget that the Lord will be with us all of the way, to strengthen and guide us.  He is faithful forever.  What a great God we serve!

 

Resources:

The Attributes of God by A.W. Pink (book) I wish every Christian would read this book.  It has been invaluable in helping me understand who God is.

The Power of a Holy Life by John MacArthur (article) Excellent article on how Holy Living affects the world around us.

No More Games: Living and Breathing the Holiness of God by James MacDonald (sermon series) I haven’t heard this whole series but what I have heard is excellent!

Using Words Wisely

Leave a Comment / April 12, 2012

Before I start today, I just want you to know that I have my husband’s permission to tell this story.  He learned a good lesson through this incident several years ago. I feel so blessed to be married to someone who admits his mistakes and chooses to grow from them.  Now on to the story–

“What does he want now?  He always has a problem, doesn’t he?  He is such a pain!” These words, or at least words like these, spilled out of my husband’s mouth as he spewed much of the frustration he had felt towards a troublesome customer for some years.  His employee was at the complaining customer’s property and had called with a question.  Unfortunately for my husband, the employee on the other end of the call was using his Nextel and had put it on speaker phone.  He had called with the customer right beside him and said customer had just heard my husband’s entire deluge of words directed at him.

What to do?  Our employee handled it as best he could.  He left my husband know immediately and in a nonchalant way that the man was right beside him and listening.  The conversation became stilted and was finished quickly.  My husband’s heart sank.  What kind of mess had he gotten himself into now?   He tries to treat all customers courteously and kindly, but every now and again, one stretches him to his limits.

After the mortifying realization of what had occurred, he made the decision to go and apologize to this man.  And, quite honestly, he was very well received.  After the apology and some open discussion, our relationship with this customer improved considerably and he is still our customer to this day.

As we laugh about it now, we also realize that there are some important lessons to be learned from the unfortunate incident.

1.         There will be people who frustrate us in life.  It is important that we apply scriptural principles in our dealings with them.  In Luke 6:31, Jesus says: And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  If we apply this principle with the irritating people in our lives, it should change our responses.

2.         It is important to choose our words carefully, even when we are frustrated or irritated.  Too often we spout off words we don’t even mean in the heat of the moment.  Whether they are about someone or directly to that person, we need to use self-control when we express our frustration.

3.         Don’t be too proud to apologize.  The last thing my husband wanted to do was to go to this customer and apologize.  First, he doesn’t know him that well personally and second, it was just downright embarrassing.  So many times we are afraid to face the person we have offended or hurt, so we just pretend it will go away.  But it doesn’t!  That pain and hurt, even if forgiven, often lingers on in the heart of the person we hurt.  It is important that we offer our sincere apology immediately.   In the case of this customer, it was the best thing my husband could have done.  And, from my own experience (with my many mistakes in life!), it does get easier the more you do it.  If you are out of practice of apologizing, the first time will be agonizing.  You will stumble over your words and hesitate and feel foolish.  But try it!  I think you will find it so beneficial to your relationships, and at the very least, you will know that you have done the right thing.

4.         It is important to choose our words carefully always, but especially when we are in a public setting–on the phone, in the bleachers or on the sidelines, in a church hallway, or at a family gathering.  Ephesians 4:29 says: Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.  Does my speech impart grace to the hearers?  What a great test for our language.

Life is full of unpleasant, uncomfortable, and awkward circumstances.  It is important that we don’t miss the life lessons hidden in those moments.  The story above was just one such moment and even now, years later, we still think on the lessons we learned from that unpleasant incident.

10 Ways to Render a Christian Ineffective

1 Comment / April 11, 2012

Okay, so it isn’t Monday or Thursday, but this week you get a bonus post!   Here is my list of 10 ways to render Christians ineffective for the cause of Christ.

1.         Get them so addicted to entertainment and material pleasures that nothing else seems important.

2.         Have them become so reliant on others to solve their problems and meet their needs that they never have to rely on God for anything.

3.         Busy their lives with sports, games, meetings, jobs, and church functions that they are far too busy to read their Bibles, much less anything else.

4.         Fool them into believing that they can do anything they want and claim it all forgiven, and even sanctioned, by the grace of God.

5.         Put out a thousand translations of the Bible and convince them that it doesn’t matter which one you use, as long as it is called the “Bible”.

6.         Get them so wrapped up in fighting over insignificant things that they never focus on the issues that really matter.

7.         Teach them to believe that the only ways to show true Christian love is giving to the poor and tolerating the beliefs of others, even at the cost of the Truth.

8.         Fool them into believing the only way to reach the lost is to become like them.

9.         Teach them that a simple prayer is all it takes to declare themselves saved, even if there has never been a transformed life or even a little bit of fruit to give evidence of that salvation.

10.       Have them put so much focus on their feelings and emotions that they lose all taste for  True doctrine.

Glorious Freedom

2 Comments / March 23, 2016

Johnny was born into slavery. He was hauling water and helping his mama in the kitchen since he could remember. As he grew older, he became his master’s special servant. He would help his master get dressed in the morning, run errands for him, and serve his meals. He was expected to be available at all times, just in case his master needed anything. Johnny obeyed his master, Mr. Clark, because that was his duty.

But, over the years, a strange thing happened. Mr. Clark began to feel a fatherly love in his heart for young Johnny. He saw Johnny’s lack of education and hired a tutor. He saw his need for clothing and hired a tailor. He even started having Johnny join him in the main dining room for meals. You see, Mr. Clark did not have any children and was a very lonely man. After several years, Mr. Clark decided to adopt Johnny as his very own son. Mr. Clark even changed his will so that Johnny became the sole heir of his vast estate.

After Mr. Clark adopted Johnny, you may think that their relationship changed. Suddenly, Johnny  could do what he wanted. He was free. But Johnny continued to serve Mr. Clark in the same capacity. Only now it wasn’t because it was his duty but, instead, because of his love for his master–who was now also his father.

I would submit to you that our freedom in Christ is quite similar. I believe that Christian freedom has been misinterpreted for so long now, that we don’t even question whether or not today’s definition of “Christian Freedom” is biblical. Christian freedom isn’t about what we are allowed to do–it is about what we can do. What can we do to please the Father who adopted us as sons and daughters? What choice will bring glory to God?

This applies to everything–from the tone of voice we choose to use when we are frustrated to whom we decide to marry. From what show or movie we watch on our television after a long, hard day to which career path we follow. Our desire to please the One who saved us should encompass every decision we make.

If we view Christian freedom as an excuse to fulfill our own desires and lusts (Galatians 5:13), we mock the cross. Christ loved us so much that He died to free us from the heavy chains of sin. And yet so many of us crawl right back to the sinful place we started and wallow there, claiming Christ’s continual forgiveness–or even worse yet, claiming that our salvation has eradicated the need for “rules”.  And you would be right: Rules no longer dictate our behavior after we are saved.

But is this even the question we should be asking? Just like Johnny obeyed out of love, so we, too, upon our adoption by our Heavenly Father, change from obeying God’s law out of duty to obeying it out of love.  The law doesn’t change–our hearts change. What is expected of us doesn’t change, it is why we do what is expected of us that changes. No longer do we feel like obedience is a chore, but, instead, we now consider it a privilege. And so, from the smallest choice to every life-changing decision, our question becomes: How can I best please my God?

As we celebrate Easter this weekend, may we remember that Christ died and rose again to free us from our chains. May we consider this amazing grace and our eternal inheritance with all sobriety and sacredness. And may we endeavor to please Him because we love Him more than we love ourselves.

 

Are You Sure About That?

3 Comments / May 17, 2016

The headlines read “26 Years Later, Haven’t Lost Anyone”. The article went on to give the lawn company’s philosophy and why they never – yes, it said NEVER – have lost a customer. Having owned a lawn company for 25 years, my husband first recognized the impossibility of this statement. And then he started laughing as he realized that he was actually bidding some work for one of their unhappy customers. The credibility of that company and of the newspaper that ran the article was thrown into question after reading what we knew, firsthand, to be an outright lie.

Around this same time, our daughter was in a car accident with another driver, a young girl. There were not any witnesses of the incident and the young girl proceeded to lie about what had occurred. Our auto insurance is headed to battle over it, as the dents in the cars tell the true story and they believe they will be able to prove it was not our daughter’s fault.

We also had two incidents with buying mowers recently. In one, a verbal agreement was made and we were on our way to pick it up (a drive of several hours) when we were called and told that he had sold the mower to someone who had offered to pay him more. In the other case, we traveled to Philadelphia to pick one up, being told it was in mint condition, only to hear a tap in the motor.

So, what do all of these stories have in common? Integrity.

No longer do people feel it necessary to be truthful in advertising…to keep their word…to be honest in their interactions with others.  Instead they do whatever is to their own advantage, with no concern for the truth.

The lack of concern about the truth in this culture is truly frightening. But the lie that there are no moral absolutes has seeped its way into the culture so thoroughly, that now we are reaping the consequences. And they will be heavy consequences. You could see it happening twenty years ago. I remember a song in the 80s talking about this change in teaching absolute truth to our public school students. You could see it happening when TV sitcoms would (and still do) glorify and make light of someone telling a lie to get something they wanted. You could also see it coming, when parents started to set examples of lying on their taxes and being dishonest about sick days and why they couldn’t come to the phone. Another big red flag was when a person’s “happiness” became the ultimate goal for life.  You see, these things set the stage for a generation that has no respect for the truth, unless it is to their advantage.

So, as a Christian (and, hopefully, as one who practices telling the truth), what are we to do? Well, first and foremost, of course, is that we stand out in this culture by being honorable and trustworthy. We should tell the truth, no matter what the outcome (Proverbs 14:5). We also need to be unwavering and to set a godly example as we teach our children the importance of honesty and integrity.

Another important thing we need to do in this day and age is to listen to everything with the proverbial grain of salt .  Whether it is in the newspaper, on the TV news or on a reality show, or even hearing a story about someone else’s tragic circumstances from a friend, we shouldn’t be so quick to believe what we hear.  So many are the agendas and slants given to stories, that we need to be really careful in what we believe.

As I write on this topic, I find myself filled with sadness at the state of this culture. I could see it coming and now I realize that we are here.  I also know the inevitable outcome of a country that holds no respect for the truth. But, alas, here we are. And so it is our duty and responsibility to live the Christian life with integrity in a culture that holds no esteem for the truth.

 

 

Hunger Games Mania

33 Comments / March 26, 2012

Can someone please explain to me the Hunger Games Craze?  Why are Christians flocking to this movie in droves?  I am so confused by this.

Over the weekend I was discussing this with a group of ladies and as we discussed the plot, certain things came up.  Words like dark and depressing and suicide.  A plot of children trying to kill each other or be killed.  A sinister town with an evil game.

As we watch children try to kill each other, how do we decide who is the good guy?  If they are the killer and the victim, how do we know who to root for?  Suddenly, the protagonist is the antagonist, too. We know who to root for because the author tells us.  But why?  Why is that character so much better than the others?  Don’t you think the others have the same thoughts and fears and questions?   Aren’t they in the same predicament?

So, does the theme of sacrificial love that is also part of the plot make up for all of this darkness?  I would really like to hear from you why it should?  What am I missing by not seeing this film?  There are so many beautiful stories filled with sacrificial love.  Do we really need to fill our mind with the likes of Hunger Games to enjoy that theme?

I know I am stepping on a ton of toes here.  This movie has been all over Facebook and I know many of you will vehemently disagree with me. Please tell me why?  Tell me why you think a Christian should see this?  I really want to know.

When something is popular in the world, it usually means danger.  At the very least, we need to keep our eyes open to the media around us and the messages they are pumping into our heads.  Did you know that after Harry Potter’s popularity, interest in the occult rose incredibly?  They are not just books and movies.  These things are tools that shape our culture.

As believers, we need to live above the status quo.  We can never let our guard down or take off our armor.  We are soldiers in a spiritual battle.  Discernment isn’t an option, it is a command.

Learning from Twitches

Leave a Comment / March 22, 2012

Rules.  What a bother.  Often we are tempted to think that the rules (or commands) held within the pages of the Bible are there to make our life miserable.  The world tells us that we have no fun as Christians.  And, yes, many are the commands given to us as followers of Jesus Christ and Jesus says if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. (John 14:21).   But what would happen if there weren’t any rules?  Something happened to our family awhile ago that gave insight into this question and led me to the conclusion that perhaps many of the commands Jesus gives us are not only for His glory, but also for OUR protection.

We used to have pet rabbits.  One weekend, after we had just gotten our new baby bunnies, we decided to take them along on a camping trip.  We brought a crate along to set right outside the door of the camper where they could be kept safe and sound.  We gently placed our four bunnies in the crate on Friday night but when we woke up the next morning, we only had three!  My son’s bunny, Twitches, had disappeared.  He must’ve been small enough to squeeze through the narrow bars.  Unfortunately, Twitches did not know that he had everything he needed right where he was.  He didn’t know that he should have been perfectly happy and content.  Instead he longed for adventure and so he escaped the crate only to be eaten or to starve or to drown.  We never did find out what happened to him.  Needless to say, it cast a bit of a shadow over that particular camping trip.

This incident reminds me of God’s commandments.  Sometimes we want to leave God’s “crate”.  It’s not a crate you can see, but it is a safety zone, set up by the commandments and laws God has placed in the Bible.  Here are a few examples:  “Do not commit adultery” brings protection and well-being to the family.  “Do not bear false witness” brings peace and love to relationships.  “Honor your father and mother” keeps young people from making the stupid mistakes their parents made and learned from.  “Do not be unequally yoked together” protects young people from a marriage that could never be truly unified.

We are safe in God’s safety zone, but many of us are not content.  We want the fun the world offers!  We want adventure!  We want to do our own thing and we declare in our hearts that no one- not even God- is going to tell us what to do…and then we reap the consequences.  And often during those consequences we cry out “Why?!” to God angrily. Sinful choices always reap harmful consequences.

God, All-Knowing, has placed great wisdom within the holy scriptures for us to live by.  Great are the blessings to us if we follow the commands found there.  Sure, life won’t be all roses, but we will avoid many painful experiences if we obey the Lord and His commands.  And we will also experience more joy and happiness than anyone in the world could imagine.  You see, the things that look “fun” in the world really aren’t much fun in the end.

And yet so many of us are just like Twitches.  We long for release from the “safety zone”.  We want to experience the WORLD and its lusts and its passions, not realizing that we are going to only end up hurting ourselves and often those we love.  May we cast aside our rebellious spirits and submit ourselves wholly to God…which is the only way we will ever experience peace on this earth.

Exodus 20: 1-7; John 14:21

NOTE:  This was originally published  under the title “Rules – Good or Bad?”  It was one of my first posts.  I felt it deserved an encore, as my readership was very limited at that time, so this is the re-worked original.   
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