My Brother’s Keeper
Sexual immorality was a huge problem for Corinthian men back in Paul’s day and it is a huge problem for American men today. Now to be fair prostitution was an accepted practice back then and thankfully it is not accepted today in America even though it is practiced. Still, ours is an extremely sexual society which worships nudity, physical pleasure, and lustful lifestyles. Just as man has corrupted the earth he has corrupted sex. As a creation of God sex is a beautiful gift shared between a committed husband and wife. As a toy for man sex is an exercise in self-centered pleasure seeking. Self-centeredness is the source of all sin. Every sinful act, every corrupt aspect of this world stems from man’s self-centeredness. It is self-centeredness that separates us from God and each other. No wonder the world is such a miserable place.
Much of what Paul has to say to the Corinthians in today’s reading has to do with sexual immorality. Evidently there was a man in the church who was having sexual relations with his father’s wife and not only felt no shame but bragged about it. I found one aspect of what Paul had to say particularly interesting.
1 Corinthians 5:9-13
“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. ‘Purge the evil person from among you.’”
Do you notice that Paul says that we are not to judge or disassociate ourselves from the sexually immoral outside of the church? How could we take the good news to the world if we didn’t associate with lost people? Paul specifically says we are not to judge the lost for that is God’s job. He goes on to say, however, that we are to judge those who are within the church. That doesn’t sound natural does it? We are more likely to give a pass to those who are more like us than those who are different, and yet God would have it the other way around.
When you and I accepted Christ we committed to a new lifestyle. We are now to shine the light of Christ in a dark and dying world. When we allow members of the church to act no differently than the lost, the church becomes irrelevant. When we allow fellow believers to behave sinfully we are allowing the leaven of sin to work its way through the body of Christ. This is a cancer that eats away at the body as a whole as well as each of its members. We do not do our brothers and sisters in Christ any favors when we condone their sinful behavior, and such willful blindness does not go unseen by the lost.
This is what I take from Paul’s words today, show love to the lost by pointing them toward Christ and show love to your brothers and sisters in Christ by pointing them toward holiness. Again I recommend that you get an accountability partner and start holding each other accountable. We are our brother’s keeper.
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
Self-centeredness – Get Behind Me Satan!
Today’s reading provides a number of great lessons by Jesus. At one point Jesus was preparing His disciples for His coming suffering and death. Peter told Jesus that He should not allow such a thing to happen. Remember that Peter understood who Jesus was – He was the Son of God, the Anointed of God. If Jesus had wanted to destroy all sinners and all who stood in His way at the time of His earthly ministry, He had the power to do just that. You do understand that wiping out those who would kill you is a temptation for any human being don’t you? Peter was tempting Jesus to do His own will rather than the will of His Father. In response Jesus showed us how to deal with temptation.
Mark 8:31-33
“And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.’”
What was the problem with Peter’s way of thinking? His way of thinking reflected a focus on what he wanted rather than what God wanted. This in and of itself is sin and frankly I fear it is the greatest problem facing the church today. We are to be focused on God not ourselves. Jesus makes this clear later on in today’s reading.
Luke 9:23-25
“And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”
What good is getting everything you want only to lose all that you need? Would you throw away a mountain of treasure for a pile of garbage? That is in fact what we are doing when we keep our minds focused on ourselves and our selfish desires rather than on God and His will. You’ve probably noticed that after every post I write “Dying to self, living to serve!” That theme was developed from the verse above. As we grow to spiritual adulthood we must lose more and more of our self-centeredness and gain more and more God-centeredness. It is hard. It is uncomfortable. We will fail often but relentlessly the maturing Christian will become like Christ in that regard.
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
The Cup Of Wrath
We continue in today’s reading the pronouncements of God’s coming judgments on various nations ending with Babylon. The punishment of Babylon is an interesting subject that is pertinent today because of the prophecy concerning Babylon in the book of Revelation. Since we will learn more about Babylon’s destruction in tomorrow’s reading I’m going to skip that topic for now and point out a verse found in the midst of the judgment of Edom.
Jeremiah 49:12
“For thus says the Lord: “If those who did not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, will you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you must drink.”
Does that verse remind you of anything? It reminded me of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when He asked His father to let His cup pass Him by.
Matthew 26:39
“And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
Now Jeremiah 49:12 is specifically discussing Edom and I don’t mean to imply that it is somehow revelatory about what Jesus said in the garden, and yet Jesus drank a cup He did not deserve to drink. Edom would drink a cup of God’s wrath for their sinful ways. Jesus drank a cup of God’s wrath that belonged to others. To me this does have relevance to us today.
Jesus drank a cup of God’s wrath so that those who submitted to His authority and accepted His bloody sacrifice would be forgiven. Understand that this forgiveness does not include the pardon of sin. In an earlier post I had discussed the fact that we are not technically pardoned of our sin when we accept Christ since a pardon means there is no punishment. This isn’t accurate since Jesus takes our punishment on Himself. The punishment is exacted but it is exacted on Jesus not us. In the verse above God is saying that if one who did not deserve to drink of His wrath, Jesus, has done so, surely those that do deserve to drink of it will as well.
Brothers, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All of us have a cup of wrath waiting for us. The question is who will drink it. Will you drink it or will Christ drink it in your stead? Most of you reading this have already accepted Christ so that issue is decided but what is your response to what Christ has done for you? Was His sacrifice something that has no meaning for you? What meaning does it have? Remember the root of all sin is self-centeredness. Has Christ’s sacrifice for you altered your self-centeredness? Are you more interested in doing what He asks of you or are you more interested in what you want?
Christ drank a cup of wrath for those who belong to Him. How will you respond?
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
Lost & Found
Leviticus 5-7
Have you ever lost something valuable? I’ve lost money, had a bag with my tax records stolen, a treasured coffee mug given me as a graduation present from a college professor/mentor. Of everything I’ve lost I think the mug bothered me the most – it still does. Have you ever found something? Did you think of the person who lost it when you found it? Did you wonder how they might be feeling about their loss?
We are in the midst of a series of descriptions in the Bible that can make the modern reader nod off. Detailed descriptions of the design and then construction of the tabernacle have been followed by detailed instructions on sacrifice, all of which can seem irrelevant today. With a handful of exceptions I have written a post pertaining to the daily Bible reading every day for over a year. I have not found a day when the Bible didn’t offer me something new to consider. I read today’s passages last year and today something new is brought to my mind.
The following verses did the trick.
Leviticus 6:4-5
“if he has sinned and has realized his guilt and will restore what he took by robbery or what he got by oppression or the deposit that was committed to him or the lost thing that he found or anything about which he has sworn falsely, he shall restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day he realizes his guilt.”
Over twenty years ago I was a young man only a couple years out of college. I was walking up to a bank when I looked down and saw money lying on the sidewalk. It added up to $60 which, to a budget challenged young man, was a significant sum back then. As I bent over to pick up the money my heart began to race. I looked around quickly to see if I could identify someone who might have dropped the money. I didn’t know what to do but I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. All I could think of is how I would feel if I had lost that money.
I stood on that sidewalk wondering what to do. I asked myself what I would do if I had lost the money. I would come back and look for it hoping against hope that I would find it. I might even go into the bank and ask if anyone turned it in. That made up my mind. I went in to the receptionist in the bank and I told her I had found some money out front and that I was turning it in so the person who lost it could claim it. The woman I handed it to looked rather shocked for a moment. Her expression slowly turned to a sly smile as she put the money in her drawer and turned away.
I never got a call informing me that no one had claimed the money. I didn’t expect to. It never entered my mind that I would keep that money. It certainly entered the mind of that woman in the bank. The verses above show that keeping something that isn’t yours is a sin. On the day that one realizes their guilt they are to restore to the proper owner his property with 20% interest.
About 10 years ago I was working in an office and set my prized coffee cup down in the break room to help a co-worker. I walked off and forgot about my cup until the end of the day. I rushed back to claim my cup but it was gone. Someone had seen that cup sitting there, thought it abandoned, and took it. I have a hard time believing they had any thoughts about how the original owner of the cup might feel. It was, after all, just a cup.
The root of sin is self-centeredness and few of us today treat others as we would like to be treated. You might say that it wouldn’t bother you if you lost a cup. Perhaps, but how would you feel if you lost something you did care about? Would you want the person that found it to return it to you? This is why God says we are to treat others as we want to be treated. It is why we are to put the well-being of others above ourselves. I mentioned earlier this week that our marriages would be pretty incredible if we put our spouse first. Can you imagine what the world would be like if we did so in every relationship and situation?
Brothers, you were lost and now are found; Christ came to bring you back to God. Christ is the Prodigal brother who, instead of bemoaning his brother’s return, left the farm to go bring his brother home. Are you glad you are saved? Are you glad enough to do the same for others? Do unto others guys, do unto others.
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
Real Love
Exodus 37-38
Happy Valentine’s Day! I have to admit I struggled for a few minutes about how to connect Valentine’s Day with our reading today. Even though today’s reading goes into detail on the construction of the tabernacle furnishings, making the connection isn’t as hard as you might think.
Valentine’s Day has a murky beginning. There were actually several men named Valentine that were martyred for the faith in the first couple hundred years following the crucifixion. There is no solid connection between these men and the concept of “romantic” love which seems to be the focus of the modern expression of Valentine’s Day. For more information you can read about the topic at:
When we think of Valentine’s Day we think of love; more specifically romantic love. Obviously we have many different meanings for the word love. I love my wife. I love my daughter. I love my parents and siblings. I love my country. I love my dog. I love football. I love pizza and chocolate. I love to read. I love my brothers and sisters in Christ and I love God. Oh, I forgot one. I love myself.
Are all of these feelings of love the same? Hardly. When we think of love we typically think of romantic love felt for our wives or girlfriends (hopefully if you have one you don’t have the other!). Often times we think our feelings toward our spouse are romantic love when in fact those feelings are self-love. We love how our spouse makes us feel. We love the things they do for us. We love how sexual intimacy with our spouse makes us feel. Do you see the pattern? It is all about us not about them. Brothers, that isn’t love. That is self-centeredness; the root of all sin.
This is the problem with the modern notion of love; it is a self-centered love. Love today is all about how other people or things make us feel. You don’t think that is selfish? What if certain people or things don’t make you feel good? What if they actually make you feel bad? Do you love them? No you don’t love them because your love is all about how you feel. Marriages end today because one spouse doesn’t make the other person feel good anymore; or at least as good as they once did.
There was a time when my wife thought I hung the moon. After living with me for a number of years she has come to realize that I struggle just to hang a picture in the living room. I kind of miss that pedestal on which I once sat, but she didn’t knock me off that pedestal; I did. By being human, that is to say self-centered, I took a flying leap off the pedestal and I shattered on the floor of broken promises and low expectations. Don’t get me wrong, I love my wife and she loves me and we will be married until one of us takes that final trip home. What I mean is that I started in marriage a very self-centered man and I still have a long way to before I get to where I am supposed to be. In the mean time I am very fortunate to be married to a wonderful child of God who doesn’t let my self-centeredness get in the way of loving me. I’ve made the same choice to love her.
The pedestal is part of an infatuation phase. Love comes after that. Love is a choice. It is a choice to put the well-being of others ahead of yourself. In marriage this means putting the well-being of your spouse ahead of yourself. Imagine what marriage would be if both a husband and wife put the well-being of each other first. That is how it is intended to be.
Now you might ask where I get this notion of love. Why should you believe my characterization of real love? You should believe because it is the example God has given all of us.
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
God sent His son to die for all mankind. That is love. Jesus taught that we should love others as our selves; that we should do unto other as we would have other do unto us. That is love. Jesus also said this about love:
John 15:12-13
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
You see love isn’t about you. Love isn’t about how something or someone makes you feel. Love is your decision to put others first. God so loved you that He came and died for you. Do you love Him? Really? Is this love based on how He makes you feel or what He can do for you or is your love based on a decision to put Him first?
What does all of this have to do with today’s reading? Did you notice what the Israelites were doing in today’s reading? People were using their time, treasure, skills, abilities and talents to do the work God told them to do. They are not pursuing self-centered goals. They are being obedient. They are performing service for the One who saved them. They are showing their love for God by putting His will first. Are you?
Have a blessed day brothers!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
A Good Father?
Genesis 42-44
What makes a good father? Tough question isn’t it? I so very much want to be a good father and yet I fear I fail more often than I succeed. My problem is my old sinful nature. I still struggle with making myself number one, the big cheese, the king of the castle. Self-centeredness is the spark of sin. When I focus on myself and what I want I make sinful choices. I feel “disrespected”. I get angry. My whole response to my child is built on a foundation of what it all means to me. I may struggle with knowing the definition of good fatherhood but I know self-centeredness is the definition of bad fatherhood.
How do you lead in a self-sacrificing way? It isn’t about doing whatever the people you are to lead want to do. It isn’t even about pleasing them. It is about doing what is right and best for them rather than yourself. I’ve always maintained that it isn’t easy to be a man let alone a godly man. You have to have big shoulders. You have to carry a lot of weight. Any child can put themselves first; it takes a godly man to not only put others first but to lead with that attitude as well.
It’s confusing. All the examples we see on TV or read in books today show male leadership as an overbearing, gruff, my-way-or-the-highway attitude. That is not the way Jesus led. It is not the way God has led you. He set an example, he did what was right, showed love to those he would lead and sacrificed Himself, even unto death, for them. That is what He expects of you.
This all comes to mind because of today’s reading in Genesis. Jacob/Israel came across to me as a whiner today. “Oh I lost my beloved Joseph, and then Simeon was enslaved, and now you want to take my little Benjamin from me!” It was only when starvation forced his hand that he made a decision necessary to feed his family. I think Israel can be excused to some degree as it seems to me he is a much older man at this point. He doesn’t seem to have the same strength he had when he was a younger man.
Still, the very things of which he complains came about because of poor fathering. He loved Joseph more than the other children because he came from a wife he loved more than the other wives. He put his personal enjoyment of particular children before his responsibility to lead the family as a whole. He gave Joseph a coat of many colors which screamed “favorite” to all his other sons. They responded as most would, with jealousy and anger. They were provoked, in fact to the point of murder by their father’s favoritism.
Ephesians 6:4
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
In today’s story that favoritism continued on down to Benjamin, the last of his favorite wife’s children. This family was a mess, and Israel, as head of his house, must shoulder the bulk of the blame. An approach that put what was best for the entire family first, above his personal preferences, would have yielded a different result. Still, in God’s infinite wisdom, mercy, and grace, even poor fathering was used to save lives, draw people closer to Him, forward His plan for all humanity, and glorify His name.
Brothers, I pray that you will dig deep, put yourself last and your family first. I pray that you will always respond to your spouse and children with a love that puts their best interest before your own. This is not enslavement to the whims of others but true, Christ-like leadership!
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
