What Does It Mean To Mock God?

That is the question that kept coming to my mind, after Dan Patrick’s tweet was being volleyed about in the news. I will probably get into a bit of trouble with this blog, but I have to write it. I decided to spend a good amount of time studying the passage, thinking about the news, and trying to find an answer to the question. When does a person “mock God?”

I have often said that I think Galatians 6:1–10 is one of the most provable, practical passages in the Bible. We think of Scripture in terms of chapter and verse, but that was not how it was written. Paul’s letters need to be read as letters, from start to finish. The epistles are popular because every word came from Paul’s Spirit-led heart, and he wrote to churches he loved.

Paul wrote to the church in Galatia because they were struggling to maintain the Christian doctrine they had been taught. Teachers had come to the city, insisting that Gentile Christians needed to enter into Jewish practices, like circumcision, if they were to truly be accepted by God. At the same time, Gentile believers were teaching that no matter what a person did, they could be forgiven. Many Gentiles wanted to maintain some of their sinful practices and used the message of forgiveness to distort spiritual truth.

The book of Galatians is among the most relevant books for the American culture. Galatians 5 ends with one of my favorite passages in Scripture. The gist: Christians are to live by the power, purpose, and priority of God’s Holy Spirit. That is what it means to be “Spirit-led.” God’s people have often wanted “five easy steps” to forgiveness or “ten ways to know God’s will.” The truth: God gave us his Holy Spirit so that we could “keep in step” with him (Galatians 5:25).

Paul, in chapter 6, calls the mature, Spirit-led Christians to restore the brothers and sisters who have fallen away from the standards of the Christian faith. Paul tells the mature Christians to be careful, because it will be tempting to trip over our own set of sins while trying to help others with theirs.

It is then Paul writes verse 7, the now famous tweet, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” What does it mean to “mock God?” I’ll let God’s word provide the answer.

  • “As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same” (Job 4:8).
  • “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6).

Basically, a person mocks God when they think they can live apart from his laws. We can’t plant carrot seeds and think we will grow squash. We mock God if we think we can jump out of a tree and defy the law of gravity. We mock God if we think we can fool God because we can fool others. We mock God if we think we are more intelligent, more forward thinking, or more advanced than his Word. We mock God’s word if we try to change it.

Jesus was teaching that truth to his disciples in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1–23). Every farmer understands the laws of nature and works accordingly. God can forgive a sin, and remove our punishment, but the consequences of our choices remain.

We can choose not to love a person and God can forgive our sin, but there is still a broken heart and a damaged witness. God can forgive us our reckless driving, but there is still a ticket to be paid and a car that is damaged. God can forgive sexual sin, but there are still people who have been hurt, disease that has spread, and even children born, or aborted.

When that man entered the bar with the intention to kill, God’s laws were broken, and the consequences will endure. God grieves every child lost and he grieves every sin that separated those people from his love and direction. God grieves the rallies, the politics, and the obscuring of his truth, whether that takes place in the media or in the church.

God’s word has always been the same, and he cannot be mocked. When people break his laws, there are always consequences. That is true for the shooter, the people in the bar, and the people in the church. God loves all of us and wants us to spend our days on earth Spirit-led. He gave us Scripture so we could understand how to live our earthly lives and how to live one day in heaven. God’s word, like God, cannot be mocked. Truth cannot be a lie.

There are so many people who want to be loved in this world. They are lonely, broken, and looking for something or someone to meet their needs. There, but for the grace of God, go we. I know this is a controversial statement, but I have lived with this thought since I heard the news of Dan Patrick’s tweet. It has been proven that the tweet was randomly scheduled, before the events that occurred in Orlando. The tweet has been labeled “unfortunate,” “random,” “racist,” “homophobic,” “insensitive,” “slanderous” and many other things.

I couldn’t escape this thought: what if that very public, scheduled tweet was not random at all? What if God was saying to the world, and especially to Christians, my word cannot be mocked? What if God was reminding believers of the great solution found in the book of Galatians? God is calling his Church, the body of Christ, to be Spirit-led. Galatians was written to believers. What if Dan Patrick’s tweet was as well?

 


This article was originally published on June 21, 2016 and makes reference to the Orlando nightclub shooting that occurred on June 12, 2016, where 49 people were killed and 53 injured.

The ancient roads aren’t paved at all

We’ve been in ministry for a long time now, and our most important lessons have been learned by living our faith journey with biblical truth. Don’t let anyone convince you that the faithful life is always  easy and filled with joy. It never has been, and it never will be. It is rewarding, blessed, fulfilling, and often an uphill effort. 

Walking God’s ancient road to heaven isn’t the easiest way to live our lives, but it is the road that takes us where we want to go.  

The “road to hell is paved”

The familiar words say, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” I find it interesting that we are supposed to think the road to hell is paved. The familiar saying isn’t a biblical concept, but the fact the road is paved actually is. 

Proverbs 14:12 is ancient wisdom. The proverb says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Scripture spoke of the “ancient road” as the more difficult path to follow, but it was also the path that led people to heaven. The easy path is the road that seems right but isn’t. Taking the easy way, or the popular way, is often taking the wrong road. The prophets were called to preach the truth people needed to know, even when it wasn’t what they wanted to hear. 

It would seem like every generation of humanity has wanted this life to be easier than it turns out to be. I’ve always squirmed a bit at Jesus’ words when he said, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13–14). 

Jesus’ words to his disciples were really clear and clearly sobering. Living a holy life in this unholy world will not be an easy or widely popular road. Jesus said the way is hard and few find it. 

If the road to hell is paved, it is a much easier road to walk. It “seems right to man” and it has a lot more people to walk alongside. The road to heaven is often a difficult journey, a narrow road that requires constant direction to navigate. The only way to walk that path is to be willing and determined to do whatever it takes to reach the end. 

Ancient paths require ancient truth

The prophet Jeremiah is sometimes called “the weeping prophet.” He preached to the people of Judah when Josiah was king of Judah. Jeremiah’s dad had been a priest so he grew up knowing the ancient truths about God and the nation of Israel. As the nation turned more and more to the worship of Baal, God made his truth very clear. 

God told Jeremiah to tell his people what to expect if they wanted to make the journey to his eternal Presence and blessing. Jeremiah 6:16 says, “Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ: ‘Stand by the roads and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.’ But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” 

Sometimes the journey to heaven is filled with paths that can appear too difficult to walk and may seem unfairly narrow. Jeremiah and King David questioned God, saying, “Why do the evil prosper?” It is tempting to live this life on the roads that are most popular and easier to enjoy. We have to consider the destination more important than the journey. 

God told Jeremiah to ask for the ancient paths. Why? 

The answer to that question might be the most important part of this blog post and a change point in your spiritual journey.  

Our culture is full of “fresh ideas” and “new thinking.” Many of our churches are leaning that way as well. All is good if the fresh ideas and new thinking are still based on ancient truth. Scripture teaches us that Jesus was with God in the beginning (John 1:1) and that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).  

If someone believes today what Christians have never believed before, their theology is not going to carry them down the ancient paths that lead to heaven. On the other hand, there is a new movement beginning among some Christians in college today who are looking for ancient, proven truth. They are a generation that recognizes the abundance of confusion and discord in popular thinking and have learned to appreciate what has always been considered true.  

Ancient paths require ancient, eternal truth. The ancient paths are “the good way,” and it is on those paths we can find “rest” for our “souls.” 

The question for each individual to consider is: Will I walk in it? 

Have we forgotten the ancient truth?

Jeremiah 18:15 reveals God’s heart for his people: “But my people have forgotten me; they make offerings to false gods; they made them stumble in their ways, in the ancient roads, and to walk into side roads, not the highway.” 

There is a higher way to live our lives and it depends on the ancient, eternal truth of God’s word. God’s definition of truth doesn’t change, but people’s interpretations of his truth have always drifted, then returned, only to drift again—throughout centuries of biblical history. 

Every generation in Christian history gets some things right and other things wrong. We are a fallen people who need their Lord to direct their daily walk. Jesus offers to guide us along the ancient path but the question remains, “Will we choose to walk it?”

Tough journeys require a great God

None of us wish for the difficult parts of this road, but it is the road that takes us to the place we need to be. We learn to trust doctors to save our lives.  Some of you have experienced the pain of difficult treatments that while painful at the time, have led to your healing.

Shouldn’t we all consider that crucial thinking for our spiritual lives as well? 

As Christians, each of us has our own journey and that will be a difficult road at times. We should want to walk the ancient paths of God’s eternal truth because that road leads us to heaven. It isn’t the easier, paved road of popular thinking; it is the proven path of ancient truth. It’s the road to “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” 

I hope all of us will choose to say, “Yes, Lord. I am willing.” 

That narrow gate is an uphill effort at times but worth every step that draws us closer to our eternity with God. 

The Prodigal’s Mother

I’ve taught the parable of the prodigal son from Luke, chapter 15, many times. It never occurred to me until today to ask, “Where was his mother?” I understand the parable should probably be titled the parable of the loving father. The story is much more about the father than the son. Nevertheless, there isn’t a mom anywhere in the picture. Why did Jesus leave her out of his parable? I think I might have the answer.  Consider the story of the prodigal son if Dad was gone that day and Mom had been left to deal with her teenage son.

The story of the prodigal son, as found in 1 Janet, chapter 15:

There was a mother who had two sons. The younger one said, “Mom give me my share of the inheritance.” The mom replies, “I don’t think so. But if there is something you need just let me know.”  The son makes up a fantastic story of great need and his mother says, “Well, I want you to fit in with the rest of your friends, so by all means, let me give you what you want.”  Not long after that, the son goes to the pawn shop and sells the things he had convinced his mom he needed, takes the cash and heads to Vegas. She continues to check on him each day, believing that he is working 9-5 at the office, even when the loud bells of the slot machines in the background should indicate otherwise. She suggests he come home for dinner and believes him when he says he has to work late. In fact, she hangs the phone up, proud that her son is working so hard. One day, the phone rings and her son says he has made some bad investments, and he has been wrongly arrested for tax evasion. He asks her to come and bail him out of jail—and oh, by the way, did I mention I had moved to Vegas? She responds, “No, why didn’t you tell me?” Her son says, “because I wanted to surprise you with my new wife.”  As the doorbell rings, her son says, “And she and my new baby need to stay with you for awhile.” The mother, with great excitement, runs to the door asking, “Is it a boy or a girl?” As she opens the door, she sees a young woman with orange hair, dressed in camo, carrying a small pink bundle. She shouts to her older son, who has been living in the basement for the last six years. (The job market is tough for college graduates!) She tells her older son, “Quick, clean up down there. You need to move out to the garage. Your brother’s new wife and child have just come home!” Needless to say, the older brother is upset. He shouts, “But mom, there is no television or internet connections in the garage!” His mother says, I’ll get it installed later today – but right now, I need to get to Vegas and bail your brother out of jail . . . before your dad gets home.”

Now you know why there is no mother in the parable of the prodigal son! She wouldn’t have stood there and watched HER son walk away!  She would have run down that road—and bribed him to come home! I have often mentioned Jesus’ parable when I speak to a room full of moms, and I usually make this point. If you have a prodigal in your family, ask God for strength and wisdom, but let those kids own their consequences—fully own them. The greatest need your child has in this world is God and the salvation the heavenly Father has provided through his son, Jesus. If your child is going to “return to the Father” because of a pig sty, then that pig sty is where you want your child to be. Don’t do your best to keep your children from consequences; do your best to help those kids experience EVERY ONE of them. Allow your prodigal to fail, and even suffer if necessary. And tell his older brother to move out and get a job! No one wants to be a Prodigal’s Mother – but if you end up with one, do everything necessary to send them to that pig sty – praying they will “come to their senses” (Luke 15:17) just like the parable teaches!

“Train your child up in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6). A proverb is not a promise. It is a statement of general truth. No matter how well you parent, you cannot parent away your child’s free will. If you train your child, he will probably turn out great – when he is old. It’s those other years that might have a pig sty or two!

This blog post was originally published in July of 2012 

The Giver: a Christian perspective

I’m not sure why I missed seeing the movie, The Giver, but I will try to see it soon. I remember seeing the trailer in the theater and thinking I needed to see it. Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges and Katie Holmes seemed like a promising cast, and I remembered that one or both of my sons had read the novel when they were in school.

Recently, I was in a bookstore looking for another book when I saw The Giver, by Lois Lowry, on the same table. I picked up a copy and decided to purchase it. I read The Giver on a recent flight and barely noticed the four hours pass. If you have been reading my blog posts for a while, or if you know me, you know that I love a great book. A great book should be entertaining, but it should also cause a person to think.  Lois Lowry won the Newberry Award for The Giver because she wrote a great book.

After I finished reading the book, I did a little research. Spark Notes described Lowry’s inspiration to write her novel:

“She was inspired to write The Giver—which won the 1994 Newbery medal—after visiting her elderly father in a nursing home. He had lost most of his long-term memory, and it occurred to Lowry that without memory there is no longer any pain. She imagined a society where the past was deliberately forgotten, which would allow the inhabitants to live in a kind of peaceful ignorance. The flaws inherent in such a society, she realized, would show the value of individual and community memory: although a loss of memory might mean a loss of pain, it also means a loss of lasting human relationships and connections with the past.”

The Giver is not a Christian novel, but if I were doing a review, I would be able to point out what a Christian should learn from the story.  When I finished reading the novel, I couldn’t help but compare the colorless, or boring, society that allowed individuals to live in “peaceful ignorance” to the untrue perception many non-Christians have of those who live in faith.

Christianity is often described as a “crutch” or a way some people choose to avoid dealing with the realities of life and death. Non-Christians often believe a life of faith to be rigid, routine and restricted—often colorless or boring. I can see how someone could read The Giver and believe it was a condemnation of religion while another might read it and believe it to be supportive of faith. I can see others read it and believe it has nothing to do with faith at all.

In the introduction to the latest edition of the novel, Lois Lowry describes some of the comments she has received from people over the years. She said a Trappist monk had written to say he considered the book a sacred text. Another man had escaped a cult that he had been raised in and his psychiatrist recommended he read The Giver. One mother read the book because it had been assigned to her child at school. She wrote to tell Lowry that she was clearly a disturbed person and she hoped the author would get some help.

I liked what Lowry had to say about the multitude of comments she had received over the years. She wrote, “A book, to me, is almost sacrosanct; such an individual and private thing. The reader brings his or her own history and beliefs and concerns, and reads in solitude, creating each scene from his own imagination as he does. There is no fellow ticket-holder in the next seat.” I would agree with her words as they apply to every book except the greatest book in history, the Bible.

The Holy Bible had a holy Author, with a perfect purpose. Billions of people have read its pages and been able to come to the same, important conclusions. We read the Bible with our imaginations, but the words we read were not imagined. Scripture was creative, but each truth was created. The Bible was not written to describe a “peace filled life of ignorant bliss.” The Bible was written to guide people to the peace filled life that will certainly exist for all eternity. We don’t live with full understanding. In 1 Corinthians 13:12 Paul writes, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” We live with hope because we live with God’s promise of eternity.

The Giver ends with the main character escaping the created utopia because he discovered that even though the real world had suffering and pain, it was better than a world with no joy.  Joy, as the novel teaches, cannot exist without the understanding of pain and suffering.  Success in The Giver is described as choosing to live in the real, yet fallen world. Success in the Bible is described as choosing to live in the fallen world for the sake of heaven.

The Giver is a great book that makes a person think. It is written for young people, but it was meaningful to me, a “not-so-young person.” I love a great book, but I respect and do my best to govern my life by the only perfect book. Paul taught his young protégé, Timothy, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The Giver is a great novel but the real “Giver” is the One whose breath created your Bible. Enjoy the novel, but live by God’s Word.

This blog post was originally published on November 18, 2014.

Share God’s word, not word salad

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to share God’s word with perfect clarity? 

I’ve most often muddled the task when I have assumed I know what to say instead of understanding I don’t. The only perfect words are authored by our perfect God and it’s easy to get in his way sometimes. 

One of my favorite verses in Scripture is Psalm 19:14. It is a verse I like to pray before I teach, speak, or write a blog post. The psalm says, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” 

We need more than words to communicate the truth of God; we also need an acceptable heart.

The phrase word salad has been used for political purposes recently, but I wondered what the phrase meant. As it turns out, it’s a pretty good description for some of our “muddled” speech. If we want to share God’s word with clarity, we should understand what that means biblically.

What is word salad?

Merriam-Webster defines word salad as “unintelligible, extremely disorganized speech” or “a string of empty, incoherent, nonsensical words or comments.” 

Technically, it has often been used to describe the speech of someone with a mental disorder. Lately, word salad has been used politically to describe an answer to a question that never really provides an answer, or a series of relevant-sounding phrases that are actually irrelevant to the listener.

If you are like me, you’ve heard sermons and podcasts or have read articles or papers that, when finished, haven’t seemed to make an important point at all. (Even as I type those words, I am prayerful for my own writing!)

Someone described word salad as a jello salad, saying, “Who first thought about opening a can of fruit and putting it in a bowl of jello? It is like taking something healthy and mixing it with something to make it less healthy.” 

Obviously, that person isn’t a huge fan of jello salad! 

Do we sometimes mix God’s word up with things that make it sweeter to the taste but less beneficial than God intended his word to be? 

One of the best seminars I ever attended was led by a Christian fiction writer who had, on occasion, been criticized for being too graphic in his mystery writing. He said his editors would often ask him to “soften” his words.

The man then spent the next minutes describing several passages in Scripture that had been “softened” in order to teach or preach them in church. I will always remember the point he made that day. He asked us, “At what point did God give us permission to edit or soften his word?”

It is sobering to consider the words of Christ who said, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36–37).

Careful speech is not “softened” truth

I think we need to word God’s truth carefully. 

I sometimes cringed when I sat in the pew with my young boys and listened to a biblical passage or sermon that dealt with sensitive, adult topics. I knew the car ride home might get interesting! 

Thankfully, I knew the preacher was coming home soon and I could just say, “Wait and ask your dad about that.”

My husband, Jim, and I were talking about our early years of ministry. We had a conflict in our small church because some of the women wanted to do a baby shower and help an unmarried, pregnant teen get ready for her baby. Other women in the church worried that we were expressing acceptance of sin as we were offering compassion to someone who needed it. Honestly, both sides of the conflict were able to make a strong, biblical argument.

We ended up hosting the shower and helping the unwed, teenage mother. I’m glad we did that, but, at the same time, forty years later, I’ve seen the problems associated with softening or withholding God’s word on the subject of a premarital sexual relationship. A 2015 survey said that almost 90 percent of unmarried men and women confessed to having a sexual relationship prior to marriage. Other articles called premarital sex “the norm.”

When is the last time your preacher boldly preached the truth of God’s word on the subject? 

Hebrews 13:4 is a clear statement: “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”

Have we softened God’s word on the subject of homosexuality? 

Paul told the church in Rome that there would be consequences for those who engaged in that behavior. He said, “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error” (Romans 1:26–27). 

Many have tried to edit Paul’s statement or rewrite it to bring it into agreement with current, more tolerant thinking. There isn’t any way to edit Paul’s words to make those sexual sins acceptable today.

At what point did God give us permission to tolerate what he has said is dishonorable, unnatural, and shameless? Are we helping a person if we offer tolerance for sin instead of offering the truth about that sin? 

Paul taught we must speak “the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15), but he also taught we must speak the truth.

Does our word salad sweeten God’s word but make it less beneficial?

As I have said before, one of my “life verses” is from the book of Hosea. God told the prophet, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (Hosea 4:6).

Is our good desire to protect people’s feelings hindering God’s desire for them to know the truth? 

Current statistics would seem to say that tolerating sins is not helping people to understand that God has said there are consequences to those sins. 

Are people’s lives, and eternal lives, being destroyed because they lack knowledge of God and his word? Is a lack of truth destroying our children’s and grandchildren’s generations?

I know I have softened God’s word at times to help it feel more appropriate or acceptable. I may even have helped others feel better about their sin as a result. I pray that God will forgive my offering of word salad when what they most needed was the truth of God’s word.

There is a new way to look at an ancient psalm. Those words say, “Set a guard, O Lᴏʀᴅ, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! (Psalm 141:3)” 

As I read that psalm, I pictured the plexiglass guard that hangs over the salad bar at a steakhouse. My new version of that psalm became this: “Hang the guard, Lord, over all my ‘word salad’ and help me leave the jello-words unspoken. Instead, guide me back to the table to consume and share the meat from your word.” 

The words of our lips ought to provide people the wisdom they need to walk in God’s truth.

Let no one suffer because they lack knowledge of who God is and what God most wants for their lives now and eternally. 

They might want the salad bar, but we need to help them choose the steak instead.

Salted conversations

Do you ever feel bombarded by words in our culture today? 

That probably seems like an odd thing to say, given that I make a living with my words. Recent news has certainly sent word bombs flying throughout all the media sources. 

As Christians, how do we make certain our words are landing in the right places?

I have listened to a lot of the rhetoric surrounding the Supreme Court and other issues. I’m not going to debate the issue of abortion because there is no need. I have always liked the simple message I read on yard signs back in the eighties that said “It’s a baby y’all.” Truth isn’t as complicated as fiction. 

I’m glad people are thinking again about the truth of the abortion issue, in addition to the politics the issue creates. But, in all the conversations I have listened to, no one seems to be discussing the deepest concern. There is a profound truth that has been lost to our culture today and to our conversations. 

Why aren’t we speaking about the reason unwanted babies are being created?  

The truth about consequences

There are millions of statements being made about personal freedom. Where are the statements about personal responsibility? I’m not unaware that the issue is complicated by the fact that some babies are created as the result of an attack. But the complete truth about abortion is shaded by that fact.  

Last year, more than one million babies were aborted. Only 1.5 percent of those abortions were attributed to an attack. That means, if the numbers are correct, last year 985,000 babies lost their lives because their moms and dads didn’t want to take the responsibility or live with the consequences of creating them. 

There is a reason that God wanted the most personal relationship a person can have to belong to a husband and wife, who would keep that relationship sacred and holy. Christians need to be salting their conversations with the complete truth of God’s word on this subject. 

Any time we break God’s laws, there are consequences. Are we leaving a generation of God’s children in the dark because we don’t want to hurt their feelings? Be judgmental? Do we just quietly feel badly about the lack of truth, or do we choose to salt our conversations with truth?  

The truth about consequences is that there are consequences for speaking truth, for speaking partial truth, for lies, and for staying silent when truth is needed. 

The truth about salty words

Don’t you hate getting salt on a cut finger? 

It stings and often we don’t realize there is a problem until we feel the burn. 

I was curious: Why does salt sting? Google to the rescue! 

I found an article that explained the sensation. Salt stings for the same reason antiseptic stings: both activate the nerve “receptors.” I couldn’t help but see the metaphor.  

Sometimes “truth hurts.” We shouldn’t throw our truth around, hoping it will cause pain. That is using our words as weapons. At the same time, we can’t help the fact that when salt hits a wound people feel it. The sting alerts them that something is wrong. It is a natural response of our “receptors.” 

God created all things, including us. It would seem he wanted us to feel truth sometimes, especially when it is applied to something that is wrong in our lives. 

Why did Jesus call his disciples “the salt of the world”?

I just finished recording six Bible studies from the Sermon on the Mount. (They will be available on the website later this summer.) Jesus was teaching his disciples when he said, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet” (Matthew 5:13). 

Disciples are the salt of the earth. Our words may be the only Scripture, or message from God, that people will hear on a subject. Have we allowed the culture to remove the “saltiness” from our conversations? Is that why our culture has been “trampling” God’s word with their rhetoric? 

Our unsalted words may not sting people quite as much, but that’s because they are no longer as good. People can throw them away and walk on them. Truth will sting, but that is because pure, salty truth hits a receptor. 

God wants us to notice when something is wrong. 

Will you live a salty life?

Peter Marshall was an American preacher in Washington D.C. who later served as a Senate Chaplain. He was known for his wisdom as well as his preaching talent. Peter Marshall said, “Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for—because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything.” 

Have Christians fallen for Satan’s messages of partial truth? 

If so, we have lost our saltiness. If our words don’t “burn” some wrong opinions these days, our words have lost their saltiness. 

If we don’t stand for biblical truth, we will fall for something less. Jesus taught his disciples that an unsalted life and witness won’t be good for anything. Jesus also taught his disciples to speak the truth in love. In other words, don’t rub salt into wounds but, at the same time, don’t hesitate to let God allow the truth to “burn” just a bit, even when you speak it with love. Be encouraged that when people “receive it” they might become aware of a wrong in their lives and know to fix it. 

“Unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything.” Peter Marshall was right to encourage us to live with a clear vision and the strength to stand for God’s truth. May our words be salted with his truth, by his Spirit, for the sake of his purpose. If our words burn just a bit, it is just the truth about consequences.  

Disciples are the salt of the earth. Our salted conversations bring the flavor of truth to our words and to our world. Our culture deserves the chance to know God’s word and hopefully live a life he will bless. 

 

Faith and Football

I love the game of football, and this year, because of Dak Prescott, I love it even more. I’m a huge Cowboys fan because my guys were all huge fans. Jim taught me everything he could about the game and ESPN was on our television every day after school. Now I can recognize a holding penalty, pass interference, and intentional grounding as soon as the other team makes those mistakes. (A true fan is rarely objective.)

My boys bought me a Romo jersey years ago and I have put it to good use during the regular season, but not very often in the post season. Christmas is right around the corner, guys . . . I believe Prescott wears the number 4? (A subtle blog hint to my family.) I don’t want to hurt Romo’s feelings because he seems like a great person, but I think we might need a permanent change in our Cowboys’ leadership. I have a bad back too—and Tony and I should both want to avoid that kind of pain. I would hate to see Tony take a hit again that could leave him with permanent damage. He has children to think about now. Maybe it is too soon to put our faith in Dak. He is, after all, a young rookie. But he won the game in Green Bay! (For the non-football readers, that is kind of like David taking down Goliath.)

I watched a video interview he gave ESPN a couple of years ago. Dak lost his mom to cancer when he was still in college. Every time he scores he touches his facemask, and then points to heaven, in her honor. He has the word “Mom” tattooed on his wrist. She was a tough mom and made sure her kids grew up knowing they were loved, cared for, and that they needed to become responsible people. She raised a strong son in Dak, but there is a greater strength available to him as well.

I googled Dak’s name because I was hoping that gesture had something to do with his faith in God. Sports heroes have a great platform to share their faith. Jim wrote an article last week about Tim Tebow. The media is fascinated with the standards that Tim has set for his life, and even more fascinated that he has maintained those standards. I hope Dak Prescott will discover a faith like Tim Tebow’s someday. He seems like a good man . . . I hope he will be a godly man too.

Few of us have the influence of a prominent football quarterback, but all of us have the ability to influence others with our Christian faith. Recently I was speaking about Nehemiah and his prayer that we find in chapter one. Nehemiah prayed that God would help him find favor with a pagan king so that he and others could return to Judah and help rebuild the walls and the temple in Jerusalem. Nehemiah was the cupbearer to that king. Only a man of the highest character could hold that job. The king literally put his life in Nehemiah’s hands, trusting that he could not be bribed or coerced by those that wanted to cause him harm.

God answered Nehemiah’s prayer and he did return to Judah. Nehemiah said, “And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests” (Neh. 2:8). For the Christian, success is experiencing the gracious hand of God on our lives. People like Nehemiah experience God’s favor because of their faith-filled lives. Jesus grew in “wisdom, stature and favor with God and man.” Our growth and success can be measured by those same terms. Nehemiah lived with godly character and found favor, even with a pagan king.

Tony Romo, Dak Prescott, and every other quarterback—including Tim Tebow—spent most of their lives perfecting their skills so they could play football well. They all had innate abilities, but those abilities required discipline and focus. Tim Tebow wasn’t as good at football as Tony Romo or Dak Prescott. Could it be he had a higher focus for his life than success in a sport? If true success is measured by God’s favor, who has actually been the most successful quarterback?

The sports broadcasters will debate which man should be the Cowboys’ quarterback for the rest of the season. I hope it is Dak Prescott. He does look like he has amazing potential. But I hope that one day soon he will touch his facemask, point to heaven and tell the world that God’s gracious hand has brought him success. I hope Tony Romo heals and is able to help the team, and remain well enough to play football with his boys in the days ahead. And I hope Tim Tebow continues to make news so he can share his faith with a world that needs to know his God. Each man can lead a great life that will include stories of their success on the football field. In addition, their lives will be measured by God and he will use different standards than those who evaluate a game or tally stats.

If Nehemiah were a football quarterback today how would he define success? I wonder how many games he would win. Would Nehemiah have been a Dak Prescott, a Tony Romo or a Tim Tebow? It would be interesting to know if God’s gracious hand would impact the game but it is certain that God’s hand would determine success.

I hope all of us feel God’s hand resting on our lives as we surrender our abilities to serve God’s higher Kingdom purpose. I don’t know whether the Cowboys will head to the playoffs or the Super Bowl. I don’t know which quarterback will be leading during those games. I do know this: in the grand scheme, it doesn’t matter nearly as much as what you and I accomplish today by the power of God’s gracious hand.


Join us at www.christianparenting.org and chime in on this week’s discussion question: In what ways do you make birthdays more meaningful for your kids and those who know them?

The “3 P’s” of Christian Politics

During my husband’s Q & A event last week, the second question out of the box had to do with this year’s election and the continuing “drama” that surrounds our candidates. Whether we like it or not, this is the topic everyone wants to discuss. When it comes to this year’s election, there is a lot more shade than light. Is there some biblical advice to consider for the weeks ahead? I’d like to suggest three “P’s” for Christian politics.

First, each Christian should consider his or her priorities in this political climate. When you leave a conversation, a party, a luncheon, or the office, what will matter most? Is your witness more important to you than your political position? Do you want your candidate to win more than you want Jesus to be glorified? The answers may seem obvious, but, if the people you spoke to were judging your level of passion, what would they think? Would you rather talk about Trump or Clinton more than Jesus? Can you talk about Trump or Clinton and bring Jesus glory in the process?

This is actually an important time to witness. Our nation and government matter, and Christians should care about the election. At the same time, do we act like a president is more influential, powerful, or important than the King of Creation? Paul was teaching Timothy how to handle the Roman government when he said, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Timothy 2:1–2). I don’t think the words “peaceful, quiet, godly and dignified” are going to apply to the political rhetoric this month. Paul would strongly “urge” us to make certain they do apply to our Christian witness amid the rhetoric.

The second point I would make is this: Who do you really believe has the most significant “power” in this world? There is no doubt that our leaders make a difference. We should vote for the people we believe are most capable to govern our country. At the same time, we need to remember that God’s power is supreme and can be trusted. I think Daniel would give us that message today. He knew what it was like to be governed by people who didn’t care about the will of God. Daniel placed his trust in God, saying, “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding” (Daniel 2:21).

God has all power, but he gives people the power to choose. This election, we should use the power God has given us—but understand that ultimately we can trust God to give or remove power according to his will and purpose.

Finally, we need to honestly consider our “purpose” in politics. I wait for the chance to vote for a person who understands that his or her purpose in politics is to serve. The arena can be a difficult place to maintain a Christian witness. Even as I type this blog post I wonder if there is a person reading these words who will step into the political arena with a commitment to use politics in order to serve God. That person will have a difficult time surviving in that arena unless they are fully reliant on God.

Daniel faced the lions because he knew his only purpose was to faithfully follow God. When his faithfulness landed him in the lion’s den he didn’t try to fight, he tried to stay faithful. When King Darius approached the lion’s den he called to Daniel saying, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Daniel was able to answer, “My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him” (cf. Daniel 6:20–22). Daniel knew the lions had enormous power to kill but understood that his purpose was to continue to serve God faithfully. His faith and purpose had eternal significance. Ours can too.

Most of the people I know are watching the news, the Internet, and the debates wondering how things could have come to this in our country. Our priorities are not reflected. Our power seems to have diminished. And our purpose in the political scheme seems diminished. None of that is true. Our light is most visible when the darkness invades. Is our Christian witness our number one priority? Do our words and attitudes indicate our complete trust in the power of God? Is our purpose to serve God and minister to others, even when an arena is filled with lions? God will remove kings and set up kings—and he will give wisdom to those who have understanding (Daniel 2:21).

In the meantime, God’s people need to stand with Christian priorities, trust God’s power, and fulfill the purpose God has given us to accomplish. What if God plans to raise up a Daniel in the days ahead? What if you are a Daniel? When King Darius realized that Daniel had survived the lions he gave this message to his ungodly culture:

“I make a decree that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on the earth” (Daniel 2:26–27).

May that be the message we send to our culture today. Amen?


Join us at www.christianparenting.org and chime in on this week’s discussion question: How do you manage the level of your child’s participation in extra-curricular activities?

I Vote For…

Do I want stronger or greater? Do I want male or female? Do I want business savvy or political experience? Do I want a second home in Australia or Canada? The election is just weeks away. I vote for . . . ?

I picture myself on Election Day, sitting in my car and wondering what to do. My candidate isn’t an option. My candidate didn’t want his or her family to be raked through the media. My candidate didn’t want to be grilled or parodied by late-night comedians. My candidate didn’t want to have his or her personal life treated as fodder for networks more interested in creating news than reporting it. Maybe my candidate didn’t have a chance to win because he or she thought about running, and chose not to.

I have more compassion for Jonah all the time. Why would somebody choose to go to Ninevah when there is beachfront leisure property available in Tarsus? Why would someone want to give away his life instead of keeping it? And why does God ask us to?

Jesus wasn’t mincing any words when he talked to his disciples about the cost of faithful service to God and others. Jesus gathered his twelve disciples around him and told them to prepare for persecution, slander, hatred, seclusion, and even death. Matthew 10 is not an uplifting message intended to entice people to follow. Our faith is a cross to carry. Jesus never set his disciples up for anything but apparent failure. Instead, he taught them that failure with the world is often eternal success.

Jesus looked at his disciples and said:

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:34–39).

Our generation has been able to forget that kind of message—until now. We have been admired, respected, and appreciated for our Christian values. In the days ahead, that will probably become less and less the case. As I face the election this year I wonder if God called someone into the political arena who decided to run for Tarsus instead. I wonder if anyone God called could possibly feel electable. I wonder if God’s candidate is still waiting on God’s timing. And I wonder if one of the current candidates will be a “Saul of Tarsus” in the days ahead. Either candidate could be the greatest president our nation has ever seen, if either would bow before God and choose him as Lord.

One thing I don’t wonder about is whether God is involved. He cares who is elected. He cares whether or not we listen to Him and follow his will. Jonah found that out in a hurry. Maybe someone is waking up in the belly of a fish right now and thinking, “Okay, I’ll do it, no matter the consequences.” Jesus told us that walking with him would be messy—but worth it. “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (10:39).

I vote for. . . ? Whomever God tells me to, when I get out of my car, stand in line, and prayerfully stare at the machine. In the meantime, I am praying for one or both to wake up, decide to head to Damascus, and experience a profound encounter with Jesus. It won’t be a good day for them, but it could be a great day for our nation.

2 Chronicles 7 is in the Bible and is, therefore, pure truth. God told King Solomon:

When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or
send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves,
and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place (7:13–15).

I can’t and won’t tell someone how to vote, but God definitely will. I can tell you that if you will pray, God will answer. Many people travel in and out of the Oval Office but only One sits on the throne in heaven. I vote for . . . whomever He tells me to when I’m standing in front of that machine.

Until then, I am praying for Jonah to get spit out on the sand. I am praying for a president that will head to Damascus and encounter Jesus. I am praying for God’s children to pray like their lives depend on God’s answers. God has promised He will hear, answer, and—one day—redeem everything for his glory. Jesus said, “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Are you ready for genuine discipleship? I vote for that.


Join us at www.christianparenting.org and chime in on this week’s discussion question: How do you manage the level of your child’s participation in extra-curricular activities?

God’s Kind of Kindness

I want to express gratitude to those of you who made donations on North Texas Giving Day.  Our ministry was blessed by your generosity.  Thank you for caring for us, and for supporting the ministries of the Denison Forum.  We will continue to freely give our resources because you have given to us.  We appreciate your partnership in spreading the message and ministry of Christ. – Janet

Should Christians be careful about everything we say and do? The answer is “yes,” but reality is something less than perfection. We teach our kids to be kind, even though they will experience unkindness from others. We make kindness a standard of behavior but live with the free will that enables us to choose another standard when we want to.

We listen to campaign ads and debates filled with anger and malice. We respect and love people who voice differing opinions. We listen most intently to conversation that take place with lowered, secretive voices. The quiet words are often what we remember most. As Christians we know what God has called us to do but all of us are living as imperfect examples.

Every now and again it is good to reexamine the standards we have accepted for our lives. Many of us have felt that if we are kinder than others, we are doing well. But who are the others and should they be our standard for comparison? Are Christians acting with greater kindness than others or are we acting with God’s kind of kindness? Is it possible for imperfect people, surrounded by imperfect people, to live with his standards for our lives? When in doubt, I like to look to past wisdom to gain perspective on the future.

Here are a few standards for kindness from some wise leaders:

— Henry Drummond said, “The greatest thing a man can do for his Heavenly Father is to be kind to some of his other children.” When we are kind to others, we express kindness and gratitude to God. All of us would like to think we have made God smile. Who will you treat like God’s child today?

— Blaise Pascal said, “Kind words do not cost much; yet they accomplish much.” We might be slandered by a few people, even for a kind act. But we will be liked and respected by most people for that same kind act. Kindness might cost a little, but in the end, it earns us much more than we paid.

— Steve Groll said, “If I treat people with the same courtesy and kindness I would like to be treated with, it may change some people, but the person it changes the most is me.” We are often kind, for our own sakes. We really do “reap what we sow,” and kindness is one of our most valuable crops. But, the best way to become a kind Christian is to act with Christian kindness toward others. Jesus did not need to be treated like God’s Son in order to be God’s Son. We don’t need to be treated with Christian kindness in order to be Christians.

— Martin Luther King Jr., speaking about the parable of the Good Samaritan, said, “The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was, ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But the Good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?'” We know to be kind so that God will bless our lives. Maybe we need to ask ourselves if we are aiming for the higher standard: Are we expressing Christian kindness so that God can use us to bless others?

Paul provided some spiritual advice on the subject of kindness. Paul explained that kindness was a gift of the Holy Spirit. In other words, true biblical kindness is produced by God’s Spirit, more than by our good intentions. If we want to be kind Christians, we will need to be filled with the kindness of Christ. But that is true of all the character qualities the Holy Spirit wants to produce. Paul wrote, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22–23). The fruit of the Spirit will never be our best efforts. Spiritual fruit is always God’s perfect effort in us.

If the Holy Spirit prompted our conversations, how would they change? Do we set the same standards for our homes as we do for our time at church, or work, or social occasions? Is kindness a natural byproduct of our Spirit-led lives? We can never be perfect, but we can make sure we are living with God’s kind of kindness. The sure way to lower our standard is to never reach for God’s. His character can infuse ours, through the power of his Holy Spirit. Let’s aim for God’s kind of kindness.

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:10)

 


Join us at www.christianparenting.org and chime in on this week’s discussion question: How do you manage the level of your child’s participation in extra-curricular activities?