Do As I Say, Not As I Do…

When I read of the Sadducees and Pharisees in Jesus’ day, I can’t help but think of politicians of our day. They are above the law, “do as I say not as I do”. They don’t practice what they preach. Yet everything they do is for show. They live to be honored at gatherings, be interviewed on tv, and love to hear people exalt them everywhere they go. They are “our modern day Sadducees and Pharisees”. Jesus’ advice on how to deal with them is simple, do what they tell you to do, but do not follow their own behavior. They will tell you to do right, so do it. Don’t model their behavior, for it will get you into trouble. Hypocrisy has a way of entangling the practitioner into a web of deceit, so tightly spun, there will be no escape. Hypocrisy has a way of blinding the eyes of those who practice it, that it eventually causes the person to believe what they are doing is righteous. Jesus called the religious leaders “the blind leading the blind”. The moral to this story is to grow closer to God, so that His Spirit fine tunes your eyes to be able to discern truth from hypocrisy. Allow Him to work in you, cornering that inclination, limiting it to the smallest section in your heart, putting an eternal quarantine on it, never letting it raise its ugly head again. That’s what true humility does. And that’s why God rewards the humble.

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples, 2 “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses.3 So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach.4 They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.5 “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels.6 And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues.7 They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’ Matthew 23:1-7a

11 The greatest among you must be a servant.12 But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Matthew 23:11-12

Play With Fire And not Get Burned…

In today’s “anything goes society” people think sinful behavior is acceptable. When a man or woman has an affair the consequences are inevitable. Society only acts as if these acts are bad if it’s someone it doesn’t like. If it’s a person, a politician for example, that’s not liked, the hammer is dropped on them and their political career is over. If it’s someone the world likes, they get a slap on the wrist, time without public coverage goes by, then they are socially resurrected and fame is returned to them. God doesn’t see it that way, and reality proves it. The destruction adultery causes within a family is irreversible. The severed connections between father-son, father-daughter, mother-son, and mother-daughter can’t be fully evaluated. The hurt, animosity, and distrust created by an adulterous affair lingers on for the rest of the lives of all involved. Think of adultery with the example given in this proverb; can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire? Adultery, fornication, and any other form of sexual activity outside of God’s design has detrimental consequences. God knows the damage it does to people. He knows the hurt and brokenness it causes. He knows that some people never recover from it. And yet people still think they can play with fire and not get burned. And even worse, promote it as if it is no big deal. It is a big deal, so big, the burn scars it leaves cripples people from every receiving full recovery. Adultery is serious. It’s a vow we break. God says it’s serious. Being unfaithful breaks the vow you made, and severs the bonded trust you’ve established in your commitment to your spouse. God hates divorce for a reason. Determine in your heart that if it’s going to be allowed and even celebrated in the world, it won’t be by you.

26 For a prostitute will bring you to poverty, but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life.27 Can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire? 28 Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet? 29 So it is with the man who sleeps with another man’s wife. He who embraces her will not go unpunished. Proverbs 6:26-29

32 But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool,for he destroys himself.33 He will be wounded and disgraced.His shame will never be erased.34 For the woman’s jealous husband will be furious,and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.35 He will accept no compensation,nor be satisfied with a payoff of any size. Proverbs 6:32-35

The Beginning Of Wisdom….

Imagine this simple concept actually works. The fear of God keeps us from seeing sin as acceptable behavior. Take God out of the picture, and sinning runs rampant. This just goes to show everyone why walking with God is such an important part of one’s life. Sin is striving for independence from God, its selfishness. It makes us run from Him. That’s the exact opposite from what we were designed to do. Salvation, peace, rest, purpose, strength, security, endurance, patience, kindness, and love come from God. If we don’t get these from Him in a relationship or right standing with Him, what we have isn’t real or authentic. It’s just pretending, a forgery, a counterfeit. It states in Proverbs, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”, now you know why.

19 And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!”20 “Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of Him will keep you from sinning!”21 As the people stood in the distance, Moses approached the dark cloud where God was. Exodus 20:19-21

A Deep Sea Adventure…..

When people ask “where does it say in the Bible that God is against abortion?”, I respond with this verse. Then I go on to tell them about Jeremiah, David, Moses, John the Baptist, and Jesus, all of which give clear evidence of God’s affirmation of His love for all human life, born and unborn. When it says “Lord hates”, and “He detests”, it’s easy to understand, correct? God is angered when this happens. “Hands that shed innocent blood”, would include anything unworthy of death, correct? I mean a baby in the womb of a woman didn’t get there because it did something to hurt or destroy the woman, right? There’s nothing more innocent than a growing life inside of a woman. It hasn’t had time to sin against anyone, has it? When a woman chooses abortion, she chooses death for that child. And that falls under what God hates. When innocent blood is shed, God knows that death was caused by murder, the selfish act of taking a life for premeditated, calculated revenge or personal gain. When a human being murders another human being, God says “that’s enough, you are not Me, you don’t not have the authority to do that”. And that my friend is why He hates murder. Hands that shed innocent blood includes abortion. Now you know why it means so much to people who want to end it. Stopping something God hates is a noble and selfless act. It’s something people who truly love God want to put an end to. And even though it’s legal in this country at this time, it’s not a God given right (He doesn’t approve). And the consequences, no matter how many people try to rationalize them away, do irreversible damage when not addressed with God’s way. Will God forgive someone who has had an abortion, of course, but woe to the one who justifies it and promotes others that it is okay. A millstone with their name on it is waiting to take them on a deep sea adventure.

16 There are six things the Lord hates–no, seven things He detests:17 haughty eyes,a lying tongue,hands that kill the innocent,18 a heart that plots evil,feet that race to do wrong,19 a false witness who pours out lies,a person who sows discord in a family. Proverbs 6:16-19

1 One day Jesus said to His disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting! 2 It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin. Luke 17:1-2

People Striving For Perfection….

Here’s a thought: according to David, God’s way is perfect. If that is true, then why is it that so many people striving for perfection ignore or reject God’s way? Doesn’t that seem contradictory? If God’s way is perfect, and we do strive for perfection, shouldn’t we strive for perfection using God’s way? The reason people don’t is because people don’t want God’s help. They want to do it themselves (pride). So in summary, man can never achieve perfection without Jesus. With Jesus, we are seen by God as perfect. Jesus imputes His perfection onto us, and thus we reach the state of grace and forgiveness. People’s pursuit of perfection is a vain attempt never to be reached without God. And even then it’s not achieved by anything we do, rather by what Jesus has already done.

30 God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection. Psalms 18:30

But Not Through Me….

Reading Jethro’s advice to Moses, I can’t help but think this is how our government got started. I’m sure our founding fathers selected representatives who were capable, honest, God-fearing men, who hated bribes. Back then all men of power knew how to conduct their lives. The key was that they feared God, they knew they were ultimately responsible to God (or at least knew He is the Ultimate Judge). Fast forward to today. The lack of integrity, the love of bribes, and the absence of God, all play a vital role in the corruption of our government. To think this type of system was set up by Moses’ father-in-law almost 3500 years ago and is still effective when you place the right people in those positions proves that God’s ways never go out of style. It’s people’s fault that God’s ways go out of fashion. The way America makes a come back is when men and women of integrity, God-fearing people are placed into government offices. That way, evil will not prosper, destroying the fabric of our Republic. As a famous author once said, “You can resolve to live your life with integrity. Let your credo be this: Let the lie come into the world, let it even triumph. But not through me.” That’s the attitude of a true servant of the Most High God. These are the people we need to elect as our representatives. Integrity has no holiday. If an elected official is supposed to represent the people, selfishness has no place doing business with him/her.

13 The next day, Moses took his seat to hear the people’s disputes against each other. They waited before him from morning till evening.14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?”15 Moses replied, “Because the people come to me to get a ruling from God. 16 When a dispute arises, they come to me, and I am the one who settles the case between the quarreling parties. I inform the people of God’s decrees and give them His instructions.”17 “This is not good!” Moses’ father-in-law exclaimed. 18 “You’re going to wear yourself out–and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself. 19 Now listen to me, and let me give you a word of advice, and may God be with you. You should continue to be the people’s representative before God, bringing their disputes to Him. 20 Teach them God’s decrees, and give them His instructions. Show them how to conduct their lives. 21 But select from all the people some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes. Appoint them as leaders over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. 22 They should always be available to solve the people’s common disputes, but have them bring the major cases to you. Let the leaders decide the smaller matters themselves. They will help you carry the load, making the task easier for you. 23 If you follow this advice, and if God commands you to do so, then you will be able to endure the pressures, and all these people will go home in peace.”24 Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions. 25 He chose capable men from all over Israel and appointed them as leaders over the people. He put them in charge of groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. 26 These men were always available to solve the people’s common disputes. They brought the major cases to Moses, but they took care of the smaller matters themselves.27 Soon after this, Moses said good-bye to his father-in-law, who returned to his own land. Exodus 18:13-27

It May Not Taste The Best…

No one ever talks about this outside of church, but the truth should be shouted by all believers. God rewards those that honor Him. Those with integrity, receive integrity. Those with faith are rewarded with more faith. And those who rebel are brought low. Whenever you are confronted and have to chose between pride and humility, choose a slice of humble pie. It may not taste the best at the time, but it will strengthen you for future trials.

25 To the faithful You show Yourself faithful;to those with integrity You show integrity.26 To the pure You show Yourself pure,but to the wicked You show Yourself hostile.27 You rescue the humble,but You humiliate the proud. Psalms 18:25-27