Monthly archives for February, 2012

40 Days of Preparation Day 5

Feb29
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Warner Smith

Today, Leap Day Wednesday February 29, 2012, is Day 5 of preparing our hearts, souls, and minds for Easter Sunday.  Today I must “put off” conforming to this world and “put on” transforming my mind. Jesus taught us that the way to heaven was a narrow way and that there would be few who would find it.

13 “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. 14 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 (ESV)

If those who find the way to heaven are few and that way is hard, then following the crowd which routinely takes the course of least resistance is not the way you or I should live.  If we are truly seeking God then we need to be prepared to be lonely and often misunderstood. Christian values are diametrically opposed to much that passes as “family values” popular among most of today’s parents.  Too few parents are modeling proper Christian virtue in the presence of their child. Parents may tell their children that they love God and Christ but their actions too often reveal that they love watching TV, accumulating material possessions, sports, work, politics, or America more.

Is this natural tendency not conforming to the world which Paul warns us against in Romans.

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 (ESV)

Paul states simply and emphatically that Christians are not to conform to the pattern of this world.  Be honest are you more like Jesus or your neighbors? The sad fact is that too often too many of us are much more knowledgeable about American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, the Amazing Race, or the latest row between Democrats and Republicans than we are with God’s eternal unchangeable word. Such a state of affairs among Christians is not only unwise but intolerable. As we continue to prepare our hearts, souls and minds for the most high of all Christian holy days, Easter Sunday, take the time today to truly evaluate the extent of your own personal conformity to the ways of man.  Are your desires and affections more inline with achieving the American dream than they are in pleasing God? Pastor David Platt has written a very challenging book which explores this subject. I suggest that you read it.

Paul teaches us the key to living a life that is not conforming to the world.  The key is to renew or transform your mind.  How do we renew or transform our minds? By allowing God the Holy Spirit to fill us daily.  Each of us must empty ourselves of our own selfish desires allow God to fill us with his Spirit which will guide us into all truth. Especially the truth about what is important and unimportant in this present life.

We also transform our minds by reading, studying, and meditating upon God’s Word; the Christian Scriptures.  I’m continually saddened by the increase of biblical illiteracy in our culture. Please read the Bible for yourselves. It is a lie you cannot understand it.  It may not be easy but it is certainly possible. And remember where we began this devotion the easy way leads to destruction but the hard way leads to eternal life!

As you prepare yourself for a truly holy celebration of Easter today take the chance to begin the process of “putting off” conformity, or following the crowd, and take the road less traveled by “putting on” transformation of your mind. This transformation process, which we call salvation and discipleship, is certainly not a dead end, but when you’re dead you be glad you allowed Christ to begin it in you. Then like Paul you will be able to ask the question “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:50–58 (ESV)

Make it your goal today to follow Christ, and not the crow

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40 Days of Preparation Day 4

Feb28
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Warner Smith

Today, Tuesday February 28, 2012, is Day 4 of preparing our hearts, souls, and minds for Easter Sunday.  I must “put off”  Temporal values and “put on” eternal values. Temporal values refer to things which are of this world and eternal values refer to things which will be important for us in heaven or the next world.

That’s right the next world.  The Scriptures teach that this world is temporary but the next world will be eternal.

13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:13 (ESV)

Peter teaches us that Jesus taught him that the disciples were to wait on the new heaven and Earth where sin would no longer govern human endeavors but where righteousness instead would dwell. As a Christian my attitudes, desires and ambitions should be focused on this eternal reality rather than the temporary and transitory concerns of this earthly life. The ultimate eternal reality is recorded in the last book of the Bible, the Revelation of John.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. Revelation 21:1 (ESV)

This Earth which all of humankind is known as its home will be destroyed but God in his infinite power, wisdom, grace and mercy will create a new heaven and a new earth. This new heaven and new earth will be the home for God ‘s kingdom and his  people throughout all eternity.

Temporal values are more of an attitude which leads us to sin than an actual sin in and of themselves. There are two primary areas which reveal our true attitude toward things temporal and eternal, our checkbook and our schedule. For example there is nothing wrong with money in and of itself, but the love of money is clearly condemned in Scripture. Had the good Samaritan not had some coins he could not have been such a blessing to the man who had fallen among the thieves.  If we truly understand the temporary nature of both our lives and thus planet then we will be able to use money for eternal purposes. This is how Jesus’ teaching about treasure is to be understood.

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19–21 (ESV)

If we have “put off” temporal values and “put on” eternal values then we are free to be stewards of the money which God gives us so that we can use it in a way that will bless others here and now and bless us there (in heaven) and then (for eternity). While it is true that you can’t take your money with you according to this teaching of Jesus you can send the blessings of having used your money for God’s eternal purposes on ahead.

Another area which reveals our true attitude or temporal values eternal values is how we use our time day by day.  If we are not living for eternity is very easy to become disheartened as we see our physical bodies changing as we age. An extraordinary amount of money is spent every year in the United States on cosmetic surgery, cosmetics, exercise equipment, and gym memberships.  According to Paul this emphasis reveals an this place focus on the importance of this life over and above our eternal life in heaven.

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.  2 Corinthians 4:16–18 (ESV)

The American society has become much more concerned with what is seen and fleeting but what is unseen and last forever. When we examine our schedules and find that we are spending much more time working out our physical bodies a praying or reading God’s word this reveals our need to “put off” temporal values “put on” eternal values.

 

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40 Days of Preparation Day 3

Feb27
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Warner Smith

Today, Monday February 27, 20112 is Day 3 of preparing our hearts, souls, and minds for Easter Sunday. Today I must “put off” the sin of being unforgiving and I must “put on” forgiveness. Remember our goal is to consider every area of our lives over which Jesus may not have complete control.  We need to ask God to take these aspects of our life and have his way in the whole of our lives.

Why is not forgiving  others such a big deal? It is very simple; if I want God to forgive me then I must be willing to forgive you. At the end of the Model Prayer Jesus adds the following statement about the importance of forgiving others.

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14–15 (ESV)

Could it be stated any more plainly?  I don’t know about you but I have plenty which I need God to forgive in my life, therefore I must forgive others, if for no other reason than the fact that I need God to forgive me.  How many times must I forgive someone else.  Peter asked Jesus this question also.

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21–22 (ESV)

Let me save you the trouble of doing the math 7o times 7 is 490.  Lest you think that you are going to have to develop a better system for record keeping let me explain what I think Jesus is teaching us.  The number “7″ is a special number in the Scriptures.  The number “7″ symbolizes perfection or completion.   Jesus is not telling Peter to keep better records but is illustrating a point he has already taught us.

2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:2 (ESV)

Forgiving others becomes easy when I remember all the sins that God has had to forgive in me.  Like Peter we often think in our fallen flesh nature that we are being compassionate and gracious when we say “Lord I’ll forgive them 7 times,” that should be enough to be considered magnanimous.  Jesus teaches that when it come to forgiving we are not to be busy counting but are to be concerned instead with forgiving completely.   As you read this devotion who is God the Holy Spirit prompting you to forgive?

I think that this subject has been adequately dealt with in this devotion to this point.  If God the Holy Spirit has prompted you to forgive someone then case closed. DO IT!

If you need more convincing then keep reading. In  his book Alone With God: The Power and Passion of Prayer John MacArthur points out seven reasons for forgiving others. Perhaps his words will help in convincing you to forgive.

1. A Characteristic of the Saints. As citizens of God’s kingdom we are blessed and receive mercy because we ourselves are merciful (Matt. 5:7). We are to love even our enemies because we have the nature of our Heavenly Father residing in us. Just before giving this model prayer, Jesus instructed His audience, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, ‘love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven’ ” (Matt. 5:43–45). Blessing those who persecute you is tantamount to forgiveness. By loving your enemies, you manifest that you are a child of God. Forgiveness is the mark of a truly regenerate heart. When a Christian fails to forgive someone else, he sets himself up as a higher judge than God and even calls into question the reality of his faith.

2. Christ’s Example. The Apostle Paul instructs us to “be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32). John tells us, “The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 John 2:6). Jesus Himself is our pattern for forgiveness. On behalf of those who drove the nails through His hands, spit in His face, mocked Him, and crushed a crown of thorns onto His head, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). He is our role model. The severity of any offense toward us cannot match what Christ endured. The writer of Hebrews said, “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin” (12:4).

3. Expresses the Highest Virtue of Man. A man displays the majesty of his creation in the image of God when he forgives. Proverbs 19:11 says, “A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression.”

4. Frees the Conscience of Guilt. Unforgiveness not only stands as a barrier to God’s forgiveness but also interferes with peace of mind, happiness, satisfaction, and even the proper functioning of the body. According to 2 Corinthians 2:10–11, when we have an unforgiving heart, we give Satan an advantage over us.

5. Benefits the Body of Believers. Probably few things have so short-circuited the power of the church as unresolved conflicts among its members. The psalmist warns, “If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear” (Ps. 66:18). The Holy Spirit cannot work freely among those who carry grudges and harbor resentment (Matt. 5:23–24).

6. Delivers from God’s Discipline. Where there is an unforgiving spirit, there is sin; and where there is sin, there will be chastening. Hebrews 12:6 says, “Those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom he receives.” Unrepentant sin in the church at Corinth caused many believers to be weak, sick, and even to die (1 Cor. 11:30).

7. Activates God’s Forgiveness. The activation of God’s forgiveness is probably the most important reason we must forgive others. This reason is so vital that Jesus reinforces it at the close of His pattern for prayer (vv. 14–15). Nothing in the Christian life is more important than forgiveness—our forgiveness of others and God’s forgiveness of us. Because God deals with us just as we deal with others, we are to forgive others as freely and graciously as God forgives us.

Are you there yet?  Where?  To the place where you can be obedient and  “put off” unforgiveness and “put on” forgiveness! Do it, you will be glad you did!

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40 Days of Preparation Day 2

Feb26
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Warner Smith

Today, Sunday February 26, 2012, is Day 2 as we continue to prepare our hearts, souls and minds for the most high of all Christian holy days, Easter Sunday.  As we prepare ourselves each day I ask you to consider an area of our lives over which Jesus may not have complete control.  We need to ask God to take these aspects of our life and have his way in the whole of our lives. On Day 2 of our 40 days of preparation for Easter I must “put off” the sin of being judgmental and I need to “put on” trust in God.

I read somewhere that the most quoted Bible verse in America used to be John 3:16 but that recently the most quoted Bible verse in America has become Matthew 7:1 .

Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:1-2

As I understand it the basic principle taught in these verses is that Christ’s followers are not to be characterized by judgmental attitudes. The immediate practical rationale for His command is that others, including God, may treat us in the same manner which we treat them.

The entire thrust of the Sermon on the Mount, of which this passage is a part, is to show the distinction between true and false religion, between spiritual truth an spiritual hypocrisy.  Jesus places God’s perfect and holy standards beside the unholy and self-righteous standard of the scribes and the Pharisees and declares that those who follow the scribes and the Pharisees will have no part in God’s kingdom.  Never has a more controversial or judgmental sermon ever been preached.

In Matthew 7 Jesus is referring to our judging another persons motives, which no mere human can possibly know. What Jesus is specifically forbidding is self-righteous, officious,  unmerciful, prejudiced, and unwarranted condemnation based on human standards and human understanding.

Three reasons why Jesus condemns such judgments as sinful are:

  1. Such judgments reveal an erroneous view of God. That He somehow needs your or my help.
  2. Such judgments also reveal an erroneous view of others. That we are superior to others and or therefore in a position to judge.
  3. Such judgments reveal erroneous views of ourselves. That we are righteous and able to pass judgments.

Whenever you or I condemn another person without mercy because they do not do something the way we believe it should have been done or because we believe their motives are wrong, we are making a judgment that God alone is qualified to make.  Perhaps this poem will help you think before you judge as much as it has me.

Judge not the workings of his brain,
And of his heart thou cannot see,
What looks to thy dim eyes a stain,
In God’s pure light may only be
A scar brought from some well-won field
Where thou wouldst only faint and yield  – Author Unknown

So if I trust God more I will feel obligated to judge others less.  Jesus goes on to teach us that as it pertains to judgment the person which I should feel free to judge is myself.

3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:3–5 (ESV)

If I have a proper attitude when I judge myself I will discover that the sins which I once saw as large in another or actually small when compared to my own sinfulness.  Therefore, to not be guilty of the additional sin of hypocrisy I must trust God to judge others and spend my time asking God to help me judge myself.

What Jesus’ Censure Against  Judging Is Not

Today tolerance is prized above all other virtues.  One is looked upon with scorn if we make any moral judgments concerning any oneelse’s belief system.  This position is a Trojan horse, however, because we clearly all agree that the events of 9/11/01 carried out in the name of Allah are absolutely and positively wrong!  That is a judgment on the 19 highjackers belief system which we each make.  Someone who thinks that it is proper according to their belief system to offer human sacrifices to God would similarly be condemned by us and correctly so.

The church throughout its history has a record of standing and shouting condemnation against society whenever society strays from Biblical norms. That is a component of every Christians prophetic role,

15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, Ephesians 4:15 (ESV)

We sin individually and corporately when we do not voice such condemnation to our society. Many today misuse the Matthew 7:1 text to silence the church and individual Christians from voicing our convictions which confront society’s current view.  We are branded as violators of Jesus’ injunction not to judge, and we are branded as trouble makers.

Yet at no time in the history of the church, or of ancient Israel, was spiritual and moral reformation achieved apart from confrontation and conflict.  God’s prophets have always been bold and controversial.  And they have always been resisted, often by God’s own people.  The church reformers of the sixteenth century were men of strong conviction and principle, apart from which the Protestant Reformation would never have occurred.  We are to say “Thus says the Lord,” but we are to be loving and accepting of those with whom we disagree.

Our condemnation of sin, however, must never become a license which we use to feel morally superior to others.  We are to be clear about what Christ taught and condemn what He condemned but we must be controlled by His love and concern for the lost as we make our case, controversial and confrontational though it may be.

As you make judgments condemn the sin but show love and concern for the sinner.  Today take care to avoid judging others motives, but always trust and obey God first and foremost!

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test

Feb25
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Warner Smith

test

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