Portraits of the Blessed- #3 Learning to Laugh and Cry With God

22 Monday Oct 2012

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“Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh.”

“Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.” Luke 6:21,25

 

Jesus is not attacking laughter and promoting sadness.  If Jesus was attacking laughter, I would be in deep trouble! I like a little levity. I don’t think Jesus wants His followers to be grim, dull, sad, and joyless. “A cheerful heart is good medicine.” (Proverbs 17:22.)

What Jesus is attacking is the superficial, shallow humor which characterizes most of the world. I believe apart from knowing God we are unable to weep over the right issues and conversely, we laugh about the wrong events. We were designed to both laugh and cry. What, when, and how we express those emotions is the issue. Comedians know the best joke material is found in the serious situations of life. Situations which should make us cry, they turn into funny material. There is nothing inherently wrong with doing this on occasion.  But when every situation becomes a joke and we are unable to discern the sarcasm… something is wrong.

Kent Hughes probably states it best in his book Luke: That You May Know the Truth. Vol. 1.

We are called to weep over lost souls, people who will go into eternal darkness without Christ. We are to weep over the world’s misery, over injustice that falls on so many helpless people, over the unfairness that victimizes the weak, child abuse, battered spouses, over marriages destroyed by adultery, over homes destroyed by divorce, over rejection, over those who laugh now but who, unless they turn to Christ, will suffer an eternity apart from God.

 

It is OK to laugh and make jokes. Jesus did when He called James and John “sons of thunder.” Jesus also cried over unbelief, the lost House of Israel, and the death of a friend. We too need to appropriately express our emotions. If not, we will also explode and eventually burn out.

Jesus warns of inappropriately expressing the wrong emotions at the wrong time. “Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep.” (25) The type of laughter Luke is referring to is more than a quick chuckle. This type of laughter indicates a satisfaction and a contentment in which we believe life is flowing correctly. Listen to how The Message paraphrases this verse. “It’s trouble ahead if you think life’s all fun and games, There’s suffering to be met and you’re going to meet it.”

Jesus’ call is for all to laugh and weep at the appropriate time. The disciple of Christ is to be sensitive to both good and evil in the world. Sometimes it means we are to weep over what is absent around us, like love, justice, and peace. Praise the Lord, no condition is permanent. Even though sometimes it is difficult to discern if something “good” is happening… the Lord assures us He is in control. Eventually He causes “all things to work together for good.”  I believe the Lord will give us clues to know when we are to laugh and cry. One of the greatest pleasures in life is to be given the opportunities to laugh and cry with the Lord.

The story below demonstrates how desperately we desire to turn bad situations into good. Even at young ages we laugh and weep over the wrong situations.
Alexander M. Sanders, Jr., is the Chief Judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals. When his daughter Zoe graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1992, he told this story that happened when she was just three years old. Sanders came home from work one day to find his home — and especially his young daughter — in a state of turmoil. Zoe’s pet turtle had died, and she was crying as if her heart would break.

Zoe’s mother had been dealing with the situation all day and declared that it was now Dad’s turn to try and make things better. Although he was successful both as a lawyer and a politician, who confidently faced all kinds of complex issues and problems every day, this seemed out of his league. The mysteries of life and death are difficult, if not impossible for the mature mind to fathom.

The task of explaining them to a three-year-old was completely beyond either his confidence or experience. But he tried. First, he told Zoe that they could go to the pet store and buy another one just like the one who had died. Even at three years old, Zoe was smart enough to know that a turtle is not a toy. There’s really no such thing as getting another one just like the one who died. And so Zoe’s tears continued.

Desperate to quiet his little girl’s tears, he said, ‘I tell you what, we’ll have a funeral for the turtle.’ Being three years old, she didn’t know what a funeral was. Scrambling to come up with an explanation — as well as something that would get her mind off the turtle’s demise, he said, ‘A funeral is like a birthday party. We’ll have ice cream and cake and lemonade and balloons, and all the children in the neighborhood will come over to our house to play. All because the turtle died.’ Well, the prospect of a turtle funeral did the trick. Instantly, Zoe was her happy, smiling self. The turtle’s death was no longer cause for tears, but reason to rejoice. So, with visions of cake and ice cream in their heads, the two beamed down on the deceased turtle lying at their feet. As they did, the turtle began to move. And a few seconds later, he was crawling away as lively as — well, as lively as a turtle, but an undeniably LIVE turtle.

Then an even stranger thing happened. Sanders — a politician and a lawyer — was speechless. Zoe had no such problem. She still wanted her funeral party.   After considering her options, she looked up at her father with her big beautiful eyes and — with all the innocence of her tender years — she said quietly, ‘Daddy, Let’s kill it.’”

Blessings,

Pastor

 

Fourteen Inspirational & Motivational Quotes

20 Saturday Oct 2012

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Have a Blessed Weekend,

Pastor

 

 

 

Portraits of the Blessed #2 Don’t Go Around Hungry!

17 Wednesday Oct 2012

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21 “Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled…”
25 “Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry.

 

Both the Old and New Testaments reveal it is better to be spiritually hungry than to be physically hungry. Hunger is a driving force in our lives. I often say, “I’m hungry.” What I am really communicating is… “I am ready to eat.” Why all this talk about being hungry for God? One of my favorite verses about this issue is found in Psalms.

“As the deer pants for the water brooks: So pants my soul for You, O God (2) My soul thirsts for God, for the Living God….” “ O God, You are my God; Early will I see You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.” Psalm 42:1-2

 

I like this verse because it is passionate. Here David equates his soul thirsting to his body aching for water, when water is unavailable. Have you ever been this thirsty or hungry? The better question …. have you ever been this thirsty and hungry for God.

Jesus blesses spiritual hunger and a person’s quest to know more of the Lord. “Blessed are you who hunger now for you will be satisfied.”

Here is the crux of the matter… If you are not hungry for God, then you are to create a hunger for God. Hunger is something you can jump-start. You can’t fill yourself with God, but you can generate a hunger for God. God is in the business of satisfying the hungry seeker.

When I was in college there was a snack machine in the lobby of the our dorm. The sign on the front was most titillating. It read, “Don’t go around hungry!” Like who purposely wants to go around hungry. Most college students I know are in a perpetual state of hunger. You can’t feed them enough or ever fill them up.  Snacks from a machine are like hor’dourves. They fail to fill an empty belly. Hunger is not merely a word, but a condition. Just like we get hungry at times because we don’t eat… So should there be times when we find ourselves spiritually hungry… which God fills. Spiritual food is unlike physical food. When we eat physical food, our sugar level goes up and eventually our bodies tell us to stop eating. Spiritual food operates differently. The more we eat from God’s table…the more we want to eat from His endless bounty. His food is satisfying, but it also causes our inner man to crave more of God!

This is why Jesus gives His listeners a “woe” in verse twenty-five. If we continue to gormandize ourselves with the food of this world, we will never desire real spiritual nourishment. Jesus warns, “Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger,” Listen again to the paraphrase of this verse from The Message. “It’s trouble ahead if you’re satisfied with yourself, Your ‘self’ will not satisfy you for long.” Ouch!

Jesus is warning us that just because everything is OK now, both physically and spiritually, the day always arrives when we find ourselves empty. In that day we will need more than the junk food we have been eating… we need God’s filling, God’s supply, and God’s food.

Blessings,

Pastor

Four Portraits of the Blessed #1 Beware of Getting It All Now!

12 Friday Oct 2012

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I am going to spend the next four blogs on the Beatitudes as recorded from Dr. Luke’s account. The good doctor only mentions four of these beatitudes, whereas Matthew records nine. Most believe both men were writing about the same sermon. It sounds like some of the people who have taken notes during my messages. I believe Luke was not simply abbreviating the sermon, but highlighting what he believed to be the four most important traits a disciple of Christ needs to possess. According to Luke, those who follow Jesus must operate under a set of values different from and often opposite of that of the world. Thus, the blessed life is not found in “getting” or from “doing”, but from “being.”

In Luke’s portrait of the blessed life he wants his readers to notice the good and bad, the right from the wrong. For each of the blessings there is a corresponding woe. These four woes all share a common truth … beware of what you take from life, you will pay for it in the long run. So these are not simply commands, but descriptions of what the life of the righteous should look like.

Imagine for a moment that I tell you “the righteous only drive 35 miles per hour.” “What!” You say, “I have the capability to cruise 70 mph and do so all the time.” I retort, “Yep, I know… but the righteous only go 35 mph.” I am not telling you that you have to always operate at 35 mph. I am telling you that the righteous only travel at 35 mph. You are simply given the choice to learn, listen from the Lord, and operate as He instructs. You don’t have to travel at His speed, but righteous people do.

 

Beware of Getting It All Now

 

20 “… Blessed are you poor For yours is the Kingdom of God”
24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.”

 

A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan, in which a man was beaten, robbed, and left for dead. She described the situation in vivid detail so her students would catch the drama. Then she asked the class: “If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?”
A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, “I think I’d throw up.”

You never know how someone is going to respond in any given situation until you are actually walking it out. The same is true of life. We really don’t know what it means to be “poor” or “rich” until we experience it. There is nothing innately righteous about being poor, nor is there any automatic evil in being rich. The poor are not automatically spiritual and the rich are not automatically evil. The writer of Proverbs states it perfectly.

“… Give me neither poverty nor riches—Feed me with the food allotted to me; (9) Lest I be full and deny You, And say, “Who is the LORD?” Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God.” Proverbs 30:8-9

 

Riches and poverty can be a blessing or a curse. Jesus taught…. when a choice must be made between money and God, God must always come first.  “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24 When we fail to have our priorities in order… our circumstances, whether we are rich or poor, dictate our response. Money is not evil, unless it takes the place of God. This is why Jesus said, “It is the love of money which is at the root of all evil.“

Jesus follows this teaching of blessings on the poor a few verses later with a corresponding “woe” in verse twenty-four, “But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation.” The word “woe” is an expression of dismay and regret, rather than a threat. Woe is meant to serve as a road sign like “yield” or “stop” what you’re doing. Jesus is expressing disappointment for the actions and attitudes of those who do not accept what the Kingdom of God offers. Listen to this modern paraphrase of this verse. (The Message) “It’s trouble ahead for those who think they have it made, What you have is all you’ll ever get.”

The Lord doesn’t want us to spend all of our resources totally on ourselves. This would be a waste or our time, talents, money, and abilities. This is what actually makes people poor…wasting their God-given resources on selfish pursuits.

Jesus is not blessing economic poverty or raising one social class above another. Matthew spiritualized the word “poor” by saying “poor in spirit”. This is how we usually quote this verse. “Poor” is actually “pious“, a religious term, not an economic word. The word for “pious” means, “those who depend absolutely on God.” Being pious has gotten a bad rap here in the modern era. But being pious is a good thing, especially as it relates to the Lord.

Luke wants his readers to compare these two words. Being pious stands in a juxtaposition to being rich, which means “self-sufficient.” Rich doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with amounts of money or accumulation of wealth. You are either (pious) God dependent or (rich) self-sufficient. If you are poor, you are trusting the Lord to reward you later. If you are rich, you are getting all your rewards now. It is usually easier to move towards God when you are poor, rather than when you are rich, because you don’t have to battle having riches or self-sufficiency.

The big blessing here… “the Kingdom of God is yours!” The meaning of “is” is always two-dimensional when speaking from the eternal point of view. It means “is now” and “will be” even more so in eternity. Jesus is saying that if one has this attitude now, he or she already is enjoying life in the kingdom or realm or atmosphere of God.

Shizo Kanakuri disappeared while running the marathon in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. He was listed as a missing person in Sweden for 50 years — until a journalist found him living quietly in southern Japan.

Overcome with heat during the race, he had stopped at a garden party to drink orange juice, stayed for an hour, then took a train to a hotel and sailed home the next day, too ashamed to tell anyone he was leaving.

There’s a happy ending: In 1966, Kanakuri accepted an invitation to return to Stockholm and complete his run. His final time was 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 8 hours, 32 minutes and 20.3 seconds — surely a record that will last forever.

I know a lot of believers who run from being “pious” and totally dismiss any assertion they are “rich”. They honestly look at this beatitude and struggle to apply it. The truth is the Lord wants to give us His Kingdom right now! The only way to discover the deeper joys of Kingdom life is to become God dependent and less self-sufficient. If we choose to disappear from the race like our friend from Japan and blend into crowd of mediocrity, we will lose our identity. The call is always to “seek His face while He can be found and call upon Him while He is near, because He cares for us.”

Blessings,

Pastor

 

Twelve Things Happy People Do Differently

09 Tuesday Oct 2012

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If you like quotes on life, happiness and what it means to grow into a decent human being, then you might want to drop by and visit A Tribute to Stephen Covey.  It is on The Facebook as my wife calls it.  There you will discover a great resource for quotes and other positive affirmations about life.  Check it out!

Blessings,

Pastor

 

 

 

Striving for Excellence

06 Saturday Oct 2012

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During dark and difficult times some people like to lower standards and lower expectations. Daniel and his buddies didn’t follow that course. The question is why? Because they knew if their trials and tribulations were going to be more difficult, then they needed to be better prepared to meet them… head on! This is why in football the better offenses are on the same team with the better defenses. These offenses have to practice everyday against an elite opposition. The world in general has lowered their standards, especially concerning children. Instead of encouraging children to study harder, tests have been made easier. Instead of reaffirming moral standards, which have been the norm for centuries, the moral bar has simply been lowered. Instead of reaffirming the richness each religion has to offer, the common truths of faith have been stripped away and given no value.

Daniel’s faith and tradition were tossed aside like week old bread. Even though he was given a new name and new belief system, he didn’t neglect the God of his forefathers. So, just because the world has lost its moral compass  doesn’t mean the believer has to lose his way. Our call is to always be on the increase, both spiritually and physically. The Lord doesn’t want His children to be the “tail” but the “head”. We can follow Jesus’ example as He grew in hostile territory.

 

And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (Luke 2:52)

 

What is interesting is the worldly culture didn’t notice Daniel and his friends because of their faithfulness to God, but it was their submissive spirit, strong bodies, and scholarly minds which gained the world’s attention. Even back 5000 years ago people were only interested in the bottom-line performance. Nebuchadnezzar chose Daniel and his friends in spite of their religious scruples, not because of them. Little did the King know those same religious principles would save his kingdom.

 

17 As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.

19 The king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s personal service. 20 As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm. 21 And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king. Daniel 1:17,19-21

 

It is little wonder that many Christians have a poor testimony with their employers and co-workers. They think of their work as secular and non-spiritual. Unfortunately, they do not seek to excel or even try to do their jobs well. Like the world, they do as little as possible. The truth is there is a higher calling resting upon every believer. If they would simply seek to excel in order to glorify God, the world would take notice. Only then would the unbelieving world be more interested to hear what they have to share. Spiritual slobs lose their message and lose their way. Listen to what Proverbs has to say about work.

Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men. (Proverbs 22:29)

 

Our calling is to stand before kings. Like cream we are to rise to the top. A few years ago, this poem was passed around the internet numerous times. It still speaks about our calling to be sold out for the Lord and to be different.

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

 

I am a part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. I have Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, love by patience, lift by prayer and labor by power.
My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I’ve preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and spoken up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He stops me. And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me.

This is the big question… Who do you want to be recognized by when it is all said and done…. the Lord or the world?

Blessings,

Pastor

Learn to Go Against the Flow, While Resting in God’s Flow

04 Thursday Oct 2012

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As you have probably gathered by now, I like Daniel. His life is not simply a “feel good” story. Daniel is an inspiration on how to continually live for God during difficult times. While other Jews apparently had given up and given in to living a compromised life in a wicked land… Daniel chose a difficult course. Where are the rest of Daniel’s kinsmen? Before I move on here, we need to understand Daniel and his friends were living under God’s judgment. For the next seventy years the whole nation would have to live in exile. How would you like to live under this type of bondage, knowing it was God’s hand which brought you to this place?

What is interesting is even though everyone else was experiencing bondage, Daniel and those who stood for righteousness did not. Daniel discovered the flow of God while living in an evil, demonic, and wicked empire. This is good news, if you can believe for it. Even under the judgment of God, even under a wicked regime, even under curses and even when the devil is trying to take you out… you can experience the flow of God and the Lord can move mightily in your life.

Jesus understood this principle. He lived under the bondage of the Roman empire. The spiritual conditions were deplorable when He preached in the country and cities of Israel. This was why He could say with absolute authority…

If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” They answered Him, “we are Abraham’s offspring, and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You shall become free’?” (John 8:31-33).

Isn’t it amazing how everyone thinks they are free, when they are really in bondage? Only a free man can free a man. Only the free can see and discern that people are really in bondage. Only in Christ are we truly free. Outside of Jesus Christ all men are in bondage and cannot experience the deeper blessings of God.

Back several decades ago, when I was a mere teenager, Bob Dylan became a Christian. He would later renounce that decision. Whatever? While he was a believer he cut two albums. One of the songs he sang was “Your Gonna Have to Serve Somebody.” (You can check it out on YouTube)  I mention part of the lyrics below as an example of what I am sharing today.

“You may be an ambassador to England or France,
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance.
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,
You might be a socialite with a long string of pearls.
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed,
You’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Well it may be the devil, or it may be the Lord;
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk.
You may be the head of some TV network.
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame.
You may be living in another country under another name.
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed,
You’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Well it may be the devil, or it may be the Lord,
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a construction worker working on a home.
You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome.
You might own guns and you might even own tanks.
You might be somebody’s landlord, you might even own banks.
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed,
You’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Well it may be the devil, or it may be the Lord.
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

Might like to wear cotton, you might like to wear silk.
Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk.
You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread.
You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-sized bed.
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed,
You’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Well it may be the devil, or it may be the Lord,
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.”

It is true. You going to have to serve somebody. Better to serve the Lord, He loves you and the benefits are outstanding.

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

… And They Didn’t Live Happily Ever-after.

03 Wednesday Oct 2012

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I have been blogging about Daniel and his friends making a commitment to follow the Lord during difficult and dark times. One of the things the Lord did for these young believers is bless them mightily for their obedience.

17 And as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams. 18 Then at the end of the days which the king had specified for presenting them, the commander of the officials presented them before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s personal service. 20 And as for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm. 21 And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king. Daniel 1:17-21

 

Here is the question we have to ask ourselves… What God did for Daniel and his buddies, will he do for you and me? Does God still multiply wisdom and understanding, and is He still able to make people ten times “smarter/wiser” than the smartest people on the planet? Would God be willing to bless you with a ten fold blessing?

Some people have a difficult time believing God wants to bless them. They find it easier to believe in a “closed heaven” than an “open heaven.” Consequently, they have a negative view of God, not a positive.

Here is the truth: God is not trying to exclude you, He is seeking desperately to include you. If the story of Daniel ended at verse twenty-one, it would be a fairy-tale ending. We would have read… “And they lived happily ever-after .” This is not the ending of the book, but only the beginning  God has work to do and now He has some partners who wish to work with Him. God doesn’t simply bless us in order for us to have… He blesses us in order for Him to make His..story. This is why this story is not a fairy-tale,  but a divinely inspired historical account of God changing the destiny of a nation.

Here is my point and I will leave you alone today… Before we can gain the approval of a King or the world, we must first gain the approval of God. When we seek God’s approval first, out ranking the world will be easy. Seeking to preserve purity not only brought Daniel and his friends the commendation of God, it also resulted in the commendation of a heathen potentate. He didn’t care about the Lord, only results. The King’s lessons would come later. Understand, favor with God ultimately led to favor with men.

 

Put God first, and you’ll never be last.

 

I don’t believe God is finished looking for “a few good men and women.” He is still searching for some Daniels or Danielles which He can bless ten-fold. God still needs some men and women He can place in high positions. Are you one of these types of people who will be trustworthy when given such an opportunity  Being blessed is only the beginning.

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

Living Without Compromise #2 Be Ready to be Tested

02 Tuesday Oct 2012

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Yesterday, I blogged about how Daniel took a stand on not defiling himself with the food off the King’s table. It is a good thing when believers develop convictions and standards. What most don’t realize is those same principled convictions will get tested and tried. Listen to what eventually happened to Daniel’s buddies.

12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”

…. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Daniel 3:8-18

 

As I said, every principled conviction we possess will eventually get tested. These men purposed not to bow down and worship idols… even the King. The punishment in this case was to be thrown into an instant crematorium.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abed nego were not even phased by this threat. They didn’t blame God and they didn’t blame others. They stood on their principles and left the results to the Lord.

Here is the point… We are only able to withstand the tests and temptations of life when we internally value our relationship to God more than what we potentially have to lose in the flesh. Effective service in God’s Kingdom means we are willing to surrender everything in order to faithfully promote the Lord’s work. Even though it appeared that Nebuchadnezzar and his officials were in charge, the Lord was actually calling all the shots… He was in control of everything. Someone once said:

  • He’s all the direction we ever needed: He is THE WAY.
  • He’s all the revelation we ever needed: He is THE TRUTH.
  • He’s all the fulfillment we ever needed: He is THE LIFE.

Character has been defined as “what you do when no one is looking.” When no one was looking these young men made a conviction not to defile themselves. When no one was looking these young boys made a principled conviction to follow God’s command not to worship any other gods except Jehovah.

So what would you have done when the test and temptation came to abandon your convictions in order to save your life? Surely God would have understood because your life was at stake. No, God doesn’t understand. He knows your character will grow as you take a stand on your convictions. The reality is you make these types of character decisions everyday in big and small ways. Every day you make choices that show whether you are courageous or cowardly. You choose between the right thing and the convenient thing. You stick to your convictions or you cave in for the sake of comfort, greed, or approval.

The big question we all need to ask and answer is… Is my faith for sale? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego proved they couldn’t be bought for any price. Most believers will stop having a quiet time for a few extra moments of “sleep”, much less a king ordering them to do so. It takes over 200 gallons of water to baptize a believer and just a few drops of water to keep that same believer from attending church on any given Sunday. What will cause you to forfeit your allegiance?

Somewhere in the “Believer’s Dictionary” is the definition for the phrase “sold out“. Being sold out means that no price in this world will buy or steal your affections from God. It takes real courage to be a Christian. You hear some people say that being a Christian is for weak people, cowards, old ladies, and sissy’s.  The truth is it takes courage to own up and confess to your sins. It’s not easy to repent and be honest before a Holy God. In reality, cowards are weeded out in the beginning. Our faith continues to be forged day-in and day-out when we stand on our convictions and principles.

A prophet once came to a city to convert its inhabitants. At first the people listened to his sermons, but they gradually drifted away until there was not a single soul to hear the prophet when he spoke. One day a traveler said to him, “Why do you go on preaching?” The prophet said, “In the beginning I hoped to change these people. If I still shout, it is only to prevent them from changing me.”

This is the question we all have to ask and answer… Is my faith changing my environment or is my environment changing my faith and altering my beliefs?

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

Living Without Compromise #1 Make Up Your Mind to be Used

01 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in Daniel - No Compromise

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I am sure you have heard of the Daniel Diet before…. Vegetables Only! Daniel requested the guard serve them only vegetables and water to eat for ten days. After ten days, if they were not as healthy as the others, then their diet could be altered. At the end of ten days Daniel and his friend’s appearance looked better than all of the others eating the royal food. So the guard did not force them to eat from the king’s table, but continued to serve them vegetables instead.

Where did Daniel discover this “vegetable diet“? Daniel and his friends based their convictions on God’s Word. Leviticus 11–17 outlines God’s commands concerning eating clean food and avoiding unclean food. The true Jew only ate kosher food. Being kosher meant eating only foods prescribed in scripture. The only foods available from God’s menu to eat at the King’s table were vegetables and water.

The question is… Did Daniel and his friends have to eat only vegetables and water? No, they could have blended into the crowd. I am sure there were other young Jewish boys who did. But Daniel did at a young age what took me several years to figure out. If the spiritual atmosphere is dark… if it appears the Lord has abandoned you… if evil is prevailing, then buckle down spiritually and get your house in order. The Lord desires to work mightily in this situation, but he needs someone clean and pure to use. If you really want to make a difference in a dark situation, then it is up to you to set yourself apart for service. Most are just looking to get out of tough, dark situations. The dedicated are searching for a way to get into these positions and be light. These boys understood the type of person God was looking for in difficult times.

So, in the midst of one of the darkest periods of Israel’s history, Daniel and his friends made up their minds to pursue God and live on principled convictions. A conviction is a truth you would rather die for than disobey.  In Daniel 1:8 we read Daniel’s conviction… “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.”

These young men went against the accepted cultural trends of their day by not defiling themselves. It may have not been politically correct. Others may have looked disparagingly upon them. But, God was pleased and they were in a position to be used. They refused to accept their new Babylonian identity. Although, the young men were taken from their homeland, Babylon couldn’t squelch their faith and belief in God.

 

 

I don’t think you need me to tell you, we too are living in dark times right now. Has the darkness caused you to buckle-down spiritually? Have you purposed to “not to defile yourself” like Daniel…. or, has the lure of the King’s table been too attractive? The time to make a decision for the Lord is now, before the darkness overwhelms everything. Take some time to review your convictions and purpose to take a stand for light. God is searching for a few good men and women who will be His light in dark places.

Blessings,

Pastor