Podcast: The Trouble with Taking Stuff

This is a transcript of our current podcast. To subscribe to the podcast using iTunes, please click here. To listen to the podcast without iTunes, please follow this link.

“You shall not steal.”
-Exodus 20:15

I’m going to be honest with you, I’m having trouble starting this podcast off. There are so many things I can talk about here. We just recently had an armed robbery at our apartment complex. Last year, my car was broken into because someone thought I had a GPS system in there. I didn’t. It was a backup camera hooked up to a camera above my back license plate. Doesn’t really matter – I still had to replace the window. At my work, someone was swiping other people’s lunches for a little while.

So these things would very obviously fall under this commandment. But I have to wonder how far God intends this verse to go. Would committing fraud be an infraction against the command not to steal? Like when a car mechanic tells you that you need a part you don’t really need to get money? What about when you inflate the price excessively because you can a little more money from your customer? Like when a movie theater charges four dollars for popcorn because they know you’re not allowed to bring your own snacks into the show? We just had one company promise us a fifty dollar rebate if we bought this particular item, only to have the rebate request declined on a technicality. Is that stealing?

I think, as with all the commandments, that it does us a disservice if we try to follow the letter of the Law without even understanding the Spirit. We can so easily fall into a legalism here by saying, “I have never robbed anyone, so I’m a good person,” without understanding that all of these commandments are driven by love.

The reason we should not steal is because we should love other people enough that we don’t want to take their things. In addition, we should trust God enough to provide for us. How different things would be if we just had that sort of love for one another. There are things we all want. What if we trusted God to provide what we need rather than to resort to theft to gain these things? What if the person who broke into my car had loved me enough to think about the Saturday I had to spend repairing my window? What if the person at work who was taking lunches had loved other people enough to not want them to go hungry? What if the owners of the movie theater loved their customers enough to settle for a reasonable profit instead of gouging people for popcorn?

Money and things will fade away, often much more quickly than we would hope. But people are made to live forever. How strange it is that we would give up God and others for a little cash, which will probably be gone in the next few months. We give up eternity for something that cannot last.

Jesus promises us that God will provide for our needs. We do not need to worry about our clothing or our food, because our Father in Heaven loves us and will take care of us. Of course we need to work, and work honestly. But use your money to love others, don’t use others to love your money.

Out of love, Jesus gave up everything for us. People were coming to Him all the time, begging Him for blessings and for guidance to everlasting life. He could have so easily asked them for some money for His teaching. When the devil tempted Him, he offered the whole world, and Jesus turned him down. He could have had it all, but in love He gave it all up.

These earthly rewards will pass away, but, if we follow Jesus, we will have eternal rewards in heaven. Jesus had nothing when He was here on earth, but He has returned to the right hand of the Father, and He is preparing a place for us with Him. If we repent of our greed and selfishness and follow Him, we will gain so much more than what this world can possibly offer.

And we will have gained it honorably and honestly.

Doing good when you can do it

“Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it’ – when you have it with you.”
-Proverbs 3:28

Not long ago, we had a terrible flood in the Houston area, and the parking lot in my apartment complex was filled with water. Almost every car parked there was a little flooded. It wasn’t bad, but everyone’s floorboards were pretty well soaked.

A lot of people helped one another out. A lot of people didn’t. Obviously, there was a difference in the results. For those who came together, pooled their resources, and helped one another out, they went to bed that night very, very tired, but with dry cars. The others didn’t seem to fare as well.

It seemed like a rather obvious solution. One person had a wet-dry vac, another an extension cord, another something else. Together, it worked out. It wouldn’t have worked out if everyone had said, “Eh! We’ll worry about it tomorrow.”

In certain times, the situation makes it clear that we need to help out now. On that day, we needed to work right away. It was obvious. Normally, it is not so clear.

My wife and I recently found some charities to support, but even though we had decided to help, I didn’t actually send the money for some time. I finally did. I don’t know if the delay made any difference at all, but I can imagine ways it could have.
It certainly didn’t help, waiting so long.

When we wait for tomorrow to help, we often find that tomorrows never end. We end up not helping at all, or not helping quickly enough. We all have big dreams of what we will do to help the world, but we just need a little more time, be a little more financially secure.

But that’s not love. Love sacrifices when a sacrifice is needed. Love gives up its last dollar for a friend, even when the chips in the vending machine looked pretty good. Love gives more than it can afford, and then tightens its belt a little to make up the difference.

Love does this because it thinks of others before itself. It puts the needs of others before its own desires.

We are able to love like this because we have a God who watches over us, who provides for us, who loves us so much more than we ever deserved. In love He sent His Son to us, to die in our place, and to rise again to lead us into life.

Frankly, I do not deserve that sort of love. I do not deserve His sacrifice. So why should it be difficult for me to sacrifice for others. Not tomorrow, but now, when it is needed.

Doing good

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.”
-Proverbs 3:27

This verse really got me thinking. I wonder if I can say that I really do this. I try to be helpful and considerate at work or at home, but am I withholding good at times?

In fact, I can name a hundred times when I do. There have been many times when I’ve been caught up at work, and I use my extra time to get a little ahead rather than help someone else catch up. At home, I jump into an argument with fury rather than pulling back, though my wife certainly is due some mercy.

There are been organizations and people whom I could have supported financially, only I didn’t, even though they were worthy causes. There have been times when I didn’t help someone with a project because I already had my evening planned.

There have been countless times when I didn’t speak to someone about Jesus, though it was in my power. I withheld from them the greatest good of all.

This verse asks us to do something that should be obvious, and yet to actually follow it would be revolutionary. If we spent our time and money, when we were able, to help those people who could use it, how long before we transformed our communities?

And this is only for those who are worthy of it. Paul takes it a step further, saying, “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (Romans 12:17-19).

“So far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” No one is going to pretend that it is always in our power to make the world perfect. But how often do we return evil with evil? If someone at work slights me, do I seek some kind of revenge? If my wife gets angry at me, do I get angry back? Do I hold grudges? Do I rejoice when someone else falls?

God never returns evil for evil. Even though we have all gone our own ways, rejected Him and denied Him, He still seeks us. He sent His only Son to die for us, and even while we were placing Him upon the Cross to kill Him, He was praying for us, that we would be forgiven.

Jesus has the great good of life, and He offers it freely. He bids us to come and repent and believe, and in doing so live forever. He does not hold back, nor ask for something in return.

We have received that mercy, and it should inspire us to be merciful to others. So if someone at work gets me in trouble, I pray for the faith to forgive that person, because I’ve been forgiven of much greater wrongs. Those who refuse to repent and follow Jesus will be judged by Him. We don’t have to work of vengeance ourselves. Instead, let us pray for mercy. Let us pray for the change to do good for others. If we actually did it, it could change everything.

One step forward, two steps back

“for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.”
-Proverbs 3:26

We spend so much time in our lives trying to fix things that we messed up. We spend so much time looking back and trying to figure out what went wrong. From the very simple to the complex, we are always trying to put out metaphorical fires and retrace steps.

There’s not an important relationship in my life that I haven’t had to mend at some point or another. And the cracks in those relationships are usually over something pretty silly. I cannot tell you how many minor misunderstandings with my wife have turned into arguments.

A much more minor example would be this very paragraph. I began it one way and then decided against it, so I slapped down the delete key to try to find where the sentence went wrong. Before I publish it, I will read it over again and probably fix something else.

Almost every election we have is about someone wanting to fix the problems another guy caused. Politics is ultimately the art of trying to fix something we messed up ages ago.

Every day it seems I mess up with something, someone, or somehow. I am constantly going back to repair something I did.

How is it we can walk through this world with any sort of confidence at all? How can we walk with our head so high when we have so often tripped and fallen in the past? For many people, it is pride. I remember not too long ago when I was just consumed with pride. (I still struggle with pride daily, but a few years ago, it was bad.) I wonder now what caused me to be so proud, because I certainly hadn’t earned it in any way. Like most others, I was messing everything up all the time.

But it is pride, I think, that drives so many. They think that they have the answers, and that people need to listen to them. How strange. I know myself, and I, above all others, should know that there is no reason for me to be proud. I know how often I make mistakes, how often I ruin things for myself and others. And you know what? I still sometimes think I know the answers, when I should know that I don’t.

This promise of God is very special to me, and it’s for this very reason. I know that I’m not worth my own trust. And yet God, who is perfect in every way, has come beside me and told me, “Put your arm around Me; I’ll keep you from falling.”

As David said in his wonderful psalm: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

When Jesus came to earth, He showed us how to walk. He led the way for us, teaching us without a single misstep and without faltering. He bade us came after Him, telling us that He is “the way, and the truth, and the life.”

In His death, He followed us to death itself to insure that our stumbles would not cause us to be forever lost. He carried us back and set us upon His path again. He sent His Spirit to us as a guide, to teach us the way, to help us in every moment.

In Christ I can have confidence. I cannot have such confidence in myself, for I have tripped far too often. But in Him I know my feet are firmly planted. It is only when I get distracted and wander off from Him that I fall again. And yet He always comes for me, every time.

If you don’t know this sort of firm footing, you need to turn away from your own flawed efforts to stand and trust in Him. Repent of those old ways and believe in Jesus. You can have confidence in what He offers, for it is only through Him that we will find eternal life.

Will we mourn?

“Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes,”
-Proverbs 3:25

There is a fear, I must confess, that lingers in my heart. It is a fear for those I love who do not know Jesus. I have wondered on this quite a lot, and have prayed on it as much.

I fear sometimes because the ruin of the wicked will come. Judgment Day will come, when Jesus judges the righteous and unrighteous and separates us for eternity. For there is a heaven, and those who believe in Him will go there. And there is a hell, and those who refuse to repent will go there.

It’s a very difficult topic to address, and not one I do lightly. The thought of those I love being eternally damned does not sit well with me.

A lot of people cannot reconcile the existence of hell with a loving God. How could He send people there if He is loving? Well, that’s not really what’s happening. All people have a chance to turn away from their own sin and bow a knee to the One who truly deserves worship. All people have that chance, but many refuse and turn away. As C. S. Lewis so wonderfully put it, either a man will say to God, “Your will be done,” or God will say to the man, “Your will be done.” If the man will not accept God, then he does so to his own destruction. It is he who separates himself from God, not the other way around.

Those people I love who have rejected God have done so of their own will. They decided that sex or money or power was better than God, and so they made their choice. I pray that they change their minds, and I will try to help them with that, but it is not my choice to make. I went one way, and they another.

But I fear that day when it’s too late for them to change. I fear the day of their judgment. I should not be afraid.

I should not be afraid because God is still in control, and God can orchestrate the entire universe to His own ends. He is the one who can tell the end from the beginning and guides the course of history to His glory. There is no evil in Him, no sin. Whatever He ordains is ordained for the good.

I may not be able to see it now, but I will. I hope for that day, when the plan is laid before me and I see His glory in every moment of history. I long for that day.

And in that day, it will make sense. It will all fall into place. It will fall together perfectly, to the degree that I will not be able to have the slightest doubt as to His love and mercy. On that day I will respond, “It was best this way. Praise God.”

I don’t know how. It’s not for me to know how. It’s for me to trust Him. When His Son, Jesus, was judged and placed upon a Cross to die, the world could not know what good God had planned for that moment. And yet it was the greatest good of them all, for in His Blood we can be saved.

I still pray that those loved ones repent and trust in Jesus. Maybe they will. I can only place that into His hands. He gives people the chance. Perhaps He is giving you the chance right now. Don’t waste it.

Podcast: The Trouble with Cheating

This is a transcript of our current podcast. To subscribe to the podcast using iTunes, please click here. To listen to the podcast without iTunes, please follow this link.

“You shall not commit adultery.”
-Exodus 20:14

I would like to make a statement that, while it is a very obvious statement and obviously true, is something that almost no one believes. That statement is this – God’s plan for us is for something better than what the world wants for us.

Almost no one believes that. Almost everyone sees follow Christ as a burden, while the world offers us freedom. Almost everyone sees God’s Law as something only neatniks and prudes would really follow. We routinely hear that people don’t want to follow God because they want to have fun.

Which is weird, because those people really don’t seem to be having any fun.

This view of Jesus is in stark contrast with His own statements, such as when He said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Jesus never suggests that following Him would mean being a prude or a legalist. In fact, He made fun of people like that. In truth, the rules He gives us are like the rules of a good parent – not there to ruin the child’s fun, but to make it more lasting, more wonderful, and more honorable.

When we talk about sexual sin, people get defensive. They want to do whatever they want with whomever they want. More than one person has fled from religion completely just because of this topic.

Adultery is most often used to speak of a married person who has sex outside of the marriage, and yet here it is used more completely to encompass all sexual sin, including even lust. Jesus tells us, “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28).

Isn’t God trying to ruin our fun here? Isn’t He just being a prude scolding us for enjoying ourselves? That’s what we sometimes think, but it’s actually quite the opposite. He wants us to enjoy each other more fully.

This is the truth of everything in life – we gain to the degree that we give. God tells us over and over again that the last will be first, that the servant will be exalted, that we gain our lives by giving them up. So it is even here. God designed sex to be most wonderful, most fulfilling, most exciting when in a loving, giving marriage. It is meant for two people, a man and a woman, devoted to one another for life. It gets tainted by pornography, sexual histories, infidelities. It is these things that prevent us from being free sexually. You loss the sense of oneness, the spiritual connection. Love is giving. Lust is taking, and you’ll never experience the awesome wonder of love if all you deal in is lust.

In my experience, the couples that have only known each other are happier with each other longer. It is those who had partners before marriage or look at pornography that end up divorced.

Our marriages are supposed to tell us something of the joy that is to come when we are united with Jesus forever. He is compared to a faithful husband in the Bible, coming to earth in such love that He died for His bride, the Church. He gave up all for us. That love, faithful and true, lasts forever. Even though we had turned out backs to Him, He did not use that as an excuse to discard us. Instead, He chased us, determined to take us back from the very hand of death. Because of that love, we can have life eternally, a life without pain or sorrow.

If God gives us commands, it is only to guide us closer to Him, closer to that full life that Jesus promises. To guide us toward eternity. Sounds fun.

If you’ve made mistakes before, it’s not too late. You aren’t excluded from this life. See, we have all made mistakes, and none of us deserves the love of Jesus. But love, by its very nature, is giving, whether it is deserved or not. Jesus came to save us from death. Repent of your old mistakes and believe in Him, and you too will be saved.

So much to fear, so little time!

“Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes,”
-Proverbs 3:25

I usually don’t watch the news. I will glance through the news stories every day online to keep up, but I just can’t take thirty minutes of reporting that says the sky is falling.

Which is usually what it is. There is so much we could fear in this world, and the media latch onto every bit of it to keep us watching. In the last couple of years it has been global warming, swine flu, SARS, recession, depression, the dangers of tap water, war, nuclear bombs, hurricanes, tornados, firestorms, flooding, gangs, drugs, terrorism, banks failing, car manufacturers failing, businesses failing, identity theft, healthcare issues, poverty, the housing crisis, and so much more.

It has become common, at least where I live, to see someone walking around with a medical mask over his face to protect him from whatever germs or viruses may be around. People are panicking that they won’t be employed next week.

You know what? On one level it’s all legitimate. Almost everything on my list above is a legitimate concern.

And worrying about it doesn’t make one bit of difference.

Because on the other hand, none of our fear over this stuff is legitimate. It’s not legitimate because there is God, and “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

When I was young, Hurricane Alisha came through Houston, but though I was young, I did not fear. I wasn’t afraid because I was with my father, and I knew he would protect me. As far as I recall, the only time I was really afraid during the whole thing was when my father went outside in the store to do something in the yard (I do not remember what). My parents may correct my memory on this, but I distinctly remember feeling safe with him.

So it is with our Father in Heaven. The only difference it, God never leaves to go do something in the yard. He is always here, always with me, and He has far more power than my dad.

If we just look at our situations, there are plenty of reasons to fear. But in faith we look to Him who controls all things, and we can believe that He will guide us through safely to Himself. Not even death can separate us from Him.

That is not to say the sudden terror won’t come. They will. But it is not they that control our fate. Our lives are in the hands of Jesus, who died as a ransom for us.

And this glorious promise is only for those who do have faith. If you have not repented and believed in Jesus as the Son of God who died for our sins, then the sudden terrors may be reason to fear. Trust Him instead, and He will guide you.

By His strength

[A lost blog post. This was supposed to be uploaded last week, but instead I uploaded the one for verse 22 twice. Alas! I’ll try to keep the order right in the future.]

“Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble.”
-Proverbs 3:23

A couple of times a day, I try to take a walk around my office building, if only to get the juices flowing a little. We have a large parking lot, and there’s a sidewalk that runs around the entire thing, and so I’m usually not walking through grass or anything. However, there is a retention pond behind the parking lot, and yesterday I was beside that pond, watching a rather large snapping turtle in the grass.

As I walked away, I suddenly stepped into a crevice in the ground that had been hidden by the grass. I wasn’t at all hurt, but it was rather surprising.

In my walks, I’m used to much firmer footing. The sideways and parking lot are relatively new, and they are smooth and secure. I don’t really have to worry that much about where I step, except to make sure I’m not about to fall off the curb or something.

Wouldn’t we like that sort of security in life? The sort of firm footing where we don’t need to be looking at the ground in every step to make sure we’re not about to fall?

That’s exactly what Solomon is talking about in this verse. When you are following God, you are on that sort of firm footing. It is He, ultimately, who provides for us and protects us. He guides us in His grace, ever toward Him. We can trust Him.

Trust may not come easily. If I don’t really trust the sidewalk at my office, I’m going to staring at the ground, or maybe I won’t even walk! But that really doesn’t say anything about the sidewalk, but rather about me. The sidewalk is firm whether I trust it or not.

Likewise, God is strong, and He does not fail. Though we may be wary of the path ahead, He will guide us. Though we may worry about our food, clothing, or how long we will live, He holds us fast in His hand (Matthew 6:25-34). Though we may face trials, God is using those trials for our good (Romans 8:28).

And it is not just for this life, which is passing, but for all eternity. It is by the righteousness of Jesus that we have this firm footing, and so too is it by His righteousness that we have life. It is not if we are good enough (we’re not) or if we say the right things to God (we don’t), but by the perfection of Jesus, whose Blood was spilt for us, that we are saved.

To begin following Him, we must repent and believe in Him. He will lead you and forgive you. The path may not look all that wonderful to you. That’s okay. Trust Him for your footing; look up at His glory and follow.

Now I lay me down to sleep . . .

“If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.”
-Proverbs 3:24

When I was very young, I had a dream once that a painting in my parents house attacked me. Now, I had been rather creeped out by this painting for some time, though I cannot say why now. It is of a man sitting in a chair. There’s nothing particularly ominous about it, save only that the eyes seem to follow you wherever you go. Perhaps that was it.

It hardly matters. The end result of this dream is that I slept with the light on for perhaps a month or more. I was afraid to be alone in the night, and I was afraid to sleep.

Even as an adult, there were times when I would fear sleep. Out of loneliness, anxiousness, or whatever, I did not want the next day to come. There have even been a couple of times when I feared because of a bad situation with another person – that perhaps that person would come get me in my sleep. Luckily, I’ve never had a health situation in which I feared not waking up, and yet we can see that there are many reasons that even an adult would fear sleep.

And then sleep also has another use, and that is the sleep of death, which almost everyone fears. We do not know what tomorrow will bring, but chances are it will bring much as today was. And yet death – too many are without the slightest inkling of what lies beyond that. That is a cause to fear, for it is utterly unknown to those people.

And this is where wisdom comes in. This is where understanding God helps. This understanding tells us some wonderful truths. First of all, the future is known by God. Not only that, but it is under His control. And not only that, but He can and does turn our situations to our good. In love he cares for us, provides for us, and leads us to Himself. What need have we to fear for tomorrow, for He guides even this.

Secondly, my greatest treasures are not here, but in heaven waiting for me. My money and my toys will all fade away. I won’t be able to take one bit of it with me. And yet, those things I can do to care for others, these things I can take. When I help the poor, when I teach of Jesus, when I help a friend with a broken heart – these treasures are eternal. What need have we to fear that our things will be taken, for any real treasure we have cannot be taken by anyone.

Lastly, we may not know exactly what happens after this life, but we know enough. We know there will be judgment of everything we have done wrong.

Now, at first, this may cause me more fear than ever. I haven’t been an evil person compared to others, perhaps, but I’ve done my share. I’ve lied and mislead, I’ve lusted and schemed, I’ve sought my own pleasure and greed, I’ve hated and shown anger. By God’s standard, which is love, I’ve fallen far short.

So sure, I’ve been a decent enough guy, but is that good enough to pass the judgment? Inside, I know it’s not. I haven’t been loving to everyone I’ve met. For that matter, I haven’t been loving to even a part of them.

But I do not have cause to fear death, because my place in eternity is not based on my own actions. We have all fallen short of God’s glory, but in love He sent Jesus to die in our places. In that death He takes the punishment meant for us. His forgiveness is a free gift to those who will repent and believe.

I believe. I believe that Jesus was the Son of God, and that He did die for me. What need have we to fear death, for Jesus has made a place for me in eternal life.

Wisdom shows us these answers very clearly, and so I can sleep well tonight, for God is watching over me.

Podcast: The Trouble with Killing People

This is a transcript of our current podcast. To subscribe to the podcast using iTunes, please click here. To listen to the podcast without iTunes, please follow this link.

“You shall not murder.”
-Exodus 20:13

What in the world am I going to say about this one? You know, when I started doing a series of podcasts on the Ten Commandments, I didn’t really think it out. Idolatry, the Sabbath, honoring your parents, these are things that can fill up five to ten minutes. Murder? I mean, do I really need to do a podcast on why it’s bad to murder people? There really isn’t a lot of wiggle room here. I mean, even the Bible only spends four words of the Ten Commandments on it (only two in the Hebrew), while the Sabbath gets four complex sentences.

Except that this is the one I perhaps most often disobey.

Surprising? I’d bet it’s the same way with you. See, we sometimes get so caught up in the absolute legalism of the Commandments that we forget the spirit behind them. Jesus reminds us that we can sum up the entire Law with two commands – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. . . . You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

See, I haven’t really accomplished anything if I simply don’t gun down people I come across. Most of the time, that’s not terribly hard to do. In fact, I’ve made it my whole life without doing it even once.

But do I rise to the true standard of God, which is love? Maybe I stop short of killing someone, but do I stop before wanting to? Do I even stop before getting unduly angry? Do I hold back terrible words out of love? Do I take their hurtful words with love and forgiveness? Do I put them above myself and God yet still above that?

Jesus talks about this particular commandment in detail in Matthew 5: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”

Why is this? Why is this so harsh? It’s because the source, the meaning behind this commandment and all of the other ones is love. Our human law mostly tells us what we cannot do, but God’s perfect Law does not stop in what we should not do, but what we should do, and even what we should feel.

Frankly, I’ve been angry a lot in my life. When I was younger, I used to be angry at just about everyone. I did not act out of love. My temper has quelled somewhat, but it still pops up. I have been angry, I have insulted, and I have called people names. I am guilty, as Jesus tells me, of murder.

A lot of people don’t worry about God and eternity that much because they think they are good people. And even if that were true – even if it were true that you’ve never lied, never lusted, never were selfish, never angry – even if that were true (and it’s not, by the way), can you say that your whole life was guided by nothing but love for God and your fellow man?

If you say no, as we all must if we are honest, then we must realize that we are in danger of eternal death, because that is the rightful punishment for sin.

Jesus is the only one who did live perfectly and utterly without sin. He alone did not deserve death, and yet He died nonetheless. In that death, He took the punishment that belongs to us because of our sin. If we repent and believe in Him, we will be forgiven. He paid our price for us.

And if you confess, be sure and confess of murder too.

The foolish and the wise

“and they [sound wisdom and discretion] will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck.”
-Proverbs 3:22

Have you every known someone who was so smart he made himself into a fool? I knew a man who was undoubtedly bright, and he knew he was bright. So much so that his pride precluded him from taking any advice, wisdom, or understanding from anyone else. He usually acted very poorly in the presence of other people because he was just so impressed with himself that he took no notice of others.

He’s an extreme case, but we all know people like this. At times, I think we’ve probably all been this guy. I know I have. There have been so many times in my life when I thought I knew best, and so I did not take the advice and counsel of others. On a few of these occasions, I ended up being right. More often, I made a fool of myself.

Wisdom and discretion are not about being smart. They are about knowing what to do with what you know. By definition, they are obvious in your day-to-day dealings.

You can be very smart and act foolishly. Obviously this is true. We are not speaking of the same thing here. It’s like saying someone is blond and has blue eyes. Both can coexist. Being smart is about how much you know. Being foolish is how you act. But you cannot be wise and foolish at the same time. You either act with wisdom or act with foolishness, but not both.

I would probably be considered, in most circles, a smart person. I act foolishly a lot though. I recognize this in my myself, and while I used to strive to be smart, I now strive to be wise.

In the same way, I know quite a bit about the Bible. I’m happy that I do. But the theology has not changed my life. It is the understanding of God that has changed me.

The difference is important. I can read a biography of a famous person and know OF him. But his friends actually know HIM. The former may be nice, but the latter is obviously superior.

I can (and did) learn about the Bible, about theology, about interpretations, but it was only when I repented and trusted in Jesus that I could say that I knew Him.

We have seen over and over again in Proverbs how Jesus and the personification of Wisdom are one in the same. This is yet another way. I can know about Him, but it is when I put that knowledge to use, when I act wisely, that I know Him.

That decision hangs about my neck. The change He has made in me is as from night to day. He has taken me from being a basically selfish person to a basically loving one. My understanding of Him must, by very definition, come though in my actions. It is as though I have a little wisdom now, when before I only understood.

The foolishness of our lives without Him is real. We seek to satisfy our lusts, selfishness, greed, ambition, and hateful grudges. We occupy ourselves in things that cannot last. We worry so much about tomorrow, until the day there are no tomorrows left.

But in Him do we seek after something a bit longer lasting and a bit more important. The decisions we make in regard to Jesus last forever. He is the way to life, for only through His Blood can we be saved and forgiven for our foolishness. To deny Him is to choose death. Choose wisely.

The foolish and the wise

“and they [sound wisdom and discretion] will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck.”
-Proverbs 3:22

Have you ever known someone who was so smart he made himself into a fool? Let me try to explain with an example. I knew a man who was undoubtedly bright, and he knew he was bright. So much so that his pride precluded him from taking any advice, wisdom, or understanding from anyone else. He usually acted very poorly in the presence of other people because he was just so impressed with himself that he took no notice of those around him.

He’s an extreme case, but we all know people like this. At times, I think we’ve probably all been this guy. I know I have. There have been so many times in my life when I thought I knew best, and so I did not take the advice and counsel of others. On a few of these occasions, I ended up being right. More often, I made a fool of myself.

Wisdom and discretion are not about being smart. They are about knowing what to do with what you know. By definition, they are obvious in your day-to-day dealings.

You can be very smart and act foolishly. Obviously this is true. We are not speaking of the same thing here. It’s like saying someone is blond and has blue eyes. Both can coexist. Being smart is about how much you know. Being foolish is how you act. But you cannot be wise and foolish at the same time. You either act with wisdom or act with foolishness, but not both.

I would probably be considered, in most circles, a smart person. Still, I act foolishly too much. I recognize this in myself, and while I used to strive to be smart, I now strive to be wise.

In the same way, I probably know a little bit about the Bible. I’m happy that I do. But the theology has not changed my life. It is the understanding of God that has changed me.

The difference is important. I can read a biography of a famous person and know OF him. But his friends actually know HIM. The former may be nice, but the latter is obviously superior.

I can (and did) learn about the Bible, about theology, about interpretations, but it was only when I repented and trusted in Jesus that I could say that I knew Him.

We have seen over and over again in Proverbs how Jesus and the personification of Wisdom are one in the same. This is yet another way. I can know about Him, but it is when I put that knowledge to use, when I act wisely, then I begin to know Him.

That decision I wear upon myself like a badge. The change He has made in me is as from night to day. He has taken me from being a basically selfish person to a basically loving one. My understanding of Him must, by very definition, come though in my actions. It is as though I have a little wisdom now, when before I only understood.

The foolishness of our lives without Him is real. We seek to satisfy our lusts, selfishness, greed, ambition, and hateful grudges. We occupy ourselves in things that cannot last. We worry so much about tomorrow, until the day there are no tomorrows left.

But in Him do we seek after something a bit longer lasting and a bit more important. The decisions we make in regard to Jesus last forever. He is the way to life, for only through His Blood can we be saved and forgiven for our foolishness. To deny Him is to choose death. Choose wisely.

Focus!

“My son, do not lose sight of these – keep sound wisdom and discretion,”
-Proverbs 3:21

When I was newly graduated from college, I was having trouble finding a job. There were a lot of reasons for that. The job market in the Houston area was not great at that time; there were quite a few highly qualified people looking for work. Me on the other hand – not really qualified for much. I also really didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t know where to look, and I was struggling just looking for something I could do.

But the last reason was something very simple: I wasn’t really focusing on it. Not completely. I’d shoot out five or so résumés a day, then I’d move on to other things.

It strikes me that our Christian life can often be like that. We do our prayers in the morning and evening, we read so many chapters of the Bible a day, maybe we have a devotional. But then we’re done (if we even do that much!).

What’s funny is that then we start getting frustrated with how our lives are going. We don’t feel connected with God, and a lot of times we blame Him for it. We walk ourselves right into bad situations and then ask our friends to pray about the outcome.

I do the same thing. There are a hundred things in my day that occupy my time. A lot of them are good things, like a job. Some of them aren’t so great. I sometimes get very frustrated at myself when I lose sight on God.

We’ve all those really foolish moments, haven’t we? Those times where we look back and think, “Wow, that was a really bad decision,” or, “I really spent my time worrying about that?” We spend most of our lives thinking about things and doing things that matter not one bit in the long run. Even a year, a month, a day, or even an hour later, we are disappointed in ourselves for wasting the time.

In my home, I waste so much time on seeking entertainment, on worrying about tomorrow, on trying to make everything perfect when it doesn’t need to be. And at the end of the day, I wonder how much of it has made me grow, or made my family stronger.

When I was looking for my first job, I spent quite a bit of time playing video games or reading silly books. I really don’t remember much of the details of what I was doing. It didn’t matter. What do I do now that won’t matter? Play Free Cell? Get upset with some slight event doesn’t go my way? Watch dull videos online?

Some of the things I do are harmless, but not helpful. Some of them are harmful. In either case, I’m chasing after something I think at the time is important enough, but ultimately it is not.

I am not saying that we should never have fun. Far from it! There is a time for rest, but I’m asking about our focus. I think most of the time we are like Peter, James, and John in the garden, and we keep falling asleep when Jesus has asked us to do something else.

Our focus should ever be on Him, for it is He who can deliver us from our pettiness and pride. We spend our lives running from one idea that will rescue us to another, but it is Jesus who is the way, truth, and life. And yet, we cannot seem to focus on He who can save us.