Category Archives: Article

Are We Focused?

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“And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.  But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, ‘It is a ghost!’ and they cried out in fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.’   And Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’  He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’  Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased” (Matthew 14:25-32 ESV)

When we read the text above, we are usually reminded of the miraculous power of our Lord in walking on the water.  However, there is another principle in this reading that we should be sure to not miss.  Notice that Peter is allowed to walk on the water also.  While Peter maintains his focus on Jesus, all is well and he is able to do something that no other mortal man has ever done.  But when Peter takes his eyes off of Jesus, he sees the effect of the wind on the sea, and he becomes afraid.  Peter then began to sink.

Now think about our own lives.  When we keep our focus on Jesus, and make Him our top priority we can have that inner peace and confidence just as Peter did.  But when we focus our attention instead on the storms of life, the cares and concerns of this life, we too begin to sink.  We should make it our point to maintain our vigilance in keeping Jesus as our first priority.  Only then can we have that confidence and assurance of our eventual eternal home with Him.

Reaping As We Sow

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          Both Jesus and the inspired words of the Bible use illustrations that people were sure to identify with in order to teach them an eternal truth.  Oftentimes these illustrations came back to the idea of spreading seed or of cultivating and growing, since the populace was based on agriculture by and large.  One such illustration is used with regards to our giving, and is found in Paul’s writings to the church at Corinth.

            In the instructions for giving that were communicated by Paul, we find that we are to lay by and store as we have been prospered on the first day of the week (1 Cor. 16:1-2).  Later Paul also states that as we sow we also shall reap, and the Lord loves one who gives cheerfully (2 Cor. 9:6-7).  Paul tells us that if we will sow bountifully, then we will reap bountifully.

            Let us consider for a moment this idea of sowing and reaping.  Many take the first part of the command to give (give as you have prospered) to mean that they can sow sparingly.  However, God’s word tells us that he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly.  If we truly want to prosper, we should be sowing much instead of little.  Imagine that a farmer looks at his fields and thinks to himself that as soon as that bumper crop comes in, he will go out and sow some seed.  Well, we all know that it doesn’t work that way.

            If we truly wish to reap much, especially in the next life, then we need to get busy with sowing much while we have the opportunity.  With regards to our giving we should give so that we can prosper, and not wait for that prosperity to come first.

Obedience Trumps Sacrifice

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Image          Many times we may come up with our own ideas about what we think would be a good sacrifice to make for God.  It may be that we want to build a great cathedral.  Perhaps we think that giving up something that we like to eat for a certain time period would be a good sacrifice to make for God.  Is this what God wants us to do?  Does He want us to try to figure out what to do on our own?

            In the Old Testament we have an account about King Saul that gives us some insight into this question (1 Samuel 15:1-31).  In this narrative, Saul is returning from defeating the Amalekites, and he and the people have planned to make a sacrifice to the Lord.  For this reason they have not destroyed the best of the sheep and oxen, but have instead brought them back with them (vv. 9, 15).  As Saul encounters Samuel along the way, he is very happy with himself for coming up with this grand idea.  However, God is not pleased with Saul.  Samuel points out to him that he has not followed the commandment of God.  Saul was commanded to destroy everything that the Amalekites had (v. 3).  They were not supposed to bring anything back with them.  Yet Saul has not carried out this command given to him by God, and God is not pleased.  Samuel instructs Saul that God does not delight in sacrifices as He does in obedience, for it is better to obey than to make sacrifice (v. 22).

            We should heed the words of the prophet as well and realize that what God wants from us more than anything is our obedience to His word.  We can say that we believe in God and then go our own way and not obey His commands.  However, if we do not obey, then we do not truly believe.  No matter what sacrifice we may think is appropriate for God, this account clearly shows that obedience to God trumps what we think we can sacrifice for Him.

Who Do You Love?

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            Suppose that someone were to ask the question, who do you love?  What would our answer be?  Who would be at the top of our list?  Most likely those we would think of first would be the people who love us in return.  Hopefully God would be at the top of that list as well.  But would any of us have mentioned people who openly hate us?  If we are being honest, probably not many of us would have answered that way.

            Let us consider for a moment what is written for our learning in Romans 5:6-11.  In this passage we are reminded that when we were without strength, when we were unrighteous, when we were yet sinners, and when we were enemies of God, He sent His only Son to die on the cross for us.  Imagine sending your only child to die for the benefit of people that hate you.  Could you do it?  This passage says “but God” showed His love for us by sending Christ to die for our sins while we were less than unworthy (v. 8).

            If we only love those who love us, we are no better than the heathen (Matthew 5:46-47).  Instead Jesus encourages us to love our enemies and to strive to do good to all men.  If we would be willing to share the good news of the gospel with anyone, no matter if they love us or hate us, what better way could there be to show our love and concern for them and their eternal soul?

Is It Now Acceptable To Lie?

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Over the past week we have had confirmation of two different athletes at two very different stages of their careers giving false information in a repeated fashion.  Lance Armstrong, who is at the end of his cycling career, admitted to using performance enhancing drugs.  This is something which he previously had adamantly denied.  Manti Te’o, who stands at the beginning of his pro football career, admitted to lying about meeting a girlfriend who never existed.  It leads us to ask the question, is lying now acceptable in our society?

            An even more important question would be is it acceptable before God for us to lie in order to gain an advantage or to ‘cover our tracks?’  When we look into the pages of scripture we can quickly find the answer to this question.  Consider Proverbs 6:16-19, which tells us that there are seven behaviors that are an abomination to the Lord.  Twice in that list of seven we find that lying is mentioned (vv. 17, 19).  To put it simply, God hates lying.  We can also see in Revelation 21:8 these words recorded, “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (NKJV).  Notice here that liars are listed with a very unsavory crowd of people who you will not meet in heaven. 

            The clear conclusion is that lying is not acceptable with God, no matter what our society, politicians, or athletes may say.  God’s standards are higher than man’s.  God calls us to be honest, to deal with others fairly, to be accountable to a higher authority, and to treat others as we would want to be treated.  Thus those who would follow after God will not view lying as an acceptable practice, no matter the reason for it.

The Road To Salvation

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Light on path We live in a country where we have many options in our food choices, sporting events, entertainment avenues, etc. However, in looking at a portion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount it can be seen that there are only two ways of life and only two eternal destinations. These two ways could not be more different than what Jesus contrasts in Matthew 7:13-14.

The first way is wide, easy, and well traveled. If we consider human nature, perhaps it is not surprising that many people are traveling in this direction. After all, most of us would rather take a four lane highway to travel from Chicago to L.A. than to take a series of two lane roads through small towns with traffic lights and lower speed limits. However, there is a problem when we take the easy way out and only follow our own will. Jesus warns us that this route will lead to our ultimate destruction. Those who do what they want at the expense of God’s inspired instructions will be lost for eternity at the end of time (2 Corinthians 5:10). So although this way may look appealing on the surface, it is not the way that we should go.

The second way is narrow, difficult, and there are few that travel this way. This is the way of Christianity and following the precepts and commands of God. In many cases this way invites the ridicule of others. In many cases this way can lead to divisions in our family as loved ones cannot understand why we would travel the more difficult path. The truth of the matter is that everything depends on this choice that we must make. If we choose not to decide, we still have made a choice. To not follow this way, is to follow the other. The truth of the matter is that those who would chose to follow God can. If we will truly seek to find God, all of us can do so, since He is not far from us (Acts 17:27). Ultimately the decision is in our hands.

In Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken, he concludes by saying, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” Christianity is that road less traveled by, and if we will venture that way in our lives, it will make all the difference.