Tuesday,
September 26, 2023
Apostle Paul
could speak to the believers at Rome with confidence because his heart for them
was filled with genuine love. This is
the same love that God had for all humanity, displayed on a cross at Golgotha, the
town garbage dump of Jerusalem. From the
earliest moments of Jesus’ ministry people were either blessed or angered by
the carpenter from Galilee. Those who
received his love told the truth about how their lives had changed; those who
resisted his love told lies about Jesus then, and still do. To the people at Rome, Paul had brought the
message of God’s gospel of Jesus Christ.
The result was gladness in the hearts of those who heard with open
hearts; the self-righteous powerful rulers responded with angry venom. Jesus was crucified by that same kind of prideful
human rebellion.
The apostle called
those who were misleading innocent folks smooth talkers using glowing
words….but having selfish motives…a poison heart. That is, unfortunately, not a phenomenon confined
to the first century. Lies are
everywhere in any era or community. It
began in the Garden of Eden, as the serpent smooth-talked Eve into the first
bite of rebellion. It continues today to
write the tragedy of refusing godliness in favor of selfish gain. You will see it in every walk of life; when
there is something to be gained (money, power, prestige, or just some evil
satisfaction), a clever lie will be the hinge upon which the door of deception
swings.
A church I
once served was without a music director. Of all things, I (who cannot
even carry someone else’s tune) was leading the singing. A group of a
dozen visitors showed up one Sunday morning. After the service, Carl, a
very distinguished-looking member of that crowd, invited me to visit him the
next evening. I showed up, and was treated to two hours of Carl lauding
his musical talents – complete with solo and framed music course certificates.
The evening ended with Carl’s statement: Preacher, me and those
other families want to join your church…if you’ll make me the song
leader. I told him I thought he and those other folks would probably
be happier in another church. Now, I didn’t know the man from Adam’s
housecat. But I did know that anytime there’s an offer-with-an-if,
you’re in the middle of a business transaction. I needed a music
director, but this was Mt. Temptation. I later found out the man had
split two other churches with his marvelous music. His wrong
reasons had plenty of sound right, (complete
with certificates to prove it) – but they were still wrong
reasons. He cared nothing for the church he was so generously “offering”
to serve – it was his agenda and pride that mattered to the song-man.
For You Today
It’s not a
genuine Christian trait to walk around in suspicion, expecting to hear a lie in
every place. On the other hand, we are
to be wise, understanding there are plenty of lies told, and always with a
motive to gain something for the smooth-talker.
The best way to defeat deception is to follow Jesus’ example…He got up
early enough to spend quality time with His Father. Go thou, and do likewise!
There are about 2,600 devotional
posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.
Title Image(s) courtesy of Pixabay.com
Images without citation are in public domain. Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT©
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