Semper Fidelis

Monday, November 27, 2023

Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead.  This is the Good News I preach.  And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal.  But the word of God cannot be chained.  So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.  This is a trustworthy saying:  If we die with him, we will also live with him.  If we endure hardship, we will reign with him.  If we deny him, he will deny us.  If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.  

2 Timothy 2:8-13

United States Marines greet each other with the motto, Semper Fi, a shortened version of semper fidelis.[1]  The phrase means always faithful, and is indicative of the character of those who serve a higher guiding principle than self-interest.[2] 

Long before the assembling of U.S. fighting forces, the Apostle Paul wrote to his protégé, Timothy, an aspiring preacher of the Gospel, to encourage and admonish him to serve Christ’s Kingdom with an unswerving loyalty.  Paul described the resurrected Jesus as “faithful.”  Dying with Him, we are raised to newness of life by Him.  Enduring hardship, we will reign with him.  Denying Him, we will be judged by Him.  And, in His supreme compassion, when we are less than semper fi He is still faithful.  This could be summed-up in one short verse:

“I am the Lord, and I do not change.  Malachi 3:6a

By comparison, human beings can be remarkably un-loyal.  Our lives typically begin in one direction and, influenced by any of the seven deadly sins,[3] we change our employment, spouse, promises, gender, and a host of all other possibilities.  Despite the call to be faithful, human allegiance is usually sold to the highest bidder.  

I’m reminded of an elder statesman in the Southern Baptist tribe I met in 1981, Vance Havner, who said:  Faith that Fizzles at the Finish was Fickle from the First.  

It’s true!  Most mottos sound wonderful, even noble; most human attempts to live-up to those mottos have holes like Swiss cheese.

So what is the Rx for our Fickle Faith?

I’m glad you asked…and let me point us back to the Apostle’s opening line to Timothy: 

Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead.  This is the Good News I preach.  2 Timothy 2:8

If there is anything that can keep us close to Jesus it is the resurrection of God’s perfect lamb, crucified for our sins, raised to conquer death and the grave.  In staying faithful to proclaim that, we also preach Good News to our own souls.

For You Today 

Find a way to proclaim His resurrection every day, in every circumstance, and, as many have said…always preach the Gospel…even use words if necessary.  What that means for each of us is:  nothing will help keep you faithful like engaging in the work of He Who is Semper Fi.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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For another post on this text read here:  Gospel Unchained

There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

Today’s title Image from Pixabay.com  

Images without citation are in public domain or cited via weblinks.  

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©  

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[1] Wikipedia

[2] See Merriam-Webster Dictionary

[3]  pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, anger or wrath, and sloth – see The Seven Deadly Sins - LIst

When God Plants a Vineyard

Friday, October 27, 2023

I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way.  I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them.  Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them.  Isaiah 42:16

In 1981 Elizabeth and I stood in a chapel service at seminary, along with 1,200 other students and faculty.  The preacher had extended a call to follow Christ in mission without reserve – no matter where it was God wanted us to go, and despite whatever conditions we would encounter.  Even the song we sang was Wherever He Leads, I’ll Go.  We responded to that call, promising to do just that!

Now, it’s great to have a mountaintop experience when you’re headed for the valley; it helps you remember and hold-onto what (and Who) your focus should be.  At that time, our vision of serving Christ as a pastoral family was kind of a Norman Rockwell painting – a snapshot, frozen in time, with pastor, wife and three kids.  Thirty years later we were supposed to still be in the same location, having developed loving relationships with the same people in the same town.  Those plans were  MY plans!  In our naivety, however, we never imagined that the plans and pathway of ministry could change so dramatically and so often!

Fast forward forty-two years, eleven churches, nine grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren….Elizabeth and I are just a few months into full retirement, having completed another first (and only) year with a new church family.  For the last four decades we’ve lived finding out how life turns on a dime!  There have been moments when we felt like the tree in the picture…uprooted, laid-down to rot.  But in those times, as we waited for God to make sense for us out of challenging and changing circumstances, new growth was always the result!

The Lord has led us into different (and unexpected) places, but His Word has never varied, His promises always faithfully-true, and we have been blessed more than if our plans had been followed to the letter.  Truth be told, I’m glad God used His plans instead of mine.

I planned to continue writing this devotional in retirement until God offered a new path on which to grow and serve.  I believe that time is here, and it is time for that new path.  So, to be obedient to our original promise to follow wherever He leads, for us future ministry will be focused in two ways:

1.    Helping in the local church where Elizabeth and I worship

2.    Taking the lessons I’ve learned (and sometimes just survived as they unfolded)…and forming them into some pages that will (hopefully) be an encouragement for pastors who are just starting-out, or looking to refocus for the next season. 

In Isaiah’s words, I feel like blind Israel with God taking me by the hand to show me a new pathway.  But that is the exciting nature of being a follower of Jesus Christ in a changing universe.  Like the tree in the picture, it looks like it is over, done…totally-finished.  But God specializes in bringing new life where death thought it was going to be in charge.  When God plants a vineyard there’s going to be fruit!

For You Today 

If you’re new to Rocky Road, or if you’ve been there since May 7, 2013, when it started, thank you for your interest, prayers, and encouragement to me along the way.  May God bless you to be a fruitful blessing to others is our prayer.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

Today’s title Image from a friend’s Facebook page (original source unknown)

Images without citation are in public domain or cited via weblinks.  

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

Leading By Circular Logic

Friday, October 20, 2023

And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches.  I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ.  And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world.  As a fellow elder, I appeal to you:  Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you.  Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God.  Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example.  And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.  In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders.  And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  1 Peter 5:1-5

Apostle Peter addresses elders, leaders in God’s church, with instruction on how to lead.  This instruction is mostly about the attitude of a leader.  Note the words the big fisherman uses about the tenderness with which a church leader leads the flock entrusted to him:  care…watch over…lead by example.  And then Peter closes the door on the matter with the fact that humility covers all of it.

There are two caveats we must add to this leadership seminar of Peter’s:

1.    Leaders cannot lead this way unless followers follow this way.

2.    True followers will follow if leaders lead this way.

Every instruction God ever gave is predicated on the truth of God’s creation.  Those upon whom God places His call to lead in the church must respond to God’s call by leading selflessly, caring for the flock without pursuing personal gain.  Those who follow must respond, expecting to follow.  It’s a form of “circular logic” and requires trust (faith) in all directions.

Circular logic (or circular reasoning) is most often defined in a pejorative, or belittling sense.  With those for whom logic is the only acceptable pathway, the idea of faith must never cloud the issue.  That person would say about God, prove to me that God exists.  Believers answer that without faith (defined as a blind-leap without proof) it is impossible.  But if you believe (trust) He is real, you will have all the proof you need.  Another way to express that is from the atheist view:

An atheist says:  I won’t believe in God until I see Him.

A believer responds:  You’ll never see Him until you believe.

This same issue is true in the Leader/Follower issue Peter presented in his epistle:

Skeptical Christian:  I won’t trust or follow unless that leader is proven worthy

God’s Word replies: Have faith and by your faith I’ll make that leader worthy.

For You Today 

Is faith a form of circular logic? 

Absolutely!  

It begins with:  

In the beginning God…

It flows through:  

For God so loved…that He gave…

It ends full circle with:  

Even so, come Lord Jesus…

Circular logic may make the hair stand up on the back of a scientist’s or philosopher’s neck, but faith begins in the heart of a human being, created by God, for His glory and our good.  It won’t float in this world’s view, but for those who respond in faith, they will see God face to face.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

Title Image Pixabay.com  Images without citation are in public domain or cited via weblinks.  

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

Sabbath

Monday, October 9, 2023

“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you.  You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God.  On that day no one in your household may do any work.  This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you.  All your male and female servants must rest as you do.  Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.  Deuteronomy 5:12-15

The Ten Commandments are urban legends to many people, a series of trite, religious no-no’s, fraught with threats of what will happen to you if you trespass.  There used to be those Blue Laws, where businesses had to be closed, no selling on Sunday.  Those who chose to skip worship on Sundays were something of a pariah in the last century.  Many pastors would deliver blistering sermons on how heathens would pass-by the church on their way to heaven-knows-what kind of evil practices.  (In full-disclosure I did my share of a somewhat lower-temperature veiled-threat of those…a gentler kind of God will get you if you transgress against His Sabbath rule!).

Now, don’t get me wrong, I still have a very strong-commitment to worship attendance; I believe a Christian cannot grow without consistent Bible Study, worship, and devotional life.  I mostly call it The Surrendered Life.  However, I do believe many people mistake the Sabbath as being the rules of no-no’s, rather than the blessing of do this! 

The difference between the no-no and the this-do is in what God intended for His creation.  With Sabbath, the point is cycles and limitations.  A closer study of why God doesn’t want us to touch some things, and not do some things is that they are harmful to us.  Electricity is good when used properly; it is death when you grab a live wire for the thrill.  Sabbath for the human is a preventative measure against forfeiting a two-fold blessing.

1.    We were designed to rest periodically.  Everything in nature cycles.  Our bodies need rest in these cycles…time to kick-back, recharge, and enjoy.

2.    We need reminders because we are so prone to distraction.  A chief purpose in God’s commandment to keep the Sabbath holy is a reminder of how we need worship, so we will keep our perspective of what is important, right, pure, lovely, and wholesome.  Without those positive grace-reminders, we will degenerate from being children of God, and become wide-open to the enemy’s temptations.

For You Today 

Feeling a little weary?  Sabbath is waiting.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

Title Image(s) courtesy of Russell Brownworth (own work…and feet)                   

Images without citation are in public domain.  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

Taking the Test of Faith

Friday, September 22, 2023

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine.  Test yourselves.  Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.  2 Corinthians 13:5

I dislike tests; always have!  Generally my reasons are two-fold:

1.  Sometimes (okay, a lot of times) I just haven’t paid enough attention to preparation.  There’s nothing worse than having your ignorance tested!

2.  Nerves – I hate anxiety, the kind of apprehension that, even though I have prepared, and know the material, my mind will misunderstand the question, or my learning will prove faulty…and I will fail even though I tried.

These two reasons are why I have supreme interest-in, and deep admiration-for, those who constantly put themselves through testing.  To me it would seem masochistic to put myself through the humiliation of a test if it weren’t required. 

On the other hand, it is a healthy practice to measure where you stand when you’re trying to accomplish something.  And this was Paul’s point entirely when he strongly suggested that the believers at Corinth take the examination of faith.  This church had a myriad of disputes, power-struggles and weird practices that the apostle had to deal with.  Their idea of what Christianity looked like was more worldly than Christ-like, and Paul spent much time correcting their mistakes.  He now told them to self-examine for evidence that Christ was indeed among them.

That self-examination sounds an awful lot like what my Mom used to say to me when I left the house – remember who you are!  Paul was reminding Corinthian church folk to remember whose they are – they belonged to Christ, so He should be visible in their actions, daily relationships, and attitudes.

I still don’t like tests, and this testing of my faith in Christ – after more than fifty years of following him seriously – is no exception.  When I take an honest look at the way I serve the Lord, the fail-points of my faith can be a painful experience.

But I do it anyway.  And I’ve learned it’s not masochism – it’s healthy, because when you look back and see how Christ has led you through difficult times, and how you responded in faith here and there, and you see the different way you look at things now than you did five years ago…understanding, like Paul suggested for Corinth, that Jesus really IS among all of it is, as the hymn-writer put it, Jesus leading me all the way^[2].

And if I wouldn’t take that test of faith, just because I’m afraid, or it’s inconvenient, or some other excuse…how would I know where I stand in my discipleship…how would I know if I’m growing in Christ?  I’d be like the farmer who chose to NOT plant beans, cotton or corn because of weevils, blight or drought; he just wanted to play it safe, so he skipped checking and preparing the soil, and planting seeds.  He avoided the disaster of failure, but how will he feed his family?  And, if I followed his example, how would I feed my soul?

For You Today 

Testing our faith isn’t about embarrassment or test-anxiety, it’s learning to feed your soul, serve your King, and being ready for that great-gettin’-up-mornin’. 

It’s a test worth taking!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

(this post originally appeared as Taking the Test of Faith, 6/29/2016)

Title Image(s) courtesy of WikimediaCommons.org

Images without citation are in public domain.  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

Living As People of Light

Thursday, August 31, 2023

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.  Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.  He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.  Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people.  Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you.  Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God.  For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.  Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.  Don’t participate in the things these people do.  For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord.  So live as people of light!  For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.  Ephesians 5:1-9

Apostle Paul begins this part of his letter to the believers at Ephesus with:

·       what to do (imitating God),

·       with the middle part telling us how to do it (thankfulness to God instead of self-centered obscenity),

·       and he ends it by pointing to:  what that will make of us (people of light, shining as good, right, and true.

Considering the culture in which we find ourselves in the 21^st Century, this passage would be a great one to memorize.  We live in a “coarse” society.  The word means rough, uneven, or raw.  That means we live in a hard place to navigate.  Waters like that produce sunken ships, and tragedy. 

The news (whether biased, or straight-up) screams loudly that Paul was talking about days like we now experience.  Prolonged times like this produce children who have little respect for authority.  And that is largely because they see very little worthy of admiration.  Sometimes it becomes obvious that children who are obnoxious and selfish are (at least) just acting out their natural inclination to rebel against what is not worthy of following. 

One of my friends was very fond of this saying about parenting techniques:  Your children’s learning will be more caught than taught.  You may be familiar with that if you have raised, or are raising kids; you can talk to them till you’re blue-in-the-face, but what they really learn is what they see in your actions. 

So the Apostle was getting at what we all need to learn…telling your children what to do isn’t the same as showing them how you do it.  It hardly needs saying, but do as I say…not as I do is the kind of hypocrisy children can sniff-out in a New York minute…and the smell of it ain’t pretty!  The year I turned 30 I was smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day.  Public service announcements were just starting to ramp-up then, about how dangerous tobacco was for your health.  I quit that year because I noticed my five-year-old son walking around with a pencil in his hand, imitating Daddy’s habit.

Imitating God (as Paul states it) isn’t about playing God.  Rather, it’s about becoming like Jesus, unselfish, willing to sacrifice for the good of others.  This is the textbook definition of Agape’, God’s covenant love…doing the best for others unconditionally.  Without that we cannot live in the light, shining as goodness and truth; we remain in darkness.

For You Today 

So, whether this means you need to work on cleaning-up some habits, changing some attitudes, or whatever, remember that there are little eyes watching you, learning from you; lead them well.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library. 

Title Image:  Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.  

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

When the Cross Gets Heavy

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom:  Preach the word of God.  Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not.  Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.  For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.  They will reject the truth and chase after myths.  But you should keep a clear mind in every situation.  Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord.  Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.  2 Timothy 4:1-5

What the apostle wrote to young pastor Timothy was not an easy read.  Paul knew something about the “Bell Curve” of church life.  People get excited about second chances, grace, love, and God’s blessings.  But there is more than consumer-friendliness to the Gospel; there are also hard truths for anyone who wants to follow Jesus.  And those truths are not optional-equipment – they are not up for discussion.  Jesus said so, very plainly:

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.  Luke 9:23

Paul warned Timothy that he would encounter those who prefer an easy life much more than God’s truth.  The earthly life of Jesus displayed that truth clearly.  By the time the Galilean finished his ministry, the crowds had not only dwindled, but turned against Jesus.  In the end it was an apostle and two women who stood at the foot of the cross.  The five thousand Jesus fed were out looking for someone else to fill their bellies

A church I once served as pastor was on that decline-curve; aging-out was on the near horizon.  At homecoming that year I preached a message about open and closed doors, and how it was our responsibility to pay attention; we should not become the lukewarm church[1].  After the service an older woman, who always sat on the seat furthest from the pulpit with a scowl that would blister titanium, said to me on the way out the door:  You should preach what these people came to hear…we want to hear good stuff, happy stuff…not about churches being closed.  I told her I agreed…I also wanted to hear good stuff…about the church being on fire with love for God, and how they were telling their neighbors about Jesus – but what I wanted came in a distant third to what I was called to preach, which was the truth.  Churches are dying for lack of preachers and members who are more concerned with telling the Gospel, than just living in their happy zone.

If that seems harsh, it isn’t any wonder…it is blunt, and a heavy cross to carry.  But so was the cross Jesus carried to Golgotha…the same cross he said anyone who wanted to be His disciple must carry.

For You Today 

So, what do you do when the cross gets heavy?  Get in the yoke with Jesus.  He has promised to take the heavier side of the work.  Your calling as a disciple of Christ is (as Paul told Timothy) to preach the Word no matter whether people think it’s in-season or out-of-season.  If the Gospel is offensive in today’s culture, preach the Word of the Gospel anyway; the response of the people is in their hands, not yours!  And only God is the judge of all of it!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library. 

Title Image:  Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.  

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©  

 

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[1] Read Revelation 3:14-22

 

RISK

Friday, July 28, 2023

And why should we ourselves risk our lives hour by hour?  For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily.  

1 Corinthians 15:30-31a

Apostle Paul faced risks many of us would avoid like the plague.  He did it so others might know of God’s Good News, the salvation message of Christ.  Author Leo Buscaglia wrote about risk:

To laugh is to risk appearing a fool,

To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.

To reach out to another is to risk involvement,

To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.

To place your ideas and dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.

To love is to risk not being loved in return,

To live is to risk dying,

To hope is to risk despair,

To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.  The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.  He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he cannot learn, feel, change, grow or live.  Chained by his servitude he is a slave who has forfeited all freedom.  Only a person who risks is free.[1]

People take all kinds of risks in life.  There are risks abounding at the casinos in Las Vegas, mountains and valleys to be explored, and (as my daughter did on her 40^th birthday) planes to be jumped-out-of with nothing but a few pounds of silk and string to slow-down your fall. 

Those fun and exciting adrenaline-rush risks are at one end of the spectrum of reasons why one would risk life and limb.  At the other end of the risk-spectrum are more noble and substantive explanations why reasonable people put themselves in harm’s way. 

·       Firefighters run to the fire, while everyone else is running from the fire. 

·       Soldiers strap-on up to 120 pounds of Kevlar flak jacket, munitions, helmet and weapon when they face the risk of enemy fire. 

·       Line repair for the electricity that powers your toaster is done by risk-takers, 30-feet off the ground, daring 13,800 volts of power to behave itself. 

·       The list is endless.

The thin line of risk walked by Apostle Paul was life or death at the hands of those steeped in the kind of power human ego uses to oppress that which threatens their power.  Before he met Jesus, Paul was one of those people.  When he met Jesus his life was turned from oppressing the followers of Jesus, to fugitive-on-the-run to preach Christ’s love and hope.  Those who pursued Paul had him falsely accused of sedition, imprisoned, and eventually executed…martyred. 

Paul was (and is) a study in how to daily abandon self, and lay it all down for the Kingdom of God…or as Jesus put it:  take up your cross daily, and follow me.[2]  That is hardly suicidal…rather it is the invitation to let go of the old life of death, and be introduced to the Grand New Life which only Christ can give. 

For You Today 

In 1945, Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote from a Nazi prison, just before facing Adolph Hitler’s hangman:  When Christ calls a man, he bids him ‘Come and die’.  That may seem a bit on the risky side…but it’s guaranteed by the blood of the only Son of the Creator and King of the Universe.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  

 

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©  

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[1] Leo Buscaglia, Living Loving and Learning, Souvenir Press Ltd, 1983, English Literature & Linguistics

[2] See Matthew 16:24 and Mark 8:34