Awaken, O Sleeper!

Monday, January 23, 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.  Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.  Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.  It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.  But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible.  This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”  Ephesians 5:1-14

Some Biblical passages require zero commentary, except perhaps, an honest glimpse in the mirror.  The image of people sleeping in all the wrong places is a stark reminder that there is a time to sleep, and a time to wake-up.  We’re not talking about getting up to arrive at work on time, or get the kids off to school.  The “wokeness factor” is about how we approach life’s darker areas.

The apostle Paul reminds the believers at Ephesus that sexual sins (which is any sexual activity outside of marriage), obscenities (language, pornography, etc), and materialistic greed are what people do when they don’t have a clue about God. 

Disciples of Jesus don’t participate in the activities of darkness for two reasons:

1.    Sexual impurity obscene language and foolishness, as well as materialism, lead to the darkness of societal downward-spiral.  It’s destructive!

2.    Because a believer has received Christ, the light of God’s goodness dwells within any disciple of Jesus, and that darker side of life will diminish our view of that for which we were created and saved.

We have, as apostle Peter declared, been called out of the darkness to serve Christ:

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.  1 Peter 2:9

It is totally inconsistent to be a believer who proclaims the light of Christ from the shadows.  If there is any hope for this generation’s ability to witness of God’s saving and sanctifying grace, it will be for the church of Jesus Christ to walk in that light to which Jesus calls us.

For You Today  

There’s enough darkness…time to stop sleeping through life; believers wake-up, and walk in the light.

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

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There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

Emptying the Church - Part 1  and  Drunkard Road

Images:  Title Pixabay.com   Images without citation are either personal property of the author, or in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

After the Party

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Monday, March 25, 2019

Again the Lord spoke to me and said, “I have discovered a conspiracy against me among the people of Judah and Jerusalem.  They have returned to the sins of their ancestors.  They have refused to listen to me and are worshiping other gods.  Israel and Judah have both broken the covenant I made with their ancestors.  Therefore, this is what the Lord says:  I am going to bring calamity upon them, and they will not escape.  Though they beg for mercy, I will not listen to their cries.  Then the people of Judah and Jerusalem will pray to their idols and burn incense before them.  But the idols will not save them when disaster strikes!  Look now, people of Judah; you have as many gods as you have towns.  You have as many altars of shame—altars for burning incense to your god Baal—as there are streets in Jerusalem.  “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah.  Do not weep or pray for them, for I will not listen to them when they cry out to me in distress.  “What right do my beloved people have to come to my Temple, when they have done so many immoral things?  Can their vows and sacrifices prevent their destruction?  They actually rejoice in doing evil!  I, the Lord, once called them a thriving olive tree, beautiful to see and full of good fruit.  But now I have sent the fury of their enemies to burn them with fire, leaving them charred and broken.  “I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who planted this olive tree, have ordered it destroyed.  For the people of Israel and Judah have done evil, arousing my anger by burning incense to Baal.”  Jeremiah 11:9-17

While we’re deeply-immersed in the Season of Lent, the Scriptures abound in darkness.  There is little joy in Jeremiah’s weeping over God declaring imminent judgment coming against Israel and Judah for their sins.  However, the entire theme of Lent is judgment for sins!  Therefore, Lent is a time to recognize when the party is over.  It’s a time for introspection, the evaluation of our lives in light of God’s holiness.  Part of that reflection is a look at what’s left after the party.

Don Meredith was an NFL quarterback, who, after his retirement, became Howard Cosell’s booth partner on Monday Night Football.  In the last few moments of most of those Monday night games, recognizing the losing team’s chances of winning had slipped-away, Meredith would break-into song, crooning in his Texas-best country singer impression:  turn-out the lights, the party’s over.  Anyone who has ever partied a little too hard the night before knows the price of that indulgence, groggy headache, queasiness and general despising living at all.  As my late friend Homer Rothrock used to say, there ain’t much romance in it!

There are some alarming parallels between the behavior and attitudes of God’s special people, Israel during Jeremiah’s time, and the current generation in our land.  Both Israel and America were birthed as a knee-jerk to oppression.  Both began as highly moral covenant people, called to live in freedom and respect for their Creator.  Both eventually fell into sin, and had to be called to the judgment bar. 

The parallel most disturbing to me is that of idolatry, giving what belongs to God to anyone or anything else; those things being fidelity in worship, obedience in behavior, and hearts of love, mercy and compassion towards each other.  Israel incorporated worshipping the local gods (including the fertility god Baal) in their religious ceremonies.  They did this for political reasons, making sure to offend no one.  As a covenant people they were bound to the one, true, living God; as sinners they gave away that heritage to cultic worship forms that took away their vows.  Baal is not just the name, it describes the relationship; in the Semitic languages it always means owner.  And that’s what sin is…it owns you.

It’s hard to miss the parallels between Israel and America; we bow at the altar of materialism, pleasing everyone who demands “rights” in the name of tolerance.  We elevate portrayers of violence, sexual perversion, evil behavior, and too many other expressions of the seven deadly sins that would overflow this short devotion.  Worship in America’s churches has become optional, out-of-date, or not relevant.  All the while anger, violence, dissipation, and deceit have replaced kindness, holiness, and self-discipline.

For You Today

Jeremiah was instructed to NOT pray for Israel; they had passed the point of no-return.  I do pray for our nation that we have not joined the parallel completely!

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

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[i] Title Image:   Pixabay.com

[ii] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from The New Living Translation©

To Cooperate (or NOT)

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Tuesday, December 5, 2017

After all this I saw another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his splendor.  He gave a mighty shout:  “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen!  She has become a home for demons.  She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every foul and dreadful animal.  For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of her passionate immorality.  The kings of the world have committed adultery with her.  Because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the merchants of the world have grown rich.”  Then I heard another voice calling from heaven, “Come away from her, my people.  Do not take part in her sins, or you will be punished with her.  

Revelation 18:1-4^(NLT)

Many times in Scripture we are urged to cooperate with fellow believers to do the work of the Kingdom of God.  Just as often we are warned to steer clear of alliances which drag us more into personal desires than Godliness.

Revelation is full of God’s judgments which fall on those who oppose Him.  In this passage we see final punishments falling on those who have let themselves become steeped in the passionate immorality of the age. 

It is a deep trap into which we fall when we attempt to minimize the seriousness of personal sin.  Scripture is very clear about this.  And in this passage of future judgment we see just how fiercely decisive the sword of punishment is for those who place personal gain over Godly compassion; even worse is the judgment that falls upon the heads of those who lead others into such sinful lifestyles.

The thought of judgment being more stringent for those who lead always brings a shudder to my soul.  As a pastor, even in a small membership congregation, the moment you open your mouth in teaching, preaching or leading in any way, the possibility of saying something that will affect someone else’s eternity looms large!  That being said, I am still thrilled to be a pastor, because the opportunity to effect change for good in someone’s life is just as much a possibility as leading one astray.  The two (human) dynamics in that mix are:

·       My faithfulness in preaching, teaching and leading in a Godly way

·       The Godly faithfulness of those who follow

Another aspect of this is on a grander scale in the human family – that of leadership of nations.  And Revelation is just as clear for what a national leader (and followers) do as it is for individuals.  National leaders that provoke the culture along a pathway that leaves righteousness, compassion, and Godly living fading into the rearview mirror are stockpiling riches for themselves in this world and an eternity of misery for the next.  I’ve often said I would never want to be president of any country.  The temptations associated with that much power are far above my pay grade.

For You Today

Your actions today are merely a teaspoon of water in a vast ocean of the deeds of humans throughout the world.  But even the smallest drop creates a ripple.  What effect will your ripples be in the life of another human being who crosses your path today?

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

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[1] Title Image: Courtesy of Pixabay.com

The Cost of Arrogance

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Tuesday, July 25, 2017

What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem, the city of violence and crime!  No one can tell it anything; it refuses all correction.  It does not trust in the Lord or draw near to its God.  Its leaders are like roaring lions hunting for their victims.  Its judges are like ravenous wolves at evening time, who by dawn have left no trace of their prey.  Its prophets are arrogant liars seeking their own gain.  Its priests defile the Temple by disobeying God’s instructions.  But the Lord is still there in the city, and he does no wrong.  Day by day he hands down justice, and he does not fail.  But the wicked know no shame.  “I have wiped out many nations, devastating their fortress walls and towers.  Their streets are now deserted; their cities lie in silent ruin.  There are no survivors—none at all.  I thought, ‘Surely they will have reverence for me now!
Surely they will listen to my warnings.  Then I won’t need to strike again, destroying their homes.’  But no, they get up early to continue their evil deeds.  Therefore, be patient,” says the Lord.  “Soon I will stand and accuse these evil nations.  For I have decided to gather the kingdoms of the earth and pour out my fiercest anger and fury on them.  All the earth will be devoured by the fire of my jealousy.  “Then I will purify the speech of all people, so that everyone can worship the Lord together.  My scattered people who live beyond the rivers of Ethiopia will come to present their offerings.  On that day you will no longer need to be ashamed, for you will no longer be rebels against me.  I will remove all proud and arrogant people from among you.  There will be no more haughtiness on my holy mountain.  Those who are left will be the lowly and humble, for it is they who trust in the name of the Lord.  The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will never tell lies or deceive one another.  They will eat and sleep in safety, and no one will make them afraid.”  Zephaniah 3:1-13^(NLT)

Hans Christian Anderson wrote a tongue-in-cheek fairy tale about an emperor who was so vain and arrogant he was convinced by a shrewd tailor that because of the new invisible suit of clothes made for him he was the finest dressed ruler in the entire world.  Parading around in his skivvies, the emperor was the laughingstock of the parade!

Many have compared America as a chosen the purpose of being to God’s representative to the world, and a great force for good…just like ancient Israel.  Now, I would not, as the old expression has it, throw out that baby with the bath water.  However, if my friends are right about America’s self-view of invincible exceptionalism, and if our leaders are fully-clothed, in their right minds, I would simply submit that the comparison between the United States and God’s chosen Israel must be accepted in its’ entirety!  Another old saying holds that you must take the bad along with the good!

In Zephaniah’s prophecy, Israel is lambasted and warned that their arrogant ways, ignoring God, justice and mercy, are stripping the nation of any chance of being God’s witness of love.  Instead they are full of themselves and ripe for judgment. 

Where did this arrogance come from?  It was largely the leaders who began to believe their own press reports about Israel’s special history, power and protection by God.  With impunity and unmitigated gall they began to congratulate themselves on their place in history and how they held all the cards.  They forgot the One who was really in charge. 

Those who want to compare America as the New Israel need to see the pitiful similarity between ancient Israel’s leaders and America’s political power brokers, who act with either ignorance of, or indifference towards God. 

Of course this is not much different than the voters who put them in power.  We have gone way past even the pretense of being a Christian nation, past modern and post-modern, all the way to godless hedonism.

May God have mercy on us; we are going to need it!

For You Today

As bleak as the political scene and horizon may look for America, there is always hope for a nation, an individual, or a neighbor who will return to God. 

May it be so with me, and with you, as we commit ourselves to proclaiming His kingdom today; let the revival begin!

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

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[i] Title Image: Pixabay.com