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

A Time for War and a Time for Peace

Friday, September 1, 2023

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven….A time for war and a time for peace.  Ecclesiastes 3:1, 8b

“Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth!  I came not to bring peace, but a sword.  Matthew 10:34-38

Timing is everything…so said my Dad, who was a certified bowling instructor, trying to teach me how to roll the ball towards the pins with effectiveness and the kind of repetitive consistency needed to score better.  I said:  What?  I’m certain Jesus was saying the same kind of wisdom to his disciples in that day (and getting the same kind of doe-in-the-headlights reaction). 

It is true (in a both/and sense) that Jesus is the Prince of Peace, as much as he is the Lord of Heaven’s armies.  He who self-described himself as “love” is also the author of Ecclesiastes.  It is a matter (as my favorite bowling instructor would say) of timing.  When Jesus came the first time, lowly, meek, and riding a donkey, we saw him as the submissive, perfect sacrificial lamb.  He demonstrated his love by taking our pain in his body.  The next time he comes it will be as a warrior, coming to clean up our mess. 

Question:  Does Jesus’ character change from loving-dove to unrelenting-hawk in the 1,000-year interlude between Ecclesiastes and Matthew?  Did he only come in peace the first time, and will he put that aside and be different the next time?  Did we get Ecclesiastes wrong?  God inspired Solomon to write those words, and God called him the wisest among men, yet Solomon says there is a time and place for peace, as well as war.  The Answer must be a resounding NO if you believe the Bible.  He said this:  I am the Lord, and I do not change.  Malachi 3:6a

So how do we reconcile all this…is Jehovah a God of war and peace, or just one,   and not the other?  When he shows up as Jesus we can expect love, kindness, and grace…but, when he shows up as the I AM, look-out? 

I think you know the answer to that, but let’s put it in another scenario:  Suppose it is the issue of homosexuality; is he the God of I love you – I’m ok, you’re ok – you aren’t in for any judgment?  Or is he the God who says that is sexual perversion, and if you buy-into that there is fire on the horizon for you, beloved?  Applying that to contemporary culture, the trend is to an absence of judgment on God’s part.  American culture is quite evenly-divided, but only because there’s a relatively even distribution of humans above and below 50 years of age.  But the trend is moving towards popular culture legitimizing and even applauding the practice of homosexuality.

A greater question then becomes:  If public opinion is moving in one direction, does that make it right?  Ultimately there is no fence upon which to sit, and that brings only two possibilities, both of which are supremely uncomfortable for those who want to reject Biblical precedent:  God will judge, or scripture is wrong.  We’re forced to obey God or popular opinion…there’s no in-between!  Humans mess-up, and must own our mess-up, or defend our beliefs.  You cannot do both.

Within the denomination I served the past two decades, the move has been towards popular opinion, with those disagreeing, jumping ship to band together with those holding Biblical doctrine.  And, among both those who are staying, or leaving, are some who are taking parting shots at the other side’s position as a lack of Biblically-moral character, preferring to judge motives and intelligence.   The God we’re talking about was not silent on that:

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.  For you will be treated as you treat others.  The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.  And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?  Matthew 7:1-3

For You Today 

I take the stand for Biblical obedience to love other sinners, because I am also a forgiven sinner.  I will not compound my sins by judging others.  What say you?

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 Images:  Pixabay.com Sword  Dove  Images without citation are in public domain.  

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

Looking Back to Go Forward

 

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.  How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!  For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed.  For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.  He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him.  His mighty arm has done tremendous things!  He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.  He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble.  He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.  He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful.  For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”  Luke 1:46-55

There are constants in life which, if honestly viewed, can guide us into truth.  Calling on my somewhat limited grasp of mathematics, I recall a principle of equations that remains stable.  If A = 1, then A is always 1. 

Mary understood that. 

Mary looked back over the history of generation to generation and her soul leaped within her at the mercy, miracles and justice with which God has ruled this universe.  And Mary connected the dots.  If, in mercy, might, and justice, God saw fit to lead her into the world’s brightest spotlight from an obscure little village, she was going to count on the principle of looking back to go forward.  She would trust the Lord.

And here’s how she connected that set of dots:

For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”  Luke 1:55

The key word is “forever”.  Mary understood that circumstances, and the way humans evaluate circumstances, are as changeable as the wind.  God, on the other hand, is as constant as the A = 1 principle; He changes not!^{(Malachi 3:6)}

In the connecting the dots ambit, looking at signposts in your history gives you a sense of the course you’ve charted.  If you chart a course to, say, Omaha, Nebraska, and it was not done with a faulty compass and map, and, if you’ve faithfully followed  that course, today you’re closer than you were yesterday.  It’s the same in charting your course to follow God’s way.  To Israel in captivity, after they’d messed-up supremely, God said through the prophet:

If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.  I will be found by you,” says the Lord.  Jeremiah 29:13-14a

For us, this means the “A” of our equation is always trust the Lord, and the “1” of the result is you will find Him. 

The picture on your screen has a little white dot, which are actually two large planets (Saturn and Jupiter) in conjunction.  I looked up in the dark sky at 6:27pm Monday night to see this phenomenon.  It was predicted based on science, mathematics, and because, history has proved it over and again.  And it was there.  And I snapped the picture with my little Android phone’s camera.  I did that, not because it IS the so-called Christmas Star of Bethlehem…it’s two planets, in real time, reflecting the light God created so long ago.  And, like the cross I wear when I preach God’s Word each Sunday, although it isn’t the blood-stained cross of Golgotha, it is a picture of remembering the course God charted for restoring relationship between Himself and myself.

In just that way, God says, look back at what I’ve done, and know I will be the same tomorrow as I was yesterday and today.^{(Hebrews 13:8)}

Mary knew that, and she sang from the depths of her being the song of praise for the deep trials she knew was ahead.  And she charted her course to walk right into it!

For You Today

Been through a tough one this year?  As tough as Mary’s year?  The whole of her world changed when the angel talked about God’s plan for her life.  Adulteress and Blasphemer, the neighbors would say.  Leaving home to run for Egyptian refuge to escape Jesus being slaughtered was in the near future.  Still, Mary pondered all these wonders, and bowed the knee in grateful remembrance of the God who taught her to look back so she could go forward.  Sound like a plan?

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

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Title image:  Russell Brownworth (own work) 12/21/2020 conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter   

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

 

The Humbling of Prophets and Preachers

[i][ii]

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord.  He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple.  Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings.  With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.  They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!  The whole earth is filled with his glory!”  Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.  Then I said, “It’s all over!  I am doomed, for I am a sinful man.  I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips.  Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”  Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.  He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips.  Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”  Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people?  Who will go for us?”  I said, “Here I am. Send me.”  Isaiah 6:1-8

One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God.  He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.  Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water.  So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.  When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”  “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing.  But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”  And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!  A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.  When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.”  For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him.  His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.  Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid!  From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”  And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.  Luke 5:1-11

At the end of the Old Testament, looking forward to the New Testament, God has Malachi reinforce something about the way God deals with humans:

I am the Lord, and I do not change;  Malachi 3:6a (CEB)

When God was laying the groundwork in both Isaiah and Peter to prepare them to preach and teach about Jehovah, so the world would know how to get back in relationship with God, His method with the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, was no different than when Jesus schooled Peter in the New Testament.  The lesson is simple, albeit a little painful; when you’re going to be used in God’s work you’d better get used to the idea of being humbled!

Over and over in Scripture we are informed how much God detests pride.  When God is going to use someone, that person’s pride, that entry portal to the spread of all sin, is going to be touched by fire, and brought low with the majesty of the Almighty!

There are no exceptions to this!

For You Today

What’s good for the prophet or preacher is fair game for the pew.  God destroys pride wherever He finds it.  That is why the prophets and preachers of the Old and New Testaments pointed to the cornerstone[iii] as either a building block, or that which would crush.  It’s simple; if you won’t be humble enough to be a building block in God’s kingdom, the cornerstone becomes a crushing stone.  One way or another we will be made low.  After all, He’s God…and we’re not!

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

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[i] Title Image:   V&A - Raphael, The Miraculous Draught of Fishes (1515) Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

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

[iii] For an example of how many of God’s servants used this concept, see this list

When Change Becomes God

[i][ii]

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray.  But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true.  For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie.  So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.  And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.  1 John 2:26-28

Former VP Joe Biden

I’m fairly certain former V.P. Joe Biden never saw it coming.  The (now) candidate Biden has been the center of loose accusations that he “made some people uncomfortable with his inappropriate behavior”.  Now, I’m not a big fan of the Democratic Party’s approach to certain things, but I do believe it’s time to cut Joe a break.  He’s only a few years older than I, and therefore we share the same decade’s cultural expectations.  In those days if you didn’t hug, or have a warm heart (identified by touching an arm or shoulder to say I’m sorry you’re going through this…or I’m so glad that happened for you), well, you were considered aloof, snooty, or just plain uncaring.  From my observation point, Biden is anything but that. 

Now, with my opinion (this is a blog, after-all)…with my personal opinion aside, let me acknowledge that those women making the accusations are unequivocal markers that the world has changed since Joe Biden and Russell Brownworth were little boys, or college students.  And we both NEED to acknowledge that and give it due diligence that we take care to be like the Apostle Paul advised:  Abstain from all appearance of evil.  1 Thessalonians 5:22^(KJV)

This is not to say I’m going to cease trying to comfort someone who has just lost a husband, or a child, or another loved one; I just have to learn to ask first:  Would it be alright to give you a hug?  In 1975 the hug was “expected” – now it can be suspect of sexual harassment. 

The world has changed; some of the change has been for the better, some not so much.  On the better side is an awareness of personal space, behavior, and the hurt that can be caused by inappropriateness.  On the lesser scale is a reality that it’s hard for a man who was raised without those expectations to get used to the fact that most women won’t even look at you on the street, and you can almost feel the hostility.  Change is a two-edged sword!

And yet those with an activist mindset will tell you any change is better than no change.  It’s easy to see where that comes from.  When you’re stuck in a culture that demeans you, dehumanizes your worth and place on this planet, and keeps you under the oppressive thumb, activism may be the only legal resort to getting some relief.  It’s kind of a Patrick Henry philosophy:  Give me change or give me a prison sentence; either way I’m gonna have some change!

On the other end of that spectrum are those for whom “change” is a four-letter word (so to speak).  But, that attitude:  if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, it can only take you so far; sooner or later change will come whether you like it or don’t.  

And so, for those who make change their god, because nothing seems to favor them, or work for them, or suit their desires, be certain you’re going to effect a change that is approved by the One who said, I am the Lord; I change not.[i]  When you run afoul of the One who gave you breath just because you have decided change is in order, it IS going to be His will that’s done…and that can be a change that hurts!

For You Today

When you’re working on change, or hearing about changes, take time to run that beam of light back up to the source; consider the effects of what the change is, and how it matches up with God’s revealed truth in Scripture.  It might save you from a heap of regret.  Change is NOT God.

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

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[i] Malachi 3:6

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[i] Title Image:   Pixabay.com

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