No Help!

Thursday, October 5, 2023

You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world.  So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as,  “Don’t handle!  Don’t taste!  Don’t touch!”?  Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them.  These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline.  But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.  

Colossians 2:20-23

Every rule created by humankind has helped and hurt!  This is true in businesses, communities, families, and any other kind of human interaction, particularly in government!  Rules are mostly created to limit bad results.  On the highways, properly signaling you’re about to make a turn is intended to help the other cars refrain from plowing into your car.  If you forget to signal, it creates confusion; worse, if you signal the opposite of what you’re going to do, signaling a right turn, and then you hang a sharp a left…well, the consequences could have mortal impact.  The rule against making noise in the library is meant to make concentrating on reading easier.  However, the rule should be loudly-violated if the library is on fire!  The rule in business of the customer is always right makes for a pleasant shopping experience…except if the customer pulls out a .45 caliber pistol and demands all the money. 

Properly-observed, rules serve a purpose, but only so far.  When they become bludgeons to manipulate others, it’s time to “rule-out” the rules, go back to square-one, and be ruled by a higher purpose.  This is Paul’s meaning about the world’s rules.  When Christ sets a soul free, to be guided by the higher bar of love, legalistic rule-following never measures-up!

Legalism in the Christian often manifests itself as ugly, cold-hearted cruelty.  You can’t touch that…don’t go there…and, for Heaven’s sake do not drink THAT! These probably have their origin in some higher purpose, but eventually must be put aside if they become idols, compelling us to rely on our personal self-denial, discipline, and skills.  When we worship what we do as being acceptable to God, we have lost all sense of what God really asks of us.  And what is that, which he requires?  Check out what Scripture says:

Love the Lord your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.”  Joshua 22:5b

This is a Christian’s principle.  Serving God with all your heart and soul is looking beyond rules to the heart of God’s love and mercy.  This was what was wrong with the Pharisees.  In Matthew’s Gospel we find the Pharisees judging Jesus and his disciples for breaking rules; they were walking through a wheat field on a Sabbath day and were hungry.  They broke off some of the stems to nibble, and the Pharisees read them the riot act because they were breaking the Sabbath rules by “harvesting” wheat on the holy day.  Jesus told them:

But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’  Matthew 12:7

Paul educated the church folks at Rome to be this way:

Let love be genuine.  Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.  Romans 12:9

For You Today 

So the principle comes down to this…don’t be a phony, breaking rules that are sensible commands of love that resonate with the heart of God, or by trying to manipulate others with rules that give you an edge.  Instead, let love be your rule…doing the best to others, for God.

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

Go to VIDEO

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^©   

Howling At the Moon (and accomplishing what?)

Monday, May 15, 2023

The Lord is king! He is robed in majesty.  Indeed, the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength.  The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.  Your throne, O Lord, has stood from time immemorial.  You yourself are from the everlasting past.  The floods have risen up, O Lord.  The floods have roared like thunder; the floods have lifted their pounding waves.  But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore—the Lord above is mightier than these!  Your royal laws cannot be changed.  Your reign, O Lord, is holy forever and ever.  Psalm 93:1-5

God’s sovereignty is proclaimed throughout the Lord’s Holy Scripture.  In Heaven there is no doubt Who reigns in the universe.  Not so much on planet earth. 

King Nebuchadnezzar of ancient Babylon, an arch-enemy of Jerusalem, howled at the moon more than once in his life.  A poetic what-goes-around-comes-around is portrayed by the arrogant king’s pursuit of power, riches, and the ultimate humiliation that lust brought.  He fought, won, and destroyed Jerusalem, killing, capturing, and looting, the nation’s treasures and temple, devouring God’s people like a monster[1].  Nebuchadnezzar imagined himself invincible; he never lost.  He even set up a gold statue of himself, 90-feet high, and everyone had to worship the statue, because the king proclaimed himself god! 

But in the end, God removed Nebuchadnezzar from the throne of Babylon, and he roamed the countryside for seven years, like a madman, howling at the moon.[2]

Scripture tells us that the whole panorama of Nebuchadnezzar’s rule and life was orchestrated by God.  Jeremiah had prophesied it long before it began:

This message came to Jeremiah from the Lord early in the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah.  This is what the Lord said to me:  “Make a yoke, and fasten it on your neck with leather straps.  Then send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon through their ambassadors who have come to see King Zedekiah in Jerusalem.  Give them this message for their masters:  ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says:  With my great strength and powerful arm I made the earth and all its people and every animal.  I can give these things of mine to anyone I choose.  Now I will give your countries to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who is my servant.  I have put everything, even the wild animals, under his control.  Jeremiah 27:1-6

The great professional boxer, Muhammhed Ali, was known for his brash, self-promotion.  Without blushing he often proclaimed after winning a match against his opponents:  I am the greatest.  At one press interview a reporter asked him if he really meant what he said, or was it just bragging.  Ali looked at the reporter and sneered:  It’s not bragging if you can back it up.

Nebuchadnezzars and professional boxer’s trash-talking may have some teeth, and last for a news cycle, but their (so-called) reign is tied to a leash.  The One who holds the other end of that leash is God…the one (and only) true God.

For You Today 

When it comes to classical narcissism, otherwise known as bragging, aggrandizing, or self-promoting…choose the humility of keeping your mouth closed.  People may think you’re a fool, but opening your mouth often proves them right.

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

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,500 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper explore some of these:   Game Over  and  The Trouble With Theological Heels  and God Sovereign Series:  Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5

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

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

---

[1] See Jeremiah 51:34

[2] See Daniel 3-5

Pieces of the Parent

Monday, October 10, 2022

‘The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion.  But he does not excuse the guilty.  He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.’  Numbers 14:18

DNA is hardly refutable.  From color of our hair, skin, and so many other physical characteristics, to mannerisms, voice, and aging, we pass-along who we are.  The other day I leaned over to my bride and said:  When did we become our parents?  During the time when our children were teens, I would make a call to the house to talk with Elizabeth.  If Jennifer (our oldest) would answer, for the better part of a ten minute conversation I’d have no clue that the voice belonged to our child, not her mother.  That is well-documented stuff, and palatable (on the positive side); it sometimes even makes us laugh. 

What’s not so clear (nor palatable) is the Scripture verse.  Having the children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren pay for the sins of the parent, seems more than a little unfair!  The picture of a child, constructed entirely of pieces of the parent is a chilling reminder of the responsibility we bear as parents, to instill the best of what God gives us in our children. 

And it’s not just what we do, but how it is done.  The old adage is just as chilling:  Children learn what they live with.  Our poor behavior can tip the scales in the opposite direction of what we intended.  Another old saying comes to mind here:  Do what I say, not what I do.  Truth be told, that threadbare dog will not hunt.  Your children are much more apt to do what you do, than what you tell them.

The suspicion that the Scripture is slanted towards being “unfair” is nonetheless true.  It is so with everything in the natural realm.  A stone tossed in a lake will make ripples that never end.  A tree falling in a forest makes a thud that vibrates.  All actions have corresponding and equal reactions.  And, if you jump out of an airplane at 10,000 feet without a parachute, the gravity of the situation will become clear (and painful). 

Just as clear, and much more palatable, is the other side of that coin.  If slipping into untoward behavior (sin), is damning to your children, grands, and more, then the opposite (repentance and obedience) can be just as healing.  And there is only one obstacle standing between the parent who has behaved poorly, and beginning the healing process for the offspring:  the parent’s pride.

The greatest example of this paradigm is King David.  David’s self-absorbed behavior with Bathsheba, including lust, adultery (bordering on rape), conspiracy, and the cover-up that took integrity apart in his soul, nearly destroyed not only his kingdom, but (more importantly) his relationship with God.  When the prophet, Nathan, finally unearthed what David had tried to bury, the king broke, and confessed openly.  The damage to David’s children was severe – they were following in his footsteps…pieces of the parent.  But his transparent confession became his legacy.

For You Today

Let’s let apostle Paul have the last word today about a life principle that will always be the higher ground for parenting and living a purposful, holy life:

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.  Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Philippians 4:8

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

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

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: 

Mary's Confusion   and   How Was Your Weekend?

[1] Images:  via Reddit.com (copyright restrictions unknown)   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Will They Never Learn?

Friday, September 8, 2022

The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.  But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt.  No one does good, not a single one!  Will those who do evil never learn?  Psalm 14:2-4a

The Psalmist could have inserted my picture as the headline to this Psalm.  He was being kind and discreet, but this has me written all over it.  The evidence is overwhelming, but one incident, in particular, gives the overall sense of stubbornness lodged deep in my soul. 

It happened on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon drive.  There wasn’t much money in our household budget, so a family drive was a major tool to combat hot summer boredom.  This was long before the price of gas reached a zillion dollars a gallon, back when air-conditioning in cars was for the rich.  To keep cool we had “450 air-conditioning” – you opened the car’s 4 windows and drove 50-miles-per-hour!  But, I digress.

On one of those drives down the country lanes and backroads my Dad favored, he half-turned to us boys in the back seat and told us to close our eyes.  Russell did the 10-year-old thing every parent has heard:  Why?  Dad replied:  Just close ‘em; you’ll see.  Russell:  But how can I ‘SEE’ with my eyes closed?  Dad:  Russell Jay Brownworth…just close your eyes.  Russell, (rolling eyes and sighing rather dramatically) But, what if I don’t want to?  Dad:  It’s too late now – just forget it.

Later that day my older brother, Thom informed me the moment I trashed with my attitude was Dad’s attempt to add just a little more excitement to the ride.  He was coming to the “dip” in the road, and was speeding up to get us airborne.  It’s one of those weightless instants when you’re suspended between going up, and then down.  It’s the apex of a hill’s up-and-down that makes your stomach do a loop-de-loop.  We couldn’t afford to go to the carnival rides, so Dad was trying to bring the roller coaster to us.  I wonder how often Dad whispered to himself:  Will he never learn?   

That incident always turns my mind to how my Heavenly Father may have the same thought…not just about Russell – about God’s entire family.  Sometimes our foolish ways are beyond understanding.  We steal moments of selfish pleasure, thinking to enhance our lives and self-esteem, only to find ourselves crumbling on the inside in shame and emptiness.  We kill each other with amazing regularity, playing out Cane’s hatred.  We mock God with our little sand castles of empires and imperialism, and find them washed away with the next tide.  Nothing we build lasts, and little is our self-agrandizement recognized for the childish illusion of life we claim.  In short, like a 10-year-old stuffed with pride, we won’t listen to a single bit of helpful joy.  And God says:  Will they never learn?

For You Today

Willfulness and pride aren’t hard to hold-onto, but they’re the devil to let-go-of.  And their results are harder to swallow than just one spoiled moment on the roller coaster; failing to let go of self, to find oneself wrapped in the everlasting arms of love from Father, is the most costly of all our obtuse ways.  This begs the question unendingly:  Will we never learn?

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

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

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: 

When Mercy Outweighs Justice and In the Beginning

[1] Images:  Bing Images (Royalty Free)   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Nobody Wins

 

Friday, July 15, 2022

So Abram left Egypt and traveled north into the Negev, along with his wife and Lot and all that they owned.  (Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.)  From the Negev, they continued traveling by stages toward Bethel, and they pitched their tents between Bethel and Ai, where they had camped before.  This was the same place where Abram had built the altar, and there he worshiped the Lord again.  Lot, who was traveling with Abram, had also become very wealthy with flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and many tents.  But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds living so close together.  So disputes broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot.  (At that time Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land.)  Finally Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen.  After all, we are close relatives!  The whole countryside is open to you.  Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate.  If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right.  If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.”  Genesis 13:1-9

I’m certain this text has found its way into many a sermon in the United Methodist Church over the years; more-so of late.  Sometimes it seems leaving the UMC is the only thing some folks care about.  With all the stubbornness of two mountain goats that meet on a narrow path, and refuse to yield an inch, head-butting is the political death knell to brotherhood.  This is not to say that conflict can’t have a positive effect; sometimes it is the necessary forerunner to resolution.

It was that way for Abram and Lot.  Their success was not a problem.  Rather, it was an evidence of God’s blessing.  In terms of the current stalemate of progressives vs. traditionalists in today’s UMC, Abram and Lot’s success is a valuable reminder of the God-given progress of the Wesleyan movement of old.   Failure to make adequate preparations for the expanded need both families would experience was the problem.  Even so, when the dispute began to get heated, it was critical that both sides have the Abram-mind of giving the other side a workable solution that honored brotherhood over things and power. 

That said, we must apply the principle to 2022 UMC doings….it is a very strange and sad thing when people, who say they serve God, can’t manage to offer God’s grace and kindness in the necessary parting of ways. 

It would be safe to say that I am firmly on the traditionalist side of the theological issues fueling this fire of discontent in the UMC.  But I have no desire to see judgment reign down on those in the other camp.  Nobody wins that kind of war.

Getting back to the mountain goats, I read an account told by one who knows goats well.  It seems a common occurrence in places like Switzrerland’s Alps that, when two goats, going in opposite directions meet on very narrow cliff paths, one will kneel, allowing the other to step over him.  In that way both can pursue their journey. 

For You Today

Call it kindness, or call it wisdom to refrain from destroying what is left of the United Methodist tribe.  If we cannot act at least as kindly as goats do with their brothers, what hope do we have of being any help to the rest of the world?

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

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,000 devotional posts on Rocky Road Devotions. 

To dig deeper into today’s topic or Scripture text:  So What WOULD Jesus Do?  and Playing With Fire

[1] Images:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Go Git Y'r Bucket

 

Thursday, April 21, 2022

Praise the Lord!  Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven!  Praise him for his mighty works; praise his unequaled greatness!  Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn; praise him with the lyre and harp!  Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes!  Praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals.  Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!  Praise the Lord!  Psalm 150:1-6

The Psalmist makes no small, obscure point here:  everything that breathes is expected to offer praises to God with whatever noise we’re capable.  The problem isn’t understanding that…more, it’s a matter of pride or shame in the ability to do just that.

There’s an old saying which was, more than likely, coined to describe my singing ability:  He couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket.  My bride, Elizabeth, who knows what she’s doing with music, says it isn’t my voice…it’s my ear.  Well, I’ve got to disagree; how many people do you know that sing the Star Spangled Banner out of their ears? 

Anyway…when I do sing, it’s one of three places:  the car, when I’m driving alone, the shower…again alone, or church (and definitely not alone) when my voice joins with all the other worshippers to offer heart’s praise to our Lord.  At such times the other voices make a fine garment to cover my part, which sounds like two cats getting ready to fight to the death!

My decades-long struggle with trying to sing on-key, on-pitch, to any degree acceptable to human hearing, started in church Christmas programs.  As soon as the first rehearsal ended, without fail the director always found a wonderful (non-singing) part for me, like handing-out programs, or reading a verse – anything that did not include music.

Once, long ago, and in a faraway galaxy, a music director in our church convinced me to solo one verse of When the Saints Go Marching-In during our July 4^th service.  To this day I’m certain he had a wicked agenda, something like give-him-enough-rope-and-he’ll-hang-himself…but the pianist was skilled, knew me, and played loudly.  In the spirit of good manners, and lacking musical snobbery, the congregation applauded.  Perhaps they were just glad I was finished.

For You Today

This confession about my lack of musical ability has a purpose.  If I came close to describing your singing voice, you know who you are.  We are definitely not alone - by any means.  But that didn’t stop God from compelling the Psalmist to emphasize it:  everything that breathes is the way he made the job description for singing His praises. 

So…go git y’r rusty old bucket of a voice, and let’s carry as much of that tune as God gives us strength.  We’ll make a joyful racket[1] to the Lord, and, to Him, it will be a sweet sound of symphony…praise the Lord!

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

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

---

[1] See Psalm 98:6 Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!

Entitlement Mythology 101

 

Thursday, February 24, 2022

“Listen, O Israel!  Today you are about to cross the Jordan River to take over the land belonging to nations much greater and more powerful than you.  They live in cities with walls that reach to the sky!  The people are strong and tall—descendants of the famous Anakite giants.  You’ve heard the saying, ‘Who can stand up to the Anakites?’  But recognize today that the Lord your God is the one who will cross over ahead of you like a devouring fire to destroy them.  He will subdue them so that you will quickly conquer them and drive them out, just as the Lord has promised.  “After the Lord your God has done this for you, don’t say in your hearts, ‘The Lord has given us this land because we are such good people!’  No, it is because of the wickedness of the other nations that he is pushing them out of your way.  It is not because you are so good or have such integrity that you are about to occupy their land. The Lord your God will drive these nations out ahead of you only because of their wickedness, and to fulfill the oath he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Deuteronomy 9:1-5

Perched on the eve of conquering Palestine, the fledgling Israelite nation was warned by God to keep perspective on the source of the greatness they were about to experience.  God told them to not get puffed-up like a proud peacock over their supposed goodness, or integrity; their victory was a gift.

Many nations and many people have written their own brand of history.  It is said the winners of wars will tell the story of their own greatness, while truth goes begging.  Whether we like it or not, truth writes its own story, without regard to any other version. 

Scripture warns in many ways against pride.  Solomon’s words tell it plainly: 

Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.  Proverbs 16:18

Claiming personal greatness is a symptom of the pride that goes before a fall.  Pride is a bulldozer paving the way down the slope of disaster.  The history of God’s special people is written over and again, with alarmingly similar results:

·       First stamp:  God’s great hand of favor clears the path for their success.

·       Second stamp:  Within a few generations (sometimes less), the truth is forgotten, and God’s greatness is claimed for the pride of a new leader. 

·       Third stamp:  God takes Israel to the woodshed (captivity, plagues, etc.).

·       Fourth stamp:  Repeat steps 1, 2, and 3.

American history bears unmistakeable parallels to Israel, of the way God blesses a nation.  That much is hardly questioned to my mind.  The troubling part of that statement, is, that we also bear the marks of the rubber stamp history of Israel. 

There is a sense of entitlement in the land today which smacks of the pride of privilege.  It’s not just white privilege that plagues, it is the endemic arrogance of any privilege.  Ethnic privilege, perceived greatness, dominant history, and any other sense of entitled platform is a house of cards awaiting collapse.  To borrow from James Russell Lowell’s thinking about truth ever being led to the scaffold, and wrong enthroned, in America, it seems, humility has been beaten with the shame brush, and pride lifted to the throne.  We are living in a false myth!

For You Today

Matthew Henry wrote a commentary on the entire Bible.  When it came to the Proverbs’ warning about pride, he gave us a Humility-101 kind of last word in this simple sentence:

Therefore let us not fear the pride of others, but greatly fear pride in ourselves.[1]

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

[1] Title image:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

---

[1] Matthew Henry Commentary on Proverbs 16:18