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!

Go to VIDEO

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

The Yin and Yang of Poverty, Hunger, and Weeping

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

When they came down from the mountain, the disciples stood with Jesus on a large, level area, surrounded by many of his followers and by the crowds. There were people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and from as far north as the seacoasts of Tyre and Sidon.  They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those troubled by evil spirits were healed.  Everyone tried to touch him, because healing power went out from him, and he healed everyone.  Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours.  God blesses you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied.  God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh.  What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man.  When that happens, be happy!  Yes, leap for joy!  For a great reward awaits you in heaven.  And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.  

Luke 6:17-23

Jesus makes the not-so-subtle point that there is coming a time when the world will be stood on its ear.  The “yin and yang” concept of opposites understands anything that exists has a corresponding, but opposing counterpart.  Darkness is defined by the absence of light.  Hot and cold can never co-exist without being changed by the other.  In the heart and mind of God, poverty, hunger, and weeping are the temporary prelude to the eternal fruition of joy, satisfaction, and wholeness.

C.S. Lewis’ statement on this has always intrigued me:  “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

Of course that other world concept refers to God’s Kingdom.  The world in which we now must live is fallen, corrupted by sin’s corrosive power.  For a believer, this world’s system, steeped in the deadly charisma of all manner of abomination (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride[1]), has nothing to offer an eternal soul, except the fire that purges it.  That is the yin of our existence.  And we, poverty-stricken, weep over the emaciated disorder of life in this far country.  Hungering for righteousness we long for the yang of light, laughter, and, like Humpty Dumpty, being put back together again.  We long for the eternal place, not made with hands – a home that makes everything right.

Luke’s descriptive of Jesus’ answer to the cries of the people is four words of manna that promise what the soul craves:  …and he healed everyone.   

For You Today  

       ·       Been persecuted for the sake of Christ? 

       ·       Been humiliated for your faith? 

       ·       Been deprived of rights because you refused to compromise? 

Those are only the yin of this world’s momentary muscle-flexing; there is a yang, a Beulah Land, where God’s eternal joy is waiting for all who trust Him.  It’s the place where poverty, hunger, and weeping will find no place to rest.

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: 

A Life of Polar Opposites  and  Wisdom From Above 

This is an updated version of “So Much Anger” published on Rocky Road Devotions January 16, 2014

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

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

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[1] The seven deadly sins

The Big Book of Do's & Don'ts by the Dozen

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Finally, all of you should be of one mind.  Sympathize with each other.  Love each other as brothers and sisters.  Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.  Don’t repay evil for evil.  Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you.  Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.  For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.  Turn away from evil and do good.  Search for peace, and work to maintain it.  The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers.  But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.”  1 Peter 3:8-12

Many years ago I heard a story[1] about Mark Twain and his bride.  It seems the quite pious Mrs. Samuel Clemmens was horrified by her husband’s swearing.  His language (according to legend) was sufficient to turn the air blue.  It was said no flower would grow where he spat upon the ground.  One day the wife decided on a plan to end said profanity.  She wrote a list of every kind of vile language she could remember dropping from her husband’s lips.  Armed with all the darkest of invectives she marched into his study, where Mr. Clemmens was putting pen to paper, and promptly began to screech at the top of her lungs every foul word or phrase on the list.  When she was done, Sammuel looked up at her, took a long draw from his pipe, snorted out the smoke and replied:  My dear, that language doesn’t suit you; you have all the words, but you just can’t sing the music.

To be clear, I’m with Mrs. Clemmens on this one.  Foul language makes my soul cringe.  Considering 21^st-century culture vocabulary, remarkably-devoid of any softness, I muse wistfully on what a joy it would be to lose one’s sense of hearing.

But, more to the Apostle Peter’s point, Scripture’s (long) list of do’s and don’ts are rejected out-of-hand by contemporary culture, with as cavalier-quickness as one would squash a flea.  And those who do just that miss the mark by light years.  Virtually every time you see a list of the Seven Deadly Sins and the like, it’s less prohibitive than descriptive of an attitude which is destructive to human souls. 

To simplify – God is not shocked and horrified by your little lie, or cuss word, or extra helping of this or that.  Rather, it’s merely foolishness that diminishes who you could be, if you took the opposite, healthier approach to life:  truth-telling, kind language, and maintaing self control over appetites and carnal desires.

Unraveling my little metaphorical tale of the Twains, makes Mrs. Twain the inept crusader for good, attempting to make Mr. Twain cease his foolish and harsh language.  In the doing she is viewed by her husband as a twit who needs to be stifled.  And with his sarcasm, he shows she was right about his attitude.

And that is the whole issue about what God is doing with that big book of do’s and don’ts.

For You Today  

If you’re a reformer (diets, lists of do’s and don’ts, new promises to self and God every day), let me encourage you to breathe more.  Confession is good; persevering in virtuous deeds is good, and so is helping others see the light. 

But the main issue is still the main issue:  God wants your love and relationship more than anything you do (or don’t) for Him.

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: 

No Counter-Punch  and  Stepping-Up Your Game

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^©  

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[1] I have no source to cite, nor can I prove it’s true, simply a memory from years ago; but it serves a point.