Shipwrecked Faith

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear.  For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.  1 Timothy 1:19

Everyone is born with faith; life is a series of faith choices, both good and poor.  When we place our faith in a chair, by sitting on it, we exercise our faith that the chair will hold us up.  If it does, it was well-placed faith.  If we place our faith in a man who whispers to us on the street corner….psst, buddy…you want a great deal?  I got these Rolex watches worth twenty grand each; sell ya one for $75.  Chances are rather strong, our faith in that guy will rust as fast as the watch.

It's one thing to be naïve about the worth of a trinket; it’s quite another matter to allow preconceived notions about God shipwreck our faith.  Faith, in spiritual matters. is supposed to guide our choices towards God’s open arms.  Misplaced trust in anything other than God’s will and way leads to a shipwreck of our faith.  Sometimes we cling to a hope that is ill-founded merely because it sounded good, or real when we first heard it from a friend.  We didn’t run it through the God-filter; instead, we just believed it (placed our faith in it), and couldn’t believe how badly it turned-out.  It’s like the story of the man who worried himself over the question of whether life wasn’t fooling him, and he began to think he was dead.  He started believing it and telling everyone he was dead.  No friend or family member could convince him otherwise.  Finally they got him into therapy.  The psychiatrist had no better result; the man thought he was dead.  Frustrated, the shrink decided on a graphic, undeniable test.  He asked the troubled man:  Do dead men bleed?  The man said:  No, dead men don’t bleed.  With that, the shrink pulled out a pin, pricked the man’s arm with it, and it started to bleed.  The shrink pointed to the man’s arm and asked:  So what do you make of that?  The man, now puzzled, finally offered:  Well, I’ll be durned…dead men DO bleed!

What Apostle Paul was telling Timothy is a stern warning for any one of us to beware of letting our faith settle on anything that won’t pass the blood test.  There is so much heat these days on television news, social media, blogs and vlogs galore, which promote hatred, violence, and rebellion, as well as perversity as a normative good choice, if that’s what you want.  That kind of stuff conflates a small amount of truth about political and sociological problems, with isolated Biblical verses to create a wedge of doubt between your conscience and the good sense given to you by God’s kindness.  We can fall victim to good sounding, but false theories of how to view the world.  We can be like Eve who heard the serpent whisper did God REALLY say that?  Satan even used that tactic, quoting Scripture to Jesus (way out of context, of course); the devil was tempting Jesus to abandon the Father’s mission and serve the darkness of Hell.  In all three of the temptations recorded in Matthew[1], Jesus denied Satan’s offer with Scripture, appropriately interpreted, countering Satan’s use of twisted Scripture.

For You Today 

We must use our faith, nurture our faith, and grow in our faith.  But we must be careful to grow straight, rather than crooked.  To grow straight requires bathing our worldview in the Word of God.  There is nothing about popular worldview opinions that can match the strength of God’s Word to avoid shipwrecking our faith.  Paul gave this advice to his young ministry student, Timothy:

Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval.  Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.  2 Timothy 2:15

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^©  

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[1] See Matthew 4:1-11

Smooth Talk - Poison Heart

 

 

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters.  Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught.  Stay away from them.  Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests.  By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people.  But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord.  This makes me very happy.  I want you to be wise in doing right and to stay innocent of any wrong.  The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.  May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.  Romans 16:17-20

Apostle Paul could speak to the believers at Rome with confidence because his heart for them was filled with genuine love.  This is the same love that God had for all humanity, displayed on a cross at Golgotha, the town garbage dump of Jerusalem.  From the earliest moments of Jesus’ ministry people were either blessed or angered by the carpenter from Galilee.  Those who received his love told the truth about how their lives had changed; those who resisted his love told lies about Jesus then, and still do.  To the people at Rome, Paul had brought the message of God’s gospel of Jesus Christ.  The result was gladness in the hearts of those who heard with open hearts; the self-righteous powerful rulers responded with angry venom.  Jesus was crucified by that same kind of prideful human rebellion.

The apostle called those who were misleading innocent folks smooth talkers using glowing words….but having selfish motives…a poison heart.  That is, unfortunately, not a phenomenon confined to the first century.  Lies are everywhere in any era or community.  It began in the Garden of Eden, as the serpent smooth-talked Eve into the first bite of rebellion.  It continues today to write the tragedy of refusing godliness in favor of selfish gain.  You will see it in every walk of life; when there is something to be gained (money, power, prestige, or just some evil satisfaction), a clever lie will be the hinge upon which the door of deception swings.

A church I once served was without a music director.  Of all things, I (who cannot even carry someone else’s tune) was leading the singing.  A group of a dozen visitors showed up one Sunday morning.  After the service, Carl, a very distinguished-looking member of that crowd, invited me to visit him the next evening.  I showed up, and was treated to two hours of Carl lauding his musical talents – complete with solo and framed music course certificates.  The evening ended with Carl’s statement:  Preacher, me and those other families want to join your church…if you’ll make me the song leader.  I told him I thought he and those other folks would probably be happier in another church.  Now, I didn’t know the man from Adam’s housecat.  But I did know that anytime there’s an offer-with-an-if, you’re in the middle of a business transaction.  I needed a music director, but this was Mt. Temptation.  I later found out the man had split two other churches with his marvelous music.  His wrong reasons had plenty of sound right, (complete with certificates to prove it) – but they were still wrong reasons.  He cared nothing for the church he was so generously “offering” to serve – it was his agenda and pride that mattered to the song-man.

For You Today 

It’s not a genuine Christian trait to walk around in suspicion, expecting to hear a lie in every place.  On the other hand, we are to be wise, understanding there are plenty of lies told, and always with a motive to gain something for the smooth-talker.  The best way to defeat deception is to follow Jesus’ example…He got up early enough to spend quality time with His Father.  Go thou, and do likewise!

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 Pixabay.com                       

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

Carried to His Sanctuary

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

“Who is like you among the gods, O Lord—glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, performing great wonders?  You raised your right hand, and the earth swallowed our enemies.  “With your unfailing love you lead the people you have redeemed.  In your might, you guide them to your sacred home.  The peoples hear and tremble; anguish grips those who live in Philistia.  The leaders of Edom are terrified; the nobles of Moab tremble.  All who live in Canaan melt away; terror and dread fall upon them.  The power of your arm makes them lifeless as stone until your people pass by, O Lord, until the people you purchased pass by.  You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain—the place, O Lord, reserved for your own dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.  The Lord will reign forever and ever!”  Exodus 15:11-18

This text is part of the victory song Moses and the Israelites sang after God saved them from the pursuing Egyptian army.  Earlier, the former slaves, numbering perhaps six-hundred-thousand, had left Egypt and were contemplating updating their wills at the edge of the Red Sea.  There were impassable mountains to the left and right of them, death by drowning in front of them, and death by Egyptian swords behind.  They were (literally) between two rocks, a watery grave, and an angry army.  One raised staff later, they crossed that sea on dry land, saved by the breath of God.  Pharoah’s army…not so blessed.

This account of Israel’s rescue and open doorway to the Promised Land, is a foretaste of your journey.  As Moses and the children were carried by God’s loving hand to Canaan, so we are bound for the Promised Land of New Jerusalem.

The world’s libraries are full of stories of victory snatched from the jaws of evil and defeat.  Every one of them is a reminder of God’s strong right arm.  The bad guy is holding all the power, and the innocent ones are about to be toast.  At the last second the one wearing the white hat shows up to rescue the powerless.

Why, do you suppose, that plot is so familiar?  Why is every suspense movie built around the sinister plans of a despicably vicious madman?  I believe it is God’s way of keeping us connected to the world we cannot see.  There is, and always has been, a spiritual war raging for the souls of human beings.  Ever since the day Satan walked into God’s throne room and laid-down the challenge gauntlet over the soul of Job[1], Satan has craved control of every man, woman, and child.  God has offered his strong right hand of support to each of us to resist.  And God gives each of us the free will to choose to accept His help, or not.

For You Today 

Today, in some small (or large) way, a subtle (or fully-disclosed) way, you will face a temptation to step away from God, or God’s open invitation to His waiting arms.  Satan will pave a highway with gold and ease to an eternity of suffering and shame.  God will offer you the nail-scarred, rough hands of a carpenter/shepherd to lift you over the temptation and carry you all the way to His sanctuary.

The words echo eternally – choose carefully.

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

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There are about 2,500 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper explore some of these:   Yahweh  and  Fountain Joy  

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

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

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[1] Read the oldest Biblical account of Job as the center of the contest here:  Job 1:1-2:10

Cleansed!

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.                       1 Corinthians 6:11

Paul makes the point that trusting Christ has forgiven us, brings with it the sense that we’ve been cleansed from our sins, made right with God.  It is also hardly necessary to say, we should, as his serious disciples, continue to live cleansed.

In the full-disclosure department, I’m as prone to do goofy stuff as much as any other human…sometimes more!  Last week I had one of those moments.  I was running a little bit behind schedule, and was picking up the pace to get on track.  We had finished a late breakfast.  We use paper plates to go easy on the dishwasher, so one of the last moments of a meal is letting Wellie (our resident dishwasher) lick the plate clean.  For a small dog, that tongue does a big job, removing every last reminder there was ever food on the plate.

Carrying the silverware, coffee cups, and Wellie-cleaned paper plates into the kitchen, I put the cups and forks in the sink.  Staring at the paper plates in my hand, time stood still for just an instant.  I had a moment of indecision-muddle, whether to put the paper plates in the sink, garbage, or with the clean dishware in the cabinet.  It was a disturbance of my peace, to say the least.

I know, and have always known, eating off the same plate a dog has cleaned (even my sweet mutt), is a disgusting prospect.  But, there it is…an unguarded moment, thinking about getting out the door for our appointment, not the task at hand; I nearly chose the cabinet.  After all, we had paid six-cents apiece for those little plates; a second use would cut the price in half!

It was then reality kicked-in.  In that moment, confronted with saving three-cents, (Six-cents if you factor-in reusing my wife’s plate too….don’t you dare tell her), in that two or three nanoseconds of indecision, common sense arrived.  There was no justification for saving three (or six) cents, stacked-up against the zillions of dollars I’d spend at the doctor’s office battling whatever exotic germs my dog had brought-in on his tongue from rummaging around on the ground in the back yard.  The plates immediately entered the kingdom of trash.

My “goofy moment” is an analogy of what’s going on in our minds, spiritually, with the whole issue of temptation.  There are things a six-year-old understands to be wrong, yet we entertain them; we give sin a foothold.  Given time, prayer, and a heart willing to align with God’s will, our decision-making becomes much stronger, rejecting the impulses we have, which our enemy, Satan is more than willing to use in ruining our witness and peace in Christ.

John Wesley’s advice on getting the best use of our time and call to minister God’s Word and blessings to others, speaks volumes to my tendency to be preoccupied, and vulnerable to the enemy’s tactics:  Be always moving, and never in a hurry.

For You Today  

Let’s let apostle Peter have the last word about this day’s caution:

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.  1 Peter 5:8

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: 

The Problem with Dirty Laundry  and  When Innocence Shines

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^©   

Below the Surface

 

 

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Help me understand the meaning of your commandments, and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds.  I weep with sorrow; encourage me by your word.  Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing your instructions.  I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your regulations.  I cling to your laws.  Lord, don’t let me be put to shame!  I will pursue your commands, for you expand my understanding.  Psalm 119:27-32[1]

If you notice the words and phrases in red, the Psalmist asked for understanding of what God’s ways and character mean when put into daily living.  He asked for encouragement (strength) to live that way.  He asked for knowing, a clear understanding of his own character (not lying to himself), all an indication of the tendency to stray from God’s way.  He wanted to change; he wanted to be pleasing in God’s sight, and he expressed faith that God …would expand my understanding. 

How about a little expansion for today?  How about going deeper than the surface “milk” of God’s word, clear-down to the “meat”?  For instance, read this verse from Paul’s letter to the Corinthian believers:

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13

In a “surface” read many people assume what you often hear as bedrock Gospel; The Lord won’t put any more on ya’ than ya’ can stand.  But if you dug deeper you’d have to admit God does just that sometimes (even often).  Just ask Job.  In the oldest of the Biblical writings, the story of Job proclaims him a good man.

There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil.  Job 1:1

Read a little farther and you discover Job, a man loved by God, got clobbered with more bad stuff than most of us would face in 3 lifetimes.  But at the end, Job found mercy and grace.  And in the long-run, in God’s timing, things turned-out far-better for Job than the earthly wealth and success he’d managed to accumulate.

The prophet Isaiah wrote that God said:

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.  “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.  For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:8-9

God’s wisdom, strength, and gifts all match his mercy and grace, and it is all available to us, if we will trust like Job, not popular theology that denies God’s Word.

For You Today

If you can pray with the Psalmist for underestanding, strength, clarity, and discipline to live God’s way, you’ve taken a first step in a lifetime of heading in the right direction, pleasing God in every way.[2]

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:  Tough Trust  and Faith Leap

[1] Images:  Russell Brownworth (own work)  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

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[1] Emphasis (mine) added

[2] See Romans 12:1-2

When the TEST Comes

 

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

But thank God!  He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 15:57

This picture came to me via a Facebook post a friend shared.  It expresses one of the verities I’ve come to lean on in following Jesus: 

·       God doesn’t allow a test to find out if I can stand it;

God allows tests so I will know HE will keep me standing through anything!

Funny thing about tests…many people confuse temptation with testing.  The truth is they couldn’t be further apart than East and West.  So let’s do a little definition work here: 

·       What is a temptation?  It is Satan’s attempt to make you FALL

·       What is a test?  It is God’s activity to help you stand TALL

There is plenty of Scripture to back up this difference between the Hellish motives of Satan, and the Heavenly providence of God’s loving care:

And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.”  God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.  Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.  These desires give birth to sinful actions.  And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.  James 1:13-15

“Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!”  Exodus 20:20

So victory in Jesus Christ is a matter of surrendering to the will of an Almighty, and entirely loving God who wants us to succeed in our surrender.  The test, when it comes, is another brick in that road paved with difficulties, joys, failures, miracles, and whatever else God is using to build His warriors.

For You Today

If you’re facing some stuff today that seems to threaten, feels like a burden, pushing you into a corner of decision…do not give up…rather, surrender!  Surrender to His everlasting arms one more time…and behold the salvation of your God.  On the other side of the test lies the crown of  glory.

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

[1] Title image: God's Glory (on Facebook) April 2, 2022   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Watch Yourselves

 

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting!  It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin.  So watch yourselves!                     Luke 17:1-3a

A warning is only as big as the power owned by the one making the threat.  In Luke’s account, the threat carries more weight than a herd of elephants cascading over Niagara Falls.  Jesus spoke to the stormy winds on the Sea of Galilee and they immediately hushed.  That’s impressive, but climate control is nothing compared to the power that speaks to death and then walks out of a sealed tomb!

That being said, the warning Jesus gave to his disciples, about tempting others to sin, carries the kind of powerful retributive promise which should leave anyone shaking in his boots.  If the Creator of everything speaks, it’s important to listen.

A prime example of those who do not listen is found in the entertainment industry.  This statement points at virtually the entire industry, with few exceptions.  Frankly, compared to even 20 years ago, the amount of vile language, indecent depictions of sex, and graphic violence, have gone off the charts. 

A typical “excuse” used to prop-up the industry’s self-aggrandizing image is that they simply offer a product.  They claim to bear no responsibility for what the people view.  It is true there is an on-off button to TV, internet, publishing, and theatre.  But there is plenty of responsibility nonetheless!

A man who grew up in the same house with Jesus was the apostle, James, who had this to say about the source of temptation: 

Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.  These desires give birth to sinful actions.  And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.  James 1:14-15

So, if temptation comes from within, it is our own fault…yes?  No argument there, says the Hollywood producer…let the buyer of my indecent artwork beware.  However, if you objectively (and honestly) revisit what Jesus said to his disciples about the sorrow that awaits those who do the tempting, you’d be hard-pressed to make a case for producers of smut and visual filth getting off scott-free on judgment day!  You cannot own both sides of an argument, and the fattening of bank accounts will swing the ledger’s testimony against the entertainment industry at the foot of the Great White Throne!  Even O.J.’s attorney wouldn’t be able to pull that one off!

For You Today

Whichever side of the “smut vs. decency” issue you support (and you ARE on one side or the other, either by your words, deeds, or simply silence), remember the warning of Jesus.  He wasn’t joking.  If you’re on Jesus’ side of this issue, pray for those who aren’t; they are in a very precarious place.  When the king of glory says Watch Yourselves, looking the other way isn’t an option; you’re either with him, or against him.

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^©    

Temptation's Downward Spiral

 

Monday, May 17, 2021

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation.  Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.  And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.”  God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.  Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.  These desires give birth to sinful actions.  And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.   James 1:12 - 15

A little boy was watching his Mom make cookies, LOTS of cookies.  He smelled the delicious chocolate chips melting in the oven.  The last thing Mom did before leaving the kitchen was to warn Junior to stay away from that cookie jar.  When she came back she caught the little criminal who was up-to-his-eyeballs in cookies.  “I’m sorry, Mom.  I just climbed up here to get a look at the cookies and my teeth got caught on one.”  We smile at that kind of picture, but temptation’s no joke.  Consider the downward spiral ride it always brings:

Desire comes first.

Desire is not sin.  God gave us appetites that our lives might be enriched.  Sin is an inappropriate use of our God-given natural appetites.  Smelling the cookies was a pleasurable experience, but that’s not where the sin occurred.  The suggestion came to the little boy that the cookies could be his if Mom wasn’t there.

Downward spiral begins!  One cookie smell isn’t sin…hanging around to drool is danger!

Decision follows desire.

Hanging around to “drool over the cookies” is where decision comes in.  The devil never makes you do anything; he can only suggest how wonderful it would be IF you do it.  When you linger over something you already know is wrong, you are placing your heart, your commitment to live a Godly life, at risk.  Who isn’t familiar with David and Bathsheba?  David’s sin began the moment he lingered, watching his neighbor on her rooftop.  Then he began to enquire about her.  David was a married man, lusting after a married woman.  The downward spiral gave birth to sin in David’s heart.

Disobedience follows decision.

Many people misunderstand sin at this point.  The actions we take are not the beginning of sins; they are merely the evidence that our hearts are sinful.  They are like the measles spots.  The spots only alert us to the fact we have measles; the disease is on the inside.

Desire giving birth to disobedience is quite a picture.  Conception takes place on the inside.  In the text the word used is a military word which means takes prisoner.  The long look created lust, the lust carries you away, and then you are its prisoner.  Satan’s work is successful; he handed off the temptation – you accepted it, and are now running down the field.  Your only hope at this point is to throw the ball to Jesus!  The decision, made in our heart, makes us pregnant with the sin of disobedience to our Father.  And that pregnancy is never stillborn!

For the little boy with the cookie rap sheet – his sin didn’t “occur” with the first bite.  It happened when he gave his heart to the chair he used to climb up the kitchen counter.  The step was up, but the spiral was increasingly down.

Death is the final result.

It’s the payoff!  David’s payoff for his sexual affair with Bathsheba was the blowing-apart of his family.  His kids lost respect for him.  The kingdom God entrusted to David’s leadership became divided and a civil war erupted.  It was chaos.  His sin-fling led him to places he never intended to go!

The downward spiral of sin begins with desire and ends in death.

For You Today

Be on guard…it’s a war!

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

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

Today’s devotion was first published October 17, 2013