Have You Faith in Christ?

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.  Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share.  But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.  I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives.  The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.  Jude 2-4

John Wesley began his list of 22 questions to those who be his preachers in colonial America with this one:  Have you faith in Christ?  The point is derived from the first-century “fathers” of Christ’s church, that without a resounding YES answer to that question, pulpit, or pew is neither for you!  Without your total allegiance to Jesus Christ as Lord and Master, you do not belong to Him.  Apostle Paul backed that up in his letter to the believers at Rome:

…(And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)  Romans 8:9

Wisely, John Wesley put the Trinitarian doctrine at the head of what Methodists were to understand and embrace.  It still stands after more than two and a half centuries…most recently held (at least for the time being) in the United Methodist Book of Discipline as Article #1:

Of Faith in the Holy Trinity: there is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body or parts, of infinite wisdom and goodness; the maker and preserver of all things, both visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead there are three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.”

UMC Bishop Mike Lowry wrote about what Jude, the brother of Jesus said, comparing first century apostates with what’s going on today:

Disguised in the form of pluralism and tolerance we have embraced doctrinal indifference. With such an embrace has come the destructive chaos of cheap grace turned into “unrestrained immorality” which denies “our only master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 3)….Our modern failure in much of the church to hold to the historic theological core of the Christian faith erodes our very ability to speak to the moral anarchy of our times. For far too many, Christian theological and ethical commitments have been reduced to matters of opinion and political advocacy. It is past time to reclaim the heart of the gospel against the raging hedonism and selfishness of our age.[1]

Pluralism and tolerance are nice ways of saying “anything goes” – but that does not square with the tone, ethics, and commandments of the entire canon of Holy Scripture.  And may we be reminded that the tired, banal excuse which calls Old Testament law passe’, in favor of the New Testament love of Jesus is merely an excuse…that license to do whatever I want.  It is nothing less than the downward spiral of cheap grace!  Christ did not die so we can go on sinning and feel good (even proud) about sining – He died to give us victory over our urge to sin.

We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.  Romans 6:6

For You Today 

Our final word today is from Jesus' brother, Jude, a doxology of praise to the One who gives us this power

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.  All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord.  All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time!  Amen.  Jude 24-25

The question nearly begs itself….have you faith in Christ?

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.  

 

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©  

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[1] Bishop Mike Lowry, A Fight for the Faith Delivered Once For All, (Firebrand, June 29, 2020)

 

To Conceive; Or Not to Conceive…a conundrum in an overly sexualized culture

Monday, July 17, 2023

You guided my conception and formed me in the womb.  Job 10:10

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.  Psalm 139:13

Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.  Ecclesiastes 11:5

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.  Jeremiah 1:5

The recent decision of the Supreme Court of the United States’ to overturn Roe v. Wade, and the ensuing public debate over abortion, once again stir the division between left-wing and right-wing political factions.  At the risk of further polarizing, I offer something of a contribution, not from a denominationally-mandated/politically-connected viewpoint…simply an interface of God’s Word with commitment to truth-telling, meant for the hard decisions of everyday life. We live in that kind of world; pragmatism confronts our surrender to Holy Scripture, and we must respond.

The debate (ongoing in history, and greatly inflamed on January 2, 1973, when Roe v. Wade – the decision to “legalize” abortion was passed)…this debate has widened the chasm between left and right, politically, and largely ignored the underlying divide that is the preceding cause of abortion, which could have been avoided, to wit:  We don’t follow God’s Word…and we end up in this mess, blaming each other, with the greatest harm being done to the unborn.

Note:  much of this message is excerpted from an article published October 8, 2021 in Perspective Magazine, a production of Good News  (Hereafter referred to as GN)

“There seems to be broad consensus that what exists within the womb is alive.  After all, it is growing and developing and even has a detectable heartbeat by the sixth week of pregnancy.

Some would say that a fetus is simply part of a woman’s body.  Having an abortion for some is the moral equivalent of removing a tumor or having plastic surgery.

Against this view is the fact that a fetus has different DNA than its mother.  If the fetus were simply part of the woman’s body, it would have the same identical DNA as the mother.  But of course the fetus has both the mother’s and father’s DNA, combined in a new and unique way, so it has a distinct life from that of the mother….Ultrasound technology shows us that a fetus has a life and existence of its own.  When it comes to the baby in the womb, the mother is dealing with a separate new life, which takes the question into a different moral category.

As reported by Emma Green in The Atlantic, activist Ashley McGuire recounts her own experience of pregnancy.  ‘When you’re seeing a baby sucking its thumb at 18 weeks, smiling, clapping,’ it becomes ‘harder to square the idea that that 20-week-old, that unborn baby or fetus, is discardable.’”^(GN)

That is some (not nearly all) of the context of the debate, which, if conducted honestly, always includes three things:  science, faith, and emotional response.  What follows is a longer amalgam of the cause of why this debate (in my view) should be ended, and can be ended:

“This is where our overly sexualized culture does women a disservice.  Wpomen are often expected to engage in sexual relations without any form of commitment by the man, yet women are the ones who bear the consequences in terms of pregnacy.  This is fundamentally unjust.  But the answer is not to do away with the consequences by ending the pregnancy.  Rather the answer is to return to God’s plan for how we experience our sexual relationships.

God designed sexual relationships to be experienced within the context of marriage, which represents a commitment by the man to care and provide for his wife and any offspring that might be conceived.  Without that commitment, women and children are left unprotected and not provided for.  An irresponsible man simply expects the woman to have an abortion to eliminate the consequences of his irresponsibility.

Biblical theology teaches that men and women should reserve sex until marriage.  This protects the woman from being taken advantage of, and it prevents the vast majority of potential abortions by reserving pregnacy and childbirth to the safety of marriage, where bothe the woman and her child are provided for.  The CDC reports that 85 percent of abortions are obtained by unmarried women.

This approach to sexuality is counter-cultural.  Jesus and the apostles consistently invite us to live by a different set of values and assumptions than our culture does.  Such an approach also avoids the emotional pain, emptiness, and even the physical consequences of promiscuity.  It is the healthiest way to live.” ^(GN)

The Call to Live the Life Which God Intends for our Blessing

“Biblically, life is a gift of God.  God creates life and expects us to be good stewards of the life we are given.  While the mother and father play a crucial role in bringing new life into the world, ultimately, God is the one who forms life in the womb ^{(Psalm 139:13-16).}  Children are a gift from God ^{(Psalm 127:3).}  His purpose for our life dates back before our birth ^{(Jeremiah 1:5).}  God loves and values unborn children.

The issues around abortion are painful ones to wrestle with, and there are no easy answers.  We can prayerfully consider how God would want to use the challenging circumstances in which we find ourselves for our good, the good of others, and his glory.  We do not want to close the door on the possibility of miraculously answered prayer.

At the same time, women with undesired pregnancies provide an opportunity for the body of Christ to come around them with love and support that would make that pregnancy manageable.  We ought to be the hands and feet of Jesus in serving women and their unborn children with love and acceptance.  Often, that support needs to continue past the birth and through the baby’s childhood, particularly for single mothers and women in poverty.  The church’s pro-life ethic is not just during pregnancy, but extends through all of life.” ^(GN)

For You Today 

The debate and level of emotions run deeper and much broader than these few pages of thoughts, primarily from the faith-centered pro-life position.  But these few things seem to be the most important issues upon which Christians cannot afford to abandon:

1.    We have a mandate to protect life at any stage, invitro, or ex….and that includes the mother, Christian believer, or not.

2.    Part of protecting and caring is found in listening…to simply trumpet pro-life platitudes won’t cut it for a single mom at three in the morning, when she’s only had two hours of sleep, the bills are unpaid, and her full-time job, with two other part-time things won’t even cover childcare and rent.

For our final word today, let’s listen to Albanian-born Mother Teresa as she accepted the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize for her work with children worldwide:

Abortion has become the greatest destroyer of peace, because it destroys two lives, the life of the child and the conscience of the mother.[1]

P.S.:  This has come closer to a full-size sermon, rather than a five-minute devotional, but the issue is too important.  (I’ve also not preached in the two weeks since I retired….so thanks for listening.  I’m tempted to ask if any church needs a supply preacher next week…but I wouldn’t do that ).

I do eagerly encourage you to read the Good News Article in its entirety…it is kind, well-presented, and a Scripture-based call to the church to embrace God’s will for His body to be like Jesus who came that we might have life, and that more abundantly.[2]

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.  

 

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©  

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[1] From GN as reported in the Los Angeles Times

[2] John 10:10

 

Holy or Hellish?

Friday, July 14, 2023

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.  Psalm 139:14

Whatever you can name in the universe, sky-scrapers, objects, organizations, or the basic building blocks of substance, all are neither good, nor bad.  Ethically, they are neutral – that is, until they’re taken in hand and used for good or evil.  Money, for instance, is simply coin, or paper, or the trust we place in an exchange of goods or services.  In the hands of a benefactor money can feed a million starving children.  It can also be used to place weapons in the hands of those who might kill children – holy or hellish.  The dilemma is never the agent used, but the one who holds the agent; is it for a holy purpose, or hellish purpose?

The Psalmist (King David) considered his composite nature (body, soul, spirit), and shouted to the heavens how intricately marvellous were the workings of God’s making.  It is true; the human body is an incredible engineering glory.  We are made for an interesting eternity of possibilities, and yet so simple as to be able to smile at an infant’s gaze, or laugh because we get the joke (even if it was lame).

Humankind have always tinkered with God’s creation.  As far back as Adam and Eve, we were told to “subdue” the creation and all it holds – to tend the garden.  With that assigned heavenly task, we have seen strong heavenly handling, and destructive hellishness. 

Once again, it’s never the substance of creation, but rather the employment of it which defines heaven and hell’s intent.  We all bear the DNA of Adam (which produced both Mother Teresa AND Adolph Hitler).  

In an article on genetic engineering[1] Christopher McFadden lists eleven reasons why that science is so important.  Among those reasons are uses in agriculture, medicine, and environmental control.  Scientists have discovered the genetic on/off switch (CRISPR), a medical breakthrough that has implications as wide as curing cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.  That’s the plus-side of genomic research.

There is also the possibility of being able to manipulate the results of the kind of children that are born.  The genomic manipulation of human embryos is the ethical bugaboo.  I have never heard a (morally) convincing argument that overturns Scripture’s claim of God’s creation being perfect in its origin; it is his handiwork and the most magnificent gift to us.  The “problems” we attempt to overcome with manipulating that gift are of our own making. 

Scripture also has a word for that – sin.  It’s pretty much explained in the first three chapters of Genesis.

For You Today 

C.S. Lewis wrote that with each thought or action we are creating who we are, turning ourselves into a more heavenly or hellish being.  That is bad (or good) enough; manipulating an unborn child’s life is a hellish-presumtion on what God has declared holy.

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.  

 

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©  

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[1] McFadden, 11 Facts about Genetic Engineering and Why It's Important, Interesting Engineering, April 25, 2020

 

A Well-Tended Will

Thursday, July 13, 2023

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.  Psalm 139:23-24

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.  But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.  

Luke 16:10

A friend and colleague, Dale Bost, shared a thought on Facebook a couple of months ago.  Here’s what he wrote:

God pursues us redemptively and invites us individually, every last one of us, to be faithful to him in the little we truly “have say over.”  There, at every moment, we live in the interface between our lives and God’s kingdom among us.  If we are faithful to him here, we learn his cooperative faithfulness to us in turn.  We discover the effectiveness of his rule with us precisely in the details of day-to-day existence.[1]

Dale’s post started the juices flowing of that occasional self-accountability-check.   I wanted to search-out (like King David) just how faithful my “will” is to God’s will.  I say the need for checking my accountability is occasional because I know me.  And, for that reason, my human nature resists looking too closely at my actions, especially my thought-life.  Deep-within all of us there is a war…continually!  When it comes to human beings’ nature, we’re constantly embroiled in that personal war within; we resist accountability, because we know deep-down that, without help, there’s no way to win that war.  We give-in; we sin.

It is that war over which Apostle Paul so eloquently lamented:

But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.  Oh, what a miserable person I am!  Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?  Thank God!  The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.  So you see how it is:  In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.  Romans 7:23-25

In the lament Paul not only held up a searchlight to the problem, but cast a backlight to the solution of sin’s power…Jesus Christ.  His love for us led to shedding his blood on Calvary.  That love covers a multitude of sin.[2]

For You Today 

I had thought about sharing a number of tips to keep your will in line with God’s will.  But they all stemmed from the same root – your will is yours, and it is the one thing God has promised to never possess without you willing it to him.

Recently my bride and I addressed the legal will thing; a trusted attorney friend wrote our wills.  In those wills, we made sure all we possess of this world’s goods pass to our children at our death.  When we signed them, they set in stone (so to speak) our will. 

That was also the will of the Father, as the Son died for us – that we would inherit all His righteousness, and He offers that freely.  The question is, are we willing to offer our will back?  Today’s call is to the surrendered life, your will matching His!

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.  

 

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©  

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[1] Rev. Dale Bost on Facebook, May 15, 2023

[2] Read 1 Peter 4:8

 

Lick...and a Promise Theology

Wednesday, July 12, 2023

“So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly.  Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone.  But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve.  Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates?  Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live?  But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”  

Joshua 24:14-15

When you move from one part of the country to another you find colloquial sayings you’ve never before encountered.  My family experienced that nearly 50 years ago when we moved from suburban New York to rural Florida.  We had barely moved-into the parsonage, when Jean, a church member, brought us a paper bag full of her garden’s greens.  She said to Elizabeth:  It’s not much, but you can probably make a mess out of it.  My bride smiled and thanked Jean.  Her expression told me she didn’t have a clue why she was expected to make a mess with food.  To tell the truth, I wasn’t quite sure either.  A new pastoral family walks on thin ice with local customs, sayings, and other sacred cows. 

A lick-and-a-promise is one of those wonderment sayings.  Loosely defined, the “lick” is something of a half-hearted attempt to tidy-up some mess, and the promise is…well…something of an intention to do a better job later.

So, preacher, how does that have anything to do with what Joshua told the Israelites when they were about to cross the Jordan River?  Well, I’m glad you asked.  To explain choose today whom you will serve in the vernacular of Jean’s bag of greens, Joshua was telling the people of God that the moment they step in the Jordan’s waters it was time to leave lick-and-a-promise theology behind.  If you’re entering the Promised Land, you do so wholeheartedly!

When it comes to the New Life Christ offers, there’s no room for lick-and-a-promise thinking.  Here is a short-list of examples: 

·       Hope-so salvation.  Hoping is no substitute for faith

·       Now-I-lay-me-down-to-sleep prayers don’t cut it in the emergency room

·       Church on Easter and Christmas falls short of God’s holiness

·       Good News, unspoken to family, friends, or neighbors is spritual gluttony

Short-lists are somewhat like a lick-and-a-promise, but you get the idea.  God wants all of us, not the little bit we can fit-in before running off to do what really interests us. 

For You Today 

As Joshua told the assembled new nation of Israel, choosing to serve God means it would be better to do this one thing to the utmost of your strength, and be worn-out doing it, than a thousand other things that please you.  You don’t worship with a lick-and-a-promise, and then run out to the playground.

That’s what Jesus meant when he answered the Pharisee’s question about what God expects:

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  Matthew 22:37-38

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.  

 

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©