The sincerity of the cross

Posted on March 30, 2015 by | Comments Off on The sincerity of the cross

sincerity of the crossThe sincerity of the cross is something I have been thinking a lot about since the beginning of March as Palm Sunday approached.  Within the various strands of Christendom this week is known as “holy week.” Beginning on Palm Sunday, Christians around the world pause their busy schedules and focus on the love that Jesus had for all people – But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). This morning, as I was watching some local news, there was a segment on how some Christians spent Palm Sunday and there were two things that immediately stood out – the number of people who are only sincere about their faith around this time of the year and how the world marvels in their misguided understanding of the cross.

The cross demonstrates the sincerity of God’s love

There’s an expression that we often hear both in politics or when we are involved in any team activity that goes “we all must have some skin in the game…” We all understand what that expression means and how right it is to many things in life. A marriage will not work unless both the husband and wife are committed, have the same goals and vision, and are willing to work together. There also must be demonstrations of the sincerity of love and compassion within the marriage that not only shows the level of commitment but the seriousness that both man and woman have within the marriage relationship. The cross is that demonstration of God’s sincerity; it is the greatest demonstration of God’s love for man. There are a few verses in the Bible that help convey this level of love that God has for mankind: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13), Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren (1 John 3:16) and of course, And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour (Ephesians 5:2).

No matter how the world tries to distort the message or cloud the meaning of the cross, the sincerity of the cross always wins out. The cross is the demonstration of a sacrificial love that I can scarcely comprehend. I think of what Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome: For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life (Romans 5:6-10). Paul is exactly right; how many of us would be willing to sacrifice ourselves or our children for a neighbor, even if we thought that our neighbor was a righteous person? We are often willing to sacrifice an afternoon to help a neighbor we thought was deserving of our help; we do not waste our time on those we do not think are worth the effort. We’ve all heard the expression, “I wouldn’t give them the time of day…” yet not only did God do just that, he sent his Son to take our place and to atone for our sins. The sincerity of God’s love, when we truly understand what the cross means, becomes incontestable. God was demonstrating His love for us through the sincerity of the cross.

The cross demands our sincerity

This time of the year, right before Easter, there are people who will be attending church for the first time since Christmas. As my pastor often jokes, many of these claim to be faithful Christians who attend every Christmas, Easter, and Mother’s Day, yet they sadly miss what has been paid for by the cross. While I do believe that salvation is by grace through faith in the shed blood of Christ, I understand that many who claim to be Christians simply do not understand their new relationship that their acceptance of Jesus as their savior brings. In some cases, I do not believe they have accepted in their heart what the head claims to know, and this can be equally dangerous. In the latter case, there is no salvation through Christ if it has not become heart knowledge; in the former case, there is no true joy and spiritual growth in the life of the believer. Just as a strong marriage depends upon a sincere commitment between a man and a woman to make it work, our relationship with God takes a sincere commitment between God and ourselves to enjoy the richness of our relationship and faith. A person can be a Christian, fully trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as their only hope for Heaven and yet can miss out on the blessings and true joy of the relationship with the Lord because they are not committed and sincere.

God has already demonstrated His commitment and sincerity to us through the cross; we now have a responsibility to sincerely commit ourselves to the relationship we have with Him. Even Jesus taught this very thing as he said, If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love (John 15:10) and He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him (John 14:21). If we want to show our commitment and sincerity to the Lord in honor of His sacrifice, then we should be willing to live a life that demonstrates our love for Him. We should desire to keep His commandments, not out of some sort of legalistic attitude as had the scribes and Pharisees and even some Christian groups today, but simply because we want to please the Lord with our lifestyle. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1) is how Paul described how we should see doing this very thing of living a lifestyle that is pleasing to the Lord. He calls it “our reasonable service” because it is. No matter what we do, our sincerity and commitment will never rival Jesus’ death on the cross but it should be the very best we have to offer to Him.

Continued on the next page.

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Do not feed the alligators

Posted on March 25, 2015 by | Comments Off on Do not feed the alligators

do not feed alligators“Do not feed the alligators” is not exactly a sign that one expects to see on lands owned and operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). However, if you are visiting the John C. Stennis Space Center located in Mississippi and Louisiana on the Gulf Coast, it is a sign that’s visible at the main tourist area. The sign says just what it means – do not feed the alligators. The sign states that alligators that are fed actually become dangerous to humans and must be destroyed to keep the area safe. The simple message of this sign has some profound teachings; do not feed the alligators!

Do not feed the alligators

An alligator is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as either of two crocodilians (Alligator mississippiensis of the southeastern United States and A. sinensis of China) having broad heads not tapering to the snout and a special pocket in the upper jaw for reception of the enlarged lower fourth tooth. Living in Louisiana from 1993 to about 2000, I became familiar with these animals especially as I travelled along the Louisiana coast visiting historical sites. While touring the Chalmette Battlefield, a person with the state’s Fish and Wildlife Service told our group of tourists that in the water, alligators had been known to take down cattle and even men. She even went into how by feeding the alligators, we actually can encourage them to see us as a source of food and they will lose all natural fear that most animals hold towards humankind. Just as the sign at the NASA center stated, she also told us “do not feed the alligators!”

For most people, when they think of an alligator, they think of the viciousness of their attacks and their strong jaws and sharp teeth. Alligators are strong animals that are not meant to be fooled around with. Each of us actually has some spiritual alligators we deal with frequently. If we are honest with ourselves, these alligators are the temptations that really appeal to our flesh and more often than we’d like, we actually yield to those sins. The apostle John warns us when we fail to admit we still keep that fleshly nature to sin: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8). In order for us to avoid feeding the alligators we must admit the alligators are present and near us. Just as NASA didn’t post this warning sign in the middle of the parking lot but near where alligators are often seen, we must be aware of where our alligators are and make sure we don’t feed them. Even the apostle James warns us to be aware of these temptations in our life and to understand that we all are tempted and no one is exempt:  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death (James 1:14-15).

My pastor has a saying that Christians have two natures – a fleshly nature and a godly nature and the one that’s the strongest is the one you feed the most. There is a lot of wisdom behind that statement. Jesus warned His disciples as they could not resist sleeping when they were asked to pray: Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41). Jesus was warning his disciples not to feed the alligators in their lives. Each of us have fleshly temptations that we have to fight each day. Jesus offered the advice to watch and pray – to be aware of those sins. Elsewhere in the Bible we are told to avoid them: Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away (Proverbs 4:14-15); and to pray to be delivered from the temptations: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen (Matthew 6:13). In other words, do not feed the alligators!

What are the spiritual alligators?

If you’re unsure of what a spiritual alligator is, it is the sin that we struggle with on a daily basis. I will be the first to tell you that it is difficult to admit that I, as a Christian struggle with temptations and sins on a daily basis. Since 2006, I have learned what those temptations are and I’ve learned that when I am faced with them I must call upon the Lord and I must avoid creating an opportunity for myself to yield to that temptation. I cannot yield to those temptations and sin – feed the alligators – and expect the Lord to be pleased with me and to be able to enjoy sweet fellowship with Him. There something else about the spiritual alligators – when we do feed them they come back. Not only do they come back, but they come back even hungrier and more determined to cause us to yield to them. When we feed these spiritual alligators, we begin to feel guilt towards actually yielding to the temptation. If we do not immediately repent and turn from our sin, we begin to distance ourselves from the Lord. I know in my own life when I have fed the spiritual alligators it has always affected my prayer life, church attendance, and even my daily Bible reading. I even find it difficult and uncomfortable to fellowship with other Christians until I have confessed my sins and have asked the Lord to forgive me.

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The excitement and testimony of spring

Posted on March 20, 2015 by | Comments Off on The excitement and testimony of spring

DSCN0090Excitement fills the air at my house for several reasons. I love plants and gardening; although our last snowfall of winter was only two weeks ago, already the blossoms on the Bradford pear trees are beginning to appear. Soon, behind the townhouse where I live, a white wall of blossoms will take their place among the many other plants that will begin to leave their winter dormant state. In the air, there’s excitement with plans for weekends of warmer weather, being able to enjoy the outdoors, and all the rest of the normal activities associated with spring.

This morning, as I was filling the bird feeders in both the front and the back, I actually took a couple of minutes just to take a look around at the wonderful signs of spring. I consider myself a student of life and never grow tired of learning, especially about the God whom I serve. As I was filling the feeder in the back yard, I began to think about a verse I had read earlier this morning during my own private devotional time: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding (Daniel 2:21). It is a wonderful thought, that in this world where Christians often feel out-of-place and lost, to remember that the Lord is in control. Winter had to have an ending because God had declared each season would have its time. It doesn’t matter what the world teaches nor does it matter what man may believe; it is God that established the seasons. It was God’s plan from the beginning that each season would only last so long: And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years (Genesis 1:14). Just as nighttime always yields to the morning, winter must always yield to the spring. This should generate some excitement within the heart of every believer!

Although I enjoy snow and cold weather there are many who don’t. In conversations with people at church, I have often heard people tell me they do not like winter because everything looks dead. Nothing looks inviting, and the cold certainly does not create any excitement about being outside. In my heart, I believe that one of the reasons we have winter is for that very reason – it is a testimony of God’s grace and mercy on the world – Jesus taught during his Earthly ministry something that is contrary to what the world tells us: But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:44-45). I am a firm believer that Jesus would never tell those who believe in Him to do something that He first was not willing to do. Here, he tells us to love our enemies; For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16); But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Paul understood this as well; even writing, For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life (Romans 5:10) to explain that while enemies of God, He sent His own son to reconcile us to Him. Both apostles Paul and John understood the importance of what God had done though his Son: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God (Romans 3:25), And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2), and Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10). Knowing that God loves me (and you) so much that He would do this for us should give us great excitement!

We do absolutely nothing to deserve the changing seasons from winter to spring just as we do not deserve the grace that God has shown us. Spring serves as a reminder that there is life after death; there are blessings after great trials. I think of all the Bible stories where those who suffered through afflictions, dark nights, and storms so severe that it seemed their world would come to an end, just to witness God’s divine providence. Noah emerged from the flood with his family intact. Daniel was in the lion’s den overnight to emerge at dawn without a scratch on him and with the admiration and a new faith instilled in his king! The three Hebrew men thrown in the fire were able to emerge from that furnace not even smelling like smoke, but were blessed and became a testimony for God’s love of them. Lazarus died a beggar; when he woke up, he was in Paradise and walking and talking with Abraham and the saints of God of old! Jonah was in a whale’s belly for three days and emerged to preach his most powerful message ever from the Lord (and later squandered the chance that God gave him to continue faithful service).

Even in death, we have the promise of an eternal spring! No matter how dark your night, there will be a sunrise. No matter how cold your winter, there will be a spring! No matter what you have done in your life, there is a Redeemer! What a thought! Again, what excitement should we carry throughout the day just knowing we serve a God who cares about us!

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