Virtue

"It's character stupid, it's character," to paraphrase the rhetoric of Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. Everywhere I turn, people are talking about values. Yes, values are important, but not the most important issue of life. We all possess a set of values. Those values determine both the choices we make and the way we treat others.

What is it that determines our values? Virtue. Virtue has to do we who we are. Virtue is a reference to character. Our values are merely an expression of our character. God's word defines and shapes character in terms of moral absolutes that are both unchanging and equally applicable for every person. The ministry of Jesus was not about externally changing society. He addressed the issue of man's character. His ministry was about an internal transformation.

Study the Sermon on the Mount and you will see His emphasis upon character. Jesus was more concerned with whom you are than with what you do, because He knew who you are determines what you do. It was only after Jesus addressed the issue of a person's character that he talked about His followers being the "salt of the earth" and "the light unto the world." Jesus knew the influence of godly character. Light's greatest influence is when it is pure and salt's purpose is to prevent putrefaction. Only those with good character will have a positive influence in an evil world.

When studying the rest of scripture, you find this same concept being taught. The Ten Commandments focus on the moral absolutes upon which godly character is built. Paul's description of the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5 is a definitive description of how one's godly character is displayed toward others. "The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22,23)

Values are changing because of our failure to focus on virtue. Virtue is the recognition of God's moral authority in shaping our character. Values are an expression of God's moral authority. The rhetoric of today is to focus upon laws designed to preserve our values. Laws do not build character. Character development begins with the recognition of personal sinfulness that turns a person to God for salvation. Out of this new relationship comes the acceptance of God's moral authority that shapes character. From the heart, willingly, comes the implementation of values.

Let me illustrate this for you. When a person's character is shaped by God's moral absolutes, that person's actions toward others will be governed by love. How does love express itself through values? Society's values prohibit child abuse. It is impossible to stop child abuse through legislation. We can only punish the child abuser. To stop child abuse there must be "tranformed thinking" that comes from faith in Jesus Christ. [Romans 12:1, 2] "Transformed thinking" is governed by the moral code of God's Word and is the source of virtue. A virtuous person will be a loving person. People who love children will treat them with love, kindness, gentleness, patience and self-control. "Transformed thinking" changes who we are and who we are changes the way we act toward others and removes the need for a form of self-gratifcation that drives the child abuser. This cannot be legislated. "It's character stupid, it's character."

Rebellion

All of us, some more than others, have had or are having times of rebellion against God. For some, the rebellious spirit is obvious by our attitude and actions and in others there may be an outward pretense that covers a rebellious heart. Jonah best characterizes the spirit and actions of rebellious person. Instead of obeying God's command and go to Nineveh, he “rose up to flee from the presence of the Lord.” (Jonah 1:3a) He went in the opposite direction.

All rebellion is against God. Whether it’s a teen rebelling against his parents authority or an adult turning away from the church, the real issue is one’s refusal to do what one know God wants us to do. To hide or justify our rebellion we seek to justify it by pointing to our parent’s defects, hypocritical Christians, personal slights and the church’s inflexibility. While there may be some justification for those attitudes, there is never any justification for using them as an excuse to rebel against God.

As you read the book of Jonah, you will find three major thoughts on rebellion. One, the longer you live in rebellion against God, the harder it is to go back. My observation in over 37 years of ministry is that the longer one lives in rebellion, the more drastic the measures that God uses to get our attention and to turn us back to him. Two, God is relentless in His pursuit of the rebellious. God just doesn’t sit there as say, “It’s too bad he has such an attitude toward me. I can’t do anything about it.” No, God in His love relentlessly pursues those He loves.

Three, when Jonah rebelled against God, there was a ship ready to take him to Tarshish. He jumped on board and sailed away. Ready does not always equal right. As children of God, we cannot use right circumstances as the only criteria to justify our choices. In our rebellion, we can always find a way to justify what is wrong. In fact, Satan often encourages our rebellion by lining up circumstances to ease our way down the road to rebellion.

Rebellion may not be a life style. It may be a small area of our life that we refuse to give to God – music, videos, an attitude to a particular person, etc. God views our rebellion and stubbornness as one. Samuel said to Saul, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” (1 Samuel 15:23) The only solution to rebellion is confession and total obedience. When we confess our rebellious attitudes and actions, God will not say, “I told you so!” He will like the prodigal’s father welcome us back with open arms, compassion, forgiveness and joy.

Expect the Unexpected

Expect the unexpected. Why? Because our God is the God of the unexpected!

Early in the morning on the first day of the week, the women bring spices to anoint the body of Jesus expected to find a large stone over the entranceway of the sepulcher. When they arrived, they found the unexpected for an angel rolled the stone away. They expected to find the decaying body laying in the sepulcher. Jesus body was not in the sepulcher for He was risen from the dead that was unexpected. In her grief, there was Mary Magdalene weeping, looking for the body of Jesus, in the tomb. I can imagine her thought process “I know his body should be here. We watched them put in this tomb. Why isn’t it here? I need to find his body. Where did they [enemies of Jesus] put it? Then her ears are filled with the unexpected, the sweetest sound in all the earth, “Mary.” She blinks away her tears and could hardly believe her eyes and calls out “Rabbonai” [Master]. What happened that morning at the sepulcher was expected for God had promised to raise jesus from the dead on the third day.

Later that night the disciples gathered in an upper room behind a locked door. They were trying to make sense of the events that day – there was the report of the woman followed by Peter and John’s report even as they were filled with fear for their own safety. Then the unexpected –there was Jesus; literally he came out of nowhere. All of a sudden, everything was all right. Peace overcame their fears and the visage of Jesus’ body brought gladness. While this was happening in Jerusalem, two disciples were walking home, home to Emmaus. Their hearts are heavy, despair has set in for their hopes had been dashed and all of a sudden nothing made any sense. As they walk along the road to Emmaus they are joined by a stranger walks along with them and they share their grief, despair with him. The stranger tries to comfort them by explaining the events of the day in light of their scripture. As they reach there home, they invite the stranger stay with them for the night. The meal has been prepared and the stranger blesses the food and then the unexpected – this isn’t any ordinary stranger, this is Jesus. Their hopes haven’t been dashed, their despair is gone and now everything made sense.

When life is filled with difficult tasks, dreadful activities, dashed hopes, unfulfilled dreams; it is time to look for God to do the unexpected. And yet it is not altogether unexpected. The resurrection was an expected event. It was a foretold event. After the disciples realized that Jesus had been raise from the dead, they remember what they had been foretold. Luke records the angel’s message: “He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spoke unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words.” [Luke 24:6]

The fact that God is means we can expect Him to meet us in our hour of need. But when God is at work, expect the unexpected! When unexpected events or the unanticipated happens, we can expect God to do that which we least expect. That’s the way God acts. He meets the unexpected events of life doing the unexpected expected. On that morning, the most unexpected thing happened. The angel said, “He is not here, for he is risen!” Unexpected words of an unexpected event for those disciples and yet for God, it was just a normal day doing what he always does - keeping His word, meeting His children in their hour of need.

How Important is the Cross?

How important is the cross of Christ? The cross of Christ is a fundamental Christian truth. It has been asked what would fire be without heat, music without melody, mathematics without numbers, history without facts or vocabularies without words? Without the cross of Christ, we have no message. While the world thinks that the preaching of the cross is foolishness, we consider the cross central to the message of the gospel, the power of God unto salvation.

How important is the cross of Christ? Consider the following statements:

• The cross of Christ is the divider of men.
• The cross of Christ is the axis upon which time turns
• The cross of Christ determines the destiny of men.
• The cross of Christ is the centerpiece of the gospel.
• The cross of Christ is the greatest display of love.
• The cross of Christ is the greatest display of the holiness, justice and righteousness of God as they are set over against the love, mercy and grace of God.

The cross of Christ was the greatest pulpit from there was preached the greatest sermon the world has ever known.

How important is the message of the cross to you? Here’s why it should be important to you: “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] To enjoy the forgiveness of sin and the hope of eternal life, you need to follow the instructions found in Romans 10:9, 10. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Forgiveness

Jesus was beaten, mocked, scourged, crowned with thorns, forced to carry His cross, nailed to the cross and lifted up to die the death of a common criminal. As He hangs there in utter humiliation and pain, He lifts His voice toward heaven and says, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” [Luke 23:34]. The very first recorded words of Jesus from the cross were a prayer, not for himself, but for those who were humanly responsible for putting Him on the cross.

Jesus literally practiced what He preached. On one occasion when the crowds gathered to hear Him teach, He told them, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you, and persecute you” [Matthew 5:44]. No threats, no condemnation, no bitterness, no vile expressions uttered in anger just words of love for his enemies as he out of His own forgiveness of them asks His Father to forgive them.

We are to be like Jesus. Jesus is not asking us to forgive a spouse, a child, a parent, a friend but an enemy. Lord, help me to be like you!

Comfort

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4

When we go through periods of difficulty, we need to see the hand of God at work in our lives. What God allows is for our good and his glory. God is glorified through our difficulties when we share with others the comfort we have received from Him during those times of difficulty. People need to now that no matter what happens in their lives, they are not alone, not without resources and more importantly not comfortless. God's comfort is not an end in itself nor is it limited to any specific circumstance. We are to be channels of blessing to others in their times of difficulty. We are selflessly to share what we have received from God.

Note the limitlessness of these words of instruction. First, there is no restriction as to whom we are to be channels of blessing. Second, there is no restriction as to the circumstances of a person's circumstance ["in any tribulation"] in which we are called to enter as comforters. Finally there isn't any limit on the ability comfort for it is not from man but from God through us. God is the God of "all" comfort, not some or most comfort.

God comforts us in our times of comfort so that when we reach out to others it isn't theory learned from a book but reality experienced while we lived in the trenches. "God does not comfort us to make us comfortable, but to make us comforters." [Mrs. Charles E. Cowman]

Take a few minutes and write down they ways God has comforted you in your times of difficulty and then find someone you can be a comfort to in their time of difficulty. This not for an overt aggressive, preachy approach b to someone in need. It's a matter of making oneself quietly available to others in their time of need. You too can glorify God by the way you use the comfort God has given to you.

Scrap Quilts

I love making scrap quilts. The basic idea behind a true scrap quilt is to simply take a lot of discarded pieces of material and sew them together until you get a piece of material big enough to serve as a quilt. There a special beauty in every scrap quilt and every piece has its own story. As with everything else, Quilters began designing patterns to find unique ways to use their discarded pieces of material. The only limit to what a scrap quilt will look like is the imagination.

In many ways our lives are the scrap quilt. A lot of moments that we would designate for the scrap pile, never more to be remember. Moments due to bad choices, pain caused by love ones, hurts that arise from rejection, etc. Every moment has its own story and by putting them into the hand of God our lives begin to have special beauty all its own. God is able to make a beautiful mosaic out of the scraps that make up our lives. There is no limit to His imagination.

Not only was Solomon a very wise man but also one who was able to see life as a whole. He said, “I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time.” [Ecclesiastes 3:10, 11a] Just as it takes time and patience to make a scrap quilt, we must be patient while God is making something beautiful out of our lives.

Sewing Machine

One evening while I was helping my wife during sewing class, I noticed one of the ladies was having a difficult time with her sewing machine. Curious to see if I could help, I asked her what was the problem. She proceeded to tell me that because she was working a small project she decided not to bring her good sewing machine but brought her old sewing machine. The problem wasn't with her machine. She hadn't used the machine for a while and had forgotten how to thread it.

When it comes to the Bible, many people experience a similar problem. The problem isn't the Bible. The problem is lack of use. This lack of use causes us to experience difficulty when they try and use it. Is the book of Nahum in the Old or New Testament? What about the book of Jude? Who was Nahum? Jude? What in the world were they saying in their books? Even a more basic question that you need to answer is "Who is Jesus?" The real answer doesn’t come from what people think the Bible says but what the Bible really says. To find the correct answer to these questions there is a very simple solution. "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." [2 Timothy 2:15] Here is a simple solution for your unfamiliarity with the Bible. You need to study God's Word. Get to know where the books can be found. Get to know the people in the Bible but most of all get to know the God of the Bible. The more a person uses their Bible, the more familiar he becomes with it and the better he will understand its message. The problems people have with the Bible and its message, most often, is the result of ignorance due to lack of use.

Let the message of God's Word surprise you. Read your Bible. Study the Bible. It can be life changing.

Another Storm

We just got finished cleaning up from our last snowstorm and this morning I woke up to eight more inches of fresh snow. Now I know other places get a lot more snow than us causing people to wonder what’s the big deal. It’s just like life. One problem seems to be under control and another one shows up. As people, even family and friends, measure our difficulties by their own, they wonder what’s the big deal. It doesn’t matter what difficulties others face because no matter who you are or what you face, the problems we face in life are difficult.

In my difficult moments I am reminded of four timeless truths for tough times. Simply put they are: God IS! Moses faced difficult times and God’s message to him was simple “I am that I am” [Exodus 3:14]. God CARES! In my difficult moments, I am reminded that He cares for us. [1 Peter 5:7] God is ABLE! As an omnipotent God no problem is two big for God. [Ephesians 3:20] Tough Times Don’t Last Forever! God’s word uses words like “for a season” and “a moment” when referring to our difficulties. [1 Peter 1:6; 2 Corinthians 4:17, 18]

When you face difficulty after difficulties, remember these timeless truths. Just as one snowstorm follows another in winter so too will one difficulty follow another in life. Hope springs eternal for spring is on the way.