Our Choices

"...choose ye this day whom ye will serve....but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)

Happiness is not an accident. It is the result of our choice to do right regardless of the circumstances. Happiness is not having everything we want nor it is always coming out on top. Happiness is the inner peace and contentment that obedience to God brings. It is not something that is effected by the outward circumstances of life, in fact we can be happy in the most difficult circumstances. Why? Because our happiness comes from knowing God and choosing to do what is right.

Consider the following two thoughts. One, it is never right to do wrong. Two, there is never a time when it's wrong to do right. When a person chooses to serve God that choice is accompanied by his choice to do what is morally right. Only then will he find an inner happiness that cannot be taken away. When you choose to do right, you never have to worry about getting caught. When you choose to do wrong, you spend the rest of your life wondering when someone will discover and expose your wrong. "But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out." (Numbers 32:23)

What's more important than the inner peace that comes from choosing to do right? Your choices reveal the real you. The real you determines your choices. One cannot profess to be a child of God and make choices that the Bible clearly states are wrong. The real child of God chooses to do, say, to think and to love the things that please and honor God.

What do your choices say about you?

Walking with God

The scripture tells us that Enoch walked with God [Genesis 5:24]. It was not God who walked with Enoch but Enoch who walked with God. What does it mean to walk with God?

First of all it means to allow God to set the direction, the course of your life by submitting to His authority. Secondly it means to communicate with God. In our conversations with God we learn more about Him and the more we learn about Him the greater our worship of Him. Thirdly it means to please God in all that you do. Some of the older translations read “Enoch pleased God” [Septuagint and Syriac]. In order to please God you have to obey God. Another concept involved in walking with God is that of living in full dependence on Him.

All of these concepts of walking with God are not possible until you are reconciled with God. In our natural state we are at enmity with God. Paul states, “for if, when 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]. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross made reconciliation possible but it is faith in Christ that makes reconciliation a reality. As a child of God, enmity is replaced with oneness. It is important to note that we are reconciled with God. God is never reconciled with us. We sinned. We introduced the enmity by our sin and it is our enmity that needs to be removed. The only way it can be removed is by being justified by the shed blood of Jesus. Reconciliation involves confessing our sin and the enmity it created with God, recognizing that Jesus Christ made provision for the forgiveness of sin and the removal of our enmity through His death on the cross and asking Jesus Christ to be not just our Savior but also the Lord of our lives. Once our sins have been forgiven, the enmity is removed and we are now reconciled to God. Once we are reconciled, we can walk with God and not only enjoy all the benefits walking with God but also accept all the responsibility walking with God involves.

One final thought: Walking with God requires reverence and any signs of irreverence will not be tolerated. Irreverence manifests itself in disdain for the holiness and goodness of God in light of a growing sense of pride. Pride robs God of the worship, gratitude and praise He is due. Micah provides us with the antidote – “…what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God" [6:8].

Free Gifts You Can Give

"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." [1 John 3:18]

Is a birthday or anniversary coming up soon and you're scambling for a last minute gift? Here is a thoughtful article I received in the mail.

It offers some ideas on showing others love."Eight gifts that don't cost a cent:
The gift of listening ... but you must really listen. No interrupting. no daydreaming, no planning your response. Just listening.
The gift of affection... Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family and mends.
The gift of laughter ... Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say, "I love to laugh with you."
The gift of a written note ... It can be a simple "Thanks for the help" note or a full sonnet. A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime, and may even change a life.
The gift of a compliment ... A simple and sincere, "You look great in red," "You did a super job" or "That was a wonderful meal" can make someone' s day.
The gift of a favor ... Every day, go out of your way to do something kind.
The gift of solitude ... There are times when we want nothing better than to be left alone. Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.
The gift of a cheerful disposition... The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone. Really it's not that hard to say, Hello or Thank You." [Author unknown]

Come to think about it maybe we better save this gifts until after that special birthday or anniversary and give them all year long.

Angry People

"Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul." [Proverbs 22:24, 25]

Solomon's very practical words of advise when heeded can save us a lot of trouble and heartache. Why is that so? In Proverbs we read that the angry person is known for the foolishness of his ways. When a person is controlled by anger his judgment is clouded. The result is a loss of a sense of purpose and his actions are both out of proportion to the situation and unpredictable [Proverbs 14:17, 29]. Angry people cause trouble because they are quick to take offense and slow to being forgiving [Proverbs 29:22; 15:16; 19;11]. Trying to help an angry person is an exercise in frustration. They never seem to learn any lessons from their problems and baling them out of trouble is counter productive because the begin to think they got away with something. The end result is that things get worse not better [Proverbs 19:19]. An angry man's actions are defenseless because they exercise no self-control and have no immunity to their self-destructive passions from within and temptations from without [Proverbs 25:23; 15:32].

So what are we to do when dealing with an angry person? What can an angry person do to control his anger? First the angry person must learn to redirect his anger toward finding a solution rather than directing his anger toward people. This helps release the energies of anger under control in a positive way. Secondly, if anger is directed toward a person or persons rather than toward finding a solution, one must seek forgiveness by admitting their actions were wrong [Ephesians 4:31, 32]. A brief comment on seeking forgiveness. Nothing is gain by saying I'm sorry. The proper response is to admit your actions were wrong! It is in admitting one's actions were wrong that you begin to take responsibility for your actions. Thirdly, when anger is wrongly expressed no benefit is gained by trying to justify your action. This is only an attempt to escape responsibility.

Fourthly, nothing is gained trying to hide your anger. Honest communication is necessary to find a solution and gain control of your anger. Fifthly, angry people must stop insisting on their rights and begin to exercise self-control which is a fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is developed when sin is confessed to God, followed by an admission that their anger cannot be controlled and by asking God to control the anger through the power of the Holy Spirit [Galatians 5:22, 23]. That means learning to be obedient to Biblical instruction like that found in James 1:19, 20: "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." Also consider Proverbs 15:1; 21:23. Sixthly, the first sign of being able to control your anger is by learning to avoid petty disagreements [Proverbs 17:14; 19:11]. Seventhly, the most important step in controlling your anger is maintaining a daily relationship with the Lord through Bible reading, prayer and scripture memorization.

If you constantly find yourself in the company of an angry person, what should you do? You should "make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul" [Proverbs 22:24, 25]. The Apostle Paul put it this way, "Do not be deceived: 'Evil company corrupts good habits'" [I Corinthians 15:33 (NKJV)]. Then never act in a way that causes others to be offended by your words or deeds therefore provoking them to anger. "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves" [Matthew 10:16]. Finally commit the angry person to God by praying regularly for him.

"When I hear of anybody losing his temper, I always pray that he may not find it again. Such tempers are best lost." [Spurgeon]

Two Unavoidable Events

“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me bless his holy name.” Psalm 103:1

There are two unavoidable events all people will face. The first unavoidable event is spoken of by the writer of Hebrews. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” [9:27]. It is death and the second is the judgment. The time will come when “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” [Philippians 2:10, 11]. When this moment will come, I do not know but there is coming a time when all beings in the universe – angels, demons, Satan and mankind will bow at the name of Jesus and confess He is Lord.

Down through the ages men have taken His name in vain and rejected Him as Lord. It doesn’t surprise me when godless men reject Jesus Christ but when people who call themselves Christians have stripped Him of His place in the Godhead, churches have rejected His teachings and people have refused to let Him be their Lord, it is ultimate form of blasphemy. Those who do so may avoid bowing their knee to Jesus now but the time will come when they will have to acknowledge who He is. Some will respond out of love others will respond in unwilling submission as Jesus sits upon Heaven’s throne. At this time everybody must answer God the Father’s question, “what have you done with my Son, Jesus Christ?” For those who receive them as their Savior, they will spend eternity in heaven and for those who have rejected Him; they will spend eternity in hell.

I can hear you saying I don’t believe hell is a real place. You cannot deny the reality of hell for to do so would be to call Jesus Christ a liar. Oh you say there is nothing beyond the grave. Again to do so is to call Jesus Christ a liar and to deny your inner instinct of something beyond the grave.

To bless the Lord means to speak well of Him and the greatest words that can flow from our mouths and hearts is to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord not only of the universe but your own personal Savior and Lord. Are you ready for the two unavoidable events you will face in the future? Paul remind the Corinthians that “…now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” [2 Corinthians 6:2]. Don’t put off today what you may not be able to do tomorrow.

Avoidable Tregedy

An avoidable tragedy occurred this past weekend. A well known sports star was shot to death in his twenty year-old girlfriend’s apartment. He was a married man with children. If he was being faithful to his marriage and was at home with his family he would be alive today. His wife would have a husband and his children would still have a father.

All the sports commentators and his peers called him a good person. Since when is a person good when he cheats on his wife and abandons his children, if not physically at least emotionally. His good person was with his twenty year-old girl friend on at least two occasions late at night that very week and on the last occasion was shot to death. This good person left behind a wife and four children. This good person was with a girl that by her own omission was high on drugs two nights before he was murdered.

I’m sorry but this is not my definition of a good person. He is not the only sports star who has been described as a good person to get into trouble in the early morning hours. Another good person was arrested on and convicted of manslaughter while drunk. Then there is the good person who was murdered in the middle of the night in drive by shooting that was the result of an earlier fight in a bar. All these were avoidable tragedies. I don’t hear any voices being raised about the conduct of these good people. Yes they have been suspended for a while but their suspensions are about creating an image so as not to lose money than any commentary that condemns their actions.

Any outrage by sports commentators or the general public would first require them to give up their affairs and alcohol. All concerned will accept the affairs, the drunkenness and the abandonment of children to protect their own lifestyles because for people to speak out they must first confess their own unfaithfulness and actually accept responsibility for their actions.

I find old fashioned Biblically based morality has an answer to these avoidable tragedies. I know many people who profess to live by Biblical standards don’t. This doesn’t negate Biblical morality but it does show that those who do violate Biblical moral codes have to face their own personable avoidable tragedies. I have a question I would like you to answer. What personal or societal problems would not be solved by returning to Biblical based morality?

Sleep

“I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.” [Psalm 3:6]

If you are like me, there are times when going to sleep is very difficult. The mind races with our cares and fears, peace is gone and we are overcome with worry. In Psalm 3, we find David running for his life. His son Absalom had rebelled and David has fled to the Mount of Olives. As night sets in he arrives at the top of the mount. He and his small band of loyal men settle down for the night. Instead of tossing and turning, worrying whether or not Absalom will find him, David sleeps.

Why was he able to sleep under such stressful circumstances? First in praying he tells God all his troubles. Peter said we are to cast “all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” [1 Peter 5:7] Then David recognizes his resources are not of human origin but from God. Thirdly David then asks for help and commits himself to God’s care by putting his trust in the Lord. David tells us that he “cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill.” [3:5] Finally, he laid dawn. No pacing, no fretting, no looking for his enemies nor trying to figure out how to defeat Absalom. He just laid down and slept.

In the morning after a good night’s sleep, David again prayed and asked God for His help. By doing this he was expressing his confidence and trust in the Lord. Why was all this possible? He could recall many difficult situations and say, “thou hast…” God had not failed him in the past. David knew God would not fail him now. His deliverance wasn’t going to be the result of human schemes or human might but “salvation belongeth to the Lord.”

Have your problems, your fears or your worries kept you awake? Do you want a good night’s sleep? Follow David’s example by telling God your problems, realize you have divine resources at your disposal, ask for help and exercise your trust in God by claiming God’s promises and commit your problem to the Lord. Then lay down and sleep. The Lord will keep you.

Lying

“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.” Ephesians 4:25

We live in an age where people are becoming very inventive in telling lies. No longer is a lie the opposite of truth telling. Lying has become an art. It involves all kinds of subterfuge in an attempt to cover up the truth.

Some of the ways people lie in an attempt to cover up the truth are:

1. By their silence in the face of a lie. Knowing something is not true, especially about another person, and not speaking up is helping propagate a lie.
2. By attempting to create the truth as opposed to discovering truth. In this scenario the truth is what we say it is.
3. By telling people what they want to hear. This way truth is whatever makes people happy.
4. By hypocritical actions. Acting in a way that is designed to hide the truth.
5. By speaking deceitfully or evasively. This takes place when we attempt to define and use words so as to create an image that is not true.

These are some of the ways we attempt to cover up the truth. Why do people act this way? It is an attempt to manipulate people and events to their own advantage. Lying is all about manipulating people for one’s own benefit. We want people to think more highly of us than they do. We lie to gain greater power, a higher position or to make more money

The problem with lying is that it betrays a lack of character. Once people find out that you are a liar, you can never be trusted again even when you are telling the truth. At this point in the liar’s life, the first truth he can tell is that he is a liar. Lying is a sin and must be confessed to God and forgiveness must be sought by those who have been hurt by the lies told.

A liar stops lying when he starts telling the truth. It not just the absence of a lie that makes a person truthful but it is the presence of truth telling. In the process, we need to realize a negative action, no longer lying; it must be replaced with a positive action, telling the truth. (With thanks to Os Guinness in his book Time for Truth for many helpful thoughts on Truth Telling.)