Immorality

Focus verses: Romans 1:18-32

There is an agenda in this society to shame Christians with their "intolerance" for immorality. Some things in the Word of God are not debatable.

1. You are to love God.
2. You are to love your neighbor.
3. Jesus is the only way to salvation.
4. You are to tell the truth at all times.
5. You are to spread the good news of Jesus.

Here we have the proscription against homosexuality. But not only in this passage, we find it in the Old Testament as well. I really prefer the King James translation of this verse.

But we live in a society which wants us to be quiet. Christians are all right as long as they stay cloistered in their churches and don't make waves for the rest of the world.

Political correctness insists that we not only turn a blind eye to this sin, but we are to support all its perversions. There are laws that could make it illegal for a preacher to read this passage in church. And Heaven fore fend that we should speak of this sin as a sin.

This is the kind of convoluted thinking that leads a criminal to sue his victim for injuries he sustained on the victim's property during the commission of his crime.

Detailed description of sin is not necessary. There is an element in every person that knows right from wrong. We need to be definite about not compromising the principles of moral behavior.

God has no patience with sin. He exacted a price for our sins.

Our only defense is to recognize that price and honor the One Who Paid by conducting ourselves as He would have us behave and by not tolerating legislated misconduct.

Father, God,

Give us the boldness to speak Your truth at all times. Help us to be courageous enough to call wrong "wrong" even when it is dangerous to do so.

In Jesus' most precious name.

Amen

Immorality

Focus verses: Romans 1:18-32

There is an agenda in this society to shame Christians with their "intolerance" for immorality. Some things in the Word of God are not debatable.

1. You are to love God.
2. You are to love your neighbor.
3. Jesus is the only way to salvation.
   
4. You are to tell the truth at all time.
5. You are to spread the good new of Jesus.

Here we have the proscription against homosexuality. But not only in this passage, we find it in the Old Testaamenlt as well. I really prefer the King James translation of this verse.

But we live in a society which wants us to be quiet. Christians are all right as long as they stay cloistered in their churches and don't make waves for the rest of the world.

Political correctness insists that we not only turn a blind eye to this sin, but we are to support all its perversions. There are laws that could make it illegal for a preacher to read this passage in church. And Heaven forfend that we should speak of this sin as a sin.

This is the kind of convoluted thinking that leads a criminal to sue his victim for injuries he sustained on the victim's property during the commission of his crime.

We need not describe sin in detail. There is that in every man that knows right and wrong. We need to be definite about not compromising the principles of moral behavior.

God has no patience with sin. He exacted a price for our sins.

Our only defense is to recognize that price and honor the One Who Paid by conducting ourselves as He would have us behave and not tolerating legislated misconduct.

Father, God,

Give us the boldness to speak Your truth at all times. Help us to be courageous enough to call wrong "wrong" even when it is dangerous to do so.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Hard Times And Opportunists

Focus verses: Nehemiah 5:1-13

The problem of the haves and have-nots developed years ago. When people fall on hard times, it seems that someone is always ready to take advantage of their plight and profit from their misfortune.

God has rules about such things. Back in Leviticus, as they were coming out of Egypt, God set down some standards for the treatment of the less fortunate. Sadly, our society seems to have forgotten these principles.

We no longer seem to care about the poor in a personal manner. We let the government do it. But that is not the point. A nameless, faceless bureaucracy doesn't really care about the individual. It simply moves like an independent organism according to a set of impersonal rules that do not factor in the variables in any person's life.

And because of that bureaucracy, we seem to have spawned an attitude among some of the poor that they are entitled to everything they can get without turning a tap for it. In God's law, the poor were to work for their provisions.

Ruth gleaned in the field of Boaz behind the harvesters. She worked as diligently as the harvesters and was rewarded with the fruit of her labors.

When hard times come, we have opportunities. If we are among the poor, we have the opportunity to work. If we are among the wealthy, we have the opportunity to give and to share the gleanings. We have the opportunity to lend without interest.

This was the original plan of the Lord for dealing with such circumstances. Let us remember and return.

Father, God,

We pray for those in straitened circumstances. Grant them favor that they may work their way out of that condition. We pray for those in abundance. Give them the grace to follow Your instructions in dealing with the poor. And help us to translate these principles into our government.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

The Fool

Focus verses: Psalm 53

"There is no God." These are the words of the fool.

But we seem to have a whole society of fools. People run after wealth and possessions and power. We live as if God did not exist. We flout His laws and do abominable things.

When the consequences of our sins are upon us, we whine "why me?" We never stop to think that every action carries within itself the seed of its own reward or punishment.

Because God is a faithful parent, He never stands between a child and the consequences of his own actions. Children learn safe paths and acceptable behavior by the natural process of actions and consequences.

Of course, if we see a child on the highway in the middle of traffic, we pull him out. But we also admonish him about the dangers of playing in traffic. And he may lose a privilege as a consequence of his disobedience.

God has warned us about the consequences of actions. He has given us specific directions about what is and is not acceptable in His sight. We cannot sow the wind and not reap the whirlwind.

Just like any faithful parent, God grieves over those who go astray. Let us resolve never to grieve God.

Father, God,

You have given us an illuminated path to follow. Keep us faithful to your laws and let us not stray from the path you have given us. Help us not to grieve You.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Taking His Name In Vain

Focus verses: Psalm 50

This psalm is attributed to Asaph, a temple musician. The last third of it chills the bones. It seems to come from God and talk to those people who use His name and quote His words from impure motives.

He challenges the right of people to use the name and laws of God if they don't obey those same laws. He accuses them of aiding and abetting thieves and consorting with adulterers.

He speaks to their penchant for slander and vilification and lying. It sounds a lot like the society in which we live today.

We use the name and words of the Lord without believing in their power. We quote scripture to prove our point without regard for the context of the verse we are quoting. We forget the power of God and look to our own devices. A fatal mistake and one we would do well to avoid at all costs.

Father, God,

Help us to remember the power of Your words and our responsibility to use them with reverence and wisdom. Keep us faithful and obedient to Your laws.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Called Forth

Focus verses: Judges 13:2-5

The story of Samson is another familiar tale. Here we are told of God's plan for this child before his birth. He will begin the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines.

But Samson was not the ideal man of God. He did not hold fast to the Lord's commands. He womanized among the Philistines. He seems to have had a volatile temper. A woman's soft voiced pleading led to his downfall.

All of this, however, is beside the point.

God announced, before Samson was conceived, that this child would be born and what his role in Israel was to be. This is not an isolated incident. God announced that Abraham and Sarah would have a son who would people the nation of Israel. The angel of the Lord announced to Mary that she would be the mother of the Messiah.

These are not the only examples, but they are enough to establish that God has a plan for the infant before he is conceived.

We, however, live in a society that doesn't value the life that God gives. We decide to choose whether to let the infant live or die according to what is expedient or convenient for us. How long will God withhold His righteous anger before allowing us to reap the consequences of usurping His authority?

Father, God,

Forgive us our hardened hearts. Soften us and make us receptive to Your plans. Convict us of our indifference, and lead us to remedy the situation that devalues human life.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Charity

Focus verses: Leviticus 25:35-38

Today's reading sets out general welfare laws for the orderly running of a society.

In an age when greed seems to rule the day, we are told that we are responsible for those less fortunate. We are to be open-handed and sharing, rather than closed and hoarding.

It would appear also that this is a personal responsibility, not a governmental one.

How often do we see something amiss and fail to respond to it because "it's none of my business"? If there is a need, it is our business.

I believe that this applies not just to physical needs, although that is the focus here, but also to spiritual and emotional needs as well.

When someone is starving for attention, what does it cost to pay a little attention? When someone is feeling worthless, how expensive is it to remind him that he's important to God -- and to you?

And if there is a physical need which you can help, what are you sacrificing if you address that need?

We are a busy, self-absorbed society. That isn't the picture God paints for societal welfare in this passage.

Father, God,

Open our eyes to see the needs around us as You see them. Make us sensitive to others, so that we can be used of You to supply those needs.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Foundations of Law

Focus verses: Exodus 20:1-17

As Christians, we need to remember the location of these verses. They are the foundational laws for the nation of Israel.

These ten laws are simple and straightforward. The first four deal with our relationship with God. The fifth deals with our relationship to our parents. And the final five deal with our relationships to society in general.

God didn't give us these laws thinking we could keep them all. He knew better. But He did give them for a standard by which to measure our spiritual growth individually and the health of our society as a whole.

And they have become the foundation of our secular laws -- except, of course, for the first four -- or five -- or six.

Lets see. We forgot the Sabbath and legally did away with the blue laws. We've never had a law about taking the Lord's name in vain - nor about not having idols. And our society seems bent on removing all evidence of God from our daily business.

Then there's number five about honoring our parents. But the government and the schools seem to want to take charge of the children, shouldering parents out of the way as not capable of teaching or training their own children.

Murder, theft and perjury are the only three left on the books. But perjury seems to be fading fast. People lie all the time with impunity.

So what are we to do? We must begin by starting to restore these laws, one at a time, in the order given. When God is on the throne all else must come into line.

Father, God,

Help us to put You on the throne in our lives. Teach us to pray for our country and its leaders so that we may become once more a truly Christian nation.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.