Happy Father’s Day

Happy Father's Day!

God watches over men (Dads) who delight in the Word rather than wickedness. Dads have no place walking in counsel of the wicked, standing with sinners, or sitting with mockers. Dads need to be with their wives and children, living like they believe the Word and teaching their children how to live it. This man prospers because God watches over him. He is like a tree planted by a stream. His roots run deep, his limbs are strong, his fruit is plentiful and good (Psalm 1:1-6)

One father overheard his son pray, "Dear God, Make me the kind of man my Daddy is."

Later that night the dad prayed his own prayer as he usually did saying, "God, Make me the kind of man my son wants me to be." God can answer that prayer for the dad who "meditates on his Word."

Walk in the Spirit

Living by in the way of sexual immorality, hatred, envy, divisiveness, and drunkenness is easy. It's natural. Act without thought. Follow your passions. Give reign to your desires. You will walk in the way of human, sinful nature (Galatians 5:19-21). Be warned, though, if you continue that way, you will not go to heaven.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).

Living in the way of the Spirit demands deliberate choice. You must make up your mind that living in this difficult way is the way for you. This way of the Spirit is not natural. It is spiritual and we must decide to give reign to the spiritual way of life. "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit," Paul continued (5:24-25).

Make the choice to live for Jesus. Be clothed with Christ (3:26). And then live in the way of the Spirit. You will not always do what you want to do, but if the way of the Spirit is your mindset, you are not under the law that condemns when you sin. You have life, and you will have it eternally! That's Life at Work!

Busted Morals

Younger adults, age 23-41 (Baby Busters), have given themselves significant moral license. For instance, many believe that cohabitation (59%), sexual thoughts and fantasies about someone (57%), sex outside of marriage (44%), looking at pornography (33%), and homosexual activity (28%) are morally acceptable. Did I mention that those are the percentages among Busters who claim to be born again? (Kinnaman and Lyons in Unchristian, Baker Books, 2007).

The survey that asked those questions also asked questions about abortion, using the "f" word on broadcast television, using drugs not prescribed to you, getting drunk, and using profanity. Guess which one of those was believed by the most Busters to be morally unacceptable. Did you guess "using the 'f" word on T.V.? That's correct. Only 7% of Busters believed that was morally acceptable.

What have we been doing? I'm serious. What have we been doing? Jesus said to us, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men" (Matthew 5:13). We've not only failed to influence our world for good, we have actually let the immorality of the world come into our family. We've lost our saltiness and the yeast of the world has spread through us. We've lost our ability to influence and have been persuaded that what is actually evil is now okay.

Sexual immorality, whether fleshed out in cohabitation, prolonged sexual thought and focus on sexual fantasy, sex outside of marriage, viewing pornography, or homosexuality is wrong. It's sin. Along with impurity and debauchery (uncontrolled shamelessness); idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. Paul was clear. If these words describe your lifestyle, you will not go to heaven. You will not inherit the kingdom of God. Make no mistake about it. These things are wrong. If you don't believe it, you are missing the obvious. You are blind to what is clear. You are confusing what is plain. That's Life at Work!

You Know That’s Wrong!

"You know that's wrong!"

Oh, Really?

What do we really know is wrong? Look at the people around you as you read this. Two out of three of the people you see do not believe that moral truth is absolute. Are you one of them? Someone might respond, "Of course I believe in absolute truth. I'm a Christian." Yet, fewer than half of Christians believe in absolute moral truth.

Are the days where we can say, "You know that's wrong" and expect that people will agree, in the past? More practically, will you conform your thinking to the current world views instead of to the view of God? Paul wrote to the Galatians regarding some things that are obviously wrong. He said the works of the flesh or sinful nature are plain, "Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery (unbridled lust and shamelessness); idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like" (Galatians 5:19-21).

These sins that spring from the wickedness inside the human heart will always be wrong. Christians are called to remember the shame and death that actions and attitudes like these brought to our lives and remain committed to resist the temptations to return to old ways of living. That's Life at Work!

Too Many Words, Too Little Understanding, To the Wrong People

I wish that I always fully appreciated the proverb of Qohelet: "As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words" (Eccl 5:3). The number of bad dreams you have is directly proportional to the number of worries you've got. Like that, the number of boneheaded comments you'll make is directly proportional to the number of words you say.

Some of the most foolish comments I've ever made, I made to people about other people when I didn't really understand what the other people had done. I had failed to remember the significance of two other proverbs, "He who answers before listening--that is his folly and his shame" (Prov. 18:13); and "The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him" (Prov 18:17). When I have talked first, and have talked without listening, I've said some pretty dumb things. Sorry about that.

Most often in my life, this happens when I talk with someone among my friends, my family, my co-workers, and my church about someone else instead of talking to the person about whom I am talking. In other words, I'm telling Jimmy what Sally did instead of talking to Sally about what I'd heard she did. That's foolish according to the proverbs and the more I do it only increases the number of foolish words I say. It also flies in the face of what Jesus commanded, "…go to him privately and show him his fault" (Matthew 18:15).

Let's all do a better job of talking with each other, confronting each other in love, understanding each other, forgiving each other where we need to, but dwelling together in unity. That's such a beautiful thing – and the first thing that happens to turn our relationship ugly often is too many words with too little understanding, spoken to the wrong people. That's Life at Work!

Grace Like Paul Taught It

My Dad told me a many years ago that if I preach grace like Paul taught it, I'll always have to warn people that grace is not a license to sin. Some people from conservative churches say they didn't hear much about grace growing up. I knew about grace. I experienced it more than I heard it, I believe; but I did hear it.

It's critical to me that those who hear me preach regularly hear a lot about grace; and since I love to preach through books, sermons on salvation by grace through faith come around pretty often. Paul is desperate for the Galatians to turn back to reality. Many of the Galatians had spent their lives worship idols. Idols aren't real. Many had spent their lives trying to be justified by law keeping. Justification on the basis of human effort isn't real. These idol worship and "law keepers" had heard clearly that Christ was crucified for them and that what's real is justification through faith in him!

Since they were no longer under the condemnation that comes with transgression of the law, some might have believed that sinning was not a problem. So Paul admonished them. He called them to live lives of service to each other. He warned them not to return to what had brought them disaster before: First, he warned them not to follow the system of salvation that emphasized their own righteousness above faith in Christ. Second, he told them not to return to those ways that were obviously part of the sinful nature. The way of the Spirit is in conflict with the works of the flesh. Spirit led people don't go there.

And he called them to love each other. If you miss that in Galatians 5 and 6, you aren't paying attention. The most obvious evidence that you follow Jesus is that you love your neighbor.

"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love" (Gal 5:6).

"The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'" (Gal 5:14).

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (Gal 6:2).

"Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation" (Gal 6:15).

Being a new person, particularly seen in your love for others, is the essence of the Christian walk. How are you doing with that? That's Life at Work!

The Greatest Command

What is the greatest command regarding your life with Jesus? I don't mean "What should it be?" I mean "What is it?" What is your focus? Where do you find yourself taking your personal stand most often? Ask a friend who will tell you the truth what teaching from Jesus they see lived out in your life most.

In the final two chapters of Galatians, Paul wrote these lines to emphasize to them the command of Jesus to which their focus had to return:

"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love" (Gal 5:6).

"The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'" (Gal 5:14).

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (Gal 6:2).

"Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation" (Gal 6:15).

Being a new person, particularly seen in your love for others, is the essence of the Christian walk. How are you doing with that? That's Life at Work!