2002-09-12
Good Morning Treasured Readers,
God's Spirit continues to lead me to share what He has to say about righteousness, that breastplate of His full armor mentioned in EPH 6: 14. You'll remember that the story of the prophetess, Miriam's, temporary expulsion from the camp is an example of the same thirst for righteousness that God was trying to teach His chosen people, the Jews, that He is teaching us today. In NU 12: 1-16, one reads that Miriam had been punished for speaking against Moses for marrying a Cushite [Ethiopian] woman. God had no intention of destroying Miriam, but He wanted to punish her, making her an example for the others. After one week, Miriam was welcomed back into the camp and allowed to assume her previous position. The same could be said for the Jews, once they were welcomed back to Israel after the Assyrian and Babylonian Captivities. God doesn't give up on punished children; He tries to get them to correct their sinfulness.
While this principle is true, we can have grave personal concerns about the degree of sinfulness in today's society. Rationalization of sin has really gone a long way. Kay Arthur shared alarming words, describing a modern children's book, "Daddy's Roommate." I share here to illustrate my opinion: "'My Mommy and daddy got a divorce last year. Now Daddy has a new roommate, Frank,' it begins. The pictures show Frank and Daddy doing all sorts of things together, including sharing the same bed. And in most of the pictures you see the son having a wonderful time doing what Frank and Daddy do together. At the close of the book the little boy tells what fun he has with them. Then comes the explanation: 'Mommy says Daddy and Frank are gay.' Mommy said, 'Being gay is just one more kind of love, and love is the best kind of happiness.'" I have illustrated the movement away from obedience to God with examples about sexual immorality here, but there are plenty of other areas of sin where this has taken place. All of this really illustrates how sin takes a person further and further apart from God.
Before I sound judgmental, we must each remember that the judging should be left up to Christ. 2 TIM 2: 24-26 helps us to see God's will in these matters. "The Lord's servant must not quarrel. He must be kind toward all, a good and patient teacher, who is gentle as he corrects his opponent, for it may be that God will give them the opportunity to repent and come to know the truth. And then they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who had caught them and made them obey his will." An appropriate comment needs to be made. There is an organization called Exodus, which may not be the only one of its kind, which was established to help people in the homosexual lifestyle to come out of it and which teaches from the Bible with care, sensitivity, and compassion. Our best and most loving pastors remind us to hate the sin but love the sinner, as former gays can be welcomed back into the mainstream church community.
John writes, in a section about judgment by Jesus' words, this illuminating statement by our Lord and Savior. JN 12: 44, 47-50, "Whoever believes in Me believes in Him Who sent Me... If anyone hears My message and does not obey it, I will not judge him. I came not to judge the world, but to save it. Whoever rejects Me and does not accept My message has One Who will judge him. The words I have spoken will be His judge on the last day! This is true, because I have not spoken on My own authority, but the Father Who sent Me has commanded Me what I must say and speak. And I know that His command brings eternal life. What I say, then, is what the Father has told Me to say." What righteousness Christ models for us here! He knows and accepts His position with the Father and wants us to know ours. The humility and obedience in Christ's example shouldn't be lost on any of us. These words of light are supported by Paul's words in 2 COR 5: 21. "Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made Him share our sin in order that in union with Him we might share the righteousness of God."
There are times when it is hard for us to refrain from self-righteousness. And yet, we must do it, remembering that Satan loves to see us fall into sin thinking we are experts on God's word. Satan may be the lion that roars as he prowls around looking for someone to devour, but we don't have to allow ourselves to be his prey by making judgments on people, acting with prejudice, or gossiping about them. Instead, we are called by Christ to be loving toward one another, obedient to God's teaching, and available for whatever service to which He calls us. Any judgment of sinful behavior will be accomplished by the Lord, the only One Who is fully qualified and authorized to make it. I, for one, see this as a huge weight taken off of our shoulders. From my point of view, we have enough to do to see to eradicating our own sin and carrying out the duties we have been given by the Lord to keep us very busy indeed. I'm confident that He would want us to be meditating on how we can be righteous without becoming self-righteous in our own individual and congregational lives.
PRAYER: O Lord, what a great example of righteousness You have given us in Your Son! While his example is the best we have to follow, there are others written about in the Scriptures for our attention too. RO 4: 18, 20-25, "Abraham believed and hoped, even when there was no reason for hoping, and so became 'the father of many nations' ...His faith did not leave him, and he did not doubt God's promise: his faith filled him with power, and he gave praise to God. He was absolutely sure that God would be able to do what He had promised. That is why Abraham, through faith, 'was accepted as righteous by God [RO 15:6].' The words, 'he was accepted as righteous' were not written for him alone. They were written for us who are to be accepted as righteous, who believe in Him Who raised Jesus our Lord from death. Because of our sins He was given over to die, and He was raised to life in order to put us right with God." Your love and compassion undergirds these wonderful words of encouragement for us. We are reminded of Your Son's sacrifice on the cross and of the system You have set up, enabling all who believe to be justified, that is deemed acceptable to You. What can matter more to us than that? When You justify us, You impute Your righteousness to our accounts. What a great gift, and to think that it leads to an eternal life of joy and fellowship with You! Your Son has taught us in JN 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Dearest Abba, You have made the path to righteousness clear to us, and we thank You for that. Because Christ died the way He did, sin no longer had any power over Him and He lives in eternal fellowship with You. RO 6: 11, "In the same way you are to think of yourselves as dead, so far as sin is concerned, but living in fellowship with God through Christ Jesus." Your love for us is magnificent and unparalleled. We humbly confess our sin and offer You our worship, adoration, loyalty, diligence, trust, obedience, honor, glory, praise, and thanksgiving. In Christ's name, amen.
Satan tries to keep our sin before us. He tries to convince us God will never forgive us. Tomorrow's message deals with how we can keep from falling for this evil strategy. PS 37: 39 tells us, "The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their Refuge in the time of trouble." Such a wonderful and true reminder would mean nothing if it were not for the profound love that our Lord has for us. He knows there are times when our pain and suffering seems overwhelming. He knows that the fatigue that comes from our battles with Satan can make us feel depressed. However, He is always there, eager for us to turn to Him. He always wants to encourage us in our faith and by His omni-presence. We are never left alone and abandoned when we endure in our faithful obedience to the Lord. He is truly the Good Shepherd of our lives, brimming with love and caring for us. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn