Who Jesus is Not

JESUS WAS NOT SIMPLY A GOOD MORAL TEACHER.

How, in the name of logic, common sense, and experience, could an impostor -- that is a deceitful, selfish, depraved man -- have invented and consistently maintained from the beginning to end, the purest and noblest character known in history with the most perfect air of truth and reality? How could He have conceived and successfully carried out a plan of unparalleled beneficence, moral magnitude, and sublimity, and sacrificed His own life for it, in the face of the strongest prejudices of His people and age? (Philip Schaff, The Person of Christ. New York: American Tract Society, 1913, 94-95)

C.S. Lewis, one-time atheist and author of The Chronicles of Narnia, put the dilemma this way:

A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said [about Himself] would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come away with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. (Mere Christianity)

Jesus would have to have been lying or insane (not the qualities of a good moral teacher) to call Himself the Son of God and the Savior of mankind if it weren’t true.

Therefore, to separate what is comfortable about Jesus – His kindness, His message of unconditional love, His healing of the sick – from that which is less comfortable (He was born of a virgin, He claimed to be God, He rose from the dead) isn’t really possible.

There are four options open to a person dealing with Jesus. You may consider Him: a legend, a liar, a lunatic, or Lord and God. If He existed, then He's not a legend. If He's a liar, that goes against everything else we know about His character. If He's a lunatic, how to explain the consistency in His message, the constancy of His love? If those options are removed, where does that leave you?

JESUS WAS/IS NOT A POLITICAL MESSIAH

This is one reason some Jews of Jesus’ time could not believe He was their Savior – He didn’t deliver them from the oppression of their Roman occupiers. He never actually intended to. The deliverance Christ offered and still offers today is of a spiritual nature, reconciling mankind to God (Matthew 11:27). The peace this Messiah brings is internal. His hope is for each human to be restored to a relationship with God, which sin has broken.

Who is Jesus

The Prince of Peace… The Word made man… Savior and Lord… The King of Kings… The Lion of Judah… The Lamb of God

When Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his followers, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah, and still others say you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Then Jesus asked them, “And who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered, “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because no person taught you that. My Father in heaven showed you who I am.” (Matthew 16:13-17, NCV)

When Christians answer the question “Who Is Jesus?” they build their answer on the Bible – on the things Jesus said about Himself, on the prophecies from the Old Testament that foretold his coming, and the doctrines laid out about Christ through the rest of the New Testament.

There is little historical question that Jesus existed (click here to study the evidence from non-Christian sources, collected by Probe Ministries), but people do often wonder about His divine nature, His miracles, and His offer of eternal salvation through grace “first to the Jew and also to the Gentile” (Romans 1:16)… in other words, to all mankind.

Because the love that Jesus offers comes in the form of a “personal relationship” with Him, many believers have particular definitions about who the Lord is to them.

The gospel of Jesus is literally “good news,” so we hope you enjoy exploring the miracle and wonder of what the God of all creation did for you.

Christian Article: Talkativeness

The Holy Scriptures say time and again that idle talk is a sin, but we usually do not take it seriously. And yet this is a sin that God will judge very severely. It is listed together with immorality and impurity and covetousness, which are not fitting among saints (Eph. 5:3f). In summary the Apostle Paul says, "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for it is because of these things that the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. There fore do not associate with them" (Eph. 5:6f).

Our idle talk incites the wrath of God. And the wrath of God always brings us judgment, if we do not repent. We cannot play around with this sin. Talking is a very serious matter. Our words will not blow away like chaff. They will arise again at the Last Judgment. Not one of them will be lost.

One day we must give account of every unprofitable word; we will be judged according to our words (Matt. 12:36f). And woe, if our tongue, 'a restless evil, full of deadly poison" (Jas. 3:8), was an instrument of evil, because we spoke poisonous, bitter, hate-filled and dirty words.

Since this sin of talkativeness "eats its way like gangrene" (2 Tim. 2:17), a total operation has to be performed. According to Jesus' words, "If your eye (or tongue) causes you to sin, pluck it out" (Mark 9:47). Otherwise you will risk being thrown into hell.

What is the way of being set free completely? First we must find the root of talkativeness. Often it is our desire for attention. We want to make our selves important. We think we have to give our opinion about everything.

How quickly these unprofitable words lead us to speak in a disparaging way about others who are not present! Or we begin to gossip and spread rumors, etc. Or sometimes we use idle talk to drown our bad conscience; sometimes we chatter out of laziness, because we do not want to work: sometimes out of bitterness, because we want to let out the poisonous thoughts in us. And there are many more reasons.

The deepest cause of talkativeness is that we are separated from Jesus. A talkative person usually does not speak much with Jesus, for conversation with Jesus makes us quiet and turns our thoughts to God. The less "quiet time" we have, the more talkative we are. Through many empty words and unprofitable talk we lose our liking for the hidden fellowship with Jesus.

Everything depends upon giving Jesus more quiet time to listen to Him. When our personal meditation time is over and we return to people, His presence should accompany us and our words should be filled with His Holy Spirit.

Then we can no longer tell shady jokes and we will not talk needlessly. We should only say what we would, were Jesus physically in our midst. Then only such talk will come out of our mouths as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear (Eph. 4:29).

Certainly it will not easy for many of us to find time for quiet during the course of a hectic, demanding day. But where there's a will, there's a way. Somehow there will be an opportunity. For instance, we can save time on visits or jobs that are more pleasurable than compulsory and give this time to Jesus.

When we leave the quietness of our room and continue to carry on our conversation with Jesus in our hearts, our talking will improve almost by itself. In heaven Jesus will only hold conversations with those who sought Him here in prayer and did not give room to unprofitable talk.

Whoever says, "I do not know what to do with my quiet time" will not get rid of his talkativeness. He does not want to pay anything for the healing of this sinful disease. Patience and practice are required before we can converse with God, that is, before we can pray genuinely. But whoever wants to be freed from talkativeness will take Jesus' promise as a reality, "Behold, I make all things new" (Rev. 21:5).

Even our tongue will become new, so that it will be an instrument of God's Spirit and can speak His words and will be silent instead of speaking idle talk. Jesus Christ has come to set us free from the slavery of sin, from the evil fire in our tongue that can bring us judgment and hell. He has been given power even over our tongues.

You Do Not Belong to the World

John 15:18-19 NRSV

"If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you.
If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own.
Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen
you out of the world--therefore the world hates you."

No one is free from the risk of persecution... But how serious it is for Christians who are unwilling to suffer for their own sins when He who had no sin suffered for us! The Son of God suffered in order to make us children of God, but people won't suffer to continue being children of God!

If we suffer from the world's hatred, Christ first endured the world's hatred. If we suffer rebukes in this world, if exile or torture, the Maker and Lord of the world experienced harder things than these. He also warns us, "If the world hates you, remember that it hated Me before you. If ye were of the world, the world would love their own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the world that I said unto you, 'The servant is not greater than his lord.' If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you."

Whatever our Lord God taught, He did so that disciples who learn have no excuse not to do what they learn.

Christian Article: Busyness

Busyness! Do we sometimes imagine that this is something good? That energy and industriousness stand behind it? Or at least that it is necessary so that we can achieve something? No. Busyness separates us from Jesus. It is a sin and has a negative effect upon my life of faith.

Everything depends upon whether or not I am at one with Jesus. Jesus says, "He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit" (John 15:5). Only what we do in union with Jesus, who is "Life", will have divine life and never perish. Only that will we be able to find as fruit in eternity.

But we know that Satan makes every effort to rob us of this eternal fruit. He wants to hinder us, at any cost, from spending the day united with our Lord Jesus, because he knows that this oneness with Jesus makes us strong. Then we are at one with the Lord of heaven and earth, who has pwer over every name that is named.

His power is then ours and provides blessing for our work. On the other hand, if we poor sinners are separated from Jesus, we can only do worthless things, that will blow away like chaff, no matter how good they may look at first.

That is why Satan tries every possible trick to make our work completely captivate us and thus separate us from Jesus. Work can chain us, because it interests us too much, because it satisfies our human desires and because we find our fulfillment in it. Work can incite our ambition.

We want to attain many things and receive success and recognition. Some just just love to work. They like to see what they can do. Or work can become an escape, a way to deaden our consciences, because we have not kept our lives straightened out. During such periods our prayer-times become quite unbearable. Some people who have a great deal to do fall into the mad rush. They are wound up and therefore cannot pray while they work.

So Satan comes at us from various directions and tries to drive us into busyness, into a life without Jesus, for Satan is the malicious spirit of unrest. Jesus, however, is the Prince of peace. Whoever does His work with Him is in peace and does not rush. Then our industrious work is not a mad rush. We are not enslaved to work and driven by it, but we work together with God, drawing our strength from our times of quiet. It is full of divine life, zeal and joy.

But even though we know that we are only unhappy when we are separated from Jesus, there are usually chains binding us to our work. Again and again we have to lament that we lose our communion with Jesus during the course of the day.

Indeed, when we are engaged in our various tasks, we tend to forget Him for hours. But this busyness in our work can no longer be tolerated in our lives. It is not simply harmless "rushing" or "losing oneself in the work", rather it is a sin which will bring us the most severe punishment. Who has ever applied Jesus' words seriously to his own busyness? "If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned" (John 15:6). "Cast forth" is the fate of the busy.

They will be cast forth from the countenance of Jesus and His kingdom, because they did not work for God in personal love for Him and in His sight. Not only will his works be burned, but also he himself. So we must be redeemed from busyness, no matter what the cost.

But how do we get there? "Abiding in Him", doing everything together with Jesus, is a matter of practice. We should practice saying the name JESUS over and over again in our heart. While we are working, we should practice saying, "For You! For You!" Before going to sleep, let us ask ourselves whether we were with Jesus during the day.

Let us ask the Spirit of God to admonish us the next day to think about Jesus. During our morning prayer before work, let us lay this request before Him again. And if we suffer especially under the sin of busyness, we should let Him show us how we can be reminded at work to speak a prayer every hour.

We must not stop beseeching the Lord for this "abiding in Christ", even if we experience many defeats. Every time we have lost the inner contact with Him at work, we should try to tie the bond anew, though it may be a hundred times a day. The fruit of our work for all eternity depends upon this. We must set for ourselves a definite goal of faith. And let us ask Jesus every day:

Let me be immersed in You, deeper and deeper, until
I can no longer lose You. Set me free through the
power of Your blood from my bondage to work!

God will answer and we will experience that Jesus is a Redeemer, who will set us free from the chains which bind us to our work. Then we will be bound to Him and bring forth eternal fruit to His glory.

Jesus, You are my everything!
I will talk with You and work for You!
I want to plan, consider and make all my decisions with You!

Nothing shall be done without You,
lest You should become an out cast.

Bind me tightly to You,
so that nothing can separate us during the day:
no work, no burden, no other interest, no joy.

May I evermore live in Your holy presence,
For You are here!

Love of Power: Desire to Dominate

"We do not want this man to reign over us! (Luke 19:14). This was the reason why we people killed Jesus. We wanted to reign by ourselves and not be subject to anyone else. Envy and the love of power are the main sins which nailed Jesus to the cross. This is the worst thing that could be said about any sin.

The lust for power is murderous. It tramples down everyone who tries to stand in its way. Whoever persists in this sin will come under God's severe judgment, because every time we want to rule we are actually rebelling against God and His dominion. We do not leave Him any room in our lives, just as the people of Israel and its authorities did not. They excluded their Lord and Creator from their midst--just as we do when we want to have power--although His dominion was pure love and still is today.

The love of power is connected with pride and conceit. It is the characteristic of bad rulers. Domineering is expressed by bossing others around and insisting upon having our own way. It shows that we do not have any humility at all. For when we try to rule over others, we have taken a position that does not belong to us.

With our love of power we set ourselves up on a throne, high above all others and rule them with our words and our deeds. But we do not realize that our attitude is just the opposite to God's attitude. For God reigns in a different way, through serving love, as Jesus practiced it among men. Jesus' power was not violent; the authority of His dominion rested on humble serving love.

"I am among you as one who serves" (Luke 22:27). That is why divine radiance rested upon Jesus and why it rests upon His followers who live their lives in humble, serving love. They have true power according to Jesus' words, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit (and rule) the earth" (Matt. 5:5).

But because Jesus, the Son of God, went the way of humble, meek love, of serving others and submitting Himself, in order to redeem us from our sins, the love of power is an especially serious sin.

We are particularly vulnerable to this sin when we have a position of leadership, when we are responsible for others, even if it is the responsibility of parents for their children. Children defy their parents, rebel against them and even leave home. How often is this caused by parents who wanted to rule over them! That is why the Apostle Paul says, "Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged" (Col. 3:21). "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4).

Certainly parents, teachers and superiors cannot avoid making rules and making sure that things are right and if they are not, putting them back in order. But it is especially the leaders who make the Gospel unbelievable when they begin to thirst for power. The Apostle Peter admonishes the elders of the Church, "Tend the flock of God...not as domineering over those in your charge... Clothe yourselves with humility" (1 Pet. 5:2, 3, 5b).

We have to choose. Do we want to follow Satan, who wanted to usurp God's throne, even though he was created by Him? Or do we want to follow Jesus? The outcome of each of these ways is clear. Being Jesus' disciple is incompatible with thirst for power. So we have to get rid of this sin, if we wish to be counted followers of Jesus and not be excluded from His kingdom one day.

First of all, we must ask the Holy Spirit to show us our desire to rule, if we have not recognized it yet. We should ask our neighbors if we make life hard for them by our domineering attitude. If they say we do, we must accept it.

Second, we should ask for a repentant heart, for "godly sorrow" because of this malicious sin, which is such a strong contrast to Jesus' humility. Besides this we have made life difficult for those around us, yes we can even make life hell for them!

Third, we must meditate much on Jesus, the humiliated Lord, crowned with the crown of thorns, who had love's power, and pray: "I want to stand here by You and from now on choose Your place of humble, meek love. I want others to rule over me at home and at work, and be subject to them and even give up some of my special positions and privileges."

Them we will find that our scepter of domination will crumble in our hands and one day it will completely disappear, if, yes, if we daily entreat Jesus to free us from this sinful bondage. When we pray for this, we should constantly look at the picture of the humble, lowly Lord, who was scourged and crowned with a crown of thorns.

He has paid the ransom and has gone the way of lowliness to draw us into His nature of humility. Just as we all have sinned in Adam, because as his children we partake of his sinful nature--including the love of power--so we have all been united with Jesus and His nature of humility through His redemption. Then we will find out how much authority humility has!

Christian Article: Jealousy

Jealousy can become such a burning desire in a person's heart that it can shrivel him up. When we are jealous, we usually torment the person we love. Yes, jealousy can give birth to hatred, betrayal and in some cases to murder. Infinite misery and sorrow have grown out of this root of jealousy. It can disrupt family life, business life and even life within our churches.

If we are not redeemed from this sin of wanting others to love us alone, we will become spiritually bankrupt and our lives will not produce any fruit. For if jealousy rules in us, we are incapable of wholeheartedly working for God and His kingdom.

We have to be freed from this sin of jealousy, no matter how high is the price. With its burning consuming fire, it is a foreshadow of how such hellish craving can eat away at body and soul one day in the kingdom of darkness.

But God's love wants to protect us from this. Jesus through His redemption wants to free us from jealousy even if it burns like fire in our hearts. But redemption involves a genuine battle of faith on our part against this ravaging sin.

It is a matter of making a conscious renunciation of such sinful craving: "I do not want to have anything, my God, that You do not give me. If you do not give me the love of this person, I do not want to have it. I will give him up to You." God can only help us if we give up this person and our claim to his love again and again, and really lay them on the altar.

Otherwise we are like a patient who has the best medicine, but still will not recover, because he does not want to leave the surroundings which are responsible for his illness and which continually make it worse. So it means completely letting go of the person whose love and attention we jealously seek. That means, we should not make any claims on him or on his time, nor should we seek to control whom he spends his time with or whom he likes.

Jesus can only set us free if we really want to be free, and give Him a sign of our willingness. Otherwise the rope that binds us to a person will bind us more and more to Satan and his kingdom. Everything is at stake. Such jealousy is a sign that we do not really love Jesus and that we are "of the flesh". "For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving like ordinary men?" (1 Cor. 3:3).

The Holy Scriptures pronounce a terrible verdict on the works of the flesh. People committing these sins will not enter the Kingdom of God (Gal. 5:20 f).

But if we have received a holy fear of our jealousy through a revelation of what jealousy really is, and we regret that we have sinned, it will lose its power over us. Then the blood of the Lamb, which makes us free from all sin will reveal its power more and more. If this redeeming blood of Jesus is proclaimed over the sin of jealousy again and again, it has power to free us. Jesus is mightier than the powers in us. His victory has condemned them to death.

Whenever these sinful attachments are crucified with Christ, Jesus gives birth to new, divine love in our soul, which is free from attachments to people and cravings for human love. It will make us and others happy.

Jesus has won this love for us. He wants to love and claim in faith the righteousness and love of Jesus. Only those who have overcome in their fight with sin will enter the City of God and His glory.

Do It Today

Do the right thing;

Do it today;

Do it with no hope of return or promise of reward;

Do it with a smile and cheerful attitude;

Do it day after day after day.

Do it, and someday,

There will come a day

That will be a payday

For all the yesterdays

You spent focused on the current day--

That will not only give value to today,

But will make each future day

Outshine each yesterday.

And what more could you ask of a day?

Lesson from a farmer

A young man from the city graduated from college with a degree in journalism and got a job at a small-town newspaper. One of his first assignments was to interview an old farmer who lived twenty miles outside of town. As he sat with the grizzled man on his front porch, the young journalist looked at his notepad and started asking his questions. One of the first he asked was, "Sir, what time do you go to work in the morning?"

The old farmer chuckled and replied, "Son, I don't go to work. I'm surrounded by it."

We can learn a lesson from the old farmer. Opportunities are a lot like his work. They are everywhere. But the problem is that we often don't have the eyes to see them.

As you approach each day, look around. Be aware. If you don't see opportunities, remember that it's not because they aren't there. You're always surrounded by them. You simply need to open your eyes and see them. Then act on them.

The Night Sky

When was the last time you gazed up into the star-filled sky on a clear night? Do you wonder what it would be like to travel in the heavens among the stars? What lies beyond what your physical eyes can see?

Jamie Buckingham described a night like that in the snowy mountains of North Carolina:

"I walked up the dark, snow-covered road toward Cowee Bald. The sky had cleared, revealing a billion stars twinkling in the clear, cold night. The only sound was the gurgling of a small mountain stream beside the road and the soft crunch of my shoes in the snow. All the other night noises were smothered, leaving me with the impression of standing alone on earth.

"I wondered about the time, but to glance at my watch would have been sacrilegious. Clocks, calendars, automobiles, and airplanes--instruments of time and speed--were all buried beneath nature's cloak of stillness and slowness. I kicked the snow off my boot, and standing in the middle of the road, threw my head back and breathed deeply of the pine-scented air. Looking into the heavens I could see stars whose light had left there a million years ago, and realized I was just glimpsing the edge of space. Beyond that was infinity--and surrounding it all, the Creator.

"I remembered a quote from the German philosopher, Kant. Something about two irrefutable evidences of the existence of God: the moral law within and the starry universe above. I breathed His name: 'God.'

"Then, overwhelmed by His presence, I called Him what I had learned to call Him through experience: 'Father!'"

Tonight, contemplate the stars in the heavens. You will find there a glimpse of eternity. What an awesome thought: The Creator of the universe invites me to have a personal relationship with Him!

Pleasing People: Conformity

"If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ" (Gal. 1:10). With this statement, the Apostle Paul has touched upon a cancerous troth in life, especially among Christians. Because our human hearts are infected with sin, we seek the favor of our fellow men and not the favor of God.

That is why it hurts us so much to lose the favor, love and recognition of men, especially of those whose favor is important to us. So we make every effort to please others. But then we are in danger of losing God's favor and Jesus will no longer look upon us as His servants and disciples.

This is an "either/or" situation. And it is especially important during this time of apostasy. If we are now seeking to please men, how quickly we could go over to the side of those who deny Jesus! In past years we have seen shocking examples of this among us Christians, and we have already seen something of the judgment such people reaped, who conformed because they were afraid.

In the face of all this the Lord is asking us, "What is the motive behind your talking, your behavior? Perhaps we are friendly towards strangers, but within our own family we are annoyed and grumpy. Our ulterior motive, although we may not be aware of it, is that we want the good opinion of strangers, their respect, their love and recognition, while we take this for granted in our own family.

But if we were interested in God's favor and pleasure, we would be especially friendly at home, for God's sake. Another danger is that "when in Rome, we do as the Romans do". At work and else where we conform to the people around us and do whatever they do, whether it involves gossiping with them, telling dirty jokes, accepting their opinions, conforming to their way of dress. All this because, as we say, we do not want to be "different".

Perhaps we even have other pretenses: we do not want to offend people. If so we will not be able to tell them anything about our faith. But in reality we simply do not want to lose their favor. No matter what it costs, we want to avoid having any opponents. So we cater to men and do things we cannot justify. If we wanted to give a testimony of Jesus under these conditions, no one would believe us.

We are not at peace, but are tormented by our fear of others. We are afraid of what they may think of us. But how foolish this is! We are afraid of men and not afraid of God, who is really to be feared. Jesus says, "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt.10:28).

Yes, we should be afraid of losing God's favor, by trying to gain the favor of man. For if God is no longer for us, we are lost, that is, God no longer uses His power for us and contends on our behalf. Yes, we are lost, if God's judgment is upon us. If we wish to please men, we cannot be His servants, neither here nor in eternity. He has power to deliver us up to Satan's kingdom. What good will recognition and favor from men do us, if we are separated from the Source of life, God Himself, and one day have to hear Him say, "You do not belong to Me!"?

No matter what it costs, our goal must be that we stand on God's side and that we have His good pleasure. Therefore, we must make a decision. We must denounce seeking to please people, so that we may obtain God's pleasure.

Our fate for eternity depends upon this. Let us picture the baptism of Jesus and His transfiguration and listen to the Father's tender words of love, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17; 17:5). Then we will sense that it is worth everything to receive God's commendation and will seek to please Him alone. Then we will partake fully of the love of God, which is actually our deepest longing. Moreover people cannot give us this much love and we will never be fully satisfied by them alone.

If we please God, He will love us and honor us, and one day this will be manifested to all mankind. This is quite certain, whereas we can never be sure of getting love from people when we seek to please them.

Tomorrow it may bring about our downfall. Human love is like dew, like a cloud that passes away. Perhaps the situation will change and tomorrow they will no longer be interested in taking care of us and being ready to help us.

There is only one person we can rely on; we can count on His love and all the gifts He has to give us. That is our Lord and God. What should we do, if God no longer counts us among His servants, if He is not for us? We cannot allow that to happen--in time or in eternity.

Jesus is exhorting us; "Choose Me; choose my way". In everything that we do and say we ought to please God. Let us make this commitment. It is a commitment to the cross, for it is painful when people withdraw their favor and we are no longer loved and respected by them.

They may even reject us and be hostile to us. But then we will receive love from God and from those who are close to Him. This is always the case. The closer we are to the Lord and the more we seek to please Him, the more at one we are with those who are close to Him. Isn't that worth suffering for?

Christian Article: Quality Time

Busy--so busy! The sun has long since set and there is still so much to do. Work, family, church, and much more seem to demand hours God never put in the day. Still, we Christians think all these accomplishments will please our heavenly Father. After all, faith without works is dead, right?

When we finally fall into bed at night, can we say we've actually spent any time with the Father we're trying so hard to please?

In his book, Unto the Hills, Billy Graham tells a story about a little girl and her father who were great friends and enjoyed spending time together. They went for walks and shared a passion for watching birds, enjoying the changing seasons, and meeting people who crossed their path.

One day, the father noticed a change in his daughter. If he went for a walk, she excused herself from going. Knowing she was growing up, he rationalized that she must be expected to lose interest in her Daddy as she made other friends. Nevertheless, her absence grieved him deeply.

Because of his daughter's absences, he was not in a particularly happy mood on his birthday. Then she presented him with a pair of exquisitely worked slippers, which she had hand made for him while he was out of the house walking.

At last he understood and said, "My darling, I like these slippers very much, but next time buy the slippers and let me have you all the days. I would rather have my child than anything she can make for me."

Is it possible our heavenly Father sometimes feels lonely for the company of His children? Are we so busy doing good that we forget--or are too weary--to spend some quiet time with Him as our day draws to a close?

Take a walk with your heavenly Father as the sun sets. Spend some quality time, talking to Him about anything and everything. You will be blessed and so will He!

Christian Article: Leave It to Me

Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it]
and He will sustain you.
Psalm 55:22 AMP

Many people find it easier to commit their future into the Lord's hands than to commit the problems and concerns of the day. We recognize our helplessness in regard to the future, but we often feel as if the present is in our own hands.

A Christian by the name of Mary Ellen once had a great burden in her life. She was so distraught she could not sleep or eat, was jeopardizing her physical and emotional health, and was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She recognized, however, that there wasn't anything she could do to change her circumstances.

Then Mary Ellen read a story in a magazine about another woman, Connie, who also had major difficulties in her life. In the account, a friend asked Connie how she was able to bear up under the load of such troubles. Connie replied, "I take my problems to the Lord."

Connie's friend replied, "Of course, that is what we should do."

Then Connie added, "But we must not only take our problems there. We must leave our problems with the Lord."

There is a humorous story about an elderly man who vowed he would never ride in an airplane. However, one day an emergency arose and it was necessary for him to get to a distant city in a hurry. The fastest way to get there was by air, of course, so he purchased a ticket and made his first trip in an airplane.

Knowing his reluctance to fly, when his relatives met him at the airport, they asked him how he enjoyed the flight. He responded, "Oh, it was all right, I guess. But I'll tell you one thing. I never let my full weight down on the seat."

The Lord wants you to cast your burdens on Him--and leave them there! He desires for you to give Him the full weight of your problems as well. Then you can go on with life in full confidence He will take care of those things you have entrusted to Him.

Christian Article: Night Watch

You are my hope, O Lord God.
Psalm 71:5 NKJV

Vaclav Havel is a former president of what used to be Czechoslovakia. In 1948 the Communists took power in his country and confiscated his family land holdings. From that time, Havel was part of a defiant underground that opposed the Soviet government.

When the Soviets marched into Prague twenty years later, Havel remained to form a coalition that would gather strength and be ready to take over when the time was right. He spoke out boldly, writing defiantly against communism. He was put under surveillance and eventually jailed for his activities.

In 1970, several U.S. senators met with Havel in Czechoslovakia. They brought what they thought would be good news for him. They told him they intended to press for legislation allowing dissidents like himself to emigrate to the West.

Havel replied by saying he was not interested in going to the West. "What good would that do?" he asked. "Only by staying here and struggling here can we ever hope to change things." Like a watchman in the night, Havel stayed on duty in his country.

Times of trial and struggle often seem like long, dark nights. But doing the right thing--even the hard thing--gives us hope. How do we maintain those long night watches when there seems to be little change in our circumstances?

1. Take one step at a time. Don't attempt to tackle the whole task at once. "A man's steps are directed by the Lord" (Proverbs 20:24 NIV).
2. Keep your struggles in perspective. Separate the mountains from the molehills. "What then shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31 NIV).
3. Cultivate the discipline of delayed gratification. "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing" (James 1:4).
4. Learn to recognize the invisible God in the world around you. "By faith he [Moses] left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; for he persevered because he saw him who is invisible" (Hebrews 11:27 NIV).

Placing your hope in the Lord helps you to do all these things. He will lead you, He will remove your mountains, He will strengthen you, helping you to be patient, and He will open your eyes to His works all around you.

Conceit: Vanity

A conceited person! These words are not exactly what you would call a compliment! Yet the highest goal of a conceited person is to be complimented. Externally he tries to have an attractive appearance and wear smart clothes. Internally he seeks the facade of a pleasant personality. His basic motive is to make a good appearance in public, to attain respect and affection. The conceited person is strongly attracted to the mirror. He looks at himself and enjoys what he sees. In a figurative sense he also looks at all his reactions, activities and conversations in a mirror and takes pleasure in them.

The vain and conceited forget, however, that these is another mirror--the eye of God, which shows us the truth about ourselves, what is behind the facade. Then we see how "vain" everything really is, how transient and perishable. But if we avoid the mirror of God, we are deceiving ourselves with the mirror of human eyes which we look into all the time with the questions: How do others react to us? Are we good-looking? Are we popular?

Then our conceit grows and grows, but in the end it will make us unhappy. For the greater it becomes, the more it begins to tyrannize us. We can no longer do anything without reflecting on how others will react. We make others around us feel uneasy, because at least unconsciously they feel the demands of our ego, our vanity.

Vanity places the ego on the throne. It idolizes the ego and that is why it is a great sin. Every idol takes over the place that God ought to have in our life. That is why the same verdict that God pronounced over the idol-worshipers will hit us. For we cannot serve God and our ego-idol. We want others to burn incense to our ego. Our conceitedness wants others to admire our looks, our intelligence, our talents and our abilities and burn incense to them.

In some cases this is combined with addiction to worldly riches. Then we spend great sums of money for an expensive wardrobe and other things that might help us gain the admiration of others.

But above all, conceit, the desire to be pleasing to our fellow-men, makes us insensitive to the most important thing for our life here and in eternity: that we be pleasing to God. No one will be pleasing to God by presenting an attractive appearance or displaying his talents and abilities. Only those who do not want to be anything in the eyes of men will attain God's good pleasure. This is the point we have to come to.

It would be terrible to lose the pleasure of God while seeking pleasure from men. Then we will be far away from Jesus. That is why we have to repent completely.

The first step to getting rid of this sin is to admit honestly that we are vain and conceited. If we let the light of God show us this, we can only say; "How could I ever be conceited? My sins are so ugly. Even if I should be especially attractive or gifted, what does this matter in the eyes of God, who knows what really is in my heart? I ought to be ashamed or being so far away from God, because I am pleased with my poor and ugly being."

Now we must ask for "eye salve" (Rev. 3:18). What does that mean? It means that we ask God and other people to tell us what we really are like without sparing our feelings. That will hurt, but it will help us to see the truth about ourselves. We must also ask the Lord; "Prevent me from hearing anyone praise me, and bring as much of my sin as possible into the light, so that I can see it more clearly.

Then I will have to be ashamed and will lose my conceit. Yes, I even ought to tell others what I really am so that I will be humbled and learn not to live from their favor, but from the forgiveness and mercy of God."

Another step to becoming free from vanity is to reveal our conceited thoughts, to confess them to another person. If we want to receive grace from God, we have to given to the humble and contrite sinners, who are no longer pleased with themselves. But if we continue to admire our supposed qualities in the mirror and let our left hand see what our right hand has done, we have already had our reward (Matt. 6:1 ff).

There is One who found no pleasure in Himself, and He is the only One who deserved to find pleasure in Himself: Jesus (Rom. 15:3). And in Him we are righteous, that is, we have been set right from every sin, including vanity and conceit. That is why we should praise Him in faith, saying:

"Jesus will set us free from this sin. He will remake us into His image which is free from vanity and conceit. He will change our hearts so that we will no longer seek to be pleasing to men, but only to God.

Indifference: Lukewarmness

"Because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth" (Rev. 3:16). This terrible word of judgment applies to an indifferent, lazy person. Scarcely anything makes an impression on him. If problems are created, if others come into difficulties due to his fault, an indifferent person will scarcely take notice of it.He goes back to his normal routine without noticing what he has done.

If everything depends upon doing something on behalf of the Lord's work and giving a testimony, he does not realize what is going on and so he misses his chance. If a brother next to him is sinning or is about to fall away from the Church, he is not stirred at all. He does not plead for the salvation of others in prayer. His whole prayer life is lukewarm. His heart is scarcely moved when God has to judge the Church or when the name of the Lord is slandered. He hardly perceives it. He does not really care what happens around him.

Indifference is spiritual death. But we seldom recognize this. We go to church or to Christian meetings, we faithfully take our part, but the Lord pronounces His verdict, "You have the name of being alive, and you are dead" (Rev. 3:1).

Love, the sign of spiritual life, the only thing that matters in God's sight, is missing. An indifferent person is usually deaf to Jesus' concerns and requests, because only a loving heart could perceive such concerns. He is not aglow with love, nor on fire for His kingdom, nor does he spend himself in sacrifice for the Lord's work.

If we are indifferent, we are just going along for the ride in Christian groups, and this grieves our Lord very deeply. We can hear Him lamenting over the indifferent, "Would that you were cold or hot!" Jesus laments so deeply, because He cannot find the one thing His heart longs for so much, love, which is warm and aglow, and which cannot do enough for Him, even if it costs a great deal. Yes, love is zealous; it presses forth. Love is full of life; love sacrifices lavishly. Without this love for Jesus we are not true disciples.

But Jesus is not only lamenting about the indifferent and the lukewarm; no, He is also threatening to spew them out of His mouth (Rev. 3:16). A terrible judgment is awaiting the indifferent. Jesus wants to have nothing to do with them. They will be like the five foolish virgins who stood before the closed door and had to hear Jesus say to them. "I do not know you!" For the indifferent, although they have not committed any sinful acts, have sinned against God Himself. They have denied Him their love

We can only serve God with burning love, with complete devotion of time and energy, with willingness to sacrifice and with a fervent heart. Otherwise we would be disgracing Him, the Lord and King of all kings. If we work for someone who is highly respected, we would not dare to be lazy about our work. Therefore, woe unto us, if we try to do this to God. The indifferent will be struck by God's terrible words, "Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness" (Jer. 48:10).

Is there anyone who wants to be cursed by God when he knows that this can bring him continuous misfortune here on earth and dreadful judgment in eternity when he is cast into Satan's kingdom? And who wants to increase Jesus' sorrow about a world full of rebellion through his indifference? For long ago it was the indifference of His disciples, who did not understand His suffering and react in love--and today it is our indifference which wounds Jesus' heart more than does open opposition.

We must get rid of our indifference. It is such a serious sin in God's eyes. We have to regard it as our worst enemy, which will bring us into destruction, into the kingdom of darkness, full of torment and horror. We have to fight against it. We have to beseech Jesus and call to Him who has abolished death, and believe that He, Life Himself, can and will awaken us to divine life. But at the same time we must commit ourselves to being "shaken up" by God's chastening hand, which will arouse us from our indifference.

Often we can only be aroused from our indifference by thunder and lightning. Then we begin to move; then we begin to come alive. Being "shaken up" by blows of judgment is often the only treatment that works in the fight against indifference. But we have to reach for treatment.

Therefore, the indifferent and lazy person has to affirm wholeheartedly God's thunder and lightning when they strike him. Judgment is the best cure. It will make us wake up from lukewarmness and indifference. When we are judged, we will be frightened by our sin and will learn to weep over it and lament. As pardoned sinners we can do nothing else but love Jesus and spend ourselves for Him.

Sinners who lie prostrate at the cross of Jesus and receive His gifts of divine life and forgiveness, are those who love Jesus and give Him their thanksgiving and commitment.

God's judgment and chastening are the best medicine for our indifference, for they can make us contrite sinners, who cry over their sins. They can make us come alive. Therefore, let us thank Jesus for abolishing death, even the spiritual death of indifference, and for giving us release and life in such ways.

Let us surrender ourselves to Him and His chastening love so that He can save us from the terrible curse that awaits the indifferent. And let us believe Jesus. He sets us free from bondage!

Hosanna!

Let shouts of gladness rise
Triumphant to the skies.
Now comes the King most glorious
To reign o'er all victorious.
Hosanna, praise, and glory!
Our King, we bow before Thee.

He wears no kingly crown,
Yet as a King is known;
Though not arrayed in splendor,
Hosanna, praise, and glory!
Our King, we bow before Thee.

Thy heart now open wide,
Bid Christ with thee abide.
He graciously will hear thee
And be forever near thee.
Hosanna, praise, and glory!
Our King, we bow before thee.

Christian Article: Evening and Morning

And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day.
Genesis 1:5 NIV

In the Book of Genesis, each day of creation is concluded with the phrase, "and there was evening and there was morning."

From the Hebrew perspective, the day begins at evening, specifically with the setting of the sun. How unlike our tradition, where we start our days at the crack of dawn and consider night to be the end of a long day.

What does it mean for the day to begin at evening?

For Hebrew people through the centuries, the transition from afternoon to evening has been marked by prayer. "Evening prayer" is a Jewish custom. After prayer, families gather together for a meal.

The most holy day of the week, the Sabbath, begins with the lighting of candles and a proclamation of faith, then a more formal family dinner. After the evening meal, Jewish families traditionally gather together to read God's Word and discuss how His laws apply to their lives. The evening ends in rest.

Consider the priorities evidenced by their way of life:

First, a focus upon prayer and one's relationship with God.

Second, an emphasis on family life.

Third, a daily study of Scripture, making God's Word the last thoughts of the day.

Fourth, rest and sleep.

It was only after a Hebrew talked with God, enjoyed the love and fellowship of family, studied the Scriptures, and rested, that work was undertaken!

What would happen in your life if you adopted this strategy for your evening hours? Is it possible you would find yourself more renewed and refreshed, more energetic and healthy, more creative and productive? Might the priorities you desire in your life become a reality?

Why not give it a try? Begin your next day in the evening, and wake up knowing you've totally refreshed--spirit, soul, and body--to have a full and productive day!

The Power of Prayer (Christian Articles)

And when he [Jesus] had sent the multitudes away,

he went up into a mountain apart to pray:
and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
Matthew 14:23

Small children are often taught to say their evening prayers by learning a prayer such as "Now I lay me down to sleep." Although teaching children to pray is good, the "roteness" that is often learned can lead to the devaluation of this very precious and important time with the Lord.

Because evening is wind-down time, we may think our prayers lack the power and conviction that is available earlier in the day. However, prayer at anytime of the day can have a powerful effect on our world. For instance:

Queen Mary said she feared the prayers of John Knox more than she feared all the armies of Scotland.

John Wesley's prayers brought revival to England, sparing them the horrors of the French Revolution

Revival spread throughout the American colonies when Jonathan Edwards prayed.

Time after time, history has been shaped by prayer. The Rev. Billy Graham says, "I tell you, history could be altered and changed again if people went to their knees in believing prayer.... Today we have learned to harness the power of the atom, but very few of us have learned how to develop fully the power of prayer. We have not yet learned that a man can be more powerful on his knees than behind the most powerful weapons that can be developed."

Matthew 14:23 tells us Jesus sought to be alone with the Father after what must have been an extremely taxing day for preaching, teaching, and healing the multitudes. Perhaps our prayers are more powerful when weariness causes us to drop the pretenses of "religious" language in favor of direct communication with the God into Whose hands we've placed our lives.

Tonight, speak honestly and openly with the Lord about your concerns, and make your petitions known. Then cast the care of them onto Him and sleep in peace, knowing He is at work on your behalf.

When Day Is Past (Christian Articles)

By the end of the day, most of us are completely exhausted. Our bodies are tired, our energy is depleted, and our minds are empty. Creative ideas, workable solutions, and wise answers are nowhere to be found. Our emotions are frayed and our ability to communicate and relate to others is almost nonexistent.

In the Midst of your weariness, take time for the Lord. Don't shut Him out, thinking that prayer or devotional time is just "one more thing" and you're just too tired. Embrace your time with Him as a life-giving respite.

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength
they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and
not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
Isaiah 40:31

Christian Article: Anger

Usually we are not at all dismayed--especially if we are choleric by nature--if we should happen to flare up violently when we are irritated or annoyed. For instance, if we are irritated by our disobedient children, we almost think it is natural for us to shout at them. But then we are using false standards, standards that God does not accept.

God's standard is different and it is the only one that is valid.We will be judged according to it. It is the standard that Jesus gives us. In the Sermon on the Mount He speaks about being angry with our brother. He tells us what will happen, if we insult our brother or even say to him, "You fool!" (Matt. 5:22). None of us would think that this is a serious sin.

Yet Jesus pronounces a frightful judgment over such vehement behavior. He includes angry people with murderers, and a terrible punishment will await them. And we know that anger can really kill in a figurative sense. Children, and even adults, who have been victims of a constant barrage of angry remarks often have deep scars in their souls; it is as though something there has been put to death.

God's judgment will come down in a dreadful way upon those who persist in being angry. Jesus said that those who hurl angry insults at their neighbors will find their eternal place in the fire of hell, if they do not repent of their anger (Matt. 5:22)

Jesus tells us clearly and unmistakably: Just as the meek belong to Him, the angry belong to Satan and his kingdom of darkness. Therefore, no matter what the cost, we must be freed from anger, from flaring up and being vehement.

We must not fall into Satan's traps. We know his tricks. He tries to convince us that we have to shout at people every once in a while just as Jesus did when He drove the money-changers out of the temple. But when he tries this trick, we can only say: "Get behind me, Satan, you blasphemer!" Jesus was not a sinner like us, but the Holy One of God, filled with the spirit of love, and He was only acting out of the agony of love when He saw the sacred temple being desecrated by sin. He was angry, because He wanted to save; His anger was a reaction of His love.

On the other hand, we really ought to know what our heart is like. It is a den of robbers. Evil thoughts come out of it (Matt. 15:19). It is like a cup of poison. If we think we are helping others to get straight, by shouting at them angrily, we are handing them a poisonous drink.

Our good intentions are mixed with bitterness and indignation. Can there be anything good or loving behind our angry, vehement words when all this is resting in our hearts? What liars and hypocrites we are, if we pretend that we just want to help the other person get back on the right path by giving him a piece of our mind.

In truth we usually just want to give vent to our annoyance and anger--and because this is Satan's poison, it cannot help others and free them. It will only make them more set in their evil ways.

Satan's poison of anger and flaring up has to be removed from our hearts and lives, if we want to be free from Satan's power and whoever fights a battle of faith in hatred against this sin will be freed from it, for Jesus has come to destroy the works of the devil.

Should He not also conquer this devilish anger in us? Did not God make Moses, who killed the Egyptian in great vehemence, more meek "than all men that were on the face of the earth" (Num 12:3)?

We have to make an "about-face", declare war on our anger and choose the way of Jesus. "To this you have been called...that you should follow in his steps... . When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten" (1 Peter 2:21-23). In our mind let us picture Jesus, who says: "I am gentle" (Mathew 11:29)--Jesus, the Lamp of God, filled with gentleness, patience and meekness--a picture of love that overcomes all!

And to this image He has redeemed us. We should reflect this love, which wins other people, which is the opposite of anger and vehemence. It is gentleness and mildness which has great power and thaws out hard hearts like a spring wind.

This way of meekness leads us to heaven. The meek are called blessed. The way of the angry leads to hell. We can choose. If we want to follow the way of the Lamb, Jesus, "the Captain of our salvation" (Heb. 2:10 A.V.) will proceed us and we will tread in His footsteps. That means in practice: If we are upset and annoyed about something, we should not go to the other person immediately to give vent to our anger. Wait and pray first. Perhaps instead of hitting him with a long tirade, we might just write down a few lines on paper.

We must never let the sun go down upon our anger, but humble ourselves before God and if necessary also before the people against whom we were angry. God will bless such steps taken in obedience and will remoulds us into gentler people.

Should it not be possible for God to make us gentle and meek? Jesus has paid the ransom price and broken the power of Satan and sin so that we no longer have to serve this sin of anger. We have truly been redeemed from the futile ways inherited from our fathers (1 Pet. 1:18). The disposition of our fathers--like vehemence and anger--which we have inherited, can no longer rule over us. This sin has been nailed to His cross and our inheritance is the new disposition, the image of God. In Christ we are a new creation, redeemed to the image of the Lamb, who was meek and humble--this we must claim in faith.

Blessed Is He Who Comes

Matthew 21:9 NKJV

"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"

Praise God! The world of humanity that had been separated from God and unable to approach Him except indirectly through the Jewish sacrifices and ceremonies was now invited to draw near and be reconciled directly to Him through this Baby Who had invaded time and space to be born!...

Real meaning to your life is found in the glorious dawn of God's story, which breaks into full revelation in the Person of Jesus Christ. What an astounding truth! What a life changing message!

Because He emptied Himself of all but love,
you can be filled.

Because His body was broken,
your life can be whole.

Because His blood was shed,
your sin can be forgiven.

Because He submitted to injustice,
you can forgive.

Because He finished His Father's work,
your life has worth.

Because He was forsaken,
you will never be alone.

Because He was buried,
you can be raised.

Because He lives,
you don't have to be afraid.

Because He reached down to you,
you don't have to work your way up to Him.

Because His promises are always true,
you can have hope!

- Anne Graham Lotz -

Ingratitude

Ingratitude--an ugly trait! Especially when it is directed against someone who has made sacrifices for us and done many good things for us. Our ingratitude can hurt such people deeply. What sorrow there is in Jesus' words when only one of the ten lepers that were healed came back to thank Him. "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" (Luke 17:18).

But today our ingratitude is even more serious, because we actually do not appreciate the gift that surpasses all understanding--Jesus' forgiveness and His vicarious atonement for us. His sacrifice for us reveals that we as sinners need the redemption of Jesus and that we in no way have deserved love from God

Because everything we receive from God is undeserved, including what He lets other people give us, it should be a matter of course for us to thank Him. But, if we do not give thanks for His grace and undeserved gifts, we are like parasites and we should not be amazed when the wrath of God comes upon us.

Ingratitude is a serious sin. The Holy Scriptures say that it is one of the characteristics of the antichristian spirit of the last times (2 Tim. 3:2). It will be judged severely by God. Therefore, we have to overcome all the ingratitude in our hearts if we are to belong to Jesus in eternity.

We have to see what an ugly trait it is. We must be resolute and not tolerate it any longer, because it hurts the Father's heart so deeply and provokes His wrath against us.

How can we overcome our ingratitude? Here too we must first recognize the root. Just like many other sins, its root lies in pride. The proud taken it for granted that people will give them things. Consciously or unconsciously they think they have a right to receive gifts.

There eyes are blind towards all the good things that the heavenly Father gives them. In their pride they think, even when they are not consciously aware of it, that they have the right to enough, or more than enough, nourishment, clothing and everything else they need for body and soul in this life. But if they do not have sufficient goods of this life, all of a sudden they remember God and accuse Him for not giving them what they need.

Their attitude towards God is like that of a person who has a lawful claim upon someone else. The ungrateful do not see that it is grace, pure grace, when God gives them what they need. So we have to humble ourselves before God and ask Him to forgive us for our pride, which kept us from thanking Him. And we have to ask for a deeper repentance over our proud ingratitude.

Then we have to take the next step by beginning to record all the good things we receive, either every day or every week. That means not only realizing this in our hearts, but bringing the Father a song or prayer of thanksgiving. It also helps when we have a special "thanksgiving booklet" in which we write down everything we receive.

Then at the end of the day, or at the end of the week, either alone or with our family, we can give thanks to God. In this way our hearts practice seeing what good things we have received, from other people as well as God.

Remembering the goodness of God and the kindness of men is the first step to gratitude. Along this road we will come to realize more and more deeply that God is a Father full of love who rejoices in doing us good (Jer. 32:41). Overwhelmed by this love, our hearts will be filled more and more with gratitude and joy. For grateful people also have good reason to rejoice over God's proofs of love, while ungrateful people are dissatisfied and upset.

That is a typical symptom of pride. But the more the Lord shows us our wretchedness and sinfulness the more our hearts will rejoice when the Father in heaven, in spite of all our sins, still gives us good gifts, and people also give us presents.

More and more will we learn to give thanks for even His difficult leadings, because we have come to know that His heart of love is behind them. This heart is revealed to the grateful. "Give thanks in all circumstances", says Scripture, "for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thes. 5:18).

God wants to turn us into grateful people! God calls into existence things--including our gratitude--that do not exist. He will form in us new creations, grateful hearts that will also be humble, joyful and loving. The grateful are always loving. They want to repay those who have done good things for them and made them happy.

What a divine radiance lies upon the grateful; the radiance of the kingdom of heaven, for above we will give thanks to God and adore Him without end for all the good that he has done for us. But we will only be there if we have learned how to give thanks here.

Is there anyone who would like to close the door to heaven for himself by being ungrateful? If not, fight the good fight of faith against the sin of ingratitude, and heaven, where joy and love reign, will be opened for you here on earth.

Greed: Craving

Whenever we see something that we would like to have for body, soul or spirit, our heart begins to say, "Give me; Give me!" Even the smallest child says that. He stretches out his hand to get it just as Eve, the mother of our race, reached for the forbidden fruit.

The desire to have can either be for "more" or for "much". But it also can be a desire for the "best"; anything less is not good enough. There are many children--and sometimes adults also--whose eyes are bigger than their stomachs.

They heap more upon their plates than they can eat; they always reach for the best piece. This desire for more or for especially good food is often very strong. In time of war and famine we have often seen what a power this is. People lose their dignity and break all ethical rules just to satisfy their desires.

Furthermore, all of us know how much we long for sleep and comfort. The bondage to sleep can be so great that we can sacrifice even things essential for life, even our prayer time, just in order to be able to sleep more.

Our desires are kindled by many things--by modern clothing, more money, more comfort, and conveniences. But in our hearts there is not only greediness for visible goods, but also often for things that satisfy the soul; like attention, respect and love from other people.

Greed is a dangerous sin: it was the beginning of the fall. So greed can once again cost us the loss of "paradise" and the blessing of our birthright as in Esau's case. Therefore, we cannot afford to persist thoughtlessly or indifferently in greed for certain things, in bondage to food and sleep, in greed for "more"--more money, goods, talents or anything else that we desire.

For Holy Scripture says, "Those who desire to be rich fall into a temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction" (1 Tim. 6:9).

This is what greed leads to, not only for this life, but for eternity. The sin of greed not only makes us often sin against others, but it also causes us to lose our connection with God. Anything that we crave for or are attached to--other than God--is an idol. And God will not share His love with any of our idols. And God will not share His love with any of our idols. If we hold on to them, we will lose the love of God. Our joy is God will be taken from us.

Jesus shows us the consequences in the parable of the rich man. After he had satisfied all his desires in his earthly life, his tongue burned in the other world due to unfulfilled desires and he was "in anguish" (Luke 16:24).

Everything depends upon our being set free from greed. Jesus shows us the way by saying "Lose!". "Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matt. 16:25). This slogan "to lose" is a weapon in the fight against desire.

But beware: only if we lose things, goods, large and small, for body, soul and spirit, will we give greed a setback. We must begin to act categorically and turn away from the things we desire most at the moment. In spirit we should offer them up to God, and not spend much time thinking about them.

We must not ask for them, nor help ourselves to them. And by giving them away we will no longer nourish the greed in us and it will starve to death.

For instance, if we are bound to food, we should become accustomed to eating with discipline and to praying while eating, "You have set me free from this bondage". We should look on our palate as our enemy and not let it have any especially tasty thing until it does not matter what we eat.

Then we can enjoy good food with thanksgiving for the gift of God's great goodness--but we can also be satisfied with less at other times.

Similarly, if our bondage is to sleep. When we go to sleep, we should ask the Lord to wake us at the right time, or set our alarm clock so that we will have time for the Lord and prayer at the beginning of the day, or ask others to help us get up early.

We must ask Jesus to be the Lord of our sleep, the Lord of our food, not we ourselves. Our limbs, our tongues, our eyes, our bodies, are to serve righteousness, to be used for His glory and not for unbridled desires, which will enslave us.

That is why the Apostle Paul emphasizes this point in his first letter to Timothy; "There is great gain in godliness with contentment" (1 Tim. 6:6). That means, we should be contented with what we have rather than desire to have more free time and vacation, a higher salary, a better house, better clothing, etc.

We must not strive for perishable things, for they often bring sin and misfortune. We should choose the way of contentedness, even the way for deprivation. For that was Jesus' way. Jesus, who possessed all the wealth in heaven and on earth, deprived Himself of the glory He had with the Father and walked the earth as a poor man.

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich" (2 Cor. 8:9). He is calling us to join Him in being content; then the promise of God's blessing will be upon us.

No man can serve two masters at the same time. No man can strive for earthly and eternal riches at the same time. Whoever seeks earthly things will lose eternal riches. But whoever seeks the Kingdom of God will reach eternal glory above and everything he needs in the way of earthly goods will be given to him by God (Matt. 6:33).

We have to make a decision! Jesus, who went the way of deprivation and losing for our sake, has gained this new way of thinking for us, through His sacrificial death.

Therefore, in faith we must take hold of the victory banner and rely upon His victory: "I have been redeemed in the blood of the Lamb from all greed and craving". Let us allow no day to go by without looking at Jesus and being set on fire to give up something instead of craving for things. Then all our desires will be satisfied in Him.

My Lord Jesus!
You have been deprived of everything for me.
Your joy in being content and satisfied.
Your willingness to give away everything is now mine.
You have paid the price on Calvary.
I am free from the powers of greed.
Your love will only let one desire live in me--
the desire to reach the heavenly,
eternal glory.

Curiosity

Curiosity is different from being interested in something. Being interested is something good. Curiosity is something bad. Curious people usually look at things that are not meant for them. Typically they read letters and notes on other people's desks, that were not meant for their eyes. Or they listen to something not meant for their ears, but told confidentially to someone else.

Curious people "poke their noses" into everything and make it difficult for others to live with them. They ruin community life, which is based upon trust, because they insist upon knowing everything that is going on. And they constantly seek to find out things about others. If this yearning to know things is so strong in us, there is something sinful behind it.

Curious people should ask themselves what their motives are. For instance, if they are always curious, it may be their desire for attention. Pretending to be important, they pass on their newly-gained information to others when it is not right, they talk about things in the wrong place, and they destroy the relationship of mutual confidence for the sake of being the center of attention. If they are only curious about one person or a few people--if a mother secretly reads her daughter's diary or her children's letters about their friendships--then it probably stems from jealousy or the thirst for power.

They want to pry into the secrets of others. They are hurt if they do not get to know every ting and consequently they ask questions, directly or through others. They want to know everything in order to keep the other person under their control. Certainly justified concern can be one of the motives for such behavior, but discovering things secretly is never the way to form or maintain a relationship of mutual confidence.

Sometimes mistrust is behind curiosity; or the root may be lack of discipline when confronted with sensual attractions. They are so eager to hear something new or something intimate that they overrun all ethical and moral boundaries to satisfy their curiosity.

Due to this lack of discipline curious people are often driven to reading lewd literature or watching bad television programs. If they happen to see something "by chance", they have to keep watching, just because they think they have to know what is being shown. Without their realizing it, poison can flow into their thoughts and hearts.

Because curiosity is a vice, a sin, curious people often find that God punishes them in the act. For instance, they may hear something that provokes their jealousy and then they react meanly. Or they read something that is not meant for them and do not understand the context. So they draw false conclusions, burden others unnecessarily, and spread rumors.

In all this the curious become guilty. They trespass especially against the seventh commandment. For if I have listened to or read things that do not belong to me, I have become a thief; I have stolen intellectual material, which is often much more important than material possessions.

If these possessions are gained dishonestly, this can hurt others more than anything else. If someone is harmed by the curiosity of another, he sometimes finds that what he had guarded as his property is now trampled under foot by others. Curious people, therefore, are thieves, who harm others in very delicate matters, by robbing them of the possessions of their spirit and soul.

This sin is therefore against the seventh commandment. Just like every other sin against our neighbor, it will bring us God's judgment, if we persist in it. Sin always provokes God's anger, especially when it appears in Christians who know about Jesus' sacrificial death and His redemption and still dare to live in their old sins without fighting against them.

If we confront this truth soberly, we will realize that we cannot continue to live with this sin. We have to begin a real battle of faith. So when we are tempted to read shameful literature or do similar things out of curiosity, we must realize that this mania can very quickly lead us into "enemy's territory especially in our days. Then we would be like a child who goes into a forest without protection in order to see what's there and is then attacked by wild beasts.

Furthermore we must realize that it is Satan who incites us to discover new things and to know and hear what we actually should not. If we give in to our curiosity, we have fallen into his trap and he laughs at us scornfully, because he succeeded in making us sin and become guilty towards others. We must confront curiosity as a sin and not tolerate it any more in our lives.

We have to be consistent in avoiding certain places, certain books and other things that our curiosity wants to drive us to. Furthermore, if we looked at or listened to something that was not meant for us, it would be advantageous for us to confess it immediately. That will make us humble and prevent us from trying to satisfy our curiosity so quickly again, because we try to avoid humiliations.

Jesus has come to redeem us from all sin, even from the sin of curiosity. Whoever calls upon Him will be saved. So we must do that and honor Jesus by not persisting in a single sin, not even in this sin which seems so small to us, because if we do, we will be disgracing Jesus, who died to free us from our sins.

Criticizing: Judging

Included in the sins of pride, which God treats especially severely, are the sins of criticizing and judging. "God opposes the proud" (1 Pet. 5:5). Even if a person believes in Jesus, if at the same time, he persists in judging others God is not for him.

Then God has to be against him. But it would be terrible to have God as our opponent, to be under His wrath, which will have its full effect in the other world. That is why Jesus warns us so sharply: "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged" (Matt. 7:1,2).

Judging others will bring the wrath of God down upon us. He will be against us, because this sin is especially satanic. Judging others and accusing them is what Satan does. He is the accuser. Judging is one of the manifestations of our pride, manipulated by Satan.

In great presumptuousness we sit in judgment on everything that we see or hear about others, usually without knowing the background and the motives of their behavior or mistakes. Judging is satanic poison in our hearts, which can bring us terrible judgment, if we persist in it.

Jesus tells us this clearly by addressing those who judge with the words; "You hypocrites!" (Matt. 7:5). Jesus threatens the hypocrites, saying they will not enter His kingdom, but the kingdom of hell; they will go to the "father of lies". So the spirit of criticism, nourished by the accuser, is our greatest enemy.

We have to hate it from the bottom of our hearts and not tolerate it in the slightest, unless we want to find ourselves in the kingdom of the accuser instead of with Jesus.

How can we attack this enemy? First, recognize the fact that we are full of criticism and stop trying to explain it away. We should no longer make excuses for ourselves by saying, "I have to tell others what they are doing wrong to prevent them from making a mess of things."

In reality, however, we enjoy correcting others and reproaching them. Often the real source of our criticism is rebellion or annoyance, because someone did something against our wishes.

Therefore, we criticize him and accuse him. So in the light of God we have to ascertain that it is presumptuous to accuse others, to reproach them and especially to pronounce our verdicts in front of someone else. Then we will become guilty towards our neighbor, by getting others to be against him, and this could seriously harm him.

When we search our consciences in our quiet time, we should ask ourselves: Where have I brought guilt upon myself by judging others and reproaching them? What has my spirit of criticism brought about? Perhaps it has even ruined people's lives.

Have I harmed the souls of people at home or at work by reproaching them again and again and continually accusing them? If we--perhaps as a parent or educator--have filled our hearts with this satanic poison and sprayed it out at others, we have to admit that we are subject to God's condemnation, that we were Satan's servants.

What a terrible harvest we will reap! Our criticism will rob us of the most precious gift that Jesus has given us: forgiveness and the blotting out of our sins. Criticism provokes the wrath of God, who has forgiven us, as the parable of the unmerciful servant tells us.

Although He had forgiven this servant, He delivers him to the jailers, because this servant would not forgive his fellow-servant (Matt. 18:32-34).

So it means that we have to make every effort to get free from this spirit of criticism and whole-heartedly repent. Here we must act according to Jesus' words, "If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out!" (Mark 9:47). That means waging an intensive battle against the satanic sin of judging others. Jesus clearly shows us the way and we have to follow it.

Otherwise there will be no release. "First take the log out of your own eye!" (Matt. 7:5). Jesus is exhorting us: Stop giving your opinions about others and accusing them, before you become quiet in the presence of God and ask Him whether you are guilty of the same sin. Our sin of criticism usually begins when we neglect to do this.

We do not follow Jesus' words; we criticize immediately without first becoming silent in the presence of God and humbling ourselves under our sin which is even greater. When we come into the light of God, we will usually find out that we have the same faults, perhaps even more dominantly and many other undesirable traits in addition.

Then we will see that our guilt is like a log in contrast to our brother's splinter. We will be ashamed of our own sin and lose our presumptuous and indignant desire to criticize others.

Then we will be struck by what the Apostle Paul writes, "Therefore you have no excuse, O man, whoever you are, when you judge another; for in passing judgment upon him you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things." (Rom. 2:1).

And further: "Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God"--and be judged for this sin (Rom. 14:10).

So today we must choose a new way, a new place. Instead of sitting on the judgment throne above the others we must sit where we deserve to sit: in the defendant's box, where we can be judged and hear God's judgment on our sins.

When we are willing to do this, God will no longer be against us and we will no longer be in the hand of the accuser. On the contrary, we will belong to our Lord Jesus, who had to let Himself be accused in five trials. He did this, although He was innocent.

Shouldn't we, who are guilty, be able to take this place? If we earnestly begin to judge ourselves, we will ask people at home and at work to tell us the straight truth about ourselves. Humbled beneath this, we will be able to accept the reproaches of others, even when they are unjust.

Then our lips and hearts will be silent and we will not be able to criticize others so quickly and judge them so harshly.

Jesus went the way of humble love. He humbled Himself in the dust and let Himself be judged. Now He has redeemed the members of His body to live this love, which covers up others' mistakes instead of criticizing, which forgives and tolerates instead of making reproaches, which bestows kindness instead of criticism.

This does not mean tolerating sin. But if we should ever have to pronounce judgment, we will do it quite clearly but with a humble and loving heart.

But whoever wages a war of life and death against this spirit of criticism will find that nothing sits so deeply in our Adam's nature as the spirit of criticism. It will not disappear overnight by making one commitment, "I want to let myself be judged and place my mouth in the dust." No, our blood is infected with it.

There is only one Person who is stronger than our old Adam. It is Jesus Christ. His blood has greater power than the blood that we have inherited from our fathers. This blood of Jesus has complete power to free us, if we call upon it ever anew; in it there is really power to cleanse us from our sins, from the great sin of judging others, from hypocrisy, which makes us guilty and brings us into Satan's hands.

In faith we must appropriate the redeeming power of this blood. This will only happen in an intensive fight against this sin, in a daily battle of faith and prayer. This includes speaking the "nevertheless" of faith in spite of the defeats we experience: "I am redeemed to love and to forgive!"

Whoever is willing to endure in this battle in spite of his short-comings, believing in Jesus' redemption, will be freed from his great sin of judging others.