God's Political Favorite

We are, first, Christians. Some would have us believe we are, first, Americans or Republicans or something else. There are those who place their emphasis on politics. I would suggest that it's not biblical to do so. Politics are just fine, but not the end of the story.

Does that mean that Christians should avoid politics? Not at all. Okay, does that mean that the Bible has nothing to say about politics? Again, certainly not. I suspect, however, that very few even pay attention to the biblical perspective, so I'll give it to you here for your enlightenment.

A wise man's heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man's heart directs him toward the left (Eccl 10:2).

There you have it, straight from the mouth of the wisest man who ever lived. You know where you need to go, now, so ...

Woe to Him Who Strives

Isaiah quoted God when he wrote,

"Woe to him who strives with Him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?' or 'Your work has no handles'? Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?' or to a woman, 'With what are you in labor?'" Thus says YHWH, the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him: "Ask Me of things to come; will you command Me concerning My children and the work of My hands? (Isa 45:9-11)

To which we routinely answer, "Yes ... yes we will command You on what You do." Oh, maybe not in words, but that's what's in our heads. God must meet our expectations ... or else.

God is baffled by that idea. We live it all the time. We complain when He doesn't answer prayers the way we want. We are upset when He allows tragedies we would not have disallowed. We're miffed He doesn't give us more. When Mary was told she would be with child, she asked, "How"? When Zechariah was told his wife would be pregnant, he questioned the veracity. Mary was blessed and Zechariah lost his ability to speak. Because Mary expressed questions, but not doubt. Not "What are you making?" but "I don't understand."

It astounds me -- and if I'm pointing fingers, they're at me as well -- how many times we tell God how badly He messed up. I've literally asked, "Why have You made me this way?" (with suggestions about how He could have done better). Self-identified Christians tell me, "If that's what God is like, I want nothing to do with Him" when it's exactly what God says. Romans says natural man "exchanged the truth about God for the lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen" (Rom 1:25) It says, "they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened" (Rom 1:21). Let's not be worshiping the creature rather than the Creator. Let's not be futile and foolish. We're His creations. We really should learn our place. It's at His feet, not on His back.

Bless the Lord

King David wrote Psalm 103. It is probably best titled, "Bless the Lord, O My Soul." (More accurately, "Bless YHWH, O My Soul.") The text is a litany of the greatness of God. So David begins,

Bless YHWH, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless YHWH, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. (Psa 103:1-2)

"Forget not all His benefits." There's the key phrase. There's the aim. There's the goal. David fills the psalm with things that God has done.

It's a good practice ... reminding ourselves of God's blessings. But, for a moment, I am looking at the first part. "All that is within me, bless His holy name!" That's a rather comprehensive calling, isn't it? "All that is within me." Not just my feet or hands. Not merely my mouth. Not simply my mind. All. It's reminiscent, in fact, of the "Great Commandment." "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matt 22:37). All that is within you. And we need to be reminded. Lots of Christians, for instance, tend to neglect the mind. We think that an emotional, "spiritual" love for God is the best. Jesus included "your mind" in it. Think in your love for Him. "Be transformed by the renewal of your mind" (Rom 12:2). We seem to have a tendency to "surrender all" ... with parts in reserve. "Everything, Jesus ... except this ... right ... here." Our time or our money. Our way of relating to our spouse or our private obsession. David leaves room for none of it. "All that is within me bless His holy name!

It's really self-defeating when we refuse the "all." Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10) and we opt for "life" with limited abundance. God offers us blessings untold and we prefer some of our own sour fruits instead. If we nurtured this "all" concept, what a difference it would make. If we made a practice of blessing the Lord with all that is within us, what a change we would see in everyday existence. What are you holding back? And, why?

Supply Chain

Fairly early in our marriage my wife was encountering unusual stresses from a variety of sources, so she went to our pastor and asked for counseling. The pastor listened, then said it was over his head. He recommended a Christian counselor, so my wife went there. After a few sessions, the counselor asked her to bring her husband, so I sat through a session. Then she asked my wife to leave and she talked to just me. In the course of the conversation, I explained to her my approach to being my wife's husband. "Most people think of marriage as a 50-50 proposition. I don't. My aim is to give my wife 100%. I don't want to hold back. I don't want to wait for her to meet me halfway. I give her all I have all the time. Now, if she was to do the same, we'd have a 200% marriage, but the least we'll have is a 100% marriage. I can do this because I'm not relying on my wife as my source of love or satisfaction or other basic needs. I'm looking to my Savior. He supplies, perhaps using her or others or however He chooses. So I can give without requiring a return." The counselor looked at me, eyes wide. "Wow!" she said. That's ... crazy!" We didn't go back.

Was that crazy? I don't think so. Remember the story of Jesus and the woman at the well? He told her all about her 5 husbands and she ran off to tell the village. His disciples returned and were confused. They marveled that He was talking to a Samaritan woman (John 4:27), so they suggested He eat (John 4:31). He answered, "I have food to eat that you do not know about" (John 4:32). They still didn't get it, so He told them plainly, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work" (John 4:34). "My nutrition, the supply that fuels my existence, is doing His will." To which the disciples likely answered, "Wow! That's crazy." It's not. Paul said, "My God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Php 4:19). Not according to your resources; according to His. David wrote, "YHWH is my shepherd; I shall not want" (Psa 23:1). Jesus said, "Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (Matt 6:25-26). And on and on.

A somewhat archaic but still recognized term for God is "Providence." It references divine guidance or care. Capitalized, it is God's power for sustaining and guiding. "Provide-ence." You see it, right? So, yes, by human standards, relying wholly on God to provide every little thing you need, freeing you to give everything He asks, is stupid -- crazy. but we're not talking about human standards. Jesus, in essence, asked, "Who are you going to believe? Your stomachs, or God?" Paul wrote, "He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?" (Rom 8:32). You're not going to say, "You're crazy," are you? What an opportunity to live a fulfilled life of giving without demanding a return!

Too Comfortable

We are humans. We are designed to seek happiness. We don't always know where to find it, but it is built into our system. We like comfort. We enjoy "pleasant." We want things to be okay. So if God doesn't make things okay, we're miffed ... or worse. And the very existence of the uncomfortable, the painful, the unpleasant gives skeptics a reason to doubt the existence of God. I'm not sure that's wise. I'm not sure that even makes sense. Think about it. We all know "No pain, no gain." We know that broken bones heal stronger. We know that tough times make tough people. We know, whether it's actually true or not, "There are no atheists in foxholes." Face it. We love comfort, but it seems as if we need discomfort.

I think comfort can be a problem, especially for believers. We're looking for a condition in which there is only peace, prosperity, easy living. What does that do for us? Well ... it makes us complacent. We tend to become lethargic. We might, in essence, tell God, "Don't worry; I got this." We are beings built for a different existence. We are sojourners and exiles (1 Peter 2:11), strangers on earth (Heb 11:13). Peter says because this world is not our home, we must "abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul" (1 Peter 2:11). Because getting comfortable in this world places us in jeopardy. We actually fare better under fire (James 1:2-4; Rom 5:3-5). In the midst of "tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword," we are "more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Rom 8:35-37).

This world really is not our home. But ... if it's comfortable, well, we can wait. We're fine right here, thanks. It's not necessarily wrong to want pleasant circumstances. It's essential, though, that we are grateful for them, that we glorify God in them, and that we don't demand them. We are actually better off in trials because there we are forced to rely on God ... which is our best place to be. Comfort makes us happy where we are. The unpleasant makes us look toward heaven. Sometimes "comfortable" isn't a good thing. We need to be careful not to make it a demand, a god.

On Deer and Streams

The psalmist wrote,

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (Psa 42:1-2)

The imagery of the deer and water is illuminating. It's not a warm spot. It's not "affection." How does a deer pant for water? As a matter of life or death. As a matter of survival. Sure, it's pleasant, refreshing, all that, but it is life-giving more than anything. A deer pants for water because in that water is life. "So pants my soul for You, O God."

Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). "Nothing" is not a little "something." Conversely, Paul wrote, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Php 4:13). Since "from Him and through Him and to Him are all things" (Rom 11:36), it is clear that "all things" we do are from, through, and for Him. Thus, like a deer's deep desire to get water as a matter of iife, we should be pursuing God as a matter of life. It's not just "better" because of Him or "more pleasant" because He is with us. It is essential, as in "the essence of what we are."

It's easy to lose sight of this kind of thinking. Life seems so ... self-contained. It just ... happens. But Scripture disagrees. "In Him all things hold together" (Col 1:17). If He was to remove His hand -- let it "just happen" -- it would cease to be. So we long for God. Our souls thirst for God. Not to make life better ... but to make life.

News Weakly - 1/25/2025

Tick, Tock
TikTok, scheduled to shut down on Sunday, the 19th, went dark early. In an effort to stop Chinese intel gathering on American citizens, the government ordered it shut down and it has shut down. For reasons I don't quite understand, Trump would like to reinstate it (ironic itself because he tried to ban it when he was in office) and people are outraged that the government would try to protect itself and them from having their personal info stolen, but, hey, I think we've already established this is a crazy world. (By the way, TikTok was up and running again before Sunday passed.)

Unpardonable
In a dazzling display of absolute stupidity, Joe Biden pardoned people who were not criminals. They were "preemptive pardons." People like Fauci, Schiff, Cheney, Biden's entire family, and more were pardoned without every having been accused, let alone convicted. A phenomenal violation of any sort of justice. We started with "innocent until proven guilty" but, of late, have preferred "guilty until proven innocent," and Biden has given us "innocent and you can't even think otherwise." I understand a preemptive pardon is legal, but it's not sane. Why did he do it? He's afraid Trump will weaponize the justice system ... you know, like the administration of the last four years has done.

This is News
The headline reads, "Pastor Found Guilty." Uh, oh, we're going to be embarrassed again. Except, it turns out he's guilty of violating fire codes in the shelter he was running for homeless people. Sure, sure, he shouldn't violate fire codes. Yes, indeed, he ought to remedy this. But ... is this the kind of thing we need reported? A pastor doing good for his community while not meeting ... fire code? It looks a lot like an attempt to smear Christ's name ... again.

Not Really a Surprise
Biden issued preemptive pardons to a whole group of family and friends on his last day. Not to be outdone, Trump pardoned some 1500 people accused and/or convicted in the January 6 fiasco. Most of us thought the whole thing was not handled well and there has been a sense among many that 4 years of holding all those people without trial seemed ... I don't know ... illegal, but you'll have to determine whether clemency is the right choice. He is starting with a bang, isn't he?

The Heart Hates
CBS fired the weather reporter who criticized Elon Musk for waving to a crowd, comparing it to a Nazi salute. Good. Because it was clearly a wave to a crowd and not a salute. So why did this become an issue? Because the reporter clearly hated Musk and chose to interpret whatever she saw as bad simply because she hated Musk. We say, "The heart loves what the heart loves." The reverse is also true.

Your Trusted Source for Fake News
The whole Elon Musk Nazi salute thing was fodder for the Bee's cannons. Apparently hundreds of images have surfaced of Superman giving Nazi salutes. Journalists were horrified when the Village People performed a double Nazi salute. And the Bee included a series of photos of Nazi symbols from Trump's inauguration. What a world! What a world!

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

Justice? Meet Mercy.

Immanuel Kant was a philosopher in the late 1700's and early 1800's. His famous work, Critique of Pure Reason, argued that you can't prove by reason the existence of God. True or not, Kant went on to argue that without objective, ultimate justice, there is no basis for morality. And, he argued, objective, ultimate justice required a God ... like the God of the Bible. Fast forward 220 years or so, and we take another peek at the concept of "justice." The entire Trump scene has highlighted a dark secret in recent years. We call it "lawfare" -- using the legal system to take down political opponents. A perversion of justice, using the justice system.

Why did Kant argue for the need for ultimate justice? Because human justice can be perverted, twisted, abused. As it often is. It's interesting, too, that Paul says the righteousness of God is revealed in the Gospel, because "righteousness" and "justice" are the same word in the New Testament. That "justice" includes God's wrath (Rom 1:18) and Christ's perfect sacrifice on our behalf, enabling God to be both just and justifier (Rom 3:24-26). Since "mercy" is the opposite of justice, Christ's shedding His blood on our behalf made it possible for sin to be paid (justice) and justification by faith to occur (mercy).

Here's the thing. Ours is an amazing position. John wrote, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). "All unrighteousness." Paul wrote, "For our sake He (God) made Him (Christ) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor 5:21). And we know, "Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us" (Rom 8:33-34). Perfect justice meets perfect mercy for all time. That's a really big deal.

Accuracy Alarmed

There's an interesting story in Acts 24. Paul is on trial before the Roman governor, Felix. The text says, "But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the Way, put them off, saying, 'When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case'" (Acts 24:22). Interesting that Felix had "rather accurate knowledge" of the early Christian faith.

So they brought Paul before Felix and his wife, a Jewess named Drusilla (Acts 24:24). Mind you, Felix was not a nice guy, but he had this knowledge, so "he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus" (Acts 24:24). What did Paul present? We don't get the words, but we get the content. "And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, 'Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you'” (Acts 24:25). Three things: righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment. That is what Paul chose to present to Felix on faith in Christ Jesus. Notice the sequence. "Righteousness." "This is the way; walk in it." He told Felix about what was required. "Self-control." "How are you doing with that righteousness, Felix? How is your self-control?" And, finally, "the coming judgment." "Here's what's right, here's how well you're doing (or, rather, not doing), so you need to be concerned about ... judgment." Felix didn't merely blow it off. "Don't worry. I'm a good enough fellow. Besides, how bad can it be?" He didn't question his self-control or even deny the coming judgment. What he did do ... is get scared. That is, the sheer clarity and correctness of the message hit home.

It said Felix had "accurate knowledge." Clearly, that knowledge, though accurate, was not any more than surface level. Faced with the real story, Felix got alarmed. Seeing the truth of "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth" (Rom 1:18), Felix bolted and ran. He never changed in the text. He never repented. He kept Paul in prison as "a favor to the Jews" for two years. Felix demonstrated an understanding that was accurate but shallow, and it wasn't enough to save. How do we deflect the truth we have when we're overcome with God's Word?

Worship Service

We all know what a worship service is. It's that thing we do on Sundays (sometimes Saturdays). But ... that's not the biblical version.

Paul wrote,

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship (Rom 12:1)

"Therefore." All that precedes, from God's righteous wrath to Jesus's saving sacrifice to saved by grace by faith ... and beyond. Because of all that.

"By the mercies of God." Operating on God's mercy, not our strength. Like, how we who are forgiven much can love much (Luke 7:47). We are to do this based on His mercy toward our sin.

"Present your bodies as a living sacrifice." Jesus said, "If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). Paul wrote, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal 2:20). A living sacrifice as a lifestyle, a way of life ... a service of worship.

Yes, church is good, necessary, commanded. And worship takes many forms. Let's not neglect this one.

An Angry God

The pastor is preaching on Romans and I noted something new as he was preaching ... not that he said, but that Scripture says. The text is Romans 1:18 and following. But Romans 1:18 begins with a "for," so we can't forget the link. The topic is the Gospel in general (Rom 1:16) and, at this point, how it reveals God's righteousness (Rom 1:17) in particular. "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.(Rom 1:18). God's righteousness, revealed in the Gospel, includes "the wrath of God." Now, we don't generally consider "wrath" to be "righteous," but you know it can be. Paul wrote, "Be angry and do not sin ..." (Eph 4:26) because there is sinful anger and ... there is anger that is not sinful. Thus, the "wrath of God" revealed in the Gospel is righteous anger, wrath for the right reasons.

What, exactly, is God angry about? He's angry, in general, "against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." Paul uses two terms. What's the difference? Ungodliness is evident. It's not being godly. It's the lack of the proper attitude and actions toward God. Unrighteousness, then, is the lack of righteousness. That is, it's the lack of the proper attitudes and actions in terms of what is right. It is immorality of all kinds, the wrong attitudes and actions toward people and ourselves. Both versions of sin -- ungodliness and unrighteousness -- make God righteously angry. But it's more specific, isn't it? It's toward men of those two types who "suppress the truth." It's not, then, merely the attitudes and actions toward God and our fellow beings; it's the effect. They suppress the truth. Paul specifically says they suppress the truth "by their unrighteousness." (That's the new thing I saw.) How is that? Look around. In the 1950's, our society was quite different. We had little divorce, little sexual immorality, little crime, relative to today. But we shifted. We introduced "no fault divorce" and "free love" and "if it feels good, do it." And, incrementally, as new levels of divorce and immorality and such became "normal," they shifted farther. The "normal" moved until we reached the point that "homosexual" and "transsexual" are classified as "normal" when they never would have before. We traded a 10% divorce rate for a 50% divorce rate. We exchanged self-sacrifice for others for "I'm getting all I can get." Life in the 1950's is not lionized; it's ridiculed and even disdained. Divorce is expected, marriage is down, we're killing babies in the womb and applauding it. A boy can be a girl ... if he feels like it. And anyone who says different is evil ... the new "unrighteousness." Why? Because our unrighteousness of the previous decades suppressed the truth. Now we barely know what that is. Now Pilate would be the sage of the day: "What is truth?" (John 18:38).

One last, important question. What truth? What truth is suppressed by our unrighteousness? What suppressed truth makes God righteously angry? "For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them" (Rom 1:19-21). The very specific truth that is suppressed by our unrighteousness and ungodliness is ... the truth about God. Paul says the same thing in chapter 3 when he writes, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23). Sin here is irrevocably linked to falling short of God's glory. And God's glory is absolutely essential and absolutely inviolable. Who God is is so important that He "has shown it to them," so that "they are without excuse." And "Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened" (Rom 1:21). There is a sense in which God doesn't believe in atheists. That is the truth suppressed that makes God righteously angry. That is the bad news about humans. We suppress the truth about God and we earn God's righteous wrath in our faulty relationship with Him and our sinful actions and attitudes towards him and each other. That is what make the Good News so good -- God has a remedy that is both just (right) and gracious and merciful.

Inauguration

Inauguration is defined as "the beginning or introduction of a system, policy, or period." Today we begin a new ... period. Another "Trump era." Likely a different Trump era. Lots of people are excited. They, after all, voted him in. Lots of people are scared. He is, after all, a threat to our existence. But, whatever he is, it is his inauguration, and it is today. So? I'd like to point out a couple of truths. No, not conspiracy theories. Not even political claims. Truths ... some things we believers need to keep in mind, regardless of where on the political spectrum you fall.

Remember,

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.(Rom 13:1)

I know, I know, bad governments have done bad things, but ... who are you going to believe? God, or your eyes?

Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. (1 Peter 2:13-15)

God's purpose in government is to decrease bad actors and encourage good (Rom 13:1-5). We may not see it and we may not agree with it, but God says it, so we should be subject to and honor our government ... for the Lord's sake.

The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of YHWH; He turns it wherever He will. (Prov 21:1)

We tend to think in a practical atheist way ... like what's going on down here isn't really in God's control. We're wrong. We may not agree with the "king" -- our leaders -- but we must remember that even our leaders can't choose anything that God won't allow. Trust Him.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. (1 Tim 2:1-2)

Bottom line ... pray. Look at that list: "supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings." Really pray. Pray for the president (whoever he may be). Pray for all in high positions. Pray. And trust God. It really boils down to that. He says it's all in His hand. Trust Him. While America inaugurates a new president, we should inaugurate a new system in our own lives ... trusting God to be God in everything.

Thanks Be To God!

Thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness (Rom 6:17-18).

Sometimes we become complacent about the grace given us. Sometimes we think that Christianity is an "add on", something we can tack onto our lives and it will be ... better. This kind of thinking, I suspect, is one of the reasons that so many people can claim, "Yeah, I'm a Christian, but it doesn't really have an impact on how I live." Paul, here, disagrees.

Paul describes a transaction that has taken place in those who belong to Christ. It takes place, at the beginning of the chapter, when "We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life" (Rom 6:4). This "newness of life" is not trivial. He already described us as "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one" (Rom 3:10-12). He already claimed "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23). He will go on to say in Romans 8 that the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God. And in this 6th chapter he describes the condition of Natural Man as "slaves to sin". There is a lot that has to be overcome.

Yet, here he describes the Regenerate Man in starkly different terms. He uses phrases like "obedient from the heart" and "slaves of righteousness". This is not the same person described elsewhere as Natural Man. And this, indeed, is something for which to thank God.

We are more blessed than we normally realize. We aren't becoming merely obedient. He changed our hearts and we become obedient from the heart, a radical change from attempts at mere mechanical obedience. We aren't merely declared righteous. We become slaves of righteousness. Doing what pleases God is a driving factor. We really want that. It is a fundamental change in the human heart and it is wrought by God and we are the beneficiaries.

Thanks be to God!

News Weakly - 1/18/2025

Petty
Michelle Obama is taking the low ground and will not attend Trump's inauguration ... with her husband who will. After all, honoring democracy is only valid when it worked in her favor, and there is no room for "respect the office, not the man" in her line of thinking. Well, that may not be fair. She didn't attend Carter's funeral either. I don't know. She's washing her hair? Nancy Pelosi won't attend either. Now ... who is the anti-democratic side?

Your Trusty Public Source
We're all used to the Internet. We have Google and Wikipedia and endless resources. But ... without regulation, we have endless lies, as well. According to the Wall Street Journal, 20% of jobs on job hunting sites are fake. Nice. We laugh at the Bee as our "trusted source for fake news." The rest of the Internet is our distrusted source.

Guilty Until Proven Innocent
We don't know what caused the California fires yet, but it doesn't matter. In today's world we embrace "guilty until proven innocent," as lawsuits are filed against Southern California Edison for causing the wildfires. Hey, let's skip the investigation. The claims tell us all we need to know. Burn 'em to the ground. Oh ... wait ... I think it's too late.

Eyes on the Prize
In the midst of power struggles and daunting national crises, our government is hard at work, making sure that the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" hockey team gets Congressional gold medals. Now that's important. That could solve the Middle East crisis, save the economy, and produce world peace. Genius, people, just genius.

Ceasefire
The massive headline reads "Israel and Hamas Reach Ceasefire Deal," but ... not quite. The White House assures us "Biden got it done" while the IDF credits Trump's election with the success. And, as of the writing of this entry, they're still voting on the deal. Not to mention that previous deals have exploded in their faces ... every time. But, let's all cross our fingers, as if that helps, or "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!" (Psa 122:6), which is apparently a more biblical approach.

Your Best Source for Fake News
The Bee reported on an activist liberal judge who released a convicted felon onto the streets of New York City. I laughed at the story of Biden looking forward to retiring at the same farm where Jill sent the family dog. And California Governor Newsom has assured Los Angeles fire victims that he'll be prepared next time now that he knows that water is useful for fighting fires.

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

The Secret Sin

We all have "secret sins," bad things we've done or do that we don't want others to know about. But some of our secret sins are secret because we don't recognize them in ourselves. In Luke 18, Jesus tells the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. You know ... two men walk into the Temple (sounds like the beginning of a Jewish bad joke). The Pharisee says, "God, I thank you that I am not like other men ..." (Luke 18:11-12), but the tax collector simply prays, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" (Luke 18:13). We'd call it the sin of self-righteousness, and we'd recognize it in a Pharisee ... but do we see it in ourselves?

In the basics of the Christian faith, we have the premise that all are sinners (Rom 3:23). Check. We know that we have no righteousness in ourselves (Rom 3:10). Check. We know that the only claim to righteousness we have is the applied righteousness of Christ (2 Cor 5:21). Check. So, by definition, a Christian can't be self-righteous because we already claim that we have no righteousness in ourselves and the only righteousness we have is given, not earned. So, how could we suffer from self-righteousness? Well, because we're human. And we think, while consciously agreeing we have no righteousness of our own, that unconsciously we're certainly not as bad as that guy. We know the truth; he doesn't. We're working at being Christlike; he isn't. We don't indulge in homosexual behavior or adultery or whatever evils he is, thank you, God. It's in the attitude. We're better because we found the truth and he hasn't. So we wind up in a dilemma. We claim we have no righteousness of our own. We might even think exactly like that Pharisee: "God, I thank you that I am not like other men." That is, "It is God who has gotten me here." That's a good line of thinking. The problem comes when we think we are keeping it that way, that we are superior, when it's only the indwelling Spirit of Christ that keeps us. It's a sin ... the sin of self-righteousness.

We do have righteousness not our own. We do have the Spirit at work in us. We do need to acknowledge that. And there is sin that is out there. We do need to acknowledge that. But Paul said when we measure ourselves by one another and compare ourselves with one another, we are without understanding (2 Cor 10:12). We don't serve the truth by ignoring sin in others. But we don't serve the truth by ignoring sin in ourselves. Our righteousness is not measured in comparison to any other; it is Christ's perfect righteousness in comparison to God's perfect standard. So we need to recognize our own tendency to self-righteousness in the face of knowing better while we urge others to come to the source of our righteousness ... which is not ourselves. It's a difficult balancing act, but a necessary one.

Who Am I?

Casting Crowns asks,

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt?"

David asked a similar question.

Who am I, O YHWH God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? (1 Chron 17:16)

I suspect most people would have an answer. "I'm somebody." "I deserve a break today." "I'm smart and funny and, doggone it, people like me." "I am, after all, basically good." So what's with David ... or Casting Crowns? They, unlike so many today, understand reality.

We were created uniquely in the image of God (Gen 1:27). That made us special. But we fell (Gen 3:1-7). We fell hard (Rom 1:18-32). We fell fatally (Gen 2:16-17). We fell ... eternally (Rom 3:23). Why eternally? Because sin, according to Scripture, is falling short of the glory of God, an eternal infraction, an eternal death sentence. We think we're basically good. We think we're not so bad. God says, "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one" (Rom 3:10-12). Not ... even ... one.

Natural Man falls in the category of "men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth" (Rom 1:18) ... the ones who are under the wrath of God. Only when we are convicted by the Spirit do we arrive at "Who am I?" Only when we see the wrath we deserve can we appreciate the mercy He provides. As long as we defend ourselves as basically "not guilty," we will fail to see the magnitude of His grace, the vastness of His mercy, and the amazingly good news that God sent His only Son to die for us.

Much More Better

We sang songs in church this week about peace. The standard message: God is with us to support us when we suffer. And it's true. I don't mean to take anything away from that. But ... I think it's incomplete. I think it's so much better than that.

We like those songs about how God is with us in hard times. "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Heb 13:5) is a wonderful reality when we're going through pain or stress. So, we hunker down, metaphorically wrapped in the arms of God, and wait it out. But ... that's not the biblical image. Paul says, "We rejoice in our sufferings" (Rom 5:3-5). James says, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds" (James 1:2-4) When Joseph faced his brothers for their treachery, he said, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Gen 50:20).And of course, "We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28-30). God isn't offering tolerable. He's offering profitable.

We can relax in the arms of our Savior when times get tough ... and they will. But we shouldn't just survive; we should thrive. He intends it for good. We can rejoice. So much better than merely "get by."

Good News

The fires in Los Angeles (or so) have reminded me ... of the gospel. Well, indirectly. Paul introduces the gospel as "the power of God for salvation" and a revelation of the righteousness of God (Rom 1:16-17). The gospel ... good news ... as a revelation of God's righteousness begins with some very, very bad news. We're all sinners, under God's wrath (Rom 1:18) ... without excuse (Rom 1:20). This diatribe against Man continues through another chapter and into the 3rd. No one is exempt (Rom 2:1). "None is righteous, no, not one" (Rom 3:10). "No one is good, not even one" (Rom 3:12). "By works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight" (Rom 3:20). Really bleak. And related to the gospel, to the good news, to the righteousness of God?

How is this related to the good news? How is this a display of God's righteousness, His rightness? Well, it's an interesting thing. Good news is only good if it is contrasted. Let me illustrate with the fires. Let's say you owned a house in that area and you went away for a two week vacation in some remote cabin. You had a friend take you to the airport and watch your house and pick you up when you returned. He greets you at the airport and says, "Good news! Your house is still standing!" Good news ... right. Like ... why wouldn't it be? I mean, sure, my house is still standing, but I expected it to be. "No," he says, "you don't understand. While you were gone, a fire raged through the area. Every house was burned to the ground ... but your house is still standing." Do you sense the shift? Do you feel how that news ... although the content is the same ... is better good news than "Your house is still standing"?

Paul paints a bleak picture of the plight of sinful Man, justly facing God's wrath, as part of both God's righteousness and the gospel. It's such good news because of the horrible condition we've achieved. "You can have peace with God" is all well and good if you think you deserve it, but what if you don't (Rom 5:1)? "You can be saved by faith" is fine if you've earned it anyway, but what if you can't (Rom 3:20)? "God will withhold no good thing" (Rom 8:32) takes on new meaning when we know He owes us ... judgment, not grace and mercy. By telling us the worst possible news, the magnificence of the gospel becomes truly great news ... and the righteousness of God becomes huge.

What For?

Paul wrote his epistle to Rome before he ever got there. He wrote it to tell them the gospel. He says,

I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. (Rom 1:14-15)

The next verse begins with the word, "for." And the next verse. And the next verse. All the way to verse 21. Now, these "for" statements are building blocks. Starting with "I am eager to preach the gospel to you," Paul gives reasons. Why is he eager to preach the gospel? "For I am not ashamed of the gospel" (Rom 1:16a). And why is he not ashamed of the gospel? "For it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Rom 1:16b). Do you see the sequence, the line of thinking? The gospel is the power of God for salvation. Therefore, he is not ashamed of it. Therefore, He is eager to preach the gospel. It's a cause-and-effect sequence. But there's more. How is the gospel the power of God for salvation? "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith'" (Rom 1:17). The reason the gospel is the power of God for salvation is that it reveals the righteousness of God and justification by faith. And why does it reveal the righteousness of God? Because God's wrath is revealed against our sin (Rom 1:18). Why is He angry? Because what can be known about God is plain (Rom 1:19). And how is it made plain? Because nature reveals His attributes so they are without excuse (back to "Why is God angry?") (Rom 1:20). Paul has laid out a very detailed statement here about cause and effect. The central point is the gospel. The gospel is God's power for salvation because it reveals God's righteousness. God's righteousness -- His "rightness" -- is revealed because He is angry at sin. The sin He is angry with is our refusal to honor Him -- the bad news.

We tend to read Scripture in verses. Well, of course we do; it's put together that way. But we should be reading it in context. I noticed the other day that a chapter in Acts ends with "And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying:" (Acts 21:40). That's no way to end a chapter. And if we're reading verse by verse, we stop before the thought is finished. Romans is a theologically dense letter, and if we're not careful, we might miss key components if we don't consider the context. Many of us can quote, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Rom 1:16) without even noticing the first word is "for" and requires the previous context (and the following) to make sense of it. We shouldn't settle for "Christianity Lite." We ought to devour the Word and get all we can out of it.

More than Enough

Spouses cheat on spouses for a variety of reasons, but, underlying them is one, single fact. They believe that they are not getting what they want or need. They believe, to some degree or another, that they don't have enough, and they need to get it elsewhere.

In Ezekiel, God takes Israel to task for "her abominations" (Ezek 16:2). He calls her an "Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband!" (Ezek 16:32). Okay, now, what's that all about, God? How is Israel like an adulterous wife? God talks about all He gave her (Ezek 16:3-14), but instead of being satisfied, they "played the whore" (Ezek 16:15), took what God gave them, and gave it to other nations. Their "whoring" with Egypt and Assyria and other gods ... made them an "adulterous wife."

Adultery is "voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone who is not his or her spouse" in its narrowest sense, but in a more general sense, it is giving to someone who is not their spouse that which belongs only to their spouse. And the cause is dissatisfaction. "I am not getting what I want. I want more." When we give ourselves to anything that is not God, we are adulterous. When we seek pleasure and delight from sources other than our Lord, we are adulterous. When we look to anyone or anything else to satisfy, we mimic adulterous Israel. When will we discover that He is far more than enough?

News Weakly - 1/11/2025

They're Still At It
Trump was sentenced for his "hush money" conviction ... which, of course, is nonsense. The sentence was ... nothing, which, I suppose, was the punishment befitting the crime. The prosecution claimed he wanted to keep voters in the dark about his alleged sex with Stormy Daniels, but the charges were around improper paperwork. He's a "convicted felon" in New York for "falsification of business records" ... which only goes to show that this was another case of weaponizing the justice system to get at a political opponent ... like scheduling his sentencing just before his inauguration. What will remain is not "falsification of business records" (ho-hum), but "sex scandal" and "hush money" and "attempting to fool the voters" ... all without a trial. Because, of course, all candidates try to keep bad publicity out of the voters' hands, adultery is immoral but not illegal, and making payments for silence is not illegal. Violating an NDA (as Stormy Daniels admits to doing) should have consequences, but, apparently, not for anti-Trump accusers. (And I'm not even a Trump fan.)

Never Forget
Biden urged Americans not to forget the January 6th attack on the Capitol. And we shouldn't ... except most Americans already have. We've forgotten that there was no insurrection; they sought to stop the certification of the vote. We've forgotten that four protesters were killed, including an unarmed, female Air Force veteran shot by a Capitol police officer. (One officer died in the riot, but not of injuries ... of a heart attack.) We've forgotten that, while there was no evidence for "widespread election fraud," there was reason to question small pockets in strategic states that could easily have turned the election with a minimal amount of fraud. The evidence was dismissed out of hand ... and forgotten. No, never forget, but be sure it's the truth you remember and not the years of lies offered by the media and the government.

Not for Prime Time
Prime Minister Trudeau ... is resigning? I guess I don't understand Canadian politics, but apparently he's facing "rising discontent" and he's insistent that his political party remain in control ... in the face of "rising discontent." Nope ... not getting it.

That Cold Day
The northeast took a real blast of cold this week. Broad swaths encountered serious cold. The nation's capital was hit with a rare snowstorm on the day Trump's win was confirmed. Would that be the proverbial "cold day in ..." well, you know?

With a Twist
After Biden broadcast the traditional clemency notices to inmates (like outgoing presidents typically do), a surprise emerged. Two federal death row inmates refused to sign the paperwork. They didn't want commutation. It may be moot. Legal precedence doesn't require their signatures. But they both claim their innocence and want exoneration, not clemency. Now, "pardon" and "clemency" are not the same, but is it just for these two to be put to death ... after being given clemency? I wonder.

Your Trusted Source for Fake News
California Governor Newsom has announced a plan to make fire illegal and assured wildfire victims he is diverting millions of dollars to fund emergency DEI initiatives. Trump has announced his plan to rename the Moon "Space America." Finally, thanks to Canada's liberal euthanasia laws, Trudeau will be humanely executed since he has exceeded his usefulness.

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

Who Are You Going to Believe?

We got a notice the other day of friends in southern California who were being evacuated for that huge fire. The coverage was incredible, with home after home aflame and no firefighters present. The winds were too high and it was an uncontrollable inferno. I saw one interview where a woman watched her home burn on the news coverage. "Yes, that's my house!" And I think of our "fires." Do we "count it all joy" or do we assume the worst?

Paul wrote,

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? (Rom 8:31-32)

Looking at flames burning down a house, do we believe that? Watching a child die, a loved one perish, do we believe that? When a job is lost, do we believe that? When our kids are in peril, do we believe that? We have, in front of our eyes, evidence that God is withholding good things. And we have this sure confidence that He will not withhold any good thing. Who are we going to believe -- our eyes, or Him?

Life can be difficult. We have a quaint little saying: "Into each life some rain must fall." That doesn't quite cover it, does it? But we get it. Bad things happen. Everyone, at some point, experiences tragedy. We who are believers have to ask ourselves, "Who are you going to believe? Your eyes, or God?" The answer will have a major impact on our response.

Profitable

In the Book of Acts, Paul is returning to Jerusalem after his 3rd missionary journey. On his way, he stops to talk with the elders of the church that he established at Ephesus. In that address, he says a lot of good things, but this caught my eye.

And when they came to him, he said to them: "You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts 20:18-21)

It's an interesting portrait of an Apostle, of a messenger chosen and sent by God. He describes his ministry as humble and tearful and trying. The part that really caught my attention was that phrase, "I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house ..."

We live in a country that, technically, has a freedom of religion. Guaranteed. But ... we know that's not quite true. Especially in our times. We know there are things we're not supposed to say. We're definitely not supposed to point to Scriptures that suggest submission, especially of wives to husbands, but submission in general, or any kind of patriarchal hierarchy (e.g., 1 Cor 11:3). We're not supposed to point to Scriptures about sexual immorality and, specifically, the sin of homosexual behavior. We're not supposed to point out that sex and gender are God's work, not ours (Gen 1:27). We are not supposed to make anyone feel uncomfortable or guilty. We're not supposed to call for a change of heart or repentance. There are just some things -- critical things in the Christian message and faith -- that we're not supposed to believe, let alone state out loud.

Paul said he did not shrink from declaring the truth. That is, there was reason in Paul's day to fear stating the truth. But he did not shrink from it. Instead, he told them "anything that was profitable" and did it publicly, starting with the Gospel, which he knew was an offense (1 Cor 1:18) only removed by being silent (Gal 5:11). He wouldn't be silent. Paul would preach everything, publicly, that was profitable to them. Boldly. And, eventually, fatally. Because, he said, "I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:13). Are we?

The Forgotten Command

There are lots of commands in Scripture for believers to observe. Stand firm, die to self, avoid sexual immorality ... on and on. But there is one that is, somewhat, surprising. It is ... wait. Be still. Now that's a little odd, isn't it?

Isaiah wrote,

Those who wait for YHWH will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. (Isa 40:31)

"Wait," huh? The Hebrew word is interesting. It means to wait, but it includes the notion of waiting hopefully, waiting eagerly, waiting expectantly. It is translated in multiple places as "hope." So it's not a "twiddling my thumbs" waiting. It is eager anticipation ... of God. Psalm 37:7 says, "Be still before YHWH and wait patiently for Him." Psalm 46:10 famously tells us, "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" (Psa 46:10).It is a reminder that "YHWH of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress" (Psa 46:11).

It's easy to get caught up in this frenetic world, with all its pressures and wild aims. God says "Be still." God says, "Wait." God says, "I'm the One in charge. I'm the one who does the right thing. I'm the one who will accomplish it. Wait. Wait patiently. Wait hopefully. Because I am God." And in that we can find rest, peace, new strength.

Delight

Jesus said, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you" (John 15:7). That's an extravagant promise, isn't it? Yes ... and no. Think about it. If you abide in Christ ... if your dwelling place is in Christ ... and His words dwell in you, ask whatever you wish and He'll supply it. Why? Because you're asking for what He wants you to have. John wrote something similar. "This is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him" (1 John 5:14-15). Again, very broad-sounding, but perfectly sensible. If we ask Him for what He wants, He'll always give it.

I was mulling this over recently and found it elsewhere, too. Surprisingly, it was in the Old Testament.

Delight yourself in YHWH, and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psa 37:4)

What a statement! "He will give you the desires of your heart." That means that I can wish for ... money and fame and power and ... and, of course, you see right away how off this line of thinking is because of the premise. If my delight is in the Lord, what will my desires be? They will be those things that please the Lord. They will be those things that honor and glorify God. If my greatest delight is in God, my deepest desires will be for God's best interests. And, of course, He's more than happy to give me those desires.

There are lots of books written on the importance and secrets of prayer. I think this one is perhaps neglected and certainly not practiced as much as it ought to be. We need to turn our hearts to Christ. We need to find our greatest delight in God. We need to make Jesus our greatest treasure (Matt 6:21). We need to turn aside from all our worldly desires and find our greatest joy in God's desires. How? By dwelling in Christ. By immersing ourselves in His Word. By seeking what He wants and asking for it. I think it's a critical secret to a powerful prayer life ... and an abundant life.

Jesus Hates Divorce

On the question of divorce and the Bible, there is perhaps one best-known text to which most people harken -- the so-called "exception clause." In Matthew, we have an account of the Pharisees asking Jesus, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?" (Matt 19:3). What a question! "Is there any cause in which it is lawful to divorce one's wife?" In His time, the Jews had a range of beliefs. One group (the school of Hillel) said a man could divorce his wife for any offense at all. She burned the toast? Out! (I exaggerate, but you get the idea.) Another group (the school of Shammai) said divorce was only allowed for adultery. "So, Jesus," they were asking, "which is it?" And Jesus's answer was ... shocking. "No," He said. Not "any reason" or "adultery," but "What God has joined together let not man separate" (Matt 19:4-6). Note that Jesus's line of reasoning was that marriage was not a human institution and was not grounded in human relationships or feelings. Marriage was a divine institution and the grounding was in the union that God built. It wasn't about fulfillment or comfort or satisfaction. It was about ... God (Eph 5:31-32).

The Pharisees were ... miffed. "Oh, yeah? Well what about Moses's instructions?" (Matt 19:7). Jesus attributed that to Moses and to the hardness of the heart (Matt 19:8). Interesting, isn't it? Now, the next verse is relevant, but ... to what? "And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery" (Matt 19:9). Jesus has already said that marriage is a divine invention predicated on a divine act of the union of two people into one. Divorce necessarily violates that union -- God's act. So what is this so-called "exception clause"? It's the "go-to" for a lot of people who want to walk the line between obedience to God and "my personal comfort." Especially today. A husband who commits "sexual immorality" today by, say, cheating on his wife or, even, watching pornography is now deemed "divorceable" as it were because that's what Jesus said ... wasn't it? No. That's not what Jesus said. Jesus said, "What God has joined together let not man separate." Jesus said the Mosaic laws on divorce were only allowed for our hardness of heart. This exception clause, then, cannot justify divorce. What Jesus was commenting on was ... remarriage. He's specific, isn't He? If a person divorces their spouse "and marries another" the violation is "adultery." (Note that "sexual immorality" is not the same as "adultery." Adultery is included under the category of "sexual immorality," but does not define that category.) So, if a marriage ends because of sexual immorality, remarriage is permitted. Otherwise, it is not.

Our world is happy to tell us that we marry for love (which, they further assure us, is "warm affection"). Our world is adamant that we need to be "happy" and "fulfilled" and if our spouse is not fulfilling those needs, we aren't merely justified in ditching them; we're practically required to. Jesus said, "What God has joined together let not man separate." That is, there is no biblical support for divorcing your spouse. If, on the other hand, a divorce happens, as in Paul's "But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace" (1 Cor 7:15), then Jesus permitted remarriage. I would suggest that ignoring Jesus's main premise that marriage is God's work and trying to edge closer to the world's "You deserve to be happy and fulfilled" arguments is not a move toward greater godliness. Divorce is not the unpardonable sin, and we believers who castigate the divorced (generally without even knowing the context) simply because they divorced are "casting the first stone," clearly something Jesus recommended against (John 8:7). But those of us who wish to be conformed to the image of Christ ought to do everything in our power to remain married at any cost to the spouse to whom God has joined us, trusting in Him rather than others.

The Upside of the Downside

People constantly complain ... about God. Believers and unbelievers alike. God is always letting us down, failing to meet our expectations. For the skeptic, it's proof that God doesn't exist or, if He does, is a bad thing. For believers, it's reason to doubt our faith. Someone dies, someone gets sick, someone loses a job -- God failed. I've prayed and prayed and God hasn't helped me -- God failed. It is extremely common, even among the faithful. There seems to be a crisis of some sort that comes into everyone's life that gives them pause. "This," they tell me, "is not the best of all possible worlds," and God has failed. But ...

I wonder if we're missing something ... critical. Let's try a mental exercise. Let's say I have a white sheet with a single black spot on it. I hold up the sheet to you and ask you, "What do you see?" You would obviously answer, "A black spot." Why? Because ... of the contrast. Because it stands out in a sea of white. In the same way, much of life is only visible ... in contrast. Good, for instance, is only visible when there is less than good. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to operate in the midst of fear. That is, if there was no fear, there could be no courage. God offers grace and mercy. Grace is unmerited favor which, if we all merited favor, wouldn't be possible. Mercy is the withholding of just punishment which, if there was no sin or punishment due, would have no existence. You could never experience the joy of forgiveness and the love that forgiveness produces (Luke 7:47) if you never needed to be forgiven. Love itself would be greatly diminished if that was all we ever knew.

In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul says,

What if God, desiring to show His wrath and to make known His power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of His glory for vessels of mercy, which He has prepared beforehand for glory." (Rom 9:22-23)

God's plan was to display His wrath and make His power known. His plan was to do it via "vessels of wrath prepared for destruction." Oh, that's bad. But Paul's point is that it was not bad in the final consideration. The sin of humanity, the rebellion of human beings, the individual transgressions of all people all serve as a platform for God to display His power and wrath and as a contrast to God's mercy. His patience and mercy are magnified in contrast to the wrath we've earned and He withheld. In the same way, all the "downsides" of life simply serve as contrasts to great virtues and gifts which, without the downsides, would become invisible to us. A fish, living in a lake, has no notion of water because it has nothing to compare to it. Humans, living in a perfect world, would have no appreciation for God's magnificence and gifts if we had nothing with which to compare them. Maybe God's not failing after all.

News Weakly - 1/4/2025

Over-Thinking
Paul tells each Christian "not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think" (Rom 12:3). Biden apparently never read that. He is touting five accomplishments he achieved in office, including navigating the pandemic (the vaccine was available before he took office), the appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson (the judge who couldn't tell you what a woman is), student loan forgiveness (which the courts stopped multiple times), and the economy (which was so bad that it was a primary factor in getting Trump elected). Nice try, Joe, but ... no. Wait! Unless he made the economy so bad Trump got elected, and that was his accomplishment? No, I doubt that's what he meant. (As an aside, what are we going to do without Brandon to kick around?)

Jimmy Carter, RIP
Former president Jimmy Carter died at the age of 100. You may have not been impressed with him as a president. You may have disliked his politics, but no one can question his humanitarian work, and that is his most vivid legacy. Rest in Peace.

Anti-Murder Regulation
In New Orleans, a driver intentionally drove into a crowd on Bourbon Street during the New Years Eve celebrations and killed 10 people, injuring another 30. The event echoed a a similar event in Germany last week just before Christmas. Lawmakers are scrambling for new automobile regulation to stem this new tide of mass murders by car. Oh, wait, no ... for some reason that's not happening.

The Real Story
This week there was a mass shooting outside of a Queens nightclub, another mass shooting outside of a Montenegro cafe, the discovery of 150 homemade bombs at a home in Virginia, along with the New Orleans car attack now labeled a "terror attack" that caused, among other things, the postponement of the Sugar Bowl, a suicide by exploding Tesla Cybertruck and, obviously, more. Some think it indicates the need for better gun control. I'd suggest there's a much, much bigger problem, and it is not that "people are basically good."

Your Most Trusted Source for Fake News
On the passing of Jimmy Carter, the Bee reports that Biden has finally claimed the title of worst living president. Of course, at the same time, we learned that Jimmy Carter will not be attending Trump's inauguration. That's gotta hurt. Finally, in order to further their "sanctuary state" status, California has announced mass deportations ... of U.S. citizens. You know, to decrease the invasive influence of American culture and all. Nice move, Mr. Newsom.

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

A Good New Year's Resolution

I was reading an article about things intelligent people do. The first thing the article listed was they will change their minds when confronted with valid information that contradicts their thinking. That is, the intelligent thing to do when you discover that you're wrong is not to defend it; it's to change it.

In Romans 12, Paul writes,

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom 12:1-2)

That "therefore" refers to the entire 11 chapters that preceded it -- 11 chapters of the truth of the Gospel (Rom 1:16-17) that includes the problem of the sinfulness of humans (Rom 1:18-3:20), the solution of justification by faith apart from works -- by faith in the propitiation of the Son who died for us (Rom 3:21-31) -- and more, concluding with "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen" (Rom 11:36). "Therefore," Paul writes. On the basis of this Gospel and God's righteousness, surrender your bodies as a living sacrifice as an act of worship. Then, "Step One." Don't conform to earthly thinking. Don't shape yourself by worldly wisdom. Don't be like the world that hates God. Instead ... "be transformed by the renewal of your mind." Like that article's notion of intelligent people, we're supposed to change our thinking by submitting to the truth. According to Paul that truth is not the world's version.

How do we renew our minds? It is first and foremost accomplished in opposition to worldly thinking. So, it is in submission to Christ instead of "brave" self-determination. It is in living in nonconformity to this world rather than embracing the world's values. It is by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5) and in the Word (Eph 5:26). It is in prayer rather than self-sufficiency (Php 4:6) and death to self rather than self-centeredness (Eph 4:22-24). It is in trusting the Lord rather than leaning on our own understanding (Prov 3:5-6). It's not ... normal. If we're operating on "normal," we're not renewing our minds. We need to change our way of thinking to conform to Him and His Word rather than the more comfortable, yet fatal, way of the world.

Contradicting Jesus

Jesus said, "No one is good except God alone" (Mark 10:18), clearly one of the times that Jesus spoke erroneously. Why would I even suggest such a thing? Well, Jesus also spoke of the "good and faithful servant" (Matt 25:21) and the guests who were gathered for the feast, "both bad and good" (Matt 22:10) -- just two examples. So obviously Jesus was wrong when He said there was no one good but God. This is one of those cases that 1) honest believers have to look at and 2) decide whether we have a viable Bible or not. And it's just one.

The world (and a goodly number of self-identified Christians) will tell us that the Bible is a "good book," but "let's not go overboard." It's fine as far as it goes, but it's made by humans and, therefore, contains mistakes, errors, contradictions, even lies. Genesis offers us a "Creation story" that is clearly myth, as science today has shown. The God of the Old Testament is clearly the fabrication of an ancient, superstitious civilization that Jesus has demonstrated isn't that mean ol' God at all. The Bible clearly contradicts itself, and that, alone, makes it not divine, but human. Therefore, we get to figure out what is and isn't true. We get to shape the Bible and God Himself to what we "know" to be true.

The problem, of course, is that what we know about God and His Son, Jesus, and all that constitutes "Christianity" comes from the Bible. If that's only partly true, then Christianity is a construct of our own making. There is no actual, solid ground on which to stand. No "leading of the Holy Spirit" gives firm footing (since said "Holy Spirit" comes from the pages of the Bible and appears to lead different people in different directions that would require a reliable Bible to discern). We who believe do great harm by calling Christ a liar, by assuring others that Paul was wrong when he said Scripture was "breathed out by God" (2 Tim 3:16-17 ESV), by telling us that sin is no big deal in contradiction to God's original "you shall surely die" (Gen 2:17), the vast array of the Hebrew sacrificial system ordained by God, and, finally, Christ's own sacrifice for sin. Minimizing God's Word is, in the end, fatal to Christianity, slipping it in among all sorts of other "valid" religions and really not worth arguing about. It is, without a doubt, a dangerous, if not fatal place to stand. Christians, we need to accept that there are texts that appear to contradict and then see how they correlate rather than contradict. Playing Scripture against Scripture is futile. And a Scripture that is questionably true is useless.

Unrecognizable

Note: I write this today on the 32nd anniversary of my marriage to my beloved wife. I think you will see it's intentional. I love my wife.

Love is universal. It exists in every culture, everywhere humans exist. While various languages refer to it in various ways, the idea is everywhere. And, of course, biblically that's a certainty because "God is love" (1 John 4:8). Since God is omnipresent, love must be, too. So ... why is it a specific sign of Christmas, for instance, while in so many other places and times and interactions, it's absent ... painfully so? Why are there bullies and mean people and wars? And why have we, in our day, equated "love" and "sex" as if they're the same? Do we even know what love is?

First Corinthians contains the famous "love" chapter. In it, Paul describes (not defines) love (1 Cor 13:4-8). He lists many of its qualities. And our world sees it and even makes art of it to hang on our walls.

It seems to me, though, that the love that Paul describes is completely foreign to our current culture ... and possibly every culture prior to it. Paul describes it as "patient and kind." Yeah, okay. But "does not insist on its own way"? Of course it does. I mean, how many guys have used "love" as a coercion to get sex? "Honey, if you loved me, you'd ..." We know people love us if they give us what we want, right? Not arrogant? "Is not irritable"? Try to prove that from so many "loving" relationships. Love rejoices with the truth? Only as long as it's the truth we like and not the one we don't. Verse 7 has a list of "all things" that love does -- bears, believes, hopes, endures. Is that even remotely the case? Do we actually bear all things for those we love? Do we actually believe the best of those we love? Or do we cave when it gets difficult and get suspicious at any hint of something negative? The description ends with "Love never ends." Now, that's right out. We all know that love has a time limit, that love has a "best if used by" date, so to speak. "We loved each other once, but we fell out of love."

Imagine what it would look like if, at least, followers of Christ were marked by love of that kind (John 13:35). Imagine if we loved as Jesus loved (John 15:12). Imagine if we loved sacrificially, without seeking our own interests, rejoicing in truth, bearing and believing all things. Imagine if we loved one another with a love that didn't end. What would marriages look like? What would churches look like? What would friendships look like? What would families look like? It would be revolutionary ... because very few of us today recognize that kind of love.