The Danger of Self-Confidence - September 07, Readings: Isaiah 25-26, 1 Corinthians 10:1–22, Psalm 105:1–8, Proverbs 22:10–12

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It was my first time skiing, and by my second day on the slopes I was ready to conquer the "black diamond" hill at the Eldora ski resort in Colorado. Brimming with confidence, I told my wife, who was tired of skiing and was happily relaxing in the lodge, to watch me come down the hill. She would be SO impressed with how good a skier her husband had become.

The punchline of this story is pretty obvious, isn't it? A while later the ski patrol came down the hill looking for her and she got to see how well I could ride in an ambulance.

Paul seemed to know about my story when he said, in 1 Corinthians 10:12:

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

When we become confident in our own strengths and abilities, when we depend on ourselves instead of on God, we are setting ourselves up for failure. "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall."

Paul then gave some words that have been consistently misused and abused through the years. In verse 13, he says,

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

"God will never give you more than you can handle." Right? Well...um...sorry, that's not what Paul said. God constantly gave people more than they could handle so that they would be forced to depend on him for strength and power. Paul didn't say that we could handle everything life throws at us, but he did say that God would provide a way to escape any temptation to sin that might come our way.

We must not think we can handle sin's temptations or life's hardships on our own. That way leads to failure. When we rely on ourselves to stand, we will fall. But when we depend on God's power we will find that way to escape the temptation and stand strong.

Father, may I rely on nothing else but you and your power. I realize I don't have the strength to face temptation, but I also trust that you will always provide a way for me to endure temptation.

Giving Up My Rights - September 06, Readings: Isaiah 23-24, 1 Corinthians 9:12–27, Psalm 104:30–35, Proverbs 22:8–9

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Lawyers and insurance companies are pretty clear on their advice - never surrender your rights. The American constitution grants its citizens certain "unalienable" rights and we should be loathe to give those up. I do not disagree with them.

But on a personal level, Paul advocated something very different in 1 Corinthians 9. Having established that he is a full-fledged apostle who has the right to all the privileges, respect and support that any apostle should receive, he then made some strong, bold statements in 1 Corinthians 9:12-27.

He begins in verse 12 by stating his attitude towards his rights and privileges.

Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. 

In the interests of proclaiming the gospel of Christ, he gave up his rights - his rights to money, his rights to respect - he was willing to sacrifice any of them for the sake of the gospel of Christ. He would endure disrespect and the denial of his rights for the sake of others. He spells this out in verses 19-23. 

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

 He was willing to become "all things to all people" so that he could bring people to Christ. Nothing mattered as much to him as the cause of Christ. 

I have a lot of rights as an American. And in human terms, I consider that I have certain rights to be treated be treated a certain way. But what is there that I would not give up to see people around me come to Christ? Is there anything I have too valuable to sacrifice for Christ? Are my rights so precious that they would mean more to me than the propagation of the gospel? 

Father, may I have the devotion of Paul to the cause of your Kingdom. May nothing matter to me as much as seeing people come to the knowledge of Christ. 

Fallen is Babylon - September 05, Readings: Isaiah 21-22, 1 Corinthians 8:1–9:11, Psalm 104:23–29, Proverbs 22:5–7

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Its story begins in Genesis 11, when some men built a Tower that was supposed to reach to heaven. Throughout the Bible, Babylon both literally and figuratively represented the world system - political, religious, and military - that stands in opposition to God. God said scatter and fill the earth. At Babel they said unite to reach to heaven. God said worship me alone. Babylon was a place where the worship of many gods was encouraged. In fact, as we saw recently, in the reading in Isaiah 14, the description of the ruler of Babylon carried hints of the pride and fall of Satan himself. Babylon represents everything that is wrong in this world, everything that stands in rebellion against God.

And Isaiah 21:9 says something that is repeated in the apocalyptic predictions of Revelation.

Fallen, fallen is Babylon. 

When the time is right, God will bring it all crashing down. Here in Isaiah the reference is a little more immediate. God was preparing judgment on the wicked nation that would bring so much pain and suffering on his people Israel. In Revelation 18:2, the reference is to our worldly system which stands in rebellion against God - a religious system that does not recognize Jesus Christ as Lord, a political system that does not recognize him as king.

We live in Babylon today. Many Americans have considered our nation to be a modern-day Jerusalem, a city of God. Those days have past and we must admit that we are in a pagan land, a plan of sin, of perversion, and of resistance to God's authority over our lives.

But we must not fear or despair, our God is in control. God brought Babylon to its knees once before and will bring it down again one day. We serve a Risen Savior! A Victorious Lord. Our God wins. When we look at this world it appears that sin is winning that righteousness is perishing from the earth. It is an illusion. Sn's victory in nothing more than a mirage in the desert.

Jesus Christ is Lord. This world and its rebellion is doomed. Never cower before sin, because sin is destined to fall before the glory of God. Babylon will fall.

Father, it is good to serve a sovereign and victorious God. 

The Secret to EVERYTHING! September 04, Readings: Isaiah 19-20, 1 Corinthians 7:17–40, Psalm 104:16–22, Proverbs 22:3–4

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How is that title for a little bit of hyperbole? But when you read Proverbs, it actually isn't. In fact, the point I will make today is one of the clear teachings in all of Scripture.

What is the root of all sin? The Bible makes that pretty clear. We read stories of what caused the greatest of the angelic beings to rebel against God and become Satan, the accuser, the enemy of God. We then see that same creature, in the form of a serpent, speaking to Adam and Eve and appealing to them on the same basis. The sin was pride. Rather than serving God, Adam and Eve could "become like gods" instead, if they only sinned.

Pride is an insult to God - when we lift ourselves up to a standing we do not deserve we automatically demean God. Pride is rebellion, the failure to recognize God for who he is and see ourselves in the light of his glory and greatness.

And pride is self-destructive. The proud cannot experience God's blessings or power, eliminating themselves by their arrogance.

Proverbs has a lot to say about the dangers of pride and the blessings of humility.  Proverbs 22:4 is one of those verses.

The reward for humility and fear of the Lord

    is riches and honor and life.

I would direct the reader, if you are using the links above, to the note at the bottom of the page. It gives a secondary translation. "The reward for humility is the fear of the Lord and riches and honor and life." What is clear in this verse and in the rest of Proverbs is that the fear of the Lord is the key to all the blessings that God has for us as his people. But to fear God we must humble ourselves - stop relying on our own wisdom and thinking so highly of ourselves.

Humility is part and parcel of a proper relationship with God and an attitude of holy awe, of respectful fear. We cannot walk with God and walk in pride at the same time. "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord," God's word commands.

When we humble ourselves before God, he lifts us up and pours out blessings on us. Our verse today describes them as wealth, honor and life. Humility brings blessing.

Father, may I walk in humility, recognizing that I am nothing without you, that it is only by your grace that I stand. 

God Laughs at Conspiracy Theories! September 03, Readings: Isaiah 17-18, 1 Corinthians 7:1–16, Psalm 104:9–15, Proverbs 22:1–2

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He was making the rounds back in my college days, talking about the "Illuminati" - the cabal of witches and warlocks he'd once been a part of who secretly ran the entire world. The story was terrifying and captivating. He then revealed his biggest secret. Just before his conversion, in one of their super-secret meetings, they had announced that the Antichrist was ready to be revealed and take his place on the world stage. His name was...wait for it...James Earl Carter.  I was no fan of Jimmy Carter then and I've not been a fan of much of his ideas since, but it is safe to say that one thing he is not is the Antichrist!

Of course, within a couple of years, John Todd was revealed as the huge fraud we should have known him to be. He faded into the woodwork; more specifically into aberrant  theology, weird politics, and eventually went to prison for rape.

But others follow in his footsteps. We are always so worried about this group or that group who are trying to take over the world. Hitler had his "Jewish bankers" that he blamed everything on. For much of my life we were worried about the spread of communism. Now, we see the global spread of militant Islam and wonder what is going on all around us in secret to further that cause. Both political parties accuse the other of using subterfuge in carrying out their plans.

Conspiracy. Power groups. War lords. Despots. Who is pulling the strings? Who is running the show? Today's readings are an eclectic collection. Isaiah speaks of God's judgment on the nations. The passage in 1 Corinthians is about marriage, singleness and sexual issues. But a verse in the Psalms portion struck me as I read it. I'm lifting it out of context, just a little, but I think I am making a point that is valid from Psalm 104:9.

You set a boundary that they may not pass,
    so that they might not again cover the earth.

This is talking about God's creative act, how he brought the dry land out of the sea and set their boundaries. When the Great Flood came, it was at God's command. God created this world and it responds to his commands. "You set the boundaries." God is in charge. He made the world and it runs according to his will. 

It is not too much of a stretch to lift that principle out of its context and apply it to world affairs. While this verse does not speak to that, the principle applies. "You set the boundaries," Lord. Worldwide conspiracies do not run the world. Jewish bankers do not decide the fate of the world, Mr. Hitler (and all the anti-Semites who have followed). It is God who sets the boundaries. 

I'm put in mind of Psalm 2, which opens with the question, "Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?" Dictators think they can take over and rule. Right now ISIS is acting as if they are an unstoppable force, raging through the Middle East with an unspeakable brutality. Others came before them. Others will follow. 

Is God afraid? Is he intimidated at the power of these nations? Not according to Psalm 2:4. 

He who sits in the heavens laughs;    

the Lord holds them in derision.

To God, these skeptics who think they can banish Christianity with reason are fools to be mocked. To God, these self-appointed potentates are children pretending to be super-heroes. He laughs at them. They are not to be feared. God is on his throne and no one can threaten him! Nations come and rulers go, but God continues to work out his sovereign plan in this world.

He sets the boundaries and he asks us to call him Abba! There is great comfort in that, is there not?

Thank you, Father, that you are a God I can trust, one who laughs at those who think they can threaten your throne! May I not be afraid of those who inspire nothing but derision from you!

Me, My Body, and Christ - September 02, Readings: Isaiah 15-16, 1 Corinthians 6, Psalm 104:1–8, Proverbs 21:29–31

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Grace run amok - that was a common problem among the Corinthian Christians.

There is nothing more beautiful to the Christian than the Grace of God. We are saved by grace, not by works. But some in Corinth seemed to believe that since they were under grace, they were free to live as they pleased and indulge the flesh whenever the whim struck them. "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food," they said. If you are hungry, you eat. If you feel like having sex with someone, do it. That is the way God intended it, they claimed. And besides, since we are no longer under the law, "everything is permissible for me." Sexual immorality was rampant among the Corinthians in general and even among those in the church.

Paul was pretty forceful in his confrontation of these unbiblical and dangerous ideas. Most errors are simply truths taken out of context or balance. Did God create us male and female? Of course he did. Was his creation "very good"? Yes, it was. Did Jesus Christ die to free us from a righteousness that is based on our ability to keep the law? Absolutely. In fact, is the enjoyment of God's creation, including sex, a gift from God? It is, within the parameters God designed. These common cliches among the Corinthians were part of the truth, but they were not the whole truth.

We were created as sexual beings, but that aspect of our nature was to be expressed only within the boundaries of marriage according to God's original intent. Paul does not equivocate at all when he commands the Corinthians, in 6:18:

Flee from sexual immorality. 

Run away. Don't play games. Don't mess around. Flee! Such sin is unthinkable for the believer, ignoring the basic truth that Christ bought us for himself by shedding his blood on the cross and we do not belong to ourselves any more. We are part of Christ's body and the Spirit indwells our body. We have no right to take the bodies that Christ purchased with his blood and which the Spirit indwells and join them in acts of sexual immorality.

We were not freed from the law and redeemed by grace to indulge the flesh but to overcome it by the power of that Spirit who dwells in us. We must not even entertain the idea of using our bodies, which Christ redeemed for his glory, to be used for immorality.

No, our bodies have one purpose.

"Therefore, honor God with your bodies." (verse 20)

I do not decide my actions based on what I like or what would please me, but what would glorify the God who owns me - body, soul and spirit!

Father, keep me pure in Christ. Help me to remember, when the enemy tempts, that I don't belong to myself, but I belong to you. May my body glorify your name.

Satan's Trajectory - September 01, Readings: Isaiah 13-14, 1 Corinthians 4–5, Psalm 103:17–22, Proverbs 21:26–28

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One of the great mysteries in life is where sin came from. Why would anyone, created by God and dwelling in glory with him, choose to sin? How did Satan become Satan? Due to some inadequancies in the King James translation, people have reached some false assumptions about the Evil One.

Isaiah 14:12-15, tells about the arrogance and pride of the King of Babylon, who raised himself up in his own eyes. He thought himself to be a bright morning star. And so, he lifted up himself and thought he should usurp the throne of God and rule over all. He determined to ascend on high and become like God himself, but for his pride he would be brought down low.

“How you are fallen from heaven,

    O Day Star, son of Dawn!

How you are cut down to the ground,

    you who laid the nations low!

You said in your heart,

    ‘I will ascend to heaven;

above the stars of God

    I will set my throne on high;

I will sit on the mount of assembly

    in the far reaches of the north;[i]

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;

    I will make myself like the Most High.’

But you are brought down to Sheol,

    to the far reaches of the pit.

But Babylon's king wasn't the first being to follow that trajectory. In fact, the root of sin, the very first rebellion against God in history followed precisely the pattern defined in Isaiah 14:12-15. A mistaken translation in the King James even gave a name that many applied to Satan (Lucifer). While this passage primarily refers to the Babylonian leader, there is a pattern behind it, confirmed in other Scriptures. 

This is exactly how Satan fell from glory and became the enemy of God. He decided he should be the one worshiped, instead of the worshiper - he should receive glory, not give it. He determined to sit on the throne of heaven and rule. God cast him from heaven and ultimately will destroy him for his hubris. 

This is also the pattern Satan used, in the form of a serpent, in Genesis 3. He was horrified that Adam and Eve might live in obedience to God. He encouraged them to do as he had done - to ascend to the throne of their own lives and refuse to bow before God in worship. 

Ultimately, this is the only real issue of life - who is the boss? Are you going to yield to God and walk in submission to him, acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord every day? Or will you follow Satan's pattern and rebel? God is on the throne of heaven. Who is enthroned in your heart? 

Father, may my life be lived in obedience to you. May you receive from me and from my life the glory that you deserve.