Throughout history there have been times when standing for what is right made you part of the majority. There were other times when standing for what is right caused you to stand against the majority. Sometimes things were so bad that standing for what is right would cost you as much as your life. Standing against the majority is not easy. But it is easier than selling out your principles. The picture at the top of this devotional illustrates the concept of standing against the wrong that everyone else is standing for. A pastor friend posted the photo, and I thought it was worth an extended thought. In this picture we see a couple of things going on. I find three types of people in the photo. In fact, I'm going to say that there are three types of people in the world, and you can find them in this picture. Most of the people in this picture are willing to fall in lockstep with the evil leader. They are saluting Hitler whose bloody rampage ravaged a continent and claimed the lives of nearly 10 million people who he considered to be less than human. He required ultimate allegiance. For whatever reason, he captured the heart of a generation of Germans and their loyalty is a mystery to this day. The mindless following of a cruel tyrant is found in this picture. Unfortunately most people fall into this category. This is the majority. There is the obvious primary subject of the photo. This guy is crossing his arms in apparent defiance of the leader and the masses. Who knows why? Perhaps he lost someone dear in concentration camps. Perhaps he is a man of principle who knows exactly where unbridled power in the hands of an evil man leads. Maybe he is thinking about the burned toast he had to eat that morning. I don't know. But the impression is that he ain't buying what somebody is selling. This guy is the minority. These are the two extreme groups in a culture that is given over to evil... the spineless majority, and the convictional minority. But as I looked at the photo I saw a third person... a third type. Now, this is conjecture, but I think it has merit. Look at the guy who is just above the main subject and to the left. The guy is at the 11:30 position as you look at the defiant man. He has his hand out in the salute, but he appears to be looking at our hero. To me he seems to be thinking, "Man, you're crazy. But I wish I had a backbone like you." Now whether he is actually thinking that or not, there is no way to know. But the fact is, that there are people who feel this way. This guy is part of the many, or the middle. There are many people in life who do not approve of evil, but they simply go along to get along. They know what is right and wrong, but they just don't take a stand for whatever reason. But not taking a stand for right is taking a stand for wrong. These people see those standing firm for righteousness and wish they had the ability to take a stand. Maybe fear causes them to go along with the majority. Maybe it is peer pressure. Maybe they just don't think they can make a difference. Whatever the case, these people live frustrated lives of concession until they finally become part of the majority, and not only allow wrong, but approve it. The Bible talks a great deal about courage, and the danger of not standing against evil. One passage that stands out to me is where the apostle Paul talks about the waves of spiritual attacks that will come against the believing minority in this world. Paul was a man who ultimately gave his life as a martyr for the Gospel, so I think he is a pretty credible source on such issues. Here is what he told a church that was experiencing various spiritual and social pressures... Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. (Ephesians 6:10-13) Stand. After you've done everything else... Stand. Love people who are wrong. Speak out against wrong. Pray for your enemies. Offer life and help to those who persecute you. Surround yourself with Godly people who will help you. But after you've done all of that. You just have to stand. Stand against the leaders of evil. Stand against the followers of evil. Stand on principle. Stand on the word of God. Stand. Fold your redeemed arms and stand for God. You may lose your job. Stand. You may lose your position in the community. Stand. You may lose your friends and even your family. Stand. You may lose your life. Stand. I honestly don't know the actual story behind this photograph, but I know the meaning behind it. I know we live in a time that will require us to stand for what is right, and that will mean being in the minority. If you are struggling with the faith or courage to stand for what is right, and wish you had the resolve of others you see standing, just get into the Bible, pray, and then stand. The closer you are to God, the easier it will be to stand with Him. Today you will have the opportunity to stand for God or salute evil. Choose well. Someone is staring at you to see what you do. Ultimately there are only two groups... those who stand and those who salute. Those who stare will eventually be part of one group or the other. You can ride the fence for a while, but the Devil owns the fence, so it is time to pick a side. This is an absolutely free resource. If you would like to support us, you can give via the above link. The videos below are associated with the topic. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) It may not be the first verse you learned, but it is probably the most popular memory verse in the entire Bible... and for good reason. It is probably the best 'Gospel' explanation in verse form in all of Scripture. In that statement we find God, people, love, Jesus, faith, death, and eternal life. That is a potent concentrated sentence about salvation. And it came from the lips of Jesus Christ Himself. One of the things we find there, and flow over so easily is this concept that God loves the entire world. It may be accepted, but is it really grasped? It has become popular over the last decade or so for people who want to drive home the point of God's love to tell seekers, "When you read that verse, put your name in there. 'For God so loved Suzy that He gave His only begotten Son...' Do it. Put your name in there. Make it personal. For God so loved Peter, Jamal, Candace, Stan, Julie..." The idea is that some people may not feel loved by God or in line to receive eternal life. So if they realize that a personal God was thinking about them when He devised a plan for redemption, it may help them accept eternal life. I get it. And there is definitely a truth there. But it also seems to feed our individual focused culture. It can easily turn our attention toward us, and how awesome we are because God loves us, rather than how awesome God is to love unlovable people like me. Because while God loves you as much as He loves anyone, it is important to remember that God loves everyone as much as He loves you. Now that is a task right there. We have a love affair with ourselves. We may say that we have low self-esteem, but the reality is that no generation has ever been more enamored with itself than this one. We are constantly told how awesome we are, and how loved we are. We do not lack for attention. We are loved because we have thousands of friends who like our stuff, right? But the verse says that God sent salvation because He loved the world... the whole world... everyone... even the people no one loves. And that's the rub. We can kind of understand that God loves us. Because when we feel down about ourselves, someone is always there to tell us how unique we are and reinforce our personal worth. But get this... God loved Osama Bin Laden. And... sit down for this one... God loved him as much as He loves you. Yes. Take that. God loved Hitler as much as He loves you. God loved Barack Obama as much as He loves you. God loved Trump and Clinton as much as He loves you. God loved Charles Manson as much as He loves you. How about we make it personal for an individualistic generation? Forget the famous monsters and "unlikables." I want you to think about that person you dislike the most. Go ahead. Get that name and picture in your mind. I'll wait. Don't read ahead until you have the person in your head and your face starts to tighten up thinking about them. Got 'em? Ok... God loves them. God loves that person you hate. And here you go... God loves them as much as He loves you. Goodbye Mister/Miss Pride. All of the love God has for you, He has for that person. Just like God wants the best for you, He wants the best for them. Just like He lavishes goodness on you, He lavishes goodness on them. Just like He wants to spend eternity with you, He wants to spend eternity with them. Just like He wants to be merciful toward you, He wants to be merciful toward them. Just like He sought after you as a lost child, He seeks after them. Still thinking about that person you can't stand, and hope falls off the planet today? God loves their horrible soul as much as he loves your awesome one. So maybe... just maybe you need to treat them differently. Maybe instead of putting your name in that spot in the verse, you need to put their name in the slot. Go ahead and try it... "For God so loved ____________________ that He gave His only begotten Son..." Now, say it until you can do it without struggling. In fact, why don't you say it until tears run down your face because you love them like God does? Now put those other names in there? Those names you can't stand to say, and those names you love the most. Be thankful that God loves the unlovable as much as He loves the 'adorable'. Today you get to show the world that John 3:16 is true. How cool is that?!? This is an absolutely free resource. If you would like to support us, you can give via the above link. The video below is associated with the topic. It is Pearl Harbor Day. On this day we remember the secret ambush attack made by the Japanese on the United States naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. It was brutal and overwhelming. It was an act of war, and roused a sleeping giant into becoming the most powerful nation the world has ever seen. Four years later, America would end the war by dropping atomic bombs on two Japanese cities. These were not surprise sneak attacks. They were announced in advance in hopes that the leadership of Japan would surrender. They did not surrender until two of the most horrific promises in history had been fulfilled. Over the next couple of generations Japan and the U.S. have developed a solid relationship. Not without hiccups, but generally as international friends and allies. Yet there is always some hurt that goes with the memory of this relationship. Leaders and historians have tried to make fruitful sense out of those bookend events. In 2015, the leader of Japan spoke some very powerful words about the whole thing. "History is harsh. What is done cannot be undone." - Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, speaking on the 70th anniversary of the surrender of Japan ending the 2nd World War. I like that statement. It is very powerful. In the speech he mentioned some of the atrocities Japan was involved in during the war, but never came out and apologized for them. Japan has apologized over and over again for their part, which included the ambush of the United States military in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. I don't think this man has to apologize again for the sins of his forebears. But think about his statement for a minute... "History is harsh." That is the reality in a fallen and rebellious world. We all have regrets. We all have scars. We all have lingering hurts. Sometimes we expect too much from history. The people who did those horrible things were just like us. We are all (everyone of us reading this) capable of doing the most horrific thing. "What is done cannot be undone." Sometimes we tend to expect too much from time. It has been said that time heals all wounds. But it doesn't. Time only moves us further from the event in a chronological pattern. It separates us from the moment. In one sense, the further from the moment we get, the less it controls our lives. Time doesn't heal all wounds, but time does give wounds one necessary element. It gives opportunity for wounds to heal. The writer of Ecclesiastes passed along this wisdom... "There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven: a time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot; a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build; a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing; a time to search and a time to count as lost; a time to keep and a time to throw away; a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace." (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) Time is marked by seasons. Some seasons are very rough. Others are very fulfilling. Seasons help us move through time. If all of time was harvest, we would have no experience with sowing or growing. If all of life was laughing, we would know nothing of compassion. History is made up of time. But it is also made up of seasons within that time. It is up to us to recognize those seasons and experience them well. Some of your history has been seasons of hurt. Others have been seasons of healing. Other have been seasons of rest. But if you constantly live in the season of hurt... even after a new season has come, have you made the best of your time? The Gospel of Jesus Christ is transforming. It changes our future, but it does not change what has already happened. If we tie the Japanese Prime Minister's words in with the apostle Paul's, we get this... History is harsh. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) What is done cannot be undone. "The wages of sin is death... but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23) America cannot have a healthy relationship with Japan if we do not leave the Pearl Harbor season. Japan cannot move forward with the U.S. if they stay in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki season. Both nations must recognize the horrors of that season and determine that it is a new day. There is a time for war... and a time for peace. Your history is harsh. My history is harsh. We have done horrible things against God and others. People have done horrible things to us. A million apologies cannot erase those things. What is done cannot be undone. So we must trust in Jesus to take our ashes and turn them into beauty. There is no other way to receive life out of death. Today you can live in your harsh past. You can live in the harsh past someone gave you. You can spend today trying to change what has been. Or you can spend today building what will be. Your past is on the paper, but your future is still in the pen. This is an absolutely free resource. If you would like to support us, you can give via the above link. The video below is associated with the topic. The Church is drowning in the love of God. I know. No... that's not the latest worship song from Hillsong. It is a less than flattering commentary on the American Church. We have been saturated with the idea of God's love to the point where that is pretty much all we know about God. It is not unusual to be in a church service where you hear how much God loves you, how you are His favorite, He will do anything for you, He thinks you are to die for, nothing can make Him stop loving you, He is not mad at you, etc. Are these things true? Well, yes. But in these same churches you never hear about what God hates. And God hates plenty. In fact, it is unfair to talk about all of the things God loves without mentioning the things God hates. This is why I lament that we are drowning in the love of God. If you want to know what God hates, look at what He loves, then think about the opposite of those things. Or you can also look in the Bible. He has literally given us "Top 5 Lists Of Things God Hates." Or you can look at the people who lost their lives at His hand in the Bible (Old Testament & New Testament). God is not coy about the things He loves and the things He hates. There is no mystery in this area of God. God is love. The Bible says that in 1 John 4:8. "The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love." So as we look at some of the things God hates, it does not give us a right to hate the people He loves who are doing the things He hates. We can... we MUST love those who do the things God hates. After all, God loved us when we were doing the things He hates, right? But what about God hating things? That doesn't seem to mesh with what we have all learned about God. While God is love, he also hates things, exercises judgment and wrath, and condemns people to ultimate punishment. When's the last time your preacher mentioned that? That doesn't look good on a bumper sticker. In fact, if you see a bumper sticker on a car that mentions God's wrath, you probably have bad thoughts about the driver, right? That is interesting. Some would have us believe that the God of wrath in the Old Testament is a different God than the God of love in the New Testament. This is not true. We find the lavish love of God during the time of the law and prophets. And we find the wrath of God in the time of grace. God is larger than a label. He created us. We are multi-faceted, so He must be multi-faceted. According to the Bible, here are some things God hates... The Lord hates six things; in fact, seven are detestable to Him: arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet eager to run to evil, a lying witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up trouble among brothers. (Proverbs 6:16-19) Yes. God hates things. That list includes some things God hates. A few of those things seem like a no-brainer. Everyone hates hands that shed innocent blood, right? Some are things we dislike, but in a culture that abhors hate, we may not be as opposed to them. I mean, we all dislike lying, but we don't hate lying tongues. Everyone lies, right? Unfortunately, the less we hate the things God hates, the more of those things we will allow and see in our lives. God has been very clear. He loves with a fierce love. He hates with a holy hatred. Why do you think there is no sin in Heaven? God hates rebellion. He allows it in a fallen world only to give us rebels a chance at His mercy, forgiveness, and eternal life. His lovingkindness is amazing and wonderful, but it does not negate His righteous justice. Look at the above list for a second. Think about the damage done to God's creation by those things... Arrogant Eyes - Pride of race, place, lace, face, and grace results in oppression of all kinds against those who are on lower economic, educational, and social levels. A Lying Tongue - Lives are ruined and people avoid healthy consequences by trying to reinvent reality to suit their own motives. Hands That Shed Innocent Blood - Whether it is a serial killer or abortion, or a rogue law enforcement officer, taking the life of an innocent person goes against the very nature of a God who created humanity in His image. Heart That Plots Wicked Schemes - All sin proceeds from the heart, which is the throne of man. When we use our throne, our power, our authority to plot against good, atrocities will follow. Feet Eager To Run To Evil - As rebellion increases, the times become more perilous because people rush to do wrong. Lying Witness Who Gives False Testimony - Apparently lying is high on the evil list, for it gets two mentions in the short list of things God hates. One Who Stirs Up Trouble Among Brothers - God is all about family. He desires family. Humanity is family. As we have watched the family disintegrate, we have watched civilization implode. Though the thought is difficult, we need to hate the things God hates if we want to successfully love the things God loves. God loves the people who do things He hates. So should we. But we must be careful to hate well if we are to love well. Today you will have the opportunity to love and hate. Don't go against God by hating what He loves. And don't go against Him by loving what He hates. This is an absolutely free resource. If you would like to support us, you can give via the above link. The videos below are associated with the topic. This is my 350th devotional. Under each devotional there is a comment section. Sometimes people write something that expresses appreciation for the blog that day. Perhaps it resonates with something they are going through. Maybe it just gives them a fresh perspective on a topic. But recently this was left in the comments... "I am hoping to be better-different but i feel as though all my past is insurmountable. Too much failure & too much brokenness that is dragging me down. I don't know how to get past all that. A friend showed me your blogs about 2 weeks ago. I like your writing, just having a hard time getting what you write into the thought patterns in my head." I don't know this person. But I do know what they are talking about. And you probably do as well. Our past is interesting. It is the only thing about which we can speak of with certainty. It is history. It has happened. It is not a mystery. It is established. We know the past in a way that we don't know the future. This doesn't mean that we can perfectly recall the past, but since the past has already happened, it is more defined than the future... at least to us. The past is fixed, even if it can't be fixed. In other words, the past is what it is. It cannot be changed. It is fixed in its place. There is no going back to rearrange it. Once a glass has been broken, it cannot be unbroken. We do try to change the past. This is called lying. A lie is a changing of what has happened. A child knocks a vase off of the shelf while playing ball in the house. The mother comes in. The child is standing next to the ball, which is lying next to the shattered pieces of the vase. She asks him what happened. He says the neighbor's cat ran through the room and knocked the vase off of the wall. He is only 4 years old, but he is trying to change the past with a story because he can't change the past with his actions. Since the past cannot be changed, it can become a monster in our lives. And part of the effects of being in a fallen world is that we forget what we want to remember and we remember what we want to forget. My memory toys with me in regard to some of my favorite experiences, but it tortures me with some of my worst moments. I'm more likely to be kept awake at night because of regret than because of delight. The past is a hostage-taker. We just can't fix it, because it is fixed. I can't make 2+2 equal 73, no matter how hard I try. It is easier to get perfume back into a bottle than take back from the air a word said in anger or a deed done without care. The enemy knows that regret for our past is one of the best ways to keep us from contentment in our now, and success in our future. The BIble tells us that all have sinned, falling short of what God expects (Romans 3:23). It also tells us that the reward for sin is death (Romans 6:23). That truth combo is pretty depressing. And if that is where the story ended, then we would have no hope. When talking about the past I draw this picture... Life is made of choices. Choices have consequences. But Satan tries to hide or manipulate our view of the consequences. We come to a choice. It is a bad choice. We can see that there is a body of water that will separate us from where we are. But it looks like a ditch. We think we can choose to do the wrong thing, and then quickly jump back to where we were before we made the wrong choice. So we jump. Then when we are on the other side, we look back to find that the ditch has become a wide raging river. This is all an illusion. The choice to sin was never a narrow ditch. Sin is no small thing. It was just made to look so by the one who wanted to separate us from our God. Sin is always bigger than it looks on the front end. Redemption always looks less likely on the back end of a bad choice. For the one who experiences regret for the bad choice, sin looks like it is uncrossable. Now that Satan has tricked you into thinking you could easily go back and forth, he has turned the glass to make your choice seem unredeemable... to make you seem unredeemable. A ditch looks huge to an insect. But a raging river looks like a thread to an astronaut circling the planet. Our perspective is based on our brokenness. We cannot cross the chasm of sin, no matter how narrow. God's perspective is based on reconciliation. He can close the gap created by bad choices, no matter how wide. That's what He does. But part of moving forward is leaving the past. I've come to believe that most of the time regret holds us back because in some way we are still practicing the things that caused the break in our relationship. Repentance is the gateway to restoration. The quicksand of regret only holds those who remain in the area. While you cannot change your past, you can learn from it and move to a new, fresh future. God doesn't change our past. He just forgives it and redeems us, setting our feet on a new path. We simply have to walk forward. And as we do, the hold of sin is broken, and our failures become part of our testimony of deliverance. Our mess becomes a message. How do we do this? Well, the apostle Paul talked about the relationship between our past and our future. Whether your are bound by a pathetic past, or a healthy history, you can't live there. Your past is not your future unless you stay there. I make every effort to take hold of [the goal] because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14) Moving on from the past requires leaving and looking. It is one thing that is two things. Your car mirror is important. But it isn't the primary tool for driving. In fact, if you spend too much time looking behind you, I can guarantee that you will wreck. We have to give God our past. It isn't something we can successfully change, but it is something He can successfully cover. Today you will have the choice to surrender to your past and be trashed by it, or surrender to Christ and be transformed by Him. The past isn't gone, but it can be put in its place. This can only happen when we allow Christ to rule in His place. And He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. This is an absolutely free resource. If you would like to support us, you can give via the above link. The videos below are associated with the topic. |
AuthorMy name is David, and I want to know God more, and help other people find Him. Archives
March 2019
Categories |