The Worst Sin

What’s the worst sin you can think of?

Murder?

Rape?

Abusing a child?

Torture?

Those are awful sins, but what if there’s a sin that leads to those sins? Wouldn’t that one be even worse?

There is a sin that leads to those sins and every other sin. At first glance though, it doesn’t seem quite so bad. At least not as bad as the sins I mentioned.

The root sin, the one that leads to all the others is simply this: forgetting God.

Right before the nation of Israel was going to cross the Jordan River to enter the land God had promised to give them, Moses told them:

If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations the LORD destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 8:19-20)

If we forget God, then we will find another “god” to worship and bow down to. We have to. We don’t have a choice. We will always look for life, for purpose, for meaning, for joy, for fulfillment, for happiness, etc. If we choose to not look for God to provide what we need, then we must look elsewhere.

“Doing life” isn’t easy, but it is simple. God instructs us to seek Him and worship Him only. He invites us to find life in Him. It’s what we are designed for.

But He never makes us do it His way. He doesn’t coerce us. He invites us.

And so we can choose to forget Him. We can choose to turn away and seek life elsewhere. And when we do, we invite destruction.

It’s sad how often we choose to live our lives on our own terms. We do whatever we can to order our lives in such a way to maximize our pleasure and happiness and minimize our pain. And because we must have the cooperation of others, we attempt to manipulate and control and even sin against those around us.

And that invites destruction. Marriages are destroyed. Families are destroyed. Churches are destroyed. Nations are destroyed.

The longer we do life apart from God, the more destruction we experience and the harder it is to break free. When we turn from God and naturally seek life elsewhere, we begin to believe lies about ourselves and about life. Our feelings and experiences become more true to us than what God says is true. And we end up living in bondage to the idols we’ve created for ourselves.

We thought our idols would give us life, but they were never capable of it. They promised us life, but delivered destruction.

Only God can promise life and deliver it.

Maybe you’re experiencing more destruction than life today. For whatever the reason, you turned from God, forgot Him and sought life in other places. A person. A career. Sex. Food. Possessions. Whatever. The list is endless.

The solution is always the same. We return to the God we forgot. We confess that we’ve been seeking life in the wrong places. We cry out for His help to turn from our idols and seek Him above everything else.

Change may not be immediate. In fact, it probably won’t be. We’ve built for ourselves a structure of beliefs (wrong ones) and habits that may have become very ingrained in us. The “truth” we think we know about life may in fact not be truth at all. We must allow God’s truth to penetrate our lives and reorder how we think and behave and feel.

We didn’t get into this mess in a day and we won’t get out of it in a day.

But we can take the first step today. We can turn back to the One who graciously offers real life. Life as it was meant to be. Life found in Christ alone. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life…”

The invitation to experience life is offered to you today. Will you accept it?

You and Your Life

Last Sunday at The Church at Arkansas, we began a sermon series entitled, “You and Your Life.” We’re taking a look at six key areas of life that all of us are dealing with. We started with how to determine God’s will. We asked the question, “Am I making this up or is God really speaking?”

This Sunday, I’ll be answering the question, “Why do a lot of single people wish they were married and a lot of married people wish they were single?”

In the coming weeks, we’re also going to answer questions like: Does God want me to be rich? How can I stop doing the things I don’t want to do? And why is this happening–is God punishing me?

What’s interesting is that the answers to each of these questions are very simple. It’s basic, easy to understand stuff. That doesn’t mean change won’t be difficult. It just means the answers are simple to understand.

I’ve always felt like the Christian life is easy to understand, but hard to live. Maybe you can relate. Or maybe for you, it hasn’t been easy to understand. Maybe what’s obvious to others hasn’t been quite so obvious to you. If that’s you, you’re not alone.

In Mark 3, Jesus has been drawing large crowds. He’s healing people, answering questions and calling His disciples. One day, things get so busy that He and his disciples can’t even get in a meal.

Verse 21 says:

When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

Then the teachers of the law show up and accuse Jesus of being possessed by the prince of demons.

So his family thinks He’s crazy and the religious folks think He’s demon-possessed.

And yet the truth was that God Himself was right in front of them. He was at work in their midst and speaking to them, but they didn’t recognize Him.

Could God be at work in your life, but you’re missing it? Could God be speaking to you about your life, but because you’ve been too busy with other things or just not interested in what He has to say that you’re missing what He’s saying?

If you stepped back from the busyness of life…if you turned off the TV, the computer, the phone, the whatever…if you found a quiet place for an hour or two…and listened to God…what might He be saying? What if most of what’s happening in your life is really just a distraction from the few important things?

Do you remember the story in Luke 10 when Jesus goes to the home of Mary and Martha?

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Maybe the answers to the most important questions about life are right in front of us. Maybe we find them when we just stop long enough to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to what He has to say.

Do You Ever Doubt God’s Love For You?

Of the four seasons, fall is my favorite. The temperatures cool down a little. The leaves change colors. Football season begins. And the holidays are just around the corner.

In second place is summer. Hot, sunny days. Relaxing by the pool. Hanging out at the beach. Walking along the boardwalk. Family vacations. And no school!. When I was a kid, summers meant endless days of stickball and swimming. Such good memories.

My least favorite season has always been spring. Even the cold, dark days of winter beat it. So what’s my problem with spring?

Well, partly it has to do with Easter. Actually, it’s not Easter so much as it’s Good Friday.

I don’t like to even think about what happened to Jesus between Thursday night and Friday night. I don’t like the beatings or the bleeding or the betrayals.  It’s brutal and violent and confusing.

I’ve seen clips of film, “The Passion of the Christ,” but I’ve never seen the whole thing. And I don’t want to.

Easter morning is great of course. I love the display of power. I love the fact that Jesus proves He’s the Son of God by coming back to life. But to get there, we’ve got to first go through Friday.

Honestly, it’s hard for me to even understand the crucifixion and the events leading up to it. There aren’t any adequate analogies or illustrations or metaphors to point to. That 24-hour period from Thursday evening to Friday evening stands alone in time. No other day can compare to the day that…

God let us humiliate and kill Him.

It was the day we abandoned Him. Deserted Him. Made promises to Him and then broke them. The day He asked for our help and comfort…and we fell asleep.

We beat Him. We spit on Him. We whipped Him. And we nailed Him to a cross.

And He let us do it.

When Peter tried to fight with a sword, Jesus told him to put it away. Then He said, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”

Twelve legions? How many is that? Well, a Roman legion was comprised of 6,000 soldiers. So if He’d wanted to, He could have summoned over 72,000 angels to wipe us out. That’s only if He didn’t want to just do it Himself.

The high priest, the elders and the teachers of the law interrogated Jesus, but He remained silent. He didn’t even defend Himself against their false charges. Even when they spit on Him and beat Him with their fists, He did nothing.

The twelve legions of angels were still available as Jesus was flogged by the Roman soldiers. But still, He didn’t call for help. And not when He was hanging on the cross either.

Jesus deliberately let us torture and kill Him in the most brutal way imaginable. And He did nothing to stop it. It all played out just as He’d planned it.

We may doubt many things in this life, but I wonder if the horrific events of Good Friday were meant to forever erase all doubt of God’s love for us. The resurrection proved Jesus was who He claimed to be. It showed us that He truly had power over death.

But the self-control and humility He exhibited on Good Friday was His way of saying, “If you’re ever tempted to doubt My love for you–just remember all that I willingly endured for you.”

Do you ever doubt God’s love for you?

Just remember.

Bad News

I have a daughter and son-in-law who live in North Carolina. They’re a couple hours from the beach. Yesterday, I reserved a condo on the beach during spring break. My daughter who lives in California is flying in to join us. A month from now, the rest of us will start the thousand mile drive to get there.

If the weather forecast a few days before we leave is for chilly temperatures and rain–it would be bad news.

But not as bad as hearing a doctor tell you the biopsy was positive for cancer. Or not as bad as losing your job or your house or your loved one.

(By the way, don’t ever minimize the pain or fear someone else is experiencing because of bad news. Maybe their bad news isn’t as bad as your bad news, but it is to them. Bad news is relative and comes in all shapes and sizes, but it’s still bad.)

So what do you do when bad news comes?

Some of us worry and become anxious. We imagine the absolute worst scenario and play it over and over in our minds. I do that.

Some of us go into “fix-it” mode. We research, analyze, figure and calculate. Somehow, we’re going to fix the problem. I do that.

Some of us may start looking for someone to blame. If something has gone wrong, then someone has to be held responsible. I do that.

Some of us get emotional and go into a full blown panic attack, while others internalize everything and suffer in silence. I do the latter.

What do you do? How do you react when bad news hits?

Toward the very end of His earthly ministry, Jesus tells His disciples He’s going to be killed and that one of them would betray Him. Jesus also predicts that Peter will deny even knowing Him.

The one you have followed and loved and served for three years is going to suffer and die. For sure, that’s some bad news.

Take a look at what Jesus tells them:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me.” John 14:1

The word “troubled” means “to agitate, to cause inward commotion, take away calmness of mind…”

I’ve been there. I’m sure you have, too.

It’s interesting though, Jesus says, “Do not let…”

How often do we hear some type of bad news and immediately experience fear or worry or panic? And yet, Jesus tells us not to let that happen. Like it’s actually a choice. Like it’s something we have control over.

Is it possible though? Is it even realistic to think we could not be troubled at the mention of bad news?

The key is in the believing. Not simply believing that Jesus exists, but that He can be trusted, that we can place our confidence in Him and know He will not let us down.

I’m not suggesting that our initial reaction to bad news won’t ever be a wave of fear. When the phone rings at 2:00 a.m., it’s hard to not panic–especially if it truly is bad news.

But once the initial blow has passed…then what? How do we react once we’ve had time to gather ourselves?

Bad news doesn’t have to sink us. We just need to be quick to remember that Jesus is still good. He’s still faithful. He’s still in control. And He still loves us. No matter what we’re facing.

His power and peace are real and they’re available. When we need them. It just requires that we believe Jesus.

Oh, if you don’t spend much time reading the Bible, so that you can actually know the truth about Jesus, then you’ll probably continue to struggle with a troubled heart. A troubled heart results from troubled thoughts. Troubled thoughts must be replaced with the truth.

Thanksgiving

Today, I simply want to suggest a way to be more in tune with God. A way to remember Him more throughout the day and bring Him into the details of our lives. A way to be more aware of His presence and activity in our lives.

Ephesians 5:18-20 says:

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 3:16-17 says:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says:

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Did you see it?

always giving thanks to God the Father for everything

giving thanks to God the Father through him

give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus

Want to know God’s will? It’s to give thanks. To Him. Always. In all circumstances.

Can’t get too much more clear than that, huh?

Here in the United States, we’re just 16 days from Thanksgiving, a day to express our thanks and gratitude to God for how He has blessed us. Thanksgiving or giving thanks was never meant to happen just once a year though. The New Testament is crystal clear–we are to give thanks. Continually. For everything. It is God’s will for us.

So let me suggest a way to continually pray and give thanks. And let me challenge you implement this over the next 16 days leading up to Thanksgiving Day. See if you feel more in tune with God. See if you’re more aware of His presence in your life and His goodness toward you. Here’s what you’ll do:

From the time you wake up in the morning until the time you go to bed at night, thank God for as many things as you can.

It might look like this…

• Father, thank you for the bed You gave me to sleep in last night.
• Blessed (means to praise or “to kneel”) are You O Lord our God, for giving me the strength to get out of bed.
• Lord, I praise You for giving me a safe place to live.
• Thank you, Father, for providing my breakfast today. Bless You for making cinnamon rolls smell so good.
• Father, thank you for coffee.
• Lord, thank you for clean water and for how good a hot shower feels.
• Father, I praise You for a car that gets me to the job You provided.
• I praise and thank You for my wife and children. You have blessed me greatly.
• Blessed are You O God, for designing our ears so that we can enjoy music.
• O Lord, what an amazing sunset–thank You for reminding me of how beautiful and awesome You are.
• Blessed are You O Lord, for revealing Yourself to us through Your creation and through Your word.
• Jesus, thank You for taking the penalty for my sin upon Yourself.
• Father, thank You for this meeting I’m in.
• Lord, I praise You for giving others the intelligence to invent computers, so we don’t have to use typewriters any more.

You can thank Him silently. You can whisper your thanks. Or you can speak out loud and share your thanks with those around you. Do whatever you’d like. Just do it continually.

I wonder how different our attitudes would be if we cultivated a thankful heart rather than a complaining one. How might God choose to show up in our lives if we’re continually thanking Him? Do you think we might feel more peace and less anxiety if we chose to be thankful to God instead of worrying about how our needs will be met?

Giving thanks to God. Always. In all circumstances.

For 16 days.

Will you do it?

The Battlefield is Your Mind

“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”  1 John 5:19

Think about that for a moment. The whole world is under the control of the evil one. Jesus called him the father of lies. The book of Revelation tells us he is also called Destroyer. He is a deceiver, a tempter and an accuser.

You may be a child of God, but the evil one is still battling for control of your mind. He’s lost your heart, but he can still influence you by gaining control of your thoughts.

Keep in mind, “the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” Advertising. Education. Government. Television. Internet. Movies. Magazines. All under the control of the evil one.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t Christ-followers fighting to take back pockets of enemy ground, but on a whole–this world system is under enemy control. And the world system is ever working to squeeze you into it’s mold.

Yesterday, I spoke to a godly young woman who leads a new ministry outreach here in Fayetteville. In one of her summer classes, her professor is trying to undermine her confidence in God’s Word. It’s not an outright assault. It’s subtle. It’s crafty. It’s being done with well-timed questions and comments.

As my friend shared her story, I thought about Eve’s interaction with Satan in the garden. He asked her, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”

Can you hear his tone of voice? It’s as if he’s saying, “Oh, come on. Really? God really said you’re not supposed to eat from any tree in the garden? You don’t believe that, do you?”

Let’s back up for just a moment. What’s God up to in the world?

In a nutshell, it’s this: God is all about His glory. This is His universe. It, and that includes you and me, exists for His pleasure. He created us to live in friendship with Him. Now and forever. This life is a process of getting to know God better, becoming conformed to the image of Christ and being used by Him to advance His kingdom on earth.

Getting rich, living for earthly pleasures, ordering our lives to be safe and comfortable aren’t really a part of God’s plan. In fact, in many ways, they are in total opposition to what God is all about. And yet, this world system encourages us to pursue wealth, pleasure, comfort and security everywhere we turn.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting we’re not to enjoy life. My five senses are all the evidence I need that God designed pleasure to be a part of our lives. But when I place wealth or pleasure ahead of God, I make them into idols, things to be served and even worshiped.

Back to the battle. Our most effective weapon in this battle is truth. You combat lies and deception with truth. But if we don’t know the truth, we’ll easily fall for the lies of the evil one.

The Bible is our source of truth. In it, we discover who God is, what He’s like and what He’s up to. We learn how God thinks. We see ourselves, our problems, our issues and our opportunities.

Don’t let anyone tell you the Bible is full of contradictions or errors. It’s not. Our enemy knows how powerful and liberating the truth can be, so he will do anything he can to keep you from believing it.

In Ephesians 6:12, Paul warned us:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

When someone calls into question the integrity of the Bible or mocks you for believing it, remember: the deceiver, the father of lies is trying to deceive you. Reject him and his lies.

Reaffirm your belief in God and His Word. Ask the Holy Spirit to control your mind and give you wisdom and discernment.

The battle is for your mind. “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:13

When God Has You In A Holding Pattern

40 Days of Believing God – Day 35

A number of years ago, I was in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a meeting. To get home, I had to fly through Chicago. Late in the afternoon, I boarded my plane and took off for O’Hare Airport.

Not long after take-off, we were put in a holding pattern over Lake Michigan due to delays at O’Hare. So we flew around in circles waiting for a runway to open up. We waited. And waited. And waited.

Finally, the pilot announced we were returning to Grand Rapids, because we were running low on fuel. Once we were back in Grand Rapids, the plane was re-fueled and we took off again. This time we were cleared to land after about a 30 minute flight.

You may feel like you’re in a holding pattern today. The destination is clear. It’s not even very far away. You’re on the correct course, but God has you in a holding pattern. And just when it seems like the waiting should end–He seems to send you back, not forward.

You thought your marriage was getting better, but then it got worse again. Previous test results showed you were free of cancer, but the most recent test revealed it’s back. That sin that used to plague you–the one you finally gained victory over…it’s back. And just when you thought you were about out of debt, you lost your job and had to use credit cards to survive.

As if things aren’t bad enough, God is silent. You cry out to Him, but He doesn’t seem to answer.

Psalm 77:7-10 (in The Message) says:

Will the Lord walk off and leave us for good?
Will he never smile again?
Is his love worn threadbare?
Has his salvation promise burned out?
Has God forgotten his manners?
Has he angrily stalked off and left us?
“Just my luck,” I said. “The High God goes out of business
just the moment I need him.”

Ever feel that way? Just when you need God the most, He goes out of business.

The writer isn’t through though. He knows during times of confusion, when God doesn’t seem to be around, there’s only one thing to do.

“Once again I’ll go over what God has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders; I’ll ponder all the things You’ve accomplished, and give a long, loving look at Your acts.”  (Psalm 77:11-12)

Could it be that God is calling you deeper into Himself and His word? If everything was already worked out, maybe He knows you’d feel less urgency to seek Him and remember all He’s done in the past. It’s happened to me before. God comes through and I go away. Maybe

Take some time to read through the mighty ways God moved in the Old Testament. Remember what He did for Abraham, for Moses, for Daniel, for Nehemiah, for Joshua, for Rahab and for Ruth. Spend some time in the four gospels to be reminded of how Jesus worked. Meditate on Ephesians 1:3-14 to let your position in Christ sink in.

You may also want to recall the ways God has worked in your life in the past. One of the great benefits of keeping a journal is reading through old journal entries of answered prayers and ways God worked in your life to meet your needs. If you don’t have a journal, let me encourage you to start one. It’s easy to forget the things God does. We need to record them.

Remembering what God has done in the past provides power to make it through the present.

Do You Need a Reminder?

I seem to have a remarkable capacity to forget things. A number of years ago, I blamed it on Diet Coke, but I don’t drink it much any more, so I don’t have that excuse.

I’m pretty good at remembering certain things. I remember to eat. I remember to exercise. I remember to go on vacation.

For some reason, I forget the big stuff. The invisible, eternal stuff.

On a beautiful day like today–it’s currently in the 70′s and a cool breeze is blowing, which is really unusual for Arkansas in July–it’s easy to forget. Nice weather. Good family relationships. Enough food to eat. Cars that are all in working order. Health is good.

The very good things of this life can be distractions. They cause me to forget the very good things of the unseen kingdom, the one I’ll live in forever, not just for 70 or 80 years.

As Peter begins to wrap up his second letter, he says, “Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.”

Peter goes on to remind his readers that this world will pass away. If you don’t see it, then remember that God’s way of looking at time is different. With God,  a thousand years are like a day and a day is like a thousand years. When the end comes, it will come like a thief…you won’t be expecting it.

What do you need to be reminded of today? What have you forgotten? Maybe one or two of these are relevant for you…

People matter more than your to-do list.

The new thing you think you need isn’t going to last or make you happy, at least not for long.

The very best of this life can’t compare to what’s coming…and might even be a distraction for you.

Heaven and hell are real places. You, your family and your neighbors will live in one or the other.

God’s word is true…but it doesn’t do us much good if we don’t read it and apply it.

Jesus loves you. More than you know.

Your money and your time don’t belong to you.

You have an enemy. His name is Satan, which means “deceiver.”

God knows all your needs and has promised to meet them.

So here’s the question: what are you going to do to stimulate yourself to wholesome thinking? If you’re like me, chances are good you’ll forget what you’ve just read without a way to intentionally remember.

How Long Until YOU Forget?

Yesterday, I sent my wife a series of text message trivia questions about our marriage. Here are a couple of them:

“What was the name of the restaurant where we celebrated our 3rd anniversary?” (Answer: Top of the Mast)

“What did we eat for dinner on our cheapest anniversary?” (Answer: pizza)

There were more, but I can’t share them!

She forgot the answers to a number of the questions just as I would have had she been making up the questions. We all have a remarkable capacity to forget.

We’re not alone though. We’ve got the entire nation of Israel as company.

In Exodus 16, it’s been about six weeks since Moses led Israel out of their slavery to the Egyptians. Six weeks since the plagues of frogs and gnats and boils and hail and…on and on. It all culminates with the angel of death sweeping across Egypt and killing all the first born. You can read about it in Exodus 7-11.

You know the story. Pharaoh finally lets the Israelites leave Egypt, but later changes his mind and pursues them right into the Red Sea. That was a bad idea. The Israelites escaped and the Egyptians drowned.

You would think that after seeing all those plagues, a sea open up so you could cross on dry ground and God drowning all your enemies that your faith in God would be rock solid for a really long time. But you would think wrong.

Just six weeks after seeing all that supernatural stuff happen, the Israelites start grumbling against Moses because they’re hungry. They even begin longing for Egypt. They want to go back to being slaves.

Six weeks. It took them just six weeks to forget all God had done. Actually, it’s not even that long, because at the end of chapter 15, they’re grumbling because they don’t have water. In less than a month and a half, they’ve gotten their eyes off of God and on their circumstances.

What has God done for you that you’ve forgotten? What do you need to remember?

You may feel like you’re in a desert just like the Israelites. Resources are scarce. Nothing comes easy. It’s uncomfortable and you’re not sure when it’s going to end.

Remember: God did not lead you into the desert to starve you. He sees your circumstances. He knows what He’s doing in your life.

Choose to believe Him, not your circumstances. His promises to provide for you are trustworthy.

What can you do today to remember Him? What can you do to get your eyes off of what you can see and onto Him whom you can’t see?