Of course, the answer is none, but to get there, consider James 2:1-13. James elaborates,
"If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, 'Do not commit adultery,' also said, 'Do not murder.' If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker."
It is no surprise that James chose these two of the Ten Commandments, nor that he started with, "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Jesus established the latter as the second greatest commandment (though not one of the Ten).
(Matthew 22:34-40)
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus redirected murder and adultery from mere physical acts to thought, attitudes, and intents of the heart. In such consideration, we are all guilty, and thus condemned as lawbreakers.
We have all judged or disdained a neighbor
(Redefined in Luke10:25-37 as anyone with a need, or less directly in Matthew 25:34-36 as one of the "least of these." Incidentally, the Samaritan fulfilled Matthew 25:34-36 for one who was naked, injured, ..., a "least of these" neighbor.),
or expressed a curse in our hearts out of frustration,
or looked at a woman with lust and a desire to consummate what should never be cheapened, ...
Since we are all lawbreakers, what right do we have to sit in judgment on others?
Absolutely none!
Jesus emphasized this point to the religious leaders who brought to him a woman caught in adultery.
(Where was the man? Adultery takes two.) He allowed the one without sin could cast the first stone. Whatever it was Jesus scribbled in the sand revealed those men's hearts to them, and they all went away without condemning the woman, without judging her.
Gratefully, mercy triumphs over judgment!
March 12, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Should God reward you on your own terms?
Elihu, a young man, fervent if not humble, had been listening with great interest to the conversations among Job and his friends. By the time Job's three friends stopped talking, Elihu was bursting with words, and spoke in defense of God's actions and sovereignty. In the midst of his discourse, he said,
"Suppose a man says to God,
'I am guilty but will offend no more.
Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong,
I will not do so again.'
Should God then reward you on your own terms,
when you refuse to repent?
You must decide, not I;
so tell me what you know."
(Job 34:31-33)
Admitting guilt, though necessary for confession, is not the same as repentance.
Neither is vowing to change behavior.
No remorse or brokenness is implied in that confession,
no godly sorrow, without which there is no repentance.
(2 Corinthians 7:9-12)
The world's rules and basic principles are in opposition to those of Christ,
based as they are on idolatry, self-worship, self-help,
human philosophy and (foolish) wisdom.
(See Colossians 2:20-23)
All who claim they will come to God after they have changed,
after they have cleaned up their life, are coming to God on their own terms,
assuming (falsely) they can fix themselves apart from God.
Since the fall, this deception has been hard-wired into our (sin) nature.
Help us, Lord, set us free.
Strip away all our delusions.
Draw us to the cross and the Life that only comes through death.
March 5, 2012
"Suppose a man says to God,
'I am guilty but will offend no more.
Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong,
I will not do so again.'
Should God then reward you on your own terms,
when you refuse to repent?
You must decide, not I;
so tell me what you know."
(Job 34:31-33)
Admitting guilt, though necessary for confession, is not the same as repentance.
Neither is vowing to change behavior.
No remorse or brokenness is implied in that confession,
no godly sorrow, without which there is no repentance.
(2 Corinthians 7:9-12)
The world's rules and basic principles are in opposition to those of Christ,
based as they are on idolatry, self-worship, self-help,
human philosophy and (foolish) wisdom.
(See Colossians 2:20-23)
All who claim they will come to God after they have changed,
after they have cleaned up their life, are coming to God on their own terms,
assuming (falsely) they can fix themselves apart from God.
Since the fall, this deception has been hard-wired into our (sin) nature.
Help us, Lord, set us free.
Strip away all our delusions.
Draw us to the cross and the Life that only comes through death.
March 5, 2012
What is man that you make so much of him?
Job cried out in the midst of his emotional and physical pain, feeling God had painted a bullseye on his back (7:17ff).
"What is man that you make so much of him,
that you give him so much attention,
that you examine him every morning and test him every moment?
Will you never look away from me, even for an instant? ...
Why have you made me your target? ...
Why do you not pardon my offenses and forgive my sins?"
This question is not answered for Job, though we are able to glean the answer from other settings.
In Psalm 103:11-12, love and sin, rather forgiveness, are inseparably connected -
because God loves us as high as the heavens are above the earth,
He finds a way to separate, to remove, our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.
In John 3:16-19, we learn God loved the world so much that, in His only Son Jesus Christ,
He made a way for us to not perish but have eternal life,
for us to be delivered from the condemnation that is the natural result of our sin,
to provide light and truth to rescue and redeem us from our darkness.
Apart from love, there is no concern for sin, disobedience, darkness ...
But because God's love for us is so immense,
He could not overlook our sins.
He could not abide that we should die in our sins.
He made us alive with Christ, even through we were dead in our transgressions,
saving us by His grace (Ephesians 2:1-10).
Thank You, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for such a
boundless,
amazing,
all-consuming,
self-sacrificing
love.
March 3, 2012
"What is man that you make so much of him,
that you give him so much attention,
that you examine him every morning and test him every moment?
Will you never look away from me, even for an instant? ...
Why have you made me your target? ...
Why do you not pardon my offenses and forgive my sins?"
This question is not answered for Job, though we are able to glean the answer from other settings.
In Psalm 103:11-12, love and sin, rather forgiveness, are inseparably connected -
because God loves us as high as the heavens are above the earth,
He finds a way to separate, to remove, our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.
In John 3:16-19, we learn God loved the world so much that, in His only Son Jesus Christ,
He made a way for us to not perish but have eternal life,
for us to be delivered from the condemnation that is the natural result of our sin,
to provide light and truth to rescue and redeem us from our darkness.
Apart from love, there is no concern for sin, disobedience, darkness ...
But because God's love for us is so immense,
He could not overlook our sins.
He could not abide that we should die in our sins.
He made us alive with Christ, even through we were dead in our transgressions,
saving us by His grace (Ephesians 2:1-10).
Thank You, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for such a
boundless,
amazing,
all-consuming,
self-sacrificing
love.
March 3, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
A New Year's Prayer (for every day)
Help me, Lord, to put off my old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires.
Make me new in the attitude of my mind, and help me put on the new self,
created to be like You, Lord God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24)
Renew me in knowledge in the image of my Creator. (Colossians 3:10)
I pray that I would offer my body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God,
as a spiritual act of worship. I pray that I would not be squeezed into the world's mold,
but that I will be transformed by the renewing of my mind, so that I can test and approve
what God's good, pleasing and perfect will is. (Romans 12:1-2)
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,
may give me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that I may know Him better.
I pray that the eyes of my heart may be enlightened in order that we may know
the hope to which He has called us, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,
and His incomparably great power for us who believe. (Ephesians 1:17-19)
I pray that God will fill me with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, in order that I may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way:
bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with
all power according to His glorious might so that I may have great endurance and patience,
and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified me to share in the inheritance of
the saints in the kingdom of light. For He rescued me from the dominion of darkness and
brought me into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom I have redemption. (Colossians 1:9-12)
I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen me with power through His Spirit in
my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. I pray that I would be rooted
and established in love, and may have the power together with all the saints to grasp how
wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -
that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 3:16-19)
I pray that my love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,so that
I may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of the righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ -
to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11)
Now Him who is able to do immeasurable more than all I ask or even imagine,
according to His power that is at work within me, to Him be glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
Now go back and pray it again, changing the pronoun from I/me to we/us, or inserting the name
of your spouse, children, parents, pastors, friends, ...
Prepared to accompany a sermon on January 1, 2012.
Make me new in the attitude of my mind, and help me put on the new self,
created to be like You, Lord God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24)
Renew me in knowledge in the image of my Creator. (Colossians 3:10)
I pray that I would offer my body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God,
as a spiritual act of worship. I pray that I would not be squeezed into the world's mold,
but that I will be transformed by the renewing of my mind, so that I can test and approve
what God's good, pleasing and perfect will is. (Romans 12:1-2)
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,
may give me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that I may know Him better.
I pray that the eyes of my heart may be enlightened in order that we may know
the hope to which He has called us, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,
and His incomparably great power for us who believe. (Ephesians 1:17-19)
I pray that God will fill me with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, in order that I may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way:
bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with
all power according to His glorious might so that I may have great endurance and patience,
and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified me to share in the inheritance of
the saints in the kingdom of light. For He rescued me from the dominion of darkness and
brought me into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom I have redemption. (Colossians 1:9-12)
I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen me with power through His Spirit in
my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. I pray that I would be rooted
and established in love, and may have the power together with all the saints to grasp how
wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -
that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 3:16-19)
I pray that my love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,so that
I may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of the righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ -
to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11)
Now Him who is able to do immeasurable more than all I ask or even imagine,
according to His power that is at work within me, to Him be glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
Now go back and pray it again, changing the pronoun from I/me to we/us, or inserting the name
of your spouse, children, parents, pastors, friends, ...
Prepared to accompany a sermon on January 1, 2012.
I need a Transcendent God
Made in God's image,
we think God is like us.
We make Him (and all our idols) in our (own) image.
Are we petty?
So is God.
Are we judgmental?
God must be, too.
Is our love conditional?
So is God's.
Do we think some sins are heinous,
while others are character flaws,
and some even slightly amusing?
Obviously God must have the same perspective.
What hollow, shallow, impotent, imperfect gods we imagine!
I long for,
no,
I need,
I must have a transcendent God,
One who is completely other than what I am,
not at all like me.
I can worship such a God.
I will exalt the Lord as a glorious,
strong,
holy,
powerful,
majestic King
who brings peace to His people.
I will worship this Lord and King as my God.
Inspired by Psalm 50:21 and Psalm 29 (and many others)
02-29-2012
we think God is like us.
We make Him (and all our idols) in our (own) image.
Are we petty?
So is God.
Are we judgmental?
God must be, too.
Is our love conditional?
So is God's.
Do we think some sins are heinous,
while others are character flaws,
and some even slightly amusing?
Obviously God must have the same perspective.
What hollow, shallow, impotent, imperfect gods we imagine!
I long for,
no,
I need,
I must have a transcendent God,
One who is completely other than what I am,
not at all like me.
I can worship such a God.
I will exalt the Lord as a glorious,
strong,
holy,
powerful,
majestic King
who brings peace to His people.
I will worship this Lord and King as my God.
Inspired by Psalm 50:21 and Psalm 29 (and many others)
02-29-2012
Psalm for the Fatherless
The Lord is my Father,
for my earthly father failed me.
The Lord receives all orphans and outcasts.
He comforts the fatherless,
holding them in His arms.
The Lord restores all who are downcast and broken,
all who feel betrayed and rejected.
The Lord provides for all who are in need,
the poverty-stricken and empty.
The Lord protects the helpless and weak,
the powerless and exposed.
He answers all who call on Him in truth.
He is my Shelter.
Even when I feel abandoned
and trialed beyond my strength,
far beyond my ability to bear;
He enables me to stand.
Surely the abundant,
boundless,
enduring,
unfailing,
compassionate,
gracious,
merciful,
self-sacrificing,
redeeming,
saving love of the Lord
will pursue and
protect and
keep me all the days of my life, and
I will dwell
in the house of the Lord
forever.
2-26-2012
for my earthly father failed me.
The Lord receives all orphans and outcasts.
He comforts the fatherless,
holding them in His arms.
The Lord restores all who are downcast and broken,
all who feel betrayed and rejected.
The Lord provides for all who are in need,
the poverty-stricken and empty.
The Lord protects the helpless and weak,
the powerless and exposed.
He answers all who call on Him in truth.
He is my Shelter.
Even when I feel abandoned
and trialed beyond my strength,
far beyond my ability to bear;
He enables me to stand.
Surely the abundant,
boundless,
enduring,
unfailing,
compassionate,
gracious,
merciful,
self-sacrificing,
redeeming,
saving love of the Lord
will pursue and
protect and
keep me all the days of my life, and
I will dwell
in the house of the Lord
forever.
2-26-2012
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