Author: Rick (Page 2 of 37)

“Indeed, my plans are not like your plans, and my deeds are not like your deeds, for just as the sky is higher than the earth, so my deeds are superior to your deeds and my plans superior to your plans.”  Isaiah 55:8,9

I like to think of myself as okay. Not great, but at least okay. I am probably not the only one who likes to think that way (not about me, but about themselves!). It is comforting, I guess, to look around and believe that there are a lot of people worse than we are. But today I was looking at these verses in Isaiah and I realize that the word “your”  in these verses was talking about me. Not the other guy, but me. My deeds are not like God’s deeds. My ways are not God’s ways. In all ways, His ways are superior to my ways.

This reality can be fairly depressing if we ponder it. We fall short in all ways. Not just some of us, but all of us! Well, it would be depressing if the story stopped there. But God does not stop there and leave us with no hope.  Almost every part of the Bible is about hope. It tells us how we can triumph in spite of our misguided ways. The Bible gives us hope in a world of hopelessness. Psalm 46:1 says that “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble,” which is so much more comforting than “I am my own refuge and strength and I can rely on myself in times of trouble.” Since my ways are not God’s ways, to rely on myself is a losing proposition.

A few years backI took back a couple of inferior rafts that I had bought for camping. I upgraded to one (not two cheap ones, but one good one) that actually floats. I thought it would be a good investment, especially for whoever is in the middle of the river in it. (Never go cheap on eye surgeons or rafts.) Our ways are like those rafts. They are inferior and regardless of how fast or slow the leak is, our ways will eventually “leak.”  Like the rafts, we cannot patch them on our own. We can try to fix things up, but it will never work. I had to get a new raft, just like we have to become new creatures. We can’t patch up the old, we must become new. That can only be done through Christ.

I like to think some of my ways are good. But no matter how good I think they are, if they are mine, they fall short of the perfect ways of God. What I need to do is to know God well enough to know His ways. When I start becoming more like Him, my ways will start to come in line with His ways. Some of us will go through life trying to patch one thing up after another. We leave God sitting over to the side, waiting for us, while we patch hole after hole, only to have the next one spring up. When we do that, we are just kicking the can down the road. The fix will be temporary. The only permanent fix is to give ourselves over to Christ and allow Him to make things new. By the time some of us are old we are floating in a pathetic raft barely staying afloat made up of more patches than original raft.  We paddle around wondering why we are so stressed, while a brand new one with our name awaits just in reach.

Many people want to try to do their own thing and try to align God with them. That would be like coming back to camp and instead of pulling ourselves to shore, we try to pull the shore to us. The shore, like God, is fixed. We must be the ones that move. If God’s ways are superior to ours, why should He come to us. It is logical that we go to Him. Unfortunately, the common practice is for us to do our own thing and then try to say that is God’s way as well.

On one of our camping trips with the kids and grandkids I was out in the river and my raft started sinking. I realized that I was probably going to go down with both ends of the raft above my head closing  like a giant clam.  Between screams for help,  I thought how much better it would have been to have a raft that holds air. Now I have one because I purchased one. The good news is that if we want to get rid of our inferior ways, we don’t have to make a purchase.  Our new ways have been paid for in full, and all we need to do is to receive them. Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians was the same prayer we should pray for ourselves. “(I) am asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give (me) spiritual wisdom and insight so that (I) might grow in (my) knowledge of (Him).  (I) pray that (my) heart will be flooded with light so that (I) can understand the confident hope He has given to those He has called—His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance.”  Now that’s how you fix a leaky raft.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Forgiveness is one of the most profound acts of grace we can extend to others. It mirrors the heart of God, who forgave us completely and undeservedly through Christ. Yet, forgiving someone who has wronged us can often feel like one of the hardest things to do. We wrestle with pride, hurt, and the fear of being vulnerable again.

Jesus addressed this struggle directly when Peter asked how often we should forgive someone. His response—“seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22)—was not a numerical limit but a call to boundless forgiveness. Why? Because God’s forgiveness toward us is equally limitless. Every time we fall short, He remains faithful to forgive, inviting us into His grace anew.

When we forgive, we are not excusing wrongdoing or pretending it didn’t hurt. Instead, forgiveness is a decision to release resentment and trust God to bring justice in His perfect timing. It’s freeing ourselves from the chains of bitterness and allowing His peace to fill our hearts.

One powerful example of biblical forgiveness is Joseph forgiving his brothers (Genesis 45:1–15).

Joseph’s brothers had betrayed him by selling him into slavery out of jealousy. He endured years of hardship in Egypt, including slavery and imprisonment, before God elevated him to a position of power as Pharaoh’s second-in-command. When a famine struck the land, Joseph’s brothers unknowingly came to him in Egypt to buy food, not realizing he was the brother they had wronged.

Joseph had every reason to exact revenge. Instead, he chose forgiveness. In a deeply emotional moment, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, saying:

“Do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.” (Genesis 45:5)

Joseph recognized that God had used even the evil intentions of his brothers for a greater purpose—to save countless lives during the famine. He chose to see his circumstances through the lens of God’s sovereignty rather than through bitterness.

Joseph not only forgave his brothers but also provided for their needs and their families. His forgiveness restored their broken relationship and exemplified the grace and mercy of God.

This story reminds us that forgiveness often requires seeing beyond the offense to God’s greater plan. It encourages us to release resentment and trust that God can bring redemption even from the deepest pain.

This morning, we should ask God to reveal any areas where unforgiveness may linger in our hearts.  We should offer those situations to Him, asking for the strength to forgive as He has forgiven us. Remember, forgiveness is not about the one who hurt us —it’s about our obedience to God and the freedom He wants for us.

Here is a front pocket prayer that we should keep handy:

Father, thank You for the forgiveness You’ve given me through Jesus. Teach me to reflect Your grace by forgiving others, even when it’s hard. Help me release any bitterness and trust You with my pain. May my heart reflect Your love and compassion today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I was listening to an interesting debate awhile back. It was between an atheist and an evangelical. One of the atheist’s defenses for social evolution apart from God was his belief that our society has grown beyond the violence of past centuries. He went on to say that the 20th century was the most peaceful century in history. I guess he was sleeping in history 101 when they covered WWI, WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the other 27 Major conflicts of the 1900’s. Historian Eric Hobsbawn said in his book on the 1900’s, “the 20th century was the most murderous in recorded history. The total number of deaths caused by or associated with its wars has been estimated at 187 million, the equivalent of more than 10 per cent of the world’s population in 1913.” He went on to say that the century experienced very few periods of worldwide peace. It seems to me that the twentieth century isn’t the best time period to reference while extolling the peaceful progress of humanity.

In fact, as I examine history, I see not the progress of humankind, but the plight of humankind and that is just another reason why I believe the Word of God. History portrays more realistically the Bible’s explanations of man and the world around him than any atheistic philosophy I have ever read. The idea that this world, life, and culture are evolving for the better in any way is a pipe dream. Peace on this earth can only be found in one place, and that is in the Lord Jesus Christ. All other peace is fragile, fleeting, and in the long run, fake. In Jeremiah 17:9 we are told, “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” Later in Matthew 15:19 we see that man has a heart problem, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.” These comments on man seem to match what I see in the news a lot more than an atheistic view that we are building societies of peace and justice.

It seems to me that atheists are caught in the middle of their own beliefs. They assume that Godlessness will lead to more order, more peace, more ethical societies, but why should it? If we are just organic with no real moral compass, why shouldn’t we press for power? Why shouldn’t the biggest, strongest, most powerful be in charge. If the meanings of such words as life, murder, rights, and more are allowed to change from generation to generation, culture to culture, place to place, then there is no standard of right and wrong and everyone can make his own rules. If everyone can make his own rules, why wouldn’t he make rules that benefit himself.

On the other hand, if there is some kind of altruism that sometimes is found in humans, why should it be there? Would we, people just made of matter, without spirits, without souls, without a creator, ever choose to be decent in this survival-of-the-fittest world we live in. Conscience does not evolve but is part of our inborn knowledge that there is something, no, Someone greater than we. Either we are a soulless part of the animal kingdom and have excuse to be selfish because we rightfully fight for power (see Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, etc), or we are separated from the animal kingdom by a conscience not found in any other creature because we are “fearfully and wonderfully” made.

Romans 10:3 is right: “There are none who are righteous, no, not one.” That is pretty plain. Romans also tells us that, “All have sinned and have come short of the glory of God” and “the wages of sin is death” but what is the good news- “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” We will not evolve into “good” people and we will not evolve into a “good” society. We can only replace the bad nature with a good one, and that only comes through Christ. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, all things have become new.” Until all things become new through Christ, this world will not get better. The bottom line is this: We are created with a knowledge of right and wrong but without the power within ourselves to enforce it. We will continue to ignore what is right until we are filled with He Who is right. That is not evolution of our world, but revolution in our souls. We must go against our natural tendencies for evil and be filled with that which is good. Until then our world’s progression is nothing more than regression.

“These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Isaiah 29:13

Sometimes we openly and deliberately defy God. Other times we try to resist him in passive ways, giving God the silent treatment as we refuse to pray, worship, or even talk about him. Another strategy we sometimes use for resisting God may be the worst of all. We pretend to be following God. We merely go through the motions, looking okay on the outside, fooling even the most keen observers and maybe even fooling ourselves.

We can do that same thing in many other areas of our lives. We may dutifully go through the motions of fulfilling our spouse’s demands, our boss’s demands, our kid’s demands, while inwardly resenting the burdens placed on us. We may technically do the tasks that are put upon us, but inwardly we’re not doing them willingly. When we have this attitude toward God it is doubly bad because, for one, He cannot be fooled and two, pretending leads our lives into destruction.
,
There is a story about a little boy who is told to stand in the corner by his mother. He defiantly sits in the corner. He is mother tells him to stand up. He stands, but yells back over his shoulder, “I may be standing on the outside, but I’m sitting on the inside.” When we look like we are taking a stand for God, but are actually “sitting on the inside,” we can’t fool anyone for long. Eventually the charade will catch up with us. Sincerity of heart has always and will always be how God views our actions. When our kids were kids (some of you remember), we didn’t like it if a task was assigned and they rolled their eyes. Rolling the eyes is a show of dissatisfaction with the task at hand. Too often we roll our eyes at God when doing work for Him.

If we appear to be participating wholeheartedly in the things of God, but it’s mostly for appearances, we will not grow. We will be eventually hit by something that requires “realness.” If we have spent all our time learning to fake it, we will be unprepared for times of actual spiritual need. A counterfeit bill might get by before it is tested, but once it is tested it is worthless. The same goes for us. If we sing in worship or participate in a Bible study, but our participation is a pretense having to do with what we should do rather than what we want to do we will eventually be found out- usually under fire. We have counterfeited honoring God and it will not stand true scrutiny.

When I was young, my brother, sister and I used to put records on and fake like we were singing and put on concerts for our parents and other family members. We sounded just like the Beatles or Dave Clark Five or a hundred other groups. When I tried out for choir in sixth grade, I think I was the only one not to make it. Acting like a singer did not make me a singer. Acting like a servant of God does not make us servants of God. Being a servant of God does. One of the scary aspects of “religion” is that we can easily “fake it.” But we are not in a religion, but a relationship. That is harder to fake.

It is possible to go through the motions in church for years while carefully keeping God at arm’s length. The result is usually a religiosity that lacks a real relationship. Without that relationship there is no joy, no peace, no satisfaction. Eventually, they say, “all pretenders will be separated from true contenders.” I think that is true. Remember, we are called to contend for the faith. We can’t do that by pretending.

“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? God forbid.” Romans 6:14-15

It is hard to believe that people who receive a wonderful gift would misuse that gift, but it happens all the time. This is especially true with the gift of grace from our Father which provides us with eternal life and gives us power over sin. No sooner than the doctrine of grace was revealed, it came under attack. It was and is hard for prideful man to believe that he can do nothing to earn his salvation. The concept that our salvation is totally based on the shed blood of Christ and that we cannot add anything to that sacrifice on our own behalf is unacceptable by many. That is why so many cults and “isms” require works as part of their salvation. But the scriptures are clear- it is a free gift.

If I came up to you and said I had a gift for you and then gave you a price you would have to pay for it, it would no longer be a gift. The covenant that God has made with us is kept on the strength of who He is, not on what we can pay. We can never pay enough. The price is too high. As hard as that is to understand, we need to get a hold of that if we are going to experience grace.

But even when people get beyond the difficult concept that salvation is free, they must face more struggles, because our sinful nature will take any wonderful gift of God and try to pervert it. Examples of what God has given us that we twist around are many, but just a few examples are intimacy, humor, nature, and science. None of those things are invented, they are all discoveries of what God has already built into our universe. Unfortunately, we often find a way to pervert them to fit our own sinful desires. We do the same thing when we discover the free and unbreakable gift of salvation. We try to pervert it.

The movie Casualties of War tells the true story of a squad of soldiers which fought in the Vietnam War. The lead role in the film is Private Erikson who’s is played by Michael J. Fox. The other men in the squadron begin to be involved in a string of atrocities, the latest against a Vietnamese girl. As Erickson struggles with what has happened, he says to the other men in his squad, “Just because each of us might at any second be blown away, we’re acting like we can do anything we want, as though it doesn’t matter what we do. I’m thinking it’s just the opposite. Because we might be dead in the next split second, maybe we gotta be extra careful what we do. Because maybe it matters more. Maybe it matters more than we ever know.”

Some people mistakenly see grace as a license to sin, just like the men in this story who saw the possibility of death as a reason to commit sinful acts. There is nothing that justifies sin, especially not grace. What is a gift for us cost God beyond comprehension. To take advantage of that gift lessens the incredible sacrifice of Christ on our behalf.

In today’s verse Paul had to correct the way many in Rome were approaching salvation. They were accepting God so that they could live like the devil! “After all,” they were saying, “if salvation is free and it can’t be lost, why worry about the way we act? In fact, the more we sin, the more it illustrates God’s grace! Right?” Wrong. Paul tells us in Romans that we cannot take evil advantage of God’s grace. Earlier in Romans 6:1-2 Paul says, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

We are new creatures, why would we live like the old? In fact, in every epistle Paul illustrates the dangers of Christians living sinfully and his warnings are strong and to the point. We will lose comfort, joy, peace, and many other wonderful blessings that accompany knowing Christ. In fact, in Corinthians, he makes it clear that we can even lose our lives.

So grace is good, sin is bad, and just because we experience grace, we should not sin to celebrate. Sin does not celebrate or illustrate God’s grace. Sin diminishes what God has done in our lives and mocks the incredible sacrifice that Christ has made for us. He became sin for us so that we could live outside of sin, so by His power, that’s what we should do.