Corinthians 13:3 ~ "If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."

There are certain religious beliefs in our world that require martyrdom as the highest form of proof concerning the legitimacy of their faith. But the willingness to die for a cause does not prove the veracity of real love. In fact, many have gone through their lives, practicing sacrificial religion, with no true love for God. 

This was proved true most clearly in the lives of the Pharisees. Jesus declared it to them in John 8:42, "“If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here."

So this begs the question: do you have love? 

Many go through their lives accomplishing great feats of sacrifice, even rendering heroic expressions with their lives, believing that with such grandiose services rendered they will gain some greater standing with the Lord God. And yet it comes back to the question--do you have love?

Love, in this sense, is not some sentimentalism or emotional derivation of human sympathy that leaves us moon-eyed and heart-sick over the one to whom we have cast our affections. The love that this text refers to is described for us in its outward form through verses 4-7. This love is found in the transformed life of those who have received the salvation of Christ.

1 John 4:19 states, "We love because He first loved us." Having received the love of Christ who laid His life down--not for His own glory but for the Glory of the Father and the salvation of the Church--it is only then that we can say we have the love to which Paul refers.

I have heard countless people who profess loyalty to Christ declare with absolute certainty that they would "die for Jesus." What a waste if they "have not love" for they will gain nothing. There is no advantage for the one who is willing to martyr themselves for the cause of Christ who does not have within them the love of Christ.

This does not mean that love isn't sacrificial--it most certainly is. Jesus said in John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."

Paul also understood the sacrifice of love displayed by Christ quite clearly, "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). 

But the sacrifice must be the expression of love and not the means of trying to manipulate the Lord to receive you outside of Christ. To put it bluntly, you cannot buy your way to heaven and you cannot die your way to heaven. For Jesus, Himself, paid the price and died the death so that we could have our sins forgiven through His love and be redeemed through His atonement. 

It comes back to the warning, "but [if I] have not love, I gain nothing."

You will never gain heaven, hope, life, eternity, or any of the promises of Christ if you remain outside of the love of Christ. But for those who love God, there is a great promise given--one that I want to leave with you: 1 Corinthians 8:3, "But if anyone loves God, he is known by God."

Jeremiah 6:16 ~ Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’"

With the advancement of technology, most people now have a GPS in their vehicles (or on the phones) and find their way by the instruction of computerized voices based upon directions given by satellites a thousand miles above the earth.

It didn't used to be that way. Once upon a time, in the distant reaches of the past, people actually looked at roadmaps and asked the locals for directions. And, surprisingly, they found that they could find their way based upon the knowledge of the neighbors. Otherwise, if you didn't trust the locals, you might find yourself quite lost and in need of help.

One day, as I was navigating by GPS to find a local shop, the computer voice took me down the road and into the parking lot of another business. I reset it. Turned it off and on again. All effort on my part never corrected the GPS and I could not find the shop I needed--until I went in and talked with a local.

Consider the text above, "ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is."

The first thing I want you to see: there is a path to follow, a good way to travel, and it is the "ancient" one.

The modern approach to the Christian life leaves much to be desired with its conformity to the trends of society. The "GPS" of the post-modern Christian life will direct you away from the good way and try to lead you toward a road that is self-focused, entertainment driven, audacious and proud. As one friend told me, "They seem to focus more on the clay than the potter."

The ancient path, however, is sacrificial and humble. It is driven by a need to bring glory to God. It follows a road that is navigated by the Word of God and prayer. It is marked with the scars of faithfulness and it is a narrow and hard way to follow--and few there be that find it (see Matthew 7:13-14)

There is also a need to "ask" for that way. Many have traveled the road ahead of you, walking by faith in Christ for years and have learned how to give good directions to those who are standing and looking.  Go to them--and ask. Ask how to pray. Ask how to study God's word. Ask how to walk in loving obedience to Christ in your marriage, with your children and/or grandchildren. Ask how to be faithful with your local church. There are many things you can ask, and a good neighbor who is familiar with the road, will point you to God's "ancient" path of His word and show you how to walk.

Then, if you want to experience the promise of "rest for your souls," you must walk it out. Give attention to that ancient path and step out by faith in obedience to the guidance of God's word. It is a light for your path (see Psalm 119:105). Do not be like those who said they would not walk in it. Don't trust any other way than the way of Christ through His word.

The "GPS" directions of those who have a more modern view of the Christian faith will leave you walking away from the ancient path of God. So, my friends--stand, look and ask. And when the ancient path is presented you--step out and walk upon it.

In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

2 Peter 2:19 ~ "They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved."

I enjoy movies. I appreciate epic stories, with a powerful emphasis on some form of redemptive experience, that is expressed with well developed characters and a plot that carries through to the end. And to enjoy such a movie, you must have what storytellers call the "suspension of disbelief." In essence, you must be willing to separate your actual understanding from what is portrayed on the screen.

In short, you have to--for the duration of the program--accept the illusion.

Now, in truth, I don't believe that Mordor exists or that Scrooge encountered three ghosts of Christmas. However, I appreciate those stories and can, for the time it takes to watch them, suspend my disbelief for the enjoyment.

What happens, though, when the illusion is more desirable than reality? Welcome to the trap. It is then that you become  a slave to corruption.

Let me explain through a couple of examples. The first one is a sin, the second is an activity that might become a sin. Hebrews 12:1 describes them as either a sin or a weight that has the potential to ensnare us.

First: pornography. Do you know what is the illusion of that ensnaring medium? It is the illusion of being desired. Many people who turn to porn are driven there by their need to be desired. And on the screen are these sensual individuals telling the audience that they are desired. It is all a lie, but the audience buys it. 

Second: video games. What is the illusion there? Video games ensnare their captives through a sense of virtual accomplishment without ever any actual accomplishment. Those drawn to the need for a sense of victory or achievement get the strong sense of both as they go from level to level in the game. They don't actually do anything, but they feel like they did.

Both of the scenarios above, and many more beside, make promises that are nothing more than lies. If you believe that the person on the other side of the screen actually desires you, you must regain your disbelief and remember that they don't even know you. If you think that you have achieved a great victory and advanced your life through a game, come back to reality for a moment and see that you've only lost hours and hours of life.

With those two examples, I don't mean to merely attack those who are ensnared. I use them to illustrate the fact that in our lives there are so many illusions that captivate our minds and attentions that are, as Peter said above, promises which enslave. Other traps could be things like social media, binge-watching, alcohol, and many more--anything that gives the illusion of a thing without the actuality of it.

But God is reality Himself. And knowing Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior is the ultimate grandeur of life. There is no "suspension of disbelief" needed, for everything Jesus has said or done is absolutely true. The Holy Scriptures reveal to us something far greater than the illusions of this world. And living by faithful obedience to the Word of God is the greatest occupation of our lives.

Consider what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:18, "...as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

What are you looking toward to give you the sense of purpose, value, joy, freedom or accomplishment? In the illusions of this world you may think you've found promises of freedom, but in the end they will be nothing more than a trap and snare to keep you from living your life in true freedom--the liberty of living for Christ.

In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

Proverbs 16:33 ~ "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD."

While working in the U.S. Air Force, I was temporarily serving near Las Vegas, Nevada. Several of us would go downtown to get dinner, and one man in our team would invariably stop at several slot machines, card tables and other gambling kiosks that availed themselves to those who would drift through.

This young airman lamented often that he was very bad at gambling--so much so that when he went to the local ATM, it even refused to give him money. He came to me one weary afternoon. A look of anguish filled his eyes as he confessed to me that he had squandered all his savings and he didn't know how he would tell his wife when we returned to our primary base.  Several of us took up a collection for him, and held it until we returned home and he was out of range of those dreadful temptations.

And so he blamed all his woes on that miserable companion: bad luck.

But was it merely "bad luck?" Is there such a thing?

Let me ask you, my friends, how much do you trust the sovereignty of God?

Consider the text above: "the lot is cast." Dice are rolled and do we believe that is it merely random chance that brings up the numbers? Many often live as if life is a circumstantial experience that is left completely to chance. Shuffle the deck. Are the cards sufficiently confused--or does God know each and every one, and actually placed them in that order?

Mankind struggles on this side of eternity with what appears to be merely coincidental realities, for we only see the randomness of circumstance and the happenstance of experience while we dwell in this mortal frame. 

But you must move to the second portion of the text: "but its every decision is from the LORD." There is not one atom of existence outside of the sovereign will of Almighty God. From Him comes every decision of every throw of every dice. 

Now, before you go running off to flip a coin to decide every action you must take, understand the purpose of the text. It is not an encouragement for you to start gambling in order to determine the will of God. This is written to show you that everything--even things as small and innocuous as the casting of a lot--is under God's sovereign control. 

Believer, let this move you to trust Him more. Let this guide your faith to know that there is nothing that has happened to you that is beyond God's power or outside of His control. You have never been hit by a random set of circumstances. And though it might look like it from our vantage point, let us place our faith in the One who holds the universe together--the Lord Jesus Christ. God has purposes for everything, and you can trust Him.

In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

Isaiah 26:4, "Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock."

Years ago I lived in the midst of some beautiful mountains. Each winter I would gaze upon those snow-capped peaks and marvel at the majesty of those spires. Rugged and wonderful, they stretched like granite towers carved out by the finger of God.

But as winter is so prevalent to do here in the Pacific Northwest, clouds rolled in and hid those encircling mountains. They were hid so well in fact, that if you had never seen them and only experienced cloudy days in that mountain town, you might believe that those mountains never existed in the first place.

One Sunday morning, I asked the congregation where I served if the mountain was gone. It had vanished behind the clouds and surely the mountain had moved on and found sunnier skies where it could display its majesty. Of course, the silliness of that reasoning was obvious--just because you couldn't see the mountain did not mean it wasn't there.

And, dear believer, I suspect that you have found out my point. Just because you cannot see God, and though the clouds of doubt, fear, anxiety, distress, persecutions and sorrows blanket the skies of your faith, does not mean the Mountain has departed. As Isaiah 26:4 declares, our God is an EVERLASTING rock! He does not depart, He will not forsake you. And though the clouds of suffering may hide your view of Him, He has always remained.

Consider another passage from Isaiah 50:10, "Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God."

Do you fear the Lord and yet it seems that you walk in darkness and have no light? Then do what it says--trust in the name of the LORD and rely upon your God. Do not give yourself over to the niggling doubts that creep into your thoughts when the way seems shrouded. Turn to His word and trust Him. Live out the life of faithful obedience and God will, in His time and for His purpose, dispel those clouds. They are there, even now, to test your faith--to show that you can trust Him, even if the way is dark.

Consider what the Apostle Peter had to say in 1 Peter 1:8, "Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory."

Though you do not see Him, continue believing. The clouds may hide the Mountain, my friend, but they can never, ever, remove Him.

In His Grace,
​Pastor Michael

2 Corinthians 7:1, "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God."


The promises of God must provide the impetus for the pursuit of holiness.
 
How much do you long for holiness? I've asked myself that question on many occasions as I have warred against the constant barrage of temptations that seem to continually bang against the door of my heart. And then, in those moments of failure, I feel the grip of anguish and remorse along with that godly grief which moves me to once again repent of sin and strive after holiness. 

Paul mentions that we have "these promises." To what promises does the Apostle refer? You would have look back to the previous chapter, specifically 2 Corinthians 6:16-18, "What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

We walk in a culture saturated with all manner of wickedness--and God has promised to be with us. But God cannot fellowship with darkness, nor can He partner with sin (see 2 Corinthians 6:14). Thus, for us to enjoy the fellowship of God we must depart from wickedness--or as Paul said, to cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, from every external and internal corruption, that would pollute our lives.

And that is how holiness is pursued.

You must understand, the pursuit of holiness is not merely moral reformation or ethical adjustments to conform to a better code of conduct. Those things are important, and are the outgrowth of holiness. But to pursue holiness is to forsake all inward worldly desires that do not conform to the Lord and be separate from all other external pursuits that conflict with love for Christ. It is more than behavioral reformation, it is a willing separation from those things that defile and a unity with Christ that leads to righteousness. 

In its simplest understanding: holiness is to be separate from the world and united with Christ.

In the text above it says that we are the temple of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:16). We must not bring into our lives any form of worldliness or idolatry that would pollute or defile God's temple. And when we discover those things within us that do defile, let us cleanse ourselves through repentance (see 2 Corinthians 7:10) that we might bring our lives into a greater holiness in the fear of God.

Perhaps, there is no better way to begin a New Year.

In His Grace,
​Pastor Michael