Thursday, January 11, 2018
Honor Them
Verse of the day: Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.”
Honor your father and your mother…what does it mean to honor our father and mother, and do we still have to do this? This was one of the commandments that Jesus confronted the scribes and Pharisees about when they tried to hold Him accountable for the disciples failing to wash their hands in accordance with their traditions. Jesus rebuked them in Matthew 15 because they failed to honor their fathers and mothers due to the traditions they had set, which overrode God’s commandment to honor their father and mother. God sees the role of the father and mother as so vital, and one that should be respected, that He included it in the Ten Commandments. Ephesians 6:1-3 reads, Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” The word “honor” in this verse means, “to revere” “to prize” “to value”. This means that regardless of what we may think about our parents, as parents, we are to give them honor and respect as a father or mother because of their office in the family. God, in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, does not give this as a conditional command. Nowhere in God’s Word do we read, “Honor father and mother, except when…” I will say this, however, right up front, “We can honor our father and mother, but that does not mean that we must mimic their ungodly or unlawful behavior.” We are called to obey them, as children, but we are not called to do as they do, if they are living ungodly lives. Ezekiel 20:18-19 tells us, “But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am the LORD your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them…” This, however, does not say that we must not honor them. The reality of life, and being human, is that we did not have perfect parents, and we will not be perfect parents. God already knew this when He gave the Israelites, and us, the command to honor our parents. We are all sinners, whether we are a parent or a child, we all sin. As children, if we are to honor our parents, even as adults, it means that we must be able to forgive quite often (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13). One of the saddest things I have seen, even in the local church, is when a marriage goes bad, and even ends in divorce, and the local church, Christians, and the parties that were married, in their attempts to “discipline” whomever they felt caused the break-up, in the process, pit the children against one parent or the other. I say, “Shame on anyone who leads children to dishonor a father or mother, regardless of the reason for the break-up of that family.” As children, our responsibility, as Christians, is to forgive, and honor both our father and mother, and, as best we can, and maintain a relationship with both father and mother that honors God. This is always easier to do when Christian parents stay together for a lifetime, and raise their family together; but the sad reality of today is that we, as Christians, live in, or know of, Christian homes that have been divided by abuse, separation, and divorce (for a number of different reasons). So what do we do in those instances? Do our Christian principles, and God’s commands, no longer apply because of brokenness in the family unit? God expects us to honor both our father and mother, regardless of what the circumstances might be. It may mean that we have to show forgiveness toward one parent or another, or both. Yet, this is what God expects of us as His children. As children, we honor our parents by being obedient to them, and showing them respect (Colossians 3:20); for this is pleasing to the LORD. As adult children we honor them by showing them respect, and taking care of them when they can no longer take care of themselves. The same way we seek to honor God with our word, actions and thoughts, is the same way we should seek to honor our parents. In both the Old Testament, and the New Testament, we are reminded that honoring father and mother is the first commandment with promise. God promised that if we honor both our parents, He will honor us with long life. The bottom line is that there is no excuse before God, which is acceptable, when we choose to dishonor our parents.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Christ Our Sabbath
Verse of the day: Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
Today’s devotional may cause some who still observe the Sabbath, as a requirement, to cringe. There has been much debate as to whether or not we who are born again should still be observing the Sabbath. In order to answer that in our own minds we must first answer this question, “Was the command to keep the Sabbath part of the moral law or ceremonial law?” The answer is a simple one. The Sabbath was kept as part of ceremonial law. In Isaiah 1:10-20, God differentiated between ceremonial and moral law. He expressed His displeasure and desire not to receive their useless ceremonies if they were going to continue being morally corrupt. In verse 13 of Isaiah 1, the Lord clearly says to Israel, “Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.” We see that even in the Old Testament the Lord rejects their practice of keeping the Sabbath, if they refuse to be clean morally. In verses 16 and 17 the Lord states, “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.” Not once did God tell them to observe some ceremonial practice in order to be right with Him. God is not interested in our religious, ceremonial, practices. Galatians 3:21-29, and 4:21-31 explain the difference between being under the Law and being in Christ. The conclusion in both instances is that in Christ we are free of the Law; the ceremonial law and moral law, as the moral law is fulfilled in this: Galatians 5:14 “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” In other words, the Law is completely encompassed by, and fulfilled completely in, Christ’s death and resurrection. If we, as Christians, want to live in accordance to God’s commandments, let us live according to those that Jesus gave us in Mark 12:30-31, “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” The bottom line is that if a Christian wants to observe the Sabbath, the choice is completely theirs. There is absolutely nothing wrong with setting a day aside for rest; a day that we set aside to spend time in prayer, fasting, studying the Word of God, and meditating on God’s goodness. However, it is not a requirement that has been placed on us by Jesus, or the Word of God, as born again believers. If one of us has a conviction about keeping the Sabbath, that conviction should not be forced on another; and those of us who do not observe it should not judge those who choose to practice it as a means to draw closer to the Lord personally. To quench the argument or debate about my last statement, I will say this: Colossians 2:16-17 reads, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” The bottom line is that true rest is found only in Jesus. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jesus is our Sabbath every day, even in the midst of the busiest of days. He has given us rest from the Law, and rest from trying to work our way into God’s favor. Our salvation is by grace and there is no aspect of keeping the Law that will increase our salvation or give us greater favor with God. All the favor we have with the Father is because we are in the Son.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
Empty Speech and Worthless Conduct
Verse of the day: Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”
I will begin with the most common thing we think about when we think about taking the Lord’s Name in vain. Ephesians 4:29-30 commands us, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” The word “vain” means “emptiness of speech, falsehood, vanity, worthlessness of conduct”. Jews would not customarily pronounce God’s Name outside of prayer and study. They would not even casually write the LORD’s Name (Tracey R. Rich, Judaism 101). Yet, today, we are very flippant about throwing God’s Name out there for no valid reason. How often have we heard Christians say, “Oh my God”, or exclaim the Lord Jesus’ Name inappropriately? I have observed that some television programs will “bleep” out cuss words, but not “bleep” out when God’s Name is used as a cuss word. As grievous as this is for any Christian to do, this command is more than just verbally using God’s Name in a derogatory or useless manner. As pointed out earlier, the word “vain” means “falsehood, and worthlessness of conduct”. Tracey R. Rich wrote in the article “Judaism 101”, “In Jewish thought, that commandment refers solely to oath-taking, and is a prohibition against swearing by God's Name falsely or frivolously (the word normally translated as ‘in vain’ literally means ‘for falsehood’)”. Swearing on God’s Name, then lying or using it for falsehood is taking God’s Name in vain. We also take the Lord’s Name in vain when we profess His Name, but then not live a life that honors that Name. When we claim to represent Jesus, but live in such a way that we honor Him only with our lips, this is taking the LORD’s Name in vain. Jesus said in Matthew 15:7-8, “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” Jesus, in Matthew 5:33, tells us not to forswear ourselves, but keep our oaths to the Lord; and in verse 37 tells us that our “yes” should be “yes”, and our “no” should be “no”. When we fail to keep our word, as Christians, who bear Christ’s Name, especially when we “swear to God”, we take the Lord’s Name in vain. Some have lied, and used the phrase, “God is my witness” to convince others that they were being honest. This is a clear violation of God’s command. I completely understand, as I pray you do also, that our sins have been paid for on the Cross, and we are no longer under the Law. However, this does not exempt us from suffering some kind of loss for violating the Word of God. When we use the Lord’s Name in vain, we put a wedge between us and the LORD in our fellowship. We hinder our times of prayer, and our ability to be sensitive to His voice. There may be no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1), but our words and works will be tried for the purpose of gaining or losing reward (1 Corinthians 3:11-15). The Lord clearly stated that those who take His Name in vain will not be guiltless. The fact that we are not under the Law does not mean we are above the Law. Jesus said in Matthew 12:36-37, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Our salvation may be founded on God’s grace, and not our works (Ephesians 2:8-9), but we prove our faith, and salvation, by our works (James 2:14-26; Philippians 2:12). With that said, we must take better care to avoid taking the Lord’s Name in vain; not just by refraining from uselessly speaking it, but by doing all we can to live out our profession of faith, as that profession is built on the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 reads, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Monday, January 8, 2018
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