We’ve all been there as parents at one point or another.  In fact, we’ve probably all said the words that inevitably crop up in situations like these, “Are you even listening to me?”  They may be in the same room as we are, they may even be making eye contact with us, but when push comes to shove and the time is at hand to see if they are going to apply the truth of what they’ve heard, their actions reveal their focus.  Did they listen to your voice as a parent, and are they going to obey?

There are times when their lack of obedience may carry somewhat minor consequences.  For not picking up their toys, they may not get the privilege of enjoying dessert that night at dinner, or they perhaps will not get to play with those particular toys for awhile.  At other times, the price tag for disobedience might carry a steeper price, like receiving a failing grade for having not completed their homework.  And at other times, disobedience could mean the difference between life and death, like for example, when they disregard your counsel about hanging out with someone who parties and drinks, and they get in the car with them after a party and they cross the yellow line under the influence of alcohol and hit an oncoming vehicle.  Listening to the voice of authority is wise, and those who would desire to have a healthy, productive life would do well to pay attention.

So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

James 1:21-22.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

John 10:27

The true test for a Christ-follower of how well they’re listening to God is how consistently they’re obeying His Word!  It does us no good to go to church on Sunday and listen to sermons from God’s Word, only to leave what we heard in the sanctuary when we exit. It does us no good to attend a small group Bible study on Thursday evening, only to take what was shared from God’s Word and toss it out the window through our disobedience on Friday and Saturday nights.  James exhorts us to not be just hearers of the word, but doers!  If the Truth we’re hearing week in and week out isn’t having an effect on our behavior, then God would have every right to question whether or not “we’re even listening to Him!”  The bottom line is this: When God speaks, we are to obey.

God has some pretty candid words to the church of Laodicea (and to us) about trying to walk a line between apathy and devotion.  In Revelation 3:15-16 He says:

“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot.  I could wish you were cold or hot.  So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

Being obedient to God is not an “if I feel like it” proposition.  God wants our full attention and our complete commitment all the time.  He wants our actions to reinforce the fact that we are listening to Him, just like we parents want our children’s actions to reflect the fact that they are actually listening and applying what we’re telling them.  Just as there may be nothing more frustrating to a parent than to see their words falling on deaf ears, there is also virtually nothing so rewarding as seeing your children growing and maturing and actually helping others learn because they’ve listened to you and been obedient!  God calls us to follow Him, to listen to Him and obey Him, and to lead our children and others to do the same.

Let’s show Him we’re listening today!

When it comes to Bible intake, the perfect hiding spot for Scripture is in our hearts!  Psalm 119:9-11 says, “How can a young man cleanse his way?  By taking heed according to Your word.  With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!  Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”

So powerful is the Word of God that it can actually keep us from sinning, if we employ it!  When believers hide Scripture in their hearts by hearing, reading, studying, memorizing, and applying it to their lives, they are insulating themselves against the pressures of temptation and discouragement.  Often, people give into the lure of temptation or fear or doubt because their hearts and minds are not focused on God and His revelation of Himself through His Word.  Believers should know in their hearts what the Bible says so that they can stand up to temptation and not sin against God.

Being tempted is not a sin, but giving in to temptation is.  In Matthew 4, after being in the wilderness for forty days, Jesus was physically weakened and hungry.  At that point, Satan came and suggested that Jesus turn stones into bread.  Under most circumstances, eating bread would be fine, but for Jesus to have followed Satan’s directive by using His power for such a self-serving purpose would have been sinful.  Jesus resisted Satan’s temptations with the Word of God.  While Satan was twisting Scripture in order to justify sin, Jesus was using Scripture correctly in order to resist Satan and sin.  God’s Word, correctly interpreted and hidden in our hearts, is our best weapon against Satan’s craftiest schemes.

Why not take a few moments right now to memorize a little more of God’s Word, to add to your arsenal against Satan?  Psalm 119:9-11 would be a great place to start!

Thankfully my high school experience allowed me to begin truly experiencing that.  By God’s grace and my parent’s determination to provide our family with that elusive sense of stability, I was able to attend all four years of high school at the same place!  Like rain quenching the sands of an arid dessert, my heart began to soak in all the joy and peace of finding a place to belong, a group of friends with whom I could actually build long-term memories with and simply experience the wonders of doing life together.  I began developing deep friendships with classmates and even got to know my teachers well.  Returning to the same faces and bonds for a second and third year in a row was something I had only dreamed about before.  I remember fearing that it was going to come to an end, because this is what I had always wanted but had never gotten to experience.  It was a comfort unlike I had ever known before, being among people whom I had grown to love and whom I knew truly loved me.

On the day that I tossed my mortar board into the air with all those friends I had come to cherish so dearly, I took a mental snapshot that I still carry in my mind to this day.  It is a picture of a community of people who navigated the highs and lows of life together, laughed with each other, prayed with each other, cried with each other, and served with each other.  It is a photo of a group of people who supported one another and each member of that group was better off and blessed for having been a part of the joint experience.

Last year I attended my 20th reunion.  There were some people there whom I’ve kept in touch with over the years through e-mail and phone calls and facebook.  There were others, however, that I don’t think I’d seen since graduation day.  But, because of the bond we built during those crazy and awesome days in the late 80′s, we were able to pick up right where we had left off.  The sense of community was as strong and real as it ever was, and each of us knew it.

One detail I didn’t mention earlier about this community in which I exist is that it centers around Jesus Christ.  You see, I was blessed to attend a Christian High School, where our bonds were forged not just in the halls and classrooms of a building, or on the courts of the gymnasium, but in the soil of God’s Word and truth.  I wholeheartedly believe that the primary reason this community I’ve told you about thrives is because it is built on a foundation that is unshifting, and that is the love of almighty God.

1 Corinthians 12:12-27 talks about the Body of Christ.  And that is exactly what this community was, and is.  We exist not only as friends, but as members of the very Body of Christ.  Each of us are individual people, but we co-exist as joint members of a larger whole.  Some of us are pastors, some of us are teachers, some are bankers and missionaries on the other side of the world.  Others are homemakers or plant managers.  But regardless of our various jobs, we all find ourselves on earth to serve the same purpose, and that is to live in community, loving one another and loving God!  And there is no greater joy known to anyone in this life.

Since high school, I’ve gone on to become a part of other communities as well, each of them eternally significant as well.  The bonds I made with numerous Christ-followers in college still thrive to this day.  I still do life together with several of them, whether they live nearby or distant.  And then there is my church family, a bond which nearly defies description.  It is one of those blessings you almost have to personally experience to fully comprehend.  And even in the midst of it, I struggle to fully comprehend it at times.  My church family, my small group, and my closest brothers and sisters in Christ are a community that are virtually as necessary to my life as food and oxygen.  I interact with them everyday, numerous times a day.  We are literally the living, breathing hands and arms and feet and heart of Jesus to one another, which is the way God designed community to work.  And that is something we all long for and need, no matter how old we are.  I didn’t outgrow my need for community once I got my diploma.  In fact, I will never outgrow that need.  Living in community is something I look forward to enjoying for all of eternity, as I eventually move from doing it on earth to doing it in heaven.

Do you find yourself in a community such as I’ve described?  Have you found that sense of belonging among men and women who know, love, and follow Jesus?  Other communities will try to substitute for this greatest of connections, but nothing even comes close.  If you’re in such a community, wonderful!  Keep making it a priority and investing in it.  If you’re not in a community such as this, please know that you are welcome to join ours at The Mount.  We truly invite you with open arms!  There is always room for more in the Body of Christ.  And, if you don’t live in this area, no worries!  The Body of Christ exists all over the globe, and as you pray and seek God’s guidance in finding one, He will lead you “home!”

But over the years, something strange happened; I grew up and became a dad myself.  And in the process of morphing from the child to the parent, I learned that discipline really is an act of love.  We correct our children because we care about them and want what is best for them in the long-term, rather than abstaining from discipline because we’re interested in their approval in the short-term.   A parent is a partner with the Holy Spirit to guard and shape a child’s character and integrity, and discipline is a God-given tool that we are advised to use.  In fact, we’re more than advised to use it, we’re commanded to use it.

Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.

Proverbs 13:24

It wouldn’t be popular to mention this verse around the water cooler at most offices, because it flies in the face of everything that society teaches about discipline.  But, if you want to base your life on truth rather than trends, and fact rather than Phil, there it is.  Parents who love their children care enough to discipline them.  Those who do NOT discipline their children, in actuality, hate them!  Harsh sounding?  Maybe, but God doesn’t beat around the bush.  (Okay there was that one that was on fire, but you get the point)

Don’t fail to discipline your children. They won’t die if you spank them.  Physical discipline may well save them from death.

Proverbs 23:13-14, NLT

Disciplining our children shows them, whether they realize it immediately or not, that we love them and care about who they become.  Discipline actually has the capacity to save them from a world of evils, pain, and ultimately death.   God knows that, and that is exactly why He disciplines His children as well.

My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you.  For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.  As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children.  Who ever heard of a child who is never discipline by his father?  If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.  Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?

Hebrews 12:5b-9, NLT

There were times, as a child, when I was being disciplined by my earthly dad when I can honestly say I wished I wasn’t his son.  The pain of his correction hurt, and sometimes even seemed downright mean and unjustified.  I remember thinking about how mistreated and borderline abused I was.  I didn’t deserve this!  But, my longings for escape from the punishment had no bearing whatsoever on the fact that I was my father’s son.  And as such, I was his responsibility to train and teach to follow Christ.  (Proverbs 22:6)  I’m not sure that my children have ever wished for a different dad when I’ve corrected and punished them, but even if they did, it wouldn’t change the truth regarding whose they are.  They are my children, and my responsibility.  They are actually my privilege to raise to follow God.  And I am overwhelmed by that.

The same is true with us in the spiritual sense.  We are God’s children, and it is His responsibility to correct us and reprove us when we disobey and rebel.  And when we feel the sting of His correction and may long for a less painful method of teaching, it doesn’t change one iota of the fact that God is our Heavenly Father, that we are His beloved children, and that He sees it as a privilege to be not only our Savior and Lord, but also our Dad.  I’m still learning what it is to fully embrace His correction, but in my heart I know He does it because He cares so much about me and that it is always for the best.   (Romans 8:28)

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.  Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.  When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Philippians 2:6-8

At some point in their teen years, most children share a similar thought. It typically pops into our minds when we’re feeling especially oppressed by our parents and we’re certain that they just don’t have a clue about anything in life! They seem to know nothing about “true love,” appropriate curfews, cool music, modern fashion, and staying out of our grills.  Can I get a witness?!  Just because I’m not a teenager anymore doesn’t mean I don’t remember what it was like.  Whether we say it out loud or under our breath, or just keep it tucked away in the privacy of our minds, the thought is there, and it goes something like this: “I can’t wait ’til I grow up and get out from under this tyranny so I can do what I want and not have to suffer under their total detachment from reality anymore!”  Admit it, you’ve thought it!  Maybe you’re a teenager reading this and you’re living it right now?

Here’s something to ponder…we’re supposed to follow Jesus’ example in everything, right? Well, Jesus is God’s Son, and even when He was a human being on earth, did He ever have that thought about not wanting to obey His Dad?  Did He ever say or even think that His Father was clueless and knew nothing about what was best for Him and how He should live His life?  The answer is no.  Jesus never entertained that thought.  In fact, the verses above remind us of the humble posture Jesus took in giving up His divine privileges so that He could be completely obedient to His Father and die in your place and mine on the cross.

The closest Jesus ever came to struggling to obey a request of his Dad was in the Garden of Gethsemane, on the night He was arrested.  Let’s take a peek at Matthew 26:36-42:

Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.”  He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed.  He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death.  Stay here and keep watch with me.”

He went on a little father and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father!  If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me.  Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep.  He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?  Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.  For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed,  “My Father!  If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.”

Even though Jesus was the Son of God and could have commanded an entire army of angels to come rescue Him from the agony and grief He was experiencing, His prayer was still one of great humility before His Father as He said, “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”  And His sacrificial obedience to His Father proves that He truly did want to do the will of God.  He obeyed even unto death.  He demonstrated through the crushing pain, the betrayal by friends, the loneliness, and the separation, that He knew what it meant to obey.  Suffering would not deter Him from obedience, and He honored His Father all the way through!

Jesus’ obedience secured our salvation and our hope of eternity spent with God.  If He hadn’t been obedient, we would all be doomed to forever spend our lives separated from God.  As we follow Jesus’ example and live our lives in such a fashion as to obey our Heavenly Father (and earthly fathers too), we too have the opportunity to impact eternity.  We’ve been called to tell the world about Jesus and the Good News of the salvation He brings.  And as we’re faithful to do that, more people will have the joy and hope of knowing God personally and spending their forever with Him as well.  Obedience really does matter.

This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.  It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.  Jesus has already gone in there for us.  He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 6:19-20

Sometimes, okay, lots of times, if we’re being honest, we find ourselves “lost in space” on a spiritual level.  While navigating the curves and caverns of our lives, we sometimes are totally unaware of the imminent risk we’re at.  We are plodding along, mindlessly going about the routine of our days, aloof, not really paying attention to the warning signs and cautions that we’re in danger!  Perhaps we’re completely encircled by pride or a sense of superiority, and have no inkling of how ensnared we are.  Our judgmental, “holier than thou” demeanor goes completely unnoticed by us, but certainly not by others!  Maybe we’re mired in gossip or criticism or negativism and don’t realize just how much it has affected our lives and the lives of those around us.  Maybe we’re caught in an addiction, a recurring sin that we know is wrong, but we blindly deny just how imprisoned we are and how the ravages of this sickness are destroying our connection with God and the lives of those around us.  Maybe we’re teetering on the brink of an affair or an ungodly relationship, and while we know it is absolutely contrary to God’s standard of behavior for His children, we turn a deaf ear to Truth in deference to the pursuit of our fleeting, momentary happiness.  Maybe we’re not setting good examples to our children in our speech or our conduct?  Maybe we’re failing as a parent and are in complete denial, despite all the signs we see in front of our face.  Perhaps we’re trying to fill the emptiness and the void in our souls, a hole that only God can fill, with materialism or food or pleasure or a million other things!  To all of these and more pitfalls that we are prone to in this life, I would yell, “Danger, Will Robinson, danger!”

Hebrews 3:13 says, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”  We are mandated here to warn each other, to “encourage” one another, promptly, now, Today, so that we don’t become hardened by sin’s deceitfulness!  There is a high possibility that some of us may have already become hardened by sin’s deceitfulness for lack of warning.  It is our job, our responsibility as a family of believers, to come alongside one another and exhort each other to “Look out!”

I have been on the giving and receiving end of warnings numerous times in my life.  My spouse is very good at pointing out potential danger in my life and I am very grateful for their loving admonishment to “Be careful.”  I also offer that caution readily in return to them when I see shadowy assailants lurking in the corners of their life.  We all need that!  And we all need to remember that when people do come to us and warn us, that it is an act of love on their part!  They are warning us because they care about us and what could potentially happen to us if we continue on our current path, ignoring the danger.

I remember warning a man once that I saw huge dangers in his life that he was at risk of having an affair.  He was a fellow brother in Christ and for the sake of he and his family, I felt compelled to encourage him away from these risks.  He assured me I was wrong.  Time revealed that I wasn’t wrong.  I wish things had turned out differently for everyone involved in the aftermath of that situation.  If he had listened to the cry of “Danger!” and taken appropriate measures to guard his heart, the trajectory of numerous lives caught in the wake of his actions would have been protected as well.

Accountability is vital in the lives of believers.  We must recognize the importance of submitting ourselves to such relationships.  We must willingly place ourselves in circles where we will be able to give and receive accountability for our actions, thoughts, motives, and desires.  Proverbs 27:17 tells us that “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”  (That applies to women as well)  I Corinthians chapter 12 suggests the importance of strong accountability between believers.  Galatians 6:1-2 further underscores this responsibility and necessity.  Other verses you  may want to read on the matter include Hebrews 10:24 and I Thessalonians 5:11.

Are there danger signs in your life right now?  Is there something that you’re ignoring that the Holy Spirit is warning you of, either directly through His still, small voice or through the voice of one of His children?  Is there someone you know whom you need to speak with about the dangers you see in their life?  If so, don’t delay.  Remember, the verse told us that we are to encourage one another as long as it is called Today!

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets.  And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son.  god promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.   The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command.  When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.  This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.

Hebrews 1:1-4, NLT

Have you ever received an inheritance from a loved one who has passed away?  Perhaps a grandparent, or a parent, or even an aunt or uncle?  I’ve known members of my family who have received large sums of money as an inheritance, parcels of land, jewelry, houses, etc.  Personally I have received an antique clock and some China dishware and a portion of a share of money from extended relatives.  Isn’t it funny how we equate our inheritance with material things we receive after a loved one’s death?

I know it is a matter of cultural definition and how society has conditioned us to think about it, but truth be told, my inheritance extends far beyond a clock and some dishes and a little money.  I’ve inherited a legacy of strong Christian values from my ancestors that help govern my entire life and the life of the generation I’m helping train.  I’ve also inherited a solid work ethic and a reputable name from my family.  I’ve inherited the model of a father and mother who love each other and have stayed dedicated to their marriage for 44 years now.  I’ve also inherited the riches of heaven through the propitiation of Christ in my place on the cross.  I have inherited eternal life through my personal relationship with Jesus.

Too many times we get consumed with laying up treasures for ourselves on earth (Matthew 6:19) and thinking about what is “rightfully ours,” to where we miss the amazing truth that nothing on earth compares to the glories of what we have inherited through our relationship with Almighty God.  Everything we might inherit physically on earth will pass away.  Rust and moths and decay and time will all take their toll on them.  But, our inheritance in Christ can never be destroyed.  It is rock solid and untouchable!  That is something in which we should find great joy and rest in.

Have you ever thought about what Jesus’ inheritance is?  Did you even know He had one?  Oh, He does, and it is something for which He is very grateful.  In fact, it is something for which He died…not something for which someone else died for to leave for Him.  He Himself died for His inheritance! What a concept to try and fathom!

Have you figured it out yet?  Do you know what Jesus’ inheritance is?  It is you!  You are Jesus’ inheritance.  Hebrews 1:2 says that God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and that includes you.  You, me, everyone and everything on the planet and in the universe is Jesus’ inheritance.  He gets it all, it all belongs to Him.  Have you ever thought about the fact that you ARE someone’s inheritance?  Pretty novel thought, I’d say.  Ephesians 1:11 says, “Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.”  The phrase “we have received an inheritance from God” is also translated, “we have become God’s inheritance.”

Just a few verses later, in Ephesians 1:18, Paul writes, “I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called–his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.”  You are a part of Jesus’ inheritance if you are a part of His family;  if you are a member of “his holy people.” And having a personal relationship with Him is what makes you a part of His holy people, His family.

I don’t know about you, but I cherish the inheritance I’ve received.  I think about my Grandma every time I wind that antique clock she gave me.  And I think about my other Grandma every time we eat off the dishes she gave me.  I think about my Grandpa when I see that troy ounce of silver he gave me when I learned to play one of his favorite waltzes on the piano.  And I think about the love that has been passed down from generation to generation when I look into the eyes of my wife and children.  I cherish those things way more than money, I assure you.  And I cherish my eternal inheritance as well!

And Jesus cherishes His inheritance too…you.  He paid a tremendous price for you and He loves and values you more than you can comprehend.  Why not take a few moments to walk around your house and look at some of the things you’ve received as an inheritance, and as you do, thank God for them, and thank Him too for loving you so much to choose you as His inheritance!

But, there are some things in life where the cost remains steady and you will never see it fluctuate.  In fact, you will NEVER see it drop or decrease.  We see that truth as we examine the cost of what it takes to maintain a healthy marriage or a strong friendship.  Those things cost daily sacrifice and effort, and to demand a rollback on that price tag  is not only naive, it is selfish.  (But we still try to cut corners, don’t we?!)  Another such example of the fixed cost of living is in the area of our discipleship to God.  That price has been steady and unwavering for millennia, and it will remain so.  For you see, the price tag of discipleship is, and always will be, everything.

“If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison–your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters–yes, even your own life.  Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.  And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:26-27 (cf. Matthew 10:37-39)

If it is the intent of your life to follow after Jesus, then you have no choice but to “take up your cross and follow Him.”  What does that mean, exactly?

Well, it means that pleasing Him and doing His will, rather than your own, will be your first priority.  It means that you will do your best to intentionally dedicate each moment of each day to His service and not anyone or anything else’s.  We are clearly told that Jesus must be more important to us than our parents, our spouses, our children, our siblings, and even our own selves.  And when we read those words, we are tempted to think they sound harsh or that God is telling us we need to hate everyone except Him.  Of course He isn’t saying that.  God is the embodiment and personification of Love, so He isn’t instructing us to hate people.  But, what He is saying is that no one and no thing is to take preeminence in our lives over Him.  If He is not first in our lives, then we’re not His true disciples.

And the one we have the hardest time “hating” by comparison in reverence and deference to God is ourselves.  We struggle to be authentic disciples of God because we’d rather be the one on the throne of our lives than allow God to sit there.  Oh, we may not say that with our words so much, but our actions betray the motives of our hearts.  When we are called to “take up our cross” and “crucify” our selfish motives and ambitions, we rebel, we balk, and we outright defiantly resist.  It is actually an ugly scene.

But, Jesus did the opposite.  Like a lamb preparing for the slaughter, Jesus literally picked up His cross and carried it to Golgotha, where He was nailed to it and killed, paying the ultimate price for your salvation and mine.  Jesus can ask us to give our lives to Him because He gave His for us!!! And though the price tag is painful at times, and it does cause us to cringe and experience sticker shock on occasion, the rewards for obedience are indescribable.  Nothing compares to the return that is received for our willingness to pay the price of discipleship and commitment to God.  We will reap the benefits of such obedience for the rest of our lives…and that means forever.

Where is your cross lying at this moment?  Is it on your back or on the floor?  Does the price tag look too high?  Let me quickly remind you of one last thing…the cost for not obeying is even higher!

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.  On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you.  Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’”

Matthew 7:21-23

Jesus did the will of His Father, all the way.  We must do the same if we want to be a true disciple of Christ.  No rollbacks here.  The price is everything, but so is the reward!

You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.

Exodus 20:16

I remember watching an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation years ago where the crew of the Enterprise encountered an alien race who had never been exposed to lies.  And in a particularly poignant moment of the plot’s thickening, a member of this alien race confronted someone who had misled them with utter astonishment and said something to the effect of, “What have you done?  How is it that you come to us and speak an un-truth?”  That line has always stood out to me, because this race was so unfamiliar with speaking falsehood that they didn’t even have a word for it!  They couldn’t call it a lie, because they didn’t know what a lie was.  So, the closest thing they could call it was an un-truth.  And that is exactly what a lie is!  Big or small, white or any other color, partial misrepresentation or complete misrepresentation of the facts, a lie is an un-truth and children of God are NOT to engage in it.

Unfortunately most of us are very good at it.  Oh, we don’t consider ourselves liars, or at least not as big a liar “as that person” is.  But, we are not to compare ourselves to others, we are to bring ourselves into alignment with what the Bible’s standard is.  And Ephesians 4:25 goes even further than Exodus 20:16, saying “…each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor…”  Does that exclude little white lies?  Are they permissible?  You know, the kind of lie you tell when someone asks you if you liked their cooking when you really didn’t.  Or when you fudge a little on your time-sheet at work or on your taxes or when your spouse asks you if what they’re wearing makes them look fat.  (Yep, even that last one fits the category!)  It is never right to lie.

Or, how about exaggeration?  Is that lying?  “It was 97 degrees outside yesterday and I spent 5 hours mowing the lawn, digging up several dead bushes, and trimming my entire yard.  I lost 5 pounds in the process.”  Truth be told, it was 83 degrees according to the thermometer, your watch must have broken because you were only outside a total of 3 hours (with 4 water breaks, 2 bathroom breaks, and a conversation with your neighbor thrown in there), you had one dead bush to dig up, and you left your yard partially un-trimmed because a thunderstorm blew in before you finished.  And as far as the 5 pounds you lost…did you have your glasses on when you looked at the scale this morning?  Maybe 1 pound lost, but certainly not 5.

We exaggerate about things all the time, which means we tell un-truths all the time.  The Bible tells us to let our yes be yes and our no be  no (Matthew 5:37).  Simply put, that verse instructs us to clearly mean what we say.  Our words should be 100% truthful and factual, and people should be able to bank on the accuracy of what we’re saying.  Don’t say any more or any less than what is true.  We shouldn’t need to add any additional clauses to validate the truth of our statements.  We shouldn’t need to say, “I’m telling the truth, I swear.  On my grandmother’s grave, I promise what I’m telling you is the truth.”  If we always tell the truth, then people will know that we don’t have to qualify our words with any disclaimers.  They will know they can trust us to never tell an un-truth.

And as far as the question about, “Does this outfit make me look fat?”  Well, the Bible also instructs us how we are to speak the truth, even when we know it may not be exactly what someone wants to hear…and that’s in love.  Ephesians 4:15 says, “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”  When we are confronted with the responsibility to tell someone something that has the potential to be hurtful, we are required to carefully choose our words so that we don’t lie, but that we also don’t maliciously pain someone in the process of telling the truth.  Remember, we’re to be growing in every way more and more like Christ.  He always spoke the truth, but He never did so in a manner that was malicious or deliberately hurtful.  We must tell also speak the truth in love. “Honey, you know I think you are absolutely beautiful and am attracted to you no matter what you wear, but if you want my honest opinion, I think your black outfit would look better.  It looks fantastic on you!”  This is never an easy application in our lives, but as you honor God by your words and your sensitive love, He will honor you in the process of removing un-truths from your life.

Don’t be casual about the presence of un-truths in your life.  We must be brutal about them.  We must see them for what they are…destructive and life-threatening.  The Bible says that God hates lying lips (Proverbs 6:16-19).  Liars do not inherit the Kingdom of God.  Be ruthless about watching your words, recognizing exaggeration and even the smallest bending of the truth as a lie, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you remove un-truths from your vocabulary and your life.  And I will be doing the same!

How about money?  Do you work to live, or do you live to work? Is your hunger for a bigger income controlling you, or are you controlling your money?  Somewhere along the line, we’ve gotten confused about the purpose of the basics of life.  We stopped seeing things like food and money and clothes and cars and jobs as basic tools for living, and instead made idols out of them.  They became something for us to serve rather than blessings provided by God to serve us!  Most of us find ourselves living to get all these things and maintain an ever-improving lifestyle with them.  We have turned from trusting God for the provision of all our needs to spending virtually all of our energies on getting more food, more money, more clothes, more toys, more stuff!!  And in the process, we have neglected God’s request for us to focus on our relationship with Him and introducing others to Him!  We’re so busy devoting our time and energy to getting, getting, and getting more that we reserve little to no time for giving.

Matthew 6:24-34 clearly puts things in perspective.  In this passage Jesus is speaking about who our master will be.  Will it be God or something else?  He directs us not to worry about everyday life- whether we will have enough food or drink, or enough clothes to wear.  He says, “Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?”  Take a moment now to read those ten verses…

Did you catch the call in verses 31-34?  “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat?  What will we drink? What will we wear?’  These things dominate the thought of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.  Seek the Kindgom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need… (emphasis mine)

How much will God provide us as we seek His Kingdom first?  EVERYTHING! Check out this passage:

The next day the crowd that had stayed on the far shore saw that the disciples had taken the only boat, and they realized Jesus had not gone with them.  Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten.  So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him.  They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”  Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs.  But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food.  Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you.  For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”

John 6: 22-27

There it is in black and white (and likely red if you read it in a Bible).  “Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you.”  If and when we do that, God takes care of everything else!  Now, he may not provide you exactly what you want when you want it.  No, that fantasy figure is Santa Claus, and he’s not real! God provides us what we need when we need it.  We forget that he is omniscient and knows what we need better than we do.

And God sure is good.  All the blessings He provides us are beyond what we deserve!  Don’t miss the miraculous signs that the crowd was overlooking that day as they sought out Jesus as their next meal ticket.  Have you reveled in the miracle of your next breath?  How about the miracle of your child’s smile and how their eyes move so rapidly underneath their eyelids when you watch them sleeping at night.  What about the miracle of the sunrise and sunset today, or the high tide and low tide?  Did you remember that we’re currently spinning through space around the sun at a speed of about 67,000 miles per hour?  And we’ve been doing that every moment of every day of every month of every year of every decade that you’ve been alive!!! God is responsible for all of that, and so much more!!

May we spend our energies seeking Him, recognizing that we were made to love God and others, not to eat or earn money or overstock our wardrobes and garages.  As we learn to re-frame the equation, we see that when we put things in proper perspective, we live to worship, AND we worship to live!