Romans 1:18-32. Consequences

Read Romans 1:18-32.

God is made known to all people and men are without excuse.

This passage is a tough one to read. It reveals the consequences of mankind's poor choices. When faced with good - glorifying and thanking God, or evil - succumbing to the temptations of darkness, most have chosen evil. After all, it's the easy way, the known way - popular, pleasurable, an escape into self-indulgence. It's no wonder that so many people choose this path.

But this way only leads to destruction.

The temporal satisfaction of our human desires will result in facing the wrath of God. It is promised. So it begs the question, "Is sin worth it?"

The rational mind, when faced with time and space to truly consider the consequences of sin, will say that sin is not worth it. The path of destruction that sin leaves paving the way to an eternal destination of separation from God is unfathomable.

But time is space is not a child of the chaos we live in. It is a haven of heaven that we must demand to have in the midst of a dark world. We must be intentional about our focus - capturing our thoughts and actions to remain in line with the Father's ways. And we must do so daily, if not multiple times a day.

The task can seem daunting, but it is doable. If we can only hang on to the truth that "greater is He that is within me than he that is in the world," we can overcome the temptations and distractions that want to rob us of the surety in which we can live and thrive.

Father, I see You. Help me, sweet Spirit, to not let the world dim my sight. May my life continually praise and glorify You and You alone. Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from the evil one. So be it.

Further Thoughts:

1. What is distracting you right now? How will you diminish or even eliminate those distractions?
2. How do we remain focused on the Father while navigating through the chaos?
3. What habits do you need to stop and what ones do you need to begin?
4. Who in your life is adding to your distractions? Who do you need to surround yourself with who will help you stay focused on what is true?

Judges 6:25-32 "Take a Stand"

"Tear down your father's altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height." ~Judges 6:25-26

Gideon's family had taken to worshiping foreign gods, and God wanted Gideon to do something about it. He must tear their altars down and build new ones to the one, true God. Gideon did it, but he was so afraid of what his family would think, he tore them down at night. He still had some growing to do in his trust of God, but he was experiencing a very real human fear of rejection for his beliefs and for following God's ways.

We're experiencing the same things today. We're not tearing down Asherah poles -- at least I haven't lately. But there are other altars that have been built into our lives that we must tear down and replace with the altar of the one, true God. Maybe we have allowed the god of complacency to enter into our lives. Or the deceiver. What about laziness or anger. Maybe it's a person who is taking all our time and thoughts. Maybe an activity or hobby. Sometimes very innocuous activities that in and of themselves are fine can begin to take a top drawer position in our priorities. There are all kinds of "gods" we allow to take over our lives and maybe we don't even realize it is happening. But when we allow those things to creep in, we are slowing and surely, pushing God aside.

Our God is a jealous God. He does not take being replaced lightly. The very first commandment God gave to Moses was, "You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3) Too often we hear that and think, "Well, I don't worship other gods. I worship just God. I go to church; I pray to God." But whenever we place anyone or anything above God in our hearts, we are worshiping that person or thing. God must take top priority in our lives -- in all our thoughts, actions, motives, emotions, decisions..... He wants to be in every part of our being. And if he isn't, He will encourage us to tear down the altars and build the right one.

He may demand our respect and attention, but it is for our own good. If He is not Lord of our life, if anything else steps in the place where He belongs, we are choosing a path that is outside of His will. It may be unpopular, but we must take a stand. He will be Lord with or without me. I choose to stand with Him.

Further Thoughts:

1. Do you stand for God and His truth, or are you letting other things take priority?
2. What causes us to veer away from standing firmly with God?
3. How can we prevent straying from placing God first in our life?
4. What price do I need to pay to stand with God? Am I willing?

Father, I believe it is going to get harder and harder to stand with You. The world's philosophy is like a giant magnet enticing me to attach and conform. But my heart remains with You. Keep me close, Father. Even though it may be difficult, help me to stand in Your truth and as Your servant. Amen.

Judges 2:15-3:6 "He Means It, Part 2"

"Because this nation has violated the covenant that I laid down for their forefathers and has not listened to me, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their forefathers did." ~Judges 2:20b-22

Every disobedience has a consequence. As children, when we would disobey our parents, we were disciplined. As an adult in the workplace and in life in general we still face consequences and may be reprimanded or even fired for not following instructions. You break the law; you face the courts. You abuse your body, you suffer health problems. The list goes on and on. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. (Isaac Newton) We can't expect to live any way we want without facing the results of our actions. Yet that is precisely what the Israelites chose to do.

Here God had given into their hands a beautiful home to call their own. All they had to do was take it and destroy the pagan worship that existed there. Along the way, He even provided a new kind of leadership to help them move forward. After Joshua died, the leadership were the elders of each of the tribes. So God provided judges to preside over all the people and give guidance. Yet they ignored them and "prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them." (2:17b) So what was their consequence for breaking covenant with God? He did not give them victory over their enemies. They had to live among those with the foreign gods and they had to battle their enemies. God was not going to pave the way for them. It's kind of like a parent practicing tough love. As a parent, we can make the way easy for our children. But if they choose to not obey our instructions and/or the rules of our home, then we can let them fend for themselves so to speak. It's taking the easy road or the difficult one. It's their choice.

It seems that God has two levels of obedience. (Hear me out. This isn't heresy.) One is foundational and mandated. The ten commandments for one. Very clear "rules" that we are to follow. Some may call them rigid and restricting, but they are for our own good. I would equate it to God telling the Israelites to get rid of all foreign gods and worship Him alone. That is a basic precept -- to have no other God's before Him. He also gave them judges to rule and instructed that those He places in authority over you should be respected and obeyed. Another basic precept. Yet the Israelites chose to ignore the judges and suffered the anger of God. Disobedience of God's instructions can have dire consequences in our lives and should not be taken lightly.

The second level of disobedience is the daily guidance by the Holy Spirit. It's those times that we know the Spirit is prompting us to do something....like visit a sick friend. Or do something kind for a stranger. Maybe it's confronting a friend on sin in their life. Or removing something from your own life that in and of itself is innocuous but that has hindered you having healthy relationships - with God and others. These are not necessarily sins against God's edicts, but they are hindering you and others from His full blessings. Jesus told us He would send a Counselor to guide us. When we choose to ignore that guidance, we are missing out on a much fuller life than we have now. And continually disobeying those promptings could eventually lead us down a path of greater disobedience, compromise, and sin.

Whether we can see the big picture or not, when God says something, He means it. We must make the decision whether we are going to trust Him and accept His full counsel or not. The results of our choices are consequences or blessings. He has given you the right to choose.

Further Thoughts:

1. Are there foundational laws that God has established that you are willfully disobeying? Confess those sins now and make a 180 degree turn from them. He will forgive you.
2. Are there blessings that you are missing out on because you choose not to follow God's promptings? Why are you ignoring Him?
3. Can you trust God? Why or why not?
4. Are you experiencing consequences of your sin? If so, recognize that God can use them for good. (Read 3:1-4 and stand up to the challenge.)

Father, I want everything you have for me in my life. I want to be a blessing to You and to others. Forgive me for the laws I have broken. I sinned against You. And forgive me for the times I ignored your Spirit's promptings. I made others and myself miss out on Your blessings. Lord, I want to do better as Your servant. I accept the consequences to my choices and trust You completely. You are my God and You alone. Amen.

Hebrews 3:7-19 "No Hard Hearts"

Read Hebrews 3:7-19.

"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion." NIV

I'm thinking if a sentence is given twice within 12 verses, we need to pay attention to what it says. The Hebrew people failed to do it, and paid dearly for their arrogance. They never saw the promised land. And yet, today so many people are still committing the same horrendous mistake -- choosing their own way over God's.

"Today" .....Yesterday is done. If you ignored His voice yesterday, ask forgiveness and move forward. Tomorrow isn't here yet. Don't worry about it. Today is the time to open your ears to the Lord's voice and obey. It may be something small or something life-changing -- but anytime He speaks, it's important. We can't simply ignore the voice of the Almighty God. My goodness, what arrogance! That's exactly what got the Israelites into trouble. Where did we become so self-sufficient as to think we know better than God? The audacity blows my mind and must make God very angry. Which makes me wonder.....how many blessings have we missed out on because of our disobedient moments? If the Israelites, who traveled through the desert for forty years in the end miss out on the Promise Land, then I must be missing out on something when I disobey. We serve a just God and sin does not go unpunished.

"do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion" -- Lord, forgive me for those times I have harden my heart against You. Holy Spirit, protect me from those desires. I never want to be rebellious against my Lord. You alone are the great I AM; I am not.

Further Thoughts:

1. Are you listening to the Lord every day? If no, why not?
2. If yes, what is He saying to you? Are you following His directions or living in rebellion?
3. Why do we choose rebellion?
4. How do we break the cycle? What heart change has to happen?
5. How do we stay committed to God?

Colossians 3:22-4:1 "Integrity"

Read Colossians 3:22-4:1.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, a working for the Lord, not for men." NIV

Fortunately, most of us are not slaves to any other master than Jesus Christ. Some days we may feel like it though. I believe in many ways this passage can apply to employee/employer just as easily because the bottom line is integrity.

The definition of "integrity" according to my trusty Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary is 1 : firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : incorruptibility 2 : an unimpaired condition : soundness 3 : the quality or state of being complete or undivided : completeness

synonyms see honesty

Incorruptibility, soundness, completeness, and honesty. God calls us in our work places or when we are placed under another's authority to live out these qualities. They are a choice. They make us a harder-working trusted employee and employer. With these qualities, you can meet expectations without compromise. You reach above the bar and come out on top - if not in performance, at least in effort and attitude. You work harder and smarter than anybody else. You are honest. The thought of lying and cheating never enter your thoughts or actions. You are completely loyal -- to your boss and to the company.

And if you can't be those things - you need to change jobs.

Further Thoughts:

1. David was a man of integrity. How? What made him so?
2. Do you struggle with integrity? If yes, why? What needs to change?
3. Do you work with people who lack integrity? If yes, how can your life be an influence on theirs?