February 12 – Love/Faith With Action

        1 John 3:18 – "Dear children, let us love not with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth."

        This verse is such a simple command; yet, it is one that is ignored with great frequency. Christians and pagans alike throw around the phrase "I love you" so often and as a matter of habit most of the time. What is signified from that phrase is mostly a sentiment of fondness. There is nothing wrong with being fond of one's family, spouse, children, or friends. However, being fond of someone simply means that I have a positive emotional tie to that person. Fondness has nothing to do with how I treat that person in deed If I am fond of someone, I will most likely consistently treat that person well and care for his/her well-being. Nonetheless, there is no guarantee that will happen. Emotional dependence can often come with selfish manipulation.

        The verse above was written in the context of taking care of a brother's physical needs. John asks the question prior to this verse: "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need, but has no pity upon him, how can the love of God be in him?" James also iterates this thought in 2:15-17, "Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go. I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' , but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? Likewise, faith by itself, if not combined with action, is dead."

        We have two examples, therefore , in which love and faith are both treated as actions. Mere words, no matter how well-meaning , are worthless – to God and to the benefit of the situation. Wait; what about praying for someone? Is this an act of love? Well, yes, because you are spending time on behalf of someone's benefit by drawing near to God. Am I loving that person directly? Not if that person doesn't know that I am praying for him. What if I send that person a text message, saying that I am praying for him? What if I never have any regular contact with that person in my daily life? Am I showing him love?

        Am I also loving someone when I am not harming him, even though I have no contact whatsoever with that person? (Now the lines are getting blurry; or am I just nit-picking?) I would say that the absence of harm is not the same thing as love. That would simply be neutrality, because nothing is done for the benefit of the other person. Remember John's exhortation to us to love in action and truth.

        John's entire first letter is based upon pleasing and knowing God, and displaying a life that has been changed and motivated by his love for us. Brotherly love is the supplemental outgrowth of that change in us. Brotherly love implies some type of contact with another person, if not purposeful relationship building. And that takes time, patience, and action – not merely the speaking of well-sounding phrases.

 February 8 – Keeping Track of Sins

       Psalm 130:3 – “Yahweh, if you marked our iniquities, who could stand?”

       This Psalm has an overall theme of redemption from sins. Redemption means to buy back something with another thing that has been earned or received. That is exactly what Jesus has done for us believers. None of us can pay God for our many sins against him; actually, none of us can pay him for even one little sin. James 2:10 says “For whoever keeps the entire law, yet breaks just one, he is guilty of breaking all of them.” This could imply a simple answer to the question above. God only needs to keep track of one sin per person! No, that tongue-in-cheek answer will not work. Does the question then imply that God doesn't keep track of sinful behavior at all? If he did, none of us could stand upright; we would all lie down and die. Therefore, it can't be a blanket statement about God ignoring sinful behavior.

       However, there is the idea of patience thrown into the mix. In Genesis 15, God promises Abram and his descendants the land on which he was standing; however it took another 400 years for fulfillment, because “the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” While God was foretelling his great patience, he was also following the sinful trajectory of a certain people. How long did it take for the curses mentioned in Deutoronomy 28 to come to pass for the people of Jerusalem when Babylon was besieging their city in the 6^th century? Again, it took at least four centuries, if not more. Acts 17:29, 30 also imply God's patience with ignorant pagans. “Therefore, since we are God's offspring, we shouldn't consider the divine Being to be like gold, silver, or stone – a graven image of craft and imagination by man. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands men everywhere to change their minds.”

       Was God just looking the other way for millenia? Or perhaps was he winking the eye? Or perhaps, the answer comes down to acts of judgment. Remember the theme of Psalm 130 is redemption. Sin separates us from God, but his Son restores that estrangement. However, that fact alone does not negate the physical consequences of our sin. Repenting of my life of being a serial killer, will not keep me out of prison or the electric chair. Repentance from cheating on my wife will not suddenly restore trust in our relationship. Having godly sorrow for stealing money from my grandparents in order to buy drugs, will not make money grow on the trees in their front yard. Paul's words in 1 Timothy 5:24 may refer to this fluctuating time of earthly judgment of one's sins.

       As implied before, our main question cannot also mean that swift judgment awaits anyone immediately following one's sinful actions. Have you ever heard someone say, “Stand back; I don't want to be struck by lightning.” He jokingly says this to imply that sinful behavior can be swiftly judged, or, possibly, should be swiftly judged. That is usually not God's way. 2 Peter 3:9 states, “The Master is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to spiritually die, but everyone to come to repentance.”

       Ezra prays to God something very interesting in chapter 9 of his recording. The “remnant” of Israel has returned from exile. Ezra prays in verse 13, “...after all that has happened to us because of our evil deeds and terrible guilt – though you our God have punished us less than our sins deserve, and you have allowed us survive – should we break your commands again....wouldn't you become so angry with us, leaving no survivors? Yahweh, God of Israel, You are righteous, for we survive as a remnant today. Here we are before you with our guilt, though no one can stand in Your presence because of this.” And yet, all the people stood with Ezra while he spoke these words to God. None of them dropped dead upon hearing this. God did not turn away from this small group of people who were definitely showing repentance (chapter 10, verse 1). Did he hide “his presence” from these people? God certainly did not hide his presence from David after he had slept with Bathsheba, ordered her husband's early death, and endured the eventual premature death of the resulting baby. Psalm 51:17 holds the key: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; O God, you will not despise a broken and contrite heart.”  As a matter of fact, this entire Psalm gives us the picture of godly sorrow. 

       So, the answer to our main question is a paradox. God can and does keep track of our sins in varying ways. We can also stand in the midst of our sinfulness. Nonetheless, consequences and final judgment will eventually come. But, as Psalm 130:4 states, “But with You there is forgiveness; therefore, you are greatly feared.” Are you ready to take his forgiveness and turn to a life that can start to produce blessings instead of curses?

 February 7 – Sense of Justice

       Psalm 7:11a – "God is a just judge..."

       If there is one thing with which most of the world agrees, both Christians and pagans, it is a sense of justice – especially when one feels as if he has been wronged. We all have an intrinsic sense of fairness, whether we have all the facts or not. Even small children have this sense when they see things going awry. This phenomenon alone should point us to the natural law of wrong and right. But let us dig deeper into this concept.

       In Psalm 7, David explores three related angles of justice, as he cries for God to save him from his personal or perceived enemies. The first two verses are a prayer to God for help and rescue. The next four verses are quite introspective and are the first leg of this triangle. 1) He concedes that justice should be done to him, if he so deserves it. This is quite an attitude of humility, even if it implies his belief in his own integrity. 2) The following eight verses then expounds David's trust in God as a just judge, one who is continually angry at the injustices in the world, and one who metes out judgment. 3) Then verses 14-17 explain the details of reaping and sowing, as summarized in Galatians 6:7.

       Of course, in all of David's Psalms in which he asks God to rescue him from injustice, he is expecting it during his lifetime. He even expects justice when Nathan tells him the story of the extorted sheep, which is a parable of his own sins against Uriah, when he basically "took" Bathsheba from an innocent man. In due time, David does get justice, as Bathsheba's pregnancy ends in the death of the newborn baby. This is an example of God's justice through reaping and sowing.

       Regarding that sense of justice mentioned at the beginning, sometimes there is a perceived injustice that we can't prove or that is hard for us to put a finger upon. This happens when we see cronyism or something that "smacks" of corruption in political officials or even in elected leaders. It may not be a personal attack upon me, but a general attack upon the public. The principle of reaping and sowing still applies to individuals, but that may not line up with what I deem to be the deserved justice. God definitely sees wrongdoing, but he has the ultimate view of the facts, knowing every detail of what physically happened, along with the thoughts and intentions of the hearts of those acting immorally (verse 9). When I personally have been wronged in a non-legal sense, I should not seek my own justice, but I should allow God to handle the situation, because he sees all the facts and is not blinded by his own emotions. (Pursuing legal recourse for wrongs against us – while related to this subject – is another topic in itself and for another time). Paul tells us in Romans 12:19: "Do not avenge yourselves; leave room for God's wrath. For it is written, 'Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay.' [Deutoronomy 32:35]" God knows how to perfectly exact justice on my behalf, while simultaneously overseeing the reaping of what we have sown.

       This latter thought also turns our attention to the radical ideas of Jesus given in Matthew 6:38-45. "Turn the other cheek...give your cloak as well, when sued for your own shirt...go the extra mile when compelled to go the first mile...love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Each of these concepts can be further examined for deeper clarity; however, on the surface, Jesus is asking us to extend grace to someone who does not deserve it. Why? Because all of us are more sinful than we even realize. Jesus has just finished revealing our sinful hearts in Matthew chapter 5, when his radical statements in chapter 6 appear. We need to be very careful when asking God for personal revenge, as David did in Psalm 7:3-7. 

      We should also consider Psalm 130:3 – "Yahweh, if you kept track of iniquities, who could stand before you?" More on that topic for February 8.