Don’t Be Scared of Scaring Others  

On two separate occasions recently, I’ve had close encounters with members of the deer family. One took place while I was walking through our neighborhood. The other one occurred as I arrived at our church one morning. Both times I altered my normal behavior in order to try to avoid “spooking” the animal. I stopped what I was doing to give the deer a chance to move on without it noticing my presence. Even then, I treaded lightly and quietly until I was sure I was out of its sight. Over the years I’ve had numerous similar encounters which ended up with my startling the deer, resulting in it running wildly into the brush. Therefore I now make an effort not to be so scary to those creatures when our paths cross. I was so successful on one of these recent occasions that I was able to snap a good photo of it before we parted ways.

Maybe we’re tempted to act similarly when we encounter certain people – those whose stance on spiritual matters is either unclear to us or whom we know don’t share our faith in Christ. We may try to tread lightly in their presence in order not to offend them or scare them away. We might be tempted to keep quiet about our faith altogether in order to avoid any awkward moments. Or some people might even choose to compromise the truth, either in their conversation or in their behavior, so as not to risk some form of conflict or disagreement. Should we make such accommodations in cases like that?

There is certainly nothing wrong with our seeking to speak and act with wisdom and love in light of our being aware of other people’s differing perspectives. We can prayerfully seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in what we say and how we say it. The Apostle Paul indicated that he intentionally identified in particular ways with differing groups of people in order to seek to win them to Christ (see I Corinthians 9:19-23). However, his goal was not primarily to avoid offending them, but to bring them to a saving relationship with Christ. And there is no suggestion that he compromised truth or Christlike conduct in any way in order to achieve it.

Jesus certainly didn’t “walk on eggshells” around people in order to keep from chasing them away. He was uncompromising in His teaching, His character, and His conduct. He lovingly but firmly confronted people with the truth even if it meant their choosing not to follow Him. Jesus was not afraid to point out good and evil, right and wrong. He warned about sin, judgment, and a place of everlasting fire. He was willing to do the right thing, such as healing a man on the Sabbath, even though He knew it would draw the ire of certain people.

The gospel always has been and always will be offensive to some people. Godly conduct, while attractive to some, will anger or repulse others. Just as Jesus experienced ridicule and rejection, His followers can expect similar treatment at times. We’re not going to reach everyone, because some people simply aren’t open to the truth and aren’t willing to receive the light of Christ.

This doesn’t give us an excuse for being unloving and meanspirited. It doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t give thought and prayer to what we say and do or how we can be our best as a witness for Christ. However, don’t forsake truth, holy living, or your mission as Jesus’ witness out of fear of scaring someone away. Some may run. Some may bristle. But others will be drawn to the Lord.   

 

Adding to the Gospel Only Diminishes It  

Recently I took a couple of my grandchildren to Dairy Queen in order to enjoy some of their delicious ice cream. While I got my usual hot fudge sundae, my grandkids each ordered one of those specialty treats that has candy, cookies, or other goodies blended in with the frozen dessert. On this occasion they decided to get one of the summer versions being advertised at the store. When it came out, I was struck by the lumps of candy and cookies filling their cup. It looked as if so much other stuff had been added that there wasn’t much ice cream. Personally, I don’t mind a small amount of extras in my ice cream, but in this case it seemed like too much. I prefer to stick with the simple treats where I get plenty of the pure, cold, delicious ice cream I enjoy. Even my grandkids agreed that this version overdid the candy fillings.

It reminds me of what can happen when we start adding extras to the pure Word of God, specifically the gospel or good news about our salvation in Christ. The more people try to add to it to enhance its flavor or to make it more palatable for modern society, the greater the danger of losing the very essence of what makes it such good news. When we add so much acceptance and tolerance, distinctions between good and evil get blurred and the concept of sin can eventually disappear altogether. When we pour in an overabundance of the one-sided picture of God being nothing but love, then the wrath of a holy God and the reality of hell get lost. Such additions may gain favor with the world, but the gospel itself gets robbed of that which makes it such good news. If we’re not lost sinners under condemnation from a holy God and facing the awful consequences both now and for eternity, why did Jesus need to come into this world and die on the cross as the sacrifice for our sins? If we weren’t in dire trouble, why did we even need saving?

Adding to the gospel changes it. It degenerates into no more than a sweeter-tasting, religious version of psychology, philosophy, and social action. The basics about sin and salvation get smothered under a bunch of half-truths about the goodness of man, not judging others, and the merits of our own good works.

Let’s not stray from the simple, pure gospel of Jesus Christ. We were born into a fallen world with our sinful tendencies that eventually showed up in acts of willful disobedience to God. As a result, we were facing condemnation and hell. However, this same holy God loved us so much that He graciously made a way for us to escape our self-imposed fate. He sent His own Son into this world to take our sin and its punishment on Himself as the perfect, sinless sacrifice. Then He was raised from the dead as evidence to who He was and the victory He had won for us. Through faith in Him and what He did for us, we can be forgiven, reconciled with God, and can possess new life in Christ now along with the assurance of a future home with the Lord. It’s nothing we deserve or earn – it’s strictly the free gift of God. As we let the Spirit of Christ fill us, He can make us a holy people. His will can be done in us and in the world around us as we serve Him in the power of the Spirit.       

This is good news. To add to it only takes away from its substance. “Desire the pure milk (or ice cream?) of the word” (I Peter 2:2).

 

We Should Enjoy Doing God’s Will  

Our family gathered last weekend to celebrate the first birthday of our youngest grandchild. At one point I followed the toddler as he wandered away from the crowd into another room. He went over to a small sofa to try to climb up onto it. With a little assistance from me, he was successful. He started squealing in delight as he stood up and took a step or two on those soft, bouncy cushions, under my close supervision. A couple of minutes later when his dad came into the room, I discovered why my grandson was enjoying this so much. His dad said they had been trying to teach him not to stand on the sofa. So unknowingly I was letting him get away with something he knew he wasn’t supposed to be doing. And he was reveling in the opportunity.

 It's interesting how that tendency of our fallen natures can manifest itself in the youngest among us. It’s just another piece of evidence in support of the biblical teaching that due to Adam’s sin we come into this world with such a moral defect. And this is one of the ways that tarnished temperament comes out. People tend to take particular delight in doing something they know they shouldn’t be doing. They revel in the thought that they’re getting away with something. When they think no one is around to hold them accountable, they enjoy exploring what has been forbidden. It’s reminiscent of the old saying, “When the cat’s away, the mice will play.” I guess my grandson thought, “While mom & dad’s away, & old Papaw doesn’t know any better, I’m going to play.”

That which has been deemed “off limits” to us has always held a certain attraction, even in the Garden of Eden. However, we tend to take it further. We seem to take pleasure in breaking free of those boundaries, whether they’re put in place by man or by God. Sometimes we view the “thou shalt nots” of God as spoiling our fun or trying to hold us back, when in reality our loving Father is watching out for what’s best for us. If my grandson were to stand or walk on a sofa when no one else is around, he could end up falling and getting hurt.

While we may have a moral bent in that direction, I believe the power of Christ that is at work in believers can help us go a different direction. Instead of finding such pleasure in straying from God’s commands, the Lord can so transform our hearts that we can begin to find our greatest joy in doing what we know He wants us to do. We can become like the psalmist who declared, “I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8). Instead of seeing God’s instructions as holding us back, we can recognize them as means for our being blessed. Instead of feeling those commands are burdensome, we can recognize how they free us to live a better life.

Does it seem strange to you to think of reading the Bible for pleasure, finding prayer times to be uplifting, or taking delight in doing what you know is right and pleasing to God? Does serving God seem like a dreaded chore or an anticipated privilege? Our greatest moments of joy in life should come as we are doing God’s will.

If such a notion seems foreign to us, then we need to seek a change of heart. Instead of reveling in what we can get away with, let’s pray for the Lord to instill in us a delight in doing what will put a smile of approval on our Father’s face.        

 

Let’s Submit to God’s Pruning Process  

I’ve been taking advantage of nice weather to tackle some much-needed yardwork, including pruning some bushes. I worked on one plant that hadn’t been touched for a couple of years. It seemed to be thriving and recently was full of beautiful blooms. However, it had grown out of control – its once-attractive shape lost, a weighty abundance of branches hanging to the ground, and the top beginning to touch the eave of our roof. So I spent a considerable amount of time removing hidden, unhealthy branches that weren’t receiving any sunlight, thinning out some of the healthy branches, and generally helping the bush regain its shape.

When Jesus compared His followers to branches of a vine, He also referred to the necessity of pruning. He wasn’t talking about unfruitful branches at that point. He pinpoints those as the ones which wither and are taken away to be burned. No, these are branches that are still connected to the vine, have a measure of health, and are blossoming. Yet He still suggests that they need some attention, including occasional pruning. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:2). Jesus compared Himself to the vine and His Father as the Master-gardener who wisely knows how to best care for His plants. And He knows that sometimes we need pruning.

Jesus didn’t go into any detail about what is meant by “pruning”. However, based on our experiences with plants, we can discern what such action might involve. Sometimes God may need to work in our lives in such a way as to thin out certain things. There may be some dead, unhealthy aspects of our lives that need to be removed. There may also be some other areas of our lives that aren’t bad or wrong, but they’re crowding out the better things. Some of our activities may need to be cut back so as to make room for the more essentials of life. Otherwise, if they’re allowed to continue and grow unchecked, they may put stress on our spiritual health.

And while appearance isn’t everything, there is a certain “shape” that God expects us to maintain. His Word makes it clear that we are to be transforming more and more into the image of Christ. It may be necessary for those parts of our lives that don’t look like Him to be dealt with and to be cut away. Our Master-gardener isn’t just haphazardly clipping away at us. He is sculpting us into the image of His Son.

Another aspect of pruning is that it can be painful. It is cutting away some things. The shears God uses in this process may involve hardships and adversity. Pruning may not be pleasant at times. It means change. It means giving up certain things. It means new direction. It can be difficult. However, we need to yield ourselves to the will and hand of our Gardener, trusting His wisdom, skill, and vision for our lives.

Keep in mind that pruning isn’t punishment. On the contrary, it’s a sign that God sees potential in us and wants us to thrive even more. He sees the good fruit we’re bearing, but knows that we can be even more fruitful. He sees spiritual health and wants us to keep getting healthier. He sees growth, but wants to control that growth and keep it from becoming wild or spreading in harmful directions.

What does God need to cut away from your life? How do you need to become more like Jesus? Let Him do His vital work of pruning so that you can be healthier and bear even more fruit for Him.