It’s slightly psychologically reassuring to see the mandatory “Employees Must Wash Hands” sign in fast food restaurants and other eateries. As a customer, it gives me hope that the people handling my food are following this important hygienic rule. After all, it is the law. Similarly, God has certain cleanliness requirements of us. Do we always follow the laws of spiritual hygiene?
When Moses brought the Law to the Israelites, there were very specific rules about cleanliness. Whoever coined the phrase “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” must have been reading the book of Leviticus! Various activities led to uncleanliness, such as touching the carcass of a dead animal, being in the same room as a dead body, having contact with someone who had an infectious skin disease, and even handling material with mildew. Ceremonial washing was introduced so that God’s people could be cleansed and remain holy.
As time went on, this ceremonial washing became a ritual—a mindless cleansing that was done out of habit, rather than an aim for true holiness. But God demands more than that from us. In Mark 7, we find that Jesus was approached by the Pharisees who had observed some of His disciples eating with unclean hands (the disciples had not participated in the ceremonial washing). The Pharisees challenged Jesus on this issue, but He called them out on their hypocrisy, saying, “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’” Jesus let them know that “going through the motions” of holiness was unacceptable. God demands a higher level of accountability.
Imagine if you were in a restaurant and you saw the chef, after using the restroom, simply run his/her hands under the water and shake them off nonchalantly. No soap, no warm water, and no actual rubbing the hands together to rid them of germs; just a half-hearted attempt to follow the rules. You might think twice about eating at that place!
The same goes for our spiritual cleanliness. The world is a dirty place, filthy with sin. We shouldn’t simply go through the motions of seeking a clean heart; we need to honestly go before the Lord daily and ask Him for renewal. True cleanliness begins from within. When we turn to Him and turn away from the temptations of evil, we are pleasing to the Lord.
“The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.” (Psalm 18:20)
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Manna Mania
WARNING: Too much of a good thing may be hazardous to your health. This public service announcement is brought to you today because there is a disturbing trend going on in our society: Those who are the most blessed seemed to be the most ungrateful!
Unfortunately, this isn’t as recent a development as one would believe. This kind of ingratitude has occurred since the Israelites were led out of Egypt. When God delivered His people out of slavery, He made sure they were well cared for and well fed all the way to the Promised Land. Each morning, He would send down manna, a versatile food substance that provided all the nutrients they needed to remain strong and healthy. And each day, He provided just enough—no more or no less than was needed.
One would think that the wilderness wanderers would be delighted. No having to hunt or forage for food. No need to worry whether there would be enough to last the week. But no—like many of us today, the Israelites were not satisfied with God’s provision. Even in the first days of receiving the manna, some tried to horde it and “leave a little extra” for the next day. But the leftover manna was rotten the next morning! How often are we concerned today that God’s provision is not enough to last us day in and day out? We want assurance that we will have “enough” for the next week or the year after, instead of trusting in His continuous providence.
After a while, the Israelites also started to take the manna for granted. Like many of us, they looked at God’s blessing and said, “Oh really, this again? Ho hum!” When we consider how blessed we are—no matter what our current circumstance at the present moment—we should be overjoyed with even the “little blessings” He provides us with day after day. But how often do we act like God owes them to us?
Probably one of the most troubling responses to our daily manifestation of manna is our attitude of complacency. One of the sternest warnings God gave to the Israelites was for them to not forget who He is. They were instructed to continue to worship and follow Him as they did for 40 years in the wilderness. Today, many of us have become so accustomed to God giving us what we need, we become apathetic about our praise and adoration of Him.
Luke 12:48 says, “…From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” God gives us His best and expects us to show appreciation. When we let our light shine so that others see our work and give God thanks, we show our gratitude for our daily manna.
As the Lord continues to keep the manna coming, let’s be careful to remember to always give Him the praise!
Unfortunately, this isn’t as recent a development as one would believe. This kind of ingratitude has occurred since the Israelites were led out of Egypt. When God delivered His people out of slavery, He made sure they were well cared for and well fed all the way to the Promised Land. Each morning, He would send down manna, a versatile food substance that provided all the nutrients they needed to remain strong and healthy. And each day, He provided just enough—no more or no less than was needed.
One would think that the wilderness wanderers would be delighted. No having to hunt or forage for food. No need to worry whether there would be enough to last the week. But no—like many of us today, the Israelites were not satisfied with God’s provision. Even in the first days of receiving the manna, some tried to horde it and “leave a little extra” for the next day. But the leftover manna was rotten the next morning! How often are we concerned today that God’s provision is not enough to last us day in and day out? We want assurance that we will have “enough” for the next week or the year after, instead of trusting in His continuous providence.
After a while, the Israelites also started to take the manna for granted. Like many of us, they looked at God’s blessing and said, “Oh really, this again? Ho hum!” When we consider how blessed we are—no matter what our current circumstance at the present moment—we should be overjoyed with even the “little blessings” He provides us with day after day. But how often do we act like God owes them to us?
Probably one of the most troubling responses to our daily manifestation of manna is our attitude of complacency. One of the sternest warnings God gave to the Israelites was for them to not forget who He is. They were instructed to continue to worship and follow Him as they did for 40 years in the wilderness. Today, many of us have become so accustomed to God giving us what we need, we become apathetic about our praise and adoration of Him.
Luke 12:48 says, “…From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” God gives us His best and expects us to show appreciation. When we let our light shine so that others see our work and give God thanks, we show our gratitude for our daily manna.
As the Lord continues to keep the manna coming, let’s be careful to remember to always give Him the praise!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Try Him—You’ll Like Him!
I had a friend whose initial approach to telling others about Christianity was, “It’s better to have Jesus and not need Him, than to need Jesus and not have Him.” Of course, there are a million additional reasons to have Jesus, but for the new believer, sometimes all it takes is an invitation to try Him out.
My pastor recently did a sermon on Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.” Our pastor invited the congregation to taste and see the goodness of the Lord. He made an analogy to the snack places that you may pass in the mall. There’s usually someone standing out front with a sample tray, offering a delicious taste of buttery pretzel or sugary cinnamon goodies. God is always willing to provide a sample of His goodness. Sometimes, all it takes is a little taste to get hooked!
Unfortunately, many in the world shy away from taking a taste of what God has to offer. Guilt or shame may be so overwhelming that they feel that there is nothing that can possibly help them. Or maybe the burdens of life are so great that they are too consumed with worries and cares to stop and try Jesus. We should continually encourage one another that all it takes is a taste of what God has to offer to make a tremendous difference in life.
Is there someone in your life who hasn’t tried Jesus? Share your testimony of how the Lord has brought you through and invite them to taste and see how good He is.
When they try Him, they’ll like Him—and once they know Him, they’ll love Him.
My pastor recently did a sermon on Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.” Our pastor invited the congregation to taste and see the goodness of the Lord. He made an analogy to the snack places that you may pass in the mall. There’s usually someone standing out front with a sample tray, offering a delicious taste of buttery pretzel or sugary cinnamon goodies. God is always willing to provide a sample of His goodness. Sometimes, all it takes is a little taste to get hooked!
Unfortunately, many in the world shy away from taking a taste of what God has to offer. Guilt or shame may be so overwhelming that they feel that there is nothing that can possibly help them. Or maybe the burdens of life are so great that they are too consumed with worries and cares to stop and try Jesus. We should continually encourage one another that all it takes is a taste of what God has to offer to make a tremendous difference in life.
Is there someone in your life who hasn’t tried Jesus? Share your testimony of how the Lord has brought you through and invite them to taste and see how good He is.
When they try Him, they’ll like Him—and once they know Him, they’ll love Him.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
For or Against?
In our society, there are many groups that take a hard line “for us” or “against us” approach. A person is either “pro choice” or “right to choose.” One can either “support” same-sex marriage or “oppose” it. People draw their lines in the sand, and whether right or wrong, they will bitterly defend their position to the end. It’s amazing, then, that when it comes to Jesus, there are many—even those who call themselves Christians—who want to straddle the fence.
One of the most appalling things I’ve seen was a 2005 Larry King interview with world-renowned religious leader Joel Osteen, who was flat-out asked the question, “Is Jesus Christ the only way to heaven?” Osteen hemmed and hawed and danced around the answer. His ultimate response? “Let God be the judge of who goes to heaven or hell.” While this is an obvious truth—God will be the judge, it was disappointing to see that a man who pastors tens of thousands of Christians was unwilling to actually say with his own mouth, “Jesus is the way.” If our religious leaders are so wishy-washy, it’s no wonder so many Christians have a hard time standing up for their faith.
It has been said, “If you don’t stand up for something, then you will fall for anything.” Christians are falling by the wayside daily because many churches and “spiritual leaders” are so focused on proclaiming the “prosperity” and “blessings” of God, they are forgetting to teach the basic precepts of the faith.
There is a choice to be made. Before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, their leader, Joshua, took a hardline “for” or “against” stance. He said, “…Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:25) There was no toeing the line or straddling the fence. The people could either be for God or against Him. Fast-forward to the New Testament, and God (who is unchanging) demands the same of us today. We are either for Him or against Him. In fact, in Revelations 3:15-16, God rebukes the church in Laodicea, saying, “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.” How many Christians today will be counted among the Laodiceans?
A Bible commentary noted here, “Deep down, there is no one more miserable than the lukewarm Christian is. They have too much of the world to be happy in Jesus, but too much of Jesus to be happy in the world.”
Are we “for” Jesus or “against” Him? The Bible makes it clear that it’s either one or the other. Choose for yourself today.
One of the most appalling things I’ve seen was a 2005 Larry King interview with world-renowned religious leader Joel Osteen, who was flat-out asked the question, “Is Jesus Christ the only way to heaven?” Osteen hemmed and hawed and danced around the answer. His ultimate response? “Let God be the judge of who goes to heaven or hell.” While this is an obvious truth—God will be the judge, it was disappointing to see that a man who pastors tens of thousands of Christians was unwilling to actually say with his own mouth, “Jesus is the way.” If our religious leaders are so wishy-washy, it’s no wonder so many Christians have a hard time standing up for their faith.
It has been said, “If you don’t stand up for something, then you will fall for anything.” Christians are falling by the wayside daily because many churches and “spiritual leaders” are so focused on proclaiming the “prosperity” and “blessings” of God, they are forgetting to teach the basic precepts of the faith.
There is a choice to be made. Before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, their leader, Joshua, took a hardline “for” or “against” stance. He said, “…Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:25) There was no toeing the line or straddling the fence. The people could either be for God or against Him. Fast-forward to the New Testament, and God (who is unchanging) demands the same of us today. We are either for Him or against Him. In fact, in Revelations 3:15-16, God rebukes the church in Laodicea, saying, “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.” How many Christians today will be counted among the Laodiceans?
A Bible commentary noted here, “Deep down, there is no one more miserable than the lukewarm Christian is. They have too much of the world to be happy in Jesus, but too much of Jesus to be happy in the world.”
Are we “for” Jesus or “against” Him? The Bible makes it clear that it’s either one or the other. Choose for yourself today.
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