truthmission.net

Love Your Neighbor: Part 2–Rights or Responsibilities?

Freedom is a word that gets thrown around a lot here in the US. Especially in an election year. ESPECIALLY especially in THIS election year. Vote for (fill in the blank) because OUR FREEDOM IS AT STAKE!!! Another word that we use interchangeably with this kind of freedom is “rights.” Our Constitution has a Bill of Rights. We have the right to do this, or not to do that. Don’t you dare violate my rights! But Christians are called to a different, I would even say higher, form of freedom. While American freedom is preoccupied with individual rights, Christian freedom is about communal responsibilities.

Loving your neighbor calls for the realization that you are part of something bigger, a member of a larger body. Within the Church, we refer to ourselves as the Body of Christ. However, any community is also a body, whether it is a household, neighborhood, city, state, or country.

No one lives in a vacuum. What we do affects others, whether we can see it or not. A HUGE problem in our society is that people have forgotten the basic principle that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Paul addressed this problem in the church at Corinth in this way:

There’s a slogan often quoted on matters like this: “All things are permitted.” Yes, but not all things are beneficial. “All things are permitted,” they say. Yes, but not all things build up and strengthen others in the body. We should stop looking out for our own interests and instead focus on the people living and breathing around us. 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 (The VOICE)

Yes, we have rights. Yes, we have the freedom of speech; therefore, yes, we ought to be able to speak truth, whenever and wherever and amongst whomever we find ourselves. Technically. However…

Just because we can doesn’t always mean that we should.

Here is something you might not have considered. Even if you’re right in what you say, someone hearing it may not have a full understanding of the issue at hand. If someone questions you out of simple ignorance, you can gently educate them to build them up to where you are. However, if you argue, shout them down or otherwise dig in your heels to assert your rightness, not only are you failing to get your own point across effectively, you are also making it less likely that the other person will ask other significant questions in the future.

Furthermore, they may likely develop an attitude about you as a person, and by extension any group with which you are affiliated, that is closed off and hostile. Can you see how potentially devastating it can be when Christians behave this way? Great job Ace, you won an argument that you never should have been in (slow hand clap), and you lost a soul for the Kingdom in the process. You exercised your Constitutional right to voice your opinion, but you broke God’s commandment to love your neighbor.

via GIPHY

It all comes down to the question of rights. If you’re only focused on your own, sooner or later, you’re going to be depriving someone else of theirs. Rights are about exercising your freedom. However, responsibility is the freedom to lay aside your rights for the greater good, just as Jesus laid aside His divinity to come down here with us.

For example, freedom of speech is great until you say something that isn’t true, and it spreads like COVID on the Internet. By that point (and it only takes hours in this age of technology), it’s too late for an apology or retraction. The damage is done and is not likely to be undone.

For this reason, love dictates that the freedom of speech should be in submission to the responsibility to speak truthfully, and to lift others up instead of tearing them down. As Paul directed the Ephesians:

Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you. Ephesians 4:29 (GNT)

This is useful advice in any context, but especially on social media. Here are some questions every Truthseeker should ask themselves before posting:

- Is what I am saying building up orders according to their needs?
- Do I even know what those needs are? (I.e., Did I really listen to what they were saying?)
- Have I tested my own perceptions and beliefs before questioning theirs?
- Do I for sure know what I’m talking about, or am I about to spout an opinion based on emotion rather than reasoning?
- What effect might my words have for those lurking on this post or page that aren’t directly involved in the conversation?
- What is my motivation for making this post? Am I trying to illuminate Truth or win an argument?
- If a non-believer reads this post, is it going to make them more curious to see what this God thing is all about, or will it make them say, “See, I told you those people were all ignorant douchebags.”

The best practice we can all learn is to do everything we can to widen the gap between stimulus and response. It’s easy to feel anger. It’s harder, but more beneficial, to take a breath, think things through, and respond constructively. It requires wisdom to understand that sometimes the most constructive and loving response is no response at all.

Love Your Neighbor: Part 1–And Your Enemies Too

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40 (MEV)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor. Hate your enemy.’ But here is what I tell you. Love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you. Then you will be children of your Father who is in heaven. He causes his sun to shine on evil people and good people. He sends rain on those who do right and those who don’t. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Even the tax collectors do that. If you greet only your own people, what more are you doing than others? Even people who are ungodly do that. Matt 5:43-47 (NIRV)

So, Jesus said to love our neighbor AND love our enemies. There are two implications here. The first is that our neighbors might BE our enemies. The second, is that what Jesus is really saying is to love everybody, that way you don’t miss one.

You all remember the story of the Good Samaritan, right? But do you remember the story behind the story? Here’s how it went down:

A lawyer got up and put Jesus on the spot.

‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what should I do to inherit the life of the coming age?’

‘Well,’ replied Jesus, ‘what is written in the law? What’s your interpretation of it?’

‘You shall love the Lord your God’, he replied, ‘with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your understanding; and your neighbour as yourself.’

‘Well said!’ replied Jesus. ‘Do that and you will live.’

‘Ah,’ said the lawyer, wanting to win the point, ‘but who is my neighbour?’

Jesus rose to the challenge. ‘Once upon a time,’ he said, ‘a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and was set upon by brigands. They stripped him and beat him and ran off leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, and when he saw him he went past on the opposite side. So too a Levite came by the place; he saw him too, and went past on the opposite side.

‘But a travelling Samaritan came to where he was. When he saw him he was filled with pity. He came over to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine. Then he put him on his own beast, took him to an inn, and looked after him. The next morning, as he was going on his way, he gave the innkeeper two dinars. “Take care of him,” he said, “and on my way back I’ll pay you whatever else you need to spend on him.”

‘Which of these three do you think turned out to be the neighbour of the man who was set upon by the brigands?’

‘The one who showed mercy on him,’ came the reply.

‘Well,’ Jesus said to him, ‘you go and do the same.’ Luke 10:25-37 (NTE)

With this parable, Jesus answered two questions—”Who is my neighbor?” and “What does love really look like?”

A neighbor is anyone you come into contact with, not just those you would PREFER to come into contact with.

And love? We have discussed before that agape, the Greek word for “love” in this example, is not an emotion, but an action. It is kindness in motion, having an unselfish concern for others, seeking the best for them, and doing everything in your power to make that happen. The Samaritan had no incentive to help the Jewish man in the story, as Jews and Samaritans hated each other with a passion. Nevertheless, he was motivated by love for God to show compassion to this man, who on any other day would just as soon have spit on him as looked at him.

Love involves sacrifice in any context, but much more so when it involves our enemies. It’s easier to step on someone’s neck than lift them up, especially if they don’t like you either.

Love of this nature can only come from a posture of humility. To seek the best for others, you must already be in the habit of having a mindset that the welfare of others takes priority over your own.

Now that does not mean to never look after your own interests. Just consider the needs of others first, THEN yours. Have the heart of a servant, just like Jesus did. He set us a crystal-clear example of what that looks like, throughout His entire ministry, and explicitly at the Last Supper. So why do we have such a hard time following that example?

(To find out, come back for Part 2—Rights or Responsibilities?)

Antichrist

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. 1 John 4:1-3 (NIV)

2020 has been a rough year for everybody so far, but especially for Truthseekers. The media has degenerated from fake news to absolute lunacy. A pandemic, or at least the fear of one, has gripped the world, but the scientists can’t seem to get their stories straight. Worst of all, opportunists of the lowest caliber have used fear and racial prejudice to turn us against each other.

Why do I say that one is worst of all? Because if we create enemies for ourselves along the lines of racial differences, we will forget that we have a common enemy. Which is exactly what our real enemy wants.

Wondershare Edrawsoft – Up to 70% Off

So, what does John mean when he talks about “testing the spirits?” Some people get a little froke out by this, but it’s not all that weird.

Three years ago, we covered this extensively in the Overcoming the World series. In Part 8, we discussed that when a thought “pops into your head,” it is likely a message from God if it is in line with scripture, illuminates the solution to a problem and leads to a good result for all concerned. If this out-of-the-blue thought does not meet those criteria, it did not come from God. So where did it come from?

The passage above makes clear that deceptive messages are from the spirit of the antichrist. Now this is the spirit of antichrist with a lower-case A, not the big baddie of Revelation (more on that later). John uses this term literally to mean a spirit that opposes Jesus. You can see from this passage that this is the spirit that controls false prophets.

However, the wording above appears at first to be too simplistic. Every spirit that acknowledges Jesus has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that doesn’t, isn’t. If discerning the spirits were that easy, then why would we need to test them?

Well, have you seen what’s going on in the Church lately? It mirrors what’s going on in our country. Just as America’s greatest enemy has proven to be from within, so it is with the Church. Atheists are the least of our problems, annoying though they may be. They are a mosquito bite compared to the cancer that is eating away at the Body of Christ from within.

In the Flesh

To understand what it truly means to test the spirits, it is important to know that John snuck a coded message into verse 2 above. “Every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.” Pretty much every church identifying as Christian acknowledges that Jesus was an actual human born into this world. Yet sharp division remains on what the Church’s role in the world ought to be. So, there must be something more to it than that.

There is. It’s hiding in plain sight at the beginning of John’s Gospel:

In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.

And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception). John 1:1, 14 (AMP)

Jesus is the Word of God in human form. He is one with God Himself, which means that the Word is one with God Himself. Jesus is absolutely free of deception, which means the Word is absolutely free of deception.

Are you seeing where I’m going with this? Remember, the first criteria to judge whether a message is from God is if it lines up with scripture, logos, THE WORD, God Himself. Therefore, anyone who claims to speak on behalf of God but says something different than what God has already said—this is the spirit of the antichrist at work.

And we let it right in the front door. Because we didn’t want to be “judgmental.”

God’s righteous judgment

Wake up Truthseekers! Put on the armor of God and report for duty. John has already told us what comes next:

Next I saw heaven opened, and there before me was a white horse. Sitting on it was the one called Faithful and True, and it is in righteousness that he passes judgment and goes to battle. His eyes were like a fiery flame, and on his head were many royal crowns. And he had a name written which no one knew but himself. He was wearing a robe that had been soaked in blood, and the name by which he is called is, “THE WORD OF GOD.” The armies of heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. And out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down nations — “He will rule them with a staff of iron.” It is he who treads the winepress from which flows the wine of the furious rage of Adonai, God of heaven’s armies. And on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written:

KING OF KINGS

AND

LORD OF LORDS.

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds that fly about in mid-heaven, “Come, gather together for the great feast God is giving, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of generals, the flesh of important men, the flesh of horses and their riders and the flesh of all kinds of people, free and slave, small and great!” I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to do battle with the rider of the horse and his army. But the beast was taken captive, and with it the false prophet who, in its presence, had done the miracles which he had used to deceive those who had received the mark of the beast and those who had worshipped his image. The beast and the false prophet were both thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword that goes out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. Revelation 19:11-21 (CJB)

Can you see now why the spirit of antichrist is so intent on dividing us in terms of race? Because the devil knows well that when The Word Made Flesh returns, there will only be two kinds of people. The Army of Heaven, and Bird Food.

Now, I promised that I would get back to the Capital-A Antichrist.

What I did not promise was to reveal who I think it might be, because that is pointless speculation. Just as trying to figure out when Jesus is going to return is a distraction, trying to make news headlines line up with Biblical prophecy is also disruptive to the work we are supposed to be doing.

Trust God and His Word this much—when the Antichrist reveals himself, if you’re still here to see it, you’ll know.

The End of the Age: Part 1–In the Last Days

You may as well know this too, Timothy, that in the last days it is going to be very difficult to be a Christian. 2 Timothy 3:1 (TLB)

Christians are well acquainted with the concept of “The Last Days,” the very end of the age leading up to Christ’s triumphant return. It is no mystery to us that things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better.

Even many non-Christians are at least aware of this concept. If you have a social media account, the concept is kind of hard to avoid.

The first five months of 2020 certainly haven’t given us any reason to doubt that the end of all things is near. Nevertheless, there are a couple of things that we need to understand about “The Last Days.”

When are the Last Days?

Most Christians, as I stated above, think of the Last Days as being the very end of this age leading up to Judgment Day. The prophetic books of Daniel and Revelation speak of a Great Tribulation lasting seven years that will mark the end of the age.

Some believe that God’s people will be “raptured,” or whisked up into heaven before the Tribulation begins, so as not to have to suffer through it. Some believe, according to Daniel 9:27, that this rapture will occur in the middle of the Tribulation when the “Man of Lawlessness” (a.k.a. the Antichrist) is revealed. And some believe that there will be no rapture at all, but rather that God will protect His people and help them to stand firm throughout the Tribulation.

However, none of these views acknowledge that the Last Days have actually been going on for quite some time.

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

“‘In the last days, God says,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your young men will see visions,
    your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
    and they will prophesy.
I will show wonders in the heavens above
    and signs on the earth below,
    blood and fire and billows of smoke. Acts 2:14-19 (NIV)

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. Hebrews 1:1-2 (NIV)

But, beloved, remember the words that were previously spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last days there will be scoffers who will walk after their own ungodly desires.” These are the men who cause divisions, sensual, devoid of the Spirit. Jude 1:17-19 (MEV)

In the above verses, I have highlighted the words that show the Last Days as being present tense, not future tense. A question I get from a lot of my Christian friends is, “Do you think we’re living in the Last Days?” Absolutely we are.

The Last Days began when the Church began, at Pentecost. We have been in the last days for nearly 2,000 years now. That’s a lot of days!

For this reason, I would submit to you that anyone who is trying to decipher scripture or read the signs of the times to figure out when the end is coming, or when (or if) the Rapture will happen, have completely missed the point. The point is that instead of looking up at the sky for signs, we should be looking inward.

What should we be doing in the Last Days?

2020 has presented us with many challenges so far. Some of them are new (COVID-19), and some of them are ongoing problems that are bubbling to the surface again, such as the current racial unrest over the George Floyd incident. These are the kinds of things that light up the social media accounts of Christians with public calls to repent, for the end is near.

A call for repentance is always good advice, but there’s an elephant in the room that we need to put the spotlight on.

With the understanding that the Last Days are present tense, not future, let’s go back to the quote at the top of this post. Paul’s warning to Timothy is also a warning to us, because we are in the same last days now as the world was when this letter was written. It was difficult to be a Christian then, and it is difficult now.

“Oh, I know,” you might say. “Just look at how we’re portrayed in the media and by the government. They destroy our economy, but glorify abortion and drug use,” etc.

True, but that’s not what I’m talking about right now. And it’s not what Paul was talking about then either. He goes on in the next eight verses to describe the people Timothy ought not to associate with, and the methods that they use. But here’s the kicker…

He was talking about people INSIDE the church!

via GIPHY

It is no news flash that Christians are opposed in today’s culture. The ignorance of outsiders has never torn down the church, and it won’t now. Our greatest enemy comes from within. And here is what they look like:

1. 1. Narcissists
  2. The greedy and stingy
  3. People who draw attention to themselves
  4. People who look down on others
  5. People who take advantage of others
  6. People who dishonor their parents
  7. People with an entitlement mentality
  8. Those who conform to the pattern of this world
  9. Those who won’t help others
  10. Those who hold grudges
  11. Those who tear down other people verbally
  12. The undisciplined
  13. The physically violent
  14. Those who glorify evil
  15. Back-stabbers
  16. The impulsive
  17. The self-centered
  18. Hedonists
  19. Religious Legalists

That’s quite a list. Except there’s a problem. I said “they.”

And as of this writing, if I am going to be completely transparent, I believe that I fit six of these categories myself. So, it’s not “them.” It’s “us.”

This is why I say that we don’t have time to waste looking up at the sky, watching for a sign of Jesus’ return. The thing is, YOU DON’T KNOW when He’s coming back. The Great Tribulation may have already started. Or not. The Rapture may be tomorrow. Or 10 years from now. Or never.

Here is what we do know:

For the Son of Man will come in his Father’s glory, with his angels; and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct. Matthew 16:27 (CJB)

God has given us all gifts and wired our personalities to do the work He had planned for us to do before we were ever born. To be able to do that work effectively and leave a legacy in the world for Jesus, our hearts must COMPLETELY belong to Him. The only way that will happen is if we take an honest look at that list above and figure out what we need to repent of in our own lives. Then take a radical step of faith and DO that repenting.

Because in these last days, ain’t nothing gonna be easy for us. Let’s not make it any harder for ourselves than it needs to be.

(Nevertheless, there will be signs. To learn more about those, please come back for Part 2–What Sign?)

Reasonable: Part 4–The Best of Your Ability

(Originally published 5/10/2020 during the lockdown)

If possible, to the best of your ability, live at peace with all people. (Romans 12:18 CEB)

Back in Part 3, we gave some examples of the characteristics we ought to be manifesting as we cling to what is good. Here are some more practical tips from Romans 12 on how to walk this out.

14 Bless people who harass you—bless and don’t curse them.

Most people know that Jesus commanded us to love our enemies. That notion was just as counter-intuitive 2,000 years ago as it is today. If we have the capacity for hatred, who better to bear the brunt of it but our enemies? Isn’t that what enemies are for?

Not so much, as it turns out. Even as Jesus was hanging on the cross, He forgave the people that put Him there.

Christians all around the world experience persecution at many levels. Since Truth Mission has readers all over the world, what you are going through as you read this could be quite different than my experience.

Some of you may be harassed on social media. Some of you may be feeling heat from the government. Some of you may actually have been beaten, fired from a job, or had loved ones tortured and killed for their faith.

There are two things we need to remember though. The first is that the people who persecute us are not our real enemies. We have one Enemy who seeks our destruction.

The second thing is that we have no control whatsoever over how other people respond to the promptings of the Enemy. We do, however have control over how we respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, to the best of our ability, we need to follow the example set in Proverbs 25:21-22:

If your enemies are starving, feed them some bread; if they are thirsty, give them water to drink. By doing this, you will heap burning coals on their heads, and the Lord will reward you.

The “burning coals” bit may refer to an Egyptian custom where people would carry a pan of hot coals on their heads as a sign of repentance. So the idea here is that if someone is harassing you, and you respond with a blessing instead of a curse, they may take note of that and see you, and God THROUGH you, in a different way.

Now will that happen every time? No, of course not. But if it doesn’t, that’s not your problem. To the best of your ability, you have followed Christ’s command. By your actions, you have shared the Gospel and offered a tacit invitation for your “enemies” to turn from their ways and join in the freedom that you enjoy. But it is up to them to RSVP to your invitation.

15 Be happy with those who are happy, and cry with those who are crying.

A healthy church functions as a family, so we always need to be aware of and involved with one another’s lives.

We celebrate together at weddings, graduations and baby showers. We also walk alongside each other at funerals, during illnesses, or when children go astray.

This unity has never been more important than it is right now. As I type this, we have been on COVID-19 lockdown for about eight weeks. The Enemy has used this “pandemic” as an opportunity to scatter the body of Christ by influencing our State government to keep the churches closed for far longer than necessary.

However, to the best of our ability, we must rise up inside this. We need to get over our technophobia and learn how to do Zoom meetings and participate in online church. Yes, it’s not the same as meeting in person, but a connection is a connection. We can’t afford to just float away from each other just because meeting virtually is inconvenient.

We must stay in the habit of gathering, not just for our own sakes, but for the sakes of those who do not have a church community. Think about it. If you are feeling lonely and disconnected right now, and you HAVE a church family, how do you think the people feel who have no one to do life with? These are the people we need to be reaching out to. They are more open than ever right now for conversations. So have some.

*16 Consider everyone as equal, and don’t think that you’re better than anyone else. Instead, associate with people who have no status. Don’t think that you’re so smart.***

And while you’re planning those conversations, which may be out of your comfort zone anyway, I would like to challenge you further to have conversations with people who aren’t like you. If God’s invitation is open to everyone, and he uses us to extend that invitation, then we should be doing this anyway.

By all means, we should talk to the people we’re around every day. However, we must also remember that someone who doesn’t live in our neighborhood or work in our office or walk in our social circle also has a gift and a passion that God gave them to build His Church. We need that person just as much as he or she needs us.

Are you educated? Think of the uneducated people you know. Do you see how hard many of them work, because they haven’t had the occupational privileges that come with a college degree? Don’t you think your church needs someone with that work ethic using spiritual gifts they may not even be aware of until you invite them in?

Are you financially well-off? Try walking your Labradoodle on the other side of the tracks today and wave to everybody you see. (Or go shake hands once we’re done with social distancing.) That act by itself won’t save many souls, but you have to start somewhere.

Are you well-versed in scripture? Instead of correcting people who misinterpret the Bible in your Facebook feed, maybe you could start an online Bible study group with them and ask them to invite friends that have questions.

Bottom line—if we are all equal in the eyes of God, then we should be all equal in one another’s eyes as well.

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. (NLT)

This one is a challenge for all of us. Our first instinct when someone wrongs us is to get even with our harasser. Some people just repress that instinct better than others.

Nevertheless, repress it we must. To the best of our ability, we must leave room for God to deal with our accusers.

Revenge is a control issue. When we are wronged, we feel that we must take control of the situation by restoring balance to the equation. If we take an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth, then we feel that we are restoring the equilibrium of justice.

But if that were our job, then what would be the purpose of Judgment Day?

A reasonable assumption for those who have put their trust in Jesus is that God is in control. And if God is in control, then the only control we need to be concerned with is self-control.

Therefore, to the best of our ability, we use this self-control to resist conforming to the pattern of this world. We use it to restrain ourselves from following our own understanding when discerning what is evil from what is good. Finally, we exercise our self-control to avoid being conquered by evil, but rather to conquer evil by doing good.

That sounds reasonable, right?

Reasonable: Part 3–What is Good

Love must be honest and true. Hate what is evil. Hold on to what is good. (Romans 12:9 NIRV)

Back in Part 2, we discussed how God gives various spiritual gifts to individuals, so that we can build up the Church, with each member doing its part, just like the parts of our body.

So what does it look like when the Church is functioning this way? It’s a lot more detailed than making sure the Wednesday night potluck goes off without a hitch!

First, we must remember that these are SPIRITUAL gifts, which means that there must have been a spiritual transformation that has taken place already. The greatest evidence of this is love.

Not feelings, but actions. There is no room in the body of Christ for hypocrisy or two-faced gossiping. We have to get this part right before we can move on with the rest of verse 9.

Hate what is evil

If this sounds familiar, it is because we covered this verse thoroughly in the Necessity of Being Intolerant series.

I feel like I should reiterate, though, that the Bible clearly states to hate WHAT is evil, not WHO. There are still too many people misinterpreting this verse to justify judgmentalism. We are not talking about hating people here. We are talking about behaviors and habits.

For more details regarding “what is evil,” I would encourage you to review the Necessity of Being Intolerant series, especially part 1. But for now, I want to focus on the rest of Romans 12:9.

Hold on to What is Good

Verses 10-12 contain several examples of what is good, the things that we should hold on to. Let’s break this down verse by verse.

10 Love one another deeply. Honor others more than yourselves.

What is good in this verse is humility. C.S. Lewis once said that humility is not so much about thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. When the members of the Church body are focused where they should be, they don’t just use “brother” and “sister” as honorary titles, but truly do treat everyone else in the Church as family.

Remember, false humility makes a show of itself to build up the person showing it, but real humility builds up others, and is not self-seeking.

11 Stay excited about your faith as you serve the Lord.

When you know your calling, your work should be a joy, not a grind. God’s part is to prepare the work for us and equip us to do it. Our part is to have a zeal to meet God where He’s already working and join Him in that work.

12 When you hope, be joyful. When you suffer, be patient. When you pray, be faithful.

Hope does not mean the kind of hope that is desperation mixed with doubt. This is a joyful expectation. You’re not wishing that something might happen; you’re eagerly awaiting something good that you are certain is coming.

Yet while we are hoping and waiting, sometimes we are suffering. When I first wrote this on 12/12/2020, many were suffering from the financial fallout of COVID-19. Many still are today.

Regardless of our gifts, one of the fruits of the Spirit that all believers receive is patience. Some older English translations actually use the word “longsuffering.” If we have joyful hope that what is good is on the way, this helps us to endure what is not so good.

And we endure these things by being faithful in prayer. No matter how grim our circumstances get, we always have the ability to exercise this discipline. God can handle our anger and our disappointment, but He also wants us to remember that what is good comes from Him, and always at exactly the right time.

(For more of what is good, come back for Part 4—The Best of Your Ability)

Reasonable: Part 2–Our Own Understanding

Because of the grace that God gave me, I can say to each one of you: don’t think of yourself more highly than you ought to think. Instead, be reasonable since God has measured out a portion of faith to each one of you. (Romans 12:3 CEB)

Back in Part 1, we talked about how the best way of finding our calling is to trust in the Lord and not to lean on our own understanding. But why is that significant?

It is perfectly reasonable to expect that the One who prepared the path for us knows where it leads. Sometimes, that’s not where we thought we were going. A lot of times, actually. So if the end of the path we’re preparing for ourselves isn’t in the same place as the end of the path that God is preparing for us, then all of our careful planning is just a recipe for disappointment.

Have you experienced this in your own life? I know I have, in big and small ways. When I was 18, I was going to be a famous novelist. I’m 52 now, and that hasn’t happened. When I got my foot in the door with State Government, I was going to fly through the system to the upper echelon and be a major player in state policy. All it takes is one change in the Governor’s Mansion to derail that plan.

Do I even need to mention my family life? I already have before, if you need a reminder of all the things I’ve done according to the pattern of this world that I’d rather forget.

Follow the Leader

The point is that you can’t follow God if you don’t know He’s there to follow. And even if you do know, you WON’T follow God, unless you believe you can trust Him. And that trust only comes from taking your faith to the spiritual gym and giving it a workout, through study, prayer and meditation.

What I have found is that exercising spiritual discipline doesn’t just help me see God more clearly. It also helps me see myself more clearly.

Spiritual Gifts

We all have different gifts. Each gift came because of the grace that God gave us. If one has the gift of prophecy, he should use that gift with the faith he has. If one has the gift of serving, he should serve. If one has the gift of teaching, he should teach. If one has the gift of encouraging others, he should encourage. If one has the gift of giving to others, he should give freely. If one has the gift of being a leader, he should try hard when he leads. If one has the gift of showing kindness to others, that person should do so with joy. (Romans 12:6-8 ICB)

The Church is often referred to as the Body of Christ. Just as every part of your physical body has a specific function, so every member of the Church has a role to play in building it up.

So as God transforms our minds, and we lean less on our own understanding, He starts to illuminate our path by making us aware of the spiritual gifts he has given us. We are then more able to discern His will by discovering what He has wired us to do.

Sometimes a spiritual gift is a divine enablement that enhances the effectiveness of a talent or skill we already have. Sometimes it’s something totally new. Basically, whatever work God has for us to do, He gives us the tools we need to get it done. The more we stay out of His way and just go with it, the more things start to happen.

The list in the passage above is not all-inclusive, but does illustrate some of the gifts God gives His Church.

Some people receive messages from the Lord. They don’t always make sense to the one receiving them. But if they exercise faith, and not their own understanding, and deliver the message anyway, then the person or people meant to hear it will know what it means.

The same goes for serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading and showing mercy. The members of the Church can be somewhat effective in trying to figure out with their own understanding how to serve strategically with their gifts. But where the rubber really meets the road is when we submit to the leading of Holy Spirit, who brought us the gifts in the first place, and see where that leads us. It’s usually somewhere we didn’t plan on being around people we never would have thought of being in the midst of.

(So what does it look like when the Church is functioning in this way? Come back for Part 3: What is Good.)

TONEX ODS Legends Signature Collection

Reasonable: Part 1–The Pattern of this World

Also, do not continue to conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you test and approve what is the will of God—what is good, pleasing, and perfect. (Romans 12:2 EHV)**

This is my second favorite verse in the entire Bible (I’ll get to the most favorite one a little later), because it is the essence of the Christian walk summed up in a single verse.

We were saved from sin so that we would stop sinning. We are set apart from the world that either has no interest in Truthseeking or wants to define Truth on its own terms.

However, the life that we were saved from is the one that encompasses the habits we have developed. The later in life that we accept Jesus as Lord, the harder it is to overcome these habits.

We can’t do this without God’s help. We can’t change our own nature. But we can trust in God to do it for us. True worship is recognizing this reality and acting on it. That is why the verse immediately before this one reads:

I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God—this is a reasonable act of worship for you. (Romans 12:1 MOUNCE)

Reasonable

Romans 12 begins with an exhortation to respond to God’s saving mercy by presenting our bodies, and all that we do with them, as a living sacrifice to God. This means that we should stop doing whatever we want or whatever feels good in the moment and instead go to God for guidance about what we should do and what decisions we should make. Approaching God in this way keeps him on the throne of our hearts, where He belongs.

Paul describes our having this posture of submission toward God as a “reasonable” act of worship, but that word in English fails to convey his full meaning.

The Greek word Paul uses here is logikos. I probably don’t even have to tell you what English word comes from that. It means “logical” or “rational.” It can also be interpreted as “intelligent,” “true,” “appropriate,” “sensible,” “only right,” “authentic,” “fitting,” “not too much to ask,” “proper,” “genuine,” “essential,” “spiritual “ and “in line with God’s mind.”

It is only by being spiritually mindful of the fact that we are sinners, incapable of saving ourselves, and yet chosen by God for redemption when we exercise the faith that is a gift from God, that we can find ourselves in a place where true transformation can begin. We are chosen, but we also make an informed choice.

True worship, therefore, happens where faith and logic meet. Faith and reason are not opposites. Indeed, they must be used together for us to do the work that God saved us to do.

God’s Part and Our Part

This is why both the active and passive voice are used in verse 2. I know that drives English teachers and the Microsoft Word grammar checker nuts, but it’s essential here so that we can understand just how this process of offering ourselves as living sacrifices works. Let’s break verse 2 down.

Do not continue to conform to the pattern of this world.

The implication here is that we have been conforming to the pattern of this world, which is true. As Christians, we always need to remember where we came from. To be set apart from the world, we had to first be a part of it. But what is “the pattern of this world?”

The pattern is the superficial values and customs of our culture. Throughout the ages, it has always been about keeping up appearances. The world judges people and situations by what they can see. Since faith involves believing, THEN seeing, it doesn’t fit the pattern. Therefore, the pattern rejects faith.

In doing so, the people that do conform to the pattern develop standards (for lack of a better word) that are not based on faith and its outcome. The pattern molds and shapes them into a hive mind that is opposed to anything that would challenge it.

So why is that a problem for Truthseekers? Because there’s a good chance that a lot of our friends and family are conforming to that pattern. Sometimes being set apart feels more like being left out. We are tempted to compromise our faith and convictions to have a sense of belonging that we are comfortable with.

This is why God warns us that we have to do our part to resist the pattern. But while we are doing that, God is doing this…

Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.

When we make the decision not to follow the lemmings of our culture, we open the door for God to do His transforming work in our lives. Our minds are renewed through prayer and the study of God’s Word.

Have you noticed that the more time you spend with somebody, the more you start to become like them? You pick up their mannerisms, their accent, maybe even some of their habits.

It works the same way with Jesus. Religion can form habitual rituals, but a relationship with Jesus changes you from the inside out. Once you have made the decision to follow Jesus, AND made the effort to spend time with Him in prayer and meditation, you start to see your life and the world in a different way.

But what is the purpose of this transformation?

So that you test and approve what is the will of God.

Back to our part. We choose to not follow the culture so that God can transform our minds so that we can use our own logic and reason, in accordance with our faith, to find out God’s will for our lives.

This is the process of figuring out the path that has been prepared for us. If we try to figure it out ourselves without yielding to the Holy Spirit, it won’t work. This is why it says in Proverbs 3:5-6 (my most favorite verse):

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. (NASB)

(We shall expound upon this in Part 2—Our Own Understanding)

Thorns

“Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.” (Mark 4:7 NIV)

It’s all too easy for believers to read the Parable of the Sower and assume that we are the seed that fell on good soil. But it’s even easier for us to get complacent with our faith and let the thorns creep in.

There can be many reasons for this. One might be that we turn our Christian walk into a to-do list with boxes to check. Bible study—done! Tithe check—written! Once through the prayer list in the church’s weekly newsletter and I’m good to go till Sunday!

If we treat our walk with Christ like that, one of two things is bound to happen. One is that the relationship will become stale and perfunctory.

Even worse, though is the possibility that we might get burned out trying to keep up with our spiritual checklist. Then our spiritual disciplines become burdens rather than blessings.

But people don’t usually burn out like this all at once. It’s usually a gradual fade. Instead of putting God first, He becomes an IGTIWIGTI level priority (I’ll Get To It When I Get To It). And other things in our lives start to crowd Him out.

The thorns.

When Jesus was explaining this parable to His disciples, He described the process of the thorns this way:

Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. (Mark 4:18-19 NIV)

Thorns, when we become aware of them, take the form of excuses. These excuses usually begin with, “I don’t have time.”

Now we all know that everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. So when we say we don’t have time, what we are really saying is, “This other thing is more important to me.” Most likely, we are not aware we are doing that in the moment, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is this.

Thorns are idols.

The thorns in our lives are what we choose to put on the throne where God ought to be. Our reaction to that concept is usually to blameshift. It can’t be our fault; we can’t control our circumstances.

It is true that we can’t control our circumstances. But we can control how we respond to them.

“I can’t do my Bible study this morning, because I woke up too late.” So wake up earlier. This may mean going to bed earlier. Which may mean one less TV show the night before. Do you think God really buys the excuse that you don’t have 15-30 minutes for him in the morning when you spent two hours last night watching something that has no positive lasting value in your life whatsoever?

“You don’t understand. I’m tired. Life wears me out. You have no idea what I have to go through, and I never get any help.” Yes, life does make us tired. Many are the days when all I want to do after a day at work is just to check out and shut down.

However, I believe that this is where trust comes in. Where did God ever say that this life was to be lived under our own strength? Do we really believe that God displays His strength in and through our weakness? Are we willing to trust Him to work things out, even when we can’t see what He’s up to?

Or are we afraid to let go? To give up control? To accept that the all-knowing God just MIGHT have a better plan in mind than the one we came up with?

MODO Krazy Deal – MODO BASS SE or MODO DRUM SE for only $/€39.99!

I turned 50 this month. This is the part of life where it’s really easy to look back and get depressed about all the things I had hoped to accomplish by now—in my career, in my personal life, or whatever. I am finding it especially difficult dealing with the reality that those ships have sailed, and those dreams will never come true.

Guess what? Life wasn’t supposed to be lived like that. The American Dream is an illusion. Walking the path with God is a day-to-day thing. He’s the one with the big plans. If there’s one thing I’ve learned after a half-century, it’s that the greatest blessings in my life have happened when I least expected them. When I was just focusing on the moment.

Because here’s the thing. Moments add up. What seems like random, boring, day-to-day life is leading somewhere, if you have the sense to keep your eyes open for it.

So many times, I have asked God to let me in on what He is planning so that I can prepare for it and know what to do next. That’s not how it works. God wants us to simply report for duty. The only thing we need to know is that He is always at work, and He always has a place for us to join Him in that work.

But to do that, we have to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, and not on the thorns.

Evidence: Part 5–Run the Race

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV)

So now, it’s time for the post on perseverance. Naturally, it has taken me five weeks to write it. So basically, I’m going to be listing all the things I do wrong. But I know I’m not alone.

The thing is, life is a marathon, but sometimes, we treat it as if it’s a sprint. We make to-do lists and cling to them as though we are trying to run the race in one day.

None of us knows, however, exactly how many days we have left on this earth. We don’t know exactly what work we’re supposed to accomplish before we race to the finish line. We can read (or write) books about finding our calling, and that can be helpful in getting us on the right track. Don’t forget, though, that we don’t achieve our goals instantaneously. We need to learn to appreciate the journey. And every journey proceeds one step at a time.

Therefore, if we fix our eyes on Jesus, and focus on what we’re doing now and what we’re doing next, then we can trust that God will get us where we need to be, and at just the right time. We will, of course, have obstacles to contend with on the way.

Distractions

The first key to dealing with things that distract you from running your race is to simply be awake and aware of the fact that the distractions are there. It’s so easy, especially when you do so much of your work on a computer, as I do, to fall down a rat hole on YouTube or Wikipedia or some such. You don’t even realize it’s happening until two hours have gotten away from you, and you wonder where the day went. In my family, we have several little slogans that we use to help keep us on track. Sometimes we actually even follow them!

Work first, THEN play!

via GIPHY

Most of us would rather goof off than work on any given day. But what typically happens is, at the end of the goof-off session, the tasks remain, and now you have less of the day to get them done. Plus, you feel guilty about the time you wasted, hours that you will never get back, so you don’t even enjoy the goofing off you were doing.

Instead, push forward and persevere in getting the work done as quickly as possible, so that you can relax guilt-free afterward.

*If it’s not on the list, it doesn’t exist!***

I actually started this one when my sons were little and we were broke. We had a very limited grocery budget, so when I would take them shopping with me, I would tell them, “If it’s not on the list, it doesn’t exist,” in order to ward off any impulse buys on my part and whining on theirs.

Today, this is a mantra that I use (or try to) on my to-do lists. Especially on days when I work from home, it is so easy to get distracted by things I notice in my house that need doing. Next thing I know, it’s 2:30, and I haven’t written anything, and I meant to start at 9:00!

I have found that it helps if I focus on the one task that I have to complete. And then just the next thing after that. I rarely get it all done, and certainly not in one day, but by the end of the week, I am able to look back and see real progress. And the following week’s list is smaller!

Avoid the fishhooks!

This is a reference to James 1:14, which reads, “Rather, each person is being tempted whenever he is being dragged off and enticed by the bait of his own desire. (CJB)”

Our lives are full of fishhooks. These are the things that distract us from running our race. Each person has his or her own problem area, but they all have these things in common:

They are something we enjoy.
They are something we would rather do than what we are supposed to do.
They are something we can see.

Just as a fish is lured by what’s on the fishhook, so we get dragged off of the race track by things that may not seem bad in and of themselves. After all, fish gotta eat, right? You’re not going to catch a fish by baiting the hook with something that is not attractive to it. But what happens to the fish after it is caught?

Then, having conceived, the desire gives birth to sin; and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death. (James 1:15 CJB)

Fishhooks are a big deal. People try to justify them every day. “Well, that was a lazy day.” Or maybe, “Sometimes, you just have to blow off some steam.” If it happens once in a while, sure. But it is so easy to slide down into a habit of distraction. Before you know it, you’ll be baiting your own hooks. There is only one long-term vaccination against this kind of deterioration.

Run the Race with Integrity

Yes, if you’ve been around Truth Mission for any significant length of time, you’ve heard this before. Say what you mean. Mean what you say. Do what you say you are going to do. But most importantly, FINISH WHAT YOU START!

It is easy for well-meaning people, such as myself, to leave a trail of half-finished projects behind them. It is also easy for such people to beat themselves up over their inability to finish anything. If allowed to persist, this attitude can give birth to the lie that you are INCAPABLE of getting anything done. From there, it’s a short detour to, “So why even start?”

Folks, this is a lie. Call it what it is. Your life has already started. It is in the middle of a marathon that began long before you even knew there was a starting gun. You have gotten things done before. You can do it again. But you may have to get hardcore on those fishhooks.

Be kind to your mind.

Be absolutely merciless in removing distractions from your life. You’re not going to offend the distractions. Candy Crush or Toon Blast or Peggle or whatever the shiny, colorful game du jour is will not miss you when you leave. They may send the odd notification, but you can make those go away too.

If you need to install an app on your devices to filter out distractions, don’t wait another day to do that. I use StayFocusd, but there are many others that can block certain troublesome websites, or at least limit the time you spend on them.

If you’re a cyber-insomniac, enhance your sleep hygiene by setting your computer or phone to shut off when you ought to be going to bed. Or better yet, a half hour before, to let your brain to wind down.

Keep your eyes on the prize!

In a race everyone runs, but only one person gets first prize. So run your race to win. To win the contest you must deny yourselves many things that would keep you from doing your best. An athlete goes to all this trouble just to win a blue ribbon or a silver cup, but we do it for a heavenly reward that never disappears. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I fight to win. I’m not just shadow-boxing or playing around. (1 Corinthians 9:24-26 TLB)

The fastest course through the minefield of distractions in your life is a straight line with your goal at the end. To reach it, you have to keep your goal in view.

Now of course, some distractions are fairly simple to deal with, since we bring them on ourselves. But what about the ones we don’t?

What do we do when a loved one gets ill? Or a child goes astray? Or if we lose a job, a car, a home?

Things happen that are beyond our control, and naturally, we are going to have an intense emotional response to them. Life is going to throw us curveballs, and we’re not going to be happy about it. But remember, there is a difference between happiness and joy.

We can endure hardship by keeping our eyes fixed on the finish line, by thanking God that the finish line doesn’t move, even when everything else is in turmoil, and by simply persevering. One foot in front of the other. Always facing forward, even if life is knocking us back.

Carry Your Cross.

The verse at the top of this post reminds us to consider Jesus. He persevered in His ministry, of course, but that last day . . .

You don’t have to be a doctor or an anatomy professor to be able to imagine the incredible pain that Jesus suffered on His last day. To be beaten within an inch of His life, and THEN to have to carry the heavy, wooden cross to the place where He would be nailed to it. The root of the word “excruciating” actually comes from the Latin for “cross.” Harry Potter fans may even recognize that J.K. Rowling used the word “Cruciatus” for the Unforgivable torture curse. Same word.

So I consider the agony that Jesus endured, but I also consider that He finished His race. He was able to finish, because He knew what would come after.

Guess what Truthseekers? We have the same “after” in store for us, only we don’t have to be tortured and nailed to a cross to get it. When I reflect upon my first-world problems, I sometimes ask myself, “Does this hurt more or less than a crucifixion?” (My kids HATE it when I ask them that, by the way.)

There are people in the world who are persecuted for real. They are in fear for their lives every hour of every day for standing up for their faith. The worst we typically get here in the US is smack talk at work or some fool in the comment section trying to pass his silly self off as an intellectual.

In other words, we can handle this. There will be days where it will feel like we can’t, but our great God has promised to be strong where we are weak. So don’t overthink your life. Look at what’s directly in front of you, and look at what you have in your hand. And trust that it is enough.

Then move. One step. Don’t worry about the next step until you have taken the first one. Planning is all well and good, but make sure you do it in pencil. Just stay on the track.

And keep running. Your perseverance will be the evidence that you know where your finish line is.